Guardians Beat Depleted Sox (4/18/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Tyler O'Neill was placed on the Injured List with a concussion and Rob Refsnyder was finally removed from the Injured List to replace him. Its a shame O'Neill had to get hurt for Rob to make his season debut but he'll be back soon.....we hope.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, get a good look at this roster Red Sox fans because THIS is what you're paying the highest prices in the league to watch. With devastating injuries to 1/3 of the roster before the first 20 games have been played, the Sox had to go with their bench and an "opener" in today's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Naturally, they failed. Cooper Criswell (0-1, 4.26 ERA) was handed a 1-0 lead and promptly pissed it away due to two errors in the field. Joe Jacques allowed another run and the Sox couldn't overcome it. The Sox did rally to make a game of it but ultimately fell short, 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Sox fans have already lost it

Brennan Bernardino got the ball in the top of the first inning and Andres Gimenez grounded out to short to start. David Fry grounded out to short and Jose Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. Carrasco got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran walked to start. Duran swiped second and Triston Casas comically slid into first on a ball that struck the first base bag to put runners at the corners. Wilyer Abreu beat out a double play ball to score Duran with the first run. Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to center but Connor Wong struck out swinging. David Hamilton drew a walk to load the bases but Pablo Reyes flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                       Abreu drives in a run

Josh Naylor popped up to short to start the top of the second but Tyler Freeman walked. Bernardino picked off Freeman and Bo Naylor struck out swinging to end the inning. Short and sweet for Bernardino who did well as the "opener".

                                                              Good work Bernardino

Reese McGuire grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Gimenez booted a grounder by Duran but Casas grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cooper Criswell came in to pitch the top of the third inning and things immediately fell apart. Ramon Laureano grounded out to third and Hamilton booted a grounder by Gabriel Arias for an error. Arias moved to second on the Rocchio grounder to first and scored on the Gimenez base hit to left. Gimenez was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                       "You're out you dummy!"

Arias booted a grounder by Abreu to start the bottom of the third but Valdez flied out to right. Wong popped up to short and Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning.

Fry doubled to left to start the top of the fourth and moved to third on the Ramirez liner to Abreu. Josh Naylor ripped a base hit to right to score Fry and it looked like Freeman banged into a double play but the umpire ruled safe at first. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged the call but the call was upheld. Bo Naylor lined out to center to end the inning with the Guardians up for good 2-1.

                                                              Naylor drives in a run

Reyes flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth but McGuire walked. Rafaela and Duran both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The comedy continued in the top of the fifth as Reyes threw a routine grounder by Laureano away for an error. Laureano ended up on second and he moved to third on the Arias fly out to right. Rocchio walked and that was it for Criswell. Joe Jacques of all people came in and Gimenez effortlessly singled to left to score Laureano. Fry was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Ramirez beat out a double play ball to score Rocchio. Ramirez stole second but Josh Naylor was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning with the Guardians up 4-1.

                                        "Yeah you're out Criswell, now beat it!" - Cora

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Casas struck out swinging to start. Abreu doubled to right but Valdez lined out to third. Abreu got thrown out at third on a grounder by Wong to end the inning.

The Guardians kept it up in the top of the sixth as Freeman doubled to center to start. A wild pitch moved Freeman to third but Bo Naylor grounded out to second with the infield pulled in. Laureano then ripped a base hit to left to score Freeman anyway. Arias and Rocchio both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 5-1.

                                                       Laureano drives in a run

The Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the sixth although Hamilton's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Carrasco. Reyes grounded out to third but McGuire got a base hit to center to chase Carrasco. Cade Smith came in to pitch and Rafaela ripped a base hit to center. Suddenly Duran tripled into the centerfield triangle and scored on a balk by Smith. Casas took strike three to end the inning but the Sox were only down 5-4.

