Orioles Pound Sox at Fenway (9/28/19)

One thing is for sure, the 2020 Boston Red Sox better ditch this god awful "opener" idea. The reason the Tampa Bay Rays made it effective is because they're stacked with enough arms in their bullpen to get the job done. The Sox don't have those kind of arms and tonight's loss proved that. The lowly O's pounced on the "opener" Jhoulys Chacin for 4 early runs and another 4 runs off of complete bust Andrew Cashner. As been the Sox M.O. all season, as soon as they fell behind, they did not come back. The Sox led 3-2 after the first but the O's took the lead in the third inning. The Sox only scored 1 run the rest of the game and dropped the second to last game of the season 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                   
The O's wasted no time getting to Chacin in the top of the first when Jonathan Villar lined the first pitch of the game into right for a double and DJ Stewart smashed a 400,000 foot home run 3 pitches later to give the O's the lead. Trey Mancini whiffed but Rio Ruiz singled to center. Renato Nunez popped up to second but Chris Davis walked. Steve Wilkerson flied out to right to end the inning but it was 2-0 Orioles.

                                                  The rout is on again

Somehow the Sox rallied against John Means in the bottom of the first inning. Jackie Bradley Jr singled to right but Rafael Devers popped up to third. Xander Bogaerts crushed his 33rd home run of the season to tie the game and JD Martinez clobbered his 36th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Sam Travis flied out to center and Brock "The Hitman" Holt struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 3-2 Sox.

                                                   JD gives the Sox the lead

Chacin failed to hold the lead in the top of the second inning as Austin Wynns struck out swinging to start. Richie Martin pulverized a 79,000 foot home run to tie the game. Villar took strike three and Stewart hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but the game was tied 3-3.

                                                   Tie game

The Sox failed to take the lead in the bottom of the second as Gorkys Hernandez flied out to center to start. Chris Owings whiffed and Sandy Leon went down hacking to end the inning.

The O's took the lead for good in the top of the third inning although Mancini grounded out to first to start. Ruiz popped up to first but Nunez put the O's on top with a 7,000,000 foot home run halfway to Maine to chase Chacin. The "opener" got lit up for 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Bobby Poyner walked Davis when he was brought in but Wilkerson flied out to left to end the inning with the O's ahead 4-3.

         

                                                               Booooooooo!

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they stayed behind int he bottom of the third inning. JBJ whiffed to start before Devers flied out to left. Bogaerts walked but Martinez took strike three to end the inning.

Heath Hembree got the ball in the top of the fourth inning and Wynns struck out swinging to start. Martin grounded back to the mound and Villar popped up to first to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the fourth as Travis grounded out to third to start. Holt lined out to short but Hernandez walked. Owings grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the fifth and Stewart walked to start. Mancini whiffed but Stewart was erased on the force by Ruiz. Nunez whiffed to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the fifth although Leon grounded out to third to start. JBJ lined out to third but Devers and Bogaerts stroked back to back singles. With a chance to tie the game...Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to take one final beating this season in the top of the sixth inning. Davis greeted him with a double to left and Wilkerson sacrificed him to third. Wynns singled Davis home and Martin doubled Wynns home. Villar singled home Martin and swiped second base. Villar went to third on the grounder by Stewart and Mancini singled him home to chase the incompetent Cashner. Cashner ends his Sox career as one of the biggest busts in trade history, allowing 4 runs to put the game out of reach. Colten Brewer came in and got Ruiz to ground back to the mound to end the inning but it was 8-3 Orioles.

                                             Travis running around like a pinball machine

The Sox managed a feeble rally against Shawn Armstong in the bottom of the sixth inning as Travis walked to start. Holt flied out to left but Hernandez singled to center. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Owings and struck out swinging but Leon beat out a dribbler to short to score Travis. How big were those Cashner runs now? Tanner Scott came in to pitch to JBJ and got him to ground into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.

Brewer returned for the top of the seventh and Nunez whiffed to start. Davis grounded out to third but Wilkerson singled to center. Wilkerson stole second and Wynns whiffed to end the inning. Devers grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the seventh but O's manager Bruce Hyde HAD to make a pitching change, bringing in Branden Kline for absolutely no reason. Bogaerts singled to short, Martinez walked and Travis reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Representing the tying run....Holt banged into a double play to end the inning. Its been that kind of year.

