Bello, Sox Defeat Marlins (7/3/24)

That was a much better start for Brayan Bello (8-5, 5.19 ERA) and the Boston Red Sox. Against the hapless Miami Marlins, Bello tossed 6 2/3 innings allowing just a single run back in the first inning. The Sox offense got to Trevor Rogers for two runs in the third on rbis from Masataka Yoshida and Rafael Devers. After Yoshida drove in a run in the seventh, they iced the game in the ninth with a bases loaded double by Rafael Devers. Greg Weissert slammed the door and the Sox had beaten the Marlins 7-2 at Loan Depot Park.

                                                          Kobe Lee approves of the win 

Trevor Rogers got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder walked but Tyler O'Neill lined out to left. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jazz Chisholm Jr singled to right to start. Bryan De La Cruz got a base hit to right and Josh Bell's fly ball to center moved Jazz to third. Jesus Sanchez got a base hit to right to score Chisholm and put Miami on top. Jake Burger took strike three but both runners moved over on a balk. Xavier Edwards flied out to center to end the inning with the Marlins up 1-0.

                                                             Sanchez puts Miami ahead

Connor Wong got a base hit to left to start the top of the second then promptly stole third. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center. Dominic Smith took strike three and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Vidal Brujan flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Emmanuel Rivera grounded back to the mound. Nick Fortes took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Duran grounded out to second to start. Refsnyder walked and O'Neill got a base hit to left. Devers singled in the hole at short to score Refsnyder to tie the game. Wong flied out to right but Gonzalez walked. Masataka Yoshida singled off the glove of Rogers to score O'Neill. Smith took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.                         

                                                              Yoshida puts the Sox on top

Chisholm grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third but De La Cruz walked. Bell grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Huascar Brazoban came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran got a base hit in the hole at short then took second & third on the grounder to third by Refsnyder. O'Neill lined out to center to end the inning. Sanchez got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth and Burger got a base hit to right. Edwards struck out swinging but Brujan beat out a double play ball. Rivera grounded out to short to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Wong hit one up the elevator shaft. Gonzalez got a base hit in the hole at third then stole second. Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Fortes struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fifth and Chisholm struck out swinging. De La Cruz grounded out to short to end the inning.

Smith grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Rafaela tripled into the centerfield gap. Duran struck out swinging and Refsnyder grounded out to third to end the inning. Duran made a great running catch to rob Bell of a hit to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez grounded back to the mound. Burger struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the seventh with Calvin Faucher on the mound as O'Neill walked to start. Devers walked and Wong singled in the hole at short to loa the bases. Gonzalez forced O'Neill at home and Andrew Nardi came in to face Yoshida. Masataka grounded out to third to score Devers but Smith took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                            Yoshida drives in a run

Edwards struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Brujan flied out to left. Rivera got a base hit to center and Fortes singled to right to chase Bello. He did well, allowing just 1 run off 7 hits and a walk. Brennan Bernardino came in to get Chishom to ground out to first to end the inning.

                                                              Good work Bello

Anthony Bender came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to third to start. Duran grounded out to second and Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and De La Cruz struck out swinging to start. Refsnyder made a great diving catch to rob Bell of a hit but Sanchez got a base hit to left. Burger lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox broke it open in the top of the ninth with Anthony Maldonado now on the mound as O'Neill got a base hit to left to start. Devers tripled into the right field corner to score Tyler but Wong grounded out to second. David Hamilton pinch hit for Gonzalez and struck out swinging but Yoshida walked. Smith walked to load the bases and Rafaela cleared them with a double to left. Duran lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                             Rafaela ices it

Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Edwards got a base hit to left...booted by Refsnyder for an error to allow Edwards to make it to third. Brujan struck out swinging and Rivera hit a sac fly to center to score Edwards. Fortes flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-2.

                                                                 Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brayan Bello. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                                   Hero Bello

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs.

Connor Wong was 2 for 5 with a stolen base.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis.

Brennan Bernardino got the final out of the seventh inning.

