Rainout News (4/25/25)

Tonight's game between the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians has been postponed to tomorrow on account of heavy rain in Cleveland. The Sox will now play a doubleheader instead.

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

1971 - Red Sox Sweep White Sox

1981 - Orioles beat Red Sox

1984 - Hurst, Sox shut down Mariners

1993 - Angels sweep Red Sox

2000 - Pedro, Sox beat Rangers

2001 - Lowe blows another as Twins beat Sox

2012 - Sox sweep Twins

2013 - Sox beat Astros

2014 - Peavy pitches Sox past Jays

2015 - Orioles defeat Sox in 10 innings

2016 - Bradley Jr guides Sox past Braves

2018 - Red Sox defeat Blue Jays

2019 - Sox beat Tigers

2021 - Rodriguez, Sox beat Mariners

2022 - Blue Jays slam Sox

2023 - Kluber, Sox beat O's

2024 - Guardians outlast Sox

The Sox play game one of their doubleheader tomorrow afternoon against the Guardians. Tanner Houck (0-2, 7.66 ERA) takes on Blake Lively of Cleveland at 1:10 PM at Progressive Field.

Mariners Beat Wild Crochet, Sox (4/24/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Josh Winckowski was sent down to Worcester and Luis Guerrero was called up to take his place. Guerrero impressed last September and he can't be any worse than who they're trotting out now....right?

                                                                           OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster in a season full of them so far. Supposed Sox ace Garrett Crochet (2-2, 1.95 ERA) looked anything but as he got rocked by the Seattle Mariners. Crochet walked FIVE batters and allowed 5 hits, throwing over 100 pitches just to get through five innings. The Mariners took a 4-1 lead over the Sox but the bullpen responded. Greg Weissert, Liam Hendriks and Luis Guerrero tossed four shutout innings to keep Boston into it. Alex Bregman drove in a run and Carlos Navarez hit a home run to bring the Sox close, but they couldn't get it done. It all added up to a 4-3 Mariners win over the Sox at Fenway Park.

Crochet got tagged in the top of the first inning when Dylan Moore got a base hit to left to start. Moore took second on a balk but Julio Rodriguez struck out swinging. Cal Raleigh struck out swinging but Randy Arozarena walked. Mitch Garver effortlessly doubled to center to score both runners, putting Seattle up for good just five batters into the game. Donovan Solano grounded out to short to end the inning with the game already over 2-0 Mariners.

                                                                Garver puts the M's up

Woo got the ball in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Alex Bregman launched his fifth home run of the season to cut the lead. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                           Home run Bregman

The Mariners pounced on Crochet in the top of the second as Ben Williamson singled to left to start. Leo Rivas walked but JP Crawford singled to right to load the bases. Moore hit a sac fly to center to score Williamson and Rodriguez grounded out to second to score Rivas to ice the game. Raleigh grounded out to third to end the inning with the Mariners up 4-1.

                                                            Moore drives in a run

Trevor Story grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Triston Casas was hot with a pitch. Kristian Campbell struck out swinging and David Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning. 

Arozarena struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Garver grounded out to third. Solano also grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start. Duran doubled to left but Devers lined out to left. Bregman singled to left to score Duran and Abreu popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                            Bregman drives in another

Williamson struck out swinging to begin the top of the fourth but Rivas got a base hit to right. Crawford was frozen for strike three but Rivas swiped second. Moore walked but Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning. Story watched strike three go by to start the bottom of the fourth and Casas flied out to right. Campbell struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Raleigh struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Arozarena and Garver drew back to back walks. Solano struck out swinging but Arozarena stole third base. Williamson struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Crochet who struggled to last 5 innings allowing 4 runs off 5 hits and 5 walks. 

                                                     Not good enough out of Crochet

Hamilton popped up to third to start the bottom of the fifth and Narvaez struck out swinging. Duran popped up to short to end the inning. 

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Rivas grounded out to first to start. Crawford got a base hit to center and Miles Mastrobuoni pinch hit for Moore. Miles struck out swinging but Rodriguez beat out a roller to third. Raleigh struck out swinging to end the inning. Devers popped up to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Bregman walked. Abreu was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate and Story lined out to first to end the inning.

