Rays Beat Lifeless Sox (8/4/20)

So much for Xander Bogaerts "having fun" again. After the Boston Red Sox battled the New York Yankees on Sunday night, the Sox came out flat as a pancake against the Tampa Bay Rays in tonight's game. Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 3.94 ERA) got some bad breaks and couldn't pitch well, allowing 4 runs in just 5 innings. Rafael Devers, Jackie Bradley Jr and Andrew Benintendi continued their season song slumps as the offense had just 8 hits and 1 lousy run. The Rays bullpen allowed just 3 hits and a walk after Charlie Morton blinded them for 5 2/3 innings and it all added up to another lifeless 5-1 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

                                                 Another loss

Morton got the ball in the top of the first and Andrew Benintendi flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers whiffed and JD Martinez lined out to first to end the inning. Nathan Eovaldi came out firing in the bottom of the first inning. Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe both struck out swinging before Yandy Diaz grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning although Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Mitch Moreland struck his third home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Christian Vazquez whiffed but Alex Verdugo singled to center. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                Moreland hits one out

Eovaldi began the bottom of the second by getting Ji-Man Choi to fly out to left to start. Yoshi Tsutsugo whiffed but Joey Wendle tripled over the head of Verdugo. Hunter Renfroe took strike three to end the inning.

Jose Peraza got a base hit to right to open the top of the third but Benintendi whiffed. Devers lined out to center but Martinez hit a ground rule double to left. Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning. Kevin Kiermaier struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Michael Perez grounded out to first. Meadows singled to center but JBJ made a diving catch to rob Lowe of a hit to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fourth as Moreland grounded out to second to start. Vazquez grounded out to short and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Rays struck back in the bottom of the fourth thanks to some Tropicana luck. Diaz flied out to right to start. Choi whiffed but Tsutsugo walked after a blowns strike three call. Wendle singled to left and Renfroe hit a pop up to third....that hit the catwalk resulting in a dead ball. Naturally Renfroe doubled both runners in to put Tampa up for good. Kiermaier flied out to center to end the inning but it was all but over 2-1.

                                                    Lousy luck

A one run lead may have been 100 as Morton cruised in the top of the fifth. JBJ and Peraza both flied out to center before Benintendi was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. The Rays iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Perez was plunked and Meadows tripled him home. Lowe singled home Meadows but Diaz banged into a double play. Choi flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1. That was it for Eovaldi who didn't have it today, and when he doesn't have it, all hope is lost.

                                             Couldn't get the job done

The Sox rolled over and died in the top of the sixth as Devers whiffed to start. Somehow Martinez doubled to center but Bogaerts whiffed. That was it for Morton as Aaron Loup was brought in to face Moreland. Sox manager Ron Roenicke countered by bringing in Michael Chavis to pinch hit for Moreland. Naturally Chavis grounded out to short to end the inning. Phillips Valdez came in for the bottom of the sixth and Tsutsugo popped up to third to start. Wendle singled to left and stole second but Renfroe flied out to center. Kiermaier walked and Roenicke pulled Valdez for Josh Osich. Perez whiffed to end the inning.

Vazquez popped up to first to start the top of the seventh and Kevin Pillar pinch hit for Verdugo....only to take strike three. JBJ grounded out to third to end the inning. Osich returned briefly in the bottom of the seventh although Meadows took strike three to start. Lowe singled to center and that was it for Osich. Ryan Brasier came in and Diaz singled Lowe to third and Choi hit a sac fly to score Lowe. Tsutsugo took strike three to end the inning with the Rays up 5-1.

                                                "Yeah you're out, now beat it!" - RR

Pete Fairbanks came in for the top of the eighth and Peraza flied out to left to start. Benintendi reached on an error and Devers walked, but Martinez whiffed. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. Jeffrey Springs came in for the bottom of the eighth and Wendle lined out to center to start. Renfroe flied out to left and Kiermaier whiffed to end the inning.

Ryan Thompson came in for the top of the ninth and the Sox had a meaningless rally. Chavis grounded out to short but Vazquez and Pillar stroked back to back singles. JBJ beat out an infield single to load the bases but Nick Anderson came in to freeze Peraza for strike three. The slumping Benintendi took strike three as well to end the game. The Rays had won it 5-1.

                                                      Boooooo!!!


