Dodgers Stun Sox on Freeman's Slam (7/19/24)

Well that sucked. For 7 innings the Boston Red Sox held the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodhers in check as Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings and All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran hit a home run. It all fell apart in the eighth inning as Brennan Bernardino allowed a grand slam to Freddie Freeman to blow the game. Gavin Stone and the Dodgers bullpen held the Sox to one measly run as LA laughed at the Sox 4-1 at Dodgers Stadium.

                                                                   This game sucked

Stone got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. David Hamilton lined out to first, Tyler O'Neill lined out to second and Rafael Devers lined out to right to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging to begin. Will Smith got a base hit to center but Freddie Freeman went down hacking. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida flied out to right to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging. Dominic Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. Andy Pages was called out on strikes to start the bottom of the second and Miguel Rojas grounded out to first. Gavin Lux struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the top of the third but looked to have been thrown out at second trying to steal when Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was safe and the call was overturned. Duran grounded out to second to move Rafaela to third but Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Miguel Vargas walked to start the bottom of the third but Chris Taylor popped up to first. A wild pitch moved Vargas to second but Ohtani struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill singled in the hole at short to begin the top of the fourth and Devers singled off the glove of Stone. Yoshida flied out to center to move O'Neill to third, but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to short to kill the rally and end the inning. Freeman flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez doubled to left. Page struck out swinging and Rojas flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Rafaela lined out to second to start. McGuire grounded out to first but Duran crushed his 11th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Hamilton popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                      All-Star Game MVP does it again

Lux flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Vargas popped up to Rafaela. Taylor lined out to second to end the inning.

O'Neill singled off the glove of Taylor to start the top of the sixth to chase Stone. Anthony Banda came in to pitch and Devers struck out swinging. Yoshida struck out swinging and Abreu lined out to short to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth before Smith went down hacking. Freeman lined out to left to end the inning. Despite just throwing 90 pitches, that was it for Pivetta after 6 shutout innings. He allowed just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8 batters.

                                                            Good work Pivetta

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Smith doubled to left to start. Rafaela took strike three and Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and struck out swinging before Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez flied out to center to start. Pages walked but Rojas popped up to short. Lux struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Yarbrough came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton....only to fly out to left. O'Neill once again singled in the hole at short but got doubled off first on a bloop to left by Devers to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Vargas walked to start. Taylor was rung up for strike three and that was it for Kelly. Brennan Bernardino came in to face Ohtani and naturally Shohei pounded a ground rule double to left. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases and Freeman laughed as he effortlessly hit a grand slam to put the game away. Greg Weissert came in to pitch to Hernandez and Teoscar flied out to right. Pages lined out to third to end the inning with the Dodgers up 4-1.

                                           Horrible relief pitching

James Outman came in for Vargas with Daniel Hudson in to close out the top of the ninth. Somehow Yoshida got a base hit to center to start but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had blown the game to the Dodgers 4-1.

                                                                 Dodgers win

Jackass of The Night is Brennan Bernardino. He gave up the grand slam to Freeman to lose the game.

                                                          There goes the game, Jackass 

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Tyler O'Neill was 3 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

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

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Zack Kelly was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Not the best way to come out of the all-star break but the Sox have a big problem. With Justin Slaten and Chris Martin rumored to both be out for the season, the Sox back end looks pretty bad in the later innings. Sad part was this was the first blown save loss after the 7th inning since April 16th, they'd been dominant for 3 months. The offense ran into a hot pitcher but now it's rumored Triston Casas won't be back until mid-August at the earliest. They STILL don't have a true fifth starter so it's all bad Ness with the trade deadline looming. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-43, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against LA when Brayan Bello  (10-5, 5.32 ERA) tales on Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:15 at Dodgers Stadium.

