Bregman, Sox Edge Dodgers (7/27/25)

The bad news was Sox closer Aroldis Chapman left the game in the eighth inning in today's Boston Red Sox game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The good news was somehow the managed to win the game. For four innings it looked like the Red Sox were headed for yet another loss in this gauntlet run of NL playoff teams as they trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth. Walker Buehler was lit up for 3 early runs and didn't even make it out of the fifth inning. Then the Sox stunned Dustin May and the dodgers as a Roman Anthony rbi triple and an Alex Bregman two run bomb put the Sox ahead. Like navigating shark infested waters, the Boston bullpen hung on despite the loss of Chapman. Ceddanne Rafaela turned a crucial unassisted double play in the eighth inning and the much maligned Jordan Hicks slammed the door in the ninth. The Sox had taken 2 of 3 from the Dodgers including this one 4-3 at Fenway Park.

                                               Jennifer Love-Hewitt approves of the win

After a 40 minute rain delay, Buehler got the ball to start the top of the first. Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short but Shohei Ohtani walked. Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging and Freddie Freeman flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first as Roman Anthony was plunked to start. Alex Bregman flied out to right but Jarren Duran lashed a base hit to right to move Roman to third. Trevor Story hit a sac fly to center to score Anthony and Michael Conforto dropped a pop up by Masataka Yoshida....which Duran only went to second because he forgot there was two outs. Naturally Carlos Narvaez forced Yoshida at second to end the inning with the Sox still up 1-0.

                                                      "I don't got it" - Conforto

Andy Pages lined out to right to start the top of the second before Conforto flied out to center. Anthony made a great jumping catch against the Monster on a Tommy Edman line drive to end the inning. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to start the bottom of the second but Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to center. Abraham "El" Toro forced Rafaela at second but stole second base. Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.

Dalton Rushing grounded out to second to open the top of the third before Miguel Rojas walked. Mr. Mookie flied out to center but Ohtani got a base hit to center. Hernandez walked to load the bases and Freeman walked to score Rojas. Pages lined out to right to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                            Dodgers tie it up

Bregman took strike three to start the bottom of the third before Duran struck out swinging. Story also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Dodgers took command in the top of the fourth as Conforto hit a home run into Lake Titicaca to start. Edman grounded out to first and Rushing lined out to second, but Rojas walked. Rojas swiped second and scored on the Mr. Mookie base hit to center. Ohtani got a base hit to right to move Betts to third but Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Dodgers up 3-1.

                                             A familiar sight at Fenway, a Mookie Betts rbi

Yoshida grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Narvaez struck out swinging. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Freeman took strike three to start the top of the fifth and Pages was also frozen for strike three. Inexplicably that was it for Buehler as Brennan Bernardino was brought in to face Conforto with Buehler not eligible for the win. Conforto doubled to left and Edman walked, but Rushing flied out to left to end the inning. Buehler had allowed 3 runs in just 4 2/3 innings.

                                                   Buehler deserved to face one more batter

Right on cue the Sox struck in the bottom of the fifth. Rafaela grounded out to short to start but El Toro got a base hit to center. Anthony hit a routine pop up down the left field line but Mr. Mookie lost it in the sun for a "triple" to score Toro. Bregman then launched his 13th home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Duran lined out to center and Story lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                   May doing his Matrix impression

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Rojas doubled to center to start. Mr. Mookie flied out to right, Ohtani struck out swinging and Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Jack Dreyer came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to center to start. Narvaez struck out swinging and Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Justin Wilson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Freeman flied out to left to start. Pages flied out to right but Conforto hit a ground rule double down the right field line. Edman was hit with a pitch and Will Smith pinch hit for Rushing. Smith flied out to left to end the inning. Justin Wrobleski came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela lined out to left to start. Toro was hit with a pitch and it looked like Anthony beat out a double play ball, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts challenged the call anyway. The call was upheld and Anthony took second on a wild pitch. Bregman walked to load the bases but Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman for whatever reason was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Rojas walked to start. Mr. Mookie walked but Ohtani flied out to left. Suddenly the trainers came out to check on Chapman and he left the game. Uh oh.....Hyeseong Kim ran for Rojas as Jordan Hicks came in to pitch. Hernandez hit a bullet but right to Rafaela who drove on second base to double off Betts....safe. But wait! Sox manager Cora challenged the call and replays showed Betts was out, inning over. What a play by Rafaela.

