Sox Win 8th Straight, beat Philly (5/6/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Kaleb Ort was sent back to Worcester and Zack Littell was called up to take his place. Littell went 6-0 with Minnesota in 2019 so hopefully they can get something out of him.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the red hot Sox have won their eighth straight game by beating the Philadelphia Phillies. The Sox were down 1-0 when Rafael Devers keyed a 5 run rally to put the Sox up for good in the top of the fourth. The Phillies got two more runs off Corey Kluber (2-4, 6.29 ERA) who went 5 innings. Rob Refsnyder got a big two run double in the top of the sixth for the big insurance runs and they needed them because Brennan Bernardino allowed his first run of the season. Still, Kenley Jansen earned career save number 399 as the Sox locked down their eighth win in a row with a 7-4 victory over the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

                                                         8 in a row....ah ah ah

Bailey Falter got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to center and Justin Turner lined out to right to end the inning. Kluber got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Kyle Schwarber popped up to third to start. Trea Turner doubled to left but Bryce Harper flied out to center. Nick Castellanos flied out to right to end the inning.

Rafael Devers flied out to right to start the top of the second before Kike Hernandez grounded out to short. Jarren Duran popped up to third to end the inning. Bryson Stott was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the second but JT Realmuto flied out to center. A wild pitch moved Stott to center and naturally Alec Bohm singled to center to score him. Brandon Marsh lined out to center and Edmundo Sosa lined out to right to end the inning with the Phillies up 1-0.

                                                          Phillies take the lead

Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Raimel Tapia grounded out to second. Reese McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning. Schwarber grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Turner struck out swinging. Harper singled to right but Castellanos forced him at second to end the inning. 

Refsnyder broke up the perfect game in the top of the fourth with a base hit to left and Verdugo doubled to right. Turner walked to load the bases and Devers bashed a double into the gap to score both Refsnyder & Verdugo. Hernandez grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging, but Arroyo cleared the bases with a base hit to left. Tapia singled to left and McGuire scored Arroyo with another base hit to left. That was it for Falter as Luis Ortiz got Refsnyder to strike out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                            Devers starts the rally

Stott grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Realmuto grounded out to third. Bohm got a base hit to left and Marsh got a base hit to right to move Bohm to third. Sosa ripped a base hit to right to score Bohm but Schwarber flied out to right to end the inning with the Phillies down 5-2.

                                                           Sosa drives in a run

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fifth as Verdugo walked to start. Turner grounded out to third to move Verdugo to second and Alex moved to third on the Devers base hit to left. Hernandez banged into a double play to end the inning.  The Phillies inched closer in the bottom of the fifth as Turner grounded out to third to start. Harper hit a home run all the way into the Potomac River but Castellanos grounded out to short. Stott grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies down 5-3. That was it for Kluber who was average, going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs. Still, at least he didn't get bombed.

                                                        Kluber leaves with the lead

Connor Brogdon came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Duran flied out to left to start. Arroyo doubled to center but Tapia flied out to left. McGuire walked and Refsnyder clubbed a double to left to score both runners, icing the game. Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                               Refsnyder drives in a pair

John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Realmuto walked to start. Bohm forced him at second and Marsh forced Bohm at second. Sosa flied out to right to end the inning.

Seranthony Dominguez came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Turner flied out to center to start. Devers got a base hit to left but Hernandez flied out to center. Duran was plunked but Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino got tagged in the bottom of the seventh although Schwarber grounded out to first to start. Turner hit a home run all the way to Russia but Harper struck out swinging. Castellanos lined out to right to end the inning with the Phillies down 7-4.

                                                                 Home run Turner

Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Tapia walked to start. Tapia stole second and McGuire dropped down a bunt to move him to third. Unfortunately Refsnyder struck out swinging so Verdugo was intentionally walked. Verdugo swiped second but Turner struck out swinging to end the inning. Stott popped up to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Sox manager Alex Cora wanted Josh Winckowski to pitch to Realmuto. Naturally Realmuto doubled to center but Bohm lined out to short. Marsh struck out swinging to end the inning.

