Sox Rally To Sweep Giants (8/23/26)

The Boston Red Sox have a monumental decision to make coming up soon. Trevor Story is due to come off the Injured List and Nick Sogard is playing for his life right now. The leadoff hitter was the catalyst in today's comeback win against the San Francisco Giants. The Giants bolted out to a 3-0 lead on Jake Bennett (8-6, 3.49 ERA) when Sogard hit a home run off Matt Wilkinson in the bottom of the second. After Ceddanne Rafaela drove in a run in the third, Sogard started the rally in the bottom of the fourth culminating in a game tying Connor Wong double and a Mickey Gasper go-ahead bi double of his own. Rafaela drove in a run of his own to add to the lead. After a comedy of errors brought the Giants within one, Bennett went 7 strong to hand the game over to the bullpen. Tyron Guerrero and Aroldis Chapman slammed the window shut and the Sox had rallied past the Giants to sweep them out of Fenway Park 5-4.

                                                     Wyndham Clark approves of the win

The Giants wasted no time getting to Bennett in the top of the first inning as Osleivis Basabe flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers walked, Willy Adames got a abse hit to left and Bryce Eldridge singled to right to score Devers. Victor Bericoto got a base hit to left to score Adames but Jung Hoo Lee flied out to left. Andrew Knizner lined out to a diving Rafaela to end the inning with the Giants up 2-0.

                                                         Bericoto drives in a run

Wilkinson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jahmai Jones got a base hit to start. Ceddanne Rafaela singled to center but Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging. Willson Contreras popped up to short and Caleb Durbin flied out to center to end the inning.

Jonah Cox hit a home run all the way to Soviet Russia to start the top of the second but "Boss" Christian Koss grounded out to third. Basabe lined out to center and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the Giants up 3-0.

                                                               Cox hits one out

The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Nick Sogard blasted his second home run of the season to put the Sox on the board. Andruw Monasterio lined out to center, Eli White struck out swinging and Connor Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                              Sogard gets the Wally Head

Adames lined out to right to start the top of the third before Eldridge singled to right. Bericoto glied out to center and Lee grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Jones tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Rafaela got a base hit to center to score him then promptly stole second base. Abreu flied out to left, Contreras flied out to center and Durbin grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                          Another rbi for Rafaela

Knizner flied out to right to start the top of the fourth but Cox singled to center. Koss popped up to short and Basabe struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Sogard doubled to left to start. Monasterio grounded out to second to move Sogard to third but White popped up to first. Wong lined out to left to end the inn....WAIT A MINUTE! Eagle eyed Chad Tracy challenged that the ball was trapped by Bericoto and sure enough, the umpires overturned the call. Wong was given a double and Sogard scored to tie the game. JT Brubaker came in to face Jones but Tracy countered by bringing in Mickey Gasper to pinch hit. The gamble worked as Gamble doubled home Wong to put the Sox on top. Rafaela got a base hit to center to score Gasper with the insurance run. Abreu flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                              Wong ties the game before the Sox go ahead

Devers grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Adames struck out swinging. Eldridge also went down hacking to end the inning. Buddy Kennedy took over for Adames to start the bottom of the fifth and Contreras grounded out to third. Durbin flied out to right but Sogard walked. Monasterio flied out to left to end the inning.

Drew Gilbert pinch hit for Bericoto to start the top of the sixth and struck out swinging. Lee popped up to short and Knizner flied out to right to end the inning. White popped up a bunt to Brubaker to start the bottom of the sixth but Wong got a base hit to left. Sam Hentges came in to face Gasper and a wild pitch moved Connor to second. Gasper flied iut to right and Rafaela grounded out to second to end the inning.

Bennett returned for one final inning and Cox flied out to right to start. All hell broke loose as Koss hit a routine grounder to Monasterio who fired the ball into right field for an error. Abreu picked up the ball and suddenly threw it into the right field stands for absolutely no reason. Koss came all the way around to score on a T-Ball Homerun as the fans booed. Basabe lined out to right and Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Giants down 5-4. That was it for Bennett who survived early inning trouble and pure stupidity to go 7 strong innings and allow 3 earned runs (4 total).

                                                       Bennett did well

Abreu grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh and Contreras struck out swinging. Durbin took strike three to end the inning.

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Kennedy got a base hit in the hole at short to start. Eldridge flied out to right and Gilbert grounded into a double play to end the inning. Trent Harris came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Sogard grounded out to short to start. It looked like Monasterio beat a tag at second on a double to left but the Giants challenged. The umpires upheld the call and Jarren Duran pinch hit for White. Duran struck out swinging and Adley Rustchman pinch hit for Wong. Rutschman grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Lee grounded back to the mound to start. Knizner grounded out to second and Cox struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Mickey Gasper. His pinch hit double put the Sox up for good.

