Royals Drop Criswell, Sox (7/12/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Justin Slaten was placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation and Trey Wingenter was optioned down to Worcester. In their places the Sox called up Cam Booser and Cooper Criswell, with Criswell to make the start in tonight's game. Slaten hasn't pitched well lately so if he's hurt, it makes perfect sense. Hope he gets well soon.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, when you call up a spot starter and he doesn't pitch well, you pretty much have no chance to win the game. Tonight the Kansas City Royals blitzed Cooper Criswell (3-4, 4.50 ERA) for five early runs. Salvador Perez, Adam Frazier, Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr all drove in runs to put the game away early. Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Jamie Westbrook in the bottom of the second but Cole Ragans shut down the Sox the rest of the way, going 7 innings. Greg Weissert allowed a run in the eighth and the Royals had won this game 6-1 at Fenway Park.

The Royals wasted no time getting to Criswell in the top of the first as Adam Frazier got a base hit to center to start. Bobby Witt Jr got a base hit to left and Vinnie Pasquantino singled in tbe hole at short. Salvador Perez hit a sac fly to left to score Frazier and both runners moved over on the Michael Massey grounder to first. Old friend Hunter Renfroe flied out to left to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                       That didn't take long 

Ragans got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rob Refsnyder got a base hit off the glove of Pasquantino to start. Jarren Duran flied out to left, Tyler O'Neill popped up to second and Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Royals iced the game in the top of the second as MJ Melendez doubled down the right field line to start. Maikel Garcia dropped down a bunt to move Melendez to third and Kyle Isbel walked. Frazier got a base hit to center to score Melendez, Witt was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Pasquantino hit a sac fly to right to score Isbel. Perez got a base hit to left and Frazier scored, but Witt was thrown out at home on the play to end the inning with the Royals up 4-0.

                                                              Perez drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Connor Wong struck out swinging to start. Romy Gonzalez grounded out to short but Jamie Westbrook doubled to left. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to center to score Westbrook then took third on a wild pitch. David Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1. 

                                                           Rafaela refuses to give up

Massey lined out to right to start the top of the third and Renfroe grounded out to third. Melendez singled to left, Garcia got a base hit to center and Isbel walked to load the bases. Frazier lined out to second to end the inning. Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and Duran grounded out to first. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Royals got another run in the top of the fourth as Witt Jr hit a home run all the way to Chicago to start. Pasquantino grounded out to second, Perez popped up to second and Massey also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals up 5-1.

                                                        All Royals in this one

Devers got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Wong forced him at second. Gonzalez grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Renfroe flied out to left to start the top of the fifth. Melendez struck out swinging and Garcia grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Westbrook grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela popped up to short. Hamilton grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Criswell returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Isbel grounded out to second to start. Frazier popped up to third and Witt hit obe up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Criswell got hammered for 5 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

                                                          Game but lousy start by Criswell

Refsnyder walked to start the bottom of the sixth but Duran struck out swinging. O'Neill flied out to center and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Pasquantino popped up to short. Perez flied out to right and Massey grounded out to second to end the inning. Wong flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez grounded out to second. Westbrook took strike three to end the inning. 

Greg Weissert came in to get tagged in the top of the eighth as Renfroe popped up to short to start. Melendez hit a home run all the way to Angola but Garcia took strike three. Isbel flied out to center to end the inning with the Royals up 6-1.

                                                           Home run Melendez

Freddy Fermin took over behind the plate for the bottom of the eighth with Chris Stratton now on the mound. Rafaela beat out a roller to third and Hamilton drew a walk. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging. Duran and O'Neill also struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Frazier hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the ninth and Witt flied out to center. Pasquantino flied out to right to end the inning. Nick Anderson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Devers grounded out to second to start. Wong grounded out to third and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Smith grounded out to first to end the game. The Royals had won it 6-1.

                                                                 Royals win

Jackass of The Night is Cooper Criswell. He got rocked for 5 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks.

                                                             Jackass Criswell

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter. 

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. 

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in two innings of work. 

