Rainout News: (5/9/26)

Today's game between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox has been postponed due to heavy rain in Boston. The game will now be played on July 17th.

The good news was Justin "Incinerator' Slaten has been activated from the Injured List and Jack Anderson has been sent back to Worcester to make room for him. Getting Slaten back relieves the pressure on Greg Weissert and we're two more arms away from never seeing Ryan Watson or Jovani Moran again.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                       IN

The return of Jack Anderson to Worcester meant that Michael Sansone was demoted to Portland. The 26 year old was 1-2 with a 5.17 ERA for the WooSox so hopefully he can get the bugs worked out in Portland.

                                                                 Better luck next time

The Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon on Mother's Day. Nick Martinez will still be taking the ball for Tampa Bay but its unclear who the Red Sox will throw out. Originally Peyton Tolle was supposed to pitch today so it might be him. It might also be Brayan Bello. We'll all find out tomnorrow at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Early, Sox Blank Rays (5/8/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Last night's starter Jake Bennett was sent down to Worcester and Jack Anderson has been recalled from Worcester to take his place. With Ranger Suarez to make his next scheduled start, Bennett was the one tabbed to go back. We'll see him again soon if someone else goes down.

                                                                 OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, the bad news was once again the Boston Red Sox were held to just 4 measly hits and just 2 runs. The good news was Connelly Early (3-2, 3.16 ERA) held the Rays to just 4 measly hits of their own and allowed no runs. The only runs scored were home runs by Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela off Tampa starter Jesse Scholtens. The key to the game was Early escaping a bases loaded nobody out situation in the top of the third. Early went on to fire 7 shutout innings as Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door afterward. The Sox offense is still abysmal but the pitching held up to win this one 2-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Andy and Miranda approve of the win

Early got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz was rung up for strike three to start. Ryan Vilade flied out to right and Junior Caminero lined out to center to end the inning. Scholtens got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Willson Contreras drew a walk before Wilyer Abreu walked as well. Naturally Masataka Yoshida popped up to third and Trevor Story popped up to short to end the inning.

Jonathan Aranda got a base hit in the hole at short to start the top of the second but Jonny DeLuca lined out to center. Ben Williamson lined out to third and Chandler Simpson flied out to left to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Marcelo Mayer grounded out to second as well. Carlos Narvaez was plunked but Caleb Durbin lined out to second to end the inning.

Things looked bleak in the top of the third as Nick Fortes singled inside the third base bag to start. Fortes took second on a balk and Walls got a base hit to left. Diaz was plunked to load the bases with nobody out but Vilade struck out swinging. Caminero hit into a double play to end the inning with Early pulling a Houdini.

                                                       Early was fired up after that

The Sox broke through in the bottom of the third as Duran lined out to center to start. Contreras took strike three but Abreu mashed his sixth home run of the season over the bullpen to put Boston ahead. Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                      Abreu gets the Wally Head

Aranda struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and DeLuca did the same. Williamson grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Story struck out swinging to start. Rafaela launched his third home run of the season into the Monster Seats to increase the lead, but Mayer grounded out to second. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                            Rafaela goes yard

Simpson struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth but Fortes got a base hit to left. Walls took strike three and Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Durbin watched strike three go by to begin the bottom of the fifth and Duran popped up to short. Contreras walked and took second on a passed ball before Abreu was intentionally walked. That was it for Scholtens as Mason Englert was brought in to face Yoshida and naturally Masataka popped up to third to end the inning.

Vilade popped up a bunt to Early to start the top of the sixth and Caminero grounded out to second. Arands walked but DeLuca popped up to Early to end the inning. Story struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth but Caminero booted a grounder by Rafaela. Mayer flied out to left and Narvaez popped up to second to end the inning.

Early came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Williamson lined out to right to start. Simpson grounded out to second and Fortes took strike three to end the inning. Early was outstanding, allowing just 4 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                                Great work Connelly

Durbin grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh but Duran beat out a roller to third. Contreras popped up to short and Duran took off for second. Rays catcher Fortes threw the ball away allowing Duran to reach third. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Walls struck out swinging to start. Diaz went down hacking and Vilade hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Yoshida grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth and Story took strike three. Rafaela singled to right but Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Durbin made a nice play to rob Caminero of a hit to start. Aranda struck out swinging and DeLuca swung at air to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Connelly Early. He tossed 7 shutout innings allowing 4 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                            Our Hero is all smiles

