Rafaela, Sox Slam A's (7/27/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tsung Che-Cheng was sent back to Worcester to make room for Curtis Mead. Mead would be starting at second base moving forward. Cheng was a fun sparkplug during that 15 game win streak but now they need true power.

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As for the game, the bad news was Curtis Mead lasted just two at-bats as a member of the Red Sox as he took a 99 mph fastball to the wrist in his second at-bat. Leaving the game and probably won't be seen again until Spring Training next year. The good news Ceddanne Rafaela and the Boston pitching staff was up to the task against the Sacramento A's. Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32 ERA) gave up two solo home runs but not much else in 5 1/3 gutty innings. In the top of the sixth with the A's leading 1-0, Ceddanne Rafaela belted a grand slam to put the Sox on top. The red hot Boston bullpen relieved Tolle in the bottom of the inning and didn't give up a run after. 2 men got on in the bottom of the ninth, but Aroldis Chapman struck out the final two batters. The Sox now wait on the status of Curtis Mead but they at least won tonight's game 4-2 at Sutter Health Park.

                                                   Raquel Rodriguez approves of the win

Jack Perkins got the ball in the top of the first inning and Masataka Yoshida walked to start. Curtis Mead took strike three and Willson Contreras flied out to left. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacob Wilson grounded out to third to start. Tyler Soderstrom then hit a home run all the way back to Oakland to put the A's on top. Jonah Heim took strike three but Colby Thomas singled to center. Tommy White grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                          Soderstrom hits one out

Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to short to start the top of the second and Caleb Durbin took strike three. Jarren Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Jeff McNeil singled to left to start the bottom of the second but Henry Bolte forced him at second. Alika Williams got a base hit to left but Bolte was thrown out at third trying to steal. Lawrence Butler grounded out to short to end the inning.

Andruw Monasterio walked to start the top of the third but Connor Wong grounded into a double play. Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning. Wilson grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third but Soderstrom walked. Heim and Thomas both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Disaster struck in the top of the fourth as Mead was hit in the wrist with a pitch to start. Contreras struck out swinging, Abreu popped up to second and Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. 

                                  "HABOOOOOWOWOWOWOWWWWW!!!!!" - Mead

White grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and McNeil hit one up the elevator shaft. Monasterio booted a grounder by Bolte but Williams struck out swinging to end the inning.

Durbin flied out to right to start the top of the fifth and Duran struck out swinging. Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning. All of a sudden Mead had to be helped into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU, so much for him. Anthony Seigler came in for him to start the bottom of the fifth as Butler struck out swinging to start. Wilson struck out swinging and Soderstrom grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the sixth as Wong doubled to left to start. Yoshida grounded back to the mound but Seigler grounded out to second to move Wong to third. Contreras walked and that was it for Perkins. Jose Suarez came in and Abreu walked as well. Suddenly Rafaela smashed a grand slam just over the wall in left to put the Sox on top. Durbin hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                      Rafaela's first career grand slam

The A's finished off Tolle in the bottom of the sixth as Heim hit a home run to South America to start. Thomas struck out swinging and that was it for Payton. He allowed 2 runs off 5 hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and White grounded out to first. McNeil grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's down 4-2.

                                                              Tolle did his best

Elvis Alvarado came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox fumbled and bumbled big time. Monasterio led off with a double only for Wong to pop up a bunt to first and Andruw getting thrown out at third trying to steal. To add insult to injury, Yoshida got a base hit to center which would have scored Monasterio. Seigler struck out swinging to end the inning, what a waste. Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Bolte struck out swinging to start. Williams lined out to left but Butler took strike three to end the inning.

Hayden Juenger came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Contreras was hit with a pitch to start. Abreu popped up to third, Rafaela lined out to right and Durbin flied out to left to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jacob Wilson grounded out to first to start. Soderstrom grounded out to second and Heim took strike three to end the inning.

Hogan Harris came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran lined out to third to start. Monasterio struck out swinging and Wong flied out to left to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Thomas singled in the hole at short to start. White struck out swinging and Nick Kurtz pinch hit for McNeil. Kurtz hit what should have been a game ending double play ball to Seigler....booted for an error. Donovan Walton came in to run for Kurtz but Bolte struck out swinging. Williams also struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His first career grand slam propelled the Sox to victory.

