Royals 8 run sixth Sinks Sox (8/28/16)

Well this game was a sucker punch to the go-nads. The Boston Red Sox were enjoying a nice comfy 4-2 lead over the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals when the champs showed exactly why they won it all last year. In the top of the 6th, the last in the league in runs scored Royals scored 3 runs off the ineffective Eduardo Rodriguez (2-6, 5.35 ERA) and 6 runs off the incompetent Matt Barnes and Robbie Ross Jr. The 8 run inning was more than enough cushion for the Royals as they ran away with a 10-4 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                  Judge Doom hates Sox pitching

Rodriguez took the mound in the top of the first inning and Paulo Orlando led off by grounding out to short to start. Cheslor Cuthbert hit a weak grounder to Travis Shaw at third but he couldn't make the play at first. Lorenzo Cain popped up to Mookie Betts before Eric Hosmer drew a walk. Kendrys Morales popped up to right to end the inning. Yordano Ventura got the start for the Royals and Brock "The Hitman" Holt greeted him by dumping a base hit to left to begin. Xander Bogaerts hit a bullet but right to Cain in right. David Ortiz banged into a double play to end the inning.

Salvador Perez led off the top of the second by launching a home run off the left field foul pole to give the Royals the lead. Alex Gordon ripped a slider between first and second for a base hit before Alcedis Escobar drew a walk as the boo birds came out. Raul Mondesi Jr dropped down a bunt to move the runners over and Orlando hit a bullet to center that scored Gordon and sent Escobar to third. Cuthbert swung and missed at a high fastball for strike three to end the inning but the Royals were up 2-0.

                                                    Good luck getting that one.

Mr. Mookie led off the bottom of the second by lining a base hit off second base to start. Hanley Ramirez banged into a double play but Shaw drew a walk. Chris Young beat out an infield single to third before Sandy Leon popped up to left to end the inning.

Cain led off the top of the third by grounding out to third to start. Hosmer grounded back to E-Rod on the first pitch he saw and Morales lined one off the leg of E-Rod. Rodriguez hurried the throw to first but Ramirez couldn't scoop it for an error. Perez popped up to left to end the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr led off the bottom of the third by roping a single to right but Holt hit into a double play, the Sox third tonight. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

Rodriguez got Gordon to ground out to first to start the top of the fourth before Escobar popped up to Holt. Mondesi Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz crushed his 31st home run of the year into the triangle in center to cut the lead. Mr. Mookie popped up to shallow right before Hanley hit a bullet....right to Cain. Shaw flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                  Big Papi goes yard

Rodriguez got Orlando to pop up to Holt to start the top of the fifth before some idiot ran onto the field. Cuthbert lined out to Holt before Cain grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the fifth as Young singled off the glove of Cuthbert to begin. Leon hit a fly ball to Orlando and the ball ticked off his glove for an error. Young motored to third with Sandy taking second on the error. JBJ walked to load the bases as Holt grounded out to first to score Young and advanced the others. Bogaerts ripped a single up the middle to score Leon and JBJ to give the Sox the lead and chase Ventura. Matt Strahm came in and got Ortiz to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                     Bogaerts gives the Sox the lead

The Royals exploded in the top of the sixth as Hosmer walked to start. Morales hit a ground rule double into the right field seats and Perez walked to load the bases with nobody out. Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to remind E-Rod that Law & Order SVU was on and Gordon popped up to left. That was it for E-Rod who ended up being charged 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

                                                Not E-Rod's best stuff

Matt Barnes came in and completely puked on himself. Escobar hit a Baltimore chop off the plate for a base hit that scored Hosmer and Mondesi Jr tripled into the triangle to give the Royals the lead. Barnes plunked Orlando on the hand and Cuthbert hit a chopper to the mound where the only play was at home but Mondesi Jr beat the throw for another run. Cain singled off the Monster to score Orlando and chase Barnes. Matt was brought in with a 2 run lead and ended up allowing all three inherited runners to score and 3 of his own. Yuck! Robbie Ross Jr came in and poured gas on the fire as Hosmer singled off the Monster to score Cain and Cuthbert. Morales singled to left and both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Perez. Gordon grounded out to second but the Royals put 8 runs on the board to ice the game 10-4.

                                    Mondesi ices the game with a 3 run triple and a run scored

The Sox offense was done for the night in the bottom of the sixth as Mr. Mookie was rung up on a check swing strike three to start. Ramirez grounded out to short and Shaw grounded out to first to end the inning.

Ross Jr came back for the top of the seventh and Ramirez made a great pick on a grounder to first by Escobar to start. Mondesi Jr popped up to first and Orlando grounded out to third to end the inning. Young started the bottom of the seventh by popping up to first. Leon drew a walk but JBJ popped up to short. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning.

