Off-Day News (9/23/21)

The Boston Red Sox made some moves during today's off-day. Jonathan Arauz and Jarren Duran were activated from the Covid List while Geoff Hartlieb and Yacksel Rios were designate for assignment to make room for them.

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On This Day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

2016 - Sox beat Rays for ninth straight win

2017 - Eduardo Rodriguez shuts out Reds

2018 - Indians beat Sox in 11 innings

2019 - Rays Rally Past Sox

2020 - Sox Pound Orioles

The Sox look to make it eight straight wins tomorrow night when they play the New York Yankees. Nathan Eovaldi (10-8) gets the start for Boston against Gerrit Cole of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bash Mets For Seventh Straight Win (9/22/21)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox might play October baseball after all this season. The smoking hot Sox made it seven wins in a row as they cracked the fading New York Mets in tonight's game. Chris Sale (5-0, 2.57 ERA) continued his comeback with 5 strong innings, allowing just 2 runs. The Sox bats busted out for 14 hits, the leader of which was Kyle Schwarber with two home runs. Alex Verdugo and Jose Iglesias both drove in two runs apiece and the Sox dismantled the Mets 12-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Justine Galmiche approves of the win

Sale got the ball in the top of the first and Brandon Nimmo took strike three to start. Pete Alonso struck out swinging and Francisco Lindor grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to New York starter Taijuan Walker in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez took strike three to start. Kyle Schwarber launched his 30th home run of the season to put the Sox on top before Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center and JD Martinez ripped a base hit to right to score Bogaerts. Alex Verdugo grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Schwarber kisses it goodbye

The Mets struck back in the top of the second as Javier Baez walked to start. JD Davis struck out swinging and Jonathan Villar flied out to right, but Baez stole second. Jeff McNeil doubled to left to score Baez to cut the lead in half, but Kevin Pillar struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mets down 2-1.

                                                      McNeil drives in a run

The Sox broke it open in the bottom of the second as Hunter Renfroe doubled to left to start. Christian Vazquez lined out to center but Renfroe moved to third. Jose Iglesias walked and Hernandez doubled home Renfroe. Schwarber then crushed a three run bomb to ice the game. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                     Schwarber with another jack

James McCann got a base hit to left to start the top of the third and Nimmo singled to right. Alonso struck out swinging and Lindor grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox were relentless in the bottom of the third with Trevor Williams now on the mound. Martinez doubled to left and Verdugo pounded a ground rule double down the right field line to score JD. Renfroe struck out swinging but Vazquez grounded out to first to move Verdugo to third. Iglesias tripled into the centerfield triangle and Baez threw the ball away to allow Iglesias to score. Hernandez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 9-1.

                                                   Big triple for Jose

Baez singled to right to start the top of the fourth before Davis struck out swinging. Villar also went down hacking but McNeil singled to right. Pillar flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the fourth as Schwarber snuck a double inside the third base line to begin. Bogaerts ripped a base hit to right to put runners at the corners, but Devers grounded into a double play. Schwarber scored on the play but Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 10-1.

                                                     Another hit for Schwarber

Chris Sale returned for one last inning in the top of the fifth as McCann walked to start. McCann moved to second on the Nimmo grounder to Sale then to third on the Alonso fly out to center. Lindor hit a line short to third that scored McCann but Baez struck out swinging to end the inning. With the game out of reach, Sox manager Alex Cora felt 5 innings was enough for Sale and just 2 runs allowed on six hits and two walks.

                                                        Sale gets it done

The Sox scored another run in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Renfroe singled to right, Vazquez doubled to left and Iglesias grounded back to the mound to score Hunter. Hernandez popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 11-2.

                                                     Another run for the Sox

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the sixth with Christian Arroyo in for Bogaerts. Davis walked to start and Villar got a base hit to center. McNeil flied out to left but Pillar walked to load the bases. That was it for Barnes as Ryan Brasier came in to pitch. McCann hit a sac fly to center to score Davis but Villar was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Guardians down 11-3.