The Good:

Willson Contreras walked twice in four plate appearances.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a home run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 8th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chad Durbin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just for 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

Let's start with the criticism. Their offense is HORRIBLE and its been bad virtually all season. The four main culprits are Caleb Durbin hitting .177, Jarren Duran hitting .194, Trevor Story hitting .199 and Carlos Narvaez is hitting .208. With Durbin and Narvaez, they're both second year players so sophomore slumps are common. The other two are supposed to be the leaders of this team and if Story isn't hitting home runs and Duran isn't getting on base, what good are they? Kristian Campbell is starting to hit better in Worcester and if Duran continues to falter, it might be time to find a new home for him. Ditto for Story who's in year 5 of the 6 year contract so it would be easier to move him this year than in year's past. Either way they have to do something on offense because you can't have four black holes in your lineup. Ask the 2023 Red Sox how that turned out. Now for the good news, the pitching his been spectacular this season with 6 shutout wins, the most in MLB. Connelly Early is fast becoming the next Jon Lester which they haven't had since Jon got traded in 2014. Whitlock and Chapman slammed the door and the Sox have improved dramatically on defense in the last few weeks. Its unknown if Sox manager Chad Tracy has them working on fundamentals before games, but not kicking the ball around helps in run prevention. The sad part is they're only one game out of a playoff spot even after all that's gone on this season. Who knows, if the Sox get some key components back healthy, they might play meaningful games later in the season. The win improved the Sox to 17-22, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Rays tomorrow afternoon when Peyton Tolle (1-1, 2.04 ERA) takes on Nick Martinez of Tampa. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Blank, Sweep Tigers (5/6/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Alec Gamboa was sent back to Worcester and Sonny Gray was activated off the Injured List to make tonight's start against the Detroit Tigers. Getting him back healthy will help big time. Whether he's effective or not is the question.

                                                                 OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, welcome back Sonny Gray (3-1, 3.54). The veteran starter came off the Injured List to fire five shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers. Meanwhile the Sox got some clutch hits against Detroit starter Jack Flaherty. In the top of the third, Caleb Durbin drove in Marcelo Mayer with a double and two batters later, Willson Contreras scored Carlos Narvaez with a sac fly. One inning later Colt Keith botched a routine grounder by Narvaez which allowed Masataka Yoshida and Ceddanne Rafaela to score. After Gray was removed for reaching a pitch count, the trio of Tyler Samaniego, Zack Kelly and Greg Weissert kept the shutout intact. It all added up to a three game sweep of the Tigers with a 4-0 victory at Comerica Park.

                                               "Michael Jackson" approves of the win

Flaherty got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Willson Contreras took strike three and Wilyer Abreu went down hacking to end the inning. Gray got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kevin McGonigle popped up to third to start. Matt Vierling lined out to left and Colt Keith flied out to left to end the inning.

Trevor Story went down hacking to begin the top of the second and Mastaka Yoshida watched strike three go by. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to first to end the inning. Riley Greene doubled to left to begin the bottom of the second but Dillon Dingler popped up to first. Kerry Carpenter took strike three but Zach McKinstry walked. Spencer Torkelson walked to load the bases and Jace Jung hit a grand slam all the way to.....wait.....what do you mean Abreu made a great diving catch to rob Jung to end the inning?

                                                              Great catch

Move by Abreu's effort, the Sox struck first in the top of the third. Marcelo Mayer got a base hit off the glove of Keith and Carlos Narvaez was hit with a pitch. Caleb Durbin doubled to left to score Mayer but Duran grounded out to first. Contreras hit a sac fly to center to score Narvaez but Abreu flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                       Durbin drives in a run

McGonigle flied out to left to start the bottom of the third but Vierling got a base hit to center. Somehow Duran gunned down Matt trying to stretch a double but Keith got a base hit to left. Greene got a base hit to right but Dingler flied out to center to end the inning.

Story popped up to first to begin the top of the fourth but Yoshida singled to center. Rafaela walked but Mayer struck out swinging. Narvaez hit a routine grounder to third but Keith booted it for an error to score both runners, moving Carlos to second. Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

                                                             Two more runs score

Carpenter grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the fourth and McKinstry lined out to left. Torkelson took strike three to end the inning.