Jackass of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. Not that the Sox were going to score any runs but he didn't do them any favors by putting them in a 4-1 hole in the 5th inning. 5 innings and 4 runs isn't gonna cut it.

                                                      Bush talks to the Jackass


The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 2 and the hit was a home run.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 2.

Kevin Pillar was 1 for 2.

Phillips Valdez got the first two outs of the sixth inning.

Jeffrey Springs pitched a scoreless eighth inning.




The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 2.

Josh Osich was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.




The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but took a walk.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.

Jose Peraza was just 1 for 4.

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




Final Thoughts:

Good news is Josh Taylor and Darwinzon Hernandez are getting close to be activated. The bad news is the Sox lost this game. Taylor can be a good lefty specialist when used right and Hernandez throws gas. The two of them are desperately needed considering some of the bums the Sox throw out there every night. Still, doesn't matter who is on the mound if the Sox can't score and that's the most frightening part. The offense just hasn't been there whether they're just not motivated because they play 3-5 runs from behind every night, or the fact that Sox management clearly left them out to dry this season. Either way its a recipe for disaster and the Sox are fading fast. Thankfully there's only 49 games in this miserable season to go. The loss drops the Sox to 3-8 on the season. Tomorrow night the Sox lose to the Rays again with Ryan Yarbrough shutting them down and Martin Perez (1-1, 5.06 ERA) taking the beating at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Off-Day News (8/3/20)

On this Day in Basebawful History:



2018 - Rick Porcello throws complete game 1 hitter against the Yankees

2017 - Red Sox Beat Up White Sox

2010 - Sox Rally To Beat Indians

1980 - Sox get creative in win over Rangers


Tomorrow night the Sox are in Tampa against the Rays. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 2.54 ERA) takes on Charlie Morton at the weird start time of 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Judge, Yankees Sweep Sox (8/2/20)

Xander Bogaerts was recently quoted saying its hard to win when you have to score 8-10 runs a game. He was right as the Boston Red Sox were effortlessly swept out of New York by the high powered Yankees. Aaron Judge couldn't miss as the Yankees pounded the Sox for 9 hits and 9 runs. He hit a 3 run homer in the second and a 2 run homer in the 8th to guide the Yankees to victory. The Sox pounded Yankees starter James Paxton for 5 runs and scored 2 runs off the bullpen, but Matt Barnes (0-1, 9.00 ERA) gave up 3 runs in the eighth to seal Boston's fate. The Sox can't outpitch or outhit the Yankees as they were swept out of New York 9-7 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                   "Damn Barnes"

Shockingly the Sox struck first in the top of the first against Paxton. Kevin Pillar lined out to left to start before Rafael Devers whiffed badly. JD Martinez doubled over the head of Aaron Hicks in center and moved to third on a wild pitch. Xander Bogaerts then pounded a home run just over the wall in right to put the Sox on top. Christian Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                    X gonna homer on ya

Naturally Brice almost gave the lead right back in the bottom of the first although he somehow struck out DJ LeMahieu swinging to start. Aaron Judge hit a routine pop up to Jose Peraza who tried to catch the ball in his hat and it dropped for an error. Somehow Brice punched out Gleyber Torres on a 94 mph fastball but Giancarlo Stanton walked. Aaron Hicks walked to load the bases but somehow Brice punched out Luke Voit on a full count to end the inning.

Michael Chavis whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to start the top of the second but Kevin Plawecki lined a base hit up the middle. Plawecki moved to second on the Jackie Bradley Jr grounder and Peraza popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. The Yankees lit up Matt Hall in the bottom of the second although Gary Sanchez was frozen for strike three to start. Gio Urshela singled to left but Devers made a hell of a play on a ground ball by Miguel Andujar to force Gio at second. LeMahieu walked and ESPN broadcasters had an on-air orgasm when Judge effortlessly hit a 700,000 bomb to put the Yankees up. Torres grounded out to second to end the inning but the Yankees now led 3-2.

                                                     Dammit

The Sox fought back in the top of the third when Pillar caught Hicks asleep in center with a ground rule double to start. Devers lined a base hit to right to score Pillar to tie the game just like that. Martinez whiffed badly but Bogaets hit a base hit to right...under the glove of Andujar. Devers came around to score and Bogaerts made it to third on the error. Vazquez then singled home Bogaerts with a base hit to right to increase the lead. Chavis was rung up on a questionable pitch for strike three and Plawecki flied out to deep right to end the inning but the Sox were back on top 5-3.

