Sox Get Whitlock in Rule 5 Draft (12/10/20)

The Rule 5 draft rarely ever gets you an important puzzle piece for your team moving forward but this may be the exception for the Boston Red Sox. Today the Sox selected New York Yankees pitching prospect Garrett Whitlock in the draft. The 24 year old is a flamethrowing right handed pitcher who can hit 95 on the gun and throws a pretty good sinker. For some reason the Yankees didn't think he was developing fast enough even though a whole year was wiped out due to COVID. The Sox are desperate for young starting pitching and he was on the fast track to Triple A and possibly a September call-up if 2020 didn't go up in smoke. Getting him could be the steal of the century if he pans out the way the Yankees thought he would when he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.

In lesser news, the Sox also selected 23 year old infielder Tyreque Reed from the Texas Rangers and 28 year old career minor leaguer Kaleb Ort from the Yankees. Reed is a power hitting first basemen that's built like a tank and he either hits it out or not at all. He lost a year of development due to COVID but was with Texas' High A team by the end of 2019. If nothing else maybe he'll hit a few homers for Salem or Greenville this coming season.

Ort is a career minor league journeyman who's best season was in 2018 as a reliever for the Trenton Thunder at age 26. If he doesn't get cut in Spring Training, maybe he'll fill out some depth in Worcester when the minor league season starts.....if there is one.

Bottom line is the Sox picked up 2 more young prospects in Whitlock and Reed, whether or not they develop or not is anyone's guess but at least Sox GM Chaim Bloom is trying to build something here.

                                                               IN

Sox Trade for "Boss" Christian Koss (12/3/20)

Normally minor league trades are complete cucka and not worth mentioning but today's trade made by the Boston Red Sox is. Sox GM Chaim Bloom bolstered his minor league depth by trading 23 year old pitching prospect Yoan Aybar to the Colorado Rockies for 22 year old infielding prospect "Boss" Christian Koss.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

Aybar was one of the international kids signed by former Sox GM Dave Dombrowski in 2018. He pitched poorly as a member of the Greenville Drive in 2019 although did well in a brief call up to Salem at the end of the season. Like with everyone else, his 2020 season was wiped out due to COVID. Aybar wasn't projected to be anything special so getting something for him was a miracle in itself.

"Boss" Koss made a name for himself around here in the summer of 2017 playing for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted in the 12th round of the 2019 draft by the Rockies and hit .332 with 11 home runs for the rookie league Grand Junction Rockies. As mentioned before, his 2020 season was wiped out by COVID so his development was delayed a year. 

The fact that Bloom was able to get Koss for Aybar could be a sneaky good move or just another inconsequential minor league trade that nobody will remember a year from now. Time will tell if the Boss develops or not.

Alex Cora Re-Hired (11/6/20)

Alex Cora is back with the Boston Red Sox. After the Boston Red Sox had one of their worst seasons in history, Red Sox brass decided that bringing back Cora after his 1 year suspension would be best for the team. A lot of the Sox looked lost last year including Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi and JD Martinez. Hopefully they will respond to Cora now that he's back at the helm. If Eduardo Rodriguez recovers from Covid, he'll be the one to benefit the most since Cora coaxed 19 wins out of him in 2019. Ron Roenicke was put into an impossible situation but he made a lot of mistakes that Cora wasn't known to make. A good manager can steal you a few wins a bad manager can't, so in the era of the second wild card, the Sox are gonna need that element. Cora guided the Sox to 108 wins and the World Series in 2018 and even though the Sox suffered a major hangover in 2019, those days are the glory days compared to the 2020 season we all just suffered through.

                                                          Sox re-hire Alex Cora

Its inevitable that a lot of people, including some in Boston, are going to whine about this. Essentially Cora was suspended for his involvement with the 2017 Astros than anything he did in Boston, but that doesn't matter to the baseball purists. They're gonna whine and complain that the Sox hired a "cheater" but Michael Chavis speaks for a lot of people in this picture below how we all feel about the whiners. Welcome back Cora.