Junichi Tazawa came in for the top of the eighth and Cuthbert whiffed to start. Cain popped up to first and Hosmer grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth against Peter Moylan. Bogaerts grounded out to third before Ortiz whiffed. Mr. Mookie hit a sharp grounder to third and beat out the bad throw for a "hit" but Ramirez grounded into a force to end the inning.

Tazawa returned for the top of the ninth as Morales beat the shift with a base hit to left to start. Billy Burns ran for Morales and was erased on the force by Perez. Taz made a great play to nab a liner by Gordon to induce the double play to end the inning. The game ended in the bottom of the ninth as Joakim Soria closed it out by getting Shaw to ground out to first to start. Young watched strike three go by before Leon blooped a single to left. JBJ drew a walk but Holt whiffed to end the game. The Royals had won it 10-4.

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He allowed 3 inherited runners to score and was charged with 5 of his own to put the Sox completely out of reach.

                                                          Barnes The Jackass


The Good:

Chris Young was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Robbie Ross Jr tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Junichi Tazawa tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4.

Eduardo Rodriguez was charged with 5 runs in just 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.



The Ugly:

Brock "The Hitman" Holt was just 1 for 5 with an rbi.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but knocked in two runs.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with a walk.




Final Thoughts:

This game sucked big portions of ass. The Royals are on a hot streak this month but they're still last in the league in runs scored. The Royals had no trouble scoring runs off Rodriguez and Barnes and the Sox stopped trying after falling behind. Games like this can't happen with the AL East race this close. The Sox have a chance for the first time in 3 years and they have to beat the bad teams as well as the good ones as the calendar turns to September. Apart from Ortiz home run, the less said of this game the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-58, 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox come home for a crucial homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays. "Slick" Rick Porcello (17-3) takes on Matt Andriese at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Diamondbacks (8/13/16)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox are starting to make their push for the playoffs for the first time in three years. The Sox beat the Arizona Diamondbacks after their spot starter Clay Buchholz only lasted 4 1/3 innings. Arizona took a 3-1 lead over Boston when Robbie Ross Jr (2-2, 3.80 ERA) allowed an inherited runner to score from Buchholz. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth against Archie Bradley scoring 3 runs to take the lead. Brock "The Hitman" Holt smacked a two run home run in the bottom of the sixth for some insurance. Things got hairy in the eighth when Matt Barnes walked the bases loaded but Brad Ziegler struck out the next three batters to keep the lead. Craig Kimbrel locked it down in the ninth and the Sox had won 2 in a row against Arizona 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Otar The Mad approves of the win

Buchholz got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jean Segura grounded out to second to start. Michael Bourn flied out to center and Paul Godschmidt struck out swinging to end the inning. Bradley got the ball in the bottom of the first and Dustin Pedroia popped up to short. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third and Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jake Lamb walked to start the top of the second but Rickie Weeks grounded into a double play. Yasmany Tomas grounded out to short to end the inning. David Ortiz struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second and Hanley Ramirez lined back to Bradley. Travis Shaw popped up to short to end the inning.

Chris Owings walked to start the top of the third but Oscar Hernandez flied out to center. Socrates Brito grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Sandy Leon got a base hit to right to start. Brock Holt forced Sandy at second but Andrew Benintendi singled to left. Pedroia dumped a base hit to right to score Holt and move Benintendi to third. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Mr. Mookie took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                 Safe!

The Diamondbacks struck back in the top of the fourth as Segura lined out to third to start. Bourn got a base hit to center, Goldschmidt walked and both runners pulled off a double steal. Lamb grounded out to second to score Bourn and Weeks got a base hit to right to score Goldschmit. Tomas grounded out to second to end the inning with Arizona up 2-1.

                                                                  Arizona takes the lead

Ortiz grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Ramirez grounded out to second. Shaw popped up to short to end the inning.

The Diamondbacks struck again in the top of the fifth as Owings singled to center to start. Hernandez flied out to left and that was it for Buchholz. He'd be charged with 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 3 walks in his first start in over a month. Robbie Ross Jr got Brito to fly out to left but Segura walked. Bourn got a base hit to right to score Owings but Goldschmidt forced him at second to end the inning with the Diamondbacks up 3-1.

                                              "This one's on me, Clay. I got Wright hurt" - JF

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Leon belted his fifth home run of the season to start. Segura and Brito nearly collided on a routine pop up by Holt for an error to allow Brock to reach second. Benintendi doubled to center to score Holt and moved to third on a grounder to second by Pedroia. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Mr. Mookie chopped a base hit over Lamb's head to score Benintendi. Ortiz walked but Ramirez popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                                 Leon starts the rally

Ross froze Lamb for strike three to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Robbie. Junichi Tazawa came in and Weeks flied out to center, but Shaw couldn't come up with a grounder by Tomas for an error. Owings grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Shaw popped up to short to start. Leon walked and Holt smashed his 6th home run of the season to increase the lead. That was it for Bradley as Steve Hathaway was brought in to face Benintendi. Andrew took strike three and Randall Delgado came in to face Pedroia. Dustin got a base hit to left but Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                          Hitman Home Run

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Hernandez drilled as base hit to left to start. Brito struck out swinging and Segura grounded into a double play to end the inning. Daniel Hudson came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Mr. Mookie popped up to second to start. Ortiz lined out to right and Ramirez also flied out to right to end the inning.

