Sox Stun Rangers Late (6/24/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. As expected, Chris Young will be out a few weeks with a hamstring strain suffered in yesterday's game against the Chicago White Sox. He has been placed on the Disabled List and in his place, the Sox called up Bryce Brentz from Pawtucket. Brentz made his ML debut in 2014 and will start in left field until further notice.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, once again the Boston Red Sox threw up on themselves due to bad pitching only to win it late with a rally. Tonight it was David Price that allowed a whopping 12 hits and 6 runs in just 2 1/3 innings to the Texas Rangers. Matt Barnes also allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings but the Sox offense refused to quit. The Sox fell behind 6-0 and 7-2 but clawed back to make it 7-4 going into the ninth. Down to their final out, the Sox somehow rallied for four runs, 2 on a game tying home run by Mookie Betts and the go-ahead run on a wild pitch by Matt Bush to give the Sox the lead. Koji Uehara turned back the clock three years to nail down the bottom of the ninth and give the improbable 8-7 victory to the Sox over the Rangers at Arlington Park.

                                                 "Tom Brady" approves of the win

Nick Martinez got the start for the Rangers and Mr. Mookie Betts led off with a base hit to center. Mr. Mookie would have been out stealing second but the throw went off the glove Elvis Andrus. Dustin Pedroia went down hacking at an inside fastball and Xander Bogaerts popped up to first in foul territory. David Ortiz was intentionally walked and Hanley Ramirez popped up to center to end the inning. Once again the Sox fell behind early in the bottom of the first when Shin-Soo Choo belted the third pitch he saw from David Price into Arizona to give the Rangers the lead. Ian Desmond, old friend Adrian Beltre and Ryan Rua all stroked base hits to load the bases. Prince Fielder hit into a 3-1-3 double play but Elvis Andrus singled home Beltre and Rua to increase the lead. Rougned Odor grounded out to first to end the inning but once again the Sox played from behind down 3-0.

                                                         Choo puts Texas up early

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first to start but Bryce Brentz grounded out to third on a bang bang play. Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call to get Brentz his first hit but the call was upheld. Travis Shaw singled to left but Christian Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Rangers struck again in the top of the second although Jurickson Profar took strike three to start. Bobby Wilson doubled off the left field wall and Choo singled him to third. Desmond singled to right to score Wilson with another run but Beltre popped up to Bogaerts. Rua flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning but it was 4-0 Rangers.

                                                    Rangers add another

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Mr. Mookie was rung up for strike three to start. Pedroia grounded out to third and Odor made a great diving play to rob Bogaerts of a hit to end the inning. The Rangers finished off Price in the bottom of the third although Fielder grounded out to second to start. Andrus singled to center, Odor singled to right and Profar beat out a single to short to load the bases. Wilson ripped a base hit to score Andrus and Odor to knock Price out of the game. Price had nothing as he allowed 6 runs and TWELVE hits in less than 3 full innings. Matt Barnes came in and plunked Choo to load the bases but Desmond popped up to a running Betts. Beltre whiffed to end the inning with the Rangers up 6-0.

                                                 Price stinks the joint out

The Sox started their comeback in the top of the fourth as Ortiz cracked a base hit to center to start. Ramirez crushed his 7th home run of the year to dead center to cut the lead but JBJ grounded out to second. Brentz singled past the diving Andrus for his first hit of the season but Shaw banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                    Ramirez and Ortiz celebrate

The Rangers struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Rua took strike three to start. The slumping Fielder then hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to increase the lead. Andrus singled to center but Odor whiffed. Andrus was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Rangers up 7-2.

                                                         Barnes watches it go

Vazquez was plunked to start the top of the fifth but Mr. Mookie banged into a double play. Pedroia walked but Bogaerts popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. Barnes returned for the bottom of the fifth and Profar singled to left to start. Wilson whiffed and Choo flied out to left, but Desmond singled to left. Beltre popped up to Betts in foul territory to end the inning.

The Sox inched closer in the top of the sixth although Ortiz grounded out to short to start. Ramirez walked and JBJ crushed his 13th home run into the upper deck to cut the lead. Brentz grounded back to the mound and Shaw hit a 406 foot out to the centerfield wall to end the inning with the Sox down 7-4.

                                                  JBJ and Hanley celebrate

Nomar Mazara pinch hit for Rua to start the bottom of the sixth so Sox manager John Farrell countered by bringing in Tommy Layne. Layne walked Mazara but Fielder popped up to short. Andrus lined out to a running JBJ and Betts made a jumping catch off an Odor line drive to end the inning.

Tony Barnette came in to pitch the top of the seventh and a comical moment occured when Vazquez struck out swinging but the bat went to the mound. Barnette pretended to pick the bat up and throw it to first for the out. Mr. Mookie grounded out to short and Pedroia whiffed to end the inning.