Duran went down hacking to open the top of the fifth and Contreras also swung at air. Abreu completed the trifecta by striking out swinging to end the inning. Gray returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Jung grounded out to third to begin. McGonigle grounded out to first and Vierling popped up to second to end the inning. Gray was on a pitch count in his first start off the injured list and he tossed 5 shutout innings allowing 4 hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Gray did great

Drew Anderson came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Story went down hacking again to begin. Yoshida got a base hit to center but Rafaela struck out swinging. Mayer also went down hacking to end the inning. Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Keith grounded out to second to start. Greene struck out swinging and Dingler flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the seventh as Narvaez walked to start. Durbin forced Carlos at second but promptly stole second. Durbin moved to third on a balk and Duran drew a walk. Duran stole second and Contreras walked to chase Anderson. Brant Hurter came in to strike out Abreu swinging and get Story to ground out to short to end the inning. Jahmai Jones pinch hit for Carpenter to start the bottom of the seventh and struck out swinging to begin. McKinstry walked but Torkelson struck out swinging. Wencel Perez pinch hit for Jung and hit a liner....caught by Rafaela to end the inning.

                                                            Great catch by Rafaela

Kyle Finnegan came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Yoshida flied out to right to start. Rafaela walked and promptly stole second. Mayer walked but Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and McGonigle lined out to right to begin. Vierling and Keith both walked but Greens struck out swinging. Dingler also struck out swinging to end the inning.

Burch Smith came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Durbin grounded out to third to begin. Duran walked but Contreras struck out swinging. Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Jones grounded out to short to start. McKinstry popped up to third and Torkelson flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-0.

                                                      Sox win

Hero of the Night is Sonny Gray. He came off the Injured List and pitched 5 shutout innings to keep the Sox ahead all game.

                                                                  Hero Gray

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela walked twice, scored a run, stole a base and made a great catch.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tyler Samaniego tossed two scoreless innings.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 astrikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked twice and stole a base.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but made a game saving diving catch. 

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 but walked, got hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and stole a base.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but the Red Sox are starting to play better. They've won 6 of the 10 games they've played since axing Alex Cora and are really another big bat away from being serious contenders. Whether that's a returning Triston Casas or a trade deadline move, the Sox need a slugger in the worst way. Sonny Gray returning helped big time and once he's off a pitch count restriction, hopefully he can bolster the reeling rotation. As bad as the Sox started, they still have 5 months to make a comeback but they need to have long win streaks. Can't do that without good starting pitching. Hopefully the kids and Brayan Bello can keep momentum going until Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suarez return. The win improved the Sox to 16-21, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a four game set with their AL East rival Tampa Bay Rays. Tomorrow night Jake Bennett (1-0, 1.80) ERA takes on Griffin Jax of Tampa Bay. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yesavage, Jays Blank Sox (4/28/26)

The good news was the Boston Bruins won Game 5 of their first round NHL playoff series but not only did the Boston Celtics lose Game 5 of their first round NBA playoff series, but the Boston Red Sox were once again shut out. Toronto Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage held the Sox to just 4 measly hits in 5 1/3 innings. Not only did the Sox offense shoot blanks again, new manager Chad Tracy managed just like Alex Cora. In the bottom of the fifth, Peyton Tolle (0-1, 3.38 ERA) was trailing 2-0 with 2 men on at just 68 pitches. Tracy yanked Tolle for Zack Kelly and Vladimir Guerrero Jr knocked home a run to essentially ice the game. The Sox got zero hits against the Toronto bullpen and the Jays ended the Sox 3 game win streak with a 3-0 win at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score John Cena?

Yesavage got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Willson Contreras doubled to left and moved to third on the Roman Anthony grounder to second, but Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Myles Straw's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Contreras. Ernie Clement walked but Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to right. Kazuma Okamoto popped up to third to end the inning.

Trevor Story caught Yesavage asleep with a bunt single to start the top of the second but Masataka Yoshida flied out to left. Carlos Narvaez hit one up the elevator shaft but Marcelo Mayer got a base hit to right to move Story to third. Caleb Durbin flied out to right to end the inning. Daulton Varsho struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Eloy Jimenez lined out to center. Davis Schneider walked and Tyler Heineman struck out swinging to end the inning.

Duran lined out to right to start the top of the third and Contreras grounded out to short. Anthony flied out to left to end the inning. The Jays put the game away in the bottom of the third as Andres Gimenez singled to center to start. Straw struck out swinging and Clement popped up to second, but Guerrero Jr doubled to left. Okamoto got a base hit to left to score both runners but was thrown out at second to end the inning with the game already over 2-0.

