Cease, Jays Blank Sox (7/25/26)

If the Boston Red Sox needed a reminder that they miss Garrett Crochet, they got one courtesy of the Toronto Blue Jays. In a battle of two AL Cy Young candidates, Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays put a cigarette out on Sonny Gray (12-2, 2.78 ERA) and the heads of the Red Sox. Cease tossed a complete game 1 hit shutout while allowing just 3 walks. Meanwhile the Jays ripped Gray a new bunghole in the third inning scoring 5 runs to put the game out of reach. Alec Gamboa heroically tried to keep the Sox in the game for a comeback that never happened. Gamboa allowed a ninth inning rbi to Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Cease finished the job in the bottom of the ninth. The Jays had blanked the Red Sox 6-0. How many Sox did the Sox score John Cena?

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nathan Lukes grounded back to the mound to start. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third and Kazuma Okamoto struck out swinging to end the inning. Cease got the ball in the bottom of the first and Anthony Seigler popped up to third to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short and Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. 

The Jays blew a rally in the top of the second as George Springer got a base hit to left to start. Daulton Varsho got a base hit to right but Ernie Clement lined out to left and Springer got doubled off second on a line drive to Rafaela by Yohendrick Pinanfo to end the inning. Willson Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida flied out to center. Caleb Durbin popped up to second to end the inning. 

The Jays struck first in the top of the second as Andres Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Brandon Valenzuela grounded out to second but Lukes doubled to left. Guerrero effortlessly singled to left to score Lukes, putting the Jays up for good. Okamoto beat out a roller to third  and Springer hit a home run all the way to Mexico to ice the game. Varsho got a base hit to center and Clement doubled to left to score him as the boos rained down. Pinango struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.

                                                             Springer ends it early

The Sox gave up in the bottom of the third as Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Andruw Monasterio flied out to center and Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Gimenez got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Valenzuela lined out to right. Lukes grounded out to first and Guerrero got a base hit to left. Gimenez tried for home but Duran threw him out at the plate to end the inning. Seigler flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela grounded back to the mound. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Okamoto grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Springer lined out to third. Varsho lined out to left to end the inning. That was it for Gray who got rocked for 5 runs in 5 innings off 10 hits.

                                                              Gray gets pounded

Contreras struck out swinging to start. Yoshida grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Alec Gamboa came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Clement beat out a roller to start. Myles Straw pinch hit for Pinango and struck out swinging. Gimenez struck out swinging but Clement stole second in the process. Valenzuela hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Monasterio broke up the perfect game with a double to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Wong grounded out to short. Rafaela popped up to second to end the inning. 

Lukes struck out swinging to start but Guerrero Jr walked and Okamoto banged into a double play to end the inning. Abreu grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Contreras walked. Yoshida flied out to right and Contreras got caught stealing second to end the inning. 

Springer grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Varsho lined out to center. Clement singled to left but Straw flied out to right to end the inning. Durbin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Duran took strike three. Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gimenez beat out a roller to short to start the top of the ninth but Valenzuela struck out swinging. Lukes doubled to left and Guerrero Jr singled off Gamboa to score Gimenez. Okamoto struck out swinging and Springer took strike three to end the inning with the Jays up 6-0.

                                                                Guerrero Jr drives in a run

Cease came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Wong struck out swinging to start. Seigler walked but Rafaela took strike three. Abreu took strike three to end the game. The Jays had won it 6-0.

                                                         Blue Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Sonny Gray. He got lit up for 5 runs in 5 innings off 10 hits.

                                                                 Jackass Gray

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Caleb Durbin wad 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Alec Gamboa allowed a run in 4 innings of work.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 3 with a strikeout with a walk.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a wakeup call for not just the Red Sox players but the front office as well. Cease is a real ace and guys like him and the Cam Schittler of the New York Yankees are going to be what you face in October. In order to beat those guys you need elite bats, which they don't have. Breslow has a week before the deadline to go get a bat, preferably right handed. If Trevor Story's not coming back until the end of August, you can't afford to wait that long to see if anyone else steps up. The Sox need some help right away so Breslow has about a week to do something. Otherwise you're banking on Roman Anthony and Triston Casas to come back and that hasn't worked out for the past year at all. As for the fans that want the Sox to sell, that's not happening. The bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays won but the good news is they beat the Cleveland Guardians so the Sox didn't lose any ground in the wild card race. The Sox still have two months to make a run at Tampa but they're right in the thick of things right now. Just the more reason to buy at the deadline instead of sell. Just tip your cap to Cease and say "ya got me" because that was a hell of a performance. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-50, 8 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when Ranger Suarez comes off the Injured List to face Kevin Gausman of Toronto. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Rivera Routed, O's Snap Streak in Game 2 (7/22/26)

Before Game 2 of the doubleheader the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Alec Gamboa was called up to be the 27th man for tonight only.

