Price, Martinez Guide Sox Past Dodgers in Game 2 (10/24/18)

The Boston Red Sox are halfway to the World Series title after their Game 2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tonight David Price tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball, the normally shaky Boston bullpen was lights out and a clutch 2 out, 2 run single by Martinez paced the Sox to the win. The Dodgers look overmatched in the bullpen, rotation and lineup and its going to be tough for them to come back as the Sox took Game 2 by a score of 4-2 at Fenway Park.

                                    Dave Roberts steals the first pitch ceremony...Good!

Price took the ball in the top of the first and Brian Dozier grounded out to third to begin. Justin Turner looked at strike three but David Freese walked. Manny Machado popped up to first to end the inning. Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu dominated the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short to start. Andrew Benintendi whiffed and Steve Pearce popped up to first to end the inning.

Price cruised in the top of the second as Chris Taylor whiffed on 3 pitches to start. Matt Kemp looked at strike three and Enrique Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second although JD Martinez lined out to center to begin. Xander Bogaerts doubled high off the centerfield wall but Rafael Devers whiffed. Ian Kinsler singled to left to score Bogaerts to give the Sox the lead. Jackie Bradley Jr singled to left but Kinsler was foolishly thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                    Kinsler gives the Sox the lead

Price kept the lead in the top of the third as Yasiel Puig lined out to second to start. Austin Barnes flied out to right but Brian Dozier drew a full count walk. Justin Turner grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Christian Vazquez whiffed to start. Mr. Mookie singled to center but Benintendi lined out to center. Pearce popped up to short to end the inning.

The Dodgers struck back in the top of the fourth as Freese and Machado stroked back to back singles to start. Taylor walked to load the bases and Kemp scored Freese with a sac fly to deep center to tie the game. Price whiffed Hernandez on a full count fastball but Puig singled over the head of Kinsler to score Machado to give the Dodgers the lead. Barnes whiffed to end the inning but the Dodgers were up 2-1.

                                                Dodgers strike back

The Sox went quietly against Ryu in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez grounded out to short to start. Bogaerts watched strike three go by and Devers whiffed to end the inning.

The momentum shifted for the game in the top of the fifth when Benintendi made a great leaping catch against the Monster to rob Dozier of a double to start. Turner grounded out to third and Freese flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                Here's one for the highlight reel

Cody Bellinger took over for Dozier in the batting order but went to center with Hernandez moving to second for the big rally in the bottom of the fifth. Kinsler grounded out to first and JBJ popped up to short, but Vazquez singled to right. Mr. Mookie pounded a ground ball up the middle for a base hit and Benintendi drew a full count walk to load the bases. That was it for Ryu as Ryan Madson came in only to walk Pearce on 5 pitches to tie the game. Martinez singled to right to score Betts and Benintendi to give the Sox the lead. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning but it was 4-2 Sox.

                                              Betts and Benintendi score the go-ahead runs

Price came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth as Machado flied out to left to begin. Taylor tried to fool Devers with a bunt but Rafael snuffed it out. Kemp grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Price who once again shattered his post-season choke artist image with 6 innings of 2 run ball for a World Series win on his resume.

                                              Price earns his money big time

Julio Urias came in and cruised through the bottom of the sixth as Devers lined out to center to begin. Kinsler flied out to center and JBJ popped up to third to end the inning.

Joe Kelly was first out of the pen in the top of the seventh and he blew away pinch hitter Max Muncy (for Hernandez) to start. Puig grounded out and Yasmani Grandal pinch hit for Barnes only to freeze for strike three to end the inning. Great work Kelly. Kenta Maeda got the ball in the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez grounded out to second to begin. Mr. Mookie doubled to left but Benintendi whiffed. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Pearce but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts countered by bringing in Scott Alexander to pitch to him. A wild pitch moved Betts to third but Moreland whiffed to end the inning.

