Basebawful Report of The Month

Wilyer Abreu - 12 Good, 7 Bad, 8 Ugly

Roman Anthony - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Brayan Bello - 3 Good, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jake Bennett - 1 Bad, 1 Hero

Aroldis Chapman - 10 Good,

Willson Contreras - 11 Good, 2 Bad, 9 Ugly, 2 Hero, 2 Jackass

Danny Coulombe - 4 Good, 1 Bad

Jarren Duran - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 14 Ugly, 2 Hero

Caleb Durbin - 7 Good, 8 Bad, 6 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Connelly Early - 3 Good, 2 Hero

Alec Gamboa - 1 Good

Mickey Gasper - 9 Good, 5 Bad, 3 Ugly

Sonny Gray - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero

Tyron Guerrero - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Zack Kelly - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Isiah Kiner-Falefa - 9 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly, 4 Honorable Mention

Marcelo Mayer - 9 Good, 8 Bad, 8 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Andruw Monasterio - 5 Good, 4 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Jovani Moran - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly

Carlos Narvaez - 7 Good, 2 Bad, 7 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Ceddanne Rafaela - 10 Good, 1 Bad, 12 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Tyler Samaniego - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Justin Slaten - 6 Good, 1 Jackass

Nick Sogard - 5 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Trevor Story - 3 Good, 3 Bad, 5 Ugly

Ranger Suarez - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Payton Tolle - 2 Good, 2 Ugly, 1 Hero

Ryan Watson - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly

Greg Weissert - 7 Good, 2 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Garrett Whitlock - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Connor Wong - 4 Good, 1 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Hero, 2 Honorable Mention

Masataka Yoshida - 10 Good, 5 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Hero

Most Valuable Player with 12 Good is Wilyer Abreu

The Least Valuable Players are Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer with 8 Bad

Ugliest Player of The Month is Ceddanne Rafaela with 12 Ugly

Heroes of The Month are Willson Contreras, Jarren Duran and Connelly Early with 2 Hero

Jackass of The Month is Tyler Samaniego with 3 Jackass

Honorable Player of The Month is Isiah Kiner-Falefa with 4 Honorable Mention

Sox Rally Past Guardians (5/31/26)

Wow, the Boston Red Sox suddenly can rally in the later innings. For five innings it looked like the Red Sox were headed to a heartbreaking loss as the Cleveland Guardians turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead due to a mistake and a clutch hit. Jarren Duran hit a first inning home run against Tanner Bibee but Austin Hedges hit a 2 run single off Ranger Suarez. The Sox took the lead in the top of the fifth but Masataka Yoshida lost a Jose Ramirez ball in the sun and Chase DeLauter made the Sox pay to give the Guardians the lead. The Sox then caught a break in the top of the seventh when Wilyer Abreu's bases loaded strike three pitch was called ball four since Cleveland was out of challenges. Masataka Yoshida atoned for his error with a 2 run single to give the Sox the lead. Isiah Kiner got an rbi single and Caleb Durbin continued his resurgence with a two run triple to ice the game. The trio of Tyron Guerrero, Greg Weissert and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox had won the game 9-4 at Progressive Field.

                                                      Rotta The Hutt approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time scoring in the top of the first inning when Jarren Duran clobbered the fifth pitch of the game from Tanner Bibee for his 10th home run to put the Sox on top instantly. Mickey Gasper got a base hit to center but Wilyer Abreu flied out to right. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging and Isiah Kiner-Falefa also struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Duran can't miss

Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Travis Bazzana struck out swinging to start. Jose Ramirez lined out to center and Chase DeLauter struck out swinging to end the inning.

Caleb Durbin grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Marcelo Mayer did the same. Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. The Guardians struck back in the bottom of the second as Rhys Hoskins walked to start. David Fry doubled to left and Kyle Manzardo was plunked to load the bases with nobody out. Stuart Fairchild struck out swinging but Austin Hedges got a base hit to right to score Hoskins and Fry. Brayan Rocchio grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Guardians up 2-1.