Josh A Smith came in for the top of the eighth and Martin lined out to center to start. Villar walked but was erased on the Stewart force. Stewart was gunned down trying to steal by the alert Leon to end the inning. Austin Hays took over for Stewart in center with Wilkerson moving to right for the bottom of the eighth. Gorkys Hernandez walked to start and Bruce Hyde just had to make ANOTHER pitching change, bringing in Richard Bleier. Marco Hernandez singled to left but was erased on the Leon force. Naturally JBJ hit into a double play to end the inning.

Smith returned for the top of the ninth and Mancini greeted him with a 15,000 foot home run into the Charles River. Ruiz lined out to center, Nunez went down swinging and Davis took strike three to end the inning with the Orioles ahead 9-4.

                                                    One last kick in the pants

Thankfully the game ended in the bottom of the ninth as Devers flied out to right to start. Just to piss off the remaining fans, Bruce Hyde trudged to the mound and absolutely had to bring in Dillon Tate with a 5 run lead with 1 out in the ninth. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Martinez took strike three to end the game. The O's had won the game 9-4.

                                          Another easy win for Baltimore


Jackass of the Night is Andrew Cashner. He turned a 4-3 game into 8-3 in the blink of an eye to put it out of reach.

                                               One final Jackass for Cashner



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a home run.

Gorkys Hernandez was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Marco Hernandez was 1 for 2.

Bobby Poyner got the final out of the third inning.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless fourth inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Colten Brewer tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Owings was 0 for 2 with a strikeout/

Jhoulys Chacin allowed 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and hit a home run.

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but knocked in a run.

Josh A Smith allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Thank god this miserable season is almost over. September has been absolutely dreadful to watch with no starting rotation, constant pitching changes and lack of clutch hitting. Today was a microcosm of the season with the "opener" failing miserably and their only trade acquisition falling flat on his face. The supposedly good offense once again did not come back when trailing and it all adds up to failure. Thankfully this nightmare is almost over and we never have to see most of these people again. There's no way Smith, Chacin or Cashner are coming back or the Juan Cetenos and Gorkys Hernandez of the world either. The loss dropped the Sox to 83-78 with one game left in the season. The only reason to tune into tomorrow's finale against the Orioles is Eduardo Rodriguez (19-6, 3.80 ERA) quest for 20 wins on the season. Standing in E-Rod's way is old Sox farmhand Chandler Shepherd. The game begins at 3:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Six Run Rally Sinks Sox (9/23/19)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some good news for once. Heath Hembree had been activated off the Injured List and would be available for the final 7 games of the season. This year may be a wash but he'll be needed next season for sure

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster in a season full of them. The Sox took a 4-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays when the Rays promptly scored 6 runs off Sox starter Jhoulys Chacin and the JV bullpen. As been their M.O. all season, as soon as the Sox fell behind they failed to come back. Blake Snell was hittable for the Rays but the bullpen was not as the Rays took 3 out of 4 in this series with a 7-4 win at Tropicana Field.

                                               Morty's reaction to Boston pitching

Snell took the mound in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez went down swinging to start. Mr. Mookie Betts drew a walk but Rafael Devers struck out swinging as well. Mr. Mookie swiped second and JD Martinez walked before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Sam Travis also went down swinging to end the inning. Chacin initially had a good bottom of the first as he struck out Joey Wendle swinging to begin. Tommy Pham went down hacking but Austin Meadows walked. Travis d'Arnaud flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr singled to center to begin. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to center, JBJ swiped second and Chris Owings walked. Sandy Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Marco Hernandez pounded a ground rule double to put the Sox on top. That was it for Snell as Chaz Roe came in and got Mr. Mookie to pop up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                              Hernandez puts the Sox on top

Chacin cruised in the bottom of the second as Ji-Man Choi grounded out to first to start. Avisail Garcia grounded out to short and Brandon Lowe grounded out to first to end the inning.

Peter Fairbanks came in for the top of the third and the Sox struck again. Devers flied out to left and Martinez grounded out to short, but Sam Travis keeled over in the dugout and had to be rushed to the local hospital's ICU. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Travis and doubled to center before JBJ doubled Mitch home. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

Chacin blew away Kiermaier to begin the bottom of the third before Adames took strike three. Wendle grounded out to second to end the inning.

