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

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

                                                                               OUT

                                                                           IN

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

                                                         Jade approves of the win

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

                                                             Yankees strike first

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

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

                                                     Another rbi for Contreras

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

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

                                                          Home run Monasterio

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

                                                         Jones drives in a run

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

                                                             Sox go up by 3

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

                                                           Yankees still in this one

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

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

                                                          Gray was solid in this one

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

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

                                                                Sox win

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

                                                            Hero Contreras

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

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

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

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

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

The Bad:

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

Marcelo Mayer struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mickey Gasper was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                          OUT

                                                                         IN

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

                                                              Bello......

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

                                                             The scoreboard says it all

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

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

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

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

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

                                                            Another stinker from Bello

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

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

                                                      Sox get on the board

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

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

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

                                                              Good debut for Kahnle

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

                                                                   O's win

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

                                                          Bello Jackass

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk.

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

Andrew Monasterio was 1 for 2.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Jovani Moran tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Tommy Kahnle tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 4.

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                          OUT

                                                                         IN

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

                                                        Kate Austen approves of the win

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

                                                             "That's one" - Abreu

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

                                                                  Almost had it

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

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

                                                      "Pelota justa! Pelota justa!" - Abreu

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

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

                                                         Kiner was robbed of a home run

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

                                                        Tolle did well

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

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

                                                 "Midgemong has no friends" - Adley

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

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

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

                                                                  Sox win

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

                                                                  "Yo soy el heroe!"

The Good:

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

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

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

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

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

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

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

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

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

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                         Live look at Craig Breslow

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

                                                             Sox strike first

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

                                                              Mayo ties it up

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

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

                                                              Alonso ices it

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

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

                                                          Alexander drives in a run

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

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

                                                          Sox inch closer

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

                                                              Not Early's best stuff

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

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

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

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

                                                                 O's win

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

                                                             Jackass swinging at air

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4.

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

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

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

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Off-Day News: 2021 MLB Draft Re-visit (6/1/26)

Its another off-day and we're going to take a look at the 2021 MLB Draft unfolded for the Boston Red Sox. Ex-GM Chaim Bloom treated the 2020 season like Rachel Phelps from Major League got the Sox the fourth overall pick in the draft. How did the rest of the draft turn out? Let's find out.

1st Round - INF Marcelo Mayer

As mentioned earlier, the 2020 disaster led to the Sox getting the fourth overall pick. Rather than take the top pitcher available, they selected Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer lived up to his billing when he tore up the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive in 2022, hitting .275 with 13 home runs combined. In 2023 played in just 78 games for Greenville and the Portland Sea Dogs before injuries derailed his season. In 2024, he combined with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel to form the "Goldust Trio" that terrorized both Portland and Worcester Red Sox....even if Mayer didn't play due to injury. In 2025, mostly due to the demotion of Kristian Campbell, Mayer made his ML debut on May 24th and hit .228 with 4 home runs before, again, injuries derailed his season. This hear he's only hitting .224 with 2 home runs and the whole team is in a slump it seems. Fans are upset and calling him a bust despite being just 23 years old in his second pro season. Bottom line was fans were expecting Nomar Garciaparra and didn't get it so far. Let's see how he performs once they get a new GM and manager that know what they're doing.

2nd Round - OF Jud Fabian

As mentioned in previous years, the Sox got bamboozled by their second round draft pick, outfielder Jud Fabian. The Sox drafted him in the second round one pick before the Baltimore Orioles and strangely, he didn't sign and chose to remain at Florida. A year later, he was drafted in the second round by Baltimore and the story came out that the O's were going to sign him for 3 million in 2021, but the Sox took him and offered 1.8. Now collecting his 3 mill, he's yet to make the majors. A "launch angle" guy has hit just .216 in the minors but with 70 combined home runs in 5 years. The Orioles don't really need another outfielder that is all or nothing so he might need a change of scenery to see if he can hit major league pitching. Worse yet, several picks after Fabian made the majors such as Ryan Bliss, Andrew Abbott, Connor Norby, Ky Bush, Brendan Beck, James Wood and Joe Rock to name a few. Any one of those guys could have made it with the Sox or could have been decent trade bait. Instead they got NOTHING, HOORAY!