                                                       Sox take the lead

Hall came back to piss himself in the bottom of the third as Stanton walked to start. Hicks flied out to the centerfield wall and Voit was caught looking at strike three on the outside corner. Sanchez easily doubled over the head of Pillar to score Stanton to cut the lead. Urshela doubled home Sanchez to tie the game before Andujar flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 5-5. Hall pissed away two 2 run leads and allowed 5 runs, pathetic.

                                                         Yankees tie it up

Somebody named Michael King shut down the Sox in the top of the fourth as JBJ took strike three to start. Peraza flied out to center and Pillar grounded out to second to end the inning. Heath Hembree took the mound in the bottom of the fourth and LeMahieu popped up to right in foul territory. Judge beat out an infield single to third after a great throw by Devers....but wait! Sox manager Ron Roenicke challenged the call and shockingly the umpires got the call right, Judge was out. Torres popped up to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth although Devers and Martinez whiffed to start. Bogaerts then pounded his second homer of the night to left to give the Sox the lead. Vazquez grounded into the shift to end the inning but it was 6-5 Sox.

                                                        Bogaerts is on fire

Hembree returned for the bottom of the fifth and the Yankees struck again. Stanton grounded out to short to start. Hicks popped up to center but Voit effortlessly pounded a home run completely out of Yankee Stadium to tie the game. Sanchez took strike three to end the inning but it was tied 6-6.

                                                         Sox can't pitch at all

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Chavis grounded out to short to start. Plawecki took strike three and JBJ grounded into the shift to end the inning. Marcus Walden came in for the bottom of the sixth as Urshela easily singled to left to start. Andujar banged into a double play but LeMahieu slapped a single to right. A wild pitch moved LeMahieu to second before Judge walked. Torres flied out to right to end the inning.

Mike Tauchman replaced Andujar in the top of the seventh as Boston took the lead back. Peraza flied out to right before Judge made a shoestring catch on a Pillar line drive. Devers then hit a 450 foot bomb to right not even Judge could catch to give the Sox the lead back. Adam Ottavino replaced King and Martinez flied out to the left field wall to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                        Kiss it goodbye

Alex Verdugo replaced Martinez in the batting order but was playing left with Pillar moving to right to begin the bottom of the seventh. Peraza made a great stab to rob Judge of a base hit before Walden froze Hicks for strike three. Voit flied out to left to end the inning. Somehow the Sox were 6 outs away from winning this one.

Bogaerts tried to start a rally in the top of the eighth with a double to the left field fence but Vazquez did the one thing he couldn't do, ground out to short. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Chavis and struck out swinging. Plawecki took a full count walk but JBJ extended his slump to 0-17 with another strikeout swinging to end the inning. Matt Barnes came on for the bottom of the eighth and couldn't hold the lead. Sanchez popped up to center to start. Urshela was rung up on a check swing in the dirt for strike three before Tauchman walked. Tauchman swiped second and scored on the LeMahieu base hit past Peraza. Judge ended matters with his second bomb of the game as ESPN openly gushed over it. Torres flied out to left to end the inning but the Yankees led 9-7.

                                                     "Damn it!" - Peraza

The Sox were deflated by the Judge homer and Zack Britton finished them off in the top of the ninth with Tyler Wade now playing second, moving LeMahieu to first. Peraza grounded out to third, Pillar whiffed and Devers grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox simply cannot beat the Yankees in any stage of the game and the Yanks proved it by winning 9-7 to finish off the sweep.

                                                   Yankees sweep....damn


Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He was brought in with a one run lead and gave up 3 runs to take the loss.

                                                Barnes the Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis, 2 runs scored and a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 4 with 3 rbis, 3 runs scored and 2 home runs.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless first inning.

Marcus Walden tossed two scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Mitch Moreland struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jose Peraza was 0 for 4 with an error.

Matt Hall allowed 5 runs in 2 innings.



The Ugly:

Kevin Pillar was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

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

Heath Hembree allowed a run in 2 innings of work.



