Gray, Sox Blank Brewers (4/8/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Justin Slaten was placed on the Injured List with an oblique strain and Tyler Samaniego was called up to make his ML debut. Tyler was the "other guy" in the Johan Oviedo trade that sent The Password to Pittsburgh. Slaten should be fine in a few weeks but that's a huge blow to a team already thin in the bullpen.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, don't look now but the Boston Red Sox won their first series of the season by blanking the Milwaukee Brewers in today's getaway game three. Sonny Gray (2-0, 2.76 ERA) tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings to pace the Sox attack. Old pal Shane Drohan started for the Brewers and the Sox pounced on him for three runs in the bottom of the third. The Sox bats didn't do much for most of the game, but that was all they needed with Gray on the mound. Tyler Samaniego made his ML debut to continue the shutout while Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin provided insurance in the bottom of the seventh. Ryan Watson completed the shutout in the top of the ninth and the Sox had won their second straight game 5-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Cooper Howard approves of the win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Sal Frelick hit a ground rule double into the right field stands to start. Garrett Mitchell struck out swinging but Christian Yelich moved Frelick to third wiht a grounder to first. Jake Bauers grounded out to first to end the inning. Drohan made his ML debut in the bottom of the first by getting Roman Anthony to ground out to second. Andruw Monasterio walked but Willson Contreras flied out to center. Wilyer Abreu lined out to short to end the inning.

Gary Sanchez grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second inning before Luis Rengifo grounded out to first. Brandon Lockridge got a base hit to center but David Hamilton flied out to left to end the inning. Trevor Story grounded out to third to start the bottom of the second and Caleb Durbin struck out swinging. Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Joey Ortiz lined out to left to start the top of the third before Frelick lined out to left. Mitchell walked and Yelich singled to right to move him to third. Yelich stole second but Bauers struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela singled to left to start the bottom of the third and Isiah Kiner-Falefa caught Sanchez asleep with a bunt single. Anthony grounded out to first to move the runners over and Monasterio walked to load the bases. Contreras walked to score Rafaela and Hamilton booted a grounder by Abreu to score Kiner. Story hit a sac fly to right to score Monasterio then Durbin walked to re-load the bases. That was it for Drohan as Grant Anderson came in to face Narvaez. Carlos grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                        Contreras gets the party started

Sanchez lined out to right to start the top of the fourth but Rengifo grounded back to the mound. Lockridge grounded out to third to end the inning. Rafaela lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Kiner struck out swinging. Anthony walked and stole second before Monasterio walked. Contreras lined out to short to end the inning.

Hamilton flied out to center to open the top of the fifth and Ortiz grounded out to third. Frelick grounded out to first to end the inning. Aaron Ashby came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Story took strike three and Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning.

Mitchell flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Yelich flied out to left. Bauers grounded out to first to end the inning. Jake Woodford came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Narvaez grounded back to the mound to start. Rafaela walked but Kiner flied out to left. Mitchell made a diving catch to rob Anthony of a hit to end the inning.

Gray returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Sanchez walked to start. Rengifo forced Sanchez at second and that was it for Sonny. He tossed 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball, he was outstanding. Greg Weissert came in and Lockridge struck out swinging, but Hamilton singled in the hole at short. Ortiz took strike three to end the inning.

                                                                 Gray was outstanding

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Monasterio lined out to right to start. Contreras singled to left, Abreu got a base hit to left and Story got a base hit to left to score Contreras. Durbin forced Story at second to score Abreu and Narvaez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                            Story drives in a run

Tyler Samaniego made his ML debut in the top of the eighth and Frelick took strike three to start. Mitchell walked but Yelich struck out swinging. Luis Matos pinch hit for Bauers and struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                          Welcome to the big league, Tyler

Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but was forced at second by Kiner. Anthony walked but Monasterio flied out to right. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to close out the top of the ninth and Sanchez popped up to second to start. Rengifo grounded out to second and Lockridge flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-0.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of The Night is Sonny Gray. He tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                                 Hero Gray

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio walked three times and scored a run.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

Tyler Samaniego pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Ryan Watson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 but walked twice and stole a base.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Chad Durbin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

I didn't think they had it in them but the Sox have somehow won two in a row to build some momentum going into St. Louis. Sonny Gray looked good for the second straight game and the Sox are going to need him big time if Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello don't get their acts together. Offensively Wilyer Abreu is carrying the load but Trevor Story is starting to turn things around with hits and rbis. Chad Durbin isn't completely useless anymore either and it sucks to say, but they do this every year. They start bad and then they catch fire. Hopefully they've caught fire because unlike in years past, the other teams in the AL East besides the New York Yankees haven't started out great either. As long as the Sox keep winning, everything else will fall into place. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Connelly Early (0-0, 2.82) takes on old pal Dustin May of the Cards. The game begins at 8:15 PM eastern time at Busch Stadium.