Things looked bad when Bourn, Goldschmidt and Lamb walked consecutively to load the bases with nobody out to start the top of the eighth. Brad Zeigler came in and struck Weeks out swinging on 3 pitches. Tomas went down hacking and Fenway erupted when Owings swung at air to end the inning. Ziegler had pulled the Houdini to get out of the jam.

                                                       Outstanding job by Ziegler

Adam Loewen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Aaron Hill pinch hit for Shaw. Hill popped up to first, Leon grounded out to third and Holt flied out to center to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the top of the ninth and Phil Gosselin pinch hit for Hernandez. Gosselin struck out swinging and Brandon Drury pinch hit for Brito. Drury flied out to right and Segura grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brad Zeigler. He pulled the Houdini in the top of the eighth to keep the Sox on top.

                                                                     Hero Ziegler

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Junichi Tazawa got the final 2 outs of the 6th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 19th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3.

Aaron Hill was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Matt Barnes walked the bases loaded in the top of the eighth.

Clay Buchholz allowed 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run and he scored 3 runs.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

What an effort by Ziegler and the Red Sox there. Having to start Buchholz with Steven Wright down, surviving that, then surviving the eighth inning. Sandy Leon would probably be in contention for AL MVP if he was brought up just a month earlier. Bogaerts and Betts are cooling off big time due to bumps & bruises with limited days off since the all-star break but the bottom of the order got it done tonight. Benintendi, Holt and Leon stepped up big time and the Sox would be in a playoff spot if the season ended now. Still, there's 47 games left in the season and the Sox need a nice winning streak to the catch the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. The Sox have a death march against the AL East next month that might decide the division but they can get ahead of the curve with a streak now. If only Wright didn't get hurt, Buchholz isn't giving them much. The win improved the Sox to 63-52, 2 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon when "Slick" Rick Porcello (15-3) takes on Zack Greinke of Arizona. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Bullpen Implodes Against Yankees (8/10/16)

For six innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were heading to an easy victory over the fading New York Yankees. Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi left after the first inning and the Sox put up four runs against their bullpen. Meanwhile Drew Pomeranz had held the Yankees to just 1 run on a Didi Gregorius home run. Then it all fell apart. Matt Barnes, Fernando Abad (1-6, 3.19 ERA), Junichi Tazawa and Robbie Ross Jr combined to allow 9 hits and 8 runs over the next 2 innings to not only blow the game but put it out of reach. Worst yet, the Yankees bullpen recovered to toss 4 shutout innings to lock it down. It was one of the most embarrassing losses of the season as the Yankees rallied to win this won 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                             The Red Sox bullpen

Pomeranz got the ball in the top of the first and Brett Gardner beat out a roller to third to start. Jacoby Ellsbury dropped down a sacrifice bunt but Chase Headley struck out swinging. Mark Teixeira struck out swinging to end the inning. Eovaldi got the ball in the bottom of the first and Dustin Pedroia flied out to the right field warning track to start. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center to end the inning.

Starlin Castro grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Didi Gregorius struck out swinging. Gary Sanchez grounded out to third to end the inning. Chasen Shreve came in to pitch the bottom of the second as Nathan Eovaldi was taken out of the game. David Ortiz walked to start but Hanley Ramirez popped up to first. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to left and Travis Shaw grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Austin Romine grounded out to short to start the top of the third and Aaron Hicks grounded out to third. Gardner popped up to Shaw in foul territory to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third and Headley bobbled a "single" by Leon to start. Andrew Benintendi popped up a bunt to Romine but Pedroia doubled to the left field wall. Bogaerts was hit with a pitch to load the bases and chase Shreve. Blake Parker came in to face Betts and Mr. Mookie beat out a double play ball to score Leon. Ortiz popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Betts beats it out

Ellsbury grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Headley grounded out to short. Teixeira singled to left and Castro struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Ramirez flied out to right to start. JBJ singled to center and Shaw drew a walk. Leon got a base hit to right to load the bases. Benintendi forced Shaw at second but Bradley scored to increase the lead. Nick Goody came in to pitch to face Pedroia and Dustin popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                 JBJ scores a run

The Yankees struck back in the top of the fifth as Gregorius hit a home run all the way to the moon to start. Sanchez got a base hit to right and Romine got a base hit to left, but Hicks struck out swinging. Gardner grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Yankees down 2-1.

