Red Sox Crush Twins (6/20/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox signed 33 year old relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough. He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins back in 2015 and earned a ring with the Washington Nations with 33 games in 2019. He pitched in 8 games with the Los Angeles Angels last year and was on the street this year. If they needed another arm in Worcester, why not?

                                                             IN

As for the game, nice to see the Boston bats explode again. The Sox offense pounded Bailey Ober and the Minnesota Twins for 15 hits and 10 runs, doing most of their damage in the later innings. Christian Arroyo led the charge by going 5 for 5 with 4 home runs and Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with 3 rbis of his own. On the other side of the ball Kutter Crawford (2-3, 3.74 ERA) tossed 5 shutout innings in just 77 pitches to get the win. Unfortunately the Sox brought in Corey Kluber to finish the game off and he got lit up for 4 runs in the final two innings to lose the shutout. The Sox still won the game 10-4 at Target Field.

                                                    Ken Rosenberg approves of the win

Ober got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner singled to left but Rafael Devers flied out to center. Turner took second on a passed ball but Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Edouard Julien grounded back to the mound to start. Carlos Correa and Alex Kirilloff both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Adam Duvall struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Triston Casas flied out to right. Christian Arroyo and Connor Wong stroked back to back singles to left but Enrique Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Byron Buxton got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Joey Gallo popped up to third. Royce Lewis got a base hit to left but Max Kepler grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Verdugo flied out to center to start the top of the third and Turner struck out swinging. Devers also swung at air for strike three to end the inning. Ryan Jeffers got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third but Willi Castro popped up to third. Julien popped up to short but Correa got a base hit to left. Kirilloff grounded out to short to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Yoshida grounded back to the mound to start. Duvall blasted his 5th home run of the year to put Boston ahead but Casas grounded out to second. Arroyo then smashed his third home run of the year to increase the lead. Wong popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                         Duvall watches it go

Buxton popped up to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Gallo struck out swinging. Lewis singled to center but Kepler flied out to left to end the inning. 

Hernandez flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Verdugo grounded out to first. Turner was hit with a pitch but Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Crawford came back for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Jeffers doubled to left to start. Castro grounded out to first to move Jeffers to third but Julien struck out swinging. Correa also went down hacking to end the inning. Crawford tossed 5 shutout innings allowing 6 hits.

                                                          Good work Crawford

The Sox got another run in the top of the sixth as Yoshida got a base hit to left to start. Duvall flied out to left and Casas flied out to center, but Arroyo singled to right to move Masataka to third. Wong got a base hit to right to score Yoshida but Hernandez popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                              Wong drives in a run.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Donovan Solano pinch hit for Kirilloff. Solano struck out swinging but Buxton walked. Gallo took strike three and Lewis popped up to first to end the inning. 

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Brent Headrick on the mound. Verdugo singled to left and Turner doubled to right to score him, taking third on the throw. Devers was hit with a pitch and Yoshida lined a ball off Headrick to score Turner. Duvall flied out to left but Casas got a base hit to right to load the bases. Arroyo doubled to right to clear the bases then Wong followed with a walk. Hernandez flied out to right and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                            Yoshida adds to the cause

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Kepler walked to start. Jeffers grounded into a double play and Castro popped up to third to end the inning. 

Kyle Farmer came in for Correa with Oliver Ortega on the mound to start the top of the eighth. Turner walked but Devers flied out to left. Yoshida belted his 8th home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. Duvall popped up to second and Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-0.

                                                               Home run Yoshida

Julien got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Farmer took strike three. Solano flied out to left but Buxton hit a home run all the way to Ecuador to cut the lead. Gallo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 10-2.

                                                              Twins strike back

Christian Vazquez took over for Buxton with Castro himself now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Arroyo got a base hit to center but Wong flied out to right. Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Lewis hit a home run all the way to North Dakota to start. Kepler followed with a home run all the way to India and Jeffers beat out a roller to third. Castro flied out to left, Julien grounded out to first and Farmer grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-4.