Crochet, Sox Edge Brewers (4/7/26)

Miracles do happen. With Boston Red Sox fans waiting for the bottom to fall out so they can completely turn on the franchise.....the Sox somehow got a win tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers. Garrett Crochet (2-1, 3.12 ERA) barely was able to hold the Brewers down in just 6 1/3 innings. Somehow he allowed just 2 runs to the Brewers while the Sox scored in just one inning. That happened to be the bottom of the sixth on a Trevor Story bases loaded double and a Chad Durbin rbi. After Crochet left, the trio of Zack Kelly, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman somehow slammed the door. The Sox had won the game 3-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Ryan Gosling approves of the win

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brandon Lockridge struck out swinging to start. William Contreras lined out to right and Luis Rengifo lined out to third to end the inning. Misiorowski got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to start. Jarren Duran struck out swinging and Willson Contreras took strike three to end the inning.

Gary Sanchez got a base hit to left to start the top of the second before taking second on a grounder to second by Joey Ortiz. Luis Matos took strike three and Sal Frelick grounded out to short to end the inning. Wilyer Abreu took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Story struck out swinging. Marcelo Mayer grounded out to short to end the inning.

Blake Perkins got a base hit to center to start the top of the third and David Hamilton dropped down a bunt to move him to second. Lockridge struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Perkins to third. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela walked to begin the bottom of the third but Connor Wong took strike three. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Rengifo lined out to center to start the top of the fourth but Sanchez walked. Mayer dropped a double play ball by Ortiz for an error but Matos grounded into one himself to end the inning. Anthony grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Duran struck out swinging. Contreras got a base hit to right but Abreu took strike three to end the inning.

Frelick grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fifth before Perkins flied out to right. Hamilton grounded out to first to end the inning. Story grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Mayer took strike three. Rafaela singled to left and Wong was hit with a pitch, but IKF grounded out to second to end the inning.

Lockridge struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Contreras singled to center. Rengifo lined out to right and Sanchez was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Anthony took strike three to start the bottom of the sixth but Duran drew a walk. Contreras and Abreu both walked to load the bases, chasing Misiorowski from the game. DL Hall came in to face Story and Trevor doubled to left to score Duran and Contreras. Caleb Durbin pinch hit for Mayer and grounded out to second but Abreu scored another run. Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Story drives in a pair

Naturally Crochet fell apart in the top of the seventh as Ortiz singled to center to start. Matos struck out swinging but Ferlick singled to right. Perkins walked and somehow Crochet hit Hamilton to score Ortiz. That was it for Crochet who allowed 2 runs in 6 1/3 innings. Zack Kelly came in to pitch and Christian Yelich pinch hit for Lockridge. Yelich beat out a double play ball to score Frelick then promptly stole second. Contreras grounded out to short to end the inning with the Brewers down 3-2.

                                                           Good work Crochet

Wong popped up to first to start the bottom of the seventh and Kiner grounded out to third. Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rengifo grounded out to second to start. Sanchez struck out swinging and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning. Duran flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Contreras walked. Abreu forced Contreras at second and Jake Woodford came in to pitch to Story. Trevor lined out to right to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Matos flied out to center to start. Frelick walked but Perkins grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Trevor Story. His based loaded double in the sixth sparked the winning rally.

                                                              Trevor Hero

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Chad Durbin drove in a run in his only plate appearance.

