O's Drop Houck, Sox (4/26/23)

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 5 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Florida Panthers and the Boston Red Sox lost the rubber game of their three game series with the Baltimore Orioles. The O's broke a 1-1 tie with 3 runs off Tanner Houck (3-1, 4.50 ERA) in the bottom of the fourth. The Sox could only muster two measly runs against Baltimore starter Tyler Wells. The O's got insurance runs off Richard Bleier and John Schreiber as the O's handed the Sox yet another series loss to an AL East team with a 6-2 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                  "ANOTHER AL EAST SERIES LOSS?"

Wells got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to start. Rafael Devers flied out to right and Justin Turner lined out to short to end the inning. The O's wasted no time getting to Houck in the bottom of the first as Cedric Mullins lashed a base hit to left to start. Adley Rutschman hit a routine grounder to Enmanuel Valdez who picked the ball up and sang into it for an error to move Mullins to third. Anthony Santander hit a sac fly to center to score Mullins to put Baltimore on top. Ryan Mountcastle flied out to right and Gunnar Henderson grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            O's take the lead

The Sox tied the game instantly in the top of the second as Masataka Yoshida pounded his fourth home run of the year to start. Kike Hernandez walked but Triston Casas took strike three. Jarren Duran flied out to center but Valdez took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Yoshida hits a home run

Adam Fraier lined back to Houck to start the bottom of the second and Ryan O'Hearn grounded out to second. Ramon Urias lined a base hit to center but Terrin Vavra grounded out to second to end the inning.

Connor Wong took strike three to start the top of the third before Verdugo grounded back to the mound. Devers grounded back to the mound as well to end the inning. Mullins flied out to right to start the bottom of the third but Rutschman walked. Santander forced Rutschman at second but Mountcastle grounded a base hit up the middle. Henderson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wells turned up the heat in the top of the fourth as Turner struck out swinging to start. Yoshida and Hernandez both went down hacking to end the inning. The O's took command in the bottom of the fourth as Frazier singled to center to start. O'Hearn singled to right and Urias singled to center to score Frazier. Vavra dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners over and Valdez couldn't come up with a Mullins grounder for an rbi "single" that scored O'Hearn. Urias moved to third on the play and he scored on the sac fly by Rutschman to ice the game. Mullins swiped second but Santander lined out to right to end the inning with the O's up for good 4-1.

                                                O's take the lead

Casas grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Duran got a base hit to center. Valdez banged into a double play to end the inning. Mountcastle grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Henderson drew a walk. Frazier struck out swinging and O'Hearn popped up to second to end the inning. That was it for Houck who didn't have his best stuff, allowing 4 runs in just 5 innings of work. Valdez' error didn't help but the rally in the fourth did him in.

                                                           Houck wasn't good enough

The Sox fought back in the top of the sixth as Wong struck out swinging to start. Verdugo doubled to right and Devers moved him to third with a fly out to center. Turner ripped a base hit to right to score Verdugo to cut the lead in half. Danny Coulumbe was brought in to pitch to Yoshida and Masa grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                    Turner drives in a run

The O's battered Richard Bleier in the bottom of the sixth as Urias singled to right to start. Ryan McKenna pinch hit for Vavra and singled to left before both runners moved over on the Mullins sacrifice bunt. Rutschman walked and Santander scored Urias with a sac fly. Mountcastle flied out to center to end the inning with the O's up 5-2.

                                                     Bleier gets tagged

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Hernandez got a base hit to left to start. Casas popped up to second but Duran ripped a base hit to center. Christian Arroyo pinch hit for Valdez and O's manager Bruce Hyde countered by bringing in Yennier Cano to pitch to him. Arroyo struck out swinging and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. McGuire lined out to left to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Henderson took strike three to start. Frazier grounded out to short and O'Hearn struck out swinging to end the inning.

Verdugo flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Devers grounded out to second. Turner was hit with a pitch but Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. The O's tagged John Schreiber in the bottom of the eighth as Urias singled past the pound to start. McKenna doubled Urias home and Mullins walked. Rustchman grounded into a double play and Santander popped up to second to end the inning with the O's up 6-2.

