Off-Day News: Draft Day 3 Coverage (7/19/22)

Today concluded the 2022 MLB Draft and the Boston Red Sox kicked things off with their 11th round pick. Right handed pitcher Marques Johnson of Long Beach State was chosen after tossing 44 innings and posting a 3.25 ERA out of the bullpen. Last year's 11th round pick Niko Kavadas is second in the organization in home runs and may see Portland this year. It would be unfair to expect Johnson to be in Portland next year but you never know.

                                                      Long Beach in the HOUSEEEEEEE

In the 12th round the Sox took injured right handed pitcher Hayden Mullins from Auburn University. Mullins was 2-1 with a 3.63 ERA in 34 innings before suffering a season ending elbow injury. He's got a low 90's fastball but a great curveball. Just like when the Sox drafted Hunter Dobbins knowing they'd have to wait for him, they're going to take the same approach with Mullins. Hope this turns out to be a sneaky good pick.

                                                               Get well soon Mullins

Once again the Sox yet another shortstop when they made their 13th round selection Gavin Kilen out of Milton High School in Milton, Wisconsin. Why they chose yet another shortstop is anyone's guess, not to mention he's already committed to Louisville, University. He can either turn pro for $125,000 now or go to Louisville and up his stock, the choice is his.

                                                             Boston or Louisville?

Not learning anything, the Sox used their 14th round pick on ANOTHER shortstop. This time they took Copperas Cove Texas infielder Travis Sanders. He's 6'1 and has pretty good speed. Only drawback is he's committed to Texas Tech. Once again, will he turn pro for 125K or improve his draft stock by going to Texas Tech. With so many damn shortstops drafted this year, he may as well go to school.

                                                         And the crowd goes wild!

The Sox got another pitcher when they took left handed Nathan Landry from the Missouri Tigers in the 15th round. The Quebec native made 4 starts and 11 relief appearances as a Junior for the Tigers, posting a 3.67 ERA. He struck out 54 batters in 41 innings but the good news is he only walked 7. If he can keep the contact down, he could be a good reliever down the road.

                                                              A lefty with control

The Sox 16th round pick was another pitcher, right handed pitcher Garrett Ramsey of Southern Miss University. He posted a 2.61 ERA out of the bullpen while going 5-1 with 4 saves this year. The Greenville Drive and Salem Red Sox are dominated by the end of the Dave Dombrowski era draft picks not counting last year's picks. Its very apparent Bloom is restocking the lower minors with pitching to see if any of them at least can be an improvement over the current Greenville Drive that's 20 games under .500.

                                                              Another reliever drafted

The Sox finally did something different in the 17th round when they chose high school outfielder Deundre Jones from Lutheran South Academy out of Texas. He isn't projected to be a top 10 star so this pick is a big crapshot. Not to mention he's also committed to Kansas State University. This may be the last time you hear of him so take a good look.

                                                     Tall task to make the majors for Jones

The Sox went to Junior College to take their 18th round pick. Right handed pitcher Austin Ehrlicher is a 6'5 former basketball player that's spent the year at Santa Rosa Junior College in California. Apparently he wanted a career change and tried his hand at pitching. Last year the JuCo pitcher the Sox drafted was Luis Guerrero who's currently 2-3 with a 3.78 ERA at Salem. Let's see how Ehrlicher turns out.

                                       From the basketball court to the baseball mound

In the 19th round, the Sox took right handed pitcher Jaret Goodman of Oklahoma University. Just like their 19th round pick last year (Tyler Uberstine), Goodman can maintain status of a bum as he allowed 17 runs in 19 innings to post a hideous 6.98 ERA. Uberstine is currently 5-4 with a mediocre 4.37 ERA in Salem so the bar won't be set too high for Goodman. If he doesn't develop, oh well.

                                   UrinatingTree "He's going to be nothing, he's a BUM!"

Rounding out this crew, the Sox took a left handed pitcher named Connor Butler out of little known Biola University in the 20th round. He was 1-2 with 2 saves and a 4.50 ERA for Biola which isn't good. If he allows 5 runs in one inning to Fresno Pacific University, what's he going to do when he faces minor league hitters that are of much better quality? Biola actually stands for Bible Institute of Los Angeles so if Butler doesn't work out as a pitcher, he can go be an ordained minister.

