Sox Walkoff O's in Season Finale (9/29/19)

The good news is the Boston Red Sox 2019 season is over with a victory. The bad news was they failed to accomplish the one thing they wanted to this month. As bad as this season has been, the lone brightspot has been the emergence of Eduardo Rodriguez. Rodriguez was gunning to be the first left-handed pitcher since Mel Parnell over 60 years ago to win 20 games on the season. Rodriguez held the Baltimore Orioles to 3 runs in 7 innings of work. The Sox rallied from a 3-0 deficit to take a 4-3 lead. In a microcosm of the season, the normally reliable Matt Barnes couldn't hold the lead and blew the save, denying E-Rod his 20 wins. The Sox offense took their frustration out on the Baltimore bullpen with Rafael Devers driving home Mookie Betts, in possibly Mookie's final game in Boston, to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. E-Rod was denied his 20th win but the Sox were winners in the season finale 5-4.

                                                     Sox win the finale

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first and Hanser Alberto flied out to left to start. Austin Hays grounded out to second and Trey Mancini took strike three to end the inning. Former Sox prospect Chandler Shepherd got the ball for the O's in the bottom of the first and Mooloe Betts flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers whiffed and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rodriguez started the top of the second by striking out Renato Nunez swinging to start. Jonathan Villar also went down hacking and Mark Trumbo was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Mitch Moreland grounded out to second. Christian Vazquez took strike three to end the inning.

The O's pounded Rodriguez in the top of the third as Steve Wilkerson walked to start. Austin Wynns flied out to center but Richie Martin caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single. Alberto singled to center to score Wilkerson and Hays doubled home Martin. Mancini forced Hays at third but Alberto scored. Nunez grounded out to first to end the inning but the O's were up 3-0.

                                                O's thought it was in the bag

The Sox rallied for E-Rod in the bottom of the third although Brock "The Hitman" Holt whiffed to start. Gorkys Hernandez motored around for a triple and Jackie Bradley Jr was plunked to put runners at the corners. Mr. Mookie singled home Hernandez to put the Sox on the board. Devers singled to right but Wilkerson booted the ball, allowing JBJ to score and putting Betts at third. A wild pitch moved Devers to second but Betts was thrown out at home on a grounder by Bogaerts. Martinez whiffed again to end the inning but the Sox were down 3-2.

                                                Mr. Mookie's possible last game

Rodriguez settled down in the top of the fourth as Villar lined out to third to start. Trumbo flied out to center and Wilkerson went down swinging to end the inning. Moreland singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Vazquez banged into a double play. Holt struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wynns flied out to center to open the top of the fifth but Martin singled to right. Alberto flied out to left and Hays flied out to center to end the inning. Shepherd was strong for one last inning in the bottom of the fifth and Hernandez lined out to left to start. JBJ flied out to left but Mr. Mookie singled to left. Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

                                             5 solid innings for Shepherd

Rodriguez cruised in the top of the sixth as Mancini whiffed to start. Nunez watched strike three go by and Villar grounded out to third to end the inning. Orioles manager Bruce Hyde sent Shepherd back for the bottom of the sixth but that ended quickly when Bogaerts walked to start. Shawn Armstrong came in and Martinez singled to right and a passed ball moved both runners over. Moreland walked to load the bases and Vazquez singled to left to score Bogaerts to tie the game. Hyde brought in Evan Pjillips to pitch to Holt and he got Martinez thrown out at home on a force. Hernandez popped up to second and JBJ whiffed to end the inning. The Sox had the bases loaded and nobody out and could only score one run to tie the game 3-3.

                                               Thanks for nothing Holt

Rodriguez came back for one final inning in the top of the seventh. Trumbo grounded out to second but Wilkerson walked. Wynns went down hacking as did Martin to end the inning. Rodriguez finished 2019 with 7 innings of 3 run ball while striking out 8.