                                                       Okamoto gives the Jays the lead

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Story took strike three but Yoshida got a base hit to right. Narvaez flied out to right to end the inning. Varsho struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Jimenez grounded out to short. Schneider flied out to center to end the inning.

Straw made a great sliding catch to rob Mayer of extra bases to start the top of the fifth and Durbin popped up to short. Duran lined out to center to end the inning. The Jays iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Heineman popped up to third to start. Gimenez grounded back to the mound but both Straw and Clement worked back to back walks. Shades of Alex Cora, Sox manager Chad Tracy yanked Tolle after just 68 pitches because he was terrified of him facing Guerrero. Tolle would be charged with 3 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Naturally Zack Kelly came in and Guerrero got a base hit to center to score Straw to ice the game. Okamoto grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 3-0.

                                                               Tolle deserved better

Contreras struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Yesavage....tossing 5 1/3 shutout innings. Mason Fluharty got Anthony to ground out to first but Abreu walked. Story flied out to center to end the inning. Varsho struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Jimenez also went down hacking. Schneider walked to chase Kelly, bringing Tyler Samaniego into the game. Heineman forced Schneider at second to end the inning.

Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Yoshida took strike three right down the middle to start. Narvaez struck out swinging and Mayer grounded out to first to end the inning. Gimenez popped up to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Straw got a base hit to center. That was it for Samaniego and Ryan Watson was summoned. Clement lined out to center but Guerrero Jr was hit with a pitch. Okamoto struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin lined out to first to start. Duran took strike three and Contreras grounded out to second to end the inning. Varsho got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth and Jesus Sanchez pinch hit for Jimenez. Sanchez popped up to third and Schneider grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Louis Varland came in to close out the top of the ninth and Anthony struck out swinging to start. Abreu went down hacking and Story swung at air to end the game. The Jays had won it 3-0.

                                                            Jays win

Jackass of The Night is a tough one but we'll go with Caleb Durbin. He was 0 for 3 including leaving 2 men on in the Sox best chance of the night.

                                                              Jackass Durbin

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Ryan Watson tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Peyton Tolle took the loss allowing 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 3 hits and 4 walks.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Zack Kelly allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

Meet the new Sox, same as the old Sox. Sox brass has been insisting that Alex Cora and the ex-coaches were the problem as the Sox were unprepared and lifeless under him. Well they are just as unprepared and lifeless without him as showcased tonight. In a battle of 2024 draft picks, Yesavage dominated the Sox while Tolle looked mortal against the Jays. It might be time to start axing some of the players since its primarily their fault they look like garbage night in and night out. You can only blame the general manager and the manager for so much, but at the end of the day its up to the players to lay off bad pitches or put on competitive at-bats. Jarren Duran is hitting .172, Trevor Story is hitting .193, Roman Anthony is hitting .209 and Caleb Durbin is hitting .168. There's your problem right there. Durbin is only in his second year and he's adjusting to a new franchise, Anthony is also in his second year and will be given every opportunity to bust out of it, but the other two are supposed to be your team leaders. We've seen Duran and Story hit a lot better than this so if they continue to suck, it might be time to look for trading partners. Story's contract is up after next year and Duran's up after this year. There's still time to turn it around but those three can't continue to drag the team down night after night. The silver lining is the bullpen held the Jays scoreless with Tyler Samaniego's 7th consecutive scoreless appearance. Marcelo Mayer seems to be responding to Chad Tracy, hopefully Anthony will pick it up soon as well. The Sox play their final game in April tomorrow afternoon against the Jays with Brayan Bello (1-3, 9.00 ERA) looking to improve on his last outing against  Eric Lauer of Toronto. The game begins at 3:05 PM at the Skydome.

Suarez, Sox Blank Blue Jays (4/27/26)

Things are looking up for the Boston Red Sox already. The Chad Tracy era is now 2-0 thanks mostly to Ranger Suarez (2-2, 3.09 ERA) pitching the game of his life against the Toronto Blue Jays. Suarez was almost literally unhittable, tossing 8 shutout innings allowing only 1 hit. Meanwhile the Sox finally look like a competent hitting team by getting to Dylan Cease for 4 runs before knocking him out in the sixth inning. Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony, Wilyer Abreu and Caleb Durbin all hit two out rbis. Carlos Narvaez provided the exclamation point with a home run and Greg Weissert slammed the door in the ninth. The Sox had won their third straight game by beating the Jays 5-0 at the Skydome.

