Rizzo, Yankees Drop Sox (9/24/22)

For the third game in a row, the New York Yankees found a way to beat the Boston Red Sox late in the game. This time it was Anthony Rizzo who did the honors. The Sox broke out to a 3-1 lead on Domingo German on home runs from Triston Casas and Reese McGuire, but the Yankees put 5 runs on the board against Nick Pivetta. Rbis from Casas and Alex Verdugo tied the game but a 2 run home run by Rizzo off John Schreiber was the dagger. The Sox had 2 men in in the top of the eighth and the bases loaded in the ninth, but Scott Effross got Bobby Dalbec to ground out to end it. The Yankees eliminated the Sox and won the game 7-5 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                            Yankees massacre the Sox

German got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Pivetta in the bottom of the first as Aaron Judge took strike three to start. Anthony Rizzo popped up to second but Gleyber Torres hit a home run into the Long Island Sound to put New York on top. Josh Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                             That didn't take long

The Sox answered in the top of the second as Alex Verdugo walked to start. Kike Hernandez grounded out to third to move Verdugo to second but Triston Casas belted his fourth home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Bobby Dalbec took strike three but Reese McGuire pounded his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Abraham Almonte took strike three to end the inning with Boston up 3-1.

                                                            McGuire jacks one out

The Yankees got another one in the bottom of the second as Giancarlo Stanton took strike three to start. Oswaldo Cabrera and Harrison Bader drew back to back walks and Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a base hit to left. Cabrera scored but Bader was thrown out at third. Kyle Higashioka popped up to third to end the inning with the Yankees down 3-2.

                                                              Yankees get a run back

Pham grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Devers flied out to left. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Judge flied out to center to start the bottom of the third but Rizzo walked. Torres struck out swinging and Rizzo was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Verdugo doubled to right to start the top of the fourth but Hernandez flied out to center. Casas grounded out to first to move Verdugo to third but Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees took command in the bottom of the fourth as Donaldson took strike three to start. Stanton got a base hit in the hole at short and Cabrera hit a home run all the way to Albany to put New York on top. Bader took strike three and Kiner grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-3.

                                                      Cabrera puts New York ahead

McGuire grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Almonte popped up to second. Pham flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees finished off Pivetta in the bottom of the fifth as Higashioka singled to center to start. Judge walked but Rizzo lined out to center to move Higashioka to third. Torres struck out swinging but Donaldson's swinging bunt up the third base line scored Higashioka. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-3. That was it for Pivetta who got rocked for 5 runs in 5 innings, not good.

                                                            Pivetta was horrible

Zack Britton came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Devers walked to start. Bogaerts singled to left but Verdugo struck out swinging. Hernandez walked to load the bases and Casas walked to score Devers. Lou Trivino came in to pitch to Dalbec and naturally Bobby watched strike three go by. McGuire grounded out to second as the Sox still trailed 5-4.

                                                               Sox get a run back

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Cabrera took strike three to start. Bader struck out swinging and Kiner grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the seventh as Almonte beat out a single to short to start. Pham struck out swinging and Lucas Luetge came in to face Devers. Rafael struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved Almonte to second. Bogaerts beat out a roller to third and Verdugo ripped a base hit to left to score Almonte. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                             Sox tie it up

John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Aaron Hicks pinch hit for Higashioka. Hicks walked but Judge struck out swinging. Rizzo then hit a home run all the way to California to ice the game. Torres beat out a roller to third and Donaldson walked, but Stanton struck out swinging. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 7-5.

                                                             Watch it go, Jackass

Jose Trevino came in for Hicks in the top of the eighth and Casas walked to start. Dalbec got a base hit to left to chase Luetge. Clarke Schmidt came in to face pinch hitter Rob Refsnyder and naturally Rob took strike three. Almonte lined out to center and Pham forced Casas at third to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate with Refsnyder taking Pham's spot and Eduard Bazardo on the mound to start the eighth. Bader grounded out to second to start and Kiner grounded to short. Trevino grounded out to short to end the inning.