                                                        Bat went further than the ball

Layne returned for the bottom of the seventh and Brentz made a great diving catch to rob Profar of extra bases to start. Wilson and Choo both went down hacking to end the inning.

Mitch Moreland took over at first for the top of the eighth and Bogaerts flied out to left to start. Ortiz hit a rocket but right at short and Ramirez lined out to Desmond to end the inning. Heath Hembree took over for the bottom of the eighth and Desmond grounded out to short to start. Beltre grounded out to third and Mazara struck out swinging to end the inning.

Things looked bleak in the top of the ninth with Jake Diekman now pitching for the Rangers. JBJ walked to start but Brentz went down hacking. Shaw popped up to short and the Sox were down 3 and down to their final out. Sandy Leon pinch hit for Vazquez and JBJ took second on defensive indifference. Leon doubled into the left field corner to score JBJ and chase Diekman. Matt Bush came in to Mr. Mookie and BETTS HIT A HOME RUN TO TIE THE GAME! Pedroia walked and Bogaerts singled him to third to put the pressure on. Bush then uncorked a wild pitch TO SCORE PEDROIA WITH THE GO-AHEAD RUN! Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-7.

                                                         What a rally

Koji Uehara took the mound in the bottom of the ninth and the Rangers had no chance. Fielder swung at air to start before Andrus whiffed on a nasty splitter. Odor waived at strike three to end the game, somehow the Sox had won  it 8-7.

                                                   "We're number 1!" - Koji

Hero of the Night is Mookie Betts. His 2 run homer with 2 outs in the ninth tied the game and led the Sox to victory.

                                                               Mr. Mookie Hero                

The Good:

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Sandy Leon doubled in a run and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Tommy Layne tossed two scoreless innings.

Heath Hembree got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Koji Uehara earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

David Price was terrible, allowing 12 hits and 6 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Bryce Brentz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Matt Barnes allowed a home run in 2 2/3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

That was an improbable win for the ages, and coming off the heels of yesterday's come from behind win, it was badly needed. The Sox have had to dig themselves out of holes day after day and this game was no different. David Price was horrible tonight and hats off to the bullpen to allow just 1 run the rest of the game to keep things close. The offense never gave up and the pinch hit double by Leon was clutch. Homers by JBJ, Hanley and especially Betts were much needed. Xander Bogaerts is in the running for AL MVP but Mookie has to be considered as well. Granted, its only June but every win counts especially with the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays all within a few games of first place. The win improved the Sox to 41-32, 1.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it 3 in a row when Steven Wright (8-4) looks to keep things rolling for him against Cesar Ramos of the Rangers. The game begins at 9:22 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.

Red Sox Walkoff White Sox (6/23/16)

What a game! The Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox had a back and forth game full of drama, twists and turns. The Red Sox trailed 4-1 when they pulled off a huge rally to take the lead 5-4. Jose Abreu clobbered a 3 run homer to give Chicago the lead back but the Sox fought back to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. In the end it was Xander Bogaerts who knocked in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth. The Red Sox snapped their losing streak with a thrilling 8-7 victory over the White Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                             Big win

"Slick" Rick Porcello got the ball in the top of the first and the White Sox wasted no time tagging him. Tim Anderson singled to right and Adam Eaton was plunked. Jose Abreu singled off the glove of Porcello to load the bases and Melky Cabrera banged into a double play to score Anderson. Eaton scored on a wild pitch and Todd Frazier took strike three to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                   Eaton's safe

"Big game" James Shields took the ball in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a base hit up the middle. Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley heroically snared a foul ball to save Dave O'Brien as Dustin Pedroia forced Betts at second. Xander Bogaerts popped up to left and David Ortiz swung and missed for strike three to end the inning.

                                                            "I got it!" - Eck

Porcello recovered in the top of the second inning as Brett Lawrie grounded out to second to start. Alex Avila flied out to deep center and Avisail Garcia flied out to right to end the inning. Disaster struck in the bottom of the second as Chris Young hit a shot off the Monster but pulled up lame and grabbed his leg. Young had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Addison Gilbert Hospital's ICU. Ryan LaMarre pinch ran for Young and was erased on the Jackie Bradley Jr force. Hanley Ramirez singled to center and both runners moved over on the Christian Vazquez grounder to short. Marco Hernandez lined out to left to end the inning.

                                                        "Owwwwwowowowoww!!!!" - Young

LeMarre took over in left to start the top of the third. JB Shuck lined out to a running JBJ to start before Anderson flied out to right. Eaton caught Porcello asleep with a bunt single and Abreu was plunked, but Cabrera grounded into a force to end the inning. Mr. Mookie popped up to short to start the bottom of the third and Pedroia flied out to the centerfield warning track. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. 

