Blue Jays Crush Red Sox (7/29/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a shocking trade and roster move. Rather than send down Connor Wong to Worcester following the doubleheader, they sent down Tanner Houck instead. Houck had looked good in all three appearances after being called up a few weeks ago so this move makes absolutely no sense. The big trade was the Sox traded Salem Red Sox pitcher Aldo Ramirez (ranked #19 in their Top 20 list) to the Washington Nationals for injured outfielder Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber was one of the heroes of the 2015 Chicago Cubs march to the World Series and helped the Cubs win it all a year later despite playing just 2 regular season games. The Sox were looking for their Steve Pearce of this season off the bench and when he's healthy, he's exactly what Boston needs with their offensive woes. It won't be for a few weeks but Schwarber could make a big impact on this year's team and it didn't cost them a top 10 prospect to get him.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                 IN

As for the game, what a massacre. If anyone doubted the legitimacy of the Toronto Bue Jays offense, this game showed they were for real. The Jays feasted on the incompetent Eduardo Rodriguez (7-6, 5.60 ERA) and a host of Red Sox relievers for 16 hits and 13 runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr is one of the favorites to win AL MVP and he led the charge with a three run home run. As for the the Sox bats, they were silenced by Hyun-Jin Ryu who may win 20 games this year barring injury. Ryu held the Sox to 2 hits and no runs before yielding to the bullpen. The Sox only run came on an rbi double by Bobby Dalbec in the seventh as the Jays crushed the Sox 13-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Barnaby hates bad pitching

Rodriguez got bushwhacked in the top of the first inning as George Springer struck out swinging to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr singled to right, Marcus Semien doubled to left and Bo Bichette walked to load the bases. Teoscar Hernandez effortlessly doubled to right to score Guerrero and Semien to put the Jays up for good 5 batters into the game. Randal Grichuk hit a ground ball to second and Kike Hernandez came home to get Bichette but Cavan Biggio singled to right to score Hernandez to increase the lead. Santiago Espinal struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 3-0.

                                                           Hernandez puts the Jays on top

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the first as Hernandez singled to left and Jarren Duran beat out an infield single to short....but wait! The Jays challenged Duran was out and sure enough, replays showed he was. Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging but JD Martinez reached on a booted grounder by Bichette. Hunter Renfroe grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Jays rallied again in the top of the second as Reese McGuire doubled to left to start. Springer singled to left to score McGuire and suddenly Rodriguez got mad. Guerrero Jr, Semien and Bichette all went down hacking to end the inning with Toronto up 4-0.

                                                      Springer adds to the lead

The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo beat out a squibber in front of the plate to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to right but Bobby Dalbec was hit in the foot. Franchy Cordero struck out swinging and Hernandez popped up to second to end the inning.

An angry Rodriguez froze Hernandez for strike three to start the top of the third before Randal Grichuk flied out to center. Biggio struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Duran hit a rocket....right to Guerrero. Bogaerts hit a rocket....right to Espinal and Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning.

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The Jays struck again in the top of the fourth as Espinal singled to left to start. McGuire waived at strike three but Springer walked. Guerrero Jr walked to load the bases and Semien walked to score Espinal. That was it for the incompetent Rodriguez who'd be charged with 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings. Phillips Valdez came in and Bichette scored Springer by forcing Semien at second. Hernandez was plunked to reload the bases but Renfroe made a jumping catch to rob Grichuk of a grand slam to end the inning with the Jays up 6-0.

                                                      "I sucked tonight!" - Rodriguez

The Sox did nothing against Ryu in the bottom of the fourth as Renfroe grounded out to third to start. Verdugo popped up to third and Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning.

Valdez took a beating in the top of the fifth as Biggio flied out to left to start. Espinal walked but McGuire lined out to left. Springer walked and Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to the Azores to ice the game. Semien grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays ahead 9-0.

                                                               Guerrero Jr blasts one out

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Dalbec grounded out to second to start. Cordero struck out swinging and Hernandez lined out to second to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in to take a pounding in the top of the sixth as Bichette doubled to left to start. Hernandez singled him to third and Grichuk singled Bichette home to add to the lead. Both runners moved over on the Biggio grounder to second and Hernandez scored on the Espinal base hit to left. McGuire hit a ground rule double to right to score Grichuk but Springer struck out swinging. Guerrero Jr grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 12-0.