Nathan Eovaldi was summoned for the top of the eighth and he blew away Bellinger to start. Turner grounded out to short and Joc Pederson pinch hit for Freese only to fly out to left to end the inning. Pederson took over in left with Taylor moving to second, Muncy moving to first with Pedro Baez on the mound to start the bottom of the eighth. Martinez and Bogaerts flied out to center before Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to lock up the save in the top of the ninth and Machado flied out to center to begin. Taylor grounded out to second and Kemp grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox pitchers had retired 16 in a row and had won Game 2 by a score of 4-2.

                                                   Two down, two to go


Hero of the Night is David Price. He tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball while allowing just 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5.

                                                        From Zero to Hero



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Ian Kinsler was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel got the save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Mitch Moreland struck out in his only plate appearance.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 2 but walked in the tying run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

The Sox are halfway home to the championship of the world and it doesn't seem like the Dodgers can keep pace. Their lineup isn't as imposing as the New York Yankees or Houston Astros, they don't have the bullpen like the Yankees or the rotation like the Astros. Unless the Dodgers wake up out in LA this bears a striking resemblance to the 2007 World Series where the Colorado Rockies looked completely overmatched by the Sox. Its only 2 games but the Dodgers are running out of room for error. Once again the Sox got timely hitting and shut down pitching in order to win and two more games like that mean its celebration time. Price continued to erase his choke artist image and it was reported that the reason Kimbrel struggled so much in the first two rounds was because he was tipping his pitches. Guess who was the gumshoe who figured out Kimbrel was tipping and informed him on how to fix it? None other than our old buddy Eric Gagne of the 07 Sox. He's done more to help the 2018 Red Sox than he did for the 07. All kidding aside the Sox are in great position to take it all and need to make a statement in Game 3 on Friday Night. "Slick" Rick Porcello is the odds on favorite to get the start for the Sox going up against Walker Buehler, one of the favorites to win NL Rookie of The Year. The game begins out in LA at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Sox Eliminate Yankees in Game 4 (10/9/18)

Pop the champagne corks the Boston Red Sox are going to the American League Championship Series. The Sox survived a late surge by the New York Yankees to defeat them 3 games to 1 in the American League Division Series to earn a date with the Houston Astros for the AL pennant. Tonight "Slick" Rick Porcello stymied the Yankees for 5 innings, the Sox got to CC Sabathia early and the Sox survived an implosion by Craig Kimbrel to win Game 4 by a score of 4-3 at Yankee Stadium. After a season of being laughed at by Yankee fans for the past two post-season failures, this time its the Red Sox who are laughing last.

                                    "Start spreadin the news, you're DONE New York!"

The Sox made Sabathia work in the top of the first inning although Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to first but Steve Pearce and JD Martinez stroked back to back singles. Xander Bogaerts walked to load the bases but Ian Kinsler missed a grand slam by 5 feet, flying out to the left field wall to end the inning. Porcello dominated the bottom of the first by getting Aaron Hicks to fly out to center on the first pitch. Aaron Judge grounded out to short also on the first pitch before Didi Gregorius whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing against Sabathia in the top of the second as Eduardo Nunez flied out to right to begin. Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed but Christian Vazquez walked. Mr. Mookie flied out to right to end the inning. Porcello got Giancarlo Stanton to ground out to third to begin the bottom of the second. Luke Voit grounded out to third but Neil Walker singled. Gary Sanchez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third when Benintendi was plunked to start the inning and Pearce singled him to third. Martinez scored Benintendi with a sac fly to put the Sox on top. Bogaerts advanced Pearce to second with a groundout before a wild pitch moved Pearce to third. Kinsler doubled over the head of Brett Gardner to score Pearce before a Nunez single scored Kinsler with another run. JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox had a 3-0 lead.

                                                    Kinsler comes through

Could Porcello pitch with the lead? YES! Gleyber Torres lined out to a running Benintendi to begin the bottom of the third. Gardner grounded out to second and Hicks popped up to third to end the inning.

That was it for Sabathia but Yankees manager Aaron Boone made a weird decision to warm up David Robertson warming up in the third inning but Boone went with Zach Britton to pitch the top of the fourth. Vazquez made him pay with a piece of crap pop up home run to right just over the head of Judge to increase the lead. Mr. Mookie and Benintendi whiffed and Pearce grounded out to end the inning but the Sox were up 4-0.

