Rays Crush Pivetta, Sox (8/28/22)

Once again the Boston Red Sox kryptonite is the AL East. With a chance to take 3 of 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox crapped themselves big time in today's game. Nick Pivetta (9-10, 4.40 ERA) was rocked for five runs in five innings by the Rays while Corey Kluber of Tampa allowed three in six solid innings. Once again the bullpen was the downfall as Hiro Sawamura and Austin Davis allowed SEVEN runs combined to put the game out of reach. Franchy Cordero, JD Martinez and Tommy Pham all went yard but with bad pitching the Sox got blasted 12-4 by the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                          Another loss to the AL East

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and Yandy Diaz flied out to center to start. Manny Margot grounded out to short but David Peralta walked. Peralta took second on a balk but Harold Ramirez popped up to first to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to first to start. Alex Verdugo took strike three and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the second as Randy Arozarena flied out to left to start. Isaac Parades hit a home run all the way to Bolivia to put the Rays up for good. Taylor Walls and Christian Bethancourt both struck out swinging to end the inning with Tampa up 1-0.

                                                          Parades jacks one

Rafael Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before JD Martinez grounded out to short. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center and Reese McGuire popped up to short to end the inning.

The Rays struck again in the top of the third as Jose Siri popped up to second to start. Diaz popped up to first but Margot walked. Margot stole second and scored on the rbi double to Peralta to right. Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning with Tampa up 2-0.

                                                    Rays are all smiles so far

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Franchy Cordero launched his 8th home run of the season to cut the lead. Pham grounded out to short but Verdugo and Bogaerts lashed back to back base hits. Devers lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                             Cordero goes yard

The Rays iced the game in the top of the fourth as Arozarena doubled to center to start. Parades hit his second home run all the way into the Red Sea to ice the game. Walls took strike three, Bethancourt grounded out short and Siri grounded out to third to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1.

                                                        Another home run for Parades

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez clobbered his 10th home run of the season to cut the lead in half. Arroyo lined out to third, McGuire grounded back to the mound and Hernandez popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                            Martinez goes yard

Pivetta got tagged in the top of the fifth as Diaz singled to right to start. Margot got a base hit to right and Peralta doubled to right to score Margot. Ramirez beat out a roller to the mound but Arozarena struck out swinging. Parades walked to load the bases but Walls forced Ramirez at third to end the inning with the Rays up 5-2. That was it for Pivetta who allowed 5 runs in 5 innings off 8 hits and 3 walks.

                                                           Not Pivetta's day

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth as Cordero struck out swinging to start. Pham smacked his 15th home run of the season to cut the lead but Verdugo grounded out to second. Bogaerts got a base hit to left and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                       Home run Pham

Hiro Sawamura came in to crap his pants in the top of the sixth as Bethancourt flied out to right to start. Siri hit a pop up that no one called for, dropping in for a "single". Diaz singled to left to move Siri to third and Margot hit a sac fly to left to score Jose. Peralta walked and Ramirez got a base hit to left to score Diaz. Arozarena iced the game with a double off the Monster to score Peralta. Parades walked to load the bases but Walls struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 8-3.

                                                          Arozarena ices it

Martinez lined out to left to start the bottom of the sixth before Arroyo lined out to right. McGuire doubled to right but Hernandez lined out to center to end the inning.

Ryan Braiser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Bethancourt got a base hit to left to start. Siri singled inside the bag at third but Diaz lined out to first. Bethancourt got picked off second and Margot struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the seventh with Colin Poche now on the mound and Bobby Dalbec in to pinch hit for Cordero. Dalbec got a base hit to left and moved to third on the base hit to center by Pham. Verdugo flied out to left to move Pham to second and Bogaerts hit a sac fly to center to score Dalbec, moving Pham to third. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 9-4.

                                                              RBI for Bogaerts

Austin Davis came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Peralta got a base hit to left to start. Devers booted a grounder by Ramirez for an error and Arozarena doubled home Peralta. Parades walked to load the bases and Walls singled off the Monster to score Ramirez and Arozarena. Bethancourt popped up to first but Siri beat out a double play ball to score Parades. Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 12-4.

