Sox Fail To Rally Against Twins (5/3/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some obligatory roster moves. Triston Casas was placed on the season ending Injured List after rupturing his patella tendon in his left knee. Also Luis Guerrero was optioned down to Worcester. In their places the Red Sox called up infielder Abraham Toro to replace Casas and Brennan Bernardino to replace Guerrero. Too bad about Casas, the Sox are going to need a first baseman now.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                            IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox blew another lead in another game. This time it was the Minnesota Twins that took advantage. Hunter Dobbins (2-1, 3.78 ERA) was tagged for 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings courtesty of a Kody Clemens two run home run and Trevor Larnach rbi single. The Sox tried to fight back with a Jarren Duran rbi triple and Rafael Devers rbi single, but they couldn't deliver the knock out blow. Alex Bregman and Wilyer Abreu failed to get Devers home in the seventh, Connor Wong couldn't get Romy Gonzalez home in the eighth and Abreu failed to get Ceddanne Rafaela home in the ninth. It all added up to a 4-3 victory by the Twins over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                       "Another failed rally....."

Dobbins got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Larnach flied out to left to start. Byron Buxton struck out swinging and Carlos Correa grounded out to short to end the inning. Bailey Ober got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left before moving to second on the Alex Bregman grounder to first. Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning.

Brooks Lee flied out to left to start the top of the second before Ty France grounded back to the mound. Ryan Jeffers doubled to left but Kody Clemens lined out to short to end the inning. Trevor Story struck out swinging to open the bottom of the second before Romy Gonzalez also went down hacking. David Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning.

Harrison Bader grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Christian Vazquez grounded out to third. Larnach flied out to left to end the inning. Connor Wong struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second. Duran doubled to right and Devers singled to center to score Jarren. Bregman walked but Abreu popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Devers drives in a run

The Twins answered in the top of the fourth as Buxton singled to left to start. Corrrea forced Buxton at second and Lee doubled to right. France grounded out to second to score Correa and Jeffers grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Tie game

Story struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Gonzalez got a base hit to center. Gonzalez got thrown out at second trying to steal and Hamilton flied out to right to end the inning.

Dobbins got in trouble in the top of the fifth as Clemens grounded out to second to start. Bader got a base hit in the hole at second and Vazquez got a base hit to left. Larnach struck out swinging and Buxton walked to load the bases. Correa flied out to right to end the inning. Wong got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran popped up to second and Devers lined out to right to end the inning.

Sox manager Alex Cora struck with Dobbins too long in the top of the sixth as Lee flied out to left to start. France was hit with a pitch but Jeffers flied out to right. Unfortunately Clemens hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to put the Twins up for good. Bader got a base hit inside the bag at third and Vazquez walked before Cora FINALLY pulled Dobbins. The guy who pulls guys way too soon 90% of the time left Dobbins in to die as he'd be charged with 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Brennan Bernardino came in and Larnach got a base hit to left to score Bader. Buxton grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins up 4-1.

                                                     Dobbins ran out of gas

Bregman flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Abreu struck out swinging. Story got a base hit to left and Gonzalez got a base hit to center, but Hamilton grounded out to first to end the inning.

Correa lined out to right to start the top of the seventh and a rain delay chased Bernardino. Greg Weissert came in and Lee popped up to second. France grounded out to second to end the inning. Brock Stewart came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Wong was plunked to start. Rafaela struck out swinging but Duran tripled into the right field corner to score Wong. Devers got a base hit to center to score Duran and Griffin Jax was brought in to face Bregman. Alex forced Devers at second but Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                           Sox aren't out of it yet

Jeffers got a base hit to center to begin the top of the eighth and DaShawn Keirsey Jr ran for him. Keirsey stole second then moved to third on the Clemens fly ball to center. Bader hit a grounder to third and Keirsey was thrown out at home on the throw. Bader stole second but Vazquez lined out to second to end the inning. Cole Sands came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Story struck out swinging to start. Gonzalez and Hamilton roped back to back base hits but Wong grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Justin Wilson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Larnach struck out swinging to start. Buxton got a base hit to left but Correa forced him at second. Lee struck out swinging to end the inning. Jhoan Duran came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rafaela got a base hit to right to start. Duran grounded out to short to move Ceddanne to second but Devers struck out swinging. Bregman was intentionally walked and Abreu flied out to left to end the game. The Twins had won it 4-3.

                                                              Twins win

Jackass of The Night is Wilyer Abreu. He killed rallies all game  by going 0 for 5 with a strikeout including leaving the tying run on second in the bottom of the ninth.