Scott Effross came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers got a base hit to left to begin. Bogaerts got plunked but Verdugo struck out swinging. Hernandez grounded out to short to move the runners over and Casas walked to load the bases. Naturally Dalbec grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees had won it 7-5.

                                                          Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is John Schreiber. His 2 run homer allowed cost the Sox the game.

                                                          John Jackass

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 3 walks, a 2 run home run and 3 total rbis.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nick Pivetta allowed 5 runs in just 5 innings off 6 hits and 4 walks.

The Ugly:

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

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Abraham Almonte was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

This year can't end soon enough. The most frightening stat of all is if the Red Sox were just mediocre against the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, they'd be in a playoff spot. Instead they're dead last and eliminated from the playoffs. The only thing they did right is Aaron Judge didn't get his 61st homer, no Tracy Stallard just yet. This year has been so unfair to the point Schreiber has been so good all year but the one time he needed to shut the Yankees down, he couldn't do it. Then the bats load the bases in the ninth against a borderline AAA pitcher and couldn't get it done. Its been that kind of year and thankfully its over in 11 games. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-79, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a four game sweep tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when Brayan Bello takes on Nestor Cortes of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees Late Rally Sink Sox (9/23/22)

One thing is for sure when it comes time to turn the page to 2023, next year's Boston Red Sox team better be able to beat the AL East. It was very evident that they couldn't in 2022. It didn't matter the circumstances, other teams in the division all found ways to win against them. Tonight was no different as the Red Sox once again were dispatched late by the New York Yankees. The Sox did score first when Tommy Pham took Gerrit Cole deep in the top of the first but the Yankees scored four runs against Rich Hill to take a commanding lead. Suddenly Alex Verdugo hit a 3 run bomb off Cole to tie the game in the sixth. In the bottom of the eighth, Jose Trevino hit a two out rbi single off Matt Strahm to put the Yankees up for good. The Sox did manage to put two runners on in the ninth but Abraham Almonte and Reese McGuire failed to bring in a run and the Yankees had beaten the Red Sox 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                       "We lost to the Yankees again??"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Cole to start the top of the first inning as Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Tommy Pham belted his 17th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but JD Martinez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Pham goes yard

Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Aaron Judge struck out swinging to start. Giancarlo Stanton flied out to right and Gleyber Torres grounded out to third to end the inning.

Triston Casas struck out swinging to open the top of the second and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to first. Reese McGuire popped up to center to end the inning. Josh Donaldson flied out to right to begin the bottom of the second but Oswaldo Cabrera singled to right. Jose Trevino flied out to left and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yu Chang grounded out to short to start the top of the third but Hernandez singled to center. Devers struck out swinging and Hernandez was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the third as Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Aaron Hicks hit a home run all the way to Neptune to tie the game. Judge flied out to left and Stanton popped up to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Hicks goes yard

Pham lined out to left to start the top of the fourth and Verdugo took strike three. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. Torres walked to begin the bottom of the fourth but was immediately picked off. Donaldson singled to center and Refsnyder booted the ball for an error. Cabrera and Trevino both flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas walked to begin the top of the fifth but Refsnyder lined out to short. McGuire grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees took command in the bottom of the fifth as Kiner singled to center to start. Gonzalez walked and Hicks got a base hit to left to score Kiner. Judge struck out swinging and Stanton flied out to right to move Gonzalez to third. Torres got a base hit to left and Pham threw the ball away to allow Gonzalez & Hicks to score. Donaldson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-1. That was it for Hill who allowed 4 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                           Not good enough

Suddenly the Sox answered in the top of the sixth as Chang struck out swinging to start. Hernandez doubled to right and Devers walked, but Pham struck out swinging. Verdugo then launched his 10th home run of the season to tie the game. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                Verdugo ties it up

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Cabrera flied out to center to start. Trevino struck out swinging and Kiner popped up to short to end the inning.

Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Casas walked. Refsnyder and McGuire both struck out swinging before Chang grounded out to second to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez popped up to third to start. Hicks took strike three but Judge got a base hit to left. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Devers and Pham both grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Torres struck out looking to start. Donaldson grounded out to short but Harrison Bader pinch hit for Cabrera. Bader walked and Strahm threw the pickoff throw away to move Bader to third. Trevino ripped a base hit to center to score Bader to put the Yankees up for good. Kiner walked and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-4.