Honorable Mention:

Alex Verdugo played left field in the bottom of the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

At least the Sox were competitive tonight. Unlike the previous two games, they showed some life at the plate. Now if they had a major league pitching staff, maybe they'd win a few more games. As it is, they're stuck with their horrendous pitching staff. Matt Hall has no business being in the majors and Barnes completely blew it. Hembree was pitching well but Voit got ahold of a fastball, it happens. Barnes has been throwing nothing but curveballs for a week now. That's not going to cut it when guys like Judge are sitting on it. Again, at least the Sox were in the game. Xander Bogaerts said after the game the Sox actually had fun in this one. Hopefully the "fun" can carry over to their next series because the Sox are 3-7 and in trouble. The Baltimore Orioles are a better team than they are right now. The sad part is the Sox are not going to get any better with Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez out for the season. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night in Tampa against the Rays. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0, 2.45 ERA) goes for the Sox against Charlie Morton at an unusual 6:40 PM start time at Tropicana Field.

Yankees Beat Lifeless Sox (8/1/20)

Before the game it was announced Eduardo Rodriguez suffered a very serious heart problem after contracting Covid-19 and has been shut down for the season. In a season of Murphy's Law for the Sox, this was the final crushing blow to have any hope of being competitive this season. The Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals are being hit with Covid outbreaks but none of them have been diagnosed with what Eduardo has. It figures that one year after E-Rod damn near won 20 games that he wouldn't pitch at all. Naturally Sox general manager Chaim Bloom has no intention of spending money to replace him so the Sox will have to go with what they got until the bitter end, god help us.

                                                   See you next year....we hope

As for the game, itts one thing for the Boston Red Sox to be bad, its another for the offense to not even try. Yes, having your starter give up 5 runs a game by the third inning doesn't hurt but when the game is close, they simply don't come back. The New York Yankees took a 5-0 lead due to the lousy pitching of Zack Godley (0-1, 6.14 ERA). Xander Bogaerts got a lucky 2 run double in the third and that was the only offense of the game. The Yankees bullpen effortlessly shut down the Sox allowing just 2 hits and 2 walks in 6 1/3 inning. Once again it all added up to another lifeless defeat 5-2 at Yankee Stadium

                                                 Bob Barker watching Godley pitch

Masahiro Tanaka got the ball in the top of the first inning and Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging to start. Kevin Pillar singled to right but Rafael Devers whiffed as well. Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Godley in the bottom of the first as DJ LeMahieu grounded out to third to start. Aaron Judge effortlessly blasted a 700 foot home run to put the Yankees up for good 2 batters into the game. Gleyber Torres grounded out to second and Giancarlo Stanton took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                    The rout is on

The Sox rolled over and died in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to start. Christian Vazquez singled to left but Alex Verdugo flied out to center. Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed to end the inning. The Yankees laughed at the Red Sox as they teed off on Godley in the bottom of the second.  Luke Voit easily got a base hit to left, Mike Tauchman smoked a base hit to left and Gary Sanchez ripped a base hit to right to load the bases. Gio Urshela ended the game early with a grand slam to Neptune to ice it. Brett Gardner grounded out to third, LeMahieu grounded out to short and Judge flied out to right to end the inning but it was 5-0 Yankees.

                                                Yankees are all smiles

The Sox did manage to come to life briefly in the top of the third inning. Tzu-Wei Lin flied out to center but Benintendi drew a walk. Pillar singled to left but Devers lined out to center. Bogaerts pounded a double to center to drive in both runners to cut the lead. That was it for Tanaka after just 2 2/3 innings, too bad the Sox rolled over and died at this point. Luis Avilan came in and struck out Moreland swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                             Bogaerts drives in 2

Godley returned for the bottom of the third and somehow got Torres to line out to left to start. Stanton lined out to center but Voit singled to right. Tauchman grounded into a force to end the inning.

Vazquez flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Verdugo went down hacking. JBJ grounded out to third to end the inning. The end came swiftly for Godley in the bottom of the fourth although Sanchez flied out to left to start. Urshela walked and stole second before Gardner walked as well. Sox manager Ron Roenicke said the hell with it and took Godley out. As usual a Sox starter gives up 5 runs in less than 5 innings. Chris Mazza made his Red Sox debut by striking out LeMahieu swinging but walked Judge to load the bases. Torres flied out to center to end the inning.

                                             Yeah you're out, now beat it!

