Off-Day News: Sox Make Blockbuster Trades (8/3/26)

Today's trade deadline might have just propelled the Boston Red Sox into 2026 World Series contention or it just sank the franchise for years to come. Sox GM Craig Breslow cashed in ALL his chips in order to win now with 3 trades, two of which were huge. The big one was the Sox sent top pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson & Kyson Witherspoon along with outfield prospects Enddy Azocar & Harold Rivas, a Player To Be Named Later and catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Baltimore Orioles for backup catcher Jake Rogers and all-star catcher Adley Rutschman. More on that in a moment. The second trade was the Sox sent relief pitcher Tyler Uberstine to the Atlanta Braves for utility outfielder Eli White. More on that later as well. The third trade was the most shocking, the Sox shipped former top prospect Marcelo Mayer to the San Francisco Giants for lefty relief pitcher Erik Miller. Jesus.....

                                                                         OUT

                                                                           IN

As usual we'll start with who did they give up? Harold Rivas is an 18 year old Venezuelan teenager that hit .241 with 6 home runs for the Florida Complex Red Sox this season. The true definition of a throw-in. Enddy Azocar is a 19 year old Venezuelan teenager that was promoted to Greenville this season and hit 12 home runs in 46 games before the trade. The 21 year old Witherspoon was Boston's first round pick last season who was struggling going 3-5 with a 4.78 ERA for Greenville. The centerpiece was Anthony Eyanson, the 21 year old phenom that dominated the Portland Sea Dogs before becoming the Worcester Red Sox' ace, going 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. Tyler Uberstine was a 19th round pick back in 2021 who bounced back from Tommy John surgery to earn a cup of coffee in April with Boston. He had a 2.81 ERA for Worcester at the time of the trade. Finally Marcelo Mayer is now considered one of the biggest busts in franchise history. Taken 4th overall in the 2021 draft, Mayer managed to suffer mid-season injuries three seasons in a row including the minors and never return. When he was active in 2025 and this season, he hit .223 in 114 games. At least Jed Lowrie hit well when he was healthy, Mayer couldn't even do that. Narvaez was traded to the Red Sox the same day they got Garrett Crochet last year after a 6 game cup of coffee with the New York Yankees in 2024. He was everything they could have asked for in 2025 hitting .241 with 15 home runs becoming the starting catcher. This year he was mysteriously benched by Alex Cora in early April for being late to a pre-game meeting and then completely collapsed after. He was hitting .187 with 3 home runs at the time of this trade. The rumor (which may not be true) is his wife caught him cheating and publicly blasted him. Think Troy O'Leary in 2000 situation. The bottom line is the Sox are parting with all these youngsters banking on A. winning this year and B. there is no next year.

Now who did they get? Eli White is a utility outfielder that hit 10 home runs last year in 105 games and can play all 3 outfield positions. White is another Jahmai Jones type that's good against lefties but all but useless against righties. This was strictly a depth move to get guys rest moving forward. Jake Rogers is a backup catcher who's best year was in 2023 with the Detroit Tigers hitting .286 with 21 home runs. He was traded from the Tigers on July 30th to the Orioles and played just 3 games. As a backup catcher, he'll be battling Connor Wong for playing time unless the Sox dump one of them after Adley Rutschman comes back. Speaking of which, Rutchsman is the centerpiece of the deal. The first overall pick of the 2019 draft, he was supposed to be the franchise cornerstone catcher they haven't had in...ever really, unless you count Matt Wieters. He was second in AL Rookie of The Year voting in 2022 and made the all-star team in 2023 hitting .277 with 20 home runs. He hit .250 with 19 home runs in 2024 but fell off in 2025, hitting .220 in 90 games. He's battled a wrist injury this season but still hit .251 with 8 home runs before going on the Injured List on July 19th. Finally, Erik Miller is the lefty relief pitcher they desperately needed. He also was drafted in 2019 like Rutschman and made his ML debut in 2024. He's been virtually unhittable the last two seasons with a 1.50 ERA in 2025 and 2.76 this season. His problem is control, he walks as many batters as he strikes out. Still, if he can harness that control or be used properly, he's a weapon out of the bullpen for sure.