                                                                     Sox win

Hero of The Night is Christian Arroyo. He was 5 for 5 with with a home run, 4 total rbis and a run scored.

                                                              Hero Arroyo

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Kutter Crawford tossed 5 shutout innings off 6 hits while striking out 5.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 5.

Corey Kluber got the "save" by allowing 4 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Adam Duvall was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox but two bad notes. Enrique Hernandez was totally useless and hes down to batting .229 on the season. Might be time to get a new 6th man so to speak. Also Corey Kluber can't start or pitch in relief, might be time to say goodbye to him too with his ERA over 7. Sox GM Chaim Bloom went cheap to sign him and paid for it. Still, the positives were Crawford pitched well again, Arroyo had a hell of a game and both Duvall & Yoshida got some power back. The Sox were banking on Yoshida becoming Hideki Matsui 2.0 but instead hes been Kaz Matsui 2.0. Hopefully Duvall & Yoshida can start mashing because Casas and Devers cant carry the team by themselves. All in all besides two guys it was a heck of a win and they need all the momentum they can get. The win improved the Sox to 39-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their sixth straight game and second straight against the Twins tomorrow evening when Garrett Whitlock takes on Sonny Gray of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Red Sox Crush Yankees, Lose Houck (6/16/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made an unsurprising move. Matt Dermody was released by the Worcester Red Sox after the media backlash worked. Not that what he said was condonable, but the fact the Sox bow down to people who don't even watch baseball is a disgrace. From a pitching standpoint, he wasn't even that good so its no big loss. Just a reminder that we live in the bluest state in the union.

                                                                     Bye bye Dermody

As for the game, what a difference a year makes. Last year the Sox couldn't buy a win against the AL East and not only did they sweep the Toronto Blue Jays four straight in May, they beat the New York Yankees 2 out of 3 last week and just crushed the Yankees tonight. Justin Turner lit up the Yankees with a grand slam and a 2 run homer to pace an offense that blew away Domingo German and the Yankees bullpen. Masataka Yoshida drove in 3 runs, Pablo Reyes drove in a pair and the Sox as a unit pounded out 17 hits & 15 runs. Meanwhile Tanner Houck was lifted after just 4 innings and a run allowed after taking a line drive to the face the bullpen got tagged for four runs. It wasn't nearly enough as the Sox ran away with this one 15-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Hevnoraak approves of the win

The Yankees wasted no time getting to Houck in the top of the first as Jake Burger doubled to right to start. Giancarlo Stanton took strike three but Gleyber Torres got a base hit to left to move Burger to third. Anthony Rizzo grounded out to second to score Burger to put the Yankees on top. Josh Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                                Yankees strike first

The Sox answered in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner doubled to left and Rafael Devers walked, but Adam Duvall took strike three. Masataka Yoshida doubled to center to score Turner and Devers to put Boston on top. Christian Arroyo was hit with a pitch but Triston Casas grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                            Yoshida drives in a pair

Willie Calhoun grounded out to first to start the top of the second and Billy McKinney grounded out to second. Kyle Higashioka grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Connor Wong walked to start. Pablo Reyes grounded into a double play but Verdugo doubled to center. Turner then launched his ninth home run of the season to increase the lead. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                                Turner hits one out

Anthony Volpe walked to start the top of the third but Bauers popped up to second. Stanton popped up to second and Torres forced Volpe and second to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the third as Duvall doubled to start. A wild pitch moved Duvall to third and Yoshida got a base hit to right to score Duvall. Arroyo doubled to center to chase German. Matt Krook came in to pitch and Casas grounded out to second. Yoshida got thrown out at home on a grounder to third by Wong but Reyes beat out a roller to third to score Arroyo. Verdugo beat out a roller to first to load the bases and Turner belted a grand slam to turn this game into a laugher. Devers popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                          Sox pour it on

Rizzo flied out to left to start the top of the fourth but Donaldson got a base hit to right. Calhoun flied out to right and McKinney flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox weren't done yet in the bottom of the fourth as Duvall lined out to second to start. Yoshida beat out a roller to first but Arroyo forced him at second. Casas walked and that was it for Krook. Albert Abreu came in to pitch and Wong got a base hit to right to score Arroyo and Casas. Reyes got a base hit to left to score Wong and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 13-1.