Austin Pruitt came in for the top of the fourth and the Sox nailed him too. Owings grounded out to first to start before Leon took strike three. Marco Hernandez walked and Mr. Mookie singled him to third. Devers singled home Hernandez and Martinez singled home Betts. Moreland walked to load the bases but JBJ missed the killshot by grounding out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                     Devers drives in a run

All of a sudden the Rays sprang to life in the bottom of the fourth although Pham whiffed to start. Meadows singled to right and d'Arnaud singled him to third. Choi then crushed a 970,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Garcia grounded out to third but Lowe smashed a 340,000 foot home run to tie the game and chase Chacin. He was nearly perfect for 3 1/3 innings but fell apart in a hurry.

                                                   So much for Chacin

Bobby Poyner came in to pour gas on the fire as Kiermaier was plunked and Adames cracked a 50,000 foot home run to put Tampa up for good. Wendle took strike three to end the inning but 3 Rays homers had given them the lead 6-4.

                                                   The Rays take the lead

As been their M.O. all season, the Sox quit when they fell behind in the top of the fifth inning. Oliver Drake got Gorkys Hernandez and Chris Owings to strike out swinging before Leon grounded out to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the ball in the bottom of the fifth and Pham flied out to right to start. Meadows grounded out to first and d'Arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox quit in the top of the sixth inning as Marco Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Mr. Mookie lined out to center and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. The Rays wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Choi doubled to start. Garcia doubled home Choi but was thrown out at third trying to stretch by Mr. Mookie. Lowe whiffed and Kiermaier flied out to right to end the inning with the Rays up 7-4.

                                                     YERRRR OUT!

Daniel Robertson took over for Lowe but was at third with Wendle moving to second and Nick Anderson on the mound for the top of the seventh. Martinez and Moreland both struck out swinging but JBJ dumped a base hit to center. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Heath Hembree materialized out of thin air to pitch for the first time since August 1st in the bottom of the seventh inning. Adames lined out to center to start before Wendle grounded out to second. Pham flied out to right to end the inning. Welcome back Hembree!

                                                       Hembree is back

Diego Castillo came in for the top of the eighth and Owings whiffed to start. Leon flied out to center and Marco Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Brian Johnson came in for the bottom of the eighth and Meadows singled to start. d'Arnaud whiffed and Choi flied out to center before Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Garcia. Aguilar walked and Guillermo Heredia pinch ran for him. Robertson whiffed to end the inning.

Emilio Pagan came in for the top of the ninth and the Sox rallied. Mr. Mookie and Devers stroked back to back singles to start but Martinez flied out to right. Colin Poche came in to pitch and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Moreland...just to strike out swinging. Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for JBJ...just to take strike three to end the game. The Rays had won it 7-4.

                                                                 Another loss to the Rays


Jackass of the Night is Bobby Poyner. He allowed the go ahead home run to Adames that the Sox could got recover from.

                                                        Bobby Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Sam Travis struck out in his only at bat.

Christian Vazquez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts struck out as a pinch hitter.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 but struck out.

Jhoulys Chacin gave up 4 runs in just 3 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Chris Owings was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Hector Velazquez allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing this season is almost over because I can't stand watching this garbage anymore. The Sox keep throwing out scrubs to pitch and they hardly ever come back when trailing. It doesn't matter if its the Tampa Bay Rays or the Perkins Institute for the Blind, every game is the same this month more or less. The only thing left to look forward to is if Eduardo Rodriguez can get to 20 wins or not because this is unbearable at this point. It was nice to see Heath Hembree make his return, if nothing else than one less inning per game for one of the interchangeable scrubs. The loss dropped the Sox to 81-75 with just 6 games left in the season. The Sox now travel to Texas for their final road trip of the season. Eduardo Rodriguez (18-6) continues his march towards 20 wins when he goes up against Edinson Volquez at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.

Rays Walkoff in 11...Again (9/21/19)

The Boston Red Sox played Groundhog Day in tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. After making a late comeback just to lose in 11 innings last night, the Sox did the exact same thing tonight against the Rays. The Sox trailed 3-1 going into the eighth inning but but a clutch 2 run bomb by Rafael Devers tied the game. 3 innings later Mitch Moreland put the Sox on top with a home run...only for Josh Smith to serve up a double and a home run to Nate Lowe in short order to give the game to the Rays. The Sox came back just to lose 5-4 in 11 innings to the soon to be wild card champion Rays at Tropicana Field.