                                                                            IN

As for the game, all good things must come to an end and the Red Sox 15 game win streak was snapped by the Baltimore Orioles. Ranger Suarez had a cold so the Sox sent Eduardo Rivera (0-1, 6.30 ERA) to be the opener and it backfired. Rivera allowed 4 runs without even getting out of the first inning. Meanwhile Kyle Bradish held the Sox bats to just 1 run and 4 hits as the offense finally crashed down to earth. Brayan Bello tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings but Jovani Moran allowed the final run. The bats did nothing and the pitching wasn't good enough as the Orioles won the second game of the doubleheader 5-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                         So much for the streak

Rivera got the ball to start the top of the first inning and crapped his pants. Taylor Ward flied out to right but Pete Alonso hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Gunnar Henderson walked and Tyler O'Neill beat out a roller to Caleb Durbin to load the bases. Somehow Christian Encarnacion-Strand struck out swinging but a wild pitch scored Alonso and a base hit to center by Dylan Beavers scored the other two runners. Jonathan Rodriguez doubled to left to score Beavers and effectively end the game just like that. Jackson Holliday walked and Rivera got booed as Sox manager Chad Tracy yanked him. Brayan Bello came in and Chadwick Tromp grounded out to third to end the inning with the game already over 4-0 Orioles.

                                                          O's end it early

Bradish got the ball in the bottom of the first and Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Ward was hit with a pitch to start the top of the second but Alonso lined out to short. Henderson grounded into a double play to end the inning. Willson Contreras flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second. Caleb Durbin walked but Jarren Duran lined out to left to end the inning.

O'Neill got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but Strand struck out swinging. Rodriguez and Holliday both struck out swinging to end the inning. Colton Cowser came in for O'Neill to start the bottom of the third and Andruw Monasterio got a base hit to left....but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Carlos Narvaez flied out to center and Seigler struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tromp struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Ward got a base hit to right. Alonso took strike three but Ward stole second. Henderson was hit by a pitch and Cowser walked to load the bases...but Strand lined out to center to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Rafaela grounded out to short to start. Abreu struck out swinging but Contreras hit a ground rule double into the bullpen. Yoshida got a base hit to left to score Contreras but Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                            Yoshida isn't ready to quit

Beavers flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Rodriguez got a base hit to right. Holliday grounded into a double play to end the inning. Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth but Monasterio singled to left. Narvaez struck out swinging and Seigler grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Tromp grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Ward grounded out to third. Alonso grounded out to short to end the inning. Yeoman's effort from Bello to toss 5 1/3 shutout innings after Rivera left a mess.

                                                       Bello did well

Rafaela flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Abreu flied out to left. Contreras was plunked but Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. How do you let the 6-9 Kyle Bradish toss 6 innings of 1 run ball?

Jovani Moran came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Henderson tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. A wild pitch scored Henderson and Cowser walked. Strand dropped down a bunt to move Cowser to second and Colton moved to third on a grounder to first by Beavers. Rodriguez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-1.

                                                             It was Baltimore's night

Yennier Cano came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Durbin grounded out to short to start. Duran grounded out to first and Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Holliday got a base hit to right to start. Tromp flied out to right, Ward flied out to left and Alonso grounded out to short to end the inning. Andrew Kittredge came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jahmai Jones pinch hit for Narvaez. Jones struck out swinging but Seigler got a base hit to center. A passed ball moved Seigler to second but Rafaela flied out to center. Abreu also flied out to center to end the inning. 

Alec Gamboa came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Connor Wong now behind the plate. Henderson grounded out to second, Cowser struck out swinging and Strand popped up to second to end the inning. Tyler Wells came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Contreras was hit with a pitch again. Yoshida flied out to left, Durbin popped up to short and Duran popped up to second to end the game. The 15 game win streak was over as the O's won the game 5-1.

                                                               O's win

Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rivera. He put the Sox in a 4 run hole they couldn't climb out of

                                                               Jackass Rivera

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 1 for 2 with 2 hit by pitches and a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 3.