Liam Hendriks came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Arozarens walked to start. Garver grounded into a double play but Solano and Williamson worked back to back walks. Rivas singled to center to load the bases but Crawford struck out swinging to end the inning. Collin Snider came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas grounded back to the mound to start. Campbell struck out swinging and Hamilton grounded out to first to end the inning.

Luis Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Mastrobuoni flied out to right to start. Rodriguez grounded out to third and Raleigh flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth with Gabe Speier now on the mound. Narvaez launched his second home run of the year to cut the lead but Duran grounded out to second. Devers struck out swinging and Trent Thornton came in to pitch to Bregman. Alex popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                                Sox aren't dead yet

Arozarena popped up to third to start the top of the ninth before Garver struck out swinging. Jorge Polanco pinch hit for Solano and got a base hit to right. Williamson flied out to right to end the inning. Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez took over for Polanco with Andres Munoz in to close out the bottom of the ninth. Abreu flied out to center and Story struck out swinging, but Casas walked to put the tying run on. Romy Gonzalez ran for Casas but Campbell earned the golden sombrero by striking out swinging to end the game. The Mariners had won it 4-3.

                                                              Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Kristian Campbell. He went 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts, including with the game on the line in the ninth.

                                                       Make contact, Jackass!

The Good:

Alex Bregman was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and a home run.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Liam Hendriks pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Luis Guerrero pitched two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Romy Gonzalez ran for Casas in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Another frustrating loss and patience is wearing thin on the Red Sox offense. For a team that's designed to score runs, they've done anything but the first 27 games of the season. Duran, Casas, Devers, Narvaez and Rafaela are all hitting .250 or lower and that's going to work if you want consistent success. Not only that, Abreu and Campbell cooled off so now you're stuck with Alex Bregman and not much else. It showed today big time as the Sox had more strikeouts than hits and walks. Speaking of walks, Crochet walked a season high 5 guys tonight and the Mariners as a team had 8 walks. He's supposed to be the ace of the team yet he gets rocked and rolled by the mediocre Mariners? Once again, the inconsistent offense and inconsistent starting pitching is just another sign this team is headed for another 81-81 season or worse. The only bright spot was two shutout innings by Luis Guerrero. Hopefully he can continue to get guys out at the major league level. The Sox now hit the road and the first stop is a three game set in Cleveland against the Guardians. Tomorrow night its Tanner Houck (0-2, 7.66 ERA) against Blake Lively of Cleveland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Progressive Field.

Mariners Pound Newcomb, Sox Pen (4/23/25)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox got cracked by the Seattle Mariners. Sean Newcomb (0-3, 4.43 ERA) lasted five innings but allowed 4 runs, three of them on a JP Crawford three run home run. The Sox managed to fight back with rbis from Romy Gonzalez and Rafael Devers, but Brennan Bernardino and Josh Winckowski allowed four runs combined in "relief" to put the game away. Triston Casas did smack a three run home run but it wasn't enough as the Mariners pounded out 13 hits and 8 runs to win it 8-5 at Fenway Park.

                                            "SEND NEWCOMB BACK TO WORCESTER!"

The Mariners wasted no time getting to Newcomb in the top of the first inning as Dylan Moore grounded out to short to start. Julio Rodriguez got a base hit to right and Cal Raleigh walked, but Randy Arozarena took strike three. Mitch Garver lined a base hit to center to score Rodriguez to put the Mariners up for good just five batters into the game. Donovan Solano struck out swinging to end the inning with the game over already 1-0 Seattle.

                                                         Garver drives in a run

Hancock got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers also went down hacking but Alex Bregman doubled off the Monster. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Newcomb almost fell apart in the top of the second as Ben Williamson lined a base hit to right to start. Leo Rivas caught Romy Gonzalez asleep with a bunt single and JP Crawford walked to load the bases with nobody out. Newcomb caught a break when Moore hit a bullet to Casas, who stepped on first to double off Crawford. Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning, what a Houdini by Newcomb. Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Triston Casas took strike three. Romy Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning.

Raleigh took strike three to start the top of the third before Arozarena beat out an infield single to short. Garver struck out swinging but Randy took second on a passed ball. Solano took strike three to end the inning. Blake Sabol grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to right. Duran singled to center and stole second, but Devers took strike three to end the inning.

The Mariners iced the game in the top of the fourth as Williamson got a base hit to left to start. Rivas got a base hit to center and Crawford hit his first home run of the year all the way to Venezuela to put the game out of reach. Moore grounded out to short, Rodriguez grounded out to third and Raleigh flied out to center to end the inning with the Mariners up 4-0.

