A's Bash Bennett, Snap Streak (8/8/26)

All good things must come to an end and the Boston Red Sox 9 game win streak was snapped by the same pitcher and the same team that beat them before the streak. Gage Jump and the Sacramento A's held the high powered Sox to just 2 runs through the first six innings on a 2 run Andruw Monasterio single. The A's jumped on Sox starter Jake Bennett (7-5, 3.17 ERA) for 4 runs before knocking him out in the sixth. The Sox bullpen didn't help as Justin Slaten and Raymond Burgos allowed 3 runs between them and the A's snapped the streak with a 7-3 victory over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                         Sox ran out of magic

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Henry Bolte struck out swinging to start. Jacob Wilson lined out to right and Jonah Heim did the same to end the inning. Jump got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jahmai Jones got a base hit to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela lined out to center and Jones stole second. Caleb Durbin walked and both runners pulled off a double steal while Willson Contreras struck out swinging. Andruw Monasterio got a base hit to right to score both runners but Eli White struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                         Monasterio drives in a pair 

Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Tommy White flied out to right. Brian Serven also flied out to right to end the inning. Nick Sogard struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second but Jump threw a grounder away by Jarren Duran for an error. Connor Wong grounded out to short to move Duran to second but Jones struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Lawrence Butler grounded out to second to start the top of the third and Max Muncy flied out to center. Alika Williams walked but Bolte flied out to center to end the inning. Rafaela got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third but Durbin popped up to first. Contreras took strike three and Monasterio flied out to center to end the inning. 

Wilson doubled to left to start the top of the fourth but Heim struck out swinging. Soderstrom struck out swinging but White singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners. Serven hit a routine grounder to Bennett...kicked by Jake to score White on the "single". Butler lined out to center to end the inning with the A's down 2-1.

                                                     Serven drives in a run...in name only

White struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Sogard doubled to center. Duran struck out swinging and Wong popped up to second to end the inning. 

Muncy struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Williams was hit with a pitch. Bolte took strike three but Wilson doubled to left. Naturally Heim got a base hit to left to score both runners to put Sacramento up for good. Soderstrom walked but White forced him at second to end the inning with the game all but over...3-2 A's.

                                                               A's go on top

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth although Jones doubled to left to start. Naturally Rafaela struck out swinging but Durbin grounded back to the mound to move Jones to third. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Serven lined out to first to start the top of the sixth but Butler walked to chase Bennett. He lost it in the last few innings allowing 4 runs off 5 hits and 3 walks. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in and Jeff McNeil pinch hit for Muncy. Butler stole second, McNeil walked and Donovan Walton pinch hit for Williams. Both runners pulled off a double steal and Walton pounded a ground rule double into the bullpen to score them to ice the game. Bolte grounded out to short and Wilson flied out to right to end the inning with the A's up 5-2.

                                                      Bennett didn't get the job done

Monasterio walked to start the bottom of the sixth but White forced him at second. Sogard dropped down a bunt to third but somehow beat it out. Naturally Duran and Wong both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Raymond Burgos came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Heim flied out to center to start. Naturally Soderstrom hit a home run all the way to Great Britain to increase the lead. White flied out to right and Serven grounded out to short to end the inning with the A's up 6-2.

                                                              A's are all smiles

Luis Medina came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jones popped up to first to start. Rafaela lined out to right and Durbin struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Butler lined out to center to start the top of the eighth and McNeil did the same. Walton grounded out to second to end the inning. Seth Johnson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Contreras refused to run out a grounder which caused Fenway to boo. Monasterio struck out swinging but White walked. Somehow Sogard doubled to right to score White....but wait! To show the streak was truly dead, the umps got together and ruled the ball went out of play for a ground rule double, White had to return to third. Hogan Harris came in to face Duran and Jarren struck out swinging on a straight fastball right down the middle to end the inning to a chorus of boos.

                                                                     Boooooo!!!!!