Final Thoughts:

Some days you get routed early and lose all hope, this was one of those days. As soon as the Sox were down by 5 they just turned it off. One of the reasons the Sox might not make the playoffs this year is having to start guys like Criswell or have "openers" because they don't have a true ace. The New York Yankees have Gerrit Cole and the Los Angeles Dodgers have Tyler Glasnow and Yobu Yamamoto. The Sox have Tanner Houck. It would have been nice to see the Sox rally but right from the get go they got taken off their game. Hopefully tomorrow will be different, The loss dropped the Sox to 51-43, 6 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Kutter Crawford (5-7) goes for the Sox against Seth Lugo of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Yankees In 10 Innings (7/5/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Chris Martin was placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation and Cam "The Carpenter" Booser had been called up from Worcester to take his place. Elbow injuries are scary

                                                                          OUT

                                                                             IN

As for the game, that might have been the win of the season against the New York Yankees. For eight innings the Yankees had a comfortable 3-1 lead on the Red Sox. The Yankees rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth to chase incompetent starter Tanner Houck. Nestor Cortes allowed a Romy Gonzalez home run in the fifth but all hope looked lost. Then with two outs in the top of the ninth, Mastaka Yoshida belted a two run home run off Clay Holmes to tie the game. Then in the top of the tenth, Ceddanne Rafaela smashed a two run home run off Tommy Kahnle to give the Sox the lead. In the bottom of the tenth, Kenley Jansen survived a first and third with nobody out situation to record three straight outs. The Sox had stolen one against the Yankees 4-2 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                                   Coco Lovelock approves of the win

Cortes got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Tyler O'Neill lined out to left to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ben Rice popped up to third to start. Juan Soto took strike three and Aaron Judge grounded out to short to end the inning.

Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Connor Wong grounded out to second. Romy Gonzalez doubled to left but Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Gleyber Torres lined out to left. Austin Wells grounded out to first to end the inning.

Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to second to open the top of the third and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right. Duran flied out to right to end the inning. After a rain delay, Anthony Colpe got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third. Trent Grisham walked but was forced at second by DJ LeMahieu. Rice grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Refsnyder flied out to left to start the top of the fourth but O'Neill walked. Devers struck out swinging and Wong popped up to third to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Soto walked to start. Judge walked but Verdugo flied out to left. Torres appeared to hurt himself beating out a roller to short to load the bases and Oswaldo Cabrera ran for him. Wells hit a routine grounder to second and Valdez...threw the ball away allowing Soto to score. Volpe walked home Judge and Sox manager Alex Cora had enough of Houck. For whatever reason, Sox manager Alex Cora is treating every game like its Game 7 of the World Series and Tanner was done after being charged with 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings. Bailey Horn came in and Grisham grounded out to second to score Cabrera and LeMahieu grounded out to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

                                                               Houck was garbage tonight

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez belted his first home run of the season to start. Yoshida flied out to center but Valdez atoned for his error with a base hit to center. Rafaela struck out swinging and Duran flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                           First of the year for Romy

Rice got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Soto forced him at second. Judge struck out swinging and Verdugo did the same to end the inning.

Refsnyder lined out to second to start the top of the sixth and O'Neill took strike three. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Cabrera grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Wells got a base hit to center. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham flied out to right to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Horn to escape that jam in the fourth and keep the Sox in it from there.

                                                               Unsung hero Bailey Horn

Luke Weaver came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong struck out swinging to start. Weaver snuffed out Gonzalez' bunt attempt and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. Cam "The Carpenter" Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and LeMahieu grounded out to third to start. Rice walked but Soto flied out to center. Judge also flied out to center to end the inning.

Valdez got a base hit off the glove of Weaver to start the top of the eighth and Wells threw a swinging bunt away off the bat of Rafaela for an error. David Hamilton ran for Valdez but Duran struck out swinging. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and also struck out swinging. O'Neill grounded out to third to end the inning. Verdugo struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Cabrera flied out to center. Wells got a base hit to left and Volpe flied out to center to end the inning.

Clay Holmes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers grounded back to the mound to start. Wong grounded out to short and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Yankee fans gladhanded each other thinking the game was in the bag only for Smith to get a base hit to right. Yankee fans were still saying that "Nestah got da win bay-beee" when Smith took second on defensive indifference only for Yoshida to shock the world by belting his third home run of the season to tie the game. Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                Smith laughing all the way to the bank

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Grisham took strike three to start. LeMahieu grounded out to third and Rice popped up to short to end the inning.

The Red Sox had a nasty surprise waiting for Tommy Kahnle in the top of the tenth with Hamilton starting at second base. Rafaela crushed his 10th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Duran doubled to left but Abreu struck out swinging. O'Neill was retired on a nubber in front of the plate but Devers was intentionally walked. Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                           Touch em all Rafaela

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Rice starting at second base. Soto got a base hit to right to move Rice to third and Yankee fans started gladhanding each other again saying "Dis Judge kid will hit a homah to win da game baybeee!" Instead Judge popped up to third, Verdugo popped up to first and Cabrera grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had stolen this one 5-3 in 10 innings.

