Red Sox Outslug Orioles (9/27/22)

Once again the Boston Red Sox starting pitching wasn't good enough to win a game. The normally reliable Michael Wacha was pounded for 6 runs and got knocked out in the fourth inning by the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles would get 2 runs against Matt Strahm (4-4, 3.80 ERA) as well to finish with 15 hits and 9 runs before the game was over. Only problem was....the Red Sox offense took advantage of bad Orioles defense to pound them into submission. Triston Casas hit a two run home run in the second inning and the Sox pushed 6 runs across the plate against Kyle Bradish in the bottom of the third. The Orioles rallied in the top of the fourth but the Sox scored 5 more times in the bottom of the frame. Both bullpens held the fort the rest of the way, but it was Boston that had the advantage. The quartet of Zack Kelly, John Schreiber, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier shut the door as the Sox won the game 13-9 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Janet Jackson approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Wacha in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins flied out to left to start. Adley Rutschman struck out swinging but Anthony Santander doubled to center. Ryan Mountcastle tripled into the right field corner to put Baltimore on top but Gunnar Henderson lined out to center to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                             O's strike first

Bradish got the ball in the bottom of the first inning as Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Alex Verdugo was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Ramon Urias tripled into the left field corner to start the top of the second but Rougned Odor grounded out to second. Austin Hays hit a grounder to third and Urias was thrown out at home. A wild pitch moved Hays to second and Kyle Stowers grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez got a base hit to right to start. Triston Casas launched his fifth home run of the month to put the Sox on top. Rob Refsnyder took strike three but Henderson booted a grounder by Enrique Hernandez. Connor Wong lined out to center but Pham walked. Devers struck out swinging but took first on the passed ball to load the bases. Bogaerts forced Devers at second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                             Casas hits another out

The O's took command in the top of the third as Mullins flied out to left to start. Suddenly Rutschman and Santander hit back to back jacks to put Baltimore back on top. Mountcastle struck out swinging and Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 3-2.

                                                             O's take the lead

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Martinez and Casas worked back to back walks to load the bases and Refsnyder was plunked to score Verdugo. Hernandez forced Martinez at home but Wong walked to score Casas to put the Sox on top. That was it for Kyle Bradish as Joey Krehbiel came in to pitch to Pham. Tommy got a base hit to center to score Refsnyder and Hernandez and Devers was intentionally walked to get to Bogaerts. The gamble failed as Bogaerts walked to score Wong and Verdugo hit a sac fly to center to score Pham. Martinez lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                          Pham scores the eighth run

The O's finished off Wacha in the top of the fourth as Urias hit a home run all the way to the North Pole to start. Odor got a base hit to right and Hays tripled into the right field corner to score Rougned. Stowers struck out swinging and finally Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on Wacha. He was charged with six runs in 3 1/3 innings off 8 hits. Matt Strahm came in to pitch and Mullins got a base hit to center to score Hays. Mullins stole second but Rutschman grounded out to short. Santander smashed yet another home run into the Charles River to tie the game. Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 8-8.

                                                      Wacha wasn't good enough

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Casas got a base hit to center to start. Jake Reed came in to pitch to Refsnyder and Rob got a base hit to right. Hernandez beat out a roller to third to load the bases and Odor failed to field a force play at second on a grounder by Wong to score Casas. Pham was hit with a pitch to score Refsnyder and chase Reed. DL Hall came in to pitch and Devers got a base hit to left to score both Hernandez and Wong. Pham moved to third on the hit and he scored on a force at second by Bogaerts. Verdugo took strike three and Martinez forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning with the Sox up 13-8.

                                                         Sox pour it on

Henderson grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Urias got a base hit to left. Odor got plunked and both runners moved over on a grounder to first by Hays. Jorge Mateo ran for Urias and Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Stowers. Aguilar flied out to left to end the inning. Casas singled in the hole at second to start the bottom of the fifth but Refsnyder took strike three. Hernandez struck out swinging and Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Mullins flied out to right to start. Rutschman grounded out to third and Santander hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Pham walked to start. Devers grounded into a double play and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Orioles tagged John Schreiber in the top of the seventh and Mountcastle took strike three to start. Henderson also watched strike three but Mateo doubled to center. Mateo stole third and Odor got a base hit to left to score him. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 13-9.

