Off-Day News: 2021 Draft Revisited (6/27/24)

It's another off-day and its time to take a look at former Boston Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom's 2021 MLB Draft choices. With Covid in the past, this time there was going to be 20 rounds and the Red Sox owned the fourth overall pick due to their garbage 2020 season. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did.

1st round - INF Marcelo Mayer

The fourth overall pick turned out to be Eastlake High School shortstop Marcelo Mayer. Mayer has lived up to his billing so far, hitting .275 for the Florida Complex league to end 2021. In 2022 he hit 13 home runs and drove in 53 runs between the Salem Red Sox and Greenville Drive. He stalled a bit in 2023 as he tore up Greenville hitting .290 with 7 home runs and 34 rbis but faltered for the Portland Sea Dogs. He hit just .189 with 6 home runs and 20 rbis. This year he's apart of the "Goldust Trio" with Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel, hitting .308 with 6 home runs and 34 rbis so far. The 21 year old is on the fast track to Worcester and could be competing for a Boston job in Spring Training next year if he's not traded.

2nd round - OF Jud Fabian

Chaim Bloom goofed with his second round pick. Jud Fabian was a hell of an outfielder for the Florida Gators hitting 20 home runs and driving in 46 runs his junior year. The Sox took him with the 40th overall pick but he refused to sign, staying for his senior year. Apparently its come out since that the Baltimore Orioles had a 3 million dollar deal ready for him with the 41st pick but Bloom beat the O's to the punch. Guess who drafted Fabian in the second round of the 2022 draft? That's right. This season Jud is hitting just .235 but with 13 home runs & 36 rbis for the Bowie Baysox and could be promoted to AAA soon. Talent wise Fabian was the right pick to make, too bad he had his heart set on playing for Baltimore. Big mistake by Bloom.

3rd round - 2B Tyler McDonough

The Sox third round pick in this draft was North Carolina State Wolfpack second baseman Tyler McDonough. Tyler showed promise hitting .300 between the Florida Complex League and Salem Red Sox at the end of 2021 but hit just .230 for Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit an even .250 shuffling between Portland and the Worcester Red Sox. This year he hit .261 with the Sea Dogs before being called up to Worcester. In 10 games he's hit .242 which isn't going to get him called up to Boston. Still, at 25 he's in Worcester and hopefully he can turn the jets on to make it to Boston.

4th round - RHP Elmer Rodriguez

The first pitcher chosen in the draft wasn't until the first round and it was a Puerto Rican high school JUNIOR named Elmer Rodriguez. He graduated in 2021 and made his debut in 2022 where he allowed just 8 earned runs in 33 innings between the Complex and Salem. Last year he was Salem's best pitcher, going 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts. This year he's 2-3 with a 2.74 ERA and it might be time to promote him to Greenville. He doesn't turn 21 until August but they're moving him along slowly. It better work out because you don't want him in the minors at 24-25 if he has nothing left to prove.


5th round - C Nathan Hickey

When Nathan Hickey was picked in the fifth round out of Florida University, he instantly became one of the top catchers in the system automatically. Unfortunately he may not be the chosen one anymore with Kyle Teel being the top ranked guy. Hickey didn't accomplish much at the Complex and Salem in 2021 but in 2022 he rebounded to crack 16 home runs and drive in 62 between Salem and Greenville. He spent 2023 in Portland where he hit just .258 but hit 15 home runs while driving in 56. Now he's in Worcester hitting just .211 with 8 home runs and 38 rbis. Kyle Teel may leapfrog him eventually but as of right now, he could be the emergency catcher in Boston if something happens to Connor Wong or Reese McGuire. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but he's one step away from the majors.