                                                            Allegra Cole approves the win

Cease got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran lined out to center to start. Willson Contreras grounded out to short and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Myles Straw struck out swinging to start. Ernie Clement popped up to second and Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wilyer Abreu popped up to short to start the top of the second and Trevor Story struck out swinging. Marcelo Mayer got a base hit in the hole at second but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Kazuma Okamoto flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and Lenyn Sosa flied out to right. Elroy Jimenez took strike three to end the inning.

Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Caleb Durbin grounded out to first. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Jesus Sanchez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Davis Schneider walked. Old friend Tyler Heineman grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Contreras got a base hit to right to start. Anthony lined out to left but Abreu walked. Story hit one up the elevator shaft but Mayer got a base hit to center to score Contreras. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Mayer drives in a run

Straw lined out to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Clement did the same. Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth although Narvaez grounded out to second to start. Durbin walked but Duran forced him at second. Contreras was plunked and Anthony hit a ground ball to first but Cease fell down so Guerrero couldn't make the play. Duran scored and Contreras took third, then Willson scored on the double to right by Abreu. Story flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                              Abreu drives in a run

Okamoto grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Sosa flied out to right. Jimenez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mayer walked to start the top of the sixth and Rafaela got a base hit to left. Narvaez grounded into a double play but Durbin blooped a base hit to left to score Mayer and chase Cease from the game. Joe Manitply came in to face Duran and Jarren lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                                Durbin drives in a run

Naturally Sanchez doubled to left to break up the no-hitter to start the bottom of the sixth. Schneider and Heineman both struck out swinging, then Straw flied out to right to end the inning.

Contreras struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Anthony went down hacking as well. Abreu got a base hit in the hole at second to chase Mantiply and Chase Lee came in to face Story. Trevor flied out to right to end the inning. Clement hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh and Guerrero Jr popped up to first. Okamoto flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the eighth as Mayer grounded out to first to start. Rafaela struck out swinging but Narvaez crushed his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Durbin popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                       Narvaez goes yard

Suarez returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Sosa struck out swinging to start. Jimenez popped up to third and Sanchez took strike three to end the inning. Suarez went God mode, facing just 1 batter over the minimum allowing 1 hit and a walk while striking out 10 in 8 innings.

                                                  "Hey Breslow, that was for Cora!" - Suarez

Tommy Nance came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran grounded out to second to start. Contreras popped up to third but Anthony walked. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Yohendrick Pinango pinch hit for Schneider. Pinango flied out to center and Heineman grounded out to short. Daulton Varsho pinch hit for Straw and doubled to center, but Clement popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-0.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ranger Suarez. He tossed 8 shutout innings allowing just 1 hit and a walk while striking out 10.

                                                          Hero Suarez

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored 2 runs.

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

We're two games into the Chad Tracy era and already things are looking up. Four of the five runs the Sox drove in were with 2 outs which is a HUGE improvement over the first month of the season. Obviously its way too early to judge after two games but if the Sox end up going on a run and get back in the pennant race, it'll beg the question of if Alex Cora and his staff had phoned it in. They looked like they couldn't hit a beach ball against most teams they faced and now they're getting clutch, two out hits and from guys that struggled. Marcelo Mayer has picked it up lately and Durbin may not be hitting home runs against non position players but at least he doesn't look completely lost. The only one still in a rut is Trevor Story and ownership didn't take kindly to him taking the day off in protest. There was a story today that the Sox front office consider Story "past his prime". If this is another player vs front office saga like last year, we know how this ends. One thing to point out is ownership also put another hit piece out questioning Cora and his now fired staff since other teams took Rob Refsnyder, Kyle Harrison, James Tibbs and David Hamilton and made something out of them. Even Vaughn Grissom is having a resurgence in Los Angeles although its just 25 at-bats. The bottom line is we're going to find out one way or another who the problem was, but one thing is for sure, Suarez was outstanding tonight. So far he's either been batting practice or Cy Young, no in-between....kind of like the left handed Venezuelan version of Clay Buchholz. Between the clutch hits and an outstanding pitching performance, things are looking up. The Sox look to make it four wins in a row and two straight against the Blue Jays tomorrow night when Peyton Tolle (0-0, 1.50 ERA) takes on Trey Yesavage of Toronto. The game begins at 7:07 PM at the Skydome.

