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.

Boston's Home Run Parade Sweeps Dodgers (8/2/26)

Last night the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers on the back of shutdown pitching and timely hitting. Tonight the Sox completed a three game sweep of the back to back champs by bashing balls out of the park. The Sox as a team played home run derby by slugging four home runs, three of them in the third inning. The Sox got two runs in the first inning against LA starter Emmet Sheehan on rbis from Masataka Yoshida and Caleb Durbin. The Dodgers then got to Sox starter Jake Bennett (7-4, 2.90 ERA) for three runs in the bottom of the second. Then in the top of the third Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Yoshida went yard to put the Sox on top. Jarren Duran added a home run in the sixth inning while the Sox tacked on two more runs in the eighth. Despite a Dodger slanted NBC broadcast, the Sox had swept the Dodgers and won their fifth straight game 8-4 at Dodger Stadium.

                                                  Michael Thorbjornsen approves of the win

Sheehan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nick Sogard walked on a questionable full count ball to start. Ceddanne Rafaela forced Sogard at second but Wilyer Abreu got a base hit up the middle. Willson Contreras flied out to left but Masataka Yoshida slapped a base hit to left to score Rafaela. Caleb Durbin ripped a base hit to right to score Abreu and move Yoshida to third, but Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Durbin adds to the lead

Bennett got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani got a base hit to right to start. Andy Pages struck out swinging and Tommy Edman did the same. Freddie Freeman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Carlos Narvaez did the same. Sogard took strike three to end the inning. Mr. Mookie Betts lined out to short to start the bottom of the second but Kyle Tucker ripped a base hit to center. Teoscar Hernandez split the D with a base hit up the middle and Max Muncy rocketed a ball off the right field wall but Tucker got fooled so instead of scoring, it just loaded the bases. Eliezer Alfonzo grounded out to short to score Tucker and Ohtani was intentionally walked to reload the bases. Pages made them pay with a base hit past the diving Contreras to score both Hernandez and Muncy. Edman forced Pages at second to end the inning with the Dodgers up 3-2.

                                                          Happy Hernandez

The Sox came back in the top of the third as Rafaela clocked his 15th home run to tie the game to start. Abreu smashed his 17th home run of the season to put the Sox on top but Contreras flied out to center. Yoshida belted his fifth home run of the season to increase the lead but Durbin grounded out to short. Monasterio was hit with a pitch and that was it for Sheehan. Jack Dreyer came in to face Duran and Jarren grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                            Bing, bang, boom

Freeman grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third and Mr. Mookie flied out to center. Tucker looked to have walked but Narvaez challenged to change the call to strike three to end the inning.

Narvaez walked to start the top of the fourth but Sogard struck out swinging. A wild pitch moved Carlos to second but Rafaela struck out swinging. Abreu flied out to center to end the inning. Hernandez flied out to the right field wall to start the bottom of the fourth and Muncy flied out to left. Alfonso lined out to right to end the inning. 

Evan Phillips came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Contreras flied out to right to start. Yoshida hit a comebacker to Phillips and Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Ohtani took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth and Sogard robbed Pages of a base hit. Monasterio then made a great play to rob Edman as well to end the inning. 

Kyle Hurt came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Monasterio struck out swinging to start. Duran belted his 14th home run of the season to increase the lead but Narvaez struck out swinging. Sogard flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3. 

                                                              Duran jacks one

Freeman got a base hit in the hole at second to start the bottom of the sixth but Mr. Mookie grounded into a double play. Tucker walked and that was it for Bennett as Jake allowed 3 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch to Hernandez and Sogard made another great play to rob Teoscar of a hit to end the inning.

                                                          Not great, but it'll do

Rafaela took strike three to start the top of the seventh but Abreu walked. Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida hit a ball that a fan reached over the wall to grab for a fan interference out to end the inning. Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Muncy ate up Sogard on a line drive for a base hit to start. Alfonzo flied out to center but a wild pitch moved Muncy to second. Ohtani struck out swinging but Pages doubled into the left field corner to score Muncy. Edman popped up to center to end the inning with the Dodgers down 6-4.

                                                           Pages drives in a run

Wyatt Mills came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin was hit with a pitch to begin. Monasterio beat out a chopper to third and Duran dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Anthony Seigler pinch hit for Narvaez and a wild pitch scored Durbin, moving Monasterio to third. The crowd booed as a passed ball on Alfonzo scored Monasterio but Seigler popped up to left. Sogard hit a routine grounder to Betts who threw wide of first for an error. Rafaela got a base hit to center to move Sogard to third but Abreu popped up to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-4.

