Yankees Drop Sox Late (6/7/26)

Bad teams find a way to lose and that was the case for the Boston Red Sox today. Ranger Suarez went mano e mano with New York Yankees ace Cam Schlittler. Paul Goldschmidt got an rbi base hit in the bottom of the fifth but the Sox knocked Schlittler out on a Ceddanne Rafaela rbi double. Then in the bottom of the eighth inning, Justin Slaten imploded. After blowing away the first two batters, Cody Bellinger took him deep and Slaten became unglued, allowing another run. Then Chad Tracy brought in Joe La Sorsa who allowed a three run bomb to Jazz Chisholm Jr. David Bednar slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox dropped to nine games under .500 with a 6-1 defeat at Yankee Stadium.

Schlittler got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran popped up to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela dumped a base hit to right but Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging. Willson Contreras popped up to short to end the inning. Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Paul Goldschmidt popped up to first on the first pitch. Ben Rice took strike three and Cody Bellinger popped up to a running Duran to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Mickey Gasper popped up to left. Caleb Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning. Amed Rosario lined out to short to start the bottom of the second and Trent Grisham popped up to third. Anthony Volpe flied out to center to end the inning.

Anthony Seigler walked to start the top of the third but Marcelo Mayer popped up to short. Duran grounded out to first to move Seigler to second but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Jose Caballero popped up to second. Ali Sanchez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Abreu popped up to left to start the top of the fourth and Contreras popped up to center. Yoshida lined out to left to end the inning. Goldschmidt hit a broken bat bloop singled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Rice flied out to left. Bellinger blooped a base hit to left but Rosario hit a liner to Mayer. Grisham drilled a base hit to center to load the bases and Andrew Bailey sprinted to the mound to tell Suarez that NCIS was on in the clubhouse. Suarez was so excited he got Volpe to fly out to center to end the inning.

Gasper took strike three to start the top of the fifth and Durbin grounded out to short. Seigler drilled a double into the left field corner but Mayer grounded out weakly to second to end the inning. That's 1 earned run allowed in 21 innings for Schlittler against the Red Sox going back to last October. Chisholm Jr struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Caballero doubled into the left field corner. Sanchez struck out swinging but Goldschmidt blooped a base hit to right to score Jose, putting the Yankees up. Rice popped up to left to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                           Yankees strike first

Duran grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth but Rafaela ripped a base hit to left. Abreu flied out to left but Contreras somehow doubled off the left field fence to score Rafaela. Suddenly Aaron Boone yanked Schlittler after just 92 pitches and had Fernando Cruz to pitch to Yoshida. Masataka popped up to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                              Contreras ties it up

Bellinger struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Rosario lined out to a running Duran. Grisham doubled to the centerfield fence but Volpe popped up to first to end the inning.

Gasper hit a seeing eye single into right to start the top of the seventh but Durbin popped up to left. Brent Headrick came in to face Seigler but Sox manager Chad Tracy countered by bringing in Andruw Monasterio to pinch hit. Monasterio hit a little roller to second and beat it out with a head first slide. Isiah Kiner-Falefa pinch hit for Mayer and naturally grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Chisholm Jr struck out swinging to open the bottom of the seventh but Mr. Analytics Chad Tracy pulled Suarez after 90 pitches. Suarez allowed 6 hits and no walks in 6 1/3 innings. Tyron Guerrero came in to face Caballero and Jose was retired on a chopper in front of the plate. Spencer Jones pinch hit for Sanchez and struck out swinging on a 103 mph fastball to end the inning.

                                                        Suarez shut the Yankees down

Tim Hill came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Duran flied out to left to start. Rafaela lined out to right and Abreu grounded out to third to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Goldschmidt struck out swinging to start. Rice also went down hacking but naturally Bellinger hit a home run all the way to Cuba to put the Yankees up for good. Rosario got a base hit to right off the rattled Slaten then promptly stole second. Naturally Grisham drilled a base hit to right to score Rosario for the insurance run. Grisham stole second and Volpe walked on four pitches not even close. One bad pitch to Bellinger and he went right in the tank. Joe La Sorsa made his Sox debut....by allowing a three run bomb to Chisholm as Yankee fans laughed at the Red Sox. Caballero took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 6-1.