                                                  Vazquez goes yard

Porcello got some help from his defense in the bottom of the fourth as Mr. Mookie made a running catch to rob Judge of a hit to start. Gregorius doubled and moved to third on the Stanton grounder before Voit grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Martinez grounded out to short to start. Bogaerts beat out an infield single but Kinsler struck out. Nunez lined out to right to end the inning. The Yankees finally struck back in the bottom of the fifth although Walker lined out to a running JBJ to start. Sanchez smacked a ground rule double and Torres singled him to third. Gardner scored Sanchez with a sac fly to put the Yankees on the board. Hicks popped up to second to end the inning and that was it for Porcello. Rick stepped up with 5 innings of 1 run ball to keep the Yankees in check down 4-1.

                                                    Porcello steps it up

David Robertson came in to shut down the Sox in the top of the sixth and JBJ grounded out to third to start. Vazquez and Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning. Dr. Quick Hook decided Porcello shouldn't face the Yankees another time through the order and turned the game over to the much maligned bullpen. Matt Barnes was first out of the chute in the bottom of the sixth and Judge grounded out to short to start. Gregorius popped up to third and Stanton grounded out to short to end the inning. Good work Barnes.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh when Benitendi whiffed to start. Pearce whiffed but Martinez walked to chase Robertson. Dellin Betances was summoned and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. It was Ryan Brasier's turn in the bottom of the seventh and Voit flied out to right to begin. Walker whiffed and Brasier got the last laugh on Sanchez by getting him to pop up to second to end the inning.

The Sox were screwed out of a chance to add some insurance in the top of the eighth although Kinsler whiffed to start. Nunez doubled and JBJ reached first on an error by Voit to put runners at the corners. JBJ swiped second but Vazquez whiffed. Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked and home plate umpire Angel Hernandez called a strike 3 pitch to Benintendi nowhere near the strike zone to end the inning. None other than Chris Sale was summoned to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Torres flied out to center before Andrew McCutchen pinch hit for Gardner only to ground out to third to end the inning. Hicks was frozen for strike three to end the inning. The Sox were 3 outs away from the ALCS.

                                                          Sale gets it done

Aroldis Chapman cruised in the top of the ninth as Pearce flied out to right to start. Martinez grounded out to short and Bogaerts looked at strike three to end the inning. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel was summoned for the save....and crapped his pants. Judge walked on four pitches not even close and Gregorius singled. Kimbrel got a big out when Stanton waived at a pitch outside for strike three. Voit walked to load the bases and Walker was plunked to force in a run and reload the bases. Sanchez came within 5 feet of a grand slam but was robbed at the left field wall by Benintendi. Gregorius scored to cut the lead to 1 but there were two outs. Torres then hit a bounding ball to Nunez who fired to first. Pearce stretched and...OUT! THAT'S I,.....oh wait. Yankees manager Aaron Boone delayed the celebration by challenging the call for no reason other than desperation. Head of MLB Operations Joe Torre DEMANDED the call be overturned and the game continued....but the umpires ignored him and the call upheld. IT'S OVER! THE RED SOX WIN! Bring on the Astros!

                                                               Moving on


Hero of the Night is Rick Porcello. He held the high powered Yankees down for 5 strong innings and the Sox carried that momentum to victory.

                                                "Slick" Rick is the Hero


The Good:

Steve Pearce was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Chris Sale pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Ian Kinsler was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Craig Kimbrel pitched terribly but giving up 2 runs in the ninth but held on for the save to end the game.