                                                             Dammit Barnes

Schwarber walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Arroyo struck out swinging. Devers singled to right but Travis Shaw pinch hit for Martinez. Shaw reached on an error to load the bases and Verdugo beat out a double play to score Schwarber. Renfroe flied out to right but the Sox now led 12-3.

                                                              Another run for Schwarber

Adam Ottavino came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Nimmo lined out to left to start. Alonso then hit a home run all the way to Arkansas to cut the lead. Linor walked and Luis Guillorme pinch hit for Baez. Luis lined out to center and Davis struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians down 12-4.

                                                        Alonso hits one out

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez struck out swinging to start. Iglesias grounded out to short and Hernandez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Bobby Dalbec in at third. Villar took strike three to start before McNeil grounded out to second. Pillar singled to left but McCann took strike three to end the inning. Brad Hand came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Schwarber flied out to right to start. Arroyo took strike three and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martin Perez came in to finish off the top of the ninth and Nimmo doubled to left to start. Alonso grounded out to second but Lindor singled to right to move Nimmo to third. Guillorme beat out a double play ball to score Nimmo but old pal Jose Peraza pinch hit for Davis. Peraza flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-5.

                                                                   Sox win

      

Hero of The Night is Kyle Schwarber. He was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 home runs, 4 total rbis and 4 total runs scored.

                                                         Hero Schwarber

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Chris Sale got the win with 5 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only appearance.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Matt Barnes was charged with a run in 1/3 of an inning.

Adam Ottavino allowed a run in an inning of work.

Martin Perez allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan Brasier allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox needed to make a statement as the season came to a close and they definitely made one, taking seven straight and two in a row against the Mets. There's still some concerning elements such as the starters not going past 5 innings and the injuries/ineffectiveness to Garrett Whitlock, Ottavino and Barnes. Still, can't play October baseball until you get there and Sox manager Alex Cora is doing everything he can to get there. Kyle Schwarber has been a godsend since he's been activated and its a shame Jose Iglesias is ineligible for the post-season. The Sox have 9 games left in the season and have a two game lead over Chicago for a post-season spot. Win 7 more games and they're in. The win improved the Sox to 88-65, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East and 2 games in front of the Chicago White Sox for the first Wild Card. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night against the New York Yankees. The Sox have a chance to knock the Yankees out of October when Nathan Eovaldi (10-8) takes on ace Gerrit Cole of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Drop Mets, Streak At Six (9/21/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Jack Lopez was sent back down to Worcester and Garrett Whitlock was placed on the Injured List with a pectoral strain. It was bound to happen with how many innings The A-Team had to throw this year. The Sox activated Christian Arroyo from the Covid List and called up Ryan Brasier from Worcester to replace Lopez & Whitlock.

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As for the game, the streaking Red Sox have now won six games in row including tonight's game against the New York Mets. New York broke out to a 2-0 lead against Eduardo Rodriguez and knocked him out in the fifth inning. Ryan Brasier (1-1, 3.38 ERA) was called up from Worcester to put the fire out and the Sox bats responded. Kike Hernandez and Xander Bogaerts both hit home runs against Marcus Stroman in the bottom of the fifth. A two run knock by Bogaerts iced the game and the bullpen survived a Pete Alonso home run to win the game 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Julie "The Cat' Gaffney approves of the win

E-Rod got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brandon Nimmo took strike three to start. Francisco Lindor grounded out to second and Javier Baez grounded out to short to end the inning. Stroman got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Kyle Schwarber grounded out to short but Xander Bogaerts walked. Rafael Devers lined out to right to end the inning.

Pete Alonso struck out swinging to open the top of the second before JD Davis also went down hacking. Michael Conforto grounded out to short to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Alex Verdugo was retired on a squibber in front of the plate. Bobby Dalbec got a base hit to left but Christian Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Old pal Kevin Pillar flied out to left to start the top of the third before Dominic Smith took strike three. Tomas Nido got a base hit to left but Nimmo took strike three to end the inning. Jose Iglesias doubled to left to start the bottom of the third before Hernandez was hit with a pitch. Schwarber walked to load the bases but Bogaerts hit into a 5-2-3 double play. Devers popped up to left to end the inning.