The A's added to the misery in the top of the ninth as Bolte hit a home run all the way to Seattle to start. Wilson grounded out to third, Heim struck out swinging and Soderstrom took strike three to end the inning with the A's up 7-2

                                                             That ball was crushed

Wong lined out to left to start the bottom of the ninth but Jones doubled to left. Rafaela struck out swinging but Durbin somehow got a base hit to left to score Jones. Contreras got a base hit to center and Monasterio walked to load the bases. Naturally with the game on the line....White lined out to center on a 3-1 counter to end the game. The A's had won it 7-3.

                                                       A's win

Jackass of the Night is Justin Slaten. He turned a 3-2 game into 5-2 to open the floodgates.

                                                             Jackass Slaten

The Good:

Jahmai Jones as 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Andrew Monasterio was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 rbis.

Nick Sogard was 3 for 4.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jake Bennett got rocked for 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings to take the loss off 5 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Eli White was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Raymond Burgos allowed 2 runs in 3 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Can't expect the Sox to go undefeated the rest of the season, a game like this was bound to happen. Its uncanny how the Red Sox kryptonite is Gage Jump, that's twice now he's beaten the Sox when others don't even come close. The Sox had been so hot the last month that fans fully expected to rally in this one. Duran striking out in the eighth sealed the deal but the game was lost well before that. Slaten, Burgos and even Bennett wasn't good enough to get the job done on this day. Worse yet, both the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays won so all the momentum the Sox built evaporated. The Sox are still 6 games ahead of the Texas Rangers but the Sox are still within striking distance of the division. They might be the only ones who can take Tampa and New York at this point. The Sox will get the Yankees three weeks from tonight, hopefully they can go on a run until then. All in all it was a bad loss but they were due for one. The loss dropped the Sox to 64-52, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow in the rubber game of this series with JT Ginn going for Sacramento and a bullpen game for Boston. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Win Game of The Year (8/6/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Joe La Sorsa who infamously pitched in one game for the Red Sox giving up a home run on the first pitch he threw was given his outright release. The Sox needed to open up some 40 man roster spots with some of the injured guys close to returning and with Erik Miller on the roster, La Sorsa was expendable.

                                                                      OUT

As for the game, that wasn't just the game of the season for the Red Sox, that might have been one of the most pulse pounding, exciting regular season games in Boston Red Sox history. The Red Sox won their eighth straight game and swept the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox by coming back FIVE times in a single game to win in 13 innings. The White Sox got four runs off Sox starter Ranger Suarez and knocked him out after 3 innings. A Connor Wong 2 run home run cut the lead but the ChiSox got a run against Greg Weissert. The BoSox rallied for 3 runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, chasing Chicago starter Luis Castillo. A Justin Slaten throwing error gave Chicago a 7-5 lead but a Masataka Yoshida rbi in the sixth brought the Sox closer. Down to their last strike in the bottom of the ninth, Wilyer Abreu drilled a base hit to tie the game. Normally indomitable closer Aroldis Chapman served up a 2 run meatball to Chase Meidroth in the top of the tenth but an Andruw Monasterio double and Anthony Seigler sac fly tied it in the bottom of the frame. The White Sox got a run off Garrett Whitlock in the top of the eleventh but an Abreu sac fly tied it. The White Sox got a run off Brayan Bello (4-6, 4.97 ERA) in the top of the 12th but a Jake Rogers sac fly tied it again. Bello held the fort in the top of the 13th and Caleb "The Durbinator" Durbin delivered the knockout punch by driving in Nick Sogard to win the game. The BoSox had won their eighth straight game and swept the White Sox with a 12-11 victory in 13 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                           8 in a row.....ah ah ah

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chase Meidroth lined out to short to start. Munetaka Murakami struck out swinging and Miguel Vargas took strike three to end the inning. Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Nick Sogard flied out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Randal Grichuk grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Colson Montgomery grounded out to second. Joey Bart was hit with a pitch but Brenton Doyle forced him at second to end the inning. Caleb Durbin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida took strike three. Andruw Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning.

