Just when you thought the 2022 season couldn't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, it has. After winning 8 out of 10 to somewhat climb out of their hole, the Sox have now dropped 4 of 6 to the last place Baltimore Orioles and Cincinnati Reds. After getting blanked by the Orioles last night, the Sox followed by getting shut out by Luis Castillo and the Reds through eight innings in this one. Michael Wacha (3-1, 2.43 ERA) allowed just 3 hits to the Reds but Rafael Devers made a bad throwing error to allow the go-ahead run to score. In the top of the ninth, Xander Bogaerts made a throwing error of his own to allow another run to score. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth to score a run and having the tying run at third....but Trevor Story struck out to end the game. The Sox are an official laughingstock after losing the Reds 2-1 at Fenway Park.
Wacha got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tyler Naquin lined out to first to start. Brandon Drury struck out swinging and Nick Senzel took strike three to end the inning. Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Kike Hernandez lined out to short to start. Rafael Devers lined a base hit to center but JD Martinez struck out swinging. Xander Bogaerts went down hacking to end the inning.
The Reds beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second as Joey Votto grounded back to the mound to open. Tyler Stephenson and Kyle Farmer both grounded out to short to end the inning. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Story also went down hacking. Franchy Cordero lined out to first to end the inning.
Mike Moustakas took strike three to start the top of the third and Albert Almora Jr grounded out to third. Matt Reynolds grounded out to short to end the inning. Kevin Plawecki lined out to second to start the bottom of the third before Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging. Hernandez went down hacking to end the inning as Castillo has struck out 6 of the nine batters he's retired so far.
Naquin grounded out to first to start the top of the fourth and Drury popped up to short. Senzel flied out to right to end the inning with Naquin legitimately injured on the play to first. Aristides Aquino came in for Naquin as the Sox ineptitude continued in the bottom of the fourth. Devers went down hacking to start but Martinez somehow drew a walk and moved to second on a Bogaerts grounder to short. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning.
The Reds broke up the perfect game in the top of the fifth as Votto doubled to center to start. Stephenson lined out to right but Votto moved to third on the grounder to first by Farmer. Moustakas lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox continued to do nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Story flied out to right to start. Cordero took strike three and Plawecki went down hacking to end the inning.
The Reds struck first in the top of the sixth as Almora Jr got a base hit to left to start. Reynolds ripped a base hit to right to move Almora to third but Albert was thrown out at home on a grounder to third by Aquino. Drury popped up to short and Senzel hit a routine grounder to Devers.....THROWN AWAY FOR AN ERROR! Reynolds scored to put the Reds up for good and Sox manager Alex Cora showed he learned nothing by yanking Wacha at the first sign of trouble despite throwing 72 pitches while holding the Reds to just 3 hits and a run in 5 2/3 innings. Austin Davis came in and promptly walked Votto to load the bases but Stephenson lined out to center to end the inning with the Reds up 1-0.
Somehow JBJ walked on four pitches not even close to start the bottom of the sixth and Hernandez followed with another four pitch walk nowhere close to the plate. Naturally Devers followed his error by banging into a double play to kill the rally. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning as boo's rained down at Fenway. Castillo blanked the Sox for 6 innings while striking out 10, pathetic.
Davis walked Farmer to start the top of the seventh but Moustakas banged into a double play to kill that threat. Almora blooped a single over the head of Story to chase Davis. Tyler Danish came in to face Reynolds and naturally Matt singled to center to move Almora to third. Reynolds swiped second but Aquino struck out swinging to end the inning. Alexis Diaz came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Bogaerts swung at strike three that bounced in front of home plate to start. Verdugo flied out to right and Story struck out swinging on a pitch 10 feet over his head to end the inning. The Sox have not scored a run since the eighth inning of Sunday's game.
Danish returned for the top of the eighth and Drury grounded out to short to start. Senzel struck out swinging but Votto was awarded a home run on a ball off the top of the centerfield wall. Eagle eyed Alex Cora challenged the call saying it was still and play and sure enough, Votto had to go to second with a double. Stephenson took strike three to end the inning. The boo's got louder in the bottom of the eighth as Cordero lined out to center to start. Hunter Strickland took over for Diaz and Plawecki grounded out to third. JBJ struck out swinging to end the inning.
Farmer flied out to left to start the top of the ninth and Jake Diekman was brought in to pitch to Moustakas and naturally Mike lined a base hit to center. Alejo Lopez ran for Moustakas and moved to second on a grounder to third by Almora. Reynolds hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts who flipped to first....DROPPED BY CORDERO! Lopez came around to score on the error and the boo's rained down. Aquino popped up to second to end the inning with the Reds up 2-0.
Tony Santillan came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and somehow Hernandez got a base hit up the middle to start. Devers atoned for his error with a double off the Monster to put the tying run at second....but Martinez took strike three right down the middle. Bogaerts popped up to center but somehow Verdugo hit a ball off the glove of Votto to score Hernandez. With the game on the line....Story struck out swinging to end the game. The Reds had won it 2-1.
Jackass of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including a throwing error and popping up with the tying runs on in the ninth.
The Good:
Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Michael Wacha allowed an unearned run in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 3.
Austin Davis pitched a full scoreless inning.
Tyler Danish tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Bad:
Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.
Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 but his error allowed a run to score.
JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.
Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.
Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but drew a walk.
Jake Diekman allowed an unearned run in the ninth inning.
Final Thoughts:
THIS is officially rock bottom and the end of the Boston Red Sox. The Sox have just played six games against the worst teams in baseball and lost four of them. Getting held to just one run combined in back to back games by pitching challenged teams has made the Red Sox the laughing stock of MLB. The Seattle Mariners scored 10 runs against the Baltimore Orioles tonight to make it even worse. Even the rally in the ninth was more Red Sox ineptitude as the Sox had Martinez, Bogaerts, Verdugo and Story come up and only a mistake by Votto allowed a run to score. If fans are upset there's only one thing to do, stop putting interest in this team. Send Chaim Bloom, John Henry and Alex Cora a message that you're tired of their buffoonery by not watching games, going to games or spending money on merchandise or concession stands. Let Henry look at a near empty Fenway Park with out of town tourists and fans of other teams crooning "Sweet Caroline" in the eighth inning and maybe he'll start to do damage control. If you want to laugh even harder, the Sox bats struck out FIFTEEN times against the worst pitching staff in baseball, doesn't get much worse than that. Chaim Bloom shouldn't wait until the trade deadline, just trade Bogaerts, Vazquez, Devers and Martinez for more damn prospects so we don't waste two months thinking the Sox have a chance to come back. The contract situations are clearly hanging over everyone's heads and the fact Bloom let this become public is as much as an embarrassment as losing to the damn Reds. The Sox enter the month of June a complete laughingstock and it doesn't look like things will get better. The loss dropped the Sox to 23-27, good for fourth place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow against the Reds when Garrett Whitlock (1-1, 3.49 ERA) takes on Hunter Greene of Cincinnati. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.
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