Red Sox Rally Past Royals (9/16/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox outright released Jeurys Familia. With Worcester's season ending in two weeks, he didn't want to stick around to see it through to the end. Oh well, better luck next year.

                                                            So long Familia

As for the game, just as long as the Red Sox aren't facing the AL East, they're a good team. Tonight the Sox locked into a pitcher's duel with the Kansas City Royals. Jonathan Heasley held the Sox scoreless for 6 2/3 innings while Michael Wacha held the Royals to just 1 run in 7 strong innings. Things looked bleak until the bottom of the eighth when Alex Verdugo worked a two out bases loaded walk against Scott Barlow. JD Martinez followed with a base hit to score Abraham Almonte with the go-ahead run. Matt Strahm slammed the door in the top of the ninth and the Sox had stolen a 2-1 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                  Hayden Panettiere approves of the win

Wacha got the ball in the top of the first inning and MJ Melendez popped up to right to start. Bobby Witt Jr grounded out to third and Salvador Perez grounded out to second to end the inning. Heasley got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Tommy Pham grounded out to third to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to center but was doubled off first on a bullet to short hit by Xander Bogaerts to end the inning.

Vinnie Pasquantino struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Michael Taylor popped up to first. Michael Massey struck out swinging to end the inning. Alex Verdugo grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and JD Martinez struck out swinging. Triston Casas also went down hacking to end the inning.

Hunter Dozier got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Nicky Lopez grounded back to the mound but Nate Eaton got a base hit to center. Eaton stole second but Melendez grounded out to short to end the inning. Christian Arroyo grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Kike Hernandez did the same. Kevin Plawecki grounded out to short to end the inning.

Witt Jr flied out to center to begin the top of the fourth before Perez grounded out to second. Pasquantino got a base hit to center and took second on a wild pitch, but Taylor grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Pham struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Devers grounded out to second. Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Massey got a base hit to right to start the top of the fifth but Dozier popped up to second. Lopez grounded out to short to move Massey to second but Eaton flied out to center to end the inning. Verdugo walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Martinez struck out swinging. Casas walked and Arroyo singled to left to load the bases, but Arroyo banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the sixth as Melendez tripled into the left field corner to start. Witt struck out swinging but Perez poked a base hit to right to score Melendez. Pasquantino grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                        Royals strike first

Plawecki flied out to center to begin the bottom of the sixth and Pham did the same. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wacha returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Taylor beat out a roller to third to start. Massey grounded out to second to move Taylor to second but Dozier struck out swinging. Lopez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Wacha was outstanding by holding the Royals to just 1 run in 7 innings off 7 hits.

                                                      Wacha deserved better

The Sox failed to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts popped up to left to start. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez walked to chase Heasley. Amir Garrett came in and promptly walked Casas. Arroyo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Eaton took strike three to start. Melendez grounded out to short but Witt Jr singled to center. Perez grounded out to short to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the eighth with Dylan Coleman now on the mound. Hernandez walked and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Plawecki. Almonte walked but Pham popped up to second. Scott Barlow came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael walked to load the bases. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Verdugo walked to score Hernandez to tie the game. Martinez ripped a base hit to left to score Almonte to give the Sox the lead. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                        Clutch hit for JD

Matt Strahm came in to close out the top of the ninth with Connor Wong behind the plate. Pasquantino popped up to short and Taylor watched strike three go by, but Massey walked. Dozier flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had stolen the game 2-1.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His rbi single in the eighth put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 JD Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Alex Verdugo walked twice in four plate appearances and drove in the tying run.

Triston Casas walked twice in four plate appearances.

Christian Arroyo was 1 for 3.

Abraham Almonte walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Michael Wacha tossed 7 innings of 1 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 4.