                                                           Odor drives in a run

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Verdugo walked to start. Martinez got a base hit to right but Casas grounded into a double play. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Aguilar got a base hit to center to start. Mullins flied out to center and Rutschman struck out swinging. Santander lined out to center to end the inning. Dillon Tate came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Pham grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mountcastle got a base hit to right to start. Henderson walked but Mateo struck out swinging. Odor walked to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate....but Hays grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-9.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tommy Pham. He was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, 3 rbis, 2 walks and 2 runs scored to pace the offense.

                                                                 Hero Pham

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong walked, was hit with a pitch, drove in 2 runs and scored twice.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a walk.

Triston Casas was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 run home run and 3 runs scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Michael Wacha was pounded for 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits and 4 walks.

John Schreiber allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored 2 runs.

Matt Strahm got the win but allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Just eight games to go and it would be nice for the Sox to end on a high note. Casas had his best game of the month and Kelly looked good to. The Sox are going to look to the future because the rumor is that its all but assured Nathan Eovaldi, Bogaerts, Pham, Martinez and Barnes are long gone. Wacha and Strahm might not be back either and its a shame because Wacha pitched well....when he was healthy. He might of won 20 games this year with a full season and the Sox would be thinking playoffs instead of high draft pick. The offense did well but its too little too late, still good to see though. The win improved the Sox to 73-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Baltimore in the third game of the series tomorrow night. Rich Hill (7-7) takes on Dean Kremer of Baltimore at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Pound Seabold, Sox (9/26/22)

When the season ends in under two weeks there's going to be a lot of finger pointing as to why the season went as badly as it did. One of them is unquestionably the failure of the kids in the rotation. Connor Seabold (0-4, 11.29 ERA) was straight batting practice this year and a big part of why the Sox fell apart in July. He got rocked for 5 runs in just 2 innings by the relentless Baltimore Orioles in tonight's game. The Boston bullpen got rocked as well for NINE runs after Seabold was gone as the Orioles pounded out 14 hits and 14 runs. The sad part was the Boston offense plated 8 runs against Jordan Lyles and the Baltimore bullpen. If Kaleb Ort, Franklin German and Eduardo Bazardo didn't allow 6 runs in the final four innings, this game might have turned out different. As it was, the O's pounded the Sox 14-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                              Sox fans have had enough

Seabold got tagged immediately in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins hit the second pitch of the game out of the yard for a home run to put the Orioles up for good just like that. Adley Rutschman flied out to left and Anthony Santander flied out to right, but Ryan Mountcastle walked. Gunnar Henderson walked but Austin Hays forced Henderson at second to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                            Mullins jacks one out

Lyles got the ball in the bottom of the first and Enrique Hernandez lined out to third to start. Rafael Devers doubled to left but Xander Bogaerts lined out to center. Alex Verdugo also flied out to center to end the inning.

The O's finished off Seabold in the top of the second as Rougned Odor hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Kyle Stowers got a base hit to left and Jorge Mateo doubled to right to score Odor. Mullins tripled into the centerfield triangle to clear the bases but Rutschman popped up to center. Seabold had Mullins picked off....but threw the ball away for an error to score Cedric. Santander and Mountcastle both struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 5-0. Due to rain later, that was it for Seabold who got rocked for 5 run in just 2 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                        "I sucked tonight" - Seabold

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez smashed his 13th home run of the season to start. Triston Casas walked and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit to left, but Reese McGuire flied out to left. Abraham Almonte got a base hit to center to load the bases and Hernandez got a base hit to left to score Casas. With a chance to do damage....Devers grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                            Martinez gets one back

The rains came and when play resumed, Tyler Danish came in to pitch the top of the third. Henderson walked to start but Hays forced him at second. Odor lined out to left but Stowers tripled into the left field corner to score Henderson. Mateo struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 6-2.

                                                                 O's pull away

Spencer Watkins came in to pitch the bottom of the third and Bogaerts lined out to short to start. Verdugo got a base hit to right but Martinez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Mullins popped up to third to start the top of the fourth but Rutschman got a base hit to left. Santander grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Casas was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Refsnyder singled to center and took second on a passed ball. McGuire walked and Almonte got a base hit to center to load the bases. Hernandez singled inside the bag at third to score Refsnyder and McGuire but Almonte was thrown out at third on the play. Hernandez took second and Devers blooped a base hit to left to score him. Bogaerts got a base hit to left and with the tying run at second....Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 6-5.