                                                                For the haters

2020 Basebawful Awards

Jonathan Arauz - 9 Good, 9 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Christian Arroyo - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Hero

Matt Barnes - 17 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Andrew Benintendi - 4 Good, 5 Bad, 5 Ugly

Xander Bogaerts - 23 Good, 7 Bad, 20 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jackie Bradley Jr - 25 Good, 10 Bad, 17 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Ryan Brasier - 17 Good, 5 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Colten Brewer - 5 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Jackass

Austin Brice - 14 Good, 5 Bad, 2 Jackass

Michael Chavis - 11 Good, 13 Bad, 16 Ugly, 2 Hero

Dylan Covey - 3 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Bobby Dalbec - 9 Good, 4 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rafael Devers - 15 Good, 9 Bad, 25 Ugly, 6 Hero, 1 Jackass

Nathan Eovaldi - 5 Good, 2 Hero, 2 Jackass

Zack Godley - 3 Good, 3 Bad, 2 Jackass

Deivy Grullon - 1 Good

Matt Hall - 2 Bad, 2 Jackass

Kyle Hart - 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Heath Hembree - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Darwinzon Hernandez - 6 Good, 1 Bad

Tanner Houck - 3 Hero

Mike Kickham - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Robinson Leyer - 1 Good, 5 Bad

Tzu-Wei Lin - 5 Good, 11 Bad, 5 Ugly, 5 Honorable Mention

Jonathan Lucroy - 1 Honorable Mention

JD Martinez - 17 Good, 11 Bad, 25 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Chris Mazza - 5 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Mitch Moreland - 11 Good, 4 Bad, 5 Ugly, 2 Hero

Yairo Munoz - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero

Josh Osich - 9 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Jackass

Jose Peraza - 12 Good, 12 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Martin Perez - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Kevin Pillar - 11 Good, 4 Bad, 13 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Nick Pivetta - 2 Good

Kevin Plawecki - 12 Good, 4 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

Cesar Puello - 3 Good, 2 Bad

Jeffrey Springs - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 3 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Robert Stock - 2 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Domingo Tapia - 4 Good, 1 Bad

Josh Taylor - 5 Good, 3 Bad

Andrew Triggs - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Phillips Valdez - 14 Good, 5 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Christian Vazquez - 17 Good, 8 Bad, 18 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Alex Verdugo - 22 Good, 7 Bad, 21 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Marcus Walden - 6 Good, 6 Bad, 1 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Ryan Weber - 9 Good, 4 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Brandon Workman - 5 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Most Valuable Player of the Year is Jackie Bradley Jr with 25 Good

                                                                    MVP JBJ

Least Valuable Player of the Year is Michael Chavis was 13 Bad

                                                                LVP - Michael Chavis

The Co-Ugliest Players of the Year are Rafael Devers and JD Martinez with 25 Ugly

                                                       JD Martinez & Rafael Devers: Ugly

Hero of the Year is Rafael Devers with 6 Hero

                                                  Devers The Hero

The Co-Jackasses of the Year are Matt Barnes and Colten Brewer with 3 Jackass apiece

                                                            Barnes and Brewer: Total Jackasses

The Most Honorable Player of the Year is Tzu-Wei Lin with 5 Honorable Mention

                                                        Tzu-Wei Lin the epitome of Honor

That concludes the 2020 season, may we never speak of it again.

Basebawful Report of the Month

Jonathan Arauz - 3 Good, 4 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Christian Arroyo - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Hero

Matt Barnes - 9 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Xander Bogaerts - 10 Good, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jackie Bradley Jr - 13 Good, 3 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero

Ryan Brasier - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Austin Brice - 4 Good, 1 Bad

Michael Chavis - 6 Good, 5 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero

Dylan Covey - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Bobby Dalbec - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rafael Devers - 9 Good, 3 Bad, 9 Ugly, 2 Hero

Nathan Eovaldi - 2 Good, 1 Hero

Zack Godley - 1 Bad

Deivy Grullon - 1 Good

Matt Hall - 2 Jackass

Kyle Hart - 1 Jackass

Darwinzon Hernandez - 3 Good, 1 Bad

Tanner Houck - 3 Hero

Mike Kickham - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Robinson Leyer - 1 Good, 4 Bad