3rd Round - INF Tyler McDonough

Another wasted pick it seems is third round pick, infielder Tyler McDonough. Tyler showed promise at the end of 2021 batting .296 in 27 games with the Salem Red Sox and never truly broke out. He never hit above .255 as he hit .230 with Greenville in 2022 and .255 with Worcester last year. This year he got demoted back to Portland and is hitting .214 in 43 games. Its fairly obvious he's not going to make it which is doubly sad since Caleb Durbin sucks right now. To add insult to injury, Carter Jensen, McCade Brown, Mason Black and most importantly, Mason Miller were all taken after McDonough in the third round. Chaim Bloom spent too many years drafting infielders in the first round and almost none of them hit. 

4th Round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez

The good news was their fourth round pick, right handed pitcher Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez, made the majors. The bad news was it wasn't with the Red Sox. Drafted as a 17 year old out of Puerto Rico, Rodriguez utterly dominated Salem from 2022-24 before getting a 7 game cup of coffee with Greenville at the end of the 2024 season. Then the Red Sox pulled off the monumental trade that sent top catching prospect Kyle Teel and other prospects to the Chicago White Sox for ace Garrett Crochet. Needing a catcher, the Sox shipped Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for budding catcher Carlos Narvaez. Narvaez had a solid 2025 season for the Red Sox while Rodriguez went 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA between Single A, Double A and triple A. This year Rodriguez made his ML debut with the Yankees on April 29 and went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 3 starts before being sent back to Scranton where he's 1-3 with a 2.97 ERA. Currently Carlos Narvaez is hitting just .220 with 2 home runs this year and the entire Red Sox offense is struggling. Whether or not the trade is fair or a bust won't be determined for another few years but I think most Sox fans would rather have Rodriguez pitch on this rancid team for a lot cheaper than Ranger Suarez. Still, for 2 of the first 4 players taken to make the majors, that's still considered a win for Chaim Bloom.

5th Round - C Nathan Hickey

To say 5th round pick, catcher Nathan Hickey, is a bust already is unfair....but the signs look pretty bad. Back in 2021 the Sox had the tag-team of Kevin Plawecki and Christian Vazquez so the feeling was Hickey might take Plawecki's spot if Connor Wong didn't work out. It looked like Hickey was headed for great things in 2023 when he hit 19 home runs between Greenville and Portland but then spent most of 2024 as Kyle Teel's backup in Worcester hitting just .210. With Teel traded in 2024, Connor Wong bottomed out completely in 2025....and Hickey never got a sniff. This year both Narvaez and Wong are struggling and instead of calling up Hickey, they go with journeyman Mickey Gasper. All signs point to Hickey being in no man's land. To add insult to injury, after Hickey was taken, Eric Cerantola, Evan Justice, Christian Scott and Tanner Bibee all made the show. Its not too late for the 26 year old, but hitting .179 with 3 home runs in Triple A isn't going to cut it.

6th Round - C Daniel McElveny

The first real "bust" of the draft was sixth round pick, catcher Daniel McElveny. He played in just 52 games between 2022 and 2023 hitting just .206 and .214 respectively. He got in 55 games for Salem in 2024 hitting just .179 before he was cut loose after the season. He played in just 26 games for the Arizona Complex Rockies hitting .242 before he was released by Colorado in July. He's been out of baseball since and THIS pick came back to haunt Boston. Carson Seymour, Braxton Fulford, Carlos Rodrguez, Spencer Arrighetti, "Big" Dick Fitts and Seattle Mariners ace Bryan Woo were all taken after Daniel in theb 6th round. That's a pretty big swing and a miss by Bloom.

7th Round - RHP Wyatt Olds

How 7th round pick, right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds is still in the system is anyone's guess. He was drafted out of Oklahoma University where he was 4-6 with a 5.17 ERA. He's been straight batting practice ever since....and is still here. In 2022 he was 4-9 with a 5.92 ERA between Greenville and Portland, in 2023 he was 1-9 with a 7.54 ERA between the Florida Complex Sox and Greenville, in 2024 he was 4-4 with a 6.09 ERA between Portland and Worcester. In 2025 he was 7-4 with a 5.05 ERA between Portland and Worcester and this year he's got a 7.25 ERA in 15 games. His minor league record is 19-29 with a 6.01 ERA.....that says it all. How he made it this far when other people who had better numbers were released or traded is anyone's guess. Worse yet, Noah Cannon, Jacob Young and Tristan Peters all made MLB out of the seventh round after Olds was picked. Its only a matter of time before he's given the boot.

