O's Down Lifeless Red Sox (9/27/19)

The Boston Red Sox can't wait for the season to be over and it showed in tonight's ho-hum loss to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox offense scratched out just 6 total hits and 1 run while the O's got 3 against Nathan Eovaldi (2-1, 5.99 ERA). The Sox were shut down by the immortal Asher Wojciechowski who tossed 6 shutout innings. Thank goodness there are only 2 games left in the season because the Sox dropped this borderline unwatchable game 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                               Barnaby hates lifeless offenses

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jonathan Villar flied out to center to start. Austin Hays took strike three but Trey Mancini walked. Dwight Smith Jr flied out to left to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts led off the bottom of the first by lining out to center to begin. Rafael Devers whiffed but Xander Bogaerts doubled to left. Mitch Moreland grounded out to second to end the inning.

Renato Nunez flied out to right to open the top of the second before Rio Ruiz lined out to second. Hanser Alberto hit a routine fly ball to right but Gorkys Hernandez tried to catch the ball in his hat and it dropped for an error. DJ Stewart walked but Chance Sisco grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox bungled a rally in the bottom of the second although Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled to right to start. Both Sam Travis and Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging but Gorkys Hernandez atoned for his error by drawing a walk. Naturally Juan Centeno whiffed to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third inning although Villar flied out to left to start. Hays doubled to right but Mancini walked. A passed ball moved the runners overs but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez then pounded his 30th home run of the year into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Ruiz grounded out to second to end the inning but it was now 3-0 Orioles.

                                                        Nunez ends it early

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they did not come back. Mr. Mookie singled to center to start the bottom of the third but was doubled off first when Devers hit a bullet to Alberto. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Eovaldi recovered in the top of the fourth inning as Alberto lined out to third to start. Stewart walked but Sisco struck out swinging. Villar grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the fourth as Moreland grounded out to short to start. Holt flied out to right but Travis was hit with a pitch. JBJ doubled to right and Travis tried to motor around home. Mancini threw home and Travis was out by a mile to end the inning.

                                                     YERRRRR OUTTA THERE!

Eovaldi came back for one last inning in the top of the fifth and Hays singled to right to begin. Mancini banged into a double play and Smith Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Eovaldi made one mistake to Nunez but it was a big one as he left after 5 innings of 3 run ball in his final start of the season.

                                               See you next year Eovaldi

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hernandez whiffed to start. Centeno grounded out to first and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the top of the sixth and Nunez grounded out to second to start. Ruiz grounded out to short but Alberto singled to right. Stewart doubled to center and Sisco walked to load the bases. Somehow Velazquez got Villar to pop up to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth inning as Devers flied out to center, Bogaerts lined out to right and Moreland whiffed to end the inning. Wojciechowski was 3-8 going into this game and the Sox made him look like Jim Palmer as he tossed 6 shutout innings.

Colten Brewer came in for the top of the seventh inning and Hays took strike three to start. Mancini walked but Smith Jr went down hacking. Nunez grounded out to short to end the inning. Steve Wilkerson came in for Smith but went to right with Stewart going to left and Tanner Scott on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Holt lined out to center to start before Travis whiffed. JBJ took strike three to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ruiz grounded out to first to start. Alberto also grounded out to first but Stewart walked. Sisco walked but Villar flied out to left to end the inning. Mychal Givens put on a clinic in the bottom of the eighth as he blew away Hernandez, Centeno and Betts swinging in short order.

Marcus Walden came in to throw up on himself in the top of the ninth. Hays walked and stole second although Mancini went down swinging. Wilkerson grounded out to third but Nunez singled home Hays to increase the lead. Ruiz lined out to third to end the inning but Nunez had outscored the Red Sox all by himself with the O's leading 4-0.

                                                Nunez with another rbi

The Sox suddenly had a too little too late rally against Richard Bleier in the bottom of the ninth. Devers doubled to left and Bogaerts singled him home. Unfortunately Bogaerts was picked off and Moreland whiffed again. Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Holt which made no sense at all and naturally Vazquez grounded out to short to end the game. The O's had won it 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is Mitch Moreland. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts including a key one in the ninth inning down 3 runs.

                                                         Nice strikeout Jackass



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Andrew Cashner pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Christian Vazquez grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in the top of the ninth



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and was thrown out at the plate, but was hit with a pitch.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 2 with an error and 2 strikeouts, but walked.