                                                              Walls drives in a pair

JT Chargois came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Martinez struck out swinging to start. Arroyo got a base hit to center and McGuire walked, but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Davis returned for the top of the ninth and Margot flied out to right to start. Peralta flied out to center and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Francisco Mejia came in to catch the bottom of the ninth with Bethancourt coming in to pitch. Dalbec singled to right but Pham flied out to right. Verdugo also flied out to right but Bogaerts grounded a base hit up the middle. Devers lined out to center to end the game. The Sox couldn't even get a run off the damn catcher and the Rays won 12-4.

                                                                Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Hiro Sawamura. He turned a 5-3 game into 9-3 in one inning to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Hiro Jackass

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nick Pivetta allowed 5 runs in 5 innings to take the loss. He gave up 8 hits and 3 walks.

Austin Davis allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

The feel good feeling of taking two of three against Tampa lasted less than 24 hours as the Rays once again prevented the Red Sox from winning a series against an AL East team. The Sox bullpen is absolutely spent but unlike last year, you can't blame it all on Sox manager Alex Cora when the entire rotation got hurt. Rookies that had no business starting big games and getting knocked out early drained the bullpen and now they got nothing. Sawamura, Davis and Darwinzon Hernandez are toast and its only a matter of time before Brasier and John Schreiber are as well. Pivetta is a .500 pitcher so this is about what you can expect. Its too bad the Sox were solo home run happy and nothing else in this one. This has been the year from hell and there's still 34 games remaining. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-66, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road to face the Minnesota Twins beginning tomorrow night. Dylan "King Kong" Bundy takes the mound for the Twins against Brayan Bello (0-3) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Jays Pound Winckowski, Sox (8/23/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some expected roster moves. Eric Hosmer was placed on the Injured List with a bad back and Nathan Eovaldi joined him with "right shoulder inflammation." On top of everyone stinking the joint out on both sides of the ball, it was only inevitable that everyone would start falling apart with injuries. Josh Winckowski was called up from Worcester to take Eovaldi's spot and Franchy Cordero's stay in Worcester lasted one day as he was called up to take Hosmer's spot. God help us.

                                                                OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster. On the same night Andrew Benintendi drove in the winning run for the New York Yankees against the New York Mets, the guys he was traded for fell flat on their faces against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox took a 1-0 lead into the third inning and Josh Winckowski (5-7, 5.83 ERA) got the first two outs before falling apart. The Jays scored EIGHT RUNS in the third with two outs to put the game away early. Once again the Sox bats were held in check as the Sox suffered ANOTHER injury as Tommy Pham left with an injury. To add insult to injury, old friend Jackie Bradley Jr went 2 for 3 with an rbi and 2 runs scored for Toronto. He almost had matched Boston's entire production by himself. Boston media turned on the team in every way possible and the Sox managed just 3 runs as the Jays romped to a 9-3 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                           Sox fans have given up

After an hour long rain delay, Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first inning and George Springer grounded out to first to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr effortlessly doubled to left but Lourdes Gurriel Jr grounded back to the mound. Alejandro Kirk grounded out to second to end the inning. Stripling began his dominance in the bottom of the first inning as Tommy Pham grounded out weakly to second to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out weakly to short but Xander Bogaerts drew a lucky walk. Naturally Rafael Devers would have had hit a home run in any other stadium but it was just high off the Monster for a lousy single. Naturally JD Martinez hit a weak pop up to third to end he inning.

Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Bo Bichette took strike three. Matt Chapman tripled into the gap in center but Cavan Biggio struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Christian Arroyo hit a bullet off the Monster for a double to start. Kike Hernandez roped a base hit to center to score Arroyo, putting Boston ahead. Naturally Franchy Cordero took a straight fastball right down the middle for strike three before Kevin Plawecki hit a weak pop up to center. Pham also hit a weak pop up to center to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Hernandez drives in a run