                                                          Duran gets the Sox back in it

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Gimenez popped up to third to start. Fry grounded out to first and Ramirez flied out to center to end the inning. Tim Herrin came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder made his season debut pinch hitting for Valdez....only to strike out swinging. Wong popped up to first to end the inning,

Josh Naylor grounded out to first to start the top of the eighth before Freeman grounded out to third. Bo Naylor got a base hit to right but Laureano took strike three to end the inning. Hunter Gaddis came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hamilton grounded out to second to start. Reyes took strike three and McGuire grounded out to short to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Arias struck out swinging to start. Rocchio got a base hit to right and Gimenez banged into a double play to end the inning. Emmanuel Chase came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Rafaela lined out to right to start. Duran grounded out to second and Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. The Guardians had won it 5-4.

                                                              Guardians win

Jackass of the Night is Cooper Criswell. Even with the errors he still was charged with four runs in just 2 1/3 innings.

                                                                Thanks a lot Jackass

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Brennan Bernardino tossed two scoreless innings as the opener.

Justin Slaten tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Joe Jacques allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in two runs, stole a base and scored twice.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

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

David Hamilton was 0 for 3 with an error but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Attendance to this game was 35,494 and all of them need their heads examined for paying the highest prices in the league for a minor league team. Injuries are part of the game but there's about six guys on the team that wouldn't be anywhere close had the Sox not suffered catastrophic injuries to Trevor Story, Lucas Giolito, Nick Pivetta and Tyler O'Neill. Guys like Rafael Devers, Garrett Whitlock and Vaughn Grissom being out is unfortunate and even AAA backup Romy Gonzalez didn't even last a week before spraining his wrist. Its all adding up to a team that's badly outgunned every single game. If it wasn't for Tanner Houck turning into Roger Clemens last night, the Sox would have gone 2-8 on the homestand against beatable competition. As it is, they finished their first homestand 3-7 and didn't look good in two of the games they won. With the starting rotation down to Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and "hold on to your asses", this is not a recipe for success. Whitlock will be back in a few weeks but they still don't have permanent replacements for Giolito and Pivetta. Things are falling apart real quick but with 35,000 people in the stands, Sam Kennedy and John Henry are laughing all the way to the bank. The Sox now travel to Pittsburgh for a three game set with the Pirates. Brayan Bello (2-1, 3.92 ERA) takes on Captain TBD of Pittsburgh at 6:40 PM at PNC Park.

Cubs Pound Paxton, Sox (7/15/23)

It took James Paxton's (5-2, 3.51 ERA) worst start all season to snap the Boston Red Sox's six game win streak as the Chicago Cubs took their advantage. After bad defense put the Sox in a 2-0 hole in the bottom of the third, Cody Bellinger hit a backbreaking grand slam to put the game out of reach. Triston Casas hit a 2 run bomb to put the game at 8-3 but Brandon Walter allowed two runs in the seventh inning. The Cubs pounded out 12 hits and 10 runs to take the game 10-4 at Wrigley Field.

                                                           Angry Sox fan

Marcus Stroman got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Masataka Yoshida took strike three but Justin Turner pounded a ground rule double down the left field line. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Paxton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nico Hoerner struck out swinging to start. Seiya Suzuki struck out swinging and Ian Happ grounded out to second to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to open the top of the second before Triston Casas grounded out to short. Christian Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning. Cody Bellinger flied out to right to start the bottom of the second before Yan Gomes flied out to right. Trey Mancini struck out swinging to end the inning.

Connor Wong singled to center to start the top of the third before Enrique Hernandez flied out to center. Duran walked but Yoshida banged into a double play to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the bottom of the third as Christopher Morel walked to start. Miguel Amaya was plunked and Patrick Wisdom walked to load the bases with nobody out. Hoerner then hit a routine grounder that Hernandez failed to corral for a "base hit" to score Morel, putting the Cubs up for good. Suzuki then hit a grounder to Devers who stepped on third to force Wisdom then turned and inexplicably fired the ball into the left field bleachers for an error to score Amaya. Hoerner and Suzuki pulled off a double steal and Happ drew a walk. Bellinger then crushed a grand slam all the way to Edenia, Minnesota to ice the game. Gomes singled to center but Mancini forced him at second. Morel struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 6-0. That was it for Paxton who allowed 6 runs in just 3 innings

                                                               So much for this game

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the fourth as Turner doubled to right to begin. Devers grounded out to short to move Turner to third and Justin scored on the grounder to short by Verdugo. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                                Sox get one back

Tayler Scott came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the fourth as Amaya doubled to right to start. Wisdom hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to make this one a laugher. Hoerner lined out to right but Suzuki got a base hit to right. Happ popped up to second but Bellinger walked. Gomes struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 8-1.