                                                              What a massacre

Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth and Connor Wong pinch hit for Bogaerts to give him the night off. Wong reached on dropped fly ball by Hernandez but Martinez struck out swinging. Renfroe grounded out to third to end the inning. Ryu had shut out the Sox for six innings, good grief.

Michael Chavis took over at second for Hernandez, to begin the top of the seventh and Semien doubled to left to begin. Bichette flied out to right but Hernandez singled to left to score Semien with another run. Hernandez moved to second on a grounder to second by Grichuk but Biggio grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 13-0.

                                                     Not Workman's best stuff

Breyvic Valera came in to play second with Tayler Saucedo in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Vazquez doubled to center and Dalbec broke up the shutout with an rbi double to center. Cordero grounded out to short and Chavis grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 13-1.

                                                    "We got one...yippie....." - Dalbec

Kevin Plawecki came in for Renfroe with Darwinzon Hernandez now on the mound for the top of the eighth inning. Espinal lined out to short to start but McGuire doubled to right. Springer struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr flied out to right to end the inning. Rafael Dolis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Wong drew a walk and Bichette booted a grounder by Martinez for an error. Plawecki beat out a double play ball but Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

To save his arms, Cora let Plawecki himself pitch the top of the ninth. Valera lined out to left, Bichette popped up to short and Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Plawecki pitched better than Rodriguez, go figure.

                                                  Boston's new bullpen ace?

Kirby Snead mopped up the bottom of the ninth as Vazquez singled in the hole at short to start. Dalbec took strike three but Cordero singled to right. Chavis took strike three but both runners moved over on a wild pitch by Snead. Duran took strike three to end the gane, the Jays had won it 13-1.

                                                                Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. He lasted just 3 1/3 innings and allowed 6 runs to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                   Rodriguez is the Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong walked once in two plate appearances.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kevin Plawecki pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Michael Chavis was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3.

Phillips Valdez allowed 3 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Brandon Workman allowed 4 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Franchy Cordero was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are reeling after getting smacked around by the high powered Blue Jays offense. Its sad to see Rodriguez regress this year after looking like an ace in 2019. The sad part was the Sox would be further ahead in the AL East race if Rodriguez pitched like he did then. The worst part about this game wasn't just the pitchers got shelled but the bats were silent all night. Ryu held them in check and the Sox scored one measly run against the Jays bullpen. Games like this happen where the boys have an off-night but the Sox can ill-afford to have them in the highly competitive AL East games this season. The Jays offense is for real and if they get an ace at tomorrow's deadline, they're going to be a deadly team. The Sox have work to do at the deadline and let's see if they add anyone else besides Kyle Schwarber. Schwarber should be a great addition when he heals his injury as he's struck 25 home runs already this season. As for this game, the less said of this disaster will be for the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 63-41, only 1.5 games ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Tampa to take the Rays head on with the AL East lead on the line. Martin Perez (7-6) goes for the Sox against Josh Fleming of the Rays tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Tropicana Field.

Jays Dominate Sox in Game 1 of Doubleheader (7/28/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox called up Connor Wong to be the extra in today's doubleheader. Yippie.

                                                                        IN

This could be the end of Garrett Richards (6-6, 5.15 ERA) in the Boston Red Sox rotation and its not a moment too soon. Needing to win a doubleheader to gain ground on the Tampa Bay Rays, the Sox and Richards laid an egg in Game 1 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Richards got knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing 4 runs and 2 big home runs. The Sox were held to just 5 measly hits by Robbie Ray and Jordan Romano and the Jays took Game 1 by a score of 4-1 in 7 innings at Fenway Park.

Richards got the ball in the top of the first inning and George Springer greeted him with a double to right. Springer looked to have beat a tag to third on a fly ball to center by Vladimir Guerrero Jr but Spx manager Alex Cora challenged the call. Replays showed Springer was out and Marcus Semien flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Ray in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez walked to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to move Hernandez to third. Devers took second on the throw and Hernandez scored on the grounder to short by JD Martinez. Hunter Renfroe flied out to left and Christian Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Martinez drives in a run

The Jays tied it in the top of the second as Bo Bichette walked to start. Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging but Bichette swiped second and moved to third on the Lourdes Gurriel Jr fly ball to center. Bichette scored on an infield single off of Richards by Randal Grichuk and Cavan Biggio singled to center. Alejandro Kirk lined out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                              "Where's the dad gum ball?" - Richards

The Sox blew the game in the bottom of the second as Alex Verdugo singled in the hole at second to start. Kevin Plawecki hit a ground rule double down the left field line and Bobby Dalbec walked to load the bases with nobody out. The rally ended as Michael Chavis struck out swinging, Hernandez struck out swinging and Devers flied out to center to end the inning. They had the bases loaded & nobody out and did not score.