The ChiSox struck first in the top of the third as Braden Montgomery walked to start. Luisangel Acuna flied out to left but Meidroth hit a home run all the way to Brazil to put Chicago ahead. Murakami grounded out to first but Vargas walked. Grichuk got a base hit to right and Colson Montgomery got base hit to center. Rafaela inexplicably turned and threw the ball into the centerfield stands for an error to score both runners. Bart struck out swinging to end the inning but the White Sox led 4-0. That was it for Suarez who got rocked for 4 runs in just 3 innings off 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                              Suarez didn't last long

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Anthony Seigler walked. Connor Wong belted his third home run of the season to cut the lead in half and Sogard got a base hit to right. Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning with the BoSox down 4-2.

                                                             Wong hits one out

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Doyle singled in the hole at short to start. Doyle stole second but Braden Montgomery struck out swinging but Doyle went to third. Sam Antonacci pinch hit for Garcia and naturally doubled to right to score Doyle. Meidroth walked but Murakami struck out swinging. Vargas took strike three to end the inning with Chicago ahead 5-2.

                                                         Pain in the ass

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Durbin got  a base hit inside the bag at third and Yoshida singled off the glove of Vargas. Monasterio doubled to right to score Durbin but Duran struck out swinging. Seigler doubled to right to score both runners to tie the game but Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                                Seigler ties it up

Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to throw up on himself in the top of the fifth with Andrew Benintendi pinch hitting for Grichuk. Benintendi got a base hit to center and Colson Montgomery got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners. Bart struck out swinging and Tristan Peters pinch hit for Doyle. Peters popped up to third and Braden Montgomery hit a chopper to the mound.....thrown away by Slaten for an error to score both runners. Antonacci struck out swinging to end the inning but the White Sox now led 7-5.

                                                       Whoops!

Bryan Hudson came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Sogard took strike three to start. Rafaela got a base hit to right but Abreu struck out swinging. Rafaela was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. 

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Meidroth took strike three to start. Murakami grounded back to the mound and Vargas grounded out to first to end the inning. Old pal Jordan Hicks came in to get tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Durbin doubled to left to start. Yoshida doubled to center to score Durbin and a wild pitch moved Yoshida to third. Monasterio struck out swinging and Duran lined out to second to chase Hicks. Grant Taylor came in to face Seigler and Anthony flied out to left to end the inning with the Red Sox down 7-6.

                                                               Yoshida refuses to give up

Erik Miller came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Benintendi took strike three to start. Colson Montgomery grounded out to second but Bart was hit with a pitch. Drew Romo pinch ran for Bart and Peters popped up a bunt to Miller to end the inning. Wong was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the seventh and Sogard drew a walk. Rafaela struck out swinging and Abreu beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Durbin took strike three to end the inning.

Braden Montgomery grounded out to third to start the top of the eighth and Antonacci got a base hit to left. Meidroth walked but Murakimi struck out swinging. Vargas struck out swinging to end the inning. Yoshida grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth and Monasterio grounded out to third. Meidroth threw a grounder by Duran away for an error and Seigler got a base hit to right to chase Taylor. Huascar Brazoban came in to face Wong and Duran foolishly tried to run to third during the pitching change, getting thrown out to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Benintendi grounded out to third to start. Colson Montgomery walked but Romo flied out to center. Montgomery took second on a balk and Peters walked as well. Braden Montgomery grounded out to second to end the inning. Things looked up when Wong doubled off the Monster to start the bottom of the ninth and Eli White ran for him. Then things looked bleak when Sogard dropped down a bunt to move Eli to third and Rafaela struck out swinging. Down to their last strike....Abreu singled up the middle to score White with the tying run. Once again Abreu was foolishly thrown at second trying to steal to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

                                                               Not dead yet

Jake Rogers took over behind the plate to make his Sox debut with Aroldis Chapman on the mound to start the top of the tenth. Braden Montgomery started at second base and Antonacci grounded out to second to move him to third. Suddenly Meidroth hit a home run all the way to Naples, Italy to put Chicago on top. Murakimi grounded out to second and Vargas flied out to right but the White Sox now led 9-7.

