Basebawful Report of The Month

Wilyer Abreu - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Brayan Bello - 1 Good

Isaiah Campbell - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Triston Casas - 1 Bad, 3 Ugly

Kutter Crawford - 1 Good

Bobby Dalbec - 1 Bad, 1 Honorable Mention

Rafael Devers - 1 Good, 1 Ugly

Jarren Duran - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Kenley Jansen - 1 Good

Chris Martin - 2 Good

Reese McGuire - 2 Good, 1 Ugly

Tyler O'Neill - 2 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Nick Pivetta - 1 Good

Ceddanne Rafaela - 1 Good, 2 Ugly

Pablo Reyes - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Joely Rodriguez - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Justin Slaten - 1 Good, 1 Bad

Trevor Story - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Enmanuel Valdez - 1 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Hero

Greg Weissert - 2 Good

Garrett Whitlock - 1 Good

Josh Winckowski - 1 Good

Connor Wong - 2 Good

Masataka Yoshida - 1 Good, 3 Ugly

Most Valuable Players with 2 Good are Chris Martin, Reese McGuire, Tyler O'Neill, Greg Weissert and Connor Wong

Least Valuable Player with 2 Bad is Enmanuel Valdez

Ugliest Players of The Month with 3 Ugly are Triston Casas and Masataka Yoshida

Heroes of the Month with 1 Hero are Enmanuel Valdez and Tyler O'Neill

Jackasses of the Month with 1 Jackass are Trevor Story and Joely Rodriguez

Honorable Player of The Month with 1 Honorable Mention is Bobby Dalbec

Valdez, Whitlock Drop Mariners (3/31/24)

Through the first four games its apparent that the Boston Red Sox have some developing talent on the team. Garrett Whitlock (1-0, 1.80 ERA) tossed 5 solid innings to earn his first win of the season but the big story was the offense. Trevor Story broke out of his slump with a few hits, Tyler O'Neill went deep and Enmanuel Valdez hit a backbreaking three run home run to put the Sox up for good. This time the bullpen held up as the trio of Greg Weissert, Joely Rodriguez and Justin Slaten held the fort for the final four innings after Whitlock was gone. Slaten earned his first career save as the Sox evened the series with a 5-1 victory at T-Mobile Park.

                                                    Boston College approves of the win

Miller got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers lashed a base hit to right but Trevor Story struck out swinging. Triston Casas also struck out swinging to end the inning. "The Lock" got the ball in the bottom of the first and struck out JP Crawford swinging on a splitter. Julio Rodriguez struck out swinging on a changeup in the dirt. Jorge Polanco missed a home run down the right field line by inches but took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Tyler O'Neill belted his second home run of the season to put the Sox on top and Wilyer Abreu walked. Enmanuel Valdez popped up to right but Reese McGuire dumped a base hit to right. Abreu got promptly picked off to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Sox go up

The Mariners wasted no time scoring in the top of the second as Mitch Haniger doubled to center to begin. Ty France lashed a base hit to right to put runners at the corners but Dominic Canzone struck out swinging. Luke Raley took a cutter right down the middle for strike three but Josh Rojas grounded a seeing eye single through the hole at second to score Haniger, tying the game. Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey ran to the mound and told Whitlock the story of Israel Bissell. Seby Zavala flied out to a running O'Neill to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Rojas ties it up

Duran flied out to center to start the top of the third before Devers hit a bullet right to France. Story struck out swinging on a splitter to end the inning. The Mariners took command in the bottom of the third as Crawford was hit in the knee to start. Crawford moved to second on the grounder to Whitlock by Rodriguez and to third on another comebacker to Whitlock by Polanco. Haniger watched strike three go by to end the inning.

The Sox went on top in the top of the fourth as Casas walked to start. Yoshida popped up to right but O'Neill dumped a base hit to right to move Casas to third. Abreu struck out swinging but Valdez crushed his first home run of the season to take the lead. McGuire flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                     First of the season for Valdez

France struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Canzone grounded back to the mound. Raley grounded out to Devers to end the inning.