The immortal Nick Nelson shut down the Sox in the top of the fifth as Lin whiffed to start. Benintendi walked but Pillar flied out to center and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Stanton grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Voit grounded out to short as well. Tauchman singled and stole second before Sanchez walked. Urshela grounded into a force to end the inning.

Bogaerts watched strike three go by to start the top of the sixth before Moreland went down swinging. Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning. Mazza hung tough in the bottom of the sixth as Gardner flied out to left to start. Mazza punched out both LeMahieu and Judge to end the inning. Good debut by Mazza.

                                                  The lone bright spot

Nelson laughed at the Sox as Verdugo grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh. JBJ walked but Lin whiffed. Benintendi grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came on for the bottom of the seventh and Torres hit one up the elevator shaft to start.  Stanton and Voit both went down swinging to end the inning.

Somebody named David Hale shut down the Sox in the top of the eighth inning as Pillar grounded out to second to begin. Devers singled to left but was erased on the Bogaerts force. Moreland grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox knocked out Tanaka in the third inning and three no-names shut them out the rest of the way. That's completely pathetic. Josh Osich came in for the bottom of the eighth and Tauchman greeted him with a base hit to center. Sanchez lined out to left and Tauchman stole second as Urshela went down swinging. Gardner lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox offense was a no-show but the Sox bullpen shut the Yankees out after the the second inning, what a waste.

Hale returned for the top of the ninth with Tyler Wade now in for Voit. Vazquez and Verdugo whiffed but JBJ walked. Lin singled to center to somehow bring the tying run to the plate but Benintendi whiffed again to end the game. The Sox lost another one to the Yankees 5-2.

                                                        Yankees win again


Jackass of the Night is Zack Godley. The offense was lifeless but Godley put them in a 5-0 hole in the second damn inning. 3 1/3 innings and 5 runs allowed isn't going to cut it.

                                                      Godley the Jackass


The Good:

Kevin Pillar was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked twice in four plate appearances.

Chris Mazza tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Josh Osich pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts, but walked twice and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but hit an rbi double (the second was later rescinded)

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tzu-Wei Lin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.




Final Thoughts:

What else can be said that hasn't already been said? E-Rod going out for the season put the exclamation point on this lost season. There hasn't been this bad of an 8 month stretch in Red Sox history in decades. First Cora is fired for the 2017 Astros penalties, then Mookie Betts is traded, then Chaim Bloom failed to add any starting pitching depth during the Covid outbreak, then E-Rod gets Covid and now the Sox are where they're at. The only good news is there's only 51 games left in the season instead of 153. If they had to go through a full year of this, fans would burn down Fenway Park. On one hand, the offense has been the culprit the last two games scoring just 3 runs but when your starters put you in a 5 run hole early, where's the motivation? Roenicke isn't helping with a new lineup any day so there's no consistency at all. This is the same team that blitzed through MLB for 108 wins and the World Series two years ago but you'd never know it. Its one thing for the Sox to get shut down by a good bullpen, its another for the Yankees JV team to do it for 6 innings. The loss drops the Sox to 3-6 and its not going to get any better. Tomorrow night the Yankees finish off the sweep when they send Sox killer James Paxton to the mound up against....Austin Brice (0-0, 7.70) arguably Boston's worst pitcher. The carnage begins at 7:07 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Basebawful Report of The Month

Jonathan Arauz - 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Matt Barnes - 2 Good, 1 Bad

Andrew Benintendi - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Ugly

Xander Bogaerts - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly

Jackie Bradley Jr - 4 Good, 2 Bad

Ryan Brasier - 1 Bad

Colten Brewer - 2 Good, 1 Jackass

Austin Brice - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Michael Chavis - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Dylan Covey - 1 Bad

Rafael Devers - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 5 Ugly

Nathan Eovaldi - 2 Good

Zack Godley - 1 Good

Matt Hall - 1 Bad

Heath Hembree - 4 Good

Tzu-Wei Lin - 1 Good, 2 Bad

Jonathan Lucroy - 1 Honorable Mention

JD Martinez - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly

Mitch Moreland - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Josh Osich - 2 Good, 1 Bad

Jose Peraza - 3 Good, 3 Bad, 2 Ugly

Martin Perez - 1 Good, 1 Jackass

Kevin Pillar - 3 Good, 2 Ugly, 1 Hero

Kevin Plawecki - 2 Good

Jeffrey Springs - 1 Jackass

Phillips Valdez - 3 Good

Christian Vazquez - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Hero

Ryan Verdugo - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly

Marcus Walden - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Ryan Weber - 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Brandon Workman - 2 Good, 1 Ugly