                                                       Father Connor Butler

As an extra bonus, the Sox signed an undrafted free agent. UConn catcher Matt Donlan. Donlan actually started out at Stonehill before transferring to UConn. He hit .260 with 12 home runs for the Huskies and since the Sox are desperate for catching prospects, may as well give him a shot.

                                             Let's see if Donlan can fight his way to Boston

Rounding out the group, the Sox took another undrafted free agent when they signed 18 year old infielder Bryant Zayas out of Miami Christian High School. He was one of the top 500 players in high school baseball so let's see how he does.

                                                          Another longshot, Bryant Zayas

Late round picks usually don't turn into superstars so it would be unfair to expect any of these guys to be a major league regular. Although Niko Kavadas has been one of the better hitters for Single A this season, that's the exception rather than the norm. Still, the endgame for Bloom drafting so many pitchers is to replenish the system that's relying on Dominican League graduates and the dregs of the Dombrowski draft. If nothing else, these guys will fill out the lower level rosters to end this season. This may be the last time you ever hear of these guys so take a good look.

Off-Day News: 2022 MLB Draft Coverage (7/18/22)

Last night was the first and second rounds of the 2022 draft and Matt Holiday's son Jackson went first overall to the Baltimore before Druw Jones went second to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Texas Rangers picked Kumar Rocker giving them BOTH 2021 Vanderbilt pitchers along with Jack Leiter. The Boston Sox chose yet another shortstop in Mikey Romero from Orange Lutheran High School 24th overall. After drafting Nick Yorke in 2020 and Marcello Mayer last year, its become quite clear that Sox GM Chaim Bloom is going to send Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers packing in a few weeks. Since the Sox desperately need pitching, they could be trading Bogaerts and Devers for elite pitching prospects or major league ready starters. Romero is nowhere near the "can't miss" status of Marcelo Mayer so its going to be a few years before we hear from him again. It should be noted the New York Yankees drafted 6 foot 7 lefty hitting outfielder Spencer Jones from Vanderbilt, guess who they have in mind to replace Aaron Judge and take advantage of the short porch in right field? Adding insult to injury, the Chicago White Sox took 6'9 giant lefty pitcher Noah Schultz, keep that name in mind down the road if Romero doesn't develop.

                                                      See you in a few years Romero

If drafting Romero wasn't bad enough, the Sox got the 41st pick in the draft as compensation for not signing Jud Fabien last year (who went to the Baltimore Orioles in the second round). Guess what they took....ANOTHER SHORTSTOP! This time they took high school shortstop Cutter Coffey from Liberty High School in California. Pessimistic Sox fans are comparing Chaim Bloom to the Detroit Lions who kept drafting receivers year after year with all these shortstops. No disrespect to Coffey or Romero but that's not what the Sox need. Besides, he's committed to Texas University so he may go there instead.

                                                               Another shortstop??

The last pick of the first day was 79th overall pick Roman Anthony, an outfielder from Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. The Sox got this pick from the Detroit Tigers signing Eduardo Rodriguez. If Anthony develops that would be a hell of a coup to let a declining Rodriguez go for a potential stud....if he develops.....or signs. He's committed to Ole Miss so who knows where he ends up.

                                              Rodriguez for Anthony....this better work

The Sox kicked off today's portion of the draft with their third round pick. Bloom shocked the whole world as he finally took a LEFTY PITCHER! Their choice was Southern Miss sophomore reliever Dalton Rogers. Dalton posted a 1.95 ERA in 37 innings last year for the Golden Eagles and are hoping this translates to the minors. The Salem Red Sox are using last year's 9th round pick Christopher Troye as their closer and are going to need another one if Troye gets promoted or falters. That could be Rogers at the end of this year or next.

                                              Finally a lefty pitcher was drafted

In the fourth round guess what the Sox drafted? Yet another shortstop. This time they took San Diego University sophomore Chase Meidroth. Chase hit a solid .329 with 10 home runs for the Toreros in his redshirt sophomore season. Sad part is he's probably more reliable than Romero or Coffey at this point. Chaim Bloom REALLY isn't going to be bringing Bogaerts back.