                                                                 Its a game of inches

Story grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Yoshida. Refsnyder got a base hit to left but Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Hicks returned to close out the top of the ninth and Freeman struck out swinging to start. Pages grounded out to short but Conforto walked. Esteury Ruiz ran for Conforto and swiped second base. Edman grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.

                                                          Red sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His unassisted double play killed the Dodgers rally and kept the Sox on top.

                                                 "Ceddy ya sonovagun" - Cora

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 1 for 3 with an rbi, 2 runs scored and a hit by pitch.

Alex Bregman was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

Rob Refsnyder singled as a pinch hitter.

Abraham Toro was 1 for 2 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Brennan Bernardino got the final out of the fifth inning.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Jordan Hicks earned his second save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Walker Buehler allowed 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 4 hits and 5 walks.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Aroldis Chapman retired just one of the three batters he faced.

Final Thoughts:

Reports were Aroldis Chapman was throwing up in the bullpen and dealt with a bad back, at least his arm is fine. Otherwise, the Sox pulled out a gutty win against the world champs. Alex Bregman got the big time home run but the warts are beginning to show. The Sox bats have been relatively silenced since the All-Star break with Story, Rafaela and pretty much everyone but Anthony and Bregman slumping. Not only that, the bullpen was depleted with Cora inexplicably pulling Buehler with one out to go in the fifth inning. With Chapman down, Cora can't be going April/May mode or else the bullpen is going to be gassed again. Still, a good win is a good win and the Sox earned this one. The win improved the Sox to 57-50, 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it three in a row when they travel on the road to face the Twins tomorrow night. "Big" Dick Fitts (1-4, 4.86 ERA) takes on Simeon Woods-Richardson of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Phillies Pound Fitts, Sox (7/22/25)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have lost four out of five coming out of the All-Star break to the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Its easy to see why as they absolutely haven't hit the ball at all apart from the rally against the Cubs on Sunday. Tonight it was Cristopher Sanchez that took his frustrations out from being snubbed at the All-Star game on the Red Sox. Sanchez tossed a complete game 4 hitter while striking out 12 batters. A Rob Refsnyder home run was the only blemish on Sanchez during the game. Meanwhile "Big" Dick Fitts (1-4, 4.86 ERA) got rocked by the Phillies for two home runs and four runs allowed. Nick Castellanos knocked in a run in the first while Max Kepler went yard in the second. Kyle Schwarber hit his 33rd home run of the season as well as Fitts was gone in the fourth inning. The sad part was the bullpen held the fort the rest of the way but the bats were asleep again. It added up to a 4-1 Phillies win at Citizens Bank Park.

Sanchez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second to start. Roman Anthony struck out swinging and Alex Bregman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Phillies got to Fitts immediately in the bottom of the first as Trea Turner singled to left to start. Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging but Bryce Harper got a base hit to right to move Turner to third. Nick Castellanos singled to center to score Turner and move Harper to third. Castelllanos stole second and JT Realmuto took strike three. It looked like Harper had a straight steal of home but the umpires ruled a balk on Fitts to score Harper anyway and catcher's interference on Carlos Narvaez to move Brandon Marsh to first. Otto Kemp flied out to right to end the inning with the game already over, 2-0 Phillies.

                                                    "Not this again" - CN

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Trevor Story struck out swinging and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. The Phillies iced the game in the bottom of the second as Max Kepler hit a home run all the way to Pittsburgh to start. Bryston Stott lined out to left and Turner flied out to right, but Schwarber crushed his 33rd home run of the season to ice it. Harper grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies up 4-0.