                                                           Yankees take the lead

Verdugo struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Martinez singled inside the third base bag. Bobby Dalbec ran for Martinez and Casas singled to right. Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Refsnyder with Connor Wong pinch running for Casas. Almonte took strike three and McGuire grounded out to first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 5-4.

                                                                   Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Matt Strahm. He allowed the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth partly due to his own error.

                                                             Thanks a lot, Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a 3 run home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with an error and a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

You Chang was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rich Hill allowed 4 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored.

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but the one hit was a home run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for Triston Casas in the ninth.

Bobby Dalbec pinch ran for JD Martinez in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Now that the Red Sox are just about mathematically eliminated, the Sox have to look to next year to right the ship. Chaim Bloom went cheap by going after Michael Wacha, James Paxton and Rich Hill and paid for it. When Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale went down, the season was over right then and there. They got absolutely murdered by the AL East in June and July and never really could beat the teams after August either. The Yankees just won back to back games in the late innings and it has to be in the minds of the players themselves. Just when they think they can win, everything goes wrong. Matt Strahm has been solid all year and now this happens. Alex Cora pinch hitting Abraham Almonte in the ninth was inexcusable but that's more to do with his limitations than anything. He deserves to be fired for blowing last year's ALCS but the starting rotation was decimated this year, I doubt they'll fire him for something out of his control. One thing is for sure, Bloom & the Red Sox need to spend actual money this off-season. The rumors are that Eovaldi, Bogaerts and Martinez are gonners and if that's true, why bother watching next year? Rolling out a broken down Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, etc doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The less said, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-78, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage this series tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta gets the ball for the Sox against Domingo German of New York. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees Walkoff Red Sox in 10 Innings (9/22/22)

Before the game the epitaph of the Boston Red Sox's season was completed as Trevor Story was placed on the Injured List with a bad foot. His season is over and so is Boston's playoff chances. Bobby Dalbec was called up from Worcester to replace Trevor.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, the miserable season against the AL East continued as the New York Yankees walked off the Sox in tonight's game. Jameson Taillon shut down the Sox for six innings as the Yankees built a 3-0 lead over Michael Wacha. Suddenly home runs by Reese McGuire and Triston Casas put the Sox on top. The Yankees tied the game with one out in the bottom of the eighth on a Harrison Bader sac fly and Josh Donaldson settled matters in the bottom of the tenth. Donaldson's rbi single made a loser of Kaleb Ort (1-2, 5.79 ERA) and the Yankees had beaten the Sox 5-4 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                                            "Josh Donaldson...."

Taillon got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham doubled to left to start. Rafael Devers flied out to center, Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging and Alex Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Aaron Judge walked to start. Anthony Rizzo was hit with a pitch but Gleyber Torres flied out to center to move Judge to third. Josh Donaldson grounded into a double play to end the inning.

JD Martinez struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Triston Casas took strike three. Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Giancarlo Stanton got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the second but Oswaldo Cabrera popped up to third. Harrison Bader flied out to center and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Yu Chang led off the top of the third with a double to left but Connor Wong struck out swinging. Pham  flied out to right but Devers walked. Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Kyle Higashioka struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Judge drew a walk. Rizzo grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Verdugo struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Martinez grounded out to third. Casas also grounded out to third to end the inning. Torres flied out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Donaldson singled to center. Stanton grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Hernandez grounded out to third to open the top of the fifth and Chang struck out swinging. Wong beat out a roller to short and Pham flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Cabrera walked to start. A passed ball moved Cabrera to second and he stayed there on the infield single to third by Bader. Kiner singled to center to load the bases and Higashioka hit a sac fly to center to score Cabrera. Judge struck out swinging but Rizzo walked to re-load the bases. Torres struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                           Yankees strike first

Devers grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Bogaerts grounded out to first. Verdugo blooped a base hit to right but Martinez took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees finished off Wacha in the bottom of the sixth as Donaldson singled to center to start. Stanton then blasted a home run all the way to Maine to increase the lead. Cabrera struck out swinging, Bader went down hacking and Kiner grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 3-0. That was it for Wacha who allowed 3 runs in 6 innings but got no run support at all.