                                                           Yankees take the lead

Ryan McMahon took over at third with David Bednar in to pitch the top of the ninth. Contreras struck out swinging, Yoshida grounded out to short and Gasper lined out to left to end the game. The Yankees had won the game 6-1.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Slaten. He was charged with 4 runs in the eighth inning

                                                            Jackass Slaten

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Anthony Siegler was 1 for 1 with a walk

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 1 at the plate.

Ranger Suarez allowed 1 run in 6 1/3 innings off 6 hits while striking out 6.

Tyson Guerrero got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chad Durbin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2

Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded into a double play in his only at-bat.

Joe La Sorsa allowed a 3 run home run in the bottom of the eighth

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Mickey Gasper was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Bad teams find a way to lose and the Sox did. Chad Tracy is another analytics puppet just like Alex Cora was. More proof that Craig Breslow is calling the shots from the front office....and failing miserably. Pinch hitting Isiah Kiner because of analytics, bringing in career 5.00 ERA Joe La Sorsa to face a lefty. Taking Suarez out after 90 pitches. Its all Breslow and its all bad. Rumors are that Connor Wong and Aroldis Chapman are on the trade block but does anybody trust Breslow at this point. After Theo Epstein saying he wasn't impressed, the Sox not improving at all after Alex Cora got fired and their inability to win at home, its only a matter of time before someone else is gone. Either the players, Breslow or both. The Yankees got one big hit from Bellinger and that's all they needed to put the Sox in the tank. Bad teams don't let that happen. Now the Sox travel to Tampa Bay to get bitchslapped by the Rays. Connelly Early (5-3, 3.26 ERA) goes for the Sox against Captain TBD of Tampa Bay. The game begins tomorrow night at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Rainout News (6/6/26)

Tonight's game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox has been postponed due to rain and will now be apart of an August 29th day/night doubleheader.

In terms of roster moves, Jovani Moran was placed on the 15 day Injured List with left elbow inflammation and Alec Gamboa has been called up to replace him. Patrick Sandoval is just about ready for his debut so this is just rearranging the Titanic deck chairs.

                                                                     OUT

                                                                    IN

In other news, Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock was sent to Worcester for some rehab work. He reportedly slipped on the mound during that rainy game and his knee buckled. It sounds like he's going to be okay.

                                                                   Coming back soon

Lastly, Jeremy Wu-Yelland begins his rehab with the Florida Complex Sox. He had a pretty good season for Portland last season and this might be his last chance to show something. He was drafted six years ago and its been one injury after another.

                                                            About to make his season debut

The Sox return to action tomorrow afternoon when Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.38 ERA) takes the mound against Walpole's own Cam Schittler of the New York Yankees. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Gray, Sox Shut Down Yankees (6/5/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Yesterday the Sox sent a brown sack full of money to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 28 year old journeyman relief pitcher Jose La Sorsa with a career record of 1-1 with a 5.21 ERA. With all the bullpen depth the Sox already have, this seems like a head scratcher. The Sox mercifully optioned Brayan Bello to Worcester in hopes they can fix his mental issue of getting past the first inning. On top of that, Patrick Sandoval has been sent to Worcester for rehab work so his debut might be coming. Garrett Crochet was transferred to the 60 Day Injured List but don't let the days fool you, its retroactive to him being placed on it at the end of April. He might be ready in 3 weeks. To make room for Bello, the Sox immediately activated La Sorsa. The Sox still have 5 games remaining until their next off-day so either they're going to go with an opener or bring up Jake Bennett.