So as usual let's go glass half empty and half full. The half empty is Craig Breslow just said screw the future, let's win now. If it doesn't work, it sets them back years. Connelly Early, Carlos Narvaez, Marcelo Mayer, Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon were supposed to be the future and now all of them are gone. If there is no season in 2027, when 2028 comes around they are going to be screwed if a salary cap has been established. They won't be able to pull a Tampa Bay Rays and build through the draft because all their studs are gone. As for this year, Rutschman is already injured, Rogers and White are just backups and Miller has control issues. Rutschman and Miller might blow up in Breslow's face and you sacrificed the future for THEM? Not to mention Eyanson looked like the real deal and with all the lefties the Sox have, they needed a right handed ace to replace Sonny Gray when the time came. Now they got nothing. Also, who knows if Curtis Mead, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet even come back this season. Rutchsman might play 20 games before going on the Injured List saying his wrist is screwed. Then you're stuck with Connor Wong and Jake Rogers the rest of the season and god forbid either one get hurt. Fans remember the Sox trading for Eric Hosmer in 2022 and he lasted two weeks. Or they remember James Paxton, Rich Hill, Lucas Sims and Luis Garcia in 2024 and none of them lasted beyond August. This is the crap shot of the century, a 100 foot birdie putt and a blindfolded bullseye dart toss all rolled into one.

The glass half full is FINALLY they said screw the future, we need to win now. The rest of the American League is weak with only the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees any real threats, and the Yankees are down 3 guys on offense as well. The Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians and Houston Astros are all .500 teams so if the Sox bolster their lineup and bullpen with an already stacked rotation, they have as good as shot as anyone. Rutschman on top of being a switch hitter is also a fantastic defensive catcher. He calls games as good as anyone and is an elite framer. If he comes back healthy, their defense is as improved as their offense. White and Rogers bolster the team depth, especially with the second half of the season being a slog. They can give guys days off and keep guys from wearing down. White can play all three outfield positions and even though all three outfielders Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran are damn good defensively, White can spell them in later innings on days they're down or up by 5 runs. Lastly, Miller is the lefty reliever they desperately needed. Remember when one of the only losses in July was Dylan Cease tossing a complete game shutout? That's why the Sox got Rutschman and Mead, to give the Sox more right handed options to face a guy like that. The other night Sox manager Chad Tracy brought in Jovani Moran to face Shohei Ohtani and Ohtani hit an absolute moonshot. Breslow realized that in the playoffs, you're going to have to do better than Moran against elite lefty hitting players. Miller when he's not walking the ballpark is the guy you bring in to face Ohtani, Ben Rice and Yordan Alvarez late in a game. Not to mention if he's on, the bullpen is now six guys deep. On a night Jake Bennett goes six innings, you bring in Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. Now the following night if Payton Tolle goes six innings, now you have Miller along with Tyron Guerrero and Greg Weissert to fill in as the B-Team. If you're way behind you still have Ryan Watson and Brayan Bello to keep you in games rather than makes things worse (unless Johan Oviedo replaces Watson). The Sox are going for it this season just 5 games back of the best record in the American League. If Rutschman, Miller and Mead eventually work out, Breslow will be seen as a genius.

So there you have it. Lot of people are mad they gave up A LOT for these guys while others are happy they finally grew some balls and traded prospects for proven talent. Rutschman seems like a huge overpay but if he's launching bombs out of Fenway in October, they'll be thanking Breslow. If Rutschman barely plays and Miller can't handle the pressure in Boston, Breslow will be on the unemployment line in October. 

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night against the Chicago White Sox at home. Davis Martin goes for Chicago against Captain TBD of the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Boston's Home Run Parade Sweeps Dodgers (8/2/26)

Last night the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on the back of shutdown pitching and timely hitting. Tonight the Sox completed a three game sweep of the back to back champs by bashing balls out of the park. The Sox as a team played home run derby by slugging four home runs, three of them in the third inning. The Sox got two runs in the first inning against LA starter Emmet Sheehan on rbis from Masataka Yoshida and Caleb Durbin. The Dodgers then got to Sox starter Jake Bennett (7-4, 2.90 ERA) for three runs in the bottom of the second. Then in the top of the third Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Yoshida went yard to put the Sox on top. Jarren Duran added a home run in the sixth inning while the Sox tacked on two more runs in the eighth. Despite a Dodger slanted NBC broadcast, the Sox had swept the Dodgers and won their fifth straight game 8-4 at Dodger Stadium.