                                                             McKenna drives in a run

Felix Bautista came in to close out the top of the ninth and Hernandez singled to center to start. Casas walked but Duran struck out swinging. Arroyo flied out to right and McGuire struck out swinging to end the game. The O's had won it 6-2.

                                                             O's win

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but it'll be Tanner Houck. He allowed 4 runs in just 5 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                       Jackass Houck

The Good:

Justin Turner was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a hit by pitch.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4.

Bernard Bernardino tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Richard Bleier allowed a run in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

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

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

John Schreiber allowed a run in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Another bad loss to an AL East team. Houck has looked impressive but naturally against an AL East team he couldn't get it done. Not only that but the offense was held in check by Tyler Wells and the Baltimore bullpen. Meanwhile Bleier and Schreiber allowed runs to put the game completely out of reach. Not that the Sox offense were going to do anything anyway, but 4-2 is more manageable than 6-2. The Sox also play from behind almost every game and are dead last in the league in first inning ERA. The Sox need to figure out a stable rotation sometime soon because the Tampa Bay Rays, Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are off to great starts and they can't afford to fall too far behind. The less said of this game, the better. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox open a weekend series with the Cleveland Guardians. Nick Pivetta (1-1) gets the start for the Sox against Shane Bieber of the Guardians. The game begins Friday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off O's (4/25/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made an unfortunate roster move. Yu Chang was placed on the Injured List with a hamate fracture of his left wrist and Enmanuel Valdez was called up from Worcester to take his place. Chang has been given a 6 week timetable to return so at least his season isn't over. Its just one injury after another for the Sox it seems. It'll be interesting to see if Valdez can show the promise he showed in 2022.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 5 of their first round NBA playoff series to the Atlanta Hawks but the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles. Corey Kluber (1-4, 6.75 ERA) pitched his best game of the season, holding the O's to just 5 hits and a run in six solid innings. Offensively the Sox pounded O's starter Kyle Brandish for three runs in the top of the second and Jarren Duran hit a grand slam in the top of the third.  The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth and ended up needing it as Kaleb Ort gave up two home runs and a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. Kenley Jansen had to come in for the save but slammed the door on the 8-6 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

                                                             Otto Anderson approves of the win

Bradish got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers and Justin Turner drew back to back walks but Masa Yoshida grounded into a double play to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins flied out to right to start. Adley Rutschman grounded out to first and Anthony Santander flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first with a rally in the top of the second as Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Triston Casas walked and Jarren Duran doubled him to third. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to right to score Casas and Reese McGuire got a single to left to score Duran. Verdugo dumped a base hit to right to load the bases and Devers scored Arroyo with a sac fly to center. Turner grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox.

                                                            Verdugo drives in a run

Ryan Mountcastle singled past Kluber to start the bottom of the second but Gunnar Henderson flied out to center. Ramon Urias flied out to left and Adam Frazier also flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Yoshida got a base hit to left to begin. Hernandez got a base hit to left and Casas singled to right to load the bases. Duran then pounded his first career grand slam to put the Sox up big. Arroyo grounded out to third but McGuire walked to chase Bradish from the game. Mike Baumann struck out Verdugo swinging and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                                     Grand slam Duran

Kluber cruised in the bottom of the third as Austin Hays flied out to right to start. Jorge Mateo struck out swinging and Mullins took strike three to end the inning.

Terrin Vavra came in for Hays to start the top of the fourth and Turner flied out to right to begin. Yoshida dumped a base hit to right but Hernandez banged into a double play to end the inning. Rutschman singled to right to begin the bottom of the fourth but Santander popped up to third. Mountcastle flied out to right but Henderson singled to right. Urias flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas flied out to center to start the top of the fifth before Duran flied out to center. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez came in for Arroyo for the bottom of the fifth and Frazier flied out to center to start. Vavra grounded out to first but Mateo hit a home run all the way into the Baltic Sea to cut the lead. Mullins flied out to center to end the inning but the O's were down 7-1.

                                                        Mateo tags Kluber

Austin Voth came in to pitch the top of the sixth and McGuire grounded out to second to start. Verdugo grounded back to the mound and Devers flied out to right to end the inning. Kluber came back for the bottom of the sixth and Rutschman flied out to left to start. Santander struck out swinging but Mountcastle singled to center. Henderson grounded out to second to end the inning with Kluber at 80 pitches. For whatever reason Sox manager Alex Cora felt Kluber had done enough and he was out after pitching 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits, walked nobody and struck out 3.