Chris Martin tossed a scoreless eighth inning. 

The Bad:

David Hamilton struck out in his only at-bat.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with an error but walked twice and scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Beating the Marlins is nothing to write home about but the Sox need to beat up on the bad teams. After that disaster against Chicago last month, the Sox have gone on a little bit of a run to get back to respectability. Again, beating Miami isn't the greatest but for Bello to utterly dominate them is a good sign. The trio of Rafaela, Devers and Yoshida provided all the run support they needed. The only blemish on the night was Refsnyder's error in the ninth but thankfully the Sox were comfortably ahead to get past it. With the trade deadline a month away, the biggest need is a starter. The Sox are not going to make the playoffs with a rotation of Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta and Cooper Criswell. The Sox need an ace and if they want to sell the Goldust Trio of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kyle Teel to get one, Sox fans would be all for it. Until then, enjoy the win streak because it looks like the Sox have been playing a lot better lately. The win improved the Sox to 46-40, 9 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it four wins in a row and a series sweep against the Marlins tomorrow evening when Nick Pivetta goes for Boston against Kyle Tyler of Miami. The game begins at 6:40 PM at LoanDepot Park.

Bello, Sox Sweep Jays (6/19/24)

Before the game the Worcester Red Sox down in AAA bid farewell to pitcher AJ Politi. Drafted in the 15th round back in 2018, he allowed 14 runs in 11 innings so far this year so it was time for the organization to cut their losses. He had a 4.45 ERA last year as well, hope he hooks on somewhere else.

                                                                    Bye bye Politi

As for the game, the red hot Red Sox have won their fifth game in a row and seven of eight. The Sox completed their three game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays on the back of Brayan Bello (7-4, 4.83 ERA). The struggling righty held the Jays to just 2 runs in 6 strong innings. Meanwhile the balanced Sox offense put seven runs on the board against Kevin Gausman and the Jays bullpen. Enmanuel Valdez and Jarren Duran both went yard for the Sox as they knocked off Toronto 7-4 at the Skydome.

                                                                Sara Jay approves of the win

Gausman got the ball in the top of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. David Hamilton lined out to right but Tyler O'Neill walked. Rafael Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Spencer Horwitz singled off the glove of Enmanuel Valdez to start. Justin Turner was hit with a pitch but Vladimir Guerrero Jr struck out swinging. Daulton Varsho struck out swinging and Danny Jansen flied out to left to end the inning.

Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Valdez grounded back to the mound. Reese McGuire walked but Dominic Smith flied out to left to end the inning. George Springer took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Addison Barger doubled to center. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was hit with a pitch but Kevin Kiermaier flied out to center. Horwitz grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Barger booted a grounder by Romy Gonzalez to start. Duran lined out to left but Gonzalez stole second. Hamilton got a base hit to center and Kiermaier threw the ball away allowing Gonzalez to score on the error. O'Neill popped up to short and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Hamilton ends up at third

Turner got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third and Guerrero Jr flied out to center. Varsho walked but Jansen took strike three. Springer was also frozen for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Yoshida grounded out to short to start. Valdez smashed his sixth home run of the season but McGuire took strike three. Smith flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                         Kiss that goodbye

The Jays answered in the bottom of the fourth as Barger got a base hit to left to start. Kiner singled to right and Kiermaier singled to center to score Barger, moving Kiner to third. Kiermaier stole second and Horwitz walked to load the bases with nobody out. Turner grounded into a double play to score Kiner and Guerrero Jr lined out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                          Jays tie it up

The Sox got the lead back in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez grounded out to third to start. Duran then crushed his sixth home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Hamilton got a base hit to center and stole second while O'Neill struck out swinging. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                       Duran launches one

Varsho popped up to Hamilton to start the bottom of the fifth before Jansen grounded out to third. Springer doubled to left but Barger flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Yoshida singled to left to start. Valdez walked but McGuire popped up the bunt. Smith flied out to center but Gonzalez singled in the hole at second to score Yoshida. Tim Mayza came in to pitch to Duran and Jarren got a base hit to center to score Valdez. Gonzalez and Duran pulled off a double steal but Hamilton lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.