                                                  Michael Thorbjornsen approves of the win

Sheehan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nick Sogard walked on a questionable full count ball to start. Ceddanne Rafaela forced Sogard at second but Wilyer Abreu got a base hit up the middle. Willson Contreras flied out to left but Masataka Yoshida slapped a base hit to left to score Rafaela. Caleb Durbin ripped a base hit to right to score Abreu and move Yoshida to third, but Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Durbin adds to the lead

Bennett got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani got a base hit to right to start. Andy Pages struck out swinging and Tommy Edman did the same. Freddie Freeman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Carlos Narvaez did the same. Sogard took strike three to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts lined out to short to start the bottom of the second but Kyle Tucker ripped a base hit to center. Teoscar Hernandez split the D with a base hit up the middle and Max Muncy rocketed a ball off the right field wall but Tucker got fooled so instead of scoring, it just loaded the bases. Eliezer Alfonzo grounded out to short to score Tucker and Ohtani was intentionally walked to reload the bases. Pages made them pay with a base hit past the diving Contreras to score both Hernandez and Muncy. Edman forced Pages at second to end the inning with the Dodgers up 3-2.

                                                          Happy Hernandez

The Sox came back in the top of the third as Rafaela clocked his 15th home run to tie the game to start. Abreu smashed his 17th home run of the season to put the Sox on top but Contreras flied out to center. Yoshida belted his fifth home run of the season to increase the lead but Durbin grounded out to short. Monasterio was hit with a pitch and that was it for Sheehan. Jack Dreyer came in to face Duran and Jarren grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                            Bing, bang, boom

Freeman grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third and Mr. Mookie flied out to center. Tucker looked to have walked but Narvaez challenged to change the call to strike three to end the inning.

Narvaez walked to start the top of the fourth but Sogard struck out swinging. A wild pitch moved Carlos to second but Rafaela struck out swinging. Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. Hernandez flied out to the right field wall to start the bottom of the fourth and Muncy flied out to left. Alfonso lined out to right to end the inning. 

Evan Phillips came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Contreras flied out to right to start. Yoshida hit a comebacker to Phillips and Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Ohtani took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth and Sogard robbed Pages of a base hit. Monasterio then made a great play to rob Edman as well to end the inning. 

Kyle Hurt came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Monasterio struck out swinging to start. Duran belted his 14th home run of the season to increase the lead but Narvaez struck out swinging. Sogard flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3. 

                                                              Duran jacks one

Freeman got a base hit in the hole at second to start the bottom of the sixth but Mr. Mookie grounded into a double play. Tucker walked and that was it for Bennett as Jake allowed 3 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch to Hernandez and Sogard made another great play to rob Teoscar of a hit to end the inning.

                                                          Not great, but it'll do

Rafaela took strike three to start the top of the seventh but Abreu walked. Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida hit a ball that a fan reached over the wall to grab for a fan interference out to end the inning. Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Muncy ate up Sogard on a line drive for a base hit to start. Alfonzo flied out to center but a wild pitch moved Muncy to second. Ohtani struck out swinging but Pages doubled into the left field corner to score Muncy. Edman popped up to center to end the inning with the Dodgers down 6-4.

                                                           Pages drives in a run

Wyatt Mills came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin was hit with a pitch to begin. Monasterio beat out a chopper to third and Duran dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Anthony Seigler pinch hit for Narvaez and a wild pitch scored Durbin, moving Monasterio to third. The crowd booed as a passed ball on Alfonzo scored Monasterio but Seigler popped up to left. Sogard hit a routine grounder to Betts who threw wide of first for an error. Rafaela got a base hit to center to move Sogard to third but Abreu popped up to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-4.

                                                              Monasterio scores a run

Connor Wong took over behind the plate and Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Alex Call pinch hit for Freeman and doubled to left, but Betts grounded out to short. Enrique Hernandez pinch hit for Tucker and grounded out to second to move Call to third. That was it for Moran as Greg Weissert came in to face Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Contreras struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Yoshida walked. Durbin walked but Monasterio flied out to left. Duran popped up to first to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Muncy popped up to third to start. Alfonzo grounded out to third but Ohtani walked. Ohtani took second on defensive indifference but Pages struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-4.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of the Night is Wilyer Abreu. His home run in the third put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 Hero Abreu

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run and 2 total rbis.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jake Bennett got the win by tossing 5 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

Justin Slaten got the final out of the sixth inning.