                                                            Hedges puts Cleveland on top

Carlos Narvaez got a base hit to right to start the top of the third but Duran forced him at second. Gasper struck out swinging and Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Bazzana struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third and Ramirez popped up to third. DeLauter singled to center but Hoskins struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yoshida popped up to second to start the top of the fourth and Kiner flied out to center. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning. Fry got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Manzardo flied out to right. Fairchild struck out swinging and Hedges took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Mayer singled in the hole at second to start. Wong doubled down the left field line but Narvaez took strike three. Duran walked to load the bases and Gasper hit a sac fly to left to score Mayer. Abreu got a base hit to left to score Wong but he was thrown out at second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                  Sox take the lead

The lead lasted 8 seconds in the bottom of the fifth as Rocchio doubled to right to start. Bazzana struck out swinging but Yoshida lost a fly ball by Ramirez in the sun for a "double" to score Rocchio. DeLauter got a base hit to left to score Ramirez and Hoskins doubled to left. Frye walked to load the bases, but Suarez struck out Manzardo swinging and Fairchild was rung up for strike three to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-3. That was it for Suarez as he allowed 4 runs in 5 innings off 8 hits and 2 walks.

                                                               Suarez deserved better

The Sox beat the ball in the top of the sixth as Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Kiner grounded out to short and Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning. Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Gasper muffed a throw by Durbin on a grounder by Hedges for an error. Rocchio struck out swinging and Mayer made a jumping catch on a pop up by Bazzana. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox rallied against Colin Holderman to start the top of the seventh as Mayer flied out to left to start. Wong walked and Narvaez got a base hit to right to chase Holderman. Tim Herrin came in and walked Duran to load the bases. Gasper walked and it looked like Abreu would be called out on strikes, but the umpire ruled it ball four to score Wong. The Guardians were out of challenges and Yoshida made them pay with a base hit to center to score Narvaez and Duran. Codi Heuer was brought in to face Kiner and Isiah got a base hit to center to score Abreu. Suddenly Durbin tripled down the right field line to clear the bases and ice the game. Mayer grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 9-4.

                                                         Who let HIM get hot?

DeLauter grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh and Tyron Guerrero was brought in to face Hoskins. Rhys flied out to center but Fry singled to center. Manzardo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Will Dion came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Wong popped up to first to start. Narvaez struck out swinging and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Petey Halpin pinch hit for Fairchild. Halpin flied out to left and Hedges was rung up for strike three. Rocchio got a base hit to right and Bazzana flied out to left to end the inning.

Gasper struck out looking to start the top of the ninth but Abreu got a base hit to left. Yoshida got a base hit off the glove of Bazzana but Kiner lined out to center. Durbin took strike three to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Willson Contreras now in at first. Ramirez grounded out to short but DeLauter got a base hit off of Chapman. Aroldis was ok and he struck out both Hoskins and Fry swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Masataka Yoshida. His 2 run base hit in the 7th put the Sox up for good.

                                                            Masataka Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, a home run and 2 runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Carlos Narvaez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jovani Moran got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Tyron Guerrero tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Mickey Gasper was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error, but drove in a run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Ranger Suarez allowed 4 runs in 5 innings mostly due to a blunder by Yoshida but still struck out 10 batters.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Honorable Mention:

Willson Contreras played first base in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

If the Red Sox learned how to hit, this might be a dangerous team moving forward. This is the third time in five games the Sox scored 8 or more runs. The biggest difference has been Duran and Durbin aren't completely useless anymore and guys like Gasper and Kiner have stepped up where others have failed. Its unfair to expect them to continue at this pace but Sox fans aren't expecting murderer's row from Kiner, Gasper, Wong, etc but they expect better than the first two months. Now Boston's record is pretty damn bad but keep in mind on June 29th last year they were 3 games under .500 two weeks after the Rafael Devers trade. The Sox aren't out of anything by any means, and if the offense matches the pitching, they should be a lot better than what they've shown. Suarez was mortal in this one, Yoshida's "error" didn't help, but the bullpen stepped up in this one. The Sox now face a nine game AL East gauntlet which will be a showcase on whether they can hang or not. The first big test is if they can win at home for once. The win today improved the Sox to 25-33, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action at home against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. Connelly Early (5-2, 2.95 ERA) continues his march toward AL Rookie of The Year when he takes on Shane Baz of Baltimore. The game begins at 6:45 PM at Fenway Park.

Gray, Sox Pound Guardians (5/30/26)

For the second time in four games, the Boston Red Sox actually scored some runs. This time the victim was the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland jumped on Sonny Gray (6-1, 3.06 ERA) for a run in the bottom of the first on a rbi double from Jose Ramirez, but he didn't allow a run for the next 5 innings. Meanwhile a Caleb Durbin sac fly tied the game in the top of the fourth and Connor Wong home run was overturned to a double, but still drove in the go-ahead run off Matt Fiesta in the top of the sixth. The Sox got an insurance run in the top of the eighth on a Durbin double but the ninth inning was the key. The Sox exploded for six runs with the big blow coming on a Jarren Duran 3 run blast. The Sox bullpen held the fort and the Sox had beaten the Guardians 9-1 at Progressive Field.

