Ohtani, Angels Snap Streak (6/9/22)

All good things must come to an end and the Boston Red Sox seven game win streak was broken by the Los Angeles Angels who also snapped their fourteen game losing streak. Shohei Ohtani got it done on both sides of the ball, throwing 101 miles an hour to hold the Sox to just 1 run in seven innings pitched. Offensively he belted a 2 run home run off Nick Pivetta (5-5, 3.78 ERA) to give the Angels the lead. The Angels iced it in the bottom of the sixth as the light hitting Andrew Velazquez hit a 3 run home run off Hiro Sawamura. The Red Sox offense has scuffled the last three games against the Angels and this one was no different, falling to LA 5-2 to break the winning streak at Angel Stadium.

                                                                Jerry is sad the streak is over

Ohtani got the ball in the top of the first and Christian Arroyo flied out to left to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and JD Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Juan Lagares flied out to center to begin. Ohtani struck out swinging but Max Stassi doubled to center. Jared Walsh was frozen for strike three to end the inning. 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the second inning as Alex Verdugo doubled to center to start and moved to third on the grounder to second by Christian Vazquez. Franchy Cordero hit a grounder to short but Verdugo was thrown out at the plate. Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. it was the Angels turn to blow a rally in the bottom of the second as Jo Addell doubled to left to begin. Dillon Thomas was hit with a pitch but Jack Mayfield took strike three. Tyler Wade got a base hit to right but Adell stopped at third when the third base coach said go. That mistake cost the Angels as Andrew Velazquez struck out swinging and Lagares flied out to right to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec got a base hit to center to begin the top of the third and moved to second on the Jonathan Arauz grounder to third. Arroyo flied out to center but a wild pitch moved Dalbec to third, only for Devers to strike out swinging on a 101 mph fastball to end the inning. Ohtani himself struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Stassi took strike three. Walsh grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Martinez flied out to right to start. Verdugo flied out to right and Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning. Adell got a base hit off the glove of Arauz to begin the bottom of the fourth but Thomas took strike three. Mayfield flied out to right and Wade struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Cordero walked to start and JBJ singled to left. A passed ball moved Cordero to third and he scored on a sac fly to center by Dalbec. A wild pitch moved JBJ to second and he took third on a grounder to second by Arauz. Arroyo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Cordero scores a run

Velazquez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Lagares got a base hit to center. Ohtani helped his own cause by hitting a home run all the way to Havana, Cuba to put the Angels on top. Stassi struck out swinging and Walsh went down hacking to end the inning with the Angels up 2-1.
 

                                                           Ohtani does it all

The Sox blew yet another rally in the top of the sixth as Devers grounded out to third to start. Martinez doubled to right but Verdugo went down hacking. Vazquez walked but Cordero grounded out to short to end the inning. The Angels iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Adell walked to start. Thomas walked and that was it for Pivetta. He struck out 11 batters in 5 plus innings but was failed by his offense and bullpen. Hiro Sawamura came in and got Mayfield to force Adell at third and Wade went down hacking. One strike away from getting out of it.....Sawamura coughed up a 3 run bomb to Bangkok by Velazquez to ice the game. Lagares popped up to first to end the inning with the game all but over 5-1.

                                                 11 strikeouts and a loss to show for it

Brandon Marsh took over for Adell in the top of the seventh and JBJ struck out swinging to start. Dalbec flied out to left and Arauz struck out swinging to end the inning. Ohtani put the Angels ahead with his bat and kept the Sox to just 1 run in 7 innings. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Ohtani singled to right to start. Stassi walked but Walsh flied out to left to move Shohei to third. Marsh took strike three and Thomas grounded out to first to end the inning.

Ryan Tepera came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arroyo got a base hit to center to begin. Devers flied out to left but Arroyo stole second base. Martinez took strike three but Verdugo got a base hit to center to score Arroyo and cut the lead. Vazquez forced Verdugo at second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                            Verdugo drives in a run

Hansel Robles came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Mayfield flied out to right to start. Wade and Velazquez both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Raisel Iglesias came in to close out the top of the ninth and Cordero struck out swinging to start. JBJ lined out to right and Dalbec struck out swinging to end the game. The Angels had won it 5-2.

                                                            Angels win

Jackass of the Night is Hiro Sawamura. His 3 run jack he allowed to Velazquez was the difference in the game.