Brayan Bello tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings allowing 4 hits and a walk.

Ryan Watson pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Alec Gamboa pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Jahmai Jones struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout. 

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

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the final inning.

Final Thoughts:

That was one of the worst losses of the season for all the wrong reasons. 15 game win streak down the drain because Ranger Suarez couldn't pitch with the sniffles and Brayan Bello doesn't have the mental capacity to start the first inning. It should never have come to Eduardo Rodriguez starting the second game of a doubleheader to keep a 15 game win streak alive. Kyle Bradish has nine losses on the season but his ERA is on par with guys like Suarez and Payton Tolle, meaning he was bound to pitch a good game. The bats just didn't have it tonight and now the idiotic Sox fans that want to sell and blow the team up have all the ammo they need to get that wagon train moving again. There's still over a week before the deadline and another win streak would shut them up big time. The bloom appears to be off the rose for Anthony Seigler and the Sox need to do something about Narvaez and Duran because they're giving the Sox almost nothing. At least with Narvaez you can start Connor Wong but Duran is a black hole and without Roman Anthony, there's not much you can do there. The win streak and winning 20 out of 22 games brought the season back from the brink and they're still the third wild card team by 2 games over Seattle and still 1 behind the Cleveland Guardians for the 2nd spot. The New York Yankees are only 4.5 ahead of them as well so this season is not over yet. The loss dropped the Sox to 52-49, 7 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night against the last place Toronto Blue Jays. Both pitchers have yet to be determined but the game starts at 7:15 PM at Fenway Park.

Bennett, Sox Crush Rays in Game 1 (7/17/26)

During the all-star break the Boston Red Sox made roster moves. The Sox sent a Player To Be Named Later to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Jahmai Jones. He's hitting just .137 this season which is why he was available. The only silver lining is he can hit lefties so if they want a platoon with him and Masataka Yoshida, why not? To make room for Jones, the Sox sent Nate Eaton back to Worcester. Alec Gamboa was recalled to be the 27th man for the double-header and the Worcester Red Sox released veteran catcher Matt Thaiss. He was hitting .201 for Worcester so no loss there. Lastly, the Sox signed undrafted rookie free agent Jorhan Castro, an 18 year old catcher out of San Angel David in Puerto Rico. Why not?

                                                                           IN

                                                                          IN

As for the game, contrarian Red Sox fans were sure the Sox would stumble out of the gate against the first place Tampa Bay Rays. Instead the Sox beat the living daylights out of the Rays in Game 1 of today's doubleheader. Jake Bennett (5-3, 2.35 ERA) tossed 6 shutout innings off just one hit and a walk in just 65 pitches. The Boston bats woke up against Griffin Jax by pounding him for 7 runs. The Boston bats erupted for 10 runs off 15 hits with some highlights including home runs from Carlos Narvaez and Masataka Yoshida. Caleb Durbin got 3 big hits to continue his resurgence as the Sox opened the second half in style with a 10-0 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                   Team Spain approves of the win

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz took strike three to start. Jonathan Aranda walked but Junior Caminero lined out to center. Ryan Vilade flied out to left to end the inning. Jax got the ball in the bottom of the first and Anthony Seigler grounded out to first to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonny DeLuca lined out to center to start the top of the second and Chandler Simpson grounded out to short. Ben Williamson grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center. Masataka Yoshida poked a double down the third base line but Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging. Jarren Duran hit a 420 foot out to centerfield to score Durbin. Carlos Narvaez blooped a base hit over the head of Williamson to score Yoshida but Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Sox strike first

Taylor Walls grounded out to third to start the top of the third and Nick Fortes flied out to left. Diaz lined out to left to end the inning. Seigler poked a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third but was forced at second by Rafaela. Rafaela stole second and moved to third on the Abreu grounder to short. Durbin popped up to center to end the inning.

Aranda flied out to center to start the top of the fourth but Caminero singled to left. Vilade popped up to second and the alert Durbin snuffed out a DeLuca bunt attempt to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Yoshida tucked a home run inside the Pesky Pole to start. Gonzalez struck out swinging, Duran lined out to left and Narvaez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Yoshida gets the Wally Head

Duran made a great sliding catch to rob Simpson to start the top of the fifth and Williamson failed an ABS challenge on strike two only to be called out for strike three on a pitch that actually missed. Walls flied out to right to end the inning. Cheng popped up to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Seigler got a base hit to center. Vilade made a great sliding catch to rob Rafaela of a hit and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Fortes got hit with a pitch to start the top of the sixth but Diaz flied out to right. Aranda took strike three and Caminero popped up to right to end the inning. Due to what happened in the bottom of the sixth, that was it for Bennett after just 65 pitches. He allowed just a hit and a walk in six shutout innings.