                                                       Our Hero gets the Wally Head

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Curtis Mead was hit with a pitch before leaving with an injury.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Payton Tolle got the win by allowing just 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 5 hits and a walk.

Justin Slaten got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 25th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was certainly good news, bad news for sure. For all we know Mead could be out for the season with a wrist fracture and Connelly Early wins NL rookie of the year with Washington. Or, he just suffered a bruise and he'll be back tomorrow. The defense in this one wasn't up to snuff with Monasterio and Seigler booting grounders and Tolle might be at the rookie wall. Also apart from one swing of the bat by Rafaela, the offense accomplished nothing. Monasterio getting thrown out stealing third, Wong popping up a bunt and guys swinging at air against Jack Perkins reminded fans of April and May. The other side of the coin is the pitching was once again great. Jovani Moran stepped up big time in the seventh to bridge the game to Whitlock and Chapman. Chapman lately has a problem allowing baserunners but manages to get the final outs when he has to. It was a sloppy game but a win is a win. The Cleveland Guardians got rained out and the Tampa Bay Rays didn't play so the Sox gained a half game on both. The New York Yankees knocked off the Chicago White Sox so the Red Sox are now tied with Chicago for the third best record in the American League. Literally just over a month ago the Red Sox were percentage points ahead of the Colorado Rockies for the second worst record in all of baseball and now they have the third best record in the American League. This has been a hell of a comeback and hopefully Tracy's Turnaround continues. If Mead is okay, then we can laugh at this and move on. If not, this might be what get Craig Breslow fired in the end. The win improved the Sox to 55-50, 7 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for their third straight win and second in a row against the A's tomorrow night when Jake Bennett (6-3, 2.58 ERA) takes on Gage Jump of Sacramento. The game begins at 9:40 PM eastern time at Sutter Health Park.

Royals Drop Criswell, Sox (7/12/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Justin Slaten was placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation and Trey Wingenter was optioned down to Worcester. In their places the Sox called up Cam Booser and Cooper Criswell, with Criswell to make the start in tonight's game. Slaten hasn't pitched well lately so if he's hurt, it makes perfect sense. Hope he gets well soon.

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As for the game, when you call up a spot starter and he doesn't pitch well, you pretty much have no chance to win the game. Tonight the Kansas City Royals blitzed Cooper Criswell (3-4, 4.50 ERA) for five early runs. Salvador Perez, Adam Frazier, Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr all drove in runs to put the game away early. Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Jamie Westbrook in the bottom of the second but Cole Ragans shut down the Sox the rest of the way, going 7 innings. Greg Weissert allowed a run in the eighth and the Royals had won this game 6-1 at Fenway Park.

The Royals wasted no time getting to Criswell in the top of the first as Adam Frazier got a base hit to center to start. Bobby Witt Jr got a base hit to left and Vinnie Pasquantino singled in tbe hole at short. Salvador Perez hit a sac fly to left to score Frazier and both runners moved over on the Michael Massey grounder to first. Old friend Hunter Renfroe flied out to left to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                       That didn't take long 

Ragans got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit off the glove of Pasquantino to start. Jarren Duran flied out to left, Tyler O'Neill popped up to second and Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Royals iced the game in the top of the second as MJ Melendez doubled down the right field line to start. Maikel Garcia dropped down a bunt to move Melendez to third and Kyle Isbel walked. Frazier got a base hit to center to score Melendez, Witt was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Pasquantino hit a sac fly to right to score Isbel. Perez got a base hit to left and Frazier scored, but Witt was thrown out at home on the play to end the inning with the Royals up 4-0.

                                                              Perez drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Connor Wong struck out swinging to start. Romy Gonzalez grounded out to short but Jamie Westbrook doubled to left. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to center to score Westbrook then took third on a wild pitch. David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1. 

                                                           Rafaela refuses to give up

Massey lined out to right to start the top of the third and Renfroe grounded out to third. Melendez singled to left, Garcia got a base hit to center and Isbel walked to load the bases. Frazier lined out to second to end the inning. Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and Duran grounded out to first. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Royals got another run in the top of the fourth as Witt Jr hit a home run all the way to Chicago to start. Pasquantino grounded out to second, Perez popped up to second and Massey also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals up 5-1.