Jovani Moran got the first two outs of the eighth inning.

Greg Weissert got the final out of the eighth inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyron Guerrero allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Nick Sogard was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox just keep on rolling and the haters are running out of excuses. The "they haven't beat anyone good" just got laid to rest by sweeping the Dodgers out of Los Angeles. Not only did they win, they scored 17 runs in two of the three games. Falling behind and rallying against Sacramento and not giving up when trailing or tied with Los Angeles shows the balls this team didn't have back from April to June. Not only that, Monasterio made some errors this past week but he and Sogard couldn't miss this weekend. They beat the Dodgers with offense, pitching and defense. That's the kind of team that's going to be scary in the playoffs. As a side note, years ago you could have put New York Yankees jersies on Jess Mendoza and Matt Vasgersian during ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when the Red Sox played the Yankees and for all intents and purposes, that's what NBC did last night only Dodger blue for Jason Benetti, Orel Hershiser and Clayton Kershaw. The broadcast last night was 50% kissing Tarik Skubal's ass and 45% Hershiser and Kershaw gladhanding each other for their Dodger accomplishments. The other 5% was Lou Merloni desperately trying to point out the Red Sox were kicking the crap out of the Dodgers in this series and was the hottest team in baseball. That was a disgrace, I don't care that they were in LA. Anyway, the Sox ARE the hottest team in baseball but the question is, are they going to add or stand pat tomorrow during the trade deadline? The word is there won't be a 2027 season so if they're going to win now, they're going to have to go big. They have the talent to be a contender for years if they choose to stand pat, especially with Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Curtis Mead expected back at some point this year. The bad news was the New York Yankees won but the good news was the Tampa Bay Rays lost. The Sox also have a 4 game lead on the Cleveland Guardians for the second wild card and a 5 game lead on the Texas Rangers for the third. Everything is falling into place, they just need to keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 60-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night at home against the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox hasnt named a starter yet while Davis Martin goes for Chicago. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park. 

Sox Stun Yamamoto, Dodgers (8/1/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Once again Tommy Kahnle was released and probably for good this time. With everyone moving up and certain trades to be made, may as well run with the kids in AAA rather than an aging veteran like Kahnle. In other news, 2023 draft pick Jojo Ingrassia was sent to the Detroit Tigers as the PTBNL in the Jahmai Jones trade. He was 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA for the Greenville Drive. Good luck in Detroit.

                                                                        OUT

As for the game, its a new month but the same red hot Red Sox. Facing the ace of the back to back world series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Sox needed someone to step up. Sox starter Payton Tolle gutted through six innings to hold LA to a two run Teoscar Hernandez home run while Ceddanne Rafaela went deep twice against Yamamoto. In the eighth inning the Sox had first and third with nobody out and Connor Wong banged into a double play, but Andruw Monasterio scored the go-ahead run. The trio of Justin Slaten (2-4, 4.45 ERA), Tyron Guerrero and Aroldis Chapman held the fort and the Sox had beaten the Dodgers and Yamamoto 3-2 at Dodger Stadium

                                                    Angel Eyes approves of the win

Yamamoto got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela then clobbered his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second and Caleb Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Rafaela hits one out

Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani got a base hit to center to start. Andy Pages hit a rocket to right and Ohtani tried to tag up and go to second, only to be gunned down by Abreu at second. Tommy Edman struck out swinging to end the inning.

Masataka Yoshida took strike three to start the top of the second but Nick Sogard walked. Andruw Monasterio flied out to center and Jarren Duran forced Sogard at second to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the second as Freddie Freeman got a base hit to left to start. Enrique Hernandez popped up to second but Teoscar Hernandez hit a home run all the way back in time to the medieval era to put LA on top. Max Muncy got a base hit to right and Miguel Rojas doubled to left, but Dalton Rushing flied out to center. Ohtani was intentionally walked to load the bases and Pages grounded out to second to end the inning with the Dodgers up 2-1.

                                                         Hernandez puts LA ahead

Connor Wong flied out to right to start the top of the third and Seigler took strike three. Rafaela then smashed his second home run of the game to tie it up. Abreu popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Rafaela with another one

Edman walked to start the bottom of the third but Freeman grounded into a double play. Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Durbin popped up to first to start the top of the fourth and Yoshida flied out to center. Sogard grounded out to first to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Muncy struck out swinging. Rojas took strike three and Rushing struck out swinging to end the inning.

