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

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

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

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

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

                                                       Okamoto gives the Jays the lead

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

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

                                                               Tolle deserved better

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

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

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

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

                                                            Jays win

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

                                                              Jackass Durbin

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Ryan Watson tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

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

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                            Allegra Cole approves the win

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

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

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

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

                                                            Mayer drives in a run

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

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

                                                              Abreu drives in a run

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

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

                                                                Durbin drives in a run

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

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

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

                                                       Narvaez goes yard

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

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

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

                                                               Sox win

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

                                                          Hero Suarez

The Good:

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

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

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

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                   Payton Pritchard approves of the win

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

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

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

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

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

                                                          Sox go on top

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

                                                            Basallo goes yard

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

                                                            Big triple for Rafaela

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

                                                        Henderson jacks one

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

                                                      Early gets the job done

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

                                                            Henderson does it again

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

                                                                   Sox win

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

The Good:

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

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

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

Zack Kelly got the final out of the seventh inning.

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

The Bad:

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                      OUT

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

                                                                      IN

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

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

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

                                                    Gee, wonder why Bailey wasn't fired

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

Red Sox Pulverize Orioles (4/25/26)

Well that's more like it. After getting totally embarrassed the past week by the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Red Sox finally showed some life by beating the crap out of the Orioles in today's game. Garrett Crochet (3-3, 6.30 ERA) returned to form by tossing six shutout innings. The stars of the game was the much maligned offense. They pounded Taylor Rogers and the Baltimore bullpen for 17 hits and 17 runs. Most of them were scored in a 10 run ninth inning when third baseman Weston Wilson was lobbing meatballs up there. Still, Andruw Monasterio hit a grand slam off Keegan Akin, Connor Wong drove in 3 runs, Willson Contreras drove in 5 and even Chad Durbin drove in 3 as well. It all added up to a much needed victory to snap the four game losing streak as the Sox won it 17-1 at Camden Yards.

                New England Patriots 6th round pick Dametrious Crownover approves of the win

Rogers got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ceddanne Rafaela grounded back to the mound to start. Willson Contreras grounded out to first and Wilyer Abreu grounded out to first as well to end the inning. Crochet got the ball in the bottom of the first and Taylor Ward popped up to short to start. Gunnar Henderson struck out swinging and Adley Rutschman flied out to right to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Andruw Monasterio doubled to center. Jarren Duran took strike three but Caleb Durbin doubled to right to score Andruw. Durbin stole third, Connor Wong walked and Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a base hit to left to score Durbin, moving Connor to third. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Wong and Contreras walked to load the bases. That was it for Rogers after just 1 2/3 innings as Tyler Wells got Abreu to line out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                       Kiner drives in a run

Pete Alonso struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and old pal Tyler O'Neill popped up to second. Jeremiah Jackson lined out to right to end the inning.

Story struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Monasterio doubled to left. Duran popped up to short and Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Leody Taveras flied out to right to open the bottom of the third but Coby Mayo doubled to left. Blaze Alexander struck out swinging but Ward walked. Henderson took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth with Albert Suarez now on the mound. Wong walked and Kiner forced him at second with a bad bunt attempt. Kiner took off for second and Rutschman threw the ball away allowing Isiah to reach third on the error. Rafaela walked and Contreras hit a sac fly to left to score Kiner. Rafaela was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                            Contreras drives in a run

Rutschman flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Alonso flied out to left. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning.

Abreu got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth and Jackson booted a grounder by Story for an error. Monasterio tried to drop down a bunt but it got Abreu thrown out at third. Duran popped up to third but Durbin walked to load the bases. Wong jacked a double to right to clear the bases and ice the game but Kiner popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                            Wong clears the bases

Jackson struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Taveras worked a wall. Mayo lined out to center and Alexander did the same to end the inning.

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Contreras did the same. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. Ward ate up Crochet on a grounder to start the bottom of the sixth but Henderson struck out swinging. Rutschman singled to left but Alonso grounded into a double play to end the inning. Crochet could have gone another inning but with a huge lead, Sox manager Alex Cora told him that was enough after 6 shutout innings where he struck out 7

                                                          Good work Crochet

Story flied out to left to start the top of the seventh and Monasterio grounded out to third. Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and O'Neill got a base hit to left to start. Jackson hit a grounder to third and Durbin threw the ball away to allow both runners to advance. Taveras grounded out to first to score O'Neill and move Jackson to third. Mayo popped up to short and Colton Cowser pinch hit for Alexander. Cowser struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 7-1.