                                                                               OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox may request to move their remaining home games on the road or in the immortal words of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay, "we'd like to have a neutral site." The Sox once again played better on the road as they came to New York to knock off the second place Yankees. Sonny Gray (7-1, 3.20 ERA) didn't have his sharpest outing but still held the Aaron Judge-less Yankees to just 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings. The Sox bats woke up against Yankees starter Ryan Weathers as the Sox turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead when Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras drove in runs in the third inning. Andrew Monasterio and Contreras both hit home runs as the Sox survived an rbi double from Spencer Jones and a Trent Grisham home run to put the game in the hands of the bullpen. The trio of Danny Coulombe, Justin "Incinerator" Slaten, and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on the Yankees as the Sox took this one 5-3 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                         Jade approves of the win

Weathers got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Gray in the bottom of the first as Trent Grisham grounded out to second to start. Ben Rice hit a home run all the way into the Long Island Sound to put the Yankees on top. Paul Goldschmidt flied out to center and Cody Bellinger grounded out to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                             Yankees strike first

Willson Contreras led off the top of the second with a liner to center but Caleb Durbin singled to right. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to short to move Caleb to second, and Durbin moved to third on a wild pitch. Andruw Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning. Jazz Chisholm Jr lined out to second to start the bottom of the second but Spencer Jones got a base hit to center. Anthony Volpe got a base hit to right but Ryan McMahon flied out to left. Austin Wells also flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Mickey Gasper struck out swinging to start. Connor Wong got a base hit to left and Duran got a base hit off the glove of Goldschmidt to move Connor to third. Duran stole second and Rafaela walked to load the bases. Abreu grounded out to short to score Wong and Contreras beat out a roller to the mound to score Duran. Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                     Another rbi for Contreras

Trent Grisham grounded out to second to open the bottom of the third but Rice walked. Goldschmidt grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fourth although Kiner struck out swinging. Monasterio blasted his second home run of the season but Gasper grounded out to short. Wong took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                          Home run Monasterio

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Bellinger walked to start. Chisholm forced Bellinger at second then promptly stole second. Jones doubled to right to score Jazz but Volpe hit a liner to Monasterio, doubling off Jones to end the inning with the Yankees down 3-2.

                                                         Jones drives in a run

The Sox got some big insurance in the top of the fifth although Duran struck out swinging to start. Rafaela lined out to left but Abreu got a base hit to right. Contreras then launched his 13th home run of the season into the upper deck to silence Yankee Stadium. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                             Sox go up by 3

The Yankees answered in the bottom of the fifth as McMahon lined out to center to start. Wells flied out to right but Grisham hit a home run all the way to Niagara Falls to cut the lead. Rice got a base hit to right but Goldschmidt grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees down 5-3.

                                                           Yankees still in this one

Kiner popped up to short to start the top of the sixth and Monasterio did the same. Gasper flied out to left to end the inning. Bellinger struck out swinging to open the bottom of the sixth and Chisholm did the same. Jones got a base hit to right but Volpe lined out to center to end the inning.

Paul Blackburn came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong grounded out to third to start. Duran grounded out to second and Rafaela lined out to left to end the inning. McMahon got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Wells struck out swinging. Despite being at just 79 pitches, Sox manager Chad Tracy went to the analytics to take him out with "dangerous" hitters coming up. Gray allowed 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings and Danny Coulombe came in to pitch. Grisham flied out to center but Contreras and Monasterio collided on a pop up from Rice to give him new life. Rice struck out swinging anyway to end the inning.

                                                          Gray was solid in this one

Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth and Contreras did the same. Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Goldschmidt grounded out to second to start. Bellinger grounded out to second as well and Chisholm flied out to left to end the inning.