Garrett Whitlock earned the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Strahm earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

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

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the supposedly good Red Sox offense was held to almost nothing the entire game. Not only that, it cost Wacha a potential 17 win season since he didn't get the decision. In lost seasons like this you go for moral victories like that and the Sox couldn't even get THAT right. Trevor Story didn't play but still, needing a last second hit by Martinez to win against the Royals is pathetic. Still, a win is a win even if its not impressive. A shame that Wacha didn't get the win but kudos to Strahm and Whitlock for locking it down. With how bad the pitching was during the summer, better late than never to turn it around. The win improved the Sox to 70-74, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two wins in a row against the Royals tomorrow afternoon when Rich Hill (7-6) takes on Brady Singer of Kansas City. The game begins at 4:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rout Orioles (9/10/22)

It may be too little, too late but the Boston Red Sox took their AL East woes out on the Baltimore Orioles. Rafael Devers set the tone with a first inning grand slam off Jordan Lyles of Baltimore and the Sox as a collective pounded out TWENTY-ONE hits and seventeen runs. Michael Wacha (11-1, 2.69 ERA) tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 3 runs to the O's to pick up the victory. Christian Arroyo also went yard and everyone that got to bat reached base at least once as the Sox routed the O's 17-4 at Camden Yards

                                                         Ysolda approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Jordan Lyles in the top of the first inning. Tommy Pham walked to start before Alex Verdugo singled to center. Xander Bogaerts was hit with a pitch and Rafael Devers smashed a grand slam to put the Sox up big early. Trevor Story struck out swinging, JD Martinez grounded back to the mound and Christian Arroyo lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                          Grand slam Devers

Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Cedric Mullins struck out swinging to start. Adley Rutschman grounded out to short but Anthony Santander got a base hit to center. Ryan Mountcastle flied out to center to end the inning.

Kike Hernandez grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to left. Pham got hit with a pitch and both runners moved over on the Verdugo grounder to first. Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. Jesus Aguilar grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and Gunnar Henderson grounded out to first. Ramon Urias grounded out to third to end the inning.

Devers lined out to left to start the top of the third and Story flied out to center. Martinez grounded out to first to end the inning. Austin Hays lined out to short to begin the bottom of the third before Jorge Mateo flied out to right. Mullins hit a home run all the way to Cameroon to cut the lead and Rutschman struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 4-1.

                                                            O's inch closer

The Sox broke it open in the top of the fourth as Arroyo flied out to right to start. Hernandez doubled to left and Plawecki doubled to right to score Enrique. Pham flied out to right but Verdugo singled to right to score Plawecki. Bogaerts got a base hit to center to chase Lyles. Keegan Akin came in and Devers singled to center to score Verdugo. Story got a base hit to right to score Bogaerts but Devers was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                  "You're out, you dummy!"

Suddenly Tommy Pham keeled over in the dugout, had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU with Abraham Almonte taking over for him. Santander struck out swinging to start and Mountcastle flied out to center. Aguilar popped up to second to end the inning.

Martinez doubled to left to start the top of the fifth and Arroyo clocked his 6th home run of the season to increase the lead. Hernandez singled to right but Plawecki lined out to short and Almonte grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 10-1.

                                                       2 run shot for Arroyo

The O's rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Henderson singled to center to start. Urias doubled to left but Hays lined out to second. Mateo hit a sac fly to left to score Henderson and Mullins singled to left to score Urias. Rutchsman struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 10-3.

                                                             O's score a run

Verdugo popped up to short to start the top of the sixth but Bogaerts walked. Devers struck out swinging and Joey Krehbiel came in to pitch to Story. Story struck out swinging to end the inning. Wacha returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Santander flied out to left to start. Mountcastle singled down the third base line but Aguilar struck out swinging. Henderson flied out to right to end the inning. Wacha had allowed 3 runs in 6 innings off 6 hits.

                                                           Wacha with the solid start

Martinez got a base hit to left to start the top of the seventh but Arroyo struck out swinging. Hernandez lined out to center and Plawecki grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Urias struck out swinging to start. Hays lined out right and it looked like Mateo beat out a grounder to short...not so fast! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Mateo was out and the call was overturned to end the inning.

Yennier Cano came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Almonte singled to center to start. Verdugo and Bogaerts both struck out swinging but Devers singled to center. Story got a base hit to left to score Almonte with another run. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 11-1.

                                                          Good work Almonte

Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Mullins struck out swinging to start. Rutschman grounded out to third and Ryan McKenna pinch hit for Santander. McKenna hit a routine pop up to second but Story put his glove on his right hand to make the catch and dropped it for an error. Mountcastle got a base hit to left to score McKenna and Aguilar popped up to second to end the inning with the O's down 11-4.