                                                         Anybody but them

New York Yankee fans (you read that right) gladhanded each other on social media saying the game was in the bag going into the bottom of the tenth with Trevor Richards on the mound and Abreu starting at second. Durbin popped up to second as Yankee fans (not White Sox) started celebrating only for Yoshida to draw a walk. No big deal right? WRONG! Jahmai Jones ran for Yoshida and Monasterio doubled off the Monster to score Abreu. Duran was intentionally walked to load the bases and Seigler made them pay with a sac fly to center to score Jones, tying the game again. Rogers walked to reload the bases but Sogard forced him at second to end the inning with the game tied 9-9.

                                                             Heculean sac fly for Seigler

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eleventh with Vargas now on the mound. Benintendi popped up to left but Whitlock bounced a pitch to the backstop to move Vargas to third. Colson Montgomery hit a fly ball to shallow center and Vargas took off. Rafaela's throw came in......safe. Yankee fans (again, not White Sox) erupted on social media as the White Sox had the lead again. Romo struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 10-9.

                                                             Safe!

Yankee fans weren't quite as confident with only a one run lead in the bottom of the 11th and Sogard starting at second. They were right to be cautious because Rafaela got a base hit to center to move Sogard to third and Abreu hit a sac fly to center to score Nick. Rafaela stole second and Durbin walked to put the winning run at second. Jones beat out a roller to third to load the bases but Monasterio popped up to left. Old friend Chris Murphy came in to face Duran and Jarren flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 10-10.

                                                         Abreu ties it again

With nobody left in the bullpen, Brayan Bello came in to pitch the top of the 12th with Romo starting at second. Peters got a base hit to right to move Romo to third and the Red Sox caught a break when Braden Montgomery forced Peters at second but Romo didn't run home. Unfortunately it didn't matter anyway as Antonacci got a base hit to left to score Romo to put Chicago ahead again. Meidroth got a base hit to left and Montgomery tried for home. Duran fired home....OUT! Murakimi was intentionally walked to load the bases but Vargas grounded out to third to end the inning with the White Sox up 11-10.

                                                             Antonacci does it again

Now Yankee fans were confident because there's no way the Red Sox were coming back for the fifth time in one night, right?......RIGHT? Well with Duran at second base, things looked good for the Chicago/New York temporary alliance when Seigler flied out to right.....until Richards uncorked a wild pitch to move Duran to third. Rogers hit a sac fly to center to score Duran and the opposing fans threw their hands up in disgust. Sogard flied out to right to end the inning with the score tied 11-11.

                                            Been with the team 5 minutes....saves the day

Bello returned for the top of the 13th and Vargas at second base but the enemy fans got nervous when Benintendi hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Yankee fans cheered when Vargas stole third as Colson Montgomery struck out swinging but turned to silence when Romo grounded out to second to end the inning. Bello had pitched the first clean inning since Jovani Moran in the ninth.

                                                        Unlikely bullpen ace

Suddenly Yankee fans were strangely quiet when Erick Fedde took the mound for the bottom of the 13th with Sogard starting at second base. The Chicago/New York alliance started fist bumping and preparing for the 14th inning when Rafaela popped up to first, but Abreu was intentionally walked to get to Durbin. Bad move....Durbin ripped a base hit up the middle to score Sogard with the winning run. The Red Sox had survived 12-11 in 13 innings.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Caleb Durbin. His rbi single in the 13th inning won the game for the Sox.

                                                               Ice water Hero

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jahmai Jones singled and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 6 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Anthony Seigler was 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a 2 run home run.

Eli White scored a run as a pinch runner.

Jake Rogers hit a sac fly and walked.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Erik Miller pitched two scoreless innings.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Brayan Bello got the win with 2 innings and only 1 ghost runner allowed.

The Bad:

Ranger Suarez got tagged for 4 runs in just 3 innings.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the fourth inning.

Justin Slaten allowed 2 runs in the fifth inning by committing a throwing error.

Aroldis Chapman served up a 2 run home run in the 10th inning.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored two runs.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 2 for 7 with 2 strikeouts and a throwing error.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a ghost runner to score in the 11th inning.