Ceddannne Rafaela was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Garrett Crochet got the win with 6 1/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Zack Kelly got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 3rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

No matter how bad the Sox are, they always have a chance with Crochet on the mound. Still, he couldn't go seven innings in this one, but the bullpen stepped up this time. The offense continues to struggle but they did just enough to win. Trevor Story drove in two big runs and they needed both of them to win. On a day when the pitching holds up, they have a chance. Otherwise, don't even bother. Unless guys like Ranger Suarez and Brayan Bello step up, this is going to be a long season. The Sox look to win the series tomorrow afternoon when Sonny Gray (1-0, 4.50 ERA) faces former Sox prospect Shane Drohan making his ML debut. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Drop Game, Fans Upset (4/6/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some moves. Garrett Whitlock was activated from the Paternity List while Tyler Uberstine was sent back to Worcester. 17th round draft pick last year Patrick Galle was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals as the PTBNL in the Sonny Gray trade. SO long Galle.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, the "sell the team" chants for the Boston Red Sox got louder with the team's eighth loss in 12 games to start the season. Brayan Bello once again pitched poorly as he got knocked out in the fourth inning as the Milwaukee Brewers jumped out to a 4-3 lead. The Sox managed to go up 5-4 but the Brewers got runs against almost everyone in the Boston bullpen. The Sox fought to a 5-5 tie but Roman Anthony threw another ball away allowing the Brewers to go up for good in the eighth inning. All in all, after Bello left the bullpen allowed four total runs. A meaningless home run by Willson Contreras made the final score more bearable but the miserable season continued with a 8-6 loss to the Brewers at Fenway Park.

                                                            Sox fans have had enough

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brice Turang popped up to short to start. William Contreras got a base hit in the hole at short and Christian Yelich doubled to left. Garrett Mitchell struck out swinging and Jake Bauers did the same to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Woodruff in the bottom of the first as Roman Anthony doubled to left to begin. Masataka Yoshida flied out to right but Willson Contreras walked. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging but Trevor Story ripped a base hit to right to score Anthony. Marcelo Mayer flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Luis Rengifo struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Sal Frelick walked. Old pal David Hamilton beat out a bunt in front of the plate but Blake Perkins took strike three. Turang grounded out to third to end the inning. Caleb Durbin got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Carlos Narvaez flied out to center. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three and Durbin was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Contreras walked to start the top of the third and Yelich singled to right, but Mitchell struck out swinging. Bauers forced Yelich at second and Rengifo grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Anthony singled to left to start. Yoshida walked and Contreras was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Abreu beat out a double play ball to score Anthony and Story hit a sac fly to center to score Yoshida. Mayer grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                               Another rbi for Story

Once again as soon as the Sox got a big lead, it evaporated in the top of the fourth. Fralick got a base hit in the hole at second and Hamilton walked. Perkins dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over but Turang walked to load the bases. Contreras hit a double play ball to Durbin....booted for an error to score Fralick, chasing Bello. He was horrible, allowing 4 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Danny Coulombe came in and Yelich beat out a roller to third to score Hamilton. Coulombe then failed to throw out Mitchell on a swinging bunt to score Turang with the tying run. Bauers then walked on four pitches not even close to put the Brewers up for good. Rengifo grounded into a double play to end the inning but Sox fans were chanting "Sell the team!" as the Brewers took the lead 4-3.

                                                           Bello was miserable

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Durbin doubled to left to start. Narvaez grounded out to second to move Durbin to third, and Caleb scored when Hamilton booted a grounder by Rafaela for an error. Anthony flied out to left but Yoshida got a base hit to center. Contreras hit a ground rule double down the right field line to score Rafaela but Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-4.

                                                           Sox fight back

Naturally the Brewers tied the game against Jovani Moran in the top of the fifth although Frelick popped up to short to start. Hamilton walked, Perkins got a base hit in the hole at second and Turang scored David by beating out a double play ball. Turang stole second but Contreras flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                                    Tie game

Story flied out to center to open the bottom of the fifth and Mayer did the same. Durbin completed the trifecta to end the inning.

Yelich struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth but Mitchell took strike three. Bauers grounded out to first to end the inning. Narvaez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Rafaela grounded out to third. Aaron Ashby came in to pitch to Anthony and Roman flied out to left to end the inning.

Rengifo struck out swinging to begin the top of the seventh and Frelick did the same. Hamilton popped up to third to end the inning. Yoshida walked to start the bottom of the seventh and Contreras ingled to center. Abreu flied out to center and Story flied out to right, before Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Mayer. Monasterio flied out to right to end the inning.

The Brewers iced it in the top of the eighth with Garrett Whitlock now on the mound. Perkins struck out swinging but Turang walked. Contreras struck out swinging but Yelich walked. Mitchell singled to left and once again Anthony threw wide of FIRST base to score both Turang and Yelich. Bauers flied out to right to end the inning but Milwaukee was up 7-5.

