Basebawful Report of The Month

Christian Arroyo - 9 Good, 5 Bad, 7 Ugly, 2 Hero, 

Matt Barnes - 10 Good, 3 Bad

Brayan Bello - 2 Good, 1 Bad

Xander Bogaerts - 9 Good, 6 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jackie Bradley Jr - 2 Honorable Mention

Ryan Brasier - 9 Good, 2 Bad, 3 Jackass

Franchy Cordero - 5 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Kutter Crawford - 2 Good, 4 Bad

Austin Davis - 5 Good, 6 Bad

Jaylin Davis - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Bobby Dalbec - 8 Good, 6 Bad, 4 Ugly

Rafael Devers - 5 Good, 7 Bad, 13 Ugly, 1 Hero

Jarren Duran - 5 Good, 5 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

Nathan Eovaldi - 2 Good, 1 Ugly

Jeurys Familia - 3 Good, 3 Bad

Rich Hill - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Eric Hosmer - 3 Good, 3 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero

Darwinzon Hernandez - 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Kike Hernandez - 5 Good, 1 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Tanner Houck - 2 Good

Zack Kelly - 2 Good

JD Martinez - 10 Good, 6 Bad, 10 Ugly

Reese McGuire - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Kaleb Ort - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Tommy Pham - 10 Good, 3 Bad, 11 Ugly, 1 Hero

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Hero

Kevin Plawecki - 6 Good, 9 Bad, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Rob Refsnyder - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Yolmer Sanchez - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly

Hiro Sawamura - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

John Schreiber - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Trevor Story - 3 Good, 1 Bad

Matt Strahm - 3 Good, 2 Bad

Alex Verdugo - 12 Good, 6 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Michael Wacha - 2 Good, 1 Hero

Garrett Whitlock - 5 Good, 3 Ugly

Josh Winckowski - 1 Good, 1 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Most Valuable Player is Alex Verdugo with 12 Good

Least Valuable Player with Kevin Plawecki with 9 Bad

Ugliest Player of The Month is Rafael Devers with 13 Ugly

Hero of The Month is Christian Arroyo with 2 Hero

Jackass of The Month is Ryan Brasier with 3 Jackass

The Honorable Player of The Month is Jackie Bradley Jr with 2 Honorable Mention

Bogaerts, Sox Slam Twins (8/31/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced that Hiro Sawamura accepted his demotion to Worcester but the Minnesota Twins claimed Austin Davis off waivers. Sox GM Chaim Bloom's two pitching acquisitions at the deadline last year both crashed and burned this season including Hansel Robles. The Sox sent Alex Scherff to the the Twins for Robles and he's not doing well in AA while the Sox sent Michael "Ice Horse" Chavis to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Davis. Chavis is hitting .237 with 14 home runs for the Pirates which is more or less better numbers than Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero. Just another nail in the coffin in Bloom's tenure in Boston it seems.

                                                                 Bye bye Davis

As for the game, the Sox snapped their three game losing streak by holding on to defeat the Minnesota Twins. The Sox erupted in the third inning against Minnesota starter Joe Ryan as Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam and JD Martinez also went yard. Michael Wacha (10-1, 2.56 ERA) continued his strong season by holding the Twins to just 2 runs in 6 strong innings. Bogaerts doubled in another run and the Sox needed it as Garrett Whitlock gave up 3 runs to pull the Twins within one. Matt Barnes saved the day by slamming the door in the ninth to give the Sox a 6-5 victory over the Twins at Target Field.

                                                  Tia Carrere approves of the win

Ryan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to center and Xander Bogaerts walked, but Rafael Devers struck out swinging. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Arraez grounded out to second to start. Carlos Correa struck out swinging and Jose Miranda lined out to left to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Kike Hernandez flied out to right. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Max Kepler hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the second before Kyle Garlick struck out swinging. Gio Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to left to start. Pham got a base hit to left and Verdugo reached on a roller to first to load the bases. Bogaerts cleared the bases with a grand slam to put the Sox on top. Devers flied out to center and Martinez launched his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Story got a base hit to right but Hernandez lined out to left. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                                Grand slam for X

Naturally the Twins responded immediately in the bottom of the third as Nick Gordon grounded out to short to start. Gilberto Celestino flied out to left but Sandy Leon got a base hit to left. Arraez hit a home run all the way to Michigan to cut the lead. Correa grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins down 5-2.