The Tri-Heroes of the Month are Kevin Pillar, Christian Vazquez and Mitch Moreland

The 5 Jackasses of the Month are Martin Perez, Ryan Weber, Jeffrey Springs, Colten Brewer and Austin Brice

Most Valuable Player of the Month is Jackie Bradley Jr with 4 Good

Least Valuable Player is Jose Peraza with 3 Bad

Ugliest Player of The Month is Rafael Devers with 5 Ugly

Honorable Player of The Month is Jonathan Lucroy with 1 Honorable Mention

Yankees Shut Down Sox (7/31/20)

If you were to tell me the Boston Red Sox would hold the high powered New York Yankees to 3 runs through 7 innings I would have said the Sox should win. Not only did the Sox lose, they lost badly. The immortal Jordan Montgomery held the Sox to 5 hits and a run in n 5 2/3 innings. The Yankees bullpen allowed just a walk in the next 3 1/3 as the offense went quiet as a mouse. Ryan Weber (0-2, 11.57 ERA) failed to get out of the fourth inning and the Yankees easily defeated the Red Sox 5-1 at Yankee Stadium.

Montgomery got the ball in the top of the first and Kevin Pillar struck out swinging to start. JD Martinez grounded out to second and Rafael Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Weber got the ball in the bottom of the first and DJ LeMahieu somehow grounded out to third to start. Shockingly Aaron Judge grounded out to short but Gleyber Torres singled to left. Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Xander Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Christian Vazquez popped up to short and Alex Verdugo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Yankees almost struck in the bottom of the second as Aaron Hicks walked to start. Somehow Luke Voit flied out to right and Gio Urshela lined out to center. Brett Gardner walked but Kyle Higashioka grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Chavis blasted his first home run of the year to put Boston on top. Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed but Jose Peraza lined a base hit past LeMahieu. Pillar singled to center to put Montgomery on the ropes but Martinez hit a bullet to Judge who doubled off Pillar to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Chavis with a home run

The Yankees wasted no time pounding Weber in the bottom of the third as LeMahieu singled to center to begin. Judge effortlessly crushed a 700,000 foot bomb to put the Yankees up for good. Torres grounded out to third and Stanton flied out to left, but Hicks walked. Voit grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 2-1 Yankees.

                                                              Judge hits one out

The Sox looked to rally in the top of the fourth when Devers was plunked to start. Bogaerts singled to left but Vazquez was rung up for strike three. Verdugo hit a routine grounder to Montgomery who booted it to load the bases. This time Chavis banged into a double play to end the inning. Weber didn't last long in the bottom of the fourth as Urshela swatted a 30,000 foot home run to ice the game. Gardner walked but was forced on the Higashioka grounder. Sox manager Ron Roenicke decided to cut his losses and lift Weber after just 3 1/3 innings. Giving up only 3 runs can only be classified as a miracle. Phillips Valdez came in and got LeMahieu to ground into a force before striking out Judge swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-1.

                                                              Weber doesn't last long

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as JBJ grounded out to second to start. Peraza went down hacking and Pillar lined out to center to end the inning. Valdez held the fort in the bottom of the fifth although Torres beat out an infield single to start. Torres moved to second on a grounder by Stanton then to third on a grounder by Hicks. Voit struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox had their only scoring chance in the top of the sixth when Martinez walked to start. Devers banged into a double play but Bogaerts singled to chase Montgomery who threw his best game ever against the Sox. Chad Green came in and the Sox offense said "we're through for the night." Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning. Valdez did what he could to keep the Sox in the game in the bottom of the sixth. Urshela singled to start but was forced at second by Gardner. Higashioka flied out to left but LeMahieu singled to right. Valdez struck out Judge again swinging to end the inning. Valdez has been a nice find in this dreary season so far.

                                                     Valdez keeps the Sox in it

3-1 may have been 300-1 in the top of the seventh as Verdugo whiffed badly to start. Chavis lined out weakly to center and JBJ whiffed again to end the inning. Austin Brice came in for the bottom of the seventh and Torres grounded out to short to start. Stanton was hit with a pitch but was thrown out trying to steal on a strike em' out, throw em out double play by Hicks to end the inning.