                                                        That one's out of here

Arroyo grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Wong lined out to right. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Mancini grounded out to third to start. Morel struck out swinging and Amaya took strike three to end the inning.

Duran took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to left. Turner flied out to center to end the inning. Joe Jacques came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wisdom grounded out to third to start. Hoerner grounded out to second and Suzuki took strike three to end the inning.

Julian Merryweather took over for Stroman in the top of the seventh and Dervers doubled to center to start. Verdugo flied out to center but Casas belted his 11th home run of the season to cut the lead. Arroyo and Wong both struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 8-3.

                                                           Casas gets two back

Jorge Alfaro came in for Wong and Brandon Walter came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh only for Happ to get a base hit to center to start. Bellinger got a base hit to center and Gomes flied out to right. Both Bellinger and Happ got into rundowns but Happ was thrown out at third. Mancini got a base hit to right and Morel got a base hit to left to score Bellinger. Amaya got a base hit to center to score Mancini but Wisdom flied out to right to end the inning with the Cubs up 10-3.

                                                     The beating continues

Michael Fulmer came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez walked to start. Duran walked and Yoshida moved both runners over with a grounder to first. Turner grounded out to third but Hernandez scored to cut the lead. Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 10-4.

                                                          Sox get a run back

Walter returned for the bottom of the eighth and Hoerner struck out swinging to start. Suzuki struck out swinging but Happ got a base hit to right. Bellinger struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Daniel Palencia came in to close out the top of the ninth and Verdugo lined out to right to start. Casas struck out swinging but Arroyo doubled to left. A wild pitch moved Arroyo to third but Alfaro was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the game. The Cubs had won it 10-4.

                                                               Cubs win

Jackass of The Night is James Paxton. He allowed 6 runs in 3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                          Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran walked twice in four plate appearances.

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Joe Jacques pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jorge Alfaro was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Tayler Scott allowed 2 runs in the fourth inning.

Brandon Walter allowed 2 runs 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

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

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a two run home run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 2 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a root canal with no painkiller. The Cubs beat their brains in for 12 hits and 10 runs. The sad part was that was James Paxton's worst start all season as he had been solid up to this point. Another problem the Sox have is relief pitching, especially when they're down. A good bullpen has relievers that can settle things down for the bats to bop their way back but Tayler Scott and Brandon Walter prevented any hope of a comeback. Granted some of the Sox best relievers are down but this is a concern moving forward. The Sox bullpen turned a 6-1 game into 10-4 and that can't happen in the second half. Rafael Devers and Kenley Jansen are practically screaming at Sox GM Chaim Bloom to do something to help the team at the trade deadline and another good reliever will help. The best thing to do about this game is to forget about it and try to start a new win streak. The loss dropped the Sox to 49-44, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series with the Cubs tomorrow afternoon when Kutter Crawford (3-4) takes on Justin Steele of Chicago. The game begins at 2:20 PM eastern time at Wrigley Field.

Red Sox Crush Yankees, Lose Houck (6/16/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made an unsurprising move. Matt Dermody was released by the Worcester Red Sox after the media backlash worked. Not that what he said was condonable, but the fact the Sox bow down to people who don't even watch baseball is a disgrace. From a pitching standpoint, he wasn't even that good so its no big loss. Just a reminder that we live in the bluest state in the union.