                                                         Keep screaming, Jackass

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Austin Davis pitched a a scoreless seventh inning.

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 but stole a base and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Franchy Cordro was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Nick Pivetta struck out 11 batters but took the loss by getting charged with 4 runs. He allowed 6 hits and walked 2.

Final Thoughts:

It was bound to come to an end, especially the way the Sox have struggled offensively the last three games. The offense regressed back to April form in this one and with Alex Cora resting Bogaerts or Devers, the bats sputtered. Hopefully this was a temporary funk since they were facing a desperate Angels team just dying for a win. Hopefully the bats will return to form in the upcoming series. Pivetta looked strong but he and Sawamura giving up the longballs sealed their doom in this one. Someone will have to explain why Arauz got the call to replace Hernandez and not Jarren Duran but not even Duran would have been able to hit Ohtani tonight. Hopefully another long winning streak is in order to get them back in the AL East race but for now, just tip your caps to the Angels for wanting it more tonight. The loss dropped the Sox to 30-28, good for 4th place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Seattle to conclude their west coast trip beginning tomorrow night against the Mariners. Rich Hill (2-3, 4.40 ERA) takes on Captain TBD of Seattle at 10:10 PM Eastern time at T-Mobile Park.

Sox Rally Past Tigers (4/12/22)

Turnabout is fair play and the Boston Red Sox served it back to the Detroit Tigers in today's game. Yesterday Javier Baez put the Tigers ahead in the eighth inning but today it was the Sox turn to go ahead late. Rich Hill allowed 3 runs in the bottom of the third but the Sox clawed back with 3 in the top of the sixth. Two innings later Rafael Devers knocked in Kike Hernandez and Christian Arroyo drove in Devers for the insurance run. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock tossed 4 scoreless innings including the ninth to nail down the win. The Sox had beaten the Tigers 5-3 in Comerica Park. 

                                                               Rihanna approves of the win

Tyler Alexander got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez continued his slump by swinging at strike three over his head to start. Rafael Devers took strike three and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Rich Hill began his third go-around with the Sox in the bottom of the first and froze Robbie Grossman for strike three to begin. Jonathan Schoop flied out to center and Javier Baez struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as JD Martinez grounded out to third to begin. Bobby Dalbec lined out to short and Christian Arroyo lined out to a running Akil Baddoo to end the inning. Jeimer Candelario popped up to short to start the bottom of the second and Miguel Cabrera was rung up for strike three on a check swing. Eric Haase grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo flied out to center to begin the top of the third inning before Kevin Plawecki flied out to right and Jonathan Arauz struck out swinging to end the inning. The Tigers exploded in the bottom of the third as Baddoo struck out swinging to start. Spencer Torkelson doubled to center and Dustin Garneau singled him to third before Grossman grounded out to third to score Spencer. Schoop singled to right to score Garneau and Baez doubled to left to score Schoop/ Candelario lined out to center to end the inning but the Tigers were up 3-0.

                                                      Tigers take the lead.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fourth as Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Devers blooped a base hit to left and Bogaerts beat out an infield single to short but Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning. Hill recovered to get Cabrera to fly out to center to start the bottom of the fourth. Haase flied out to center but Baddoo ripped a double to left. Verdugo tried to kick the ball back to the infield for an error to allow Akil to reach third but Torkelson grounded out to short to end the inning.

Dalbec went down swinging to open the top of the fifth before Arroyo grounded out to short. Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Garneau popped up to third to start the bottom of the fifth but Grossman walked. All of a sudden Sox manager Alex Cora marched out of the dugout and lifted Hill after just 70 pitches. Once again by Cora's own call, a starter failed to get out of the fifth inning. Hill allowed 5 hits and 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings. Hiro Sawamura came in and Schoop popped up to Devers but for some reason Grossman ran all the way around the bases and was doubled off at first to end the inning.

                                                     Short and sweet for Hill

The Sox stormed back in the top of the sixth as Plawecki singled to left to start. Arauz dropped down a bunt to move Kevin to second and Hernandez broke his slump with a double to right to score him. Devers ripped a base hot to right to score Hernandez and that was it for Alexander. Jacob Barnes came in to pitch and uncorked a wild pitch to move Devers to second. Bogaerts popped up to short but Martinez doubled just inside the right field foul line to score Devers and tie the game. Dalbec flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                     JD ties it up

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in for the bottom of the sixth and Baez grounded out to second to begin. Candelario walked but Cabrera flied out to right. Haase also flied out to right to end the inning.

