Johnson, Sox Top Rays (8/17/18)

Before the game it was announced that Rafael Devers has been placed on the Disabled List after once again tearing his hamstring. Ian Kinsler made a miraculous recovery from his own hamstring tear and has been activated in Rafael's place for tonight's game.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Sox continued their march toward the AL East title by dispatching the Tampa Bay Rays tonight. Brian Johnson (4-3, 4.00 ERA) got off to a horrible start but recovered to toss 5 2/3 competent innings to keep the Sox in the game. The offense led by Xander Bogaerts put 7 runs on the board to give the Sox a 7-3 win at Fenway Park.

                                               Howling Mad Murdock approves of the win

The Rays wasted no time pounding Johnson in the top of the first inning. Mallex Smith led off with a single but Matt Duffy banged into a double play. Tommy Pham walked and CJ Cron doubled off the Monster. Joey Wendle followed with a double to score the two runners to give the Rays the lead. Carlos Gomez singled home Wendle to increase the lead. Kevin Kiermaier popped up to third to end the inning with the Rays up 3-0 with 4 hits. They would have just 3 hits the rest of the game.

                                                     Rays jump in front early

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the first against "starter" Ryne Stanek although Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center to start. Andrew Benintendi singled and took second on a wild pitch before moving to third on a Mitch Moreland fly out. JD Martinez walked and Bogaerts tripled home both runners to put the Sox on the board. Ian Kinsler grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                The Sox fight back

Johnson recovered to have a clean top of the second inning as Willy Adames grounded out to third to start. Michael Perez flied out to right and Smith whiffed to end the inning. Yonny Chirinos came in for the bottom of the second and got Eduardo Nunez to fly out to right. Blake Swihart flied out to left but Jackie Bradley Jr singled. Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning.

Johnson cruised in the top of the third inning as Duffy flied out to center to start. Jackie Bradley Jr made a great diving catch to rob Pham of a double before Cron hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

                                                      JBJ with the amazing catch

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Benintendi lined out to left, Moreland grounded out to short and Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Johnson kept up the hot streak in the top of the fourth as Wendle grounded out to second, Gomez whiffed and Kiermaier grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts got the rally started with a double. Kinsler lined out to right but it moved Xander to third. Nunez singled down the line to score Bogaerts to tie the game. Swihart erased Nunez at second with a force and JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                 Bogaerts starts it with a double

Johnson returned for the top of the fifth and Adames grounded out to third to make it 11 in a row after the Gomez single. Perez walked to break up the streak but Smith popped up to third and Duffy grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox took the lead as Mr. Mookie led off the bottom of the fifth with a double off the Monster. Benintendi grounded out to second but Betts moved to third before scoring on the Moreland single up the middle. Moreland moved to second on the grounder to third by Martinez but Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                   Moreland puts the Sox on top

Johnson came back for the sixth inning and Pham flied out to a running Betts in right to start. Cron grounded out to third but Wendle doubled off the Monster to chase Johnson from the game. He had a miserable first inning but didn't allow a hit until the end, going 5 2/3 innings while giving up 3 runs. Heath Hembree came in to face Jake Bauers, who pinch hit for Gomez, and struck him out to end the inning.

                                           "I made it this far? Woahhhhh" - Johnson

The Sox added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth as Kinsler walked to start. Nunez lined out to center as Kinsler was erased on the Swihart force. JBJ doubled home Swihart to tack on to the lead. Mr. Mookie popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

Ryan Brasier took over for the top of the seventh and Kiermaier singled to start. Ryan recovered to get Adames to strike out and Swihart gunned down Kiermaier trying to steal. Perez whiffed to end the inning.

                                                   YERRRRRRRR OUT!

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Benintendi grounded out to short to start. Moreland doubled and Martinez singled him home. Bogaerts doubled JD to third but Kinsler grounded out to third. A wild pitch scored JD before Nunez lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Smith beat out an infield single before Duffy was plunked. Pham looked at strike three and Cron popped up to second before Wendle whiffed to end the inning. That was it for Chirinos as Diego Castillo came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Swihart whiffed before JBJ grounded out to short. Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning.

Tyler Thornburg had the mound to close it out in the top of the ninth. Bauers grounded out to second to start before Kiermaier grounded back to the mound. Adames grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-3.

