Sox Bats Silent, Jays Avoid Sweep (4/10/16)

The Boston Red Sox offense was bound to have a stinker and today was the day. The Sox offense was shut-out by the amazing pitching of Marco Estrada as the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a sweep at the Skydome with a 3-0 victory.

Mr. Mookie Betts led off the game with a swinging strikeout. Sox analyist Dave O'Brien says he's gone ice cold since opening day. Dustin Pedroia grounded out to third and Xander Bogaerts attempted a bunt....failing miserably, popping it up to the catcher. Could Steven Wright (0-1) buck the trend of being down 2 or 3 to zip right out of the gate? NO! Kevin Pillar and Josh Donaldson hit back to back singles and advanced on the passed ball by Blake Swihart. Jose Bautista walked to load the bases. Edwin Encarnarcion lofted a ground ball to Bogaerts who flipped to Pedroia at second for the out who....heaved it into the stands, allowing both Pillar and Donaldson to score. Bing bang boom, 2-0 Jays.

                                            "This is going to be a long....long day"

Another passed ball advanced Encarnarcion to second but Troy Tulowitzky struck out. Michael Saunders flied out to end the inning. 32 pitches, 2 hits, a walk, 2 passed balls,....2 runs. Here we go again.

David Ortiz led off the top of the second with a ground out to short. Hanley Ramirez used aggressive baserunning to stretch a single into a double. Travis Shaw worked a walk to put the tying runs on. Chris Young got the start due to Brock Holt fouling a ball off his foot yesterday and missed badly at strike 3. Swihart popped up to end the inning. So much for a rally. Russell Martin grounded out to begin the bottom of the second inning. Ryan Goins walked but was erased on the Darwin Barney double play.

Jackie Bradley Jr opened the top of the 3rd with a single. Mr. Mookie continued his slump by looking at strike 3, he's now 1 for his last 19. Dustin Pedroia erased Bradley at second by grounding into a force. Xander Bogaerts doubled down the line but Pedroia was gunned down at home for the third out.....damn.

                                                     "Yerrrrrrr out!"

Pillar flied out to center to begin the bottom of the third. Wright somehow struck out Donaldson and got Bautista to fly out to center to end the inning.

Ortiz flied out to start the top of the 4th. Ramirez singled but Shaw popped up. Chris Young struck out again, begging the question why he's starting over Rusney Castillo against a right-hander. Wright began the bottom of the 4th by getting Encarnarcion and Tulowitzky to ground out to short. Then the Jays threatened as Saunders walked, Martin and Goins hit back to back singles. With the bases loaded, Wright got Barney to ground out to end the inning. 75 pitches through 4 innings for Wright, not the best but not the worst either.

Could the Sox rally in the top of the 5th? Swihart tried to with a single to center but JBJ flied out to left, Betts popped up and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning. Wright began the bottom of the 5th by getting Pillar to ground out and Donaldson to strike out. Bautista whiffed as Wright has been locked in since loading the bases in the first inning. Its too bad the Sox picked today to not score runs.

Bogaerts struck out to begin the top of the 6th. Ortiz and Ramirez both popped up and the heart of the order was done in less than 3 minutes. The Sox pounded Kluber, Carassco, Stroman and Dickey but got shut-out by Marco Estrada, go figure. Encarnarcion singled to start the bottom of the 6th but was erased on the Tulowitzky double play. Saunders grounded out to third to end the inning. If you told me before the game Steven Wright would pitch 6 innings of 2 run ball, I'd say the game was in the bag.

The Sox got the leadoff man on in the top of the 7th when Shaw walked on 4 pitches. Chris Young did himself no favors by popping up after getting ahead 1-0. Young should have taken until he threw a strike. Swihart whiffed badly and Bradley Jr struck out as well. Estrada has struck out 8, he's been outstanding. Wright was sent back to the mound for the bottom of the 7th with 102 pitches on his arm to eat up an inning if nothing else. He struck out Martin but Goins hit a ground rule double down the line. Barney grounded out on Wright's 118th pitch, a new career high. That was it as Farrell lifted Wright for Noe Ramirez. Wright pitched great, its too bad the Sox picked today not to score any runs.

                                             6 2/3 innings, 1 earned run....wasted

Ramirez got Pillar to ground out to end the inning. What a shame.

Jays manager John Gibbons made the peculiar decision to lift Estrada for Drew Storen for the 8th. It looked like Estrada would last all the way. Betts flied out to continue his slump. Pedroia singled off the glove of Barney to bring the tying run to the plate. The bad luck continued as Bogaerts hit a rocket to Barney who dropped it, but had enough time to flip to second, on to first for the double play. Had Barney just caught it, it would have been 1 on 2 out, instead the inning was over. The Jays iced the game in the bottom of the 8th when Josh Donaldson smashed the first pitch Ramirez threw into the upper deck to increase the lead 3-0.

                                      Steve looked at the monitor and saw Donaldson's homer

Bautista walked but Encarnarcion banged into a double play. Tulowitzky popped up but the damage was done.