Duran led off the top of the fifth with a pop up to Rodriguez to start. Devers struck out swinging on a 94 mph fastball down the middle but Story hit a seeing eye single into left. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning. Rojas popped up to Devers in foul territory to start the bottom of the fifth before an irate Zavala took a questionable strike three call. Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning. Once again Cora pulled a starter early as that was it for Whitlock after just 81 pitches through five innings. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 8.

                                                          Good job by Whitlock

Yoshida ate up Crawford on a grounder for a single to start the top of the sixth with Cody Bolton now on the mound. O'Neill drew a walk and Abreu lashed a base hit to right to load the bases. This time Valdez struck out swinging but McGuire grounded back to the mound to score Yoshida. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Rodriguez hit a bullet right to Valdez. Polanco lined out to a running Duran and Haniger struck out swinging to end the inning.

Collin Snider came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers popped up to first to start. Story dumped a base hit to left but Casas struck out swinging. Story got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Weissert came back for the bottom of the seventh and France immediately got a base hit to center to chase him. Dylan Moore pinch hit for Canzone and Sox manager Alex Cora countered with Joely Rodriguez. Moore and Raley both flied out to left but Luis Urias pinch hit for Rojas. Urias walked on a clear strike three and Sox manager Alex Cora pulled Rodriguez. Justin Slaten came in and Zavala flied out to the centerfield wall to end the inning.

Yoshida popped up to second to start the top of the eighth and O'Neill grounded out to third. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Slaten returned for the bottom of the eighth and Crawford lined out to right to start. Rodriguez popped up to a running Abreu and Polanco grounded out to second to end the inning.

Trent Thornton came in for the top of the ninth and Valdez grounded out to second to start. McGuire dropped an opposite field base hit to left but Duran forced him at second. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Slaten returned for the bottom of the ninth and Haniger grounded out to short to start. Duran and Abreu almost collided to catch a pop-up by France but Duran caught it. Moore struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-1.

                                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Enmanuel Valdez. His 3 run home run was the difference in the game.

                                                             Hero Valdez

The Good:

Trevor Story was 2 for 4.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Garrett Whitlock got the win by tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 8 batters.

Greg Weissert tossed a full scoreless inning.

Joely Rodriguez got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Justin Slaten got the save by tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was a big win and also a gut check for a lot of guys. Sox manager Alex Cora sent Joely Rodriguez, Wilyer Abreu and Justin Slaten right back into the fire after last night's disaster and they all responded. Garrett Whitlock went 5 strong innings and Greg Weissert looked good in this one. Offensively Valdez got his first of the season and O'Neill went yard again. Story finally got some hits and Devers returned from his shoulder problem to get a hit. Its only four games but the Sox went toe to toe with one of the better rotations in baseball and was a 10th inning meltdown away from taking three of four. The New York Yankees wiped out the Houston Astros four straight so at least the Sox are doing better than Houston. The Sox now travel to Oakland for a three game set with the hapless A's. Tanner Houck makes his season debut against Joe Boyle of Oakland. The game begins at 9:40 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

Mariners Walkoff Red Sox in 10 Innings (3/30/24)

Its only taken three games for the sky to fall on Boston Red Sox fans. Tonight was an agonizing loss to the Seattle Mariners that had everyone up in arms. The Sox offense once again failed to deliver, scoring just one run through nine innings once again without the services of Rafael Devers. Kutter Crawford tossed six innings but was pulled after just 84 pitches. Sox manager Alex Cora then had to use his entire bullpen to get to the 10th. In the top of the tenth, Pablo Reyes knocked in Ceddanne Rafaela and Masataka Yoshida drove in Reyes to give the Sox a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the 10th. Kenley Jansen time right? WRONG? Sox manager Alex Cora and Jansen himself later admitted his back injury flared up so Cora went with Joely Rodriguez with four lefties coming up. A bevy of mishaps including a Wilyer Abreu error tied the game and Justin Slaten had to make his Major League debut facing Julio Rodriguez with first and third and only one out. Naturally Rodriguez effortlessly ripped a base hit to win the game 4-3 in 10 innings at T-Mobile Park.