                                                            O's get a run back

The floodgates opened in the top of the ninth with Terrin Vavra now at second base. Arroyo grounded back to the mound but Hernandez singled to center. Plawecki walked and Almonte got a base hit to right to score Hernandez. Verdugo grounded out to first to move the runners over and rookie Triston Casas pinch hit for Bogaerts and walked to load the bases. Connor Wong pinch hit for Devers and beat out a grounder to third to score Plawecki. Story walked with the bases loaded to score Almonte and Kyle Stowers came in to play right while McKenna himself took over on the mound. Martinez walked home Casas and Arroyo got a base hit to left to score Wong. Hernandez singled to right to score Story but Plawecki grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 17-4.

                                                         What a massacre

Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Henderson flied out to left to start. Vavra got a base hit to left but Hays popped up to first, Mateo lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had won the game 17-4.

                                                           Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rafael Devers. His first inning grand slam set the tone and the Sox never looked back.

                                                             Grand slam Hero

The Good:

Tommy Pham walked, was hit with a pitch and scored before leaving the game.

Abraham Almonte was 2 for 3 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

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

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, walk and 2 runs scored.

Triston Casas walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong singled, drove in a run and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Story was 2 for 5 with a walk, 3 rbis and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 6 with a home run and 3 total rbis.

Kike Hernandez was 4 for 6 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 2 for 5 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Michael Wacha got the win by tossing 6 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 5.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Matt Strahm allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

This season has been a disaster but the Sox bats showed why they had one of the best offenses on paper. For one game anyway they lit up the O's the way they should have all season. Too bad Pham had to leave but Abraham Almonte had a heck of a game off the bench. The only real blemishes was Story's error and Mullins' home run. Wacha pitched another gutty game and its a shame he didn't last all year or else he might have had 17-20 wins. The Sox would have been better off if he pitched all year because they took a beating this year. The Sox aren't mathematically eliminated yet but its only a matter of time. Their June and July freefall proved to be fatal in the end. The only question is if the Sox pony up the cash to fix it in the off-season. Bogaerts, Martinez and Nathan Eovaldi are all free agents and the Sox are gonna need one if not two of them. The win improved the Sox to 68-72, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow afternoon against the Orioles when Rich Hill (6-6) takes on Kyle Bradish of Baltimore. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Bullpen Blows 24th Save to Rays (9/5/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Zack Kelly returned from the paternity list and Josh Winckowski was sent back down to Worcester. Get out AND STAY OUT!!!!

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, what more can be said about the Boston bullpen? They have officially blown 24 saves this season and even if they blew just 15, they'd be in the playoffs picture right about now. Not only that, the Sox bats have the ML worst batting average with men in scoring position including the last place teams. Michael Wacha held the Tampa Bay Rays to just 2 runs in 6 innings of work while the Sox scratched out three measly runs against Luis Patino. The in the bottom of the seventh Jeurys Familia coughed up the lead and Zack Kelly allowed the go-ahead run to score. The Sox had a chance to tie the game in the top of the ninth but failed miserably as the Rays continued their season long dominance over the Red Sox with a 4-3 win at Tropicana Field.

                                                   Red Sox vs the AL East this year

The Sox wasted no time getting to Luis Patino in the top of the first inning although Tommy Pham struck out swinging to start. Alex Verdugo launched his ninth home run of the season to put Boston on top and Xander Bogaerts followed with a base hit to left. Rafael Devers flied out to center and Trevor Story grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                         Verdugo strikes first

The Rays wasted no time pounding Wacha in the bottom of the first as old pal Manny Margot effortlessly ripped a base hit to center to start. Somehow Randy Arozarena popped up to first but David Peralta easily singled to center to move Margot to third. Harold Ramirez laughed as he stuck his bat out and singled to right to score Margot with the tying run before Isaac Parades struck out swinging. Christian Bethancourt somehow forced Ramirez at second to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                            Ramirez ties it up

Patino effortlessly shut down the Sox in the top of the second as Triston Casas grounded weakly back to the mound, Kike Hernandez grounded out to shot and Franchy Cordero literally took strike three right down the middle to end the inning. Wacha got a lucky strikeout of Taylor Walls swinging to begin the bottom of the second but naturally Yu Chang absolutely smashed a double over the head of Cordero. Joe Siri moved Chang to third with a grounder to first and Margot...somehow struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Kevin Plawecki hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Somehow Pham and Verdugo drew back to back walks but Bogaerts struck out swinging on a pitch that would have been ball four. Devers got a lucky bloop single to center to score Pham to put the Sox back on top. Verdugo went to third on the play and Story worked an 8 pitch at bat before doubling to left to score Alex with another run. Casas popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                     Pham scores the go-ahead run

Somehow Arozarena flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Peralta also shockingly flied out to right. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning as Sox fans were completely confused at how the Sox didn't give up a run after scoring their own.