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 3 for 4 with 2 rbi's and a run scored. He started and finished some of the rallies which guided the team to victory.

                                                    Xander The Hero


The Good:

Mitch Moreland was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brian Johnson got the win with 5 2/3 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed one hit and a walk after the first inning.

Heath Hembree retired the only man he faced.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Tyler Thornburg pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Andrew Benintendi was jut 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Ian Kinsler was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

That was a nice bounceback win considering it could have gone a lot worse. Johnson picked himself off the mat to nearly go 6 and the Sox offense bopped their way back into the game. As the season heads toward the second half of August, they need every win they can get. The more distance they put between themselves and the Yankees means more potential rest as the end of the season nears. If the Yankees can't come back and the Sox still have a 9-10 game lead in the middle of September, that could mean days off for starting pitchers and starting hitters. Its good to see the bullpen throw some scoreless innings as well. The win propelled the Sox to 87-36, 10.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. It should be noted the 1970 Red Sox which featured Sonny Siebert, Ray Culp, Tony Conigliaro and Yaz finished with 87 wins. Tomorrow night David Price (12-6, 3.75 ERA) takes the mound against Tyler Glasnow at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News (8/16/18)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

1970 - Twins outslug Sox

1999 - Daubach, Sox walkoff A's

2017 - Sox Rally Past Cards

The Sox return to action tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Rays. Brian Johnson (3-3) gets the nod for the Sox going up against Ryan Stanek at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bullpen Melts Against Phillies (8/15/18)

The other day it was mentioned the lone wart on this year's Boston Red Sox team was their bullpen. That wart turned into a gaping wide bullet wound today as the Sox dropped what should have been a winnable game due to their now unreliable bullpen. Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi lasted just 5 innings and left with the game tied. The bullpen then proceeded to give up 4 runs and the Sox couldn't recover from it, dropping the game to the Philadelphia Phillies. Its very apparent that general manager Dave Dombrowski is going to have to find a reliever before the August 31 waiver deadline. Unless he wants more games where they lose 7-4 at Citizens Bank Park.

Vince Velasquez took the mound in the top of the first and Andrew Benintendi whiffed to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled but was thrown out on a strike em out, throw em out double play by Mitch Moreland to end the inning. Eovaldi took the mound in the bottom of the first and Cesar Hernandez lined out to short to begin. Justin Bour whiffed but Asdrubal Cabrera singled. Rhys Hoskins grounded into a force to end the inning.

JD Martinez walked to open the top of the second but Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play. Jackie Bradley Jr singled and made it to third when Velasquez threw a pickoff throw away. Rafael Devers popped up to short to end the inning. Nick Williams singled to start the bottom of the second but  Wilson Ramos whiffed. Odubel Herrera flied out to center and Maikel Franco grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third when Sandy Leon grounded out to third to begin. Eovaldi himself worked a walk before Benintendi was plunked. Holt singled to load the bases and Moreland cleared them with a double. Martinez and Bogaerts drew back to back walks to chase the incompetent Velasquez. Hector Neris came in and got JBJ to fly out to right and Devers to strike out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                The lone highlight of the game

Roman Quinn pinch hit for Neris in the bottom of the third and he lined out to Eovaldi to begin. Hernandez lined out to left but Bour singled. Cabrera whiffed to end the inning.

Austin Davis took over for the top of the fourth and Leon lined out to left to begin. Eovaldi himself looked at strike three before Benintendi grounded out to short. The Phillies rallied in the bottom of the third and it began when Rafael Devers took a ground ball by Hoskins and threw it at the third base coach rather than to first for an error. Williams singled and Ramos doubled Hoskins home. Herrera grounded out to first but Williams scored and Ramos moved to third. Franco popped up to first and Carlos Santana pinch hit for Davis. Naturally Santana singled to tie the game before Hernandez lined out to short to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                Ramos sticks it to the Sox