                                                             Arraez goes deep

Plawecki got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and Pham was hit with a pitch. Verdugo lined out to left, Bogaerts flied out to right and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Miranda flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Kepler took strike three. Bogaerts booted a grounder by Garlick and Urshela beat out a roller to third, but Gordon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez popped up to short to start the top of the fifth before Story struck out swinging. Hernandez got a base hit to center before Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Celestino struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Leon struck out swinging as well. Arraez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Plawecki doubled to left to start. Pham and Verdugo both struck out swinging but who else but Bogaerts doubled to right to score Plawecki with another run. Bogaerts stole third but Devers went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                                X Gon Double For Ya

Wacha returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Correa walked to start. Miranda lined out to left but Kepler doubled to right. Garlick grounded out to first and Urshela took strike three to end the inning. Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

                                                           Wacha with the solid starts

Martinez lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Story got a base hit to right. Story took off for second and Leon threw the ball away, allowing Trevor to take third. Hernandez watched strike three go by and Dalbec went down hacking to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gordon doubled to center to start. Celestino grounded out to first to move Gordon to third and Gary Sanchez pinch hit for Leon. Sanchez walked and Arraez hit a sac fly to center to score Gordon. Correa struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 6-3.

                                                             Twins inch closer

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the eighth as Plawecki grounded out to third to start. Pham grounded back to the mound and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Miranda struck out swinging to start. Kepler got a base hit to center and Jake Cave pinch hit for Garlick. Cave struck out swinging but Urshela singled to right. Gordon then smacked a ball into the right field corner to score both runners. Gordon made a mad dash to third but was thrown out at third by Verdugo to end the inning with the Twins still down 6-5.

                                                         Yerrrrrr out!

Trevor Megill came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Devers hit one up the elevator shaft but Martinez singled in the hole at third. Story doubled to center and Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Celestino singled in the hole at short to start. Sanchez walked and Caleb Hamilton ran for him. Arraez flied out to left and Correa grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-5.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He drove in 5 of the Sox 6 runs and the last one proved to be the difference maker.

                                                               X gonna Hero for ya

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Trevor Story was 3 for 5 with a stolen base.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Michael Wacha got the win by going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs off 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

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

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Garrett Whitlock allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Well the Sox have finished August and they're nowhere close to the playoffs. The rotation and bullpen are just too beat up to make a run even though the bats can potentially win a few games. The Sox did get a lift from Bogaerts and Wacha in this one but Story and Plawecki pitched in with multiple hit games. Its not TOO late to make a run but they'd have to go on a red hot streak in September to get back in this one. Otherwise, forget it. Still, the name of the game is pitching and if the rotation can pull out some big wins in September, who knows what might happen. The win improved the Sox to 63-68, 8.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot. The Sox now return home for a four game set with the Texas Rangers. Rich Hill takes the mound for the Sox against Glenn Otto of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Twins Slam Red Sox (8/30/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox officially completed the trade they made with the Chicago White Sox for Jake Diekman. Today the Player To Be Named they got along with Reese McGuire was 25 year old right handed pitcher Taylor Broadway. Broadway should have graduated in 2020 but was allowed to play 2021 for Ole Miss before being drafted in the sixth round, 19 picks after the Sox chose Daniel McElveny (who's hitting .177 in Salem this year by the way). This year he was 3-2 with a 4.74 ERA for the AA Birmingham Barons before he was traded. He's not one of the highly regarded prospects in Chicago's system but at this point it doesn't matter. Bloom seems to be collecting 2021 draft picks (Alex Binelas came over in the Hunter Renfroe trade while Corey Rosier and Max Ferguson came from San Diego in the Jay Groome trade) so its become comical to see Bloom try to scoop up as many 2021 draftees that he can.

                                                                           IN

As for the game, what did you expect? Its clear that the team has given up, especially on the pitching side. Kutter Crawford (3-6, 5.47 ERA) continued to prove he has no business in the majors as he got beat around and knocked out in the fifth inning by the Minnesota Twins. The sad part was the Sox took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth in a rally against Chris Archer but it all crashed in the bottom of the frame. The Twins got the first two men on to chase Crawford and Ryan Brasier  hit Jose Miranda before Nick Gordon hit a grand slam to put the Twins up for good. Minneosta beat around Jeurys Familia and Matt Barnes for three more runs as the fading Sox fell 10-5 to the Twins at Target Field.