None other than old buddy Jackie Bradley Jr led off the top of the third by obviously hitting a rocket off the Monste for a double to start. Pham crashed into the wall and had to hauled off on a gurney, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Rob Refsnyder took his place and somehow Springer grounded out to short. Shockingly Guerrero Jr grounded out to third on a nice play by Devers but naturally Gurriel Jr effortlessly doubled to right to tie the game. Winckowski got so rattled he walked Kirk on four pitches not even close and Hernandez laughed as he ripped a base hit to center to score Gurriel, putting the Jays up for good. Bichette easily crushed a single to center to load the bases. Chapman walked to score Kirk and the crowd exploded in cheers with more Jays fans than Sox. That was it for Winckowski who proved he had no business being in the majors, essentially quitting after the Gurriel double. Austin Davis came in and Biggio laughed so hard before effortlessly ripping a base hit to center, scoring two runners to ice the game. JBJ walked on five pitches not even close and Springer cleared the bases with a triple into the right field corner as media members pointed out this entire rally started with 2 outs already. Guerrero Jr felt sorry for the Sox and grounded out to second to end the inning. The Jays went from down 1-0 with 2 outs to go up 8-1. 

                                                         Sweet revenge for Jackie 

The Sox once again blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Verdugo took a full count strike three right down the middle to start. Bogaerts hit a weak pop up to second and Devers only got a hit because he hit a chopper in the hole at third that was vacated due to the shift. Somehow Martinez got a lucky seeing eye single to short and in the latest case of Murphy's Law. Arroyo tried to slide into first on a grounder to the mound and screwed up his leg to end the inning. Perfect microcosm of the season with injuries and leaving multiple men on base.

Somehow Gurriel Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the fourth but Kirk drew another walk. Kike Hernandez had to reach into the bullpen to rob Teoscar Hernandez of a home run and Bichette forced Kirk at second to end the inning. The Sox quit in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez lined out weakly to third to start and just as Andrew Benintendi drove in the go-ahead run for the New York Yankees against the New York Mets, the man he was traded for Cordero struck out swinging. Plawecki got a lucky single to center but Refsnyder took strike three right down the middle to end the inning.

Chapman singled to left to start the top of the fifth but Biggio struck out swinging and JBJ forced Matt at second. Springer singled to center to move JBJ to third but Guerrero Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo grounded out to third to start. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Devers swung at strike three 3 feet in the dirt to end the inning.

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Gurriel Jr grounded out to third to start. Kirk and Hernandez both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth and Martinez flied out to left to start. Arroyo grounded out to short  and Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Bobby Dalbec took over at short with Hiro Sawamura now in to pitch the top of the seventh. Bichette doubled to left to start but Chapman flied out to center. Biggio walked and everyone laughed at the Sox when JBJ himself singled to center to score Bichette to increase the lead. Springer banged into a double play but JBJ was outscoring the Sox by himself as the Jays led 9-1.

                                                          JBJ torturing the Sox

The Sox got a lucky run in the bottom of the seventh with Yusei Kikuchi now on the mound. Cordero and Plawecki drew back to back walks but Redsnyder struck out swinging. Verdugo hit a double play ball to Chapman but Biggio threw the ball away to allow Cordero to score. Dalbec walked and Devers was plunked to load the bases to chase Kikuchi. With a chance to get back in the game against David Phelps....Martinez popped up to center to end the inning with the Sox down 9-2.

                                                        Verdugo gets bailed out

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Guerrero Jr doubled to right to start. Vlad moved to third on the grounder to second by Guerriel Jr but Kirk struck out swinging. Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Arroyo flied out to right to start the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez struck out swinging. Cordero took strike three to end the inning.

Reese McGuire the catcher came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bichette flied out to center to start. Chapman flied out to right and Biggio grounded out to third to end the inning. Maybe he should have started tonight.

                                                        McGuire mows them down

Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the ninth and Refsnyder singled to right. Naturally Verdugo took strike three and Dalbec swung at strike three over his head. Somehow Devers singled to right to score Plawecki and Trevor Richards was brought in to face McGuire. Unfortunately his bat didn't translate to his pitching as lined out to right to end the game. The Jays had won it 9-3.

                                                         Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Josh Winckowski. He imploded in the third inning by allowing 6 runs in just 2 2/3 innings to put the game out of reach early.

                                                      Jackass Winckowski

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jeurys Familia pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 2 before leaving the game.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Austin Davis allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 2 of his own in 2 1/3 innings.

Hiro Sawamura allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 2 but walked before leaving the game.