                                                             O's get a run back

Keegan Akin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin struck out swinging to start. Wong grounded out to second and Kiner took strike three to end the inning. Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ward singled to left to start. Henderson grounded out to first to move Ward to second and Rutschman lined out to third. Alonso struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the ninth as Rafaela tripled into the right field corner to start. Contreras got a base hit to left to score Ceddanne and Abreu got a base hit to center. Story got a base hit to right to load the bases and Monaaterio belted a grand slam to clear the bases. Duran got a base hit to left and O's manager Craig Albernaz brought in third baseman Weston Wilson to pitch. Immediately Durbin clobbered his first home run of the season but Wong popped up to second. Kiner got a base hit to left, Rafaela got a base hit to center and Contreras hit a 3 run bomb to wrap up the scoring. Abreu flied out to right but Mayo booted a grounder by Story for an error. Monasterio flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 17-1.

                                                           What a massacre

Marcelo Mayer took over for Story with Tyler Samaniego in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. O'Neill flied out to left, Jackson grounded out to second and Taveras flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 17-1.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Andruw Monasterio. He was 3 for 6 with a grand slam and 3 total runs scored.

                                                      Andruw Monas-Hero

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 5 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Willson Conteras was 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run, 5 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run, 3 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 3 rbis, a stolen base and a run scored.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 5 with a stolen base, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Garrett Crochet got the win with 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Danny Coulombe pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Tyler Samaniego pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts but scored 2 runs.

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

Honorable Mention:

Marcelo Mayer played short in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Where was that against Detroit and New York? Still, for the first time in a while the Sox put together some competitive at-bats which led to rbis and runs scored for once. Durbin and Kiner also stole some bags which is what they're going to have to do to score runs with a power outage going on. Crochet pitched well and he probably would have went 7 if they needed it but the lead was so large not even Weissert was going to screw it up. Cora is still taking fire for playing the utility guys every day and reliance on Weissert but at least Monasterio delivered in this one. Durbin was asked after the game how it felt to get his first home run albeit against a position player and he said "Hey I'll take it". The bats will definitely take it at this point because they need to turn things around in a hurry. Maybe this will be the start of a win streak? Probably not but fans need SOMETHING to hang their hat on. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Orioles tomorrow afternoon when Connelly Early (1-1) takes on Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Camden Yards.

Orioles Rock Bello, Sox (4/24/26)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia Sixers in Game 3 of their first round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox were crushed by the Baltimore Orioles. You gotta laugh at this point at just how bad the Red Sox are. This season is an unmitigated disaster and we're not even out of April yet. Tonight we saw the continued deterioration of Brayan Bello (1-3, 9.00 ERA) who's confidence looks shattered as he got rocked by the Orioles for THIRTEEN hits, 8 runs and a walk in just 3 1/3 innings. The sad part was Sox manager Alex Cora tried to keep him in despite the score to give the bullpen a break but his body language just screamed "get me out of here". Meanwhile the Sox bats did get 10 hits but only managed to scratch out 3 runs against Brandon Young and the Baltimore bullpen. Jovani Moran and Ryan Watson got tagged for 7 hits and 2 runs combined and the Orioles sent the Sox further into the basement with a 10-3 drubbing at Camden Yards.

                                       Umpire Odo is ready to toss the Sox whole team out

Young got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning. Bello got blitzed in the bottom of the first as Gunnar Henderson hit the second pitch of the game all the way to Virginia to end the game already. Taylor Ward singled to center and Adley Rutschman hit a home run all the way to Tennessee to ice the game. Pete Alonso flied out to right but Dylan Beavers hit a home run out of Earth's atmosphere to increase the lead. Samuel Basallo doubled to right but Leody Taveras lined out to right. Colby Mayo struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 4-0.

                                                       O's put the game away early

The Sox did answer in the top of the second although Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu then clobbered his fourth home run of the season to cut the lead. Trevor Story walked but Marcelo Mayer flied out to center. Caleb Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                           Abreu jacks one

The O's poured it on in the bottom of the second as Jeremiah Jackson grounded out to short to start. Henderson singled to right and Ward got a base hit to center to move Gunnar to third. Rutschman beat out a double play ball to score Henderson with another run. Alonso grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 5-1.

                                                      Another run for Baltimore

Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Duran got a base hit to right. Rafaela popped up to second but Duran swiped second. Yoshida popped up to third to end the inning. The O's kept coming in the bottom of the third as Beavers flied out to left to start. Basallo hit a home run all the way to Laos to increase the lead and Taveras walked. Taveras was thrown out at second trying to steal but Mayo got a base hit to left. Jackson forced Mayo at second to end the inning with the O's up 6-1.

