Basebawful Report of The Month

Matt Andriese - 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Jonathan Arauz - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Christian Arroyo - 4 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Hero

Matt Barnes - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Xander Bogaerts - 8 Good, 4 Bad, 9 Ugly

Austin Brice - 1 Bad

Michael Chavis - 3 Good, 7 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Franchy Cordero - 3 Good, 1 Ugly

Bobby Dalbec - 5 Good, 6 Bad, 7 Ugly, 3 Honorable Mention

Austin Davis - 1 Ugly

Rafael Devers - 10 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jarren Duran - 3 Good, 6 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Hero

Nathan Eovaldi - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Marwin Gonzalez - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Darwinzon Hernandez - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Kike Hernandez - 12 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly, 3 Hero

Tanner Houck - 3 Good

JD Martinez - 8 Good, 6 Bad, 7 Ugly, 2 Hero

Adam Ottavino - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Jackass

Martin Perez - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Kevin Plawecki - 6 Good, 3 Bad, 

Hunter Renfroe - 7 Good, 4 Bad, 13 Ugly

Garrett Richards - 1 Good, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Yacksel Rios - 6 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Eduardo Rodriguez - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Danny Santana - 3 Good, 4 Bad, 1 Hero

Hiro Sawamura - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Josh Taylor - 8 Good, 1 Jackass

Phillips Valdez - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero

Christian Vazquez - 10 Good, 4 Bad, 6 Ugly

Alex Verdugo - 10 Good, 6 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero

Garrett Whitlock - 7 Good, 1 Ugly

Connor Wong - 2 Good, 1 Ugly

Brandon Workman - 3 Good, 4 Bad, 2 Ugly

Most Valuable Player is Kike Hernandez with 12 Good

Least Valuable Player is Michael Chavis with 7 Bad

Ugliest Player of the Month is Hunter Renfroe with 13 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Kike Hernandez with 3 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Adam Ottavino with 2 Jackass

Honorable Player of the Month is Bobby Dalbec with 3 Honorable Mention

Rays Knock Sox Out Of First (7/31/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. New pitchers Hansel Robles and Austin Davis were activated as Connor Wong was sent back to Worcester while Darwinzon Hernandez was placed on the Injured List with a right oblique strain. Let's see how the new guys do.

                                                                  OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game, just like in 2013 the Tampa Bay Rays took over first place at the end of July with a surge. The Rays made it two in a row against the Red Sox by once again pounding the Sox inept pitching. The Sox bolted out to a 3-0 lead after the top of the first but the Rays took just three innings to tie the game and used a late inning rally to put the game away. Wander Franco and the surprising Francisco Mejia were the big contributors as the Rays handed Nathan Eovaldi (9-6, 3.71 ERA) his lunch by tagging him for 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Adam Ottavino got rocked in the eighth inning and the Rays took over first place with a 9-5 victory at Tropicana Field.

                                                       "Sox are out of first place???"

The Sox did manage to rally in the top of the first against Tampa starter Ryan Yarbrough. Kike Hernandez grounded out to third to start but Rafael Devers walked. A wild pitch moved Devers to second and he scored on the JD Martinez base hit to left. Xander Bogaerts smashed his 16th home run of the year to increase the lead but Hunter Renfroe popped up to short. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Bogaerts hits one out

The Rays got the runs right back against Eovaldi in the bottom of the first as Brandon Lowe doubled to center and Ji-Man Choi hit a home run to Croatia to cut the lead just like that. Eovaldi got mad and struck out Nelson Cruz, Austin Meadows and Randy Arozarena swinging to end the inning but the Rays were back in it 3-2.