                                                             Brewers take the lead

Grant Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Durbin grounded out to short to start. Narvaez flied out to center and Rafaela grounded out to first to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Rengifo doubled to right to begin. Frelick got a base hit to center to score Rengifo and Hamiltomn dropped down a bunt to move Frelick over. Perkins flied out to left and Turang grounded out to third to end the inning with the Brewers up 8-5.

                                                                  That'll do it

Angel Zerpa came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Anthony grounded out to second to start. Yoshida grounded out to short but Contreras belted his second home run of the year to cut the lead. Abreu got a base hit to right but Story grounded out to second to end the game. The Brewers had won it 8-6.

                                                                Brewers win

Jackass of the Night is Roman Anthony. Once again his bad throwing arm was exposed with another two run throwing error.

                                                                  Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Willson Contreras was 3 for 3 with a walk, home run and 2 total rbis.

The Bad:

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 3.

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 1.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brayan Bello got rocked for 4 runs in just 3 1/3 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

Garrett Whitlock took the loss by allowing 2 runs in the eighth inning.

Ryan Watson allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs.

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

Danny Coulomble allowed 2 inherited runners to score in 2/3 of an inning.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Chad Durbin was 2 for 4 with a run scored but was caught stealing and committed an error.

Final Thoughts:

Sell the team! Sell the team! With John Henry himself in attendance, Sox fans have finally had enough of the penny pinching that's infected the franchise in the last eight years. Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Chris Sale Christian Vazquez and others that helped win 108 games and a World Series were shipped off for pennies on the dollar and Sox fans are sick of it. With almost nobody in attendance, those that did attend voiced their displeasure. How many years are the Sox going to come out flat as a pancake before Alex Cora and or Craig Breslow gets fired? Its an ownership issue but at the same time, Cora seems to be unable to push the right buttons anymore. Another loss that could have been avoided with better pitching and defense. How are they consistently one of the worst defensive teams every year with different personnel? That's on the manager. Losing 8 of your first 10 games is a great way to get fired and that might be the case unless a miracle happens. There's still another 152 games in the season, oh joy.  The Brewers look to drop the Sox even further tomorrow evening when Jacob Misiorowski looks to defeat Garrett Crochet (1-1) of Boston. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.

Padres Stun Sox Late Again (4/5/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some news. Jedixson Paez, the former Sox prospect that made his ML debut with the Chicago White Sox has been returned to Boston. Why Chicago decided to have Paez pitch despite never reaching Double A is anyone's guess, but he's back.

                                                      From Single A to MLB

As for the game, the natives are getting restless. Boston Red Sox fans began chanting "sell the team" in the ninth inning of today's game against the San Diego Padres. After what transpired the last few years, who can blame them? The 130 million dollar man Ranger Suarez failed to hold a 4-0 lead that the Sox put up. In the bottom of the fifth, the Padres knocked out Suarez and Manny Machado hit a 3 run blast off of Greg Weissert to put SD up 6-4. The Sox tied the game in the bottom of the seventh but Jackson Merill hit a home run off Tyler Uberstine to put SD up for good. The Sox failed to rally in the ninth and the Padres had won 8-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                     "SELL THE TEAM HENRY!"

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ramon Laureano grounded out to third to start. Fernando Tatis Jr walked but Jackson Merrill grounded into a double play to end the inning. Buehler got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony flied out to left to start. Trevor Story and Jarren Duran both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Manny Machado grounded out to third to start the top of the second but Trevor Story threw a ball hit by Miguel Andujar away for an error.....only for Andujar to be thrown out at second anyway. Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right but was thrown out at second by Abreu to end the inning. Bad baserunning by San Diego. Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Abreu singled to right. Masataka Yoshida forced Abreu at second then promptly tole second. Caleb Durbin walked but Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning.

Nick Castellanos grounded back to the mound to open the top of the third and Jake Cronenworth did the same. Luis Campusano was called out on strikes for taking too long to get in the batters box to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Carlos Navaez walked to start. Anthony walked and both runners moved over on the Story grounded to first. Duran doubled down the right field line to score both runners then moved to third on the Contreras grounder to short. Abreu tripled into the right field corner to score Duran and chase Buehler from the game. Old friend Kyle Hart came in to pitch and Yoshida doubled to right to score Abreu. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                              Abreu puts the Sox up big

Suarez immediately fell apart in the top of the fourth as Laureano grounded out to second to start. Tatis Jr doubled to center and Merrill got a base hit to center to score him. Machado singled to left but Andujar struck out swinging. Bogaerts walked but Castellanos got a base hit to left to score both Merrilll and Machado. Cronenworth lined out to left to end the inning but the Padres trimmed the lead to 4-3.