                                                Groundhog Day

Tyler Glasnow got the "start" for the Rays and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers took strike three but Xander Bogaerts doubled to center. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for the Sox and Austin Meadows flied out to center to begin. Tommy Pham walked but Ji-Man Choi was rung up for strike three. Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to first to end the inning.

Glasnow turned up the heat in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland flailed away for strike three to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt watched strike three go by and Christian Vazquez was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Nate Lowe whiffed to start the bottom of the second but Matt Duffy doubled to right and remained there as Joey Wendle beat out an infield single to second. Both runners moved over on the Kevin Kiermaier grounder and Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout. In what was going to be another 5 hour game with one pitching change after another, Bobby Poyner was brought in to finish the inning. Willy Adames whiffed to end the inning, here we go again.

                                                      Short and sweet for Lakins

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to begin the top of the third before Marco Hernandez went down swinging. Mr. Mookie singled to left but Devers whiffed to end the inning. Mike Shawaryn took over for the bottom of the third and Meadows singled off the glove of Hernandez to start. Pham whiffed but Choi walked. d'Arnaud singled home Meadows to put the Rays up first. Lowe grounded out to first. Duffy was plunked to chase Shawaryn. Colten Brewer was summoned and naturally Joey Wendle singled to right. Choi scored but d"arnaud was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Rays up 2-0.

                                                                  2-0 Rays

The Sox fought back against Yonny Chirinos in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts crushed his 32nd homer of the season to cut the lead in half. Martinez and Moreland both whiffed and Holt lined out to third to end the inning but the Sox were back in it down 2-1.

                                              Number 32 for Bogaerts

Ryan Weber took over for the bottom of the fourth and and Kiermaier grounded back to the mound to start. Adames took strike three and Meadows lined back to Weber to end the inning.

Andrew Kittredge came in for the top of the fifth and Vazquez whiffed to start. JBJ singled to right but Hernandez whiffed. Mr. Mookie grounded into a force to end the inning. Weber froze Pham for strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Choi lined out to left. d'Arnaud popped up to first to end the inning.

Peter Fairbanks cruised in the top of the sixth as Devers grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts lined out to left before Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. Weber returned for the bottom of the sixth as Lowe grounded out to second to start. Duffy whiffed but Wendle singled to second. Dr. Quick Hook Alex Cora pulled Weber for Josh Taylor. The alert Taylor picked off Wendle to end the inning.

Colin Poche came in for the top of the seventh and Moreland took strike three to start. Holt lined out to left butVazquez walked. JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. The Rays got to Taylor in the bottom of the seventh although Kiermaier whiffed to start. Adames then blasted a 500,000 foot home run to increase the lead. Meadows single and Dr. Quick Hook pulled Taylor for Ryan Brasier. Meadows was erased on the force by Meadows and Choi flied out to left to end the inning but it was 3-1 Rays.

                                                    Adames goes yard

Guillermo Heredia took over for Pham with Nick Anderson now on the mound for the Sox big rally. Hernandez went down hacking but Mr. Mookie singled. Devers then belted a 2 run home run to tie the game. Bogaerts and Martinez both grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                           A miserable Devers ties it up

Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the eighth and d'Arnaud flied out to center to start. Lowe whiffed and Duffy took strike three to end the inning.

Oliver Drake came in for the top of the ninth and Moreland grounded out to first to start. Holt grounded out to short but Vazquez walked. Andrew Benintendi pinch ran for Vazquez but JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning. Sandy Leon took over behind the plate for the bottom of the ninth with Gorkys Hernandez now in left and Matt Barnes now on the mound. Barnes turned up the heat by getting Wendle to go down hacking to start. Kiermaier also whiffed and Adames also swung and missed for strike three to end the inning.

Emilio Pagan came in for the top of the tenth and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to begin. Mr. Mookie flied out to center and Devers popped up to second to end the inning. Sox closer Brandon Workman came in for the bottom of the tenth and Meadows walked to start. Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Heredia but whiffed. Choi was rung up for strike three and Meadows was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox took the lead in the top of the eleventh with Michael Brosseau in left field and Diego Castillo on the mound. Bogaerts grounded out to short to start before Martinez struck out swinging again. Moreland then put the Sox on top with his 18th home run of the season. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox led 4-3.