                                                       Home run for Didi

The game was essentially blown in the bottom of the fifth as Bogaerts walked to start. Mr. Mookie doubled to left and David Ortiz was intentionally walked to load the bases with nobody out. Ramirez flied out to left on a 3-1 count and Tommy Layne was brought in to face JBJ. Bradley popped up to first and Aaron Hill pitch hit for Shaw only to strike out swinging to end the inning. That cost the Sox dearly.

Ellsbury popped up to short to start the top of the sixth but Headley got a base hit to center. Teixeira walked and Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough of Pomeranz. Drew did a lot better than recently albeit very short. He allowed just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings off 6 hits and a walk. Clay Buchholz came in to get Castro to ground into a double play to end the inning.

                                               "Hope the bullpen doesn't blow it" - DP

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Leon walked to start. Benintendi struck a base hit down the right field line to move Sandy to third and chase Layne. Tyler Clippard came in and Pedroia dumped a base hit to left to score Leon. Benintendi moved to third on the hit and he scored when Bogaerts forced Pedroia at second. Mr. Mookie doubled to center but Bogaerts was thrown out at home. That also proved costly as Ortiz was intentionally walked. A wild pitch moved up both runners but Ramirez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                     Benintendi scores a run

Matt Barnes came in to piss down his leg in the top of the seventh as Gregorius singled past the lunging Bogaerts to start. Sanchez drilled a base hit to left and Romine also got a base hit to left to score Gregorius. The retiring Alex Rodriguez pinch hit for Hicks to a chorus of boos. A-Rod flied out to right to move Sanchez to third and that was it for Barnes. It was Fernando Abad's turn to crap his pants as Gardner struck out swinging but Ellsbury got a base hit to right to score Sanchez. Headley got a base hit to left to score Romine to tie the game and chase Abad. Junichi Tazawa came in to also vomit up his intestines as Teixeira walked to load the bases. Castro doubled to left to score Ellsbury and Headley to put the Yankees up for good. Gregorius popped up to third to end the inning but the Yankees scored five runs to take a 6-4 lead.

                                                                Yankees take the lead

The Sox were deflated in the bottom of the seventh as Rob Refsnyder took over in right for New York. JBJ got a base hit to left to chase Clippard as Adam Warren came in to pitch. Hill took strike three and Leon struck out swinging, but the umpires lost track of the pitch count. After the delay, Benintendi lined back to the mound to end the inning.

The beating continued in the top of the eighth with Brock "The Hitman" Holt now in right. Sanchez hit a home run all the way to Belgium and Romine walked to chase Tazawa. Robbie Ross Jr came in to get pounded as Refsnyder singled to center and a wild pitch moved both runners over. Gardner flied out to left but Ellsbury walked. A wild pitch scored Romine but Headley popped up to first. ANOTHER wild pitch scored Refsnyder as the boos rained down at Fenway. Teixeira struck out swinging but the Yankees had scored eight runs in two innings to lead 9-4.

                                               Wild thing, you make my butt sting!

Pedroia popped up to second to start the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts flied out to left. Holt flied out to left as well to end the inning.

Brad Ziegler came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Castro grounded out to third to start. Gregorius grounded out to second but Sanchez got a base hit to left. Romine flied out to right to end the inning. Dellin Betances came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and things got even worse when Ortiz fouled a ball off his foot and had to be helped off the field. Bryce Brentz struck out swinging in David's place and Ramirez took strike three. JBJ grounded out to first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 9-4.

                                                            Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Junichi Tazawa. He allowed the go-ahead 2 run double and a home run of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                          Jackass Tazawa

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

David Ortiz walked 3 times in 5 plate appearances.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Travis Shaw walked in two plate appearances.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Drew Pomeranz allowed just 1 run in 5 1/3 innings off 6 hits and a walk.

Clay Buchholz got the final two outs of the sixth inning.

Brad Ziegler pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Bryce Brentz pinch hit for Ortiz and struck out swinging.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Aaron Hill was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Matt Barnes was charged with 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Fernando Abad was charged with 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 but walked, was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was one of the most embarrassing losses of the season for a variety of reasons. Having the bases loaded in the fifth and doing nothing then seemingly putting the game away only for the bullpen to implode was disgraceful. This might be the worst Yankees team since the early 90's and a win like that could inspire them. If it was just Tazawa or Barnes you could say, eh they had a bad day, but all four of them including Abad and Ross? The Sox traded for Ziegler because Tazawa and Koji Uehara had been overworked the last three years, but Tazawa looked off. Dumping Tommy Layne for Fernando Abad might have been a mistake because he hasn't looked good at all since the trade. The Sox better turn their bullpen around quick because they're going to fall behind the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles with more games like this one. The Yankees used their entire bullpen more or less and the Sox could only get two runs off of them. Even worse, Steven Wright hurt himself sliding into second against the Los Angeles Dodgers and will miss his start tomorrow. Eduardo Rodrigues has been named the replacement starter, god help us. On top of that, both Mookie Betts and David Ortiz had to leave the game. Probably THE worst loss of the season when you look at it as a whole. The loss dropped the Sox to 61-51, 2.5 games behind the Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow night against the Yankees when Eduardo Rodriguez takes on Michael Pineda of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Dodgers Pound Price, Wright Hurt (8/7/16)