The bottom of the order did nothing as usual in the top of the fourth as Hernandez popped up weakly to second to start. Cordero struck out swinging on a pitch that bounced five feet in front of home plate and Plawecki grounded weakly back to the mound to end the inning. Shockingly Parades struck out swinging to open the bottom of the fourth but naturally Bethancourt effortlessly doubled to right. The Rays made a rare mental error when Bethancourt was thrown out at third on a grounder to the mound by Walls and Chang grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pham flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Verdugo got a lucky single to right. Verdugo moved to second on the grounder to short by Bogaerts and Devers was intentionally walked to get to Story. Once again every move an AL East opponent makes against the Red Sox worked out as Story forced Devers at second to end the inning. That would have been a double play too if there was only one out to boot. The Rays finally got to Wacha in the bottom of the fifth as Siri easily singled in the hole at short to start. The umps felt sorry for Wacha and rung up Margot for strike three but Arozarena worked a 9 pitch double off the wall that Cordero crashed into the wall trying to get. Siri scored and Cordero had to be carted off with what looked to be a broken ankle, never want to see guys get hurt. Rob Refsnyder came in to play left and robbed Peralta of a home run immediately after he came in. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning but the Rays were back in it down 3-2.

                                                       Get well soon Franchy 

Old pal Jalen "Twin" Beeks came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas did what every other prospect did when they were called up....take strike three right down the middle to start. Hernandez struck out swinging on a pitch up at his eyes and Refsnyder lined out weakly to center to end the inning. Wacha returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Parades grounded out to first to start. Bethancourt grounded out to third and Walls struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Wacha who tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 2 runs.

                                                                Wacha deserved better

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the seventh and somehow walked Plawecki to start. Naturally Pham struck out swinging and Verdugo forced Plawecki at second, but Bogaerts got a lucky single to right. Devers was unintentionally intentionally walked to load the bases and naturally Story struck out swinging to end the inning. The Rays laughed as Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh as Vidal Brujan pinch hit for Chang. Brujan was hit with a pitch and swiped second before moving to third on the grounder to second by Siri. Margot effortlessly doubled to left to score Brujan to tie the game and chase Familia. Sox GM Chaim Bloom refusing to get bullpen help at the deadline led to this. Zack Kelly came in and Margot moved to third on the Arozarena grounder to short. Peralta did the honors by effortlessly doubling to right to score Margot and put the Rays up for good. Ramirez lined out to left to end the inning with the game all but over, 4-3 Rays.

                                                        Rays go up for good

The Sox rolled over in the top of the eighth against Colin Poche as Casas once AGAIN took strike three right down the middle to start. Hernandez struck out swinging and Refsnyder  went down hacking to end the inning. Say what you will about the useless bullpen but the Sox had just 6 hits in the game, pathetic. Kelly cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Parades grounded out to third to start. Bethancourt struck out swinging and Walls lined out to second to end the inning. 

Pete Fairbanks came in to close out the top of the ninth and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Plawecki. Reese got a lucky single up the middle before Connor Wong ran for him. Naturally with a man on base Pham struck out swinging on a pitch three feet outside. Verdugo hit a double play ball to short to force Wong but Brujan threw the ball away to allow Verdugo to reach second on the error. Brujan was hurt on the play and Yandy Diaz took over for him as Bogaerts came to the plate with the game on the line. Guess what happened? Of course Bogaerts looked at a straight fastball right down the middle to end the game. A graphic showed the 2022 Red Sox officially have the WORST batting average in MLB with men in scoring which includes the Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers. They deserved this 4-3 defeat by the Rays.

                                                          Rays win

Jackass of the Night is Jeurys Familia. He came in with a one run lead and blew it, taking the loss.

                                                             Jackass Familia

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a walk, home run and 2 total runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Reese McGuire got a base hit as a pinch hitter.

Michael Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing 7 hits and 2 runs while striking out 7.