                                                   E-Rod finishes strong

The Sox managed to take the lead for E-Rod in the bottom of the seventh. Mr. Mookie popped up to first but Devers doubled to right and Bogaerts singled him home to put the Sox 6 outs from E-Rod's 20th win. Martinez lined out to short and that was it for Phillips. Paul Fry got Moreland to ground out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                      Devers scores the go-ahead run.

In a microcosm of the season, the one thing the Sox wanted to do in September, they failed to do in the top of the eighth. Matt Barnes came in and got Alberto to hit a routine grounder to short....booted for an error. Hays whiffed but Mancini singled. Nunez popped up to first but Villar singled to right to tie the game and cost E-Rod his 20th win. The boo birds rained down as Barnes hunched over angry at himself. Barnes blew away Trumbo to end the inning but 20 wins went out the window as the game was tied 4-4.

                                                      "Sorry Eduardo"

Mychal Givens came in for the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez singled to left. Chris Owings pinch ran for Vazquez and stole second base. Holt singled Owings to third and once again only the Sox could screw this up. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Gorkys and hit a bullet to Villar who doubled off Owings for the double play. JBJ flied out to right to end the inning, what a waste.

Sox closer Brandon Workman (10-1, 1.88 ERA) came in for the top of the ninth for his last appearance of the season with Sandy Leon now behind the plate. Workman struck out Wilkerson, Wynns and Martin swinging in short order. Great season Workman! With nothing else to play for, the Sox ended the game in the bottom of the ninth with Dillon Tate on the mound. Mr. Mookie walked and Devers singled off the glove of Martin. Betts caught Wilkerson asleep in right by racing around third. The throw was wild, Devers scored and THE RED SOX WIN! The Sox walked it off to end the season with a 5-4 win.

                                                            One last win


Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. He was 3 for 5, scored a run and got the winning hit.

                                                    One last Hero


The Good:

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

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Gorkys Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Eduardo Rodriguez tossed 7 innings of 3 run ball while striking out 8.

Brandon Workman earned the win with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Marco Hernandez lined into a double play in his only at bat.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in the top of the eighth.



The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



Honorable Mention:

Chris Owings pinch ran and played second base in the 9th inning.

Sandy Leon caught the final inning.




Final Thoughts:

WE MADE IT! WE MADEEEEE ITTTTTT!!!! The miserable 2019 season is over and the Sox went out in style. This was one of the most depressing seasons ever as the Sox came out flat as a pancake in April, played mediocre in May and June, then fell apart in July. The rotation never got out of the box then lost 3 of them to injury in short order. Chris Sale, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi were all but useless for most of the season, Rick Porcello regressed and E-Rod had to carry the team on his shoulders. Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski sat on his hands most of the season and thankfully got the axe before it could get worse. The Sox go into the off-season with no general manager and could lose Rick Porcello and JD Martinez to free agency. Mookie Betts is going to want to be the highest paid player in history so he may be gone before the end or start of next season. Its too bad because Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez, Brandon Workman and Eduardo Rodriguez all had breakout seasons and they were wasted due to the lousy pitching. The Sox better get some starting help with Gerrit Cole and Patrick Corbin rumored to be free agents to offset the potential loss of Porcello. The Sox finished 2019 with a record of 84-78, perfectly mediocre. Here's to 2020 and hope to magus its better than this year.

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

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

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

                                                  The rout is on again

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

                                                   JD gives the Sox the lead

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

                                                   Tie game

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

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

         

                                                               Booooooooo!

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

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

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

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

                                             Travis running around like a pinball machine

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

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

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

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

                                                    One last kick in the pants

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

                                          Another easy win for Baltimore


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

                                               One final Jackass for Cashner



The Good:

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

Gorkys Hernandez was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Marco Hernandez was 1 for 2.

Bobby Poyner got the final out of the third inning.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless fourth inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Colten Brewer tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Owings was 0 for 2 with a strikeout/

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



The Ugly:

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

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5.