Nathan Eovaldi took the loss by allowing a 3 run home run in 5 innings pitched.




Final Thoughts:

Just 2 games left in this miserable season and they can't come fast enough. The Sox managed to make Asher Wojciechowski look like Mike Cuellar and Renato Nunez look like Frank Robinson. Nothing went right this year and things don't look good for next year as well. JD Martinez is a free agent and the rumor is Mookie Betts is leaving in free agency after 2020 so the Sox may trade him before then. We may be seeing a lot of these guys for the final time in the next few games. In some cases that's a good thing but in others, it will be sad to see them go. As for this disaster, the good news is its over and only 2 more defeats are left. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox lose to John Means of the Orioles. Jhoulys Chacin takes the loss for the Sox at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Six Run Rally Sinks Sox (9/23/19)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some good news for once. Heath Hembree had been activated off the Injured List and would be available for the final 7 games of the season. This year may be a wash but he'll be needed next season for sure

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster in a season full of them. The Sox took a 4-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays when the Rays promptly scored 6 runs off Sox starter Jhoulys Chacin and the JV bullpen. As been their M.O. all season, as soon as the Sox fell behind they failed to come back. Blake Snell was hittable for the Rays but the bullpen was not as the Rays took 3 out of 4 in this series with a 7-4 win at Tropicana Field.

                                               Morty's reaction to Boston pitching

Snell took the mound in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez went down swinging to start. Mr. Mookie Betts drew a walk but Rafael Devers struck out swinging as well. Mr. Mookie swiped second and JD Martinez walked before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Sam Travis also went down swinging to end the inning. Chacin initially had a good bottom of the first as he struck out Joey Wendle swinging to begin. Tommy Pham went down hacking but Austin Meadows walked. Travis d'Arnaud flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr singled to center to begin. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to center, JBJ swiped second and Chris Owings walked. Sandy Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Marco Hernandez pounded a ground rule double to put the Sox on top. That was it for Snell as Chaz Roe came in and got Mr. Mookie to pop up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                              Hernandez puts the Sox on top

Chacin cruised in the bottom of the second as Ji-Man Choi grounded out to first to start. Avisail Garcia grounded out to short and Brandon Lowe grounded out to first to end the inning.

Peter Fairbanks came in for the top of the third and the Sox struck again. Devers flied out to left and Martinez grounded out to short, but Sam Travis keeled over in the dugout and had to be rushed to the local hospital's ICU. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Travis and doubled to center before JBJ doubled Mitch home. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

Chacin blew away Kiermaier to begin the bottom of the third before Adames took strike three. Wendle grounded out to second to end the inning.

Austin Pruitt came in for the top of the fourth and the Sox nailed him too. Owings grounded out to first to start before Leon took strike three. Marco Hernandez walked and Mr. Mookie singled him to third. Devers singled home Hernandez and Martinez singled home Betts. Moreland walked to load the bases but JBJ missed the killshot by grounding out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                     Devers drives in a run

All of a sudden the Rays sprang to life in the bottom of the fourth although Pham whiffed to start. Meadows singled to right and d'Arnaud singled him to third. Choi then crushed a 970,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Garcia grounded out to third but Lowe smashed a 340,000 foot home run to tie the game and chase Chacin. He was nearly perfect for 3 1/3 innings but fell apart in a hurry.

                                                   So much for Chacin

Bobby Poyner came in to pour gas on the fire as Kiermaier was plunked and Adames cracked a 50,000 foot home run to put Tampa up for good. Wendle took strike three to end the inning but 3 Rays homers had given them the lead 6-4.

                                                   The Rays take the lead

As been their M.O. all season, the Sox quit when they fell behind in the top of the fifth inning. Oliver Drake got Gorkys Hernandez and Chris Owings to strike out swinging before Leon grounded out to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the ball in the bottom of the fifth and Pham flied out to right to start. Meadows grounded out to first and d'Arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox quit in the top of the sixth inning as Marco Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Mr. Mookie lined out to center and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. The Rays wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Choi doubled to start. Garcia doubled home Choi but was thrown out at third trying to stretch by Mr. Mookie. Lowe whiffed and Kiermaier flied out to right to end the inning with the Rays up 7-4.

                                                     YERRRR OUT!

