Sale trudged to the mound for the top of the first and Jeimer Candelario fouled off 400 pitched before somehow striking out. Mookie Betts had to climb the centerfield wall to rob Nicholas Castellanos of a home run before the scared Sale walked the washed up Miguel Cabrera. Niko Goodrum fouled off another 20 pitches before striking out to end the inning. Meanwhile Andrew Benintendi drew a lucky walk to start the bottom of the first before naturally Betts popped up weakly to center and JD Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning.
Dustin Peterson effortlessly singled to start the top of the second but Ronny Rodriguez somehow struck out. Betts had to climb the wall again to rob Josh Harrison of a sure home run before Sale somehow struck out Grayson Greiner to end the inning. Xander Bogaerts grounded out weakly to third to start the bottom of the second before Steve Pearce popped up weakly to short. Michael Chavis popped up weakly to center to end the inning.
The umpire felt sorry for Sale and rang up JaCoby Jones for strike three to start the top of the third inning. Tzu-Wei Lin had to drive to stop a crushed liner by Candelario for the second out before somehow Castellanos whiffed to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third when Christian Vazquez walked to start. Lin doubled Vazquez to third but Sandy Leon couldn't advance anyone with a groundout to third. Benintendi grounded back to the mound but Mr. Mookie singled in Vazquez and Lin to put the Sox on top. Martinez whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.
Just as soon as the Sox took the lead, Sale began to give it away in the top of the fourth. Cabrera flied out to right but Goodrum walked. Goodrum swiped second but Peterson whiffed. Rodriguez doubled home Goodrum to cut the lead. Harrison whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.
The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Pearce reached first on catcher's interference but Chavis banged into a double play to end the inning.
The Tigers tied the game in the top of the fifth as Greiner smashed a 4,000 foot home run to start. Jones singled to right but Candelario whiffed. Castellanos flied out to center but Cabrera doubled. Goodrum took strike three to end the inning but the Tigers had tied it 2-2. That was it for Sale as he was done after just 5 innings although he limited the damage to just 2 runs while striking out 10.
The Sox did nothing again in the bottom of the fifth even though Vazquez reached on a throwing error by Candelario to start. Lin whiffed, Leon flied out to right and Benintendi flied out to center to end the inning.
The Tigers struck back in the top of the sixth with Heath Hembree on the mound. Peterson grounded out to short but Rodriguez gave the Tigers the lead with a 10,900 foot home run. Harrison singled but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Greiner walked and that was it for the incompetent Hembree. Tyler Thornburg made a mad dash to the mound just to strike out Jones to end the inning. Thornburg sprinted into the dugout but it was now 3-2 Tigers.
The Sox showed some life in the bottom of the sixth as Mr. Mookie lined out to third to start. Martinez popped up to second but Bogaerts crushed his third home run of the season to tie the game. Pearce whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.
Thornburg bolted out of the dugout for the top of the seventh and he froze Candelario to start. Castellanos grounded back to the mound before Cabrera flied out to right to end the inning. Thornburg sprinted into the dugout but Chavis popped up to second to start the bottom of the seventh. Vazquez popped up to second before Lin flied out to right to end the inning.
Colten Brewer pissed the game away in the top of the eighth inning. Goodrum walked but Peterson flied out to right. Rodriguez doubled again and Harrison put the Tigers up for good with a double that cleared the bases. Greiner singled in Harrison as the boo birds came out. Jones banged into a double play to end the inning but it was all over, 6-3 Tigers.
Daniel Stumpf replaced Matthew Boyd for the bottom of the eighth and Rafael Devers pinch hit for Leon, singling to center. Benintendi looked at strike three and that was it for Stumpf. Victor Alcantara got Mr. Mookie to bang into a double play to end the inning.
The Tigers kicked Bobby Poyner in the ass in the top of the ninth inning as Candelario walked and Castellanos singled to start. Cabrera singled in Candelario to ice the game. Goodrum hit a fly ball deep to right and Castellanos broke for home....OUT! Martinez gunned him down for the second out as Brandon Dixon ran for Cabrera. Peterson hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but it was 7-3 Tigers.
Drew VerHagen finished off the Red Sox in the bottom of the ninth as Martinez whiffed to start. Bogaerts managed to blast his second home run of the day as Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Pearce....just to ground out to short. Chavis looked at strike three to end the game with the Tigers taking Game 1 by a score of 7-4.
Jackass of the Night is Colten Brewer. He got hammered for the deciding 3 runs that lost the game.
The Good:
Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 2 solo home runs.
Tzu-Wei Lin was 1 for 3 with a run scored.
Rafael Devers singled as a pinch hitter
Chris Sale tossed 5 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 10.
Tyler Thornburg tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Steve Pearce was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.
Mitch Moreland was 0 for 1.
Michael Chavis was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Sandy Leon was 0 for 2.
Heath Hembree allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.
Bobby Poyner allowed a run in the top of the ninth.
The Ugly:
Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked.
Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs
Christian Vazquez was 0 for 2 but walked and scored.
Final Thoughts:
Who saw this coming? The 2013 Red Sox were a complete fluke so when the 2014 Sox fell flat on their face, it wasn't very surprising. The exact same team that won 108 games last year could very well lose 100 games this year. Apart from Benintendi, Martinez and Bogaerts not a single Sox batter can hit. Betts is completely lost, Devers may well be just a .230 hitter and everyone else is a bonafide black hole. Even last year the 7-8-9 for the Sox were useless but now its 4-9 and you can't win many games like that. Sale once again completely sucked as did the bullpen with the exception of Tyler Thornburg. Combined with the season ending injuries to Nathan Eovaldi, Brian Johnson, Brock Holt and Dustin Pedroia, this team went south real fast. Tonight the Sox will drop the second game of the doubleheader against the Tigers when Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez takes the beating while Spencer Turnbull effortlessly shuts down the worthless Sox offense at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park
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