                                                   Why can't the Sox get guys like him

Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Narvaez struck out swinging. Abraham Toro grounded out to second to end the inning. Castellanos flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Realmuto struck out swinging. Marsh went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Refsnyder launched his sixth home run of the season to cut the lead. Anthony struck out swinging but Bregman got a base hit to left. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Story forced Bregman at second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                            Refsnyder hits one out

The Phillies finished off Fitts in the bottom of the fourth as Kemp got a base hit to left to start. Kepler lined out to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough of Fitts. He got rocked for 5 runs in just 3 1/3 innings in his first start since July 7th, rusty was an understatement. Brennan Bernardino came in and Stott flied out to left, but Turner got a base hit to right. Schwarber grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                            Not good enough

Yoshida grounded out to first to begin the top of the fifth before Rafaela flied out to center. Narvaez grounded out to second to end the inning. Harper walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Castellanos took strike three. Realmuto popped up to second and Marsh struck out swinging to end the inning.

Toro struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Refsnyder went down hacking. Anthony also swung at air to end the inning. Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Kemp was plunked to start. Kemp was picked off but Kepler walked. Kepler swiped second but Stott flied out to left. Turner struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bregman grounded back to the mound to start the top of the seventh before Gonzalez grounded out to second. Story got a base hit in the hole at short and Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning. Schwarber led off the bottom of the seventh with a grounder to first. Harper struck out swinging and Castellanos grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rafaela singled off the glove of Sanchez to start the top of the eighth then Narvaez forced him at second. Narvaez went to second on a grounder to first by Toro but Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Realmuto grounded out to short to start. Marsh lined out to center and Kemp grounded out to second to end the inning.

Edmundo Sosa came in to play third as Sanchez came out to complete the game in the top of the ninth. Anthony took strike three, Bregman lined out to third and Gonzalez struck out swinging in short order. Sanchez tossed a complete game 4 hitter as the Phillies won 4-1.

                                                          Phillies win

Jackass of the Night is Dick Fitts

                                                           The accountable Jackass

The Good:

Trevor Story was 1 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3.

Brennan Beranrdino tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Chris Murphy tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely a glass half empty or full situation. The half empty is the Sox walked into two straight good teams and have totally failed, going 1-4 in five games. They beat up on bad teams but lose to the good ones. The half full way to look at it is they walked into four aces in five games. Sanchez should have been an all-star and Zack Wheeler was well. Not many teams could do well when faced against four aces in five games. The Sox definitely need to win some of these games if they want to inspire confidence, but today wasn't good enough. Fitts got pounded but the bullpen stepped up in his absence. The bottom line is the offense isn't hitting coming out of the break no matter how you look at it. The Sox may need to get a bat at the deadline as well as a number 2 starter. The Sox are right in the thick of things currently and need to make some moves if they want to keep in contention. The loss dropped the Sox to 54-49, six games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow when Lucas Giolito takes on Jesus Lazardo of Philadelphia. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Cubs Snap Streak, Drop Sox (7/18/25)

It was back to reality for the Boston Red Sox as their 10 game winning streak was snapped in pretty much the opening inning of today's game against the Chicago Cubs. Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.59 ERA) walked the first two batters on 8 pitches nowhere close and grooved a three run homer to Seiya Suzuki. The Sox bats were silenced by Colin Rea and the Chicago bullpen who allowed just 1 measly run. The play of the game came in the top of the fifth when Abraham Toro was foolishly doubled off second on a routine pop up. The Cubs scored a run off Giolito in the bottom of the sixth and the Sox never got closer. The Cubs snapped the Sox win streak and took this game 4-1 at Wrigley Field.

                                                    "Are you kidding me Toro?" - CC

Rea got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran took strike three to start. Alex Bregman flied out to left and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Giolito got the ball and walked both Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker on 8 pitches not even close. Seiya Suzuki then hit a 3 run home run all the way to Comiskey Park to essentially end the game right then and there. To add insult to injury, Pete Crow Armstrong hit a routine pop up that Duran failed to call for, and it dropped for a "double". Carson Kelly popped up to third, Ian Happ struck out swinging and Dansby Swanson flied out to center to end the inning but the Cubs were up 3-0

                                                                 That didn't take long

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second inning as Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu drew a walk but Kyle Tucker made a great catch to rob Trevor Story of a hit. Marcelo Mayer lined out to center to end the inning. Nico Hoerner struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Matt Shaw flied out to center. Busch struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to first to start. Abraham "El" Toro also grounded out to first but Duran walked. Bregman singled to right to move Duran to third and Anthony scored Jarren with a double to center. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                     10 game hit streak for Anthony

Tucker flied out to center to start the top of the third but Suzuki got a base hit to left. PCA struck out swinging and Kelly flied out to Duran at the wall to end the inning. 