                                                           Sox win

We have Co-Heroes of the Night. Masataka Yoshida belted a 2 out 2 run home run to keep the Sox alive and Ceddanne Rafaela hit a 2 run bomb to give the Sox the lead.

                  As Loudness would say "YOU ARE DA HEROOOOOOOES"

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a home run.

Dominic Smith singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 3.

David Hamilton scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning.

Bailey Horn tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Cam Booser pitched two scoreless innings.

Justin Slaten got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 17th save with a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Tanner Houck was charged with 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings off 2 hits and 4 walks.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing like sticking it to the Yankees just when they think they had the game won. The Yankees do it to the Red Sox all the time so it was nice to see the Sox rally for once. For 8 innings the game was essentially in the bag for New York but Yoshida, Smith and Rafaela never gave up. Also give a shoutout to the bullpen for throwing essentially 7 shutout innings against one of the best offenses in the game. Bailey Horn and Cam Booser combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to get the game to the ninth inning. Kudos to Romy Gonzalez for his first home run of the season as well. This might get into the head of Clay Holmes as well as a young pitcher. Someone like Kenley Jansen could shrug a game like this off, could Clay? The Sox have won six games in a row and apart for that 4 game losing streak at the end of June, they've been playing a lot better than they were going into the Chicago series. Hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum all the way to the all-star break. The win improved the Sox to 48-40, 8 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it six wins in a row and second straight against the Yankees.

Reds Bash Crawford, Sox (6/21/24)

The Boston Red Sox win streak came to an end at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds and a comedy of errors. Andrew Abbott held the Sox bats to just 2 home runs in 5 2/3 innings and the bullpen allowed just 3 hits the rest of the way. Meanwhile Kutter Crawford (3-7, 3.59 ERA) got plagued by bad defense as he left the game in the seventh trailing 3-2. Cam Booser threw a bunt away for a 2 run error to essentially ice the game. The Sox bats failed to rally against Alexis Diaz in the ninth and the Reds snapped the Sox streak with a 5-2 win at Great American Ballpark.

                                                                  Bad game all around

Abbott got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill walked. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. The Reds tagged Crawford in the bottom of the first as TJ Friedl flied out to right to start. Elly De La Cruz struck out swinging but Jeimer Candelario hit a home run all the way to France to put the Reds on top. Spencer Steer popped up to short to end the inning with the Reds up 1-0.

                                                               Reds strike first

The Sox answered in the top of the second as Connor Wong blasted his sixth home run of the season to tie the game. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short, Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging and Enmanuel Valdez went down hacking to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Wong ties it up

The Reds got another one in the bottom of the second as Jake Fraley struck out swinging to start. Jonathan India hit a home run all the way to Deep Space 9 to put the Reds back on top. Santiago Espinal flied out to right but Will Benson walked. Luke Maile walked and Friedl was hit with a pitch the load the bases. De La Cruz took strike three to end the inning with the Reds up 2-1.

                                                              India goes yard

The Sox answered in the top of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran clobbered his 7th home run of the season to tie the game but Gonzalez struck out swinging. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                            Duran ties it up

The longballs continued as Candelario hit his second home run of the game to but the Reds back on top in the bottom of the third. Steer flied out to left but Fraley got a base hit to right. India grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Reds up 3-2.

                                                            Candelario does it again

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Wong popped up to third. Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. Espinal grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Benson took strike three. Maile struck out swinging to end the inning.

Dalbec flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Valdez got a base hit to left. Rafaela flied out to right but Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Friedl took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth and De La Cruz went down hacking. Candelario lined out to left to end the inning.

Gonzalez got a base hit inside the bag at first to start the top of the sixth but O'Neill struck out swinging. A passed ball moved Gonzalez to second but Devers struck out swinging. Fernando Cruz came in to pitch to Wong and Connor swung at air to end the inning. Steer grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Fraley flied out to center. India also flied out to center to end the inning.