Tzu-Wei Lin - 2 Good, 4 Bad, 4 Ugly, 3 Honorable Mention

JD Martinez - 8 Good, 5 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Chris Mazza - 4 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Yairo Munoz - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero

Jose Peraza - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Honorable Mention

Martin Perez - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Nick Pivetta - 2 Good

Kevin Plawecki - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Ugly

Cesar Puello - 3 Good, 2 Bad

Jeffrey Springs - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Robert Stock - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly

Domingo Tapia - 4 Good, 1 Bad

Josh Taylor - 2 Good, 1 Bad

Andrew Triggs - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Phillips Valdez - 5 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Jackass

Christian Vazquez - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Hero

Alex Verdugo - 10 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly

Marcus Walden - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Ryan Weber - 6 Good, 3 Ugly

Most Valuable Player is Jackie Bradley Jr with 13 Good

Least Valuable Player is Michael Chavis with 5 Bad

The Ugliest Players of the Month are Xander Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec and Rafael Devers with 9 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Tanner Houck with 3 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Matt Hall with 2 Jackass

The Honorable Player of the Month is Tzu-Wei Lin with 3 Honorable Mention

Sox Crush Braves in Season Finale (9/27/20)

The bad news was the Miami Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics with their Game 6 win in the NBA East Finals, the good news was the Boston Red Sox won their final regular season game. HALLELUJA!!! HALLELUJA! The 2020 Boston Red Sox season is over! One of the worst seasons in franchise history is finally over after 2 agonizing months of torture. After the year began with Alex Cora fired in January, Mookie Betts was traded in February. Chris Sale announced he needed Tommy John just as Covid-19 hit in March. The season was postponed until July and at that point, Eduardo Rodriguez developed a serious heart condition due to Covid and was forced to miss the season. Sox GM Chaim Bloom decided to take a knee on fourth down this season by not putting together a legitimate starting rotation, which led to the Sox falling into the last place for the fourth time in nine years. The season ended on a high note though as the Sox made mincemeat out of the Atlanta Braves in the final game of the season. Nick Pivetta (2-0, 6.89 ERA) once again tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball before departing manager Ron Roenicke pulled him. In what could be Jackie Bradley Jr's final game, he led the offensive charge by going 3 for 6 with a home run. Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez and Jonathan Arauz all hit home runs as the Sox closed the book on their last place season on a high note, beating the Braves 9-1 at Truist Field.

                                               Season's over, time to party!

Braves starter Bryse Wilson got tagged immediately in the top of the first inning as Jackie Bradley Jr led off his possible final game in Boston with a double to left to start. Rafael Devers singled down the right field line to score Bradley to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts whiffed but JD Martinez moved Devers to second with a grounder. Kevin Plawecki walked but Bobby Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                    Devers drives in a run

The Braves fought back against Pivetta in the bottom of the first as Ozzie Albies flied out to left to start. Freddie Freeman grounded out to second but Marcell Ozuna hit a home run to Denmark to tie the game. None other than old friend Pablo Sandoval drew a walk and Adam Duvall singled to center. Nick Markakis grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Tie game

Michael Chavis grounded out to short to start the top of the second but Tzu-Wei Lin singled to left. Jonathan Arauz singled Lin to third but Tzu was out at home on a grounder by JBJ. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Pivetta cruised in the bottom of the second as Dansby Swanson whiffed to start. Tyler Flowers took strike three and Ender Inciarte popped up to short to end the inning.

Bogaerts singled to short to start the top of the third before moving to second on the Martinez grounder. Plawecki took strike three but Dalbec walked. Chavis grounded out to second to end the inning. The departing JBJ made one final highlight reel catch in the bottom of the third when he robbed Albies of a triple at the centerfield wall too start. Freeman singled to center but JBJ robbed Ozuna of extra bases as well. Sandoval struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                     One last one for the highlight reel

The Sox took command in the top of the fourth with Will Smith now on the mound. Lin lined out to short and Arauz whiffed, but today's star JBJ pounded his 7th home run of the year to put the Sox up for good. Devers whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.