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

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

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

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




Final Thoughts:

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

O's Down Lifeless Red Sox (9/27/19)

The Boston Red Sox can't wait for the season to be over and it showed in tonight's ho-hum loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox offense scratched out just 6 total hits and 1 run while the O's got 3 against Nathan Eovaldi (2-1, 5.99 ERA). The Sox were shut down by the immortal Asher Wojciechowski who tossed 6 shutout innings. Thank goodness there are only 2 games left in the season because the Sox dropped this borderline unwatchable game 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                               Barnaby hates lifeless offenses

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan Villar flied out to center to start. Austin Hays took strike three but Trey Mancini walked. Dwight Smith Jr flied out to left to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first by lining out to center to begin. Rafael Devers whiffed but Xander Bogaerts doubled to left. Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to end the inning.

Renato Nunez flied out to right to open the top of the second before Rio Ruiz lined out to second. Hanser Alberto hit a routine fly ball to right but Gorkys Hernandez tried to catch the ball in his hat and it dropped for an error. DJ Stewart walked but Chance Sisco grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox bungled a rally in the bottom of the second although Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled to right to start. Both Sam Travis and Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging but Gorkys Hernandez atoned for his error by drawing a walk. Naturally Juan Centeno whiffed to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third inning although Villar flied out to left to start. Hays doubled to right but Mancini walked. A passed ball moved the runners overs but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez then pounded his 30th home run of the year into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning but it was now 3-0 Orioles.

                                                        Nunez ends it early

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they did not come back. Mr. Mookie singled to center to start the bottom of the third but was doubled off first when Devers hit a bullet to Alberto. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Eovaldi recovered in the top of the fourth inning as Alberto lined out to third to start. Stewart walked but Sisco struck out swinging. Villar grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland grounded out to short to start. Holt flied out to right but Travis was hit with a pitch. JBJ doubled to right and Travis tried to motor around home. Mancini threw home and Travis was out by a mile to end the inning.

                                                     YERRRRR OUTTA THERE!

Eovaldi came back for one last inning in the top of the fifth and Hays singled to right to begin. Mancini banged into a double play and Smith Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi made one mistake to Nunez but it was a big one as he left after 5 innings of 3 run ball in his final start of the season.

                                               See you next year Eovaldi

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez whiffed to start. Centeno grounded out to first and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the top of the sixth and Nunez grounded out to second to start. Ruiz grounded out to short but Alberto singled to right. Stewart doubled to center and Sisco walked to load the bases. Somehow Velazquez got Villar to pop up to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth inning as Devers flied out to center, Bogaerts lined out to right and Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Wojciechowski was 3-8 going into this game and the Sox made him look like Jim Palmer as he tossed 6 shutout innings.

Colten Brewer came in for the top of the seventh inning and Hays took strike three to start. Mancini walked but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning. Steve Wilkerson came in for Smith but went to right with Stewart going to left and Tanner Scott on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Holt lined out to center to start before Travis whiffed. JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ruiz grounded out to first to start. Alberto also grounded out to first but Stewart walked. Sisco walked but Villar flied out to left to end the inning. Mychal Givens put on a clinic in the bottom of the eighth as he blew away Hernandez, Centeno and Betts swinging in short order.

Marcus Walden came in to throw up on himself in the top of the ninth. Hays walked and stole second although Mancini went down swinging. Wilkerson grounded out to third but Nunez singled home Hays to increase the lead. Ruiz lined out to third to end the inning but Nunez had outscored the Red Sox all by himself with the O's leading 4-0.

                                                Nunez with another rbi

The Sox suddenly had a too little too late rally against Richard Bleier in the bottom of the ninth. Devers doubled to left and Bogaerts singled him home. Unfortunately Bogaerts was picked off and Moreland whiffed again. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Holt which made no sense at all and naturally Vazquez grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won it 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is Mitch Moreland. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including a key one in the ninth inning down 3 runs.