                                          General Dwight D Eisenhower approves of the win

Parker Messick got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela walked and Wilyer Abreu doubled to left, but Willson Contreras struck out swinging. Nick Sogard popped up to first to end the inning. The Guardians struck first against Gray in the bottom of the first as Travis Bazzana doubled to right to start. Jose Ramirez doubled to right off the glove off Contreras to put the Guardians up instantly. Chase DeLauter flied out to left, Kyle Manzardo struck out swinging and Angel Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with Cleveland up 1-0.

                                                              Guardians strike first

Andruw Monasterio flied out to right to start the top of the second and Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to left. Connor Wong lined out to center to end the inning. Daniel Schneeman lined out to third to start the bottom of the second and Petey Halpin got a base hit to right. Austin Hedges grounded out to short but Brayan Rocchio walked. Bazzana grounded out to first to end the inning.

Caleb Durbin flied out to right to start the top of the third but Duran got a base hit to right. Rafaela doubled to right but Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras was intentionally walked to get to Sogard and the gamble worked as Nick grounded out to third to end the inning. Ramirez walked to start the bottom of the third but DeLauter hit a bullet to Contreras who doubled off Jose. Manzardo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Monasterio doubled to left to start. Kiner got a base hit in the hole at short and Wong dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Durbin hit a sac fly to left to score Monasterio to tie the game. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Durbin ties it up

Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Schneeman also went down hacking. Halpin doubled to left and Hedges walked, but Rocchio forced Austin at second to end the inning.

Stuart Fairchild came in for Martinez to start the top of the fifth and Rafaela flied out to left to start. Abreu grounded out to second and Contreras lined out to right to end the inning. Bazzana grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fifth and Ramirez flied out to right. DeLauter flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox took command in the top of the sixth against Matt Festa with Marcelo Mayer pinch hitting for Sogard. Mayer walked but Monasterio took strike three. Kiner struck out swinging and it looked like Wong had jacked a two run home run....but Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt challenged it was just a double. Sure enough, replays overturned the call but it was still an rbi double since Mayer scored. Codi Heuer came in to pitch and Durbin got a base hit in the hole at third to put runners at the corners. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                     Wong with the big double

Gray returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth as Manzardo struck out swinging to start. Fairchild went down hacking and Schneeman swung at air to end the inning. Gray had traffic all game but held the Guardians to 1 run in 6 solid innings allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7.

                                                               Good work Gray

Rocchio threw a routine grounder away by Rafaela away to start the top of the seventh but Abreu flied out to left. Rafaela swiped second but Contreras grounded out to third. Rafaela swiped third and Mayer was plunked to put runners at the corners. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Monasterio and flied out to left to end the inning. Tyron Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Halpin struck out swinging to start. Hedges got a base hit to left but was forced at second by Rocchio. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten was brought in to face Bazzana and Travis doubeld to right. Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox got a big run in the top of the eighth with Shawn Armstrong on the mound as Kiner got a base hit to left to start. Wong grounded out to third but Durbin doubled to right to score Kiner. Duran lined out to center and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                       Another hit for Durbin

DeLauter lined out to center to start the bottom of the eighth and Rhys Hoskins pinch hit for Manzardo. Hoskins walked but Fairchild struck out swinging. David Fry pinch hit for Schneeeman and struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the ninth with Will Dion now on the mound. Abreu walked to start and Contreras was hit with a pitch. Dion threw to third on a grounder by Mayer but Ramirez muffed it for an error to load the bases. Yoshida walked to score Abreu but Kiner struck out swinging. Wong got a base hit to left and Fairchild threw the ball away. Two runs scored and both remaining runners were in scoring position. Durbin grounded out to short but Duran smashed his 9th home run of the year to ice the game. Rafaela struck out swinging to en the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                          Duran gets the Wally Head

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Halpin struck out swinging to start. Hedges grounded back to the mound and Rocchio grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-1.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Connor Wong. His rbi double in the 6th put the Sox up for good and he drove in 3 total runs.

                                                              Sox win

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 6 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Marcelo Mayer walked, was hit with a pitch and scored two runs.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a run.

Masataka Yoshida walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Sonny Gray got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7

Tyron Guerrero tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Justin Slaten tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Danny Coulombe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Sogard was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole 2 bases.