                                                               Choi puts the Rays back in it

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Christian Vazquez grounded out to short to start. Bobby Dalbec also grounded out to short and Jonathan Arauz lined out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi settled down in the bottom of the second as Joey Wendle struck out swinging to start. Wander Franco and Kevin Kiermaier both grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Hernandez lined out to center to start the top of the third before Devers flied out to right. Martinez also flied out to right to end the inning. Naturally the Rays tied it in the bottom of the third although Francisco Mejia flied out to left to start. Lowe hit a routine grounder to second but Arauz dove on top of the ball and swam on it for an error. Choi singled to right and Cruz hit a double play ball to Arauz.

...under his glove for another error that scored Lowe to tie the game. Meadows flied out to center and Arozarena popped up to first to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.                                              

                                                            Mr. Happy Hands bobbles it

Bogaerts flied out to center to start the top of the fourth before Renfroe struck out swinging. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Rays took command in the bottom of the fourth as Wendle singled to right to start. Franco lined out to short and Kiermaier struck out swinging but Mejia hit a home run all the way to Montana to put Tampa on top.  Lowe grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays ahead 5-3.

                                                            Mejia puts the Rays on top

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Vazquez singled to right to begin. Dalbec crushed his 11th home run of the season to tie the game but Arauz struck out swinging. Hernandez flied out to center and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                             Dalbec ties it up

Eovaldi kept the game tied in the bottom of the fifth as Choi lined out to center to start. Cruz grounded back to the mound and Meadows grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally big time in the top of the sixth against Andrew Kittredge as Martinez struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts walked, Renfroe doubled Xander to third and Verdugo was intentionally walked to load the bases. Naturally Vazquez whiffed on a full count and  Dalbec went down hacking to end the inning. The Rays pounced on the Sox after the blown rally in the bottom of the sixth although Arozarena took strike three to start. Wendle walked and Franco tripled home Wendle to chase Eovaldi from the game. Nathan got rocked for 6 runs in just 5 1/3 innings and left trailing. Josh Taylor struck out Kiermaier swinging and got Mejia to ground out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 6-5.

                                                            Eovaldi gets hammered

Jeffrey Springs came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox blew another rally. Arauz struck out swinging but Hernandez got a base hit to left. Devers caught Wendle asleep with a bunt single and that was it for Springs. Matt Wisler came in and both runners moved over on the Martinez grounder to first before Bogaerts walked to load the bases. With the game on the line....Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. Lowe struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh before Choi also went down hacking. That was it for Taylor as Adam Ottavino came in to get Cruz looking to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth as Verdugo grounded out to short to start. Vazquez flied out to left and Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays iced it in the bottom of the eighth as Meadows doubled to right to begin. Brett Phillips ran for Meadows and Arozarena was hit by a pitch. Wendle went down swinging but Franco got a base hit to right to score Phillips. That was it for Ottavino as Austin Davis made his Red Sox debut by uncorking a wild pitch to move the runners over. Kiermaier struck out swinging but Mejia got a base hit to center to score both Arozarena and Franco to ice the game. Lowe walked but Choi struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays ahead 9-5.

                                                       Rays ice the game

Old friend Chris Mazza came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Jarren Duran pinch hit for Arauz only to take strike three.  Hernandez hit a ground ball to the mound and Mazza threw it away for an error to advance Kike to second. Hernandez moved to third on defensive indifference and Devers took strike three. Martinez grounded out to short to end the game. The Rays had taken first place with a 9-5 victory.

                                                         Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Adam Ottavino. He was charged with 3 runs to put the game on ice

                                              "Yeah you're out, Jackass...now beat it!"

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a two run home run.

Josh Taylor tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nathan Eovaldi got rocked for 6 runs in just 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run homer.