Monasterio grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Duran lined out to center. Wong flied out to center to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Pages got a a base hit to right. Pages tried to stretch a double but slid off the bag and was tagged out. Edman flied out to right to end the inning.

Seigler took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Rafaela flied out to right. Abreu grounded out to short to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Enrique Hernandez flied out to right. Teoscar Hernandez got a base hit to left but Muncy took strike three. Rojas flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Tolle who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks. 

                                                       Tolle held the Dodgers in check

Durbin popped up to third to start the top of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to first. Sogard grounded out to first to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rushing grounded out to second to start. Ohtani grounded out to second and Pages took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox surged ahead in the top of the eighth as Mr. Mookie Betts came in for Rojas. Monasterio hit a ground rule double into the left field stands and Duran caught Freeman asleep with a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Wong grounded into a double play but Monasterio scored to give the Sox the lead. Seigler lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                        The Sox take the lead

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Edman grounded out to second to start. Freeman got a base hit to right but Kyle Tucker pinch hit for Enrique Hernandez. Tucker flied out to center and Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Durbin popped up to second to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Muncy took strike three to start. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Alex Call pinch hit for Rushing. Call flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His 2 home runs off one of the best pitchers in the game kept the Sox in it.

                                                          Rafaela Hero

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3.

Payton Tolle tossed 6 solid innings allowing 3 runs off 9 hits and 2 walks.

Justin Slaten got the win by pitching a scoreless seventh inning.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 27th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Once again this was not a game the Sox would have won from April to June. They were held to just 4 hits and found a way to win. Lights out pitching against the world champs apart from one swing from Teoscar Hernandez sealed the deal. Rafaela hitting the two bombs off Yamamoto and Monasterio's ground rule double followed by Duran's bunt was just the offense they needed. The trade deadline is 2 days away and Sox GM Craig Breslow has to decide whether to hope & pray Curtis Mead, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, etc come back healthy or make a trade for another bat to go for it all. There probably isn't a 2027 season next year so may as well go for broke. As for this game, maybe now the talking heads will shut up about "The Sox haven't beaten good teams." They just beat Yamamoto and the world champs with a bullpen that's five guys deep and a rookie starter that isn't afraid of anything. The more the Sox win, the more they establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the American League. Just have to keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 59-51, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Dodgers tomorrow night on NBC's Sunday Night Baseball and run their win streak to five games when Jake Bennett (6--4) takes on Emmet Sheehan of Los Angeles. The game begins at 7:20 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Basebawful Report of The Month

Wilyer Abreu - 3 Good, 5 Bad, 15 Ugly, 2 Hero

Brayan Bello - 3 Good

Jake Bennett - 2 Good, 3 Hero

Aroldis Chapman - 10 Good, 1 Ugly

Tsung-Che Cheng - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Willson Contreras - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 5 Ugly, 4 Hero, 

Danny Coulombe - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Jarren Duran - 10 Good, 7 Bad, 5 Ugly, 2 Hero

Caleb Durbin - 9 Good, 2 Bad, 11 Ugly, 3 Hero

Nate Eaton - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Alec Gamboa - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Romy Gonzalez - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 10 Ugly, 1 Hero

Sonny Gray - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Tyron Guerrero - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Brett Harris - 1 Ugly

Jahmai Jones - 6 Good, 3 Bad

Curtis Mead - 1 Good

Andruw Monasterio - 9 Good, 2 Bad, 6 Ugly, 2 Hero

Jovani Moran - 6 Good, 3 Bad

Carlos Narvaez - 3 Good, 4 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Ceddanne Rafaela - 10 good, 3 Bad, 10 Ugly, 2 Hero

Eduardo Rivera - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Patrick Sandoval - 3 Good, 1 Bad

Anthony Seigler - 7 Good, 5 Bad, 8 Ugly

Justin Slaten - 7 Good, 1 Bad

Nick Sogard - 1 Good, 1 Ugly

Ranger Suarez - 1 Good, 2 Bad

Payton Tolle - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Ryan Watson - 4 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Greg Weissert - 9 Good, 2 Bad

