Sox Hang On To Beat Reds (9/20/22)

With the season just over two weeks away from ending, you look for the little victories since the playoffs are all but out of reach for the Boston Red Sox. One small victory was Brayan Bello (2-6, 4.75 ERA) had one of his best starts of the season tonight against the Cincinnati Reds. Bello tossed 5 solid innings allowing just 1 run. JD Martinez smacked an rbi triple off Nick Lodolo before TJ Friedl went yard for the Reds. Rob Refsnyder answered with a home run and Martinez went yard as well. A 2 run bomb by Rafael Devers off Hunter Strickland seemed to have ended it. Then in the bottom of the ninth, the Reds rallied for a bases loaded walk off Matt Straham. John Schreiber got the next two outs and the Sox had won the game 5-3 at Great American Ballpark.

                                                   Governor John Hancock approves of the win

Lodolo got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Barrero booted a grounder by Tommy Pham to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Xander Bogaerts walked. JD Martinez struck out swinging and Alex Verdugo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and TJ Friedl flied out to left to start. Jonathan India struck out swinging and Kyle Farmer went down hacking as well to end the inning.

Rob Refsnyder was hit with a pitch to start the top of the second inning and Kike Hernandez drew a walk. Yu Chang grounded into a double play and Connor Wong took strike three to end the inning. Jake Fraley singled to left to start the bottom of the second before Donovan Solano doubled to left. Aristides Aquino walked to load the bases with nobody out but Nick Senzel struck out swinging. Barrero struck out swinging and Romine grounded out to third to end the inning. Bello pulled the Houdini.

Pham struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Devers grounded out to second. Bogaerts walked and Martinez tripled to center, injuring Senzel in the process, to score Xander with the game's first run. Stuart Fairchild came in for Senzel and Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                     "Sorry Senzel" - Martinez

The Reds instantly tied it up in the bottom of the third as Friedl hit a home run all the way to Santo Domingo to tie the game. India walked but Farmer grounded into a double play. Fraley and Solano hit back to back singles but Aquino grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox took command in the top of the fourth as Refsnyder belted his fifth home run of the season to put Boston back up. Hernandez and Chang were both hit with pitches but Wong struck out swinging. Pham grounded into a double play to end the inning. Fairchild drilled a double down the third base line to start the bottom of the fourth before Barrero struck out swinging. Romine lined out to right and Friedl flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fifth as Devers struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts grounded out to first but Martinez clocked his 12th home run of the year to increase the lead. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                                 Martinez goes yard

India grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Farmer grounded out to third. Fraley singled to center and Solano did the same, but Aquino flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Bello who allowed 8 hits, 2 walks and a run in 5 strong innings.

                                                            Bello gets the job done

Dauri Moreta came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Refsnyder struck out swinging to start. Hernandez also went down hacking and Chang took strike three to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Fairchild grounded out to third to start. Barrero flied out to center and Romine took strike three to end the inning.

Wong took strike three to start the top of the seventh but Pham singled to center. Ian Gibaut came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael walked. Bogaerts walked to load the bases but Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Friedl flied out to right to begin. India grounded out to third and Farmer flied out to left to end the inning.

Verdugo singled to center to open the top of the eighth and Refsnyder walked. Hernandez popped up to first and Triston Casas pinch hit for Chang. Reiver Sanmartin came in to pitch and Casas moved the runners over with a grounder to the mound, but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Fraley flied out to left to start. Solano struck out swinging and Aquino popped up to second to end the inning.

Hunter Stickland came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Pham doubled to left to start. Devers then pounded his 27th home run of the year to ice the game.  Bogaerts popped up to first, Martinez struck out swinging and Verdugo also went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                         Devers ices it

Matt Strahm came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and proceeded to crap his pants. Fairchild singled to right but Barrero struck out swinging. Spencer Steer pinch hit for Romine and walked before Alejo Lopez pinch hit for Friedl. Lopez walked to load the bases and India walked to score Fairchild. That was it for Strahm as Sox manager Alex Cora turned to John Schreiber to escape the mess. Farmer hit a sac fly to center to score Steer and put the tying run at first, but Fraley grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is John Schreiber. He escaped a bases loaded 1 out jam in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save.