8th Round - RHP Hunter Dobbins

Bloom scored with his eighth round pick when he selected right handed pitcher Hunter Dobbins out of Texas Tech University. After missing 2021 with Tommy John surgery and going 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 2022 for Greenville, he started to turn it around. In 2023, he was 9-6 with a 3.67 between Greenville and Portland and was 8-5 with a 3.08 ERA between Portland and Worcester in 2024. He made his ML debut with the Red Sox in 2025 and went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA in 13 games before he tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season. He was traded back in December to send Willson Contreras from St. Louis to Boston and so far the Sox have won the trade. Contreras is their best power hitter, which isn't saying much, while Dobbins JUST came back from knee surgery and allowed 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings in his Cardinals debut, then 1 run in 3 2.3 innings. Just like the Rodriguez/Narvaez swap, the trade is still up for grabs. What's not is the fact Bloom found an MLB pitcher in the eighth round. Dobbins had the goods to make the show, he just couldn't stay healthy in Boston.

9th Round - INF Tyler Miller

In the 9th round, the Sox took Auburn University third baseman Tyler Miller. Miller looked like a house of fire with the Complex and Salem to end 2021 but flopped in 2022, hitting just .219 in 114 games although he did have 13 home runs. Things started to sour in 2024 when he hit just .228 with one home run for Portland and hit just .201 in 82 games in 2025. He was released in March of 2026 and hasn't signed with anyone since. Unlike the others, only one other pick in the ninth round made the show and it was Will Dion that JUST got promoted on May 26th. All in all Miller was just another failed ninth round pick in a sea full of them.

10th Round - RHP Matt Litwicki

In many cases, the prospects didn't make it at least played to show what they had. The Sox 10th round pick, right handed pitcher Matt Litwicki didn't even get a chance. He was an injury case at Indiana University pitching in just 22 games between 2019 and 2021. With the Red Sox, he missed all of 2021 and 2022 due to injury. He pitched in just 6 games in 2023 for the Complex and Salem before being released in August. These days he wears a hell of a suit working for Consolidated Electrical Distributors. To add insult to injury, Billy Cook, Darren Baker, Franco Aleman and Jack Winkler made MLB coming out of the 10th round after Litwicki. Its one thing to play 5 or 6 seasons in the minors and not make it, its another to be released after SIX games.

11th Round - INF Niko Kavadas

Bloom scored in the 11th round when he took slugger Niko Kavadas out of Notre Dame University. Kavadas bashed 26 home runs in Salem, Greenville and Portland combined in 2022 and hit 22 home runs between Portland and Worcester in 2023. In 2024 he was hitting .281 with 17 home runs when he was traded to Los Angeles in the package deal for Luis Garcia. It was a horrible trade as Kavadas along with Matthew Lugo and Ryan Zeferjahn all made their debuts with the Angels. Kavadas became the first member of this draft class to reach the majors. Niko hit 4 home runs in 30 games for the Angels in 2024 and was a 4A player in 2025, hitting 28 home runs for the Salt Lake Bees while getting in 10 games for LA. This year he's back with Salt Lake hitting .329 with 5 home runs. He might turn out to be a classic 4A player, but that's a hell of an accomplishment from an 11th round pick. He might not have made his debut with the Sox, but Bloom still made the right decision.

12th round - RHP Christopher Troye

In the 12th round, the Sox took right handed pitcher Christopher Troye out of USC Santa Barbara University. Once again this is is a case of taking the wrong guy. After having mediocre seasons in 2021 and 2022, Troye looked to be breaking out in 2023 when he allowed just 4 runs in 18 innings for Greenville to get called up to Portland. He posted a 3.77 ERA in 24 games and things appeared to be looking up. Instead he crashed in 2024, battling injuries to go 2-2 with a 4.60 ERA. In 2025 he had a 7.20 ERA for Portland when he was given the boot at the end of July. He's been out of baseball since and is now a real estate developer in Los Angeles. Usually 12th round picks aren't expected to be all-stars but here's the problem. Later in the 12th round the New York Yankees took Ben Rice who hit 26 home runs for the team that knocked the Red Sox out of the playoffs. Especially with Triston Casas' injury, bet they wish they picked Rice over Troye now.