Rodriguez lost his control in the top of the fourth as Lindor walked to start. Baez singled to left and Alonso walked to load the bases. Davis walked to score Lindor and Conforto got a base hit to center. Baez scored easily but Alonso was thrown out at home. Pillar flied out to center and Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the Mets up 2-0.

                                                          Yerrrrrr out!

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez struck out swinging to start. Verdugo took strike three but Dalbec doubled to center. Vazquez doubled to left to score Dalbec but Iglesias forced Dalbec at third to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                              Vazquez drives in a run

The Mets finished off Rodriguez in the top of the fifth as Nido grounded out to third to start. Nimmo singled to left and Lindor doubled to center to end E-Rod's day. The Sox can't afford a loss so Sox manager Alex Cora isn't playing around. Rodriguez allowed 2 runs in 4 1/3 innings allowing 5 hits and 3 walks. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch and got Baez to strike out swinging. Alonso grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                         Not a good start for E-Rod

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth inning as Hernandez belted his 18th home run of the season to tie the game. Schwarber doubled to left and Bogaerts crushed his 23rd home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Devers lined out to second, Martinez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Verdugo lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                         Bogaerts puts the Sox on top

Davis flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and here came Alex Cora for another pitching change. Austin Davis struck out Conforto swinging but Pillar singled to center. Smith forced Pillar at second to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth against Miguel Castro although Dalbec struck out swinging to begin. Vazquez lined out to right but Iglesias got plunked. Hernandez walked and Brad Hand was brought in to pitch to Schwarber. Kyle walked to load the bases and Bogaerts lashed a base hit to center to score Iglesias and Hernandez. Devers popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                        Bogaerts gets it done

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Nido struck out swinging to start. Nimmo grounded out to short and Lindor struck out swinging to end the inning. Old buddy Heath Hembree came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Martinez popped up to second to start. Verdugo struck out swinging and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning.

Garrett Richards came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Hunter Renfroe now in right. Baez popped up to second but Alonso clobbered a home run all the way into the Baltic Sea to cut the lead in half. Davis flied out to center and Conforto grounded out to second to end the inning with the Mets down 6-3.

                                               "Not tonight, Davis" - Hernandez

Hembree returned for the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez grounded back to the mound to start. Iglesias lined out to center and Hernandez popped up to second to end the inning. Jonathan Villar pinch hit for Pillar in the top of the ninth and Grounded out to first. James McCann came in to pinch hit for Smith and Sox manager Alex Cora countered with Darwinzon Hernandez. McCann got a base hit to left but Nido lined out to left. McCann stole second but Nimmo took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won 6-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 2 for 3 with a home run and drove in 4 of the 6 runs scored by the Sox.

                                                           X Gonna Hero Ya

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, home run and 2 total runs scored.

Kyle Schwarber was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jose Iglesias was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Ryan Brasier got the win with a full scoreless inning.

Austin Davis tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Richards allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Eduardo Rodriguez allowed 2 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

Honorable Mention:

Hunter Renfroe played right field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

The good news was the Sox found a way to win, the bad news is Eduardo Rodriguez might be tipping his pitches. Eagle eyed analyst Lou Merloni noticed even the weakest of New York's hitters weren't biting on E-Rod's change-up and figured out his hands were too high. Still, to survive a game like that with the season hanging in the balance is a testament to the grit of this team. Cora may have ran the bullpen into the ground but they're going down swinging. They have a half game lead on Toronto for the wild card spot but still have an outside chance to win the division. The bats just have to keep plugging the last two weeks to get the job done, even if Dr. Quick Hook keeps pulling the starters early for whatever reason. The win improved the Sox to 87-65, 6 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East with 10 games to play. The Sox look to make it seven wins in a row tomorrow night against the Mets. Chris Sale (4-0) takes on Taijuan Walker of the Mets at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News (9/20/21)

In today's off-day news, the Oakland Athletics claimed Michael Feliz off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. He had three good games and one bad before he was claimed. Guess he was expendable with the roster expansion.