Bobby Dalbec struck out but also walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Reese McGuire made the final out but pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That should do it for the Red Sox this year. Not just the players look like they've given up but so has the fans and the media. Pretty much Sox GM's Chaim Bloom's legacy is trading Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Hunter Renfroe, giving 10 million dollars to a washed up Garrett Richards, giving 10 million dollars for James Paxton to get two batters out in the minors and letting Kyle Schwarber walk to the Philadelphia Phillies to hit 34 homers (so far). Can't blame him for Chris Sale, Michael Wacha and Nathan Eovaldi being injured more often than not but his prospects he got in the trades he's made have not panned out. Connor Seabold and Josh Winckowski have sucked as starters, Jeisson Rosario and Hudson Potts (Mitch Moreland trade) didn't pan out, Connor Wong and Jeter Downs (Betts trade) didn't impress at the ML level and both his first round picks Nick Yorke and Marcello Mayer are struggling in Single A. 11th round pick Niko Kavadas actually leapfrogged Mayer and is in Portland right now and he's being paid significantly less. As the entire world mocked Bloom for the Benintendi trade, guess who knocked in the wining run for the Yankees tonight? That's right, Benintendi. If it wasn't for 3 months to start last year and an improbable October, Chaim's tenure as a GM has been an out and out failure. He was handed a 108 win team in 2018 that due to injuries & hangover underperformed in 2019 and completely destroyed it. His 2020 season is pretty much forgotten because of Covid but let's not forget he purposely tanked that year when even just a semblance of a rotation would have had them in playoff contention. Someone is going to pay for this at the end of the year, the only question is who is it going to be? Is owner John Henry going to fire Bloom, Cora or both? The loss dropped the Sox to 60-63, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox next beating comes tomorrow night against the Jays when Brayan Bello (0-3, 8.47 ERA) gets called up from Worcester to get his ass handed to him while Jose Berrios most likely pitches a three hit shutout. The carnage begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Pirates Embarrass Winckowski, Sox (8/18/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox waived goodbye to Yolmer Sanchez after he was picked up off waivers by the New York Mets. Sanchez was a gold glove second baseman with the Chicago White Sox in 2019 but couldn't hit the ball off a tee here and even made a ludicrous error. With Christian Arroyo and Rob Refsnyder healthy, Sanchez was expendable and now he's headed to the Mets. Bye!

                                                                      Mets problem now

As for the game, what an unmitigated disaster. The Pirates were still fuming after Dennis Eckersley's comments on Tuesday night and they took their frustrations out on the mostly lifeless Red Sox. Josh Winckowski (5-6, 5.19 ERA) got hammered by one of the worst teams in baseball. Bryan Reynolds hit not one but two 2 run home runs and the normally punchless Pirates offense scored six runs against the rookie. Meanwhile on the other side of the ball JT Brubaker came into the game at 2-10 yet looked like a prime Roy Face. He dominated the Sox holding them to just 2 hits in 7 shutout innings while striking out 7. The Pirates got two more runs off Austin Davis but the Sox tried to fight back in the eighth inning, only to once again leave the bases loaded. It all added up to a humiliating 8-2 defeat at PNC Park.

                                                              Losing to Pittsburgh?

JT Brubaker got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham led off by swinging and missing at three straight pitches that went sailing over his head to start. Rafael Devers  swung and missed at three straight pitches that bounced in the dirt and Xander Bogaerts hit a weak tapper to the mound to end the inning. Winckowski got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tucupita Marcano grounded out to first to begin. Kevin Newman effortlessly singled to left and Bryan Reynolds repeated yesterday when he hit a home run all the way to Philadelphia to put the Pirates up for good early. Ben Gamel grounded out to short and Rodolfo Castro grounded out to second to end the inning with the Pirates ahead 2-0.

                                                           Pirates end it early

Alex Verdugo tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to begin the top of the second but was thrown out trying to steal on a strike three pitch right down the middle to JD Martinez. Christian Arroyo swung and missed at strike three that bounced 8 feet before home plate to end the inning. Oneil Cruz grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second before Greg Allen grounded out to short. Bligh Madris lined out to left to end the inning. 