                                                              Hero Schreiber

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts walked 3 times in 5 plate appearances and scored a run.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis including a home run.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch and a home run.

Kike Hernandez walked and was hit with a pitch in four plate appearances.

Brayan Bello got the win with 5 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 8 hits and 2 walks

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Matt Strahm allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and hit a 2 run home run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

If only the Red Sox didn't play in the AL East they might have made the playoffs this season. As it is, they're on the outside looking in but it was good to see Bello look good out there. We might be seeing the last of Martinez & Bogaerts but getting outings like that from Bello means he could be the future ace of this team. The offense did just enough to win this one especially with Strahm's melt-down at the end. Sox manager Alex Cora doesn't want Barnes to close any more but Schreiber might have just earned the job the rest of the season. The Sox only have 15 games left and are pretty much eliminated, its just a question of when at this point. Every win delays the inevitable so let's see how many wins they can string together. The win improved the Sox to 72-75, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Reds tomorrow night when Connor Seabold (0-2) is expected to be called up from Worcester to make the start against Chase Anderson of Cincinnati. The game begins at 7:40 PM at Great American Ballpark.

Final Off-Day News (9/19/22)

Today is the last off-day for the Boston Red Sox with 16 games remaining to finish the season. The Sox made a shocking move by outright releasing catcher Kevin Plawecki. The addition of Reese McGuire essentially made him expendable but releasing him with 16 games left is a dick move. He can hook on with someone else to end the season but you couldn't have kept him around with 2 weeks left? He was always good for a walk a game the last 3 years, so long Kevin.

                                                                      Gone

On this day in Red Sox Basebawful History

2016 - Porcello, Sox drop Orioles

2017 - Sox blank O's in 11 innings

2018 - Yankees beat Price, Sox again

2019 - Rodriguez, Sox beat Giants

2020 - Yankees win 9th straight game against Sox

2021 - Sox sweep Orioles

The Sox begin their final stretch with a road trip tomorrow against the Cincinnati Reds. Brayan Bello (1-6) takes on Nick Lodolo of the Reds at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Great American Ballpark.

Sox Bash Royals (9/18/22)

Its amazing what happens when the Boston Red Sox don't play a team from the AL East. The Sox took a belt to the collective asses of the Kansas City Royals as they pounded out TWENTY hits and 13 runs against the hapless AL Central duds. Rafael Devers went 4 for 6 while driving in 3 runs and Tommy Pham drove in 3 runs of his own. Everyone in the starting lineup got at least one hit while on the other side of the ball, Nick Pivetta (10-11, 4.35 ERA) did just enough by allowing just 3 runs in 5 innings of work. The much maligned Boston bullpen pitched 4 shutout innings and the Sox ran away with this one 13-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Nelson Agholor approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and MJ Melendez walked to start. Melendez took second on a wild pitch but Bobby Witt Jr popped up to center. Salvador Perez flied out to center but Vinnie Pasquantino doubled to right to score Melendez. Edward Olivares grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                    RBI for Vinnie

The Sox answered in the bottom of the first against Kris Bubic as Tommy Pham got a base hit to left to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to right and Xander Bogaerts doubled to left to score Pham. JD Martinez and Rob Refsnyder both struck out swinging and Christian Arroyo lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Bogaerts ties it up

The Royals got another run in the top of the second as Michael Massey struck out swinging to start. Nate Eaton walked and Drew Walters doubled to right to score him. Kyle Isbel struck out swinging and Melendez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Royals up 2-1.

                                                          Royals take the lead

The Sox answered again in the bottom of the second as Kike Hernandez walked to start. Yu Chang singled to center and Reese McGuire dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. The gamble worked as Pham hit a sac fly to center to score Hernandez. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Pham drives in a run

Witt Jr grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Perez singled to center. Pasquantino got a base hit to right but Olivares flied out to center. Massey took strike three to end the inning. The Sox blew it open in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts singled in the hole at second to start. Martinez doubled to center and Refsnyder hit a sac fly to right to score Bogaerts. Arroyo hit a sac fly to center to score Martinez before Hernandez walked. Chang walked and McGuire singled to center to score Hernandez, chasing Bubic. Jose Cuas came in to pitch and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                         McGuire drives in a run

Eaton took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Waters singled to left. Isbel forced Waters and second and took second on a wild pitch. Melendez struck out swinging to end the inning. Devers doubled to left to begin the bottom of the fourth before Bogaerts grounded out to third. Martinez grounded back to the mound to move Devers to third but Refsnyder flied out to left to end the inning.