Victor Reyes took over in right with Joe Jimenez now on the mound to begin the top of the seventh. Arroyo grounded out to short to start and Verdugo flied out to left. Plawecki walked but Arauz struck out swinging to end the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr came in to play right with Arroyo moving to second to replace Arauz in the bottom of the seventh. Baddoo flied out to center, Torkelson struck out swinging and Garneau popped up to third to end the inning.

Alex Lange came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez walked to start. A wild pitch moved Kike to second and Devers ripped a base hit to center. Baddoo booted the ball which allowed Hernandez to score and Devers to take second. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound but Martinez was plunked to chase Lange. Will Vest came in to pitch and struck out Dalbec swinging but Arroyo singled in the hole at short to score Devers with another run. Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                             Devers puts Boston on top

The Lock returned for the bottom of the eighth and Reyes hit a bullet to Dalbec to start. Schoop grounded back to the mound and Baez lined out to center to end the inning.

Jason Foley came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Plawecki flied out to left to start. JBJ grounded out to short but Hernandez doubled to right. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning. The Lock came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Candelario popped up to third to start. Cabrera went down hacking and Haase lined out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                  Sox win

Hero of the Night is Rafael Devers. He drove in two big runs including the go-ahead run in the eighth inning.

                     Raffy Hero

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a hit by pitch.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Hiro Sawamura got the final two outs of the fifth inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched four scoreless innings to earn the win.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 1 in his only plate appearance.

Rich Hill allowed 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 4.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4.

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

Final Thoughts:

Bad news is Cora is still pulling starters in the fifth inning but the good news is the offense came alive to rally in this one. The Sox are too good not to score an average of 4-5 runs a game and if the pitching is even half decent, that should be good enough to win games. Hernandez finally broke his slump and almost everyone got in on the fun. Rich Hill had Dice K Disease in the the third inning but didn't really pitch that bad. Whitlock stepped up big to get the win, but the problem is now he probably won't pitch for a few days. Still, the Sox offense showed some balls from battling back down 3-0 to tie the game, take the lead and hold the lead. Its a shame that Cora refuses to let the starters go 6 innings, especially when he knows what happened last year. You can't rely on Whitlock and the others to throw 4 innings a game every day. Still, the offense finally did something and they won the game. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to take the rubber game of this series. Nathan Eovaldi (0-0, 5.40 ERA) makes his second start of the season against none other than our old friend Eduardo Rodriguez. The game begins at 1:10 PM at Comerica Park.

Tigers Best Sox Late (4/11/22)

Stop me if you've heard this one. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora pulled his starting pitcher early only to have the bullpen blow the game because the offense did absolutely nothing. It started last July and it's still the theme as the Sox dropped today's game against the Detroit Tigers. Sox starter Michael Wacha was pulled after just 72 pitches in the 5th inning. The inept Boston bats were held to just 4 measly hits while Javier Baez struck a two run home run in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox brought the tying run to the plate but couldn't do anything as the Tigers stunned the Sox 3-1 at Comerica Park.

                                                    "That bats aren't hitting"

Manning got the ball in the top of the first inning and Kike Hernandez led off with a pop up to third to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to first to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Robbie Grossman grounded out to short to start. Austin Meadows blooped a base hit over the head of Devers, Javier Baez walked and Jeimer Candelario walked to load the bases. Miguel Cabrera hit a sac fly to left to score Meadows and Jonathan Schoop grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                                          Tigers strike first

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as JD Martinez popped up to second to start. Alex Verdugo flied out to left and Christian Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning. Harold Castro got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Tucker Barnhart struck out swinging. Akil Baddoo popped up to short and Grossman flied out to left to end the inning.

Travis Shaw made his season debut with a grounder back to the mound to begin the top of the third before Jonathan Arauz flied out to left. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. Meadows went down swinging to open the bottom of the third before Baez flied out to right. Candelario grounded out to first to end the inning.