                                                            Wacha deserved better

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the top of the seventh with Clarke Schmidt now on the mound. Triston Casas belted his third home run of the season to cut the lead and Hernandez got a base hit to right. Yu Chang walked and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. Somehow McGuire smashed his second home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Pham flied out to right, Devers grounded out to short and Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                        McGuire gives Boston the lead

John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Higashioka doubled to center to begin. Oswald Peraza ran for Higashioka and Judge drew a walk. Rizzo banged into a double play but Torres walked. Donaldson grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jose Trevino took over behind the plate with Aroldis Chapman now on the mound for the top of the eighth inning. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez walked. Sox manager Alex Cora made the idiotic decision to have Abraham Almonte run for Martinez and Casas drew a walk. Lou Trivino came in to pitch to Hernandez and Enrique walked to load the bases. Chang popped up to short and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning, what a waste. Ryan Brasier came in to blow the game in the bottom of the eighth as Stanton singled in the hole at short to start. Tim Locastro pinch ran for Stanton and it looked like he was thrown out at second trying to steal, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged he was safe. Sure enough, replays showed Locastro was safe. Cabrera grounded out to short to move Locastro to third and he scored on the sac fly to center by Bader to tie the game. Kiner grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                        Yankees tie it

Clay Holmes came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Pham got a base hit to right....but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Devers grounded out to third and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Trevino flied out to left to start. Judge flied out to center and Rizzo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bogaerts started the top of the tenth at second base and Verdugo struck out swinging. Almonte flied out to center and Casas grounded out to short to end the inning. Marwin Gonzalez ran for Stanton at second base to start the bottom of the tenth with Kaleb Ort now on the mound. Torres was intentionally walked and Donaldson got a base hit to left to score Gonzalez with the winning run. The Yankees had won it 5-4 in 10 innings.

                                                           Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with Kaleb Ort. Didn't even get an out in the 10th inning and took the loss.

                                                              Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Enrique Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Yu Chang was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with a 3 run home run.

Michael Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ryan Brasier allowed the tying run to score in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 but was thrown out at second representing the go-ahead run in the ninth.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drew a walk.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

Only 13 more games of this garbage remain. The Red Sox were totally embarrassed by the AL East this season and other teams just find ways to win. The Sox stunned the Yankees by going from down 3-0 to up 4-3 but couldn't get the job done. The Yankees playing small ball as much as relying on the long ball won them this game. Pham getting thrown out at second, Cora pinch hitting for JD Martinez, Kaleb Ort with men on base. Nothing worked for Boston at the end although they did deny Aaron Judge his 61st home run...for one day anyway. No Tracy Stallard this game for you! All in all it was another bad loss in a season full of them, and with Trevor Story out, this year can't end fast enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-77, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Yankees when Rich Hill (7-7) takes on Gerrit Cole of New York. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Anderson, Reds Shut Down Sox (9/21/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Jaxx Groshans was released from the Greenville Drive after hitting just .154 in 53 games. He was a fifth round pick back in 2019 and if he can't hit in High A, not much you can do with him. In the majors, the Red Sox placed Garrett Whitlock on the Injured List with a bad hip. To make today's start, the Sox are calling up Connor Seabold. So long Groshans and see you next year Whitlock.

                                                                  OUT

                                                                         IN

The 2022 Boston Red Sox season is just about over and hopefully next year they have better luck health wise. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock's season is over and Connor Seabold (0-3, 10.47 ERA) failed to win his first game as he was beaten by the Cincinnati Reds. Chase Anderson held the supposedly good Sox offense to just 3 measly hits and a run in 5 innings. All in all the Boston bats had just 6 hits in a total no-show against a Reds team playing out the string. The Reds got 4 runs off Seabold and another run off Franklin German to end the Sox win streak with a 5-1 victory at Great American Ballpark.

                                                               Sox season just about over

Anderson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham was plunked to start. Rafael Devers flied out to right, Xander Bogaerts flied out to left and Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. Seabold got the ball in the bottom of the first and TJ Friedl struck out swinging to start. Jonathan India struck out swinging but Kyle Farmer was hit with a pitch. Jake Fraley struck out swinging to end the inning.