                                                           Not good enough

Mayer lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Narvaez grounded out to third. Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Campusano singled to center to start the top of the fifth and that was it for the incompetent Suarez. Guy was handed a 4-0 lead and lasted just 4 1/3 giving the four runs back. Greg Weissert came in and Laureano struck out swinging before Tatis Jr did the same. All of a sudden Merrill singled to center and Machado hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to put the Padres up for good. Andujar struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 6-4 San Diego.

                                                         Anyone but him!

Story grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Duran flied out to left. Contreras walked but Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Tyler Uberstine made his ML debut in the top of the sixth as Bogaerts singled to left to start. Castellanos lined out to third and Cronenworth grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bradgley Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth with Tu France at first. Yoshida singled to center but Durbin lined out to left. Mayer grounded out to first but Narvaez singled in the hole at second. Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

Campusano struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Laureano flied out to center. Tatis Jr lined out to right to end the inning. Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Story singled off the glove of Machado to start. Duran struck out swinging and Contreras forced Story at second. Wandy Peralta was brought in to face Abreu and Wilyer doubled to left. Yoshida doubled past the diving Cronenworth to score both runners to tie the game. Ceddanne Rafaela ran for Yoshida and was tagged out on the Durbin grounder to third to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                              Yoshida ties it up

Naturally the Sox coughed it up in the top of the eighth as Merill hit a home run all the way to Budapest to put the Padres up for good. Machado struck out swinging but Andujar walked. Bogaerts doubled to center but France flied out to right. That was it for Uberstine as Danny Coulombe got Cronenworth to pop up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 7-6.

                                                           Uberstine deserved better                                       

Jeremiah Estrada came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Mayer took strike three to start. Narvaez lined out to right and Anthony grounded out to third to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth with Gavin Sheets pinch hitting for Campusano to start. Sheets doubled to center then moved to third on the Laureano grounder to the mound. Tatis Jr hit a sac fly to right to score Sheets to increase the lead, but Merill lined out to left to end the inning with the Padres up 8-6.

                                                      "We are Nomad" - Tatis

Freddy Fermin came in for Sheets with Mason Miller on the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth. Story, Duran and Conteras all struck out swinging in short order to end the game. The Padres had won 8-6.

                                                           Padres win

Jackass of the Night is Ranger Suarez. He was given a 4-0 lead and coughed it up, allowing the bullpen to falter.

                                                             Jackass Suarez

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 4 with 3 rbis and a stolen base.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Danny Coulombe retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeout.

Greg Weissert allowed the back breaking 3 run home run to Machado.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs while scoring another.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Chad Durbin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Tyler Uberstine took the loss by allowing a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Ceddanne Rafaela played center in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Things are going down hill fast and the season has just started. Not a single off-season addition worked out as Johan Oviedo has gotten hurt, Ranger Suarez has been horrible, Sonny Gray has been mediocre and Chad Durbin has been an unmitigated disaster. The fans are getting restless and they have every reason to be. A lot of them deserved this for supporting the front office after the Rafael Devers trade but those that knew it was a bad trade, also knew this was going to happen. You don't lose two power bats and expect to put up the same or better numbers. They're going to have to out pitch teams and so far they haven't. There's still plenty of times to turn things around but it doesn't look good. The Sox now welcome in the Milwaukee Brewers for a three game set beginning tomorrow night. Brayan Bello takes on Brandon Woodruff of the Brewers at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.

Padres Stun Sox Late (4/4/26)

The good feeling of yesterday's Fenway opener lasted less than 24 hours as the San Diego Padres exposed the Boston Red Sox lack of offense and defense big time. The Padres broke out to a 2-1 lead over the hapless Sox bats and knocked Connelly Early out of the game after just four ineffective innings. Due to the Red Sox bullpen tossing four shutout innings and an 8th inning rally, the Sox tied it up. There, Sox manager Alex Cora made a big mistake by putting Roman Anthony in left field. Ramon Laureano hit a ball to Roman in the top of the ninth that Roman threw away for an error to allow the winning run to sore, making a loser out of Aroldis Chapman (0-1, 2.25 ERA). The Padres held the Sox to just 8 hits and 2 runs as they knocked off the Sox 3-2 at Fenway Park.