                                                           Reyes adds to the fun

Disaster struck in the top of the fifth as Higashioka lined a baseball off the face of Houck, knocking him out of the game. Tanner allowed 1 run in the 4 innings off 4 hits and a walk, hope he's ok. Joe Jacques came in to pitch and Volpe grounded into a double play just like that. Bauers grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                               Get well soon Houck

Turner grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Devers swung at air for strike three. Duvall whiffed to end the inning.

The Yankees struck back in the top of the sixth as Stanton singled to left to start. Reyes bobbled a grounder by Torres for an error and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Rizzo doubled home both runners but moved to third on the grounder to short by Rizzo. Calhoun took strike three but McKinney singled to left to score Rizzo. Higashioka struck out swinging to end the inning but the Yankees were down 13-4.

                                                           Yankees rally for 3

Yoshida led off with a double to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Arroyo grounded out to third. Nick Ramirez came in to pitch and Torres threw a grounder by Casas away for an error to score Yoshida. Wong struck out swinging and Reyes grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                         "I don't got it"

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Volpe singled to center to start. Bauers flied out to right, Stanton flied out to center and Torres flied out to center to end the inning. Verdugo flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh and Turner grounded out to short. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the eighth as Rizzo struck out swinging to start. Donaldson hit a home run all the way back to New York and Calhoun singled to right. McKinney flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees down 14-5.

                                                     Donaldson hits one out

Isiah Kiner-Falefa the infielder came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jarren Duran pinch hit for Duvall. Duran doubled to center and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Yoshida. Refsnyder flied out to center and Arroyo popped up to first. Casas doubled to left to score Duran but Wong grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 15-5.

                                                              Sox pour it on

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Volpe walked to start. Bauers grounded into a double play and Stanton grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 15-5.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Justin Turner. He belted a grand slam, a two run homer and drove in 6 runs.

                                                                 Hero Turner

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Duran doubled and scored a run in his only at-bat.

Masataka Yoshida was 4 for 4 with 3 rbis a run scored.

Triston Casas was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Pablo Reyes was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Tanner Houck allowed just 1 run in 4 innings before leaving with injury.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Joe Jacques allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Adam Duvall was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and scored two runs.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Corey Kluber allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Nice to crush the Yankees like that but losing Houck like that is a big loss. Sox fans remember Bryce Florie and Matt Clement were never the same after being hit in the face so its very concerning to see if Houck gets the jitters when he comes back. That overshadowed what should have been a great night where they scored 15 runs against their blood rivals. After taking 2 of 3 last week, winning tonight helps erase the bitter memories of last year where the Sox were incompetent against the AL East. Its only one game and the middle of June, but the vibe is a lot better this time around. The Sox don't get consistent pitching and still need to work on that, but when clicking their offense is as good as anyone. Turner was a one man wrecking crew and Yoshida going 4 for 4 was great to see as well. Hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum since the AL is weak this year....except for the AL East. Have to win when it matters. The win improved the Sox to 35-35, good for last place in the AL East. The sad part is they'd be tied for first place in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta (3-4) takes on Michael King of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rockies Outlast Sox in 10 Innings (6/13/23)

It might be getting close to time to pull the plug on the current iteration of the Boston Red Sox. Sox GM Chaim Bloom, mostly under orders from John Henry, has put together a team once again headed for last place. Games like tonight against the Colorado Rockies is how they're going to get there. The Rockies got to ineffective starter Kutter Crawford for 4 early runs but the Sox clawed back to tie the game with a 2 run homer by Rafael Devers included. In the top of the tenth, Randal Grichuk struck a two run double and Jurickson Profar hit a sac fly against Justin Garza (0-1, 4.09 ERA). Rafael Devers hit another two run homer in the bottom of the frame and Jarren Duran did get on base, but Reese McGuire struck out to end the game. The Rockies had beaten the Sox two straight games including this one 7-6 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                      "Losing two of three to Colorado"

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jurickson Profar struck out swinging to start. Ezequiel Tovar grounded out to short but Ryan McMahon walked. Elias Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Chase Anderson got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Alex Verdugo lined out to center to start. Masataka Yoshida took strike three and Justin Turner flied out to center to end the inning.