Wilyer Abreu was just 10 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The fact the Boston Red Sox offense may have fixed itself is sad considering May is just about over. Its a shame it took this long since the Sox season is teetering on the brink. If someone told you in late March Sonny Gray would be the team leader in wins, you'd think the season went to hell. Gray has been a rock all year and today he was solid against the Guardians. Seeing Duran and Durbin start hitting might be too little too late, but at least its happening. If the two of them continue to hit better, now you got something. The fact the Sox turned a 2-1 game into 9-1 in the final innings is also encouraging. They weren't doing that a month ago. Hopefully the pitching can hold up, the Sox get a few key guys back, and go on a tear in June. That's a lot to ask for though. The win improved the Sox to 24-33, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow afternoon against the Guardians when Ranger Suarez takes on Tanner Bibee of Cleveland. The game begins at 1:40 PM at Progressive Field.

Guardians Edge Sox (5/29/26)

Another day, another failed rally for the Boston Red Sox. Not only that, the inability for an "opener" to help Brayan Bello cost them again. Tyler Samaniego (0-3, 2.95 ERA) got hammered by the Cleveland Guardians for 4 runs in the first inning to put the Sox in a hole. The good news was the Sox rallied for 3 runs in the top of the fifth and Bello tossed 7 shutout innings....the bad news was it wasn't enough. The Guardians bullpen tossed the final 4 2/3 innings and allowed just 4 hits and no walks. The Sox got the tying run in the top of the ninth against Cade Smith but Jarren Duran struck out to end the game. The Sox had lost their 6th out of their last 7 games including this one to the Guardians 4-3 at Progressive Field.

                                                              This season in a nutshell

Slade Cecconi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran got a base hit to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded into a double play and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Samaniego got pounded in the bottom of the first as Travis Bazzana struck out swinging to start. Jose Ramirez got a base hit to left, Chase Delauter beat out a roller to third and Rhys Hoskins got a base hit to left to score Ramirez. Kyle Manzardo got a base hit to right to load the baes and Angel Martinez hit a ground ball to center...booted by Rafaela for an error to score DeLauter and Hoskins. Daniel Schneemann singled to right to reload the bases and Patrick Bailey hit a sac fly to right to score Manzardo. Brayan Rocchio struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-0.

                                                             Guardians strike early

Willson Contreras flied out to right to start the top of the second and Schneemann made a great driving catch to rob Masataka Yoshida of a hit. Mickey Gasper doubled off the lunging DeLauter but was thrown out at home when Rocchio booted a grounder by Isiah Kiner-Falefa to end the inning. Brayan Bello came in to pitch the bottom of the second and Bazzana got a base hit to center to start. Ramirez lined out to right but Bazzana stole second. DeLauter grounded out to first to move Bazzana to third and Hoskins grounded out to third to end the inning.

Marcelo Mayer was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start the top of the third and Caleb Durbin struck out swinging. Duran went down hacking to end the inning. Manzardo singled to center to start the bottom of the third and Martinez lined out to center. Schneemann grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Rafaela flied out to center to start the top of the fourth and Abreu flied out to center. Contreras singled to left and Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning. Bailey doubled to center to start the bottom of the fourth and moved to third on the Rocchio grounder to second. Bazzana struck out swinging and Ramirez lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Gasper got a base hit to right to start. Kiner got a base hit to left and Mayer got a base hit to right to score Gasper. Durbin doubled to right to score Kiner and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Mayer. That was it for Cecconi as Colin Holderman came in to face Rafaela and Ceddanne grounded out to short to move Durbin to third. With a chance to tie the game....Abreu grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                          Durbin gets the Sox closer

DeLauter got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fifth but Hoskins flied out to center. Manzardo flied out to right and Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Contreras was rung up for strike three to start the top of the sixth and Yoshida grounded back to the mound. Tim Herrin came in to face Gasper and Mickey lined out to left to end the inning. Schneeman grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the sixth and Bailey's bunt attempt was also snuffed out by Bello. Rocchio struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kiner popped up to second to start the top of the seventh but Mayer got a base hit to third to chase Herrin. Shawn Armstrong came in and Durbin grounded back to the mound to move Mayer to second. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Bazzana grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Ramirez struck out swinging. DeLauter grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela popped up to first to start. Abreu popped up to short but Contreras got a base hit to center. Nick Sogard ran for Contreras and Yoshida got a base hit to right to move Nick to third. With the tying run at third.....Gasper grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Hoskins flied out to right to start. Manzardo struck out swinging and Manzardo did the same. Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. Bello was outstanding in his piggyback role, firing seven shutout innings allowing just 4 hits and no walks.

