Guardians Beat Depleted Sox (4/18/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tyler O'Neill was placed on the Injured List with a concussion and Rob Refsnyder was finally removed from the Injured List to replace him. Its a shame O'Neill had to get hurt for Rob to make his season debut but he'll be back soon.....we hope.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, get a good look at this roster Red Sox fans because THIS is what you're paying the highest prices in the league to watch. With devastating injuries to 1/3 of the roster before the first 20 games have been played, the Sox had to go with their bench and an "opener" in today's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Naturally, they failed. Cooper Criswell (0-1, 4.26 ERA) was handed a 1-0 lead and promptly pissed it away due to two errors in the field. Joe Jacques allowed another run and the Sox couldn't overcome it. The Sox did rally to make a game of it but ultimately fell short, 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Sox fans have already lost it

Brennan Bernardino got the ball in the top of the first inning and Andres Gimenez grounded out to short to start. David Fry grounded out to short and Jose Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. Carrasco got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran walked to start. Duran swiped second and Triston Casas comically slid into first on a ball that struck the first base bag to put runners at the corners. Wilyer Abreu beat out a double play ball to score Duran with the first run. Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to center but Connor Wong struck out swinging. David Hamilton drew a walk to load the bases but Pablo Reyes flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                       Abreu drives in a run

Josh Naylor popped up to short to start the top of the second but Tyler Freeman walked. Bernardino picked off Freeman and Bo Naylor struck out swinging to end the inning. Short and sweet for Bernardino who did well as the "opener".

                                                              Good work Bernardino

Reese McGuire grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Gimenez booted a grounder by Duran but Casas grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper Criswell came in to pitch the top of the third inning and things immediately fell apart. Ramon Laureano grounded out to third and Hamilton booted a grounder by Gabriel Arias for an error. Arias moved to second on the Rocchio grounder to first and scored on the Gimenez base hit to left. Gimenez was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                       "You're out you dummy!"

Arias booted a grounder by Abreu to start the bottom of the third but Valdez flied out to right. Wong popped up to short and Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning.

Fry doubled to left to start the top of the fourth and moved to third on the Ramirez liner to Abreu. Josh Naylor ripped a base hit to right to score Fry and it looked like Freeman banged into a double play but the umpire ruled safe at first. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call but the call was upheld. Bo Naylor lined out to center to end the inning with the Guardians up for good 2-1.

                                                              Naylor drives in a run

Reyes flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth but McGuire walked. Rafaela and Duran both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The comedy continued in the top of the fifth as Reyes threw a routine grounder by Laureano away for an error. Laureano ended up on second and he moved to third on the Arias fly out to right. Rocchio walked and that was it for Criswell. Joe Jacques of all people came in and Gimenez effortlessly singled to left to score Laureano. Fry was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Ramirez beat out a double play ball to score Rocchio. Ramirez stole second but Josh Naylor was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-1.

                                        "Yeah you're out Criswell, now beat it!" - Cora

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Casas struck out swinging to start. Abreu doubled to right but Valdez lined out to third. Abreu got thrown out at third on a grounder by Wong to end the inning.

The Guardians kept it up in the top of the sixth as Freeman doubled to center to start. A wild pitch moved Freeman to third but Bo Naylor grounded out to second with the infield pulled in. Laureano then ripped a base hit to left to score Freeman anyway. Arias and Rocchio both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 5-1.

                                                       Laureano drives in a run

The Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the sixth although Hamilton's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Carrasco. Reyes grounded out to third but McGuire got a base hit to center to chase Carrasco. Cade Smith came in to pitch and Rafaela ripped a base hit to center. Suddenly Duran tripled into the centerfield triangle and scored on a balk by Smith. Casas took strike three to end the inning but the Sox were only down 5-4.