Austin Davis allowed two inherited runners to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox deserved to fall out of first place the way they played tonight. Arauz playing hot potato with the ball, Eovaldi getting hammered and the bullpen imploding all hurts but the key was the lack of clutch hitting. Time and time again the Sox were in position for the knockout blow and they failed every time. The Sox can get guys on but driving them in is another story. The Rays, on the other hand, can't miss when they desperately need it. Wander Franco is beating the Sox almost by himself in this series and he's making Bobby Dalbec look like the now departed Michael Chavis in Rookie of The Year voting. The Sox have two months left to right the ship but as of now, the Rays look like the better team. They pitch better, they hit in the clutch more and their bullpen doesn't cough up the game like the SOx have lately. All in all it was a bad loss but there is some good news coming. Chris Sale looked good in front of a packed, standing room only crowd in Worcester during his rebab start with the WooSox and he'll be activated pretty soon. If he can pitch as well as he did in 2017-18 the Sox may have a chance to topple the Rays in the AL East race when all is said and done. As it is, the Sox finish the month of July with a record of 63-43, 0.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep and get back in first tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta (8-4) takes on Shane McClanahan of the Rays. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Trade for Robles, Davis & Fall To Rays (7/30/21)

Before the game the Sox made their deadline moves. The Sox sent 23 year old Portland Sea Dogs pitcher Alex Scherff to the Minnesota Twins for former Los Angeles Angels closer Hansel Robles and Michael Chavis to the Pittsburgh Pirates for lefty reliever Austin Davis. Davis and Robles are depth moves to bolster the bullpen if the A-Team falls apart and on top of that, Brandon Workman was designated for assignment. To take Chavis' place, Jonathan Arauz was called up from Worcester. Hiro Sawamura was also activated to replace Workman. Its a shame Workman couldn't rediscover the magic he had in 2019 but its time to move on. Davis and Robles will be activated soon and they'll both be needed with Hiro Sawamura out with a shoulder injury. These were depth moves by the Sox as the bullpen were used A LOT so far this season. Chavis could never get over his Kit Keller Syndrome and Kyle Schwarber is on the way so hopefully Pittsburgh can find use for him.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, the Tampa Bay Rays are making a march toward first place in the AL East and it looks like the Red Sox can't stop them. The motivated Tampa bats pounded Sox starter Martin Perez (7-7, 4.56 ERA) for 6 early runs while Tampa starter Josh Fleming held the Sox bats to just 3 runs in 5 innings. The Rays bullpen shut out the Sox the rest of the way as home runs by Mike Zunino, Randy Arozarena and Yandy Diaz paced the Rays offense. The Sox are in serious danger of falling out of first place after the Rays beat them 7-3 at Tropicana Field.

                                                      Randy Quaid is angry again

Fleming got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez led off with a base hit to left. Alex Verdugo and Xander Bogearts both struck out swinging before JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. As usual the Sox fell behind right from the start as Perez got tagged in the bottom of the first inning. Randy Arozarena grounded out to third to start before Nelson Cruz grounded out to short. Austin Meadows walked and Yandy Diaz hit a home run all the way to Orlando to put the Rays up for good 4 batters into the game. Wander Franco struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays ahead 2-0.

                                                                   Diaz puts the Rays up early

Once again the Sox rolled over in the top of the second inning as Hunter Renfroe flied out to left to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to center and Bobby Dalbec also flied out to center to end the inning. Somehow Perez kept the Rays off the board in the bottom of the second as Brandon Lowe struck out swinging to start but Bobby Dalbec dropped a pop up by former Sox prospect Manny Margot for an error. Mike Zunino struck out swinging and Ji-Man Choi grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Somehow Jonathan Arauz got a base hit to left but Hernandez took strike three. Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays struck again in the bottom of the third although Arozarena grounded out to short to start. Cruz singled to center but Meadows popped up to first. Diaz singled to center and Franco doubled home both runs to ice the game. Lowe flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-0.

                                                           Franco is all smiles

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts singled in the hole at second to start. Martinez struck out swinging but Renfroe walked. Vazquez singled to right to score Bogaerts but was thrown out at second trying to stretch. That mistake proved costly as Dalbec ripped a base hit to left that scored Renfroe with another run. Duran singled and Arauz walked to load the bases. Needing a clutch hit to tie the game....Hernandez popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                   Dalbec drives in a run

The Rays took the rally personally in the bottom of the fourth as Margot flied out to left to start. Zunino hit a home run all the way to Sarasota to increase the lead but Choi grounded out to second. Arozarena then hit a home run into the Atlantic Ocean before Cruz singled to center. Meadows lined out to second to end the inning but the Rays led 6-2. That was it for Perez who got hammered for 6 runs in just 4 innings of work.