Brubaker dominated the top of the third as Reese McGuire popped up weakly to short to start. Bobby Dalbec literally took 3 straight fastballs down the middle for a strikeout and Jarren Duran popped up weakly to center to end the inning. Tyler Heineman grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Marcano flied out to left. Once again Newman effortlessly singled to center and Reynolds easily singled to left to bring up Gamel. Gamel hit a routine pop up to Pham WHO MISSED THE CATCH! Both runners scored on the "double" to ice the game but Castro grounded out to third to end the inning with Pirates ahead 4-0.

                                                             Gamel ices the game

The Sox quit in the top of the fourth as Pham grounded out weakly to short to start. Devers grounded out weakly to first and Bogaerts got hit with a pitch. Verdugo popped up weakly to right to end the inning with everyone in the country laughing at the Sox. Cruz took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth but Allen drew a walk. Madris flied out to left and Heineman flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox looked lifeless in the top of the fifth as Martinez grounded out weakly to third to begin. Arroyo took a straight fastball right down the middle for strike three and McGuire was called out on strike three on a clear ball to end the inning. Marcano struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Newman effortlessly singled to center and Reynolds clobbered yet another two run homer as PNC Park pointed and laughed at Winckowski. Gamel lined out to center and Castro grounded out to first but it was 6-0 Pittsburgh. That was mercifully it for Winckowski who crapped his pants in a game Boston had to win. He allowed 6 runs in just 5 innings to one of the worst teams in baseball.

                                                      "I sucked tonight" - Wink

The Sox laid down in the top of the sixth inning as Dalbec grounded out weakly to short to start. Newman booted a grounder by Duran for an error but Pham banged into a double play to end the inning. Sox manager Alex Cora sent up the white flag as Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Cruz struck out swinging to start. Allen walked and Michael Chavis pinch hit for Madris, effortlessly doubling to left to score Allen. Heineman easily singled to left to score Chavis as the laughter continued. Marcano popped up to short and Newman struck out swinging to put the Pirates ahead 8-0.

                                                           Chavis gets his revenge

Brubaker laughed in the top of the seventh as Devers grounded out weakly to second to start the top of the seventh. Bogaerts got a lucky single to left and the only reason Verdugo didn't hit into a double play is Cruz threw the relay throw away. Marty grounded out weakly to short to end the inning. Brubaker came into the game 2-10 and naturally shut out the Sox for seven inning allowing just 4 baserunners, three of them by accident. Davis returned for the bottom of the seventh and somehow struck out Reynolds swinging to start. Gamel flied out to left and Castro grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Zach Thompson replaced Brubaker for the top of the eighth and Arroyo grounded out weakly to the mound to start. Suddenly the Sox sprang to life as McGuire lined a base hit to center and Dalbec singled to right. Duran walked and Pham beat out a roller to third to score McGuire and chase Thompson. Manny Banuelos came in to face Devers but all Rafael could do was hit a sac fly to center to score Dalbec. Bogaerts walked to re-load the bases and with a chance to make it interesting...Verdugo swung at strike three in the dirt which would have been ball four to end the inning with the Sox down 8-2.

                                                      Devers hits a sac fly

Cruz singled to left to start the bottom of the eighth but Allen took strike three. Chavis flied out to right and Heineman forced Cruz at second to end the inning. At least Davis saved the bullpen for the Baltimore series.

Colin Holderman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Martinez popped up to second to start. Arroyo struck out swinging and McGuire went down hacking to end the game. The Pirates humiliated the Sox 8-2.

                                                                Pirates win

Jackass of the Night is Josh Winckowski. He got lit up by one of the worst teams in baseball by allowing 6 runs in just 5 innings.