                                                        All Royals in this one

Devers got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Wong forced him at second. Gonzalez grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Renfroe flied out to left to start the top of the fifth. Melendez struck out swinging and Garcia grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Westbrook grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela popped up to short. Hamilton grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Criswell returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Isbel grounded out to second to start. Frazier popped up to third and Witt hit obe up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Criswell got hammered for 5 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

                                                          Game but lousy start by Criswell

Refsnyder walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Duran struck out swinging. O'Neill flied out to center and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Pasquantino popped up to short. Perez flied out to right and Massey grounded out to second to end the inning. Wong flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez grounded out to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning. 

Greg Weissert came in to get tagged in the top of the eighth as Renfroe popped up to short to start. Melendez hit a home run all the way to Angola but Garcia took strike three. Isbel flied out to center to end the inning with the Royals up 6-1.

                                                           Home run Melendez

Freddy Fermin took over behind the plate for the bottom of the eighth with Chris Stratton now on the mound. Rafaela beat out a roller to third and Hamilton drew a walk. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging. Duran and O'Neill also struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Frazier hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the ninth and Witt flied out to center. Pasquantino flied out to right to end the inning. Nick Anderson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Devers grounded out to second to start. Wong grounded out to third and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Smith grounded out to first to end the game. The Royals had won it 6-1.

                                                                 Royals win

Jackass of The Night is Cooper Criswell. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

                                                             Jackass Criswell

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter. 

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. 

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in two innings of work. 

Final Thoughts:

Some days you get routed early and lose all hope, this was one of those days. As soon as the Sox were down by 5 they just turned it off. One of the reasons the Sox might not make the playoffs this year is having to start guys like Criswell or have "openers" because they don't have a true ace. The New York Yankees have Gerrit Cole and the Los Angeles Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow and Yobu Yamamoto. The Sox have Tanner Houck. It would have been nice to see the Sox rally but right from the get go they got taken off their game. Hopefully tomorrow will be different, The loss dropped the Sox to 51-43, 6 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Kutter Crawford (5-7) goes for the Sox against Seth Lugo of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Small Ball Sox Beat Jays (7/26/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made some shocking and non-shocking moves. The Greenville Drive released 21 year old outfielding prospect Natanael Yuten after he hit just .165 with 4 home runs this season. Its one thing to be struggling hitting .200-220, its another to be an automatic out. Better luck with another team. The Sox also sent Alec Gamboa back to Worcester to make room for the returning Ranger Suarez. His groin and illness healed so he's ready to return to active duty. 

The big story was the trade at midnight last night. The Sox sent injured starter Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for 25 year old third baseman Curtis Mead. After Dylan Cease carved up the Sox last night, Sox GM Craig Breslow didn't wait around, he went out and got a right handed power bat they needed. Early was supposed to be the next Jon Lester going 8-7 with the Sox the last 2 years but his elbow injury had Sox fans and apparently the front office concerned. With the rise of Jake Bennett and the fiery personality of Payton Tolle, Breslow apparently felt Early was the odd man out with Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray rolling (Gray's last start not withstanding). Mead was a light hitting backup infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2023-25 before getting traded at the deadline to the Chicago White Sox. He was traded to the Washington Nationals in the off-season where he broke out this season smacking 17 home runs and driving in 48 runs. The half empty way of looking at it is you might have just traded a potential lefty ace for a below average defensive infielder that might have had a fluke offensive half season. The Sox would be stuck with another below average defender that couldn't hit. The half full way to look at it is the Sox desperately needed a right handed hitting power hitter. If Mead figured something out to be a potential 20-30 homer hitting guy, there's your new DH. You can move Masataka Yoshida to left for a Yoshida/Jahmai Jones platoon and sit Duran down. If Trevor Story comes back your 3-7 would be Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, Curtis Mead, Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin. That's pretty good. Time will tell.

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As for the game, how about the small ball Red Sox? With power hitting at a premium for another 24 hours, the Sox did something they rarely did under Alex Cora, the little things. As they say in football, the Sox nickel & dimed the Toronto Blue Jays in today's game. Ranger Suarez came off the Injured List to toss 4 shutout innings but the Sox bats stepped up. Carlos Narvaez dropped down a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the third and Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Andruw Monasterio shortly after. In the bottom of the fourth, Romy Gonzalez dropped down a bunt and Jarren Duran knocked in 2 runs. Narvaez dropped down another bunt in the seventh and Jahmai Jones knocked them in. Apart from Ryan Watson allowing a run in the ninth, the bullpen pitched in to hold the Jays to that run. The Sox won the game 6-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                Jackson Koivun approves of the win

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nathan Lukes struck out swinging to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr took strike three and Alejandro Kirk lined out to right to end the inning. Gausman took the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Masataka Yoshida popped up to short to start. Daulton Varsho robbed Ceddanne Rafaela with a base hit with a great diving catch and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

George Springer got a base hit to center to start the top of the second but Varsho grounded into a double play. Kazuma Okamoto popped up to short to end the inning. Willson Contreras flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and Caleb Durbin struck out swinging. Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to in the hole at first but Jarren Duran flied out to left to end the inning.