                                                          Duran gets the Sox back in it

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gimenez popped up to third to start. Fry grounded out to first and Ramirez flied out to center to end the inning. Tim Herrin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder made his season debut pinch hitting for Valdez....only to strike out swinging. Wong popped up to first to end the inning,

Josh Naylor grounded out to first to start the top of the eighth before Freeman grounded out to third. Bo Naylor got a base hit to right but Laureano took strike three to end the inning. Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hamilton grounded out to second to start. Reyes took strike three and McGuire grounded out to short to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Arias struck out swinging to start. Rocchio got a base hit to right and Gimenez banged into a double play to end the inning. Emmanuel Chase came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rafaela lined out to right to start. Duran grounded out to second and Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. The Guardians had won it 5-4.

                                                              Guardians win

Jackass of the Night is Cooper Criswell. Even with the errors he still was charged with four runs in just 2 1/3 innings.

                                                                Thanks a lot Jackass

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Brennan Bernardino tossed two scoreless innings as the opener.

Justin Slaten tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Joe Jacques allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in two runs, stole a base and scored twice.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

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

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with an error but walked.

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

Final Thoughts:

Attendance to this game was 35,494 and all of them need their heads examined for paying the highest prices in the league for a minor league team. Injuries are part of the game but there's about six guys on the team that wouldn't be anywhere close had the Sox not suffered catastrophic injuries to Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, Nick Pivetta and Tyler O'Neill. Guys like Rafael Devers, Garrett Whitlock and Vaughn Grissom being out is unfortunate and even AAA backup Romy Gonzalez didn't even last a week before spraining his wrist. Its all adding up to a team that's badly outgunned every single game. If it wasn't for Tanner Houck turning into Roger Clemens last night, the Sox would have gone 2-8 on the homestand against beatable competition. As it is, they finished their first homestand 3-7 and didn't look good in two of the games they won. With the starting rotation down to Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and "hold on to your asses", this is not a recipe for success. Whitlock will be back in a few weeks but they still don't have permanent replacements for Giolito and Pivetta. Things are falling apart real quick but with 35,000 people in the stands, Sam Kennedy and John Henry are laughing all the way to the bank. The Sox now travel to Pittsburgh for a three game set with the Pirates. Brayan Bello (2-1, 3.92 ERA) takes on Captain TBD of Pittsburgh at 6:40 PM at PNC Park.

Houck, Sox Blank Guardians (4/17/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Garrett Whitlock was placed on the Injured List with an oblique strain and Joe Jacques was called up to take his place. An oblique strain usually goes away in a few weeks so at least its not something very serious like an arm injury. Joe Jacques was batting practice last year but apparently Zach Kelly isn't ready yet for god knows what reason.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, now that's more like it. Tanner Houck (3-1, 1.35 ERA) dazzled the Cleveland Guardians in a complete game, three hit shutout. It was the first complete game thrown by a Sox starter since Nathan Eovaldi's final game with the Red Sox. Offensively the Sox didn't do much, needing a balk by Cleveland starter Ben Lively to score a run and a Connor Wong solo home run. Houck didn't give an inch by striking out nine batters and not walking anyone. The Sox once again had no offense but Houck made up for it by pitching a gem, beating the Guardians 2-0 at Fenway Park.

                                           The retiring Jack Edwards approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Steven Kwan flied out to left to start. Andres Gimenez grounded out to first and Jose Ramirez grounded out to first to end the inning. Lively got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran lined out to short to start. Rafael Devers flied out to right and Triston Casas took strike three to end the inning.

Josh Naylor singled to right to start the top of the second but Will Brennan banged into a double play. Estevan Florial struck out swinging to end the inning. Wilyer Abreu walked to start the bottom of the second before stealing second on the Enmanuel Valdez swinging strikeout. Connor Wong lined out to second and David Hamilton flied out to left to end the inning.