                                                                            Bye bye Feliz

On this day in Red Sox history:

2016 - Rodriguez pitches Sox past Orioles

2017 - Sale guides Sox in sweep of the Orioles

2018 - Sox beat Yankees, clinch AL East

2019 - Rays walkoff, eliminate Red Sox

2020 - Rookie Houck dazzles Yankees

The Sox now play a two game set with the New York Mets. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox against Marcus Stroman of the Mets. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sweep Orioles With Rally (9/19/21)

Once again Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora failed to let a starter pitch into the sixth inning but also once again, they won anyway. The Sox completed a 3 game sweep of the hapless Baltimore Orioles and won their 5th straight game with a seven inning rally. The Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Alex Wells but the O's got three runs in the top of the third off Nathan Eovaldi. JD Martinez made it 5-3 Sox but the Os rallied for 3 runs in the top of the seventh. Rafael Devers capped off a 3 run rally in the bottom of the seventh and Garrett Richards slammed the door in the top of the ninth. The Sox stole one from the worst team in baseball to win the game 8-6 at Fenway Park. 

                                                          Julie Strain approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and Cedric Mullins led off by striking out swinging to begin. Ryan Mountcastle got a base hit to left but Anthony Santander struck out swinging. Trey Mancini went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Wells in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez walked to start. Hunter Renfroe got a base hit to right and Rafael Devers singled to left to load the bases with nobody out. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging and JD Martinez took strike three, but Bobby Dalbec got hit with a pitch to score Hernandez. Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to right to score Renfroe and Devers, but Dalbec was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                     Sox take the lead

Austin Hays grounded out to short to start the top of the second but Pedro Severino singled to center. Pat Valaika took strike three and Kelvin Gutierrez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo doubled to center to start. Jose Iglesias grounded out to first to move Verdugo to third and Alex scored on the double down the left field line by Hernandez. Renfroe popped up to right and Devers flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-0.

                                                      Hernandez drives in a run

The O's struck back in the top of the third although Richie Martin went down hacking to open. Mullins singled to right, Mountcastle walked and Santander doubled to left to score Mullins. Mancini grounded out to third but Hays got a base hit to center to score both runners. Hays stole second but Severino grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 4-3.

                                                            O's are back in it

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Martinez blasted his 27th home run of the season to increase the lead but Dalbec lined out to center. Plawecki flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                           Home run for JD

Valaika grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Gutierrez took strike three. Martin singled to center but Mullins popped up to third to end the inning. Verdugo lined out to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Iglesias popped up to short. Hernandez took strike three to end the inning. 

Mountcastle got a base hit to right to begin the top of the fifth but was forced at second by Santander. Mancini whiffed and Hays flied out to center to end the inning. Foolishly that was it for Eovaldi after just 78 pitches as he allowed 3 runs in 5 innings off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                          Short and sweet for Eovaldi

Renfroe hit one up the elevator shaft to open the bottom of the fifth and Devers popped up to left. Bogaerts was retired on a nubber to the mound to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Severino lined out to right to start. Valaika grounded out to short but Gutierrez doubled to left. Martin grounded out to second to end the inning. Eric Hanhold came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Martinez struck out swinging to open. Dalbec grounded out to third and Plawecki flied out to right to end the inning. 

The O's sprang to life in the top of the seventh as Mullins walked to start. All of a sudden Whitlock keeled over clutching his arm. He had to be hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Hiro Sawamaura poured gas on the fire as Mountcastle and Santander drew back to back walks to load the bases. Mancini cleared the bases with a double to left to give the O's the lead but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Hays and Severino both struck out swinging to end the inning but the O's now led 6-5.