                                                     "First place Rays my ass" - JB

Durbin was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida drilled a base hit to center to move Durbin to third. Gonzalez walked to load the bases and Williamson failed to come up with a grounder by Duran for a "single" to score both Durbin and Yoshida. Chris Roycroft came in to pitch to Narvaez and Carlos caught the Rays asleep with a bunt that drew in Roycroft and Aranda. Fortes threw the ball to Williamson and Ben never even put his glove out for an error to score Gonzalez, moving Duran to third. Cheng then dropped down a bunt that Fortes THOUGHT went foul but stayed on the line, scoring Duran. Seigler grounded into a double play but Rafaela doubled off the Monster to score Narvaez. Abreu was intentionally walked for some baffling reason and Durbin got a seeing eye single to right to score Rafaela. Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 9-0.

                                                                All Sox today

With a huge lead and a doubleheader tonight, Alec Gamboa was brought in to pitch the top of the seventh. Vilade grounded out to second to start and DeLuca grounded out to third. Simpson flied out to left to end the inning. Gonzalez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Duran struck out swinging. Narvaez then blasted his 3rd home run of the season completely out of Fenway and Cheng flied out to the centerfield wall to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-0.

                                                             Home run Carlos

Williamson grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth but Walls doubled to left. Fortes lined out to left and Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning. Victor Mesa Jr came in for Diaz and infielder Ben Williamson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Seigler flied out to left and Rafaela flied out to center, but Abreu dumped a base hit to center. Yoshida popped up to short to end the inning.

Gamboa returned to close out the top of the ninth and Aranda lined out to Gamboa to start. Caminero struck out swinging but Gonzalez couldn't dig out a throw by Durbin on a grounder to third by Vilade for a "single". DeLuca popped up to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-0.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jake Bennett. He was headed toward a complete game shutout but the Sox bats made this game a laugher. Jake allowed a hit and a walk in 6 shutout innings.

                                                         Hero Bennett

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 2 for 5.

Caleb Durbin was 3 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 total runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Carlos Narvaez was 3 for 4 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Alec Gamboa got the save by tossing 3 shutout innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but stole a base, drove in a run and scored a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Tsung-Che Cheng was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Many were scared they'd come out flat against Tampa and instead they came out like a buzzsaw. Bennett throws first pitch strikes every start and he's been utterly dominating lately. If Garrett Crochet comes back, the Sox will have an embarrassment of riches in the rotation. Not only that, it looks like Ranger Suarez and Connelly Early will be back soon since neither of them were seriously injured. The news gets even better as Willson Contreras will be back from suspension for Game 2 later tonight. One of the most important performances of the game was actually Alec Gamboa. The 27th man activated just for today threw 43 pitches to finish off the game, earn his first save and save the entire pitching staff sans Bennett for Game 2. There was almost nothing to complain about in this one, that's how you know the game went well. The Sox are now 15-2 since the disaster against Colorado and are back within the thick of things in the mediocre American League. A win tonight in Game 2 would simultaneously put them in the third wild card slot and get them back to .500, something no one saw possible just 23 days ago. The win improved the Sox to 47-48, no sense mentioning the standings because Game 2 is yet to play. Game 2 tonight features Eddy Rivera (0-0, 0.00 ERA) as the "opener" against Mason Englert of Tampa Bay. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Have Fourth of July Bash Against Angels (7/4/26)

Happy fourth of July everyone! The Boston Red Sox celebrated 250 years of American history by beating the daylights out of the Los Angeles Angels. The soon to be suspended Willson Contreras hit a three run home run right off the bat against Angels starter Sam Aldegheri to set the tone. Sonny Gray (10-1, 2.61 ERA) took another step toward American League Cy Young Award by tossing 6 innings and allowing just one run. The Sox continued the onslaught with a 2 run double by Wilyer Abreu, a 2 run home run by Romy Gonzalez and an rbi double by Ceddanne Rafaela. The trio of Jovani Moran, Greg Weissert and Alec Gamboa didn't allow a run the rest of the way as the Sox exploded some fireworks with an 8-1 victory over the Angels at Angel Stadium.