                                                            3 shortstops in one draft

The Sox once again did the right thing in the fifth round by taking another pitcher. This time they chose Old Dominion lefty Junior reliever Noah Dean. Dean pitched in 19 games out of the bullpen for the Monarchs going 3-2 with a mediocre 4.15 ERA. His fastball tops out at 97 so Sox brass are hoping they can add some movement to the fastball so he doesn't get clobbered.

                                                    Can hit 97, but can he get guys out?

The Sox used their sixth round pick on UNC Greensboro right handed pitcher Alex Hoppe. Hoppe went 8-2 with 3 saves and a 2.97 ERA his senior year although he tailed off at the very end. Bloom may be thinking about his minor league clubs with these picks considering every level has no distinct closer. Drafting Dean and Hoppe to immediately help the lower level bullpens could be the gameplan here on top of hoping they develop into major leaguers.

                                                         From UNC to the Red Sox

Keeping with the theme, the Sox took another pitcher with their seventh round pick. This time they took TCU right handed pitcher Caleb Bolden. This one was a crapshoot because he transferred after 4 years with the Arkansas Razorbacks to play a year with TCU where he posted a lousy 6.23 ERA. Last year the Sox picked Wyatt Olds in the seventh round after he had a bad senior year and Olds is currently 1-6 with a 6.39 ERA for Grenville. Hopefully the Sox have better luck with Bolden.

                                                  6.23 ERA in college isn't a good sign

Moving right along the Sox eighth round pick was another right handed pitcher. Miami Redhawks senior Jonathan Brand was arguably Miami's best starter going 8-2 with a 1.40 ERA. Apart from two games, he didn't allow more than 3 runs in any other game he pitched. Getting a guy like that in the eighth round could be a steal if he develops.

                                                                 Pretty good year for Brand

Boston's ninth round pick was another crapshot but not for the normal reason. No, they drafted highly touted North Carolina high school catcher Brooks Brannon who's ranked 155th in the entire country. The problem is he's committed to UNC. It would take a lot of money to get him to spur UNC for the pro's already. The Sox missed out on four guys last year who chose college over them so this could be another one.

                                                      Brannon could be headed to UNC

To close out the first day of the draft, the Sox chose two way player/pitcher Isaac Coffey of Oral Roberts University. As a batter he had 12 hits in 31 at-bats and as a starter he averaged 6 innings a game for the Golden Eagles. If the Sox are looking for a dollar store Shohei Ohtani, they may have found him for $149,000.

                                                                 Two way threat

This year has a much different vibe than last. The Sox were rolling in July of 2021 and were handed the fourth pick in the draft. This year they're spiraling down the tubes and their first round pick isn't a can't miss like Marcello Mayer is. That's not to say Romero or the other guys featured here won't develop but the Sox are going to need them sooner rather than later. There's still Day 3 tomorrow to pick at least ten more guys so we're not done yet. Some of these guys may start with Salem or the Complex League so get your tickets now.

Yankees Blast Sox (7/16/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a predictable roster move. Trevor Story was placed on the Injured List with a bad wrist and Connor Wong was recalled from Worcester to take his place. Story never recovered after being hit with a pitch and this was the right move to make to keep him from aggravating it.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                               IN

As for the game, the Sox cannot compete with the AL East. The New York Yankees knocked the Red Sox around again just like every other AL East team this season. Nick Pivetta (8-7, 54.50 ERA) got rocked for 7 runs and didn't make it out of the 5th inning. The Yankees then got another seven runs off the Sox bullpen, scoring 14 runs off of 12 hits. Meanwhile Jameson Taillon shut down the impotent Sox offense by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball. The ultimate kick in the ass was when old friend and punching bag Ryan Weber tossed 3 scoreless innings to earn the save. It all added up to a 14-1 victory by the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

                                                 "They can't beat the AL East"

Taillon got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran led off flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers continued to torture the Yankees with his 22nd home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to left but JD Martinez flied out to center. Alex Verdugo forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0. 

                                                         Devers with another home run

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jackie Bradley Jr made a great catch to rob DJ LeMahieu of a double to begin. Aaron Judge effortlessly singled to left and Anthony Rizzo laughed as he pounded a double to center for 3 consecutive absolute rockets off Pivetta. Giancarlo Stanton walked on 5 pitches not even close to load the bases. Josh Donaldson grounded out to third to score Judge and Matt Carpenter effortlessly pounded a 3 run home run to Neptune to put the Yankees up for good. Aaron Hicks grounded out to second to end the inning with the game over already 4-1 Yankees.