Gabriel Arias struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Austin Hedges flied out to left. Brayan Rocchio struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Pablo Reyes singled to right to start. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three but Duran doubled to left. Devers struck out swinging but Lively was called for a balk to score Reyes. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Lively is NOT happy

Kwan popped up to third to begin the top of the fourth before Gimenez grounded out to second. Ramirez got a base hit to center but Naylor grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu popped up to third to start. Valdez took strike three but Wong mashed his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Hamilton lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                              Wong Dong

Brennan struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Florial also went down hacking. Arias singled to right but Hedges went down hacking to end the inning. Reyes struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Rafaela flied out to center. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rocchio grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth before Kwan grounded out to second. Gimenez struck out swinging to end the inning. Nick Sandlin came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Devers struck out swinging to start. Casas grounded out to short and Abreu also grounded out to short to end the inning.

Houck returned for the top of the seventh and Ramirez flied out to center to start. Naylor flied out to center and Brennan also flied out to center to end the inning. Wes Parsons came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Valdez flied out to center to start. Wong got a base hit to right then moved to second on the Hamilton grounder to the mound. Reyes took strike three to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec came in for Valdez for the top of the eighth and Florial struck out swinging to start. Arias went down hacking and Hedges grounded out to third to end the inning. Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth but Duran got a base hit to right. As usual Duran got picked off and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Houck came back to complete his work in the top of the ninth and Rocchio grounded out to second to start. Kwan grounded out to first and Gimenez grounded out to short to end the game. Houck threw a complete game, 3 hit shutout to beat the Guardians 2-0.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of the Night is Tanner Houck. He went the distance allowing just 3 hits and no walks while striking out 9 batters.

                                                      Sox salute our Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a home run.

Pablo Reyes was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with a walk.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec played third in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the offense did almost nothing and guys got thrown on the basepaths, but the defense didn't throw up on themselves and Houck was sensational. The game took just 1 hour and 49 minutes to finish and it was actually pretty damn good. The Sox injury woes are mounting but at least for one night Houck came to the rescue. Wong hit another home run and as sad as it sounds, he's the last link to the Mookie Betts trade (unless you count Greg Weissert) so any production out of him is a bonus at this point. Duran once again frustrates everyone by getting on base and immediately gets thrown out doing something stupid. On the injury front, Whitlock will be out a few weeks with an oblique strain but his shoulder is okay. Vaughn Grissom and Rob Refsnyder are on rehab assignments in Worcester and shockingly Nick Pivetta is resuming throwing. All in all it was a good win and these are going to come few and far between this season. The Sox look to tie this series up in the fourth game tomorrow afternoon when Captain TBD goes for the Sox against Carlos Carrasco of the Guardians. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Lose Whitlock, Devers in Extra Innings Loss to Guardians (4/16/24)

Just when you thought the season couldn't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, it did. Not only did the Red Sox rally down 5-1 only to blow it in the ninth and lose to the Cleveland Guardians in extra innings, they lost Garrett Whitlock and Rafael Devers too. Whitlock left with an oblique strain after just four innings and the tired Boston bullpen was hammered for eight runs after he left. The Guardians broke out to a 2-0 lead before Whitlock left then took a 5-1 lead on Joely Rodriguez. A furious Sox rally in the sixth gave the Sox a 6-5 lead but Kenley Jansen blew the game in the ninth inning. Greg Weissert and Josh Winckowski allowed four runs in the tenth and eleventh as the Sox woes continued, dropping into last place in the AL East 10-7 in 11 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                 "Well this sucks....." - Triston Casas

Whitlock got the ball in the top of the first and Steven Kwan flied out to right to start. Andres Gimenez flied out to left and Jose Ramirez grounded out to first to end the inning. Bibee got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to third to start. Rafael Devers flied out to right and Masataka Yoshida grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Guardians struck first in the top of the second as Josh Naylor grounded out to second to start. Bo Naylor lined out to Enmanuel Valdez but Ramon Laureano walked. Will Brennan hit a double to right to score Laureano and put the Guardians up for good just two innings into the game. Gabriel Arias doubled to left to ice the game by scoring Brennan. Tyler Freeman took strike three to end the inning but the game was already over, 2-0 Guardians.