                                                  Rally killing Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was 3 for 4.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was 0 for 3 but walked twice.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hunter Dobbins took the loss by running out of gas in the sixth inning. He was charged with 4 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 7 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

Well this game was a sucker punch to the gonads. The home run to Clemens changed the game but Cora keeping Dobbins in led to the fourth run to score. Still, the bats put men on base all game but they couldn't get them in when it truly counted. It was nice to see them fight back down 4-1 to get to 4-3 but they couldn't deliver the knockout blow. Its one of those games that's going to haunt them down the line if they miss the playoffs by a game or two. The Sox are going to need to get a new first baseman long term with Triston Casas out because Romy Gonzalez isn't going to cut it the whole entire season. Once again Dobbins was dealing through five but that one mistake changed everything. Just have to tip your cap to the Twins for pulling this one out. The loss dropped the Sox to 18-17, 2 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Crochet takes on Chris Paddack of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Win Game, Lose Casas (5/2/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Walker Buehler was placed on the Injured List with a bad shoulder while Blake Sabol was optioned down to Worcester. In their places the Sox activated Connor Wong from the Injured List and called up Hunter Dobbins from Worcester. Getting Wong back at least gives the Sox another bat that they're going to need.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, talk about worst case scenario. The Red Sox just got Connor Wong back from injury and Triston Casas suffered a serious knee injury in tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins. Casas was running out a routine grounder in the second inning when he tore a patella tendon in his knee. Not only is he out for this season, next year is in jeopardy as well. It overshadowed a good win where the Sox turned a 1-1 game in a hurry in the seventh inning after Brayan Bello held the Twins to 1 run. Rafael Devers drove in two big runs in the seventh, while Romy Gonzalez, Jarren Duran and David Hamilton drove in runs in the eighth to put the game away. Its a shame the Sox lost Casas because the Sox won the game 6-1.

                                                               Bye bye Casas

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trevor Larnach struck out swinging to start. Byron Buxton singled in the hole at short and Brooks Lee grounded into a double play to end the inning. Joe Ryan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to left to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Alex Bregman launched his eighth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Wilyer Abreu walked but Trevor Story flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                               Home run Bregman

Carlos Correa grounded out to short to start the top of the second before Jarren Duran made a great catch at the wall to rob Ty France of extra bases. Edouard Julien was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Things went dark in a hurry in the bottom of the second when Triston Casas went down in a heap after Joe Ryan threw wide of first for an error. Casas had to be stretchered off the field unable to put weight on his knee. Not good. Romy Gonzalez pinch ran for Casas and took second on a Connor Wong grounder to second. David Hamilton and Ceddanne Rafaela both struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                Casas is down

The Twins struck back in the top of the third as Ryan Jeffers hit a home run all the way to St. Louis to tie the game. Mickey Gasper lined out to left but Harrison Bader singled to left. Larnach lined out to left and Buxton grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Twins tie it up

Duran flied out to left to start the bottom of the third before Devers flied out to left. Bregman lined out to center to end the inning.

Lee flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Correa struck out swinging. France lined out to third to end the inning. Abreu struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Story flied out to right. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Julien grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Jeffers also grounded out to short. Hamilton threw a ball by Gasper away for an error but Bader struck out swinging to end the inning. Wong grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Hamilton beat out a bunt back to Ryan. Hamilton stole second and third base but Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran lined out to center to end the inning.

Larnach took strike three to start the top of the sixth but Buxton singled to left. Lee grounded out to second to move Buxton to second but Correa also grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Devers doubled to left to start. Bregman grounded out to short and Abreu struck out swinging, but Story singled in the hole at second. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

France flied out to center to start the top of the seventh before Julien walked. Jeffers took strike three and that was it for Bello. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 4 hits and a walk. Justin Wilson came in to pitch to Gasper, but Jonah Bride pinch hit. Julien was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

                                                                Bello deserved the win

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh with Louis Varland now on the mound. Wong got a base hit to center and Hamilton singled to left, both runners moving over on the Rafaela sacrifice bunt. Danny Coulumbe came in to pitch to Duran and Jarren struck out swinging. Devers got a base hit in the hole at second to score both Wong and Hamilton. Bregman doubled into the left field corner but Abreu popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                         Devers puts the Sox on top

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Bride struck out swinging to start. Bader took strike three but Larnach singled to center. Buxton took strike three to end the inning. Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Story got a base hit to center to begin. Story stole second and Gonzalez doubled to right to score him. Gonzalez stole third but Wong struck out swinging. Hamilton doubled to center to score Gonzalez but Rafaela flied out to center. Duran got a base hit to right to score Hamilton and Devers ripped a base hit to right. It looked like Duran scored all the way from first but Twins manager Rocco Baldelli challenged Duran was out. The call was overturned and Duran was out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                      Hamilton drives in a big run

Liam Hendriks came in to close out the top of the ninth and Lee singled to left to start. Correa struck out swinging and France grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. His 2 run single put the Sox up for good.

                                                             Hero Devers

The Good:

Alex Bregman was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Trevor Story was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with an rbi, a stolen base and a run scored.