                                                         The running Red Sox score

Kiner grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth before Kiermaier struck out swinging. Horwitz grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Bello who held the Jays to just 2 runs in 6 solid innings allowing 7 hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Good work Bello

Genesis Cabrera came in to pitch the top of the seventh and O'Neill popped up to second to start. Devers grounded out to short and Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Turner singled to center to start. Guerrero Jr singled to left but Varsho struck out swinging. Jansen flied out to center to move Turner to third and Justin scored on a wild pitch by Slaten. Springer struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 5-3.

                                                            Jays inch closer

The Sox iced the game in the top of the eighth with Ryan Burr on the mound. Valdez singled to right, McGuire singled to right and Smith doubled to center to score Valdez. Gonzalez flied out to center to chase Burr and Zach Pop came in to face Duran. Jarren forced McGuire at home on a grounder to second but then stole second. Guerrero Jr booted a grounder by Hamilton and Smith scored, but Duran got caught in a rundown to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                       Smith drives in a run

Barger lined out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Kiner popped up to third. Kiermaier struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bowden Francis came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Tyler O'Neill flied out to left. Devers popped up to second and Yoshida lined out to first to end the inning. Chris Martin came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Horwitz singled to right to start. Turner struck out swinging and Horwitz moved to second on a grounder to the mound by Guerrero. Varsho flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-3.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. He was 2 for 5 with a home run, 2 total rbis and two steals to pace the offense.

                                                              Jarren Hero

The Good:

David Hamilton was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a stolen base.

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 3 total runs scored.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Brayan Bello got the win by tossing 6 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5.

The Ugly:

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

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run, stole two bases and scored a run.

Justin Slaten allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox have found a way to beat other teams, run them out of the ballpark. The Sox as a team had 5 steals and they got some longball help from Duran and Valdez. Still, on a day where Rafael Devers goes 0 for 5 and the Sox still put up 7 runs is a good sign. As long as Hamilton, Duran and others can keep running like this, they'll be able to score runs consistently. Bello pitched well tonight and that's what the Sox are going to need going forward if they have any hope of getting back in the AL East race. Wins like this will help big time. The win improved the Sox to 40-35, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox look to continue their winning ways against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati. Kutter Crawford (3-6) takes on Andrew Abbott of the Reds this Friday night at 8:10 PM eastern time at Great American Ballpark.

Tigers Blank Lifeless Sox (5/30/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox honored their Hall of Fame Class of 2024 which included Trot Nixon. Dustin Pedroia, Elaine Steward and Jonathan Papelbon. The only bright spot to the day was honoring those that helped bring  the 2004 and 2007 World Series championships to Boston.

                                                          Back when the Sox were winners

As for this game, the fact that winners were honored was intentional to mask the fact this year's team is a bunch of losers. The Sox fell under .500 again as they were shut out by the equally mediocre Detroit Tigers. Nick Pivetta (2-4, 4.08 ERA) was yanked in the sixth inning after allowing 2 runs but the Sox bats failed to pick him up. Jack Flaherty pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings against the Sox with the kill shot coming in the eighth against the normally reliable Chris Martin. Riley Greene hit a 2 run bomb then two batters later Gio Urshela went yard to ice the game. The Tigers blanked the hapless Red Sox 5-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and Matt Vierling walked to start. Riley Greene forced Matt at second and Matt Canha struck out swinging. Gio Urshela struck out swinging to end the inning. Flaherty got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to right to start. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to short to end the inning.

Colt Keith took strike three to start the top of the second before Akil Baddoo took strike three. Spencer Torkelson struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers lined out to right to start the bottom of the second before Connor Wong took strike three. Garrett Cooper flied out to right to end the inning,

Javier Baez went down hacking to start the top of the third before Carson Kelly struck out swinging. Vierling also swung at air to end the inning. The eight straight K's tied a Sox record held by Roger Clemens. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Vaughn Grissom grounded out to third. David Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning.