Daniel Robertson took over for Lowe but was at third with Wendle moving to second and Nick Anderson on the mound for the top of the seventh. Martinez and Moreland both struck out swinging but JBJ dumped a base hit to center. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Heath Hembree materialized out of thin air to pitch for the first time since August 1st in the bottom of the seventh inning. Adames lined out to center to start before Wendle grounded out to second. Pham flied out to right to end the inning. Welcome back Hembree!

                                                       Hembree is back

Diego Castillo came in for the top of the eighth and Owings whiffed to start. Leon flied out to center and Marco Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Brian Johnson came in for the bottom of the eighth and Meadows singled to start. d'Arnaud whiffed and Choi flied out to center before Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Garcia. Aguilar walked and Guillermo Heredia pinch ran for him. Robertson whiffed to end the inning.

Emilio Pagan came in for the top of the ninth and the Sox rallied. Mr. Mookie and Devers stroked back to back singles to start but Martinez flied out to right. Colin Poche came in to pitch and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Moreland...just to strike out swinging. Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for JBJ...just to take strike three to end the game. The Rays had won it 7-4.

                                                                 Another loss to the Rays


Jackass of the Night is Bobby Poyner. He allowed the go ahead home run to Adames that the Sox could got recover from.

                                                        Bobby Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Sam Travis struck out in his only at bat.

Christian Vazquez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts struck out as a pinch hitter.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 but struck out.

Jhoulys Chacin gave up 4 runs in just 3 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Chris Owings was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Hector Velazquez allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing this season is almost over because I can't stand watching this garbage anymore. The Sox keep throwing out scrubs to pitch and they hardly ever come back when trailing. It doesn't matter if its the Tampa Bay Rays or the Perkins Institute for the Blind, every game is the same this month more or less. The only thing left to look forward to is if Eduardo Rodriguez can get to 20 wins or not because this is unbearable at this point. It was nice to see Heath Hembree make his return, if nothing else than one less inning per game for one of the interchangeable scrubs. The loss dropped the Sox to 81-75 with just 6 games left in the season. The Sox now travel to Texas for their final road trip of the season. Eduardo Rodriguez (18-6) continues his march towards 20 wins when he goes up against Edinson Volquez at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.

Yankees Defeat Lifeless Sox (9/7/19)

After a season of playing from behind and trying to pick up the often times useless Boston Red Sox pitching staff, it seems like the offense is out of gas. During many losses this season the offense at least kept the Sox in the game but during the last week the Sox offense looks like its on its last legs. Tonight JA Happ of the New York Yankees was the latest to shut the Sox down. If it wasn't for a JD Martinez home run in the bottom of the ninth, they would have been held to no runs and just 4 hits. Martinez himself had a terrible day defensively as he committed two blunders that led to 4 Yankee runs. As it was, the Yankees took another step toward the division title as they beat the Sox 5-1 at Fenway Park.

                                        "I'M DONE WITH THIS YEAR'S TEAMMMM!!"

Travis Lakins was the opener today and DJ LeMahieu lined out to a wall climbing Mookie Betts to start. Aaron Judge whiffed and Didi Gregorius flied out to center to end the inning. Mr. Mookie greeted Happ with a single to center to begin the bottom of the first. Xander Bogaerts whiffed and Rafael Devers banged into a double play to end the inning.

Lakins returned for the top of the second inning and Gary Sanchez whiffed to start. Edwin Encarnacion flied out to center and Gleyber Torres struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez grounded out to short to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to short as well and Christian Vazquez whiffed to end the inning.

First out of the bullpen was Bobby Poyner and he got Brett Gardner to ground out to second to start the top of the third inning. Luke Voit flied out to center and Mike Tauchman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the third as Mitch Moreland flied out to left to start. Sam Travis flied out to right and Brock "The Hitman" Holt flied out to left to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first against Ryan Weber in the top of the fourth inning as LeMahieu singled to left to begin. Judge whiffed but Martinez lost Gregorius' routine fly ball in the sun, allowing it to drop in for a double. Colten Brewer came in and Sanchez hit a routine pop up to Martinez....and he let it drop for a ground rule double to put the Yankees up. Encarnacion then crushed a 9,000 foot home run to ice the game. Torres lined out to right but Gardner singled. Gardner swiped second and Voit walked, but Tauchman lined out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0, game over.