                                                              Carpenter ends it early

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Christian Vazquez struck out swinging to start. Franchy Cordero struck out swinging and Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed as well to end the inning. The Yankees threatened in the bottom of the second as Isiah Kiner popped up to second to start. Jose Trevino flied out to the right field wall but LeMahieu closed his eyes and still got a base hit to right. Judge walked on pitches not even close but somehow Rizzo struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Jeter Downs flied out to left to start. Duran lined out to center and Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Stanton flied out to the centerfield wall to start the bottom of the third before Donaldson somehow struck out swinging. Carpenter struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bogaerts lined out to left to start the top of the fourth before Martinez grounded out to short. Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Hicks walked to open the bottom of the fourth and Kiner flied out to the centerfield wall. Trevino popped up to second and LeMahieu lined out to the centerfield wall to end the inning.

Vazquez popped up to third to start the top of the fifth and Cordero struck out swinging. JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees knocked out Pivetta in the bottom of the fifth as Judge hit a home run all the way to Queens to start. Rizzo effortlessly singled to center and Stanton laughed as he doubled to right. Somehow Donaldson took strike three and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough. That was it for Pivetta who would be charged with 7 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Darwinzon Hernandez came in and Carpenter easily smashed a home run all the way to Finland to ice the game. Hicks struck out swinging but Kiner was plunked. Trevino flied out to the right field wall to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-1.

                                                  Carpenter outscores the Sox by himself

Downs struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Duran grounded out to short. Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and LeMahieu walked on pitches not even close before Judge closed his eyes and smashed a home run all the way to Neptune. Rizzo walked on pitches not even close but Stanton struck out swinging. Donaldson struck out swinging and Carpenter grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 10-1.

                                                        Judge hits another one out

Old friend Ryan Weber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bogaerts grounded out to short to start. Martinez flied out to center and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Connor Wong came in for Verdugo, Kevin Plawecki came in for Bogaerts and Bobby Dalbec came in for Devers to start the bottom of the seventh with Hiro Sawamura now on the mound. Hicks walked to start then moved to second on the Kiner grounder to third. Trevino grounded out to third and Marwin Gonzalez pinch hit for LeMahieu. Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning.

Tim Locastro replaced Judge for the top of the eighth and Vazquez grounded out to short to start. Cordero took strike three and JBJ walked. Downs lined out to center to end the inning. Rob Refsnyder replaced Vazquez with Austin Davis now on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Locastro struck out swinging but Rizzo was plunked. Stanton walked and Davidson effortlessly singled in the hole at short to load the bases. Carpenter walked to score Rizzo and Hicks hit a routine grounder to Dalbec.....who threw the ball completely out of Yankee Stadium for an error to score Stanton. Kiner singled to center to score Donaldson and Carpenter to wrap up the scoring. Trevino got a bae hit to right to load the bases and chase Davis. Jake Diekman came in and Gonzalez struck out swinging before Locastro grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 14-1.

                                                             Sox can't hit or field

Weber put the Sox out of their misery in the top of the ninth as Duran grounded out to second to start. Dalbec grounded out to short but Plawecki doubled to center. Martinez grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had won it 14-1.

                                                          Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Nick Pivetta. He got lit up for 7 runs in 4 1/3 innings to take the loss.

                                                            Jackass Pivetta

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 1.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 1 and committed an error.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout. 

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jeter Downs was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but drew a walk.

Honorable Mention:

Rob Refsnyder played left field in the bottom of the eighth.