The Royals got another run in the top of the fifth as Witt Jr struck out swinging to start. Perez then hit a home run all the way to Brazil to cut the lead. Pasquantino grounded out to short but Olivares doubled to right. Massey struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals down 5-3. That was it for Pivetta who lasted just 5 innings and allowed 3 runs off 7 hits and 2 walks.

                                                           Not great but it'll do

Carlos Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Arroyo got a base hit to center to start. Hernandez popped up to first and Chang lined out to third, but McGuire got a base hit to left. Pham walked to load the bases and chase Hernandez. Anthony Misiewicz came in to face Devers and Rafael singled to right to score Arroyo and McGuire. Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                        Devers drives in another run

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Eaton walked to start. Waters flied out to left but Eaton stole second.  Isbel walked but both Melendez and Witt Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the sixth as Martinez doubled to center to start against Collin Snider. Refsnyder flied out to right to move Martinez to third and Arroyo grounded out to short. Hernandez singled to center to score Martinez while Chang doubled to center, scoring Enrique. McGuire doubled to right to score Chang and Pham got a base hit to center to score Reese. Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-3.

                                                                  Chang joins the fun

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Perez popped up to first to start. Pasquanatino walked but Olivares struck out swinging. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Luke Weaver came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Sebastian Rivero now behind the plate. Triston Casas pinch hit for Bogaerts and struck out swinging and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Martinez. Almonte took strike three but Refsnyder doubled to center. Arroyo lined out to second to end the inning.

Matt Straham came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Eaton took strike three to start. Waters struck out swinging and Isbel took strike three to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as Hernandez doubled to left to start. Chang walked but McGuire grounded into a double play. Pham hit a ground rule double into the bullpen to score Hernandez and Devers ripped a base hit to left to score Tommy. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 13-3.

                                                   A fine day indeed

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Rivero flied out to right to start. Witt Jr singled to center and Ryan O'Hearn pinch hit for Perez. O'Hearn flied out to center and Pasquanatino lined out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tommy Pham. He matched the Royals production all by himself by going 

                                                              Tommy Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 4 for 6 with 3 rbis.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and 4 runs scored.

Yu Chang was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Nick Pivetta got the win by tossing 5 innings of 3 run ball.  He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Kaleb Ort tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing like a good ass kicking to get back on track. The season is a wash but games like this give the hardcore fans something to cheer about. With only 16 games left in the season you look to next year to see what you have and McGuire & Pham are definitely worth taking a look at. Unless they think Jarren Duran can get his head out of his ass, Pham might be your leadoff man next year. Obviously the contract statuses of Bogaerts and Martinez are the big topics but you look at who's contributing now and if they can do it again. Pivetta wasn't great but the bullpen responded with four scoreless. Too bad they couldn't do that more often but can't expect miracles with a decimated rotation for half the season. Still, a win is a win and they all count. The win improved the Sox to 71-75, good for last place in the AL East with 16 games left to play. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action on the road in Cincinnati on Tuesday night against the Reds. Brayan Bello (1-6) takes on Nick Lodolo of the Reds at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Great American Ballpark.

Royals Blank Sox (9/17/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bizarre roster move. Kevin Plawecki was designated for assignment with just 18 games left in the season. He was a serviceable backup for 3 seasons and it looks like they're gonna go with a tandem of Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. Still, you won't let him finish the season? In his place the Sox called up relief pitcher Franklin German. The Sox got German from the Yankees along with Adam Ottavino before last season and hopefully he can be better than Jeurys Familia.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Red Sox looked totally lifeless against the worthless Kansas City Royals. With the season on the line, Rich Hill (7-7, 4.61 ERA) laid an egg by getting knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 4 runs. Meanwhile Brady Singer held the supposedly high power offense to no runs and 5 hits in 6 innings. Rookie Frankin German made his ML debut by getting shelled for 4 runs without getting an out. Tyler Danish gave up a run as well for good measure. The Sox were blanked by the Royals 9-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Hill got the ball in the top of the first inning and MJ Melendez grounded back to the mound to start. Bobby Witt Jr took strike three but Salvador Perez got a base hit to left. Vinnie Pasquantino flied out to center to end the inning. Singer got the ball in the bottom of the first as Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Rafael Devers flied out to left and JD Martinez was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Michael Taylor grounded out to third to begin the top of the second before Edward Olivares lined out to left. Michael Massey struck out swinging to end the inning. Witt Jr booted a grounder by Alex Verdugo for an error to start the bottom of the second but was immediately picked off. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to left but Triston Casas grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the third as Hunter Dozier grounded out to second to start. Nate Eaton singled in the hole at short and promptly stole second. Melendez got a base hit to right to score Eaton then took second on a grounder to short by Witt Jr. Perez ripped a base hit to center to score Melendez to ice the game. Pasquantino struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 2-0.