Toronto closer Roberto Osuna took the mound to finish off the Sox. David Ortiz struck out but Ramirez got his third hit of the day. Shaw whiffed and Pablo Sandoval was brought in to pinch hit for Young. Ramirez took second on defensive indifference

Jackass of the Night is a tough one. I have to go with Chris Young. He struck out with 2 men on in the second inning, struck out with a man on in the 4th inning and flied out with a man on in the 7th inning. He could have tied or put the Sox ahead 3 times and failed all 3 times. Why did John Farrell start him against a right hander, I'll never know.

                                                Jackass of the Night: Chris Young



The Good:

One of the only times the losing pitcher is on the good list. Steve Wright pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing just 1 earned run (2 total). He gave up 6 hits, 3 walks and struck out 5 plus saved the bullpen for better days. Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 4. Blake Swihart and Jackie Bradley Jr were both 1 for 3.


The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Pablo Sandoval swung and missed at 3 straight fastballs in the 9th inning.


The Ugly:

Noe Ramirez gave up the home run to Josh Donaldson but escaped the 7th and got through the rest of the 8th unscathed. Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 4 with a throwing error that allowed the second run to score. Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4. Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 but walked twice.


Final Thoughts:

The Sox offense was due for a bad game and this was it. They mounted nothing all game and didn't have a runner reach third base once. Steven Wright pitched great but his start was wasted. Sox media was blistering John Farrell for pushing David Price back to Monday, but it looks like a great move now since the Sox generated literally no offense. Price (1-0) pitches the home opener against Baltimore tomorrow.

Sox Offense Pounds Jays Again (4/9/16)

Two days in a row the Boston Red Sox offense bailed out an ineffective starting pitcher, only this time the pitcher lasted 6 innings. The Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 in the Skydome, taking the first two games of the series.

                                              Happy Sox Fans

Mr. Mookie Betts led off against RA Dickey (1-1) who grounded out to short in the top of the first. Dustin Pedroia singled to right and Xander "X-Man" Bogaerts whiffed badly. Travis Shaw looked at strike 3 to end the inning. The much maligned Rick Porcello (1-0) made his season debut by promptly puking on himself. He whiffed Kevin Pillar.....but Josh Donaldson singled and Jose Bautista homered, for the third game in a row...bing bang boom it was 2-0 out of the gate.

                                        The game was 2-0 before most fans got to their seats

 Edwin Encarnarcion singled as all of Porcello's pitches have been up. Troy Tulowitzky hit an absolute rocket but it was snagged in center by Rusney Castillo. Ezequiel Carrera whiffed to end the inning. Three straight horrid starts from the Sox rotation.

Could the Sox rally in the top of the second? NO! Hanley Ramirez popped up on the first pitch and Pablo Sandoval whiffed badly, breaking his belt in the process.

                                                             Embarrassing

Jose Bautista robbed Brock Holt of a hit to end the inning. Ryan Goins grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the second. As if Sandoval breaking his belt wasn't bad enough, a routine grounder by Darwin Barney was airmailed to Travis Shaw, allowing Barney to reach first. So far Sandoval broke his belt, whiffed and committed a throwing error. Josh Thole struck out but Barney stole second. Pillar also struck out but Porcello was up to 44 pitches already.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third. Rusney Castillo started with a clean single. Blake Swihart worked a walk. The Sox got a gift when Dickey sailed a pick-off throw into center, advancing both runners. Mr. Mookie then struck out swinging on a pitch right down the middle. Pedroia grounded out but at least it scored Castillo and advanced Swihart to third, cutting the lead 2-1. X-Man pounded a ground-rule double to tie the game. X-Man moved to third on a wild pitch by Dickey as Sox anaylist Jerry Remy says a gust of wind came through. Shaw then gave the Sox the lead with a ground rule double of his own. Ramirez popped up but the Sox had the lead. Could Porcello keep it? NO! Josh Donaldson doubled down the line and Jose Bautista slugged a two run home run to give Toronto the lead back in 3 seconds flat.

                                             James says "Stop pitching to Bautista!"



Porcello recovered to get Encarnarcion to fly out, Tulowitzky to pop up and Carrera to strike out to end the inning.


Could the Sox rally in the top of the 4th? YES! Pablo Sandoval struck out again, bringing his total to 2 strikeouts, a belt pop and a throwing error. Holt also struck out but the knuckleball got away from Thole and he got to first safely. Castillo stroked a one out double to put runners at second and third. Swihart tied the game with a sac fly that also advanced Castillo to third. Betts whiffed to end the inning as his miserable day continued. Still, the game was tied. Porcello opened the bottom of the fourth with a nasty strikeout of Goins. Barney flied out to right. Thole whiffed badly and finally Porcello had a clean inning, but he was up to 78 pitches.

Pedroia opened the 5th with a single and Bogaerts worked a walk to put quick pressure on Dickey. Unfortunately Shaw struck out. Ramirez then caught Bautista asleep with a single to right that turned into triple because the ball bounced over the head of Jose. Both runners scored and it was now 6-4 Boston.

                                         Pedroia "Porcello sucks but we rule" Bogaerts "Si"

 Could Sandoval finally deliver? He didn't have to...a wild pitch by Dickey scored Ramirez to make it 7-4. Sandoval struck out badly anyway. That's 3 strikeouts, an error and a destroyed belt. Hitman Holt doubled down the line. Castillo grounded out and Dickey was up to 101 pitches. Porcello returned for the bottom of the 5th with the gruesome twosome looming. Pillar lined out to Castillo and in stepped Donaldson. Somehow Porcello got him to fly out. Bautista walked...better than a home run. Encarnarcion grounded out as Sandoval actually made the throw to third.