                                                          Torrie Wilson approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Angels starter Sam Aldegheri as Anthony Seigler walked to start. Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to second but Wilyer Abreu walked. Willson Contreras pounded his 19th home run of the season to put Boston on top but Caleb Durbin lined out to center. Romy Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                            Sox strike first

Gray got the ball in the bottom of the first and Zach Neto flied out to right to start. Jarren Duran made a great sliding catch to rob Denzer Guzman of a hit and Nolan Schanuel struck out swinging to end the inning.

Duran walked to start the top of the second but Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging. Duran stole second but Connor Wong struck out swinging. Seigler grounded out to short to end the inning. The Angels struck back in the bottom of the second as Jorge Soler flied out to center to start. Josh Lowe hit a home run all the way to Syracuse to cut the lead and Jo Adell walked. Wade Meckler got a base hit to center but Donovan Walton struck out swinging. Tyler Heineman also went down hacking to end the inning with the Angels down 3-1.

                                                         Angels strike back

Rafaela flied out to right to start the top of the third and Abreu popped up to third. Contreras hit a routine grounder to third but Schanuel dropped the throw for an error. Durbin popped up to third to end the inning. Neto took strike three to start the bottom of the third but Guzman singled in the hole at short. Schanuel grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Gonzalez grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth but Duran walked. Jarren took second on a grounder to second by Monsasterio but Wong grounded out to second to end the inning. Soler walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Lowe forced him at second. Adell and Meckler were both rung up on strike three by the alert Wong's ABS challenges to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the fifth with Samy Natera Jr now on the mound. Seigler doubled to right and Rafaela drew a walk before both runners scored on the Abreu doubled to right. Contreras flied out to left and Durbin flied out to center, but Gonzalez launched his first home run of the season to make this one a laugher. Duran was hit with a pitch and that was it for Natera. Old farmhand Ryan Zeferjahn came in and Duran stole second, but Monasterio popped up to Ryan to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                             Romy's first of 2026

Walton got a base hit to right off the glove of Contreras to start the bottom of the fifth but Heineman grounded into the Angels third double play in consecutive innings. Neto struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wong struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth but Seigler was hit with a pitch. Rafaela struck out swinging but Abreu walked. Contreras flied out to center to end the inning. Gray returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Guzman flied out to right to start. Schanuel grounded out to second and Soler flied out to left to end the inning. He had only thrown 70 pitches but with a six run lead, Sox manager Chad Tracy wanted to save some bullets for next time and Gray was done after 6 solid innings. He allowed 1 run off 4 hits and 2 walks.

                                                              Good work Gray

Chase Silseth came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Durbin grounded out to third to start. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Duran went down hacking as well. Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Lowe struck out swinging to start. Adell grounded out to short and Jose Siri pinch hit for Meckler. Siri struck out swinging to end the inning,

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the eighth as Brent Suter took the mound. Monasterio got a base hit to right and Wong did the same. Seigler flied out to left but Rafaela doubled to left to score Monasterio. Abreu lined out to second and Contreras popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                          Another rbi for Ceddanne

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Walton walked to start. Heineman hit into LA's fourth double play of the game and Neto grounded out to third to end the inning.

Durbin grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth and Gonzalez lined out to right. Duran grounded out to first to end the inning. Gamboa came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Guzman grounded back to the mound to start. Schanuel grounded out to first and Soler flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His 3 run home run set the tone and outscored the Angels by himself

                                                            Our Hero jumps for joy

The Good:

Anthony Seigler was 1 for 3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and scored 2 runs.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran walked twice, was hit with a pitch and stole two bases.

Sonny Gray got the win with 6 solid innings allowing 1 run off 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 7.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Alec Gamboa pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 5.