                                                              Gasper The Hero

The Good:

Jahmai Jones was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a stolen base.

Nick Sogard was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run and 2 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jake Bennett got the win by tossing 7 innings allowing just 3 earned runs off 7 hits and a walk while striking out 6.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 29th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Willson Contreras 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Eli White was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

Adley Rutschman was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Final Thoughts:

How sweep it is! After that disaster against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, the Sox needed to make a statement with the New York Yankees looming. Bennett had a solid outing if you cut out the first inning and the errors in the seventh. As sad as it sounds, the Sox have won 5 out of their last 6 games and didn't gain much ground because the two hottest teams in baseball are the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. In fact, the Rays were the only team that the Sox didn't gain much ground on when they went 32-5 apart from the pre-break sweep. This game showed why depth is important because the big guns of Abreu, Contreras and Durbin did absolutely nothing but Sogard and Rafaela stepped up big time. The Sox have a lot of work to do in their final 32 games but they still own a 6.5 game cushion on the Cleveland Guardians. If they go 21-15 that wouldn't be great, but that just might get them in the playoffs. First place is still up for grabs if they can go on one last run. The win improved the Sox to 71-59, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Miami for a three game set beginning tomorrow night. Ranger Suarez (5-3, 3.41 ERA) takes on Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins at 6:40 PM at Loan Depot Park.

A's Bash Bennett, Snap Streak (8/8/26)

All good things must come to an end and the Boston Red Sox 9 game win streak was snapped by the same pitcher and the same team that beat them before the streak. Gage Jump and the Sacramento A's held the high powered Sox to just 2 runs through the first six innings on a 2 run Andruw Monasterio single. The A's jumped on Sox starter Jake Bennett (7-5, 3.17 ERA) for 4 runs before knocking him out in the sixth. The Sox bullpen didn't help as Justin Slaten and Raymond Burgos allowed 3 runs between them and the A's snapped the streak with a 7-3 victory over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                         Sox ran out of magic

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Henry Bolte struck out swinging to start. Jacob Wilson lined out to right and Jonah Heim did the same to end the inning. Jump got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jahmai Jones got a base hit to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center and Jones stole second. Caleb Durbin walked and both runners pulled off a double steal while Willson Contreras struck out swinging. Andruw Monasterio got a base hit to right to score both runners but Eli White struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                         Monasterio drives in a pair 

Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Tommy White flied out to right. Brian Serven also flied out to right to end the inning. Nick Sogard struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Jump threw a grounder away by Jarren Duran for an error. Connor Wong grounded out to short to move Duran to second but Jones struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Lawrence Butler grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Max Muncy flied out to center. Alika Williams walked but Bolte flied out to center to end the inning. Rafaela got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third but Durbin popped up to first. Contreras took strike three and Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning. 

Wilson doubled to left to start the top of the fourth but Heim struck out swinging. Soderstrom struck out swinging but White singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners. Serven hit a routine grounder to Bennett...kicked by Jake to score White on the "single". Butler lined out to center to end the inning with the A's down 2-1.

                                                     Serven drives in a run...in name only

White struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Sogard doubled to center. Duran struck out swinging and Wong popped up to second to end the inning. 

Muncy struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Williams was hit with a pitch. Bolte took strike three but Wilson doubled to left. Naturally Heim got a base hit to left to score both runners to put Sacramento up for good. Soderstrom walked but White forced him at second to end the inning with the game all but over...3-2 A's.

                                                               A's go on top

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth although Jones doubled to left to start. Naturally Rafaela struck out swinging but Durbin grounded back to the mound to move Jones to third. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Serven lined out to first to start the top of the sixth but Butler walked to chase Bennett. He lost it in the last few innings allowing 4 runs off 5 hits and 3 walks. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and Jeff McNeil pinch hit for Muncy. Butler stole second, McNeil walked and Donovan Walton pinch hit for Williams. Both runners pulled off a double steal and Walton pounded a ground rule double into the bullpen to score them to ice the game. Bolte grounded out to short and Wilson flied out to right to end the inning with the A's up 5-2.

                                                      Bennett didn't get the job done

Monasterio walked to start the bottom of the sixth but White forced him at second. Sogard dropped down a bunt to third but somehow beat it out. Naturally Duran and Wong both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Raymond Burgos came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Heim flied out to center to start. Naturally Soderstrom hit a home run all the way to Great Britain to increase the lead. White flied out to right and Serven grounded out to short to end the inning with the A's up 6-2.