6th round - C Daniel McElveny

This might be one of Chaim Bloom's worst draft picks when all is said and done only for who was drafted around him, but I'll get to that in a second. Daniel battled a ton of injuries, playing just 43 games between the Complex and Salem in 2022. Last year he played just 9 games again and now he's healthy, but he's hitting just .189 in 29 games for Salem as a backup catcher. Sixth round picks shouldn't be expected to bring first round production but here's the kicker....McElveny was the fourth selection of the 6th round, Seattle Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo was taken 12th in the round. Carlos Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers this year at 15th. Spencer Arrighetti made his debut this year with the Houston Astros picked one slot after Rodriguez. Sox pitching prospect Dick Fitts was taken 21st in the round and another Sox prospect Taylor Broadway was taken 23rd. Not a good look when three guys picked after you have already reached the majors and two more that got traded to Boston are ranked higher than you in your own organization. Hopefully Daniel can turn it around, otherwise this could be Bloom's biggest whiff not counting Jud Fabian.

7th round - RHP Wyatt Olds

24 year old right handed pitcher Wyatt Olds was a classic case of "What were you expecting?" Olds had a horrible senior year at Oklahoma University going 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA, getting pulled from the rotation at the end of the year. Chaim Bloom took him in the seventh round anyway. He pitched in only 6 games in 2021 and was straight batting practice in 2022. He was 4-9 with a 6.01 ERA for Greenville although he allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings for Portland. In 2023 he was even worse, going 0-7 with a 8.47 ERA before getting pulled from the rotation. This year he's 1-2 with a 6.41 ERA. The guy simply is not good and Bloom knew it when he drafted him. To make matters worse, 7 picks after Olds was taken, the Washington Nationals took Jacob Young who made his MLB debut in 2023. Five picks after Young, the Houston Astros took Joey Loperfido who made his MLB debut in April of this year. Its one thing to pick a guy and he doesn't pan out, its another thing to pick a guy who wasn't good and expect anything different.

8th round - RHP Hunter Dobbins

Speaking of crapshots, the Sox took one with their 8th round pick. Hunter Dobbins showed promise at Texas Tech before his 2020 season was cut short due to Covid. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and was 0-5 with a 5.22 ERA in 17 starts for Salem in 2022. He started to turn it around in 2023 going 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA for Greenville before going 5-5 with a 4.27 ERA for Portland to end the season. This year he's 4-2 with a 4.22 ERA in 12 starts so far and a promotion to Worcester might be coming soon. Its a shame its taken him this long to get to AA, needing elbow surgery sucks.

9th round - 3B Tyler Miller

The Sox took Auburn third baseman Tyler Miller in the 9th round in 2021 and looked to be on the fast track when he hit .300 between the Complex and Salem at the end of 2021 with 3 home runs and 20 rbis. Then in 2022 he hit just .219 with 13 home runs and 59 rbis for Salem. Last year he hit .263 with just 9 home runs and 51 rbis in 91 games for Greenville. He started this year hitting .275 with 4 home runs for Greenville before getting promoted to Portland. He's played 24 games and has just 1 home run with 11 rbis while batting .247. He's been perfectly mediocre since the end of 2021 and at 24 years old, he may get leapfrogged by future picks. Least he's made it to AA, more than others on this list can say.

10th round - RHP Matt Litwicki

What an unfortunate career for 10th round pick Matt Litwicki. He pitched in just 22 games for the Indiana Hoosiers due to injuries and didn't make his Sox debut until June of 2023....where he was awful for the Complex and Salem before getting released again. He pitched in just 28 games going back to 2019 due to injuries. Just like Hunter Dobbins, Bloom drafted Litwicki knowing he was an injury risk. This one just didn't pan out.

11th round - 1B Niko Kavadas

The Sox looked to have scored with their 11th round pick when they chose hulking first baseman Niko Kavadas. He hit 24 home runs and drove in 76 runs between Greenville and Portland in 2022 and hit 22 home runs with 69 rbis between Portland and Worcester in 2023. This year he's hitting .276 with 14 home runs and 49 rbis and fans are mad that he's not in Boston. After Triston Casas went down, the Sox have relied on the trio of Bobby Dalbec, Dominic Smith and Garrett Cooper and only Smith looks even halfway competent. Maybe the Sox will come to their senses and bring up Kavadas at some point once Casas comes back. Either way, he's the closest of anyone to reach the majors of this draft group.