Connor Wong played second base in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said? The Red Sox simply roll over and die when they face a team from the AL East. They have yet to win a single series and we're in the middle of July. Pivetta got rocked and Taillon looked unbeatable. The main problem is everyone they kept over Hunter Renfroe and Kyle Schwarber has failed miserably. The rotation being decimated by injury didn't help but the lack of offense is appalling. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 48-44, 15.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Yankees in the final game before the All-Star break when Chris Sale takes on Gerrit Cole of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Outlast Yankees in 11 Innings (7/15/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some big roster moves. Josh Winckowski tested positive for Covid and was placed on the Covid List. Matt Strahm was placed on the Injured List after getting hit on the hand and Phillips Valdez was sent down to Worcester. Garrett Whitlock and Nathan Eovaldi were activated for tonight's game and Darwinzon Hernandez was called up from Worcester to take their places. Winckowski was the Sox best rookie pitcher while the regulars were out, damn.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, holy bleep the won? The Boston Red Sox actually won a game against an AL East team? No that's not a typo, the Red Sox actually beat the New York Yankees tonight in eleven innings. The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead early on Jordan Montgomery but Nathan Eovaldi got rocked for 3 runs in the bottom of the third. The Sox took a 4-3 lead into the ninth but Tanner Houck threw a ball away for the game tying error. The Sox took advantage of a wild pitch to score a run in the top of the 11th and somehow Ryan Brasier slammed the door in the bottom of the 11th. The Sox had won the game 5-4 in 11 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                                              Happy fans

The Sox shockingly pounced on Montgomery immediately in the top of the first. Rob Refsnyder drew a walk and Rafael Devers pounded his 21st home run of the season to put the Sox on top. JD Martinez smacked a ground rule double down the left field line and Xander Bogaerts for a base hit to left to put runners at the corners. Naturally the rally ended as Alex Verdugo popped up to left, Christian Vazquez also popped up to left and Bobby Dalbec did what he usually does and strike out swinging with two men on to end the inning. The Sox had a golden chance to break it open early but led just 2-0.

                                                      Devers hits one out

The returning Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and DJ LeMahieu effortlessly singled to left to start. Somehow Rob Refsnyder climbed the right field wall to rob Aaron Judge of a triple and Anthony Rizzo banged into a double play to end the inning. 

Jackie Bradley Jr led off the top of the second by grounding back to the mound and Jeter Downs grounded out to third. Refsnyder took strike three right down the middle to end the inning. The Yankees threatened in the bottom of the second although Giancarlo Stanton grounded out to short to start. Gleyber Torres walked and Matt Carpenter moved him to third with a base hit to right, but Isiah Kiner lined out to third. Kyle Higashioka grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox continued to do nothing in the top of the third as Devers hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Martinez flied out to left and Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Joey Gallo took strike three to start the bottom of the third but LeMahieu effortlessly got a base hit to right. JBJ had to climb the wall to rob Judge of another triple but Rizzo walked. Stanton did the honors by hitting a home run all the way to the moon to put the Yankees up. Torres struck out swinging to end the inning but the Yankees led 3-2.

                                                         Stanton hits one out

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth inning although Verdugo grounded out to first to start. Somehow Vazquez pulverized his sixth home run of the season to tie the game and Dalbec got a base hit to left. JBJ banged into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 3-3. 

                                                                 Tie game

Carpenter struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth but Kiner doubled to right. Higashioka grounded out to short and Gallo grounded out to first to end the inning.

Downs struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Refsnyder got a base hit to left. Devers moved Rob to second with a grounder to first but Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the fifth as LeMahieu got his third hit of the night with a single to right. Judge struck out swinging and that was it for Eovaldi. The plan all along was 80 pitches and he left after allowing 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Last night's goat John Schreiber came in to pitch to Rizzo and got Anthony to hit into a double play to end the inning. 

                                                             Welcome back Eovaldi

The Sox failed to do anything in the top of the sixth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Verdugo grounded out to second and Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox had just three hits off Montgomery after the first inning rally. Stanton grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the sixth and Torres grounded out to first. Carpenter hit a ground rule double to right but Kiner struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec struck.......A HOME RUN TO LEFT TO PUT THE SOX ON TOP! JBJ popped up to short, Downs struck out swinging and Refsnyder went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                           Dalbec puts Boston ahead

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock made his return in the bottom of the seventh and Aaron Hicks pinch hit for Higashioka. Hicks popped up to second, Gallo struck out swinging and LeMahieu grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Jose Trevino came in for Gallo but behind the plate to start the top of the eighth with Wandy Peralta now on the mound. Devers flied out to right to start before Martinez grounded out to short. Bogaerts somehow beat our a roller to first but Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Judge took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth before Rizzo grounded out to first. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning, welcome back Whitlock.