The Ugly:

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

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Save for the back to back disasters against the Washington Nationals, the Sox starting pitching has been amazing all season but really stepped up in the last nine games. They utterly dominated the Yankees and if Connelly Early didn't get hurt, the second game against the Nationals might have gone differently. Either way the Sox are getting hot before the All-Star break for the second year in a row but a dark cloud is hanging over them. The suspensions of Contreras and Nate Eaton are going to hurt them big time. However the return of Romy Gonzalez might off-set the loss a little bit. Before the season when the Sox traded for Sonny Gray I was weary of him being the number 2 starter behind Garrett Crochet, and here he is in the running for the AL Cy Young award as the ace. Beating the Angels on the surface doesn't seem like a big deal but the Sox are only 5 games behind the Texas Rangers for the final Wild Card spot with 3 months to play. Every win and loss from here on in could be the difference in a playoff push or not. Most Red Sox fans wanted to blow the team up not only after the two losses to the Colorado Rockies but after the two losses to Washington. Now the Sox are a win away from another 3 game sweep on the road. The win improved the Sox to 39-48, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox go for the sweep tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 2.94 ERA) goes up against Ryan Johnson of Los Angeles. The game begins at 9:30 PM eastern time at Angel Stadium.

Nationals Crush Tolle, Sox (7/1/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Connelly Early was placed on the Injured List with an elbow injury which almost certainly means Tommy John surgery. Also, no surprise here but Tommy Kahnle was designated for assignment. He was batting practice with Boston, better off giving one of the Worcester relievers. The Sox replaced them by activating Jovani Moran off the Injured List and calling up Alec Gamboa from Worcester. Finally the Sox made a minor league trade, sending 2024 20th round pick pitcher Ben Hansen to the Oakland A's for 28 year old utility infielder Brett Harris. The Sox are trying everyone and everything at short besides Mikey Romero and Kristian Campbell and the next man up is Harris. He was hitting .331 with 5 home runs for the Los Vegas Aviators and does have 73 games of major league experience although he hit only .193. That's on par with what Trevor Story and Tsung-Che Cheng was giving Boston.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, looks like the wrong team got fired up. One day after the Washington Nationals scored 8 unanswered runs after a bench clearing fight between Jose Contreras and Nate Eaton with Cade Cavalli and Miles Mikolas, they kept up the attack by pounding out 10 runs and 13 hits against Payton Tolle (4-6, 3.39 ERA) and the Red Sox bullpen. The Nationals got a two run Andres Chaparro home run before most fans were in their seats and rallied for five runs in the top of the third to ice it early. Meanwhile the Angels bullpen led by Brad Lord allowed just 2 runs to the once again silent Boston bats. The Sox bullpen allowed four runs in the final six innings as the Nationals made this one a laugher 10-2 at Fenway Park.

                                           Outscored 18-3 by the Nationals in two games?

The Nationals jumped on Tolle right off the bat in the top of the first as James Wood struck out swinging to start. Curtis Mead tripled into the right field corner and Andres Chaparro hit his first home run of the season into the Charles River to put the Nationals on top. Dylan Crews walked but Daylen Lile line out to right. Jacob Young doubled to center and Jorbit Vivas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Nationals up 2-0.

                                                            Home run Chaparro

The Sox failed to respond against Lord in the bottom of the first as Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging but Wilyer Abreu singled past the mound. Willson Contreras walked but Romy Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Nasim Nunez struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Drew Millas took strike three. Wood singled in the hole at third and Mead lined out to third to end the inning. Caleb Durbin grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Nate Eaton grounded out to third. Andruw Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning.

Chaparro struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Crews got a base hit to left. Monasterio failed to throw out Crews at second on a grounder to short by Lile but Young struck out swinging. Vivas grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Connor Wong blooped a base hit over the head of Vivas to start. Seigler walked but Rafaela flied out to right to move Wong to third. It looked like Abreu beat out a double play ball to score Wong but the Nationals challenged Abreu was out. Sure enough, Abreu was out to end the inning.

The Nationals knocked out Tolle in the top of the fourth as Nunez hit his first home run of the season into the Atlantic Ocean to start. Millas got a base hit to left, Wood walked and Mead walked to load the bases. That was it for Tolle who'd be charged with 6 runs in just 3 plus innings. Yikes. Ryan Watson came in to pour gas on the fire as Luis Garcia Jr pinch hit for Chaparro. Garcia got a base hit to left to score Millas and Wood, then Crews singled in the hole at third to reload the bases. Lile grounded into a double play to score Mead and Young doubled to left to score Garcia. Vivas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Nationals up by a touchdown 7-0.

