Andrew Benintendi Traded To Royals (2/10/21)

In 2017 the Boston Red Sox boasted the best young outfield in baseball. Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradley Jr were all home grown by the Sox system and were perennial favorites. Andrew Benintendi finished second in Rookie of The Year voting in 2017 while Mookie Betts took home AL MVP honors in 2018. Also in 2018, Jackie Bradley won ALCS MVP as the Sox took out the defending 103 win Houston Astros on their way to the World Series. 4 years later all three of them are gone. Thank's a lot Chaim Bloom. Betts was traded a year ago, JBJ is currently a free agent and Andrew Benintendi was traded to the Kansas City Royals tonight. Goodbye Killer' B's

                                                       Sox found a way to screw this up

Benintendi was sent packing in exchange for often injured, all or nothing outfielder Franchy Cordero, 22 year old pitching prospect Josh Winckowski and 3 players to be named later. Benintendi is coming off two declining years so the Sox weren't going to get much for him, but they traded him anyway.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                             IN

So who are these guys? Cordero has battled injuries and ineffectiveness his whole career. He's another one of these "launch angle" guys that can hit the ball a mile once every five days while striking out more often than not...and that's if he's healthy. Winckowski was drafted out of high school by the Toronto Blue Jays and has no control.

You can look at it two ways, with pessimism or optism. For most of us who want to throw banana peels at Bloom for trading Benintendi, they essentially gave up on a 26 year old because he had a below average year and a half. If he turns out to be more like Dwight Evans than we think, this will turn out to be a bad, BAD trade given the low return. The optimistic route focuses on what they will get in the future more than what they gave up. The centerpiece of the deal was the 3 players to be named, 2 from the Royals and 1 from the New York Mets. Since there were no minor league games last years, scouts and talent evaluators had nothing to work with and therefore, it would be unwise to deal for unproven commodities. If the season starts on time and with minor leagues unchanged, Bloom now can watch the Royals and Mets systems like a hawk and pick who he likes. This is a huge risk because the only time a PTBNL turned out to be anything was when the Sox shipped Felix Doubront to the Cubs for Marco Hernandez. If someone like Hernandez is all you're going to get from the Royals and Mets, the Sox are screwed.

Time will tell if the Sox can fix Winckowski's control or pick someone out of the Mets and Royals hats that can be good, but if Benintendi turns his career back into what it was from 2016-18, the Sox essentially lost this trade no matter what happens on their side. After all, as good as Alex Verdugo was in 2020, this was the last image of that season burned into the minds of Red Sox fans and personnel alike:

                                               Thanks a lot Bloom, you're welcome LA

Rays Pound Sox Terrible Bullpen (8/11/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move when they sent Jeffrey Springs to their Alternate Training Site. The Sox picked Robert Stock's name out of a hat and brought him up. Stock is career minor leaguer with a whopping career record of 2-1. The move was just to get Springs out of there but replacing one bum with another doesn't make a damn bit of difference.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                       IN


As for the game, what's left to say about how bad the Boston Red Sox pitching and offense is? For the second day in a row the Tampa Bay Rays feasted on the pathetic bullpen of the Boston Red Sox. After Martin Perez (2-2, 3.45 ERA) left in the sixth inning, the Rays pounced on Austin Brice and Robert Stock for six runs in the top of the seventh. For the second day in a row the Rays scored 8 runs, the Red Sox haven't scored 8 runs since Opening Day. After losing starter Andrew Kittredge two batters into the first inning, the Rays bullpen tossed 8 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. The pathetic offense and equally pathetic bullpen led to an easy 8-2 victory for the Rays.

                                              Randy Quaid is angry again

The Rays wasted no time getting to Perez in the top of the first inning. Mike Brosseau hit the sixth pitch of the game into the Charles River to give the Rays the lead instantly. Yandy Diaz flied out to left, Austin Meadows took strike three and Jose Martinez flied out to center to end the inning but the Rays were ahead 1-0.