Adam Morgan came in to pitch the top of the fifth and struck out both Holt and Moreland. Martinez grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Eovaldi returned for the bottom of the fifth and Bour grounded out to first to begin. Cabrera whiffed but Hoskins singled. Williams whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox had their chance to take the lead in the top of the sixth but blew it. Bogaerts flied out to center and JBJ grounded back to the mound, but Devers singled. Leon singled and Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the trigger by pinch hitting Steve Pearce for Eovaldi. The Phillies countered by bringing in Tommy Hunter and Pearce beat out an infield single to load the bases. BUT WAIT! Phillies manager and old pal Gabe Kapler challenged the call and the call was reversed, Pearce was out and the inning was over. Right on cue the Phillies took the lead when Joe Kelly allowed a leadoff triple to Ramos to begin the bottom of the sixth. Kelly did manage to strike out Herrera then walked Franco to set up the double play. Scott Kingery pinch hit for Hunter and scored Ramos with a sac fly to give the Phillies the lead. Hernandez was frozen for strike three but the damage was done, 4-3 Phillies.

                                                    Ramos the pain in the ass

Aaron "Fruit" Loup was brought in to pitch to Benintendi in the top of the seventh and Andrew singled. Eduardo Nunez pinch hit for Holt only to bang into a double play. Moreland grounded out to third to end the inning. The much maligned Drew Pomeranz came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and naturally Bour singled. Cabrera walked and Bour moved to third on the Hoskins fly out. Williams whiffed but, who else, Ramos doubled home both runners to ice the game. Herrera and Franco stroked back to back singles to score Wilson and the pitcher Nick Pivetta pinch hit for Loup. Pivetta grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was all over, 7-3 Phillies. 4 runs allowed by the bullpen.

                                            "YOU CAN'T STOP ME!" - Ramos

The sad part was the Sox tried to rally against new pitcher Pat Neshek in the top of the eighth. Martinez and Bogaerts stroked back to back singles before Bour threw away a JBJ double play ball to load the bases. One swing of the bat would have tied it but instead Devers lined out to right and Leon popped up to third. Mr. Mookie Betts pinch hit for Pomeranz and Betts hit a liner off Neshek and hustled to first for a single that scored Martinez. Once again the bases were loaded and one swing of the bat would give the Sox the lead and Seranthony Dominguez was summoned to stop the bleeding. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the threat with the Sox down 7-4. How big were the 4 bullpen runs allowed now?

                                                          Martinez can't do it alone

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the bottom of the eighth and somehow got through the inning. Hernandez flied out to right befor Bour popped up to first. Cabrera popped up to short to end the inning.

Dominguez stayed in for the top of the ninth and the Sox went quietly. Nunez flied out to right, Moreland grounded out to third and Martinez grounded out to short to end the game. The Phillies had won it 7-4.

Jackass of the Night is Drew Pomeranz. He came into a 4-3 game and allowed 3 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                      Drew the Jackass...again



The Good:

Brock Holt was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Mookie Betts singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 2 with a double play.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Joe Kelly took the loss by giving up the go-ahead run in the 6th.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 5 but drove in 3 runs.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4.

Nathan Eovaldi went 5 innings and gave up 3 runs, not the worst but not the best either. He also walked and scored at the plate.




Final Thoughts:

This bullpen sucks. With Craig Kimbrel struggling there is not ONE guy that you can depend on when its crunch time. Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, etc can't be trusted at all and that's going to be their downfall come October. If they can't beat or hold down the Phillies how the hell are they going to beat the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians or New York Yankees? If the bullpen was lights out they may have won this game and every game counts in the era of the second wild card. The loss dropped the Sox to 86-36, 9.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox return to action friday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. Brian Johnson (3-3) gets the nod for the Sox going up against Ryan Stanek at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Porcello, Holt Knock Out Philly (8/14/18)

Before the game it was announced Blake Swihart's hamstring miraculously healed and the Boston Red Sox activated him from the disabled list before tonight's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was just hitting his stride not seen since the end of the 2015 season when he went down, hopefully he can pick back up where he left off. Dan Butler was designated for assignment to make room for Swihart's return, most likely he returns to Pawtucket.

                                                             OUT

                                                                 IN

As for the game, the red hot Red Sox continued to steamroll any and all opponents put in front of them by any means necessary. Tonight's victims were the Phillies and it took a hell of an effort by "Slick" Rick Porcello (15-5, 4.04 ERA) and a clutch pinch hit home run by Brock "The Hitman" Holt to defeat the pesky Phillies 2-1 for their 86th win of the season at Citizens Bank Park.