                                                              Monasterio scores a run

Connor Wong took over behind the plate and Jovani Moran came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Alex Call pinch hit for Freeman and doubled to left, but Betts grounded out to short. Enrique Hernandez pinch hit for Tucker and grounded out to second to move Call to third. That was it for Moran as Greg Weissert came in to face Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Contreras struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Yoshida walked. Durbin walked but Monasterio flied out to left. Duran popped up to first to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Muncy popped up to third to start. Alfonzo grounded out to third but Ohtani walked. Ohtani took second on defensive indifference but Pages struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-4.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of the Night is Wilyer Abreu. His home run in the third put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 Hero Abreu

The Good:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run and 2 total rbis.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jake Bennett got the win by tossing 5 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

Justin Slaten got the final out of the sixth inning.

Jovani Moran got the first two outs of the eighth inning.

Greg Weissert got the final out of the eighth inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyron Guerrero allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

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

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Nick Sogard was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox just keep on rolling and the haters are running out of excuses. The "they haven't beat anyone good" just got laid to rest by sweeping the Dodgers out of Los Angeles. Not only did they win, they scored 17 runs in two of the three games. Falling behind and rallying against Sacramento and not giving up when trailing or tied with Los Angeles shows the balls this team didn't have back from April to June. Not only that, Monasterio made some errors this past week but he and Sogard couldn't miss this weekend. They beat the Dodgers with offense, pitching and defense. That's the kind of team that's going to be scary in the playoffs. As a side note, years ago you could have put New York Yankees jersies on Jess Mendoza and Matt Vasgersian during ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when the Red Sox played the Yankees and for all intents and purposes, that's what NBC did last night only Dodger blue for Jason Benetti, Orel Hershiser and Clayton Kershaw. The broadcast last night was 50% kissing Tarik Skubal's ass and 45% Hershiser and Kershaw gladhanding each other for their Dodger accomplishments. The other 5% was Lou Merloni desperately trying to point out the Red Sox were kicking the crap out of the Dodgers in this series and was the hottest team in baseball. That was a disgrace, I don't care that they were in LA. Anyway, the Sox ARE the hottest team in baseball but the question is, are they going to add or stand pat tomorrow during the trade deadline? The word is there won't be a 2027 season so if they're going to win now, they're going to have to go big. They have the talent to be a contender for years if they choose to stand pat, especially with Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Curtis Mead expected back at some point this year. The bad news was the New York Yankees won but the good news was the Tampa Bay Rays lost. The Sox also have a 4 game lead on the Cleveland Guardians for the second wild card and a 5 game lead on the Texas Rangers for the third. Everything is falling into place, they just need to keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 60-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night at home against the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox hasnt named a starter yet while Davis Martin goes for Chicago. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park. 

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.

Durbin, Sox Drop O's for 15th Straight Win in Game 1 (7/22/26)

2 months ago the Boston Red Sox had won of the worst offenses in franchise history, today they tied the franchise record for most consecutive wins with the 1946 American League Champion Red Sox. A rainout turned today into a double-header and the Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles in Game 1. Jake Bennett (6-3, 2.58 ERA) tossed 5 2/3 gutty innings holding the Orioles to just 3 runs despite nine hits. The story of the game was the rally in the first inning against Baltimore starter Dean Kremer. Caleb Durbin drove in the first two runs and a Jarren Duran triple drove int he next two. Duran added another rbi and Ceddanne Rafaela belted a home run to put the game out of reach. The Triangle of Terror Justin Slaten, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door and the Sox made it 15 wins in a row with a 6-3 victory in Game 1 over the Orioles at Fenway Park.

                                                  Tex Hughson approves of the win

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Taylor Ward struck out swinging to start. Pete Alonso grounded out to short but Gunnar Henderson singled past Jake. Tyler O'Neill flied out to center to end the inning. Kremer got the ball in the bottom of the first and Masataka Yoshida got a base hit to center to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit in the hole at second but Wilyer Abreu lined out to first. Willson Contreras got a base hit to left to load the bases and Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center to score both Yoshida & Rafaela. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging but Jarren Duran tripled into the right field corner to clear the bases. Connor Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                         Run Duran! Run!