The perfect game continued in the top of the fourth as Hernandez popped up to first to start. Devers lined out to second and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. Wacha struck out Cabrera swinging to open the bottom of the fourth before Schoop grounded out to third. Castro grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox broke up the perfect game in style as Martinez clubbed his first home run of the season to tie the game in the top of the fifth. Verdugo grounded out to second, Vazquez flied out to center and Shaw lined out to left to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 JD ties it up

Naturally Barnhart walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Baddoo took strike three. Once again Sox manager Alex Cora refused to let his starter get out of the fifth inning and pulled Wacha after just 4 1/3 innings. "Shaggy" Matt Strahm came in to pitch to Grossman and struck him out swinging. Meadows struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    Short and sweet for Wacha

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Arauz grounded out to second to start. JBJ grounded out to first and Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. Matt Barnes made his season debut in the bottom of the sixth and Baez popped up to short to start. Candelario flied out to center but Cabrera doubled to right. Schoop struck out swinging to end the inning.

Alex Lange came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Devers ripped a base hit to right to begin. Bogaerts struck out swinging, Martinez took strike three and Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning. Austin Davis came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Spencer Torkelson pitch hit for Castro only to line out to left. Barnhart singled to right and Eric Haase pinch hit for Baddoo. Haase struck out swinging and Grossman popped up to third to end the inning.

Victor Reyes took over in center with Michael Fulmer now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Vazquez singled to center to start but Shaw struck out swinging. Arauz forced Vazquez at second and JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning. The Tigers rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Meadows singled to right to chase Davis. Ryan Brasier came in and coughed up a 2 run bomb to Baez to put Detroit up for good. Candelario grounded out to second but Cabrera ripped a base hit to left to chase Brasier. Phillips Valdez came in and Schoop doubled to center before Torkelson took strike three. Barnhart also took strike three to end the inning with the Tigers up 3-1.

                                                                  Baez ices it

Gregory Soto came in to close out the top of the ninth and Hernandez continued his slump by flying out to right to start. Devers got a lucky double to left but Bogaerts flied out to center. Martinez flied out to right to end the game. The Tigers had won it 3-1.

                                                           Tigers win

Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He served up the go-ahead home run to Baez in the eighth.

                             Jackass Brasier

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3.

Michael Wacha tossed 4 1/3 innings of 1 run ball while striking out 4.

Matt Strahm struck out the only two batters he faced.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Phillips Valdez got the last two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 3.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3.

Austin Davis took the loss by being charged with a run in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Final Thoughts:

Remember how bad 2019 started under Cora and the Sox? This year's going to be far worse if the Sox keep playing like this. The Sox offense has been virtually shut down the first four games of the season and not a single starter has gone six innings. Cora making the bullpen come in for four innings a game is not a recipe for success and it sure wasn't today. Hernandez, Bradley and Arauz are automatic outs at this point and Brasier can't get anyone out with men on base. At what point are Sox fans going to hold Cora accountable for his quick hooks? Didn't going 30-31 to end the season with the bullpen on fumes and blowing Game 4 against the Astros give everyone enough of a clue something was wrong? If Hernandez and Bradley can't hit then the team isn't going to generate much offense with nobody on base. The Sox have just 14 hits in the last three games and the Tigers had 8 alone today. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to bounce back when Rich Hill pulls a Wendel Clark and begins his third go-around with the Red Sox. He faces Tyler Alexander at 1:10 PM at Comerica Park.

Sox Avoid Sweep, Beat Yankees (4/10/22)

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Red Sox got their first win of the season against their rivals the New York Yankees. Sox starter Tanner Houck was knocked out in the fourth inning but the Sox bullpen stepped up in this one. The Sox took an early 2-0 lead with a first inning rally but the Yankees got a run off Houck in the third. A Jonathan Arauz sac fly made it 3-1 but after Houck put the first two runners on in the fourth, Ryan Brasier allowed a 2 run single to Anthony Rizzo to tie the game. Kutter Crawford (1-1, 0.00 ERA) picked up his first career win as the bullpen shut out the Yankees the rest of the way. Bobby Dalbec broke the deadlock with a solo home run and Jake Diekman blew away the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth. It all added up to a series salvaging 4-3 win at Yankee Stadium.