                                                     Moreland steps it up

The good feeling lasted 30 seconds as Josh Smith gave away the game in almost record time in the bottom of the eleventh inning. d'Arnaud doubled to left and Lowe pulverized a game winning, walkoff home run to give the game to the Rays. This season sucks.

                                                         Ugh


Jackass of the Night is Josh Smith. Staked to a one run lead, Smith coughed it up in just two batters to give up the walkoff home run to Lowe.

                                                       Nice going Smith



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a two run home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Christian Vazquez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Travis Lakins tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Ryan Weber tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Andrew Cashner tossed a scoreless inning.

Matt Barnes struck out the side in his inning of work.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Mike Shawaryn was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Colten Brewer gave up an rbi single to Joey Wendle.

Josh Taylor was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but hit a solo home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Andrew Benintendi ran for Vazquez in the top of the ninth.

Sandy Leon caught the final three innings.




Final Thoughts:

Its bad enough the Sox are almost completely unwatchable due to the bad pitching they have but Alex Cora trudging to the mound 7-8 times a game slows it down considerably. I understand if he's trying to bring in as many pitchers as he can to showcase them for either future teams or to show what they've got, but one pitching change after another slows the game down. The worst part is most of the guys he brings in are scrubs who probably won't be on the team next year because they keep giving up runs. The sad part was the Sox still was in position to win the game but they blew it. Luckily there are only 8 more games of torture remaining. No more Cora bringing in 75 pitchers and losing by 7 runs every game. The loss dropped the Sox to 80-74. The Rays look to sweep the Sox tomorrow afternoon when Ryan Yarbrough shuts down the Sox and Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) takes a beating at 1:05 PM at Tropicana Field.

Giants Pound Sox (9/18/19)

One thing is for sure, priority number one for the next Boston Red Sox general manager will be to fix the starting rotation. The Sox inability to come back from late deficits is annoying and the bullpen being worthless for most of the first half was why the general manager is now unemployed, but the destruction of the rotation is the main reason why the season went down the drain. Chris Sale and David Price couldn't stay healthy while Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello went down the drain. Apart from Eduardo Rodriguez, the rotation has been a disaster. Tonight the Sox were forced to start Jhoulys Chacin (3-11, 5.66 ERA) off the scrap heap against the San Francisco Giants. Naturally he and the JV bullpen got beat up by the Giants for 11 runs and 15 hits. The Sox offense barely even tried with just 6 hits of their own and the Giants curbstomped the Sox with an 11-3 win at Fenway Park.

                                              "Your rotation sucks!" Dr. Pierce

The Giants wasted no time tagging Chacin in the top of the first inning as Mike Yastrzemski walked to start. Brandon Belt doubled Yaz to third and Kevin Pillar scored him with a ground out. Alex Dickerson took strike three but Stephen Vogt homered to ice the game 5 batters in. Brandon Crawford singled but Cristhian Adams whiffed to end the inning with the Giants up 3-0.

                                                That didn't take long

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the first against Giants starter Jeff Samardzija as Andrew Benintendi lined out to center to start. Xander Bogaerts popped up to third but Rafael Devers walked. Christian Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning.

Chacin recovered in the top of the second as Mauricio Dubon whiffed to start. Aramis Garcia struck out swinging and Mike Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to first to start. Mitch Moreland flied out to center before Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Giants knocked Chacin out in the top of the third inning although Belt struck out swinging to start. Pillar beat out an infield single but Dickerson took strike three. Pillar stole second, Vogt walked and Crawford doubled home Pillar to increase the lead. Dr. Quick Hook Alex Cora decided enough was enough from Jhoulys. Chacin didn't have it as he allowed 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Bobby Poyner came in and punched out Adames to end the inning with the Giants up 4-0.

                                                      Another awful start

Marco Hernandez lined out to left to start the bottom of the third but Sandy Leon. Benintendi banged into a double play to end the inning.

Brian Johnson was summoned for the top of the fourth and Dubon grounded out to third to begin. Garia whiffed and Mike Yaz lined out to right to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to begin. Devers grounded out to third as well before Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning.

Belt took strike three to begin the top of the fifth before Pillar grounded out to second. Dickerson flied out to center to end the inning. Holt tried to rally the Sox by drawing a walk in the bottom of the fifth but Moreland flied out to right. JBJ walked but Hernandez beat out a double play ball. Leon popped up to short to end the inning.