                                                           Brosseau starts the torture

Andrew Kittredge got the start for the Rays but didn't last long in the top of the first. Andrew Benintendi singled but Alex Verdugo popped up to center. Kittredge then started clutching his arm and keeled over. Andrew had to be hauled off on a gurney and rushed to Brigham & Women's ICU and John Curtiss came in to pitch. JD Martinez whiffed and Benintendi was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.

                                                     Bye bye Kittredge

Hunter Renfroe grounded out on a squibber in front of the plate to start the top of the second and Ji-Man Choi took strike three. Willy Adames walked but Manny Margot flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second although Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Mitch Moreland grounded out to first but Christian Vazquez doubled to right. Michael Chavis scored Vazquez with a base hit to center and Jackie Bradley Jr singled off the glove of Choi., Jonathan Arauz grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox tied it 1-1.

                                                    Vazquez scores a run

The Rays immediately took the lead back in the top of the third although Mike Zunino took strike three to begin. Brosseau put himself halfway to the cycle with a double to left and Diaz singled him home. Meadows popped up to short and Martinez lined out to short to end the inning but it was 2-1 Rays.

                                                         Diaz drives in a run

Benintendi tried to start a rally with a base hit off the glove of Choi to start the bottom of the third and moved to second on the Verdugo grounder. Martinez flied out to center and Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning.

Perez settled down in the top of the fourth as Renfroe lined out to center to start. Choi flied out to right and Adames grounded out to third to end the inning. Jose Alvarado came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Moreland was hit with a pitch to start. Vazquez flied out to right and Chavis banged into a double play to end the inning.

Margot flied out to center to start the top of the fifth before Zunino grounded out to second. Brosseau grounded out to third to end the inning. JBJ whiffed to start the bottom of the fifth but Arauz singled to left. Benintendi whiffed and Verdugo popped up to short to end the inning.

Diaz took strike three to start the top of the sixth before Meadows whiffed. Martinez walked and Sox manager Ron Roenicke bounded out of the dugout. For some reason Roenicke pulled Perez after just 94 pitches. Someone want to tell Roenicke that this isn't April and there's only 43 games left in the season? Perez did well for 5 2/3 innings by allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks. Austin Brice came in and got Renfroe to ground back to the mound to end the inning.

                                                      Perez goes 5 2/3 strong innings

Ryan Thompson came in for the bottom of the sixth and Martinez walked to start. Bogaerts banged into a double play and Moreland grounded out to short to end the inning.

The wheels fell off in the top of the seventh although Choi whiffed to start. Adames singled to center and Margot doubled him home. Zunino walked and Brandon Lowe pinch hit for Brosseau, pounding a ground rule double to right to score Margot. Diaz beat out an infield single to second to score Zunino. Finally...FINALLY, Roenicke pulled Brice. The incompetent reliever was charged with 5 runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Robert Stock made his season debut by walking Meadows. Yoshi Tsutsugo pinch hit for Martinez and popped up to third but a passed ball by Vazquez scored Lowe and moved the runners over. Renfroe doubled home both runners to wrap up the scoring. Choi took strike three to end the innings but the Rays put six runs on the board and iced the game 8-1. Absolutely bawful.

                                                 Their expressions say it all

Diego Castillo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and the Sox went quietly. Vazquez and Chavis whiffed before JBJ flied out to right to end the inning.

Stock returned for the top of the eighth and Adames took strike three to start. Margo singled to right but Zunino whiffed. Lowe and Diaz walked to load the bases to chase Stock. Dylan Covey came in and got Meadows to ground out to second to end the inning. Aaron Loup came in for the bottom of the eighth and only the Sox could screw this rally up. Arauz singled to right and Benintendi was hit with a pitch to put runners on. Verdugo singled in the hole at short and Arauz scored easily, but Benintendi fell down rounding second and was tagged out. Naturally Martinez flied out to center and Bogaerts whiffed again to end the inning with the Sox down 8-2.

                                                        A microcosm of the season

Tzu-Wei Lin took over for Moreland but played short as Kevin Plawecki took Bogaerts spot but went to first for the top of the ninth. Tsutsugo grounded out to short, Renfroe popped up to first and Choi lined out to center to end the inning. Nick Anderson came in for the bottom of the ninth and Lin struck out swinging to start. Vazquez went down hacking but Chavis tripled into the gap in center. JBJ went down swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-2.