                                                              A's are all smiles

Luis Medina came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jones popped up to first to start. Rafaela lined out to right and Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Butler lined out to center to start the top of the eighth and McNeil did the same. Walton grounded out to second to end the inning. Seth Johnson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Contreras refused to run out a grounder which caused Fenway to boo. Monasterio struck out swinging but White walked. Somehow Sogard doubled to right to score White....but wait! To show the streak was truly dead, the umps got together and ruled the ball went out of play for a ground rule double, White had to return to third. Hogan Harris came in to face Duran and Jarren struck out swinging on a straight fastball right down the middle to end the inning to a chorus of boos.

                                                                     Boooooo!!!!!

The A's added to the misery in the top of the ninth as Bolte hit a home run all the way to Seattle to start. Wilson grounded out to third, Heim struck out swinging and Soderstrom took strike three to end the inning with the A's up 7-2

                                                             That ball was crushed

Wong lined out to left to start the bottom of the ninth but Jones doubled to left. Rafaela struck out swinging but Durbin somehow got a base hit to left to score Jones. Contreras got a base hit to center and Monasterio walked to load the bases. Naturally with the game on the line....White lined out to center on a 3-1 counter to end the game. The A's had won it 7-3.

                                                       A's win

Jackass of the Night is Justin Slaten. He turned a 3-2 game into 5-2 to open the floodgates.

                                                             Jackass Slaten

The Good:

Jahmai Jones as 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Andrew Monasterio was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 rbis.

Nick Sogard was 3 for 4.

The Bad:

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

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jake Bennett got rocked for 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings to take the loss off 5 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Eli White was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Raymond Burgos allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Can't expect the Sox to go undefeated the rest of the season, a game like this was bound to happen. Its uncanny how the Red Sox kryptonite is Gage Jump, that's twice now he's beaten the Sox when others don't even come close. The Sox had been so hot the last month that fans fully expected to rally in this one. Duran striking out in the eighth sealed the deal but the game was lost well before that. Slaten, Burgos and even Bennett wasn't good enough to get the job done on this day. Worse yet, both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays won so all the momentum the Sox built evaporated. The Sox are still 6 games ahead of the Texas Rangers but the Sox are still within striking distance of the division. They might be the only ones who can take Tampa and New York at this point. The Sox will get the Yankees three weeks from tonight, hopefully they can go on a run until then. All in all it was a bad loss but they were due for one. The loss dropped the Sox to 64-52, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow in the rubber game of this series with JT Ginn going for Sacramento and a bullpen game for Boston. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Gray, Red Sox Blank White Sox (8/5/26)

One thing is for sure, if the Boston Red Sox ever get Garrett Crochet back they might not ever lose again with the pitching they have. Sonny Gray (14-2, 2.78 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young Award by tossing 6 shut out innings against the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox. After that, the trio of Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Jovani Moran shut the door without allowing a single run. Offensively the Sox used a balanced attack against Chicago starter Sean Burke & the White Sox bullpen. Willson Contreras drove in a run in the bottom of the first and Wilyer Abreu smashed a home run in the bottom of the third. Andruw Monasterio drove in a run in the bottom of the seventh and Caleb Durbin drove in Abreu in the bottom of the eighth. Moran shut the door in the top of the ninth and the Red Sox made it seven wins in a row as they knocked off the White Sox 4-0 at Fenway Park.

                                           Jeremy Swayman approves of the shutout win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first and Sam Antonacci grounded out to first to start. Munetaka Murakami flied out to left. Miguel Vargas walked but Colson Montgomery struck out swinging to end the inning. Burke got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Nick Sogard took strike three to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to left but Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to center. Abreu took second on a wild pitch and Willson Contreras got a base hit to left to score him. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning with the Red Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Sox strike first

Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Braden Montgomery flied out to left. Tristan Peters flied out to right to end the inning. Caleb Durbin lined out to right to start the bottom of the second and Jarren Duran grounded out to second. Andruw Monasterio got a base hit to left then stole second. Monasterio took third on a balk but Connor Wong lined out to short to end the inning. 

