Sox Drop Embarrassing Game to A's (7/19/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced Jake Faria cleared waivers and returned to Worcester. Yippie.....

                                                                 Back to Worcester

As for the game, talk about taking two giant steps backward. After winning 8 of 9, the Sox fell flat on their face against the worst team in baseball. After getting blanked yesterday, Brayan Bello (7-6, 3.60 ERA) got hammered by the A's for three 2 run home runs in today's game. Meanwhile the Sox offense put up 5 runs on the board through six innings but couldn't get a clutch hit when it counted the rest of the way. With Connor Wong at second base, Rob Refsnyder hit a measly pop up to end the game to give the A's a 6-5 win at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                     "Can't get a clutch it!"

Ken Waldichuk got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox immediately struck. Rob Refnsyder walked to start but Masataka Yoshida flied out to center. Justin Turner then belted his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Rafael Devers flied out to right but Adam Duvall got a base hit to left. Duvall took off for second and Shea Langeliers threw the ball away, allowing Duvall to reach third on an error. Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                               Home run Turner

The A's answered against Bello in the bottom of the first as Tony Kemp got a base hit to center and JJ Bleday hit a home run all the way to San Jose just like that. Jordan Diaz struck out swinging, Seth Brown popped up to third and Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                     Kiss that one goodbye

Kike Hernandez tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to start the top of the second. Connor Wong forced Hernandez at second but Yu Chang flied out to right. Wong got thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Langeliers grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second but Jace Peterson walked. Cody Thomas then hit his first home run of the season to put the A's up for good. Nick Allen struck out swinging but Kemp was plunked. Bleday forced Kemp at second to end the inning with the A's up 4-2.

                                                             That one is gone

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Refsnyder grounded out to short to start. Yoshida struck out swinging and Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Diaz grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the third but Brown walked. Soderstrom banged into a double play to end the inning.

Devers took strike three right down the middle to start the top of the fourth before Duvall did the same. Verdugo drew a walk but Hernandez flied out to right to end the inning. The A's iced it in the bottom of the fourth as Langeliers doubled to right and Peterson hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Mongolia to put the game out of reach. Thomas struck out swinging, Allen grounded out to third and Kemp grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 6-2. That was it for Bello who got beat up by the worst team in baseball, allowing 6 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                      "I sucked today" - Bello

The Sox did fight back in the top of the fifth as Wong walked to start. Chang struck out swinging and Wong scored all the way around on a base hit to center by Refsnyder. Yoshida doubled to right to chase Waldichuk and Lucas Erceg came in to face Turner. Turner grounded out to second but Refsnyder scored to cut the lead. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                       Refsnyder brings the Sox closer

Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and it was the A's turn for stupidity. Bleday doubled to right and Diaz beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners. Brent Rooker pinch hit for Brown and hit a grounder to second. For some reason Bleday hesitated going home so after Rooker was thrown out at first, Bleday was gunned down at home by Turner for the double play. Solderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning. Had the Sox come back to win, that would have been the play of the game.

It looked like the Sox would come back when Duvall singled to left to pen the top of the sixth. Verdugo struck out but Peterson threw Hernandez' grounder into the stands to score Duvall. Angel Felipe came in to pitch and Wong struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora countered by having Triston Casas pinch hit for Chang but he too struck out swinging to end the inning with the A's ahead 6-5.

                                                                       Whoooooops!!!

Josh Winckwoski came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Langeliers struck out swinging to start. Peterson grounded out to short but Thomas hit a seeing eye single to left. Allen took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox failed to tie the game in the top of the seventh as Refsnyder lined out to center to start. Yoshida popped up to third and Turner lined out to short to end the inning. Kemp singled to center to start the bottom of the seventh but Bleday flied out to center. Diaz singled to left but Rooker struck out swinging. Soderstrom struck out swinging to end the inning.

The ineptitude continued in the top of the eighth with Sam Long now on the mound. Devers flied out to left, Duvall also flied out to left and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Just to get him some work, Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Langeliers popped up to third to begin. Peterson walked but Thomas flied out to center. Allen struck out swinging to end the inning. Valiant effort by the bullpen to shut the door after Bello left the game.