                                                       Rays win again


Jackass of the Night is Austin Brice. He was charged with 5 runs in just 2/3 of an inning to put the game out of reach.

                                        "Yeah you're Jackass, Brice. Now scram!" - RR



The Good:

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jonathan Arauz was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Dylan Covey tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tzu-Wei Lin struck out in his only at-bat.

Robert Stock allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 1 of his own in 1 1/3 inning.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Martin Perez was the hard luck loser as he tossed 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball.



Honorable Mention:

Kevin Plawecki played first base in the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Ready to drink Drano yet Sox fans? If the terrible pitching isn't enough to want to take a swan dive off the Tobin Bridge, the offense is. The Rays scored 8 runs in back to back games and the Sox haven't scored more than 7 since Opening Day. The Sox bullpen has allowed 14 runs in the past two games and it just doesn't get any better from here. The Sox can call up one bum after another but its not going to make a difference without any starting pitching. Eduardo Rodriguez suffering from Covid related heart disease, Chris Sale needing Tommy John and Colin McHugh opting out due to Covid sapped the team of 3 starters but the worst part is not replacing them. Oh it gets better, Sox prospect Kyle Hart makes his Major League debut on Thursday. What's the catch? He was the 568th overall pick in the 2016 draft. That means MLB thought 567 high school and college players were better than he was. Now for the positives, Michael Chavis and Jonathan Arauz hit pretty well and Martin Perez pitched well....that's about it. The loss drops the Sox to 6-11, 5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox send Zack Godley (0-1, 3.97 ERA) to the mound up against Rays ace Blake Snell at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Walkoff Jays (8/9/20)

For the second straight game the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays battled to a boring deadlock through seven innings. Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs but the meager Sox offense could only score three runs of their own. Unlike yesterday the bullpen tossed 3 scoreless innings and Mitch Moreland ended the game with a walkoff home run to send the non-existent fans home happy. Somehow the New York Yankees got walked off by the Tampa Bay Rays and the Sox had won it 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                 Yayyyy *cue Stars & Stripes Forever*

Eovaldi took the mound in the top of the first inning and Cavan Biggio flied out to right to start. Bo Bichette struck out swinging and Travis Shaw whiffed as well to end the inning. Shoemaker got the ball in the bottom of the first and and the slumping Sox continued to do nothing. Alex Verdugo whiffed, Rafael Devers grounded out to second and JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Teoscar Hernandez went down hacking in the top of the second but Verdugo booted a Lourdes Gurriel Jr base hit, allowing Loudres to reach second. Eovaldi recovered by getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr to ground out to short and for Randal Grichuk to strike out swinging to end the inning. The Soz struck first in the bottom of the second although Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to start.  Mitch Moreland belted his fifth home run of the season to give the Sox the lead, but Christian Vazquez whiffed. Andrew Benintendi flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                    Red hot Moreland

The Jays almost immediately struck back in the top of the third although Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez took strike three to start. Reese McGuire grounded out to short but Biggio smashed a 760,000 foot home run to tie the game. Bichette grounded out to second to end the inning but the Jays tied it 1-1.

                                               Tie game

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Jackie Bradley Jr got a base hit to center to start. Tzu-Wei Lin caught Shoemaker asleep with a bunt attempt and Matt threw wide of first, allowing Tzu to reach first. Verdugo then lined one off of Shoemaker who picked the ball up and threw that one away too. JBJ scored and Lin took third to give the Sox the lead. Naturally the slumping Sox continued to do nothing as Devers lined out to center and Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox only ahead 2-1.

                                                  Heads up Guerrero!

Naturally the Jays tied the game in the top of the fourth although Shaw whiffed to start. Hernandez effortlessly doubled to left and moved to third on the Gurriel Jr fly out. Guerrero Jr laughed as he effortlessly lined a base hit to center to score Hernandez to tie the game. A wild pitch moved Guerrero to second but Grichuk struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts whiffed, Moreland grounded out to first and Vazquez took strike three to end the inning.