12th round - RHP Christopher Troye

Just like Wyatt Olds, 12th round pick Christopher Troye another guy that had sub-par stats in college when he was drafted. He allowed 31 runs in 51 innings for U-Cal Santa Barbara while having mediocre seasons in 2021 for the Complex and 2022 for Salem. He started to figure it out of the bullpen last year when he posted a 1.96 ERA for Greenville and 3.77 for Portland. This year he fell apart, allowing 12 runs in 11 innings so far this year. Compounding this is 8 picks after Troye, the Seattle Mariners took Corey Rosier who's now with Portland as well. The killer was 10 picks after Troye, the San Francisco Giants took Landen Roupp who just made his ML debut with the Giants this year. There's still time to turn it around for Troye but once again, what were the Sox expecting when looking at his college stats?

13th round - SS Zach Ehrhard

The Sox rolled the dice and crapped out with their 13th round pick, Wharton High School shortstop Zach Ehrhard. Ehrhard spurned the Sox and went to play in college for Oklahoma State. He had a good freshman year but a lousy sophomore year. He took a big step this year hitting .330 with 14 home runs and 57 rbis. One more year of this and he could be in the first five rounds of next year's draft. Hopefully he's not the next Mark Teixeira.

14th round - RHP Jacob Webb

For two years it looked like 14th round pick Jacob Webb would be the first to make the majors. He allowed 2 runs in 12 innings between the Complex and Salem to end 2021 then ended the 2022 season in Portland. Then last year he was 8-3 but had a 5.03 ERA out of the bullpen. This year he's 6-1 but with a mediocre 4.35 ERA. Going 14-4 in Portland is fine, but not with that ERA. He might get a crack at Worcester before the year is over but he looked on the fast track in 2022 only to falter this year. To make matters worse, the last pick of the 14th round was Jordan Leasure, chosen by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Leasure was traded by the Dodgers last year as part of the package for Joe Kelly and Lance Lynn from the Chicago White Sox and made his debut for the hapless ChiSox this year. Still, getting a major leaguer out of the 14th round is an accomplishment, Webb could be there eventually.

15th round - SS Payton Green

Once again the Sox wasted a draft pick when their 15th round selection, shortstop Payton Green decided to go to North Carolina State instead. After two years at NC State, he transferred to Georgia Tech this season where he hit .309 with 12 home runs and 42 rbis. Just like Ehrhard, he might increase his draft stock next year. What's worse, the Cincinnati Reds took outfielder Blake Dunn with their 15th round pick and he made his ML debut earlier this month. Another swing and a miss by Bloom.

16th round - 2B BJ Vela

Speaking of wasted picks, one of the weirdest was 16th round pick BJ Vela. Vela looked to have things figured out when he hit .342 in 21 games for the Complex but was surprisingly cut before Spring Training last year. It was never revealed why they gave up so quick on him but to make matters worse, the San Diego Padres took Gonzaga pitcher Alek Jacob with their 16th round pick. Jacob had a cup of coffee with the Padres last year making the Vela pick look even worse. Something must have happened with Vela, oh well.

17th round - RHP Luis Guerrero

The Sox finally got one right in the 17th round when they picked Luis Guerrero out of Chipola Junior College. He went 4-3 with a 4.18 ERA for Salem in 2022 before posting a 2.08 ERA for Greenville. Last year he was Portland's closer going 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA with 18 saves before getting the late call to Worcester. This year he's 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA for Worcester and just like Kavadas, Guerrero is knocking on the door to the big leagues. Not bad for a 17th round pick to be one of the closest to the majors.