Chase Meidroth struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Drew Romo flied out to center, but Antonacci was hit with a pitch. Murakami walked and Vargas got a base hit inside the bag at third. Antonacci ran for home but Durbin threw him out to end the inning. Sogard struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third and Rafaela did the same. Abreu then smashed his 20th home run of the year to increase the lead before Contreras walked. Yoshida popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Abreu watches it go

Colson Montgomery struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Benintendi doubled off the Monster. Braden Montgomery struck out swinging and Peters did the same to end the inning. Durbin lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Duran doubled off the glove of Murakami. Duran took third on a wild pitch but Monasterio popped up to first. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

All of a sudden Contreras keeled over in the dugout and had to leave the game in the top of the fifth. Sogard moved over to first and Anthony Seigler came in for Contreras at second. Meidroth struck out swinging but naturally Seigler booted a grounder by Romo for an error. Romo took second on a grounder to the mound by Antonacci but Murakami struck out swinging to end the inning. Sogard popped up to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Rafaela walked to chase Burke. Old pal Sean Newcomb came in to face Abreu and Wilyer hit a bullet.....right to Murakimi who got Rafaela at first to end the inning.

Vargas got a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but Colson Montgomery grounded into a double play. Benintendi grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Gray agter 6 shutout innings at only 83 pitches. He allowed 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                         Good work Gray

Seigler struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida lined out to right. Durbin grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Braden Montgomery struck out swinging to start. Peters' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Durbin and Meidroth grounded out to short to end the inning. Duran got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the seventh to chase Newcomb. Huascar Brazoban came in to fsce Monasterio and Duran took off for second. Romo's throw got away and Duran took third on the error. Monasterio hit a sac fly to left to score Duran but Wong struck out swinging. Sogard walked but Rafaela forced him at second to end the inning with the BoSox up 3-0.

                                                       Sox score another run

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Joey Bart pinch hit for Romo to start. Bart struck out swinging but Antonacci got a base hit to center. Murakami flied out to left and Vargas struck out swinging to end the inning. Old pal Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Abreu walked to start. Abreu stole second but Seigler struck out swinging. Jahmai Jones pinch hit for Yoshida and took strike three. Durbin blooped a base hit to right and Abreu came home....SAFE! Durbin was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the BoSox ahead 4-0.

                                                       Durbin drives in a run

Jovani Moran came in to close out the top of the ninth and Colson Montgomery walked on four pitches not even close. Randal Grichuk pinch hit for Benintendi and took strike three. Braden Montgomery struck out swinging and Brenton Doyle pinch hit for Peters. Colson Montgomery took second on defense indifference but Doyle struck out swinging to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 4-0.

                                                                     Sox win

Hero of The Night is Sonny Gray. He pitched 6 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

                                                             Gray Hero

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a walk, home run, a stolen base and 3 total runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 1 for 1 with a walk and an rbi before leaving the game.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 2 with a stolen base and an rbi.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Jahmai Jones struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

What a torrid run the Red Sox are on. Not only have they won seven games in a row but the last five have come against potential playoff teams. Sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers and taking 2 of 3 from the AL Central leading White Sox is no joke. Its not just that they win, its how. The Sox 5 man rotation are under or just over 3.00 which means the starters are only giving up 3 runs or fewer per start. As long as the bullpen doesn't melt down, the Sox have a chance to win almost every night. The offense that was once the worst in not just all of baseball but heading toward historic incompetence is now a strength. With Andruw Monasterio and Caleb Durbin turning their seasons around and Connor Wong replacing Carlos Narvaez, the Sox are 7 guys deep out of nine. The only stragglers are Sogard and Seigler but they're only playing because Curtis Mead got hurt and Trevor Story is still out. Tonight's game went according to formula, get lights out pitching and scratch out enough runs to win. Duran's average might be .206 but he was about .190 a few weeks ago and he's definitely picked it up. That little ruckus with Contreras and Chad Epperson might have woke him up. He admitted that he thought for sure he would be released at the trade deadline and now that he's safe, he's been playing his ass off. Hopefully that continues moving forward because if HE gets hot, there's no stopping them. They're 7 guys deep in the bullpen, the rotation is averaging 3 runs or fewer and the offense is rolling. One pipe dream is the Detroit Tigers started their historic 1984 season by going 35-5. If the Red Sox somehow win five more games in a row, they'll have gone 35-5 since losing to the Colorado Rockies on June 24th. A tall task but not impossible. The bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the worthless Colorado Rockies but the good news was the St. Louis Cardinals knocked off the New York Yankees. The 15 game lead the Yankees had is now down to just 1. Overtaking them is crucial because they don't want a repeat of last year with 3 straight games in Yankee Stadium. It seems unfair but the Sox need to go on these major win streaks just to keep pace with the Rays and Yankees. Just have to keep winning and winning. The win improved the Sox to 62-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to sweep the White Sox and win their eighth game in a row tomorrow night when Ranger Suarez (4-3, 3.15 ERA) takes on Luis Castillo of Chicago. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Knock Out A's in 10 Innings (7/29/26)

For five innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were headed to their second straight loss against the last place Sacramento A's. Patrick Sandoval lasted just 5 innings for the Sox allowing a Jonah Heim home run in the bottom of the second and a Lawrence Butler home run in the bottom of the fifth. The only run scored by the Sox was a Jahmai Jones home run in the top of the fifth. Then in the top of the sixth Nick Sogard drove in a run and the Red Sox bullpen stepped up big time to pitch shutout ball the rest of the way. After Aroldis Chapman (2-3, 1.77 ERA) finished the ninth, Andruw Monasterio blasted a 2 run home run in the top of the tenth to put the Sox on top. Greg Weissert struck out two of the three guys he faced to get the save and the Sox had won this one 4-2 in 10 innings at Sutter Health Park.