                                                       Guardians strike first

The Sox stupidity reared its ugly head in the bottom of the second as Triston Casas smacked a double off the Monster.....only to get picked off. Wilyer Abreu popped up to second but Valdez got a base hit into right field. Connor Wong got a base hit to left but David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                        Cora's expression says it all

Bad defense reared its ugly head in the top of the third inning as Kwan hit a blooper to Valdez that bounced off Valdez' glove. Kwan thought the ball was caught then made a mad dash to first base. The throw came in but Casas failed to get his glove down in time for a technical "single". Gimenez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Kwan to second but Ramirez flied out to left. Josh Naylor grounded out to first to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the second and Duran flied out to left. Somehow Devers drew a walk but Yoshida lined out to second to end the inning.

Bo Naylor grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Laureano grounded out to short. Brennan flied out to center to end the inning. All of a sudden Whitlock started clutching his shoulder and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. He lasted four innings throwing 54 pitches and allowed two runs.

                                                           Whitlock leaves the game

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Casas grounded out to third to start. Abreu struck out swinging but somehow Valdez pounded his second home run of the season to cut the lead. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                          Valdez hits one out

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Arias struck out swinging to start. Freeman then hit a home run all the way into Manchester, New Hampshire to increase the deficit. Kwan ripped a base hit to left and moved to third on the base hit to right by Gimenez. Ramirez hit a sac fly to center to score Kwan and Josh Naylor got a base hit to right....booted by Abreu. Gimenez came all the way around but was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-1....but wait! Guardians manager Stephen Vogt challenged that Wong missed the tag and sure enough, he did. Gimenez was safe and the inning continued, but Bo Naylor took strike three to end the inning with the Guardians up 5-1.

                                                        Wong missed the tag

Hamilton grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela flied out to left. Duran doubled to left and Devers walked, but Yoshida popped up to third to end the inning.

Laureano grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Brennan grounded out to first. Arias took strike three to end the inning. Somehow the Sox exploded in the bottom of the sixth with Tyler Beede now on the mound. Casas crushed his fifth home run of the season to cut the lead and Abreu drew a walk. Valdez struck out swinging but Wong mashed his second home run of the season to get the Sox back in the game. That was it for Beede as Cade Smith came in to strike out Hamilton swinging but Rafaela doubled to center. Duran walked and Devers cleared the bases with a double into the gap in center to put the Sox on top. Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning but the Sox had rallied to take a 6-5 lead.

                                                              Devers caps off the rally

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Freeman struck out swinging to start. Kwan walked but Gimenez forced him at second. A wild pitch moved Gimenez to second and Ramirez was intentionally walked. Josh Naylor took strike three to end the inning. Eli Morgan came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas walked to start. Abreu forced Triston at second but Wilyer stole second. Valdez flied out to center and Wong grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec took over for Devers who jammed his knee running to second with Chris Martin now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Bo Naylor lined out to center and Estevan Florial pinch hit for Laureano, grounding out to first. Brennan lined out to right to end the inning. Hamilton got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the bottom of the eighth but Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran went down hacking and Dalbec flied out to right to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth with Pablo Reyes at second for Valdez. Arias lined out to center but Freeman doubled to center. Kwan got a base hit to left and Gimenez ripped a base hit to center to score Freeman to tie the game. Abreu made a great catch to rob Ramirez of extra bases and Josh Naylor forced Gimenez to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                         Gimenez ties it up

Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Casas took strike three and Abreu flied out to left to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the 10th with Brayan Rocchio pinch running for Josh Naylor to start. Naturally Bo Naylor singled to center and stole second base just like that. Florial popped up to third and Brennan was walked to set up the double play....only for Arias to get a base hit to center to score Rocchio. Freeman flied out to left and Kwan grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Guardians ahead 7-6.

                                                              Guardians take the lead

Emmanuel Clase came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Abreu starting at second. Reyes grounded out to short to move Abreu to third and Wong hit a sac fly to right to score Abreu to tie the game. Hamilton doubled to left and took third on a wild pitch to put the winning run at third. Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 7-7.