Crawford, Sox Blank Royals (7/13/24)

That's more like it. A day after Cole Ragans and the Kansas City Royals shut down the Boston Red Sox, today the Sox turned the trick on the Royals. Kutter Crawford (6-7, 3.00 ERA) pitched one of the best games of his career tossing 7 shutout innings and holding the Royals to just 3 hits. Meanwhile the Boston bats got to Royals starter Seth Lugo by getting 5 runs off him in 5 innings. Reese McGuire, Wilyer Abreu and Dominic Smith all drove in runs before Rafael Devers smashed a home run. Zack Kelly slammed the door in the final two innings and the Sox had won the game 5-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Ysgramor approves of the win

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning as Adam Frazier struck out swinging to start. Bobby Witt Jr popped up to first and Vinnie Pasquantino flied out to left to end the inning. Lugo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. David Hamilton walked but Masataka Yoshida took strike three. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to move the runners over but Rob Refsnyder lined out to center to end the inning. 

Salvador Perez popped up to second to start the top of the second and Hunter Renfroe flied out to left. Mj Melendez was hit by a pitch but Freddy Fermin grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second to start. Dominic Smith got a base hit to right and Reese McGuire doubled to right to score him. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to move McGuire to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0. 

                                                    McGuire drives in a run

Maikel Garcia grounded out to third to begin the top of the third but Garrett Hampson doubled to left. Frazier flied out to center and Witt Jr popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Hamilton struck out swinging to start. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Devers singled to left, but Refsnyder struck out swinging. Abreu pounded a ground rule double into the right field stands to score Yoshida and Smith got a base hit to right to score the remaining runners. McGuirr caught Garcia asleep with a bunt single down the third base line but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                     Big double by Smith

Pasquantino grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Perez struck out swining. Renfroe grounded out to second to end the inning. Duran grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth but Hamilton got a base hit to right. Yoshida banged into a double play to end the inning. 

Melendez struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Fermin lined out to right. Garcia lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Devers smashed his 22nd home run of the year to start. Refsnyder struck out swinging, Abreu flied out to center and Smith grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                     Devers jacks one

Hampson grounded out to third to begin the top of the sixth but Frazier walked. Witt Jr forced Frazier at second but Pasquantino singled off the glove of Devers. Perez popped up to first to end the inning. Kris Bubic came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and McGuire grounded out to third to start. Rafaela struck out swinging but Duran reached on a bunt single in front of the plate. Duran was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. 

Renfroe grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh and Melendez popped up to first. Fermin took strike three to end the inning. Hamilton grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to third. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Garcia got a base hit to center to begin the top of the eighth and that was it for Kutter. Crawford was outstanding, allowing no runs in 7 innings off 3 hits and a walk. Zack Kelly came in and Hampson grounded into a double play. Frazier grounded out to second to end the inning. 

                                                   Crawford was outstanding 

Nick Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to start. Abreu lined out to right, Smith struck out swinging and McGuire took strike three to end the inning. 

Kelly returned to close out the top of the ninth and Witt Jr struck out swinging. Pasquantino struck out swinging but Perez got a base hit to center. Renfroe got a base hit to right but Melendez grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-0.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He tossed 7 innings of shutout ball allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out 4.

                                                      Hero Crawford

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4.

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Zack Kelly tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

There's only one game left until the all-star break and the Sox are coming in hot. They've won 9 of their last 12 games and have a very good chance to finish strong at the half-way point. They're still an ace away from being serious contenders but they're still in good shape in the standings. Crawford's record doesn't show it but a 3.00 ERA is nothing to sneeze at. If Brayan Bello were to harness his talent they could be a deadly 2-3-4 if the Sox were to get the next Chris Sale. There's still a few weeks to the trade deadline and just like last year, they need some help. Still, this was a hell of a win and it seems like that loss to Chicago back in June turned the season around. All they have to do is keep plugging away and good things will happen. The win improved the Sox to 52-43, 5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox closeout the first half of the season tomorrow afternoon against the Royals when Brayan Bello (9-5) takes on Brady Singer of Kansas City. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                                         OUT

                                                                       IN

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

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

                                                       That didn't take long 

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

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

                                                              Perez drives in a run

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

                                                           Rafaela refuses to give up

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

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

                                                        All Royals in this one

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

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

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

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

                                                          Game but lousy start by Criswell

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

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

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

                                                           Home run Melendez

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

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

                                                                 Royals win

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

                                                             Jackass Criswell

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jamie Westbrook was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Cam Booser pitched a scoreless seventh inning. 