The White Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Frazier popped up to first to start. Lawrie dumped a single to right and Avila punched a base hit to center. Garcia took strike three but Shuck dropped a base hit into right. Lawrie scored but Avila was thrown out at third to end the inning with the ChiSox up 3-0.

                                                          Yerrrrr out!

Ortiz walked to start the bottom of the fourth but LeMarre banged into a double play. JBJ walked but Ramirez popped up to short to end the inning.

Porcello looked strong in the top of the fifth as Anderson grounded out to third to start. Eaton walked but Abreu banged into a double play to end the inning. The BoSox finally showed some life in the bottom of the fifth as Vazquez took strike three to start. Hernandez grounded out to second but Mr. Mookie dropped in a bloop single to right. Pedroia doubled down the left field line to score Betts to put the Sox on the board. Bogaerts popped up to the middle of the mound and nearly all of the White Sox infielders ran into each other, but Abreu caught it for the third out. The BoSox were on the board and trailed 3-1.

                                                     Betts scores a run

The ChiSox chased Porcello in the top of the sixth as Cabrera led off with a triple over the head of Bradley. Sox manager John Farrell challenged that Cabrera was out at third but replays showed he was safe. Frazier scored Cabrera with a sac fly and Lawrie singled off the bumbling Porcello. Farrell had seen enough and pulled Porcello after 5 1/3 innings. He allowed 4 runs and just wasn't sharp. Tommy Layne came in and Avila singled Lawrie to third. Garcia banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 4-1 Chicago.

                                                       Bye bye Rick

The Red Sox exploded in the bottom of the sixth as Ortiz led off by drawing a walk. LaMarre walked to chase Shields. Matt Alberts came in and JBJ was plunked was to load the bases. Hanley hit a routine grounder to Lawrie who fired to first....NOWHERE NEAR THE BAG! Ortiz and LeMarre scored on the error with Bradley moving to third. Sandy Leon pinch hit for Vazquez and singled home Bradley to tie the game with Hanley moving to third. Dan Jennings came in to pitch and Hernandez beat out a double play ball to score Hanley with the go-ahead run. Mr. Mookie forced Hernandez at second and then got picked off to end the inning with Boston ahead 5-4.

                                                             Oops

The White Sox answered in the top of the seventh although Shuck grounded back to the mound to start. Anderson singled to left and Eaton caught Layne asleep with a bunt single to chase Tommy. Junichi Tazawa came in and Abreu pounded a home run to South America to put Chicago back on top. Cabrera and Frazier both flied out to center to end the inning but it was 7-5 White Sox.

                                                 Things didn't look good

Chris Beck took over for the bottom of the seventh and the BoSox rallied again. Pedroia walked to start but Bogaerts hit a routine grounder to third....THROWN AWAY by Frazier. Both runners moved into scoring position and Ortiz was intentionally walked to load the bases with nobody out. Travis Shaw pinch hit for LaMarre and hit a sac fly to the right field warning track to score Pedroia. JBJ popped up a bunt to second and Hanley whiffed to end the inning with the BoSox down 7-6.

                                                   Oops....again

Heath Hembree came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lawrie hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts. Xander picked up the ball and threw it straight up in the air for an error. Avila then missed taking Hembree's head off with a liner to center and Garcia dumped a single to right to load the bases with nobody out. Somehow Hembree got Shuck to fly out to short left to hold the runners. Hembree struck out Anderson swinging and got Eaton to ground out to second to houdini his way out of the inning. The BoSox tied it in the bottom of the eighth with Nate Jones now on the mound. Eaton robbed Leon of extra bases with a great running catch and Hernandez missed the go-ahead home run by inches, settling for a Monster double. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Pedroia lashed a base hit to left to score Hernandez with the tying run. Bogaerts check swing popped up to Abreu to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

                                                        Hernandez scores to tie it up

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Abreu flied out to right to start. Cabrera also flied out to right and Frazier went down hacking to end the inning. White Sox closer David Robertson took over for the bottom of the ninth and Ortiz pounded a ground-rule double into the right field bleachers to start. Deven Marrero pinch ran for Ortiz and Shaw drew a walk. JBJ watched strike three go right down the middle and Hanley hit a bullet, but right to Eaton. Leon whiffed to end the inning, what a waste.

Kimbrel returned for the top of the tenth and walked Lawrie to start. Avila singled Lawrie to third and Tyler Saladino pinch ran for Avila. Saladino took second on defensive indifference and Garcia walked to load the bases. Somehow Shuck popped up to short and Kimbrel blew away Anderson with a 97 mph fastball. Eaton whiffed to end the inning as Kimbrel houdini'd his way out of the jam to end the inning. Dioner Navarro took over behind the plate with Matt Purke now on the mound for the bottom of the tenth. Hernandez walked to start but was erased on the force by Mr. Mookie. Pedroia walked and Bogaerts singled home Betts to win the game. The Sox had won it 8-7 in 10 innings.