                                                      Devers isn't ready to give up

Naturally the O's poured it on in the top of the fifth as Mountcastle and Henderson both walked to start. Hays beat out a grounder to third to load the bases with nobody out and Zack Kelly was summoned to stop the bleeding. Naturally he gave up back to back base hits to Odor and Stowers to drive in Mountcastle and Henderson. Mateo took strike three, Mullins popped up to left and Rutschman flied out to left to end the inning with the O's up 8-5.

                                                       O's pour it on

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Martinez struck out swinging to start. Casas got a base hit to right but Refsnyder forced Triston at second. McGuire walked but Almonte flied out to center to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to take a beating in the top of the sixth as Santander hit a home run all the way to Sweden to start. Mountcastle walked and Henderson hit a home run all the way to Norway to put the game out of reach. Hays struck out swinging, Odor flied out to center and Stowers lined out to center to end the inning with the O's ahead 11-5.

                                                          Henderson watches it go

Hernandez lined out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Devers lined out to left. Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning.

Franklin German came in to get tagged in the top of the seventh as Mateo grounded out to short to start. Mullins also grounded out to short but Rutschman walked. Santander hit another home run as everyone in Boston threw their hands up. Mountcastle grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 13-5.

                                                            This sucks

The Sox answered in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo took strike three to start. Martinez doubled to left and that was it for Watkins. Logan Gillaspie came in and Odor booted a grounder by Casas. Suddenly Refsnyder pounded his sixth home run of the year to cut the lead. McGuire flied out to center and Almonte struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 13-8.

                                                           Refsnyder doing his best

It was Eduardo Bazardo's turn to give up a run in the top of the eighth as Henderson struck out swinging to start. Hays launched Baltimore's fifth home run of the night to wrap up the scoring. Odor grounded out to second and Stowers popped up to second to end the inning with the O's up 14-8.

                                                           Bazardo knew it too

Ryan McKenna took over for Stowers in the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez flied out to right to start. Devers got a base hit to center but Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Mateo walked to start the top of the ninth but Mullins flied out to left. Rutschman struck out swinging. Santander grounded out to second to end the inning. Verdugo flied out to left to start the bottom of the ninth and Martinez grounded out to short. Casas took strike three right down the middle to end the game. The O's had won 14-8.

                                                                   O's win

Jackass of the Night is Connor Seabold. He put the Sox in a huge hole early by allowing 5 runs in just 2 innings.

                                                          Jackass Seabold

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 3 for 4 with a 3 run home run with 2 runs scored.

Abraham Almonte was 2 for 4.

Zack Kelly tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Tyler Danish allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

Kaleb Ort allowed 3 runs in an inning.

Franklin German allowed 2 runs in an inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored 2 runs.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with an error but walked twice and scored a run.

Eduardo Bazardo allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Nine more games of torture left and its easy to see where this season went wrong. The Sox rotation all got hurt and the rookies were not ready for prime time. Not that most teams would survive if they had to use their AAA rotation in crucial June and July games, but they got nothing out of the quartet of Josh Winckowski, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Seabold. That's an indictment of Sox GM Chaim Bloom as Wink and Seabold were his 2020 trade deadline pickups. The worst part is the offense responded by putting up 8 runs which should have won the game. Another problem was bullpen overuse due to the bad starts which is why the Sox bullpen faltered in the end, just like last year. At least this year Sox manager Alex Cora can say he had no rotation but its still a shame of how things turned out. If the Sox had held the fort after Seabold left, they might have won this one. As it is, we're almost done with this lost season. The Sox have a lot of work to do in the off-season in terms of getting starting pitching depth and potentially replacing Bogaerts and Martinez. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Orioles when Michael Wacha goes one on one with Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Sweep Sox in Rain Shortened Game (9/25/22)

Mother Nature is a New York Yankees fan apparently. Tonight's game between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees was shortened due to rain to give the Yankees a four game sweep of the incompetent Sox. Nestor Cortes had thrown a 1 hit shutout through six innings while the Yankees put up 2 runs against Brayan Bello (2-7, 4.39 ERA). The insult to injury is Rob Refsnyder dropped a routine pop up for a run scoring error in the bottom of the sixth. When the rains came after the sixth inning, MLB looked at how the Sox had no chance to win and there were no off-days left. The game was called and the Yankees had completed the sweep 2-0 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                  Sox fans leaving Yankee Stadium angry

Cortes got the ball in the top of the first and Enrique Hernandez lined out to right to start. Tommy Pham grounded out to second but Xander Bogaerts walked. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Aaron Judge doubled to left to start. Anthony Rizzo grounded out to first to move Judge to third but Gleyber Torres popped up to right. Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out to short to end the inning.