                                                 Poor Martinez

Happ laughed at the Sox as they came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. Mr. Mookie lined out to right but somehow Bogaerts singled to right for his 1,000th career hit. Naturally Devers and Martinez both whiffed to end the inning.

Trevor Kelley came in to pitch the top of the fifth but Judge lined out to center to start. Gregorius lined out to right but Sanchez walked. Encarnacion hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox laid down in the bottom of the fifth as Benintendi whiffed badly to start. Vazquez flied out to center and Moreland whiffed to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the top of the sixth and Torres effortlessly doubled to right before Gardner walked. Somehow Voit whiffed and LeMahieu banged into a double play to end the inning. As usual the Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Travis flied out to center to start. Holt popped up to second but Mr. Mookie walked. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Josh Smith came in for the top of the seventh and Judge flied out to left to start. Gregorius grounded out to short but Sanchez walked. Encarnacion whiffed to end the inning. Devers whiffed to open the bottom of the seventh and that was it for Happ after 6 1/3 nearly no-hit innings. Adam Ottavino came in and easily whiffed Martinez. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning.

Mike Shawaryn came in for the top of the eighth and Torred whiffed to start. Gardner struck out swinging but Voit doubled. Tauchman grounded into a force to end the inning. Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Vazquez gronded out to second to start. Somehow Moreland singled and Marco Hernande pinch hit for Travis, getting a base hit to right. Zack Britton came in to pitch and effortlessly struck out Holt. Mr. Mookie lined out to right to end the inning.

Shawryn returned for the top of the ninth and Judge flied out to center to start. Gregorius popped up to third but Sanchez was plunked. Encarnacion laughed at the Sox as he doubled home Sanchez to increase the lead. Torres singled Edwin to third but Gardner lined out to center to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-0.

                                                      Sox are finished

The carnage ended with at least a run in the bottom of the ninth as Aroldis Chapman easily got Bogaerts to fly out to center to start. Devers grounded out to second but Martinez crushed his 35th home run of the year to break up the shutout. Benintendi popped up to first to end the game but the Yankees had won it 5-1.

                                               Dammit


Jackass of the Night is Colten Brewer. Not that the Sox were going to score any runs and he got no help from Martinez but he still served up the 2 run jack to Encarnacion to put the Yankees up for good.

                                                  Poor Brewer the Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Travis Lakins pitched two scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner pitched a scoreless third inning.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3.

Marco Hernandez singled as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Kelley pitched a scoreless 5th inning.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Josh Smith pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis was 0 for 2.

Brock Holt was 0 for 3 with a strikeouts.

Ryan Weber took the loss with 2 runs allowed in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 and made several defensive blunders but hit a solo home run.

Mike Shawaryn allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

As the season goes down the drain one can only wonder what could have been if general manager Dave Dombrowski had gotten some real bullpen help in the off-season instead of putting his faith into Tyler Thornburg and Colten Brewer. One also has to wonder what could have been if Alex Cora didn't sandbag spring training and the Sox pitchers were ready to start the season. Maybe Nathan Eovaldi, David Price and Chris Sale wouldn't have gotten hurt. All those factors are the reason the Sox are almost officially done in terms of the season. They could never go on a sustained win streak because the pitching was just that bad. The fact they had to have 2 bullpen games in a row, in September, against the damn YANKEES shows you how unprepared Dombrowski had been this season. He may not be back next year but if he is, he better learn from his mistakes. If the Sox were still in contention, Alex Cora's job would be on the hotseat as well. If they missed the playoffs by 2 games you'd have to look at the terrible start out of the gate or pinch hitting Chris Owings over Brock Holt. Either way the fact they couldn't hang with the Yankees is a microcosm of a lost season. There's no point about talking about tonight because there's nothing that can be done at this point. The loss dropped the Sox to 76-66. There's only 20 games of misery remaining. Tomorrow night the Sox and Yankees go head to head with the New England Patriots season opener for some ungodly reason. The Sox start "Slick" Rick Porcello (12-11) up against Masahiro Tanaka at 8:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Angels Crush Red Sox (8/10/19)

So much for this season. In a game the Boston Sox had to win, they fell flat on their face again. The Sox fell behind 3-0 in the first inning as "Slick" Rick Porcello (10-9, 5.67 ERA) laid another dud of a start. The Sox tried to fight back but a 7 run rally by the Angels in the top of the seventh sealed the Sox fate. In a game the Sox needed to win, they got shelled and spat on 12-4 by the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park.