Garrett Whitlock - 12 Good, 1 Bad

Connor Wong - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 5 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Masataka Yoshida - 10 Good, 4 Bad, 5 Ugly

Most Valuable Player with 12 Good is Garrett Whitlock

Least Valuable Player with 7 Bad is Jarren Duran

Ugliest Player of The Month with 15 Ugly is Wilyer Abreu

Hero of The Month is Willson Contreras with 4 Hero

The Jackasses of the Month are Payton Tolle, Eduardo Rivera, Ryan Watson and Sonny Gray with 1 Jackass

The Honorable Player of the Month is Connor Wong with 2 Honorable Mention

Sox Rally Past Dodgers (7/31/26)

Its too bad the month of July had to come to an end for the Boston Red Sox. They set a franchise record by playing 25 games and winning 21 of them including tonight's game against the back to back world series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Things looked good early on when Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida drove in runs against the Dodgers "bullpen gamers" to take a 3-0 lead. Then things went south as Ranger Suarez got tagged for 3 runs and Jovani Moran gave up a two run home run to Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the fifth to give LA a 4-3 lead. Suddenly the Sox rallied in the top of the seventh for five big runs, two of them courtesy of a Ceddanne Rafaela two run home run. Andruw Monasterio, Carlos Narvaez and Duran knocked in some insurance runs but the game belonged to Brayan Bello (3-6, 5.30 ERA). With Moran struggling, Bello locked in to toss 4 scoreless innings to earn the win. The Sox had won their third straight game and fourth out of five with a 9-4 win at Dodger Stadium.

                                                           Karliah approves of the win

Edgardo Henriquez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nick Sogard flied out to center to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to center then immediately stole second, but Wilyer Abreu flied out to center. Willson Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Shohei Ohtani took strike three to start. Andy Pages walked and Miguel Rojas grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Will Klein came in to pitch the top of the second and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Caleb Durbin walked and then made it all the way to third when Klein threw the pickoff throw away. Andruw Monasterio took strike three right down the middle but the much maligned Jarren Duran ripped a base hit to center to score Durbin. A wild pitch moved Duran to second but Carlos Narvaez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Duran with a big hit

Freddie Freeman grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and old pal Mr. Mookie Betts took strike three. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the third as Sogard got a base hit to left to start. Rafaela got a base hit to right to move Sogard to third but Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras was hit with a pitch right in the head to load the bases and that was it for Klein. Cole Irvin came in to face Yoshida and Masataka got a base hit inside the bag at first to score both Sogard & Rafaela. Durbin flied out to left and Monasterio lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                        Yoshida picks up Contreras

The blow to the head apparently was too much for Contreras to bear and he left the game in the bottom of the third, forcing Anthony Seigler to take his spot in the lineup but with Sogard playing first. Kyle Tucker grounded out to first, old pal Enrique Hernandez grounded out to short and Eliezer Alfonzo's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Suarez to end the inning.

Duran got a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth but Narvaez struck out swinging. Sogard walked but was forced at second by Rafaela to put runners at the corners. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Ohtani doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Pages grounded out to short. Rojas flied out to center to move Ohtani to third and Shohei scored on the Freeman base hit to center. Betts forced Freeman at second to end the inning with the Dodgers down 3-1.

                                                              Dodgers fight back

Seigler grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Yoshida flied out to center. Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Tucker walked. Enrique Hernandez got a base hit to center and Alfonzo got a base hit to center to score Tucker....but Enrique was thrown out at second. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts challenged Hernandez was safe at second but the umpires held up the call. When play resumed....Ranger Suarez asked out of the game because he didn't want to pitch anymore. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs off 4 hits and 2 walks. Jovani Moran came in and immediately zipped a wild pitch that moved Alfonzo to second before Ohtani hit a home run all the way back to Japan to put the Dodgers on top. Pages got a base hit to left but Rojas flied out to left to end the inning with Dodgers ahead 4-3.

                                                         "Dammit Tracy!" - RS

Monasterio flied out to right to start the top of the sixth and Duran grounded back to the mound. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the sixth and finally, Brayan Bello was summoned to put the fire out. Mr. Mookie got a base hit to left and both runners moved over on a grounder to short. Tucker took strike three and Max Muncy pinch hit for Hernandez. Alfonzo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Suddenly the Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Sogard walked to start. Rafaela then clobbered his 12th home run of the year to put the Sox back on top. Abreu singled inside the bag at first but Seigler flied out to center. Yoshida beat out a roller to third and Durbin managed to beat out a bunt down the third base line to load the bases. Monasterio doubled into the left field corner to score both Abreu and Yoshida. Duran grounded back to the mound but Durbin scored to increase the lead. Narvaez was hit with a pitch but Sogard struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 8-4.