Gregory Soto came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Devers struck out swinging to start. Hernandez popped up to first and Duran popped up to short to end the inning. Kenlsey Jansen came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and Sosa singled past him to start. Schwarber struck out swinging, Turner flied out to left and Harper grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-4.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. His 2 run double put the Sox up for good

                                                        Turner salutes our Hero

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, stolen base and a run scored.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Raimel Tapia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored.

Corey Kluber tossed 5 innings of 3 run ball to earn the win. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 1.

John Schreiber tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Josh Winckowski tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 399th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 5.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That's eight in a row for the Red Sox who are firing on all cylinders. They're beating teams with timely hits, team speed and good pitching. Kluber didn't walk anyone despite allowing 3 runs and the bullpen surrendered just 1 run in 4 innings. The offense can't possibly keep up this pace of scoring 5-7 runs a game so they're going to have to fine tune the pitching. You got guys coming off the Injured List like Garrett Whitlock, Joely Rodriguez, Kutter Crawford and James Paxton which means somebody has to go. Still, getting fresh troops with the Sox trying to catch Tampa and Baltimore can't hurt. As long as they don't suffer any more catastrophic injuries to guys like Adam Duvall and Zack Kelly, they should be just fine. Somehow someway the rotation and bullpen will work itself out, hopefully for the better. The win improved the Sox to 21-14, 6.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 9 in a row and a series sweep against the Phillies tomorrow afternoon when Tanner Houck (3-1, 5.34 ERA) takes on Taijuan Walker of Philadelphia. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Bash, Sweep Jays (5/4/23)

Guess this year is going to be different from last. Last year not only were the Boston Red Sox completely inept against the AL East, the team they absolutely couldn't beat was the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox went 3-16 against the Jays last year but shed that loser image big time this year. The Sox won their sixth straight game and completed a 4 game sweep of the Jays tonight. Brayan Bello (1-1, 5.71 ERA) won his first game of the season by lasting 5 innings. The Sox bats led the charge with a 16 hit attack led by Masataka Yoshida and Rafael Devers. Yoshida knocked in 3 runs and Devers 4 to pace the offense. Brennan Bernardino and John Schreiber kept the Jays down long enough for the Sox to break the game open in the bottom of the eighth. It all added up to a four game sweep and a 11-5 victory over Toronto at Fenway Park.

                                                   Jacoby Ellsbury approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and George Springer grounded out to second to start. Bo Bichette doubled to left but Vladimir Guerrero Jr lined out to center. Daulton Varsho grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Gausman in the bottom of the first as Raimel Tapia took strike three to start. Masataka Yoshida belted his sixth home run of the season to put the Sox on top and Justin Turner singled to center. Rafael Devers flied out to left but Turner swiped second base. Jarren Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Home run Yoshida

Matt Chapman was called out on a pitch clock violation for strike three to start the top of the second before Brandon Belt whiffed. Danny Jansen struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox bum rushed Gausman in the bottom of the second as Triston Casas singled to right to start. Enmanuel Valdez drew a walk and Casas moved to third on the Kike Hernandez fl out to right. Reese McGuire lashed a base hit to center to score Casas and Tapia beat out a double play ball to score Valdez. Tapia swiped second and took third on a wild pitch before Yoshida got a base hit to right to score him. Turner got a hit to center and Devers broke his slump with a double to right to score bothn runners. Duran beat out a roller to third and promptly stole second. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                       McGuire adds to the lead

Cavan Biggio grounded out to first to start the top of the third before Kevin Kiermaier grounded out to third. Springer struck out swinging to end the inning. Valdez flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Hernandez grounded out to second. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays began their comeback in the top of the fourth as Bichette grounded out to short to start. Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to El Salvador to put the Jays on the board. Varsho singled past Bello but Chapman struck out swinging. Belt singled to left but Jansen lined out to center to end the inning with the Jays down 6-1.

                                                       Guerrero Jr hits one out

The Sox finished off Gausman in the bottom of the fourth as Tapia hit a roller to right and sprinted to second for a "double" before moving to third on a wild pitch. Yoshida singled to left to score Tapia but Turner flied out to center to chase Gausman. Tim Mayza came in and Devers singled in the hole at second and Duran lashed a base hit up the middle to score Yoshida with another run. Casas grounded out to second and Valdez did the same to end the inning with the Sox up 8-1.