Arnold Leon relieved Dickey in the top of the 6th. Swihart grounded out to first. Mr Mookie singled and Pedroia doubled him home.

                                             Betts slides home to increase the lead 8-4

X-Man struck out and Shaw flied out to end the inning, but it was now 8-4 Boston. Could Porcello slam the door in the 6th inning? Nope. Tulowitzky hit a flare into center field which prompted Sox manager John Farrell to have Robbie Ross Jr warm in the bullpen. Carrera grounded into a fielder's choice as Tulowitzky was out at second. Pedroia made a diving stab to rob Goins of a hit, Tulowitzky moved to third on the out. Barney hit an infield single that Sandoval actually saved a run by stabbing at the last second to hold Tulowitzky. Shaw then stabbed a ground ball by Carrera and flipped to Porcello for the third out. It looked bleak early, but Porcello held on to go 6 innings with just the 4 runs allowed.

                                          Terrible start, great finish for Porcello


Tulowitzky robbed Ramirez of a hit to open the top of the 7th as the much maligned Sandoval worked a walk. Hitman Holt struck out and Castillo grounded into a force to end the inning. Koji Uehara took the mound for the bottom of the 7th inning. Pillar grounded out to Sandoval to open the frame. Swihart dropped a pop fly hit up the elevator shaft by Donaldson but Uehara bailed him out by striking Josh out. Bautista flied out to Holt to end the inning. Farrell's gamble with Uehara early pays off as he gets the heart of the order. Good work Koji.

Swihart opened the top of the 8th with a base hit against new pitcher Joe Biagini. Mr Mookie worked a walk. Pedroia popped up as X-Man advanced Swihart to third with a long fly out to center. Betts swiped second but was stranded when Shaw struck out. Robbie Ross Jr took the mount in the bottom of the 8th and got Encarnarcion to ground out to third. Tulowitzky grounded out to short. Shaw then robbed pinch hitter Chris Colabello of a hit by snaring the line drive for the third out. Great job by Ross.

                                     Maybe trading Anthony Ranaudo for him isn't so bad

Toronto closer Roberto Osuna was brought in to pitch the 9th just to get him some work. Hanley grounded out to third, Sandoval grounded to second and Swihart struck out to end the inning. Ross returned for the bottom of the 9th to close out the game. Ross punched out pinch hitter Russell Martin and Barney grounded out to Pedroia. Justin Smoak pinch hit for Thole and struck out to end the game. The Sox had won 8-4.

Hero of the Day is a tough one but I'll go with Dustin Pedroia. He went 3 for 5 with a run scored, 2 rbi's and several great defensive plays in the field.

                                       Dustin Pedroia: Hero of the Day

The Good:

Rusney Castillo was 2 for 4 with a run scored. Blake Swihart was 1 for 2 with a walk, run scored and run batted in. Koji Uehara pitched a clean 7th inning. Robbie Ross Jr was outstanding with 2 perfect innings to close the game out.


The Bad:

Shockingly none. Everyone at least did one thing right.


The Ugly:

Everyone else. Rick Porcello fell in a hole early but battled to post an average start. He went 6 innings, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits in a walk, striking out 7. Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored. Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but walked, scored 2 runs and drove in a run. Travis Shaw was just 1 for 5 with a 3 strikeout hat trick but scored a run. Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run and knocked in 2. Pablo Sandoval was 0 for 4 with a 3 strikeout hat trick, a throwing error, destroyed a belt buckle...but walked. Brock Holt was just 1 for 5 with a 3 strikeout hat trick but scored a run.


Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox offense bailed out an ineffective starter but Porcello hung on to pitch 6 innings, saving the arms of Tazawa and Kimbrel for another day. The offense is continuing to click even with David Ortiz getting the day off today. The Sox have played 4 road games to start the year (2 postponements) and have won 3 of them. Tomorrow the Sox go for the series sweep by sending Steven Wright out against Marco Estrada.

Sox Mount Comeback, Brock Slams Jays (4/8/16)

After yet another stolrm wiped out the finale in Cleveland, Sox starters were pushed forward to allow David Price to start the Sox home opener on Monday. It can't come fast enough as the Boston Red Sox have now had two crappy starts after Price went on Opening Day. Unlike last game, the Sox offense was able to complete the comeback, stunning the defending AL East Champion Toronto Blue Jays in their home opener, 8-7

                                                 Happy Sox fan


The Sox came up in the top of the first facing Marcus Stroman. Mr. Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia both whiffed and Xander "X-Man" Bogaerts grounded out in short order. Joe Kelly was the Boston starter and he fared no better than Clay Buchholz in the last game. Kevin Pillar (no, not Millar) set the tone of the game when he clubbed a lead-off triple to begin the bottom of the first. Kelly bared down to strike out reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson. Jose Bautista walked and Edwin Encarnarcion brought home Pillar with a sac fly. Just like that it was 1-0. Troy Tulowitzky walked but Kelly struck out Michael Saunders to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the second. David Ortiz struck out but Hanley Ramirez stroked a single to center.....before getting gunned down at second trying to stretch a single into a double.