18th round - OF Phillip Sikes

In the 18th round the Sox picked Texas Christian outfielder Phillip Sikes. Sikes batting average has dipped at every level. He hit .392 for the Complex in 2021 before he hit .258 in Salem & .248 in Greenville in 2022. Last year he hit .210 for Portland although he rebounded so far this year to hit .256 with 4 home runs and 19 rbis. The fact he was leapfrogged by Roman Anthony shows that this might not have been a great pick. Still, what are you expecting out of the 18th round?

19th round - RHP Tyler Uberstine

What a sad career for 19th round pick Tyler Uberstine. Just like Wyatt Olds and Christopher Troye, Tyler was a bum for Northwestern going 2-3 with a 5.82 ERA his last year in college. Tyler was 4-4 with a 4.63 ERA for Salem to start 2022 but was better in Greenville, going 1-1 with a 2.43 ERA. He started 2023 on the Injured List and had to have Tommy John surgery in June. He may not pitch this year either and its a shame, but injuries are part of the game.

20th round - SS Josh Hood

Just like Zach Ehrhard and Payton Green, Pennsylvania University infielder Josh Hood didn't sign with the Red Sox. He instead transferred to NC State and was picked by the Seattle Mariners in the 6th round of the 2022 draft. Last year he hit 13 home runs between A and A+ ball and began this year with the Everett AquaSox hitting just .237 with 6 home runs & 31 rbis. Still, to go from the 20th round to the sixth and making it to High A is nothing to sneeze at.....too bad its not with the Red Sox.

URFA - OF Kier Meredith

The Sox did sign two rookie free agents after the 2021 draft, one of which was Clemson outfielder Kier Meredith. He hit .265 for Salem in 2022 with just 1 home run and 22 rbis and .178 for Greenville in 2023 with 1 home run and 10 rbis. After the 2023 season he retired and is now a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It takes a smart man to realize he's not gonna make it and do something else, good luck to Kier as a scout.

URFA - RHP Jhonny Felix

The other undrafted free agent was right handed pitcher Jhonny Felix who went to high school in Brighton, Mass before going to West Oklahoma State. Felix was straight batting practice at every level he was at. He allowed 10 runs in 3 innings for the Complex in 2021, 42 runs in 38 innings between the Complex and Salem in 2022 and 36 runs in 45 innings for Salem in 2023 before he was mercifully released in August. Can't even be mad at the signing, he went undrafted for a reason.

That's going to do it for this 3 year look back at the 2021 draft. So far Payton Green, Josh Hood, Zach Ehrhard and Jud Fabian never signed while Matt Litwicki, BJ Vela, Kier Meredith and Jhonny Felix are gone. The two closest to the majors are Guerrero and Kavadas while Mayer is still the chosen one. Fringe guys like Webb, Dobbins, McDonough and Sikes are still out for the jury to decide. Either way, not a single guy in this draft has made the majors yet, that's an indictment on Bloom.

Game Postponed Until August (6/26/24)

Tonight's Boston Red Sox game has been suspended and postponed as apart of a doubleheader on August 26th. Here's what happened leading up to it.

                                                            So much for this one

Kutter Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Bo Bichette struck out swinging to start. Spencer Horowitz flied out to right and Vladimir Guerrero Jr walked. Justin Turner grounded out to second to end the inning. Yariel Rodriguez got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound to start. David Hamilton grounded out to second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Rafael Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

George Springer was rung up for strike three to start the top of the second before Davis Schneider drew a walk. Crawford threw a first pitch strike to Danny Jansen and that's when the came was called. The funny thing is, the game won't be played until two months from now. Who knows what will be in the lineup by then.

Despite the game being postponed, the New York Yankees lost meaning the Sox remain 43-37 but are now 8 games back of first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Friday night as the San Diego Padres come to town. Nick Pivetta (4-4, 4.06 ERA) takes on Randy Vasquez of San Diego at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Off-Day News: 2020 Draft Revisited (6/20/24)

As we are about a month out from the 2024 MLB Draft, its time to take a look at the Chaim Bloom era and the success....or lack thereof, his drafts brought to the table. The 2020 draft was the transition draft as 2019 and previous drafts were 40 rounds but the elimination of rookie league also cut 20 rounds from the draft. Then the pandemic happened and there were only 5 rounds in the 2020 draft. Let's see how Chaim Bloom did four years later even though he's no longer the Boston Red Sox GM.