Aledmys Diaz came in for Soderstrom with Trevor May in to close out the top of the ninth. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Hernandez and flied out to left, but Wong walked to put the tying run on. Casas struck out swinging again but Wong stole second. With the tying run in scoring postion......Refsnyder lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had lost 2 of 3 to the worst team in baseball 6-5.

                                                          A's win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He got lit up by the worst team in baseball, allowing 6 runs off three home runs in just 4 innings.

                                                            Jackass Bello

The Good:

Adam Duvall was 2 for 4 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Kike Hernandez was 1 for 3.

Connor Wong walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth inning

Josh Winckowski tossed two scoreless innings

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Yu Chang was 0 for 2 with a strikeout

Triston Casas was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base, drove in a run and scored twice

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Justin Turner was just 1 for 4 but drove in 3 total runs including a two run homer.

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drew a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Its been that kind of season for the Sox who have lost series to all three of the last place teams in baseball this year. Unlike last year where they beat up the bad teams but were completely incompetent against AL East teams, this year is the total opposite. If the Sox end up missing the playoffs this year by a few games when all is said and done, look at all these losses to bottom feeding teams as to the reason why. Losing two of three to a team that's not even trying to hide the fact they're tanking is inexcusable. The worst part is Paxton and Bello got beat up and they've been their best starters this season. They desperately need another starter since Tanner Houck, Garrett Whitlock and Chris Sale remain out. They got plenty of talent in the minors to make a move so its up to Sox GM Chaim Bloom whether he wants to blow it up or add in a few weeks. As of right now they're an incomplete team due to injuries. The loss dropped the Sox to 51-46, 9 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox have an off-day tomorrow and they come back home Friday night to play the enigmatic New York Mets. James Paxton (5-2, 3.51 ERA) looks to rebound the Sox against Kodai Senga of the Mets. The game begins Friday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Cubs Pound Paxton, Sox (7/15/23)

It took James Paxton's (5-2, 3.51 ERA) worst start all season to snap the Boston Red Sox's six game win streak as the Chicago Cubs took their advantage. After bad defense put the Sox in a 2-0 hole in the bottom of the third, Cody Bellinger hit a backbreaking grand slam to put the game out of reach. Triston Casas hit a 2 run bomb to put the game at 8-3 but Brandon Walter allowed two runs in the seventh inning. The Cubs pounded out 12 hits and 10 runs to take the game 10-4 at Wrigley Field.

                                                           Angry Sox fan

Marcus Stroman got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Masataka Yoshida took strike three but Justin Turner pounded a ground rule double down the left field line. Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Paxton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nico Hoerner struck out swinging to start. Seiya Suzuki struck out swinging and Ian Happ grounded out to second to end the inning.

Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to open the top of the second before Triston Casas grounded out to short. Christian Arroyo flied out to right to end the inning. Cody Bellinger flied out to right to start the bottom of the second before Yan Gomes flied out to right. Trey Mancini struck out swinging to end the inning.

Connor Wong singled to center to start the top of the third before Enrique Hernandez flied out to center. Duran walked but Yoshida banged into a double play to end the inning. The floodgates opened in the bottom of the third as Christopher Morel walked to start. Miguel Amaya was plunked and Patrick Wisdom walked to load the bases with nobody out. Hoerner then hit a routine grounder that Hernandez failed to corral for a "base hit" to score Morel, putting the Cubs up for good. Suzuki then hit a grounder to Devers who stepped on third to force Wisdom then turned and inexplicably fired the ball into the left field bleachers for an error to score Amaya. Hoerner and Suzuki pulled off a double steal and Happ drew a walk. Bellinger then crushed a grand slam all the way to Edenia, Minnesota to ice the game. Gomes singled to center but Mancini forced him at second. Morel struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 6-0. That was it for Paxton who allowed 6 runs in just 3 innings

                                                               So much for this game

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the fourth as Turner doubled to right to begin. Devers grounded out to short to move Turner to third and Justin scored on the grounder to short by Verdugo. Casas grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                                Sox get one back

Tayler Scott came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the fourth as Amaya doubled to right to start. Wisdom hit a home run all the way to Bombay, India to make this one a laugher. Hoerner lined out to right but Suzuki got a base hit to right. Happ popped up to second but Bellinger walked. Gomes struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 8-1.