Peraza took strike three to begin the top of the eighth before Pillar also watched strike three go by. Adam Ottavino came in and get Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. Colten Brewer came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth inning as Voit walked to start. Tyler Wade pinch ran for Voit and Urshela grounded out to short. A passed ball moved Wade to third but Gardner cleared the bases with a 10,000 foot home run. Higashioka lined out to short and LeMahieu singled to left. Judge grounded into a force to end the inning but it was 5-1 Yankees.

                                                    Damn Yankees

Jonathan Holder came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers whiffed to start. Bogaerts became the first baserunner since the 6th inning with a walk but was erased on the Vazquez force. Verdugo grounded out to end the game. The Sox were lifeless as the Yankees won it 5-1.

                                                                This sucks



Jackass of the Night is Colten Brewer. Not that the Sox offense gave a damn, but him giving up 2 runs in the eighth put the game completely out of reach.

                                                         Nice going Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Michael Chavis was 1 for 3 with a solo home run.

Jose Peraza was 1 for 3.

Phillips Valdez tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Ryan Weber took the loss by allowing 3 runs in just 3 1/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Kevin Pillar was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch




Final Thoughts:

Remember last September when Chris Sale and David Price were out for the season and the Red Sox were borderline unwatchable. Who would have thought that the Sox would even be worse now? Sale's gone, Price is gone, Eduardo Rodriguez is out for a while and the worst part is the Sox brass didn't replace any of them. At least the Sox had Mookie Betts to watch back then, now they don't even have that. Say what you will about the trashbag pitching, the offense is the real culprit of this bad start. The Sox haven't scored more than 6 runs since Opening Day and its hard for them to get motivated when management clearly gave up on them. The most telling thing was manager Ron Roenicke after the game saying he started Weber because there's nobody else. Roenicke may be a figurehead but at least he knows what's going on. Chaim Bloom left the team out to dry this season, possibly under orders from John Henry and the team itself has to sit there and take a beating day after day. The Yankees aren't nearly as good as their fans claim to be but the Sox are out-manned and outgunned. The loss drops the Sox to 3-5 and its not going to get any better tomorrow night. Zack Godley gets the start against Masahiro Tanaka at 7:07 PM PM at Yankee Stadium.

Perez, Sox Defeat Mets (7/30/20)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox HAVE WON TWO IN A ROW!!! Martin Perez (1-1, 5.06 ERA) pitched well in his sophomore effort, going nearly 6 innings and allowing just two runs. Christian Vazquez strongarmed the Sox offense with 2 home runs and 3 total rbis. The good members of the Boston bullpen combined to toss 3 1/3 scoreless innings to nail down the win. The Sox head to the Bronx on a high note after their 4-2 win at Citi Field.

                                               Randy Quaid is happy....for now

Steven Matz got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Peraza flied out to left to start. Kevin Pillar flied out to right but JD Martinez singled to third and took second on a throwing error by Jeff McNeil. Xander Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Somehow Perez didn't puke on himself in the bottom of the first as Amed Rosario grounded out to short to start. Pete Alonso also grounded out to short but McNeil singled to second. JD Davis whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second when Christian Vazquez clobbered his 3rd home run of the season to center to start. Alex Verdugo singled to first but Michael Chavis whiffed. Verdugo then got picked off second as Andrew Benintendi drew a walk. Jonathan Arauz lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                 Vazquez puts the Sox on top

Michael Conforto walked to start the bottom of the second but Yoenis Cespedes took strike three. Conforto was thrown out stealing by the alert Vazquez before Brian Dozier took strike three to end the inning.

Peraza singled to left to start the top of the third but Pillar flied out to left. Peraza took second on the grounder by Martinez but was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning. Perez finally fell apart in the bottom of the third as Wilson Ramos walked to start. Brandon Nimmo was plunked before Rosario beat out a double play ball. Alonso walked to load the bases and McNeil effortlessly singled to left to score Bimmo and Rosario to give the Mets the lead. Davis flied out to center and Conforto whiffed to end the inning but the Mets were up 2-1.