                                                              "Nice going Hanley"

That lost opportunity loomed large when Travis Shaw and Brock "Hitman" Holt hit back to back doubles to tie the game. Ryan Hanigan walked but Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to end the inning.  At least the game was tied. Kelly recovered from his auspicious start to strike out Russell Martin. Ryan Goins grounded out to second but Darwin Barney beat out an infield single to short. Pillar grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third. Mr Mookie grounded out and Pedroia lined out. X-Man singled and scored on the double by Ortiz to give the Sox a 2-1 lead. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning. Kelly had another strong inning by inducing a Donaldson ground out. Kelly whiffed Bautista but walked Encarnarcion. Tulowitzky grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Travis Shaw flied out to begin the top of the fourth. Hitman Holt grounded out and Hanigan flied out. The wheels fell off for Kelly in the bottom of the fourth. Saunders singled, Martin singled and Goins singled to load the bases in the blink of an eye. Barney singled home Saunders to tie the game. Kelly drilled Pillar to give Toronto the 3-2 lead. Josh Donaldson then chased Kelly by swatting a grand slam to left field. That was it for Kelly as a disgusted Sox manager John Farrell lifted him for Noe Ramirez. 3 innings, 7 runs for Kelly...what a disaster.

                                                  This is gonna be a long year

Ramirez struck out Bautista but Encarnarcion singled. Tulowitzky struck out but Saunders reached on an infield single. Ramirez struck out Martin to strike out the side, and what an important out that turned out to be.

Could the Sox rally in the top of the 5th? NO! JBJ grounded out, Mr. Mookie grounded out and Pedroia whiffed. Ramirez continued his strong outing by whiffing Goins to begin the bottom of the 5th. Barney walked but Pillar popped up. Donaldson grounded out to end the inning. Solid effort by Ramirez to keep the Sox in the game.

                                            2 innings, 4 strikeouts, kept them in the game.

The Sox struck back in the top of the 6th. X-Man singled and Ortiz worked a walk. Hanley moved both runners with a ground out and Shaw walked to load the bases. Toronto manager John Gibbons pulled Stroman for Jesse Chavez. Hitman Holt hit what looked to be a routine line drive over the wall for a shocking grand slam to cut the lead 7-6. Bad move Gibbons...bad move.

                                                X-Man and The Hitman

Hanigan flied out and Bradley Jr struck out to end the inning, but we had a ballgame again. Matt Barnes (1-0) was brought in to hold the fort. Bautista and Encarnarcion both lined out and Tulowitzky grounded out in short order. Good work Barnes.

The Sox completed the rally in the top of the 7th inning against new pitcher Drew Storen (0-1). Mr. Mookie flied out but Pedroia singled. X-Man got his third hit of the game to chase Storen. Gibbons went with the lefty-lefty matchup with Brett Cecil against David Ortiz. It failed as Ortiz tied the game with a double. Ramirez then singled home the go-ahead run to give the Sox an 8-7 lead. Chris Young pinch hit for Travis Shaw and struck out. Fans wondered why Farrell would pinch hit for the red hot Shaw and its simple, give at-bats to Young and see if he produces. If he doesn't, he's trade bait. Holt reached on an error to load the bases. Unfortunately Hanigan popped up to end the rally. Not everyone can be Mike Carp. Farrell then made the peculiar decision to bring in Junichi Tazawa for the bottom of the 7th. Tazawa's personal house of horrors is Toronto, but they needed him to step up this one time. Holt moved over to third and Young stayed in left field. Saunders popped up and Martin whiffed. Goins grounded out and Tazawa finally had a clean inning in Toronto.

Gavin Floyd was brought in for the top of the 8th. JBJ struck out, Mr. Mookie popped up and Pedroia grounded out. Koji Uehara came on for the bottom of the 8th. Justin Smoak pinch hit for Barney and worked a walk. Ezequiel Carrera ran for Smoak and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Pillar. Uehara bared down to get Donaldson to ground out to third and Bautista to ground out right back to him. The Orient Express had came through.

                                               "Good work Uehara, good work Tazawa!"

Russell Martin moved to third base and Josh Thole came in at catcher. Joe Biagni relieved Floyd for the top of the 9th. X-Man grounded out, Ortiz struck out and Ramirez grounded out. It was onto Craig "Game Over" Kimbrel to finish off the win in the bottom of the 9th. Encarnarcion flied out to right and Tulowitzky whiffed. Saunders flied out and it was over. The Sox had come back to win 8-7 after trailing 7-2 in the 4th inning.

Hero of the Night is an easy one. Brock "The Hitman" Holt saved the Sox bacon tonight. He was 2 for 4 with a grand slam and 5 total rbis

                      Holt the Hero throws his hands in the air and waves them like he just doesn't care


 The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored. David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 runs batted in and a run scored. Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 with an rbi. Travis Shaw was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored before being lifted for a pinch hitter. Noe Ramirez struck out 4 in his 2 innings of relief. Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 6th inning to earn the win. Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 7th inning. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Craig Kimbrel got his first save of the season with a clean ninth inning.


The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 with a strikeout. Chris Young struck out in his only plate appearance. Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Joe Kelly pitched miserably, lasting only 3 innings giving up 7 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks.