                                                             This one's over

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Bregman struck out swinging to start. Abreu grounded out to second but Story walked. Casas walked and Gonzalez singled to right to score Story. Sabol took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                       Gonzalez drives in a run

Newcomb returned for the top of the fifth and Arozarena flied out to center to start. Garver took strike three but Solano struck out swinging to end the inning. Newcomb once again allowed four runs to put the Sox behind in just 5 innings.

                                                       Newcomb gets rocked

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Rafaela got a base hit to center to begin. Duran doubled to left to move Rafaela to third and Ceddanne scored on a grounder to second by Devers. Duran moved to third on the play but Bregman grounded out to third. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                       Devers cuts the lead in half

Brennan Bernardino poured gas on the fire in the top of the sixth as Williamson grounded out to short to start. Rivas walked but Crawford flied out to left. Bernardino booted a grounder by Moore for an error then threw the ball away for another error to score Rivas. Rodriguez got a base hit to left to score Moore but Raleigh flied out to right to end the inning with the Mariners up 6-2.

Story grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth before Casas grounded out to short. Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning,

The Mariners pounded Josh Winckowski in the top of the seventh as Arozarena got a base hit to left to start. Arozarena stole second and Garver walked before Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez pinch hit for Solano. Naturally Tellez got a base hit to right to load the bases and Williamson got a base hit to right to score Arozarena. Rivas forced Garver at home but Crawford got a base hit to left to score Tellez. Moore struck out swinging and Rodriguez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Mariners up 8-2.

                                                            Williamson drives in a run

Gabe Speier came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Sabol grounded out to third to start. Rafaela struck out swinging and Duran grounded out to third to end the inning.

Raleigh took strike three to start the top of the eighth before Arozarena struck out swinging. Garver struck out swinging to end the inning. Somehow the Sox rallied against Casey Legumina in the bottom of the eighth. Devers walked and Bregman got a base hit to right, but Abreu struck out swinging. Story took strike three but Casas mashed his third home run of the season to cut the lead. Gonzalez flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 8-5.

                                                           Casas gets the wally head

Tellez flied out to left to start the top of the ninth before Williamson grounded out to third. Rivas walked but Crawford popped up to short to end the inning. Andres Munoz came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Sabol. Refsnyder took strike three, Rafaela grounded out to third and Duran lined out to left to end the game. The Mariners had won it 8-5.

                                                          Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Brennan Bernardino. He made two costly errors and allowed the backbreaking runs to score.

                                                    Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Alex Bregman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 3 run home run.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Blake Sabol was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Sean Newcomb took the loss by allowing 4 runs, 8 hits and 2 walks in 5 innings.

Josh Winckowski allowed 2 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Well that game sucked. It should be noted that some of the major bums on this team should and will not be on this team much longer. The only reason Blake Sabol, Sean Newcomb and Josh Winckowski are even here is because of injuries to Connor Wong, Lucas Giolito and Kutter Crawford. This should be the last we see of Newcomb because Richard Fitts should be back from his strained pectoral and they still have Hunter Dobbins in Worcester, who looked a hell of a lot better than Newcomb. With an off-day coming on Monday, they're only going to need four starters until May 2nd. By that point Dobbins or Fitts should get the start unless Giolito's back from his rehab starts. The only bright spot to tonight's game is Casas hit another bomb to hopefully break out of his season long slump. Getting his head out of his ass is integral considering the struggles of Rafael Devers and the mediocre start to the season by Rafaela and Duran. One of the main problems of last year's team was they couldn't go on a prolonged winning streak because their rotation wasn't good enough. They're pretty much on the same course this year because guys like Cooper Criswell last year and Newcomb this year just aren't going to allow sustained success day to day and week to week. Hopefully once the Sox get some guys back, games like tonight will be a distant memory. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Crochet (2-1, 1.13 ERA) takes on Seattle starter Bryan Woo. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Casas, Sox Down Mariners (4/22/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Zack Kelly was sent down to Worcester after being straight batting practice and tonight's starter Brayan Bello was activated from the Injured List to take his place. Finally the Sox got one of their starters back.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, now that was a good win. Brayan Bello (1-0, 1.80 ERA) made his season debut against the Seattle Mariners and allowed just 1 run in 5 strong innings. The Red Sox had a slim 2-1 lead when Alex Bregman knocked in a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Then Justin Wilson allowed 2 runs to score in the sixth to make it a one run game. Triston Casas hit a backbreaking three run home run in the bottom of the seventh and Jarren Duran knocked in another insurance run. The trio of Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock and Liam Hendriks slammed the door to give the Sox an 8-3 win over the Mariners at Fenway Park.