Abreu struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth and Story grounded out to third. Mayer dumped a base hit to left but Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. Happ grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Swanson flied out to center. Hoerner lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as El Toro got a base hit to right to start. Duran walked and Bregman hit a routine fly ball to center.....catching Toro asleep as he was doubled off second. Anthony walked but Narvaez forced him at second to end the inning. Not even little leaguers make that mistake that Toro did. 

                                                           "What an idiot" - PCA

Shaw got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth and stole second as Busch took strike three. Narvaez was called on catcher's interference to move Shaw to second but Suzuki popped up to short. PCA struck out swinging to end the inning.

Caleb Thielbar came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Abreu took strike three to start. Story popped up to second and Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning. Kelly grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Happ doubled to right. That was it for Giolito who was at 98 pitches. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed 4 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. That first inning killed his chance at a win. Greg Weissert came in and promptly walked Swanson. Naturally Hoerner got a base hit to left to score Happ to ice the game. Shaw lined out to third and that was it for Weissert. Brennan Bernardino got Busch to ground out to first to end the inning with the Cubs up 4-1.

                                                           Not Giolito's day

Ryan Pressly came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rafaela greeted him with a base hit to left. Toro forced Rafaela at second but Duran got a base hit to right to put the tying run at the plate. Bregman beat out a double play ball and old friend Drew Pomeranz came in to face Anthony. Roman lined out to right to end the inning. Tucker popped up to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Suzuki flied out to center. PCA flied out to center to end the inning.

Another old friend Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Narvaez. Yoshida struck out swinging, Abreu grounded out to first and Story grounded out to Story to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate and Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Kelly walked to start but Happ took strike three. Alcala made a great play on a grounder by Swanson to rob him of a hit and Hoerner flied out to left to end the inning.

Daniel Palencia came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mayer got a base hit to right to start. Rafaela grounded into a double play and Toro flied out to right to end the game. The Cubs had won it 4-1.

                                                                    Cubs win

Jackass of The Night is Abraham Toro. Getting doubled off second on a routine fly ball is inexcusable.

                                                                Nice going, Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Roman Anthony was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4.

Lucas Giolito took the loss allowing 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Greg Weissert allowed an inherited runner to score in just 1/3 of an inning.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a reality check for sure for the Red Sox. It was if the 10 game streak never happened because this was April/May Sox in a nutshell. Another boneheaded blunder on the bases, not being able to hit in the clutch and a starter that can't go six innings. Giolito threw 98 pitches and had only gotten 13 outs, that's not going to cut it. Then there was Abraham Toro getting doubled off on second. Most little leaguers aren't that stupid and he managed to pull it off. The game was essentially over 3 batters into the first because the Sox just couldn't get the big hit when needed. The worst part is pitchers like Drew Pomeranz who hadn't been seen in four years and Brad Keller got the job done for the Cubs. Now the Sox have Shota Imanaga looming for tomorrow's game. This road trip coming out of the All-Star break is going to make or break them going into the trade deadline. Games like this just gives John Henry all the ammo in the world to tell Craig Breslow to sell off Arolids Chapman, Duran, etc. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-46, 4 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14 ERA) takes on Cubs ace Shota Imanaga. The game begins at 7:15 PM Eastern time at Wrigley Field.

Rafaela, Sox Walkoff Rays (7/11/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made two roster moves. Alex Bregman was finally activated off the Injured List and returned to active duty tonight. Also activated for tonight's game was Hunter Dobbins. David Hamilton and Isaiah Campbell was sent down to Worcester to make room for them. Kudos to Isaiah Campbell for eating key innings on Wednesday night so the Sox bullpen could rest for last night's win. Hamilton will be back if and when someone is traded or hurt.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, for most of it things looked like April & May. Starter Hunter Dobbins came off the injured list and lasted just 1 2/3 innings before being knocked out with a knee injury. Then in the top of the third, a two out error and a passed ball led to three unearned runs scoring to give the Rays a 4-1 lead. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth for two runs but couldn't deliver the knockout blow. The Sox had chances to do it but failed each time. Then with one out in the ninth, Sox manager Alex Cora sent in Roman Anthony to pinch hit. Anthony walked and the red hot Ceddanne Rafaela mashed a a two run home run to win the game. The Sox had won their eighth game in a row and second straight over the Rays 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                8 in a row....ah ah ah