The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5 but scored a run. Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3 but walked.


Final Thoughts:

If this is how the game's are going to, the Sox are in big trouble. They can't keep having their starters last 3-5 innings or else things will turn out like last year. An overworked bullpen, a miserable starting staff and last place. The Sox can't bop their way back in every game like they did tonight. Sooner or later someone besides David Price will have to step up. Kelly went 8-0 at the end of last season but he pitched more like the 3-7 loser he was in the season's first half. Luckily the Sox offense bailed him out. The bullpen was outstanding and the offense is clicking, but neither can last at this rate. A win is a win, and right now the Sox are 2-1 on the season. Rick Porcello makes his season debut against RA Dickey tomorrow at 1:07 PM.

Rainout News (4/7/16)

Tonight's Boston Red Sox game against the Cleveland Indians has been postponed due to the heavy rains in the Cleveland area. The game will be made up all the way on August 15th in Cleveland.

                                                         Damn rain

On this day in Basebawful History:

1970 - Sox edge Yankees on Opening Day

1983 - Sox beat Toronto for first win

1984 - Hurst, Sox beat A's

1992 - Yankees edge Sox on Opening Day

1993 - Viola, Sox defeat Royals

1994 - Sox sweep Tigers

2000 - Sox drop third straight game

2001 - Crawford guides Sox past Devil Rays

2011 - Indians shut out Sox

2012 - Tigers Massacre Red Sox

2013 - Sox beat Jays on 3 Middlebrooks home runs

2014 - Lackey, Sox beat Rangers

The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Joe Kelly makes his season debut for the Red Sox against Marcus Stroman of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Buchholz Hammered as Indians Even Series (4/6/16)

After a needless 10 minute rain delay where there was no rain, the Boston Red Sox took on the Cleveland Indians in front of a paltry crowd where they were defeated 7-6.

 Carlos Carrasco was hardly sharp but Clay Buchholz was downright awful. In the end, it was the bullpen that gave the game away but they never should have been in that position to begin with. Mr. Mookie Betts led the game off and whiffed on a 2-2 fastball. Dustin Pedroia got his first of the season with a ground rule double to right. Xander "X-Man" Bogaerts worked a walk on a 3-2 count, driving up the pitch count early. David Ortiz lined out to left and Hanley Ramirez swung on a 3-0 pitch, meekly grounding out to Carassco to end the inning. Leaving two men on the field isn't good, but Carassco was leaving fastballs up in the zone. Clay Buchholz took the mound for the bottom of the first and struck out Fransisco Lindor on a 3-2 count. Jose Ramirez singled to center and Jason Kipnis doubled him home for the game's first run. Mike Napoli walked and Carlos Santana cleared the bases with a 3 run bomb. Just like that it was 4-0 Cleveland. Yan Gomes flied out to right but Marlon Byrd grounded out to end the inning but the damage was done.

                                            4 runs in 1/3 inning pitched, nice going Clay

Travis Shaw tried to start a rally in the top of the second with a single to left. Brock "The Hitman" Holt answered Santana with a 2 run shot to left to cut the lead 4-2. Blake Swihart hit a shot to the wall in center but it died at the wall. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out and Mr Mookie lined out sharply to center to end the inning. Some very loud outs and the Sox had Carrasco on the run. Could Buchholz keep it at 4-2? NO! Juan Uribe grounded out to X-Man on the first pitch of the bottom of the second inning. Tyler Naquin singled on a 3-2 count and advanced to second on a ground out by Lindor nabbed by Hanley. A base hit by Ramirez scored Naquin when the throw by JBJ went off the line. Kipnis walked as analyst Jerry Remy says Buchholz doesn't look comfortable at all. Napoli grounded out to end the inning but it was back to a 3 run deficit.

Pedroia led off the top of the third with a ground out and Bogaerts whiffed badly. Ortiz grounded out to Napoli as Carrasco gets his first clean inning. Could Buchholz respond with a clean inning of his own? NO! Carlos Santana stroked a leadoff double when Sox defenders were slipping and sliding all over the wet surface. Noe Ramirez began to warm up as John Farrell had seen enough. Clay somehow struck out Gomes and got Byrd to pop up. Uribe flied out to Bradley to end the inning. Finally a shutout inning for Buchholz.

Could the Sox rally a second time? Hanley Ramirez opened the top of the 4th with a horrific strikeout. Shaw popped up and Hitman Holt singled to center. Swihart then whiffed badly to end the inning. Buchholz returned for the bottom of the fourth and whiffed Naquin, then Lindor back to back. Ramirez lined out to Shaw to end the inning. Finally a clean inning.

JBJ grounded out to begin the top of the 5th. Mr. Mookie grounded out to second as Kipnis went "Ole!" on a liner by Pedroia. X-Man grounded out to end the inning. Carrasco was in a groove and Buchholz was just about finished. Noe Ramirez began to warm up again as Buchholz walked Kipnis to open the bottom of the fourth inning. Farrell had seen enough and lifted Clay for Ramirez. Clay threw 94 pitches and lasted only 4 inning, giving up 5 runs....terrible.

                                                        5 runs in 4 innings, nice debut

Ramirez made an immediate splash by inducing Napoli to bang into a double play. Santana flied out to deep center to end the inning.