1st round - INF Nick Yorke

                                                                     

With the 17th overall pick in the 2020 draft, the Red Sox took Archbishop Mitty High School third baseman Nick Yorke. Yorke was considered one of the best high school infield prospects in the draft and although he didn't get to play rookie ball in 2020, he shined in 2021. He hit .323 with 10 home runs and 47 rbis for the Salem Red Sox and .333 with four home runs and 15 rbis for the Greenville Drive. 14 homers and 62 rbis for a 19 year old sounds promising. Unfortunately competition caught up with Nick in 2022 as he hit just .232 albeit with 11 homers and 45 rbis. In 2023 he spent the entire year in Portland where he hit .268 with 13 home runs and 61 rbis. He was hitting just .251 for the Portland Sea Dogs when he got the call to Worcester this year where he's thrived. Currently he's hitting .362 with 2 homers and 9 rbis in 12 games with the WooSox. The 22 year old looks to be right on schedule when Bloom drafted him as a teenager. Now a lot of his contemporaries have already made their MLB debuts, but with the crowded infield the Red Sox have, he's more of a numbers casualty than a lack of talent. He's currently the 17th ranked prospect and the smart move would be to move Rafael Devers to the DH slot while putting Yorke at third base. That might be the end-game in 2025.

3rd round - Blaze Jordan

The Sox had no second round pick as it was forfeited due to the sign stealing accusations. Their third round pick was another teenage phenom, DeSoto Central High School third baseman Blaze Jordan. Jordan went viral as a teenager for hitting tape measure home runs at Arlington Park. Just like Yorke, he had no 2020 rookie ball season and spent 2021 playing just 28 games between Florida Complex and Salem. In 2022 he played 120 games between Salem & Greenville hitting 12 home runs and 68 rbis. In 2023 he was once again Greenville's best player, hitting .324 with 12 homers and 55 rbis before getting promoted to Portland. He hit 6 home runs and knocked in 31 runs in 49 games for a total of 18 home runs and 86 rbis. This year he's hitting .280 for Portland with 4 home runs and 27 rbis. He doesn't turn 22 until December so the Sox are bringing him along slowly. Just like Yorke, its more due to a crowded situation than a talent performance. Bloom drafting nothing but position players for four years led to a log jam. Time will tell if and when Blaze makes the majors.

4th round - LHP Jeremy Wu-Yelland

Fourth round pick Jeremy Wu-Yelland his been marred by injuries almost since day one. He graduated from Hawaii University in 2000 and made his organizational debut going 1-3 in 20 stars with Salem in 2021. Then he had Tommy John surgery in 2022 and made just 3 starts in the Florida Complex in 2023. He's only pitched in 6 games for Greenville this year with a hideous 5.68 ERA. He's already 25 years old and may get cut if he doesn't show improvement pretty soon. Too bad he got hurt.

5th round - LHP Shane Drohan

Fifth and final pick Shane Drohan has had an interesting baseball odyssey. After graduating from Florida State University, Drohan started 2021 like a house of fire going 7-4 in 23 starts with a 3.96 ERA for the Salem Red Sox. In 2022, he went 7-8 between Greenville and Portland in 25 starts. 2023 looked like a breakout season when he started 5-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 6 starts but he proceeded to crash and burn in Worcester. He went 5-7 with a 6.47 ERA in 19 starts before getting claimed by the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. He posted a 7.36 ERA with the Charlotte Knights before being returned to Boston just eight days ago. That technicality is the only reason all five draft picks are still with the organization. Whether or not he makes the majors is if he can figure out AAA pitching or not.