                                                         Tolle got hammered

Contreras grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Gonzalez struck out swinging. Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nunez walked to start the top of the fifth but Millas walked. Wood grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fifth as Eaton was hit with a pitch to start. Monasterio doubled to right but Eaton was thrown out at home on a grounder to the mound by Wong. Seigler struck out swinging and Rafaela walked to load the bases. With a chance to get back in the game...Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Mead flied out to left to start. Garcia Jr grounded out to first and Crews walked. Crews stole second and Lile struck out swinging to end the inning. Contreras got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Gonzalez struck out swinging. Durbin forced Conteras at second but Eaton struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Nationals struck again in the top of the seventh as Young walked to start. Vivas was rung up for strike three and Nunez struck out swinging. Sox manager Chat Tracy wanted Alec Gamboa to face Millas. Millas walked and Wood clobbered a home run all the way to Brazil to increase the lead. Mead grounded out to first to end the inning with the Nationals ahead 10-0.

                                                     What a massacre

Monasterio grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Wong struck out swinging. Seigler flied out to center to end the inning.

Garcia Jr grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Crews struck out swinging. Lile doubled to center but Young walked. Vivas grounded out to second to end the inning. Riley Cornelio came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and the Sox finally woke up. Rafaela got a base hit to left but Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras got a base hit to center and Gonzalez got a base hit to right to load the bases. Durbin walked to score Rafaela and Eaton beat out a double play ball to score Contreras. Monasterio took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 10-2.

                                                             Eaton drives in a run

Nunez walked to start the top of the ninth but Millas flied out to left. Wood walked and MEad singled to left, but Nunez was thrown out at home by Eaton. Garcia grounded out to second to end the inning. Carson Palmquist came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Wong got a base hit in the hole at third to start. Seigler flied out to center but Rafaela doubled to center. Abreu struck out swinging and Contreras popped up to second to end the game. The Nationals had won 10-2.

                                                               Nationals win

Jackass of The Night is Payton Tolle. He was charged with 7 runs in just 3 plus innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                      "Get out of here, Jackass" - Tracy

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4.

The Bad:

Ryan Watson allowed a run and 3 inherited runners to score in two innings.

Jovani Moran was charged with a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Alec Gamboa allowed 2 runs and an inherited runner to score in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Nate Eaton was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

What a complete disaster the past two days have been. After riding high on a five game winning streak, the Sox lose two in a row, it was announced Willson Contreras and Nate Eaton have been suspended and Connelly Early got hurt. Its amazing how fans went from "they might have a chance" to "sell the team" again. Fans need to realize the Sox had a historically bad offense for the first two months and only slightly improved it. If the rookies Jake Bennett, Tolle and Early hit a rookie wall, this year's over. Garrett Crochet isn't coming back and who knows what the mental state of Brayan Bello is. Sox might have to make a move at the trade deadline just to field a competitive team. This game also showed the black hole in middle relief pitching with Chris Murphy & Brenan Bernardino gone and Johan Oviedo out. Moran, Watson and Gamboa turned a 3-0 game into 10-0 and THAT can't happen. The Sox did manage to scratch out two runs and if the game was 3-2 going into the ninth, you never know what can happen. The Sox have nine games left before the All-Star break and as unfair as it sounds, they might have to win all nine to have any short of hope for the second half of the season. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-48, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back on the road for the rest of the first half. On Friday night the Sox are in Anaheim to play the Los Angeles Angels in a three game set. Jake Bennett (2-3) takes on Reid Detmers of the Angels at 9:30 PM eastern time this Friday night at Angel Stadium.

Rays Bullpen Shuts Down Sox (6/8/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Joe La Sorsa was sent back to Worcester after one disastrous outing and speedster Nate Eaton was called up from Worcester. At least Sox GM Craig Breslow realized he screwed up and fixed it. When healthy Eaton is a base threat and hopefully they can get something out of him.

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                                                                            IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster from the worst offense in all of baseball. Facing  Ian Seymour and the Tampa Bay Rays bullpen, the Red Sox scored just 1 measly run and scratched out just 4 hits. Connelly Early (5-4, 3.30 ERA) was the hard luck loser as he gave up a first inning home run to Yandy Diaz. Somehow Marcelo Mayer hit a home run against Seymour in the top of the third but a Jonathan Aranda rbi single in the fifth was all the Rays needed. Not only were the Sox held to just 4 hits they only had 1 walk as a team as well. A Diaz sac fly in the bottom of the eighth off Danny Coulombe was the insurance run as the Rays won this one 3-1 at Tropicana Field.

                                                       "Only one run......"