David Ortiz greeted Carrasco in the top of the 6th with a solo blast to center, number 505, to cut the lead 5-3. Hanley Ramirez said "anything you can do, I can do better" by launching his first home run of the year almost in the same spot. That was it for Carrasco as Indians manager Terry Francona lifted him for Ross Detwiler. Sox manager John Farrell countered by pinch hitting Travis Shaw with Chris Young, who hits lefties well. Young lifted a routinely fly that Naquin and Ramirez muffed, allowing Young to reach second. Holt worked a walk. Swihart walked to load the bases and JBJ tied the game with a sac fly, scoring Young plus advancing Holt to third. Zach McAllister was brought in to relieve Detwiler. Betts than grounded to third and was thrown out at first, but the alert Holt scampered home to give the Sox a 6-5 lead. Pedroia lined out to first but the Sox had roared back. Could they keep the lead? NO! Chris Young moved to left field while Brock Holt moved to third. It was a costly mistake by John Farrell. Gomes walked and Byrd hit a flare down the line that moved Gomes to third. Uribe hit a sac fly that scored Gomes to tie the game. Farrell then lifted Ramirez for Robbie Ross Jr. Rajai Davis hit for Naquin and lined out. Holt then booted a grounder hit by Lindor and there were now two men on. Ramirez lined out to right to end the inning. So much for the lead.

X-Man grounded out to begin the top of the 7th. Ortiz flied out to center but Hanley singled. The much maligned Pablo Sandoval then pinch hit for Young. Ramirez caught the Indians napping by stealing second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Could Sandoval give the Sox the lead back? A meek line out to center answered that.

                                                      Kermit says "Damn fat man"

Junichi Tazawa (0-1) was brought in to pitch the bottom of the 7th. Things started promising when Kipnis flied out, but in stepped old friend Mike Napoli. You'd think Tazawa knew him enough not to leave one in his wheelhouse, nope. BANG! Napoli swatted a solo shot to left to give the Indians the lead back, 7-6.

                                           A familiar site for Sox fans, a Napoli home run

Santana walked and it was clear Taz had nothing tonight. Farrell lifted him for Matt Barnes who was ready. Matt got Gomes to line out and whiffed Byrd to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the 8th against Bryan Shaw. Holt grounded out and Swihart lined out. JBJ singled to put the tying run on but Mr. Mookie struck out to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the 8th and got Uribe to line out. Davis singled and stole second before Lindor walked. Davis tried for third and Swihart gunned him down. The replays showed Davis beat out the throw but strangely Terry Francona didn't challenge. Ramirez struck out to end the inning. Had the Sox mounted a comeback, not challenging there would have loomed large.

Cleveland closer Cody Allen took the mound for the top of the 9th. He retired Pedroia by fly out and Bogaerts by strikeout. David Ortiz was the last chance and hit one deep to left....caught at the wall for the third out. It would have been off the wall at Fenway but it was the end of the game here. The Indians had won 7-6

Jackass of the Night is a tough one. I have to go with Junichi Tazawa on this one. Yes, Buchholz stunk the joint out, but he was long gone by the time the Sox had taken the lead. Tazawa should have known better not to serve up a meatball to Napoli

                                                      Sorry Taz, but you're a Jackass

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5. Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a solo shot in the 6th. Travis Shaw was 1 for 2 with a run scored before he was removed. Chris Young reached base and scored in his only at-bat. Brock Holt was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbi's and 2 runs scored. Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with an rbi. Robbie Ross Jr retired the only two men he faced. Matt Barnes pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.


The Bad:

Pablo Sandoval lined out with the go-ahead run at third in his only at-bat. Clay Buchholz stunk in his season debut. He allowed 5 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in just 4 innings.


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 but scored a run. Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 but walked. David Ortiz was just 1 for 5 but the one was a solo shot that started the 6th inning rally. Blake Swihart was 0 for 3 but walked and gunned down Davis at third. Noe Ramirez gave up the lead in the 6th but mopped up for Buchholz the inning before.


Final Thoughts:

Not what the Sox needed out of Buchholz tonight. They showed some guts by rallying twice, down 4-0 and 5-2 but couldn't complete the comeback. The problem was the lousy starting pitching by Buchholz that led to 5 innings of relief work. If Buchholz doesn't get his head on right, this is going to be another long year. Tomorrow night at 6:05, Joe Kelly makes his season debut against Danny Salazar. Hopefully Kelly can keep up the momentum he built after going 8-0 to end last season.

Red Sox Win Opening Day (4/5/16)

After snowfall (yes, in April) postponed Opening Day to today, the Red Sox made their season debut in frigid Cleveland, winning by a 6-2 score. The gametime temperature was 35 degrees which was colder than any Cleveland Browns game during their season. Still, the Sox weathered the storm so to speak to pull out the win.