RFA - RHP Brian Van Belle

There were 16 rookie free agents signed after the draft but only three remain. The first is right handed pitcher Brian Van Belle. He only made 4 starts for the Miami Hurricanes in 2020 but was 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA in those games. In 2021, he was 4-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 18 starts for the Salem Red Sox and was 9-6 with a hideous 5.43 ERA combined between Greenville and Portland in 2022. He was 11-7 between Portland and Worcester last year but has been straight batting practice this season. He's 2-2 with a 6.65 ERA so far this year and at 27 years old, time's up. They got prospects coming up and they can get a 4A veteran anywhere. Still, for a guy who might have been a low round pick or still not even drafted, getting this far is an accomplishment.

RFA - RHP Robert Kwiatkowski

27 year old right handed pitcher Robert Kwiatkowski has had an unsung career for sure. He graduated from Marshall University at 23 years old and looked like a future stud when he went 6-0 with a 3.58 ERA out of the bullpen for the Salem Red Sox. Unfortunately he was batting practice for Greenville in 2022 when he went 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA out of the bullpen. In 2023 he started off slow in Greenville but rebounded in Portland posting a 3.78 ERA for the Sea Dogs. This year he's posted a mediocre 4.40 ERA out of the bullpen for Portland but did throw 6 1/3 scoreless innings for Worcester. If he stays in Worcester, he might actually be useful. Just like Van Belle, he's 27 years old and he can easily be replaced by a better prospect or a 4A pitcher.....unless he continues to get guys out in Worcester.

RFA - Catcher Juan Montero

22 year old catcher Juan Montero was an interesting project started by Bloom. He was an undrafted free agent signed at 18 out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy and only played 34 games combined in 2021 and 2022 for the Florida Complex. In 2023 he hit .247 in 23 games for Salem but is only hitting .187 in 29 games for Salem. He's still only 22 but hitting .187 in Low A ball is a bad sign. Still, to not even be drafted and going straight from PRBA to the pros is a tough process. Hopefully he turns it around, but if not, there's always another catcher to be drafted or signed.

So there's your seven prospects remaining from the 2020 draft/rookie haul. The problem was three of them (Yorke,Jordan,Montero) were out of high school when they were drafted, one of them got injured (Wu-Yelland) and the others just haven't performed good enough (Drohan/Kwiatkowski/Van Belle). It looks like Yorke will have a place if he's not traded and the word is still out on Jordan, but it doesn't look good for the others. If only one of them makes the majors, that's a bad look for Chaim Bloom's first draft. Then again, the whole season was a waste anyway with Covid. 

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in Cincinnati to face the Reds. Kutter Crawford (2-6, 3.54 ERA) looks to get Boston to six straight wins against Andrew Abbott of the Reds. The game begins at 7:10 PM Eastern time at Great American Ball Park.

Pivetta, Sox Blank Braves (6/5/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Tyler O'Neill was activated from the Injured List and his finally good to go. Tyler Heineman was sent down to Worcester as his corresponding move. Sadly Chris Martin was placed on the Injured List due to a bout with anxiety and Zack Kelly was called up from Worcester to take his place.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Sox might be depleted but Nick Pivetta (3-4, 3.40 ERA) certainly was not. He pitched arguably his best game of the season, holding the Braves to just 1 hit and 2 walks through seven shutout innings. Meanwhile the Boston bats woke up big time. The Sox rallied for three runs in the second off Spencer Schwellenbach before tagging him for three in the fifth. Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran both went yard as well before Brad Keller slammed the door in the ninth inning. The Sox had blanked the Braves 9-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Carmen Valentina approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning as Michael Harris Jr grounded out to second to start. Austin Riley grounded out to third and Marcell Ozuna struck out swinging to end the inning. Schwellenbach got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to first and Ron Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning.