Camilo Doval came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Kiner grounded out to third to start. Marcelo Mayer pinch hit for Monasterio and struck out swinging on a pitch 8 feet over his head. Gasper took strike three right down the middle to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Max Schuemann pinch hit for Jones. Schuemann walked but Volpe took three straight pitches down the middle for strike three. Amed Rosario pinch hit for McMahon and walked to cause Yankee fans to start glad handing each other saying "its in the bag". Yankee fans thought a three run walkoff pinch hit home run for Jose Caballero was coming...only for him to fly out to right. Shockingly, Grisham grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. He drove in 3 runs by himself to match the Yankees entire output including the big two run home run.

                                                            Hero Contreras

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Sonny Gray got the win by tossing 6 1/3 innings of 3 run ball allowing 8 hits and 3 walks.

Danny Coulombe got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 13th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Marcelo Mayer struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mickey Gasper was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Rumors are swirling that other teams are "interested" in the Sox' trio of relivers Garrett Whitlock, Slaten and Chapman but so far Craig Breslow says he's not looking to deal. The bottom line is all the Sox need to do is fix Brayan Bello and the offense. In April and most of May this game would have been a 3-2 Yankee win but by getting rid of the automatic outs, this game turned into a 5-3 win. How many games in April and May were decided by a lack of a big hit with men on base or a lack of a home run here and there? Not to mention the Sox really need to figure out how to win at home because they look like world beaters on the road. Sonny Gray has been worth trading Hunter Dobbins for and the bullpen locked down yet another win. Duran and Durbin got hits again and even though they didn't have a great game, that production wasn't there for two months. The Sox have injury woes, an inability to win at home and an inconsistent offense...otherwise they're in great shape. The win improved the Sox to 27-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.38) takes on Adam Warren of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:35 at Yankee Stadium.

O's Crush Bello, Sox (6/4/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Former MLB relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle was called up from Worcester to avoid his June opt-out date. Kahnle last pitched in Detroit last year going 1-5 with a 4.43 ERA. Bringing him up seems like a good move, unfortunately they sent down Tyler Samaniego to Worcester for the corresponding move. Ryan Watson, Jovani Moran and Greg Weissert don't have the best ERAs but its Tyler that goes down? The bullpen hasn't been the problem this year so its unlikely Kahnle pitches bad. If he does, there will be other options.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, the Fenway Park "curse" struck again as someone decided it would be a good idea for Brayan Bello (2-6, 6.34 ERA) to start a game knowing he can't do it anymore. As expected, Bello got rocked in the first inning by the Baltimore Orioles. He allowed SIX runs in 2/3 of an inning to put the game out of reach before the Sox could even come to bat. When they did, the worst starter in the American League, Taylor Rogers, shut them down for nearly 6 innings holding them to 5 hits and a run. The Sox as a whole didn't have a hit until one out in the fifth. The Sox as a team had 7 hits compared to Baltimore's 10, but this one wasn't even close as Bello and the Sox fell to 9 games under .500 and 10-21 at Fenway with a 8-2 thrashing at Fenway Park.

                                                              Bello......

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and naturally Taylor Ward doubled to right to start. Gunnar Henderson was hit with a pitch and Adley Rutschman got a base hit to center to score Ward just like that. Pete Alonso grounded into a double play but Samuel Basallo walked as the boo's began. Leody Taveras got a base hit to right to score Henderson and the boo's got even louder. Taveras stole second and Colton Cowser walked to re-load the bases. Naturally Mayo cleared the bases with a double to left as the Fenway crowd erupted in disdain. Jackson Holliday walked and Ward got a base hit to center to score Mayo. Contreras then booted a grounder by Henderson for an error to load the bases but Narvaez challenged a ball four call and sure enough, Rutschman was rung up to end the inning. The damage was done as the game was over 6-0.

                                                             The scoreboard says it all

Rogers got the ball in the bottom of the first and the Sox didn't even try. Jarren Duran lined out to right, Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu lined out to right to end the inning.

Naturally Belo struck out Alonso swinging to start the top of the second. Basallo lined out to second and Tavares flied out to a sliding Abreu to end the inning with 9 pitches total thrown. Willson Contreras struck out looking to start the bottom of the second and Isiah Kiner-Falefa popped up to first. Andruw Monasterio popped up to short to end the inning.