                                                 Joe Flaherty's message to Ryan Brasier

Archer got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to second to start. Alex Verdugo walked but Xander Bogaerts forced him at second. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins wasted no time getting to Crawford in the bottom of the first as Luis Arraez struck out swinging to start. Carlos Correa popped up to second but Max Kepler walked. Jose Miranda walked and Nick Gordon doubled home both runners to put the Twins up. Gio Urshela popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                             Safe at home

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as JD Martinez grounded out to short to start. Trevor Story lined out to left and Franchy Cordero struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins struck again in the bottom of the second as Jake Cave hit a home run all the way to the moon to start. Gilberto Celestino grounded out to short, Gary Sanchez popped up to Cordero and Arraez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins up 3-0.

                                                              Cave increases the lead

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the third as Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Reese McGuire also grounded out to short and Pham grounded out to third to end the inning. Correa flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Kepler grounded out to first. Miranda doubled to center but Gordon struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the fourth as Verdugo singled to left to start. Bogaerts doubled down the left field line and Devers hit a sac fly to center to score Verdugo. Bogaerts moved to third on the play and Martinez walked to put runners at the corners. As usual Story banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox still down 3-1.

                                                              Devers hits a sac fly

Urshella doubled to right to start the bottom of the fourth but was thrown out at third by Verdugo trying to stretch a triple. Cave walked but Celestino struck out swinging and Sanchez froze for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth although Cordero struck out swinging to start. Hernandez got a base hit to right before McGuire dropped a base hit to left. Pham got a seeing eye single to right to score Hernandez and chase Archer. Caleb Thielbar came in to pitch and Verdugo forced Pham at second to put runners at the corners. Bogaerts got a base hit to left to score McGuire and move Verdugo to third. Devers walked to chase Thielbar and Michael Fulmer came in to pitch. A wild pitch scored Verdugo to put the Sox on top and Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston up 4-3.

                                                        Sox take the lead

As usual once the Sox scored a run, they gave it right back in the bottom of the fifth. Arraes flied out to left but Verdugo dropped a routine pop up by Correa for an error. Kepler walked on five pitches not even close to chase Crawford. He got lit up again and was charged with 5 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Ryan Brasier came in to pour gas on the fire as Miranda was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Gordon annihilated a grand slam to put the Twins up for good. Urshela struck out swinging and Cave lined out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 7-4.

                                                        Crawford's season in a nutshell

The Sox rolled over in the top of the sixth as Story grounded out to third to start. Cordero struck out swinging and Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning. Jeurys Familia came in to take a beating in the bottom of the sixth as Celestino grounded out to short to start. Sanchez then hit a home run all the way to Brooklyn Park, Minnesota to increase the lead. Arraez grounded out to second but Correa walked. Kepler flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins up 8-4.

                                                             Sanchez hits one out

Trevor Megill came in to pitch the top of the seventh and McGuire struck out swinging to start. Pham walked and Verdugo doubled to center to score him. Bogaerts grounded out to second to move Verdugo to third as Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-5.

                                                         Verdugo drives in a run

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Miranda grounded out to second to start. Gordon grounded out to first and Urshela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Martinez flied out to center to start. Story struck out swinging and Cordero lined out to short to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to get tagged in the bottom of the eighth as Cave flied out to center to start. Celestino walked, Sanchez singled to left and Arraez singled to center to score Celestino. Correa singled to left to score Sanchez but Kepler popped up to short. Miranda struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins up 10-5.

                                                        Twins break it wide open

Emilio Pagan came in to close out the top of the ninth and Hernandez walked to start. McGuire popped up to third and Pham took strike three before Hernandez took second on defensive indifference. Verdugo grounded out to first to end the game. The Twins at won it 10-5.

                                                         Twins win

Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He allowed the go-ahead grand slam to Gordon to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                        Jackass Brasier

The Good:

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

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

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

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by being charged with 5 runs in just 4 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits and 4 walks.