                                                         Nice strikeout Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Andrew Cashner pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in the top of the ninth



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and was thrown out at the plate, but was hit with a pitch.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 2 with an error and 2 strikeouts, but walked.

Nathan Eovaldi took the loss by allowing a 3 run home run in 5 innings pitched.




Final Thoughts:

Just 2 games left in this miserable season and they can't come fast enough. The Sox managed to make Asher Wojciechowski look like Mike Cuellar and Renato Nunez look like Frank Robinson. Nothing went right this year and things don't look good for next year as well. JD Martinez is a free agent and the rumor is Mookie Betts is leaving in free agency after 2020 so the Sox may trade him before then. We may be seeing a lot of these guys for the final time in the next few games. In some cases that's a good thing but in others, it will be sad to see them go. As for this disaster, the good news is its over and only 2 more defeats are left. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox lose to John Means of the Orioles. Jhoulys Chacin takes the loss for the Sox at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rangers Attack Boston Bullpen, Avert Sweep (9/26/19)

The fact David Price and Chris Sale are out for the season is the reason why today's game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers was a "bullpen game" for Boston. It turned into one of the most boring, frustrating and excruciating losses to sit through this season. Rangers starter Mike Minor needed some chicanery to pad his strikeout totals for the season but the Rangers offense teeing off on the Sox bullpen was the real story. The Rangers got just 7 hits but made them count with a 5th inning grand slam being the exclamation point. When the dust settled the Rangers had averted a sweep with a 7-4 victory at Arlington Park.

Mike Minor got the start for Texas in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for Boston and Shin-Soo Choo walked to start. Choo moved to second on the Elvis Andrus grounder and Willie Calhoun hit a routine grounder to Sam Travis. Travis dove on the ball and wrestled it for an error but luckily Danny Santana grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Travis grounded out to third to open the top of the second inning before Brock "The Hitman" Holt popped up to first. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Lakins struck out Rougned Odor swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Nick Solak grounded out to short. Ronald Guzman flied out to right to end the inning. Lakins did his job by pitching 2 perfect innings of this dreary game.

                                                           Lakins finishes strong

Minor turned up the heat in the top of the third by blowing away Jackie Bradley Jr to start. Both Sandy Leon and Chris Owings were called out on strikes to end the inning. Brian Johnson was first out of the pen for the Sox in the bottom of the third and Jose Trevino lined out to left to start. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to third but Choo walked. Andrus lined out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth when Marco Hernandez caught the Rangers asleep with a bunt single to start. Benintendi whiffed but Martinez singled Hernandez to third. Travis made up for his earlier error with a base hit to score Hernandez with the game's first run. Holt beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Gorkys Hernandez doubled home Martinez. JBJ singled home Holt but the rally ended when Leon grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                               Nice going Leon

The Rangers answered right back in the bottom of the fourth when Calhoun walked to start. Calhoun was erased on the force by Santana but Danny swiped second. Odor whiffed but Solak doubled home Santana. Guzman walked and Sox manager Alex Cora started the musical chairs in the bullpen by bringing in Trevor Kelley. Kelley struck out Trevino to end the inning but the Rangers were down 3-1.

                                             Nice going Johnson

Owings led off the top of the fifth by drawing a walk but got himself thrown out at second trying to steal. Marco Hernandez whiffed and Sox manager Alex Cora said to hell with this game and sat Andrew Benintendi in favor of Juan Centeno. Centeno grounded out to short to end the inning. Centeno took over behind the plate with Leon moving to first and Travis going to right with Mike Shawaryn now on the mound for the bottom of the fifth. Kiner started the rally with a single but Choo froze for strike three. Kiner swiped second and Andrus singled him to third. Andrus swiped second and Calhoun walked to load the bases. Santana then mashed a 500,000 foot grand slam to put the Rangers on top. Odor flied out to center but Solak singled to chase the incompetent Shawaryn. Colten Brewer came in as Solak swiped second on the incompetent Centeno but Guzman grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rangers up 5-3.