Somehow the Jays failed to capitalize in the top of the third as Springer lined out to right to start. Guerrero Jr popped up to second but Semien beat out a roller to third. Bichette flied out to right to end the inning. Ray cruised in the bottom of the third as Martinez flied out to right to start. Renfroe grounded out to third and Vazquez lined out to center to end the inning.

The Jays took command in the top of the fourth inning although Hernandez flied out to right to begin. Gurriel Jr doubled to left and Grichuk smashed a home run all the way to Wisconsin to pur the Jays up for good. Biggio struck out swinging and Kirk grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays ahead 3-1.

                                                      Grichuk puts the Jays up for good

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Plawecki walked but Dalbec struck out swinging. Chavis struck out swinging to end the inning,.

The Jays knocked out Richards in the top of the fifth as Springer hit a home run to Pluto to start. Guerrero Jr singled to center to chase Richards. Garrett stunk again, allowing 4 runs in just 4 plus innings. Yacksel Rios cane in and Semien flied out to left, but Guerrero took second on a wild pitch. Bichette grounded out to short and Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays up 4-1.

                                                       "I sucked today" - Richards

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez took strike three to start. Devers doubled off the glove of Springer and took third on the base hit to left by Martinez. Renfroe struck out swinging and Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning, another waste.

Rios struck out Gurriel swinging to start the top of the sixth and Grichuk flied out to left. Biggio took strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Verdugo lined out to left to start. Plawecki and Dalbec both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brandon Workman came in for the top of the seventh as Kirk lined out to left to start. Springer struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr flied out to center to end the inning. Reese McGuire took over behind the plate with Jordan Romano in to close out the bottom of the seventh. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Chavis and struck out swinging before Hernandez popped up to short. Devers flied out to center to end the game. The Jays had won it 4-1.

                                                                Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Garrett Richards. He got lit up for 4 runs in 4 plus innings to take the loss and jack his ERA to over 5.

                                                           Jackass Richards

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Yacksel Rios pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Brandon Workman tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Hunter Renfroe was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Think its time to get Richards out of the rotation. If Tanner Houck can prove he can be the pitcher from last year, that makes Richards the odd man out if and when Chris Sale returns. He just isn't giving them a chance to win with an ERA over 5 although once again, its hard to win when the offense only gets 5 hits as a team. Robbie Ray shut them down big time and the Sox either score 10 runs or 1, there is no in between it seems. Hopefully the Sox can get it together in the nightcap because the Sox really can't afford to lose this series with the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees playing each other the next few days. The Sox should be able to come back in the nightcap but damn, what a disaster. Tonight Tanner Houck (0-2, 2.50 ERA) looks to salvage Game 2 of this series when he takes on Steven Matz of the Jays at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Stun Yankees in Huge Comeback (7/25/21)

Yesterday the New York Yankees rallied down 3-0 in the eighth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox but today the Sox served the same foul humiliation back to New York. Domingo German of the Yankees had thrown 7 no-hit innings and the Sox trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the eighth. All of a sudden the Sox exploded for 5 straight hits, an rbi grounder and a sac fly to take the lead and send Yankee fans slack jawed back to New York. Alex Verdugo broke up the no-no to chase German and the Sox rallied against Jonathan Loaisiga for 3 runs to cut the lead. Zack Britton came in and the Sox got an rbi groundout by Kevin Plawecki and an Xander Bogaerts sac fly to take the lead. Matt Barnes slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox had stunned the Yankees 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Gianna Amore approves of the win

Perez got the ball in the top of the first and DJ LeMahieu led off with a double to left. Goancarlo Stanton struck out swinging, Rougned Odor struck out swinging and Garu Sanchez lined out to left to end the inning.  German got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Kike Hernandez led off with a grounder to third. Jarren Duran struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts flied out to center to end the inning.