                                                            Mika Tan approves of the win

Bello got the ball to start the top of the first and Julio Rodriguez grounded out to short to start. Jorge Polanco then hit a home run all the way to the moon to put Seattle up just two batters into the game. Cal Raleigh walked, Randy Arozarena was hit with a pitch and Luke Raley was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez grounded into a double play to end the inning but it was 1-0 Seattle.

                                                            Mariners strike first

Seattle starter Bryce Miller got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran tripled into the right field corner to start. Rafael Devers hit a sac fly to right to score Duran to tie the game. Alex Bregman grounded out to short but Trevor Story beat out a roller to third....but wait! Seattle manager Scott Servais challenged that Story was out. Sure enough, the call was overturned to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                               Devers ties it

Dylan Moore grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Miles Mastrobuoni struck out swinging. JP Crawford singled off the glove of Story but Rodriguez forced him at second to end the inning. Wilyer Abreu led off the bottom of the second with a base hit to center before immediately stealing second. Kristian Campbell struck out swinging but Triston Casas grounded out to second to move Abreu to third. Carlos Narvaez lined out to short to end the inning. The Sox couldn't even hit it out of the infield once Abreu got to second.

Polanco struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Raleigh doubled to right. Arozarena grounded out to third to move Raleigh to third but Raley grounded out to second to end the inning.  Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the third and immediately stole second. Naturally with a runner in scoring position, Duran struck out swinging. Devers drew a walk and Bregman doubled off the Monster to score Rafaela, putting Boston on top. Story struck out swinging and Abreu flied out to right to end the inning with Boston ahead 2-1.

                                                               Bregman doubles in a run

Tellez grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fourth before Moore grounded out to short. Mastrobuoni walked and got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Campbell grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Casas struck out swinging. Narvaez flied out to left to end the inning.

The Mariners threatened in the top of the fifth as Crawford grounded out to second to start. Rodriguez doubled to right and Polanco walked, but Raleigh flied out to left. Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Bello who lasted just 5 innings but limited the damage to 1 run off 4 hits and 3 walks.

                                                             Good work Bello

Rafaela walked to start the bottom of the fifth before stealing second. Duran grounded out to second to move Rafaela to third and Devers walked to put runners at the corners. Bregman doubled to center to score both runners to increase the lead. Story flied out to center but Abreu walked to chase Miller. Old friend Eduard Bazardo came in to face Campbell and Abreu swiped second. Campbell struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox led 4-1.

                                                               Bregman does it again

Justin Wilson came in to pitch with Donovan Solano pinch hitting for Raley to start the top of the sixth. Solano grounded out to third and Ben Williamson pinch hit for Tellez. Williamson and Moore drew back to back walks and Leo Rivas pinch hit for Mastrobuoni. Rivas grounded out to third to move the runners over and naturally Crawford ripped a base hit to left to score both runners, chasing Wilson from the game. Greg Weissert came in and immediately walked Rodriguez. Polanco flied out to left to end the inning with the Mariners back in it down 4-3.

                                                               Crawford drives in a pair

Casas walked to start the bottom of the sixth before moving to second on the Narvaez grounder to short. Rafaela got a base hit to right to move Casas to third and Duran walked to load the bases. Devers lined out to center and Bregman flied out to left to end the inning, what a waste.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Raleigh flied out to center to start. Arozarena struck out swinging and Solano grounded out to second to end the inning. Trent Thornton came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Story struck out swinging to start. Abreu got a base hit to center and Campbell drew a walk. Suddenly Casas bashed his second home run of the season to ice the game. Sauryn Lao came in to pitch to Narvaez and Carlos got a base hit to right. Rafaela struck out swinging and Duran hit a grounder to second. Rivas threw the ball away to score Narvaez and move Duran to second on the error. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-3.

                                                              Casas jacks one

Whitlock returned for the top of the eighth and Williamson singled to right to start. Moore took strike three but Rivas flied out to left. Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning. Bregman flied out to right to start the bottom of the eighth before Story struck out swinging. Abreu pounded a ground rule double into the right field stands but Campbell grounded out to second to end the inning.