                                               Great bullpen help.....

Martinez tried to start a rally in the top of the sixth with a base hit to center but Travis ended it by grounding into a double play. Holt singled to left but Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Weber got the ball in the bottom of the sixth and Trevino whiffed to start. Kiner grounded out to first but Choo walked. Andrus grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox showed some life in the top of the seventh when JBJ clubbed his 21st home run of the season to cut the lead. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Owings of all people tied the game with his third home run of the season. Marco Hernandez grounded out to first but Centeno singled to left to keep the rally going. Martinez walked and somehow the Sox pulled off a double steal with the two slowest guys on the team. Naturally Travis whiffed to end the inning but the game was tied 5-5.

                                              Owings ties it up

The Rangers immediately retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Weber served up a 8,000,000 foot home run into the Gulf of Mexico to Calhoun to start. Santana struck out swinging but Odor smashed a 5,000 foot home run for the big insurance run. Solak lined out to right and Sox manager Alex Cora decided to piss everyone off with an unnecessary pitching change, bringing in Bobby Poyner to pitch to Guzman. Poyner got Guzman to fly out to left to end the inning but it was 7-5 Rangers.

                                                    Odor ices it

The Sox went quietly in the top of the eighth as Holt grounded out to first to start. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short and JBJ popped up to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the bottom of the eighth and Trevino grounded out to short to start. Kiner grounded out to third and Choo flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rangers pulled off some chicanery to get Minor his 200th strikeout of the season in the top of the ninth. Leon flied out to left and Owings popped up to first only for Guzman to drop it on purpose. Naturally Owings whiffed and the sparse crowd went wild for Minor's 200th strikeout. Even worse, rather than let Minor finish the game, Rangers manager Chris Woodward lifted him after 8 2/3 innings for Jose Leclerc. Leclerc punched out Marco Hernandez to end the game and give the Rangers the 7-5 win.

                                              Yeah yeah yeah....whoopie


Jackass of the Night is Ryan Weber. He served up not one, but two home runs after the Sox had fought to tie the game in the seventh.

                                                          Jackass Weber



The Good:

Juan Centeno was 1 for 2 at the plate and stole a base.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis including a solo home run.

Chris Owings was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Travis Lakins tossed two scoreless innings.

Colten Brewer retired the only man he faced.

Trevor Kelley struck out the only guy he faced.

Bobby Poyner retired the only man he faced.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Shawaryn gave up a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Gorkys Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Brian Johnson allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

Thank God there's only 3 games left in this awful season. The real death of the Sox were the lack of starting pitching depth. That fell squarely on former Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski who's only acquisition was Andrew Cashner who's been a titanic bust as both starter and reliever. These bullpen games are hard enough to sit through once per week, twice is just simply torture. The constant pitching changes slow the game to a crawl and since the games are meaningless to begin with, there's really no point in watching anymore. The next two games are about as useful as pants on a pig with the only drama left is if Eduardo Rodriguez can win 20 games in the season finale. Old time MLB writers are squawking about Guzman dropping the ball on purpose so Minor could pad his stats....are they forgetting Don Baylor dropping a pop up so Roger Clemens could strike out 20 in 1986? Eh, who cares?  The loss drops the Sox to an unimpressive 83-76 on the season. Tomorrow night the Sox begin their final homestand of the season when they welcome to the terrible Baltimore Orioles to Fenway. Asher Wojciechowski goes for the Orioles against Nathan Eovaldi (2-0) at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                Groundhog Day

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

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

                                                      Short and sweet for Lakins

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

                                                                  2-0 Rays

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

                                              Number 32 for Bogaerts

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

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

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

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

                                                    Adames goes yard

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

                                           A miserable Devers ties it up

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

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

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

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

                                                     Moreland steps it up

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

                                                         Ugh


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

                                                       Nice going Smith



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Christian Vazquez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Travis Lakins tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Ryan Weber tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Andrew Cashner tossed a scoreless inning.