                                                              RED SOX WIN!    

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He got the game winning base hit in the bottom of the tenth.

                                                             X-Hero

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Chris Young was 1 for 1 before leaving with injury.

Ryan LeMarre walked and scored as a pinch hitter.

Travis Shaw walked and hit a sac fly to drive in a run.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Heath Hembree tossed a scoreless eighth innings.

Craig Kimbrel got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rick Porcello was lit up for 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings.

Tommy Layne was charged with 2 runs in an inning.

Junichi Tazawa served up the 3 run homer to Abreu.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 2 for 6 but scored 2 runs.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Deven Marrero pinch ran for Ortiz in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a great comeback win but holy moly did the Red Sox look silly in four straight games. They got clowned in the first three games and nearly blew this one as well. Not only did the White Sox tee off on the Sox bullpen but Boston needed some really bad defense to win today's game. If James Shields didn't come back for the sixth inning, its possible the White Sox complete the sweep. Hopefully Chris Young isn't out too long because the Sox are painfully thin on the bench, especially with Brock Holt still in Pawtucket rehabbing. We may see one of the outfielders from Pawtucket get called up tomorrow if Young's injury is serious enough. Its too bad a lot of negatives overshadow a walkoff, feel good win but that's where we are. The win improved the Sox to 40-32, 1.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road for a set with the Texas Rangers. David Price (8-4, 4.24 ERA) gets the start for the Sox against Nick Martinez of the Rangers. The game begins at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.

White Sox Stun Red Sox Late (6/22/16)

The June swoon is in full effect for the Boston Red Sox. The lowly Chicago White Sox have now taken three of the four games they were supposed to play against one another. Yesterday the Boston bats were silenced by Chris Sale but today it was their own bullpen that led to their demise. The BoSox took a 6-4 lead against Jose Quintana into the eighth inning when the normally reliable Koji Uehara allowed 3 runs off of two home runs. After controversy erupted when fan interference turned a game tying 2 run homer into a double, the BoSox failed to score. The ChiSox added another run off Robbie Ross Jr in the ninth and sent the reeling Red Sox to their 12th loss in the last 19 games with a 8-6 win at Fenway Park.

                                                          "Dammit Koji!"

The White Sox wasted no time scoring against Rodriguez in the top of the first although Tim Anderson grounded out to first to start. Adam Eaton drew a walk but Jose Abreu struck out swinging on a pitch up in his eyes. Melky Cabrera doubled to the left field wall to score Eaton to give Chicago the lead. Todd Frazier whiffed to end the inning but the White Sox led 1-0.

                                                        Cabrera puts Chicago on top

The Sox did nothing against Jose Quintana in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to Brett Lawrie to start. Dustin Pedroia flied out to center and Xander Bogaerts popped up to Jason Coats in right to end the inning.

Rodriguez recovered in the top of the second as he blew away Lawrie on a 95 mph fastball to start. Dioner Navarro lined out to Pedroia and Avisail Garcia flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox blew a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the second as David Ortiz walked to start. Chris Young popped up to first in foul territory but Jackie Bradley Jr drew a walk. The slumping Hanley Ramirez took strike three but Travis Shaw blopped a single to center. Ortiz came motoring around but was thrown out by a mile to end the inning.

                                                     Yerrrrr Out!

The White Sox took advantage of bad defense to score another run in the top of the third. Coats got his first Major League hit with a ground rule double into the right field stands. Anderson struck out swinging but Coats moved to third on the Eaton grounder. Abreu hit a routine grounder to Shaw...who bobbled it for an error to score Coats. Cabrera forced Abreu at second to end the inning but it was 2-0 White Sox.

                                                  "I don't got it" - Shaw

The BoSox finally woke up offensively in the bottom of the third as Sandy Leon walked to start. Mr. Mookie hit a grounder up the middle and Lawrie made a great dive to stop it, but he tried to throw the ball behind his back over everything to allow Leon to reach second. Pedroia singled in the hole at second to load the bases and Bogaerts lined a single off the Monster to score two runners to tie the game. Ortiz singled to right to score Pedroia with the go-ahead run but Young popped up to Abreu in foul territory. JBJ singled off of Quintana into center to score Bogaerts with another run. The slumping Hanley banged into a double play to end the inning with Boston ahead 4-2.

                                                            Sox rally for four runs

Deven Marrero took over for Travis Shaw for the top of the fourth with Shaw still feeling the effect of the foul ball he hit off himself. Frazier popped up to right and Lawrie did the same before Rodriguez blew away Navarro with a 96 mph fastball to end the inning. Marrero led off the bottom of the fourth by grounding out to third but Leon walked. Mr. Mookie doubled off the Monster but Leon was foolishly picked off third. Pedroia walked which would have loaded the bases but Bogaerts popped up to right to end the inning.