Final Thoughts:

There's no more superlatives to say about this year's Red Sox team other than to shut up and enjoy the ride. The Sox trailed this game five different times and any one of them meant the game was over from April to June. Instead, the Sox never gave up and battled back to win one of the best regular season games in history. The White Sox led in every inning from 9 to 12 and couldn't put Boston away. A team effort from stars like Abreu to role players like Jahmai Jones and Jake Rogers helped win this game. The pitching wasn't the greatest and the defense was awful, but they did just enough to win the game. The trio of Durbin, Monasterio and Seigler were huge factors in this one and all 3 came in the Kyle Harrison trade. Bet people will shut up about that trade now. The only sad notes were Willson Contreras sat this one out with illness that might be a concussion after getting drilled the other night and Suarez came out after just 3 innings. With the Sox getting dangerously thin in the rotation with Garrett Crochet still out and Connelly Early gone, the Sox needed Suarez more than ever to hold it together. Hopefully tonight was just a hiccup. Same goes for the relief pitchers who gave up runs such as Weissert, Chapman and Slaten....although Slaten was more due to his own stupidity than allowing a hit. The crazy part is the Sox used all 8 of their relief pitchers and they gave up seven runs after Suarez left....and won. The BoSox just keep on winning come hell or high water and the sad part is they HAD to. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays were idle so the Sox needed to win this one to keep pace. The Yankees lead in the first wild card is now down to a half game which is hilarious considering they led by 15.5 games at one point. The Cleveland Guardians lost again which puts the Sox 6.5 games in front of them and a full 7 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. The Sox have a legitimate shot to take the division if they remain red hot and the Yankees continue to collapse. The bottom line is this was one of the best regular season games in history and the Sox are on a historic run. The 1984 Tigers started the season 35-5 and the win tonight put the Sox at 31-5 since June 24th. It'll be a tall task to win 4 more games in a row but its not impossible. Just have to keep the momentum going and enjoy the ride. The win improved the Sox to 63-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the Sacramento A's for a three game set beginning tomorrow night. The last team to beat the Red Sox on July 28th will send Jack Perkins to the mound against Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.30 RA) of Boston. The Sox look to win their ninth straight game at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                  Michael Thorbjornsen approves of the win

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

                                                             Durbin adds to the lead

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

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

                                                          Happy Hernandez

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

                                                            Bing, bang, boom

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

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

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

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

                                                              Duran jacks one

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

                                                          Not great, but it'll do

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

                                                           Pages drives in a run

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

                                                              Monasterio scores a run

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

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

                                                                  Sox win

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

                                                                 Hero Abreu

The Good:

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

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

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

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

Justin Slaten got the final out of the sixth inning.

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

Greg Weissert got the final out of the eighth inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyron Guerrero allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Stun Yamamoto, Dodgers (8/1/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Once again Tommy Kahnle was released and probably for good this time. With everyone moving up and certain trades to be made, may as well run with the kids in AAA rather than an aging veteran like Kahnle. In other news, 2023 draft pick Jojo Ingrassia was sent to the Detroit Tigers as the PTBNL in the Jahmai Jones trade. He was 2-1 with a 3.27 ERA for the Greenville Drive. Good luck in Detroit.

                                                                        OUT

As for the game, its a new month but the same red hot Red Sox. Facing the ace of the back to back world series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Sox needed someone to step up. Sox starter Payton Tolle gutted through six innings to hold LA to a two run Teoscar Hernandez home run while Ceddanne Rafaela went deep twice against Yamamoto. In the eighth inning the Sox had first and third with nobody out and Connor Wong banged into a double play, but Andruw Monasterio scored the go-ahead run. The trio of Justin Slaten (2-4, 4.45 ERA), Tyron Guerrero and Aroldis Chapman held the fort and the Sox had beaten the Dodgers and Yamamoto 3-2 at Dodger Stadium

                                                    Angel Eyes approves of the win

Yamamoto got the ball in the top of the first inning and Anthony Seigler grounded out to second to start. Ceddanne Rafaela then clobbered his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Wilyer Abreu grounded out to second and Caleb Durbin grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Rafaela hits one out

Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani got a base hit to center to start. Andy Pages hit a rocket to right and Ohtani tried to tag up and go to second, only to be gunned down by Abreu at second. Tommy Edman struck out swinging to end the inning.