The Boston Red Sox spent 217 million dollars on David Price (9-8, 4.34 ERA) hoping he'd be the ace the Sox needed. Instead, he's putting up Wade Miley from last year numbers and today's latest disaster against the Los Angeles Dodgers is giving the Sox buyer's remorse. If that wasn't bad enough, Sox manager John Farrell sent in Steven Wright to run and he ended up getting hurt. The Sox got a first inning run off Brandon McCarthy and a fourth inning from Andrew Benintendi, but the Dodgers rocked Price for 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth. They got three runs off Price in the bottom of the fifth but the Sox rallied for 3 in the top of the sixth. Adrian Gonzalez and Enrique Hernandez hit two solo shots off Junichi Tazawa, the Dodgers bullpen held the fort and the Sox could get nothing else going offensively. Price got rocked, Wright got hurt and the Sox playoff chances might have just ended with a 8-5 Dodgers win at Dodger Stadium.

The Sox wasted no time getting to McCarthy in the top of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts walked to start. Mr. Mookie swiped second but Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to center. A wild pitch moved Betts to third and he scored on the Xander Bogaerts sac fly to center. Dustin Pedroia flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                         Sox strike first

Price got the ball in the bottom of the first and Howie Kendrick popped up to right to start. Corey Seager and Justin Turner both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Travis Shaw led off the top of the second by flying out to left but Brock "The Hitman" Holt walked. Bryan Holoday made his Red Sox debut...by grounding into a double play to end the inning. 

                                                         Whoops

Adrian Gonzalez lined out to center to start the bottom of the second and Enrique Hernandez walked. Josh Reddick flied out to left but Yasmani Grandal got a base hit to left. Rob Segedin made his ML debut with a grounder to third to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Andrew Benintendi got a base hit to left to start. Price popped up the bunt to third but Benintendi stole second. Mr. Mookie got hit with a pitch and JBJ walked to load the bases. Bogaerts grounded into a double play to end the inning. McCarthy took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Kendrick was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to start. Seager struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Pedroia flied out to left to start. Shaw grounded out to second but Holt walked. Holaday walked and Benintendi drilled a base hit to right to score Holt with his first ML rbi. That was it for McCarthy as Josh Fields came in to pitch to Price. David struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                     First career rbi for Benintendi

The Dodgers pounced on Price in the bottom of the fourth as Turner hit a home run into Chavez Ravine to start. Gonzalez doubled to center but Hernandez struck out swinging. Reddick hit a grounder to short and Bogaerts threw low to third...bobbled by Holt for an error. The Dodgers made Holt pay as Grandal walked and the rookie Segedin doubled to center to score Gonzalez and Reddick to put the Dodgers up for good. Scott Van Slyke pinch hit for Fields and was intentionally walked. The gamble worked as Kendrick grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Dodgers ahead 3-2.

                                                              Good for him

Jesse Chavez came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Mr. Mookie grounded out to first to start. JBJ took strike three and Bogaerts struck out swinging to end the inning. The Dodgers finished off Price in the bottom of the fifth as Seager walked to start. Turner forced Seager at second but Gonzalez got a base hit to left to move Turner to third. Hernandez hit a routine grounder to short and Bogaerts...overthrew Pedroia at second for an error to score Turner. Reddick flied out to center but Grandal walked to load the bases. Segedin got a base hit to right to score Gonzalez and Hernandez but Grandal was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Dodgers up 6-2. That was it for Price who got rocked for 6 runs in 5 innings

                                                         A comedy of errors

Suddenly the Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Pedroia grounded out to short and that was it for Chavez. Luis Avilan came in to face Shaw but he got a base hit to left. Aaron Hill pinch hit for Holt and doubled to left to score Shaw. Holaday struck out swinging but Benintendi singled to right to score Hill. Bryce Brentz was sent in to pinch hit for Price but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Joe Blanton to face him with Chase Utley in for Segedin. Sox manager John Farrell countered by pinch hitting David Ortiz for Brentz and David walked. Mr. Mookie got a base hit to left to score Benintendi to put the tying run at second. For some baffling reason Sox manager John Farrell sent Steven Wright to pinch run for Ortiz and he immediately hurt his shoulder sliding back into second on a pickoff throw. JBJ took strike three to end the inning but Wright left the game with his shoulder hanging and the Sox down 6-5.