                                                                     Bye bye Dermody

As for the game, what a difference a year makes. Last year the Sox couldn't buy a win against the AL East and not only did they sweep the Toronto Blue Jays four straight in May, they beat the New York Yankees 2 out of 3 last week and just crushed the Yankees tonight. Justin Turner lit up the Yankees with a grand slam and a 2 run homer to pace an offense that blew away Domingo German and the Yankees bullpen. Masataka Yoshida drove in 3 runs, Pablo Reyes drove in a pair and the Sox as a unit pounded out 17 hits & 15 runs. Meanwhile Tanner Houck was lifted after just 4 innings and a run allowed after taking a line drive to the face the bullpen got tagged for four runs. It wasn't nearly enough as the Sox ran away with this one 15-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Hevnoraak approves of the win

The Yankees wasted no time getting to Houck in the top of the first as Jake Burger doubled to right to start. Giancarlo Stanton took strike three but Gleyber Torres got a base hit to left to move Burger to third. Anthony Rizzo grounded out to second to score Burger to put the Yankees on top. Josh Donaldson struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                                Yankees strike first

The Sox answered in the bottom of the first as Alex Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner doubled to left and Rafael Devers walked, but Adam Duvall took strike three. Masataka Yoshida doubled to center to score Turner and Devers to put Boston on top. Christian Arroyo was hit with a pitch but Triston Casas grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                            Yoshida drives in a pair

Willie Calhoun grounded out to first to start the top of the second and Billy McKinney grounded out to second. Kyle Higashioka grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Connor Wong walked to start. Pablo Reyes grounded into a double play but Verdugo doubled to center. Turner then launched his ninth home run of the season to increase the lead. Devers grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                                Turner hits one out

Anthony Volpe walked to start the top of the third but Bauers popped up to second. Stanton popped up to second and Torres forced Volpe and second to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the third as Duvall doubled to start. A wild pitch moved Duvall to third and Yoshida got a base hit to right to score Duvall. Arroyo doubled to center to chase German. Matt Krook came in to pitch and Casas grounded out to second. Yoshida got thrown out at home on a grounder to third by Wong but Reyes beat out a roller to third to score Arroyo. Verdugo beat out a roller to first to load the bases and Turner belted a grand slam to turn this game into a laugher. Devers popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                          Sox pour it on

Rizzo flied out to left to start the top of the fourth but Donaldson got a base hit to right. Calhoun flied out to right and McKinney flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox weren't done yet in the bottom of the fourth as Duvall lined out to second to start. Yoshida beat out a roller to first but Arroyo forced him at second. Casas walked and that was it for Krook. Albert Abreu came in to pitch and Wong got a base hit to right to score Arroyo and Casas. Reyes got a base hit to left to score Wong and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 13-1.

                                                           Reyes adds to the fun

Disaster struck in the top of the fifth as Higashioka lined a baseball off the face of Houck, knocking him out of the game. Tanner allowed 1 run in the 4 innings off 4 hits and a walk, hope he's ok. Joe Jacques came in to pitch and Volpe grounded into a double play just like that. Bauers grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                               Get well soon Houck

Turner grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Devers swung at air for strike three. Duvall whiffed to end the inning.

The Yankees struck back in the top of the sixth as Stanton singled to left to start. Reyes bobbled a grounder by Torres for an error and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Rizzo doubled home both runners but moved to third on the grounder to short by Rizzo. Calhoun took strike three but McKinney singled to left to score Rizzo. Higashioka struck out swinging to end the inning but the Yankees were down 13-4.

                                                           Yankees rally for 3

Yoshida led off with a double to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Arroyo grounded out to third. Nick Ramirez came in to pitch and Torres threw a grounder by Casas away for an error to score Yoshida. Wong struck out swinging and Reyes grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                         "I don't got it"

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Volpe singled to center to start. Bauers flied out to right, Stanton flied out to center and Torres flied out to center to end the inning. Verdugo flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh and Turner grounded out to short. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the eighth as Rizzo struck out swinging to start. Donaldson hit a home run all the way back to New York and Calhoun singled to right. McKinney flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees down 14-5.