                                                                Perez drives in a run

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Kike Hernandez singled to left to start. Yu Chang walked and Connor Wong singled in the hole at short to load the bases with nobody out. Naturally Pham hit one up the elevator shaft, Devers took strike three and Martinez popped up to first to end the inning. Couldn't even get the ball out of the infield.

Taylor grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth but Olivares singled to center. Olivares took second on a balk but Massey flied out to right to move Olivares to third. Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals finished off Hill in the top of the fifth as Eaton flied out to left to start. Melendez got a base hit to right and stole second. Witt Jr singled in the hole at short to score Melendez but Perez flied out to left. Pasquantino dumped a base hit to right....booted for Verdugo for an error to score Witt Jr. That was it for Hill who got croaked for 4 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Ryan Brasier came in and struck Taylor out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 4-0.

                                                           Hill didn't have it today

Hernandez singled in the hole at short to start the bottom of the fifth but Chang lined out to short. Wong struck out swinging but Pham flied out to left to end the inning.

Franklin German pissed down his leg in his major league debut to start the top of the sixth. Olivares walked, Massey singled to right and Dozier walked to load the bases with nobody out. Eaton singled to center to score Olivares and chase German. Eduard Bazardo poured gas on the fire as Melendez grounded beat out a double play ball to score Massey and Witt Jr got a base hit to right to score Dozier. Perez hit one up the elevator shaft and Pasquantino singled to right to score Melendez. Taylor grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals up 8-0.

                                                 "Thanks a lot Bazardo" - German

Devers got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Martinez flied out to left. Verdugo struck out swinging and Arroyo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Olivares doubled to right to start the top of the seventh but Massey lined out to first. Dozier grounded out to short and Eaton flied out to center to end the inning. Brad Keller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Casas grounded out to short to start. Hernandez popped up to second and Chang struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyler Danish came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Melendez doubled to left to start. Witt Jr grounded out to short and Perez did the same. Pasquantino got a base hit to right to score Melendez to wrap up the scoring. Taylor popped up to center to end the inning with the Royals up 9-0.

                                                     Another rbi for Pasquantino

Carlos Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Pham grounded out to second and Devers lined out to center to end the inning.

Danish returned for the top of the ninth and Olivares popped up to second to start. Massey struck out swinging and Dozier grounded out to third to end the inning. Anthony Misiewicz came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Martinez flied out to right to start. Verdugo grounded out to second but Arroyo got a base hit to left. Casas flied out to left to end the game. The Royals shut out the Red Sox 9-0.

                                                "GADZOOKS this game sucked!" - Arroyo

Jackass of the Night is Rich Hill. He allowed 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings to put the Sox in a position to fail.

                                                                 Nice game Jackass

The Good:

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4.

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 3.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Ryan Brasier got the only batter he faced.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Triston Casas was 0 for 4.

Franklin German was charged with 4 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Eduard Bazardo allowed 4 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 2 innings.

Tyler Danish allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

With the season all but over it looks like the Sox have given up. Yes Xander Bogaerts didn't play but where was the power from Devers and Martinez? Where was the contact from Pham and Verdugo? It was a totally lifeless performance. Rich Hill didn't have it but the bullpen didn't either. Frank German got lit up and Eduard Bazardo didn't help by allowing all those runners to score. It was an all around failure from the whole team on both sides of the ball. If Chaim Bloom isn't fired after this disaster, what will it take? 2 last place finishes in 3 years is inexcusable, especially with the rumors the Sox aren't signing any of their free agents back. To think they came within two games of the world series to THIS is disgusting. The less said of this game and this season, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 70-75, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta (9-11) takes on Kris Bubic of Kansas City. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Rally Past Royals (9/16/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox outright released Jeurys Familia. With Worcester's season ending in two weeks, he didn't want to stick around to see it through to the end. Oh well, better luck next year.