                                                           Horrible loss

Mariners starter Logan Gilbert got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to short to start. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging and Trevor Story grounded out to short to end the inning. Sox starter Kutter Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and JP Crawford caught Pablo Reyes asleep with a bunt. Reyes turned and inexplicably threw the ball over the CATCHER'S head for an error to move Crawford to second. Julio Rodriguez grounded out to short and Jorge Polanco flied out to center, but Mitch Haniger singled to center to score Crawford. Cal Raleigh struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 1-0.

                                                           Haniger drives in a run

Triston Casas struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu took strike three. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right but Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning. Ty France ripped a base hit to center to start the bottom of the second but Luke Raley flied out to right. Dylan Moore grounded out to third and Josh Rojas lined out to right to end the inning.

Pablo Reyes lined out to right to start the top of the third before Connor Wong grounded out to second. Duran walked and moved to second on a wild pitch but Yoshida flied out to center. Crawford grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Rodriguez grounded out to second. Polanco took strike three to end the inning.

The futility continued in the top of the fourth as Story flied out to right to begin. Casas popped up to short and Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Haniger grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth but Rafaela made a great diving catch to rob Raleigh of a base hit. France also flied out to Rafaela to end the inning.

                                                             Great catch

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Rafaela doubled to left to start. Valdez flied out to left to move Rafaela to third and Ceddanne scored on the Reyes grounder to short. Wong grounded out to third to....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Wong was safe and sure enough, the umpires overturned the call. Duran singled to right to move Wong to third and moved to second on a wild pitch, but Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Rafaela scores

Raley struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Moore popped up to third. Rojas struck out swinging to end the inning.

Story grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Casas grounded out to first. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Kutter Crawford returned for one more inning in the top of the sixth as JP Crawford struck out swinging to start. Rodriguez struck out swinging but Polanco walked. Haniger took strike three to end the inning. Despite throwing just 84 pitches, Kutter was done after 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

                                                        Crawford was outstanding

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh before Valdez also went down hacking. Reyes flied out to left to end the inning. Isaiah Campbell came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Raleigh struck out swinging to start. France grounded out to third and Raley took strike three to end the inning.

Gabe Speier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Wong struck out swinging to start. Duran grounded out to second and Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Dominic Canzone pinch hit for Moore. Canzone flied out to right to start before Rojas singled to center. Crawford popped up to third and Rodriguez took strike three to end the inning.

Luis Urias came in to play for Canzone with Austin Voth now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Story struck out swinging to start but Casas drew a walk. Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Bobby Dalbec to run for Casas but it didn't matter as both Abreu and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Greg Weissert made his Sox debut in the bottom of the ninth and Polanco struck out swinging to start. Haniger struck out swinging but Raleigh walked. France forced Raleigh at second to end the inning to send the game to extras.

Rafaela started the top of the tenth at second base with Trent Thornton now on the mound. Valdez popped up the bunt to third but Reyes ripped a base hit to center to score Rafaela to put Boston on top. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong but Reyes was thrown out at second trying to steal. That proved costly as McGuire doubled to right to chase Thornton. Tayler Saucedo came in to pitch and Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Tyler O'Neill for Duran. O'Neill was intentionally walked and Yoshida made them pay with a base hit to center to score McGuire. O'Neill went to third on the hit but Story flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                     Sox take the lead

Here comes Kenley Jansen for the save in the bottom of the 10th right? Wrong, he was out with a back injury so Joely Rodriguez came in to close it out. France started the inning at second base and he scored immediately on the Raley bloop hit to left. Urias lined out to left and Rojas dumped a base hit to right....bobbled by Abreu for an error that moved both runners into scoring position. Crawford then hit a roller to second Valdez had no play on and Raley scored to tie the game. With runners on the corners, Sox manager Alex Cora inexplicably brought in ice cold rookie Justin Slaten to make his Major League debut. Rodriguez laughed as he ripped a base hit to right to score Rojas to win the game. The Mariners had won it 4-3 in 10 innings.

                                                              Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Joely Rodriguez. He was handed a 3-1 lead and blew it, getting charged for 3 runs to take the loss.