Ernie Clement flied out to left to start the top of the third but Andres Gimenez doubled to center. Davis Schneider struck out swinging and Lukes took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Andruw Monasterio singled to left to start. Carlos Narvaez dropped down a bunt to move Andruw to second and Yoshida moved him to third with a grounder to first. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Monasterio but Abreu took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Sox strike first

Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Kirk got a base hit over the head of Monasterio. Gimenez got a base hit to right but Varsho forced him at second Okamoto froze for strike three to end the inning. That was it for Suarez who the Sox didn't want to push after coming off the Injured List. He tossed 4 shutout innings allowing 4 hits.

                                                              Short but sweet

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Contreras walked to start. Durbin got a base hit to right and Gonzalez dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Duran drilled a base hit to right to score both runners. Monasterio flied out to center and Narvaez was rung up for strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                      Duran drives in a pair

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Clement struck out swinging to start. Gimenez singled over the head of Monasterio but Schneider lined out to center. Lukes grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Yoshida lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela grounded out to second. Abreu grounded out to second as well to end the inning.

Tyron "Flamethrower" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Guerrero Jr lined out to right to start. Kirk got a base hit to right but Springer popped up to second. Varsho walked on 4 straight pitches but Okamoto flied out to right on a 2-0 count to end the inning. Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Durbin grounded out ton short. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Clement grounded out to short to start. Gimenez grounded out to first and Yohendrick Pinango pinch hit for Schneider. Pinango struck out swinging to end the inning. Braydon Fisher came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Duran greeted him with a base hit to center. Duran stole second and Monasterio walked on four pitches. Narvaez dropped down a bunt to move the runners over to chase Fisher. Brendon Little came in to face Yoshida and Sox manager Chad Tracy countered by pinch hitting Jahmai Jones and he doubled off the centerfield wall to bring in both runners. Rafaela struck out swinging but Abreu doubled off the Monster to score Jones. Contreras grounded out to to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                               Jones is all fired up

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lukes grounded out to second to start. Guerrero Jr flied out to right and Kirk grounded out to third to end the inning. Adam Macko came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Durbin lined one off of Adam for a single to start. Gonzalez banged into a double play but Duran hit a roller to first with no one covering for a single. Lukes made a great sliding catch on a Monasterio liner to end the inning.

Watson returned for the top of the ninth and Springer grounded out to short to start. Varsho beat ou grounder to Contreras and Okamoto struck out swinging. Clement then hit a ball that got caught under the left field barrier for a ground rule double. Naturally Gimenez hit a grounder that ate up Durbin to score Varsho but Pinango lined out to Duran to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. He was 3 for 4 and his 2 run single iced the game.

                                                                  Our Hero

The Good:

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Ranger Suarez tossed 4 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits while striking out six.

Greg Weissert got the win with a scoreless fifth inning.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Jahmai Jones hit a 2 run double, stole a base and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drive in a run.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Ryan Watson allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Carlos Narvaez struck out in his only official at-bat but dropped down two key bunts.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox and now they're going to find out if they have enough to make a run. Sox manager Chad Tracy has states they're going to stick Curtis Mead at second base for now meaning Anthony Seigler's out of the starting lineup. Durbin has turned into a fine defensive third baseman and they want to keep Yoshida in the lineup so unfortunately Seigler was the odd man out. As for this game, its been mentioned before but Alex Cora refusing to go small ball cost them a lot of games, especially in extra innings. They'd fail to score, lose the game and he'd fold his arms and say coldly "We play for two, not one." Well Tracy was playing for whatever he could get and it worked three times. Carlos Narvaez and Romy Gonzalez were just as important as the guys that drove in the runs. On days where the power isn't there, that's what they have to do. Suarez looked fine in his return from the sniffles and a groin pull so no one should be concerned about him. The real concern is with Connelly Early gone for good, their rotation is now Sonny Gray, Suarez, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Patrick Sandoval with Brayan Bello as the piggybacker. They're not winning anything without Garrett Crochet come October but this might be enough to get them there. Standings wise the Tampa Bay Rays once again beat the Cleveland Guardians and the Philadelphia Phillies smacked around the New York Yankees so the Sox are 1.5 games ahead of Cleveland and 4.5 behind New York for the first wild card. They're still in pretty good shape so unless something drastic happens in a week, they might just roll out what they have and pray they get Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Crochet, etc back at some point. The win improved the Sox to 54-50, 7.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have a brutal seven game west coast trip beginning tomorrow night against the Oakland A's. Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.31 ERA) takes on Jack Perkins of the A's at 9:40 PM eastern time at Sutter Health Park.