The Angels wasted no time getting to Porcello in the top of the first inning as Kole Calhoun effortlessly singled to left to begin. Somehow Porcello got Mike Trout swinging before Shohei Ohtani easily doubled to the Monster. Justin Upton crushed a 500,000 foot home run to put the Angels up for good 4 batters into the game. Jackie Bradley Jr climbed the Monster to rob Matt Thaiss of a double and Sam Travis dove into the Angels bullpen to rob David Fletcher of a home run to end the inning with the Angels up for good 3-0.

                                                       "This sucks" - Leon

Andrew Heaney easily shut down the Sox in the bottom of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts hit a weak pop up to first to start. Xander Bogaerts lined one off the glove of Fletcher for an error but JD Martinez weakly popped up to center. Sam Travis popped up weakly to right to end the inning.

Porcello cruised in the top of the second inning as Luis Rengifo flied out to center to begin. Kevan Smith grounded out to short and Betts made a great leaping catch to rob Wilfredo Tovar of a triple to end the inning. The Sox offense quit in the bottom of the second as Christian Vazquez looked at strike three to start. Michael Chavis whiffed before Brock "The Hitman" Holt somehow drew a walk. Sandy Leon whiffed badly to end the inning.

Porcello whiffed Calhoun to open the top of the third as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien took a big crap on Rick by saying he's only induced 4 double plays all season. Trout grounded back to the mound and Ohtani popped up to left to end the inning. JBJ was hit with a pitch to begin the bottom of the third and Mr. Mookie lined a base hit to left. Upton misplayed it and both runners advanced into scoring position. Bogaerts failed to get anyone home with a weak pop up to right although somehow Martinez got drilled to load the bases. Travis brought home JBJ with a sac fly to left to put the Sox on the board but Vazquez popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

Upton popped up to right on the first pitch of the top of the fourth before Thaiss grounded out to second on the third pitch. It took 7 pitches but Fletcher lined out to JBJ to end the inning. Chavis whiffed to start the bottom of the fourth before Holt grounded out to short. Somehow Leon singled to left and JBJ singled up the middle to put runners at the corners. That was it for Heaney as Taylor Cole was brought in to pitch to Mr. Mookie. Natrually Betts popped up weakly to right to end the inning.

Porcello continued to dominate the top of the fifth as Rengifo grounded out to first to start.Smith took strike three and Tovar grounded out to first to end the inning, Porcello had retired 14 in a row after the Upton bomb. It didn't matter as the Sox offense did nothing in the bottom of the fifth. Bogaerts grounded out to first to start but somehow Martinez singled. Naturally Travis and Vazquez whiffed to end the inning.

After retiring 14 in a row, Porcello allowed a single to Calhoun and 2 run backbreaking bomb to Trout to end his day. Once again Porcello got shelled, allowing 5 runs in 5 plus innings. Darwinzon Hernandez came in to punch out Ohtani before Upton lined out to center. Thaiss walked but Fletcher grounded into a force to end the inning with the Angels up 5-1.

                                                Another dud

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the sixth as Chavis grounded out to second to start to chase Cole. Adalberto Mejia allowed Holt to double to left but Leon lined out to second. JBJ walked as Ty Buttrey replaced Mejia. Mr. Mookie doubled home Holt to cut the lead. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                Somehow scored a run

The Angels took a big dump on the Sox in the top of the seventh inning as Rengifo singled to start before Smith was hit by a pitch. A passed ball moved both runners over and Tovar singled home Rengifo. Calhoun walked to load the bases and Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to pour gas on the fire. Trout was plunked to force home a run and Ohtani singled home Tovar and Calhoun while advancing Trout to third. Upton hit a sac fly to score Trout and Thaiss walked. Fletcher singled to left and Travis booted the ball, scoring Ohtani and Thaiss. Rengifo flied out to left and Smith lined out to third to end the inning but it was 12-2 Sox. This game sucks.

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

Somehow the Sox scored in the bottom of the seventh inning against JC Ramirez. Martinez grounded out to second but Travis made up for his error by smashing his 5th home run of the season. Vazquez doubled to center and moved to third on a wild pitch. Chavis grounded out to second but Vazquez scored another run. Holt tripled to center and if the bullpen didn't implode, this would be a one run game with a man on third. As it was, Leon grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 12-4.