13th Round - INF Zach Ehrhard

This pick doubly hurts because 13th round pick Zach Ehrhard has had quite the journey. The Sox initially took him out of Wharton High School but he chose not to sign, instead going to Oklahoma State. After 3 years there, the Sox took him again in the 4th round of the 2024 draft. Ehrhard hit .342 for Greenville in 2025 and had clobbered 8 home runs for Portland when he was traded along with James Tibbs to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dustin May at the trade deadline. The trade was a disaster as May was so bad he was released in September and Tibbs is hitting .300 with 12 home runs for the Oklahoma City Comets. Ehrhard is currently hitting .274 with 3 home runs for the Comets and the trade gets worse by the day. However, since this was a 2021 pick, we'll judge it by those standards. Zach didn't sign and Matt Svanson, David Festa and Bob Seymour all made the majors from the 13th round. How do you fumble the same guy twice?

14th Round - RHP Jacob Webb

Time's run out for Boston's 14th round pick, right handed pitcher Jacob Webb. Originally he seemed to be the one that would make the majors before anyone else as he allowed just 2 runs in 12 innings in 2021 and made it to Portland in 2022. Then he crashed hard as he was 8-3 but with a 5.03 ERA in 2023 and was 10-3 with a 4.28 ERA in 2024. He did get a cup of coffee in Worcester but it ended badly. In 2025 he was 2-1 with a 3.26 ERA for Portland but posted a 6.35 ERA in Worcester. This year he posted a 6.66 ERA before he was placed on the Development List for Worcester. He tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings in his return, but still. With so many fresh arms coming up, its just a matter of time before this loss is cut. What makes this pick worse is two very familiar faces were taken later. Boston's own Tyler Samaniego was the first pick of the 15th round and Caleb Durbin was drafted by the Atlanta Braves later in the 14th round. While Durbin is sputtering, Samaniego looked good before he was foolishly sent to Worcester. They could have had him all along if Chaim Bloom was just a bit smarter.

15th Round - INF Payton Green

The Sox swung and missed with their 15th round pick, Green Hope High School shortstop Payton Green. Why? He didn't sign. Green ended up going to North Carolina State before transferring to Georgia Tech. He was taken in the 6th round of the 2024 draft by the Miami Marlins and batted .266 with 8 home runs between A and AA in 2025. This year he was hitting .240 with 4 home runs for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos before being called up to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on the 26th. He has 3 hits in 11 at-bats and the word is still out whether or not he can make the majors. Unfortunately for the Sox, one guy did. Blake Dunn of the Cincinnati Reds taken later in the 15th round. If Green makes it to Miami, Bloom had the right idea....just the wrong time.

16th Round - INF BJ Vela

Much like Matt Litwicki, 16th round pick second baseman BJ Vela's time in Boston was very short...but no one really knows why. He played in 21 games for the Florida Complex Sox in 2022 and hit .342, not bad right? Well for whatever reason he was released in Spring Training in 2023. His journey wasn't over though, he went back to school and has played the last two years for Texas Wesleyan University. Whether or not he gets drafted again this year or simply goes on to life a normal life, it does seem strange that the Sox gave up on him THAT early, especially with Wyatt Olds and Jacob Webb given five full years. Later in the 16th round, the Detroit Tigers took Alek Jacob. Not the greatest resume but still more than what the Sox got out of Vela.

17th Round - RHP Luis Guerrero

Chaim Bloom scored big time late in the draft when he took right handed pitcher Luis Guerrero in the 17th round. Usually JuCo pitchers are cucka but Guerrero wasn't. He pitched for the Complex, Salem and Greenville in 2022 posting a 3.23 ERA. In 2023 he allowed 10 earned runs in 49 innings for Portland to move up to Worcester. He didn't have a successful cup of coffee, but began the 2024 season there. After being a stallwart all season in the bullpen, he was rewarded with a 9 game cup of coffee with Boston beginning on September 8. In 2025 he bounced between Boston and Worcester with a rehab stint in between. He was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA for the playoff bound Sox but was shipped off to Tampa Bay in a salary dump for cheap infielder Tristan Gray of the Rays. This year he's floundering in AAA for the Durham Bulls going 1-3 with a 5.47 ERA. Still, he doesn't turn 26 until August and there's plenty of journeymen relievers in MLB and AAA, he's not done yet by a long shot. As it is, to make the majors from the 17th round is a win for Chaim Bloom.