Perez cruised in the top of the second inning as Gleyber Torres took strike three to start. Brett Gardner popped up to short and Gio Urshela grounded out to third to end the inning. German matched Perez in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers popped up to short to start. JD Martinez flied out to center and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the third as Ryan LeMarre took strike three to start. Greg Allen walked but LeMahieu got a called third strike on him and he didn't like it. Stanton walked and Odor blooped a single to center to score Allen to put the Yankees on top. Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning but the Yankees were up 1-0.

                                                             Odor puts New York on top

German laughed at the Sox in the bottom of the third as Hunter Renfroe got a lucky walk to start. Yankee fans said the game was in the bag as Christian Vazquez flied out to right, Franchy Cordero struck out swinging and Hernandez forced Renfroe at second to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the fourth as Torres effortlessly doubled to left to start. Gardner dropped down a bunt to move Torres to third and Urshela ripped a base hit to left to score him. LeMarre banged into a double play to end the inning but the Yankees were up 2-0.

                                                       Urshela drives in a run

The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the fourth as Duran struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts grounded out to second and Devers whiffed badly to end the inning.

Allen ripped a base hit to left to begin the top of the fifth but LeMahieu grounded into a double play. Stanton grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                          Perez got no run support

 German dominated the bottom of the fifth as Martinez grounded out to short to start. Verdugo flied out to center and Renfroe grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the sixth when Odor smashed a home run all the way to Bonita Vista, California to increase the lead. Sanchez grounded out to short, Torres lined out to second and Gardner lined out to left to end the inning. Perez didn't pitch that bad, holding the Yankees to 3 runs in 6 innings but he got no run support while trailing 3-0.

                                                              Odor blasts a home run

German laughed as Vazquez grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth. Cordero took strike three and Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. German was nine outs away from a no-hitter.

Yacksel Rios came in to pitch the top of the seventh and couldn't find the plate. Urshela walked but LaMarre popped up to second. Allen was plunked and LeMahieu walked to load the bases. That was it for Rios as Josh Taylor came in to strike out Stanton swinging. Odor flied out to right to end the inning, good work Taylor. The Sox couldn't touch German in the bottom of the seventh as Duran helplessly struck out swinging to start. Bogaerts struck out swinging but the ball went to the backstop and Bogaerts made it to first with the no-no still intact. Devers struck out swinging and so did Martinez to end the inning with German 6 outs from the no-hitter.

Brandon Workman came in to crap his pants in the top of the eighth as Sanchez tripled into the right field corner and Torres singled to center to score him. Torres swiped second but was thrown out trying to steal third. Gardner took second on the play but Urshela grounded out to short. LaMarre grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.

                                                           Yankees looked to have iced it

All of a sudden the Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Verdugo doubled to right to break up the no-no and chase German after 7 innings of 1 run ball. Jonathan Loaisiga came in and Renfroe doubled off the Monster to score Verdugo and break up the shutout. Vazquez blooped a single to right to score Renfroe and Cordero lined a base hit up the middle. Hernandez then smashed a double off the Monster to score Vazquez and put the tying run at third. Yankees manager Aaron Boone brought in Zack Britton to pitch to the rookie Duran but Sox manager Alex Cora countered by having Kevin Plawecki pinch hit. Plawecki hit a roller to short to score Cordero to tie the game and move Hernandez to third. Bogaerts completed the comeback with a sac fly to right to score Hernandez to give Boston the lead. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning as the Sox served the same humiliation back tenfold to the Yankees. The Sox went from down 4-0 and being no-hit to being up 5-4 with 3 outs to go.

                                          Verdugo starts it, Bogaerts/Hernandez finish it

Michael Chavis took over at second base with Bobby Dalbec now at first with Matt Barnes on the mound to close out the top of the ninth. Allen lined out to a jumping Verdugo to start before LeMahieu grounded out to second. Stanton naturally ripped a base hit to center. Yankees manager Aaron Boone brought in Tyler Wade pinch run for Stanton and stole second, but Odor popped up to third to end the game. The Sox had stunned the Yankees and won it 5-4.

                                            NY Post is unhappy the Yankees lost

Hero of the Night is Kike Hernandez. He drove in a big run with a double and scored the go-ahead run.

                                                       Hero Hernandez

The Good:

Kevin Plawecki drove in the tying run as a pinch hitter.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 2 with with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Franchy Cordero was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Martin Perez pitched well, allowing just 3 runs in 6 innings of work. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks.

