Rays Crush Rodriguez, Sox (9/7/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a series of roster moves. Kike Hernandez and Danny Santana were activated from the Covid List while Taylor Motter was designated for assignment and Franchy Cordero was sent back to Worcester. Motter did well when he was here, don't know why he has to leave. Oh well.

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As for the game, another unmitigated disaster. The Tampa Bay Rays put a cigarette out on the heads of the Boston Red Sox. Their red hot second half surge continued as they pounded out another 14 hits and 12 runs against Red Sox pitching. Eduardo Rodriguez (11-8, 5.15 ERA) continued his season of regression by getting tagged for six runs in just 3 2/3 innings. Michael Feliz and Brad Peacock got rocked for six runs as well as the Rays teed off on Sox pitching. Drew Rasmussen held the Sox to just  1 run through five innings although the Sox rallied for six runs at the end off David Hess. The final score looked a little better but the Sox got blown out by Tampa 12-7 at Fenway Park.

                                                     "DAMMIT TAMPA!!!"

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first as Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to start. Wander Franco grounded out to short and Nelson Cruz grounded out to second to end the inning. Rasmussen got the ball in the bottom of the first and the returning Kike Hernandez took strike three to start. Kyle Schwarber grounded out to short and JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

The Rays jumped on E-Rod in the top of the second as Yandy Diaz popped up to first in foul territory to start. Jordan Luplow doubled to center and Manny Margot doubled to center to score him. Joey Wendle singled to right and Mike Zunino tripled into the right field corner to ice the game already. Zunino got picked off third and Kevin Kiermaier struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 3-0.

                                                        Zunino clears the bases

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers singled to center to start. Hunter Renfroe doubled to left but Alex Verdugo took strike three. Christian Vazquez grounded out to second but Devers scored to cut the lead. Jose Iglesias flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

The Rays struck again in the top of the third as Arozarena doubled to left to start. Franco lined out to short but Cruz hit a home run all the way to Alabama to increase the lead. Diaz grounded out to third but Luplow beat out a roller to short. Margo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 5-1.

                                                              That's one for Cruz

Jonathan Arauz grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Hernandez grounded out to third. Schwarber and Martinez stroked back to back base hits to right but Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Rays were relentless in the top of the fourth as Wendle struck out swinging to start. Zunino then hit a home run all the way to Detroit to increase the lead. Kiermaier flied out to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough of Rodriguez. E-Rod got pounded for 6 runs off 8 hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Michael Feliz came in and Arozarena flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays up 6-1.

                                                       Bye bye Rodriguez

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Renfroe grounded out to second to start. Verdugo singled to center but Vazquez flied out to left. Iglesias popped up to left to end the inning.

The Rays scored again in the top of the fifth as Franco grounded out to short to start. Cruz hit his second home run of the night into the Charles River and Diaz struck out swinging. Luplow struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 7-1.

                                                      That's 2 for Cruz

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Arauz pounded a ground rule double into the right field stands to start. Hernandez flied out to center but Schwarber moved Arauz to third with a grounder to second. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Margot struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Wendle flied out to left. Zunino then swatted his second home run of the night to make the rest of the crowd leave. Kiermaier lined out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 8-1.

                                                       Another home run

Louis Head came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Devers grounded out to short to start. Renfroe struck out swinging but Verdugo singled to center. Vazquez popped up to first to end the inning.

Brad Peacock came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Arozarena doubled to center to start. Franco walked and Cruz doubled off off the Monster to score Arozarena. Diaz lined out to short and Luplow hit a home run all the way into the Gulf of Mexico to increase the lead. Margot grounded out to third and Wendle took strike three to end the inning with the Rays up 12-1.