Early got the ball in the top of the first inning and Fernando Tatis Jr struck out swinging to start. Ramon Laureano walked but Miguel Andujar struck out swinging. Manny Machado walked but Xander Bogaerts popped up to right to end the inning. Vasquez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony grounded out to first to start. Trevor Story grounded out to short and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Padres struck first in the top of the second as Freddy Fermin walked to start. Ty France singled to left to move Fermin to third but Jake Cronenworth grounded out to first. Bryce Johnson grounded out to short to score Fermin to put San Diego ahead. Tatis Jr struck out swinging to end the inning with the Padres up 1-0.

                                                           Padres take the lead

The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Willson Contreras singled to left to begin. Wilyer Abreu walked but Caleb Durbin forced him at second. Marcelo Mayer hit a sac fly to center to score Contreras and Carlos Navaez flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Mayer ties it up

The Padres scored again in the top of the third as Laureano flied out to center to start. Andujar doubled to left but Machado walked. Bogaerts lined out to left but Fermin doubled to left to score Andujar. France grounded out to third to end the inning with San Diego ahead 2-1.

                                                         Fermin drives in a run

Ceddanne Rafaela singled to center to start the bottom of the third but Anthony popped up to second. Rafaela was thrown out trying to steal second and Story grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Padres finished off Early in the top pf the fourth as Cronenworth grounded out to second to start. Johnson flied out to right and Tatis Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. Early had zero command and lasted just 4 innings allowing 3 hits and 4 walks on 88 pitches.

                                                    Early was off all day

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Duran singled to right to start. Contreras grounded into a double play but Abreu got a base hit to center. Durbin got a base hit in the hole at short but Mayer struck out swinging.

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Laureano grounded out to third to start. Andujar singled to left and Machado walked, but Bogaerts struck out swinging. Fermin flied out to center to end the inning. Narvaez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela struck out swinging. Anthony tripled into the right field corner but Story grounded out to second to end the inning.

France flied out to right to start the top of the sixth and Danny Coulombe came in to pitch. Cronenworth grounded out to short and Johnson took strike three to end the inning. Duran grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Contreras lined out to right. Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Tatis Jr struck out swinging to start. Laureano flied out to left but Andujar got a base hit to left. Machado grounded out to third to end the inning. Jeremiah Estrada came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Durbin popped up to second to start. Mayer flied out to left and Narvaez flied out to center to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Fermin struck out swinging and France grounded out to short to end the inning. Adrian Morejon came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela singled in the hole at short to start. Anthony got a base hit to right to move Rafaela to third but Story struck out swinging. Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Duran and beat out a double play ball to score Rafaela. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                               Tie game

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Anthony moving to left....which killed them in this inning. Cronenworth lined out to short and Nick Castellanos pinch hit for Johnson. Castellanos struck out swinging but Tatis Jr doubled to center. Laureano got a base hit to left and noodle armed Anthony threw the ball halfway to first base for an error to score Tatis. Andujar popped up to short to end the inning with the Padres up 3-2.

                                                             Padres take the lead

Mason Miller came in to close out the top of the ninth and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Durbin and struck out swinging. Mayer went down hacking to end the game. The Padres had won 3-2.

 

                                                                Padres win

Jackass of the Night is Aroldis Chapman. He allowed the game winning run in the top of the ninth.

                                                            Jackass Chapman

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3.

Andruw Monasterio drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Ryan Watson tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Danny Coulombe tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Justin Slaten tossed a scoreless inning.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 4 but failed to throw out the winning run at home with an error.

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

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Connelly Early allowed 2 runs in just 4 innings of work off 3 hits and 4 walks.