Final Thoughts:

Goodbye New York. Its always extra special to beat the Yankees because of how arrogant the fans and their organization is. The 100 win Yankees are out with just 2 post-season wins while the Sox are moving on to the American League Championship Series. The Sox needed to get over the hump because of their 1-6 record the previous two years and finally they pulled through. The Sox did it with great starting pitching from Sale, Nathan Eovaldi and Porcello along with timely hitting (sans Game 3). The bullpen tonight was pretty good apart from Kimbrel so hopefully that was just a hiccup for Kimbrel like Koji Uehara giving up a bomb to Jose Lobaton in 2013. The Yankees looked more like the Sox last year with lousy starting pitching and an offense with a deer in the headlights look. The Sox are going to have to change directions fast because the Houston Astros are the defending world champs and will not be intimidated by Fenway Park. Still, the Sox can worry about Houston later because tonight its party time. Before the season when Derek Jeter almost literally handed Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees experts picked them as odds on favorite to win the World Series and the Sox got no respect. Even when the Sox won the division and set a franchise record for wins, people scoffed saying they were a "regular season team". Not anymore they're not. They earned the series win and should enjoy every second of it. The Sox return home for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros with Chris Sale the probable starter for the Sox opposite Justin Verlander....we think. Either way the game starts at 8:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Edge Yankees in Game 1 (10/5/18)

Holy moly what a start to the 2018 American League Division Series. The Boston Red Sox and their fans had to listen to New York Yankees fans and media brag about how awful the Sox rotation is in the post-season, how great JA Happ is and how Mookie Betts had no post-season runs batted in. Well Betts did not get an rbi and the Yankees bullpen shut down the Sox attack but it wasn't enough. Chris Sale (1-0) pitched his best game in over a month, JA Happ got knocked out in the third inning and the horrible Boston bullpen survived a late Yankees surge to take a 1-0 lead in the Series with a 5-4 victory at Fenway Park.

                                            Larry The Bird approves of the win

Sale came out throwing bullets in the top of the first inning, surprising the Yankees completely. Andrew McCutchen was frozen for strike three before Aaron Judge took strike three as well. Aaron Hicks walked but Giancarlo Stanton whiffed to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Happ in the bottom of the first inning although Mr. Mookie Betts whiffed to start. Andrew Benintendi got the rally started with a base hit and a stolen base. Steve Pearce walked and JD Martinez belted a 3 run bomb into the Monster Seats to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts popped up to first and Eduardo Nunez lined out to right to end the inning but it was 3-0 Sox.

                                                        Martinez sets the tone

Luke Voit tried to start a rally with a base hit to begin the top of the second but Didi Gregorius whiffed. Miguel Andujar banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Ian Kinsler whiffed to start. Sandy Leon flied out to left and Jackie Bradley Jr grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Sale's pitch count rose but so did his velocity in the top of the third inning. Gary Sanchez looked at strike three to begin but Gleyber Torres walked. McCutchen lined out to right and Judge grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox chased Happ in the bottom of the third inning as Mr. Mookie doubled to begin. Benitendi singled Betts to third and that was it for Happ. Chad Green was brought in and Pearce greeted him with an rbi single to score Betts and Benintendi moved to third on the Martinez fly out to right. Bogaerts scored Benintendi with a sac fly to increase the lead. Nunez popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                   Herculean sac fly by Bogaerts

The Yankees were struck a blow when Hicks singled but pulled up lame in the top of the fourth. Brett Gardner had to replace Hicks on the bases and Stanton whiffed. Voit whiffed but Gregorius singled. Andujar whiffed to end the inning. The Sox blew a big chance in the bottom of the fourth as Kinsler singled to start. Leon advanced Kinsler to second with a bunt but JBJ popped up to short. Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked but Benintendi grounded out to third to end the inning.

Sale had a quick top of the fifth as Sanchez grounded out to second on the first pitch. Torres also grounded back to the mound and Mr. Mookie made a great play on McCutchen to end the inning. Lance Lynn took over for the bottom of the fifth as some fan ran onto the field to chase a bird. Alert Fenway security seized the intruder and wrestled him to the ground. When action resumed Pearce grounded out to third. Martinez lined out to first but Bogaerts singled. Nunez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

                                                       Get that idiot outta here

Sale came back for the top of the sixth but was chased early in a huge Yankees rally. Judge got the rally started with a single but was erased on the force by Gardner. Stanton singled and that was it for Sale. He went 5 1/3 innings and was charged with 2 runs.

                                                       Sale "The bullpen better not blow it!"

