Ray Stantz approves of the win
Mr. Mookie Betts greeted Minnesota starter Tyler Duffey by waiving at strike three to start. Dustin Pedroia doubled off the right field wall to extend his hit streak to 16 straight games and Xander Bogaerts beat out an infield single to third, but all David Ortiz could do is advance the runners over with a grounder to first. The slumping Hanley Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning. Wright got the ball in the bottom of the first and Eduardo Nunez was retired on a swinging bunt back to the mound to start. Robbie Grossman drew a walk but Joe Mauer banged into a double play to end the inning.
The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to start. Travis Shaw flied out to right and Chris Young grounded out to third to end the inning. Wright kept pace in the bottom of the second as Trevor Plouffe popped up to Hanley Ramirez in shallow right to start. Brian Dozier grounded out to third on the first pitch and Byung Ho Park whiffed to end the inning.
Christian Vazquez led off the top of the third by lining out softly to second. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Pedroia grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Max Kepler led off the bottom of the third with a leadoff double and moved tp third on the Kurt Suzuki grounder. Wright got a big out when he whiffed Byron Buxton before Nunez popped up to JBJ to end the inning.
Bogaerts dumped a base hit to to left to open the top of the fourth and moved to second on the Ortiz grounder. Ramirez hit a routine grounder to third but Park dropped the throw and there were runners at the corners with one down on the error. The Sox blew a chance to take the lead when JBJ whiffed as guest analyst Torii Hunter said JBJ, Betts and Bogaerts were future studs on commentary. Shaw grounded out to first to end the inning. Wright got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Grossman dumped a base hit to center to start. Grossman was gunned down trying to steal by the alert Vazquez before Mauer lined out to center. Plouffe singled to left and Dozier hit a seeing eye single past Pedroia to put the pressure on. Wright got out of the jam by striking out Park to end the inning.
Yerrrrr out!
The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth inning though Young whiffed to start. Vazquez beat out a squibber up the middle but he was erased on the fielder's choice by Betts. Pedroia lashed a base hit to right and Bogaerts pounded his 7th home run of the season to put Boston up big. Ortiz doubled past the diving Buxton but Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.
X gon give it to ya!
Wright almost gave it back in the bottom of the fifth although Kepler grounded out to second on the first pitch. Suzuki socked a single to left field but Buxton popped up to JBJ. Nunez singled in the hole at second and Bogaerts had to make a diving catch to prevent a throwing error by Wright. Grossman walked to load the bases and Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Wright that Rick & Morty was on in the dugout. Wright was so excited he got Mauer to ground softly back to the mound to end the inning.
The Sox iced the game in the top of the sixth as JBJ doubled off the right field wall to begin. Shaw poked a single to center to put runners at the corners but Young hit a bullet right to Plouffe for the out. Vazquez chased Duffey with a seeing eye single past Plouffe and Nunez to score JBJ with another run. Kevin Jepsen came in and got Mr. Mookie to pop up to first. Pedroia doubled off the right field wall to score Shaw and advanced Vazquez to third. Bogaerts added another run with a seeing eye single that scored Vazquez. Ortiz flied out to deep right to end the inning but the Sox were on cruise control with a 6-0 lead.
Bogaerts with another hit
Wright cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Plouffe grounded back to him to start. Dozier grounded out to second as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien said that Park wanted nothing to do with Steven Wright after Wright caught him looking to end the inning.
Hanley led off the top of the seventh with a walk as Dave O'Brien brought up how Twins manager Paul Molitor had a 39 game hitting streak snapped in 1987 by a rookie pitcher from Cleveland named John Farrell. Yes, THAT John Farrell currently managing the Red Sox broke up the streak and had the classy Paul autograph the game ball for him. JBJ was rung up for strike three and Shaw swung at strike three up at his eyes. Young popped up to second to end the inning. Wright kept up his dominance in the bottom of the seventh as Kepler whiffed to start. Suzuki grounded out to third and Buxton watched strike three go by to end the inning.