                                                               Wong ties it up

Josh Winckowski came in to take a beating in the top of the eleventh with Kwan starting at second base. Gimenez walked and Ramirez hit a base hit to center to score Kwan. Rocchio moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt and Bo Naylor was intentionally walked to load the bases. Naturally Florial singled to right to ice the game, scoring Gimenez and Ramirez. Brennan grounded out to second to move the runners over but Arias struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 10-7.

                                                             Ramirez with the dagger

Scott Barlow came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh with Rafaela starting at second. Duran flied out to right before Dalbec was booed out of Fenway for striking out swinging. Yoshida also went down hacking to end the game. The Guardians had won it 10-7 in 11 innings.

                                                             Cleveland wins

Jackass of the Night is Kenley Jansen. The Sox don't blow it in extras if he didn't blow the game in the ninth inning.

                                                           Jackass Jansen

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and 2 rbis before leaving with injuries.

Triston Casas was 2 for 4 with a walk and a home run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a home run and three total rbis.

David Hamilton was 2 for 5.

Garrett Whitlock left with injury but allowed just 2 runs in four innings of work, He allowed 3 hits and a walk.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 6 with a strikeout.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Joely Rodriguez allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of work.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the 10th inning.

Josh Winckowski took the loss allowing 3 runs in the 11th inning.

The Ugly:

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

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but walked, stole a base and scored two runs.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

So far the Boston Red Sox have lost Lucas Giolito, Trevor Story and Nick Pivetta for the season and the Injured List has Vaughn Grissom, Rob Refsnyder, Isaiah Campbell, Romy Gonzalez on it already. Whitlock has an oblique strain, Tyler O'Neill has a concussion, Devers has a bad knee and Jansen has been claiming a bad back. The bottom line is Alex Cora came into this season completely unprepared physically and mentally with all the errors the team makes not only on the stat sheet but the ones that won't show up. How can THIS many guys get hurt just 18 games into the season and lead the league in errors? A lot of the blame falls on the players and you can't judge freak accidents like Story or O'Neill, but still. The bullpen is already exhausted with Cora pulling guys early just like he did in 2021 but he doesn't have The A-Team to bail his sorry ass out this time. Attendance is beginning to drop at Fenway as none of the games besides Opening Day and Patriots Day have come anywhere close to selling out. As long as the owners don't care, why should the fans? The general manager and pitching coach put together a pitching program that's getting guys hurt, the owners put the general manager on a budget so he can't just go out and get guys to plug in and the manager has to manage this lame duck roster. Its an organizational mess from top to bottom and a cautionary tale of what happens when owners simply stop caring. The Sox look to avoid the sweep tomorrow night against the Guardians when Tanner Houck (2-1, 2.04 ERA) takes on Ben Lively of Cleveland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Lose O'Neill, Game To Guardians (4/15/24)

Remember that episode of Supernatural where people that made deals with the devil had ten years to enjoy it before the demons came to collect? Well whatever devil John Henry made his deal with in 2003 for 15 years of success has come to collect as the Boston Red Sox embarrassed themselves again in today's Patriots Day game against the Cleveland Guardians. Once again Sox manager Alex Cora pulled a starter early and the team fell apart directly after. Kutter Crawford was pulled after 5 2/3 shutout innings and things fell apart in the seventh. Greg Weissert gave up a 2 run homer to pinch hitter Will Brennan and Tyler O'Neill collided with Rafael Devers to knock Tyler out of the game. The Guardians then pounced on bad defense to score four runs off Josh Winckowski and Chase Anderson. Meanwhile Xzavion Curry and the Cleveland bullpen held the Sox to no runs and just three pitiful singles. It all added up to a disgraceful 6-0 win by the Guardians at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score on Patriots Day, Dean Wormer?

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first and Steven Kwan took an 88 mph cutter right down the middle for strike three to start. Andres Gimenez struck out swinging on an 87 mph cutter and Wilyer Abreu made a jumping catch at the right field wall to rob Jose Ramirez of a home run to end the inning.