Greene grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Canha did the same. Urshela flied out to right to end the inning. Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Abreu grounded out to second. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Tigers went up for good in the top of the fifth although Keith flied out to center to start. Baddoo then hit his first home run of the season to end the game right then and there. Torkelson grounded out to short and Baez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                       Tigers take the lead

Devers walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Wong struck out swinging. Cooper struck out swinging and McGuire grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Tigers struck back in the top of the sixth as Kelly tripled into the right field corner to start. Vierling flied out to right but Greene was intentionally walked. Canha drilled a base hit to center to score Kelly and chase Pivetta. Normally 5 1/3 innings and 2 runs allowed would be a good thing but Nick got no run support. Greg Weissert came in and got Urshela to ground into a double play to end the inning with the Tigers up 2-0.

                                                     Pivetta deserved better

Grissom grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Hamilton flied out to center. Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Cam Booser came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Keith got a base hit to right to start. Baddoo struck out swinging, Torkelson went down hacking and Baez lined out to left to end the inning. Abreu struck out swinging to open the bottom of the seventh before Refsnyder got a base hit to left to break up the no-hitter. Devers flied out to right and that was it for Flaherty after 6 1/3 no-hit innings. Alex Faedo got Wong to ground into a force to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the eighth as Kelly grounded out to third to start. Vierling doubled to left and Greene hit a home run all the way to the moon. Canha struck out swinging but Urshela then hit a home run all the way to Mercury to increase the lead. Badoo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 5-0.

                                                      Tigers turn this into a laugher

Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for Cooper and took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth but McGuire got a base hit to left. Dominic Smith pinch hit for Grissom and flied out to center. Tyler Holton came in to face pinch hitter Romy Gonzalez, and Gonzalez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Torkelson struck out swinging to start. Valdez booted a grounder by Baez for an error but Kelly flied out to center. Vierling grounded out to short to end the inning. Duran reached on an error by Baez to start the bottom of the ninth and Ceddanne Rafaela pinch hit for Abreu. Rafaela struck out swinging and Refsnyder grounded out to second to move Duran to second. Duran took third on defensive indifference but Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Tigers had won it 5-0.

                                                                   Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Chris Martin. He gave up 3 runs including two home runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                     Nice going, you Jackass

The Good:

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Cam Booser tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Chase Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Enmanuel Valdez struck out and committed an error.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 2.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1.

David Hamilton was 0 for 2.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Nick Pivetta took the loss but only allowed 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9.

Final Thoughts:

Fans are beyond frustrated at this point with the Red Sox and who can blame them? Their offense has been AWFUL for pretty much all season and they were damn near no-hit in this one. Pivetta didn't even pitch bad and it didn't matter because the offense didn't score any runs. Flaherty pitched a great game and the biggest difference was Chris Martin's meltdown in the eighth inning. Not that the Sox bats were doing anything but 2-0 is a lot easier to overcome than 5-0. The Sox entire offense was 2 hits and a walk while Riley Greene alone had a hit, a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored by himself. Fans can't wait for this season to end and we're not even out of May yet. Nobody expects the Sox to win the division or anything, they just want them to be competitive. Their offense simply hasn't been competitive this season due to injuries and incompetence. There's still 105 games left in the season too, oh joy. The loss dropped the Sox to 28-29, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Tanner Houck goes for the Sox against Kenta Maeda of the Tigers. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Brewers (5/26/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made roster moves. Zack Kelly was sent down to Worcester and in his place the Sox signed 28 year old free agent relief pitcher Brad Keller. Keller was batting practice for the Chicago White Sox until he was released on Monday. If he posted a 4.86 ERA for the worst team in baseball, why would he suddenly turn it around in Boston? Oh well.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, for the third day in a row the Milwaukee Brewers held the Sox to three runs or less. Tobias Myers and the Milwaukee Brewers held the Sox to just 1 run through seven innings while Tanner Houck (1.90 ERA) kept pace by holding Milwaukee to one measly run through six innings. Justin Slaten (3-2, 3.00) pitched a scoreless eighth inning but the Sox suddenly rallied in the bottom of the frame. Ceddanne Rafaela doubled and Jarren Duran drove him in with a base hit to give the Sox the lead. Kenley Jansen shut the door in the ninth and the Sox had beaten the Brewers 2-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Davis Riley approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Brice Turang grounded out to second to start. William Contreras grounded out to short but Christian Yelich singled to center. Willy Adames blooped a base hit to right but Jake Bauers took strike three to end the inning. Myers got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu blooped a base hit to right but Garrett Cooper struck out swinging. Abreu got thrown at second trying to steal to end the inning. 