                                                   Marty McFly approves of the win

Nick Pivetta got the start for the Phillies after blinding them last year and cruised in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to first before Andrew Benintendi whiffed. Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to end the inning. Porcello began his dominating outing by freezing Cesar Hernandez to start the bottom of the first. Nick Williams grounded out to first before Asdrubal Cabrera whiffed to end the inning.

JD Martinez tried to get a rally started with a base hit to open the top of the second but Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play. Rafael Devers whiffed to end the inning. Porcello got Rhys Hoskins to fly out to left to begin the bottom of the second before Carlos Santana watched strike three go by. Maikel Franco flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Eduardo Nunez whiffed to start. Sandy Leon gave the Sox the lead by launching his 5th homer of the year to right. Porcello himself doubled to right and Mr. Mookie walked....only for Benintendi to ground into a double play to end the inning. Still, Leon's blast made it 1-0 Boston.

                                             Leon puts the Sox on top

Porcello responded with a shut down inning in the bottom of the third. Odubel Herrera grounded out to second before Jorge Alfaro whiffed. Porcello whiffed his counterpart Pivetta to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Moreland popped up to third to begin. Martinez whiffed but Franco booted a ground ball by Bogaerts. Devers whiffed to end the inning. Porcello turned up the heat in the bottom of the fourth although Hernandez grounded out to first to start. Williams whiffed and Cabrera watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Pivetta shut the Sox down in the top of the fifth as Nunez flied out to left to start. Leon grounded out to second and Porcello whiffed to end the inning. The Phillies tied it up immediately in the bottom of the fifth as Hoskins crushed a 50,000 foot home run. Porcello recovered to get Santana to ground out to second and Franco to ground out to first but Herrera singled. Alfaro grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Phillies tying it up 1-1.

                                                      Hoskins ties up the game

Nothing doing for the Sox in the top of the sixth as Mr. Mookie lined out to right, Benintendi lined out to first and Moreland flied out to center to end the inning. Porcello matched Pivetta in the bottom of the sixth as pinch hitter Roman Quinn flied out to left to start. Hernandez and Williams whiffed to end the inning.

Pat Neshek took over for Pivetta in the top of the seventh and Martinez whiffed again to begin. Bogaerts lined out to right but Devers walked. Nunez lined out to right to end the inning. Porcello returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and got Cabrera to fly out to left to begin. Hoskins flied out to right and Santana whiffed to end the inning. Porcello rebounded from his last start to toss 7 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 10, amazing.

                                                    Porcello pitches a gem

Tommy Hunter got the call to pitch the top of the eighth and Leon watched strike three go by to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Porcello and hit the first pinch hit home run of the year by ANY Sox batter to give the Sox the lead. Mr. Mookie doubled but Benintendi flied out to left. Betts swiped third but Moreland flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                               Holt gives the Sox the lead

The much maligned bullpen was tasked to record the final six outs and Heath Hembree got the job done in the bottom of the eighth.  Franco grounded back to the mound to start before Herrera was rung up for strike three. Alfaro froze on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Victor Arano took over for the top of the ninth and Martinez grounded out to third to start. Bogaerts singled but Devers lined out to left. Nunez grounded into a force to end the inning. The struggling Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was called upon for the save in the bottom of the ninth....and promptly walked pinch hitter Justin bour. Scott Kingery pinch ran for Bour but Kimbrel recovered to get Hernandez to fly out to left. Williams lined out to short but Kingery swiped second to put the tying run at second. Kimbrel punched out Cabrera to end the game with the Sox taking the victory 2-1.

Hero of the Night is Brock Holt. The Hitman hit the Sox first pinch hit homer of the year for any Sox batter and it turned out to be the decisive blow.

                                                The Hitman is The Hero



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with his hit being a solo home run.

Rick Porcello was outstanding. He earned his 15th win by tossing 7 innings of 1 run ball, allowing just 2 hits while striking out 10.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel got his 36th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.