                                                             Sapphire approves of the win

Lopez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jahmai Jones walked to start Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging and Wilyer Abreu popped up to third, but Willson Contreras walked. Caleb Durbin popped up to third to end the inning. Sandoval got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacob Wilson flied out to center to start. Nick Kurtz was hit with a pitch and moved to second on the Tommy White grounder back to the mound. Tyler Soderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jeff McNeil came in for Kurtz to start the top of the second and Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Andruw Monasterio got a base hit to right and Nick Sogard struck out swinging. Connor Wong popped up to second to end the inning. The A's struck first in the bottom of the second as Jonah Heim hit a home run all the way to Washington DC to start. Colby Thomas struck out swinging but Henry Bolte walked. Bolte was thrown out at second trying to steal but Lawrence Butler walked. Alika Williams forced Butler at second to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                      Heim jacks one

Jones struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Rafaela got a base hit to center. Abreu lined out to left and Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. Wilson grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third and McNeil lined out to center. White struck out swinging to end the inning.

Durbin got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Gonzalez popped up to short. Monasterio got a base hit to left and Sogard got a base hit to right to load the bases. Wong grounded into a double play to end the inning. Soderstrom struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Heim singled to right. Thomas popped up to second and Bolte struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Jones smashed his fourth home run of the season to start. Rafaela struck out swinging and Abreu did the same. Contreras went down hacking to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                      Jones ties it up

The A's finished off Sandoval in the bottom of the fifth as Butler hit a home run all the way back to Oakland to start. Williams lined out to left but Wilson got a base hit to center. McNeil got a base hit to right but White struck out swinging. Soderstrom took strike three to end the inning with the A's up 2-1. Yeoman's effort from Sandoval to hold the A's to 2 runs in 5 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                            Sandoval goes five innings

The Sox fought back in the top of the sixth as Durbin got a base hit to left to start. Gonzalez flied out to right and that was it for Lopez. Hayden Juenger came in to pitch and Monasterio popped up to short. Sogard got a base hit to center to score Durbin to tie the game. Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Wong and grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       Sogard drives in the tying run

Carlos Narvaez took over behind the plate with Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero now on the mound for the bottom of the sixth. Heim popped up to third to start and Carlos Cortes pinch hit for Thomas. Cortes struck out swinging and Thomas grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jarren Duran pinch hit for Jones to start the top of the seventh and flied out to center. Rafaela doubled to center then moved to third on the Abreu grounder to first. Contreras walked to chase Juenger. Elvis Alvarado came in to pitch and Durbin walked to load the bases. Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Butler lined out to left to start. Donovan Walton pinch hit for Williams and flied out to center. Monasterio threw a ball away by Wilson for an error and McNeil singled to right to move Wilson to third. McNeil stole second but White struck out swinging to end the inning.

Monasterio was plunked to start the top of the eighth and took second on a balk. Sogard and Narvaez both struck out swinging to chase Alvarado. Brady Basso came in to get Duran to ground out to first to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Soderstrom flied out to left to start. Heim got a base hit to center but Cortes took strike three. Bolte forced Heim at second to end the inning.

Rafaela took strike three to start the top of the ninth and Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras singled to left and Durbin did the same. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Butler doubled to center to start. Walton dropped down a bunt to move Butler to third but Wilson struck out swinging. McNeil struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jose Suarez came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Gonzalez starting at second base. Monasterio clobbered his sixth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Sogard popped up to second, Narvaez flied out to center and Duran lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                           Sox take the lead

Greg Weissert came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with McNeil starting at second base. White took strike three, Soderstrom struck out swinging and Heim flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Andruw Monasterio. His 2 run home run put the Sox ahead for good.

                                                               Hero Monasterio

The Good:

Jahmai Jones was 1 for 2 with a walk and a home run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5.

Willson Contreras was 1 for 3 with 2 walks.