Nolan Jones flied out to center to start the top of the second and Randal Grichuk grounded out to third. Mike Moustakas struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the short and Adam Duvall struck out swinging. Triston Casas singled to right but Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Crawford fell apart quickly in the top of the third as Harold Castro struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Brenton Doyle lined out to right. Suddenly Profar got a base hit to right, Tovar did the same and McMahon walked to load the bases. Diaz then doubled into the centerfield gap to score all three runners. Jones grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rockies up 3-0.

                                                           Diaz clears the bases

Reese McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Pablo Reyes flied out to right. Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Rockies finished off Crawford in the top of the fourth as Grichuk singled to left to start. Moustakas struck out swinging but Grichuk took second on a wild pitch. Castro walked and Doyle doubled to left to score Grichuk. Profar hit a grounder to first and Casas fired home to get Castro but a another wild pitch moved the runners over. Tovar lined out to left to end the inning with the Rockies up 4-0. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 4 runs in just 4 innings. 

                                                            Crawford was rocked

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Yoshida struck out swinging to start. Turner got a base hit to right and Devers smashed his 16th home run of the season to cut the lead. Duvall grounded out to first but Casas walked. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                           This one's gone

Joe Jacques came in to pitch the top of the fifth and McMahon grounded out to third to start. Diaz tripled off the glove of Verdugo and Jones beat out a roller to the mound. Grichuk grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox inched closer in the bottom of the fifth and McGuire grounded out to third to start. Reyes got a base hit to center and moved to third on the Verdugo base hit to right. Yoshida was hit with a pitch to load the bases. That was it for Anderson as Jake Bird came in to face Turner. Justin got a base hit to center and Reyes scored easily but Verdugo was thrown out at home. Devers grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                            "Thanks a lot Verdugo"

Moustakas singled to center to start the top of the sixth but Castro grounded into a double play. Doyle grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Duvall doubled to left to start. Casas grounded out to first to move Adam to third and Duvall scored on the Arroyo sac fly to tie the game. McGuire grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                           Arroyo ties it up

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Profar struck out swinging to start. Tovar went down hacking but McMahon tripled to right. Diaz popped up to first to end the inning. Brad Hand came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Reyes singled off the glove of Tovar to start. Verdugo walked and both runners moved over on the Yoshida grounder to second. Justin Lawrence came in to face Turner and Reyes was thrown out at home on a grounder to second. Devers was intentionally walked but Duvall grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jones doubled to center to start the top of the eighth and Grichuk was hit with a pitch. Moustakas popped up to second, Castro flied out to center and Doyle grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Casas walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Jarren Duran ran for him. Duran stole second but Arroyo lined out to left. Duran stole third and with a chance to take the lead...McGuire lined out to second to end the inning. Two innings in a row the Sox failed to take the lead with a man on third and one out.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Profar grounded out to first to start. Turner dropped a throw by Reyes on a grounder to short by Tovar for an error but McMahon struck out swinging. Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Daniel Bard came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Yoshida grounded out to second and Turner flied out to center to end the inning.

Justin Garza came in to crap his pants in the top of the tenth with Diaz starting at second base.....make that Coco Montes pinch running. Jones walked and Grichuk doubled home both runners. Moustakas was hit with a pitch and Castro got a base hit to left to load the bases. Doyle struck out swinging but Profar hit a sac fly to center to score Grichuk. Tovar forced Castro at second to end the inning but the Rockies were up 7-4.

                                                         Rockies take the lead...ouch

Austin Wynns came in to play catcher with Matt Carasiti on the mound to start the bottom of the tenth. Turner started the inning at second and Devers said screw small by by pounding his 17th home run of the season to cut the lead. Duvall grounded out to third but Duran walked to put the tying run on. Pierce Johnson came in to close out the game and Arroyo flied out to center. A wild pitch moved Duran to second but McGuire struck out swinging to end the game. The Rockies had won it 7-6.