Cease, Jays Blank Sox (7/25/26)

If the Boston Red Sox needed a reminder that they miss Garrett Crochet, they got one courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays. In a battle of two AL Cy Young candidates, Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays put a cigarette out on Sonny Gray (12-2, 2.78 ERA) and the heads of the Red Sox. Cease tossed a complete game 1 hit shutout while allowing just 3 walks. Meanwhile the Jays ripped Gray a new bunghole in the third inning scoring 5 runs to put the game out of reach. Alec Gamboa heroically tried to keep the Sox in the game for a comeback that never happened. Gamboa allowed a ninth inning rbi to Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Cease finished the job in the bottom of the ninth. The Jays had blanked the Red Sox 6-0. How many Sox did the Sox score John Cena?

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nathan Lukes grounded back to the mound to start. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third and Kazuma Okamoto struck out swinging to end the inning. Cease got the ball in the bottom of the first and Anthony Seigler popped up to third to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. 

The Jays blew a rally in the top of the second as George Springer got a base hit to left to start. Daulton Varsho got a base hit to right but Ernie Clement lined out to left and Springer got doubled off second on a line drive to Rafaela by Yohendrick Pinanfo to end the inning. Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida flied out to center. Caleb Durbin popped up to second to end the inning. 

The Jays struck first in the top of the second as Andres Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Brandon Valenzuela grounded out to second but Lukes doubled to left. Guerrero effortlessly singled to left to score Lukes, putting the Jays up for good. Okamoto beat out a roller to third  and Springer hit a home run all the way to Mexico to ice the game. Varsho got a base hit to center and Clement doubled to left to score him as the boos rained down. Pinango struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.

                                                             Springer ends it early

The Sox gave up in the bottom of the third as Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Andruw Monasterio flied out to center and Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Gimenez got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Valenzuela lined out to right. Lukes grounded out to first and Guerrero got a base hit to left. Gimenez tried for home but Duran threw him out at the plate to end the inning. Seigler flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela grounded back to the mound. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Okamoto grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Springer lined out to third. Varsho lined out to left to end the inning. That was it for Gray who got rocked for 5 runs in 5 innings off 10 hits.

                                                              Gray gets pounded

Contreras struck out swinging to start. Yoshida grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Alec Gamboa came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Clement beat out a roller to start. Myles Straw pinch hit for Pinango and struck out swinging. Gimenez struck out swinging but Clement stole second in the process. Valenzuela hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Monasterio broke up the perfect game with a double to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Wong grounded out to short. Rafaela popped up to second to end the inning. 

Lukes struck out swinging to start but Guerrero Jr walked and Okamoto banged into a double play to end the inning. Abreu grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Contreras walked. Yoshida flied out to right and Contreras got caught stealing second to end the inning. 

Springer grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Varsho lined out to center. Clement singled to left but Straw flied out to right to end the inning. Durbin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Duran took strike three. Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gimenez beat out a roller to short to start the top of the ninth but Valenzuela struck out swinging. Lukes doubled to left and Guerrero Jr singled off Gamboa to score Gimenez. Okamoto struck out swinging and Springer took strike three to end the inning with the Jays up 6-0.

                                                                Guerrero Jr drives in a run

Cease came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Wong struck out swinging to start. Seigler walked but Rafaela took strike three. Abreu took strike three to end the game. The Jays had won it 6-0.

                                                         Blue Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Sonny Gray. He got lit up for 5 runs in 5 innings off 10 hits.