Michael Tonkin took over for the top of the eighth and Vazquez whiffed to start. Mr. Mookie lined one off the ass of Tonkin for a base hit, thankfully Tonkin was okay. Pedroia went down swinging and Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Wright's quest for 4 straight complete games on the road was denied in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hanley snared a grounder by Nunez but tried to underhand flip to to Wright, only to airmail him and allow Nunez to take second on the error. Vazquez then completely missed a knuckleball to allow Nunez to reach third and Eduardo scored on the Grossman ground out to break up the shutout. Mauer singled to left to chase Wright after a brilliant performance. Steven tossed 7 1/3 innings of 1 run (un-earned) ball and put the Sox in line for the win. Matt Barnes came in and blew away Plouffe and got Dozier to fly out to the left field warning track to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.
Great start by Wright
The Sox tacked it on in the top of the ninth as Ortiz clubbed an opposite field single to start. Rusney Castillo pinch ran for him and Hanley finally got a base hit to left. JBJ then missed a 3 run home run by 5 feet but settled for a 2 run triple. He was stranded as Shaw grounded back to the mound, Young grounded out to short and Vazquez whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.
JBJ triples in a pair
Barnes returned for the bottom of the ninth with Marco Hernandez taking over at second with Josh Rutledge in to play third. Park led off by earning a golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout of the game before Kepler singled in the hole at second. Suzuki popped up to right and Nunez grounded into a force at second to end the game. The Sox had won this one easily 8-1.
Sox win
The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to start. Travis Shaw flied out to right and Chris Young grounded out to third to end the inning. Wright kept pace in the bottom of the second as Trevor Plouffe popped up to Hanley Ramirez in shallow right to start. Brian Dozier grounded out to third on the first pitch and Byung Ho Park whiffed to end the inning.
Christian Vazquez led off the top of the third by lining out softly to second. Mr. Mookie flied out to right and Pedroia grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Max Kepler led off the bottom of the third with a leadoff double and moved tp third on the Kurt Suzuki grounder. Wright got a big out when he whiffed Byron Buxton before Nunez popped up to JBJ to end the inning.
Bogaerts dumped a base hit to to left to open the top of the fourth and moved to second on the Ortiz grounder. Ramirez hit a routine grounder to third but Park dropped the throw and there were runners at the corners with one down on the error. The Sox blew a chance to take the lead when JBJ whiffed as guest analyst Torii Hunter said JBJ, Betts and Bogaerts were future studs on commentary. Shaw grounded out to first to end the inning. Wright got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Grossman dumped a base hit to center to start. Grossman was gunned down trying to steal by the alert Vazquez before Mauer lined out to center. Plouffe singled to left and Dozier hit a seeing eye single past Pedroia to put the pressure on. Wright got out of the jam by striking out Park to end the inning.
The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth inning though Young whiffed to start. Vazquez beat out a squibber up the middle but he was erased on the fielder's choice by Betts. Pedroia lashed a base hit to right and Bogaerts pounded his 7th home run of the season to put Boston up big. Ortiz doubled past the diving Buxton but Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.
Wright almost gave it back in the bottom of the fifth although Kepler grounded out to second on the first pitch. Suzuki socked a single to left field but Buxton popped up to JBJ. Nunez singled in the hole at second and Bogaerts had to make a diving catch to prevent a throwing error by Wright. Grossman walked to load the bases and Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Wright that Rick & Morty was on in the dugout. Wright was so excited he got Mauer to ground softly back to the mound to end the inning.
The Sox iced the game in the top of the sixth as JBJ doubled off the right field wall to begin. Shaw poked a single to center to put runners at the corners but Young hit a bullet right to Plouffe for the out. Vazquez chased Duffey with a seeing eye single past Plouffe and Nunez to score JBJ with another run. Kevin Jepsen came in and got Mr. Mookie to pop up to first. Pedroia doubled off the right field wall to score Shaw and advanced Vazquez to third. Bogaerts added another run with a seeing eye single that scored Vazquez. Ortiz flied out to deep right to end the inning but the Sox were on cruise control with a 6-0 lead.
Wright cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Plouffe grounded back to him to start. Dozier grounded out to second as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien said that Park wanted nothing to do with Steven Wright after Wright caught him looking to end the inning.
Hanley led off the top of the seventh with a walk as Dave O'Brien brought up how Twins manager Paul Molitor had a 39 game hitting streak snapped in 1987 by a rookie pitcher from Cleveland named John Farrell. Yes, THAT John Farrell currently managing the Red Sox broke up the streak and had the classy Paul autograph the game ball for him. JBJ was rung up for strike three and Shaw swung at strike three up at his eyes. Young popped up to second to end the inning. Wright kept up his dominance in the bottom of the seventh as Kepler whiffed to start. Suzuki grounded out to third and Buxton watched strike three go by to end the inning.