                                                     Donaldson hits one out

Isiah Kiner-Falefa the infielder came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jarren Duran pinch hit for Duvall. Duran doubled to center and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Yoshida. Refsnyder flied out to center and Arroyo popped up to first. Casas doubled to left to score Duran but Wong grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 15-5.

                                                              Sox pour it on

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Volpe walked to start. Bauers grounded into a double play and Stanton grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 15-5.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Justin Turner. He belted a grand slam, a two run homer and drove in 6 runs.

                                                                 Hero Turner

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Duran doubled and scored a run in his only at-bat.

Masataka Yoshida was 4 for 4 with 3 rbis a run scored.

Triston Casas was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Pablo Reyes was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Tanner Houck allowed just 1 run in 4 innings before leaving with injury.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Joe Jacques allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Adam Duvall was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and scored two runs.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Corey Kluber allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Nice to crush the Yankees like that but losing Houck like that is a big loss. Sox fans remember Bryce Florie and Matt Clement were never the same after being hit in the face so its very concerning to see if Houck gets the jitters when he comes back. That overshadowed what should have been a great night where they scored 15 runs against their blood rivals. After taking 2 of 3 last week, winning tonight helps erase the bitter memories of last year where the Sox were incompetent against the AL East. Its only one game and the middle of June, but the vibe is a lot better this time around. The Sox don't get consistent pitching and still need to work on that, but when clicking their offense is as good as anyone. Turner was a one man wrecking crew and Yoshida going 4 for 4 was great to see as well. Hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum since the AL is weak this year....except for the AL East. Have to win when it matters. The win improved the Sox to 35-35, good for last place in the AL East. The sad part is they'd be tied for first place in the AL Central with the Minnesota Twins. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Yankees tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta (3-4) takes on Michael King of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rockies Outlast Sox in 10 Innings (6/13/23)

It might be getting close to time to pull the plug on the current iteration of the Boston Red Sox. Sox GM Chaim Bloom, mostly under orders from John Henry, has put together a team once again headed for last place. Games like tonight against the Colorado Rockies is how they're going to get there. The Rockies got to ineffective starter Kutter Crawford for 4 early runs but the Sox clawed back to tie the game with a 2 run homer by Rafael Devers included. In the top of the tenth, Randal Grichuk struck a two run double and Jurickson Profar hit a sac fly against Justin Garza (0-1, 4.09 ERA). Rafael Devers hit another two run homer in the bottom of the frame and Jarren Duran did get on base, but Reese McGuire struck out to end the game. The Rockies had beaten the Sox two straight games including this one 7-6 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                      "Losing two of three to Colorado"

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jurickson Profar struck out swinging to start. Ezequiel Tovar grounded out to short but Ryan McMahon walked. Elias Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Chase Anderson got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Alex Verdugo lined out to center to start. Masataka Yoshida took strike three and Justin Turner flied out to center to end the inning.

Nolan Jones flied out to center to start the top of the second and Randal Grichuk grounded out to third. Mike Moustakas struck out swinging to end the inning. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the short and Adam Duvall struck out swinging. Triston Casas singled to right but Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Crawford fell apart quickly in the top of the third as Harold Castro struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Brenton Doyle lined out to right. Suddenly Profar got a base hit to right, Tovar did the same and McMahon walked to load the bases. Diaz then doubled into the centerfield gap to score all three runners. Jones grounded out to first to end the inning with the Rockies up 3-0.

                                                           Diaz clears the bases

Reese McGuire struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Pablo Reyes flied out to right. Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Rockies finished off Crawford in the top of the fourth as Grichuk singled to left to start. Moustakas struck out swinging but Grichuk took second on a wild pitch. Castro walked and Doyle doubled to left to score Grichuk. Profar hit a grounder to first and Casas fired home to get Castro but a another wild pitch moved the runners over. Tovar lined out to left to end the inning with the Rockies up 4-0. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 4 runs in just 4 innings. 