                                                      Kluber gets it done

Turner flied out to right to start the top of the seventh before Yoshida grounded out to second. Hernandez took strike three to end the inning. Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Urias flied out to right to start. Frazier flied out to center but Vavra singled to left. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth as Casas flied out to center to start. Duran got a base hit to center, Valdez singled to right and McGuire grounded out to first to score Duran. Verdugo took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                     Sox get another run

Mullins took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Rutschman flied out to left. Santander singled to left but Mountcastle forced him at second to end the inning.

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers grounded out to second to start. Turner flied out to right but Yoshida walked. Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the ninth and Henderson hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to start. Urias singled to left but Frazier flied out to left. Vavra got a base hit to right but Mateo hit a double play ball to Ort. Ort threw to second but Valdez dropped it for an error to load the bases. Mullins then hit a grand slam to Madison Square Garden in New York to cut the lead. Instead of a quiet inning, Kenley Jansen had to come in a close the game out. Rutschman grounded out to short and Santander lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-6.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Corey Kluber. He pitched his best game of the season allowing just 1 run in 6 strong innings. He allowed just 5 hits and struck out 3.

                                                            Hero Kluber

The Good:

Masa Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 3 for 4 with a grand slam and 3 runs scored.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Josh Winckowski tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Kenley Jansen earned his sixth save with 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Kaleb Ort allowed 5 runs in the ninth in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 but walked.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 but committed an another error.

Final Thoughts:

Its a crime against humanity Jansen had to pitch this game but it just goes to show that Kaleb Ort has no business being on this team. He throws 97 but it has no movement and ANY major league hitter can time a fastball. Even Niko Goodrum can hit a home run if you throw it straight down the middle. Otherwise this was a great game, Kluber looked like he had his command for the first time all season and Duran broke out with 3 big hits. Yoshida continues to drive the ball all over the field and Winckowski has become a lock-down late inning pitcher. Valdez can certainly hit the ball, he just can't field it. All in all things are looking up, they just need to stay healthy. They're going to get Trevor Story back eventually and some of their bullpen arms to replace guys like Ort and Ryan Brasier. The rotation is going to work itself out and its good to see Kluber pitching in. All in all it was a good win and hopefully the Sox can build on the momentum going into the rubber game against Baltimore tomorrow. afternoon. Tanner Houck (3-0) gets the start for the Sox against Tyler Wells of the Orioles. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Sox Lose Chang, Game To Orioles (4/24/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Brayan Bello was optioned back to Worcester and the Sox called up Brennan Bernardino. Bello looked like crap in his two starts after coming off the Injured List and the Sox want him to get right in Worcester before getting another chance. Bernardino is this season's Yacksel Rios, a castoff from Seattle. Hopefully they won't need him much.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, what a disaster. Once again the Boston Red Sox got a bad start from Chris Sale (1-2, 8.22 ERA) who was tipping his pitches against the Baltimore Orioles. The O's didn't miss against Sale and Chris did not record a strikeout in five innings. The Sox broke out to a 4-0 lead after 3 innings on Dean Kremer but Dean and the Baltimore bullpen allowed just one hit and two walks after that. The O's scored a run in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth to take command. The Sox had trouble with the umpires all night as both Hitting Coach Pete Fatse and Manager Alex Cora were both ejected as the O's beat the Sox 5-4 at Camden Yards.

                                                                This game sucks

Kremer got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Rafael Devers took strike three and Justin Turner went down hacking to end the inning. Sale got the ball in the bottom of the first and Austin Hays grounded out to short to start. Adley Rutschman flied out to left and Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning as Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center to start. Kike Hernandez grounded into a double play but Triston Casas belted his third home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Jarren Duran grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Casas launches one

Anthony Santander flied out to center to start the top of the third before Ramon Urias drew a walk. James McCann flied out to center and Urias was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Connor Wong drew a walk to start. Wong moved to second on the grounder to short by Yu Chang and Verdugo singled him home. Devers then blasted his 9th home run of the season to increase the lead. Turner flied out to center but Yoshida ripped a base hit to center. Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                          Devers hits his ninth