Sox Win First Game Under Tracy (4/26/26)

The bad news was the Boston Bruins lost Game 4 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Buffalo Sabres but the good news is the Boston Celtics won Game 4 of their first round NBA playoff series over the Philadelphia Sixers. On top of that, the Boston Red Sox began the Chad Tracy era 1-0 after their victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Connelly Early (2-1, 2.84 ERA) continued his strong sophomore campaign by holding the Orioles to just 2 runs in 6 2/3 gutty innings. Offensively the Sox woke up with four stolen bases and got some clutch hits for once. Andruw Monasterio knocked in Caleb Durbin and Willson Contreras belted a two run home run to put the Sox on top. In the top of the sixth, a Ceddanne Rafaela triple and Marcelo Mayer base hit made it 5-1. The Orioles did get runs against Early and Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock, but Aroldis Chapman locked it down in the ninth. Chad Tracy got his first win and the Sox had beaten the Orioles 5-3 at Camden Yards.

                                                   Payton Pritchard approves of the win

Kyle Bradish got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to first to start. Willson Contreras grounded out to second but Roman Anthony walked. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. Early got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Taylor Ward flied out to left to start. Gunnar Henderson grounded out to first but Adley Rutschman singled to center. Pete Alonso flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox ran into outs again in the top of the second as Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to left to start. Marcelo Mayer flied out to right and Rafaela was thrown out at third. Caleb Durbin grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Tyler O'Neill flied out to left to start the bottom of the second but Samuel Basallo got a base hit to left. Jeremiah Jackson grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Connor Wong walked to start the top of the third and Andruw Monasterio popped up to second. Duran forced Wong at second and promptly stole second. Duran took third on a wild pitch and Contreras drew a walk. Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Dylan Beavers popped up to first to start the bottom of the third and Blaze Alexander lined out to third. Ward walked but Henderson took strike three to end the inning.

Abreu walked to start the top of the fourth but was promptly picked off. Rafaela struck out swinging and Mayer grounded out to second to end the inning. Rutschman grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth and Alonso grounded out to short. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox finally struck in the top of the fifth as Durbin singled in the hole at short to start. Durbin swiped second but Wong grounded out to short. Monasterio drilled a base hit to center to score Durbin but Duran forced him at second. Contreras blasted his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead but Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Sox go on top

Early gave a run right back immediately in the bottom of the fifth as Basallo hit a home run all the way to Cuba to start. Jackson struck out swinging, Beavers flied out to center and Alexander flied out to right to end the inning with the O's down 3-1.

                                                            Basallo goes yard

The Sox iced the game in the top of the sixth with Grant Wolfram now on the mound. Abreu got a base hit to left and Rafaela tripled into the centerfield gap. Mayer hit a seeing eye single into left to score Rafaela and chase Wolfram. Yennier Cano came in to pitch and Mayer promptly stole second. Jackson booted a grounder by Durbin for an error to put Mayer at third and Durbin swiped second. The old Sox returned as Wong grounded out to short, Monasterio hit a ball to Cano who tagged out Mayer and Monasterio was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                            Big triple for Rafaela

Ward flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Henderson hit a home run all the way to Vulcan to cut the lead. Rutschman flied out to right and Alonso grounded out to third to end the inning with the O's down 5-2.

                                                        Henderson jacks one

Anthony Nunez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran walked to start. Contreras took strike three but Duran took second on a balk. Jarren took third on a grounder to short by Anthony but Abreu hit a bullet to Jackson to end the inning. O'Neill struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Basallo grounded out to second. That was it for Early after 6 2/3 gutty innings holding the O's to just 2 runs. Zack Kelly came in and Jackson popped up to second to end the inning.

                                                      Early gets the job done

Rico Garcia came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Rafaela lined out to left to start. Mayer grounded out to first and Durbin took strike three to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning and Beavers took strike three to start. Colton Cowser pinch hit for Alexander and singled in the hole at second before moving to second on the grounder to the mound by Ward. Henderson got a base hit to left to score Cowser to cut the lead but Rutschman flied out to center to end the inning with the O's down 5-3.

                                                            Henderson does it again

Colby Mayo took over for Cowser with Andrew Kittredge now on the mound. Wong grounded out to short and Monasterio popped up to short. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Alonso flied out to left to start. O'Neill went down hacking and Chapman punched out Basallo swinging to end the game. The Sox had won Chad Tracy's first game 5-3.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of The Night is Connelly Early. He held the O's to just 2 runs in 6 2/3 strong innings allowing 4 hits and a walk.