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

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

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

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

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

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

Colten Brewer gave up an rbi single to Joey Wendle.

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



The Ugly:

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

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

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

Sandy Leon caught the final three innings.




Final Thoughts:

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

Rays Walkoff Sox in 11, Sox Eliminated (9/20/19)

In a season full of disappointments, the Boston Red Sox added another chapter to their dismal season. The Sox have had trouble coming back in the later innings all season. Tonight they trailed 4-2 going into the 9th inning against the playoff bound Tampa Bay Rays. Somehow Mitch Moreland clubbed a game tying home run...only for Willy Adames to hit a walkoff single in the bottom of the 11th to give the game to the Rays. Once again the Sox failed to win a game when trailing but at least they showed some heart for once. Still, the Rays took another step closer to the playoffs as the Sox were officially eliminated with a 5-4 win at Tropicana Field.

                                                  Another loss

Rays starter Charlie Morton started his dominance in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to second to begin. Christian Vazquez whiffed and Rafael Devers took strike three to end the inning. "Slick" Rick Porcello matched Morton in the bottom of the first inning as Joey Wendle lined out to right to start. Austin Meadows popped up to third and Tommy Pham took strike three to start.

Xander Bogaerts beat out an infield single to third to start the top of the second before Andrew Benintendi popped up to third. Brock "The Hitman" Holt took strike three before Mitch Moreland grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Ji-Man Choi whiffed to start the bottom of the second before Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to third. Kevin Kiermaier missed a home run by inches before grounding to the mound to end the inning.

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first to start the top of the third before Marco Hernandez whiffed. Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to end the inning. Andrew Benintendi started clutching his hand and had to be loaded onto an ambulance as Gorkys Hernandez replaced him in left to start the bottom of the third. Avisail Garcia and Matt Duffy stroked back to back singles but Adames whiffed. Wendle flied out to left and Meadows whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the fourth as Vazquez grounded out to second to begin. Devers grounded out to second but Bogaerts singled to center. Hernandez walked but Holt whiffed to end the inning. Porcello fanned Pham to start the bottom of the fourth but Choi singled to right. d'Arnaud flied out to center before Kiermaier flied out to left to end the inning.

The duel continued in the top of the fifth as Moreland grounded out to first to start. JBJ whiffed but Hernandez beat out an infield single. Mr. Mookie popped up to third to end the inning. Porcello matched Morton in the bottom of the fifth as Garcia grounded out to short to start. Duffy was rung up for strike three and Adames grounded out to third to end the inning.

Morton cruised in the top of the sixth as Vazquez whiffed to start. Devers flied out to left before Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Porcello was equally tough in the bottom of the sixth as Wendle flied out to center to begin. Meadows grounded out to first and Pham lined out to center to end the inning. Typical 2019 Red Sox, Porcello sucks all year but the one time he tosses a shutout, the Sox don't score.

                                                6 shutout innings for Porcello

The Sox broke the deadlock in the top of the seventh although Gorkys Hernandez whiffed to start. Holt doubled and Moreland pounded his 16th home run of the year to give the Sox the lead. That was it for Morton as Oliver Drake came in to punch out JBJ and get Marco Hernandez to ground out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                   Moreland puts the Sox on top

In a season full of bad decisions, Sox manager Alex Cora made another one when he lifted Porcello after just 87 pitches and throwing a shutout. At first Darwinzon Hernandez coming in looked like a good move when he struck out Choi, but d'Arnaud singled. Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Kiermaier and walked. Guillermo Heredia ran for Aguilar and Michael Brosseau hit for Garcia. Brosseau walked to load the bases and chase Hernandez. As if Cora hadn't made enough bad moves, Marcus Walden came in to face Nate Lowe pinch hitting for Duffy. Walden induced a double play ball but Lowe beat it out to score d'Arnaud. Adames then lit the paltry crowd up with a ground rule double to tie the game. Porcello threw up his hands and that was it for Walden. Josh Taylor came in and thing he did was uncork a wild pitch to score Lowe with the go-ahead run. Wendle flied out to center to end the inning but every single move Cora made failed and the Rays led 3-2.