                                                       Yerrr out!

Garcia walked to start the top of the fifth but Coats flied out to right. Anderson forced Garcia at second and Eaton struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Ortiz lined out to center to start. Sox analyst Dennis Eckersley took the time to say Albert Belle hated everyone on the planet but Eck because they both were recovering addicts and Eck helped him stay clean in Cleveland. Young popped up to center and JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning.

The White Sox tied it up in the top of the sixth although Abreu struck out swinging to start. Cabrera singled off the Monster and Frazier clobbered a home run into the Atlantic Ocean to tie the game. Lawrie grounded out to third on a bang bang play and Navarro grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 4-4. That was it for Rodriguez who pitched better than he had been lately but still allowed 4 runs in 6 innings.

                                                           E-Rod goes 6 innings

The BoSox retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth when the slumping Haley belted his sixth home run of the season to start. Marrero hit one up the elevator shaft but Leon walked to chase Quintana. Old friend Matt Albers came in and Mr. Mookie popped up to right. Pedroia singled up to middle to advance Leon to third and Bogaerts beat out a dribbler in front of the plate to score Sandy with another run. That was it for Albers as Dan Jennings came in and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning with Boston ahead 6-4.

                                                             Hanley gives the BoSox the lead

It was time for the Orient Express as Junichi Tazawan got Garcia swinging on a nasty splitter to start. Tazawa made a great stab on a Coats grounder and nailed him at first before Anderson whiffed on a nasty splitter to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the eighth although Young lined out to center to start. JBJ drew a walk but Hanley lined out to left. Marrero ripped a base hit up the middle but Leon grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Jays rallied off Koji Uehara in the top of the eighth as Eaton singled to right to begin. Koji got Abreu swinging with an elevated fastball but Cabrera homered into the Red Sox bullpen to tie the game. Frazier whiffed but Lawrie pounded a home run to Saturn to give the White Sox the lead. Navarro doubled to left and that was it for the incompetent Uehara. Heath Hembree came in and got Garcia to fly out to right to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                            White Sox take the lead

Michael Ynoa took over for the bottom of the eighth and controversy erupted. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to start and Pedroia struck out swinging. Bogaerts then hit a ball that a fan reached over the Monster to try to catch it but they dropped it onto the field. Sox manager John Farrell argued that it was over the line for a home run but the umpires disagreed. Farrell went berserk screaming but to no avail, its a fan interference double. Fenway Security threw the fans out of the building as Ortiz was intentionally walked. Young missed a home run off the left field foul by inches but Farrell wanted the call reviewed. Replays showed it was foul which added to John's anger as Young whiffed to end the inning.

                                             "THAT WAS NOT INTERFERENCE!!!" - JF

Hembree returned for the top of the ninth and JB Shuck pinch hit for Coats to start. Shuck dumped a base hit to right but Anderson struck out swinging. Hembree was done and Robbie Ross Jr came in to cough up a run. Eaton forced Shuck at second but Abreu was plunked. Cabrera singled home Eaton to give the ChiSox an insurance run. Frazier was plunked to load the bases but Lawrie whiffed to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 8-3.

                                                       White Sox with the killshot

Zach Duke came in to close out the top of the ninth and JBJ tried to start a rally with a base hit to right. Hanley looked at strike three down the middle and Marrero whiffed. Leon grounded out to short to end the game. The White Sox had won it 8-6.

                                                               White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Koji Uehara. He coughed up the lead and the game in the eighth inning.

                                                                  Koji the Jackass

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Travis Shaw was 1 for 1 before leaving.

Sandy Leon walked 3 times and scored 2 runs.

Junichi Tazawa tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Chris Young was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Heath Hembree was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed an inherited runner to score in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Deven Marrero was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Eduardo Rodriguez lasted just 6 innings while allowing 4 runs. 

Final Thoughts:

This game was a kick to the junk. The BoSox have fallen apart in June and they seem to just find ways to lose. The only silver lining is neither the Baltimore Orioles or Toronto Blue Jays have pulled away as the Sox have hid the skids. The Sox need to bust this losing streak soon because they can't afford to fall too far behind the O's or Jays. The Sox had this game in the bag but Uehara blew it, one of the rare times he's done that. The Bogaerts non-homer was also a big difference in the game but what the hell. The loss dropped the Sox to 39-32, 2 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to stop the bleeding and avoid a sweep tomorrow against the White Sox when they send "Slick" Rick Porcello (9-2, 3.76 ERA) against "Big Game" James Shields Chicago. The game begins tomorrow at 1:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Sale Outduels Buchholz, White Sox beat Red Sox (6/21/16)