Eovaldi recovered to strike out Tellez swinging to open the top of the fifth. McGuire went down hacking and Biggio lined out to center to end the inning. Benintendi extended his slump by striking out on a pitch nowhere close to start the bottom of the fifth. JBJ followed by striking out swinging as well and Lin lined out to right to end the inning.

The Jays went up for good instantly in the top of the sixth as Bichette drilled a 4,500 foot home run to start the inning. Shaw grounded out to second and Hernandez whiffed, but Gurriel Jr singled to left. Guerrero Jr grounded into a force to end the inning with the Jays ahead 3-2. That was it for Eovaldi who tossed 6 innings of 3 run ball, normally that's a good enough average game to keep the Sox in it.

                                                    Eovaldi with six solid innings

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Devers stepped up big time with his second home run of the year to tie the game, welcome back Rafael. Martinez lined out to third and Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 3-3.

                                               Devers ties it up

Josh Osich came in for the top of the seventh and Grichuk grounded out to third to start. Tellez hit a routine grounder to first but Moreland decided to drop an elbow on the ball and pin it for the 1-2-3 count for an error. Tellez was erased on the McGuire force but Biggio walked to chase Osich. Austin Brice came in and got Bichette to ground into a force to end the inning. Good work by Brice.

Ryan Borucki shut down the Sox in the bottom of the seventh as Moreland took strike three to start. Vazquez whiffed and for the second game in a row, Sox manager Ron Roenicke pinch hit Benintendi with Kevin Pillar. Pillar then struck out swinging to end the inning. Nice going Roenicke!

Brice turned up the heat in the top of the eighth as he struck out the side. Shaw, Hernandez and Gurriel Jr all went down hacking in short order. Jose Peraza pinch hit for JBJ to start the bottom of the eighth. The Jays countered by bringing in Thomas Hatch and naturally Hatch got Peraza swinging. Lin went down hacking and Verdugo took strike three to end the inning.

Matt Barnes (1-1, 5.14 ERA) came in for the top of the ninth and got Guerrero Jr swinging on a nasty curve to start. Barnes froze Grichuk for strike three and Tellez lined out to center to end the inning. Could the Sox walk it off in the bottom of the ninth? Devers grounded out to first and Martinez grounded to third. Bogaerts walked and Moreland POUNDED A TWO RUN HOME RUN TO CENTER! THE RED SOX WIN!

                                                   SOX WALK IT OFF!


Hero of the Night is Mitch Moreland. He hit two home runs, drove in 3 runs and the second home run was the walkoff home run to win the game.

                                               Walkoff Hero


The Good:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 6 solid innings of 3 run ball. If the Sox had any sort of offense, that would have been good enough to win.

Josh Osich got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Austin Brice struck out 3 of the four batters he got out.

Matt Barnes got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Kevin Pillar struck out as a pinch hitter.

Jose Peraza struck out as a pinch hitter.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.




Final Thoughts:

Not only did the Sox win on a walkoff but the New York Yankees blew a 3-0 lead against the Tampa Bay Rays with 9 outs to go and lost 4-3 on a walkoff. The Sox are boring, lifeless and have no chance to compete this season but the fact they're only 3.5 games out of first place with 45 left to play is hilarious. The Sox only managed 4 hits in this game but three of them were home runs, unlike last night. Benintendi, Martinez and Devers were once again 1 for 10 combined but at least Devers hit a home run. Maybe he can build on that, who knows? Austin Brice has pitched 5 consecutive good games and hopefully that continues. Tomorrow night the Sox take on the visiting Tampa Bay Rays. Ryan Yarbrough goes for the Rays against somebody Sox manager Ron Roenicke picks out of a hat at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Edge Sox Late (8/8/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Apparently Sox brass has finally...FINALLY had enough of Ryan Weber. Today he was sent to the Alternate Training Site and the Sox called up Dylan Covey to replace him. Covey is a bum for sure, but he can't possibly be worse than Weber has been.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game, who would have thought most of the Boston Red Sox problems have been on the offensive side 14 games into the season? Sure the starting rotation has been atrocious, but how many games have they scored less than 4 runs now? The Sox managed to get a run off Chase Anderson of the Toronto Blue Jays but the normally mediocre bullpen held the Sox scoreless the rest of the way. Once again Ron Roenicke refused to let a starter go 5 innings as Zack Godley was removed after 4 innings. This time the bullpen failed as Heath Hembree allowed the tying run in the seventh and Marcus Walden allowed the go-ahead run in the eighth. The slumping offense could only muster 4 hits and a run as the Blue Jays took the middle game 2-1 at Fenway Park.