                                                            Crawford was rocked

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Yoshida struck out swinging to start. Turner got a base hit to right and Devers smashed his 16th home run of the season to cut the lead. Duvall grounded out to first but Casas walked. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                           This one's gone

Joe Jacques came in to pitch the top of the fifth and McMahon grounded out to third to start. Diaz tripled off the glove of Verdugo and Jones beat out a roller to the mound. Grichuk grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox inched closer in the bottom of the fifth and McGuire grounded out to third to start. Reyes got a base hit to center and moved to third on the Verdugo base hit to right. Yoshida was hit with a pitch to load the bases. That was it for Anderson as Jake Bird came in to face Turner. Justin got a base hit to center and Reyes scored easily but Verdugo was thrown out at home. Devers grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                            "Thanks a lot Verdugo"

Moustakas singled to center to start the top of the sixth but Castro grounded into a double play. Doyle grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Duvall doubled to left to start. Casas grounded out to first to move Adam to third and Duvall scored on the Arroyo sac fly to tie the game. McGuire grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                           Arroyo ties it up

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Profar struck out swinging to start. Tovar went down hacking but McMahon tripled to right. Diaz popped up to first to end the inning. Brad Hand came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Reyes singled off the glove of Tovar to start. Verdugo walked and both runners moved over on the Yoshida grounder to second. Justin Lawrence came in to face Turner and Reyes was thrown out at home on a grounder to second. Devers was intentionally walked but Duvall grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jones doubled to center to start the top of the eighth and Grichuk was hit with a pitch. Moustakas popped up to second, Castro flied out to center and Doyle grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Casas walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Jarren Duran ran for him. Duran stole second but Arroyo lined out to left. Duran stole third and with a chance to take the lead...McGuire lined out to second to end the inning. Two innings in a row the Sox failed to take the lead with a man on third and one out.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Profar grounded out to first to start. Turner dropped a throw by Reyes on a grounder to short by Tovar for an error but McMahon struck out swinging. Diaz struck out swinging to end the inning. Daniel Bard came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Verdugo struck out swinging to start. Yoshida grounded out to second and Turner flied out to center to end the inning.

Justin Garza came in to crap his pants in the top of the tenth with Diaz starting at second base.....make that Coco Montes pinch running. Jones walked and Grichuk doubled home both runners. Moustakas was hit with a pitch and Castro got a base hit to left to load the bases. Doyle struck out swinging but Profar hit a sac fly to center to score Grichuk. Tovar forced Castro at second to end the inning but the Rockies were up 7-4.

                                                         Rockies take the lead...ouch

Austin Wynns came in to play catcher with Matt Carasiti on the mound to start the bottom of the tenth. Turner started the inning at second and Devers said screw small by by pounding his 17th home run of the season to cut the lead. Duvall grounded out to third but Duran walked to put the tying run on. Pierce Johnson came in to close out the game and Arroyo flied out to center. A wild pitch moved Duran to second but McGuire struck out swinging to end the game. The Rockies had won it 7-6.

                                                            Rockies win

Jackass of The Night is Justin Garza. He crapped his pants in the 10th inning allowing 3 runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                               Justin Jackass

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a walk and two 2 run home runs.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Jarren Duran walked and stole 2 bases.

Pablo Reyes was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Joe Jacques tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Corey Kluber pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Kutter Crawford allowed 4 runs in just 4 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Adam Duvall was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have only themselves to blame for this one. Crawford only lasting 4 innings pressed the bullpen into duty for 6 innings and the Sox failing in the 7th & 8th innings were the difference. They had a runner on third with one out and couldn't get the runner in. Had they done that in the eighth, they might have one the game. It shouldn't have come to extras but Garza allowing three runs was too much. The third run was the difference as the Devers home run in the 10th would have tied it. All in all this season is a torture test as they have no ace, no bullpen and no hope really. The Sox may blow the whole thing up by the end of July. Chris Sale, James Paxton, Adam Duvall, Justin Turner, no one is safe. Especially with prospects such as Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu and Enmanuel Valdez chomping at the bit. The less said of his game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 33-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow night when Garrett Whitlock (3-2) takes on Austin Gomber of the Rockies. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.