Rob Refsnyder flied out to right to start the top of the second and Triston Casas grounded out to third. Bobby Dalbec grounded out to second to end the inning. Harrison Bader popped up to second to start the bottom of the second and Aaron Hicks popped up to first. Jose Trevino grounded out to first to end the inning.

Yu Chang grounded out to third to begin the top of the third and Connor Wong struck out swinging. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Marwin Gonzalez lined out to short to start the bottom of the third but Oswald Peraza got a base hit to left. Judge walked but Rizzo popped up to third. Torres grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Pham walked to start the top of the fourth but Bogaerts flied out to left. Martinez flied out to center but Refsnyder hit a ground rule double down the left field line. Casas took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Cabrera doubled to left to start. Bader struck out swinging but Cabrera swiped third when Hicks went down hacking. Trevino hit a seeing eye single into left to score Cabrera to put the Yankees up for good. Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the inning but the game was already over 1-0.

                                                              Trevino drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Dalbec lined out to third to start. Chang grounded out to second and Wong flied out to right to end the inning. Peraza doubled to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Judge flied out to center. Rizzo grounded out to second to move Peraza to third and Torres walked. Torres stole second but Cabrera struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hernandez struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Pham watched strike three go by. Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. The Yankees scored again in the bottom of the sixth as Bader singled in the hole at short. Hicks forced Bader at second and Trevino flied out to left. Refsnyder dropped a routine pop up from Gonzalez for an error to score Hicks. Peraza took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0. Thanks to the rain delay, that was it for Bello who technically pitched a complete game and allowed just 2 runs.

                                                       Bello deserved better

Suddenly it started raining cats and dogs to delay the game. After a while knowing the Sox were out of it and there were no remaining off-days, MLB said screw it. The game was called and the Yankees had swept the Red Sox 2-0.

                             Look close and you'll see a Yankees hat on the end of the bolt

Jackass of the Night is Rob Refsnyder. Not that the Sox were destined to win but come on.....dropping pop ups is inexcusable.

                                                           Jackass Refsnyder

The Good:

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Brayan Bello held the Yankees to just 1 earned run in 6 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 2.

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

11 games to go and the season can't end fast enough. What more can be said about this season or this team that hasn't already been said? They simply couldn't beat the Yankees or anyone in the AL East for that matter. Nestor Cortes looked unhittable but Brayan Bello didn't pitch badly. The only silver lining to this miserable season is Bello started to figure it out at the end. Bogaerts, Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi are pretty much gone so the Sox need at least something to look forward to. Other than that, Refsnyder dropping that pop up is a microcosm of the season. Injuries and ineffectiveness has Refsnyder playing right field and the Sox couldn't hit anyway. Just eleven games left of this torture remain. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-80, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to snap their five game losing streak but unfortunately run smack into another AL East team, the Baltimore Orioles tomorrow night. Connor Seabold (0-3) gets the start for Boston against Jordan Lyles of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                            Yankees massacre the Sox

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

                                                             That didn't take long

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

                                                            McGuire jacks one out

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

                                                              Yankees get a run back

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

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

                                                      Cabrera puts New York ahead

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

                                                            Pivetta was horrible

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

                                                               Sox get a run back

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

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

                                                             Sox tie it up

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

                                                             Watch it go, Jackass

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

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

                                                          Yankees win

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

                                                          John Jackass

The Good:

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

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

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

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                       "We lost to the Yankees again??"

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

                                                             Pham goes yard

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

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

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

                                                           Hicks goes yard

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

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

                                                           Not good enough

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

                                                                Verdugo ties it up

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

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

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

                                                           Yankees take the lead

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

                                                                   Yankees win

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

                                                             Thanks a lot, Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

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

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

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

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

You Chang was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

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

The Ugly:

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

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

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for Triston Casas in the ninth.

Bobby Dalbec pinch ran for JD Martinez in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                            OUT

                                                                    IN

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

                                                            "Josh Donaldson...."

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

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

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

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

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

                                                           Yankees strike first

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

                                                            Wacha deserved better

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

                                                        McGuire gives Boston the lead

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

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

                                                        Yankees tie it

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

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

                                                           Yankees win

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

                                                              Nice going Jackass

The Good:

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

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

Connor Wong was 1 for 2.

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

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

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte was 0 for 1 at the plate.

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

The Ugly:

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

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked.

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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