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

Matt Barnes earned his 21st save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

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

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Yacksel Rios walked the bases loaded after just getting 1 out.

Brandon Workman vultured the win by allowing a run in the top of the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in the go-ahead run.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec played first base in the top of the ninth.

Michael Chavis played second base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Going into the bottom of the eighth the Sox trailed 4-0 and were getting no-hit. Not only that, the Cleveland Indians trailed the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 going into their own bottom of the eighth. Not only did the Sox rally to win but so did the Indians to put Boston back in sole possession of first place. The Yankees have been an epic disaster this season and this loss seems to be the exclamation point. If Eovaldi and the Sox blowing an eighth inning lead yesterday was bad, blowing a NO-HITTER with 6 outs to go is even worse. The Sox never quit and showed the fight the Yankees did yesterday. Not much went right as Perez didn't blow the Yankees away, Brandon Workman and Yacksel Rios struggled and Jarren Duran earned the hat trick with 3 strikeouts. Josh Taylor getting out of the seventh without allowing a run was big and Matt Barnes slammed the door to preserve it. The Yankees aren't dead yet with 2 months left to go in the season but they're having almost a mirror season the 2019 Red Sox did. If they can't get their act together, you can write them off with the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles in the AL East race. The next four games are going to be very important because the Rays and Yankees are playing each other beginning Tuesday night. If the Sox want to gain ground on either team, sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays would be ideal. The win improved the Sox to 61-39, 1 game ahead of the Rays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to take down the visiting Toronto Blue Jays with Nick Pivetta (8-4, 4.37 ERA) taking on Captain TBD of Toronto. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Ohtani Knocks Out Eovaldi, Sox (7/6/21)

Hard to believe but Mike Trout is no longer the most feared player on the Los Angeles Angels. Shohei Ohtani has taken over as the man as the modern day Babe Ruth, beating teams on both sides of the ball. Tonight the Boston Red Sox fell victim to Ohtani offensively and defensively as Shohei pitched 7 innings and held the Sox to just 2 runs. Nathan Eovaldi (9-5, 3.66 ERA) got pounded for 5 runs in just 5 2/3 innings, 1 of those runs driven in by Ohtani himself. Max Stassi hit a 2 run blast to give the Angels the lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Sox bats were held to just 6 total hits as the Angels beat them 5-3 at Angels Stadium

                                                  "5 hits isn't going to cut it...."

The Sox wasted no time getting to Ohtani in the top of the first inning as Kike Hernandez doubled to right to start. Hernandez moved to third on a grounder to first by Alex Verdugo. JD Martinez hit a rocket to the left field wall caught by Phil Gosselin, scoring Hernandez with a sac fly. Xander Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Martinez drives in a run

The Angels bushwhacked Eovaldi in the bottom of the first as David Fletcher pounded a ground rule double to right to start. Ohtani also doubled to right to score Fletcher but Jared Walsh struck out swinging. Phil Gosselin struck out swinging but Max Stassi smashed a home run all the way to ET's Homeworld to give the Angels the lead. Jose Iglesias dumped a base hit to right but Taylor Ward hit a bullet to second to end the inning with the Angels up 3-1.

                                                  Stassi gives the Angels the lead

Ohtani cruised in the top of the second inning as Rafael Devers grounded out to second to start. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to first and Christian Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning. Eovaldi rebounded in the bottom of the second as Juan Lagares struck out swinging to start. Luis Rengifo took strike three but Fletcher doubled to right. Ohtani was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Danny Santana grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Connor Wong struck out swinging. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Walsh struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Gosselin lined out to second. Stassi doubled to center but Iglesias flied out to right to end the inning.

Verdugo doubled to left to start the top of the fourth but Martinez went down swinging. Bogaerts flied out to center and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Ward struck out swinging to start. Lagares took strike three before Rengifo lined out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Renfroe grounded back to the mound. Arroyo grounded out to short before Santana flied out to left to end the inning. Fletcher singled to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Ohtani popped up to third. Walsh banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox got a run back in the top of the sixth as Wong doubled to right to start. Wong moved to third on the fly ball to center by Hernandez but Verdugo struck out swinging. Martinez dumped a base hit to left to score Wong but Bogaerts was robbed of a home run in center to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                  Martinez drives in another run

The Angels knocked out Eovaldi in the bottom of the sixth as Gosselin doubled to right to start. Stassi blooped a base hit to center to put runners at the corners and Iglesias singled to third to score Gosselin.....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Iglesias was out at first. Sure enough, replays showed he was out, but the run still scored. Ward struck out swinging but Lagares walked. Rengifo was plunked to load the bases and chase Eovaldi. Brandon Workman came in and the suddenly red hot Fletcher beat out a roller to third to score Stassi and ice the game. Ohtani struck out swinging to end the inning and Eovaldi ended up being charged with 5 runs in 5 2/3 innings of work, trailing 5-2.