Cowser struck out swinging to open the top of the third and Mayo grounded out to short. Holliday flied out to left to end the inning. More bad luck occurred in the bottom of the third when Mayo made a great diving catch to rob Caleb Durbin of a hit to start. Carlos Narvaez flied out to right and Connor Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ward grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth and Henderson flied out to center. Rutschman grounded out to first to end the inning. Duran grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela struck out swinging. Abreu walked but Contreras popped up to second to end the inning.

The O's finished off Bello in the top of the fifth as Alonso got a base hit to left and Basallo doubled to right to score him. Taveras grounded out to short to move Basallo to third and he scored on the sac fly to right by Cowser. Mayo struck out swinging to end the inning with the score now 8-0. Bello might be finished as he got rocked for 8 runs in just 5 innings including six in the first inning alone.

                                                            Another stinker from Bello

Kiner lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Monasterio broke up the no hitter with a double to right. Durbin beat out a roller to short but Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Jovai Moran came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Holliday lined out to center to start. Ward got a base hit to center but Henderson popped up to third. Rutschman forced Ward at second to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through too little too late in the bottom of the sixth. Wong grounded out to third to start and Duran grounded out to short. Rafaela got a base hit in the hole at short and Abreu got a base hit to right to move Ceddanne to third. Contreras got a base hit to left to score Rafaela and chase Rogers. Only getting 1 run off him is embarrassing. Yennier Cano came in to get Kiner to force Contreras at second to end the inning with the Sox down 8-1.

                                                      Sox get on the board

Alonso walked to start the top of the seventh and Basallo struck out swinging. Taveras and Cowser both struck out swinging to end the inning. Tyler Wells came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Anthony Seigler pinch hit for Monasterio to make his Sox debut. Seigler lined out to left, Durbin flied out to center and Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tommy Kahnle made his Red Sox debut in the top of the eighth and Mayo struck out swinging to start. Holliday walked but Ward lined out to right. Henderson walked but Rutschman lined out to right to end the inning. Keegan Akin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong got a base hit to left to start. Duran struck out swinging and Rafaela forced Wong at second. Abreu flied out to right to end the inning.

Alonso got a base hit to left to start the top of the ninth but Rafaela made a great jumping catch to rob Basallo of extra bases. Taveras popped up to third but Cowser dumped a base hit to right. Alonso was thrown out at third on the throw from Abreu to end the inning.

                                                              Good debut for Kahnle

Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth but Contreras blasted his 12th home run of the season to cut the lead. Kiner grounded out to first, Seigler struck out swinging and Durbin lined out to center to end the game. The O's had won it 8-2.

                                                                   O's win

Jackass of The Night is Brayan Bello. He got clobbered for 8 runs in 5 innings to put the game out of reach early.

                                                          Bello Jackass

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total rbis.

Andrew Monasterio was 1 for 2.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Jovani Moran tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Tommy Kahnle tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 4.