18th Round - OF Phillip Sikes

For a while, it looked like outfielder Philip Sikes was going to follow Luis Guerrero to the majors as an 18th round pick. He hit .253 with Salem and Greenville in 2022 with 11 home runs. In 2023 he hit just .210 but with 9 home runs for Portland and in 2024 he hit .235 but with 11 home runs between Portland and Worcester. Then it crashed in 2025 as he hit just .200 with 6 home runs and was released in Spring Training earlier this year. He hasn't been picked up by anyone else yet and at 27 years old, this might be it. Chaim Bloom took a lot of all or nothing guys like Tyler McDonough, Niko Kavadas and Philip Sikes and only one barely made it. Now normally finding value in the 18th round is like finding a needle in a haystack, and unfortunately it wasn't the Red Sox. The Houston Astros took Will Wagner later in the 18th round. Still, the fact Sikes got to AAA from this spot gets an A for effort but not exactly a win since someone else made the majors.

19th Round - RHP Tyler Uberstine

A lot of people, myself included, thought Chaim Bloom was nuts for using their 19th round pick on Northwestern University right handed pitcher Tyler Uberstine. He was 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA in 8 starts his senior year but became the Complex ace to end 2021. In 2022 he started 21 games for Salem and Greenville before Tommy John surgery wiped out 2023 and most of 2024. In 2025, he went 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA for Portland and Worcester to put him in AAA to start 2026. On April 5th, he put in a yeoman's effort in his ML debut before being sent back to Worcester after the game. Then he got shut down due to shoulder inflammation. He just came back this past Tuesday and started his rehab in Greenville. If his shoulder is sound, he might be back to Boston sooner rather than later. Still, the fact the 19th round pick made MLB over a lot of others on this list is a hell of an accomplishment. That's a big W for Bloom no matter what moving forward.

20th Round - INF Josh Hood

In the 20th round, the Sox picked Pennsylvania University shortstop Josh Hood....and he didn't sign. He transferred to North Carolina State and ended up getting picked in the 6th round of the 2022 draft by the Seattle Mariners. Just like the others on this list, he's all or nothing. He hit .273 with 13 home runs in 2023 between Low and High A then hit .246 with 15 home runs for High A in 2024. Last year he hit just .206 with 12 home runs for the Double A Arkansas Travelers and got even worse this year, hitting just .157 with 4 home runs. If the power numbers dip as he climbs the ranks, that's NOT a good sign when he doesn't hit for average. To make matters worse, later in the 20th round the Mariners took Troy Taylor and the San Diego Padres took Chase Burns. Finding value in the 20th round is even harder than the 19th so kudos to Seattle and San Diego. The Sox got burnt by Hood but it doesn't seem like it'll effect much.

RFA - OF Kier Meredith

Sometimes things work out in different ways and such was the case with Clemson University outfielder Kier Meredith. His four years at Clemson were good but not good enough for the draft as he went undrafted after all 20 rounds. The Red Sox took a flier on him as a rookie free agent and he hit just .265 for Salem in 2022 and just .178 for Greenville in 2023. After the season he voluntarily retired and became a scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates. On top of that, he became an assistant coach for Team USA Baseball. A lot of great field managers weren't very good players in their day and it takes a lot of courage to know when to admit you're in over your head. Still, for someone who wasn't even drafted to make a career out of being a scout & coach, that's better than nothing.

Lastly, the Sox took a flier on former local Brighton High School pitcher Jhonny Felix after the 2021 draft. To show signs of things to come, he allowed 10 runs in 3 innings for the Florida Complex to end the 2021 season. In 2022, he allowed 41 runs in 38 innings between the Complex and Salem. In 2023, he allowed 36 runs in 45 innings for Salem before being released in August. Not much you can say since he only cost 20 grand to sign and you didn't waste a draft pick on him. Still, you'd like him to have done better than THAT. Oh well.

The 2021 Draft for all intents and purposes was a success. There aren't any Hall of Fame caliber players as of yet but 6 players made the show with another few still knocking at the door. The word is still out on Mayer, Dobbins, Guerrero, Uberstine, Dobbins and Rodriguez but at least they made it. Fabian, Ehrhard, Green, Webb, Olds and Ehrhard are in AAA while Hood is still in AA. The 2021 season was the last to go right for the Red Sox and to get value out of your 17th and 19th round pick is nothing short of remarkable. Would have been nice not to have wasted your 2nd and 3rd round picks but sometimes that's the way it goes.