                                                           Jackass Winckowski

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 2 with a hit by pitch and a walk.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Austin Davis allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Murphy's Law season continued as more bad news came out in the aftermath of his humiliating loss. James Paxton strained his lat in his rehab start in Florida and will be out for the season while Connor Seabold got hammered for 5 runs in the first inning of his start in Worcester. Niko Kavadas went 0 for 4 in Portland, Marcello Mayer is down to .240 in Greenville and Hunter Dobbins allowed 5 runs down in Salem. Chaim Bloom paid 10 million dollars for James Paxton to record two outs this year, just another sign that he's been a complete failure as GM that happened to get lucky last year. Losing to the Pirates, especially getting hammered is inexcusable. Every day the Andrew Benintendi trade haunts them even more as he hits .300 for the New York Yankees while Franchy Cordero and Winckowski continue to struggle in Boston. A lot of Pirates media personnel danced around on this one after the Eckersley comments even though what he said was true. The bottom line was the Sox had a chance to gain some ground and have momentum going into Baltimore and pissed it away. Its been that kind of season for them that can't end fast enough. A lot of Sox media personnel are grumbling that Bogaerts is unhappy that he wasn't traded or extended so he's tanking it. It makes perfect sense as he and Martinez haven't done a damn thing since June and now Devers is slumping. The Sox can't rely on Arroyo and Verdugo every day so this upcoming AL East stretch could very well put the Sox out of their misery. The loss dropped the Sox to 59-60, 5 games behind the Blue Jays for the third wild card. The Sox now begin their 9 game death March through the AL East tomorrow night in Baltimore. Kutter Crawford (3-4, 4.18 ERA) takes on Jordan Lyles of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

Sox Hang On To Beat Pirates (8/16/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a welcome roster move. Jaylin Davis was sent down to Worcester in favor of the returning Kike Hernandez. Hernandez has missed the last two months and at this point anything is an improvement over Jarren Duran. If he can spark this miserable offense, great. If he continues to suck, oh well....Murphy's Law this season. In another welcome move, Rob Refsnyder was activated from the injured list and automatic out Yolmer Sanchez was designated for assignment. He can either go back to Worcester or become a free agent, either way with Arroyo and Refsnyder healthy, he's expendable.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, that was one of the most boring games of the season for all the wrong reasons. The Red Sox played a Pittsburgh Pirates team that mirrored the 2020 Sox in terms of complete nobodies and almost lost. The Sox smacked around Pirates starter Mitch Keller for 5 hits and 5 runs in the first two innings of the game. Would you be surprised the Pirates bullpen didn't allow a hit the rest of the game and just a single walk? Nick Pivetta (9-9, 4.28 ERA) managed to shut out the scrubs for 7 innings on 2 hits but Austin Davis and John Schreiber had other plans. With one out in the bottom of the eighth the Pirates loaded the bases against Davis and with two out, Ben Gamel hit a bases clearing double off Schreiber to cut the lead to two. Forcing Matt Barnes back into the closer's role. Barnes responded with a dominant ninth inning to slam the door. What should have been an easy victory turned into a microcosm of this lost season as the Sox narrowly beat the Pirates 5-3 at PNC Park.

                                                  Live look at Sox fans in the ninth inning

The Sox pounced all over Keller in the top of the first as Tommy Pham got a base hit to left to start. Rafael Devers and JD Martinez drew back to back walks to load the bases and Alex Verdugo poked a base hit to right to score Pham. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center to score Devers and O'Neil Cruz dropped a pop up by Eric Hosmer to score Martinez on the "single". The returning Kike Hernandez hit a sac fly to left to score Verdugo and move Arroyo to third...but Reese McGuire banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0. 

                                                       Welcome back Hernandez 

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tucupita Marcano flied out to center to start. Kevin Newman popped up to second but Bryan Reynolds walked. Ben Gamel got a base hit to left but Kevin Padlo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the second as Jarren Duran grounded out to short to start. Pham lined a base hit to center but Devers went down hacking. Martinez walked and Reynolds dropped a pop up from Verdugo for an error to score Pham. Arroyo grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                  Verdugo gets lucky

Pivetta cruised in the bottom of the second as Cruz grounded out to second to start. Rodolfo Castro flied out to center and Bligh Madris lined out to center to end the inning.

Chase De Jong came in to pitch the top of the third and Hosmer lined out to third to start. Hernandez struck out swinging and McGuire grounded out to third to end the inning. Jason Delay took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Marcano also froze for strike three. Newman walked but Reynolds flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Duran flied out to left to start. Pham popped up to short and Devers flied out to left to end the inning. Gamel lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth. Padlo flied out to center and Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez popped up to first to start the top of the fifth and Verdugo lined out to left. Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning. Castro walked on four pitches not even close to start the bottom of the fifth but Madris struck out swinging. Delay took strike three and Marcano popped up to short to end the inning. 