                                                            Jackass Rodriguez

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Tyler O'Neill walked in his only at-bat.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

Kutter Crawford was great, pitching 6 innings of 1 run ball while allowing 3 hits and a walk. He also struck out seven.

Isaiah Campbell pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts and an error.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten allowed the game winning hit to Julio Rodriguez.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but drove in a run.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Pablo Reyes was just 1 for 4 with an error but knocked in two runs.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec pinch ran for Casas and played first base.

Final Thoughts:

That game was an avoidable loss on so many levels. It should have never have come to the bottom of the tenth if Reyes didn't get thrown out on a steal attempt. Sox manager Alex Cora explained that Kenley Jansen was unavailable due to the back problem he's had since Spring and the Mariners had four lefties coming up. It does make sense but if he didn't pull Crawford after 84 pitches, it might not have come to Joely Rodriguez with others ready to go. If Abreu doesn't muff that ball, it might not have come to Justin Slaten making his ML debut facing Julio Rodriguez with the game on the line. A lot of things went wrong in the 10th that overshadowed another wonderfully pitched game by the Sox. The offense got some clutch hits in the 10th and Crawford pitched great. There are good signs despite the loss but a loss is still a loss. Going toe to toe with one of the best rotations in the game and holding your own is a good thing but 1-2 is 1-2. The Sox look to tie the series tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Whitlock makes his season debut against Bryce Miller of Seattle. The game begins at 4 PM at T-Mobile Park.

Kirby, Mariners Blank Sox (3/29/24)

So THAT'S the Boston Red Sox we should have been expecting. After somehow winning on Opening Day the 2024 Red Sox suffered their first of many losses this season due to a pathetic offense. Rafael Devers was scratched before the game with a bad shoulder and Bobby Dalbec was put in the starting lineup. That worked out about as much as everyone expected as the Sox got shut out by George Kirby and the Seattle Mariners. In a hell of a pitcher's duel, Nick Pivetta (0-1, 1.50 ERA) went mano e mano for 5 innings but the Mariners broke through in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run by JP Crawford. The Sox offense had a few chances against Kirby and the Seattle bullpen but couldn't cash in. The Sox as a team had just four hits while striking out 13 times in the game. It all added up to a 1-0 Mariners win at T-Mobile Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Kirby got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran walked to start. Tyler O'Neill hit one up the elevator shaft but Duran swiped second. A wild pitch moved Duran to third and Masataka Yoshida walked to put runners at the corners. Naturally Trevor Story struck out swinging and Triston Casas flied out to center to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and JP Crawford lined out to center to start. Julio Rodriguez popped up to second and Jorge Polanco struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first to start. Enmanuel Valdez popped up to third and Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging....stop me if you've heard that before. Mitch Haniger struck out swinging to lead off the bottom of the second and Cal Raleigh flied out to left. Ty France got a base hit to center but Dominic Canzone struck out swinging to end the inning.

Reese McGuire grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Duran grounded back to the mound. O'Neill ripped a base hit to right but Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning. Luis Urias lined out to left to start the bottom of the third before Luke Raley grounded out to third. Crawford grounded out to first to end the inning.

Kirby dominated the top of the fourth as Story flied out to left to start. Both Casas and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Rodriguez singled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Polanco struck out swinging. Haniger hit a rocket.....right to Dalbec for the out and Raleigh struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox continued to struggle in the top of the fifth as Valdez grounded out to first to start. Dalbec flied out to right and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. France struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Canzone grounded out to first. Urias took strike three to end the inning. Pivetta was dominating.

                                                        Pivetta was rolling

Kirby continued to dazzle in the top of the sixth as Duran and O'Neill both struck out swinging to start the inning. Yoshida also struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mariners finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth although Raley struck out swinging to start. Crawford then hit a home run all the way to Samoa to put the Mariners up for good. Rodriguez took strike three and Polanco struck out swinging to end the inning but it was all but over, 1-0 Mariners. That was also it for Pivetta who tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 3 hits while striking out 10. He deserved better.