Liam Hendriks came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rodriguez flied out to center to start. Polanco grounded out to second and Raleigh flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Triston Casas. His three run home run iced the game.

                                                            Hero Casas

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Alex Bregman was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 stolen bases and 2 runs scored.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball off 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 3.

Greg Weissert got the final out of the sixth inning.

Garrett Whitlock tossed two scoreless innings.

Liam Hendriks pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Justin Wilson was tagged for 2 runs in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

Kristian Campbell was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its about time Casas starts heating up. He's been a black hole on offense all season but between the walkoff against Chicago and now this, things might be turning around. Bello was shaky tonight but he didn't break in his first start of the season. Hopefully his command is better next time around because they're going to need him moving forward if they have any hope of contending in the AL East. Bregman continues to hit the ball and the duo of Abreu and Rafaela were menaces on the bases. The Sox may be facing a mediocre team but these are the ones you have to beat, or else there won't be October baseball. Apart from Justin Wilson, the Sox bullpen slammed the door and the word on the street is Kutter Crawford will be joining the bullpen when he's activated. Everyone is pitching or hitting for a job at this point with Worcester loaded with talent and people coming off the injured list. Its the good kind of competition that will lead to more wins than losses. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Mariners tomorrow evening when Sean Newcomb (0-2, 3.63 ERA) takes on Emerson Hancock of Seattle. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.

Buehler, Red Sox Beat White Sox on Patriots Day (4/21/25)

After the Boston Red Sox blew last night's game, today's game on Patriots Day became very important against the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox had won 3 of their 5 wins against the Red Sox but Walker Buehler (3-1, 4.23 ERA) was not about to let another win happen. Buehler pitched his best game of the season tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball against the hapless White Sox. On the other side of the ball, Rob Refsnyder struck his first home run of the year against Jonathan Cannon to tie the game. Trevor Story and Kristian Cambpell drove in 3 runs combined with singles to give the Sox a 4-1 lead. Aroldis Chapman did give up a home run to Andrew Benintendi in the eighth inning but Justin Slaten slammed the door in the ninth inning to give the Sox a 4-2 victory on Patriots Day Monday at Fenway Park.

                                                        David Ortiz approves of the win

Buehler got the ball in the top of the first inning and Wilyer Abreu failed to catch a pop up by Nick Maton for a "single" to start. Andrew Benintendi lofted a base hit to center to move Maton to third but Luis Robert Jr took strike three on the outside corner. Edgar Quero grounded out to second to score Maton but Sosa flied out to center to end the inning with Chicago ahead 1-0.

                                                   White Sox strike first

Cannon got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to first to start. Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman worked back to back walks but Lenyn Sosa made a great diving stab to rob Trevor Story. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Miguel Vargas struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Brooks Baldwin pounded a ground rule double into right. Michael Taylor struck out swinging and Jacob Amaya went down hacking as well to end the inning. The BoSox struck back in the bottom of the second as Kristian Campbell got a base hit to start. Triston Casas grounded into a double play but Rob Refsnyder smashed his first home run of the season to tie the game. Carlos Narvaez flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Refsnyder gets the wally head

Maton walked to start the top of the third before Benintendi walked as well. Robert Jr and Quero both struck out swinging before Sosa popped up to short to end the inning. Duran doubled to start the bottom of the third before Devers flied out to left. Bregman walked and Story got a base hit to center to score Duran to put Boston ahead. Abreu walked to load the bases and Campbell drilled a base hit to right to score Bregman and Story. Casas flied out to right and Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 4-1.

                                                           Campbell gets it done

Vargas took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Baldwin grounded out to second. Taylor took strike three to end the inning. Narvaez flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth before Duran popped up to short. Devers flied out to center to end the inning.

Amaya grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth before Maton walked. Benintendi grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bregman flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Story got a base hit to center. Abreu struck out swinging and a wild pitch moved Story to second, but Campbell struck out to swinging to end the inning.

Robert Jr lined out to left to start the top of the sixth before Quero grounded back to the mound. Sosa got a base hit to right but Vargas grounded out to third. Casas flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth before Refsnyder grounded out to short. Narvaez flied out to left to end the inning.