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Something needs to be done about Bello because this is ridiculous. He's got mental issues that need to be dealt with by a trained professional because he can't pitch the first inning. The Sox were rolling with an opener but the problem was the opener would get rocked in the first inning, so they scrapped it. Nothing they're trying is working with Bello and if and when Garrett Crochet comes back, he's the clear odd man out. That's only half the problem. Taylor Rogers came into the game with an ERA nearly 6.50 and he held the Sox to just 5 hits and a run, 3 of them coming in the sixth inning and not a single one until the fifth. That's totally unacceptable to get shut down by someone like that. Still, the players themselves probably gave up mentally after Bello urinated down his leg AGAIN. The Sox are now 10-21 at home and are getting booed out of their own building. Craig Breslow's days might be numbered because the media and fans can't use former manager Alex Cora as a boogeyman anymore. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to New York for a three game set with the Yankees. The fact Sox fans are looking forward to away games because they suck at home is a sad state of affairs. Tomorrow night Sonny Gray (6-1, 3.06 ERA) takes on Ryan Weathers of New York. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Tolle, Sox Rout Orioles (6/3/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Nick Sogard joined the laundry list of injured players that are probably never coming back when he was placed on the injured list with a strained oblique. After all, an oblique injury knocked Roman Anthony out a whole month last September. In his place the Sox are calling up utility infielder Anthony Siegler, who they got in the Caleb Durbin trade. Siegler played 34 games with the Milwaukee Brewers last year and hit a whopping .194 with no home runs. Still, if you want to justify the Kyle Harrison trade, you have to at least play the guys you traded for.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, that's more like it. The Sox continued to ride the wave of their pitching as Peyton Tolle (3-2, 2.28 ERA) put on a show as he shutout the Baltimore Orioles for 6 solid innings allowing 7 hits and 2 walks. As for the other side, the Sox offense woke up to pound out 15 hits and 8 runs against Chris Bassitt. A Wilyer Abreu rbi single in the first set the tone and he supplied a 2 run bomb as well. The Sox exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth with an rbi triple, double and single involved. Ryan Watson allowed just 1 run in the final 3 innings of relief and the Sox cruised in this one 8-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Kate Austen approves of the win

Tolle got the ball in the top of the first inning and Taylor Ward walked to start. Gunnar Henderson forced him at second but Adley Rutschman singled to left. The O's tried a double steal but Rutschman was thrown out at second and Pete Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Bassitt in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran got a base hit to right to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third but moved Duran to second, and Jarren scored on the base hit to left by Wilyer Abreu. Willson Contreras doubled to left and it looked like Abreu came around to score with third base coach Chad Epperson running onto the field....but the O's challenged he was out. Sure enough, replays showed Abreu was out and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             "That's one" - Abreu

Coby Mayo struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Samuel Basallo grounded out to third with Tolle hilariously jumping in the air trying to catch it. Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                  Almost had it

Mickey Gasper grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the second and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out swinging. Marcelo Mayer flied out to left to end the inning.

Jackson Holliday got a base hit to center to start the top of the third and Blaze Alexander struck out swinging. Ward singled to center but Henderson popped up to first. Rutschman flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third when Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center to start. Duran popped up to third and Durbin swiped second base. Rafaela flied out to center but Abreu mauled his seventh home run of the season into the right field corner to increase the lead. Contreras walked and Yoshida blooped a base hit to center to move Willson to third. Gasper walked to load the bases but Kiner forced Mickey at second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                      "Pelota justa! Pelota justa!" - Abreu

Alonso got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Mayo flied out to right. Basallo lined out to short and O'Neill popped up to second to end the inning. Albert Suarez came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Mayer got a base hit to center to begin. Durbin dropped down a bunt but Mayer was thrown out at second. Duran struck out swinging but Rafaela got a base hit to center to move Durbin to third. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Holliday struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Alexander grounded out to second. Ward singled in the hole at short and Henderson doubled off the glove of Contreras. Rutschman flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth as Contreras doubled to center to start. Yoshida walked and Gasper tripled to right when O'Neill lost the ball in the lights, scoring both runners. Kiner hit a ball that would have been gone anywhere else but hit the top of the Monster for a double to score Gasper. Mayer grounded out to short to move Kiner to third and Durbin doubled to left to score Isiah. Duran grounded out to second to move Durbin to third and Rafaela beat out a grounder to first to score Durbin. Abreu hit a bullet....right to Henderson to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                         Kiner was robbed of a home run

Tolle returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Alonso grounded out to first to start. Mayo got a base hit to left but Basallo flied out to center. Mayo moved to second on a balk and O'Neill drew a walk. Holliday flied out to center to end the inning. Tolle wasn't that sharp but got the outs he needed to throw 6 shutout innings allowing 7 hits and 2 walks.