                                                            So long Familia

As for the game, just as long as the Red Sox aren't facing the AL East, they're a good team. Tonight the Sox locked into a pitcher's duel with the Kansas City Royals. Jonathan Heasley held the Sox scoreless for 6 2/3 innings while Michael Wacha held the Royals to just 1 run in 7 strong innings. Things looked bleak until the bottom of the eighth when Alex Verdugo worked a two out bases loaded walk against Scott Barlow. JD Martinez followed with a base hit to score Abraham Almonte with the go-ahead run. Matt Strahm slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox had stolen a 2-1 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                  Hayden Panettiere approves of the win

Wacha got the ball in the top of the first inning and MJ Melendez popped up to right to start. Bobby Witt Jr grounded out to third and Salvador Perez grounded out to second to end the inning. Heasley got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to third to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center but was doubled off first on a bullet to short hit by Xander Bogaerts to end the inning.

Vinnie Pasquantino struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Michael Taylor popped up to first. Michael Massey struck out swinging to end the inning. Alex Verdugo grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and JD Martinez struck out swinging. Triston Casas also went down hacking to end the inning.

Hunter Dozier got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Nicky Lopez grounded back to the mound but Nate Eaton got a base hit to center. Eaton stole second but Melendez grounded out to short to end the inning. Christian Arroyo grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Kike Hernandez did the same. Kevin Plawecki grounded out to short to end the inning.

Witt Jr flied out to center to begin the top of the fourth before Perez grounded out to second. Pasquantino got a base hit to center and took second on a wild pitch, but Taylor grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Pham struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Devers grounded out to second. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Massey got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth but Dozier popped up to second. Lopez grounded out to short to move Massey to second but Eaton flied out to center to end the inning. Verdugo walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Martinez struck out swinging. Casas walked and Arroyo singled to left to load the bases, but Arroyo banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the sixth as Melendez tripled into the left field corner to start. Witt struck out swinging but Perez poked a base hit to right to score Melendez. Pasquantino grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                        Royals strike first

Plawecki flied out to center to begin the bottom of the sixth and Pham did the same. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wacha returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Taylor beat out a roller to third to start. Massey grounded out to second to move Taylor to second but Dozier struck out swinging. Lopez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Wacha was outstanding by holding the Royals to just 1 run in 7 innings off 7 hits.

                                                      Wacha deserved better

The Sox failed to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts popped up to left to start. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez walked to chase Heasley. Amir Garrett came in and promptly walked Casas. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Eaton took strike three to start. Melendez grounded out to short but Witt Jr singled to center. Perez grounded out to short to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the eighth with Dylan Coleman now on the mound. Hernandez walked and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Plawecki. Almonte walked but Pham popped up to second. Scott Barlow came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael walked to load the bases. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Verdugo walked to score Hernandez to tie the game. Martinez ripped a base hit to left to score Almonte to give the Sox the lead. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                        Clutch hit for JD

Matt Strahm came in to close out the top of the ninth with Connor Wong behind the plate. Pasquantino popped up to short and Taylor watched strike three go by, but Massey walked. Dozier flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had stolen the game 2-1.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His rbi single in the eighth put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 JD Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Alex Verdugo walked twice in four plate appearances and drove in the tying run.

Triston Casas walked twice in four plate appearances.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

Abraham Almonte walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Michael Wacha tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 4.