Travis Lakins got the call for the top of the sixth and Vogt grounded out to third to start. Crawford grounded out to second but Adames singled to center. Dubon grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth although Benintendi watched strike three go by to start. Bogaerts was rung up for strike three but Devers blast his 30th home run of the season to break up the shutout. Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were down 4-1.

                                                           Devers hits number 30

Mike Shawaryn came in to pitch the top of the seventh an blew away Garcia to start. Mike Yaz swung at air and Belt popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Holt singled to center to start. That was it for Samardzija as Fernando Abad came in and Moreland banged into a double play. JBJ and Hernandez stroked back to back singles and Leon singled home Leon to cut the lead in half. Representing the go-ahead run.....Benintendi grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                   Leon drives in a run

Shawaryn came back for the top of the eighth and promptly crapped his pants. Pillar and Dickerson stroked back to back singles before Joey Rickard ran for Dickerson. Vogt hit a sac fly to score Pillar and Rickard stole second on the Crawford strike out. Alex Cora brought in Colten Brewer and the first thing he did was give up an rbi single to Adames. Dubon whiffed to end the inning but the Giants had iced it 6-2.

                                               Giants ice the game

Tyler Rogers came in for the bottom of the eighth and the Sox laid down. Bogaerts grounded out to third, Devers grounded out to second and Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth. Garcia doubled to left and Mike Yaz singled him home. Devers dropped a pop up by Belt for a base hit and Pillar singled to load the bases Rickard popped up to first and Vogt banged into a double play to end the inning....but wait! Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call and the umps reversed it, Vogt was safe at first and Mike Yaz scored another run. That was it for Velazquez as Ryan Weber came in and Crawford hit a routine grounder to short. Bogaerts went OLE! for an error that scored Belt. Adames single to left to re-load the bases and Dubon singled home Vogt and Crawford as the boo birds rained down. Garcia lined out to right but the Giants scored 5 runs off the JV bullpen to take an 11-2 lead.

                                                          Yaz scores another run

Enderson Franco came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Juan Centeno pinch hit for Holt. Centeno popped up to short and Chris Owings pinch hit for Moreland only to strike out swinging. JBJ prolonged the agony with his 20th home run of the year. Hernandez flied out to center to end the game. The Giants had won it easily 11-3.

                                                            Mike Yax is 2-0 at Fenway


Jackass of the Night is Jhoulys Chacin. He took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings, putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of and having to rely on the JV bullpen to wreck the day.

                                                       Keep the head down, Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and his 30th homer.

Brock Holt was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 total runs scored and his 20th home run.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Brian Johnson tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Travis Lakins pitched a scoreless 6th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Chris Owings struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mike Shawaryn allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Hector Velazquez allowed 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Ryan Weber allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Colten Brewer allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1/3 of an inning.




Final Thoughts:

Just 11 more games and this miserable season is over. The Sox are clearly going through the motions as the season comes to a close. Getting bitchslapped by the San Francisco Giants is just par for the course when it comes to this year's team. Even the Fenway crowd is giving louder ovations to Mike Yastrzemski than any member of the Red Sox. That actually sends a louder message to ownership that the fans have had enough of the team. At least the silver lining is that Sox owner John Henry told the primary culprit to please leave the premises. The less said about this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-72, just about mathematically eliminated. The Sox look to avoid a sweep by the Giants when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (17-6) up against former ace Madison Bumgarner tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Giants Top Sox in 15 (9/17/19)

What started with a pretty cool tribute to Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Carl, ended in yet another agonizing, boring loss in a season full of them. This time it was the San Francisco Giants that managed to suck less than the Boston Red Sox. The Giants broke out to a 5-1 lead after 4 only for the Sox to miraculously tie it in the bottom of the sixth. The score remained deadlocked until the 13th where the Giants scored but somehow the Sox answered. The Giants scored again in the 15th and this time the Sox didn't come back. Thankfully the season is almost over as the Giants dropped the Sox 7-6 in 15 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                        Generation to generation

36 years after Carl Yastrzemski played his final game at Fenway Park, his grandson Mike began the top of the first inning by striking out swinging. The Giants instantly took the lead when Brandon Belt crushed a 60,000 foot home run to put the Giants on top. Evan Longoria whiffed but Stephen Vogt grounded out to short to end the inning with the Giants up 1-0.

                                                          Giants up early

Giants starter Logan Webb cruised in the bottom of the first inning as Andrew Benintendi lined out to center to start. Xander Bogaerts whiffed and Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning.