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Zack Kelly got the final out of the seventh inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 5th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, stole a base and scored a run.

Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and drove in a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole 2 bases and scored a run.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 but walked.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Good for Tracy and the Sox to get off on the right foot. They still have problems on the bases and with clutch hitting but that was better than before. The clutch hits by Mayer and Monasterio and the home run by Contreras were big. Early once again had a great outing and he's literally simply run support away from being 5-1 this year. Also kudos to Tracy for bringing in Kelly in the seventh instead of Greg Weissert. Give Greg a rest because he's been used way too much by Alex Cora. Speaking of which, it was announced that Trevor Story basically took today off to protest the firing since he was a big Cora guy. If he's going to pull that, he better come out tomorrow hitting everything in sight. Nobody is expecting Chad Tracy to pull Morgan Magic, we as fans just want the team to be WATCHABLE. Today was a step in the right direction but can they keep momentum going? The Sox now travel to Toronto for a three game set with the Blue Jays beginning tomorrow night. Ranger Suarez (1-2, 4.00 ERA) gets the start for the Sox against Dylan Cease for Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Red Sox Fire Alex Cora & Coaching Staff (4/25/26)

Just a few hours after the Boston Red Sox smacked the Baltimore Orioles around, the Red Sox front office fired manager Alex Cora, hitting coach Pete Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin. Game planning and run preventing coach Jason Varitek was also "re-assigned" meaning he either takes a job coaching the minors or he's leaving.

                                                                      OUT

So who survived? Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey, 1st base coach Jose Flores and bullpen coach Chris Holt. Who are the new coaches? Worcester Red Sox manager Chad Tracy has been named Interim manager, Worcester Red Sox hitting coach Collin Hetzler will be the new Boston hitting coach. Portland Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson will be the third base coach and minor league hitting coordinator John Soteropulos is the new assistant hitting coach. A new bench coach hasn't been established yet and who replaces Varitek is also to be determined.

                                                                      IN

So why the major shakeup? It was beyond time. When John Farrell was named manager of the 2013 team, it was the right move to make. It was a veteran team and he knew some of the pitchers as pitching coach of the Red Sox. They were one of the best pitching teams from 2013 to 2017 (especially in 2017) and won it all in 2013. By 2017, the younger players like Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr and Christian Vazquez weren't playing to their full potential so ownership fired Farrell. When Alex Cora took over that team for 2018, he was the right man for the job. He got through to the kids and the 2018 season speaks for itself. But just 4 years later the magic wore off as it was a completely new team and the cracks in the foundation became gaping wide holes.

His managerial decisions such as relying too much on analytics, benching players against matchups, yanking starters too early and stubbornly putting relievers in a position to fail started to be called into question. Every single season after 2021 they came out flat as a pancake and were around .500 by the end of May and that's on him for not having the team ready out of spring training. This season they were terrible fielding wise and one of the worst hitting teams in the league. They were getting utterly dominated by the most mediocre of pitchers and it was clear what they were doing wasn't working. Was it the right move to make to fire Cora and almost his entire staff? We'll know in a few months.

So who's coming in? Chad Tracy has been the manager of the Worcester Red Sox the last five years and it does sound cheap on paper to promote from the minors, but it might be a blessing in disguise. He was the one managing Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, Peyton Tolle, Connelly Early and Kristian Campbell so maybe he can get through to them since it was clear that Alex Cora wasn't. Chad Epperson was also going into his fifth year as manager of the Portland Sea Dogs so having him at third base if and when Franklin Arias or some of the other Sea Dogs finally get here, he'll be familiar with them. Having two coaches with field managing experience is also an upgrade over Ramon Vazquez and Jason Varitek who previously had none. Fans are wondering why Andrew Bailey didn't get the axe too, but that's easily explained. Bailey had no control over roster construction and guess who won a ring with Craig Breslow in 2013?

                                                    Gee, wonder why Bailey wasn't fired

The bottom line was the situation was reaching a boiling point and something had to be done. The roster isn't still what it should be, but also keep in mind 6th man Romy Gonzalez and starting first baseman Triston Casas are still out along with Johan Oviedo, Justin Slaten, Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford. The Sox might get some of them back and start to play better. One thing is for sure, at least it shows ownership hasn't COMPLETELY given up if they at least try to make a change. Whether the Sox can turn it around is up to them now.