                                                                 Bello was great

Cade Smith came in to close out the top of the ninth and Kiner got a base hit to center to start. Mayer struck out swinging and Durbin was called out on strikes. Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The Guardians had won 4-3.

                                                            Guardians win

Jackass of The Night is Tyler Samaniego. He allowed 4 runs in the first inning to put the game out of reach right off the bat.

                                                                  Jackass Samaniego

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4.

Mickey Gasper was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Brayan Bello tossed 7 shutout innings allowing just 4 hits while striking out 5.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in run.

Honorable Mention:

Nick Sogard played first in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said about this god awful season besides nothing went right? Guys like Trevor Story, Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet got hurt, they can't score and now they can't even get an opener for Brayan Bello. The fact Bello is so mentally fragile that he needs an opener is embarrassing in itself. The bottom line is the Sox have lost their lost 5 out of their last 6 games by two runs or less meaning they just can't get a hit when it truly matters. The lack of power on this team is disturbing considering some of these guys had no problem last year. Abreu hit 22 home runs last year and he may not come close to that, Durbin hit 11 last year and that seems impossible and Duran has completely evaporated. If the Sox just played to where they were last year, they'd be better off. The less said of this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 23-33, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Guardians when Sonny Gray (5-1) takes on Parker Messick of Cleveland. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Progressive Field.

Sox Bullpen Implodes Against Braves (5/28/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Garrett Whitlock has been placed on the Injured List after he tripped and fell off the mound in his last appearance. In his place the Sox called back up Tyler Samaniego. Normally jamming your knee would fix itself in a matter of days, but knowing this year's Red Sox team, he'll be out until August.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                IN

As for the game, its been a theme the past week for the Red Sox bullpen to collapse into itself and tonight against the Atlanta Braves was no different. The Sox fought to a 2-2 tie with the Atlanta Braves with rookie Payton Tolle matching zeroes with former Sox ace Chris Sale. Then in the top of the sixth, Danny Coulombe and Greg Weissert allowed 5 runs combined to put the game away. Jovani Moran and Ryan Watson were tagged for 3 runs combined as well while Sale was relieved by a flawless Braves bullpen. The Braves tossed 4 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits while the Sox allowed 8 runs off 6 hits and 3 walks as Atlanta took this one 10-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                            Red Sox fans have had enough

Tolle got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ronald Acuna Jr struck out swinging to start. Mauricio Dubon popped up to second and Matt Olson lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally against Sale in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran grounded out to short to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right but Wilyer Abreu doubled to left. Willson Contreras walked but Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ozzie Albies struck out swinging to open the top of the second and Austin Riley did the same. Michael Harris grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Nick Sogard grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third but the alert Isiah Kiner-Falefa challenged a strike three call and won, earning a walk. Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging but Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center to move Kiner to third. Naturally with a runner on third, Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Braves almost struck first in the top of the third as Jorge Mateo doubled to center to start. Dominic Smith grounded out to second to move Mateo to third but Sandy Leon struck out swinging. Acuna walked and stole second, but Dubon flied out to left to end the inning. Rafaela doubled to left to start the bottom of the third and Abreu dropped down a bunt to move him to third. Contreras was hit with a pitch but Monasterio struck out swinging. Sogard grounded out to second to end the inning. 

The Braves struck first in the top of the fourth as Olson singled to center to start. Albies doubled to left but Riley struck out swinging. Harris grounded out to second but Mateo got a base hit off of Tolle to score Olson. Smith blooped a base hit to left to score Albies but Leon struck out swinging to end the inning with the Braves up 2-0.

                                                            It had to be him?

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Kiner walked to start. Narvaez lined out to center but Durbin doubled to left to score Kiner. Duran got a base hit to left to score Durbin but Rafaela struck out swinging. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                                     Durbin ties it

Acuna Jr walked to start the top of the fifth but Dubon popped up to first. Olson struck out swinging and here came Sox manager Chad Tracy to a chorus of boos. Once again pulling an Alex Cora by yanking a guy too early, Tolle allowed 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings. Tyron Guerrero came in and Albies beat out a roller to third. Acuna stole third but Riley grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                               Got pulled too soon

Contreras got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Monasterio took strike three. Sogard struck out swinging and Contreras was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

Danny Coulombe came in to crap his pants in the top of the sixth as Harris caught Durbin asleep with a bunt single to start. Mateo and Smith drew back to back walks to load the bases and chase Coulombe. Geeg Weissert came in to face pinch hitter Eli White, so the Braves countered by pulling White for Mike Yastrzemski. Naturally Yaz walked and Acuna hit a grand slam to ice the game as Fenway booed. Dubon flied out to center, Olson flied out to left and Albies also flied out to left to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-2.