Gary Sanchez struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Sal Frelick grounded out to second. Oliver Dunn grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafael Devers flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Dominic Smith flied out to right. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Blake Perkins struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Turang singled to center. Contreras struck out swinging and Yelich grounded out to second to end the inning. Vaughn Grissom flied out to right to start the bottom of the third but David Hamilton singled to right. Hamilton stole second then took third when Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Duran grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Adames struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Bauers flied out to right. Smith lost a ball by Sanchez in the sun for a double but Frelick lined out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Cooper popped up to first but Devers hit a sac fly to right to score Abreu. Smith got a base hit to center but McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                     Devers puts the Sox on top

As usual once the Sox scored, the other team answered as the Brewers struck back in the top of the fifth. Dunn singled to left to start before he stole second base. Perkins struck out swinging but Turang walked. Contreras singled to center to score Dunn but Turang was thrown out at home on a grounder to first by Yelich. Adames struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Contreras ties it up

Grissom got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Hamilton popped up his bunt attempt to Sanchez. A wild pitch moved Grissom to second but Rafaela grounded out to short....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Ceddanne was safe and sure enough, he was. Joel Payamps came in to pitch and Rafaela promptly stole second. Duran struck out swinging and Frelick made a great catch to rob Abreu of a hit to end the inning.

Bauers grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth but Sanchez got a base hit to center. Frelick flied out to left and Dunn grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Houck who once again did well, allowing just a single run in 6 innings. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 7 batters.

                                                           Good work Houck

Cooper flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth before Devers struck out swinging. Smith flied out to center to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Perkins caught Devers asleep with a bunt single. Turang dropped down a bunt to move Perkins to second and Contreras moved him to third with a grounder to first. Yelich grounded out to first to end the inning. McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh before Grissom took strike three. Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Adames struck out swinging to start. Bauers struck out swinging and Sanchez went down hacking to end the inning. Elvis Peguero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and suddenly Rafaela doubled to left. Duran got a base hit to left to score Rafaela to put the Sox in the lead. Abreu got a base hit to left but Cooper grounded into a double play. Devers was intentionally walked but Smith grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                              Duran gets it done

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Frelick took strike three to start. Dunn struck out swinging and Perkins' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Jansen to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. His rbi single in the 8th put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Duran The Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Vaughn Grissom was 1 for 3.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with 2 stolen bases.

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

Tanner Houck tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 7.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Justin Slaten got the win by striking out the side in the eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen got his ninth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Three games, three times the Brewers pitching staff held the Sox to almost no runs. Only this time, the Sox pitching held up. Houck held the Brewers to just a single run and the bullpen slammed the door after that. The Sox were pretty much sleeepwalking the whole game and still found a way to pull it out. Still, the problems that have been plaguing the Sox all season continued as they couldn't generate much offense. The losses of Trevor Story and Triston Casas have been killers but the bottom of the order being a black hole just makes things worse. Get ready for a .500 season if things keep up, and that's being generous. The win improved the Sox to 27-26, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Baltimore for one of the most important series of the season against the Orioles. Cooper Criswell (2-1) gets the start for Boston against Cole Irvin of Baltimore tomorrow afternoon. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Snap Streak, Crush Cardinals (5/19/24)

After the Boston Red Sox dropped four straight games, they were due to bust out. Tonight was that night as they laid waste to the bungholes of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Sox bats pounded out 14 hits and 11 runs with almost everyone in the lineup getting a hit or driving in a run. Meanwhile Nick Pivetta (2-2, 3.04 ERA) looks to be healed from his injury as he held the Cardinals to just 1 run in six solid innings. Greg Weissert got tagged for a couple of runs bit it wasn't nearly enough ad the Sox broke their 4 game losing streak with an 11-3 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.