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts before leaving the game.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2 but walked.

Zack Kelly allowed the go-ahead run to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for McGuire in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That was the 24th blown save of the season for the Red Sox and if Chaim Bloom still has a job this November, hell has frozen over. Back in 2020 all the Sox needed was a decent rotation and they might have made the playoffs, Bloom said nah. In 2021 all the Sox needed was a better rotation and they might have won the World Series, Bloom said nah. In 2022 all the Sox needed was a good bullpen and rotation depth, Bloom said nah. Sox manager Alex Cora isn't infallible for his decisions this season but he's been given very little to work with by Bloom. That's only the half of it, even with the bullpen woes the Sox bats managed just 6 hits in the game. Once they get men on, especially in scoring position, very rarely do they get a hit when it matters. Trevor Story coming up empty with the bases loaded in the seventh pretty much sealed their fate. Not to mention Triston Casas is supposedly the savior at first base but is refusing to swing the bat. Hopefully its just first week jitters but he looks completely lost so far. Then again, most everyone looks lost as soon as there is a runner at second base. If the bullpen only blew half of the leads they'd be 79-57 right now, right there in the thick of things. As it is, they're one step closer to elimination in a season that can't end fast enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-69, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox next defeat at the hands of an AL East team comes tomorrow night against the Rays. Garrett Cleavinger goes for Tampa against Rich Hill (6-5) of the Red Sox. The humiliation begins at 6:40 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Stun Rangers in Ninth (9/1/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some September call-ups. Connor Wong and Eduard Bazardo were called up for tonight's game. Now the Sox have another reliever and a third catcher...yippie.

                                                                        IN

As for the game, ITS A MIRACLE!!!! If the July 22nd game against Toronto was the low point in the season, tonight's comeback win against the Texas Rangers has to be one of the high points. The Rangers broke out to a 4-2 lead over Rich Hill in the top of the fifth but Alex Verdugo chased Texas starter Glenn Otto with a home run in the sixth. The Rangers got four runs off Zack Kelly and Eduardo Bazardo to give the Rangers an 8-3 lead. Game over right? WRONG! Rafael Devers and Christian Arroyo knocked in runs in the eighth inning and a furious rally in the ninth inning tied the game with the bases loaded. Rob Refsnyder did the honors with a base hit to left to score Devers with the winning run. The Sox trailed 8-3 in the 8th and won the game 9-8 at Fenway Park.

                                                             Mimsy approves of the win

Hill got the ball in the top of the first and Marcus Semien flied out to center to start. Corey Seager flied out to left but Nathaniel Lowe walked. Adolis Garcia took strike three to end the inning. Otto got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham took strike three to begin. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Rafael Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonah Heim flied out to center to start the top of the second before Leody Taveras caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single down the first base line. Taveras stole second and moved to third on the grounder to second by Mark Mathias. Charlie Culberson flied out to center to end the inning. JD Martinez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Christian Arroyo flied out to center. Franchy Cordero took strike three to end the inning.

The Rangers struck first in the top of the third as Bubba Thompson walked to start. Semien got a base hit to left and Seager also got a base hit to left to score Thompson. Lowe walked to load the bases but Garcia popped up to second. Heim hit one up the elevator shaft and Taveras watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Rangers up 1-0.

                                                           Seager strikes first

Rob Refsnyder led off the bottom of the third with a grounder to second before Kevin Plawecki flied out to center. Pham took strike three to end the inning.

Mathias grounded out to third to start the top of the fourth before Culberson grounded out to short. Thompson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo beat out a roller to second to start. Bogaerts walked but Devers was frozen for strike three. Martinez grounded out to first to move the runners over and Arroyo doubled to right to score them both. Cordero flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

The Rangers blasted Hill in the top of the fifth as Semien walked to start. Seager doubled to right to score Semien and Lowe singled in the hole at short to move Seager to third. That was it for Hill who would be charged with 4 runs in just 4 innings. John Schreiber came in to pitch and Garcia beat out a double play ball to score Seager. Heim walked and Taveras beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Mathias got a base hit to center to score Garcia but Culberson popped up to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 4-2.

                                                               Hill doesn't last long

Refsnyder grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Plawecki lined out to third. Pham struck out swinging to end the inning.

Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Thompson dropped down a bunt single down the third base line. Semien flied out to center but Thompson stole second. Seager and Lowe both struck out swinging to end the inning. Verdugo chased Otto with his 8th home run of the season to inch the Sox closer. Jesus Tinoco came in to get Bogaerts to ground out to second. Devers lined out to center but Martinez got a base hit to left. Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                            Verdugo goes yard

Zack Kelly came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Garcia struck out swinging to start. Heim beat out a roller to third before Taveras walked. Mathias walked to load the bases and Kole Calhoun pinch hit for Culberson. Calhoun hit a sac fly to left to score Heim and Thompson beat out a roller to third to reload the bases. Semien singled in the hole at sort to score Taveras with another run. Seager grounded out to short to end the inning with the Rangers up 6-3.

Ezequiel Duran took over for Calhoun to start the bottom of the seventh and Cordero walked to start. Refsnyder got a base hit to center and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Plawecki. McGuire naturally banged into a double play and Pham grounded out to third to end the inning.

Eduard Bazardo made his season debut in the top of the eighth and Lowe dumped a base hit to right. Garcia then hit a home run all the way to Anaheim to increase the lead. Heim grounded out to third, Taveras grounded out to second and Mathias also grounded out to second to end the inning with the Rangers up 8-3.

                                                            Rangers pour it on

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the eighth as Matt Moore came in to pitch. Verdugo got a base hit to center but Bogaerts forced him at second. A wild pitch moved Bogaerts to second and he scored on the Devers double to right. Martinez walked and Arroyo singled to center to score Devers. Kike Hernandez pinch hit for Cordero and Jose Leclerc came in to pitch to him. Hernandez struck out swinging but Refsnyder walked to load the bases. McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 8-5.

                                                         Devers drives in a run

Jeurys Familia came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Duran grounded out to third to start. Thompson grounded out to second but Semien singled to left. Seager flied out to right to end the inning. Jonathan Hernandez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth but suddenly the Sox rallied. Pham and Verdugo drew back to back walks and Bogaerts singled in the hole at first to load the bases. Devers doubled to left to score Pham & Verdugo but Martinez struck out swinging. Arroyo was intentionally walked to set up a double play. It failed as Hernandez got a base hit to right to score Bogaerts to tie the game and Refsnyder got a base hit to left to score Devers with the winning run. The Sox had stunned the Rangers 9-8.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rob Refsnyder. His hit in the ninth won the game.

                                                         The Sox salute our Hero

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 3 for 4 with a walk, home run and 3 total runs scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with 3 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 wit a walk and 3 rbis.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

John Schreiber tossed a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort tossed a scoreless inning.

Jeurys Familia got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Rich Hill allowed 4 runs in 4 innings off 5 hits and 4 walks.

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

Eduardo Bazardo allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Franchy Cordero was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was a comeback win for the ages, too bad its for a team on the brink of missing the playoffs. Still, a win like that might spark a run. Rich Hill got lit up and so did both Bazardo and Kelly, but the offense came through big time. The team's strength is still its offense and with Trevor Story healthy, they still have a 1-6 that's as good as anyone. If the bats don't suffer any more catastrophic injuries like Eric Hosmer than they might have a chance to bop their way through September. Getting some good pitching for once would be nice. The win improved the Sox to 64-68, 9.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the wild card. The Sox look to make it three wins a row and second straight tomorrow night against the Rangers. Nick Pivetta takes the mound against Dallas Keuchel of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Bogaerts, Sox Slam Twins (8/31/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced that Hiro Sawamura accepted his demotion to Worcester but the Minnesota Twins claimed Austin Davis off waivers. Sox GM Chaim Bloom's two pitching acquisitions at the deadline last year both crashed and burned this season including Hansel Robles. The Sox sent Alex Scherff to the the Twins for Robles and he's not doing well in AA while the Sox sent Michael "Ice Horse" Chavis to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Davis. Chavis is hitting .237 with 14 home runs for the Pirates which is more or less better numbers than Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero. Just another nail in the coffin in Bloom's tenure in Boston it seems.

                                                                 Bye bye Davis

As for the game, the Sox snapped their three game losing streak by holding on to defeat the Minnesota Twins. The Sox erupted in the third inning against Minnesota starter Joe Ryan as Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam and JD Martinez also went yard. Michael Wacha (10-1, 2.56 ERA) continued his strong season by holding the Twins to just 2 runs in 6 strong innings. Bogaerts doubled in another run and the Sox needed it as Garrett Whitlock gave up 3 runs to pull the Twins within one. Matt Barnes saved the day by slamming the door in the ninth to give the Sox a 6-5 victory over the Twins at Target Field.