                                                           Mariners take the lead

Kirby finished his masterpiece in the top of the seventh as Story flied out to right to start. Casas grounded out to short but Rafaela got a base hit to right to finally chase Kirby after 6 2/3 dominant innings. Gabe Speier came in and Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Pablo Reyes for Valdez. Reyes got a base hit to right but as usual Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Haniger struck out swinging to start. Raleigh grounded out to second and France struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryne Stanek came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McGuire walked on four pitches to start. Duran struck out swinging and O'Neill popped up to short, but Yoshida ripped a base hit to center to move McGuire to third. That was it for Stanek as Andres Munoz came in to pitch to Story. Trevor grounded out to third to end the inning. Winckowski returned for the bottom of the eighth and Canzone struck out swinging to start. Urias struck out swinging but Raley got a base hit to right. A wild pitch moved Raley to second and Crawford walked. Rodriguez walked to load the bases but Polanco lined out to first to end the inning.

Munoz returned to close out the top of the ninth and Casas watched strike three go by to start. Rafaela struck out swinging and Reyes struck out swinging to end the game. The Mariners had won it 1-0.

                                                          Mariners win

Jackass of the Night is Trevor Story. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and failed to tie the game in the eighth inning.

                                                                 Jackass Story

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Pablo Reyes was 1 for 2.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ended up on the Good list but Nick Pivetta allowed just 1 run in 6 innings of work. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 10.

Josh Winckowski tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 2.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole a base.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

The lack of power in this lineup reared its ugly head but sometimes you have to tip your cap to a good pitcher. Kirby has been one of the better starters in the American League the past two seasons and tonight was no different. Pivetta did the best he could and normally 6 innings of 1 run ball would be enough to win the game. Worst part, all the clutch hits they got last night didn't translate into tonight's game at all. Story and Dalbec came up with the game on the line and failed both times. Dalbec we all know shouldn't be here but Story is supposed to be one of the leaders. Its a young and hungry team but Kirby pitched a gem for sure. Its only the second game of the season so its not worth going crazy about the first of many losses this season. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Mariners with Kutter Crawford making his season debut against Logan Gillbert of the Mariners. The game begins at 9:40 PM Eastern time at T-Mobile Park.

Sox Beat Mariners on Opening Day (3/28/24)

This season may go down as one of the worst in Boston Red Sox history but at least they started on the right foot against the Seattle Mariners. The Sox went into Seattle and took on one of the better pitchers in Luis Castillo. The Sox lit up Castillo as Rafael Devers hit a two run shot to put the Sox ahead before Tyler O'Neill scored a third run to chase him. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (1-0, 3.60 ERA) became the first Sox starter since Nathan Eovaldi in 2020 to win on Opening Day with 5 strong innings, allowing just a two run homer by Mitch Haniger. O'Neill made history by becoming the first man to hit five consecutive Opening Day home runs and the Sox needed it as Joely Rodriguez allowed a two run homer to Dominic Moore. The Sox got another run on a Connor Wong rbi single and Kenley Jansen slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth. The Sox won their first game of the season by beating the Mariners 6-4 at T-Mobile Park.

                                               The late Tim Wakefield approves of the win

Castillo got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran led off by flying out to left. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Trevor Story also went down hacking to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and JP Crawford grounded out to second to start. Julio Rodriguez ripped a double to right and Jorge Polanco dumped a base hit to right to move Julio to third. Mitch Garver banged into a double play to end the inning.

Triston Casas grounded out to first to start the top of the second but Tyler O'Neill made his Red Sox debut by drawing a walk. O'Neill stole second but Masataka Yoshida lined out to left. Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three to end the inning. Cal Raleigh singled in the hole to start the bottom of the second but Mitch Haniger lined out to Casas. Dominic Canzone struck out swinging but Ty France struck out swinging to end the inning.

Enmanuel Valdez led off the top of the third with a base hit passed France. Connor Wong popped up to first and Duran struck out swinging on a nasty changeup, but Devers smashed his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Story flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                            First of the season for Devers

Josh Rojas flied out to the right field wall to start the bottom of the third before Crawford grounded out to second. Rodriguez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Casas led off the top of the fourth with a base hit to right but was forced at second by O'Neill. Yoshida ripped a double down the right field line and Rafaela hit a grounder to third. Rojas had O'Neill dead to rights at home....and hit him in the head with the throw. O'Neill scored to increase the lead but Valdez popped up to Rojas for the second out. Rafaela was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with Boston ahead 3-0.