Caleb Durbin was 3 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Nick Sogard was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Patrick Sandoval allowed just 2 runs in 5 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Greg Weissert earned his first save of the season with a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

This has been a hell of a month and Sox fans don't want it to end. Just one month ago if other teams had the lead after 5 innings the game was over. Now they win games no matter what inning it is. Not only that, entrusting Greg Weissert with a man on base was suicide and now he gets them 1-2-3. The Sox with Weissert, Whitlock, Chapman, Slaten and Guerrero are five men deep and if Chad Tracy lets the starters go past 6 innings with a lead, the game is essentially over. Alex Cora used to burn the bullpen every single season by yanking guys after 5 and using the same 2 or 3 guys until they had nothing left. If Tracy wants to avoid a similar collapse (2021, 2023, 2024), he needs to trust his starters and rotate the bullpen. As for this game, 2 months ago everyone wanted Sox GM Craig Breslow fired for trading Kyle Harrison for Anthony Seigler, Durbin and Monasterio (and Owen Hull). Now Monasteiro is getting big hits in the later innings and Durbin went from hitting .166 on May 17 to .244 tonight. The team believes they can win and they're locked in. The bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays won but the good news is the New York Yankees lost. The Sox trimmed a 15 game lead on June 24 down to 4.5 and Yankee fans are starting to get rattled. This would be hilarious if the Sox pulled a reverse 1978. Hopefully the Sox can pull that off. The win improved the Sox to 56-51, 7 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow night against the A's when Sonny Gray (12-2) takes on Mason Barnett of Sacramento. The game begins at 9:40 PM at Sutter Health Field.

Sox Rally Falls Short in Sacramento (7/28/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some grim roster moves. It was revealed Curtis Mead fractured his wrist and will be out the rest of the season proving this franchise is cursed again. Gave up the career of Connelly Early for 2 at-bats of Curtis Mead. Nick Sogard was called up to replace him but since they didn't want to pay for a cross country flight last second, he won't even be available until Wednesday's game at least. In other news, the Portland Sea Dogs released Raudelis Martinez. The 24 year old catcher was picked up in the Rule 5 draft last year and hit .262 with 1 home run as a backup. Doesn't seem like he was failing hard but, oh well.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                  IN

As for the game, sometimes games are decided by one swing of the bat but in tonight's game it was two. The Sacramento A's knocked off the Red Sox when Jake Bennett (6-4, 2.74 ERA) was tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball but a Brian Serven two run home run seemingly put the game out of reach. The Sox got a run back on a Wilyer Abreu rbi against Gage Jump but the A's got another run off Ryan Watson. Game over right? Not so fast. The Sox rallied in the ninth when Connor Wong belted a 2 run shot and Anthony Seigler hit a rocket that would have been a home run....if Henry Bolte didn't leap up and catch it for the final out. Had that ball been 5 feet higher the Sox might have won, instead they fell 4-3 to the A's at Sutter Health Park.

                                                     "The Sox lost again"

Jump got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jahmai Jones doubled to left to start. Romy Gonzalez popped up to first but Willson Contreras walked. Wilyer Abreu grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bennett got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jacob Wilson grounded out to third to start. Nick Kurtz flied out to right and Jonah Heim grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Caleb Durbin got a base hit to right. Durbin stole second but Jarren Duran took strike three. Andruw Monasterio walked but Carlos Narvaez took strike three to end the inning. The A's struck first in the bottom of the second as Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to short to start. Tommy White got a base hit inside the bag at third then took second on a sacrifice bunt by Colby Thomas. Henry Bolte got a base hit to center to score White to put the A's up for good just two innings into it. Alika Williams flied out to right to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                          Bolte puts the A's on top

Jones grounded out to second to start the top of the third but Gonzalez walked. Contreras grounded into a double play to end the inning. Serven grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third and Wilson grounded out to third. Kurtz grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Abreu flied out to left to start the top of the fourth and Rafaela grounded out to third. Durbin flied out to right to end the inning. Heim popped up to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Soderstrom took strike three. White singled to right but Thomas flied out to left to end the inning.

Duran caught Kurtz asleep with a bunt to start the top of the fifth but naturally got picked off. Monasterio struck out swinging but Narvaez walked. Jones took strike three to end the inning. Bolte reached on a bunt single to third to start the bottom of the fifth but Williams flied out to right. Bolte swiped second but Severn took strike three. Wilson flied out to right to end the inning.

Gonzalez struck out swinging to begin the top of the sixth and Contreras did the same. Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. Kurtz was called for strike three to start the bottom of the sixth but Heim walked. Soderstrom struck out swinging but White singled to center. Thomas grounded out to short to end the inning.