                                                         Duran knocks in another run

The Jays stormed back in the top of the fifth as Biggio grounded out to second to start. Kiermaier walked and Devers booted a ground ball by Springer for an error. The Jays made Devers pay as Bichette singled to right to score Kiermaier and Guerrero pounded a ground rule double to right to score Springer. Varsho scored Bichette with a sac fly but Chapman lined out to center to end the inning. Bello stormed off the field and started punching the dugout railing as he once again had a finger problem that caused him to fall apart, allowing 4 runs in just 5 innings of work with the Jays only down 8-4.

                                                             Bello guts it out

Hernandez grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth but McGuire got a base hit to right. Tapia struck out swinging and Yoshida grounded out to third to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Alejandro Kirk pinch hit for Belt to start. Kirk grounded out to first and Jansen grounded back to the mound but Whit Merrifield pinch hit for Biggio. Merrifield grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Erik Swanson came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Turner flied out to center to start. Devers grounded out to second but Duran ripped a base hit to right. Duran took off for second and Jansen threw the ball away allowing Jarren to reach third. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning.

Kiermaier lined out to short to start the top of the seventh before Springer walked to chase Bernardino. John Schreiber came in and Bichette took strike three before Guerrero Jr went down hacking to end the inning. Anthony Bass came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Valdez flied out to right to start. Hernandez struck out swinging and McGuire lined out to center to end the inning.

Varsho singled to right to start the top of the eighth but Chapman struck out swinging. Kirk Banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox removed all doubt in the bottom of the eighth with Zach Pop now on the mound. Tapia walked, stole second and moved to third on the grounder to the mound by Yoshida. Turner lashed a base hit to left and Devers crushed his 11th homer of the season. Duran struck out swinging and Yimi Garcia came in to pitch. Casas flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 11-4.

                                                           Kiss that one goodbye

Ryan Brasier came in to get tagged in the top of the ninth as Jansen walked to start. Merrifield singled off the glove of Hernandez but Kiermaier flied out to center. Springer got a base hit to right to score Jansen but Bichette flied out to right. Spinger took second on defensive indifference but Guerrero Jr was called out on strikes to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-5.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of the Night is Masataka Yoshida. He set the tone with the first inning home run, drove in three total runs and scored three runs.

                                                                Hero Yoshida

The Good:

Justin Turner was 3 for 5 with an rbi, a stolen base and 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer and 4 total rbis.

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 2 stolen bases.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

John Schreiber tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Raimel Tapia was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, stole two bases, drove in a run and scored 3 runs.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Brayan Bello got the win but finger problems caused him to allow 4 runs in just 5 innings of work. He allowed 6 hits and a walk but struck out 5.

Final Thoughts:

Well that was a lot of fun. The Sox went 3-16 against the Jays last year and are 4-0 against them this year. Now that they got over that hump, they should have no reason not to beat the other teams, especially the New York Yankees when the time comes. Bello is still having finger issues but looked great the first couple of innings. Once he gets his hand fixed, he should be good moving forward. The offense continues to be red hot thanks to the trio of Valdez, Duran and Yoshida. Last month it was Alex Verdugo, Turner and Devers then pray for something to happen...talk about a turn around. Valdez isn't hitting 30 homers like he was in the minors but he's getting on base. Yoshida stopped trying to hit every pitch out of the yard and started going with the ball leading to big success. The biggest surprise was Duran, THIS was the player that the Sox were hoping for when he made his debut in 2021. Also another element on the team that could be deadly is their speed. Tapia and Duran stole the Jays blind and if and when David Hamilton joins the mix, they could have a very deadly offense. Casas may be struggling when he swings the bat but there's nothing wrong with his batting eye, he still gets on base for others to drive him in. All in all things have improved but they still need to figure out the rotation. If Kutter Crawford is out long term, they may have to keep Tanner Houck in. Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta, Bello and Crawford with Houck as long reliever and an A-Team of Garrett Whitlock, John Schreiber, Josh Winckowsi and Kenley Jansen wouldn't be the end of the world. The wild card is James Paxton who's due to come off the Injured List soon. He could take Bello's place if Bello is having blister issues or Crawford if he's out for a bit. Joely Rodriguez is about to begin his rehab in Worcester so Ryan Brasier's days are numbered. Nothing against Ryan as a person but he's washed up. He was a damn good scrap heap pickup back in 2018 for the World Series run but that was 5 years ago. When the only thing to complain about right now is injuries and one relief pitcher, things are going good. The Sox now travel to Philadelphia for a three game set beginning tomorrow night with the Phillis. Chris Sale (2-2, 6.75 ERA) looks to continue his comeback against Zack Wheeler of the Phillies. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Wong, Sox Knock Out Jays (5/2/23)