                                            The Mayor celebrates the opening day win

 Cleveland ace Corey Kluber (0-1) struck out Mr. Mookie Betts to begin the game. Dustin Pedroia popped up and Xander "X-Man" Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, new ace David Price (1-0) struck out Rajai Davis to begin the game. He then struck out Jason Kipnis and got Fransisco Lindor to ground-out to end the inning

David Ortiz began his final season with a ground-out back to Kluber to open the top of the second. Hanley Ramirez took strike 3 on the outside corner. Travis Shaw got the first base hit o sef the season to right field. Brock "The Hitman" Holt got his first hit of the season with a flare to left field. Blake Swihart struck out on a nasty curveball to end the inning. Old pal Mike Napoli led off the bottom of the second inning with a walk. Carlos Santana also worked a walk. Yan Gomes moved Napoli over to third with a sac fly but Price struck out Marlon Byrd. Juan Uribe also whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third. Jackie Bradley Jr got his first base hit of the season to center-field. Mr. Mookie got his first hit of the season by launching a 2 run home run.

                                          In line for a shot at MVP, Betts delivers with a homer

Pedroia lined out to left field and X-Man lined out to right. Ortiz got his first hit of the season with a double to left-center. Ramirez' bat singled itself to left as a sheepish Hanley drew some laughs by the paltry crowd. The bat then shattered as Hanley grounded out to end the inning. Price began the fourth by striking out Colin Cowgill and Davis. Kipnis grounded out to end the inning.

Travis Shaw struck out to open the top of the fourth and Hitman Holt as well. NESN showed the Red Sox DL which includes Eduardo Rodriguez, Carson Smith, Christian Vazquez and Brandon Workman. Brandon is recovering from Tommy John and Vazquez will be Pawtucket's catcher for the time being. The other two will be missed. Swihart worked a walk. Bradley Jr grounded out into the shift to end the inning. The Indians got their first hit of the game when Lindor singled to begin the bottom of the 4th. Napoli had a great 11 pitch at bat but was called out on a nasty pitch on the corner. Santana singled on a 3-2 count as Price began to struggle with command. Gomes singled home Lindor to cut the lead 2-1 as Santana took third. Another long at bat ended with a game tying sac-fly by Byrd. Uribe then smashed a single as analyst Scott Lauber reported that Napoli's at bat exposed Price's stuff. Cowgill struck out to end the inning but the game was tied and Price looked tired.

                                           Hogan is shocked by Price's struggles

Mr. Mookie singled to begin the top of the 5th but was erased as Pedroia beat out the double-play ball. Byrd robbed Bogaerts at the wall and Ortiz flied out to deep right to end the inning. Both balls would have been gone at Fenway on a 70 degree day. Betts than made an acrobatic catch to rob Davis of a triple. Hanley then flashed the leather on a routine grounder to first. Lindor singled for the the second time today but Napoli struck out again to end the inning. 5 innings for Price, 9 strikeouts. Not bad for a football weather game.

The Sox struck again in the top of the 6th. Ramirez singled up the middle to open the inning and showed some hustle by taking third on the single by Shaw. Hitman Holt gave the Sox the lead with a flare to left field. Swithart reached first on a fielder's choice when Holt was forced at second, moving Shaw to third. Kluber then uncorked a wild pitch that scored Shaw and advanced Swihart to second. JBJ worked a walk to chase Kluber as old friend Cleveland manager Terry Francona brought in Jeff Manship, coming off an impressive 2015 season. Betts then banged into a double play by hitting it exactly to third base. Still, the Sox regained the lead. Price returned for the bottom of the 6th and got Santana to ground out. Gomes grounded out as well. Byrd struck out to end Price's debut. 6 innings, 10 strikeouts. Not bad.

Pedroia meekly popped up to Napoli to start the top of the 7th. The Sox got a gift when X-Man grounded routinely to third and Uribe chucked the ball into the stands, Bogaerts taking second. Francona took no chances and intentionally walked David Ortiz. Ramirez walked to load the bases for Shaw and chase Manship. Ross Detwiler was brought in to face the hometown hero. Detwiler punched out Shaw on a nasty pitch on the corner. Holt then lined out to third to end the inning. Another opportunity wasted and now the Sox turn it over to the bullpen. One half of the Orient Express, Junichi Tazawa made his first appearance of the season. Uribe grounded out to open the bottom of the 7th. Francona pinch hit Cowgill with Tyler Naquin who whiffed. Davis struck out for the 3rd time today to end the inning.

Naquin stayed in the game at center, Byrd moved to right and Davis to left. Old rival Joba "The Mutt" Chamberlain took the mound to start the top of the 8th. Swihart walked to open the frame but was erased on a blown hit and run. Bradley was supposed to hit but squared around to bunt, Swihart was easily thrown out at second.

                                                      Captain Picard says "A bunt? Ugh"

The caught steal was compounded when JBJ popped up. Betts flied out to center to end the inning. On to the bottom of the 8th where the other half of the Orient Express, Koji Uehara, was waiting. Kipnis flied out to center and Lindor flied out to left in short order. Napoli then whiffed on a blazing 85 mph fastball to end the inning.

Trevor Bauer took the mound for the top of the 9th inning. JBJ worked a walk as Bogaerts struck out on two pitches out of the zone. The umpires must be frozen stiff and just want to go home. David Ortiz then launched his first home run of the season to right field to extend the lead 6-2.