                                                               Poor Whitlock

Boston rallied against Connor Greene in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo popped up to third to start. Iglesias doubled to left and Hernandez got a base hit to center to score Jose with the tying run. Renfroe doubled to left to score Hernandez with the go-ahead run and chase Greene. Cole Sulser came in to face Devers and Rafael singled to center to score Renfroe. Bogaerts walked but Martinez popped up to second to end Sulser's night. Dillon Tate got Dalbec to ground out to third to end the inning but the Sox were back on top 8-6.

                                                                Sox take the lead back

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Valaika popped up to first to start. Gutierrez struck out swinging but Martin singled to left. Mullins popped up to first to end the inning. Plawecki took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo grounded out to short. Iglesias grounded out to third to end the inning.

Garrett Richards came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mountcastle took strike three to start. Santander grounded out to short and Mancini grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-6.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of The Night is Hunter Renfroe. His go-ahead rbi single in the seventh but the Sox up for good.

                                                           Hero Renfroe

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Garrett Richards earned his third save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Garrett Whitlock was charged with a run in one inning of work.

Hiro Sawamura allowed an inherited runner to score and two of his own in an inning of work to vulture the win.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

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

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Kevin Plawecki was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit drove in 2 runs.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 3 runs in 5 innings off 7 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

Final Thoughts:

Once again if the Sox bullpen runs out of gas before or during October they have no one to blame but Cora. Eovaldi had just one bad inning and had only thrown 78 pitches but Cora yanked him anyway. What if he got through the sixth and then you got Whitlock, Robles & Richards for 7-8-9? As it is, they nearly blew the game but kudos to the bats for rallying. Sawamura, Adam Ottavino, Matt Barnes and Whitlock carried them all season and they all look or already are toast. Still, Robles & Richards shut the door and the bats did enough to get the win. The Sox needed to win to stay in front of the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees while keeping their very slim AL East hopes alive with just 11 games remaining. The win improved the Sox to 86-65, 6.5 games behind the Rays for 1st place in the AL East and 1 game in front of the Blue Jays for the 1st Wild Card. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action against the New York Mets this Tuesday night. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox against Marcus Stroman of the Mets. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park. 

Bogaerts, Sox Crush Orioles (9/18/21)

If the Boston Red Sox go down in flames at the end of the season, they have no one to blame but manager Alex Cora for the reason why. His overuse of the bullpen sank the team out of the AL East race and might have just sacrificed future games to win this one. The good news was the Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles for their fourth straight win but the bad news was the bullpen had to throw nearly 6 full innings. Nick Pivetta was yanked in the top of the fourth inning with 2 outs and a man on third in a 3-3 game. Darwinzon Hernandez got out of it and the bullpen held the fort the rest of the way. Xander Bogaerts broke the tie in the fifth inning then slammed the door with a 3 run bomb in the sixth. Tanner Houck (1-4, 3.58 ERA) earned his first win of the season as the Sox knocked off the Orioles 9-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Julie Clarke approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Pivetta in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins doubled off the Monster to start. Ryan Mountcastle hit a home run all the way to El Salvador to put the O's on top. Anthony Santander got a base hit to center and Austin Hays walked, but DJ Stewart struck out swinging. Pat Valaika flied out to right and Gutierrez forced Hays at second to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                              Mountcastle's 30th

The Sox struck back against O's starter Zac Lowther in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez doubled off the Monster to start. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to short but Rafael Devers singled in the hole at short to score Hernandez. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez stroked back to back base hits to load the bases but Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging. Bobby Dalbec then pounded a double off the Monster to score Devers and Bogaerts. Christian Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                       Hernandez starts the rally

The O's answered in the top of the second as Richie Martin took strike three to start. Austin Wynns then hit a home run all the way to Detroit to tie the game. Mullins singled to left and stole second but Mountcastle grounded out to short. Mullins stole third but Santander grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                    Wynns ties it

Jose Iglesias lined out to third to start the bottom of the second before Hernandez flied out to center. Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hays lined out to right to start the top of the third before Stewart was frozen for strike three. Valaika grounded out to short to end the inning. Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Bogaerts lined out to left. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Gutierrez got a base hit in the hole at short to start the top of the fourth before Martin blooped a base hit in shallow right. Wynns banged into a double play and suddenly Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout. Apparently he was managing this game like it was game 7 of the world series but that was it for Pivetta after allowing 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Darwinzon Hernandez got Mullins to line out to left to end the inning but Cora was asking the bullpen to toss 5 full innings AGAIN.