Matt Olson walked to start the top of the second inning before Ozzie Albies struck out swinging. Travis d'Arnaud struck out swinging and Adam Duvall popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers pounded his 12th home run of the season to start. Tyler O'Neill singled to center, Dominic Smith walked and David Hamilton doubled home O'Neill. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to left and Reese McGuire hit a sac fly to left to score Smith. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                      Devers starts the party

Jared Kelenic grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Orlando Arcia struck out swinging. Harris watched strike three go by to end the inning. Valdez grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Refsnyder singled to center. Devers forced Refsnyder at second and O'Neill forced Devers to end the inning.

Riley singled to right to start the top of the fourth before Ozuna went down hacking. Olson popped up to second but Albies walked. D'arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning. Smith went down hacking to start the bottom of the fourth and Hamilton lined out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Duvall popped up to first to begin the top of the fifth and Kelenic grounded out to second. Arcia struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Schwellenbach to begin. Duran tripled into the centerfield triangle and Valdez doubled to right to score Jarren. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Devers was intentionally walked to get to O'Neill. Tyler found that offensive and ripped a base hit to left to score Valdez. Ray Kerr came in to face Smith and Dominic doubled to right to score Devers. Hamilton walked but Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                      Smith drives in a run

Harris flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Riley grounded out to third. Ozuna lined out to center to end the inning. McGuire grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Duran lined out to center. Valdez lined out to left to end the inning. 

Pivetta came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Olson grounded out to short to start. Albies struck out swinging and d'Arnaud flied out to center to end the inning. Pivetta was outstanding, allowing just a hit and 2 walks while striking out nine. 

                                                         Good work by Pivetta

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Refsnyder hit a ground rule double into the left field stands to start. Devers then cracked his second home of the day to extend the lead. O'Neill struck out swinging but Smith got a base hit to center. Hamilton flied out to left and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                             Devers does it again

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Bobby Dalbec in for Devers. Duvall lined out to center but JP Martinez pinch hit for Kelenic. Martinez and Arcia both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with Brian Anderson in for Riley and Jimmy Herget on the mound. McGuire flied out to right but Duran hit his 4th home run of the season to add to the lead. Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez and got a base hit to left. Refsnyder and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                                Duran goes yard

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the ninth and McGuire rolled around on top of a squibber hit by Harris for an error to start. Anderson grounded into a double play and old pal Zack Short pinch hit for Ozuna. Short flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won the game 9-0.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of The Night is Nick Pivetta. He shut out the Braves for 7 innings allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out nine.

                                                               Pivetta The Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Jamie Westbrook singled as a pinch hitter.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5 with run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brad Keller pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only at-bat.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Damn good win all things considered. That was arguably Pivetta's best start of the season pitching a 1 hitter through seven innings. He's been a .500 pitcher his whole career so expecting him to do that again next time is unfair. Still, you CAN expect the offense to put up some runs like they did in this one. Devers got some help from Duran and two big hits from Tyler O'Neill and Dominic Smith. If O'Neill could stay healthy, that would be nice. The running game didn't really take effect but they didn't need it the way everyone was swinging the bat. Even the duo of Kelly and Keller held the fort in the later innings without giving up a run. Not much to complain about in this one. The win improved the Sox to 31-31, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Chicago for a four game set with the worthless White Sox. Tanner Houck (5-5) goes for Boston against Jake Woodford of Chicago. The game begins tomorrow night at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Braves Bash Crawford, Sox (6/4/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Wilyer Abreu was placed on the 10 Day Injured List and Tyler Heineman was called up to take his place. Tyler O'Neill should be back tomorrow so Taylor's stay might be brief.