Ryan Brasier was summoned to put out the fire and naturally Voit singled home Gardner. Gregorius beat out a double play ball to score Stanton and close the book on Sale. A wild pitch moved Gregorius to second and Andujar walked to chase the incompetent Brasier. He was called in to get two outs and ended up allowing both inherited runners to score and put two of his own on. Brandon Workman came in and was even worse than Brasier, walking Sanchez on four pitches not even close to load the bases. Workman somehow fooled Torres with a 3-2 curve to end the inning but it was 5-2 Sox and time to buckle up.

                                       Workman gets Torres but the Yanks are back in it

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Kinsler whiffed to start. Leon grounded out to first but JBJ walked. Mr. Mookie looked at strike three to end the inning.

The Yankees blew their best chance in the top of the seventh inning when McCutchen and Judge stroked back to back singles off Workman to open. Matt Barnes came in and walked Gardner to load the bases for Stanton. Somehow Barnes punched Stanton out but Voit beat out a double play ball to score McCutchen and inch the Yankees closer. Barnes got Gregorius to ground out to second to end the inning but it was 5-3 Yankees and the gap was closing.

Zach Britton came in for the bottom of the seventh inning and Benintendi grounded out to second to begin. Pearce whiffed but Martinez singled to right. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Britton wanted the ball after the inning, hopefully mailing it to Buck Showalter after the game.

Mitch Moreland came in for defense at first and none other than "Slick" Rick Porcello was summoned to stop the madness in the top of the eighth. Rick managed to get Andujar to ground back to the mound to start before Sanchez lined out to third. Sox manager Alex Cora threw his hands up when Torres beat out an infield single to third and brought in Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel for the four out save. Kimbrel got McCutchen to fly out to right to end the inning. David Robertson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Nunez whiffed to start. Kinsler whiffed and Leon flied out to right to end the inning. Not a single Sox batter reached second base after the third innings.

Kimbrel came back from the ninth but Judge had a nasty surprise in the form of an opposite field home run to begin the inning. Somehow Kimbrel blew away Gardner and then Stanton, giving Giancarlo the golden sombrero. One out away from victory Kimbrel blew away Voit to end the game. Somehow the Sox had held on to win the game 5-4 and grab a 1-0 Series lead.

                                                     "WE GOT ONE!"


Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. After barely pitching since the end of July, he held the powerful Yankees lineup to 2 runs in 5 1/3 innings to earn his first post-season win.

                                                 Sale the Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Steve Pearce was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a 3 run bomb.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Matt Barnes pitched a full scoreless inning.

Rick Porcello retired two of the three men he faced.



The Bad:

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3.

Ryan Brasier allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

Brandon Workman allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Ian Kinsler was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 2 but walked.

Craig Kimbrel allowed a solo home run but got the save in 1 1/3 innings pitched.



Honorable Mention:

Mitch Moreland played first base in the last two innings.




Final Thoughts:

That was really ugly but a win is a win. Starting off the Series with a W is a huge improvement over the last two years and against the Yankees it means that much more. Sale proved a lot of doubters wrong by turning up the heat even if Dr. Quick Hook yanked him too early. The bullpen is going to be a fatal flaw just like in 1986 but when the shoe drops will be answered soon. If the Sox could barely protect a 5 run lead from the 6th inning on, how are they gonna do it in one run games? Once again Mr. Mookie still doesn't have an rbi but maybe tomorrow night will be his chance. Speaking of tomorrow night, David Price has a chance to redeem himself after 3 years of doubters and sub-par stats against the Yankees. Price will go up against Masahiro Tanaka who usually pitches well at Fenway. If there was ever a time to pitch a 7 inning shut-out, it would be tomorrow night at 8:15 at Fenway Park.