The Boston Red Sox worst fears going into tonight's game turned out to be true as Chicago White Sox ace  Chris Sale proved why he's one of the best pitchers in the American League. Sale held the potent Red Sox lineup to just 4 hits and one run in 7 well pitched innings. Clay Buchholz (3-7, 5.83 ERA) was nowhere near up to the task, lasting just 5 innings and allowing 3 runs. Matt Barnes and Tommy Layne kept the Red Sox in the game but it wasn't enough as the White Sox took game 2 of this four game set 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Jerry can't stand the Red Sox offense

The White Sox put the game away early when Tim Anderson hit the first pitch of the game onto the Mass Pike. The fans booed as Adam Eaton hit the second pitch of the game off the Monster for a double. Jose Abreu moved Eaton to third with a grounder and Adam scored on the fly out to left by Melky Cabrera. Todd Frazier walked but Buchholz got Brett Lawrie to swing and miss at a nasty change for strike three to end the inning. The White Sox had put the game away early 2-0.

                                                            Eaton scores

Sale got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts began with a ground out to second on the first pitch. Dustin Pedroia hit a rocket but snared by a diving Lawrie and Xander Bogaerts hit a dribbler to Sale to end the inning.

Dioner Navarro pulled a single into right to start but was thrown out at second trying to steal on the strikeout by Avisail Garcia. JB Shuck popped up to left to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the second as Hanley Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Jackie Bradley Jr took a curveball down the middle and Chris Young popped up to right to end the inning.

Buchholz cruised in the top of the third as Anderson grounded out to short to start. Eaton grounded out to first and Abreu grounded out to third to end the inning. The BoSox rallied in the bottom of the third as Travis Shaw ripped a base hit to right to start. Sandy Leon dumped a bloop single to right and Deven Marrero moved Shaw to third with a fly out to center. Shaw scored on the liner to left by Mr. Mookie and Pedroia lashed a base hit to left. Bogaerts walked to load the bases but Hanley whiffed on a 94 mph slider to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                     Shaw scores a run

Buchholz got tagged in the top of the fourth although Cabrera grounded out to first to start. The .198 hitting Frazier clobbered his 20th home run of the season to the Klingon Homeworld to increase the lead. Buchholz came back to strike out Lawrie and Navarro swinging to end the inning but it was 3-1 Chicago.

                                                  All or nothing Frazier

The Sox got beat up in the bottom of the fourth as JBJ was plunked to start. Young whiffed but Shaw hit a foul ball off his own shin to send the trainer sprinting to the plate. Shaw heroically got up and got back in the game...but took strike three. Leon whiffed to end the inning.

                                                "Owowowowowowowwwww!!!" - Shaw

Shaw remained in the game and made a great diving stab on a Garcia grounder to start the top of the fifth. JB Shuck looked to have beat out a grounder to short while NESN analyst Guerin Austin flapped her gums with Mookie Betts' father so Sox manager John Farrell wanted the play reviewed. Sure enough, replays showed that Shuck was out and the umpires reversed the call. Anderson whiffed to end the inning and that was it for Buchholz. He had thrown 78 pitches in his first start in nearly a month and Farrell didn't want to push him any further.

                                                           The longballs did Clay in

Marrero whiffed to start the bottom of the fifth and Betts hit a rocket....but to short. Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Eaton grounded out to first to start. Abreu hit a routine grounder to first but Shaw missed it an entirely and it went down the right field line. It was credited as a double but Abreu stayed there as Cabrera was frozen for strike three. Frazier whiffed to end the inning. The BoSox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Bogaerts hit a 410 foot out to dead center to start. Ramirez whiffed again and JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning.

Barnes returned for the top of the seventh and Lawrie lined out to right to start. Navarro grounded out to first and Garcia grounded out to first to end the inning. Sale returned for the bottom of the seventh and Young lined out to left to start. Shaw sprayed a double into the left field corner but Leon and Marrero both whiffed to end the inning. Sale was great and its a shame the BoSox don't have him.

                                                  Sale dazzles at Fenway

Barnes returned briefly for the top of the eighth and Shuck grounded out to second to begin. Anderson hit a little roller up the middle for a base hit to chase Barnes. Tommy Layne came in and Eaton beat out a double play ball but Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. Nate Jones came on for the bottom of the eighth and Mr. Mookie popped up to first in foul territory to start. Pedroia lashed a base hit into right and Bogaerts singled in the exact same spot. Ramirez earned Jackass honors by taking a curveball down the middle for strike three and that was it for Jones. David Robertson got JBJ to ground out to second to end the inning.

Layne returned for the top of the ninth and Cabrera waived at strike three to start. Frazier also waived at strike three and Sox manager John Farrell came out to ask if he can keep going. Layne told him he could and Farrell went back to the dugout. Lawrie walked but was picked off to end the inning. The BoSox had one last chance in the bottom of the ninth although Young popped up to third in foul territory to start. Shaw popped up to short but David Ortiz pinch hit for Leon. Ortiz walked and Ryan LaMarre pinch ran for him. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Marrero and LeMarre took second on defensive indifference. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the game with the White Sox winning it 3-1.