                                                         Happy fans

Montgomery got a scare in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers blooped a base hit to center and Xander Bogaerts hit a line drive off the ankle of Montgomery who went down in a heap. After a while Montgomery walked it off but JD Martinez doubled to left to score Devers to put the Sox on top. Bobby Dalbec was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Christian Arroyo hit a sac fly to right to score Bogaerts but Alex Verdugo grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                          Montgomery goes down

Tanner Houck had to work in the bottom of the first inning as Josh Donaldson took strike three to start. Anthony Rizzo walked and Aaron Judge singled him to third, but Giancarlo Stanton hit a bullet to Jonathan Arauz at second. Judge swiped second but Joey Gallo walked on a questionable call to load the bases. Houck got Gleyber Torres to fly out to left to end the inning but Tanner had thrown 30 pitches.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Kevin Plawecki struck out swinging to start. Arauz lined out to center but Hernandez drew a walk. Devers grounded out into the shift to end the inning. Aaron Hicks effortlessly lined a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second. Isiah Kiner beat out a double play ball to Houck and Jose Trevino popped up to right, but a wild pitch moved Hicks to second. Donaldson took a questionable strike three to end the inning.

Montgomery dominated the top of the third as Bogaerts popped up to second to start. Martinez flied out to right and Dalbec took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third as Rizzo walked on 4 pitches not even close to begin. Arroyo failed to catch a pop up by Judge for a "single" and Stanton ripped a base hit to left to score Rizzo. Gallo hit an absolute rocket but right to Arroyo before Torres was hit with a pitch to load the bases but Hicks banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox still leading 2-1.

                                                         Stanton drives in a run

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Arroyo swung and missed at strike three but the ball got away to allow Christian to reach first. Verdugo hit a seeing eye single to right and both runners advanced on the swinging bunt by Plawecki. That was it for Montgomery as Clarke Schmidt came in to pitch to Arauz and he hit a sac fly to right to score Arroyo to increase the lead. Hernandez watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                    Sox go up by two

The Yankees finished off Houck in the bottom of the fourth as Kiner doubled to center to start. Trevino dropped a base hit in front of Hernandez but somehow Donaldson was called out on strike three. That was it for Houck who struggled just to get 13 ours and would be charged with 3 runs. Ryan Brasier came in and naturally uncorked a wild pitch to move the runners over before Rizzo cleared the bases with a base hit to center to tie the game. Judge banged into a double play to end the inning but the game was tied 3-3.

     

                                                        Houck doesn't last long
      

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Devers grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts  grounded out to short and Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Kutter Crawford came in for the bottom of the fifth and naturally Stanton singled up the middle to start. Gallo flied out to center but Torres doubled off the right feel wall. Hicks popped up to Devers in foul territory to a chorus of boos and 1st base umpire Chad Fairchild rung up Kiner on a check swing to end the inning.

The Sox somehow struck back in the top of the sixth as Dalbec launched his first home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Arroyo grounded out to third, Verdugo grounded out to short and Plawecki grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3.

                                                        Dalbec puts the Sox ahead

Trevino grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Donaldson singled to left. Somehow Rizzo and Judge both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lucas Luetge came in for the top of the seventh and Arauz popped up to Donaldson to start. Hernandez flied out to left and Devers whiffed badly to end the inning. Stanton ripped another base hit to center to begin the bottom of the seventh and to chase Crawford. Matt Strahm came in to get Gallo to fly out to left before Arroyo made a sliding catch to rob Torres of a hit. Hicks grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                      Look at that hair

Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Bogaerts walked to start. Martinez looked to have beat out a double play ball but Sox manager Alex Cora fell asleep and didn't challenge the call. Dalbec walked and Arroyo grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Hansel Robles came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Jackie Bradley Jr taking over in right with Arroyo moving to second. Naturally Robles walked Kiner to start and DJ LeMahieu pinch hit for Trevino. LeMahieu flied out to a running JBJ and Donaldson hit a bullet...right to Verdugo for the out. Sox pitching coach Dave Bush sprinted to the mound to remind everyone that reruns of 21 Jump Street were on in the clubhouse and Robles was so excited he got Rizzo to pop up to Dalbec to end the inning.

Wandy Peralta came in for the top of the ninth with Kyle Higashioka behind the plate and LeMahieu at first. Verdugo walked after missing a home run by 5 feet but Plawecki struck out swinging. JBJ watched strike three go by and Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees bullpen had allowed just 3 runs in 18 2/3 innings in this series. Jake Diekman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and he blew away Judge to start. Somehow Diekman blew away Stanton and Gallo to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of the Night is Bobby Dalbec. His home run was the difference in the game.