Luis Medina came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rafaela got a base hit to right to start. Rafaela took second on the sacrifice bunt by Durbin but, naturally, Duran struck out swinging and Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning. The A's iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Bolte walked to start. Williams dropped down a bunt to move him to second but Serven hit a home run all the way back to Oakland to put the game out of reach. That was it for Bennett who pitched well but that last home run killed his outing. He went 6 1/3 allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and 3 runs. Jovani Moran came in to pitch to Wilson and Jacob doubled to left. Kurtz took strike three but Wilson stole second. Heim lined out to second to end the inning with the A's up 3-0.

                                                      Bennett deserved better

The Sox rallied in the top of the eighth as Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Narvaez and got a base hit to right. Anthony Seigler pinch hit for Jones and walked.....only for Gonzalez to ground into a double play. Contreras walked to chase Medina. Hogan Harris came in to face Abreu and Wilyer got a base hit to right to score Yoshida. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                          Abreu doesn't want to give up

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Connor Wong now behind the plate. Soderstrom was retired on a tapper in front of the plate but White got a base hit to left. Lawrence Butler pinch hit for Thomas and doubled to center to score White. Bolte flied out to right to move Butler to third but Williams grounded out to short to end the inning with the A's up 4-1.

                                                           A's with the dagger

Durbin took strike three to start the top of the ninth but Duran singled off the glove of Bolte. Monasterio took strike three but Wong somehow belted his second home run of the season to cut the lead. Seigler then hit a ball deep out to center but Bolte reached up and grabbed it to end the game. The Sox missed a game tying home run by 5 feet as the A's won 4-3.

                                                              Missed it by THAT much

Jackass of the Night is Ryan Watson. He allowed a run in the eighth inning that proved to be the difference in the game.

                                                             Jackass Watson

The Good:

Jahmai Jones was 1 for 3.

Anthony Seigler walked as a pinch hitter and missed the game tying home run by 5 feet.

Willson Contreras walked twice in four plate appearances.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Carlos Narvaez walked in two plate appearances.

Masataka Yoshida singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong hit a 2 run home run in his only at-bat.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Jake Bennett was solid going 6 1/3 innings allowing 3 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

Jovani Moran got the final two outs of the seventh inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andrew Monasterio was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

The loss of Curtis Mead stings already because once again the Sox struggled to score runs against a last place team. The Sox have been on such a roll this month that a lot of fans expected that Seigler ball would go out. Just one month ago nobody even thought they would score a run. Still, they couldn't hit Jump and rallied way too late. Watson picked a bad time to give up a run and Bennett made just one mistake to Serven. We're less than a week away from the trade deadline and the question becomes, does Breslow go all in to make a move for another bat or does he sit back and wait & pray Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Curtis Mead come back healthy? With Story at short, Anthony in left and Mead at second, that puts Seigler & Monasterio as defensive replacements and most likely Duran is DFA'd. You can't hit .199 at this level in the middle of a pennant race. He's either got to pick it up like Durbin did or he's dog food. The worst part is the Tampa Bay Rays lost so the Sox missed an opportunity to gain a game on them. Just have to come back stronger in the next two games. The loss dropped the Sox to 55-51, 7 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against the Rays when Patrick Sandoval goes for the Sox against Jacob Lopez of Sacramento. The game begins at 9:40 PM eastern time at Sutter Health Park.

Sox Sweep Rays, Win 13 Straight (7/19/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox officially released Danny Coulombe. Just like Tommy Kahnle, he didn't have it anymore. The Red Sox have been white hot lately and a lot of that was due to their shutdown bullpen. Coulombe wasn't getting it done and rumors are Patrick Sandoval is going to the bullpen when Ranger Suarez comes back. Oh well.

                                                                      OUT

As for the game, how about the white hot Boston Red Sox. The Sox took the first place Tampa Bay Rays and chewed them up & spat them out in four straight games. Today Sonny Gray (12-1, 2.48 ERA) continued his march toward the AL Cy Young award by tossing 6 innings and holding the Rays to 1 run. He wasn't as sharp but he got the outs when he had to. Meanwhile the Sox got to Rays ace Shane McClanahan for 6 runs. The Sox scored 3 runs in the third inning without getting a hit and Willson Contreras hit a 2 run jack to put it out of reach. The trio of Greg Weissert, Jovani Moran and Ryan Watson slammed the door and the Sox had won 13 straight including a 4 game sweep of the Rays 6-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                           Ryan Fox approves of the win

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Yandy Diaz led off by grounding out to first. Jonathan Aranda walked and Junior Caminero singled in the hole at third. Cedric Mullins struck out swinging and Jarren Duran nearly ran into Ceddanne Rafaela on a pop up to center by Chandler Simpson to end the inning. McClanahan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jahmai Jones led off with a base hit to left. Ceddanne Rafaela bunted foul, then popped up to first and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center.  Willson Contreras flied out to center as well to end the inning.