                                                         The slaughter continues

Contreras struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth and Abreu struck out swinging. Story got a base hit to center but Mayer grounded out to second to end the inning. The O's finally finished off Bello in the bottom of the fourth although Henderson struck out swinging to start. Ward got a base hit to left and Rutschman hit a home run all the way into the Pacific Ocean to increase the lead. Alonso got a base hit to left and Beavers got a base hit to right and FINALLY Sox manager Alex Cora woke up from his nap to yank the incompetent Bello. He allowed 13 hits and 8 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Jovani Moran came in to pitch and Basallo popped up to third. Taveras flied out to right to end the inning with the O's up 8-1.

                                  "Gimmie that ball....and..AND GET OUTTA HERE!" - Cora

The Sox did fight back in the top of the fifth as Durbin got a base hit inside the bag at third to start. Narvaez got a base hit to right but Duran flied out to left to move Durbin to third. Rafaela beat out a double play ball to score Durbin but Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 8-2.

                                                         Rafaela drives in a run

The O's got that run right back in the bottom of the fifth as Mayo hit the O's 6th home run of the day to start. Jackson grounded out to short and Henderson flied out to right, but Ward walked. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's up 9-2.

                                                      Mayo keeps the rout going

The Sox did fight back in the top of the sixth as Contreras struck out swinging to start. Abreu doubled to left and took third on the fly ball to left by Story. Mayer doubled to right to score Abreu to chase Young. Yennier Cano came in to face Durbin and as usual Caleb grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 9-3.

                                                            Mayer refuses to quit

Alonso struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth but Beavers beat out a roller to third. Basallo got a base hit to left and it looked like he made it to second for a double....but Sox manager Alex Cora challenged Duran threw him out. Sure enough, replays showed Basallo was out at second with Beavers now at third. Taveras grounded out to short to end the inning.

Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Narvaez lined out to right to start. Duran grounded out to first and Rafaela grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Watson came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and the O's pounced. Mayo grounded out to second and Jackson popped up to second, but Henderson got a base hit to right. Ward singled to right and Rutschman got a base hit to left to wrap up the scoring. Alonso grounded out to third to end the inning with the O's up 10-3.

                                                            Rutschman with another rbi

Cameron Foster came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Yoshida got a base hit to right to start. Contreras took strike three and Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning. Beavers grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth but Basallo got a base hit to left. Taveras struck out swinging and Mayo took strike three to end the inning.

Blaze Alexander came in to play short for the top of the ninth but Story got a base hit to center to start. Mayer got a base hit to right and Durbin walked to load the bases. In a microcosm of the season, Narvaez hit a fly ball to right that should have scored a run. Instead Story ran halfway home only to make a mad dash back to third for no reason. Mayer didn't see him until it was too late because he was running with his head down, so he got thrown out at second base. Durbin took second on defensive indifference but Duran popped up to third to end the game. The O's had won it 10-3.

                                                         O's win

Jackass of The Night is Brayan Bello. He was straight batting practice allowing 13 hits, 8 runs, 5 home runs and a walk all in 3 1/3 innings.

                                                            Incompetent Jackass

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

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

The Bad:

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Ryan Watson allowed a run in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Gotta make a change. Either Alex Cora, Craig Breslow, Pete Fatse, Ramon Vazquez or a number of the above has to go. This is inexcusable at this point. Bello is back to where he was 3-4 years ago nibbling and melting into jello at the first sign of trouble. Meanwhile Kyle Harrison and Quinn Priester might be Milwaukee's aces moving forward. The absolute regression of everyone on this team and improvement for the people that left can't possibly be a coincidence. Either they're quitting on Cora or upper management but either way something is wrong. Even though they got a couple of runs today, that play by Story and Mayer getting thrown out is a microcosm of the season. They can't pitch and they make boneheaded blunders way too frequently. To show how incompetent the Red Sox have been offensively, Adley Rutschman had as many rbis in this game as the Sox have had in the last FOUR GAMES COMBINED as a team. I've been saying it for weeks, how do they come to the park this unprepared every single game? Do they not read scouting reports? Do they even HAVE scouting reports? We've seen the core of this offense sans Durbin and Contreras perform well over the years so what in the hell has gone on to the point where they look like they have absolutely no idea what they're doing? How much longer is ownership going to put up with this? The longer they go, the worse their reputation gets. If they want an empty Fenway Park by June, inactivity will get you there. The Sox look to break their four game losing streak tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Crochet (2-3) takes on Taylor Rogers of Baltimore. The game begins at high noon due to adverse weather conditions at Camden Yards.