                                                        433 foot home run for Travis

Ryan Weber came in for the top of the eighth inning and Tovar grounded out to third to start. Calhoun flied out to right but Brian Goodwin pinch hit for Trout only to ground out to second to end the inning. JBJ grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth before Mr. Mookie walked. Bogaerts forced Betts at second and Martinez lined out to left to end the inning.

Weber punched out Ohtani to start the top of the ninth before Upton grounded out to third. Thaiss singled to right and Fletcher doubled him to third. Rengifo whiffed to end the inning. Hansel Robles ended the game in the bottom of the ninth. Travis grounded out to second to begin before Vazquez looked at strike three. Chavis whiffed to end the game. The Angels had pounded the Sox 12-4.

Jackass of the Night is Hector Velazquez. He allowed 3 inherited runners to score and 3 of his own in a disastrous 7th inning.

                                                  The Insurance Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Brock Holt was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Ryan Weber tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5.

Rick Porcello took the loss by allowing 5 runs in just 5 innings.

Darwinzon Hernandez was charged with 4 runs in just an inning plus.



The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in two total runs and homered.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

42 games left....that's it. 42 games left and the Sox still can't get their act together. At this point its never going to happen because they don't have enough pitching talent. With Chris Sale on the rocks and David Price hurt, the pitching depth is non-existent. That falls on Dave Dombrowski who failed big time to help this team in the off-season and at the deadline. His only acquisition this season was Andrew Cashner and he's been a complete flop so far. Luckily there's only a month and a half left to grin and bear before Dombrowski is gone. Say what you will about  Sox owner John Henry, but he's managed to correct every mistake he's made in 18 seasons as owner. The loss dropped the Sox to 63-57, a hundred million games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to rebound against the Angels when the Sox send Andrew Cashner to the mound against Patrick Sandoval at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Thrash Dodgers in Return (7/12/19)

The Boston Red Sox picked up where they left off before the All-Star break with a straight demolition of their World Series rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Eduardo Rodriguez (10-4, 4.43 ERA) tossed a seven inning gem by striking out ten men and allowed just one run to set the tone. Rafael Devers, Christian Vazquez and Xander Bogaerts all went yard against Dodgers starter Kenta Maeda and reliever JT Chargois. The Sox bullpen didn't allow a hit in the final two innings and the Sox romped over the Dodgers 8-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Randy Quaid is happy again....for now

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first and Corey Seager flied out to left to start. Justin Turner popped up to second but David Freese walked. Cody Bellinger walked but Max Muncy struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first although Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to first to start. Rafael Devers belted his 17th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead but Xander Bogaerts whiffed. JD Martinez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                    Devers goes yard

Then Dodgers struck back in the top of the second although AJ Pollock struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo blasted a home run all the way to Jupiter to tie the game. Kike Hernandez whiffed and Austin Barnes grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    Verdugo hits a home run

The Red Sox responded in the bottom of the second although Andrew Benintendi flied out to left to start. Christian Vazquez clobbered his 15th home run of the season to increase to give Boston the lead back. Jackie Bradley Jr and Michael Chavis both struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-1.

                                                     Vazquez blasts one out

Seager struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Turner flied out to right. Freese flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to short to start. Mr. Mookie popped up to second and Devers went down hacking to end the inning.

Rodriguez got Bellinger to swing at air to begin the top of the fourth and Muncy also went down hacking. Maeda turned up the heat in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts, Martinez and Benintendi all went down swinging in short order.

Verdugo singled to left to begin the top of the fifth but Hernandez popped up to first. Barnes struck out swinging and Seager grounded out to second to end the inning. Vazquez grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the fifth but JBJ drew a walk. Chavis flied out to right and Holt grounded out to second to end the inning.

Turner grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth and Freese swung at air. Bellinger singled to right but Muncy flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Mr. Mookie doubled to center to begin and Devers doubled him home to extend the lead. Bogaerts popped up to second and Martinez lined out to center before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Pedro Baez to pitch to Benintendi. Andrew grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 3-1 Sox.