Garrett Whitlock earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Strahm earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the supposedly good Red Sox offense was held to almost nothing the entire game. Not only that, it cost Wacha a potential 17 win season since he didn't get the decision. In lost seasons like this you go for moral victories like that and the Sox couldn't even get THAT right. Trevor Story didn't play but still, needing a last second hit by Martinez to win against the Royals is pathetic. Still, a win is a win even if its not impressive. A shame that Wacha didn't get the win but kudos to Strahm and Whitlock for locking it down. With how bad the pitching was during the summer, better late than never to turn it around. The win improved the Sox to 70-74, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two wins in a row against the Royals tomorrow afternoon when Rich Hill (7-6) takes on Brady Singer of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News: Portland Sea Dogs Clinch Division (9/15/22)

Today is an off-day for the Boston Red Sox which means its time to take a look at the Portland Sea Dog's playoff push. A few days ago I said the Sea Dogs had a 6 game death match with the Somerset Patriots to decide who faces the Patriots next week in the playoffs. The Sea Dogs needed to win 2 of the 6 games to win the division and they happened to win both games. They beat the Patriots in a thrilling 10 inning 10-9 extra inning victory on Tuesday and clinched with a 12-7 slugfest win last night. They have four games remaining with the Patriots but they're just a formality. As of now the Sea Dogs are your second half Double A Northeast Division champs!

                                                    Dave Eid approves of the clinching

So how did it happen? In Tuesday's game the Sea Dogs wasted no time getting to Somerset starter Yoendrys Gomez in the first inning. David Hamilton doubled and Wilyer Abreu walked before they pulled off a double steal. Ceddanne Rafaela did the honors with a base hit to score Hamilton. After "Boss" Christian Koss and Stephen Scott struck out, Niko Kavadas ripped a base hit into the right to score both runners to put the Sea Dogs up big early. Tyler Dearden struck his seventh home run of the season in the top of the second but the Patriots got a run back in the bottom of the second against Portland starter Shane Drohan when Andres Chaparro hit his 17th home run. The Patriots took command in the bottom of the third when Elijah Dunham scored Harrison Bader and Chaparro hit a three run bomb to put Somerset ahead. After Hamilton stole his third base of the day (number 69), Rafaela drove him in with a hit to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Ryan Zeferjahn was brought in for the bottom of the fifth and Austin Wells hit his 11th home run of the season to put the Patriots back on top. The Sea Dogs tied it in the top of the seventh against Steven Jennings when Dearden drove in Alex Binelas who had doubled. In the top of the eighth, Stephen Scott belted his seventh home run of the season to put the Dogs six outs away from victory. Unfortunately with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Taylor Broadway gave up Brandon Lockridge's 14th home run of the season to tie the game. In the top of the 10th, Rafaela drove in Hamilton to take the lead but the Patriots answered in the bottom of the tenth. Oliver Dunn singled off Brendan Nail to score Jasson Dominguez. The Dogs rallied in the top of the 11th when Scott drilled a base hit to score Rafaela and Binelas drove in Stephen. Michael Gettys allowed a run in the bottom of the 11th on two straight groundouts but Lockridge flied out to center to end the game. The only drawbacks to this game was Shane Drohan got tagged for 5 runs in 4 innings and Koss went 0 for 5 with 3 strikeouts and an error. Can't really fault Nail and Gettys for the extra inning ghost runners scoring too much but Broadway allowing the home run to Lockridge in the ninth and Zeferjahn allowing a run in the fifth sucked. Kudos to Oddanier Mosqueda for pitching a clean sixth inning.

                                                 Drohan gives up a bomb to Chapparo

The Sea Dogs got some bad news following that game as Thad Ward was placed on the injured list. Ricardo Cubillan was called up to Worcester and Nick Northcutt was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds in the Tommy Pham trade last month. They couldn't have waited two more weeks? The Sea Dogs welcomed back Will Dalton from the Development List, Tyreque Reed from the Injured List and Jacob Webb from the Greenville Drive for last night's slugfest. In last night's game it was Somerset who scored first against Brian Van Belle when Austin Wells drove in Harrison Bader after errors by Hamilton and Izzy Wilson. The Sea Dogs struck in the top of the third against Somerset starter Randy Vasquez when Wilyer Abreu smashed a two run home run and Kavadas singled off Carlos Espinal to score Rafaela. Bader hit a home run in the bottom of the third but the Sea Dogs took command in the top of the fourth. Dearden hit another home run, Abreu singled home Wilson, a wild pitch scored Abreu and Koss hit his 17th home run of the season all in that inning. The Patriots answered in the bottom of the fourth when old buddy Jeisson Rosario hit a two run home run off Van Belle. Dearden drove in Binelas against Miguel Castro in the top of the fifth and Jacob Wallace came in to shut down the Patriots in the bottom of the frame. Jacob Webb pitched a scoreless sixth and the Dogs iced it in the top of the seventh when Rafaela belted a grand slam off Nick Ernst. Trey Sweeney hit a two run home run off Webb in the bottom of the seventh but Brett Kennedy pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Wells hit a home run off Kennedy in the bottom of the ninth but Sweeney grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sea Dogs are your second half Northeast Division champs. The bad news was Ban Belle got smacked around for 4 runs, Webb gave up the home run to Sweeney, Kennedy gave up the jack to Wells and Hudson Potts went 0 for 2 after coming in for Binelas. Other than that, everybody contributed on offense for a total of 22 runs in two games. The Sea Dogs have won 7 in a row and 11 out of 12 in September to clinch with four games still to go. 