                                                            One last hurrah for Big Papi

Hanley Ramirez singled but it should have been a double because he thought it was gone but hit the top of the wall. Shaw then whiffed for the third time. Holt flied out to left to end the inning. New Sox closer Craig Kimbrell, one half of The US Expressk was brought in to close out the game. Santana flied out to left to begin the bottom of the 9th. Gomes looked at a 97 mph fastball for strike 3. Byrd walked but Kimbrell punched out Uribe to end the game. The Sox take Opening Day 6-2 behind Price and the bullpen

Hero of the Day is a tough one. I'll have to go with the new guy, David Price

                                                  Hero of the Day


David Price struggled in frigid temperatures but battled through 6 innings, striking out 10 and giving up just 2 runs. The first Sox pitcher to strike out 10 in his debut since Dice K.


The Good:

If Price was the hero, Mookie Betts was the savior. He went 2 for 5 with a two run home run and made a tide turning catch when the game was on the line.  David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with a walk and a 2 run blast. Hanley Ramirez was also 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored. Brock Holt was 2 for 5 with an rbi. Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrell all pitched scoreless frames to end the game. Sox pitching retired 13 in a row at one point.


The Bad:

Only one name here. Xander Bogaerts went 0 for 5 with a strikeout. The Aruban native may not like football weather.


The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia had an unusually poor Opening Day by going 0 for 4 but he did walk and score a run. Travis Shaw was 2 for 5 with a run scored but earned a hat trick with 3 strikeouts. Blake Swihart was 0 for 2 and got thrown out stealing but walked twice.


Final Thoughts:

Another Opening Day win and the vibe is much better than last year. Even the Sox routing Philly opening day last year was overshadowed by the dark cloud known as the Red Sox pitching staff. This season the dark cloud is lifted with the additions of Price, Smith and Kimbrell to aid the troops. Even though Smith and Rodriguez are on the DL, they're a vast improvement over Anthony Vavaro and Justin Masterson from last year. Its only one game but at least the vibe is more positive. Tomorrow night at 6:05, Clay Buchholz goes up against Carlos Carrasco.

David Murphy Is Back (3/1/16)

One of the big stories that came out of yesterday's double-header sweep of Boston College and Northeastern was the signing of former Boston Red Sox outfielder David Murphy. Murphy was drafted by the Sox in 2003 and made his major league debut in 2007. Murphy along with Kason Gabbard were traded to the Texas Rangers on the July 31st deadline for all-star closer Eric Gagne. Murphy, like Brandon Moss the following year, was simply caught up in the numbers game. The Sox outfield was set with Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp and JD Drew with Bobby Keilty and Eric Hinske off the bench. Later on that season saw the emergence of rookie Jacoby Ellsbury as well.

Should the Sox have kept Murphy? Actually, no. Even though Ramirez was traded in 2008, he was traded for Jason Bay who lasted until the end of 2009. Coco Crisp lost his job to Jacoby Ellsbury who held on to the centerfield job amidst injuries until 2013. JD Drew held onto the right field job amidst injuries until he retired after the 2011 season. Murphy ended up becoming an everyday player for Texas immediately and later the Los Angeles Angels. He would have been a platoon or bench player in Boston had he stayed around, so it was better for his career that he went elsewhere.

Most fans say it was a bad trade because Gagne totally sucked in Boston, joining Julio Lugo on the list of guys the Sox won the World Series with in spite of. Actually, the trade was the right move to make at the time. Gabbard was never a top prospect and took advantage of hot hitting to go 5-0, upping his value. In essence the Sox gave up an above-average outfielder which they had plenty of and a 5th starter for what should have been an all-star closer. It was the right move to make, it just didn't work out. Gagne was a bust but the Sox had Jon Papelbon so it wasn't the worst thing that happened. Think of the Sox trading Mark Melancon (and others) for Brock Holt and Joel Hanrahan. Melancon became one of the top set-up men for Pittsburgh in 2013 before becoming their 50 save closer last year. The Sox got 3 seasons of The 6th Man Hitman Holt (so far) and 7 innings of Joel Hanrahan (who was paid 7 million for those 7 innings). Also it helped the Sox had Koji Uehara who had one of the best seasons in baseball history in 2013, becoming virtually unhittable from June all the way to October where he was ALCS MVP. The Sox have a habit of making trades that launches others into stardom (Murphy, Melancon) while winning the world series anyway (07, 13).

Does Murphy have a chance to make the team? It would take an injury to Rusney Castillo or a hitting collapse by Jackie Bradley Jr for that to happen. Murphy does hit right handers well, which compliments Chris Young who hits lefties well. A Murphy/Young platoon for one year wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially with last year's top prospect Andrew Benitendi on the rise. Unfortunately, that would mean the Sox essentially paid Castillo 72 million dollars to help the 2014 Gulf Coast and Pawtucket Red Sox win their respective league championships. Or it would mean JBJ couldn't hit his weight. Still, too much depth is always better than not enough. Murphy does have an opt-out clause at the end of Spring Training if he doesn't want to play for Pawtucket at 34 years old if Castillo stays healthy. Having Murphy in Pawtucket would certainly help them out, but that's not the ultimate goal unfortunately.

Personally I think its a good, low-risk, low cost move. If Bradley can't hit or Castillo can't stay on the field, you have Murphy/Young ready to go. Murphy has hit .274 lifetime and he may be past his prime, but one more good year from the team that drafted him would be a nice storybook ending.