                                                               What a disaster

Chadwick Tromp took over behind the plate with Tyler Kinley on the mound for the bottom of the sixth. Kiner got a base hit in the hole at short to start but Narvaez struck out swinging. Durbin flied out to left and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to take a beating in the top of the seventh as Riley took strike three to start. Harris hit a home run all the way to the Hoth System but Mateo struck out swinging. Smith flied out to center to end the inning with the Braves ahead 8-2.

                                                                Home run Harris

Reynaldo Lopez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela flied out to right to start. Abreu grounded out to third and Contreras lined out to short to end the inning.

Tromp grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Acuna grounded out to third. Dubon lined out to a sliding Rafaela to end the inning. Monasterio flied out to right to start the bottom of the eighth and Marcelo Mayer pinch hit for Sogard. Mayer flied out to right but Kiner got a base hit to right. Narvaez lined out to left to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth and Olson doubled to center to start. Albies then hit a home run all the way to New Hampshire to wrap up the scoring. Riley took strike three, Harris grounded out to second and Mateo flied out to center to end the inning with the Braves up 10-2.

                                                            Braves pour it on

Dylan Dodd came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Durbin popped up to first to start. Duran struck out swinging and Rafaela did the same to end the game. The Braves had won it 10-2.

                                                             Braves win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He put the game out of reach by allowing a run via walk and a grand slam to Acuna.

                                                                  Jackass Weissert

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch and stolen base.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Tyron Guerrero got the final out of the fifth inning.

The Bad:

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Nick Sogard was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 1

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Danny Coulombe was charged with 3 runs in the sixth inning

Ryan Watson allowed 2 runs in an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Payton Tolle allowed 2 runs in just 4 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Sox fans have had enough of this team and we're only two months into the season. The offense started coming around and then the bullpen faltered. Now it was both in today's game, the Sox scored just 2 runs while allowing 10. This time it was the middle relievers that got lit up and the Sox bats took the night off once the Braves took the lead. How many more games are Sox fans going to put up with this before Fenway starts to empty? Its clear no one wants to see this team lose night after night so what are they going to do about it? Are the front office going to throw Craig Breslow the GM under the bus or are they going to blow the team up? They already fired the manager so you can't blame Alex Cora and his staff anymore. Somebody has to pay for this and the question is who and when.  The loss dropped the Sox to 23-32, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Cleveland for a three game set with the Guardians beginning tomorrow evening. Tyler Samaniego (0-2) is the opener for Brayan Bello against Slade Cecconi of Cleveland. The game begins at 8:10 PM eastern time at Progressive Field.

Early, Sox Blank Braves (5/27/26)

Looks like the Boston Red Sox bats finally woke up. Recently they've been scoring more runs but the pitching hasn't held up, tonight it did. Connelly Early (5-2, 2.95 ERA) tossed one of his best games of the season against one of the best teams in the league. Early held the Atlanta Braves to just 4 hits in 7 shutout innings as the bats finally woke up. The Sox rode a 6 run bottom of the fourth with Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu both driving in a pair of runs. Marcelo Mayer drove in a run in the bottom of the seventh and a suddenly hot Jarren Duran pounded yet another home run in the bottom of the eighth. In one of their only complete games of the season, the Sox cruised to an 8-0 victory over Atlanta at Fenway Park.

                                                           Ward approves of the win

Early got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ronald Acuna Jr walked to start. Acuna stole second and Mauricio Dubon reached when Marcelo Mayer booted a grounder for an error. Matt Olson popped up to third and Ozzie Albies grounded into a double play to end the inning. Elder got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right and promptly stole second. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to third but Willson Contreras got a base hit to left. Chad Epperson waived Rafaela home despite Ceddanne not even around third yet and he was thrown out easily to end the inning.

Austin Riley walked to start the top of the second and Michael Harris struck out swinging. Jorge Mateo got a base hit to right but Ha-Seong Kim flied out to center. Chadwick Tromp struck out swinging to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Mickey Gasper flied out to left. Nick Sogard dropped down a bunt and Elder threw the ball away allowing Nick to reach third. Naturally with a man on third, Mayer flied out to right to end the inning.