                                                       Perez got shelled again

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the fifth as Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts ripped a base hit off the glove of Choi but Martinez flied out to center. Renfroe doubled to left and needing a clutch hit.....Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning. Yacksel Rios came in to get tagged in the bottom of the fifth although Diaz grounded out to second to start. Franco tripled to center then scored on a wild pitch to increase the lead. Lowe walked but Margot flied out to left. Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 7-3.

                                                   Triple for Franco

Ryan Sherriff came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Dalbec grounded out to short to start. Duran took strike three but Arauz singled in the hole at third. A passed ball moved Arauz to second and Hernandez walked, but Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Rios returned for the bottom of the sixth and Choi went down hacking to start. Arozarena lined out to left and Cruz grounded out to third to end the inning.

JT Chargois came in to dominate the tip of the seventh as Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Martinez grounded out to first and Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning. Hiro Sawamura came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Meadows walked to start. Diaz doubled to right but Meadows was thrown out at home by Bogaerts. Diaz moved to third on a grounder to second by Franco and Lowe was intentionally walked. Margot struck out swinging to end the inning.

Louis Head came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Vazquez ripped a base hit to left to start. The rally ended as both Dalbec and Duran went down swinging. Arauz grounded out to second to end the inning. Josh Taylor came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Zunino went down hacking to start. Choi popped up to third but Arozarena singled to left. Cruz grounded into a force to end the inning.

Old pal Jeffrey Springs came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hernandez lined out to short to start. Verdugo flied out to left and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 7-3.

                                                         Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Martin Perez. He got lit up for 6 runs in just 4 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                              Jackass Perez

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jonathan Arauz was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Hiro Sawamura tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Josh Taylor tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Yacksel Rios allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Sox fans are a little upset that the Sox have a chance to make it to October but only managed to trade for an injured outfielder and two low level relief pitchers. Still, the Sox only gave up one Top 20 prospect, a lower end prospect and an expendable bat for the new additions. The Sox kept their farm system intact while the Yankees emptied theirs to get Joey Gallo and...surprise....Anthony Rizzo. The biggest move was the Los Angeles Dodgers trading garbage to the Washington Nationals for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. The San Francisco Giants have been on a tear in the first three months and the Dodgers are loading up to try to repeat as champions. As for this game, the Sox got outclassed by the Rays and couldn't get anything going offensively when the game started to slip away. The Sox had 2 men on in back to back innings and couldn't get anybody in. A few more clutch hits here and there and the Sox would have made it interesting. Instead, the Rays walked all over them and are one win away from taking over first place as we head to August. There's still another day to make some trades but it seems unlikely the Sox are going to do anything else. The Sox are going to roll the dice with what they have and its possible that it may not be enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 663-42, just 0.5 games in front of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow evening the Sox look to rebound with Nathan Eovaldi (9-5) taking on Ryan Yarbrough of the Rays. The game begins at 6:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Blue Jays Crush Red Sox (7/29/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a shocking trade and roster move. Rather than send down Connor Wong to Worcester following the doubleheader, they sent down Tanner Houck instead. Houck had looked good in all three appearances after being called up a few weeks ago so this move makes absolutely no sense. The big trade was the Sox traded Salem Red Sox pitcher Aldo Ramirez (ranked #19 in their Top 20 list) to the Washington Nationals for injured outfielder Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber was one of the heroes of the 2015 Chicago Cubs march to the World Series and helped the Cubs win it all a year later despite playing just 2 regular season games. The Sox were looking for their Steve Pearce of this season off the bench and when he's healthy, he's exactly what Boston needs with their offensive woes. It won't be for a few weeks but Schwarber could make a big impact on this year's team and it didn't cost them a top 10 prospect to get him.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                 IN