Price, Sox Blank Blue Jays (9/12/18)

It wasn't pretty but a win is a win for the Boston Red Sox. Becoming the first Sox team since the 1946 team to win 100 games, tonight their 100th victim were the Toronto Blue Jays. David Price (15-6, 3.42 ERA) tossed 7 innings of shutout ball and the bullpen slammed the door on the shut out. The Sox pushed across a single run against Aaron Sanchez but that would be enough to down Toronto by a slim score of 1-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Seth Gecko approves of the win

Price took the mound in the top of the first and dominated. Billy McKinney grounded out to second, Devon Travis lined out to center and Lourdes Gurriel Jr lined out to short to end the inning. Sanchez was greeted by a Mr. Mookie Betts single to start the bottom of the second and a wild pitch moved him to second. Betts moved to third on the Andrew Benintendi ground out but JD Martinez whiffed. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning.

Price was unhittable in the top of the second inning as Kendrys Morales flied out to right, Yangervis Solarte grounded out to short and Teoscar Hernandez whiffed to end the inning. Mitch Moreland walked to begin the bottom of the second but Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Brock "The Hitman" Holt banged into a double play to end the inning.

Price continued his hot streak in the top of the third inning as Rowdy Tellez looked at strike three before Danny Jansen lined out to short. Jonathan Davis grounded out to third to end the inning. Sanchez turned up the heat in the bottom of the third as Sandy Leon, Jackie Bradley Jr and Mr. Mookie Betts all swung and missed for strike three in short order to end the inning.

                                      "These Jays clowns can't touch ME!" -DP

McKinney was rung up for strike three to open the top of the fourth before Travis was also called out on strikes. Gurriel Jr flied out to center to end the inning. 12 up, 12 down for Price. Benintendi flied out to center to open the bottom of the fourth before Martinez lined out to second. Bogaerts lined a ball into left for a base hit but was called out at second trying to stretch. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call but it was upheld and the inning was over.

Morales grounded out to short to begin the top of the fifth but Solarte singled to break up the perfect game. Hernandez lined out to left and Tellez whiffed to end the inning. The Sox broke through in the bottom of the fifth when Moreland walked to start. Moreland was erased on the Devers force but Rafael moved to third on the base hit by Holt. Leon flied out to right but Holt swiped second and Sanchez uncorked a wild pitch to score Devers, advancing Brock to third. JBJ walked but Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                              Devers scores the only run of the game

Could Price pitch with the lead in the top of the sixth? Jansen popped up to third but Davis singled. McKinney flied out to center but a passed moved Davis to second. Price recovered to get Travis to fly out to center to end the inning. Benintendi flied out to center to begin the bottom of the sixth before Martinez whiffed. Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning.

Price returned for one more inning and got Gurriel Jr to ground out to third to start the top of the seventh. Morales whiffed but Solarte singled. Aledmys Diaz pinch ran for Solarte but Hernandez whiffed to end the inning. Price tossed 7 innings of shutout ball while striking out 7

                                                    Price tosses a gem

The Sox failed to provide insurance for Price in the bottom of the seventh as Moreland grounded out to second, Devers flied out to left and Holt grounded out to first to end the inning,

Steven Wright came in to pitch the top of the eighth and nearly blew it by allowing a leadoff double to Tellez. Jansen walked and Kevin Pillar pinch hit for Davis only to strike out swinging. McKinney beat out a double play ball to put the tying run at third but Travis lined out to right to end the threat. The Sox squandered a chance to ice it against Tyler Clippard in the bottom of the eighth. Leon flied out to left but JBJ doubled. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi lined out to short. Martinez walked to load the bases but Bogaerts flied out to left to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to lock down the save in the top of the ninth. Guriel Jr flied out to right before Kimbrel blew away Morales. Justin Smoak pinch hit for Diaz and was wisely walked. Dwight Smith Jr pinch hit for Hernandez and looked at strike three to end the game. The Sox had their 100th victory with a 1-0 win.

                                                           Win #100


Hero of the Night is David Price. He tossed a 7 inning shutout on a night the offense sputtered to lift the team to victory.

                                          Price the Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Mitch Moreland walked twice in 3 plate appearances.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with a walk and a stolen base.

Steven Wright pitched a scoreless 8th.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 39th save with a scoreless 9th.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.

Sandy Leon extended his slump to 0 for 27 by going 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with a walk.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but scored the only run.