                                                                 Jackass Gray

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Caleb Durbin wad 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Alec Gamboa allowed a run in 4 innings of work.

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

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 3 with a strikeout with a walk.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a wakeup call for not just the Red Sox players but the front office as well. Cease is a real ace and guys like him and the Cam Schittler of the New York Yankees are going to be what you face in October. In order to beat those guys you need elite bats, which they don't have. Breslow has a week before the deadline to go get a bat, preferably right handed. If Trevor Story's not coming back until the end of August, you can't afford to wait that long to see if anyone else steps up. The Sox need some help right away so Breslow has about a week to do something. Otherwise you're banking on Roman Anthony and Triston Casas to come back and that hasn't worked out for the past year at all. As for the fans that want the Sox to sell, that's not happening. The bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays won but the good news is they beat the Cleveland Guardians so the Sox didn't lose any ground in the wild card race. The Sox still have two months to make a run at Tampa but they're right in the thick of things right now. Just the more reason to buy at the deadline instead of sell. Just tip your cap to Cease and say "ya got me" because that was a hell of a performance. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-50, 8 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when Ranger Suarez comes off the Injured List to face Kevin Gausman of Toronto. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Edge Jays Late (7/24/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made some roster moves. The Florida Complex Red Sox season ended and the Sox released three guys as soon as the final game was over. Venezuelan right handed pitchers Denison Sanchez and Yoelvin Chirino was released as well as 2025 14th round pick, right handed pitcher Carter Rasmussen. Chirino allowed 25 runs in 33 innings for the Complex Sox last year and 37 runs in 23 innings this year. That wasn't going to get it done. Sanchez at least had one moment in the sun when he was apart of a combined no-hitter but still allowed 24 runs in 21 innings. The 6 foot 5 Rasmussen was a head scratcher as he was AWFUL at Brown University when the Sox drafted him and he allowed 27 runs in 16 innings for the FCS. Goes to show Sox GM Craig Breslow can't turn everyone that's over 6'4 into a stud. Apart from a wasted draft pick, no big loss.

                                                                       OUT

As for the game, rarely this season are games considered "must win" but this was certainly one of them for the Red Sox. The Sox win streak was snapped on Wednesday night and contrarian Sox fans and radio hosts spent all of Thursday saying to sell the team, trade all the stars and blow up Fenway Park. Coming back against the Toronto Blue Jays was a must tonight, and they nearly blew it. Patrick Sandoval lasted just 4 2/3 innings but the Sox built a 4-0 lead. Anthony Seigler hit a leadoff home run off Trey Yesavage and two innings later Ceddanne Rafaela went yard. Andruw Monasterio hit a sac fly and things looked great with one out in the seventh inning....and it fell apart. Greg Weissert allowed a 3 run home run to Kazuma Okamoto in the seventh and Garrett Whitlock allowed the tying run to score in the eighth. Game over right? WRONG! Romy Gonzalez came off the bench to knock in a run and Seigler drove in yet another run to give the Sox the lead back. Aroldis Chapman slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox had gotten back on the winning track with a 6-4 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                          Smarty Pants approves of the win

Sandoval got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ernie Clement immediately reached on an error by Patrick to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to left and Kazuma Okamoto took strike three. Clement took second on a wild pitch, George Springer walked and both runners moved over on a passed ball. Alejandro Kirk walked to load the bases but Davis Schneider took strike three to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Yesavage in the bottom of the first as Anthony Seigler smashed his third home run of the season to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu lined out to left, but Willson Contreras beat out a roller to old pal Luis Urias. Contreras stole second and Masataka Yoshida walked, but Caleb Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                         Seigler is fired up for this one

Daulton Varsho beat out a roller to second to start the top of the second but Urias struck out swinging. Myles Straw lined out to right and Clement lined out to short to end the inning. Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Andruw Monasterio did the same. Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Guerrero Jr popped up to first to start the top of the second and Okamoto grounded out to short. Springer flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Seigler got a base hit to left to start. Rafaela blasted his 10th home run of the season to increase the lead but Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                         Rafaela gets a piece of one

Kirk got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Schneider forced him at second. Varsho got a base hit to center but Urias popped up to first. Straw lined out to left to end the inning. Durbin took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and Duran grounded out to first. Monasterio got a base hit to right but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Clement grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth inning but Guerrero Jr got a base hit to left. Naturally Okamoto doubled to left but Springer hit one up the elevator shaft. That was it for Sandoval as Sox manager wasnt going go take any chances with a rested bullpen. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings but allowed no runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. Tyron Guerrero came in and Kirk flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                             Not great but it'll do