Jeurys Familia allowed a run in the sixth inning.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

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

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

This season has been a disaster but thankfully there's only 32 games remaining. Its beyond ridiculous at this point how the offense doesn't drive in runs when they fall behind and every reliever they bring in gets pounded no matter the situation. Brasier, Barnes and Familia allowed 5 runs (and 2 inherited) to put the game out of reach. The Twins are a good team but the relief pitching has been atrocious for the Sox. Its been a terrible season and to a man the team looks like they've given up. Someone has to pay for this whether its Sox GM Chaim Bloom, Cora or both of them. Its a shame how the Sox seemed to have it turned around in June only to fall flat on their face the last two months. The only saving grace is the New York Yankees have fallen flat as well and their gigantic lead is shrinking. As for this game, another loss in a season full of them. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-68, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow night when Michael Wacha (9-1) takes on Joe Ryan of the Twins. The game begins at 7:40 PM at Target Field.

Sox Bats Silenced by Twins (8/29/22)

The Boston Red Sox made some roster moves that were somewhat expected. Hiro Sawamura and Austin Davis were designated for assignment before tonight's game and in their places, the Sox called up Kaleb Ort and 27 year old right handed pitcher Zack Kelly from Worcester. Davis and Sawamura have been straight batting practice lately but mostly are casualties from two straight years of bullpen overuse. The Sox not having a proper rotation since 2019 pretty much sealed the fate of Davis and Sawamura. Ort we know but Kelly was an undrafted rookie free agent signed by Oakland in 2017 and was signed as a minor league free agent by the Red Sox prior to the 2021 season. He'll be making his ML debut soon.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                            IN

As for the game, another waste of time in a season spiraling down the drain. The Boston Red Sox were stoned cold by Dylan "King Kong" Bundy and the Minnesota Twins bullpen. Bundy was knocked out in the fifth inning after giving up 2 runs and 9 hits. The Sox had just one hit the rest of the game against the bullpen. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (0-4. 7.27 ERA) was a victim of terrible bullpen management by Alex Cora as he was charged with 3 runs in 4 innings. Cora brought in John Schreiber with the bases loaded in the fifth and Gio Urshela cleared them with a double. The Sox failed to score the rest of the way and the Sox lost 4-2 at Target Field.

                                                  Foamy is on strike for better managing

Bundy got the ball in the top of the first and Tommy Pham reached on a roller to the mound to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to left and Xander Bogaerts flied out to right. Rafael Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Arraez lined out to right to start. Carlos Correa struck out swinging but Max Kepler lined out to left to end the inning.

JD Martinez popped up to second to start the top of the second but Trevor Story got a base hit to left. Franchy Cordero flied out to right and Christian Arroyo flied out to center to end the inning. Jose Miranda grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Nick Gordon got a base hit to right. Gio Urshela struck out swinging and Jake Cave forced Gordon at second to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Reese McGuire grounded out to short to start. Pham got a base hit to left and Verdugo doubled to left to score Tommy. Bogaerts got a base hit to center to move Verdugo to third but Devers lined out to right. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Verdugo drives in a run

Gilberto Celestino singled to right to start the bottom of the third before old pal Sandy Leon popped up to third. Arraez got a base hit to left but Correa forced Celestino at third. Kepler flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Story walked to start. Cordero singled to right to move Story to third but Arroyo popped up to second. McGuire doubled to left to score Story but Pham grounded out to third. Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                          McGuire doubles in a run

The Twins got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as Miranda singled to right to start. Gordon singled to center and Urshela walked to load the bases with nobody out. Cave hit a sac fly to center to score Miranda and Celestino flied out to right to move Gordon to third. Leon grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins down 2-1.

                                                            Cave drives in a run

Bogaerts singled in the hole to start the top of the fifth before Devers lined out to center. Martinez struck out swinging but Story got a base hit to center to move Bogaerts to third. Caleb Theilbar came in to pitch to Cordero but Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Rob Refsnyder. Rob struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins knocked Bello out in the bottom of the fifth as Arraez and Correa drew back to back walks to start. That was it for Bello who'd be charged with four runs in 4 innings of work. 

                                                       "Damn you Cora" - Bello

Matt Strahm came in to pitch and Kepler moved the runners over with a squibber in front of the plate. Miranda walked to load the bases and Kyle Garrick pinch hit for Gordon. Gordon took strike three but Sox manager Alex Cora inexplicably brought in John Schreiber to pitch to Urshela. Urshela doubled to right to clear the bases and ice the game. Cave struck out swinging but the Twins now led 4-2.