The Rays jumped on Dobbins in the top of the first inning as Yandy Diaz walked to start. Jonathan Aranda took strike three but Jake Mangum and Junior Caminero stroked back to back singles to load the bases. Josh Lowe beat out a double play ball to score Diaz and put the Rays up just 5 batters into the game. Taylor Walls struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                           Caminero loads the bases

Rasmussen got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran lined out to first to start. The returning Alex Bregman grounded out to third but Masataka Yoshida doubled to left. Carlos Narvaez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Things went south in the top of the second inning as Jose Caballero grounded out to second to start. Chandler Simpson hit a routine grounder to first but Dobbins fell down grabbing his knee and screaming after stepping on the back. Dobbins had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU. Jorge Alcala came in ice cold and Danny Jansen doubled to center only for Diaz to ground out to short to end the inning. The Sox had lost their starter just 2 innings into the game.

                                                          Dobbins is hurt

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to center to start. Trevor Story walked but Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging. Abraham "El" Toro beat out a double play ball and Ceddanne Rafaela drilled a base hit to right to score Abreu. Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Rafaela drives in a run

Everything fell apart in the top of the third as Aranda doubled to left to start. Mangum got a base hit to left to move Aranda to third but Caminero popped up to first. Lowe popped up to first but Mangum stole second. Walls walked to load the bases and chase Alcala. Brennan Bernardino came in and Caballero hit a routine grounder to first.....booted by Toro for an error to score Aranda. Back to back passed balls on Narvaez scored both Mangum and Walls before Simpson walked. Jansen flied out to right to end the inning but the game was over with the Sox down 4-1 on 2 passed balls and an error.

                                                      Carlos couldn't catch a cold

The Sox rolled over in the bottom of the third with Joe Boyle now on the mound. Bregman took strike three, Yoshida flied out to left and Narvaez popped up to second to end the inning.

Diaz grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth but Aranda got a base hit to left. Mangum flied out to right and Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox suddenly rallied in in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu walked to start. Story got a base hit to right and Mayer doubled to center to score Abreu. El Toro made up for his error by grounding out to second to score Story, moving Mayer to third. Naturally Rafaela hit a bullet right to Walls, who doubled off Mayer to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                           Mayer drives in a run

Lowe grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Walls grounded out to short. Caballero struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Bregman grounded out to third. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.

Greg Weissert took over on the mound for the top of the sixth and Simpson doubled to center to start. Jansen struck out swinging but Simpson moved to third on the grounder to second by Diaz. Aranda popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth as Narvaez walked to start. Abreu lined out to right but Story got a base hit to right. Mayer flied out to center and El Toro hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Justin Wilson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mangum walked to start. Caminero struck out swinging and Lowe forced Mangum at second. Walls got a base hit to left but Lowe was thrown out by Narvaez trying to steal third to end the inning. Kevin Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Durran grounded out to first but Bregman doubled to center. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jordan Hicks took over on the mound for the top of the eighth and Caminero grounded out to second to start. Simpson grounded out to second and Jansen took strike three to end the inning. Narvaez grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth and Garrett Cleavinger was brought in to face Abreu. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by pinch hitting Rob Refsnyder. Refsnyder and Story both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Chris Murphy (2-0, 0.00 ERA) came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Story made an absolutely amazing catch and throw to rob Diaz of a hit to start. Aranda flied out to center and Mangum took strike three to end the inning. Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and things looked bleak when Mayer grounded out to second to start. Then Cora made a bold move by sending in rookie Roman Anthony ice cold to pinch hit for El Toro. The gamble worked as Anthony walked and Rafaela mauled a walkoff two run bomb to win the game. The Sox had stunned the Rays 5-4.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of The Night is obviously Ceddanne Rafaela. He drove in 3 runs including the walkoff home run to win the game.

                                                             Ice water veined Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Roman Anthony walked and scored as a pinch hitter.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless inning.

Jordan Hicks pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Chris Murphy got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 passed balls but drew a walk.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with an error but drove in a run.