                                                           Grand slam Rafaela
                   

The next four games should be jockeying for position and setting the rotation up. With Thad Ward gone its going to be up to Shane Drohan and Kyle Hart to carry the load against Somerset this Tuesday night in Portland. It would be unfair to expect the Sea Dogs to score 10 runs a game like they have been but unless Somerset's pitching improves in the next four days, its going to be hard to beat this offense. Hamilton has become the second coming of Tommy Harper right before our eyes while Abreu has fit in nicely after coming over from the Houston organization. Rafaela is turning into a stud before our eyes and Koss has been the defacto leader of the bunch. Kavadas has been a shooting star, going from Salem to Grenville to Portland in one year and shows no sign of slowing down. Scott could be somewhere else next season but he hit a big home run in Tuesday night's game. Binelas was hitting .133 but is up to .166, better late than never for him. Dearden and Wilson have been stepping up lately as well. As good as the hitting's been, the pitching has been disappointing. Giving up 16 runs in two games isn't good and if the offense doesn't produce, they're in trouble. Still, as mentioned earlier, unless the New York Yankees want to send down Gerrit Cole as a ringer this Tuesday, there should be no reason the offense lets up. As long as they don't suffer anymore injuries or callups to Worcester, they have as good a chance as any in the Double A playoffs. Its been a long 8 years for the Sea Dog fans but we're back!

                                                   Slugger will see everyone on Tuesday

Not that anyone gives a rats ass about the Red Sox at this point but they return to action tomorrow night at home against the Kansas City Royals. Michael Wacha (11-1, 2.69 ERA) goes for the Sox against Jonathan Heasley of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yanks Win Due To Costly Sox Errors (9/14/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made a bunch of roster moves. The Sox mercifully pulled the plug on the Jeurys Familia experiment, designating him for assignment. Also Jaylin Davis was sent back to Worcester as recent acquisition Yu Chang was activated to replace Davis. In more important matters, the complexion of the Portland Sea Dogs in their march to the playoffs changed. Nick Northcutt was claimed by the Cincinnati Reds as the PTBNL in the Tommy Pham trade. They couldn't have waited 2 weeks to do that? Also Thad Ward's comeback from Tommy John surgery hit a set back as he was placed on the Injured List by the Sea Dogs. To take the departed Hiro Sawamura's spot in Worcester, Ricardo Cubillian was called up from Portland. To replace those three, Will Dalton was activated from the Development List, Tyreque Reed was activated from the Injured List and last years 14th round pick Jacob Webb was called up from Greenville to take Ward's spot. Let's see how Portland does in the playoffs now.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, the New York Yankees pounded another nail in the 2022 Red Sox coffin by completing their two game sweep at Fenway due to a comedy of errors and a lack of offense. Rookie Brayan Bello (1-6, 5.10 ERA) was charged with 3 runs in 5 innings but none of the runs were earned due to a terrible fifth inning. Xander Bogaerts booted a routine grounder and Connor Wong threw a ball away to allow the Yankees to score three runs in the top of the fifth. Wong atoned for his error with an rbi double but Jose Trevino and Torres drove in two more runs to back Nestor Cortes. The Sox got a run off Clay Holmes in the bottom of the ninth but it wasn't enough as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                               This says its all

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Aaron Judge grounded out to third to start. Giancarlo Stanton took strike three but Gleyber Torres got a base hit to center. Josh Donaldson flied out to center to end the inning. Cortes got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Alex Verdugo lined out to center and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

Oswaldo Cabrera struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded back to the mound. Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to short to end the inning. Rafael Devers doubled to right to start the bottom of the second and JD Martinez walked. Rob Refsnyder flied out to right, Christian Arroyo struck out swinging and Kike Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning.