Godley looked good in the top of the first inning as Cavan Biggio grounded out to short to start. Bo Bichette singled to center but Travis Shaw went down swinging. Bichette stole second but Teoscar Hernandez whiffed to end the inning. Anderson cruised in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo went down hacking to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to second and JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning.

Godley cruised in the top of the second as Lourdes Gurriel Jr flied out to left to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr lined out to left and Randal Grichuk grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts and Mitch Moreland drew back to back walks to start. Christian Vazquez singled home Bogaerts but the rally ended as the slumping Andrew Benintendi banged into a double play. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                The Sox lone run

Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez walked to start the top of the second but Danny Jansen was frozen for strike three. Tellez got picked off but Biggio walked and took second on a wild pitch. Bichette lined out to right to end the inning.

                                            Where you goin?

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Jose Peraza grounded out to third to start. Verdugo grounded out to third and Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

Godley came back for the top of the fourth and Shaw grounded out to first to start. Hernandez flied out to right but Gurriel Jr singled to center. Guerrero Jr singled to center as well but Grichuk popped up to first to end the inning. Godley threw just 67 pitches but allowed no runs in 4 innings.

                                                 Godley gets it done

Wilmer Font came in for the bottom of the fourth and Martinez walked to start. Bogaerts singled to left but Moreland flied out to right. Anthony Kay was brought in to pitch to Benintendi but Ron Roenicke panicked and had Kevin Pillar pinch hit for him. Pillar grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Pillar went to right with Verdugo going to left to start the top of the fifth with Josh Osich on the mound. Tellez whiffed and Jansen hit a routine grounder to Bogaerts. Bogaerts threw his glove at the ball and dove on it screaming for an error. Biggio hit a bullet to Moreland who doubled off Jansen to end the inning. JBJ flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Peraza took strike three. Verdugo grounded out to first to...BUT WAIT! Sox manager Ron Roenicke challenged the call and sure enough Verdugo was safe. Naturally Devers whiffed to end the inning.

Phillips Valdez came in for the top of the sixth and Bichette walked to start. Shaw forced Bichette at second but Hernandez singled to right. Gurriel Jr flied out to left but Guerrero Jr singled to right. Shaw came around for home and Pillar came up throwing....OUT AT THE PLATE! Pillar saved the day with the throw and the Sox remained in the lead.

                                                    YERRR OUT!

The Sox blew their chance for insurance when Bichette threw a routine grounder by Martinez away to start the bottom of the sixth. Bogaerts beat out a double play ball and Moreland singled Xander to third. Vazquez banged into a double play to kill the rally.

The Jays tied it in the top of the seventh against Heath Hembree. Grichuk beat out an infield single to third but Tellez flied out to right. Jansen walked and Biggio sent Grichuk to third with a fly out to center. Bichette doubled home Grichuk to tie the game and Shaw walked to chase Hembree. Ryan Brasier blew away Hernandez to end the inning but it was tied 1-1.

                                               Jays tie it up

Pillar whiffed to begin the bottom of the seventh but Biggio booted a JBJ grounder which allowed him to reach. Peraza popped up to second and Verdugo lined out to second to end the inning.

The Jays took command against Marcus Walden in the top of the eighth inning. Gurriel Jr walked to start but Guerrero Jr flied out to center. Grichuk singled Gurriel Jr to third and Gurriel scored on the Tellez grounder. Jansen grounded out to third to end the inning but the Jays led 2-1.

                                                      Jays take the lead

Jordan Romano came in for the bottom of the eighth and Devers whiffed again. Martinez grounded out to third but Bogaerts walked. Bogaerts stole second but Moreland whiffed to end the inning.