                                                            Rockies win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Garza. He crapped his pants in the 10th inning allowing 3 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                               Justin Jackass

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk and two 2 run home runs.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Jarren Duran walked and stole 2 bases.

Pablo Reyes was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Joe Jacques tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Corey Kluber pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Kutter Crawford allowed 4 runs in just 4 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Adam Duvall was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have only themselves to blame for this one. Crawford only lasting 4 innings pressed the bullpen into duty for 6 innings and the Sox failing in the 7th & 8th innings were the difference. They had a runner on third with one out and couldn't get the runner in. Had they done that in the eighth, they might have one the game. It shouldn't have come to extras but Garza allowing three runs was too much. The third run was the difference as the Devers home run in the 10th would have tied it. All in all this season is a torture test as they have no ace, no bullpen and no hope really. The Sox may blow the whole thing up by the end of July. Chris Sale, James Paxton, Adam Duvall, Justin Turner, no one is safe. Especially with prospects such as Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez chomping at the bit. The less said of his game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 33-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow night when Garrett Whitlock (3-2) takes on Austin Gomber of the Rockies. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Guardians Rout Sox, Verdugo Benched (6/8/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Matt Dermody was called up from Worcester to start tonight's game against the Cleveland Guardians and Chris Murphy was sent down to make room for him. Murphy will be back and fans are already groaning about Dermody getting the call. Why? He's a conservative Christian.....and this is the bluest state in the union.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, what a disaster. With Red Sox fans calling for a boycott and rooting for the Guardians, Matt Dermody (0-1, 6.75 ERA) had a chance to shut them all up. Instead he got tagged for 3 runs in just 4 innings of work. Still, the Sox scratched out 2 runs to pull within 1 by the top of the sixth. Then Corey Kluber got rocked for 7 runs in 3 1/3 innings to put the game out of reach. Jose Ramirez did the most damage with 3 home runs and 5 rbis as the Guardians pounded the Sox 10-3 at Progressive Field.

                                                           "Kluber....."

Civale got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran got a base hit to left to start. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to first to move Duran to second but Justin Turner flied out to left. Rafael Devers walked but Triston Casas took strike three to end the inning. The Guardians got to Dermody in the bottom of the first as Steven Kwan was hit with a pitch to start. Amed Rosario grounded into a double play but Jose Ramirez hit a home run all the way to Oregon to put the Guardians up for good just like that. Josh Naylor walked but Josh Bell popped up to first to end the inning with the Guardians up 1-0.

                                                             That's one

Rob Refsnyder walked to start the top of the second but Christian Arroyo struck out swinging. Reese McGuire popped up to short and Enrique Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Hernandez made a great catch to rob Andres Gimenez of a hit to begin the bottom of the second and Myles Straw grounded out to second. Will Brennan grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Duran popped up to short to start the top of the third and Yoshida grounded out to first. Turner flied out to right to end the inning. The Guardians struck again in the bottom of the third as Cam Gallagher singled in the hole at short. Kwan forced Gallagher at second and Rosario lined out to third. Ramirez hit another home run all the way to Russia to ice the game. Naylor took strike three to end the inning with the Guardians up 3-0.

                                                                 That's two

Devers grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Casas took strike three. Refsnyder flied out to left to end the inning. Bello grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Gimenez singled in the hole at second. Straw lined out to short and Brennan flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Dermody who allowed 3 runs in 4 innings, not great.