Mason Fluharty came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Seigler flied out to right to start. Rafaela and Abreu both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Nathan Lukes pinch hit for Schneider to start the top of the sixth and struck out swinging. Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob Varsho of a hit and Urias grounded out to third to end the inning. Braydon Fisher came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Contreras struck out swinging to start. Yoshida walked, Durbin was hit with a pitch and Duran beat out a roller to short to load the bases. Monasterio hit a sac fly to center to score Yoshida to increase the lead and Wong got a base hit to left. Unfortunately Durbin was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                             Monasterio drives in a run

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Yohendrick Pinango pinch hit for Straw. Pinango took strike three but Clement was hit with a pitch. Naturally Guerrero Jr got a base hit to center and Okamoto hot a home run all the way to Finland to cut the lead. Springer flied out to right and Kirk grounded out to short to end the inning but the Jays were back in it down 4-3.

                                                           Dammit

Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Seigler doubled to left to start. Naturally Rafaela failed to get him over by grounding out to short but Abreu walked. Contreras flied out to center but Yoshida reached on an error by Guerrero to load the bases. Naturally Durbin grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The inevitable happened as Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock got tagged in the top of the eighth as Lukes doubled to left to start. Varsho got a base hit to right to move Lukes to third and Andres Gimenez pinch hit for Urias. Gimenez hit a sac fly to center to score Lukes to tie the game but Pinango struck out swinging. Clement flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                Blue Jays tie it

CJ Van Eyk came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran got a base hit to left to start. Monasterio popped up to Guerrero and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Wong. Gonzalez doubled into the left field corner to score Duran to give the Sox the lead. Seigler doubled off the Monster to score Gonzalez and Rafaela got a base hit to left to put runners at the corners. That was it for Van Eyk as Adam Macko came in to face Abreu. Abreu popped up to Clement and Contreras was intentionally walked to load the bases to get to Yoshida. Sox manager Chad Tracy countered by sending in Jahmai Jones to pinch hit. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth with Carlos Narvaez now behind the plate. Naturally Guerrero Jr walked but Okamoto struck out swinging. Springer flied out to center but Guerrero took second on defensive indifference. Kirk struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 6-4.

                                                              Sox win
                                                         

Hero of The Night is Romy Gonzalez. He came in ice cold off the bench and delivered the rbi to put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 Hero Gonzalez

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 4 for 5 with a home run, 2 rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Patrick Sandoval tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings allowing 5 hits and 2 walks.

Tyron Guerrero tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 24th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jahmai Jones struck out as a pinch hitter.

Greg Weissert allowed a 3 run home run in the seventh.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole a base.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Honorable Mention:

Carlos Narvaez caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about going from an easy victory to a potential heartbreaking loss to a gutty win. The Sox had this game in the bag with the bases empty and one out in the seventh inning and found a way to blow it. Between April and June you could have penciled in a ninth or tenth inning loss but these days the Sox find way to get it done. Romy Gonzalez comes in ice cold to deliver the big hit and a guy who slumped for 3 weeks getting the insurance knock wasn't happening 2 months ago. Too bad Sandoval couldn't go longer but like mentioned before, this was a must win game. Pundits and critics were saying for 48 hours that the Sox crashed back to earth and another loss might have justified their absurdity. Instead the Sox claw their way back to victory to shut them up. The bad news was both the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees lost so the Sox gained no ground on them, but the good news was Tampa beat Cleveland. Mostly due to games in hand, the Sox are now currently in possession of the second wild card even though the Indians have one more win than they do. The funny thing is the Sox have a better record than the AL West front runner Texas Rangers and are one game behind the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox. Somehow in one calendar month the Sox went from one game in front of the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in baseball to the fourth best record in the American League. The Sox still have a lot of work to do and we're still one week from the trade deadline. Craig Breslow has to make a choice of doing nothing at the deadline and banking on the injured players coming back or sacrificing prospects to make a trade for a big bat. Either way things will work itself out in the next week or so. The win improved the Sox to 53-49, 6.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays tomorrow afternoon in a battle of aces. Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA) takes on Dylan Cease of Toronto. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.