                                                         Home run derby by Tampa

Iglesias popped up to first to start the bottom of the seventh before Arauz grounded back to the mound. Hernandez popped up to Margot to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec came in for Devers and Danny Santana came in for Renfroe to start the top of the eighth. Zunino grounded out to second, Kiermaier struck out swinging and Arozarena grounded out to second to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Schwarber blooped a base hit to right to start. Travis Shaw pinch hit for Martinez and struck out swinging but Dalbec crushed his 19th home run of the season to cut the lead. Santana then cracked his 5th home run of the season for back to back jacks. Verdugo flied out to right but Vazquez got a base hit to right. Iglesias singled to left and Arauz singled to center to score Vazquez. Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 12-5

                                                     Santana goes back to back

Franco flied out to center to start the top of the ninth but Cruz singled to right. Diaz struck out swinging and Luplow grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Schwarber walked to start. Shaw struck out swinging again but Dalbec cracked his second home run off Hess to cut the lead. Santana flied out to right but Verdugo singled to right. Alex took second on defensive indifference but Vazquez grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had won it 12-7.

                                                     Hess closes it out for Tampa

Jackass of The Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. His horrible start set the tone and helped put the game out of reach early. He allowed 6 runs in just 3 2/3 innings.

                                                           Jackass E-Rod

The Good:

Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 2 with 2 home runs and four total rbis.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 3.

Danny Santana was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 5.

Jonathan Arauz was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Michael Feliz allowed 2 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Brad Peacock allowed 4 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

So much for winning the AL East this season. The Rays emphatically stomped out the Sox and they would need a hell of an effort to get back in the race. Its not going to happen because Alex Cora burnt the bullpen out and the Sox haven't recovered since early July. Now the Sox need to go on a run just to even make the playoffs, which is no guarantee at this point. There's still 21 games left in the season and anything can happen, but things don't look good right now. The Sox bats responded today but the pitching was awful. Its been awful against the Rays this whole series and there's still another game still to play. Hopefully the pitching can come around before its too late. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-62, a full 10 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid the sweep against the Rays tomorrow when Nathan Eovaldi takes on Shane McClanahan of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Crush Peacock, Sox (8/31/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves. Josh Taylor and Hiro Sawamura were placed on the Covid List and Raynel Espinal was sent back to Worcester. The Sox called up veteran starter Brad Peacock to make today's start along with journeyman minor leaguer Steven Gonsalves to replace Taylor. Hunter Renfroe was activated off the Bereavement List so its nice to see him back.

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As for the game, ever notice that every bum and reclamation project the Tampa Bay Rays bring up works out while everyone the Red Sox sign falls flat on their face? Brad Peacock was picked up off the scrap heap to pitch tonight's game and he got swatted like a fly. After allowing a run in the second inning, he got knocked out in the third, allowing 6 runs total. New pitcher Steven Gonsalves allowed another two and shoddy defense allowed the Rays to score one off Phillips Valdez. Meanwhile the Sox did put up 5 runs against Ryan Yarbrough and the Tampa bullpen. To add insult to injury, Xander Bogaerts left the game with a positive Covid test. It was all bad news as the Rays won their ninth straight game and pretty much ended the AL East race with an 8-5 win over the Sox at Tropicana Field.

                                          Both the Sox and John Cena lose....this sucks

The Sox did rally in the top of the first against Yarbrough although Hunter Renfroe took strike three to start. Kyle Schwarber flied out to right but JD Martinez doubled to left. Xander Bogaerts dropped a base hit to right to score JD but Rafael Devers hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                       Bogaerts puts Boston on top

Peacock got the ball in the bottom of the first and Brandon Lowe flied out to center to start. Nelson Cruz popped up to first and Wander Franco grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Alex Verdugo struck out swinging. Christian Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning. All of a sudden Xander Bogaerts keeled over in the dugout and had to be rushed to a local ICU with Covid. Yairo Munoz took his spot in the batting order at second base with Jonathan Arauz moving to short. Austin Meadows flied out to center but Randy Arozarena hit a home run all the way to the deepest part of Finland to tie the game. Joey Wendle flied out to center and Yandy Diaz flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Rays tie it up