                                                     Eovaldi has seen better days

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the seventh when Devers hit a seeing eye single into right field to start. Devers took second on a passed ball but Renfroe struck out swinging. Arroyo popped up to second and Santana grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                    Ohtani shuts down the Sox

Bobby Dalbec took over for Santana at first to start the bottom of the seventh and naturally Walsh singled to left to start. Walsh was thrown out trying to steal second before Gosselin flied out to center. Stassi struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mike Mayers came in to pitch the top of the eighth with Jack Mayfield now at third in Ohtani's batting spot. Wong struck out swinging but Hernandez walked. Verdugo lined out to center and Martinez lined out to third to end the inning. Yacksel Rios came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Iglesias lined out to short to start. Ward struck out swinging and Lagares grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Raisel Iglesias came in to close out the top of the ninth and Bogaerts was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Devers struck out swinging but Renfroe smashed his 13th home run of the season to cut the lead. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the game. The Angels had won it 5-3.

                                                      Renfroe homers but the Sox lose

Jackass of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He got lit up for 5 runs in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss.

                                                Jackass Ohtani

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Yacksel Rios pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Danny Santana was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Brandon Workman tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings but allowed an inherited runner to score.

Honorable Mention:

Bobby Dalbec played third base in the final innings.

Final Thoughts:

A disturbing trend has popped up with the Red Sox recently is their offense hasn't been getting it done lately. The Sox have been carried by good pitching for too long and the warts showed tonight. The Sox have been averaging 3-5 runs and while that's good enough if you allow 2-4, its not going to be enough all the time. One of the reasons the bullpen has been taxed is the offense hasn't been putting teams away. One of the staples of 2018 or even 2013 for that matter was turning a 4-3 game into 7-3 or better. This year's team rarely has done that. A lot of that has to do with the bottom of the order not getting it done but that can be fixed. Tonight the 1-4 hitters were just 3 for 15, definitely need some improvement there. Still, give credit to the Angels and especially Ohtani for holding them to 2 runs and playing flawless defense. Eovaldi just didn't have it tonight or the bats and this was their 15th game in a row without a day off. The Sox are tired and most likely just want to go home. Thankfully relief is on the way because they have an off-day Thursday, 3 home games and then the all-star break to rest. After the all-star break the Sox have some big decisions to make regarding Tanner Houck, Jarren Duran and possibly bringing in an experienced bat off the bench. As for this game, the less said of it the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 54-33, 4 games in front of the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox have one last game on this 16 game stretch and that's tomorrow afternoon against the Angels. Eduardo Rodriguez (6-4, 5.42 ERA) takes on Andrew Heaney of the Angels. The game begins at 4:07 PM at Angel Stadium.

Sox Win Sixth Straight in Rain (6/30/21)

It was a LONG night for the Boston Red Sox thanks to not one but two rain delays. After the first one delayed the start for a half hour, the Sox then proceeded to lay an ass whooping on the Kansas City Royals. Martin Perez (6-4, 4.04 ERA) held the Royals to just 2 runs after they made mincemeat out of Nick Pivetta and Garrett Richards the last few days. JD Martinez led the offensive charge with a 3 run home run and the red hot Hunter Renfroe added a dinger for good measure. The game was delayed for two hours but when play resumed, the bullpen once again was lights out. The B-Team ended up getting the last 11 outs without giving up a run. Brandon Workman, Darwinzon Hernandez, Josh Taylor and Matt Barnes slammed the door and the Sox won their 50th game of the season and sixth in a row 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Dorothy Mays approves of the win

Perez started strong in the top of the first inning as Whit Merrifield grounded out to second to start. Jorge Soler flied out to left and Carlos Santana lined out to center to end the inning. Minor cruised in the bottom of the first as Kike Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Alex Verdugo popped up to second and JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the second as Salvador Perez hit a home run all the way to Yugoslavia to start. Hunter Dozier struck out swinging, Ryan O'Hearn grounded out to second and Edward Olivares also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                                Perez launches one

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers was plunked but Hunter Renfroe popped up to second. Christian Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning.