Jose Trevino flied out to right to start the top of the third and Aaron Hicks grounded out to third. Judge walked but Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning. Connor Wong struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the third and Pham grounded out to short. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning.

Torres singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Donaldson flied out to center. Cabrera reached first on a pop up in no man's land before both runners pulled off a double steal. Kiner struck out swinging and Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Bogaerts took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Devers struck out swinging, Martinez also swung at air for strike three to end the inning.

The Yankees took command in the top of the fifth as Trevino struck out swinging to start. Hicks hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who dove on top of the ball and flailed his arms for an error. Judge singled in the hole at short but Stanton took strike three. Torres got a base hit to center to score Hicks and Refsnyder threw home. Judge slid in safe and Wong inexplicably turned and threw the ball into the Monster seats for an error to score Torres for a little league inside the park home run. Donaldson got a a base hit to center but Cabrera grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

                                                       Yankees are all smiles

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the fifth as Refsnyder got a base hit to right to begin. Arroyo struck out swinging and Hernandez lined out to center, but Wong atoned for his error with a double to left to score Rob. Pham flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were still down 3-1.

                                                           That's more like it

That was it for Brayan Bello who lasted just 5 innings throwing 98 pitches. He was charged with 3 runs but none of them were earned. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Kiner walked to start. Kiner stole second but Gonzalez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate. Trevino doubled to center to score Kiner, icing the game. Judge took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-1.

                                                         Bello deserved better

Verdugo walked to start the bottom of the sixth to chase Cortes from the game. Clarke Schmidt came in to strike out Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez all swinging. Wonderful performance from the heart of the order.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Stanton struck out swinging to start. Torre struck out swinging and Donaldson lined out to right to end the inning. Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Refsnyder to start the bottom of the seventh and grounded out to first. Triston Casas pinch hit for Arroyo and grounded out to third. Hernandez also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Cabrera lined out to right to start. Kiner got a base hit to right and once again stole second. Gonzalez walked but Trevino struck out swinging. Hicks grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong and got a base hit to left. Pham also got a base hit to left but Verdugo forced McGuire at third. Bogaerts blooped a base hit to right to load the bases and Devers hit a routine grounder to first.....booted by Gonzalez for an error to score Pham. It looked like Martinez beat out a double play ball to score Verdugo but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged that he was out. Sure enough, the call was overturned and the inning was over with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                               Thanks Gonzalez

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Judge struck out swinging to start. Stanton doubled to center and Tim Locastro pinch ran for him. Torres doubled to center to score Locastro and moved to third on a fly ball to center by Donaldson. Cabrera struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-2.

                                                             Another rbi for Torres

Clay Holmes came in close out the bottom of the ninth and Almonte doubled to left to start. Casas grounded out to third to move Almonte to third and Abraham scored on the Hernandez grounder to second. McGuire struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won it 5-3.

                                                            Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is JD Martinez. His double play killed the rally in the eighth inning.

                                                         You're out you jackass!

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2.

Abraham Almonte was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Triston Casas was 0 for 2.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in an inning of work.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

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

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Connor Wong was 1 for 2 with an rbi but his error led to two crucial runs scoring.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed no earned runs in 5 innings of work. He allowed 6 hits and a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Pop the champagne corks, the Portland Sea Dogs are second half division champs! Their victory over the Somerset Patriots tonight locked up the division crown with 4 games left to play. After those four games against the Patriots are over, they play a best of three series against...the Patriots. Cedanne Rafaela hit a backbreaking grand slam for the champs. What does this have to do with the Red Sox? Absolutely nothing, but who cares about them at this point? The Sox are pretty much dead in the water after another series loss to an AL East team. Errors and lack of clutch hitting cost them but that's old hat at this point. No sense wasting time squawking about it. The loss dropped the Sox to 69-74, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox welcome in the Kansas City Royals for a three game set beginning Friday night. Michael Wacha (11-1) takes on Jonathan Heasley of Kansas City. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.