Baldwin took strike three to start the top of the seventh before Bregman snuffed out a bunt attempt by Taylor. Joshua Palacios pinch hit for Amaya and grounded back to the mound to end the inning. That was it for Buehler who was outstanding, allowing just 1 run in 7 innings off 4 hits and 3 walks.

                                                       Great start by Buehler

Tyler Gilbert came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Duran struck out swinging to start. Devers struck out swinging but Bregman singled to center. Story got a base hit to center but Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Just like yesterday, Sox manager Alex Cora went to the bullpen in the eighth inning and paid for it. Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch and old pal Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for Maton. Dalbec struck out swinging but Benintendi hit a home run all the way to Cuba to cut the lead. Robert Jr popped up to center but Duran dropped it for an error. Quero lined out to right and Sosa lined out to center to end the inning with the White Sox down 4-2.

                                                            Benintendi hits one out

Penn Murfee came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Campbell walked to start. Casas grounded out to second to move Campbell to second but Refsnyder took strike three. Narvaez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to close out the top of the ninth with Ceddanne Rafaela now in right and Vargas flied out to right to start. Baldwin struck out swinging but Matt Thaiss pinch hit for Taylor. Thaiss flied out to center to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                          Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Walker Buehler. He earned the win tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball while allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 9.

                                                        Hero Buehler

The Good:

Alex Bregman was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Trevor Story was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Kristian Campbell was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Justin Slaten earned his 3rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4.

Aroldis Chapman allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Honorable Mention:

Ceddanne Rafaela played right field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are a mess but at least Walker Buehler and Trevor Story seem to be coming out of their early season struggles. Buehler looked like the Buehler of 5 years ago and that's who the Sox need moving forward. If Buehler and Garrett Crochet can stay healthy the Sox have their first tag team 1-2 punch since Chris Sale and David Price in 2019. Offensively the Sox once again did almost nothing although kudos to Refsnyder for getting his first home run of the year and clutch hitting by Kristian Campbell and Trevor Story. If Story can stay healthy this year, that's a huge relief considering the woes everywhere else on the team. Chapman giving up a bomb happens when you throw nothing but gas but otherwise, he and Slaten slammed the door on the White Sox. Having a 7-8-9 of Garrett Whitlock, Chapman and Slaten are going to shorten many games....if Sox manager Alex Cora does the right thing and let the starters go 6 or 7 if they're dealing. Pulling Houck yesterday cost them the game but that didn't happen this time. Duran dropped an easy pop up to highlight just how bad the defense is, which is on the manager. Still, the Sox won on Patriots Day and they're going to get some of their injured guys back soon. The Sox now welcome in the Seattle Mariners for a three game set beginning tomorrow night. Brayan Bello is expected to come off the Injuries List against Captain TBD of Seattle. The game begins at 6:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Bullpen Melts Against White Sox (4/20/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Michael Fulmer has elected free agency after being designated for assignment. So much for this reclamation project. The 2016 AL Rookie of The Year hadn't pitched in two years and was sent down to Worcester after one game. Guess he decided to seek his fortunes elsewhere. 

                                                                             OUT

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in Game 1 of their NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox were once again embarrassed by the Chicago White Sox. For six innings the Red Sox had the game in hand, Tanner Houck held Chicago to just 2 runs in 6 solid innings and Wilyer Abreu's three run home run gave the Sox a cushion. Then came the bullpen. Zack Kelly allowed three runs in the seventh inning, Liam Hendriks made his Sox debut by allowing a 2 run home run and the worthless Sox defense cost Brennan Bernardino an unearned run. The Chicago White Sox have just five wins this year and three of them are against Boston, including this one 8-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                      "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and Nick Maton took strike three to start. Andrew Benintendi popped up to third but Luis Robert Jr walked. Matt Thaiss hit a home run all the way to Chelmsford to put Chicago on top. Lenyn Sosa took strike three to end the inning with Chicago up 2-0.

                                                             That didn't take long

The BoSox answered in the bottom of the first against Burke as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers reached on an error by Sosa and Alex Bregman reached on an error by Miguel Vargas. Wilyer Abreu made the ChiSox pay for their blunders with his fourth home run of the season to put the BoSox on top. Kristian Campbell grounded back to the mound and Triston Casas flied out to left to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-2.