                                                         Urshela ices it

Caleb Hamilton took over at first to start the top of the sixth and Arroyo grounded out to third to start. McGuire lined out to left and Pham flied out to right to end the inning. Zack Kelly made his ML debut in the bottom of the sixth and Celestino took strike three to start. Leon watched strike three go by but Arraez got a base hit to right. Arraez got thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

Jhoan Duran came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Correa lined out to left to start. Kepler flied out to center but Miranda walked. Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Martinez grounded out to third to start. Story got a base hit to center then promptly stole second. Refsnyder and Arroyo both struck out swinging to end the inning. Urshela walked to begin the bottom of the eighth but Cave lined out to center. Celestino flied out to center and Leon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jorge Lopez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and McGuire grounded out to third to begin. Pham grounded out to first and Verdugo struck out swinging to end the game. The Twins had won it 4-2.

                                                                Sox lose

Jackass of The Night is John Schreiber. He allowed the 3 run double to Urshela to lose the game.

                                                              Jackass Schreiber

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4.

Trevor Story was 3 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and run scored.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2.

Zack Kelly tossed a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort pitched two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brayan Bello was charged with 4 runs in 4 innings off 5 hits and 3 walks.

Matt Straham allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

What was Cora thinking bringing Schreiber in the fifth inning? Its way to early to manage every game like its Game 7 of the World Series like he did last September. The difference is, last year they were in the driver's seat while this year they're on the outside looking in. Bello once again got rocked and he's looked bad in every single game he's pitched so far. Then again, so has the other rookies. The real problem was the Sox bats scoring just 2 runs against the starter and none off the Twins bullpen. Its all adding up to a lost season where absolutely nothing is going right. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-67, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Twins when Kutter Crawford (3-5) takes on Chris Archer of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Rays Crush Pivetta, Sox (8/28/22)

Once again the Boston Red Sox kryptonite is the AL East. With a chance to take 3 of 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox crapped themselves big time in today's game. Nick Pivetta (9-10, 4.40 ERA) was rocked for five runs in five innings by the Rays while Corey Kluber of Tampa allowed three in six solid innings. Once again the bullpen was the downfall as Hiro Sawamura and Austin Davis allowed SEVEN runs combined to put the game out of reach. Franchy Cordero, JD Martinez and Tommy Pham all went yard but with bad pitching the Sox got blasted 12-4 by the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                          Another loss to the AL East

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and Yandy Diaz flied out to center to start. Manny Margot grounded out to short but David Peralta walked. Peralta took second on a balk but Harold Ramirez popped up to first to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to first to start. Alex Verdugo took strike three and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the second as Randy Arozarena flied out to left to start. Isaac Parades hit a home run all the way to Bolivia to put the Rays up for good. Taylor Walls and Christian Bethancourt both struck out swinging to end the inning with Tampa up 1-0.

                                                          Parades jacks one

Rafael Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before JD Martinez grounded out to short. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center and Reese McGuire popped up to short to end the inning.

The Rays struck again in the top of the third as Jose Siri popped up to second to start. Diaz popped up to first but Margot walked. Margot stole second and scored on the rbi double to Peralta to right. Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning with Tampa up 2-0.

                                                    Rays are all smiles so far

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Franchy Cordero launched his 8th home run of the season to cut the lead. Pham grounded out to short but Verdugo and Bogaerts lashed back to back base hits. Devers lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                             Cordero goes yard

The Rays iced the game in the top of the fourth as Arozarena doubled to center to start. Parades hit his second home run all the way into the Red Sea to ice the game. Walls took strike three, Bethancourt grounded out short and Siri grounded out to third to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1.

                                                        Another home run for Parades

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez clobbered his 10th home run of the season to cut the lead in half. Arroyo lined out to third, McGuire grounded back to the mound and Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                            Martinez goes yard

Pivetta got tagged in the top of the fifth as Diaz singled to right to start. Margot got a base hit to right and Peralta doubled to right to score Margot. Ramirez beat out a roller to the mound but Arozarena struck out swinging. Parades walked to load the bases but Walls forced Ramirez at third to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2. That was it for Pivetta who allowed 5 runs in 5 innings off 8 hits and 3 walks.