David Hamilton was 3 for 4 with 2 stolen bases, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 4 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Justin Wilson got the final out of the seventh inning.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Liam Hendriks pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in deep trouble if Casas is out for the season. They don't have any depth at first base since they traded Niko Kavadas last July. They have plenty of outfield depth but first base is a black hole without Triston. Not only that, that's a 20 homer season that just got flushed down the toilet. How are they going to replicate that? Trouble scoring aside, that was a good win and another good showing by Bello & the bullpen. The Sox are going to need good pitching to win this season since they just lost a huge chunk of their offense. Devers, Story, Bregman and Abreu have to step up with him out. The Sox had a slow start to the season but so did everyone else. They have time to make a trade for a first baseman and climb into first place....if John Henry wants to spend the money. The win improved the Sox to 18-16, 2 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins tomorrow afternoon when Hunter Dobbins (2-0) looks to keep the momentum going against Bailey Ober of Minnesota. The game begins at 3:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Blow Another Lead To Toronto (5/1/25)

For the second straight night it looked like the Boston Red Sox were going to beat the Toronto Blue Jays. Tanner Houck held the Jays to just 4 hits and one run through 7 strong innings. Unfortunately the Sox bats could only muster 2 runs on an Alex Bregman double off Jose Berrios. Then with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Justin Slaten (0-2, 5.56 ERA) served up a 3 run meatball to Vladimir Guerrero Jr to put the game away. Yimi Garcia shut the door in the ninth and the Sox dropped their second straight game to the Blue Jays 4-2 at the Skydome.

                                                            Sox keep blowing leads

Berrios got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran led off with a base hit in the hole at short. Rafael Devers took strike three but Duran stole second. Alex Bregman struck out swinging and Daulton Varsho robbed Wilyer Abreu at the wall to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Bo Bichette grounded out to third to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr took strike three and Anthony Santander popped up to third to end the inning.

Trevor Story got a base hit in the hole at short to start the top of the second but Triston Casas grounded out to third. Story moved to second on the play but Rob Refsnyder and David Hamilton both struck out swinging to end the inning. Varsho flied out to right to start the bottom of the second but Alejandro Kirk got a base hit to left. Addison Barger lined out to second and Alan Roden struck out swinging to end the inning.

Carlos Narvaez flied out to right to start the top of the third before Duran grounded out to second. Devers got a base hit to right but Bregman flied out to left to end the inning. Ernie Clement lined out to center to start the bottom of the third before Nathan Lukes got a base hit to center. Bichette struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr went down hacking to end the inning.

Abreu took strike three to start the top of the fourth before Story grounded out to third. Casas went down swinging to end the inning. Santander got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Varsho swung at air. Kirk banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Refsnyder got a base hit to center to start. Hamilton got a base hit to right to move Refsnyder to third and David promptly stole second. Narvaez popped up to first but Duran struck out swinging. Devers walked to load the bases and Bregman doubled to left to score both Refsnyder and Hamilton. Abreu lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                         Another big hit for Bregman

Barger flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth before Roden grounded out to third. Clement grounded out to second to end the inning.

Story grounded out to to second to start the top of the sixth before Casas got a base hit to right. Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. Lukes struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Bichette grounded out to short. Guerrero Jr grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hamilton struck out swinging to begin the top of the seventh and Narvaez popped up to second. Mason Fluharty came in to pitch to Duran and Jarren flied out to center to end the inning. Houck returned for the bottom of the seventh and Santander grounded out to second to start. Suddenly Varsho hit a home run off the roof of the Skydome to cut the lead. Kirk grounded out to short but Barger was hit with a pitch. Roden grounded out to short to end the inning and that was it for Houck. He was outstanding, allowing just the home run to Varsho in 7 strong innings. He allowed 4 hits and didn't walk anyone.

                                                              Houck got it done

Devers flied out to left to start the top of the eighth and Bregman flied out to center. Abreu popped up to short to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Clement popped up to second to start. Lukes got a base hit to center and Bichette doubled him to third to put Guerrero at the plate. Rather than walk him to set up a double play, Guerrero hit a straight fastball 500 feet off the Skydome wall to put the Jays up for good. Santander popped up to short but Varsho walked. Kirk lined out to center to end the inning but the Jays were up 4-2.

                                                      Vlad does it again

Andres Gimenez came in to play third and Yimi Garcia came in to close out the top of the ninth. Story and Casas both struck out swinging before Refsnyder grounded out to first to end the game. The Jays had won it 4-2.

                                                                 Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Slaten. He served up the 3 run bomb to Guerrero that cost the Sox the game.

                                                                Jackass Slaten

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Tanner Houck tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 4 hits while striking out 6.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Two nights in a row the Sox have a lead only to piss it away. Not only that, this team does not come back when trailing either. They went right in the tank after that Guerrero home run and it sank the boat. Its a shame because that was Houck's best game of the season and Slaten was just two outs away from potentially Aroldis Chapman ending it in the ninth. As it is, its yet another frustrating loss in a season full of them. The Sox don't have to play the Blue Jays until June 27th and that's best for everyone involved at this point. The loss dropped the Sox to 17-16, 2 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East. The Sox now come home for a six game stretch and they face the Minnesota Twins tomorrow night. Brayan Bello gets the ball against Joe Ryan of Minnesota. The fame begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.