                                                  Tia Carrere approves of the win

Ryan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo got a base hit to center and Xander Bogaerts walked, but Rafael Devers struck out swinging. JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Arraez grounded out to second to start. Carlos Correa struck out swinging and Jose Miranda lined out to left to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Kike Hernandez flied out to right. Bobby Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Max Kepler hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the second before Kyle Garlick struck out swinging. Gio Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Kevin Plawecki got a base hit to left to start. Pham got a base hit to left and Verdugo reached on a roller to first to load the bases. Bogaerts cleared the bases with a grand slam to put the Sox on top. Devers flied out to center and Martinez launched his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead. Story got a base hit to right but Hernandez lined out to left. Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-0.

                                                                Grand slam for X

Naturally the Twins responded immediately in the bottom of the third as Nick Gordon grounded out to short to start. Gilberto Celestino flied out to left but Sandy Leon got a base hit to left. Arraez hit a home run all the way to Michigan to cut the lead. Correa grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins down 5-2.

                                                             Arraez goes deep

Plawecki got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and Pham was hit with a pitch. Verdugo lined out to left, Bogaerts flied out to right and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Miranda flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Kepler took strike three. Bogaerts booted a grounder by Garlick and Urshela beat out a roller to third, but Gordon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Martinez popped up to short to start the top of the fifth before Story struck out swinging. Hernandez got a base hit to center before Dalbec struck out swinging to end the inning. Celestino struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Leon struck out swinging as well. Arraez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Plawecki doubled to left to start. Pham and Verdugo both struck out swinging but who else but Bogaerts doubled to right to score Plawecki with another run. Bogaerts stole third but Devers went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 6-2.

                                                                X Gon Double For Ya

Wacha returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth and Correa walked to start. Miranda lined out to left but Kepler doubled to right. Garlick grounded out to first and Urshela took strike three to end the inning. Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

                                                           Wacha with the solid starts

Martinez lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Story got a base hit to right. Story took off for second and Leon threw the ball away, allowing Trevor to take third. Hernandez watched strike three go by and Dalbec went down hacking to end the inning. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gordon doubled to center to start. Celestino grounded out to first to move Gordon to third and Gary Sanchez pinch hit for Leon. Sanchez walked and Arraez hit a sac fly to center to score Gordon. Correa struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 6-3.

                                                             Twins inch closer

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the eighth as Plawecki grounded out to third to start. Pham grounded back to the mound and Verdugo grounded out to first to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Miranda struck out swinging to start. Kepler got a base hit to center and Jake Cave pinch hit for Garlick. Cave struck out swinging but Urshela singled to right. Gordon then smacked a ball into the right field corner to score both runners. Gordon made a mad dash to third but was thrown out at third by Verdugo to end the inning with the Twins still down 6-5.

                                                         Yerrrrrr out!

Trevor Megill came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Bogaerts grounded out to third to start. Devers hit one up the elevator shaft but Martinez singled in the hole at third. Story doubled to center and Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Celestino singled in the hole at short to start. Sanchez walked and Caleb Hamilton ran for him. Arraez flied out to left and Correa grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-5.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He drove in 5 of the Sox 6 runs and the last one proved to be the difference maker.

                                                               X gonna Hero for ya

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Trevor Story was 3 for 5 with a stolen base.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Michael Wacha got the win by going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs off 4 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

Matt Barnes earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Garrett Whitlock allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

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

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Well the Sox have finished August and they're nowhere close to the playoffs. The rotation and bullpen are just too beat up to make a run even though the bats can potentially win a few games. The Sox did get a lift from Bogaerts and Wacha in this one but Story and Plawecki pitched in with multiple hit games. Its not TOO late to make a run but they'd have to go on a red hot streak in September to get back in this one. Otherwise, forget it. Still, the name of the game is pitching and if the rotation can pull out some big wins in September, who knows what might happen. The win improved the Sox to 63-68, 8.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild card spot. The Sox now return home for a four game set with the Texas Rangers. Rich Hill takes the mound for the Sox against Glenn Otto of Texas. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.