                                                           Not good enough, Matt

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth although Arroyo grounded out to third to start. McGuire doubled to left but Hernandez grounded out to third. Duran got a base hit to left to score McGuire and took second on the throw. Duran took third on a wild pitch but Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                                  Duran drives in a run

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Gallagher grounded out to first to start. Kwan grounded out to second and Rosario flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Turner beat out a roller to thi....but wait! Guardians manager Terry Francona challenged the call and sure enough, Turner was ruled out. Devers grounded out to first but Casas launched his 7th home run of the season to cut the lead. That was it for Civale as James Karinchak came in to pitch only to walk Refsnyder. Rob stole second but Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                              Casas skies one out of here

The Sox were back in the game and Corey Kluber came in to blow it. Ramirez hit a home run all the way to Cincinnati and Naylor got a base hit to center. Bell doubled to left and Gimenez doubled to right to score both runners. Straw tripled home Gimenez and Brennan got a base hit to right to score Straw....only to be thrown out at second trying to advance. Gallagher singled to center and Kwan got a base hit to left, but Rosario flied out to center to move Cam to third. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 8-2.

                                                            That's three

Enyel De Los Santos came in to pitch the top of the seventh and McGuire walked to start. Hernandez took strike three and Duran forced Reese at second. Yoshida got a base hit to right but Turner struck out swinging to end the inning. Naylor got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Bell lined out to left. Giminez grounded out to second to move Naylor over but Straw flied out to right to end the inning.

Xzavion Curry came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Devers flied out to center to start. Casas got a base hit to left but Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Guardians struck again in the bottom of the eighth as Brennan hit a home run all the way to France to start. Gallagher grounded out to short but Kwan walked. Rosario blooped a base hit over the head of Hernandez and that was it for Kluber. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch and Ramirez hit a grounder to Devers who tagged out Rosario but Kwan scored. Ramirez tried for second and was caught in a run-down to end the inning with the Guardians up 10-2.

                                                                  Guardians are all smiles

Gabriel Arias came in for Rosario and Tyler Freeman came in for Ramirez to start the top of the ninth. Arroyo doubled to right but McGuire struck out swinging. Hernandez doubled to right to score Arroyo but duran struck out swinging. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the game. The Guardians had won it 10-3.

                                                           Guardians win

Jackass of the Night is Corey Kluber. He got tagged for 5 runs in the bottom of the sixth and 7 total to put the game out of reach.

                                                                   Jackass Kluber

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Triston Casas was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Rob Refsnyder walked twice in four plate appearances and stole a base.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Brennan Bernardino got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Matt Dermody took the loss by allowing 3 runs in 4 innings off 4 hits and a walk.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 5.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Looks like things are unraveling for the Boston Red Sox. Not only have they lost 8 of their last 11 games, it was announced today that Alex Verdugo was benched for failing to run out the grounder last night. On top of that, blowhards on social media are crying that Matt Dermody is a Republican with conservative views. Rather than back his player, the Sox front office threw him under the bus after the game saying they "weren't aware" of this social media posts. Say goodbye to Dermody, that's for sure. They should be saying goodbye to Kluber too because his ineffectiveness put the game out of reach. Sox GM Chaim Bloom tabbed him as Opening Day starter 7 years too late. Just another loss in what could be yet another lost season with the Sox once again under .500. The loss dropped the Sox to 31-32, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now have a big test as they travel to New York to face the Yankees. Last year the AL East teams feasted on the Red Sox, a sweep or taking 2 out of 3 would be just what the doctor ordered. Tomorrow night Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock (2-2, 4.78 ERA) goes one on one with undefeated Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Rays Bash Houck, Sox (6/4/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Ryan Sherriff was optioned down to Worcester and Joely Rodriguez was placed on the Injured List. In their places the Sox called up Brennan Bernardino and Zack Kelly. Talk about re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

                                                                 OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another day means another loss to a team in the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays continued their dominance over the Boston Red Sox by finding new ways to humiliate them. This time it was a Little League inside the park home run that sank the Sox. Yandy Diaz capped off the Rays beat down of Tanner Houck (3-5, 5.46 ERA) and Corey Kluber with a routine base hit to right that turned into an inside the park home run thanks to throwing errors. Meanwhile Taj Bradley held the Sox to just 2 runs in 5 innings while the Rays bullpen allowed nothing after that. It all added up to an embarrassing 6-2 defeat at Fenway Park.

                                                          "We lost to Taj Bradley??"