                                                           White Sox win

Jackass of the Night is Hanley Ramirez. He was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts including leaving the bases loaded in the third inning and two men on in the eighth.

                                                 Swing the bat, Jackass

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Travis Shaw was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3.

David Ortiz walked as a pinch hitter.

Matt Barnes tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Tommy Layne tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Chris Young was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Deven Marrero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marco Hernandez struck out as a pinch hitter to end the game.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Clay Buchholz took the loss by allowing 3 runs in 5 innings of work. He made just two mistakes.

Honorable Mention:

Ryan LeMarre pinch ran for Ortiz in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Who would have thought the BoSox leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the third would turn out to be the difference in the game? Boston had Sale on the run but let him off the hook. Sale was almost unhittable the rest of the way. The Sox still had a chance in the eighth inning but Hanley failed on that one. The Sox lack of bench strength due to injuries bit them in the ninth as they had to resort to Marco Hernandez to pinch hit with the game on the line. The Sox are in the midst of a June swoon and getting slapped around by the lowly Chicago White Sox is not a good look. The BoSox are now 7-11 in the month of June and the loss dropped them to 39-31 on the season. A shocking collapse by the Baltimore Orioles tonight to the San Diego Padres have the Sox only one game behind in the AL East race. Tomorrow it doesn't get any better for the Red Sox as they have to face Jose Quintana, one of the league leaders in ERA. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the BoSox and the game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

White Sox Down Red Sox in 10 Innings (6/20/16)

File this game under ones that should never be spoken about again. The Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox battled to a game of futility for nine innings. Red Sox starter Steven Wright was masterful, allowing an unearned run in 9 innings of work. Unfortunately the Red Sox could only score one run off of Chicago starter Miguel Gonzalez. After the BoSox loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, manager John Farrell made some peculiar pinch hitting decisions that caused them not to score. In the end it was Chicago's star Jose Abreu that was the difference as his 2 run double put Chicago up in the top of the tenth inning. ChiSox closer David Robertson slammed the door in the bottom of the tenth and the BoSox suffered an ignominious 3-1 defeat in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                    "SCORE SOME RUNS!!!"

Wright got the ball in the top of the first and Tim Anderson chopped a base hit up the middle to start. Adam Eaton hit a liner to a jumping Xander Bogaerts and Jose Abreu hit a grounder to Travis Shaw at third. Shaw threw his glove at the ball and screamed at it for his ninth error of the season. Wright then threw a pickoff throw away for another error to advance the runners, but Steven punched out Melky Cabrera. Todd Frazier lined out to a running Chris Young to end the inning. Gonzalez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts led off by grounding out to third. Xander Bogaerts was called out on strike three on a bad call by home plate umpire Ed Hickox before David Ortiz tried to drop down a surprise bunt but it was snuffed out by Gonzalez to end the inning.

The White Sox struck first in the top of the second as Brett Lawrie doubled over the head of Young in left to start. Alex Avila waived at strike three and Lawrie moved to third on the Avisail Garcia fly out to center. Vazquez muffed an easily catchable pitch and Lawrie scored on the passed ball to put Chicago on top. Rookie Jason Coats walked and Anderson flied out to the centerfield triangle to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                   "CATCH THE BALL VAZQUEZ!!"

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Hanley Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short and Chris Young lined out to center to end the inning.

Wright got Eaton to strike out swinging to start the top of the third but Abreu singled up the middle. Cabrera banged into a double play to end the inning. Travis Shaw led off the bottom of the third by grounding into the shift to start. Christian Vazquez and Marco Hernandez stroked back to back singles then Vazquez moved to third on the Mr. Mookie force at second. Bogaerts popped up to Anderson to end the inning.

Frazier hit a single in the hole at short to start the top of the fourth but Lawrie popped up to second. Frazier got picked off by the alert Wright and Avila grounded into the shift to end the inning. 

                                                             Yerrrr out!

Gonzalez cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz grounded off the glove of Gonzalez but right to Anderson for the out. Ramirez and JBJ both whiffed to end the inning.

                                                       Hanley's out

Wright got the White Sox to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Garcia grounded out to short to start. Coats grounded out to short and Anderson grounded out to third to end the inning. Gonzalez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Young flied out to the left field warning track to start. Shaw whiffed on a fastball away and Vazquez popped up to center to end the inning.

Wright cruised in the top of the sixth as Eaton grounded out to first to start. Abreu grounded out to third and Cabrera popped up to center to end the inning. Gonzalez was just as good in the bottom of the sixth as Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Mr. Mookie grounded out to short but Bogaerts walked. Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning.