                                                 Verdugo salutes our Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Kutter Crawford got his first ML win with 2 scoreless innings.

Matt Strahm tossed a scoreless inning.

Hansel Robles pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Jake Diekman earned his first save of the year by striking out the side in the ninth,

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jackie Bradley Jr struck out in his only at-bat.

Tanner Houck got knocked out in the fourth inning after allowing 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

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

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

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 2 bur drove in a run.

Ryan Brasier allowed the game tying single by Rizzo but allowed no runs of his own.

Final Thoughts:

Its always great to beat the Yankees but this is one of those cases where the Yankees beat themselves. They left a ton of men on base and Aaron Hicks was completely useless. Still, the same could be said for the Red Sox offense who had just 5 hits in the game. Still, a win is a win whether its 5 hits or 25 and the pitching stepped up big after Brasier allowed the two run single to Rizzo. The Yankees have flaws but they have a tough lineup and the Sox bullpen shut them down after the fourth inning. The only question is where is Matt Barnes? If Cora has lost faith in him as a closer then why is he on the team? There's plenty of pitchers in Worcester or on the street that can sit and take up space. The only real positive to take from this game is that they won. They only had 5 hits and their starter was out in the fourth inning, that can't continue. The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in Detroit. Michael Wacha makes his Red Sox debut going up against Matt Manning of the Tigers. The game begins at 5:10 PM Eastern time at Comerica Park.

Sox Rally To Beat Rays (9/8/21)

With the season spiraling down the drain, the Boston Red Sox were just four outs away from being swept out of Boston by the Tampa Bay Rays. Shane McClanahan and the Tampa bullpen held the Sox scoreless through seven innings. Nathan Eovaldi held the Rays scoreless through seven innings himself to keep the Sox in the game. Josh Taylor then allowed a single by Brandon Lowe in the top of the eighth and Garrett Richards gave up an rbi single by Nelson Cruz to put Tampa on top. With Kyle Schwarber at first and two out, Hunter Renfroe hit a two run bomb off JT Chargois to put Boston ahead. If that wasn't enough, Renfroe threw out Joey Wendle at third trying to stretch a double for the final out. The Sox saved their season with a come from behind 2-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                       Jill Valentine approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and Brandon Lowe led off with a base hit to center. Wander Franco lined out to center and Lowe moved to second on a grounder to second by Cruz. Austin Meadows popped up to third to end the inning. McClanahan got the ball in the bottom of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to center to start. Hunter Renfroe grounded out to third but JD Martinez walked. Rafael Devers got a base hit to right but Bobby Dalbec lined out to right to end the inning.

Ji Man Choi struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Manny Margot flied out to center. Joey Wendle grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Kevin Plawecki grounded out to third to start the bottom of the second but Danny Santana singled to center. Santana stole second but Jose Iglesias struck out swinging.

Josh Lowe walked to start the top of the third before Mike Zunino popped up to first. Josh Lowe stole second and Brandon Lowe walked, but Franco lined out to center. Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning. Hernandez got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third before being forced at second by Renfroe. Martinez flied out to center and Devers lined out to left to end the inning.

Meadows struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Choi also went down hacking. Margot got a base hit to right but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double by Renfroe to end the inning. Dalbec flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth and Plawecki struck out swinging. Santana lined out to right to end the inning.

Wendle struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth but Josh Lowe got a swinging bunt single in front of the plate. Zunino and Brandon Lowe both struck out swinging to end the inning. Iglesias lined out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth before Arauz struck out swinging. Hernandez lined out to left to end the inning.

Franco grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Cruz popped up to short. Meadows struck out swinging to end the inning. Andrew Kittredge came in for McClanahan in the bottom of the sixth and Renfroe got a base hit to right to start. Martinez banged into a double play and Devers went down hacking to end the inning.

Eovaldi came back for the top of the seventh and Choi grounded out to first to start. Margot and Wendle both grounded out to first to end the inning. Eovaldi tossed 7 innings of shutout ball allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

                                                             Great work Eovaldi

Pete Fairbanks came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Dalbec took strike three to start. Plawecki and Santana both went hacking to end the inning.