                                                                           OUT

                                                              IN

As for the game, what a disaster for the Red Sox. For five innings the Sox matched the Atlanta Braves blow by blow. The Braves tagged Kutter Crawford (2-5, 3.51 ERA) for three runs but the Sox got three of their own off ace Max Fried. The killing blow came in the sixth when Ozzie Albies struck a three run home run off Crawford to put the game out of reach. Chase Anderson allowed two runs in relief and the Sox bats could do nothing else. The Braves had won the game 8-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                Sam Winchester dislikes Sox losses

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Michael Harris Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the first inning before Austin Riley took strike three. Marcell Ozuna grounded out to third to end the inning. Fried got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Connor Wong also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second inning as Smith booted a grounder by Matt Olson for an error to start. Ozzie Albies doubled to right and Smith dropped the throw from Jamie Westbrook on an Adam Duvall grounder to score Olson and Albies. Jared Kelenic took strike three and Sean Murphy grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                    "I don't got it" - Smith

Rafael Devers led off the bottom of the second with a fly out to left. Jamie Westbrook lined out to center and Garrett Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

Orlando Arcia grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Harris Jr flied out to center. Riley struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Bobby Dalbec took strike three to start. Dominic Smith belted his second home run of the season to cut the lead but Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                That's one way to make up for the errors

Ozuna walked to start the top of the fourth before Olson grounded back to the mound to move Marcell to second. Albies struck out swinging and Duvall grounded out to third to end the inning. Refsnyder took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Wong drew a walk. Devers got a base hit to left Westbrook reached on catcher's interference, but Cooper struck out swinging. Somehow Dalbec got a base hit to right to score Devers and Wong to put Boston on top. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Dalbec gives Boston the lead

Naturally Crawford coughed up the lead in the top of the fifth as Kelenic doubled to center to start. Murphy singled off the glove of Westbrook to score Kelenic and was forced at second by Arcia. Harris hit into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Tie game

Rafaela reached on an error by Riley to start the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Duran flied out to center but Refsnyder singled to center. Wong took strike three to end the inning.

The Braves took command in the top of the sixth inning as Riley walked to start. Ozuna singled off the glove of Devers but Olson popped up to short. Albies then hit a home run all the way to Spain to put Atlanta up for good. Duvall struck out swinging and Kelenic flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 6 runs in 6 innings off five hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Yeah that'll do it

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Westbrook was hit with a pitch. Cooper and Dalbec both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Murphy grounded out to third to start. Arcia hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to increase the lead but Harris Jr grounded out to second. Riley lined out to center to end the inning with the Braves up 7-3.

                                                           So much for this game

Smith lined out to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Rafaela went down hacking as well. Duran grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ozuna flied out to center to start the top of the eighth before Olson grounded out to first. Albies grounded out to second to end the inning. Pierce Johnson relieved Fried for the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder lined out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Devers could only move Connor to second with a grounder to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning.

Anderson returned for the top of the ninth and Duvall grounded out to first to start. Kelenic struck out swinging but Murphy got hit with a pitch and had to leave the game. Zack Short came in to run for Murphy and Arcia singled to left. Harris singled to center to score Short and move Arcia to third, but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Braves up 8-3.

                                                        All Braves tonight

Travis d'arnaud took over for Short with Jesse Chavez now on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and blooped a single to left. David Hamilton pinch hit for Dalbec and flied out to left before Smith grounded into a double play to end the game. The Braves had won it 8-3.

                                                         Braves win

Jackass of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got tagged for 6 runs in 6 innings to take the loss. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5 batters.

                                                        Jackass Crawford

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked, got hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but got hit with a pitch.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but did hit a home run.

Chase Anderson allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

I know the Braves threw their ace against the Sox but the injuries on the offensive side are rearing their ugly heads big time. Tyler O'Neill, Trevor Story, Triston Casas and Vaughn Grissom all out for a while is not looking good so far. Smith, Cooper, Westbrook and Dalbec aren't going to get it done long term. Crawford got jacked up in this one although had he not served up the meatball to Albies, it might have been a different story. The bottom line is the Sox suffered way too many injuries and they're gonna have to salvage something in the second half of the year once some guys come back, because its going to be a struggle until then with no ace pitchers and bench players in the lineup. The Braves are good but the Sox are down too many guys. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-31 on the season, 12.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Nick Pivetta (3-3) takes on Spencer Schwellenbach of Atlanta. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.