                                                 Rays effortlessly come back

Daniel Robertson took over at third with Nick Anderson on the mound in the top of the eighth. Mr. Mookie whiffed but Vazquez walked. Cora was so offended the Sox were trying to come back that he pinch ran Vazquez with Chris Owings. Devers whiffed and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Sandy Leon took over behind the plate with Andrew Cashner now on the mound. The Rays rallied as Meadows walked to start but Pham flied out to left. Choi doubled home Meadows to increase the lead but d'Arnaud flied out to right. Heredia whiffed to end the inning with the Rays up 4-2.

Emilio Pagan came in to close out the ninth where the Sox were 3-the season when trailing. Somehow Gorkys Hernandez tripled but naturally Holt lined out to center. Somehow Moreland then crushed another 2 run home run to tie the game. JBJ whiffed and Marco Hernandez lined out to center but the Sox weren't dead yet, tying the game 2-2.

                                                           TIE GAME!!!

Ryan Brasier came in for the bottom of the ninth and Brosseau whiffed to start. Robertson took strike three but Adames singled. Wendle grounded out to second to end the inning with the game headed to extras.

Chaz Roe came in for the top of the 10th as Mr. Mookie lined out to center to begin. Leon took strike three and Colin Poche came in to get Devers to fly out to center to end the inning. Bobby Poyner had the bottom of the 10th and Meadows flied out to center to begin. Pham and Choi both went down swinging to end the inning.

Diego Castillo came in for the top of the eleventh inning and Bogaerts grounded out to second to start. Gorkys Hernandez whiffed but Holt worked a walk. There would be no third 2 run homer as Moreland whiffed to end the inning. The end came in the bottom of the eleventh with Trevor Kelley on the mound. d'Arnaud flied out to center and Heredia flied out to right, but Brosseau walked. Robertson walked as Johnny Davis ran for Brosseau. Adames ended the game with a base hit to left that scored Davis with the winning run. The Sox were officially eliminated as the Rays won 5-4.

                                                      Bye bye Sox, Rays win


Jackass of the Night is Trevor Kelley. He allowed the walkoff hit to Adames after getting the first two outs of the eleventh.

                                                     Trevor is a Jackass


The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.

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

Mitch Moreland singlehanded kept the Sox in the game with two 2 run home runs, 4 total rbis.

Rick Porcello tossed 6 shutout innings, allowing just 3 hits and no walks.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Bobby Poyner pitched a scoreless 10th inning.



The Bad:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon struck out in his only at bat.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 1.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Darwinzon Hernandez was charged with 3 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Marcus Walden allowed 2 inherited runners to score in just 1/3 of an inning.

Andrew Cashner allowed a run in an inning of work.



The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Josh Taylor's wild pitch scored the go-ahead run in the 7th but he retired the only man he faced.



Honorable Mention:

Chris Owings ran for Vazquez.




Final Thoughts:

9 more games and the misery is over. At least the numbers game is over with the Sox officially eliminated. Sad part was if the Sox had any semblance of a rotation or a competent bullpen, they could still be in the race. Cora had a bad game by lifting Porcello too soon and bringing in the wrong relievers. Its too bad things turned out the way they did, but the only thing left to do is look forward to next year. Most of these JV relievers will be gone and although he pitched well tonight, Porcello will be out of here too. Whoever is the GM next year better clean up the pitching or they're going to be perfectly mediocre next year. The loss dropped the Sox to 80-73 and officially out. Tomorrow night the Sox and Rays battle again with Tyler Glasnow against...surprise surprise...the Sox awful bullpen. Travis Lakins is the "starter" at 6:10 PM at Tropicana Field.