Jeffrey Springs came in for the top of the ninth and froze Biggio for strike three to start. Bichette whiffed but Shaw got a base hit to right. Anthony Alford pinch ran for Shaw but Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Brandon Drury took over at third with Jays closer Anthony Bass on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. The Sox went quietly as Vazquez whiffed to start and Pillar flied out to the right field wall. JBJ popped up to left to end the game. The Sox mustered just 4 hits as the Jays had grinded it out 2-1.

                                                    Dammit


Jackass of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with Rafael Devers. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when all the Sox needed was one run every single time he stepped to the plate.

                                                      Jackass Devers



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, a stolen base and a run scored.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Zack Godley pitched 4 scoreless innings.

Josh Osich tossed a scoreless inning.

Phillips Valdez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Ryan Brasier struck out the only man he faced.

Jeffrey Springs tossed a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 1 before being removed.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Jose Peraza was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Heath Hembree allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

Marcus Walden took the loss with a run allowed in the eighth inning.



The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Kevin Pillar was 0 for 3 at the plate but threw out Gurriel Jr at home to preserve the lead at the time.




Final Thoughts:

This was one of the most frustrating losses out of all 9 because they had the best chance to win the game. Most of the time they've been down by 5 runs within 30 seconds and the offense goes through the motions the rest of the way, but they went through the motions in this one with the game on the line. Devers, Martinez and Benintendi aren't just slumping, they're LOST at the plate. JBJ going into an extended slump is nothing new, he's been doing it for 7 years. The other three there's something very wrong with them. The word on the street is Benintendi is single and lonely, Devers misses Alex Cora and JD "quit" on the Sox. Maybe a trade is in order since the Sox have 5 outfielders in Pillar, Benintendi, Verdugo, Bradley and Martinez. As much as JBJ, Pillar and Benintendi have played well in the past, one of them may have to go. There's not much to complain about on the pitching side because Walden and Hembree have been solid this season. If the Sox mustered any offense then they could have overcome the bad outings. The loss dropped the Sox to 5-9 on the season, 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to rebound when they send Nathan Eovaldi (1-1, 3.94 ERA) up against Matt Schoemaker at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Verdugo, Sox Down Jays (8/7/20)

Alex Verdugo is never going to be able to replace Mookie Betts quite like Carl Yastrzemski was never able to exactly replace Ted Williams. For one night Verdugo played like Betts has he clocked two opposite field home runs and took a home run away from the Toronto Blue Jays in the 9th inning. Ryan Weber got knocked around again and was out in the 4th inning. The schizophrenic Boston bullpen tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball to keep the Sox in the game. Timely pitching and timely hitting guided the Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Jays.

                                                 Phoenixperson approves of the win

The Jays wasted no time getting to Weber in the top of the first inning. Cavan Biggio hit the 5th pitch of the game into the Merrimack River to put the Jays up one batter into the game. Bo Bichette hit a routine grounder to Rafael Devers who threw himself on the ball, wrestled with it and heaved it into the Monster Seats for not one but two errors on the same play. Xander Bogaerts threw out Bichette at third on a grounder by Lourdes Gurriel Jr and Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez flied out to center. Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                    That didn't take long

The Sox took advantage of a wild Tanner Roark in the bottom of the first inning. Andrew Benintendi and Devers drew back to back walks but JD Martinez lined out to left. Bogaerts walked to load the bases and Mitch Moreland walked to score Benintendi to tie the game. Foolishly Christian Vazquez swung at a pitch and banged into a double play to end the inning, but the Sox tied it on four walks 1-1.

                                            Benintendi scores a run

Randal Grichuk walked to start the top of the second but old friend Travis Shaw struck out as Vazquez gunned down Grichuk at second trying to steal. Teoscar Hernandez doubled to left but Danny Jansen whiffed to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo pounded his second home run of the season to put the Red Sox on top. Jackie Bradley Jr walked but Jose Peraza flied out to left. JBJ moved to second on the grounder by Benintendi but Devers whiffed to end the inning. Roark had only thrown 14 of his 42 pitches for strikes yet the Sox have 2 strikeouts and only lead 2-1.