                                                        Tolle did well

Anthony Nunez came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Contreras got a base hit to left to start. Yoshida was hit with a pitch but Gasper struck out swinging. Kiner lined out to second and Mayer flied out to left to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the O's rallied. Colton Cowser pinch hit for Alexander and flied out to left, but Ward got a base hit to center. Henderson struck out swinging but Rutschman tripled into the right field corner to score Ward. Alonso grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's down 8-1.

                                                 "Midgemong has no friends" - Adley

Durbin flied out to center to begin the bottom of the seventh and Durbin flied out to center to start. Duran struck out swinging and Rafaela doubled to right. Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Mayo struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth and Basallo walked. O'Neill popped up to third to end the inning. Holliday grounded out to first to end the inning. Grant Wolfram came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Contreras popped up to third to start. Yoshida struck out swinging and Gasper went down hacking to end the inning.

Watson came back to close out the top of the ninth and Cowser walked to start. Ward flied out to right, Henderson flied out to center, and Rafaela ran down a liner by Rutschman to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Wilyer Abreu. His 3 runs batted in set the tone early and outscored the entire O's by himself.

                                                                  "Yo soy el heroe!"

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch and a run scored. 

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

Willson Contreras was 3 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Chad Durbin was 2 for 4 with an rbi, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Peyton Tolle got the win with 6 shutout innings while striking out 7.

Ryan Watson allowed just 1 run in 3 innings to earn the save.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Mickey Gasper was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Good to see Durbin and Duran waking up at the right time. Duran's leadoff hit led to the first run being scored and their 5 run rally wrapped the game up. The sad part is this isn't a good offense on paper but the way the pitching is, it doesn't have to be "good". Even an average offense would have the Sox in first place if they played like this more consistently. As its been mentioned earlier, the Sox are a good offense away from 2018 domination and bad pitching away from last year's Colorado Rockies. The Sox have the pitching to go on long win streaks but the offense has been inconsistent. If they'd had any kind of consistency they'd be winning 4 to 5 games in a row. Hopefully Duran and Durbin can stay consistent and they'd have a chance to get out of the basement. The Sox have a chance to prove themselves tomorrow in the finale of this three game set when Brayan Bello (2-5, 5.63 ERA) takes on Taylor Rogers and his 6+ ERA. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Sputter Against Baz, Orioles (6/2/26)

Things are going real south, real fast for Boston Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow. Between scathing articles in the media and apparent John Henry quotes, its clear he's on the hot seat. That seat just got even hotter as the Sox came home and once again laid an egg in front of their own crowd. The Baltimore Orioles scored four runs against an ineffective Connelly Early (5-3, 3.26 ERA) with the highlight being a 2 run Pete Alonso home run. Meanwhile the mediocre Shane Baz held the Sox to 2 runs and 4 measly hits in a 7 inning gem. The Sox had their chances after putting the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning but couldn't deliver the knockout blow. The Sox fell to 9-20 at home on the season and 9 games under .500 as the Orioles won 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Live look at Craig Breslow

Early got the ball in the top of the first inning and Taylor Ward walked to start. Gunnar Henderson doubled to left but Adley Rutschman popped up to center. Pete Alonso struck out swinging and Samuel Basallo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Baz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran continued his hot streak with a triple to left. Naturally Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short, failing to bring home Jarren. Somehow Wilyer Abreu hit a sac fly to center to score Duran and Willson Contreras walked. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Sox strike first

Naturally as soon as the Sox got the lead, Early coughed it up in the top of the second. Coby Mayo looked to have hit a home run off the top of the Monster but it was ruled a double....after review, it was called a home run to tie the game. Old pal Tyler O'Neill flied out to center and Leody Taveras took strike three. Blaze Alexander got a base hit to center but Ward forced him at second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                              Mayo ties it up

Mickey Gasper grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Isiah Kiner-Falefa flied out to right. Marcelo Mayer also flied out to right to end the inning.