Vazquez struck out swinging to begin the top of the ninth before Dalbec struck out swinging. JBJ popped up to Kiner to end the inning. JBJ is now 4 for his last 48...pathetic. Tanner Houck came in to blow the game in the bottom of the ninth as Torres effortlessly singled in the hole at third to start. Home plate umpire DJ Reyburn called strike one to Carpenter not even close to the plate and Yankees manager Aaron Boone ran out of the dugout with a Chainsaw screaming his head off, chasing DJ out of Yankee Stadium. When play resumed Carpenter got plunked and Kiner dropped down a sacrifice bunt....THROWN AWAY BY HOUCK! Torres scored easily to tie the game and Hicks was intentionally walked to load the bases. Marwin Gonzalez ran for Carpenter, Trevino hit into a 5-2-3 double play and LeMahieu grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                      Tie game

JBJ started the top of the tenth inning at second with Clay Holmes on the mound. Once again Sox manager Alex Cora refused to bunt which allowed Downs to naturally struck out swinging. Refsnyder also went down hacking and the Yankees wisely intentionally walked Devers. Martinez did manage a base hit to right but Bradley was foolishly held at third to load the bases. Naturally Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. LeMahieu started at second but Judge grounded out to third to start. Rizzo was intentionally walked but Stanton singled in the hole at short to load the bases. Torres banged into a double play to end the inning. 

Bogaerts started the top of the eleventh at second with Michael King on the mound. Verdugo flied out to left but Bogaerts moved to third, only for Vazquez to ground out to third. The Sox caught a break when King uncorked a wild pitch to score Bogaerts because Dalbec flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                                    SAFE!

Ryan Brasier came in to close out the game in the bottom of the eleventh with Torres starting at second base. Josh Donaldson pinch hit for Gonzalez but struck out swinging. Kiner grounded out to third to put the Sox on out away from victory. Naturally Hicks stepped up to hit the game winning home ru....wait, what? What do you mean Hicks took strike three to end the game? THE RED SOX WIN IT 5-4 IN 11 INNINGS!

                                                                      We won?

Hero of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He slammed the door with the tying run at second inning with nobody out to earn the save.

                                                               Hero Brasier

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 5.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Garrett Whitlock tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Jeter Downs was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a walk but the one hit was a two run home run.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Tanner Houck got the win but allowed the tying run to score in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Wow, that was unexpected. With the Red Sox being totally inept against the AL East this year, winning a game like this was a gut check for sure. Not just beating the Yankees but beating them in New York in extra innings was even more impressive. Eovaldi was definitely restricted in this one but next time he should be able to go longer. The Sox also had this game won if it wasn't for Houck's error as well. Kudos to Brasier who slammed the door in the final frame even though they had two men on. The Sox need some help at the deadline if they want to compete moving forward but going into the all-star break on a win streak would be nice. As of right now they're not too far out of a playoff spot but they need to make a stand if they want to be taken serious. The flip side is they should trade Martinez and Eovaldi if they want to say screw it and play for next year. Do SOMETHING! The win improved the Sox to 48-43, 14.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees when Nick Pivetta (8-6) goes one on one with Jameson Taillon of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium

Rays Rally, Sweep Sox (7/14/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox placed Josh Wincowski on the Covid List and called up Darwinzon Hernandez to take his spot. One last chance for Hernandez to show something or else he's had it.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                           IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox appear to be cursed against the AL East. After getting thouroughly dominated by the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays in the month of July, for one night it looked like things went their way. The Sox jumped out to a 3-0 lead against Tampa starter Drew Rasmussen and Boston starter Kutter Crawford tossed 6 shutout innings. Naturally in the bottom of the seventh the Rays rallied for 3 straight hits to score a run and chase Crawford. John Schreiber had been lights out virtually all season but this time he allowed the trying runs to score and two of his own for a 5 run rally. The Sox did rally in the top of the ninth against Jalen "Twin Beeks" and got the tying run at second but failed to bring it in. The Rays swept the Sox in four games out of Tropicana Field with a come from behind 5-4 win.