                                                           Not Pivetta's day

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth as Cordero struck out swinging to start. Pham smacked his 15th home run of the season to cut the lead but Verdugo grounded out to second. Bogaerts got a base hit to left and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                       Home run Pham

Hiro Sawamura came in to crap his pants in the top of the sixth as Bethancourt flied out to right to start. Siri hit a pop up that no one called for, dropping in for a "single". Diaz singled to left to move Siri to third and Margot hit a sac fly to left to score Jose. Peralta walked and Ramirez got a base hit to left to score Diaz. Arozarena iced the game with a double off the Monster to score Peralta. Parades walked to load the bases but Walls struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 8-3.

                                                          Arozarena ices it

Martinez lined out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Arroyo lined out to right. McGuire doubled to right but Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning.

Ryan Braiser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bethancourt got a base hit to left to start. Siri singled inside the bag at third but Diaz lined out to first. Bethancourt got picked off second and Margot struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh with Colin Poche now on the mound and Bobby Dalbec in to pinch hit for Cordero. Dalbec got a base hit to left and moved to third on the base hit to center by Pham. Verdugo flied out to left to move Pham to second and Bogaerts hit a sac fly to center to score Dalbec, moving Pham to third. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 9-4.

                                                              RBI for Bogaerts

Austin Davis came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Peralta got a base hit to left to start. Devers booted a grounder by Ramirez for an error and Arozarena doubled home Peralta. Parades walked to load the bases and Walls singled off the Monster to score Ramirez and Arozarena. Bethancourt popped up to first but Siri beat out a double play ball to score Parades. Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 12-4.

                                                              Walls drives in a pair

JT Chargois came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Martinez struck out swinging to start. Arroyo got a base hit to center and McGuire walked, but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Davis returned for the top of the ninth and Margot flied out to right to start. Peralta flied out to center and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Francisco Mejia came in to catch the bottom of the ninth with Bethancourt coming in to pitch. Dalbec singled to right but Pham flied out to right. Verdugo also flied out to right but Bogaerts grounded a base hit up the middle. Devers lined out to center to end the game. The Sox couldn't even get a run off the damn catcher and the Rays won 12-4.

                                                                Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Hiro Sawamura. He turned a 5-3 game into 9-3 in one inning to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Hiro Jackass

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta allowed 5 runs in 5 innings to take the loss. He gave up 8 hits and 3 walks.

Austin Davis allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

The feel good feeling of taking two of three against Tampa lasted less than 24 hours as the Rays once again prevented the Red Sox from winning a series against an AL East team. The Sox bullpen is absolutely spent but unlike last year, you can't blame it all on Sox manager Alex Cora when the entire rotation got hurt. Rookies that had no business starting big games and getting knocked out early drained the bullpen and now they got nothing. Sawamura, Davis and Darwinzon Hernandez are toast and its only a matter of time before Brasier and John Schreiber are as well. Pivetta is a .500 pitcher so this is about what you can expect. Its too bad the Sox were solo home run happy and nothing else in this one. This has been the year from hell and there's still 34 games remaining. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-66, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road to face the Minnesota Twins beginning tomorrow night. Dylan "King Kong" Bundy takes the mound for the Twins against Brayan Bello (0-3) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Hill, Sox Shut Down Rays (8/27/22)

It was a busy day for the Boston Red Sox organization as they made a series of roster moves. In less important news, the Salem Red Sox released three of their prospects today. 22 year outfielder Darel Belen, 24 year old pitcher Adenys Bautista and 25 year old pitcher Miguel Suero. In a few days a lot of the Florida Complex rookies are going to be promoted to Salem now that the FCL season is over, these guys were expendable. Belen was a 19 year old Dominican teenager signed by Dave Dombrowski in 2019 and hit a horrific .102 in 32 games this year. As mentioned back in May, Bautista was the guy the Sox got in the Sandy Leon trade and he was just 2-2 with a mediocre 4.19 ERA. Last year's draft pick Elmer Cruz-Rodriguez is on his way and they didn't need Bautista anymore. Suero was signed as a 20 year old by Dave Dombrowski at the end of the 2017 season but was 4-2 with a hideous 6.39 ERA. I mentioned in May that if Suero didn't pick it up he would be gone, well he didn't pick it up and now he's gone. In major league news, the Jarren Duran experiment is finally over as he was mercifully sent back to Worcester. Its amazing how far Duran crashed and burned in less than two months after looking like he had it all figured out at the end of June. In the end, he played embarrassing defense, got thrown out on the base paths and hit just .215. Not only did he fail to make an impact in Boston, his trade value nosedived because of his loafing in the field and lack of plate discipline. Who knows what the Sox can do with him now. In his place the Sox activated Trevor Story who's wrist has finally healed. Too bad the Sox are pretty much out of contention now. Maybe he'll hit some home runs in September or something.