                                                "That's One!" - Verdugo

Naturally the Jays fought back in the top of the third as Biggio singled to left to begin. Bichette effortlessly pounded a double over the third base bag into left to tie the game but somehow Gurriel Jr struck out swinging. Tellez flied out to center which moved Bichette to third and Guerrero Jr walked. Grichuk grounded into a force to end the inning with the games tied 2-2.

                                                     Biggio scores a run

The Sox broke the tie quickly in the bottom of the third although Martinez popped up to second to begin. Bogaerts got a base hit to center and Moreland crushed his 4th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Vazquez lined out to left and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                   Moreland puts the Sox on top

Weber retutned for the top of the fourth but was quickly chased when Shaw singled to left. Sox manager Ron Roenicke decided to cut his losses and pull Weber after allowing 2 runs in 3+ innings.  Heath Hembree (2-0, 1.42 ERA) came in and got Hernandez to pop up to second and Jansen to ground into a double play to end the inning.

                                                     Weber stinks again

Ryan Borucki replaced Roark for the bottom of the fourth and JBJ grounded out to short to start. Peraza walked but the slumping Benintendi and Devers both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Colten Brewer cruised in the top of the fifth as Biggio grounded out to second to start. Bichette lined out to center and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to end the inning. Jacob Waguespack came on for the bottom of the fifth and Martinez whiffed to start. Bogaerts walked but Moreland flied out to center. Bogaerts swiped second but Vazquez went down hacking to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the sixth and naturally walked Tellez to start. Guerrero Jr pounded a double to right to score Tellez but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Grichuk got a base hit to left but Shaw banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                      YERRRR OUT!

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the sixth as Verdugo walked to start. JBJ forced Verdugo at second but Peraza singled to center. AJ Cole came in to pitch and Benintendi whiffed right on cue. Devers popped up to third to end the inning.

Austin Brice came in for the top of the seventh and Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Jansen flied out to center but Biggio walked. Bichette popped up to second to end the inning. Martinez took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh but Bogaerts walked. Moreland flied out to right but Vazquez whiffed to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in for the top of the eighth and Gurriel Jr grounded out to first to start. Tellez walked and Anthony Alford pinch ran for him. Alford stole second and Guerrero Jr walked. Billy McKinney pinch ran for Guerrero and Alford swiped third as well. Barnes got a big play when Grichuk banged into a double play to end the inning. Brandon Drury took over at third for McKinney with Shaw moving to first and Rafael Dolls on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Verdugo greeted the new pitcher with his second opposite field homer of the night. JBJ took strike three but Peraza doubled. The gruesome twosome failed again as Benintendi took strike three and Devers whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                             "That's two!" - Verdugo

Brandon Workman came on to close out the top of the ninth but needed some help from his defense. Shaw blasted a pitch deep out to right BUT VERDUGO CAUGHT IT OVER THE WALL! Alex stole a home run from Shaw but Hernandez singled to left. Workman recovered to get Jansen to line out to a running Verdugo and Biggio to pop up to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                           Great win



Hero of the Night is Alex Verdugo. His two home runs paced the offense and he robbed a home run in the ninth to preserve the win.

                                                          Verdugo the Hero



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts got a hit, walked three times, stole a base and scored a run.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk, 3 total rbis and a home run.

Jose Peraza was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless inning.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless inning.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brandon Workman earned his 3rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ryan Weber allowed 2 runs in just 3 innings, he doesn't have good enough stuff to get people out/

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the sixth inning.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts, made two errors on the same play but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Verdugo is not Mookie Betts but he played like it tonight. The Sox survived another terrible Ryan Weber start and tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball. Apart from Brasier, the bullpen held up including Austin Brice who's pitched well after his first couple of outings. If the Sox just had ONE proven starter after Eovaldi, you could make a case for the Sox sneaking into October on the back of their offense and bullpen. As it is with Chris Sale and Eduardo Rodriguez out for the season, forget about it. Still, Verdugo had a breakout and hopefully Devers and Benintendi can bust out of their slumps as well. The win improved the Sox to an unimpressive 5-8, 4 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays when Zack Godley (0-1, 6.14 ERA) goes up against Chase Anderson at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.