                                                              Oh no

Fernando Abad came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Utley struck out swinging to start. Kendrick grounded out to short and Seager grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bogaerts struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Pedroia grounded out to first. Pedro Baez came in to face Shaw and struck him out swinging to end the inning. The Dodgers iced the game against Junichi Tazawa in the bottom of the seventh as Turner popped up to first to start. All of a sudden Gonzalez and Hernandez hit back to back jacks to put the game away. Reddick struck out swinging but Grandal walked again. Baez flied out to left to end the inning with the Dodgers up 8-5.

                                                    Hernandez ices it

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the eighth as Hill flied out to right to start. Holoday grounded out to short and Benintendi flied out to center to end the inning. Clay Buchholz came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Utley hit a comebacker to start. Kendrick got a base hit to center as Sox analyst Dave O'Brien claimed former Sox closer Lee Smith had the biggest hands he'd ever seen. Seager flied out to center and Turner forced Kendrick at second to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth with Joc Pederson in for Kendrick. Hanley Ramirez pinch hit for Buchholz and struck out swinging. Mr. Mookie struck out swinging and JBJ took strike three to end the game. The Dodgers had won it 8-5.

                                                                   Dodgers win

Jackass of The Night is David Price. He got lit up for 6 runs although only 3 were earned off 6 hits and 5 walks. He also popped up a bunt that could have gotten an early run.

                                                            Nice game, Jackass

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, rbi, a stolen base and a run scored.

Aaron Hill was 1 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

David Ortiz walked in his only at-bat.

Fernando Abad pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Clay Buchholz tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4.

Hanley Ramirez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Junichi Tazawa allowed 2 runs in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and an error but walked.

Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Brock Holt committed an error but walked twice and scored a run.

Bryan Holaday was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Steven Wright pinch ran in the top of the sixth.

Bryce Brentz "pinch hit" in the top of the sixth.

Final Thoughts:

This might have been the worst loss of the season on principle alone. Not only can Price not pitch anymore but Wright might be done for the season. If that's the case, you can kiss this year goodbye because the Sox can't afford to lose Wright the way Price is pitching. That was an inexcusable move by Farrell to risk Wright like that in a one run game in the sixth inning. You have the best offense in baseball, you don't think Ortiz or someone else can hit a bomb of THESE pitchers? Clay Buchholz is already out of the rotation while Drew Pomeranz and Eduardo Rodriguez looks awful. The Sox might have to call up Henry Owens the way things are going, and that's not a good thing. Still, the Sox still have one of the best offenses in baseball that can bop their way back into games, but without Wright and Price, Pomeranz and Rodriguez struggling, the Sox might be kissing their AL East dreams goodbye. The loss dropped the Sox to 60-50, 3 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. If this wasn't bad enough, the Sox now come home to face the New York Yankees in a three game set beginning on Tuesday night. "Slick" Rick Porcello (14-3) takes on Luis Severino of the Yankees Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Drop Mariners in 11 (8/4/16)

Before the game, the Boston Red Sox waived goodbye to Michael Martinez as he was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians. We'll always have July 22nd right?

                                                             Bye bye Martinez

As for the game, better late than never for the Boston Red Sox. Once again the vaunted offense was shut completely down, this time by Ariel Miranda and the Seattle bullpen....for the most part. Miranda held the Sox to just 2 runs in 6 innings courtesy of a Travis Shaw home run and Mookie Betts rbi double. Sad part was Drew Pomeranz pitched his best game for Boston so far by holding Seattle to 2 runs in 6 innings himself. The battle of the bullpens lasted all the way into the 11th inning. Brock "The Hitman" Holt got the big rbi hit to drive in Shaw against Cody Martin. In the bottom of the frame, Brad Ziegler had the tying run at third but struck out Seth Smith to end the game. The Sox had prevailed 3-2 in 11 innings at Safeco Field.

                                                       Janet Jackson approves of the win

Miranda got the ball in the top of the first for his ML debut and Mr. Mookie Betts led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Xander Bogaerts got a seeing eye single into left and David Ortiz dumped a base hit to left as well. Dustin Pedroia walked to load the bases but Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging. Aaron Hill flied out to right to end the inning. Pomeranz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Guillermo Heredia walked to start. Franklin Gutierrez struck out swinging and Robinson Cano took strike three. Nelson Cruz grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Travis Shaw smoked his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Ryan Hanigan and Bryce Brentz both watched strike three go by and Mr. Mookie struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Sox take the lead

Dae-ho Lee lined out to second to start the bottom of the second but Kyle Seager walked. Mike Zunino struck out swinging and Leonys Martin grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Bogaerts got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but Ortiz grounded into a double play. Pedroia flied out to left to end the inning. Shawn O'Malley caught Pedroia asleep with a bunt single to start the bottom of the third and Heredia forced him at second. Heredia was thrown out at second trying to steal and Gutierrez struck out swinging to end the inning.