Final Thoughts:

That was a big win considering the Phillies always give them trouble and the top of the order couldn't get anything done. Porcello stepped up big after his stinker against Toronto and looked more like the pitcher he was against the Yankees. It was great to see Holt and Leon step up and they ended up being the difference makers. A huge improvement was Hembree and Kimbrel getting the job done when the Sox bullpen had been smacked around the past few weeks. Every win counts on their relentless march for their third straight division title and they are now 14 away from 100. The win propelled the Sox to 86-35, 10 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The 1984 and 2006 Red Sox finished with 86 wins and this year's team has 86 on August 14th. Tomorrow night the Sox throw out Nathan Eovaldi (5-4, 3.74 ERA) up against Vince Velasquez looking to sweep this brief two game series tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Off Day News (8/13/18)

On This Day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

1970 - Royals rout Romo, Sox

1992 -  Clemens outduels Nagy, Sox beat Indians

2010 - Rangers walkoff Red Sox

2017 - Sox beat Yankees in 10 innings

The Sox are in Philadelphia tomorrow night for a two game set against the Phillies. "Slick" Rick Porcello (14-5) takes on Nick Pivetta tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Sale Returns, Blinds O's For Series Sweep (8/12/18)

Before the game it was announced that William Cuevas was sent back to Pawtucket with Brandon Workman joining him. Cuevas was just around for the double-header and Workman was considered expendable as the Boston Red Sox announced Chris Sale was coming off the disabled list to make today's start against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox need Sale to come back strong if they hope to win the AL East for the third straight year.

OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, he's BAAAAAAACK. Chris Sale (12-4, 1.97 ERA) absolutely dominated the lowly Baltimore Orioles in the series finale. The Sox swept the O's out of Baltimore with an incredible Sale start where he struck out 12 through just 5 innings before holding on to win the game. The Sox won their 85th game of the season by beating Baltimore 4-1 at Oriole Park in Camden Yards

                                                  Sal approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time scoring against Alex Cobb in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts whiffed to begin the game and Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to third. Steve Pearce put the Sox on top with a solo shot to left, his 10th of the season. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                      Pearce puts Boston on top

Sale made his comeback in the bottom of the first by getting Joey Rickard to fly out to center to begin. Sale punched out both Jonathan Villar and Adam Jones to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland grounded back to the mound to begin. Nunez flied out to center before Devers lined out to whiffed to end the inning. Sale got Trey Mancini to ground out to third to open the bottom of the second before he froze Tim Beckham for strike three. Chris Davis whiffed to end the inning.

Cobb was tough in the top of the third as Sandy Leon grounded out to second to begin. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to center and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning. Renato Nunez singled to open the bottom of the third and Sale was so offended he punched out Austin Wynns, Cedric Mullins and Rickard in short order to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Holt singled to right to begin. Pearce hit one up the elevator shaft but Martinez lashed a ball to Jones in right who muffed it, allowing Holt to score and advancing Martinez to second. Moreland grounded back to the mound before Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

 

                                            Martinez the rbi machine

Sale came out in the bottom of the fourth and whiffed Villar to start. Jones grounded out to short and Mancini whiffed to end the inning with Sale up to 9 strikeouts.

Cobb joined the punch out parade in the top of the fifth by striking out both Devers and Leon. JBJ singled to right but Mr. Mookie grounded into a force to end the inning. Sale ended his day with a flurry in the bottom of the fifth. Beckham, Davis and Nunez all whiffed for 12 punch outs through 5 innings. Sox manager Alex Cora decided that was enough and lifted Sale after 5 innings.

                                       Sale finds the concept of the Orioles offensive

Cobb returned for the top of the sixth and struck out Holt to begin. Pearce walked and Martinez doubled him to third, but Moreland whiffed. Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning. Tyler Thornburg made a mad dash from the bullpen to the mound to begin the bottom of the sixth. Wynns grounded out to third to start before Mullins lined out to center. Tyler fell apart as Rickard singled, Villar walked and Jones walked to load the bases. Thornburg sprinted from the mound into the Sox dugout as Ryan Brasier came in to strike out Mancini to end the inning.

Devers singled to open the top of the seventh and took second on the sacrifice bunt by Leon, but JBJ singled. Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked before Holt grounded out to short to end the inning. Brian Johnson got the call to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Beckham lined out to short to begin. Davis whiffed but Nunez walked. Wynns grounded into a force to end the inning.

Mychel Givens took over for Cobb to begin the top of the eighth and Pearce lined out to left to begin. Martinez lined out to center before Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and crapped his pants. Mullins singled before Rickard flied out to center. Villar singled and Jones walked to load the bases. Mancini hit a sac fly to cut the lead to a single run but Beckham whiffed to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 2-1.