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and Diaz struck out swinging to start. Josh Lowe got a base hit to right and moved to second on the Randy Arozarena grounder to third. Harold Ramirez walked but Luke Raley grounded out to second to end the inning. Bradley got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo doubled to left to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to move Verdugo to third. Justin Turner struck out swinging and Masataka Yoshida lined out to left to end the inning.

Isaac Parades struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Taylor Walls lined out to first. Manny Margot took strike three to end the inning. Jarren Duran got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Enrique Hernandez grounded into a double play. Triston Casas and Connor Wong drew back to back walks but Enmanuel Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the third as Christian Bethancourt walked to start. Diaz singled to right to move Christian to third and Bethancourt scored on the Lowe sac fly to center. Arozarena grounded out to short to move Diaz to third but Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                               Rays go on top

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Devers struck out swinging but Turner grounded out to third. Yoshida got a base hit to right to score Verdugo and Duran popped up to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Yoshida drives in a run

Raley got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth and Parades walked. Walls beat out a roller in front of the mound to load the bases and Margot got a base hit to left. Yoshida booted the ball for an error to score both Raley and Parades. Bethancourt grounded into a double play and Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 3-1.

                                                          Yoshida bobbles the ball

Hernandez took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth and Casas lined out to first. Wong walked but Valdez took strike three to end the inning.

Lowe walked to start the top of the fifth and promptly stole second. Arozarena struck out swinging and Ramirez flied out to center, but Raley doubled to right to score Lowe. Parades popped up to second to end the inning with the Rays up 4-1. That was it for Houck who got hammered for 4 runs in just 5 innings off 5 hits & 4 walks.

                                                        Houck wasn't good enough

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Devers hit a sac fly to right to cut the lead in half but Turner grounded out to third. Yoshida got a base hit to center but Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                            Devers drives in a run

Corey Kluber came in to take a beating in the top of the sixth as Walls hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Margot walked but Bethancourt flied out to left. Diaz then hit a routine base hit to right and Margot tried scoring all the way from first. The throw was offline and Wong tried to gun down Diaz at second....he failed. The throw went into centerfield and Diaz came all the way around to score as Fenway booed like crazy. Lowe doubled to center and Arozarena took strike three to end the inning with the Rays up 6-2.

                                                     Embarrassing

Robert "Louis" Stephenson came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Hernandez walked to start. Casas walked but Wong struck out swinging. Valdez flied out to left and old pal Jake Diekman came in to face Verdugo. Alex grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh and Raley lined out to second. Parades flied out to left to end the inning. Devers popped up to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Turner grounded out to second. Yoshida lined out to left to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Walls popped up to short to start. Margot struck out swinging and Bethancourt struck out swinging to end the inning. Shawn Armstrong came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Duran walked to start. Hernandez struck out swinging, Casas flied out to left and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning.

Diaz flied out to center to start the top of the ninth and Lowe grounded out to first. Arozarena struck out swinging to end the inning. Valdez flied out to left to start the bottom of the ninth before Verdugo flied out to left. Devers struck out swinging to end the game. The Rays had won it 6-2.

                                                            Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Tanner Houck. He got rocked for 4 runs ins just 5 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

                                                              Jackass Houck

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Triston Casas walked twice in four plate appearances.

Kaleb Ort tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Corey Kluber allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with an rbi but his fielding error allowed a key run to score.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and a throwing error but walked twice.

Final Thoughts:

Its bad enough the Red Sox have offensive woes but bad defense just makes things worse. The errors by Yoshida and Wong really impacted the game. Not that the Sox were doing much offensively against Taj Bradley but taking away 2 of Tampa's runs by simply maintaining focus would have made things a bit easier. Tanner Houck once again getting batted around and Corey Kluber getting hammered just adds to the misery of this season. The Sox gambled by replacing Nathan Eovaldi with Kluber and it blew up in their face big time. One thing is for sure, if the Sox don't figure out how to beat the Rays or New York Yankees, they'll never be a winner. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-29, 11 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Rays when Brayan Bello (3-3) takes on Shane McClanahan of Tampa. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.