                                                    That's using your head, O'Neill

The Mariners struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Polanco was plunked to start. Garver lined out to a running Rafaela in center and Raleigh forced Polanco at second. Haniger then hit a home run all the way into the Pacific Ocean to cut the lead. Canzone grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mariners down 3-2.

                                                         Haniger goes yard

The Sox responded in the top of the fifth although Wong struck out swinging to start. Duran got a base hit to right and Devers doubled to the right field wall to put runners in scoring position. Story walked to load the bases and Casas beat out a double play to score Duran. O'Neill flied out to right to end the inning but it was 4-2 Red Sox.

                                                         Casas drives in a run

France grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Rojas singled to left. Crawford popped up to Devers in foul territory and Rodriguez lined out to right to end the inning. That was it for Bello after just 84 pitches. He went 5 innings, allowed 2 runs on 5 hits without walking anyone.

                                                        Bello gets it done

Taylor Saucedo came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Rafaela motored around for a triple after dumping one in the left field corner and Sox manager Alex Cora made the inexplicable decision to pinch hit Pablo Reyes for Valdez. Reyes didn't even get the bat off his shoulders as he watched strike three go by. Wong picked up his team by lashing a base hit to right to score Rafaela and increase the lead. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                          Wong with a big hit

Off-season acquisition Isaiah Campbell came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Polanco flied out to right to start. Garver grounded out to second and Raleigh struck out swinging on a nasty slider to end the inning. 

Cody Bolton came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers popped up to short to start. Story lined out to right and Casas grounded out to short to end the inning. Campbell returned for the bottom of the seventh and Haniger immediately dropped a base hit to right to chase him. Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch to Canzone but Seattle manager Scott Servais countered by pinch hitting Dylan Moore. Naturally Moore blasted a two run home run into the wilderness of Oregon to cut the lead. France grounded out to second and old friend Luis Urias pinch hit for Rojas. Urias struck out swinging and Crawford took strike three to end the inning but the Mariners were back in it down 5-4.

                                                       Nice going Rodriguez

The Sox answered right back as O'Neill made history with his fifth consecutive Opening Day home run to increase the lead in the top of the eighth. Yoshida popped up to short, Rafaela lined out to short and Reyes flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                    MLB record setter O'Neill

Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Rodriguez took strike three to start. Polanco struck out swinging on a nasty cutter but Garver doubled into the left field corner. Raleigh grounded out to second to end the inning.

Austin Voth came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Wong got a base hit to center. Duran forced Wong at second and Devers flied out to center. Duran stole second but Story grounded out to third to end the inning....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Story actually beat the throw and the umpires overturned the call, Story was safe at first with Duran moving to third. Story stole second and Duran was 2/3 of the way from stealing home and Casas was distracted enough to swing and miss for strike three to end the inning. Casas was NOT happy about that one. Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and naturally walked Haniger to start. Moore struck out swinging on a cut fastball and O'Neill made a great running stab of a France liner. Luke Raley pinch hit for Urias and struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is Tyler O'Neill. He scored a big run early, hit a home run and made several great catches in the field to guide the team to victory.

                                                            Hero O'Neill

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brayan Bello got the win by allowing just 2 runs through 5 innings while allowing 5 hits.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned the save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 2 at the plate.

Isaiah Campbell was charged with a run in an inning of work.

Joely Rodriguez allowed a two run bomb in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and stole a base.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

It wasn't pretty but a win was a win. The Sox defensively is much improved with O'Neill in right and a factor that came into play was their speed. O'Neill, Story and Duran all swiped bags even if Jarren distracted Casas in a crucial at-bat. Devers got the party started with a home run and O'Neill hit another home run on Opening Day. Bello looked okay while he was in there and the bullpen, apart from Joely Rodriguez, did their part as well. If they can get a better set-up man to go with Martin, they might be able to shorten the games with Jansen to close it out. With improved speed and defense, this team might be more exciting than last year.....but it all depends on the rotation. Sox manager Alex Cora can't keep pulling guys after 80 pitches and or 5 innings but at least Bello gave him a good start. Can the other four starters step up? That remains to be seen. Still, better to win on Opening Day than to lose and they won this one. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Mariners tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta makes his season debut against George Kirby of Seattle. The game begins at 9:40 PM at T-Mobile Park.