                                                     Devers with another rbi

Rodriguez returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh as Pollock singled to left to start. Verdugo went down hacking but Hernandez singled to left. Barnes whiffed and Seager grounded out to second to end the inning. Good effort by Rodriguez to hold the NL Champs to just one run in 7 innings of work.

                                                            Good work E-Rod

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh although Vazquez lined out to center to start. JBJ singled to second and Chavis reached on a swinging bunt. Holt doubled home JBJ and then the rains came. After a delay, JT Chargois was brought in and Mr. Mookie scored Chavis with a sac fly to increase the lead. Devers was intentionally walked and Bogaerts made the Dodgers pay with a 3 run bomb to put the game out of reach. Martinez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                         Bogaerts hits number 18

Josh Taylor came on for the top of the eighth and Turner whiffed to start. Freese flied out to center and Bellinger flied out to left to end the inning. Zac Rosscup came on for the bottom of the eighth and Benintendi grounded out to first to begin. Vazquez doubled to left and JBJ walked but Chavis banged into a double play to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez took the mound for the top of the ninth and Muncy grounded out to first to start. Pollock whiffed and Verdugo popped up to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-1.

                                                       Sox win

           

Hero of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. He tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball in the rain to earn his 10th win of the season

                                                             E-Hero

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 runs scored

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Josh Taylor tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run/

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have a long road to climb if they want to get back in AL East contention and this could be the start. Sweeping the Detroit Tigers before the All-Star break helped and this win kept the momentum going. That was a good team the Sox beat and Rodriguez looked good again. The Sox are gonna need him and David Price down the stretch if nobody else is going to help. The offense came alive late, better late than never. All in all it was a good win and the Sox are gonna need each and every win they can get. The win improved the Sox to 50-41, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to ride the wave tomorrow night when Chris Sale (3-8) takes the hill against Ross Stripling of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Outslug Jays (7/4/19)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Heath Hembree has been activated off the Injured List and was ready for tonight's game. Trevor Kelley has been sent back to Pawtucket to make room for Heath. The Sox need all the arms they can get in the bullpen with the way the rotation has been struggling all season.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                     IN

Happy fourth of July everyone. The Sox showed some extreme fireworks by outslugging the Toronto Blue Jays to win tonight's game. After Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez and Colten Brewer put the Sox in a 6-1 hole, the Sox came out blasting in the sixth inning. The Sox scored 6 runs in the top of the seventh including the go-ahead 3 run bomb by Michael Chavis to put Boston in front. Brandon Workman coughed up the lead in the bottom of the eighth but Marco Hernandez hit the go-ahead blast in the top of the ninth to finally knock out the Jays. Even though the game was in Canada, the Sox showed some fourth of July explosiveness to beat the Jays 8-7 at the Skydome.

                                                        Sox and Jays put on a firework display

The Sox pounced on Jays starter right off the bat in the top of the first. Mr. Mookie Betts led off by grounding out to second but the red hot Rafael Devers blasted his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts grounded out the third but JD Martinez singled to left to chase Law. Thomas Pannone came in and Brock "The Hitman" Holt flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Devers with a first inning bomb

Sox starter Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez was equally incompetent in the bottom of the first as Eric Sogard took strike three to start. Freddy Galvis doubled to center but Lourdes Gurriel Jr flied out to right, moving Galvis to third. Cavan Biggio and Justin Smoak walked to load the bases and who else but Rowdy "Roddy" Tellez singled home both Galvis and Biggio to give the Jays the lead. Teoscar Hernandez grounded into a force to end the inning but the Jays led 2-1.

                                                 Pain in the ass Tellez

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Christian Vazquez grounded out to third to start. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging and Michael Chavis popped up to first to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the second as Danny Jansen hit a home run all the way to Favignana Beach in Sicily to increase the lead. Brandon Drury singled to left but Sogard flied out to right. Galvis flied out to right and Gurriel Jr grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                              What a spot for that ball to land

Sandy Leon popped up to first to start the top of the third before Mr. Mookie lined out to second. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Velazquez got Biggio to fly out to left but Smoak doubled to left to chase him. Another poor start by a starter and Colten Brewer came in to clean up the mess. Tellez grounded back to the mound and Hernandez popped up to first to end the inning.