Yoshida grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh and Dalbec took strike three. Valdez flied out to center to end the inning. The Reds finished off Crawford in the bottom of the seventh as Valdez threw a grounder by Espinal away for an error. Benson flied out to center but Maile doubled to right to chase Kutter. Crawford would be charged with 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings although only 3 were earned. Cam Booser came in and Friedl dropped down a bunt. Booser threw the ball 100 feet over the head of Connor Wong for an error to score Espinal and Maile. Cruz walked and Stuart Fairchild pinch ran for Friedl. Candelario struck out swinging and that was it for Booser. Brad Keller came in and Devers threw a ball hit by Steer away for the third error of the inning. Fraley lined out to left to end the inning with the Reds up 5-2.

                                                        Crawford deserved better

Nick Martinez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to short to start. Duran got a base hit to center but David Hamilton pinch hit for Gonzalez and flied out to right. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning. India walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Espinal got a base hit to right. O'Neill gunned down India at third but Espinal made it to second on the throw. A wild pitch moved Espinal to third but he was thrown out at home on a grounder to second by Benson. Maile lined out to short to end the inning.

Alexis Diaz came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers flied out to center to start. Wong got a base hit to center and took second on defensive indifference. Yoshida struck out swinging and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Dalbec. Smith grounded out to second to end the game. The Reds had won 5-2.

                                                              Reds win

Jackass of the Night is Cam Booser. His error in the seventh led to the insurance runs scoring to put the game out of reach.

                                                              Nice throw Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3.

Brad Keller tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 but struck out and made a crucial error in the seventh.

Kutter Crawford was charged with 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss but only 3 were earned. He allowed 5 hits and walked 2.

Final Thoughts:

What a way for the win streak to end. Not that the Sox were doing much offensively but those 3 errors turned a 3-2 game into 5-2 and out of reach. In a one run game they could have played small ball and used their speed to their advantage. Instead, their bad defense cost them this game. Crawford didn't pitch that bad but errors by Valdez and Booser were killer. Its a shame because the Reds aren't that good and the Sox need to win to keep pace with the New York Yankees. The Sox might be playing for the wild card in September if the Sox can't gain ground on them in the meantime. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-36, 10 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Reds when Nick Pivetta gets the start for Boston against Frankie Montas of Cincinnati. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Great American Ballpark.

Verdugo, Yankees Pound Sox (6/14/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox officially released Garrett Cooper. With Masataka Yoshida and Tyler O'Neill healthy, either Cooper or Dominic Smith had to go and Smith had been slightly more productive. Hope Garrett hooks on somewhere else.

                                                                  Bye bye Cooper

It was a bad night all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics lost Game 4 of the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Red Sox got dispatched by the New York Yankees. As for the game, did anyone expect anything different? Alex Verdugo returned to Fenway for the first time since he was traded to the Yankees and belted the first pitch he saw out of the yard. Ironically the game could have ended right there because the Boston bats were as silent as Fenway after that moment. Luis Gil held the Sox to just 4 hits and a run in 5 innings before the Yankees bullpen held the Sox to just 1 hit in the final four innings. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (6-4, 5.00 ERA) got mashed for 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings, failing to go at least five again. Cam Booser and Zack Kelly held the fort for a while but Chase Anderson was roughed up for 3 runs in the ninth inning. It all added up to a 9-1 ass kicking by the Yankees at Fenway Park.

                                                     Verdugo gets the last laugh??

Bello got the ball in the top of the first and Anthony Volpe struck out swinging to start. Juan Soto doubled to left but Aaron Judge struck out swinging. Old buddy Alex Verdugo stuck a middle finger in the face of Boston by hitting a 2 run home run all the way to the moon to put the Yankees up for good just four batters into the game. Giancarlo Stanton walked and Anthony Rizzo singled to left to put runners at the corners but Gleyber Torres flied out to right to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                       It just had to be Verdugo

Gil dominated the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. David Hamilton flied out to right and Tyler O'Neill popped up to third to end the inning.

Oswaldo Cabrera grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Jose Trevino grounded back to the mound. Volpe grounded out to second to end the inning. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short. Connor Wong singled to center but Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Soto grounded out to third to start the top of the third before Judge took strike three. Verdugo grounded out to third to end the inning. Smith flied out to center to start the bottom of the third but Rafaela got a base hit to right. Duran singled to left but Hamilton flied out to center. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox gagged in the top of the fourth as Stanton got a base hit to left to start. Rizzo walked but Torres grounded into a double play. Naturally when Cabrera hit a grounder to first, Bello dropped the throw for an error to score Stanton. Trevino flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

                                                      Only needs the Benny Hill theme

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Devers walked to start. Yoshida walked but Wong forced Masataka at second. Valdez doubled to center to score Devers but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                         Valdez drives in a run

The Yankees kept coming in the top of the fifth as Volpe got a base hit to center then stole second on the Soto strikeout swinging. Volpe stole third, Judge walked and Verdugo doubled to left to score Volpe. Stanton struck out swinging and that was it for Bello. He would be charged with 5 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Cam Booser came in to pitch and Rizzo singled to right to score Judge but Torres grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-1.