Eovaldi blew away Kevin Pillar to start the top of the second but Brandon Crawford singled to center. Chris Shaw whiffed but Austin Slater singled to right. Former Sox prospect Mauricio Dubon grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox tied it in the bottom of the second although JD Martinez whiffed to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt, Mitch Moreland and Christian Vazquez all walked to load the bases. Jackie Bradley Jr  tied the game with a base hit to left to score Holt and reload the bases. The rally ended as Marco Hernandez grounded to third and Longoria threw home to nail Moreland at home with a force before Benitnendi lined out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    JBJ ties it up

The Giants took the lead in the top of the third as Mike Yaz walked to start. Belt took strike three but Longoria walked. Vogt doubled home Yaz and Pillar scored Longoria with a grounder. Crawford singled home Vogt to ice the game. Shaw grounded out to second to end the inning but the Giants had took the lead 4-1.

                                                          Yaz scores the go-ahead run

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the third as Bogaerts grounded out to second to begin. Devers whiffed and Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. The Giants struck again in the top of the fifth although Slater lined out to right to start. Dubon popped up to second but Mike Yaz lit the crowd up with a home run to increase the lead. Belt walked and Longoria singled but Vogt struck out to end the night for Eovaldi. Another stinker from Nathan as he lasted just 4 innings and allowed 5 runs to put the Sox in a 5-1 hole.

                                                    Poor effort from Eovaldi

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth as Holt grounded out to second to start. Moreland grounded out to short and Vazquez also grounded to short to end the inning.

Colten Brewer took over for the top of the fifth and Pillar grounded out to second to start. Crawford whiffed before Shaw struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox began their comeback in the botom of the fifth as JBJ clubbed his 19th home run of the season. Hernandez grounded back to the mound and Benintendi lined out to first, but Bogaerts walked. Devers grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                  Home run JBJ

Bobby Poyner pitched the top of the sixth inning and Slater grounded out to third to start. Dubon flied out to center and Mike Yaz grounded out to first to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Martinez suddenly keeled over in the dugout clutching his groin. He was carried out on a stretcher and was hauled off to Mass General's ICU. Sam Travis pinch hit for him and hit a shot into the right field corner. Travis motored around for the triple but was hit in the head with the throw, knocking him goofy. He was hauled off in a gurney and rushed to Brigham & Women's ICU.  That was it for Webb as Andrew Suarez came in to pitch with Hernandez running for Travis. Holt whiffed but Moreland doubled home Hernandez. Vazquez pounded a ground rule double to score Moreland and stole third on the JBJ strikeout. Vazquez scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Marco Hernandez singled to center but Benintendi lined out to left to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                   Poor Travis

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the seventh and Belt took strike three to start. Longoria whiffed and Vogt flied out to right to end the inning. Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Bogaerts singled to start. Devers singled to center and Gorkys Hernandez dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Old pal Fernando Abad came in and punched out Holt before Moreland grounded out to short to end the inning.

Pillar whiffed to start the top of the eighth and Josh Taylor came in to face Crawford. Taylor got Crawford to ground out and Donovan Solano hit for Shaw, drawing a walk. Slater whiffed to end the inning. Jandel Gustave came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez worked a walk to start. Sox manager Alex Cora made the idiotic decision to have Chris Owings run for Vazquez and Owings was quickly erased on the force by JBJ. Bradley was erased on the force by Marco Hernandez and Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning.

Sandy Leon came in to catch the top of the ninth with Brandon Workman now on the mound. Dubon singled but Mike Yaz took strike three. Dubon got picked off by the alert Workman and Belt took strike three to end the inning. Sam Coonrod came in for the bottom of the ninth but Bogaerts popped up to first to start. Devers grounded out to second but Gorkys Hernandez singled and took second on a wild pitch. Holt was intentionally walked as Will Smith came in. Moreland was retired on a squibber to end the inning, on to extras we go.

Matt Barnes came in for the top of the tenth and walked Longoria to start. Vogt flied out to right and Longoria was erased on the Pillar force. Crawford walked but Solano grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox looked to have ended it when Leon led off with a base hit but JBJ flied out to center. Marco Hernandez whiffed as did Benintendi to end the inning.