The Rays struck first in the top of the second as Victor Mesa Jr hit a ball into the centerfield triangle that Rafaela had trouble picking it up. Mesa tried for the home run and the throw beat him....but Connor Wong dropped the ball to put the Rays on top. Richie Palacios got a base hit to center and they had him picked off...but Contreras dropped the ball. It looked like Palacios was thrown out at second trying to steal but the Rays challenged. Replays showed Romy Gonzalez missed the tag and Taylor Walls walked. Hunter Feduccia took strike three, Diaz flied out to right and Aranda flied out to left to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                            Mesa scores...barely

The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Caleb Durbin ripped a base hit to left to start. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Durbin took off for second. The throw by Feduccia got away and Durbin took third. Andruw Monasterio beat out a double to left to score Durbin and Jarren Duran walked. Duran was thrown out at second on a double steal but Monasterio made it to third. Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Sox tie it up

Caminero struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Mullins walked. Simpson doubled to right but Mesa Jr took strike three. Palacios flied out to left to end the inning. Jones walked to start the bottom of the third Rafaela flied out to center. Abreu was hit with a pitch and Contreras walked to load the bases. Feduccia allowed a passed ball to score Jones and Durbin hit a grounder to third. Caminero hit Abreu with the throw to score him and the runners moved over. Gonzalez grounded out to second but Contreras scored with another run. Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Walls lined out to short to start the top of the fourth and Feduccia grounded out to first. Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fourth and Wong struck out swinging. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aranda got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth but was forced at second by Caminero. Mullins grounded back to the mound to move Caminero to second and Simpson grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafaela beat out a grounder to short to start the bottom of the fifth but Abreu flied out to left. Contreras pounded his 22nd homer of the year to dead center to increase the lead but Durbin flied out to center. Gonzalez flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                      Contreras hits another one out

Gray returned for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Mesa Jr lined out to right to start. Palacios walked but Walls grounded into a double play to end the inning. Gray wasn't the sharpest but hung in there to allow just 1 run in 6 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

                                                           Gray battled in this one

Craig Kimbrel came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Monasterio struck out swinging to start. Duran grounded out to short and Wong struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Feduccia doubled to center to start. Diaz grounded out to second to move Hunter to third, but Aranda took strike three. Caminero lined out to left to end the inning. Chris Roycroft came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jones grounded out to third to start. Rafaela got a base hit to right but Abreu lined out to center. Contreras lined out to third to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Mullins grounded out to short to start. Simpson got a base hit in the hole at second then move to second on the grounder to third by Mesa. Palacios grounded out to second to end the inning. Durbin grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth and Gonzalez grounded out to short. Monasterio walked and Duran grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Walls got a base hit to center to start. Feduccia walked but Diaz struck out swinging. Aranda struck out swinging and Caminero lined out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Willson Contreras. His two run home run essentially iced the game.

                                                           Hero Contreras

The Good:

Jahmai Jones was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Sonny Gray got the win with 6 innings of run 1 ball allowing 5 hits and 4 walks.

Greg Weissert pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Ryan Watson pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 but scored a run.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 but stole a base, drove in a run and scored a run.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

On June 24 the Red Sox got embarrassed by the Colorado Rockies 2 out of 3 to drop to 14 games out and 14 games under .500. The Sox have lost 2 games since, winning 18 out of 20 and 13 straight to get back into the race. The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees also lost today so everything is coming up Red Sox. Gray didn't have his best stuff today but he got the outs he needed to win this one. Contreras is unquestionably the team leader and its fired the team up any time there's a big hit. He got the big two run homer to ice it in this one. They scored three runs without getting a hit and that's the kind of game the Rays were known for with their speed. Yandy Diaz getting held in check was the main reason the Sox won this series. The Rays go to Toronto next so the Jays are going to be facing an angry, due Diaz. Good luck with that. All in all this win streak brought hope back, the fans back and good spirits back. It'll be a shame when the streak ends but if the Sox can win consistently in the next two months, they'll be right in the thick of things by the end. Getting a healthy Garrett Crochet and Ranger Suarez back would make Boston very deadly come October. Have to make it there first with 64 games left on the schedule. The win improved the Sox to 50-48, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to continue the momentum against the equally hot Baltimore Orioles who have won 7 in a row in the next series. Tomorrow night Shane Baz goes for Baltimore against Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.11 ERA) of Boston at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.