JBJ grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth but Hill got a base hit to right. Shaw took strike three and Hanigan flied out to center to end the inning. Cano flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Cruz and Lee drew back to back walks. Seager flied out to center but Zunino walked to load the bases. Martin grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Brentz doubled to right to start. Mr. Mookie also doubled to right to score Brentz. Bogaerts lined out to the left field wall and Ortiz lined out to center. Pedroia flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Mr. Mookie drives in a run

The lead lasted 8 seconds in the bottom of the fifth as O'Malley pulverized a home run into the Pacific Ocean to start. Heredia dropped down a bunt to catch Pedroia asleep and moved to second on a grounder to third by Heredia. Cano grounded out to second to move Heredia to third and Cruz was intentionally walked. The slumping Lee broke a 3 for 36 skid with a base hit to center to score Heredia. Seager grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       O'Malley hits one way out of here

JBJ got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth but Hill flied out to right. Shaw hit a bullet...right to Lee who doubled off Bradley to end the inning. Zunino was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate to start the bottom of the sixth before Martin struck out swinging. O'Malley struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Pomeranz who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings of work off 4 hits and 6 walks.

                                                            Better outing from Drew

Drew Storen came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Hanigan lined out to short to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Brentz and grounded out to first. Mr. Mookie singled in the hole at short but Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Heredia grounded out to second to start. Gutierrez walked but Cano grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Vidal Nuno came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ortiz popped up to second to start. Pedroia blooped a base hit to center but JBJ struck out swinging. Tom Wilhelmson came in to face Hill and Aaron walked. Shaw grounded out to short to end the inning. Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Cruz struck out swinging to start. Lee struck out swinging but Seager got a base hit to left. Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning.

Sandy Leon pinch hit for the 0 for 20 Hanigan to start the top of the ninth and grounded out to second. Holt walked but Mr. Mookie banged into a double play to end the inning. Fernando Abad came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Leon just barely got Martin at first on a swinging bunt in front of the plate. O'Malley got a base hit to center and Gutierrez walked to put the winning run at second. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to face Cano with Nori Aoki running for Gutierrez. Cano grounded out to second to end the inning.

Blake Parker came in to pitch the top of the tenth and Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Ortiz grounded out to first but Pedroia singled to center. JBJ walked but Hill grounded out to third to end the inning. Cruz struck out swinging to start the bottom of the tenth and Adam Lind pinch hit for Lee. Lind struck out swinging and Seager went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the 11th with Cody Martin now on the mound. Shaw drilled a base hit to left and Leon dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Holt hit a chopper up the middle for a base hit off the glove of O'Malley to score Shaw to put Boston ahead. Mr. Mookie struck out swinging and Holt was caught in a rundown to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                        Shaw scores the go-ahead run

Brad Ziegler came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Zunino walked to start. Luis Sardenas ran for Zunino and Martin dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Luis to second. O'Malley grounded out to first to move Sardenas to third and Seth Smith pinch hit for Heredia. Smith struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 11 innings.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brock Holt. His rbi single in the 11th put the Sox up for good

                                                       Brock "The Hero" Holt

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 6 with an rbi.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Travis Shaw was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Bryce Brentz was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Drew Pomeranz tossed 6 innings of 2 runs scored. He allowed 4 hits and 6 walks.

Robbie Ross Jr tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Fernando Abad tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Craig Kimbrel got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brad Ziegler earned his 21st save with a scoreless 11th inning.

The Bad:

Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

David Ortiz was just 1 for 5.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Aaron Hill was just 1 for 4 with a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Big, big win by the Sox considering their offensive woes lately and being on the road in extra innings. Pomeranz pitched his best game with the Sox and the bullpen was lights out. With a quartet of Tazawa, Koji Uehara, Kimbrel and Ziegler....this team could be very tough to beat if the starters can go 6 innings at a time. The Sox are going to need all hands on deck because they have a good a shot as anyone to make the playoffs as they're only 2 games out of first place in a very competitive AL East. The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are in their sights and two good months of baseball, especially against an AL East gauntlet in September, could get them over the hump. The win improved the Sox to 59-48, 2 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have to travel to Los Angeles for a three game deathmatch with the Dodgers. Steven Wright (12-5) takes on Scott Kazmir of LA. The game begins tomorrow night at 10:10 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Sox Rally Past Mariners Late (8/1/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves ahead of today's trade deadline. Joe Kelly was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for closer Craig Kimbrel to come off the Disabled List. The other move was Sox GM Dave Dombrowski traded relief pitcher Pat Light to the Minnesota Twins for lefty reliever Fernando Abad. The Sox don't want to overuse Tommy Layne in the lefty specialist role so hopefully Abad can fill that gap for the one and done situations.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, for seven innings it looked like yet another loss without any offense against an inferior team. Eduardo Rodriguez had held the Mariners to just one run but James Paxton pitched shutout ball. The Sox got a run in the top of the eighth on an unlikely Aaron Hill home run while Junichi Tazawa survived a scary bottom of the eighth. Mookie Betts then drilled a home run off Steve Cishek to put Boston on top in the ninth. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel, fresh off the Disabled List slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox had stolen one 2-1 at Safeco Field.