                                                            Monasterio with the killshot

Ohtani grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh and Pages did the same. Rojas grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth but Abreu walked. Seigler grounded into a double play to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Mr. Mookie flied out to right. Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging but Kyle Tucker singled to right. Muncy grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox got a run in the top of the ninth as Yoshida got a base hit to right to start. Durbin doubled to left but Monasterio grounded out to short to chase Irvin. Evan Phillips came in and Jahmai Jones ran for Yoshida. Duran was intentionally walked to load the bases for Narvaez and Carlos hit a sac fly to center to score Jones. Sogard flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                            Narvaez drives in a run

Bello returned to finish the bottom of the ninth and Alfonzo flied out to center to start. Ohtani grounded out to second and Pages took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His 2 run home run put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Hero Rafaela

The Good:

Willson Contreras was hit with a pitch before leaving the game.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jahmai Jones scored a run as a pinch runner.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Brayan Bello tossed 4 scoreless innings to earn the win.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 3.

Ranger Suarez allowed 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 4 hits and 2 walks.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored two runs.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

What a month that was for the Sox. Not only did they have a historic run, on June 24th the Sox had the second worst record in all of baseball. As July 31st came to an end, they had the 3rd best record in the American League. The Sox have been doing it with never say die offense that fights to the end, something they didn't do the first three months of the season. Last month if they were down 4-3 to the Dodgers in the sixth inning, the game was over. Not anymore. The only concerns in this game is Chad Tracy pulling the plug on Ranger Suarez early and the health of Willson Contreras. If Contreras has a concussion, they're in BIG trouble with Curtis Mead not slated to come back until September if at all. The strange season of Brayan Bello continues as he's virtually unhittable coming out of the bullpen compared to when he starts in the first inning. If he's the modern day Dick Radatz, coming in for 3-4 innings at a time, why not? With Connelly Early traded and Garrett Crochet not coming back, the rotation is down to Sonny Gray, Patrick Sandoval, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett. Having a guy eat up 3-4 innings to save the rookie bullets of Tolle and Bennett is crucial. The bad news was the New York Yankees knocked off the Chicago Cubs but the good news was both the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians lost. The Sox now have a 3 game lead on the Guardians and Minnesota Twins although they're still 3.5 games behind the Yankees for the first wild card. With Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton out for New York, their bubble may burst any time now. The Sox need to win one of the next two games with the Dodgers to send a message they can hang with MLB elite. The win improved the Sox to 58-51, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their fourth straight game and second straight against Los Angeles tomorrow night when Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32 ERA) takes on Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The game begins at 9:10 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Tempers Flare as Sox Stun A's (7/30/26)

The good news was the Boston Red Sox once again rallied past the Sacramento A's to continue their scorching hot July, the bad news was once again Jarren Duran caused a scene. Before that, Sonny Gray (13-2, 2.93 ERA) might have lost his Cy Young Award bid by allowing 4 runs in 7 innings. The Sox kept it close with rbis from Andruw Monasterio and Ceddanne Rafaela off Sacramento starter Mason Barnett. In the top of the sixth, the Sox had second and third with one out and Duran hit a short fly ball to left. Willson Contreras at third wisely stayed put because the throw would have beaten him. Duran caused a scene screaming at him to run with Wilyer Abreu just looking at Duran like he had 3 heads. Speaking of which, it was back to back home runs by Abreu and Contreras to put the Sox ahead in the top of the eighth. Greg Weissert and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox had won the game 5-4 at Sutter Health Park.

                                                                Live look at Duran

Barnett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu went down hacking to end the inning. Gray got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nick Kurtz lined out to first to start. Jacob Wilson doubled to left and moved to third on the grounder to the mound by Tyler Soderstrom. Jonah Heim grounded out to first to end the inning.