 

Rasmussen got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran lined out to center to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left and took second on a wild pitch, but JD Martinez struck out swinging. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Yandy Diaz grounded out to second to start. Ji-Man Choi struck out swinging and Harold Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Franchy Cordero went down hacking as well. Kevin Plawecki grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays threatened in the bottom of the second as Jonathan Aranda got a base hit to right to start. Christian Bethancourt flied out to right and Josh Lowe struck out swinging, but Taylor Walls doubled to right to move Aranda to third. Luke Raley grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to start. Jeter Downs struck out swinging and Duran popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox have scored exactly three runs in the last 25 innings, pathetic. Brett Phillips struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Diaz lined out to center. Choi doubled to left but Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox took the lead in the top of the fourth as Devers clubbed his 20th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Martinez flied out to center, Bogaerts grounded out to short and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox led 1-0.

                                                         Devers hits one out

Aranda struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Bethancourt grounded back to the mound. Lowe lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Cordero popped up to second to start. Plawecki grounded out to third and JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox have scored just four runs in the last 27 innings, horrible. Meanwhile Crawford got Walls to fly out to center to start the bottom of the fifth. Raley struck out swinging and Phillips took strike three to end the inning.

Downs popped up to short to start the top of the sixth but Duran got a base hit to center. Duran stole second but could only go to third on the grounder to second by Devers. Martinez walked and the Rays made a rare mistake as Rasmussen uncorked a wild pitch to score Duran. Bogaerts then doubled into the gap in center to score Martinez with another run. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0. 

                                                      Sox in command

Crawford kept up the pace in the bottom of the sixth as Diaz lined out to center to start. Choi grounded out to third and Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Tommy Romero came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cordero struck out swinging to start. Plawecki grounded out to second and JBJ grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays exploded in the bottom of the seventh as Aranda pounded a ground rule double to left to begin. Bethancourt ripped a base hit to center to put runners at the corners and Lowe hit a double to right to score Aranda to put the Rays on the board. Crawford was great for 6 innings but fell apart in the 7th and ultimately allowed 3 runs in 6 plus innings. He did strike out six batters.

                                                         Crawford deserved better

John Schreiber came in and poured gas on the fire as Walls singled to left to clear the bases to tie the game then took second on the throw home. Raley was hit with a pitch and Phillips dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. Diaz did the honors with a base hit to center to clear the bases and put the Rays up for good. Choi then doubled to left but Diaz was thrown out at home by Bogaerts. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 5-3.

                                                       Yerrrrrr out!

Brooks Raley took over for the top of the eighth with Yu Chang taking over at second with Francisco Mejia behind the plate. Downs struck out swinging but Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Duran and doubled to left. With a chance to tie the game.....Devers struck out swinging. Jason Adam came in to pitch to Martinez and JD struck out swinging to end the inning. Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Mejia grounded out to third to start. Chang and Lowe both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jalen "Twin" Beeks came in to close out the top of the ninth and Bogaerts started a rally with a base hit to left. Verdugo doubled to right to score Xander and suddenly bring the tying run to second. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Cordero and hit one up the elevator shaft, but Plawecki walked. Bobby Dalbec pinch hit for JBJ and....struck out swinging. Downs grounded out to short to end the game, the Rays ha swept the Sox out of Tampa with a 5-4 victory.

                                                        Rays win

Jackass of the night is John Schreiber. He allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 2 of his own to lose the game.

                                                                   Jackass Schreiber

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder doubled as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a home run.

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

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.

Bobby Dalbec struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jeter Downs was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 but walked.

Kutter Crawford picked up a no decision allowing 3 runs in 6 plus innings. He allowed 6 hits and struck out six.

Final Thoughts:

That should do it for the Red Sox in terms of competing in the AL East this year. They've been thoroughly dominated all year and this month was the exclamation point. They dominated this game through 6 innings and then WHAM, its 5-3. They had chances in the eighth and ninth to tie the game but once again failed in the clutch. Schreiber had been lights out all year and this was the one time Cora let a starter pitch longer. Its been that kind of season where everything goes wrong. Crawford deserved the win but it wasn't meant to be. The bottom line is this team needs some serious starting pitching help at the trade deadline but they don't have the assets to get them. They may be better off trading some of their expiring contracts and play for next year. If you can't beat your own division then you have no chance to making the playoffs. The loss dropped the Sox to 47-43, 15.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Speaking of New York, Nathan Eovaldi (4-2) is coming off the injured list as he takes on Jordan Montgomery of the Yankees in the final series before the all-star break. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.