                                                       Bello wasn't good enough

Duran walked to start the bottom of the fifth before Hamilton flied out to center. O'Neill struck out swinging but Devers walked. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Cabrera struck out swinging to start. Trevino struck out swinging and Volpe also went down hacking to end the inning. Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Wong walked to start. Valdez walked but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela struck out swinging and Caleb Ferguson came in to face Duran. Jarren struck out swinging to end the inning.

Soto lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Judge flied out to center as well. Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Hamilton took strike three to start the bottom of the seventh before ONeill went down hacking. Devers also swung at air to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Stanton went down swinging to start. Rizzo took strike three and Torres flied out to left to end the inning. Victor Gonzalez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Yoshida lined out to left to start. Wong grounded out to second but Jamie Westbrook pinch hit for Valdez. Westbrook got a base hit to center to chase Gonzalez. Michael Tonkin came in to face pinch hitter Bobby Dalbec and punched him out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees poured gas on the fire in the top of the ninth as Cabrera lined out to right to start. Trevino then hit a home run all the way to Peru but Volpe grounded out to short. Soto walked and Judge doubled to left to score him. Verdugo continued to torment the Sox with a base hit to right to score Judge and O'Neill threw the ball away to allow Alex to reach second. A wild pitch moved Verdugo to third but Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-1.

                                                             It was Verdugo's night

Rafaela popped up to first to start the bottom of the ninth but Duran walked. Hamilton flied out to left and Duran took second on defensive indifference. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won 8-1.

                                                             Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. The bats took the night off but Bello didn't help by allowing 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 6 hits, 3 walks and an error.

                                                          Bello Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Jamie Westbrook singled in his only at bat.

Cam Booser got the final out of the fifth inning.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only plate appearance.

Chase Anderson allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 but walked.

Ceddane Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

You can always count on the Yankees to come in and take a dump on the heads of the Red Sox, especially when there's a guy with an axe to grind. It was well documented  about the problems between Verdugo and Sox manager Alex Cora last year on a team abandoned by the now fired Chaim Bloom. Now Verdugo gets his revenge with the Yankees on a team 28 games over .500. The Yankees are the odds on favorites to win the world series and the Red Sox are on track to finish last for the third year in a row. Way to go John Henry! You can easily see why as the Sox group of rag-tags aren't good enough offensively and pitching wise, they got creamed today. If Brayan Bello is your second best pitcher, you're not even close to contention. Add the fact that Chris Sale turned back the clock six years and it just seems like a doomed organization. The loss dropped the Sox to 35-35, 14 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to not get embarrassed tomorrow against the Yankees when Cooper Criswell goes for Boston against Carlos Rodon of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Rally In 5th Sinks Phillies (6/12/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some interesting news. Former 2020 5th round pick Shane Drohan was returned to the Worcester Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox. As bad as Chicago has been this season, they STILL didn't give Drohan a chance to start. The joke's on them now. Welcome back Shane.

                                                          He's baaaaaaackkkkkkkk

It was a great night all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in tonight's game. The Phillies got 4 runs off starter Nick Pivetta through four innings but the Sox got a run in the fourth and plated five in the fifth to go ahead. David Hamilton hit a two run home run in the sixth inning although the Phillies rallied late for a run against Zack Kelly. Kenley Jansen got tagged for a run in the ninth but still slammed the door on the Phillies. The Sox had pulled it out 8-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Jayson Tatum approves of the win

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kyle Schwarber walked to start. Nick Castellanos doubled to left but Bryce Harper got a base hit off the glove of Bobby Dalbec to score Schwarber. Alec Bohm struck out swinging but Bryson Stott scored Castellanos by beating out a double play ball. Whit Merrifield popped up to short to end the inning with the Phillies up 2-0.

                                                        Phillies go up early

Cristopher Sanchez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran led off with a liner to third to start. Rob Refsnyder lined out to left and Tyler O'Neill got a base hit to left but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning.