Wright kept up the pace in the top of the seventh as Frazier whiffed in an 87 mph fastball to start. Lawrie hit a foul pop up behind the plate and Vazquez made a great sliding catch. Avila grounded into the shift to end the inning.

                                                       Vazquez with the catch

The Red Sox woke up in the bottom of the seventh as Ramirez lined out to center to start. JBJ whiffed but Young singled in the hole at third. Shaw walked and Vazquez lined a base hit to center. Eaton threw wide of home and Young scored to tie the game, the runners advancing on the error. That was it for Gonzalez as Nate Jones came in to pitch to Hernandez. Hernandez grounded back to the mound on the first pitch to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Tie game

Wright returned for the top of the eighth and walked Garcia to start. Coats dropped down a bunt to advance Garcia to second but Wright struck out Anderson swinging. Eaton grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox had no chance to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Mr. Mookie whiffed on a 91 mph slider to start. Bogaerts grounded out to Anderson and Ortiz grounded into the shift to end the inning.

Wright returned for one final inning in the top of the ninth and got Abreu to fly out to the centerfield warning track to start. Cabrera hit a little roller to Hernandez that fired to first...SAFE! Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call but Cabrera was clearly safe. Cabrera took second on a passed ball and Frazier walked. Wright struck out Lawrie swinging with a high knuckleball and Avila grounded out to second to end the inning. Wright would have been going for his fourth complete game of the season as he tossed 9 innings without an unearned run. He deserved better.

                                                         Wright did the best he could

Zach Putnam came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and things looked good when Ramirez, JBJ and Young all walked to load the bases with nobody out. Tyler Saladino came in to play right with Zach Duke coming into pitch. For some reason Sox manager John Farrell sent in Dustin Pedroia to pinch hit for Shaw. The gamble backfired as Pedroia struck out swinging. The outfield was pulled in and the gamble worked as Vazquez hit a grounder to Saladino who fired home to get Ramirez at home. JB Shuck came in to replace Saladino but went to center with Eaton moving to right. For some reason Sox manager John Farrell sent in ice cold Ryan LaMarre to pinch hit for Hernandez. Sure enough, LaMarre whiffed badly to end the inning. Bases loaded and nobody out, couldn't score. Poor Steven Wright.

                                                Hardest thing to do is pinch hit ice cold

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Deven Marrero now at third base with Pedroia taking over at second. Garcia walked on four pitches not even close and Shuck singled on a full count to left. It looked like the White Sox would fail to get a run home when Anderson struck out swinging and Eaton beat out a double play ball for the second out. Unfortunately Abreu doubled into the gap to score both runners to ice the game. That was it for Kimbrel as Robbie Ross Jr replaced the incompetent closer. Cabrera took strike three to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                         White Sox take the lead

David Robertson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Mr. Mookie grounded out to Anderson to start. Bogaerts was rung up for strike three but Ortiz dumped a base hit in front of the left side of the defense to extend the inning. Ramirez whiffed to end the game. The Red Sox dropped arguably their most frustrating game of the year 3-1 in 10 innings.

                                                                    Dammit

Jackass of the Night is Craig Kimbrel. He gave up the 2 runs in the top of the tenth to take the loss.

                                                     Farrell gets the Jackass out

The Good:

Chris Young was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Marco Hernandez was 1 for 3.

Steven Wright was amazing. He tossed 9 innings of 1 run ball (unearned) while allowing 5 hits and 3 walks.

Robbie Ross Jr struck out the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Dustin Pedroia struck out as a pinch hitter.

Ryan LeMarre struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 but walked.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 5.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 with an error but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Deven Marrero played third base in the top of the tenth.

Final Thoughts:

That game totally sucked, especially the bottom of the ninth. Wright is making 1998 Tim Wakefield look like Charlie Zink out there. He's been unhittable to this point in the season but today the offense wasn't there. He pitched his ass off and the Red Sox have nothing to show for it. The offense couldn't hit Gonzalez or the White Sox relief pitchers and that's sad, considering nobody else is having a problem hitting them. What was Farrell thinking letting Pedroia pinch hit ice cold after sitting the whole game? Also Ryan LeMarre for Marco Hernandez? Really? Those two decisions were head scratchers and it ended up costing the Sox the game. Shaw isn't Ted Williams but at least he could have put the ball in play and why sent up an AAA player to bat for the kid who's power brought him to the game? Kimbrel looked lousy again and something's up with him. The less said of this disaster, the better. The good news is Brock Holt is due to be back soon and Ryan Hanigan will follow soon after. The Sox need any offensive firepower they can get after a game like this. The loss drops the Sox to 39-30, 1 game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The bad news is things are about to get worse. Clay Buchholz (3-6, 5.86 ERA) takes the hill tomorrow night up against White Sox ace Chris Sale who's 11-2 on the season. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.