Seymour got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Early got the ball in the bottom of the first and Yandy Diaz hit the first pitch he saw out of the yard to put the Rays up one batter into the first inning. Austin Slater struck out swinging, Junior Caminero grounded out to third but Ryan Vilade got a base hit to center. Jonathan Aranda struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays ahead 1-0.

                                                                Diaz jacks one

Willson Contreras flied out to right to start the top of the second and Mickey Gasper popped up to first. Caleb Durbin walked but Isiah Kiner-Falefa lined out to left to end the inning. Ben Williamson struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Taylor Walls did the same. Nick Fortes was hit with a pitch and Cedric Mullins caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single to the mound. Diaz walked to load the bases but Slater lined out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third inning as Marcelo Mayer launched his third home run of the season to tie the game. Carlos Narvaez hit one up the elevator shaft and Duran struck out swinging. Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Mayer ties it up

Caminero walked to start the bottom of the third and Vilade walked as well. Aranda grounded into a double play and Williamson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Contreras popped up to third. Gasper took strike three to end the inning. Walls flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth and Fortes struck out swinging. Mullins walked and Diaz popped up to second to end the inning.

Casey Legumina came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Durbin grounded out to third to start. Kiner took strike three and Mayer grounded out to third to end the inning. The Rays finished off Early in the bottom of the fifth as Slater beat out a roller to third to start. Slater stole second but Caminero struck out swinging. Rafaela made a great sliding catch on a Vilade fly ball to center but a wild pitch moved Slater to third. Aranda got a base hit to left to score Slater and chase Early. He wasn't sharp at all allowing 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks. Tyron Guerrero came in to strike out Williamson swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 2-1.

                                                           Early wasn't the sharpest

Narvaez grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth and old pal Cam Booser came in to face Duran. Jarren struck out swinging but Rafaela got a base hit to right. Rafaela was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Walls flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Fortes got a base hit in the hole at third. Mullins struck out swinging and Diaz grounded out to first to end the inning.

Abreu popped up to third to start the top of the seventh and Kevin Kelly came in to face Contreras. Willson was hit with a pitch and Gasper got a base hit to center, but Durbin took strike three. A wild pitch moved both runners over but Kier grounded out to third to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Richie Palacios pinch hit for Slater. Palacios struck out swinging but Caminero singled to center. Victor Mesa Jr pinch hit for Vilade and walked. Danny Coulombe came in to pitch and Chandler Simpson ran for Caminero. Aranda flied out to left and Williamson did the same to end the inning.

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Andruw Monasterio pinch hit for Mayer. Monasterio took strike three, Narvaez grounded out to short and Duran popped up to short to end the inning. The Rays iced the game in the bottom of the eighth as Walls walked to start. Walls stole second and moved to third on the grounder to the mound by Fortes. Mullins walked and Alec Gamboa was brought in face Diaz. Yandy hit a sac fly to center and Palacios struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 3-1.

                                                                   Sac fly for Diaz

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rafaela grounded out to third to start. Rafaela grounded out to third but Abreu singled to right. Contreras struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 3-1.

                                                                Rays win

Jackass of The Night is Danny Coulombe. Not that the Sox were scoring much but being down one in the ninth is different than two, and his run allowed hurt.

                                                                Jackass Coulombe

The Good:

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Tyron Guerrero tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert got the first out of the seventh

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Andrew Monasterio struck out in his only at-bat.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafael was just 1 for 4.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch. 

Mickey Gasper was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Connelly Early took the loss but allowed just 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

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

Final Thoughts:

Just when you think the Sox can't get any worse, they lay an egg on the road where they've played better than they have at home. Can't even blame Connelly Early because scoring 1 run isn't going to cut it. Unlike previous game where they leave a ton of men on base and go 0-fer with runners in scoring position, they got their lunch handed to them in this one. They had just 4 hits the entire game and against the Rays bullpen, that's not good. This offense has been historically bad and the main reason why they're in last place just 8 days into June. Jarren Duran had a good month of May but is only hitting .208 with Caleb Durbin .190 and Carlos Narvaez .209. If those guys cant turn it around this season is basically over already. Still, they're only eight days into June so a comeback is possible, it just seems very unlikely until the bats get their heads out of their collective asses. The only bright spots in the game were Mayer's home run and Tyron Guerrero throwing gas. Other than that, this is another game to forget. The loss dropped the Sox to 27-37, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Rays when Payton Tolle (3-2) takes on Nick Martinez of Tampa Bay. The game begins at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.