                                                  Jennifer Lawrence approves of the win

Paxton got the ball in the top of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to second to start. Dustin Pedroia took strike three and Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Rodriguez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Guillermo Heredia lined out to short to start. Leonys Martin struck out swinging and Robinson Cano grounded out to short to end the inning.

David Ortiz flied out to left to start the top of the second before Hanley Ramirez lined out to second. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. Nelson Cruz struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Dae-ho Lee grounded out to short. Kyle Seager struck out swinging to end the inning.

Aaron Hill got a base hit to right to start the top of the third but Sandy Leon dumped a base hit to right. Brentz grounded into a double play to end the inning. Franklin Gutierrez walked to start the bottom of the third but Chris Iannetta took strike three. Shawn O'Malley hit a bullet that Rodriguez barely caught, doubling off Gutierrez at first to end the inning. That could have gone real bad, Rodriguez got lucky.

                                                          "Ahhhhhhh!!!!!" - E-Rod

Mr. Mookie flied out to left to open the top of the fourth and Pedroia did the same. Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Heredia grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Martin did the same. Cano singled off the glove of Pedroia but Cruz flied out to right to end the inning.

Ortiz grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Ramirez drilled a base hit to right. JBJ took strike three and Hill lined out to center to end the inning. Lee struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Seager grounded out to second. Gutierrez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Leon struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Brentz did the same. Mr. Mookie doubled to left but Pedroia grounded out to short to end the inning. Iannetta struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth but Shawn O'Malley interfered with Leon on a bunt attempt. Pedroia caught a pop up from Heredia to end the inning.

Bogaerts grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh and Ortiz grounded out to first. Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. The Mariners finally cracked Rodriguez in the bottom of the seventh as Martin grounded out to second to start. Cano doubled to the right field fence, Cruz walked and Lee doubled to center to score Cano. That was it for Rodriguez who ran out of gas after allowing 1 run in 6 1/3 innings on 3 hits. Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch and Seager was hit to load the bases. Gutierrez and Iannetta both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.

                                                     Rodriguez deserved better

The Sox answered in the top of the eighth as JBJ popped up to third to start. Hill then blasted his 9th home run of the season to tie the game. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft and Brentz struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Home Run Hill

Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and O'Malley flied out to center to start. Nori Aoki pinch hit for Heredia and singled to center. Aoki took second on a wild pitch then moved to third on the Martin grounder to first. Cano was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    Sit down Cruz

The Sox took command in the top of the ninth with Steve Cishek now on the mound. Mr Mookie belted his 22nd home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Pedroia flied out to center and Bogaerts flied out to right to chase Cishek. Vidal Nuno came in to pitch to Ortiz and David grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                         Sox take the lead

The returning Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Seth Smith pinch hit for Lee. Smith grounded back to the mound and Seager swung and missed for strike three....but the ball got away allowing Kyle to reach first. Adam Lind pinch hit for Gutierrez and struck out swinging. Mike Zunino pinch hit for Iannetta and walked to put the tying run at second. O'Malley took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Mookie Betts. His home run in the ninth led the Sox to victory.

                                                         Mr. Mookie Hero

The Good:

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3.

Aaron Hill was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3.

Eduardo Rodriguez allowed just 1 run in 6 1/3 innings.

Robbie Ross Jr got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Junichi Tazawa got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 18th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

David Ortiz was 0 for 4.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bryce Brentz was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

None

Final Thoughts:

Two days in a row the Sox stole one in the ninth inning. While these kinds of win are fun, they're definitely not sustainable. Nobody knows what's wrong with the Red Sox offense although at least you can say James Paxton is pretty good. Still, the Sox have been unusually quiet offensively lately but winning games where they don't hit well is crucial as we head down the stretch. The Sox only have 58 games left and they're still in the AL East race. They're going to need to get the big bats back in order if they want to make the playoffs for the first time since winning it all in 2013. The win improved the Sox to 58-46, 1 game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Mariners tomorrow night when David Price (9-7, 4.26 ERA) goes one on one with Wade Leblanc of Seattle. The game begins at 10:10 PM eastern time at Safeco Field.