The O's began their comeback in the bottom of the third as Cedric Mullins doubled to left to start. Jorge Mateo lined out to right but Adam Frazier singled to left to score Mullins. Hays grounded into a double play to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                                                  Frazier drives in a run

Kremer turned up the heat in the top of the fourth as Casas took strike three to start. Duran and Wong both struck out swinging to end the inning. The O's pounded Sale in the bottom of the fourth as Rutschman flied out to center to start. Mountcastle singled to left, Santander doubled to center and Urias scored both runners with a double to center. McCann ripped a base hit to right to score Urias with the tying run. Mullins grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                    O's tie it up

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Chang flied out to right to start. Verdugo lined out to left and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. The O's completed the comeback in the bottom of the fifth as Mateo doubled to left to start. Mateo moved to third on the Frazier grounder to first but Hays singled to left to score Mateo, putting the O's up for good. Rutchsman singled to right to move Hays to third but Mountcastle hit into a double play to end the inning with the O's up 5-4. Sale gave up a hit to all 9 men in the lineup and left the game after 5 innings and 4 runs allowed.

                                                          Sale sucked again

The O's got a little help from the umpires in the top of the sixth as Turner singled to left to start. Yoshida got a base hit to left but Turner was foolishly thrown out at third. Home plate umpire Junior Valentine called a a pitch to Hernandez not even close a strike and Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse ran out of the dugout with a bat, chasing Valentine with it until he was ejected. Hernandez flied out to right to chase Kremer as Keegan Akin came in to pitch to Casas. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning. 

                                                       YERRRR OUT FATSE!

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Santander popped up to third to start. Urias grounded out to third and McCann grounded out to third as well to end the inning.

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran struck out swinging to start. Wong walked but everything fell apart as Wong was thrown out at second and Chang keeled over clutching his hand. Chang had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded onto an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU as Christian Arroyo took his spot. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning. Not what the Sox needed, another injury.

                                                                Chang goes down

Brennan Bernardino made his Sox debut in the bottom of the seventh and Mullins greeted him with a seeing eye single to short. Mateo lined out to right but Frazier forced Mullins at second. Hays got a base hit to right to move Frazier to third but Rutschman flied out to right to end the inning.

Danny Coulumbe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Verdugo grounded out to first to start. Devers struck out swinging and Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Mountcastle got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Santander banged into a double play. Urias got a base hit to right but McCann flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                           Good work Bernardino

Ryan McKenna took over in right to start the top of the ninth and Yoshida walked to chase Coulumbe. Yennier Cano came in to face Hernandez and Raimel Tapia pinch ran for Yoshida. Tapia took second on a balk and Hernandez was rung up on yet another borderline call. Casas struck out swinging and third base umpire Quinn Wolcott tossed Cora for barking at the umpires. Cora ran out of the dugout with a sickle and chased Wolcott into the bleachers but Duran lined out to third to end the game. The O's had won it 5-4.

                                                                  O's win

Jackass of the Night is Chris Sale. He was handed a 4 run lead and pissed it away, allowing 5 runs in 5 innings while tipping his pitches to the point of striking out zero batters.

                                                                      Jackass Sale

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 3 with a walk.

Connor Wong walked twice and scored a run.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2

Christian Arroyo struck out for Chang in the 7th.

The Ugly:

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

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

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Honorable Mention:

Raimel Tapia pinch ran for Yoshida in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

This was one of the most frustrating games of the season in yet another winnable game. Cora was asleep at the wheel by letting Sale pitch the fifth inning when it was clear he was tipping and why in the holy blue hell didn't he have Hernandez bunt Tapia to third after the balk was called? The umpiring was giving questionable calls the Baltimore all night but that's not even close to the problem of Sale tipping. If he doesn't fix himself, how many other teams are going to tee off on him? Even on bad days he gets a a lot of strikeouts but the O's knew exactly when to swing and when to lay off. If Yu Chang is hurt for a significant amount of time, we may see Enmanuel Valdez or Bobby Dalbec back up here by tomorrow. The Sox have way too many injuries early in the season but better now than in July. Bernardino and Brasier have to be given credit not only for holding the fort but saving the rest of the arms for tomorrow when its most likely they'll be needed. The less said of this disaster, the better. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow evening when Corey Kluber (0-4, 8.50 ERA) looks to get out of his funk as he takes on Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 6:35 PM at Camden Yards.