                                                       Crawford appreciates the effort

Curry got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers popped up to center and Tyler O'Neill ripped a base hit to left. Triston Casas grounded out to short to end the inning.

Josh Naylor popped up to center to start the top of the second and Bo Naylor took strike three right down middle. Tyler Freeman flied out to left to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Abreu struck out swinging on a pitch in the dirt. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Estevan Florial struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Gabriel Arias tripled off the centerfield wall. Brayan Rocchio grounded out to second to hold the runner at third and Kwan grounded out to short to end the inning. Reese McGuire took strike three down the middle to start the bottom of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center. Duran dumped a base hit to right but Devers lined out to center to end the inning,

Gimenez lined out to a running Duran to start the top of the fourth before Ramirez grounded out to short. Josh Naylor popped up to center to end the inning. O'Neill flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Casas flied out to right. Yoshida popped up to left to end the inning.

Bo Naylor took strike three on a sweeper to start the top of the fifth before Freeman struck out swinging on a slider in the dirt. Florial grounded out to short to end the inning. Abreu walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Valdez flied out to center. Abreu swiped second before moving to third on the grounder to first by McGuire. Rafaela flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

The Guadians finally got to Crawford in the top of the sixth as Arias ripped a base hit to center to start. Duran made a leaping catch at the bullpen wall to rob Rocchio of a double. Kwan flied out to left and as usual that was it for Crawford early. He pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and no walks while striking out six. Brennan Bernardino came in and Gimenez lined out to a diving Duran to end the inning.

                                                         Crawford did the best he could

Tim Herrin came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to second to start. Devers just watched strike three go by on the outside corner but O'Neill walked. Casas popped up to left to end the inning. 

Jose Ramirez pulled a Hanley Ramirez and swung and missed at strike three while getting hit with a pitch to start the top of the seventh. Josh Naylor fisted a bloop single to left and Bo Naylor moved his brother to second with a grounder to second and that was it for Bernardino. Greg Weissert came in to pitch to pinch hitter Will Brennan and naturally Brennan hit a home run all the way to Idaho to put the O's up for good. Things went from bad to worse as Devers collided with O'Neill on a pop up by Florial, knocking each other out and busting O'Neill open. Both staggered off the field and the Sox trailed 2-0.

                                                         A microcosm of the season

The wind were out of the sails as Yoshida grounded out weekly to first to start the bottom of the seventh. Abreu took strike three and Valdez was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

David Hamilton replaced O'Neill after he was knocked goofy and Josh Winckowski took over on the mound for the top of the eighth. Arias struck out swinging but Rocchio walked. Rocchio stole second and moved to third on the base hit to flare to left by Kwan. Gimenez hit a bullet to Casas then Ramirez hit a ball off the glove of Casas into left field. Rocchio scored and Abreu had Ramirez dead at second....if he didn't throw the ball in the dirt and Hamilton failed to catch it. Kwan ended up scoring on the error and Fenway erupted in boos. Josh Naylor lined out to Casas to end the inning with the Sox down 4-0.

                                                       Sox can't hit or field

Nick Sandlin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and McGuire grounded out to second to start. Rafaela flied out to the centerfield wall and Duran looked at strike three to end the inning.

The comedy of errors continued in the top of the ninth with Chase Anderson now on the mound. Bo Naylor hit a line drive to Abreu who looked confused and let the ball drop in for an easily catchable single. Brennan hit a double play ball to Valdez who flipped to Hamilton who threw the ball directly in the dirt for a "force". Florial dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Naylor to second and Arias jacked a ball off the Monster. Duran threw to second and Hamilton dropped the ball allowing Arias to take second, scoring Brennan. Arias stole third easily and Rocchio punched a single to left to score him. Kwan grounded out to second to end the inning with the Guardians up 6-0.