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter. 

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. 

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Greg Weissert allowed a run in two innings of work. 

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox, Houck Blank A's (7/11/24)

The Boston Red Sox might not have a true ace but so far this season Tanner Houck (8-6, 2.54 ERA) has pitched like one. He lowered his ERA to 2.54 by tossing 6 shutout innings holding the Oakland A's to just 2 hits. Meanwhile the Sox offense got to Luis Medina to 5 runs in the first five innings of the game. Mastaka Yoshida and Wilyer Abreu gave the Sox a 3-0 lead right off the bat in the bottom of the first. Connor Wong and Abreu both hit home runs with Yoshida hitting a 2 run shot in the sixth inning. Chase Anderson tossed 3 shutout innings in relief and the Sox beat the A's 7-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                    King Olaf One Eye approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning as JJ Bleday walked to start. Miguel Andujar forced him at second and Brent Rooker forced Andujar at second. Rooker swiped second and Lawrence Butler flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox blitzed Medina in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran walked to start. David Hamilton doubled to right but Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging. Rafael Devers took strike three but Connor Wong walked to load the bases. Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to right to score both Duran and Hamilton and Wilyer Abreu doubled to right to score Wong. Dominic Smith grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                               Yoshida drives in a pair

Zack Gelof struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Seth Brown grounded out to first. Kyle McCann struck out swinging to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Duran struck out swinging. Hamilton got a base hit in the hole at first but got picked off to end the inning.

Brett Harris grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third but Max Schuemann walked. Bleday took strike three and Andujar flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as O'Neill took strike three to begin. Devers grounded out to first but Wong belted his 8th home run of the year to increase the lead. Yoshida lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                           Wong hits one out

Rooker took strike three to start the top of the fourth and Butler did the same. Gelof grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu hit his 8th home run of the year to start. Smith grounded out to first, Rafaela grounded out to second and Duran grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                          Home run Abreu

Brown grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth but McCann got a base hit to left. Harris grounded into a double play to end the inning. Hamilton struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fifth and O'Neill did the same. Devers took strike three to end the inning.

Houck returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth as Schuemann singled to left to start. Bleday flied out to right and Andujar struck out swinging, but Rooker walked. A wild pitch moved the runners over but Butler grounded out to short to end the inning. Houck had tossed 6 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks.

                                                          Great start by Houck

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Wong got a base hit to left to start. Kyle Muller came in to pitch to Yoshida and Masataka belted his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Abreu got a base hit to right but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                          Home run Yoshida

Chase Anderson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gelof flied out to center to start. Brown was hit with a pitch but McCann took strike three. Harris got a base hit to left but Schuemann took strike three to end the inning. Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh and Hamilton did the same. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning.

Bleday flied out to right to start the top of the eighth and Andujar struck out swinging. Rooker popped up to short to end the inning. Michel Otanez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Devers. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Wong watched strike three go by. Yoshida got a base hit to right and Abreu lined out to center to end the inning.

Anderson came back to finish off the top of the ninth as Butler took strike three to start. Gelof lined out to left but Brown beat out a tapper in front of the plate. McCann struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-0.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Masataka Yoshida. He drove in 4 big runs including hitting a 2 run home run.

                                                        Masataka Hero

The Good:

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 3 total runs scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a home run and 2 total rbis.

Tanner Houck got the win by tossing 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and 3 walks.