Sox Blast Brewers In 9 Run Rally (4/23/23)

It was a fantastic day for Boston sports. The Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their first round NHL playoff series, the Boston Celtics defeated the Atlanta Hawks in Game 4 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox shocked the Milwaukee Brewers with a victory following a 9 run rally. The Sox broke out to a 3-0 lead on Milwaukee starter Corbin Burnes but the Brewers came back to tie the game in the fifth against Sox starter Brayan Bello. Two innings later it looked bad when Kaleb Ort allowed the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Then the Sox exploded in the eighth inning as Justin Turner tied the game with a home run and Masataka Yoshida put the Sox ahead with a home run of his own. The Sox batted around against Matt Bush and old friend Javy Guerra before Yoshida then hit a grand slam to cap the rally. It was a great day all around as the Sox bashed the Brewers 12-5 at American Family Field.

                                                   Taylor Hall approves of the win

Burnes got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo beat out a roller to the mound to begin. Rafael Devers took strike three but Justin Turner got a base hit to right, booted by Blake Perkins for an error to move Verdugo to third. Masa Yoshida scored Verdugo with a sac fly to right and Kike Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                            Verdugo is dead but the run scored

Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Christian Yelich grounded out to second to start. Jesse Winker grounded out to short but Willy Adames walked. A wild pitch moved Adames to second and Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez worked a walk. Brian Anderson struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the second as Triston Casas walked to start. Jarren Duran ripped a base hit to center and Connor Wong caught the Brewers asleep with a bunt single down the third base line to load the bases. Yu Chang lined out to second but Verdugo worked a walk to score Casas. The big inning ended as Devers hit a fly ball to right to score Duran but Wong was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                     Duran scores before Wong is thrown out

Victor Caratini grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Brice Turang lined out to third. Joey Wiemer got a base hit down the third base line but Blake Perkins was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Turner flied out to right to start the top of the third before Yoshida struck out swinging. Hernandez doubled down the left field line but Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Yelich grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Winker popped up to short. Adames grounded out to short to end the inning.

Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Wong grounded out to third. Chang lined out to first to end the inning. The Brewers got one back in the bottom of the fourth as Tellez took strike three to start. Anderson hit a home run all the way to Butte, Montana to cut the lead. Caratini struck out swinging and Turang grounded out to short to end the inning but the Brewers cut the lead 3-1.

                                                               Anderson jacks one gone

Verdugo took strike three to start the top of the fifth before Devers grounded out to first. Turner walked but Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello fell apart in the bottom of the fifth as Wiemer doubled to left to start. Perkins dropped down a sacrifice bunt and the gamble worked as Yelich singled to right to score Wiemer. Winker singled to right to move Yelich to third and Christian scored on a sac fly by Adames to tie the game. That was it for Bello as Sox manager Alex Cora wouldn't let him face Tellez. He lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed 3 runs, still an improvement over Patriots Day. Richard Bleier came in and struck out Tellez swinging to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                        Bello needs to be better

Elvis Peguero came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Hernandez struck out looking to start. Casas flied out to right and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Anderson walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Caratini banged into a double play. Turang took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Wong grounded out to third to start. Chang blooped a base hit to right to chase Perguero and get Holby Milner into the game. Verdugo was plunked but Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Brewers took command in the bottom of the seventh against a wild Kaleb Ort as Wiemer walked to start. Wiemer stole second and Perkins dropped down another sacrifice bunt. Yelich walked and a wild pitch scored Wiemer to put Milwaukee ahead. Winker walked but Adames popped up to third. Tellez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 4-3.

                                                        Brewers surge ahead

Suddenly the Sox came out swinging in the top of the eighth against Matt Bush. Turner launched his second home run of the season to tie the game and Yoshida also hit his second home run of the season to put Boston on top. Hernandez doubled to right and moved to third on the line out to right by Casas. Duran walked and that was it for Bush. Former Sox minor league infielder Javy Guerra came in to pitch and Duran promptly swiped second. Wong ripped a base hit up the middle to score both runners and Chang blooped a base hit to center to move Connor to third. Verdugo flied out to center but Devers was intentionally walked to get to Turner. Turner ended up drawing a walk and Yoshida pounded a no doubt grand slam to cap off the rally. Hernandez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but the Sox broke it open up 12-4.