The O's took command in the top of the third as Henderson grounded out to first to start. Rutschman singled to center and Alonso hit a home run into the Charles River to put the O's up for good. Basallo struck out swinging and Mayo took strike three but the game was already over 3-1 Baltimore.

                                                              Alonso ices it

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Caleb Durbin popped up to first to start. Duran struck out swinging and Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning.

The O's got another run in the top of the fourth as O'Neill got a base hit to left to start. O'Neill stole second and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Taveras. The gamble worked as Alexander hit a sac fly to right to score O'Neill. Ward struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 4-1.

                                                          Alexander drives in a run

Abreu struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth and Contreras flied out to center. Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning.

Henderson grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Rutschman flied out to left. Alonso flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Gasper got a base hit to right to start. A wild pitch moved Mickey to second and he moved to third on the fly ball to right by Kiner. Mayer hit a sac fly to center to score Gasper and Durbin doubled to left. Duran struck out swinging again to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                          Sox inch closer

Basallo struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and that was it for him. He didn't have his best stuff as he got knocked around for 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Greg Weissert came in and struck Mayo out swinging. Colton Cowser pinch hit for O'Neill and popped up to third to end the inning.

                                                              Not Early's best stuff

Rafaela got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Abreu flied out to center. Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida also went down hacking to end the inning.

Taveras struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Alexander popped up a bunt to Weissert. Ward took strike three to end the inning. Gasper walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Kiner grounded into a double play. Mayer lined out to left to end the inning.

Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Henderson grounded out to first to start.....but wait? O's manager Craig Albernaz challenged he was safe. Replays showed he was out and Rutschman walked. Alonso got a base hit to right but was ruled out when a grounder by Basallo hit him on his way to second. Mayo popped to first to end the inning. Jeremiah Jackson took over for Mayo with Andrew Kittredge on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Durbin grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning.

Cowser struck out swinging to open the top of the ninth then Taveras caught Samaniego asleep with a bunt single. Alexander forced Taveras at second then promptly stole second. Ward struck out swinging to end the inning. Rico Garcia came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Contreras struck out swinging to start. Yoshida struck out swinging and Gasper flied out to right to end the game. The Orioles had won 4-2.

                                                                 O's win

Jackass of The Night is a tough one since the whole team failed hard but Masataka Yoshida going 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts out of the 5 hole isn't gonna cut it.

                                                             Jackass swinging at air

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4.

Mickey Gasper was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Connelly Early was tagged for 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

For those that weren't aware, during yesterday's off-day David Ortiz apparently talked to John Henry. Ortiz claims Henry said he was concerned about the Sox performance and wants to go back to the old days when they were winners. On top of that, the Boston Globe interviewed Theo Epstein who's very displeased at how the Sox are run. Apparently Craig Breslow is up to his ears in spreadsheets and his analytic driven system is too much. If this doesn't sound like a media already writing an epitaph for an eventual firing, I don't know what would. Then after the game someone asked Isiah Kiner-Falefa how they could be so bad at home and he answered they have a lot of "distractions" at home that they don't on the road. All signs point to Breslow as the scapegoat. Still, the games are won and lost on the field and it wasn't Breslow that allowed a 2 run home run to Pete Alonso or struck out 3 times in four plate appearances like Yoshida and Duran did. You could have Craig Breslow or Tucker Carlson as your general manager and what happens on the field determines the outcome. The bottom line is the problem with the Sox goes far beyond simple losing streaks, injuries (Garrett Crochet AND Kutter Crawford recently suffered setbacks) and bad offense. This could be an entire philosophy that's causing all this. Getting four hits off Shane Baz and 5 total isn't going to cut it and that's been the problem all season no matter who's in uniform. The Sox themselves need to find a way to either play AGAINST Breslow like Rachel Phelps in Major League or come out and say he's the problem. Something has to change or they're going to be in last place for good. The Sox look to right the ship tomorrow night against the Orioles when Peyton Tolle (2-2, 2.61 ERA) goes up against Chris Bassitt of Baltimore. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.