Final Thoughts:

The offense was asleep but Price stepped up big time. The Sox really needed this win as the New York Yankees were nearly no-hit by the Twins to increase Boston's stranglehold on the AL East title. The Sox are inching closer to home field advantage throughout the playoffs with each passing win. They still have 3 games with the New York Mets, another game with the Blue Jays, 3 more with Baltimore and 6 more with the Yankees who's wild card homefield lead is down to 1 game over the Oakland A's. The Yankees also have four games against the red hot Tampa Bay Rays before they come to Fenway for the final 3 games. If the Rays play with reckless abandon all the way to those games then there's absolutely no chance the Yankees will ever catch the Sox. The win improved the Sox to 100-46, 10 games in front of the Yankees with 16 to play. Tomorrow night the Sox look for the sweep with Eduardo Rodriguez (12-4, 3.64 ERA) taking on Sam Gaviglio at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Season Saving Rally Shocks Marlins (8/28/18)

That was one of the most unnecessary walkoff wins in Boston Red Sox history. For seven innings the Sox were in the middle of a pedestrian 4-1 lead until the top of the eighth inning against the last place Miami Marlins. The miserable Red Sox bullpen led by Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree allowed FIVE runs to put the Sox in a 6-4 hole. The Sox pulled off a huge rally to lead 7-6 when the now unreliable Craig Kimbrel blew the save only for Eduardo Nunez to hit the game winning hit in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Marlins. Not many games could be categorized as "season saving" in August but this one definitely was. A loss to the last place Marlins would have meant their AL East lead shrinking due to the New York Yankees putting up their own rally to beat the Chicago White Sox. As it is, when all was said and done the Sox walked off 8-7 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Happy Sox fans

Brian Johnson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rafael Ortega flied out to center to begin. Brian Anderson grounded out to second and JT Realmuto grounded out to third to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts greeted Miami starter Jose Urena with a base hit to left but Andrew Benintendi flied out to left. Mitch Moreland lined out to right and JD Martinez flied out to center to end the inning.

Johnson got Starlin Castro to ground out to short to begin the top of the second before Derek Dietrich was frozen for strike three. Austin Dean flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Xander Bogaerts led off with a double. Xander moved to third on the Eduardo Nunez grounder then scored on the Ian Kinsler single to give the Sox the lead. Blake Swihart banged into a double play to end the inning but it was 1-0 Sox.

                                                     Kinsler makes it 1-0

The lead lasted approximately 30 seconds as Miguel Rojas grounded out to third but Isaac Galloway smashed a 50,000 foot home run to tie the game. Old pal Bryan Holaday singled but Ortega looked at strike three. Anderson doubled Holaday to third but Johnson got a key out when he got Realmuto to lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                 Galloway ties it up

The Sox wasted no time getting the lead back in the bottom of the third as Jackie Bradley Jr singled to start. Mr. Mookie walked and Andrew Benintendi hit a ground ball double to the right center gap to score JBJ. Moreland whiffed but Martinez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Bogaerts scored Betts with a sac fly for some insurance before Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                               Good work Benintendi

Things looked bleak when Castro tripled to lead off the top of the fourth but Johnson put on his big boy pants to freeze Dietrich for strike three. Dean walked but Rojas popped up to first and Galloway popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Kinsler grounded out to short to start. Swihart flied out to left and JBJ whiffed to end the inning.

Johnson returned briefly for the top of the fifth to get Holaday to fly out to center but an Ortega single chased him after 4 1/3 inning of one run ball.

                                                        Nice try Johnson

The much maligned Boston bullpen had to pitch the rest of the game and Brandon Workman was brought in first. The alert Swihart gunned down Ortega trying to steal before Anderson walked. Realmuto singled but Castro grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Mr. Mookie flied out to center to begin before Benintendi grounded back to the mound. Moreland walked but Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Workman returned for the top of the sixth and Dietrich popped up to short to begin. Dean lined out to center and Rojas grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning although Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Nunez pitched in by swatting a solo home run off the top of the Monster over the line to increase the lead. Kinsler grounded out to short and Swihart grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                Nunez goes yard