Hosmer walked to start the top of the sixth but Hernandez grounded into a double play. McGuire lined out to second to end the inning. Pivetta cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Newman popped up to first to start. Reynolds took strike three and Gamel flied out to right to end the inning. 

Old pal Austin Brice came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran struck out swinging to start. Pham flied out to right and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Pivetta returned for the bottom of the seventh and Padlo grounded out to second to start. Cruz grounded out to short and Castro grounded out to first to end the inning. Even though it was against a Triple A team, Pivetta dominated for 7 innings, shutting out the Pirates and allowing just one hit while striking out six.

                                                           Pivetta with 7 shutout innings

Martinez grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Verdugo flied out to center. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth and Greg Allen pinch hit for Madris to start. Allen popped up to second but Delay got a base hit to center and Marcano walked on four pitches not even close. Newman drilled a base hit to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had no choice but to call upon John Schreiber to clean up the mess. Reynolds was rung up for strike three and he got so mad that he swung his bat at the head of home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz. Ortiz ducked and threw Reynolds out of the game. One strike away from getting out of this...Gamel hit a bases clearing double to cut the lead as the whole league laughed at the Red Sox. Josh VanMeter flied out to left to end the inning but the Pirates were back in it down 5-3.

                                                        Yerrrrrr outta here!

Old pal Michael Chavis came in for Reynolds with Manny Banuelos coming in to pitch the top of the ninth. Hosmer, Hernandez and McGuire all struck out swinging just like that to end the incompetence. The Sox bats had no hits after the second inning and the Pirates bullpen was perfect the last six innings, pathetic. Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and turned back the clock. Cruz and Castro struck out swinging and Allen popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of the Night is Nick Pivetta. He shutout the Pirates for seven innings while allowing 2 hits and striking out 6 batters.

                                                              Well deserved Hero

The Good:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Eric Hosmer was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Matt Barnes earned his third save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Austin Davis was charged with 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

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

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

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

John Schreiber allowed all 3 inherited runners to score but escaped the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Rarely do wins feel like a loss but this was one of them. The Sox should be ashamed of themselves that a team this bad not only no-hit them for seven innings but damn near came back against them offensively. The Sox literally had no hits after the second inning and Austin Davis' meltdown came with one out in the eighth. All he had to do was get two more outs and they could have had JD Martinez pitch left handed in the ninth and it wouldn't have mattered. As it is they had to use Schreiber and Barnes in a game they should have never pitched in. Give credit to the Pirates bullpen and their bats for not quitting but good lord that was bad for Boston. Can't even celebrate a win like that because they knocked around a sore-armed pitcher and Pivetta dominated a team full of scrubs that probably wouldn't beat the Worcester Red Sox. The only silver linings were they did manage to win the game and Matt Barnes looked good. After Alex Cora abused The A-Team last year and all four of them faltered down the stretch, maybe the long layoff did Barnes some good. The sad part is the New York Yankees have gone 2-11 since trading Joey Gallo and if the Sox didn't crash and burn in July, they'd be closer than 14 games out with 45 left to play. The win improved the Sox to 58-59, 4 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the third wild card spot. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Pirates tomorrow night when Rich Hill (4-5, 4.75 ERA) takes the mound against Roansy Contreras of Pittsburgh. The game begins at 7:05 PM at PNC Park.

Sox Edge O's In Makeup Game (8/11/22)

Before the game the Portland Sea Dogs released Joan Martinez from their roster. Martinez was 0-2 with a 5.94 ERA, not exactly getting the job done.