                                                            Abreu hits it out

Joshua Palacios struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Vargas doubled off the third base wall. Jacob Amaya grounded out to third and Maton struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging but David Hamilton lined out to short. Blake Sabol doubled into the right field corner and Duran lashed a base hit to right to score him for another run. Devers walked and Bregman got hit with a pitch. Abreu lined out to right to end the inning with the BoSox up 4-2.

                                                            RBI for duran

Benintendi grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Robert Jr struck out swinging. Thaiss grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Campbell doubled into the left field corner to start. Casas grounded out to third and Rafaela did the same, but Hamilton walked. Sabol flied out to left to end the inning.

Vaughn grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Sosa struck out swinging. Palacios grounded out to first to end the inning. Duran grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth but Devers drew a walk. Bregman flied out to center and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Vargas lined out to right to start the top of the fifth before Amaya walked. Maton lined out to center but Amaya stole second. Benintendi flied out to left to end the inning. Campbell got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Casas struck out swinging. Campbell was picked off and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Robert Jr took strike three to start the top of the sixth before Thaiss was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Vaughn grounded out to third to end the inning. Despite throwing just 89 pitches, that was it for Houck as he allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings off 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                         Houck with his best start of the year

Brandon Eisert came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Hamilton popped up to third to start. Sabol struck out swinging and Duran lined out to left to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Sosa singled to center to start. Palacios and Vargas both got hit with a pitch to load the bases with Brooks Baldwin pinch hitting for Amaya. Justin Wilson came in to pitch and Baldwin hit a sacrifice bunt to score Sosa and move the runners over. Edgar Quero pinch hit for Maton and ripped a base hit to center to score both runners. Quero was picked off by Sabol and Benintendi hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the White Sox up 5-4.

                                                           White Sox take the lead

Benintendi made a great diving catch to rob Devers of a single to start the bottom of the seventh. Bregman singled to left and moved to second on an Abreu grounder to second. Steven Wilson came in to face Campbell and Kristian flied out to center to end the inning.

Liam Hendriks made his Red Sox debut in the top of the eighth and Robert Jr singled to left to start. Robert stole second but Thaiss popped up to third. Vaughn then hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to ice the game. Sosa struck out swinging but Palacios got a base hit down the third base line. Palacios was picked off by Sabol to end the inning with the White Sox up 7-4.

                                                            Vaughn hits a home run

Chase Meidroth took over for Palacios for the bottom of the eighth and Casas flied out to left to start. Rafaela walked but Hamilton lined out to short. Sabol struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Vargas grounded out to short to start. Baldwin got a base hit to center before promptly stealing second. Quero hit a routine grounder to Bregman who threw the ball away for an error. Benintendi grounded out to first to move the runners over and Robert was intentionally walked to load the bases. Thaiss then got plunked to score Baldwin with the final run. Vaughn flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago up 8-4.

                                                     "Ow" - Thaiss

Michael Taylor came in for Baldwin with Cam Booser on the mound to start the bottom of the ninth and Duran grounded out to second. Devers grounded out to second and Bregman also grounded out second to end the game. The White Sox had won it 8-4.

                                                          White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Zack Kelly. He loaded the bases that led to the bullpen meltdown

                                                            Jackass Kelly                     

The Good:

Kristian Campbell was 2 for 4.

Tanner Houck tossed 6 solid innings allowing 3 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Liam Hendriks allowed 2 runs in the eighth inning.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with an error but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but hit a three run home run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 but walked.

Blake Sabol was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Justin Wilson allowed all 3 inherited runners to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

How do you lose to the White Sox as much as the Red Sox do? They've won 5 games all year and three of them are against the Red Sox. Worst part is this is supposed to be the soft part of the Red Sox schedule and they're still a .500 team. There's still plenty of time to turn things around but the team is a mess. They still don't hit in the clutch consistently, they have too many black holes in the lineup and four starters are out injured. Thankfully its only April 20th so there's no reason to panic just yet, but its very annoying to see the Red Sox look like a high school team year after year. That all falls on the manager, the same one who pulled Houck after 89 pitches only to watch the bullpen implode. If he doesn't stress small ball, fundamentals and goes with the "analytics", what good is he? There's a lot to be upset about and they better work the kinks out quick before one of the AL East teams goes on a hot streak. The Red Sox look to salvage this series tomorrow morning on Patriots Day Monday when Walker Buehler (2-1, 5.23 ERA) faces Jonathan Cannon of Chicago. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.