Joe Kelly came in to pitch the top of the seventh and froze Galloway to start. Holaday popped up to first before Ortega lined out to center to end the inning. Kyle Barraclough replaced Urena for the bottom of the seventh and JBJ walked to start. JBJ made a mad dash for second....OUT! BUT WAIT! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call and sure enough JBJ was ruled safe. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi grounded into a third to first double play. Moreland flied out to right to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to blow the game in the top of the eighth. Anderson singled and Realmuto crushed a 25,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Castro then blasted a 90,000 foot bomb to tie the game just like that. Dietrich struck out but Dean singled to chase the incompetent Barnes. Heath Hembree came in to pour gas on the fire and Magneuris Sierra pinch ran for Dean. Rojas singled before Galloway flied out to center only for pinch hitter JT Riddle (for Holaday) walked to load the bases. Ortega blooped a single to left to score two runners to give the Marlins the lead. Anderson grounded out to end the inning but the Marlins took a 4-1 deficit and turned it into a 6-4 lead. Pathetic!

                                               "I sucked tonight!" - Matt Barnes

Down to their last 6 outs the Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the eighth. Ortega moved to left field, Realmuto took over behind the plate, Sierra was in center, Rojas went to first, Galloway moved to right and Riddle went to short with Tayron Guerrero now on the mound. Martinez started with a single but Bogaerts lined out to right. Nunez and Kinsler stroked back to back singles to load the bases but Swihart whiffed. One out away from a blown rally, JBJ stepped up big with a seeing eye single to right to score Martinez and Nunez to tie the game. On a 3-1 count, Guerrero threw the next pitch away that not only walked Bogaerts but Kinsler made a mad dash home to give the Sox the lead. The stunned Marlins pulled Guerrero for Adam Conley and Benintendi grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox somehow ahead 7-6.

                                                   Kinsler scores the go-ahead run

All Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel needed was 3 outs and it was over but he sucked tonight too. Realmuto lined out to short but Castro walked. Yadiel Rivera pinch ran for Castro and Dietrich walked. Naturally Sierra singled to tie the game when Rivera scored earned well deserved boo's from the crowd. Rojas lined out to second but a wild pitch moved both runners up. Kimbrel blew away Galloway to end the inning but it was tied 7-7.

                                               Kimbrel blows it

Once again the Sox put on their big boy pants in the bottom of the ninth inning. Drew Steckenrider took over on the mound and Steve Pearce pinch hit for Moreland...only to fly out to right. Martinez and Bogaerts singled to bring up Nunez. Nunez hit a high chopper to short and Riddle stepped on second and fired to first.....NOWHERE CLOSE! The ball went into the stands, Martinez scored and the Red Sox somehow won this crazy game after everything. How about that?

                                                     RED SOX WIN!!!


Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. Yes, Nunez got the walkoff but that should have been a double play. Bradley and the Sox were down to their last out of the eighth and he stepped in with the clutch single to tie the game.

                                                Jackie the Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Ian Kinsler was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Brian Johnson allowed just 1 run in 4 1/3 innings.

Brandon Workman pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Blake Swihart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Holy moly that was almost a complete disaster and in many ways it was. The Sox came within an eyelash of not only dropping this game but falling to 5.5 games in front of the New York Yankees. This bullpen is their achillies heel and something has to be done before the August 31st deadline or they're in deep trouble come October. Not one reliever has looked good lately and it overshadows the tremendous display of balls by the offense to come back and win this game. You can't outslug everyone in the playoffs and the Sox are gonna need a lights out bullpen if they have any chance in October. Until then, this was a hell of a win against a garbage team but every win counts. The win improved the Sox to 91-42, 6.5 games ahead of the Yankees who erased a 4-0 deficit to beat the Sox 5-4. It should be noted that the 1979 Red Sox that featured a murder's row lineup of Fred Lynn, Yaz, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Bob Watson, Butch Hobson and Carlton Fisk finished with 91 wins. This year's team has 91 wins....on August 28th. Tomorrow night the Sox look to finish the season sweep of the Marlins with David Price (14-6, 3.50 ERA) taking on Trevor Richards at 6:35 PM at Fenway Park.