GADZOOKS! 36 years almost to the day that diminutive Freddy Patek and the California Angels slaughtered the Boston Red Sox 20-2 at Fenway Park.....CJ Cron and the modern day Anaheim Angels laid waste to the collective bungholes of the Sox. Cron was 6 for 6 with two home runs and 5 rbis as the Angels as a whole beat around Clay Buchholz (3-9, 5.91 ERA) and a host of relievers for 22 hits and 20 runs. Albert Pujols launched a two run home run in the first inning and the Angels cruised from there. On the other side of the ball, Hector Santiago held the Sox bats to one unearned run in 6 innings. Mookie Betts did manage to hit a home run but it all added up to a disaster Freddy Patek would have enjoyed as the Angels beat the Sox 21-2 at Fenway Park.
The beat down started in the bottom of the first although Buchholz got Yunel Escobar grounded out to second to start. Kole Calhoun grounded back to the mound but Mike Trout pounded a ground rule double into the right field corner. Albert Pujols then hit a home run all the way to Bangor, Maine to put the Angels on top. Daniel Nava flied out to the left inning warning track to end the inning with the Angels up 2-0.
Some Red Sox fan cost the Sox a run immediately in the top of the first when a fan reached over to try to grab a line drive hit by Mookie Betts off Santiago. The umpires took a look and ruled fan interference double instead of a triple. The interference call proved costly as Dustin Pedroia hit a fly ball to right that sent Betts to third and Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. David Ortiz banged into a double play to end the inning, tell that fan thanks for nothing.
Things spiraled out of control in the top of the second inning as CJ Cron hit a chopper to Travis Shaw who turned around and threw the ball a mile to the left of first base for an error to start. Johnny Giatovella flied out to right but Carlos Perez hit a seeing eye single past Bogaerts to put runners at the corners. Andrelton Simmons scored Cron with a sac fly to increase the lead but Escobar hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning with the Angels up 3-0.
Hanley Ramirez tried to start a rally with a base hit up the middle but Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging. Bryce Brentz took strike three and Shaw grounded out to short to end the inning.
Buchholz settled down in the top of the third as Calhoun grounded out to second to start. Trout flied out to center and Pujols grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the third as Christian Vazquez missed a home run by 10 feet down the left field line before walking to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to left, Pedroia popped up to short and Bogaerts popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.
The Angels struck again in the top of the fourth as Nava took strike three to start. Cron then hit a home run all the way to the Azores to increase the lead. Giatovella grounded out to second but Perez doubled into the left field corner. Simmons grounded out to short to end the inning but the Angels led 4-0.
The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz flied out to center to start. Ramirez doubled into the left field corner but JBJ went down hacking. A wild pitch moved Ramirez to third but Brentz grounded out to third to end the inning.
The floodgates opened in the top of the fifth inning although Escobar popped up to first to start. Calhoun walked and Trout hit a bullet past Shaw to chase Buchholz of the game. Clay lasted just 4 1/3 innings and would be charged with 6 runs. Heath Hembree came in and Pujols hit a grounder to third, Shaw airmailing Pedroia at second for an error to load the bases. Sox manager John Farrell challenged that Trout was out at second but the call was upheld. Nava went down hacking but Cron blooped a single to center to score Calhoun and Trout. Giatovella singled in the hole at second to re-load the bases and Perez doubled off the centerfield wall to clear the bases. Simmons flied out to right to end the inning with the game out of reach 9-0.
The Sox got a lucky run in the bottom of the fifth as Shaw lined out to center to start. Vazquez lined out to short but Mr. Mookie hit a ground rule double over the head of Calhoun. Pedroia hit a routine grounder to Escobar who threw the ball away for an error that scored Betts. Bogaerts walked but Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.
Hembree returned for the top of the sixth as Escobar walked to start. Calhoun popped up to shallow left before Trout popped up to shallow right. Pujols went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth although Ramirez walked to start. JBJ struck out swinging and Simmons made a great running catch to rob Brentz of a bloop single. Shaw popped up to second to end the inning.