As for the game, what a massacre. If anyone doubted the legitimacy of the Toronto Bue Jays offense, this game showed they were for real. The Jays feasted on the incompetent Eduardo Rodriguez (7-6, 5.60 ERA) and a host of Red Sox relievers for 16 hits and 13 runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr is one of the favorites to win AL MVP and he led the charge with a three run home run. As for the the Sox bats, they were silenced by Hyun-Jin Ryu who may win 20 games this year barring injury. Ryu held the Sox to 2 hits and no runs before yielding to the bullpen. The Sox only run came on an rbi double by Bobby Dalbec in the seventh as the Jays crushed the Sox 13-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Barnaby hates bad pitching

Rodriguez got bushwhacked in the top of the first inning as George Springer struck out swinging to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr singled to right, Marcus Semien doubled to left and Bo Bichette walked to load the bases. Teoscar Hernandez effortlessly doubled to right to score Guerrero and Semien to put the Jays up for good 5 batters into the game. Randal Grichuk hit a ground ball to second and Kike Hernandez came home to get Bichette but Cavan Biggio singled to right to score Hernandez to increase the lead. Santiago Espinal struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 3-0.

                                                           Hernandez puts the Jays on top

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the first as Hernandez singled to left and Jarren Duran beat out an infield single to short....but wait! The Jays challenged Duran was out and sure enough, replays showed he was. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging but JD Martinez reached on a booted grounder by Bichette. Hunter Renfroe grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Jays rallied again in the top of the second as Reese McGuire doubled to left to start. Springer singled to left to score McGuire and suddenly Rodriguez got mad. Guerrero Jr, Semien and Bichette all went down hacking to end the inning with Toronto up 4-0.

                                                      Springer adds to the lead

The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo beat out a squibber in front of the plate to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to right but Bobby Dalbec was hit in the foot. Franchy Cordero struck out swinging and Hernandez popped up to second to end the inning.

An angry Rodriguez froze Hernandez for strike three to start the top of the third before Randal Grichuk flied out to center. Biggio struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Duran hit a rocket....right to Guerrero. Bogaerts hit a rocket....right to Espinal and Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

\

The Jays struck again in the top of the fourth as Espinal singled to left to start. McGuire waived at strike three but Springer walked. Guerrero Jr walked to load the bases and Semien walked to score Espinal. That was it for the incompetent Rodriguez who'd be charged with 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Phillips Valdez came in and Bichette scored Springer by forcing Semien at second. Hernandez was plunked to reload the bases but Renfroe made a jumping catch to rob Grichuk of a grand slam to end the inning with the Jays up 6-0.

                                                      "I sucked tonight!" - Rodriguez

The Sox did nothing against Ryu in the bottom of the fourth as Renfroe grounded out to third to start. Verdugo popped up to third and Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning.

Valdez took a beating in the top of the fifth as Biggio flied out to left to start. Espinal walked but McGuire lined out to left. Springer walked and Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to the Azores to ice the game. Semien grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays ahead 9-0.

                                                               Guerrero Jr blasts one out

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Dalbec grounded out to second to start. Cordero struck out swinging and Hernandez lined out to second to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in to take a pounding in the top of the sixth as Bichette doubled to left to start. Hernandez singled him to third and Grichuk singled Bichette home to add to the lead. Both runners moved over on the Biggio grounder to second and Hernandez scored on the Espinal base hit to left. McGuire hit a ground rule double to right to score Grichuk but Springer struck out swinging. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 12-0.

                                                              What a massacre

Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth and Connor Wong pinch hit for Bogaerts to give him the night off. Wong reached on dropped fly ball by Hernandez but Martinez struck out swinging. Renfroe grounded out to third to end the inning. Ryu had shut out the Sox for six innings, good grief.