Chase Anderson got the save with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

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

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Big win tonight considering both the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles both lost. Somehow, after how bad the season has gone so far, the Sox are still within striking distance in the AL East. The Sox got hot at just the right time and Tanner Houck has been the unlikely ace. It would have been nice to get a Chris Sale to help in the off-season since nobody saw Sale himself ever being good again. Still, so far the formula is working. The offense is producing and on days when Houck, Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello are on, they're tough to beat. The Sox needed to make a run before the all-star break and they did. Just have to win the final three games to end the first half on a high note. The win improved the Sox to 51-42, 6 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the Kansas City Royals for the final 3 games before the break. Tomorrow night Cooper Criswell (3-3) takes on Cole Ragans of Kansas City at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

A's Blast Pivetta, Sox (7/10/24)

One of the problems with this year's Boston Red Sox team is they don't have the starting rotation to match other franchises. The Sox have had a good month but couldn't really close the gap between them and the Baltimore Orioles due to games like this. Needing a big win, instead, Nick Pivetta (4-7, 4.09 ERA) didn't have it against the Oakland A's. The A's put the game away early in the top of the third as Shea Langeliers drew a bases loaded walk followed by a 2 run double by Lawrence Butler. Meanwhile JP Sears allowed a Rob Refsnyder homer in the bottom of the sixth as the only blemish on his day, shutting down the Boston bats. Pivetta allowed 4 runs total and the A's got another one off Josh Winckowski to win the game 5-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                          "Dammit Pivetta"

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first inning and JJ Bleday flied out to left to start. Miguel Andujar grounded out to third and Brent Rooker flied out to left to end the inning. Sears got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran got a base hit to right to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging but Duran swiped second. Tyler O'Neill walked but Devers struck out swinging. Connor Wong walked to load the bases but Romy Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Shea Langeliers grounded out to short to start the top of the second but Lawrence Butler singled off the glove of Devers. Zack Gelof popped up to second but Butler swiped second base. Tyler Nevin struck out swinging to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Jamie Westbrook grounded out to second. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brett Harris flied out to left to begin the top of the third but Max Schuemann singled off the glove of Ceddanne Rafaela. Bleday struck out swinging but Andujar got a base hit to left. Both runners pulled off a double steal and Rooker walked to load the bases. Langeliers walked to score Schuemann and Butler doubled to left to score both Andujar and Rooker. Gelof struck out swinging to end the inning with the A's up 3-0.

                                                              Butler is all fired up

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Duran grounded out to second to start. Refsnyder grounded out to third and O'Neill flied out to center to end the inning. 

Nevin struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Harris did the same. Schuemann struck out swinging to end the inning. Devers flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Wong struck out swinging. Gonzalez went down hacking to end the inning.

Bleday took strike three to begin the top of the fifth and Andujar also watched strike three go by. Rooker went down hacking to end the inning. Yoshida grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth but Harris booted a grounder by Westbrook. Rafaela doubled to center but Westbrook was thrown out at home. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Langeliers struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Butler lined out to third. Gelof grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Refsnyder struck his fourth home run of the season to start. O'Neill struck out swinging and Devers popped up to second, but Wong got a base hit to right. That was it for Sears as Austin Adams came in to face Gonzalez. Romy struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                           Refsnyder goes yard

The A's finished off Pivetta in the top of the seventh as Nevin flied out to center to start. Harris flied out to right but Schuemann singled to center. Bleday doubled to center to chase Pivetta. Nick allowed 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10. Josh Winckowski came in and Andujar was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning with the A's up 4-1.

                                                           Pivetta wasn't good enough

TJ McFarland came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Westbrook grounded out to short but Rafaela got a base hit to right. Duran got a base hit to center to chase McFarland. Lucas Erceg was brought in to face Refsnyder but Sox manager Alex Cora countered by bringing in Wilyer Abreu to pinch hit. A wild pitch moved the runners over and Abreu walked to load the bases. O'Neill beat out a roller to third to score Rafaela and put the tying run at second. Devers forced O'Neill at second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                              Sox with a rally

Naturally the A's fought back in the top of the eighth as Rooker hit a ground rule double down the right field line to start. Langeliers singled to right to move Rooker to third and Butler walked to load the bases. Gelof took strike three but Nevin hit a sac fly to right to score Rooker. Harris grounded out to third to end the inning with the A's up 5-2.