Perez cruised in the top of the third inning as Michael A Taylor grounded out to third to start. Hanser Alberto grounded out to first and Merrifield flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Marwin Gonzalez singled to left to start. Michael Chavis flied out to left and Hernandez walked, but Verdugo forced Gonzalez at second. Martinez then smashed his 16th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Bogaerts singled to center and Devers doubled him to third, but Renfroe flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                                 Martinez with the 3 run shot

Soler singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Santana banged into a double play. Perez singled in the hole at second but Dozier struck out swinging to end the inning. Vazquez popped up to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Gonzalez doubled to left. Gonzalez was foolishly caught in a run down on a grounder to short by Chavis. Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning.

The Royals threatened in the top of the fifth when O'Hearn and Olivares stroked back to back singles to start. Taylor banged into a double play and Hernandez made a great diving catch to rob Alberto of a triple to end the inning.

                                                     Hernandez with a great catch

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo singled to center to start. Martinez walked and Bogaerts singled home Verdugo to increase the lead. Devers beat out a double play ball and Renfroe did as well to score Martinez. Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                      Bogaerts drives in a run

Perez was finally chased in the top of the sixth when Merrifield doubled to start. Soler singled him to third and he scored when Santana beat out a double play ball. Even though he was only at 86 pitches, once again Sox manager Alex Cora pulled a starter way too early, yanking Perez after allowing 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Brandon Workman got Dozier to bang into a double play to end the inning but now the bullpen had to throw more than 3 innings AGAIN with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                  Perez puts himself in position to win

After the top of the sixth inning a wicked rainstorm hit Boston and delayed the game for TWO hours. At 11:30 PM play resumed and Richard Lovelady replaced Minor for the bottom of the sixth. Gonzalez grounded out to third, Chavis lined out to center and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning.

                                                     Watch out for Gozer!

Darwinzon Hernandez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and O'Hearn popped up to third to start. Olivares struck out swinging and Taylor grounded out to third to end the inning. Lovelady cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Martinez grounded back to the mound and damn near killed Lovelady in the process. Lovelady had to be carried out on a stretcher and Anthony Swarzak came in to pitch to Bogaerts. Xander lined out to left to end the inning.

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Alberto flied out to left to start. Merrifield lined out to center and Soler struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox hit the killshot in the bottom of the eighth although Devers grounded out to second to start. Renfroe then mashed his 12th home run of the season to ice the game. Vazquez popped up to second and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                       "This game is OVER" - Renfroe

It was no longer a save situation but Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth. Santana flied out to center to start but Perez singled off the glove of Devers. Dozier struck out swinging and O'Hearn went down hacking to end the game. The Sox had won their sixth straight game, 6-2.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of the Night is JD Martinez. His 3 run jack put the Sox up for good.

                                                        JD Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Marwin Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Martin Perez got the win with 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball.

Brandon Workman got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored 2 runs.

Hunter Renfroe was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are rolling after six straight wins as both the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays are reeling. The Rays got crushed by the Washington Nationals and the LA Angels scored 7 runs in the top of the ninth to beat the Yankees. For all the talk from Yankee fans that the Red Sox would be in third place by June, it turns out Boston will be in first place heading into July. The Sox have done it with timely hitting and a lock down bullpen. Everyone with the exception of Matt Andriese has been a stopper and its the main reason by Cora yanks the starters early. It would be nice for the starters to go longer but the more guys Cora can trust to get outs, the more flexibility he has so the same guys don't get worn out. The Sox have played 81 games this season and have won 50 of them, who saw that coming after the first three games in April? Also for any Yankee fan that said the 9 game winning streak was fools gold, the Sox are 41-28 since that streak....not worldbeaters but not terrible either. The Sox still need to get Christian Arroyo and Chris Sale back from injuries, give Tanner Houck another shot and see if Jarren Duran is the real deal. That's all down the road. For now, the Sox and their fans should be happy that they end the month of June in first place. The win improved the Sox to 50-31, 3 games in front of the sliding Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their seventh in a row and sweep the Royals tomorrow afternoon when they send Nathan Eovaldi (8-4, 3.67 ERA) to the mound up against Kris Bubic of the Royals. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Fenway Park.