Michael Tonkin took over for the top of the eighth and Vazquez whiffed to start. Mr. Mookie lined one off the ass of Tonkin for a base hit, thankfully Tonkin was okay. Pedroia went down swinging and Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Wright's quest for 4 straight complete games on the road was denied in the bottom of the eighth inning. Hanley snared a grounder by Nunez but tried to underhand flip to to Wright, only to airmail him and allow Nunez to take second on the error. Vazquez then completely missed a knuckleball to allow Nunez to reach third and Eduardo scored on the Grossman ground out to break up the shutout. Mauer singled to left to chase Wright after a brilliant performance. Steven tossed 7 1/3 innings of 1 run (un-earned) ball and put the Sox in line for the win. Matt Barnes came in and blew away Plouffe and got Dozier to fly out to the left field warning track to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.
The Sox tacked it on in the top of the ninth as Ortiz clubbed an opposite field single to start. Rusney Castillo pinch ran for him and Hanley finally got a base hit to left. JBJ then missed a 3 run home run by 5 feet but settled for a 2 run triple. He was stranded as Shaw grounded back to the mound, Young grounded out to short and Vazquez whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.
Barnes returned for the bottom of the ninth with Marco Hernandez taking over at second with Josh Rutledge in to play third. Park led off by earning a golden sombrero with his fourth strikeout of the game before Kepler singled in the hole at second. Suzuki popped up to right and Nunez grounded into a force at second to end the game. The Sox had won this one easily 8-1.
Hero of the Night is Steven Wright. He tossed 7 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run to win his 7th game of the season.
Wright the Hero
The Good:
Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 5 with a 3 run homer and 4 total rbis.
David Ortiz was 2 for 5.
Rusney Castillo scored a run as a pinch runner.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Dustin Pedroia was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
Xander Bogaerts was 4 for 5 with a 3 run homer and 4 total rbis.
David Ortiz was 2 for 5.
Rusney Castillo scored a run as a pinch runner.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Christian Vazquez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.
The Bad:
Chris Young was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.
Chris Young was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with an error but walked and scored a run.
Travis Shaw was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Honorable Mention:
Marco Hernandez played second base in the bottom of the ninth.
Josh Rutledge played third base in the bottom of the ninth.
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with an error but walked and scored a run.
Travis Shaw was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.
Honorable Mention:
Marco Hernandez played second base in the bottom of the ninth.
Josh Rutledge played third base in the bottom of the ninth.
Final Thoughts:
Don't look now but Steven Wright is making a run at the All-Star game with the way he's pitching. If David Price has it figured out and Rick Porcello can continue his hot streak, this may be a trio that could carry the Sox to October. Of course, its only June but its fun to think about after 2 years of garbage. Good to see Shaw get a good hit tonight and Bogaerts was on fire. Hanley needs to bust out of his slump soon and hopefully tomorrow he can. The Baltimore Orioles lost tonight so the Sox gained ground on them with 2 more games left against the Twins. If the Sox want to jump in first, this is their chance with the Toronto Blue Jays and Orioles facing each other. The win improved the Sox to 35-25, 1 game behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox are back in action tomorrow against the Twins with Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1, 5.40 ERA) taking on Kyle Gibson at 2:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.
Don't look now but Steven Wright is making a run at the All-Star game with the way he's pitching. If David Price has it figured out and Rick Porcello can continue his hot streak, this may be a trio that could carry the Sox to October. Of course, its only June but its fun to think about after 2 years of garbage. Good to see Shaw get a good hit tonight and Bogaerts was on fire. Hanley needs to bust out of his slump soon and hopefully tomorrow he can. The Baltimore Orioles lost tonight so the Sox gained ground on them with 2 more games left against the Twins. If the Sox want to jump in first, this is their chance with the Toronto Blue Jays and Orioles facing each other. The win improved the Sox to 35-25, 1 game behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox are back in action tomorrow against the Twins with Eduardo Rodriguez (1-1, 5.40 ERA) taking on Kyle Gibson at 2:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.
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