                                                               One last home run

Pivetta cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Duvall popped up to second to start. Markakis flied out to center and Swanson took strike three to end the inning,

The Sox got another run in the top of the fifth against Darren O'Day. Bogaerts smashed his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead before Martinez flied out to left. Plawecki and Dalbec both went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                        Bogaerts hits one out

Pivetta returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Flowers whiffed to start. Inciarte walked and Albies singled off the glove of Arauz, but Freeman lined out to right. Ozuna lined out to second to end the inning. Despite having all winter to rest, Sox manager Ron Roenicke felt that was enough from Pivetta and pulled him after allowing just the home run in 5 innings.

                                                                2 starts, 2 wins for Pivetta

Shane Greene came in for the top of the sixth and Chavis lined out to right to start. Lin grounded out to second but Arauz walked. JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. Cesar Puello took Bogaerts' spot in the batting order but went to right with Lin moving to second base and Arauz to short to start the bottom of the sixth. Darwinzon Hernandez took the mound and somehow walked Sandoval to start. Duvall lined out to left but Markakis singled and everyone moved over on the passed ball by Plawecki. Swanson walked to load the bases but Flowers took strike three and Hernandez blew away Inciarte on a 94 mph fastball to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the seventh but after throwing one pitch, he fell to the ground clutching his groin. He had to be carried out on a stretcher and Luke Jackson came in ice cold to replace him. The Sox feasted although Devers grounded out to second to start. Puello singled to right and Martinez smashed his seventh home run of the season to increase the lead. Plawecki walked, Dalbec was plunked and Chavis doubled home Plawecki. Lin grounded out to first but Arauz singled home Dalbec and Chavis to ice the game. JBJ singled to left but Devers grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                              Sox pour it on

Ryan Weber took over for the bottom of the seventh and Albies flied out to right to start. Freeman grounded out to first but Ozuna singled to left. Sandoval grounded into a force to end the inning.

Mark Melancon came in for the top of the eighth and Puello singled to left to start. Martinez took strike three but Plawecki singled to center. Dalbec and Chavis both took strike three to end the inning. Weber got Duvall to hit one up the elevator shaft to begin the bottom of the eighth. Markakis doubled to center but Swanson grounded out to short. Flowers took strike three to end the inning.

Josh Tomlin came on for the top of the ninth and the Sox tagged him. Lin grounded out to first but Arauz struck his only home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. JBJ and Devers whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                            1st and only homer for Arauz

Mike Kickham had mop up duty in the bottom of the ninth and Inciarte lined out to center to start. Albies whiffed and Adeiny Hechavarria pinch hit for Freeman. Hechavarria grounded out to short to end the game and the season for the Red Sox. The Sox ended 2020 on a high note by winning 9-1.

                                                            One last win in 2020

Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. In what could be his last game for the Red Sox, Bradley scored the game's first run, robbed Albies of a triple and his home run in the fourth put the Sox up for good.

                                                   Jackie Bradley Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with a home run before leaving.

Cesar Puello was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Jonathan Arauz was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 total rbis and a home run.

Nick Pivetta earned the win by tossing 5 innings while allowing one run for hits and 2 walks.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Ryan Weber tossed two scoreless innings.

Mike Kickham tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Tzu-Wei Lin was just 1 for 5.

Final Thoughts:

WE MADE IT!!! After 60 agonizing games and 65 days, the 2020 season is over for the Red Sox. This was as bad as it gets considering the Red Sox didn't have a rotation until the middle of September when Tanner Houck was brought up and Nick Pivetta was activated. In fact, if this was the middle of June and the Sox were 24-36, with the way the offense was gelling and the rotation improving, the Sox may have made a comeback during a full season. As it was, Sox management didn't even try this year. Losing Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez and Colin McHugh to either injury or Covid related issues hurt but Sox GM Chaim Bloom didn't even replace them. The Sox went into the season back in July with only two starters, Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez. Those guys would be 4-5 in a real rotation. Meanwhile the Sox sent a production line of bums to pitch this season and that's the real reason they finished last. The offense was as good as anyone but 4 games out of 5 they were down 5-6 runs by the third inning. There were some bright spots this season with Houck being the first. If he can build on this season, he could be their first homegrown ace since Clay Buchholz. Bobby Dalbec replaced Mitch Moreland and hit almost as many home runs as Moreland did. Phillips Valdez was one of the only guys that could get anyone out in the bullpen and the Sox may want to keep him around next year. Alex Verdugo was never going to replace Mookie Betts but in his own way, he became a stud. The Sox have a lot of work to do in the off-season to repair the damage but with all the prospects Bloom orchestrated to acquire plus the additions of Verdugo and Pivetta, rebuilding just got a lot easier. The Sox need to rebuild their bullpen and make a decision on who's in the outfield. If they don't want to bring Jackie Bradley Jr back they better hope this was just an off-year for Andrew Benintendi. Still, unlike last year things are looking up with a re-stocked farm system, a potential new ace and a younger offense that gelled. The Sox finished their season in last place at 24-36 on the season. If MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred doesn't screw with the draft order, the Sox will get the number 4 overall pick since they finished ahead of Pittsburgh, Texas and Detroit. The Sox will most certainly miss out on Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter and the number one bat in the country....but that doesn't mean they can't draft a stud anyway. Who knows what the world will look like come February when spring training begins but with Alex Cora possibly returning, Tanner Houck & Nick Pivetta shoring up the starting pitching, Chris Sale & Eduardo Rodriguez coming back and Alex Verdugo gelling with Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez, things are looking a hell of a lot better for 2021 than they did in 2020. Let us never speak of this disaster ever again.

Houck Dazzles, Sox Beat Braves (9/26/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some final roster moves to end the season. Domingo Tapia and Jeffrey Springs were placed on the Injured List. To take their places the Red Sox activated Andrew Triggs and Austin Brice from the Injured List to take their places with just two games of the season.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     OUT

As for the game, looks like Tanner Houck (3-0, 0.54 ERA) is the real deal Boston Red Sox fans. The 24 year old rookie added the NL East leading Atlanta Braves to his victims list that includes the New York Yankees. Houck went 6 strong innings while allowing just a home run to Dansby Swanson. Houck struck out 10 batters and pitched himself out of trouble twice. The offense only scored in one inning but made it count. Bobby Dalbec smashed a 2 run home run and Christian Vazquez hit a grand slam all in the second inning. That was all the Sox needed as they cruised to an 8-2 victory at Truist Field.

                                               Erika Eleniak approves of the win

Tucker Davidson made his Major League debut for the Braves in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers whiffed but Xander Bogaerts walked. Bogaerts swiped second but JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ronald Acuna whiffed to start. Freddie Freeman grounded out to second but Marcell Ozuna singled to right. Travis d'Arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the second inning although Christian Vazquez flied out to left to start. Jackie Bradley Jr walked and Bobby Dalbec crushed his 8th homer of the year to give the Sox the lead. Michael Chavis hit a routine grounder to Adeiny Hechavarria who booted it for an error. Christian Arroyo singled to center and Verdugo walked to load the bases. Devers beat out a double play ball by inches to score Chavis and put runners at the corners. Bogaerts singled home Arroyo and Martinez walked to reload the bases. That was it for Davidson as Grant Dayton was brought in to pitch and Vazquez greeted him with a grand slam to ice the game. JBJ flied out to right but the Sox put eight runs on the board to lead 8-0.

                                                                  2 homers, big lead

Houck responded by striking out the side in the bottom of the second. Ozzie Albies whiffed, Adam Duvall took strike three and Dansby Swanson was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox offense was done for the night as Dalbec led off the top of the third with a fly out to left to start. Chavis whiffed and Arroyo flied out to center to end the inning. Hechavarria popped up to first to start the bottom of the third before Ender Inciarte grounded back to the mound. Acuna whiffed to end the inning.