David Dahl led off the top of the second with a grounder to short before Rafael Marchan lined out to left. Johan Rohas got a base hit to center and Schwarber walked again, but Castellanos lined out to right to end the inning. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the second before Connor Wong flied out to right. Jamie Westbrook hit a bullet to Harper, who doubled off Devers to end the inning.

The Phillies got another run in the top of the third as Harper walked to start. Bohm forced him at second but Stott walked. Merrifield singled to right to score Bohm with another run. Dahl doubled to left to score Stott to seemingly ice the game. Marchan took strike three and Rojas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies up 4-0.

                                                              Phillies are up big....for now

Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before David Hamilton lined out to second. Ceddanne Rafaela walked and Duran got a base hit to short, then a wild pitch moved the runners over. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

Schwarber flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Castellanos tripled to right. Harper took strike three and Bohm struck out swinging to end the inning. Pivetta got rocked for 4 runs in 4 innings and Sox manager Alex Cora felt he had to take him out to give the Sox a chance.

                                                             Not good enough, Nick

The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as O'Neill grounded out to third to start. Devers tripled into the right field corner and Wong drew a walk. Westbrook hit a sac fly to right to score Devers to break up the shutout. Dalbec forced Wong at second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                    Sox get a run back.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Stott took strike three to start. Merrifield popped up to second and Dahl flied out to left to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth as Hamilton got a base hit to right to start. Rafaela got a base hit to left to move Hamilton to third and Duran hit a routine grounder to Merrifield...thrown away for an error to score Hamilton and Rafaela. That was it for Sanchez as Jose Ruiz came in to allow Refsnyder to get a base hit to left. O'Neill hit a sac fly to left to score Duran but Devers took strike three. Wong got a abse hit off the glove of Merrifield to move Refsnyder to third. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Westbrook and smacked a double to center. Refsnyder and Wong scored but Valdez was thrown out in a rundown to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-4.

                                                             Valdez drives in a pair

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Marchan grounded out to second to start. Rojas struck out swinging and Schwarber went down hacking to end the inning. Spencer Turnbull came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Dalbec walked to start. Hamilton launched his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Rafaela grounded out to short but Duran doubled to left. Refsnyder grounded out to second but Duran foolishly was thrown out at home trying to score from second to end the inning with the Sox up 8-4.

                                                                    Home run David

Castellanos walked to start the top of the second and that was it for Kelly. Brennan Bernardino came in and got Harper to line out to third. A wild pitch moved Castellanos to second and Bohm grounded out to short. Stott doubled to right to score Castellanos and Merrifield walked. Dahl grounded out to first to end the inning with the Phillies down 8-5.

                                                          Stott gets an rbi

O'Neill walked to start the bottom of the seventh and Devers walked as well. Wong struck out swinging but a wild pitch moved the runners over. Valdez walked to chase Turnbull. Seranthony Dominguez got Dalbec to fly out to right and Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Marchan grounded out to third to start. Rojas flied out to center but Schwarber singled to center. Castellanos was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Gregory Soto came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela singled in the hole at third to start. Duran forced Rafaela at second but Refsnyder was hit with a pitch. O'Neill struck out swinging and Devers lined out to left to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Harper hit a ground rule double into the left field line. Harper went to third on a balk and Bohm hit a sac fly to score Harper. Stott struck out swinging but Merrifield walked. Dahl flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had held on to win it 8-6.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of the Night is David Hamilton. He started the fifth inning rally and his two run homer in the sixth proved the be the margin of victory.

                                                                   Hamilton Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jamie Westbrook drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Enmanuel Valdez knocked in two runs and walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Nick Pivetta allowed 4 runs in 4 innings off 6 hits and 4 walks.

Zack Kelly allowed a run in the sixth inning.

The Ugly:

Rob Refnsyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth inning but still earned his 10th save.

Final Thoughts:

Well that's more like it. What looked to be another routine loss turned into a good win. The Sox rallied big time in this one and it came at a good time. The Sox came into this one after losing 3 of their last 5 games and needed a win. Pivetta got rocked but the bullpen held Philly to just 2 runs in 5 innings so the Sox could surge ahead. One thing to watch for is the 8-9-1 speed threat of Hamilton, Rafaela and Duran. That could be a lot of stolen bases and 1st to 3rds on a team desperate for offense and no ace pitcher. Still, rather have a win than a loss. The win improved the Sox to 34-34, 14 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the NL East leaders tomorrow night when Tanner Houck (6-5) takes on Aaron Nola of Philadelphia. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.