Final Cuts (3/27/24)

The bloodletting is finally over with the final round of minor league releases and we also got the Major League roster set for the Boston Red Sox.

First, "Boss" Christian Koss was sent to the San Francisco Giants for a bag of cash. Koss hit just .237 for Worcester last year. Former Six GM Chaim Bloom thought he was going to be good going into 2021 but he didn't perform in AAA.

Also, Stephen Scott, Albertson Asigan, Dylan Spacke and Franklin German were released.

Asigan being cut was a surprise as he hit over .300 for Salem last year after a callup from the Florida Complex. I don't know why they'd release a 21 year old who hit over .300 in Salem, oh well.

Spacke was a Dave Dombrowski 21st round draft pick in 2019 and had a terrible 2022 for the Portland Sea Dogs but had a better 2023. Still, at 25 years old and struggling to get AA batters out, the Sox figured to cut their losses.

Scott hit just .228 in Worcester and with the catching depth of Nathan Hickey, Matt Donlan and Kyle Teel, Scott was expendable. It's a shame the Sea Dogs didn't win it all last year.

German's second time with the organization didn't go so well as he was beset by injuries an ineffectiveness. He didn't even make it to Speing Training this year.

To replace Spacke, Sox GM Chaim Bloom sent a sack of money to Tampa Bay for 30 year old Japanese reliever Naoyuki Uwusawa. Uwusawa was straight batting practice this spring for Tampa so I don't know what Breslow was thinking getting him. Guess he figures they can fix him.

Now for the Injured List:

Vaughn Grissom will start the year on the 10 day list with a bad hamstring while Rob Refsnyder will join him with a toe fracture. Liam Hendricks and Chris Murphy are on the 60 Day list with UCL issues, Hendricks being out the whole year. Bryan Mata will start the year on Worcester's Injured List with a hamstring problem.

Finally, with Brennan Bernardino optioned to Worcester, Joey Rodriguez takes his place on the Opening Day roster. 

Opening Day is tomorrow night with Brayan Bello scheduled to pitch against Luis Castillo. The game begins at 10:10 PM Eastern time at T-Mobile Park.

Red Sox Cut MORE Prospects (3/25/24)

Five days after the Boston Red Sox outright released a bunch of prospects, they did it again. The Sox invited CJ Cron to Spring Training and cut him, but they also cut invitee Joe Dunand, Dave Dombrowski Dominican signing Lyonell James, former highly touted prospect Gilberto Jimenez, 2020 rookie free agent Maceo Campbell and 2022 16th round pick Garrett Ramsey.

Dunand is the nephew of none other than Alex Rodriguez and he's been a utility infielder in AAA although he did have a cup of coffee with the Miami Marlins in 2022. The Sox have plenty of infield depth so he was expendable.

James had a good season for the Florida Complex League in 2022 but hit just .238 for Salem last year. As mentioned in the last write-up, Sox GM Craig Breslow is getting rid of a lot of underperforming prospects so hitting .238 in Single A isn't going to cut it.

Campbell allowed 38 runs in 36 innings last year for Greenville after allowing 12 runs in 11 innings the year before. If he can't get Single A batters out, what's he going to do in Double A? Breslow didn't want to find out.

Jimenez was the surprise as he hit .306 for Salem back in 2021 and was touted as a future Sox centerfielder. Its been all downhill as he hit just .268 for Greenville in 2022 and down to .221 last year. Its a shame he couldn't capitalize on his 2021 but oh well.

Ramsey was another surprise as he was taken in the 16th round back in 2022 and got pounded in the Florida Complex League in 2023 before allowing 8 runs in 9 innings in Salem.