Marcus Walden came in for the top of the eleventh and Slater took strike three to start. Dubon grounded out to second and Mike Yaz struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eleventh against Shaun Anderson as Bogaerts whiffed to start. Devers struck out swinging and Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in for the top of the 12th and Belt flied out to center to begin. Longoria singled but Vogt banged into a double play. The Sox looked to win the game when Holt walked to start the bottom of the 12th but Moreland grounded into a double play. Leon whiffed to end the inning.

The Giants finally broke the deadlock in the top of the 13th as Pillar singled to start. Crawford lashed one off the Monster that scored Pillar easily but Crawford was thrown out trying to stretch a triple. Solano singled but Slater struck out swinging. Dubon flied out to right to end the inning but the Giants led 6-5.

                                                      Giants take the lead

Sam Selman came in for the bottom of the 13th and thinks looked bleak when JBJ whiffed to start. Somehow the Sox rallied as Marco Hernandez singled to left and Benintendi walked to chase Selman. Burch Smith came in and Bogaerts singled to right to load the bases. Wandy Peralta came in and punched out Devers and Kyle Barraclough was brought in to pitch to Gorkys Hernandez. Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Juan Centeno to pinch hit for Hernandez and somehow Juan walked to score Marco Hernandez with the tying run. With the winning run 90 feet away...Holt grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                            Good work Centeno

Brian Johnson came in for the top of the 14th and Mike Yaz grooved a ground rule double into the bleachers to start. Belt flied out to left and Longoria was intentionally walked. Vogt whiffed to chase Johnson. Trevor Kelley came in and Pillar grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Dereck Rodriguez came in for the bottom of the fourteenth and Moreland flied out to center to begin. Leon singled but JBJ took strike three. Marco Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning.

The Giants finally went up for good in the top of the fifteenth inning as Crawford whiffed to start. Solano hit a ground rule double and Alex Dickerson pinch hit for Slater. A wild pitch moved Solano to third and Dickerson scored Solano with a sac fly. Dubon hit a routine grounder to short and Bogaerts was so angry he fired the ball at Dickerson in the Giants dugout for an error. Mike Yaz popped up to third to end the inning with the Giants ahead 7-6.

                                                Sac fly by Dickerson

Mike Gerber took over in right for the bottom of the 15th and Benintendi grounded out to third to start. Bogaerts walked and Devers singled to put the tying run at second but Centeno lined out to center. Holt lined out to second to end the game. After all that, the Giants had won 7-6 in 15.

                                                  Mike Yaz is 1-0 at Fenway



Jackass of the Night is Brock Holt. He had a chance to win the game in the 13th and to tie it in the 15th and failed both times.

                                                  Hitman Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 6 with 2 walks.

Gorkys Hernandez was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Juan Centeno walked and drove in a run.

Sam Travis tripled as a pinch hitter before leaving with injury.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 7 with 2 total rbis, a home run and a run scored.

Marco Hernandez was 2 for 7 with a run scored.

Colten Brewer pitched a clean 5th inning.

Bobby Poyner pitched a clean 6th inning.

Ryan Brasier tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Josh Taylor got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

Brandon Workman pitched a clean 9th inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 10th inning.

Marcus Walden pitched a scoreless 11th inning.

Brian Johnson got the first two outs of the 14th inning.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Nathan Eovaldi lasted just 4 innings and allowed 5 runs.

Trevor Kelley took the loss by giving up the go-ahead run in the 15th.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 7 but walked.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 8 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 6 but walked, drove in a run and scored.

Andrew Cashner allowed a run in 2 innings of work.



Honorable Mention:

Chris Owings pinch ran for Vazquez.




Final Thoughts:

At least that game was interesting even if it did go 15 innings and the Sox lost as usual. It was good to see Mike Yastrzemski get a nice ovation as he's having a heck of a year for the Giants. Apart from that, only 12 more games of torture to go. The Giants and Sox set a dubious record with 24 pitchers used combined. Major League Baseball is thinking of adopting a 3 batter minimum rule and at this point, who wouldn't be in favor of it? Nobody comes to see the managers waddle to the mound to take the ball after damn near every batter it seems. The lone bright spots of this game were the bottom of the bench getting it done like Travis, Centeno and some of the bullpen arms. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-71, nowhere near Wild Card contention.  The Sox are back in action against the Giants tomorrow night with Jeff Samardzija going for San Fran opposite Jhoulys Chacin of the Sox at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.