Masataka Yoshida took strike three to start the top of the second but Nick Sogard walked. Andruw Monasterio flied out to center and Jarren Duran forced Sogard at second to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the second as Freddie Freeman got a base hit to left to start. Enrique Hernandez popped up to second but Teoscar Hernandez hit a home run all the way back in time to the medieval era to put LA on top. Max Muncy got a base hit to right and Miguel Rojas doubled to left, but Dalton Rushing flied out to center. Ohtani was intentionally walked to load the bases and Pages grounded out to second to end the inning with the Dodgers up 2-1.

                                                         Hernandez puts LA ahead

Connor Wong flied out to right to start the top of the third and Seigler took strike three. Rafaela then smashed his second home run of the game to tie it up. Abreu popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Rafaela with another one

Edman walked to start the bottom of the third but Freeman grounded into a double play. Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Durbin popped up to first to start the top of the fourth and Yoshida flied out to center. Sogard grounded out to first to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Muncy struck out swinging. Rojas took strike three and Rushing struck out swinging to end the inning.

Monasterio grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Duran lined out to center. Wong flied out to center to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth but Pages got a a base hit to right. Pages tried to stretch a double but slid off the bag and was tagged out. Edman flied out to right to end the inning.

Seigler took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Rafaela flied out to right. Abreu grounded out to short to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Enrique Hernandez flied out to right. Teoscar Hernandez got a base hit to left but Muncy took strike three. Rojas flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Tolle who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings off 9 hits and 2 walks. 

                                                       Tolle held the Dodgers in check

Durbin popped up to third to start the top of the seventh and Yoshida grounded out to first. Sogard grounded out to first to end the inning. Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rushing grounded out to second to start. Ohtani grounded out to second and Pages took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox surged ahead in the top of the eighth as Mr. Mookie Betts came in for Rojas. Monasterio hit a ground rule double into the left field stands and Duran caught Freeman asleep with a bunt single to put runners at the corners. Wong grounded into a double play but Monasterio scored to give the Sox the lead. Seigler lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                        The Sox take the lead

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Edman grounded out to second to start. Freeman got a base hit to right but Kyle Tucker pinch hit for Enrique Hernandez. Tucker flied out to center and Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Durbin popped up to second to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Muncy took strike three to start. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third and Alex Call pinch hit for Rushing. Call flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His 2 home runs off one of the best pitchers in the game kept the Sox in it.

                                                          Rafaela Hero

The Good:

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3.

Payton Tolle tossed 6 solid innings allowing 3 runs off 9 hits and 2 walks.

Justin Slaten got the win by pitching a scoreless seventh inning.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 27th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Once again this was not a game the Sox would have won from April to June. They were held to just 4 hits and found a way to win. Lights out pitching against the world champs apart from one swing from Teoscar Hernandez sealed the deal. Rafaela hitting the two bombs off Yamamoto and Monasterio's ground rule double followed by Duran's bunt was just the offense they needed. The trade deadline is 2 days away and Sox GM Craig Breslow has to decide whether to hope & pray Curtis Mead, Trevor Story, Roman Anthony, etc come back healthy or make a trade for another bat to go for it all. There probably isn't a 2027 season next year so may as well go for broke. As for this game, maybe now the talking heads will shut up about "The Sox haven't beaten good teams." They just beat Yamamoto and the world champs with a bullpen that's five guys deep and a rookie starter that isn't afraid of anything. The more the Sox win, the more they establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the American League. Just have to keep the momentum going. The win improved the Sox to 59-51, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Dodgers tomorrow night on NBC's Sunday Night Baseball and run their win streak to five games when Jake Bennett (6--4) takes on Emmet Sheehan of Los Angeles. The game begins at 7:20 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.