All in all, things looks worse and worse for the Bloominati as Campbell and Ramsey were Bloom guys and both flamed out. With Ramsey gone, there's just 13 picks remaining from the 2022 draft and the undrafted catcher Matt Donlan. It looks like Breslow is cleaning house of the Bloom regime and honestly, if a guy doesn't show promise, why not go with other options?

Red Sox Cut Prospects (3/20/24)

As we head toward Opening Day, a lot of guys have been cut from Spring Training back to the minors including standouts like Kyle Teel and Luis Guerrero. However, some guys were released completely including a few familiar faces. Let's take a look at the casualties.

On March 1st the Sox released former Lowell Spinners ace Yusniel Padron-Artiles, 2022 20th round pick Connor Butler, 2022 undrafted rookie free agent Bryant Zayas and 19 year old Dominican Emmanuel Martinez. Martinez hit .154 in 12 games for the Florida Complex League last year so Sox brass figured they'd seen enough. Padron was arguably Lowell's best pitcher in 2019 but was straight batting practice ever since, going 3-12 for Greenville in 2022. Zayas was a head scratcher as he hit .242 in his first pro season last year but guess they figured they can sign another rookie free agent this year to put up his numbers. "Father" Butler allowed 10 runs in 9 innings last year for Salem. Unlike other general managers that will allow a guy a few years to develop, new Sox GM Craig Breslow is saying "Oh you stunk last year, GET OUT!"

On March 3rd the Sox released 2021 Chaim Bloom Dominican signing Wandy Abreu. He allowed 18 runs in 34 innings for the Complex last year, not exactly setting a good standard. Again, Breslow is clearing out anyone who underperformed.

On March 11th, the Sox released five more players. The most surprising was Luis De La Rosa, one of the prospects the Sox got from the Andrew Benintendi trade. He was 2-7 but had a 2.94 ERA and looked to be turning a corner. Oh well...life moves on. Jorge Rodriguez had Tommy John Surgery in late 2022 and didn't pitch at all this year, so much for a big comeback. Nate Tellier was one of the rookie free agents signed in 2020 since there was only a 5 round draft that year. He was AWFUL for the SAL champion Greenville Drive allowing 37 runs in 41 innings despite going 6-1. Not much you can expect from a guy not even drafted. Jordan DiValerio was another undrafted rookie in 2020 and he allowed 56 runs in 72 innings.  Finally 17th round pick Deundre Jones was let go after hitting just .191 for the Complex last year. Once again Sox GM Craig Breslow is going "Bad season last year? SCRAM!"

Lastly, on March 18th, Jaret Godman simply retired. The 19th round pick in 2022 allowed 7 runs in 7 innings last year for Greenville and didn't pitch again. He did the smart thing by saying "I'm good" before being released or getting hammered again.

So to recap, that's THREE 2022 draft picks, two undrafted rookies from 2020, an undrafted 2022 rookie, a Dombrowski Dominican draftee, a couple of Bloom Dominican draftees and one of the pieces of the Benintendi trade.

To put an exclamation point on how bad Bloom was as GM of the Red Sox.....not a single draft pick has made the majors yet. Draft picks from 2020 (Spencer Torkelson) and 2021 (Henry Davis) have made it from other teams but not the Red Sox. Hopefully Breslow has better success this coming June.

Opening Day is just 8 days away and Brayan Bello has been named the starter for that night in Seattle.

Giolito Out For The Year (3/5/24)

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox....they did. The only free agent the Sox signed this off-season for $38 million tore his UCL and might need Tommy John surgery which would end not only this season but mostly next season as well. So much for Giolito.

                                                                     Out for the season

Not only did the Red Sox pretty much bank their entire season on Giolito being healthy, Sam Kennedy openly admitted putting Sox GM Craig Breslow on a budget. Now the Sox need another starter and agent Scott Boras is most certainly going to jack up the price for his free agent client Jordan Montgomery. The chances of Sox getting Blake Snell and Montgomery are now pretty much dead. Thanks a lot John Henry.

The worst part is Giolito has been a durable starter for the last six years, the reason why they signed him, and he blows his elbow out in spring training with the Red Sox. This franchise might be cursed again only with the Curse of Mookie rather than Babe Ruth.

Fenway might be empty come June.