Coby Mayo popped up to second to start the top of the second and Leody Taveras lined out to right. Christian Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit to center and Jackson Holliday got a base hit to left but Sam Huff struck out swinging to end the inning. Tsung-Che Cheng struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Yoshida walked. Rafaela flied out to center and Abreu popped up to third to end the inning. 

The O's struck back in the top of the third as Ward lined out to right to start. Alonso hit a ground rule double down the right field line but Henderson struck out swinging. O'Neill doubled to center to score Alonso but Mayo flied out to center to end the inning with the O's down 4-1.

                                                            O's get a run back

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Contreras struck out swinging to start. Durbin beat out a roller to third, Gonzalez doubled off the Monster and Duran hit a sac fly to center to score Durbin. Wong struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1

                                                         Duran drives in another run

The Os refused to give up in the top of the fourth as Wong snuffed out a bunt by Taveras to start. Encarnacion-Strand hit his second home run of the series to cut the lead but Holliday grounded out to first. Huff grounded out to third to end the inning with the Os down 5-2.

                                                           Strand again?

The Sox got the run back in the bottom of the fourth as Cheng grounded out to second to start. Yoshida flied out to left but Rafaela launched his 9th home run of the year to increase the lead. Abreu grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                        Rafaela jacks one

Ward lined out to Bennett to start the top of the fifth but Alonso got a base hit to center. Henderson flied out to right and Henderson struck out swinging to end the inning. Contreras flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Durbin grounded out to second. Gonzalez flied out to right to end the inning. 

Bennett ran out of gas in the top of the sixth as Mayo doubled to left to start. Taveras grounded out to first to move Mayo to third and Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit to left to score Coby. A wild pitch moved Strand to second but Holliday flied out to left. Johnathan Rodriguez pinch hit for Huff and Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled Bennett. He was game, allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 9 hits. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and the O's swapped out Rodriguez with Dylan Beavers. Beavers popped up to third to end the inning with the Os down 6-3.

                                                                Good work Jake

Chadwick Tromp took over behind the plate for the bottom of the sixth and Duran grounded out to first to start. Wong grounded out to second and Cheng lined out to right to end the inning. 

Ward got a base hit to left to start the top of the seventh but Alonso lined out to center. Henderson flied out to right and O'Neill took strike three down the middle to end the inning. Anthony Nunez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to third to start. Rafaela popped up to first and Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Colton Cowser pinch hit for Mayo. Cowser flied out to rightt, Taveras grounded out to second and Strand also grounded out to second to end the inning. Contreras got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Durbin forced him at second. Gonzalez popped up to first and Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Holliday got a base hit to center to start. Tromp banged into a double play but Ward walked. Ward took second on defense indifference but Alonso grounded out to short to end the game. The Red Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Caleb Durbin. His two run single in the first set the tone for the game

                                                             Hero Durbin

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 3 rbis.

Jake Bennett got the win allowing 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings off 9 hits.

Justin Slaten tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 23rd save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Tsung-Che Cheng was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Romy Gonzalez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

This is absolutely unbelievable. They were dead in the water, 14 games under .500 and 1 game ahead of the worst team in baseball that just beat them 2 out of 3 games......and one month later they've won 15 in a row and 20 out of 22 to tie a franchise record. Its gotten to the point where one loss will have a certain amount of fans going "Thats it, its all over. Sell the team, sell all the players, fire Breslow and blow up Fenway Park. Its over." The solution is to just not lose. The franchise hasn't won 15 games in a row in 80 years and that team went on to the World Series. Meanwhile this win streak just put them just 4 games over .500. Bennett tired by the end of the sixth and that's the big concern is the rookie wall is going to hit Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and Bennett hard. Its important to get Ranger Suarez back physically healthy and Brayan Bello mentally healthy because they're going to need them with Garrett Crochet out. It was good to see Duran contribute big time and the turnaround for Durbin has been Dustin Pedroia 2007-esque. Sox fans still want to trade Chapman but the three headed monster with Chapman, Whitlock and Slaten is as good as anyone in the league. One of the way they've won 15 in a row is by shortening games with lights out relief pitching. The Sox just need to keep doing what they're doing and they'll be right there in the end. Sox GM Craig Breslow might pull some voodoo magic at the trade deadline or he might stand pat and hope Roman Anthony, Trevor Story and Garrett Crochet come back. Just enjoy this streak while it lasts. The win improved the Sox to 52-48, no sense posting the standings yet. The Sox look to set an all-time franchise record with their 16th win in a row in Game 2 of the series in a few hours with Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 2.89 ERA) going for the Sox against Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.