JD Martinez grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Triston Casas did the same. Rob Refsnyder took strike three to end the inning. Donovan Solano popped up to first to start the bottom of the second before Aristides Aquino grounded out to third. Alejo Lopez popped up to short to end the inning.

Reese McGuire lined out to center to start the top of the third before Kike Hernandez lined out to left. Pham took strike three to end the inning. The Reds struck first in the bottom of the third as Stuart Fairchild got a base hit to right to start. Chuckie Robinson flied out to right and Friedl flied out to center, but a wild pitch moved Fairchild to second. India got a base hit to left and Fairchild scored when Pham threw the ball away. A wild pitch moved India to third but Farmer flied out to center to end the inning with the Reds up 1-0.

                                                             Nice throw Pham

The Sox responded in the top of the fourth as Devers beat out a roller to third to start. Bogaerts got a base hit to left to move Rafael to third, and Devers scored on the sac fly by Verdugo to center. Martinez struck out swinging and Bogaerts was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Devers is safe

Fraley got a base hit to center but was immediately thrown out in a rundown trying to stretch a double to begin the bottom of the fourth. Solano popped up to second and Aquino flied out to right to end the inning.

Casas flied out to right to start the top of the fifth but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. McGuire struck out swinging and Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Reds broke Seabold in the bottom of the fifth as Lopez grounded out to first to start. Fairchild beat out a roller to third but Robinson struck out swinging. A wild pitch moved Fairchild to second but Friedl walked anyway. India got a base hit to center to score Fairchild and move Friedl to third. India swiped second and Farmer blooped a base hit to right to score both runners to ice the game. A wild pitch moved Farmer to second but Fraley grounded out to short to end the inning with the Reds up 4-1. That was it for Seabold who got rocked for 4 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits and a walk.

                                                        Seabold doesn't last long

Fernando Cruz came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Pham struck out swinging to start. Devers struck out swinging but Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Solano flied out to right to start. Aquino and Lopez both flied out to center to end the inning.

Reiver Sanmartin came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo got a base hit to right to start. Martinez lined out to center and Casas grounded into a double play to end the inning. Tyler Danish came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Fairchild struck out swinging to start. Robinson got a base hit to right but Friedl flied out to center. India forced Robinson at second to end the inning.

Derek Law came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Matt Reynolds in for Lopez. Refsnyder grounded out to first, McGuire lined out to right and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Franklin German came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth as Farmer grounded out to first to start. Fraley struck out swinging but Solano hit a home run all the way to Nebraska to wrap up the scoring. Aquino popped up to second to end the inning with the Reds up 5-1.

                                                             Home run Solano

Pham struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Devers got a base hit to left. Bogaerts also got a base hit to left and Alexis Diaz was brought in to face Verdugo. Naturally Verdugo grounded into a double play to end the game. The Reds had won it 5-1.

                                                                  Reds win

Jackass of the Night is Connor Seabold. He got lit up for 4 runs in just 5 innings of work to take the loss.

                                                        Jackass Seabold

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Tyler Danish pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3.

Franklin German allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

Thankfully the season is just about over because this is flat out embarrassing. Its as if the Sox have totally checked out when they let guys like Chase Anderson and the Angels bullpen dominate them. Then again, starting guys like Connor Seabold doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Seabold was doing very well before falling apart in the fifth but that seems to be his M.O. This season went down the drain due to injuries but the offense falling flat down the stretch again and again with supposedly elite talent shouldn't be ignored. Devers, Martinez, Bogaerts and Verdugo should be killing the ball but instead they only get slap singles. Its fairly obvious that Martinez won't be coming back next year and Bogaerts might be gone as well. Its a shame how the season was supposed to be better than last year and fell completely apart. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-76, good for last place in the AL East with just 14 games left. The Sox look to get revenge on the New York Yankees tomorrow night when Michael Wacha (11-1, 2.61 ERA) takes on Jameson Taillon of New York. The game begins at 7:15 at Yankee Stadium.

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.