                                                  Pivetta gets yanked in the fourth

Schwarber flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Dalbec drew a walk. Vazquez walked to chase Lowther. Conner Greene got Iglesias to pop up to short and Hernandez to fly out to right to end the inning.

Mountcastle walked to start the top of the fifth but Santander took strike three. Hays got a base hit to right and once again Cora ran out of the dugout in record time at the first sign of trouble. Tanner Houck came in to pitch but Ryan McKenna pinch hit for Stewart. McKenna lined out to left and Valaika took strike three to end the inning. Mike Baumann came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Renfroe flied out to right to start. Devers doubled off the Monster and Bogaerts ripped a base hit to center to score Rafael. Martinez walked but Schwarber flied out to right to move Xander to third. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                            Bogaerts drives in a run

Gutierrez grounded out to short to begin the top of the sixth before Martin flied out to right. Wynns struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Vazquez struck out swinging to start. Iglesias grounded out to third but Hernandez got a base hit to left. Renfroe doubled to center to score Enrique and Devers got a base hit to left to put runners at the corners. Bogaerts settled matters with a three run home run to put the game away. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-3.

                                                         Bogaerts ices it

Mullins grounded out to second to begin the top of the seventh before Mountcastle got a base hit to right. Santander popped up to third and Hays struck out swinging to end the inning. Old friend Fernando Abad came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Schwarber lined one by the mound for a base hit. Dalbec got a base hit to right to move Schwarber to third, and Kyle scored on the double play hit by Vazquez. Iglesias beat out a roller to short but Hernandez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

                                                        Vazquez could have done better

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McKenna struck out swinging to start. Valaika lined out to right and Gutierrez took strike three to end the inning. Dusten Knight came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Renfroe took strike three to start. Devers grounded out to second and Bogaerts lined out to short to end the inning.

Garrett Richards came in to close out the top of the ninth and Martin struck out swinging to start. Wynns grounded out to first but Mullins walked. Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won the game 9-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Xander Bogaerts He hit a three run home run and drove in four total runs to outscore Baltimore by himself.

                                                             Hero Bogaerts

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 3 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Tanner Houck earned his first win of the year by tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Hansel Robles tossed a scoreless inning.

Garrett Richards pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Pivetta allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 7 hits and a walk while striking out 3.

The Ugly:

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

Kyle Schwarber was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox to keep pace in the wild card hunt but good grief what the hell is wrong with Cora? He pulled Pivetta after 68 pitches after he had just gotten a big double play. If he had gotten one more batter then you can bring in a fresh Hernandez in the fifth inning or let him start another. Nope, had to yank him right then and there huh? Now the bullpen is going to be tired going into tomorrow's game but at least they won. Bogaerts carried the load offensively but Devers was scoring runs left and right. Kudos to Tanner Houck who FINALLY earned his first win of the year after going 3-0 in three starts last September. Too bad there are only 12 games left in the season but you never know, he may get another somewhere. Its too bad Jose Iglesias is ineligible for the post-season because the Sox seem to have been sparked by his return. The Sox now lead the wild card by one game over the Toronto Blue Jays and 1.5 ahead of the New York Yankees and the Sox need to keep winning if they hope to lock it up. This was four wins in a row, hopefully they can win at least four more to keep the pressure on the others. The win improved the Sox to 85-65, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. Boston looks to make it five wins in a row and a series sweep against the Orioles tomorrow when Nathan Eovaldi goes for the Sox against Alex Wells of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.