Acuna struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Dubon lined out to left. Olson walked but Albies grounded out to second to end the inning. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third but Duran got a base hit to center. Rafaela got a base hit to center and naturally with a runner in scoring position, Abreu lined out to left. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning as Fenway booed like crazy.

Riley struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Harris grounded out to second. Mateo got a base hit to left and Kim flied out to center to end the inning. Yoshida got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Gasper walked. Sogard dropped down a bunt to move the runners over but naturally with runners in scoring position....Olson booted an easy grounder by Mayer to score Yoshida and move Gasper to third. Somehow Kiner got a base hit to left to score Gasper and Duran got a base hit to left to load the bases. Rafaela got a base hit to left and Tromp booted it to score Mayer and Kiner, moving Duran to third. Dylan Dodd came in to pitch and a wild pitch moved Rafaela to second, then Abrey got a base hit to center to score both runners. Abreu stole second but Conteras popped up to short. Yoshida lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                 Rafaela with the MEAN look in his eyes

Tromp flied out to right to start the top of the fifth and Acuna grounded out to second. Dubon flied out to center to end the inning. Carlos Carrasco came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Gasper lined out to right to start. Sogard grounded out to second but Mayer got a base hit to right. Kiner popped up to second to end the inning.

Olson lined out to center to start the top of the sixth but Albies got a base hit to right. Riley and Harris both struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Rafaela flied out to center. Abreu lined out to left but Contreras took strike three to end the inning.

Early returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh as Mateo grounded out to third to start. Kim struck out swinging but Tromp doubled off the glove of Abreu. Acuna lined out to right to end the inning. Early was awesome, pitching 7 shutout innings allowing just 4 hits and 3 walks.

                                                            Fantastic stuff

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Yoshida lined out to left to start. Gasper got a base hit to center then moved to second on the grounder to second by Sogard. Mayer got a base hit to right to score Gasper but Kiner struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                     Mayer needed that one

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Dubon got a base hit to center to start. Olson lined out to right but Albies walked. Riley flied out to center and Harris lined out to second to end the inning. The Sox put the exclamation point on in the bottom of the eighth when Duran jacked his 8th home run of the season to start. Rafaela grounded out to first, Abreu also grounded out to first and Contreras grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                       Duran gets the Wally Head

Watson returned to close out the top of the ninth and Mateo flied out to center to start. Kim struck out swinging and Tromp lined out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-0.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Connelly Early. He tossed 7 shutout innings allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7

                                                        Hero Early

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 4 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Mickey Gasper was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Nick Sogard was 1 for 3.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Ryan Watson tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored.

Final Thoughts:

Now that's more like it. Amazing what happens when your leadoff hitter does his job and there aren't three automatic outs in the lineup. Not that Nick Sogard, Mickey Gasper and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are going to be all-stars but compared to what Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin and the team of Carlos Narvaez & Connor Wong were doing, its an improvement. Duran's resurgence was badly needed with the season slipping away and the addition by subtraction has gotten the Sox more runs lately. Connelly Early might not get the Cy Young award with too many no-decisions but AL Rookie of The Year is definitely in play. Long starts like his shorten the game and save the bullpen which was badly needed. Being 8 games under .500 at the end of May would normally be a death knell but this team would be a hell of a lot better if they consistently scored runs. They've scored 14 runs the past two games and while tomorrow's starter makes it unlikely they'll score a lot in the third game, but its better than usual. The Sox have a tall task if they want to take the series against Atlanta tomorrow, old pal Chris Sale awaits. Standing in his way is Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.45 ERA) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Falls Short To Braves (5/26/26)

The 2026 Boston Red Sox might be cursed. Lately the Sox have been blowing the games in the middle innings only to fall short in the eighth or ninth inning. Tonight's game against the Atlanta Braves was no different. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead over Spencer Strider only for Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.02 ERA) to cough it up. The Braves scored 5 runs off Suarez in the fifth and sixth innings to give the Braves a commanding lead. The Sox pulled within 5-4 going into the eighth but Michael Harris hit a 2 run hiome run against Tyron Guerrero to pull away. The Sox rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the tying run at third, but Wilyer Abreu failed to drive it in as the Braves took the game 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                              Another failed rally

Ronald Acuna Jr grounded out to short to start the top of the first and old farmhand Mauricio Dubon flied out to center. Matt Olson grounded out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Strider when Jarren Duran led off with his 7th home run of the year. Ceddane Rafaela responded with his 5th home run of the season gor back to back jacks. Wilyer Abreu flied out to right, Willson Contreras popped up to third and Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                           Back to back home runs

Ozzie Albies grounded out to third to start the top of the second but Austin Riley walked. Eli White flied out to center but Michael Harris singled to right. Ha-Seong Kim struck out swinging to end the inning. Mickey Gasper walked to start the bottom of the second but Nick Sogard took strike three. Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging and Isiah Kiner-Falefa popped up to first to end the inning. 