Josh Taylor came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Yandy Diaz pinch hit for Josh Lowe to start. Diaz grounded out to second and Zunino flied out to right. Brandon Lowe beat out a roller to second and that was it for Taylor. Garrett Richards came in and Franco walked before Cruz dropped a base hit to right to score Lowe. Meadows took strike three to end the inning with the Rays ahead 1-0.

                                                         Cruz puts Tampa ahead

Kevin Keirmaier took over at center with Matt Wisler on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. With the season on the line, Alex Verdugo pinch hit for Iglesias and got a base hit to right. JT Chargois came in to face Arauz but Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Kyle Schwarber for Arauz. Kyle forced Verdugo at second and Hernandez lined out to center. Down to their final four outs with the season slipping away, Renfroe pounded his 27th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Martinez doubled to left and Devers was intentionally walked, but Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                                 Renfroe saves the season

Travis Shaw took over at first with Hansel Robles now on the mound to close out the top of the ninth. Choi and Margot struck out swinging but Wendle hit a gap shot into right field. Wendle had second base but tried to go to third, getting thrown out by none other than Renfroe to end the game. The Sox had shocked the Rays 2-1.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Hunter Renfroe. He hit the go-ahead two run home run and threw out the tying run at third to end the game.

                                                        Hero Renfroe

The Good:

JD Martinez was just 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Danny Santana was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Alex Verdugo got a base hit as a pinch hitter.

Kyle Schwarber scored a run in the eighth inning.

Nathan Eovaldi tossed 7 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8.

Hansel Robles earned his 12th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jose Iglesias was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Josh Taylor was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Garrett Richards vultured the win by allowing an inherited runner to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Honorable Mention:

Travis Shaw played first base in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

In terms of regular season wins, this was a pretty important one. Not only are the Sox hanging on to the wild card for dear life, they need to beat the Rays if they have any hope of winning the division. Barring a collapse by Tampa, its not going to happen but the chance is there. Still, if the Sox want to focus their attention on New York, snatching a win from the jaws of victory was important. Eovaldi pitched very well but the offense was asleep for most of the game. Renfroe saved their bacon in the field and at the plate. Too bad the bullpen broke down over the course of the season or else they'd be odds on favorites to win it all. A win like this could propel them so hopefully good things are in store with 20 games left in the season. The win improved the Sox to 80-42, 9 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night in Chicago for a set with the White Sox. Tanner Houck (0-4, 3.54 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Carlos Rodon for Chicago. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Comiskey Park.

Rays Crush Rodriguez, Sox (9/7/21)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a series of roster moves. Kike Hernandez and Danny Santana were activated from the Covid List while Taylor Motter was designated for assignment and Franchy Cordero was sent back to Worcester. Motter did well when he was here, don't know why he has to leave. Oh well.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                              IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster. The Tampa Bay Rays put a cigarette out on the heads of the Boston Red Sox. Their red hot second half surge continued as they pounded out another 14 hits and 12 runs against Red Sox pitching. Eduardo Rodriguez (11-8, 5.15 ERA) continued his season of regression by getting tagged for six runs in just 3 2/3 innings. Michael Feliz and Brad Peacock got rocked for six runs as well as the Rays teed off on Sox pitching. Drew Rasmussen held the Sox to just  1 run through five innings although the Sox rallied for six runs at the end off David Hess. The final score looked a little better but the Sox got blown out by Tampa 12-7 at Fenway Park.

                                                     "DAMMIT TAMPA!!!"

Rodriguez got the ball in the top of the first as Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to start. Wander Franco grounded out to short and Nelson Cruz grounded out to second to end the inning. Rasmussen got the ball in the bottom of the first and the returning Kike Hernandez took strike three to start. Kyle Schwarber grounded out to short and JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

The Rays jumped on E-Rod in the top of the second as Yandy Diaz popped up to first in foul territory to start. Jordan Luplow doubled to center and Manny Margot doubled to center to score him. Joey Wendle singled to right and Mike Zunino tripled into the right field corner to ice the game already. Zunino got picked off third and Kevin Kiermaier struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 3-0.