                                                            What an inning!

John Schreiber got tagged in the bottom of the eighth as Anderson hit another home run all the way to Arizona to cut the lead. Caratini grounded out to first, Turang went down hacking and Wiemer struck out swinging to end the inning with the Brewers down 12-5.

                                                          Another homer for Anderson

Owen Miller took over for Adames to start the top of the ninth as Casas walked to start. Duran singled off the glove of Tellez but Wong struck out swinging. Casas moved to third on the Chang fly out to right before Duran moved to second on a wild pitch. Verdugo took strike three to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to mop up the bottom of the ninth and Perkins took strike three to begin. Mike Brosseau pinch hit for Yelich and popped up to second. Winker grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-5.

                                                                   Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is Masataka Yoshida. He hit the go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the grand slam later in the inning.

                                                Put your hands in the air for our Hero

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a walk, stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Yu Chang was 2 for 5 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Richard Bleier tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kaleb Ort allowed a run in the seventh inning.

John Schreiber allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, was hit with a pitch, drove in a run and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Bryan Bello lasted just 4 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.

Final Thoughts:

That was a fun win on a fun day. Boston is buzzing over the Bruins and the Celtics but the Sox made a statement of their own with a big outburst against Milwaukee. There were some negatives like Bello once again struggling and Schreiber giving up a bomb but for the most part this was a good day. Hernandez continues to bust out of his slump and the Sox got multiple hits from Duran, Wong and Chang as well. Nice to have an offense that's not an automatic black hole in the bottom of the order. Casas continues to have no success hitting the ball but is drawing a lot of walks to at least get on base. One of the important aspects is the team speed and they used it today with Duran & Chang stealing bases. Duran is the fastest player on the team and if he can get on base, he can be a terror on the bases. The Sox have David Hamilton in Worcester who's another speed demon so this offense could be very dangerous when its at full strength if both Duran and eventually Hamilton can get on base. Not only that but Tapia and Chang are pretty fast as well. The only thing really stopping this team is the starting pitching but they have seven starters right now and two of them have to go. Its just a question of who and when since their first off-day in almost a month is Thursday. All in all it was another series win and the Sox just need to keep plugging along. The Sox now travel to Baltimore for their next big test against the red hot Orioles beginning tomorrow evening. Chris Sale (1-1, 8.00 ERA) looks to make it two good starts in a row against Dean Kremer of the Orioles. The game begins at 6:35 PM at Camden Yards.

Tellez, Brewers Edge Sox (4/22/23)

In the annals of Boston Red Sox history, there's been several superstars that tortured them over the years. Mainly Yankees such as Joe Dimaggio, Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge. Yet, every now and then you'll get a guy who's useless against everyone else but the Red Sox like Enrique Wilson. Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez is that guy in this modern era. Tellez drove in 3 big runs against Sox starter Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock (1-2, 6.19 ERA) including yet another home run. Meanwhile old friend Wade Miley held the Sox to just 2 runs in 5 innings to beat his former team. The Sox did fight back as the Boston bullpen held the Brewers scoreless after Whitlock was gone and home runs from Yu Chang and Rafael Devers cut the lead, but it wasn't enough. The Brewers came away with the hard fought victory 5-4 at American Family Field.

                                           "GET TELLEZ OUT!!!" - Rowdy Roddy Piper

Miley got the ball in the top of the first inning as Alex Verdugo popped up to short to start. Justin Turner lined out to center but Rob Refsnyder drew a walk. Rafael Devers doubled to left but Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Whitlock got the ball in the bottom of the first as Christian Yelich grounded out to short to start. Jesse Winker grounded out to first but Willy Adames got a base hit to left. Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez flied out to left to end the inning.

Masa Yoshida didn't do the Sox any favors in the top of the second inning when he got picked off first base after a single down the third base line. Christian Arroyo flied out to center and Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. The Brewers struck first in the bottom of the second as William Contreras doubled to right to start. Brian Anderson pounded a ground rule double down the right field line to score Contreras, putting the game away early. Anderson moved to third on a grounder to second by Brian Turang but was thrown out at home on a grounder to Yu Chang by Joey Wiemer. Blake Perkins grounded out to second to end the inning with the Brewers up for good 1-0.