Did the Boston Red Sox win the Mookie Betts trade? Absolutely not, but for one night it worked out in their favor. On a night where Tanner Houck got lit up for 6 runs in 6 innings by the Toronto Blue Jays, it was the unlikely Connor Wong to the rescue. The Sox broke out to a 3-0 lead on home runs from Christian Arroyo and Masataka Yoshida along with a Rob Refsnyder rbi. After the Jays went up 6-3, Yoshida and Refsnyder drove in a run apiece before Wong tied it with a home run. In the bottom of the eighth, Wong belted his second home run of the night to put the Sox on top. Josh Winckowski earned his first career save in the ninth as the Sox had won their fourth straight game and second in a row 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Craig Hansen approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and George Springer struck out swinging to start. Bo Bichette drew a walk but Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to left. Matt Chapman flied out to left to end the inning. Kikuchi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo greeted him with a double to right to begin. Verdugo moved to third on the Justin Turner fly out to right but Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging. Rafael Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

Daulton Varsho flied out to left to start the top of the second before Whit Merrifield flied out to right. Alejandro Kirk grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second although Kike Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second but Christian Arroyo belted his first home run of the season completely over the Monster to put Boston on top. Connor Wong followed with a double high off the Monster but Raimel Tapia struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                            Arroyo puts the Sox on top

Danny Jansen walked to start the top of the third but Kevin Kiermaier flied out to center. Springer flied out to center and Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Turner popped up to short but Refsnyder got a base hit to center. Verdugo scored but Refsnyder was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Devers flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                    Nice hit, but dammit Refsnyder!

Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Chapman grounded out to third. Varsho doubled to center but Merrifield grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Hernandez flied out to center to start. Yoshida then pounded his fifth home run of the season to increase the lead. Arroyo grounded out to third but Wong lashed a base hit to left. Tapia grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                        Yoshida adds to the lead

Houck fell apart in the top of the fifth as Kirk grounded out to short to start. Jansen singled to left, Kiermaier ripped a base hit to right to move Jansen to third, then promptly stole second. Houck managed to strike out Springer swinging but Bichette walked to load the bases. Naturally Guerrero Jr ripped a base hit to left to score Jansen and Kiermaier before a passed ball scored Bichette to tie the game. Chapman singled to short and Varsho hit a 3 run home run all the way to San Juan, Puerto Rico to put the Jays on top. Merrifield lined out to left to end the inning but the Jays rallied for 6 runs to lead it 6-3.

                                                          Varsho caps the six run rally

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth as Verdugo was hit with a pitch to start. Turner singled to center and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to score Verdugo. Devers flied out to center to chase Kikuchi. Zach Pop came in and both runners moved over on the Hernandez grounder to the mound before Yoshida sliced a base hit to left to score Turner. Refsnyder moved to third but was stranded as Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 6-5.

                                                          Sox aren't going quietly

Due to the bullpen being overused, Houck pretty much had to come back for the top of the sixth. Kirk grounded out to short before Jansen struck out swinging. Kiermaier flied out to center to end the inning. Good work by Houck to suffer through six innings even though he had  Dice K Disease in the fifth inning. He allowed 6 runs in 6 innings allowing 6 hits and 3 walks.