                                                                  OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, don't look now but the Red Sox might win another series against an AL East team. Rich Hill (6-5, 4.32 ERA) tossed his best game of the season, shutting out the Rays for seven innings allowing just 3 hits. The Sox bats blitzed old pal Jeffrey Springs for four first inning runs. JD Martinez and Bobby Dalbec both had two run singles to set the tone. Kike Hernandez also hit a home run to put the game out of reach. Jeurys Familia got in trouble in the eighth but John Schreiber slammed the door to give the Sox a 5-1 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                 Dann Florek approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz lined out to right to start. Manny Margot lined out to short and Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox bum rushed Springs in the bottom of the first as Tommy Pham got a base hit to left to walk. Alex Verdugo doubled to center and JD Martinez got a single off the Monster to score both runners. Rafael Devers forced Martinez at second and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging, but the returning Trevor Story singled in the hole at short. Kike Hernandez walked to load the bases and Bobby Dalbec drilled a base hit to center to score Devers and Story. Kevin Plawecki struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                               Dalbec drives in a pair

Harold Ramirez took strike three to start the top of the second inning before Isaac Parades watched strike three go by. Christian Bethancourt grounded out to short to end the inning. Pham took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Verdugo grounded out to short. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yu Chang got a base hit down the line to third to begin the top of the third but Taylor Walls struck out swinging. Jose Siri went down hacking and Diaz also swung at air to end the inning. Devers went down hacking to begin the bottom of the third before Bogaerts grounded out to short. Story struck out swinging to end the inning.

Margot flied out to right to begin the top of the fourth before Arozarena singled in the hole at short. Ramirez flied out to right but Arozarana stole second. Parades lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez belted his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead.  Dalbec popped up to short and Plawecki watched strike three go by, but Pham got a base hit to left. Pham was thrown out at second trying to steal and Alex Cora's challenge of the call was unsuccessful, but the Sox still led 5-0.

                                                         Home run Hernandez

Bethancourt grounded out to third to begin the top of the fifth before Chang drew a walk. Walls struck out swinging and Siri forced Chang at second to end the inning. Verdugo got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Martinez struck out swinging. Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Diaz grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Margot struck out swinging. Arozarena flied out to right to end the inning. Bogaerts lined out to right to start the bottom of the sixth before Story flied out to center. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hill returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Ramirez struck out swinging. Parades got a base hit to center but Bethancourt took strike three. Chang was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Hill was outstanding, allowing just 3 hits and a walk in seven shutout innings.

                                                                 Good work Rich

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Dalbec struck out swinging to start. Plawecki grounded out to third and Pham struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jeurys Familia came in to get tagged in the top of the eighth as Walls lined out to left to start. Siri grounded out to third but Diaz got a base hit to right. Margot got a base hit to center and Arozarena got a base hit to right to score Diaz. That was it for Familia as John Schreiber came in to get Ramirez to ground back to the mound to end the inning with the Rays down 5-1.

Verdugo grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth before Martinez took strike three. Devers popped up to second to end the inning.

Schreiber returned to close out the top of the ninth and Parades grounded out to short to start. David Peralta pinch hit for Bethancourt and drew a walk before Ji-Man Choi pinch hit for Chang. A wild pitch moved Peralta to second but Choi struck out swinging. Walls grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-1.

                                                            Red Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rich Hill. He shut out the Rays for 7 innings allowing just 3 hits and a walk while striking out 11.

                                                           Hero Hill

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

John Schreiber earned his fifth save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jeurys Familia allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in 2 runs.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Things are looking up slightly for the Red Sox with Trevor Story and Kike Hernandez back from injury and Rich Hill looking sharp. Too bad Eric Hosmer got hurt but Bobby Dalbec had a big hit in this one. The Sox will go as far as their rotation will take them and if Hill, Wacha, Eovaldi and Pivetta stay healthy they might still have a chance for October baseball....barely. Their inability to beat the AL East until the end of August might have put them in too tall of a hole to climb out of. Still, they have the talent to go on a winning streak, it just remains to be seen. The win improved the Sox to 62-65, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series from the Rays tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta (9-9) takes on Corey Kluber of Tampa. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.