Michael Chavis took over at second for Hernandez, to begin the top of the seventh and Semien doubled to left to begin. Bichette flied out to right but Hernandez singled to left to score Semien with another run. Hernandez moved to second on a grounder to second by Grichuk but Biggio grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 13-0.

                                                     Not Workman's best stuff

Breyvic Valera came in to play second with Tayler Saucedo in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Vazquez doubled to center and Dalbec broke up the shutout with an rbi double to center. Cordero grounded out to short and Chavis grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 13-1.

                                                    "We got one...yippie....." - Dalbec

Kevin Plawecki came in for Renfroe with Darwinzon Hernandez now on the mound for the top of the eighth inning. Espinal lined out to short to start but McGuire doubled to right. Springer struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr flied out to right to end the inning. Rafael Dolis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Wong drew a walk and Bichette booted a grounder by Martinez for an error. Plawecki beat out a double play ball but Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

To save his arms, Cora let Plawecki himself pitch the top of the ninth. Valera lined out to left, Bichette popped up to short and Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Plawecki pitched better than Rodriguez, go figure.

                                                  Boston's new bullpen ace?

Kirby Snead mopped up the bottom of the ninth as Vazquez singled in the hole at short to start. Dalbec took strike three but Cordero singled to right. Chavis took strike three but both runners moved over on a wild pitch by Snead. Duran took strike three to end the gane, the Jays had won it 13-1.

                                                                Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings and allowed 6 runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                   Rodriguez is the Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong walked once in two plate appearances.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kevin Plawecki pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Michael Chavis was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3.

Phillips Valdez allowed 3 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Brandon Workman allowed 4 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Franchy Cordero was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are reeling after getting smacked around by the high powered Blue Jays offense. Its sad to see Rodriguez regress this year after looking like an ace in 2019. The sad part was the Sox would be further ahead in the AL East race if Rodriguez pitched like he did then. The worst part about this game wasn't just the pitchers got shelled but the bats were silent all night. Ryu held them in check and the Sox scored one measly run against the Jays bullpen. Games like this happen where the boys have an off-night but the Sox can ill-afford to have them in the highly competitive AL East games this season. The Jays offense is for real and if they get an ace at tomorrow's deadline, they're going to be a deadly team. The Sox have work to do at the deadline and let's see if they add anyone else besides Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber should be a great addition when he heals his injury as he's struck 25 home runs already this season. As for this game, the less said of this disaster will be for the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 63-41, only 1.5 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Tampa to take the Rays head on with the AL East lead on the line. Martin Perez (7-6) goes for the Sox against Josh Fleming of the Rays tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Houck, Duran Top Jays in Game 2 (7/28/21)

When the Boston Red Sox brought up Jarren Duran and Tanner Houck on July 16th, fans and brass alike wanted them to contribute and today both did at the same time. In Game 2 of today's doubleheader Houck tossed 4 innings of 1 run ball to keep the Toronto Blue Jays off the scoreboard. Duran hit a little league home run to put the Sox ahead enough to coast the rest of the game. Duran and Houck are a much needed shot in the arm that needs all the help they can get if they hope to win the division this year. After Houck left the A-Team of Garrett Whitlock (4-1, 1.26 ERA) and Matt Barnes slammed the door as the Sox took Game 2 by a score of 4-1 in 7 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                        Gloria Estefan approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and dominated. George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging before Marcus Semien took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Matz in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez led off with a double to center. Rafael Devers lined a base hit to center to score Hernandez but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double.  Xander Bogaerts singled to right but JD Martinez flied out to center. Hunter Renfroe flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                       Devers is out but drives in a run

Houck cruised in the top of the second inning as Bo Bichette lined out to third to start. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to second and Lourdes Gurriel Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo singled to right to begin. Kevin Plawecki ripped a base hit to left and both runners moved over on the Bobby Dalbec grounder to first. Jarren Duran hit a sac fly to right to score Verdugo and Hernandez walked. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Duran with a sac fly