                                                        Houck gets through it

The Sox wasted no time coming back in the bottom of the sixth as Wong clobbered his second home run of the year to tie the game. Tim Mayza replaced Pop on the mound and Tapia beat out a roller to short, but Verdugo appeared to beat out a double play ball. Blue Jays manager John Schneider challenged that Verdugo was out and the call was overturned, double play.  Turner hit a ground rule double to right to chase Mayza. Yimi Garcia came in to pitch but Sox manager Alex Cora countered by having Jarren Duran pinch hit for Refsnyder. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                           Wong ties it up

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Springer flied out to right to start. Bichette struck out swinging but Guerrero Jr singled to right. Chapman grounded out to second to end the inning. Devers grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the seventh before Hernandez flied out to right. Yoshida walked but Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Richard Bleier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Varsho grounded out to short to start. Merrifield flied out to right and Kirk grounded out to third to end the inning. Erik Swanson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Wong smashed his second home run of the game to put the Sox on top. Tapia flied out to center, Verdugo grounded out to second and Turner struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-6.

                                                          Big night for Wong

Josh Winckowski came on for his first career save in the top of the ninth as Jansen popped up to second to start. Kiermaier singled to left but Springer banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-6.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Connor Wong. He went 4 for 4 and his 8th inning homer was the difference in the game.

                                                          Long Dong Wong is the Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.

Justin Turner was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 2 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs batted in.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Richard Bleier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Josh Winckowski earned his first save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 1 in his only at bat.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4.

Tanner Houck allowed 6 runs in 6 innings of work including 6 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Raimel Tapia was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Its too early to celebrate but things are looking good for the Sox. They're getting timely offense and shutdown pitching out of the bullpen. Apart from the bench, which is mostly due to injury, the only problem the Sox has is their rotation. That can be fixed by simply having Houck and Kutter Crawford switch roles. Having a rotation of Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello and Crawford with Houck, Whitlock, Schreiber, Winckowski, Bleier and Jansen in the bullpen would be ideal. That's not including James Paxton who's due to come off the Injured List soon. It'll work itself out eventually. Offensively if Yoshida and Duran keep this pace up, they'll be 7 men deep in the lineup when Adam Duvall and Trevor Story return from injury. Wong had his best game of his Sox career and it was much needed against the dangerous Jays. Hopefully they can keep this momentum going and get back in the AL East race. The win improved the Sox to 17-14, 7.5 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it five wins in a row and three straight against the Blue Jays tomorrow night when Nick Pivetta (1-2, 5.11 ERA) takes on Alek Manoah of Toronto. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sale, Sox Drop Guardians (4/30/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Thankfully Kaleb Ort was sent down to Worcester to make room for the returning Chris Martin. Ort was throwing 97 but straight, maybe Worcester can get him to alter his mechanics so that 97 might actually move. Martin may not be as automatic as Josh Winckowski and Kenley Jansen has been but he should be better than Ort was.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                          IN

The bad news was the Boston Bruins choked Game 7 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Florida Panthers but the Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians in a drizzly, miserable game. Welcome back Chris Sale (2-2, 6.75 ERA) though. After he was tipping his pitches and getting roughed up by the Baltimore Orioles, Sale dominated the Cleveland Guardians today. He tossed 6 1/3 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 5 batters. Offensively the Sox kept up the pace by pounding out 7 runs off 9 hits and a bunch of walks. Logan Allen and Sale battled to a 0-0 tie after 4 innings but Alex Verdugo drove in two big runs in the fifth inning.  The Guardians got a run in the sixth inning but Connor Wong iced the game with a two run home run. Verdugo hit a home run and Arroyo drove in two more runs added to the lead. The trio of John Schreiber, Richard Bleier and Brennan Bernardino kept the Guardians scoreless the rest of the way. The Sox ended up taking 2 out of 3 from the Guardians including a 7-1 victory today at Fenway Park.

                                                             Happy fans

Sale got the ball in the top of the first inning and Steven Kwan grounded out to second to start. Sale struck out Amed Rosario swinging on a nasty slider and Jose Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning. Allen got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to begin. Justin Turner flied out to right and Rob Refsnyder lined out to left to end the inning.