Hunter Dobbins allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings before leaving with injury.

Jorge Alcala was charged with 3 earned runs but none of them were earned.

Final Thoughts:

Is it time to start believing in this team? After the Sox took 7 of 9 from the New York Yankees and the Rays, including the three game sweep, Fenway Park was rocking. Then the Sox traded Rafael Devers and after winning 3 of the next 4 games, they started their 1-8 slide. Now after winning 8 games in a row, Fenway is alive again. Beating up on bad teams is one thing, winning two in a row against a playoff position team like the Rays is another. Not only that, the Sox went into this series 2-32 when trailing after 7 innings and won both games in the later innings. Rafaela was snubbed for the All-Star game and he's put them on his back with Devers traded and Alex Bregman out until today. Someone had to step up and he did. Its unfortunate that Dobbins got hurt again but kudos to the bullpen to limit the damage. Because of El Toro's error and the two passed balls, all three runs allowed by Alcala were unearned. The bullpen essentially didn't allow an earned run after Dobbins left and it was a big part in the win. The much maligned Jordan Hicks pitching a clean inning with Weissert and Wilson overcoming men on base, the Sox had little margin for error and still found a way. The bad news was the Sox had to deplete their bullpen in tonight's game, the good news is Garrett Crochet is going tomorrow afternoon. Before the series started I wanted the Sox to take 3 out of 4 and tonight's game was the one I'd thought they'd lose. Instead, they've won the first two games and have Crochet and the rejuvenated Brayan Bello ready for the final two. A series sweep is a tall task but just got a little bit more believable. Can they not trade anyone please? Rumors are swirling about the San Diego Padres desperately wanting Jarren Duran and Aroldis Chapman is the most sought after reliever in baseball. If I was Craig Breslow, I'd be looking to deal some of the prospects for a second starter. If Dobbins' knee injury is serious, the Sox are looking at a rotation of Crochet, Giolito, Buehler, Bello and Fitts. Buehler and Fitts have been inconsistent and they need something more solid. Still, the team as it is now is rolling and it just got Bregman and Yoshida back. The Sox look to make it 9 in a row tomorrow afternoon when they send ace Garrett Crochet (9-4, 2.39 ERA) to the mound against Shane Baz of Tampa. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bash Nationals Again (7/5/25)

For the second straight game the Boston Red Sox pulverized the Washington Nationals in our nation's capital. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead against Mitchell Parker before scoring 7 runs in the top of the third, the dagger being a 2 run home run by Ceddanne Rafaela. On the other side of the ball, Walker Buehler (6-6, 6.25 ERA) struggled again by allowing 3 runs in just 5 innings but the bullpen was lights out after. Greg Weissert, Brennan Bernardino and Jorge Alcala pitched shutout ball as the Sox blasted the Nationals 10-3 at Nationals Park.

                                                    Lauren Phillips approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Parker in the top of the first as Brady House booted a grounder by Nate Eaton to start. Romy Gonzalez doubled to left to score Eaton just like that. Roman Anthony grounded out to second to move Gonzalez to third and Rob Refsnyder doubled to left to score Romy. Carlos Narvaez walked but Trevor Story flied out to right to move Refsnyder to third. Jarren Duran flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                            Refsnyder drives in a run

Buehler got the ball in the bottom of the first and CJ Abrams flied out to center to start. James Wood grounded out to second and Luis Garcia Jr was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning. 

Abraham "El" Toro struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to third. Eaton struck out swinging to end the inning. Nathaniel Lowe lined out to second to start the bottom of the second but Josh Bell got a base hit to right. House got a base hit to right but Daylen Lile flied out to left. Keibert Ruiz flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Gonzalez doubled to left to start. Anthony got a base hit to right to score Gonzalez but Refsnyder forced Roman at second. Narvaez flied out to center but Story got a base hit to center. Duran tripled into the right field corner to clear the bases and Parker booted a grounder by Toro for an error to score Jarren. Rafaela put the exclamation point on with his 10th home run of the season to ice the game. Eaton doubled down the first base line and Gonzalez got a base hit to right to score Eaton. Anthony grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 9-0.