                                                    Brewers go up for good

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Chang took strike three to start. Verdugo lined out to right and Turner flied out to center to end the inning. The Brewers iced the game in the bottom of the third as Yelich ate up Devers on a ground ball to third to start. Winker popped up to third and Adames flied out to right, but Yelich swiped second. Who else but Tellez hit a two run home run all the way to Atlanta to ice the game. Contreras grounded out to short to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 3-0.

                                                    Another Tellez home run against Boston

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Refsnyder grounded out to third to start. Devers flied out to center and grounded out to third to end the inning. Anderson walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Turang struck out swinging. Wiemer banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Yoshida took strike three to start. Arroyo got a base hit to right but Wong flied out to left. Chang then launched his third home run of the season to cut the lead.Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                    Chang gets the Sox back in

The Brewers finished off Whitlock in the bottom of the fifth as Perkins ripped a base hit to right to start. Yelich doubled to center and Winker was hit with a pitch. Adames singled to center to load the bases and chase Whitlock from the game. He was horrible, allowing 5 runs in just 4 plus innings of work, so much for him turning the corner. Richard Bleier came in and Tellez banged into a double play to score Yelich with another run. Contreras grounded out to short to end the inning with the Brewers up 5-2.

                                                           The Lock wasn't good

Former Sox prospect Joel Payamps came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Turner singled to center to start. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging but Devers crushed his eighth home run of the year to cut the lead. Hernandez popped up to short and Yoshida lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 5-4.

                                                     Devers brings the Sox closer

John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Anderson lined out to center to start. Turang struck out swinging and Wiemer grounded out to short to end the inning.

Peter Strzelecki came in to pitch the top of the seventh with Raimel Tapia pinch hitting for Arroyo. Tapia grounded out to first and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. McGuire grounded out to first and Chang flied out to center to end the inning. Kutter Crawford came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Perkins struck out swinging to start. Yelich popped up to third and Winker popped up to third to end the inning.

Verdugo lined out to center to start the top of the eighth but Turner doubled to left. Holby Milner came in to pitch to Duran and struck him out swinging. Devers went down hacking to end the inning. Adames got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth before Tellez popped up to short. Contreras flied out to center and Anderson struck out swinging to end the inning.

Devin Williams came in to close out the top of the ninth as Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Yoshida got a base hit to center before moving to second on the grounder to third by Tapia. McGuire flied out to left to end the game. The Brewers had won it 5-4.

                                                        Brewers win

Jackass of the Night is Garrett Whitlock. He put the Sox in too big of a hole to climb out of by allowing 5 runs in just 4 plus innings. He allowed 8 hits and a walk.

                                                     Jackass Whitlock

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder drew a walk in 2 plate appearances.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Masa Yoshida was 2 for 4.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Yu Chang was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Richard Bleier tossed a scoreless fifth inning.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Kutter Crawford tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Raimel Tapia was 0 for 2.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

None

Final Thoughts:

This could be a problem moving forward for the Sox. They just can't seem to go on a nice winning streak because the starting pitching has been atrocious this season. Whitlock looked like he had turned a corner against the Minnesota Twins and then falls flat on his face in Milwaukee. Milwaukee is a good team so that makes it even worse. The offense had their chances but couldn't deliver the knockout punch like they did last night. Starting every game in a hole because the starter can't pitch well contributes to that big time. Still, there were some positives including home runs from Devers & Chang along with Yoshida getting a couple of hits. Have to remember Yoshida is adjusting to a new league, a new country and a new lifestyle. Kutter Crawford continues to pitch well out of the bullpen so there's that to look forward to if and when Sox manager Alex Cora decides to shorten to rotation once they get some much needed off-days. Once again, the Sox lost but at least the game was close, better than getting their doors blown off every game by AL East teams like last year. The Sox look to take the rubber game tomorrow afternoon when they send Brayan Bello (0-1, 16.89 ERA) up against Corbin Burnes of Milwaukee. The game begins at 2:10 PM Eastern time at American Family Field.