                                                             A's get another run

Wong was retired on a tapper in front of the plate to start the bottom of the eighth and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Smith flied out to left and Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Schuemann flied out to right to start the top of the ninth and Bleday lined out to center. Andujar grounded out to first to end the inning. Mason Miller came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Hamilton took strike three to start. Rafaela grounded out to third but Duran got a base hit to center. Duran took second on defensive indifference but Abreu struck out swinging to end the game. The A's had won it 5-2.

                                                           A's win

Jackass of The Night is Rafael Devers. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including leaving the bases loaded in the seventh down by 2.

                                                               Jackass Devers

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with a stolen base.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Wilyer Abreu walked in two plate appearances.

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

Connor Wong was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Bad:

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jamie Westbrook was 0 for 3.

David Hamilton struck out as a pinch hitter.

Nick Pivetta took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Ugly:

Josh Winckowski allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

That game was one of the more frustrating ones of the season for a variety of reasons. Westbrook getting thrown out at home, Devers failing to come through with the bases loaded and Winckowski allowing that final run. Not that the Sox were going to touch Mason Miller in the ninth but a little bit more production prior to that and this could have been a different game. Still, tonight was a big reason why the Sox have trouble keeping momentum because other teams can throw out ace pitchers while the Sox have the Kutter Crawfords and Nick Pivettas of the world. Sox GM Craig Breslow screwed up not signing or trading for an ace this past off-season and its coming back to bite them now. This is a game you needed to have especially with the all-star break and trade deadline looming. Breslow knows this team needs a starter and if you have to part with the Goldust Trio (Roman Anthony, Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer) then it might be the right option. It also doesn't help that Triston Casas is out which forces them to play the likes of Jamie Westbrook as well. Hopefully things work themselves out and this was a temporary hiccup. The loss dropped the Sox to 50-42, 7 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back in the rubber game of the series tomorrow night against the A's when Tanner Houck (7-6) takes on Luis Medina of Oakland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hang On To Beat A's (7/9/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Cam Booser and Enmanuel Valdez were sent back to Worcester and the Sox called up Jamie Westbrook and Trey Wingenter.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, what the hell was THAT? The Red Sox bats came to play against Joey Estes and the Oakland A's by scoring ELEVEN runs in the first two innings, off-setting a 2 run first inning against Brayan Bello (9-5, 5.40 ERA). Game over, right? WRONG! Bello got nailed for 3 runs in the sixth and Greg Weissert gave up a run in the seventh. The Sox did get a run in the bottom of the eighth to take a 12-6 lead but Trey Wingenter allowed a 3 run home run to Zack Gelof in the ninth inning. Still, Lawrence Butler popped up to end the game with the Sox winning 12-9.

                                                        Going from 11-2 to win 12-9?

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and JJ Bleday struck out swinging to start. Miguel Andujar singled to left and Brent Rooker doubled off the Monster to score Andujar. Tyler Soderstrom took strike three and a wild pitch moved Rooker to third. Shea Langeliers got a base hit to center to score Brent and Zack Gelof struck out swinging to end the inning with the A's up 2-0.

                                                           A's strike first

The Sox attacked Estes right out of the gate in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran doubled to right to start. David Hamilton got a base hit to center to score Duran and Tyler O'Neill doubled to center. Rafael Devers got a base hit to right to score both Hamilton and O'Neill then took second on a wild pitch. Connor Wong struck out swinging, Masataka Yoshida flied out to left and Wilyer Abreu flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                             Sox take the lead

Lawrence Butler singled to right to start the top of the second and took second on a wild pitch. Brett Harris struck out swinging but Max Schuemann walked. Bleday struck out swinging and both runners pulled off a double steal. Andujar struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the second as Dominic Smith walked to start. Ceddanne Rafaela tripled into the right field corner to score Dominic and Duran hit a sac fly to score him. Hamilton flied out to right but O'Neill was hit with a pitch. A wild pitch moved Tyler to second and he scored on the Devers double to center. Wong got a base hit to third to chase Estes. Tyler Ferguson came in and Yoshida got a base hit to center to score Devers. Abreu then pounded his 7th home run of the season to put the game on ice. Smith followed with his fourth home run of the year for back to back jacks. Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-2.