                                                      O's inch closer

Needing some insurance, the Sox rallied in the top of the ninth inning. Nunez started with a single before Devers whiffed. Leon popped up to short but Nunez came all the way around to score on a single by JBJ. Mr. Mookie doubled home JBJ to ice it and chase Givens from the game. Tanner Scott came in and got Holt to fly out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                          Betts ices it in the ninth

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel got the call to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning and froze Davis to begin the frame. Nunez walked and Wynns singled but Mullins whiffed. Mark Trumbo pinch hit for Rickard and whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-1 to sweep the Orioles out of Baltimore.

                                            All smiles in this victory


Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. The lefty returned to strike out 12 in 5 innings of work to earn the win.

                                                  Sale is the Hero



The Good:

Steve Pearce was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4.

Tyler Thornburg pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning

Ryan Brasier retired the only man he faced.

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 35th save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in the bottom of the eighth.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4.





Final Thoughts:

Welcome back Chris Sale. What's good news for the Red Sox is bad news for everyone else. The Sox have the best record in baseball and it doesnt appear like they will give up the AL East crown with a healthy Sale returning. The offense didn't do much against Cobb but timely hitting is better than none. The bullpen once again allowed a run and its becoming an epidemic at this point. Still, the Sox are about a month away from crunch time and any win counts. The win improved the Sox to 85-35, 9.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. It should be noted that the 2000 Red Sox featuring arguably the best season by a pitcher in history during the height of the steroid era finished with 85 wins. The 2018 Red Sox have 85 wins....on August 12th. After an off-day the Sox travel to Philadelphia for a 2 game interleague series with the Phillies. "Slick" Rick Porcello (14-5) takes on Nick Pivetta Tuesday night at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Martinez, Offense Carries Sox in Game 2 (8/11/18)

If Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox has any competition for American League MVP this season, he has to worry about his own teamamte JD Martinez. Martinez was the star tonight with not one but two home runs, the second breaking a tie to guide the Sox past the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of their day/night doubleheader. Martinez backed a bullpen that could barely keep the O's off the board but held on to win 6-4 to sweep the doubleheader at Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

                                  Staff Sergeant Michael Vronsky approves of the win

Yefry Ramirez got the ball to start the game and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him by grounding out to short. Brock "The Hitman" Holt popped up to second and Steve Pearce looked at strike three to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the start for the Sox in the bottom of the first and Jace Peterson lined out to second to begin. Jonathan Villar grounded out to second and Adam Jones grounded out to first to end the inning.

Martinez began his great day by walking to open the top of the second inning. Xander Bogaerts lined out to right, Rafael Devers popped up to short and Eduardo Nunez lined out to right to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the second as Trey Mancini singled to start. Chris Davis was pluned and Renato Nunez doubled Mancini home when Martinez completely missed a catch. In what turned out to be more important than it seemed at the time, that was all the O's got as Cedric Mullins failed to score anyone with a sharp grounder to second. Joey Rickard flied out to right but the slow Davis refused to challenge Mookie's arm. Caleb Joseph grounded to third to end the inning with the O's ahead 1-0 but it could have been far worse.

Dan Butler led off the top of the third by swinging at air before Jackie Bradley Jr grounded one off of Ramirez but Renato Nunez threw Jackie out at first. Mr. Mookie singled and stole second but Holt whiffed to end the inning. Velazquez didn't last long in the bottom of the third and walking Peterson didn't help. Villar advanced Peterson on a force and Jones grounded out to third, but that was it for Velazquez. He wasn't supposed to throw this many pitches but did the best he could.

                                            Good effort, just didn't last long

Brandon Workman came in and Mancini lashed a single to score Peterson. Davis and Nunez walked to load the bases but Mullins grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's leading 2-0.

The Sox began their comeback in the top of the fourth inning although Pearce whiffed to start. Martinez blasted his 36th homer of the year to center to cut the lead in half. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Devers whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-1 O's.

                                                 "That's one" - Martinez

The much maligned Drew Pomeranz came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Rickard greeted him with a single. Drew recovered to get Joseph to fly out to right and Peterson to pop up to short. The alert Pomeranz then picked off Rickard to end the inning.