                                                Xander Schauffele approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to St. Louis starter Matthew Liberatore in the top of the first inning as Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging but Tyler O'Neill FINALLY belted his 11th home run of the season to put Boston ahead. Rafael Devers popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0. 

                                                            O'Neill jacks one out

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Matt Carpenter struck out swinging. Lars Nootbaar popped up to short and Paul Goldschmidt struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Connor Wong walked to start. Connor took second on a passed ball and scored on the Garrett Cooper double to left. Cooper moved to third on the Romy Gonzalez line out to right but Vaughn Grissom grounded out to short. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                     Cooper drives in a run

Nolan Arenado grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and so did Alec Burleson. Brendan Donovan struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Liberatore snuffed out Duran's bunt attempt to open the top of the third and Refsnyder singled in the hole at short. O'Neill got a base hit to left but Devers went down hacking. Wong flied out to center to end the inning. Brandon Crawford flied out to left to start the bottom of the third and Pedro Pages struck out swinging. Michael Siani struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Cooper singled down the third base line to start. Gonzalez doubled to left to score Cooper and chase Liberatore. Chris Roycroft came in and Grissom lined out to right to move Gonzalez to third. Rafaela hit a grounder to the mound to force Gonzalez out at home then took off for second. Pages threw the ball away and Ceddanne took third on the error. Arenado misjudged a pop-up by Duran amd it turned into an rbi triple. Siani made a great catch to rob Refsnyder of a hit to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                        "I got it, I got it....I don't got it"

The Cards struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Carpenter flied out to center to start. Nootbaar hit a home run all the way to Cuba then Goldschmidt lined out to left. Arenado popped up to short to end the inning with the Cardinals down 4-1.

                                                            Cards get on the board

The Sox iced the game in the top of the fifth as O'Neill and Devers drew back to back walks to start. Wong got a base hit down to third to load the bases and Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Cooper. Abreu beat out a roller to first to score O'Neill and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Smith got a base hit to left to score Devers and Wong, chasing Roycroft. Ryan Fernandez came in to pitch and Grissom grounded into a double play. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                              Smith ices it

Burleson struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fifth and Donovan lined out to center. Crawford grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Refsnyder also went down hacking. O'Neill walked and Devers tied a Sox record with his 5th consecutive home run. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                "Tied with YOU, Canseco!" - Devers

Pivetta returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Pages took strike three to start. Siani struck out swinging and Carpenter popped up to short to end the inning. Rather than keep going in a now meaningless game, Cora yanked Pivetta after allowing just one hit in 6 innings, he was outstanding. 

                                                                 6 innings, 1 hit

Old pal Nick Robertson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Abreu flied out to center to start. Smith flied out to center and Grissom lined out to third to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to get tagged in the bottom of the seventh as Nootbaar grounded out to third to start. Goldschmidt doubled to center and Arenado singled to short before Burleson dumped a base hit to center to load the bases. Donovan got a base hit to left to score Goldschmidt but Crawford struck out swinging. A wild pitch scored Arenado but Pages struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cards down 9-3.

                                                           Donovan drives in a run

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth before Duran went down hacking. Refsnyder also struck out swinging to end the inning. Cam Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Dylan Carlson pinch hitting for Siani. Carlson got a base hit to center and Ivan Herrera pinch hit for Carpenter. Herrera and Nootbaar both struck out swinging and Goldschmidt grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth as O'Neill popped up to short to start. David Hamilton pinch hit for Devers and clobbered his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Wong got a base hit to right, Abreu doubled to center and Connor scored on the Smith grounder to first. Grissom grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-3.