Sale struck out Josh Bell swinging on a 94 mph fastball to start the top of the second before Oscar Gonzalez lined out to short. Andres Gimenez sliced a base hit to left but Sale froze Myles Straw with a 93 mph fastball on the black to end the inning. Rafael Devers grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second before Masataka Yoshida doubled high off the Monster. Christian Arroyo drew a walk but Connor Wong struck out swinging. Jarren Duran grounded out to short to end the inning.

Gabriel Arias flied out to a running Verdugo to start the top of the third before Turner caught a pop up by Cam Gallagher next to the Red Sox dugout. Kwan grounded out to second to end the inning. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Verdugo grounded out to second. Turner hit a routine grounder to short but Rosario threw wide of first for an error. Refsnyder flied out to the right field warning track to end the inning.

Rosario lined a ball off Sale's glove to start the top of the fourth but Chris recovered to throw him out. Ramirez hit one up the elevator shaft and Bell lined out to Verdugo to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Devers struck out swinging to start. Yoshida went down hacking and Refsnyder also struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Guardians almost struck first in the top of the fifth as Devers booted a grounder by Gonzalez to start. Gimenez was plunked but Sale rebounded to strike out Straw swinging. Arias struck out swinging and Gallagher lined out to a running Duran to end the inning. Wong tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Duran blooped a ground rule double into the left field stands. Valdez struck out swinging but Verdugo blooped a base hit to left to score both runners to put the Sox on top. Turner took strike three but Refsnyder drew a walk. Ex-Sox pitching coach Carl Willis made a mad dash to the mound to inform Allen that Geordi La Forge was the Chief Engineer for the USS Enterprise. Devers took strike three on the outside corner to end the inning but the Sox led 2-0.

                                                           Sox strike first

Naturally the Guardians answered in the top of the sixth as Kwan blooped a double down the right field line to start. Rosario blooped a base hit to right but Verdugo foolishly threw 100 feet over Wong's head that scored Kwan and moved Amed to second. Ramirez hit a warning track fly ball to right to move Rosario to third but Bell hit a dribbler in front of the plate. Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Guardians down 2-1.

                                                      Guardians get one back

Nick Sandlin came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to left to start. Arroyo slapped a base hit to left and Wong hit a home run completely out of Fenway to increase the lead. Duran popped up to left and Valdez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                            Wong hits one over the tower

Sale returned for one last batter in the top of the seventh and Gimenez flied out to center to start.That was it for Sale who tossed a gutty game by going 6 1/3 innings and allowing just 1 run. He allowed 3 hits and struck out 5. John Schreiber came in and froze Straw for strike three but Arias hit a seeing eye single to left. Josh Naylor pinch hit for Gallagher and grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                      Sale gets it done

Peyton Battenfield came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Verdugo greeted him with his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Turner walked but Refsnyder banged into a double play. Devers and Yoshida worked back to back walks and Arroyo doubled off the centerfield wall to drive in both men. Wong grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                              Arroyo tacks it on

Richard Bleier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arroyo made a leaping grab to rob Kwan of a hit to start. Rosario grounded out to short and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth before Valdez doubled just out of the reach of Kwan to left. Verdugo walked but Turner struck out swinging. Refsnyder was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bell lined out to a running Duran to start. Gonzalez grounded out to short and Gimenez grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-1.

                                                        Sox win

Hero of the Night is Alex Verdugo. He drove in 3 big runs including the first two to outscore the Guardians by himself.

                                                              Verdugo The Hero

The Good:

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

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Chris Sale earned the win by tossing 6 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 5 batters.