                                                      Short and sweet for Velazquez

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts grounded out to second to start. Martinez singled to left but Holt flied out to left. A wild pitch moved Martinez to second but Vazquez grounded out to third to end the inning. The Jays looked to have put the game away in the bottom of the fourth as Jansen pounded a 45,000 foot home run to start. Drury doubled to left before moving to third on a wild pitch. Sogard grounded out to short but Galvis crushed a home run all the way to the Dominican Republic to put the Jays up big. Gurriel Jr grounded back to the mound and Biggio went down hacking to end the inning but it was 6-1 Jays.

                                                           All Jays so far

Things looked bleak when the Sox went quietly in the top of the fifth. JBJ struck out swinging to start before Chavis also missed at strike three. Leon popped up to first to end the inning. Josh Taylor came on for the bottom of the fifth and Smoak whiffed to start. Tellez grounded out to first before Hernandez singled to right. Jansen popped up to third to end the inning.

The Sox came out swinging in the top of the sixth as Mr. Mookie walked to start. Devers singled Betts to third and Bogaerts singled home Betts. Martinez singled home Devers and Tim Mayza came in to pitch to pinch hitter Eduardo Nunez (for Holt). Nunez hit one up the elevator shaft but a a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position. Vazquez walked to load the bases but JBJ beat out a double play ball to score Bogaerts and leave runners at the corners. The rookie Chavis then cracked his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Leon lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                       The Sox surge ahead

Ryan Brasier came in for the bottom of the sixth and Drury popped up to second to start. Sogard flied out to right and Galvis went down hacking to end the inning.

Joe Biagini came in for the top of the seventh and Mr. Mookie lined out to left to start. Devers walked but Bogaerts took strike three. Devers was forced at second by Martinez to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in for the bottom of the seventh and Gurriel Jr was rung up for strike three to start. Biggio walked but Smoak flied out to center. A wild pitch moved Biggio to second and another moved him to third but Barnes blew away Tellez to end the inning.

Nick Kingham came in for the top of the eighth and Nunez popped up to second to start. Vazquez grounded back to the mound and JBJ went down swinging to end the inning. Sox manager Alex Cora sent closer Brandon Workman out for the six out save and it blew up in his face in the bottom of the eighth. Hernandez grounded out to third but Jansen pounded a ground rule double. Drury flied out to left but Sogard doubled home Jansen to tie the game. Galvis whiffed to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

                                                        Tie game

The Sox somehow rallied off of Jays closer in the top of the ninth inning although Chavis whiffed to start. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Leon and blasted his second home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Mr. Mookie lined out to second but Devers walked. Bogaerts lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-7.

                                                         Hernandez with the backbreaker

Christian Vazquez took over behind the plate with Hernandez in at second. If the game went any longer, Brandon Workman would have had to bat with Nunez out. Things got hairy in the bottom of the ninth although Gurriel Jr popped up to short to start. Biggio and Smoak drew back to back walks but somehow Workman got Tellez to fly out to left. Vladimir Guerrero Jr pinch hit for Hernandez but grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had pulled off the comeback 8-7.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Marco Hernandez. His pinch hit home run in the ninth was the difference in the game.

                                                           Hero Hernandez

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, a home run and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Josh Taylor tossed a scoreless inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 2.

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 2.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3

Hector Velazquez lasted just 2 1/3 innings while surrendering 3 runs.

Colten Brewer allowed 3 runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was the big 3 run home run.

Brandon Workman got the win but blew the save by allowing a run in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Nice to bounce back to take two of three from Toronto after the London disaster but unfortunately the Sox LOST ground as the New York Yankees ripped the Tampa Bay Rays a new bunghole in three straight games. The Yankees are clearly the hungrier team this year and if the Sox don't get another starting pitcher or some bullpen help, they're never coming back. David Price went the longest of the three starters at just 6 innings and that's not going to help as the season wears on. Velazquez looked worse than Chris Sale did yesterday. It was also a miracle the Sox came back since their M.O. all season is to quit after falling behind. Big home runs by Chavis and Hernandez saved their bacon in this one. There's only three games left until the All-Star break and at this point the Sox are gonna have to sweep the Detroit Tigers if they want to have any confidence that they can cut the Yankees lead coming out of it. The win improved the Sox to 46-41, 11 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox travel to Detroit for a set with the Tigers before the All-Star break where Eduardo Rodriguez (8-4) takes on Ryan Carpenter at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comerica Park.