                                                          Hamilton hits one out

Chris Martin came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Nolan Gorman pinch hit for Arenado. Gorman struck out swinging, Burleson went down hacking and Donovan completed the trifecta with a swinging strikeout to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Nick Pivetta. He allowed just the one run off one hit in 6 innings while striking out 8.

                                                              Hero Pivetta

The Good:

Tyler O'Neill was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a home run and 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk, a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

David Hamilton hit a pinch hit home run.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Garrett Cooper was 2 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with 3 total rbis.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Chris Martin tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 5.

Greg Weissert allowed 2 runs in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but stole a base and stole a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its about time the offense broke out and it came at a good time too. The Sox were losing ground in the AL East and in danger of basically being out of it before the season really starts. The performance by Pivetta was a low key reminder of when Rick Porcello one hit the Yankees back in 2018 only it was just for six innings. Still, he had an arm problem earlier this year so it makes sense not to send him out for the seventh with the game well in hand. The only blemishes on the game were Weissert allowing two runs and the continued incompetence of Vaughn Grissom. Cora has already said that he's not fully recovered from whatever plagued him in April so why don't they just bench him until he feels better? Hamilton has come on strong the last few games, why not give him a start? Still, the Sox snapped their four game losing streak and now head to Tampa for another battle with the Rays. The win improved the Sox to 23-24, 9.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox play the Tampa Bay Rays in Tampa tomorrow night with Tanner Houck (3-5) taking on Taj Bradley. The game begins at 6:50 PM at Tropicana Field.

Red Sox Walkoff Rays in 12 Innings (5/14/24)

It was good news all around as the Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox knocked off the Tampa Bay Rays in 12 innings. The Rays took a quick 1-0 lead off Nick Pivetta but a Dominic Smith double put the Sox ahead 2-1 after four. Ceddanne Rafaela hit a home run to increase the lead but the Rays rallied for two runs against Pivetta and Justin Slaten. In the top of the 11th, Rafaela's throwing error put the Rays on top but the Sox answered in the bottom of the inning on a Rob Refsnyder rbi. In the bottom of the 12th, Romy Gonzalez drove home Connor Wong to win the game. The Sox had won it 5-4 in 12 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                        Morgan Geekie approves of the win

The Rays tagged Pivetta immediately in the top of the first although Yandy Diaz popped up to first to start. Randy Arozarena struck out swinging but Josh Lowe hit a home run all the way to Maine to put the Rays up just three batters into the game. Isaac Prades flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                                Lowe jacks one

The Sox did nothing against Civale in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran took strike three to start. Wilyer Abreu watched strike three go by and Connor Wong lined out to center to end the inning.

Amed Rosario grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Jonny DeLuca went down hacking. Richie Palacios lined out to left to end the inning. Rafael Devers got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Tyler O'Neill froze for strike three and Dominic Smith popped up to third. Vaughn Grissom flied out to center to end the inning.

Jose Caballero popped up to short to start the top of the third before Alex Jackson struck out swinging. Diaz took strike three to end the inning. Reese McGuire grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second. Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Arozarena grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Lowe took strike three. Parades got a base hit in the hole at short but Rosario went down hacking to end the inning. Abreu flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fourth but Wong got a base hit to right. Devers forced Wong at second with a pop up but O'Neill got a base hit to left. Somehow Smith doubled to center to score both runners to put the Sox on top. Grissom took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                             Smith drives in a pair

Deluca singled to left to start the top of the fifth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Palacios took strike three and Caballero flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as McGuire struck out swinging to start. Rafaela clobbered his fourth home run of the year to increase the lead but Duran grounded out to second. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                         Home run Rafaela

The Rays chased Pivetta in the top of the sixth although Jackson took strike three to start. Diaz grounded out to third but Arozarena hit a home run all the way to Cleveland to cut the lead. Despite being just one out away from finishing the inning at 81 pitches, Sox manager Alex Cora came out to yank Pivetta at the first sign of trouble. Nick tossed 5 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits. Justin Slaten came in and immediately allowed a double to center by Lowe. Parades got a base hit to right to score Lowe to tie the game. Way to go Cora! Rosario got a base hit to short but DeLuca grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                       Pivetta deserved better

Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Wong struck out swinging to start. Devers struck out swinging and O'Neill went down hacking to end the inning.