                                                                McNeil puts the Sox on top

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth when Bogaerts got a lucky hit down the third base line to start. Vazquez continued his hot streak with a 2 run blast to almost the same spot as before to give the Sox the lead back. Verdugo whiffed but Chavis got his first hit of the season to right. Benintendi flied out to center and Arauz grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                             One man wrecking crew

Cespedes hit a routine grounder to Peraza who spun in a circle and heaved the ball directly out of Citi Field for an error to start the bottom of the fourth. Dozier banged into a double play and Ramos whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox failed to score in the top of the fifth as Peraza popped up to first to start. Pillar walked but Martinez lined out to second. Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning. Somehow Perez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Nimmo grounded out to first to start. Rosario and Alonso both flied out to right to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the sixth as Vazquez whiffed to start. Verdugo singled to left to chase Matz. Drew Smith came in and Chavis whiffed again. Benintendi grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Perez got McNeil to line out to right to start the bottom of the sixth. Davis walked but Conforto lined out to left. For some ungodly reason Sox manager Ron Roenicke felt Perez couldn't get one more batter. Still, Perez looked a hell of a lot better than his season debut. He tossed 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball to put himself in line for the win. Heath Hembree came in to strike out Cespedes swinging to end the inning.

                                         "Hey, umpire! I told you I don't suck!" - Perez

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh inning as Arauz lined out to center to start. Peraza whiffed and Pillar grounded out to second to end the inning. Hembree got in trouble in the bottom of the seventh as pinch hitter Robinson Cano singled to right to start. Andres Giminez pinch ran for Cano and swiped second but Ramos grounded out to short. Nimmo whiffed and Rosario grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jeurys Familia shut down the Sox in the top of the eighth as Martinez whiffed to start. Bogaerts flied out to right and Vazquez whiffed to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to give everybody a heart attack in the bottom of the eighth inning. Alonso was plunked to start before McNeil lined out to left. Davis singled Alonso to third and Ryan Cordell pinch ran for JD. Barnes stepped up by blowing away Conforto but Cordell swiped second and Cespedes walked to load the bases. Somehow Barnes got Gimenez to ground out to first to end the inning after throwing 37 pitches.

The Sox got some much needed insurance in the top of the ninth against the wild Edwin Diaz. Verdugo walked and Chavis hit a cue shot into right field to start. Benintendi walked and Rafael Devers pinch hit for Arauz. Devers swung and missed at a pitch up in his eyes for strike three but Peraza was hit twice in the same at bat to score Verdugo. Paul Sewald came in and got Pillar swinging and Martinez to fly out to center to end the inning, but the Sox were ahead 4-2.

                                          "Owowowowowowwwwwww!!!" - Peraza

Brandon Workman came in to nail down the save in the bottom of the ninth working his third game in a row. Ramos grounded out to third but Nimmo singled to bring the tying run to the plate. Workman struck out Rosario and Alonso swinging to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 4-2.

                                                  "Had em all the way!" - Workman


Hero of the Night is easy. Christian Vazquez carried the offense with 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and throwing out a runner trying to steal

                                                Our Hero Vazquez


The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 4.

Andrew Benintendi walked twice in four plate appearances.

Martin Perez got his first win of the season with 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 5.

Heath Hembree tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brandon Workman earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3.

Rafael Devers struck out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Jose Peraza was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but was hit with a pitch to drive in a run.

Kevin Pillar was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drew a walk.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

That's more like it Martin Perez. The Sox offense is still having trouble scoring but the trio of Hembree, Workman and Barnes plus Christian Vazquez is trying to strong arm the Sox out of their early funk. If the Sox had ONE more proven starter whether its Rick Porcello or somebody off the scrap heap like Martin Perez, they'd actually be somewhat competitive until Eduardo Rodriguez returns. With guys testing positive for Covid left and right, this could be a season of last man standing. Tonight was a good, much needed win because it showed the Sox could come back and win the close ones. The good news ends right there because the New York Yankees are on the horizon. Not only are they going to be at home, the Sox will be throwing out their bottom three "starters". But wait there's MORE! Hembree, Barnes and Workman are taxed and will probably be unavailable for tomorrow night's game. If there ever was a strategic loss, tomorrow night could be it. As for this game, good win! The win improved the Sox to 3-4. The Sox now pack their bags and head about 200 yards to face the Yankees. Ryan Weber (0-1, 14.73 ERA) goes for the Sox against Jordan Montgomery at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium....god help us.