The Sox tied it up in the top of the fifth when Nunez motored around for a triple to start before scoring on the Butler sac fly. JBJ walked and stole second but Mr. Mookie lined out to second. Holt flied out to right to end the inning but it was 2-2.

                                                  "I GOT AN RBI!" - Butler

Pomeranz returned for the bottom of the fifth and Villar grounded out to short to start. Jones flied out to right but Mancini walked. Davis grounded out to first to end the inning.

Cody Carroll came in for the top of the sixth and couldn't find the plate, walking both Pearce and Martinez to begin. Bogaerts banged into a double play but Devers walked on a pitch over everything, scoring Pearce with the go-ahead run. Nunez lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox took the lead 3-2.

                                          "Heh, I scored. Heh!" - Pearce

Heath Hembree was brought in to cough up the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Nunez flied out to left but Mullins walked. Hembree picked off Mullins and its a good thing he did because Rickard blasted a 7,000 foot bomb to tie the game. Joseph grounded out to short to end the inning but it was now 3-3.

                                                          A fired up Rickard ties it

Mike Wright Jr got the call to pitch the top of the seventh and Butler grounded out to short to start. JBJ whiffed before Mr. Mookie popped up to second to end the inning. Joe Kelly was summoned to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Petersn flied out to left to begin. Villar singled but was erased on the force by Jones. Jones swiped second and Mancini walked but Davis flied out to center to end the inning. Can any Sox reliever not struggle?

The Sox broke the tie in the top of the eighth inning. Holt lined out to third but Pearce singled. Martinez blasted his second homer of the game, number 37 total to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Paul Fry relieved Wright to walk Pearce. Nunez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                  "That's two!" - Martinez

William Cuevas, called up today, had a very eventful botom of the eighth inning. Nunez grounded out to third before Mullins walked. Rickard lined out to center as Mark Trumbo pinch hit for Joseph, drawing a walk. Austin Wynns pinch ran for Trumbo and both runners moved over on a wild pitch by Cuevas. William got out of it by striking out Peterson to end the inning. Good work soldier!

                                                  Clutch pitching by Cuevas

Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Butler to open the top of the ninth and whiffed. JBJ was hit by a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal. The caught stealing hurt as Mr. Mookie doubled and Holt singled Betts home. Unfortunately Holt was thrown out at second trying to stretch to end the inning but it was 6-3 Sox.

                                               Betts motors home for a run

Sandy Leon came in to catch the bottom of the ninth with Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel going for the save. Villar looked at strike three to begin before Jones whiffed. Mancini crashed the party with a solo bomb but Davis whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won their 84th game of the season and swept the double-header with a 6-4 win.

                                                        Another win


Hero of the Night is a no-brainer. JD Martinez clubbed two home runs, the second a game deciding 2 run homer to give the Sox the win.

                                                         JD The Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Steve Pearce was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances.

Drew Pomeranz pitched a scoreless 5th inning.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

William Cuevas pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Andrew Benintendi struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley was plunked and walked in four plate appearances.

Brandon Workman allowed an inherited run to score and walked two guys in 1/3 of an inning.

Heath Hembree gave up a run in the 6th inning.



The Ugly:

Brock Holt was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Eduardo Nunez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dan Butler was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.

Hector Velazquez allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings in an emergency start.

Craig Kimbrel gave up a home run in the bottom of the ninth but earned his 34th save.



Honorable Mention:

Sandy Leon caught the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

The Sox keep rolling but a wart has appeared on this seemingly unbeatable monster. The Boston bullpen has been giving up runs in bunches the last few weeks. It started against the Yankees and its continuing against Baltimore. I dont know if its fatigue or ineffectiveness but the bullpen has been as shaky as a 20 year old car. The only one that's been close to lights out is Ryan Brasier who most Red Sox fans had no idea he was in the league when the year started. Still, the Sox are finding ways to win game after game and you need a team with heart like that if you want to make a run through the playoffs. The good news is the win improved the Sox to 84-35, 9.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The 1991 Red Sox who collapsed at the end of September finished with 84 wins, this year's team has 84 on August 11th. Tomorrow its the return of Chris Sale (11-4) from the disabled list and he takes on Alex Cobb in the series finale at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.