Palacios struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Caballero also went down hacking. Jackson lined out to right to end the inning. Phil Maton came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Smith got plunked to start. Grissom grounded into a double play and McGuire took strike three to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Diaz took strike three. Arozarena went down hacking and Lowe almost took Martin's head off with a line drive, thankfully Chris caught it to end the inning.

                                                             "Im okay....I think" - Martin

Garrett Cleavinger came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Duran struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu, Refsnyder got a base hit to right but Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Parades popped up to third to start. Rosario singled to center but DeLuca flied out to center. Rosario was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Pete Fairbanks came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth as Devers grounded out to second to start. O'Neill and Smith both took strike three to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the tenth with DeLuca on second to start. Palacios struck out swinging and Jonathan Aranda pinch hit for Caballero. Aranda grounded back to the mound to move DeLuca to third and Harold Ramirez pinch hit for Jackson. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ben Rortvedt came in to catch with Jason Adam now on the mound for the bottom of the tenth. Romy Gonzalez pinch ran for Smith at second and was immediately doubled off on a liner to Adam by Grissom. McGuire was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning.

The Rays struck in the top of the eleventh with Rortvedt starting at second. Diaz grounded out to first to move Rortvedt to third and Arozarena hit a ground ball to third. Rortvedt was thrown out at home in a rundown but Arozarena moved to second on the play. Lowe was intentionally walked and Parades hit a routine grounder to Rafaela. Ceddanne threw the ball away for an error to score Arozarena. Rosario flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays ahead 4-3.

                                                            Yerrrrr out!

Manuel Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh with David Hamilton pinch running for McGuire at second to start. Rafaela dropped down a bunt to move Hamilton to third and Duran walked. Refsnyder grounded back to the mound to score Hamilton to tie the game. Wong was hit with a pitch but Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

 

                                                               Sox tie it up

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the 12th inning with Rosario starting at second base. DeLuca walked to start but Palacios lined out to left. Aranda beat out a double play ball and Rortvedt took strike three to end the inning. Wong started the bottom of the 12th at second and O'Neill was intentionally walked to get to Gonzalez. Romy made them pay with a base hit to right to score Wong to win the game. The Sox had won it 5-4 in 12 innings.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Romy Gonzalez. His rbi base hit to right in the bottom of the 12th won the game.

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs batted in.

David Hamilton scored a run as a pinch runner.

Nick Pivetta tossed 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball as he allowed 4 hits while striking out 8.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Brennan Bernardino got the win with a scoreless 12th inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a home run but committed a costly error.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Zack Kelly allowed an unearned run in two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about a good news/bad news game. The bad news was once again they were held to less than 4 runs in regulation and Rafaela threw yet another ball away. They couldn't hit in the clutch for most of the game and Cora pulled a starter early AGAIN. The good news was they found away to win. Dominic Smith got his first big hit with the Sox and they held the fort in extra innings apart from the Rafaela error. After Slaten allowed the tying run, the bullpen didn't give an inch. Pivetta not getting yanked might have prevented all of that and they win 3-2, who knows. Bottom line is they won anyway and against an AL East opponent, which has been their achillies heel for two years now. With the pitching staff beginning to work itself out, Sox brass needs to find a way to generate some offense until Triston Casas gets back. Otherwise they're going to have to win low scoring games every night and that's damn near impossible. Still, a win is a win and hopefully this sparks them to go on a streak. The win improved the Sox to 22-20, 5.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take game three of this four game set tomorrow night when Tanner Houck (3-4, 2.24 ERA) takes on Taj Bradley of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.