John Schreiber tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Richard Bleier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

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

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

It must be the AL East which is the kryptonite because Sale once again looked great. Just like against Minnesota, he held the Guardians to just 1 run. His velocity was there, his command was there and it looked like he had everything figured out. Offensively they're continuing to click by knocking out Allen by the fifth inning and getting to the bullpen. As mentioned two days ago, if Yoshida, Duran and Valdez can contribute with Turner, Verdugo and Devers leading the charge, this team is going to be deadly when Trevor Story comes back. Wong hit a home run that would have went 450 feet on a normal day and Verdugo continues to be one of the best players in the AL. If Sale can stay healthy the Sox may not be in last place much longer, especially with the New York Yankees faltering. All in all it was a great all around win and the Sox now are in for a test with the Toronro Blue Jays coming to town. The Sox end the month of April with a 15-14 record, tied with the Yankees for last place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Blue Jays start Jose Berrios while the Sox counter with Corey Kluber. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Walkoff Guardians In Ten Innings (4/29/23)

For six innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox would cruise to an easy victory against the Cleveland Guardians. Rafael Devers hit a three run home run to support Brayan Bello, who tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball. Then Sox manager Alex Cora blew the lead beginning in the top of the seventh when he sent in Richard Bleier, Ryan Brasier and John Schreiber. Andres Gimenez hit a home run off Bleier before Brasier left the bases loaded. Schreiber gave up a 3 run double to Josh Naylor and Kenley Jansen gave up the tying run in the top of the ninth. After Enmanuel Valdez left the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, the Guardians took the lead against Brennan Bernardino in the top of the 10th. Then Christian Arroyo drove home Valdez in the bottom of the tenth and Alex Verdugo drove Christian in to win the game. The Sox had beaten the Guardians 8-7 in ten innings at Fenway Park.

                                                    Jayson Tatum approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first inning and Steven Kwan lined a base hit past Enmanuel Valdez to start. Amed Rosario grounded into a double play but Jose Ramirez lashed a base hit to right. Josh Naylor struck out swinging on a changeup to end the inning. Plesac got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo doubled high off the Monster on the first pitch. Masataka Yoshida drew a four pitch walk but Justin Turner struck out swinging on a slider. Rafael Devers then crushed his 10th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound and Raimel Tapia popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                            Devers hits one out

The Guardians started the comeback in the top of the second as Josh Bell hit a home run all the way to Scranton to cut the lead. Oscar Gonzalez grounded out to third and Andres Gimenez struck out swinging before Bello blew away Mike Zunino to end the inning with the Guardians down 3-1.

                                                     Bello takes Bello deep

Enmanuel Valdez grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the second before Rosario made a great play to rob Christian Arroyo of a hit. Connor Wong stroked a base hit to center but Verdugo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Myles Straw lined out to center to start the top of the third before Kwan grounded out to second. Rosario struck out swinging on a nasty slider to end the inning. Yoshida slapped a base hit off the Monster but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Turner grounded out to short and Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramirez ripped a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but was thrown out trying to steal. Naylor blooped a single to right and stole second on the swinging strikeout by Bell. Bello blew away Gonzalez on a 97 mph fastball to end the inning. Duran flied out to the left field warning track to start the bottom of the fourth before Tapia doubled off the Monster. Valdez also doubled off the Monster to score Tapia with another run. Ex-Sox pitching coach Carl Willis had a chat with Plesac and Arroyo ripped a base hit up the middle to score Valdez. Wong dumped a base hit to left to chase Plesac from the game. Xzavion Curry came in and Verdugo moved the runners over with a grounder to first. Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                      Way to go Valdez

Gimenez flied out to left to start the top of the fifth before Zunino grounded out to second. Straw drew a full count walk and Bello started clutching his hand. His index finger was bleeding from a hangnail and Kwan walked. Sox pitching coach Dave Bush sprinted to the mound to tell Bello that Rick & Morty was on in the clubhouse and Brayan got so excited that he got Rosario to ground back to him to end the inning. That was it for Bello who Sox manager Alex Cora didn't want to risk hurting any further. He threw 84 pitches and allowed just 1 run in 5 innings of work.