Willson Contreras flied out to right to start the top of the second and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to third. Caleb Durbin flied out to right to end the inning. Tommt White flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and Lawrence Butler flied out to center. Jeff McNeil grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Andruw Monasterio flied out to right. Connor Wong took strike three to end the inning. The A's struck first in the bottom of the third as Carlos Cortes walked to start. Donovan Walton grounded back to the mound to move Cortes to second and Monasterio booted a grounder by Kurtz to put runners at the corners. Wilson got a base hit to center to score Cortes but Soderstrom grounded into a double play to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                                 A's strike first

Seigler flied out to left to start the top of the fourth but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Abreu took strike three but Rafaela stole second. Contreras walked but Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning. The A's struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Heim doubled to center to start. White grounded out to short but Butler doubled to right to score Heim. McNeil got a base hit to right to move Butler to third but Cortes struck out swinging. Walton got a base hit to right to score Butler to increase the lead. Kurtz walked and Wilson popped up to second to end the inning with the A's up 3-0.

                                                            Walton drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Durbin was hit with a pitch to start. Duran grounded out to second to move Durbin to third and Monasterio got a base hit to center to score Caleb. Wong struck out swinging and Seigler singled off the glove of McNeil. Rafaela doubled to left to score both runners and Walton threw the ball away to move Ceddanne to third. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Rafaela ties it up

Soderstrom lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Heim grounded out to first. White lined out to center to end the inning.

Scott Blewett came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Contreras got a base hit to left to start. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Durbin dropped down a bunt to move both runners over. Duran then hit a short fly ball to left and Contreras stayed put, causing Duran to pitch a fit. Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning with Duran still mad at Chad Epperson and Willson Contreras.

                                                        "Run!!!" - Duran

The A's took command in the bottom of the sixth and Butler doubled to center to start. McNeil flied out to center to move Butler to third and Lawrence scored on the sac fly to left by Cortes. Walton took strike three to end the inning with the A's up 4-3.

                                                           A's take the lead

Wong lined out to right to start the top of the seventh and Seigler grounded out to second. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning. Gray returned for the bottom of the seventh and Kurtz struck out swinging to begin. Wilson watched strike three go by and Soderstrom went down hacking to end the inning. Gray didn't have his best stuff but still battled to allow 4 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks in 7 innings.

                                                     Gray did the best he could

The Sox suddenly sprang to life in the top of the eighth with Luis Medina now on the mound. Abreu smashed his 16th home run of the year to tie the game and Contreras clobbered his 23rd home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Yoshida struck out swinging, Durbin grounded back to the mound and Duran grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                        Abreu ties it up

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Heim got a base hit to center off the glove of Abreu to start. Henry Bolte pinch ran for Heim but White grounded into a double play. Butler struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brian Serven came in to catch and Elvis Alvarado came in to pitch the top of the ninth. Monasterio struck out swinging but Wong walked. Seigler grounded into a double play to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and McNeil grounded out to thrid to start. Alika Williams pinch hit for Cortes and doubled to left before Colby Thomas pinch hit for Walton. Thomas struck out looking and Kurtz struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His go-ahead home run put the Sox up for good

                                                          Hero Contreras

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a stolen base.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 26th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but hit the game tying home run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but drove in a run & scored a run.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts

Sonny Gray got the win by lasting 7 innings but allowed 4 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.

Final Thoughts:

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the days ahead. Duran has been a headache all season and you can deal with that if a guy is hitting .300 or so like prime Manny Ramirez or 2000 Carl Everett. Duran isn't hitting .200 and at what point is he not worth it anymore? We're just days away from the trade deadline and between his outbursts against fans, shouting at teammates and hitting .200 his trade value is non-existent. Abreu and Contreras could have easily gotten in his face in the dugout but they didn't. Sox manager Chad Tracy after the game said it was a nothing burger but we'll know sooner or later if he's right. The incident overshadowed another great comeback where they rallied in the later innings. Contreras has been a hell of a trade pickup and he's inspired Abreu to be a better player as well. The two of them aren't quite as potent as David Ortiz and Manny but they've been great this year. Gray looks like he's coming back to Earth but he was still battling. Weissert and Chapman shut the door pretty good and like I mentioned yesterday, the Sox are five guys deep in the bullpen. If Chapman and Weissert are unavailable in tomorrow night's game, you still have Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Tyron Guerrero to step up. That's crucial for the final 2 months of the season if they can stay healthy.  The