Dayton struck out the side in the top of the fourth as Verdugo whiffed to start. Devers struck out swinging and so did Bogaerts to end the inning. Houck got in trouble for the first time in the bottom of the fourth as Freeman and Ozuna both walked to start. Houck responded by getting d'Arnaud to strike out swinging. Albies whiffed but both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Duvall grounded out to short to end the inning.

Martinez flied out to right to start the top of the fifth but Vazquez singled to center. JBJ walked and Jacob Webb came in to pitch. Dalbec hit one up the elevator shaft and Chavis grounded into a force to end the inning. Houck gave up his first earned run of the season when Swanson smashed a home run to Jupiter to start the bottom of the fifth. Hechavarria singled but Houck struck out Inciarte swinging and got Acuna to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                 Swanson proves Houck is human

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the sixth as Arroyo grounded out to third to start. Verdugo grounded back to the mound and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Freeman walked to open the bottom of the sixth but Ozuna popped up to Dalbec in foul territory. d'Arnaud whiffed and Albies popped up to third to end the inning. Houck finished up by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 10, he's hope for the future.

                                               Houck goes 6 strong to earn the win

Bogaerts lined out to right to start the top of the seventh before Martinez flied out to right. Vazquez doubled to left and JBJ walked to chase Webb. Tyler Matzek came in to strike out Dalbec swinging to end the inning. Austin Brice made his first appearance in three weeks and Duvall grounded out to third to start. Swanson took strike three but Hechavarria walked. Inciarte whiffed to end the inning.

Chavis got a base hit to left to start the top of the eighth but Arroyo took strike three. Verdugo and Devers both whiffed to end the inning. Phillips Valdez came in and got tagged in the bottom of the eighth. Acuna popped up to short but Freeman doubled to center. Ozuna grounded out to third but d'Arnaud hit a line drive off Valdez. Phillips threw the ball away to boot to allow Freeman to score. Albies whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                           Heads up!

AJ Minter had only allowed one earned run all year as he came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Bogaerts greeted him with a base hit to left but Martinez whiffed. Vazquez cleaned out Sox manager Ron Roenicke in the dugout with a foul ball into the dugout before striking out swinging. JBJ griounded out to second to end the inning. Thankfully Roenicke was okay.

                                                   Roenicke is down but not out

Andrew Triggs came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Duvall grounded out to short to start. Swanson singled to center and moved to second on the Hechavarria grounder. Inciarte popped up to Dalbec in foul territory to end the game. Houck had won again as the Sox enjoyed an 8-2 victory.

                                                                    "We won??"

Hero of the Night is Tanner Houck. The rookie beat a pretty good Braves team by allowing just one home run in 6 innings of work. He struck out 10 batters to earn the win.

                                                        Hero Houck

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk, stolen base, rbi and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 3 for 4 with a grand slam.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked 3 times and scored a run.

Austin Brice tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Andrew Triggs tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Phillips Valdez allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drive in a run and scored a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The only good thing to come out of 2020 is the Sox may have found a good starting pitcher for the first time since Clay Buchholz. Tanner Houck looks like the real deal the way he mixes up his pitches and most importantly, doesn't crack when there's a problem. He gave up a home run and kept doing what he was doing. He walked two guys and got out of it. That's the kind of thing you want to see, how they handle trouble. "The Chosen One" Allen Webster crumbled with men on base and Buchholz himself toward the end couldn't pitch out of the stretch. As for this game, its a good thing they took advantage of the rookie pitcher because they didn't do anything after the grand slam. The rumor is Jackie Bradley Jr won't be coming back so better enjoy his last game tomorrow. In terms of draft order the Sox will be picking anywhere from 3-5 depending how tomorrow goes. The Sox and Baltimore Orioles are in a tie for last place now and if the Sox win and the O's lose, the Sox avoid last place. The win improved the Sox to 23-36, tied for last place in the AL East. Tomorrow is the final game of the season for the Red Sox. Nick Pivetta (1-0, 9.28 ERA) goes for the Sox up against Bryse Wilson of the Braves. The game begins at 3:10 at Truist Field.