                                                             Bello did the best he could

Turner popped up to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Devers grounded a single up the middle. Duran popped up to third in foul territory but Tapia sliced a base hit to left. Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Richard Bleier came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Ramirez hit a bullet...right to Devers for an out. Naylor beat out a grounder to third but Bell lined out to a running Duran. Gonzalez hit a bullet...also right to Devers to end the inning. Arroyo got a seeing eye single up the middle to start the bottom of the sixth before Wong ripped a base hit to left. Verdugo flied out to center but Arroyo went to third to put runners at the corners. Wong took off for second and Zunino threw the ball away allowing Arroyo to score and Wong to take third. Yoshida hit a bullet but right at Naylor and Turner flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                             Sox tack it on

The Guardians stormed back in the top of the seventh as Gimenez bashed a home run off the Pesky Pole to start. That was it for Bleier and Ryan Brasier was brought in to pour gas on the fire. Zunino grounded out to second but Straw walked. Kwan got a base hit to left but Brasier got Rosario to strike out swinging on a good slider. Ramirez walked on four pitches not even close and that was it for Brasier who left the bases loaded for John Schreiber. Naturally Naylor ripped a double down the right field line to clear the bases. Bell grounded out to second to end the inning but the Guardians were back in it down 6-5.

                                                 Naylor clears the bases

Enyel De Los Santos came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Devers took strike three to start. Duran flied out to left and Tapia grounded out to second to end the inning.

Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Will Brennan pinch hit for Gonzalez. Brennan grounded out to second, Gimenez grounded out to first and Zunino grounded out to third to end the inning. James Karinchak came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Valdez flied out to right to start. Arroyo walked but Wong took strike three. Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth but Straw whacked a base hit to right to start. Straw stole second as Arroyo had to eat a ball by Kwan to make sure he didn't go to third. Rosario took strike three but Ramirez got a base hit to center to score Straw. Naylor flied out to left and Bell flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 6-6.

                                                           First blown save all year

Eli Morgan came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Yoshida popped up to short to start. Turner singled to right but was forced at second by Devers. Duran singled to right to move Devers to third and Tapia walked to load the bases. With a chance to win....Valdez flied out to right to end the inning.

Naturally the Guardians scored in the top of the tenth with Brennan Bernardino now on the mound. Gabriel Arias ran for Bell at second but Brennan grounded out to third to start. Gimenez struck out swinging but Zunino ripped a base hit to left to score Arias with the go-ahead run. Straw singled off the glove of Valdez but Kwan struck out swinging to end the inning with the Guardians up 7-6.

                                                          Game looked over

The Sox answered in the bottom of the tenth against closer Emmanuel Clase with Valdez starting at second base. Arroyo smashed a base hit to center to score Valdez with the tying run. Wong dropped down a bunt to move Arroyo to second and Christian took third on a passed ball by Zunino. Verdugo slapped a base hit through the pulled in infield at short to score Arroyo with the winning run. The Sox had won it 8-7 in 10 innings.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Christian Arroyo. He knocked in the tying run and scored the winning run.

                                                     Our Hero Arroyo

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 6 with an rbi and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a 3 run homer.

Raimel Tapia was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 3 for 4 with a stolen base.

Brayan Bello tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out six.

Josh Winckowski tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Richard Bleier allowed a run in a full inning of work.

Ryan Brasier was charged with 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Kenley Jansen allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Justin Turner was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored twice.

John Schreiber allowed 3 inherited runners to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Brennan Bernardino got the win by allowing a ghost runner to score in the tenth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Can't say the 2023 Red Sox aren't fun to watch. They may be frustrating like blowing a 6-1 lead with 9 outs to go but winning the game anyway at least shows they have balls. Bello looked good for the first time all season but the offense breaking out for 16 hits was a big help. There's absolutely no excuse for Brasier to be on the roster anymore. He's washed up and everyone knows it. They got Jake Faria and Ryan Sherriff in Worcester that can do what he and Kaleb Ort are doing. Brasier was nails in 2018 but that was 5 years ago. Schreiber is also becoming a concern because he was sitting at 97 last year and he's down to 95 this year. The Sox may be a .500 team but at least they're watchable. Hopefully the bottom of the offense, namely Duran and Yoshida can keep producing to help Verdugo, Turner and Devers. Once Trevor Story comes back, that could be a deadly 1-6 if Yoshida can continue to learn how to hit ML pitching. All in all a walkoff win is always fun and hopfully the Sox can keep the momentum going. The Sox end the month of April tomorrow afternoon in the rubber game against the Guardians. Chris Sale (1-2, 8.22 ERA) looks to bounce back against Logan Allen of Cleveland. The game begins at 1:35 PM.