                                                    Just need the Benny Hill theme

Eli Morgan came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Arias threw high on a grounder by Devers for a "single" to start. Hamilton struck out swinging on a fastball right down the middle, Casas flied out to the left field warning track and Yoshida popped up to left to end the game. The Guardians won the game 6-0.

                                                       Guardians win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He allowed the backbreaking home run to Brennan that opened the floodgates.

                                                        Nice job Jackass

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 2 with a walk before leaving the game.

Kutter Crawford tossed 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball allowing 2 hits and no walks while striking out six.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 at the plate and couldn't field at all.

Triston Casas was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

Brennan Bernardino took the loss by getting charged with a run in a full inning of work.

Josh Winckowski allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

Chase Anderson allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and an error but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse, they do. Not only did the Sox defense once again have no idea what they were doing but they couldn't even hit the ball hard. They had 2 bloop hits and a "single" by Devers in the ninth but otherwise accomplished absolutely nothing again. The entire team except for O'Neill and Duran look lost at the plate and its not going to get any better with Trevor Story out for the season. Speaking of O'Neill, there's no telling how long he's going to be out after getting knocked flat by Devers. That's just on the offensive side of the ball, defensively they are by far the worst defense in the league for the second year in a row. I'll get to the main reason why in a second but a 2-0 game turned into 6-0 in a blink of an eye because nobody can catch or throw. No team or pitcher can win under defense that's THIS bad and basically it all falls on the manager. Alex Cora simply cannot manage the Red Sox this season. How many games is he going to pull the starter early only for the bullpen to blow it this year? How many times is he going to play guys out of position then wonder why they can't field? He took Crawford out when he was pitching a shutout and the bullpen allowed six runs in the next three innings. Even with the bad defense, Weissert gave up a jack to an ice cold pinch hitter and Anderson/Winckowski clearly had nothing. Now if you want to go above Cora's head, let's do that too. Breslow is the one who put this roster together of 4A players playing out of position because of freak accidents to Story, Nick Pivetta, Lucas Giolito, Rob Refsnyder and Vaughn Grissom. Still, not having enough depth is on your GM and when you have guys like Chase Anderson pitching and Abreu/Hamilton/Valdez/Rafaela looking like deer in the headlights. If you want to go above Breslow's head as well, you can do that too. John Henry went cheap the past few years and the franchise crumbled like a graham cracker. CEO Sam Kennedy admitted publicly Breslow was on a "budget" and moneyball only works if you have high end talent.....which they don't have. We're only 17 games into the season and Sox fans are already tired of the product on the field. 33,000 people packed Fenway today and paid the highest prices in the league to witness THAT. As the saying goes, "Zero f*cks were given as money as made". Henry is counting the gate receipts and laughing maniacally as we speak. Its going to be a long year for sure. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Guardians when Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 1.26 ERA) goes up against Tanner Bibee of Cleveland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hang On, Beat Angels (4/14/24)

The Boston Red Sox didn't make it easy in today's game against the Los Angeles Angels. The Sox struck first when Tyler O'Neill and Triston Casas hit back to back jacks against Angels starter Tyler Anderson. The Angels tied it up but the Sox went ahead in the bottom of the fifth on a Pablo Reyes rbi double. Brayan Bello (2-1, 3.92 ERA) tossed a solid game, finally pitching into the sixth inning and giving the Sox a chance to win. Masataka Yoshida clubbed his first home run of the season to give the Sox some cushion and they needed it. Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen both allowed runs but Jansen blew away Mike Trout to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                           The retiring Mike Gorman approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Rendon singled to center to start. Luis Rengifo struck out swinging before Mike Trout also went down hacking. Taylor Ward flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Anderson in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Pablo Reyes flied out to right but Tyler O'Neill blasted his seventh home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Triston Casas then launched his fourth home run of the season for back to back jacks. Somehow Bobby Dalbec drew a walk but Masataka Yoshida popped up to Rendon to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                   "Back to back jacks, baby" - Casas

Aaron Hicks led off the top of the second by striking out swinging but Brandon Drury hit a home run all the way to Newfoundland to cut the lead. Logan O'Hoppe hit a bullet to Dalbec and Jo Adell grounded out to second to end the inning with the Angels down 2-1.