Arauz lined out to right to open the top of the third but Renfroe doubled to left. Renfroe moved to third on the grounder by Schwarber but Martinez popped up to second to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the bottom of the third as Kevin Kiermaier walked to start. Francisco Mejia was hit with a pitch and both runners moved over on the Lowe fly out to center. Cruz walked to load the bases and Franco dumped a base hit to right. Renfroe threw the ball into Dalbec who turned and heaved the ball into the left field stands for an error to score Kiermaier and Mejia. That was it for Peacock who Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on after just 2 1/3 innings. Stephen Gonsalves made his Sox debut by pouring gas on the fire. A wild pitch scored Cruz and Meadows singled in the hole at second to score Franco. Arozarena was hit with a pitch but Wendle flied out to left. Diaz doubled to right to score both runners to ice the game. Kiermaier struck out swinging but the game was basically over with the Sox down 7-1.

                                                              Gonsalves was not the answer

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Munoz flied out to left to start. Devers grounded out to short and Dalbec went down hacking to end the inning. Mejia popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth before Lowe struck out swinging. Cruz grounded out to third to end the inning.

Verdugo grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Vazquez got a base hit to right. Arauz flied out to left and Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning. Franco walked to start the bottom of the fifth before Meadows flied out to center. Franco took second on a wild pitch but Arozarena struck out swinging. Wendle flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did manage a run back when Schwarber belted his 28th home run of the season to cut the lead to start the top of the sixth. Martinez flied out to right, Munoz lined out to right and Devers lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox still down 7-2.

                                                     Schwarber hits one out

The Rays got to Phillips Valdez in the bottom of the sixth as Diaz was hit with a pitch to start. Kiermaier hit a routine grounder to Dalbec who threw himself on the ball and swam on it for another error to move Diaz to third. Diaz scored on the sac fly by Mejia to increase the lead. Lowe struck out swinging but Cruz walked. Franco grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rays up 8-2.

                                                           Rays pour it on

Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Dalbec tried to atone for his error with a base hit to right. Verdugo flied out to center but Vazquez drew a walk. Arauz grounded out to second to move both runners over but Renfroe flied out to right to end the inning. Valdez returned for the bottom of the seventh and Meadows flied out to left to begin. Arozarena struck out looking and Wendle grounded out to first to end the inning.

Dietrich Enns came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Schwarber walked to start. Martinez took strike three and Munoz hit a routine grounder to third...thrown away by Wendle to move both runners into scoring position. Devers ripped a base hit to left to score Schwarber but Munoz remained at third. Dalbec struck out swinging and Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 8-3.

                                                     Devers drives in a run

Valdez returned for the bottom of the eighth and Diaz grounded out to third to start. Kiermaier lined out to third but Mejia doubled to center. Lowe flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the ninth as Vazquez flied out to left to start. Arauz walked, Renfroe doubled to left and Schwarber ripped a base hit to center to score Arauz. Martinez ripped a base hit to right to score Renfroe and bring the tying run to the plate. Rays manager Kevin Cash brought in Andrew Kittredge to face Munoz so Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Travis Shaw to pinch hit for Yairo. Shaw struck out swinging and so did Devers to end the game. The Rays had won it 8-5.

                                                              Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Brad Peacock. He got hammered for 5 runs in just 2 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't get out of.

                                                        Peacock Jackass

The Good:

Hunter Renfroe was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts singled and drove in a run before leaving with illness.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

Stephen Gonsalves allowed 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Yairo Munoz was 0 for 3 at the plate.

Travis Shaw struck out as a pinch hitter.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Bobby Dalbec was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Phillips Valdez allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Another game, another loss to the Rays. Once again the starting pitching leaves a lot to be desired as starting Brad Peacock during a crucial game against your division rival failed big time. The sins of the spring are biting the Sox in the summer as the bullpen is worn down and they're not beating the red hot Rays. It may come down to the Sox having to fight the New York Yankees for the wild card and currently they're two games behind them as well. Its a shame after how this year was supposed to be redemption for last year's abortion but things are going down fast. Losing Bogaerts to a positive Covid test doesn't help either, especially if he infects anyone else on the team. The less said about this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-59, 10 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back in the third game of this series when Chris Sale takes on Drew Rasmussen of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.