Randal Grichuk flied out to right to start the top of the third but Santiago Espinal walked. Espinal swiped second but Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Springer struck out swinging again to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. Martinez grounded out to second but Renfroe reached on a throwing error by Bichette. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the fourth as Guerrero Jr doubled to left to start. Semien flied out to right but Guerrero took third on a passed ball. Bichette easily sliced a base hit to left to score Guerrero to cut the lead. Hernandez struck out swinging but Bichette stole second base. Gurriel Jr lined out to first to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1. That was it for Houck after just 75 pitches, didn't even get credit for the win either.

                                                   Houck goes 4 innings

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Plawecki singled to right to start. Dalbec took strike three but Dalbec hit a shot into the centerfield triangle. Plawecki scored easily and Duran motored all the way around to try to score. Springer's bobble was just enough for Duran to beat the throw home for the little league home run. Hernandez singled to right and Devers doubled to left to chase Matz. Patrick Murphy came into pitch and Bogaerts was plunked. The rally ended as Martinez popped up to second and Renfroe struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                  Duran triples and scores on the "error"

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Grichuk singled off of him to start. Espinal banged into a double play and McGuire lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew yet another rally in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo walked to start. Plawecki singled to right but Dalbec struck out swinging. Kirby Snead came in to pitch to Duran and he grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Lock returned for the top of the sixth with Michael Chavis now playing for Devers. Springer popped up to second and Guerrero Jr grounded out to short, but Semien singled to left. Bichette singled in the hole at short but Hernandez grounded into a force to end the inning. Trent Thornton came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Hernandez popped up to second to start. Chavis tripled into the centerfield triangle but Bogaerts popped up to first. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the seventh and Gurriel Jr was plunked to start. Cavan Biggio pinch ran for Gurriel but Grichuk took strike three. Espinal banged into another double play to end the game. The Sox had won the game 4-1.

                                                          Sox win on a twin killing

Hero of the Night is Jarren Duran. He drove in a run with a sac fly then hit a little league home run to ice the game.

                                                           Duran The Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Michael Chavis tripled in his only at-bat.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 3 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Tanner Houck tossed 4 innings of 1 run ball and struck out seven batters.

Garrett Whitlock earned the win with 2 scoreless innings.

Matt Barnes earned his 23rd save with a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

None

Final Thoughts:

There's a lot going on around the league these days with the trade deadline days away and so far the biggest splash was made by the New York Yankees. The Yankees traded four prospects (three in their top 20) to the Texas Rangers for slugger Joey Gallo which could help their offensive woes. As for the Sox, they're going to bank their hopes on Duran and Houck to take the next step. Duran is giving 2007 Jacoby Ellsbury vibes and hopefully Cora can let Houck off the hook to throw some real gutty innings. As for Red Sox trade rumors, how's this one? Apparently the Sox are in talks with the Washington Nationals for 37 year old Max Scherzer. The Sox can't rely on Martin Perez and Garrett Richards to take them deep into October and Sox GM Chaim Bloom knows it. It would be unfair to expect Chris Sale to come off Tommy John surgery like it never happened so the Sox needed another pitcher with post-season experience. Also there's a rumor the Sox are interested in former Sox prospect and Chicago Cubs star Anthony Rizzo. The Sox need a Steve Pearce/Doug Mientkiewicz type of veteran bat and he fits the description perfectly. Whether or not the Sox can get Scherzer and Rizzo is up in the air but the Sox have a legitimate chance for October at this point. It would be sad to see some of the prospects Bloom carefully manuvered to acquire get traded, but it would be for a good cause if the Sox can blitz through the American League in August and September. The next few days are going to be interesting but the Sox need to keep on winning. Tomorrow night the Sox look to take 3 out of 4 from Toronto when Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5, 5.23 ERA) takes on Hyun-Jin Ryu of the Jays. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.