Old pal Sandy Leon popped up to short to start the top of the third and Acuna struck out swinging. Dubon singled to right and Olson was hit with a pitch, but Albies flied out to center to end the inning. Duran lined out to left to start the bottom of the third and Rafaela grounded out to second. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning.

Riley struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and White grounded out to third. Harris singled to center but Kim grounded out to third to end the inning. Contreras got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Yoshida struck out swinging. A wild pitch moved Willson to second and Gasper took strike three. Sogard flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Braves fought back in the top of the fifth as Leon popped up to first to start.  Acuna Jr took strike three but Dubon walked. Olson then hit a home run to Saturn to tie the game. Albies flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                                  Braves tie it

Mayer flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Kiner walked. Duran struck out swinging and Kiner stole second, then took third when the throw got away. Naturally Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Braves finished off Suarez in the top of the sixth as Riley tripled to left to start. White walked and Harris hit a ground rule double into the bullpen to chase Ranger. He got clobbered for 5 runs in 5 plus innings off 6 hits and 3 walks. Greg Weissert came in and Kim grounded out to third. Old friend Dominic Smith pinch hit for Leon and grounded out to first to score White. Acuna got a base hit to left to score Harris but Dubon took strike three to end the inning with the Braves ahead 5-2.

                                                        "I sucked this time" - Suarez

Chadwick Tromp took over behind the plate for the bottom of the sixth and Abreu walked to start. Didier Fuentes came in to face Contreras and Willson singled to right. Yoshida walked to load the bases but Gasper grounded into a double play to score Abreu. Dylan Lee came in to face Sogard and Nick grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                           Sox get a run back 

Danny Coulombe came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Olson popped up to third to start. Albies lined out to short and Riley struck out swinging to end the inning. Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Mayer to start the bottom of the seventh and flied out to center. Somehow Kiner-Falefa belted his first home run of the year to cut the lead. Duran lined out to right and Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 5-4.

                                                          Sox back within a run

Just when the Sox were back in it, Tyron Guerrero came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Mike Yastrzemski pinch hit for White. Yaz singled to left and Harris hit a home run all the way to New Brunswick to ice the game. Kim struck out swinging, Tromp took strike three and Acuna grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-4.

                                                                     That'll do it

Robert Suarez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Contreras popped up to second and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. 

Dubon grounded back to the mound to start the top of the ninth and Olson took strike three. Albies was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Raisel Iglesias came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Gasper singled to center to start. Sogard doubled to left but Monasterio took strike three. Kiner got a base hit to center to score both runners and Duran got a base hit to right. Rafaela forced Duran at second and Abreu grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Braves had won 7-6.

                                                                Braves win

Jackass of the Night is Tyron Guerrero. Giving up those two runs put the game out of reach.

                                                         Jackass Guerrero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4.

Mickey Gasper was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run, stolen base and 3 total rbis.

Danny Coulombe pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Ranger Suarez took the loss by allowing 5 runs in 5 plus innings off 6 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Greg Weissert allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in the sixth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Another kick to the gonads in a season full of them. Now all of a sudden the Sox can score runs but not prevent them anymore. If that isn't a sign to start blowing it up, I don't know what is. I said the Sox were a good offense away from first place but bad pitching away from the 1962 Mets. Now we're reaching 62 Mets territory with the Sox finding ways to lose night after night. They can't get a clutch hit with the game on the line and now the middle relief is getting lit up. Tyron Guerrero is a career minor leaguer, and if his 100 mph fastball is straight, what good is he? Just another Jordan Hicks or Kaleb Ort. Suarez didn't look good tonight but the rotation hasn't looked good all week. If the Sox are crashing back to earth on the pitching side, get ready to be the worst team in baseball. Colorado Rockies be damned. The loss dropped the Sox to 22-31, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to snap their four game skid tomorrow night when Connelly Early (4-2) takes on Bryce Elder of Atlanta. The game begins at 6:40 PM at Fenway Park.