                                                              Smith is all smiles

Rooker struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Soderstrom did the same. Langeliers also went down hacking to end the inning. Duran lined out to left to start the bottom of the third and Hamilton singled to left. O'Neill struck out looking and Devers lined out to right to end the inning.

Gelof got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Butler took strike three. Harris walked but was forced at second by Shuemann. Bleday struck out swinging to end the inning. Wong lined out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Yoshida doubled to right. Abreu popped up to third and Smith struck out swinging to end the inning.

Andujar grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Rooker singled to center. Soderstrom grounded into a double play to end the inning. Michel Otanez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran popped up to second but Hamilton walked. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

The A's struck back in the top of the sixth as Langeliers singled to left to start. Gelof got a base hit to left and Butler hit a home run all the way to Idaho to cut the lead. Harris lined out to center and that was it for Bello. He got hammered for 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks. Greg Weissert came in and Schuemann singled to center, but Bleday forced him at second. Andujar grounded out to short to end the inning with the A's down 11-5.

                                                         Not his best stuff

Devers struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Wong took strike three. Yoshida and Abreu drew back to back walks to chase Otanez. Scott Alexander got Smith to ground out to short to end the inning.

The A's responded in the top of the seventh as Rooker walked to start. Soderstrom got a base hit to center to put runners at the corners but Langeliers struck out swinging. Gelof hit a sac fly to center to score Rooker and Butler took strike three to end the inning with the A's down 11-6.

                                                         A's refuse to quit

Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the seventh and moved to second on the grounder to third by Duran. Hamilton struck out swinging and O'Neill took strike three to end the inning. 

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Harris popped up to second to start. Schuemann struck out swinging and Bleday grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the eighth as Austin Adams came in to pitch. Devers walked to start and Wong was hit with a pitch. Yoshida was also hit with a pitch to load the bases and Abreu hit a sac fly to left to score Devers. A wild pitch moved the runners over but Smith struck out swinging. Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-6.

                                                              Abreu drives in another run

Trey Wingenter made his Sox debut by crapping his pants in the top of the ninth as Andujar singled to left to start. Rooker walked but Soderstrom flied out to center to move Andujar to third. Langeliers struck out swinging but Gelof hit a home run to Indiana to cut the lead. Butler popped up to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-9.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is a tough one with a well balanced offense but Wilyer Abreu hit a 3 run home run and drove in the final run which proved to be more important than it should have been.

                                                      Abreu is the Hero

The Good:

David Hamilton was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, rbi and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Greg Weissert allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Trey Wingenter allowed 3 runs in the 9th inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and scored 2 runs.

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

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, hit a home run and scored two runs.

Brayan Bello got the win but allowed 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks, but he struck out 11.

Final Thoughts:

That was too close for comfort although the Sox are surging just before the all-star break. Ever since that disaster against the Chicago White Sox the Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in the month since. They're only 7 games out of first place and 4 games behind the New York Yankees for the wild card. If the Sox can get some pitching help at the deadline, they'll have enough ammo for a stretch run. It all depends on if the trio of Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford can take the next step. Bello failed big time today as he was handed an 11-2 lead and couldn't hold it. If the score was a lot closer they might have lost this one. If Craig Breslow's idea of trade deadline pickups are Trey Wingenter, they're in trouble. That would be par for the course since ownership essentially stopped spending money. The Sox have 3 weeks to figure out what they're going to do and hopefully they can win as many games as they can in the meantime. The win improved the Sox to 50-41, 7 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the A's tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta (4-6, 4.09 ERA) takes on JP Sears of Oakland. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.