Shane Robinson pinch hit for Nava to start the top of the seventh with Robbie Ross Jr now on the mound to take a beating. Robinson walked, Cron singled to center and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Giatovella grounded out to second but Perez hit a seeing eye single to left to score Robinson with another run. Simmons singled to right to score Cron and Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Ross that 10 yards is a first down. Escobar singled to right to load the bases and Gregorio Petit pinch ran for him. Calhoun singled to right....off the glove of Brentz for an error that scored two runs. That was it for Ross as rookie Pat Light took the mound only to plunk Trout to re-load the bases. Pujols doubled to the right field wall to clear the bases and Jefry Marte ran for him. Robinson struck out swinging but Cron hit a home run all the way to Concord, New Hampshire. Giatovella bashed a double to the centerfield wall and Perez clobbered a home run all the way to Peru to increase the lead. Simmons grounded out to third to end the inning but the Angels scored 11 runs and now led 20-1.
Fernando Salas came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez flied out to right to start. Mr. Mookie got a mock cheer with his 17th home run of the season to cut the lead but Pedroia popped up to first. Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox down 20-2.
Mr. Mookie home run
Light came back to get tagged in the top of the eighth with Marco Hernandez taking over for Ramirez. Petit hit a triple past a jumping JBJ to start but Shaw made a great stab off a Calhoun line drive. Somehow Light struck out Trout looking but Bogaerts threw a routine grounder by Marte away for another error that scored Petit. Robinson popped up to right to end the inning with the Angels ahead 21-2.
Deolis Guerra came to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Sandy Leon pinch hitting for Ortiz to start. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft and Marte fell down but still made the catch on a Hernandez line drive. JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning.
Ryan LaMarre, yes HIM, came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and Cron nearly hit another home run with a line drive off the top of the Monster. Cron settled for a double but Giatovella flied out to center. Perez was finally retired by lining out to left but Simmons singled to center. Petit flied out to right to end the inning and how sad is it that LaMarre was the only reliever that didn't allow a run.
Mercifully the game came to an end in the bottom of the ninth with Guerra returning to the mound. Brentz slapped a base hit to center but Shaw flied out to left. Mr. Mookie forced Brentz at third but Pedroia ripped a base hit to left to load the bases. Bogaerts hit a slow roller to first to end the game. The Angels had won it 21-2.
Jackass of the Night could be anyone but Clay Buchholz makes the most sense. He got lit up for 6 runs and Hembree, Light, Ross and LaMarre wouldn't have had to come in if he pitched well.
The Good:
Mookie Betts was 3 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.
Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 2 with a walk.
Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk.
Ryan LaMarre pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
David Ortiz was 0 for 3.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 1 at the plate.
Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Travis Shaw was 0 for 4.
Heath Hembree allowed 2 inherited runners to score and was charged with 3 runs himself.
Robbie Ross Jr allowed 6 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.
Pat Light allowed 2 inherited runners to score and was charged with 6 of his own in 1 2/3 innings.
The Ugly:
Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5.
Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with an error but walked twice.
Bryce Brentz was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.
Final Thoughts:
Between the Freddy Patek game, the 22 to 1 massacre by the Yankees in 2000 and this....there have been some decisive beatdowns at Fenway Park in its 114 year history. The worst part is how bad the Sox played on both sides of the ball. They couldn't do anything offensively against Santiago and it seemed like any ball not hit 400 feet was booted by someone. JBJ missing an easy catch that turned into a triple, Shaw throwing balls away....it was just bad baseball all around. Although as Fox analyst Harold Reynolds pointed out, its only 1 loss. As bad as it was, its just one game. CJ Cron and Carlos Perez combined to go 11 for 12 with 11 rbis combined, shockingly Trout didn't have an rbi. Not much you can say about a game like this apart from the Sox got their brains beat in. If the June swoon was supposed to be rock bottom then this game is going all the way to hell. The worst part is the Sox are bringing up someone from Pawtucket to start tomorrow's game. The swoon could continue all the way to the All-Star break, putting the Sox further behind in the AL East race. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-37, 4 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the Angels when they bring up Sean O'Sullivan from Pawtucket to face Matt Shoemaker of the Angels. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.
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