                                                               Sox pour it on

The Nationals answered in the bottom of the third as Jacob Young hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Abrams got a base hit to right and Wood hit a routine grounder to first....booted by Toro. Gonzalez picked the ball up and threw it into the centerfield bleachers for an error to move Abrams to third. Garcia Jr hit a grounder to first where Toro stepped on the bag, but Wood smartly got in a rundown to score Abrams before being tagged out to end the inning. The Nationals were down 9-1.

                                                            Garcia gets no rbi.

Refsnyder lined out to left to start the top of the fourth and Narvaez hit one up the elevator shaft. Story lined out to right to end the inning. Lowe got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth and Bell got a base hit to right. House took strike three and Lile got a base hit to center to load the bases. Ruiz beat out a double play ball to score Lowe but Young lined out to right to end the inning with the Nationals down 9-2.

                                                          Ruiz drives in a run

Duran popped up to second to start the top of the fifth and El Toro lined out to second. Rafaela also popped up to second to end the inning. Abrams struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fifth and Wood grounded out to short. Garcia Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Eaton took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Gonzalez did the same. Anthony got a base hit to right but Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning. The Nationals finished off Buehler in the bottom of the sixth as Lowe tripled off the glove of Rafaela to start. Bell got a base hit to right to score Lowe and chase Buehler after allowing 3 runs in 5 plus innings.

                                                           Buehler doesn't last long.

Greg Weissert came in to pitch and House flied out to center before Lile flied out to left. Ruiz got a base hit to center but Young flied out to center to end the inning with the Nationals down 9-3.

Ryan Loutos came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Narvaez grounded out to third to start. Story grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Abrams grounded back to the mound to start. Wood grounded out to short and Garcia grounded out to second to end the inning.

Eduardo Salazar came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lowe booted a grounder by Toro to start. Rafaela doubled to right to score Toro but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Eaton struck out swinging and Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 10-3.

                                                              Sox get another run

Marcelo Mayer took over for Rafaela to start the bottom of the eighth and Lowe took strike three to start. Bell grounded back to the mound and House grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jackson Rutledge came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Anthony popped up to second to start. Refsnyder flied out to right and Narvaez grounded out to third to end the inning. Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Lile grounded out to short to start. Reuiz flied out to right and Young took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-3.

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. He drove in 3 big runs including the 2 run home run to put the game out of reach.

                                                    Our Hero gets the Wally Head

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Roman Anthony was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Nate Eaton was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored 2 runs.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 but drew a walk.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but scored 2 runs.

Walker Buehler got the win but allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Marcelo Mayer played third base in the final inning.

Final Thoughts:

Two games in a row the Sox offense pounded the Nationals and they needed it this time. Walker Buehler continued to struggle which forced the bullpen to pitch 4 innings but the bullpen held the fort this time. Rafaela is quickly becoming the successor to Devers as he took over this game. The Sox need SOMEONE to step up for the rest of the season and if its him, so be it. The bats have been feasting on the Nationals and its good to see the bullpen step up. The sad part is the Sox are perfectly mediocre but are only 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees. Nobody has really stood out this year compared to years past so the Sox definitely still have a chance this season. The win improved the Sox to 45-45, 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Nationals tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Crochet (8-4) takes on Shinnosuke Ogasawara of Washington. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Nationals Park.

Reds Steamroll Red Sox Bullpen (7/2/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox called up Cooper Criswell just to pitch in tonight's game.

                                                                      IN

As for the game, what an unmitigated disaster for the Boston Red Sox bullpen. The Sox enjoyed a 3-0 lead over Nick Martinez and the Cincinnati Reds when disaster struck in the seventh inning. Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a grand slam off of Greg Weissert and scoring another run off him. The Reds then scored 3 runs off of Jordan Hicks in the top of the eighth and the embarrassment was complete. The Sox dropped their 8th game out of 11 as the Reds won 8-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Scotty's reaction to the bullpen

Brennan Bernardino got the ball in the top of the first and TJ Friedl struck out swinging to start. Matt McLain walked and promptly stole second but Elly De La Cruz struck out swinging. Austin Hays grounded out to short to end the inning. Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Roman Anthony grounded out to short but Abraham "El" Toro singled to right. Trevor Story singled to left but Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning.