                                                         Drury gets a piece of Bello

Connor Wong flied out to right to start the bottom of the second before Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short. David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Angels struck back in the top of the third as Zach Neto walked to start. Rendon singled to right to move Zeto to third and Zach scored on the Rengifo force at second. Rengifo stole second and Trout walked. Hicks took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                      Rengifo drives in a run

Duran grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Reyes struck out swinging. O'Neill singled to left and Casas walked, but Dalbec took strike three.

Drury beat out a roller to third to start the top of the fourth but O'Hoppe banged into a double play. Adell struck out swinging to end the inning. Yoshida flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Wong lined out to left. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Neto took strike three to begin the top of the fifth before Rendon also took strike three. Rengifo grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Hamilton flied out to right to start. Duran walked and Reyes double to center to score Duran. That was it for Anderson as Adam Cimber came in to pitch. Trout made a great diving catch to rob O'Neill of a hit but Casas was intentionally walked. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Dalbec and.....Reyes was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                     Yerrrrr out!

Trout grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Ward singled to center. A wild pitch moved Ward to second and Hicks hit one off Bello to put runners at the corners. That was it for Bello who did well, throwing 5 1/3 innings allowing just two runs. Justin Slaten threw just one pitch but it was enough for Drury to hit into a double play to end the inning.

                                                          Good work Bello

Jose Suarez came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Abreu walked to start. Yoshida then belted his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Wong beat out a roller to short but Rafaela popped up to Rengifo. Hamilton struck out swinging and Wong got picked off to end the inning with the Sox head 5-2.

                                                         First for Yoshida

O'Hoppe singled to left to start the top of the seventh then moved to second on the grounder to third by Adell. Neto hit one up the elevator shaft but Rendon was plunked. Rengifo grounded out to first to end the inning. Duran walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Reyes popped up to second. O'Neill walked but Casas struck out swinging. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Slaten returned for the top of the eighth and naturally Trout tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Trout scored on a grounder to short by Ward but Hicks struck out swinging. Drury grounded out to short to end the inning with the Angels down 5-3.

                                                        Angels inch closer

Jose Cisnero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida walked to start. Wong singled to right but Rafaela flied out to center. Hamilton struck out swinging and Duran went down hacking to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and he hit O'Hoppe to start. Mickey Moniak pinch hit for Adell and dumped a base hit in front of O'Neill. Neto walked to load the bases and Rendon hit a rocket to Duran. O'Hoppe scored and Hamilton failed to cover second, causing both runners to move up as well. Rengifo struck out swinging and Trout went down hacking to end the game. The Sox had held on to win 5-4.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is Masataka Yoshida. His two run home run was the difference in the game.

                                                              Yusha Yoshida

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a home run.

Wilyer Abreu walked and scored a run in two plate appearances.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

Pablo Reyes was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 1 with a strikeout but drew a walk.

Justin Slaten allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth but earned his fourth save of the season.

Final Thoughts:

That was too close for comfort but a win is a win. After dropping the first four games at Fenway Park, everyone was mad but back to back wins is better than the alternative. Bello pitched during the day and didn't stink for once and the bullpen bent, but didn't break. Jansen walking the bases loaded and holding the Angels to just the one run was good enough to hold on. The Sox are still making defensive miscues but they got some timely hitting here. The unfortunate injuries to Trevor Story and Nick Pivetta is testing the depth of this team and we're not even out of April yet. Jansen continues to look shaky but things worked out THIS time. O'Neill continues to mash the ball and they're gonna build a statue of him by August if he keeps this pace up. All in all it was a series win and they continue to be perfectly mediocre. The Sox remain home and welcome the Cleveland Guardians in tomorrow morning for the special Patriots Day game. Kutter Crawford (0-0, 0.57 ERA) goes against Xzavion Curry of Cleveland. The game begins at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.