                                                        Zunino clears the bases

The Sox did fight back in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers singled to center to start. Hunter Renfroe doubled to left but Alex Verdugo took strike three. Christian Vazquez grounded out to second but Devers scored to cut the lead. Jose Iglesias flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

The Rays struck again in the top of the third as Arozarena doubled to left to start. Franco lined out to short but Cruz hit a home run all the way to Alabama to increase the lead. Diaz grounded out to third but Luplow beat out a roller to short. Margo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rays up 5-1.

                                                              That's one for Cruz

Jonathan Arauz grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Hernandez grounded out to third. Schwarber and Martinez stroked back to back base hits to right but Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Rays were relentless in the top of the fourth as Wendle struck out swinging to start. Zunino then hit a home run all the way to Detroit to increase the lead. Kiermaier flied out to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough of Rodriguez. E-Rod got pounded for 6 runs off 8 hits in just 3 2/3 innings. Michael Feliz came in and Arozarena flied out to center to end the inning with the Rays up 6-1.

                                                       Bye bye Rodriguez

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Renfroe grounded out to second to start. Verdugo singled to center but Vazquez flied out to left. Iglesias popped up to left to end the inning.

The Rays scored again in the top of the fifth as Franco grounded out to short to start. Cruz hit his second home run of the night into the Charles River and Diaz struck out swinging. Luplow struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rays up 7-1.

                                                      That's 2 for Cruz

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Arauz pounded a ground rule double into the right field stands to start. Hernandez flied out to center but Schwarber moved Arauz to third with a grounder to second. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Margot struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Wendle flied out to left. Zunino then swatted his second home run of the night to make the rest of the crowd leave. Kiermaier lined out to short to end the inning with the Rays up 8-1.

                                                       Another home run

Louis Head came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Devers grounded out to short to start. Renfroe struck out swinging but Verdugo singled to center. Vazquez popped up to first to end the inning.

Brad Peacock came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Arozarena doubled to center to start. Franco walked and Cruz doubled off off the Monster to score Arozarena. Diaz lined out to short and Luplow hit a home run all the way into the Gulf of Mexico to increase the lead. Margot grounded out to third and Wendle took strike three to end the inning with the Rays up 12-1.

                                                         Home run derby by Tampa

Iglesias popped up to first to start the bottom of the seventh before Arauz grounded back to the mound. Hernandez popped up to Margot to end the inning.

Bobby Dalbec came in for Devers and Danny Santana came in for Renfroe to start the top of the eighth. Zunino grounded out to second, Kiermaier struck out swinging and Arozarena grounded out to second to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Schwarber blooped a base hit to right to start. Travis Shaw pinch hit for Martinez and struck out swinging but Dalbec crushed his 19th home run of the season to cut the lead. Santana then cracked his 5th home run of the season for back to back jacks. Verdugo flied out to right but Vazquez got a base hit to right. Iglesias singled to left and Arauz singled to center to score Vazquez. Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 12-5

                                                     Santana goes back to back

Franco flied out to center to start the top of the ninth but Cruz singled to right. Diaz struck out swinging and Luplow grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Schwarber walked to start. Shaw struck out swinging again but Dalbec cracked his second home run off Hess to cut the lead. Santana flied out to right but Verdugo singled to right. Alex took second on defensive indifference but Vazquez grounded out to second to end the game. The Rays had won it 12-7.

                                                     Hess closes it out for Tampa

Jackass of The Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. His horrible start set the tone and helped put the game out of reach early. He allowed 6 runs in just 3 2/3 innings.

                                                           Jackass E-Rod

The Good:

Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 1 for 3.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 2 with 2 home runs and four total rbis.

Hunter Renfroe was 1 for 3.

Danny Santana was 1 for 2 with a home run.

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 5.

Jonathan Arauz was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Michael Feliz allowed 2 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

Brad Peacock allowed 4 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Jose Iglesias was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

So much for winning the AL East this season. The Rays emphatically stomped out the Sox and they would need a hell of an effort to get back in the race. Its not going to happen because Alex Cora burnt the bullpen out and the Sox haven't recovered since early July. Now the Sox need to go on a run just to even make the playoffs, which is no guarantee at this point. There's still 21 games left in the season and anything can happen, but things don't look good right now. The Sox bats responded today but the pitching was awful. Its been awful against the Rays this whole series and there's still another game still to play. Hopefully the pitching can come around before its too late. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-62, a full 10 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid the sweep against the Rays tomorrow when Nathan Eovaldi takes on Shane McClanahan of Tampa. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.