                                                                    Bye bye Martinez

As for the game, technically the Boston Red Sox won their first series against an AL East team this season by winning today's make-up game against the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox broke out to an early 3-0 lead over the O's as an Alex Verdugo rbi double, Tommy Pham double and Xander Bogaerts sac fly put Boston on top against Dean Kremer. Then Josh Winckowski imploded in the sixth inning to allow Baltimore to tie it. Not to worry! Eric Hosmer smacked an rbi double in the bottom of the sixth to put Boston on top. The much maligned bullpen managed to hold it together as Matt Barnes and John Schreiber slammed the door for the Sox to win the game 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Cameron Smith approves of the win

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first inning and Cedric Mullins got a base hit to right to start. Adley Rutschman grounded out to second to move Mullins up and Anthony Santander flied out to center to move Cedric to third. Ryan Mountcastle walked but Terrin Vavra took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first against Kremer although Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Rafael Devers lined out to right but Xander Bogaerts doubled off the Monster. Alex Verdugo doubled to center to score Bogaerts to put Boston on top. JD Martinez lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                       Verdugo puts Boston on top

Austin Hays grounded out to short to start the top of the second inning before Rougned Odor grounded out to third. Ramon Urias grounded out to third to end the inning. Eric Hosmer got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Christian Arroyo grounded into a double play. Kevin Plawecki  grounded out to third to end the inning.

Jorge Mateo lined out to right to start the top of the third before Mullins flied out to left. Rustchman grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Jarren Duran  got a base hit to right to start. Pham doubled to left to score Duran and Devers grounded out to second to move Tommy to third. Bogaerts hit a sac fly to center to score Pham and Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                           Pham drives in a run

Santander grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Mountcastle got a base hit to right. Vavra beat out a roller to short but Hays grounded into a double play to end the inning. Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Hosmer went down hacking as well. Arroyo doubled to left but Plawecki grounded out to second to end the inning.

Odor flied out to left to open the top of the fifth before Urias struck out swinging. Mateo flied out to right to end the inning. Duran went down hacking to start the bottom of the fifth before Pham grounded out to third. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning.

Winckowski ran out of gas in the top of the sixth as Mullins got a base hit to center to start. Rutschman walked but Santander lined out to center. Mountcastle grounded out to third to move both runners over but Vavra tripled into the right field corner to tie the game. It looked like Hays was out at first on a grounder to Winckowski to end the inning but O's manager Brandon Hyde challenged that Hays was safe. Sure enough, the umps changed it to a single that scored Vavra to tie the game. That was it for Winckowski who allowed 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings on 6 hits and 2 walks. Austin Davis got Odor to ground into a force to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                   One bad inning cost Wink the victory

The Sox answered in the bottom of the sixth as Bogaerts hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez walked to chase Kremer. Nick Vespi came in and Hosmer greeted him with a double to right to score Martinez. Arroyo grounded out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 4-3.

                                                             Hosmer puts Boston on top

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Urias struck out swinging to start. Mateo got a base hit to left and it looked like he was out at second trying to steal, but Brandon Hyde challenged that he was safe. Sure enough, the umps changed the call. Mullins flied out to center to move Mateo to third and Rutschman took strike three to end the inning. Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Plawecki grounded out to short to start. Duran took strike three and Pham grounded out to short to end the inning.

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Santander flied out to center to start. Mountcastle struck out swinging and Vavra grounded out to short to end the inning. Keegan Akin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Devers grounded out to second to start. Bogaerts singled in the hole at short but Verdugo grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Schreiber returned to close out the top of the ninth and Hays flied out to right to start. Odor grounded out to short but Urias singled in the hole at second. Brett Phillips pinch ran for Urias but Mateo struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Eric Hosmer. His rbi double in the sixth put the Sox up for good.

                                                              Hosmer Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Austin Davis got the final out of the sixth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

John Schreiber earned his fourth save with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Josh Winckowski allowed 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2.

Final Thoughts:

Finally a good win by the Sox against a good team. The Sox have been bullied by the AL East this year but grinded to win this one. Winckowski ran out of gas in the sixth but the much maligned bullpen slammed the door in this one. The Sox bats did just enough to keep it close and Hosmer delivered the crushing blow. If Trevor Story were to come back healthy, this would be a dangerous lineup with Hosmer and Pham in the lineup. Bogaerts, Devers and Martinez can't do it alone but this was a team effort today. Hopefully the Sox can salvage the rest of the season if they can get more games like this one. The win improved the Sox to 55-58, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now take another beating by an AL East opponent as the New York Yankees are coming to town for a three game set. Nathan Eovaldi goes for the Sox against Domingo Germain of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.