Final Thoughts:

There's trouble in paradise for sure as the Sox have lost 6 of their first eight games. The offense continues to sputter which anyone could have seen a mile away. Now it seems Alex Cora is losing his grip as his decisions haven't worked so far. Putting Roman Anthony in left seems to be a failure as his throwing arm is now called into question. Early didn't look great at all although the bullpen looked good for the second straight day....except Chapman anyway. Once again the lack of offense is dooming this team and its going to become critical in the next few weeks. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon when Ranger Suarez takes on old friend Walker Buehler of San Diego. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Gray, Sox Drop Padres in Fenway Opener (4/3/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Johan Oviedo was placed on the Injured List with a right elbow strain and Garrett Whitlock was placed on Paternity Leave. Congrats to Whitlock, get well soon Oviedo. Zack Kelly and Tyler Uberstine were called up to replace the two, the ML debut for 2021 draft pick Uberstine.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, for one day anyway Fenway Park gave the Red Sox good luck as they snapped their four game losing streak. Sonny Gray (1-0, 4.50 ERA) avenged his first start of the season by tossing 6 solid innings and allowing just 2 runs to the San Diego Padres. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead over the Padres on rbis by Ceddanne Rafaela and Caleb Durbin but the Padres rallied to tie it in the top of the fifth. Home runs by Willson Contreras and Marcelo Mayer put the Sox up for good and put the game in the hands of the bullpen. Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on the 5-2 victory by the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                     1986 Red Sox approve of the win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Fernando Tatis Jr grounded out to short to start. Old friend Xander Bogaerts popped up to third and Jackson Merrill grounded out to first to end the inning. King got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roman Anthony grounded out to third to start. Trevor Story popped up to third and Jarren Duran grounded out to first to end the inning.

Manny Machado grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Ramon Laureano flied out to left. Miguel Andujar grounded out to short to end the inning. Willson Contreras walked to start the bottom of the second but Wilyer Abreu forced him at second. Caleb Durbin grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Gavin Sheets singled off the glove of Story to start the top of the third and stole second on the Jake Cronenworth strikeout. Luis Campusano grounded out to third and Tatis Jr flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Marcelo Mayer doubled off the glove of Laureano to start. Carlos Narvaez popped up to second but Ceddanne Rafaela ripped a base hit to center to score Mayer. Anthony flied out to center and Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Bogaerts flied out to left to begin the top of the fourth and Merrill grounded out to first. Machado struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Duran led off with a swinging bunt double past second base. Contreras and Abreu both struck out swinging but Durbin singled to center to score Jarren. Mayer reached on catcher's interference but Narvaez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                        Durbin drives in a run

The Padres fought back in the top of the fifth as Laureano struck out swinging to start. Andujar tripled into the centerfield triangle and Sheets got a base hit to right to score him. Cronenworth lined out to center but Campusano doubled to center to score Sheets. Tatis Jr grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Padres tie it

Rafaela flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but Anthony got a base hit to right. Story banged into a double play to end the inning.

Gray returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Merrill grounded out to short and Machado flied out to left to end the inning. Gray pitched a lot better this time, holding the Padres to 2 runs on 4 hits in 6 innings.

                                                              Good work Gray

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Duran flied out to right to start. Contreras blasted his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead back. Abreu got a base hit to right but Durbin struck out swinging. Padres manager Craig Stammen brought in Wandy Peralta to face Mayer. Mayer responded with his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Narvaez got a base hit to center but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.

                                                             Sox bats come alive

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Laureano grounded out to third to start. Andujar struck out swinging and sheets grounded out to third to end the inning. Anthony struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the seventh and Story lined out to left. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Cronenworth flied out to left to start. Bryce Johnson pinch hit for Campusano and struck out swinging. Tatis Jr grounded out to third to end the inning. Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Contreras grounded out to third to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Durbin popped up to first to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Bogaerts flied out to right to begin. Merrill took strike three but Machado walked. Machado moved to second on defensive indifference and Laureano flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-2.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His home run in the sixth put the Sox up for good.

                                                                   Hero Contreras

The Good:

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 2 with a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Sonny Gray got the win with 6 innings of 2 run ball allowing 4 hits while striking out 3.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

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

Chad Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

This season is headed toward hell in a handbasket but today was fun at least. With the offense as anemic as it is, they're going to need to get pitching performances like this every day and that's simply not sustainable. Even the 2017 Red Sox that led the league in ERA needed SOME offensive help every now and then. Gray was damn good today and so was the bullpen but who's going to step up tomorrow if they need to win 2-1? The front office goofed big time by trading Rafael Devers and letting Alex Bregman walk. Durbin and Contreras are hardly suitable replacements although today Contreras delivered. Can he do it again tomorrow? That's the question. The Sox look to make it two wins in a row against San Diego tomorrow afternoon when Connelly Early takes on Randy Vasquez of San Diego. The game begins at 4:15 PM at Fenway Park.