Tyler Stephenson grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Rece Hinds grounded out to third. Gavin Lux doubled to left and that was it for Bernardino. Jorge Alcala got Christian Encarnacion-Strand to ground out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Ceddanne Rafaela ripped a base hit to right then moved to third on the error by Friedl. Marcelo Mayer popped up to second but Romy Gonzalez hit a sac fly to right to score Rafaela. Connor Wong singled to center but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Gonzalez puts Boston ahead

Santiago Espinal struck out swinging to open the top of the third and Friedl flied out to center. McLain beat out a roller to Alcala but De La Cruz lined out to left to end the inning. Duran flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Anthony did the same. El Toro flied out to left to end the inning.

Chris Murphy came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Hays struck out swinging to start. Stephenson flied out to right and Hinds struck out swinging to end the inning. Story doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Abreu struck out swinging. Rafaela grounded out to third and Mayer flied out to center to end the inning.

Lux grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fifth and Strand popped up to first. Espinal flied out to right to end the inning. Gonzalez grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the fifth and Wong grounded out to third. Duran flied out to right to end the inning.

Friedl lined out to right to start the top of the sixth but McLain doubled to left. De La Cruz grounded out to third and Greg Weissert came in to face Hays. Austin grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Anthony grounded out to second to start. El Toro lined out to left but Story singled to center. Abreu then clocked his 17th home run of the season to increase the lead. Rafaela grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                           Home run Abreu

Things fell apart in the top of the seventh as Stephenson singled to right to start. Hinds then hit a routine grounder to third....booted by Toro for an error. Lux walked to load the bases and Strand hit a grand slam into the Charles River to put the Reds up for good. Espinal grounded out to second but Friedl doubled to right. McLain lined out to center but De La Cruz singled to center to score Friedl. The boo's rained down as FINALLY Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the incompetent Weissert. Jordan Hicks came in to get Hays to ground out to second to end the inning with the Reds up 5-3.

                                                            Reds take the lead

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the seventh as Mayer hit a ground rule double into the left field stands. Gonzalez blooped a double into left field to score Mayer but was thrown out at third trying to stretch a triple. Wong flied out to center and Taylor Rogers came in to face Duran. Jarren got a base hit to center but Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 5-4.

                                                             Gonzalez drives in a run

Hicks fell apart in the top of the eighth as Stephenson singled to center to start. Hinds forced Robert at second but Lux walked. Strand got a base hit to right to load the bases and Espinal singled to right to score Hinds. Friedl then hit a grounder to short and Story booted it for an error. Lux scored on the error and Cooper Criswell came in to pitch. McLain hit a grounder to short and Espinal was thrown out at home. De La Cruz lined out to center to end the inning with the Reds ahead 8-4.

                                                      Reds pour it on

Tony Santillan came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Toro struck out swinging to start. Story flied out to right and Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Hays singled to center to start the top of the ninth but Stephenson struck out swinging. Will Benson pinch hit for Hinds and forced Hays at second, but Lux singled to right. Strand grounded out to third to end the inning. Emilio Pagan came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rafaela doubled to left to start. Mayer struck out swinging, Gonzalez went down hacking and Wong lined out to center to end the game. The Reds had won it 8-4.

                                                                       Reds win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He turned a 3-0 lead into a 5-3 deficit in about 10 minutes.

                                                  "Get out and stay out, Jackass" - Cora

The Good:

Trevor Story was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with 2 runs scored.

Brennan Bernardino pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Jorge Alcala tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Chris Murphy pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Cooper Criswell tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jordan Hicks allowed 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

The sad thing is there's still 74 games left in the season. The Sox clearly won't get over the loss of Rafael Devers as their offense is just too inconsistent. On top of that, Jordan Hicks can throw 100 but straight as an arrow. The trade looks worse every single day and the Sox are suffering through it. Alex Cora and Craig Breslow might be gone after the season if the season goes down the drain just like it did the previous three years. We're still a month before the trade deadline but it would take a miracle for things to turn around. Let's see how bad things get by the end. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-45, 6 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to Washington for a three game set with the Nationals beginning Friday morning on the 4th of July. Lucas Giolito (4-1) takes on Michael Soroka of the Nationals. The game begins at 11:05 AM at Nationals Park