                                                        That one's out of here

Arroyo grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Wong lined out to right. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Joely Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Mancini grounded out to third to start. Morel struck out swinging and Amaya took strike three to end the inning.

Duran took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Yoshida flied out to left. Turner flied out to center to end the inning. Joe Jacques came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wisdom grounded out to third to start. Hoerner grounded out to second and Suzuki took strike three to end the inning.

Julian Merryweather took over for Stroman in the top of the seventh and Dervers doubled to center to start. Verdugo flied out to center but Casas belted his 11th home run of the season to cut the lead. Arroyo and Wong both struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 8-3.

                                                           Casas gets two back

Jorge Alfaro came in for Wong and Brandon Walter came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh only for Happ to get a base hit to center to start. Bellinger got a base hit to center and Gomes flied out to right. Both Bellinger and Happ got into rundowns but Happ was thrown out at third. Mancini got a base hit to right and Morel got a base hit to left to score Bellinger. Amaya got a base hit to center to score Mancini but Wisdom flied out to right to end the inning with the Cubs up 10-3.

                                                     The beating continues

Michael Fulmer came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez walked to start. Duran walked and Yoshida moved both runners over with a grounder to first. Turner grounded out to third but Hernandez scored to cut the lead. Devers took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 10-4.

                                                          Sox get a run back

Walter returned for the bottom of the eighth and Hoerner struck out swinging to start. Suzuki struck out swinging but Happ got a base hit to right. Bellinger struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Daniel Palencia came in to close out the top of the ninth and Verdugo lined out to right to start. Casas struck out swinging but Arroyo doubled to left. A wild pitch moved Arroyo to third but Alfaro was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the game. The Cubs had won it 10-4.

                                                               Cubs win

Jackass of The Night is James Paxton. He allowed 6 runs in 3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                          Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran walked twice in four plate appearances.

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Joely Rodriguez pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Joe Jacques pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jorge Alfaro was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Tayler Scott allowed 2 runs in the fourth inning.

Brandon Walter allowed 2 runs 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

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

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a two run home run.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Final Thoughts:

That game was a root canal with no painkiller. The Cubs beat their brains in for 12 hits and 10 runs. The sad part was that was James Paxton's worst start all season as he had been solid up to this point. Another problem the Sox have is relief pitching, especially when they're down. A good bullpen has relievers that can settle things down for the bats to bop their way back but Tayler Scott and Brandon Walter prevented any hope of a comeback. Granted some of the Sox best relievers are down but this is a concern moving forward. The Sox bullpen turned a 6-1 game into 10-4 and that can't happen in the second half. Rafael Devers and Kenley Jansen are practically screaming at Sox GM Chaim Bloom to do something to help the team at the trade deadline and another good reliever will help. The best thing to do about this game is to forget about it and try to start a new win streak. The loss dropped the Sox to 49-44, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series with the Cubs tomorrow afternoon when Kutter Crawford (3-4) takes on Justin Steele of Chicago. The game begins at 2:20 PM eastern time at Wrigley Field.

ChiSox Bullpen Shuts Down BoSox (6/25/23)

Just when you think things can't get any worse for the Boston Red Sox, it does. The 34-44 White Sox were doing a bullpen game against Kutter Crawford (2-4, 4.01 ERA). Naturally Chicago scored four runs off Crawford on the back of Luis Robert's two home runs and an rbi from...you guessed it....Andrew Benintendi. Meanwhile the White Sox bullpen allowed just one measly run to Boston on an Adam Duvall rbi double. Brennan Bernardino and Kaleb Ort didn't allow any runs in relief, but the anemic Red Sox offense were held to just 5 hits as Chicago took the game 4-1 at Comiskey Park.

                                                  ''Lost to the White Sox bullpen...ugh''

Tanner Banks got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner grounded out to second and Rafael Devers struck out swinging on a pitch not even close to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second to start. Andrew Vaughn flied out to right and Luis Robert Jr popped up to center to end the inning. 

The BoSox tried to rally in the top of the second inning as Adam Duvall doubled to right to start. Masataka Yoshida then got drilled in the right hand. Naturally Bobby Dalbec and Christian Arroyo struck out swinging but Kike Hernandez beat out a roller off the glove of Banks to load the bases. Caleb Hamilton took a curveball right down the middle for strike three to end the inning. Elroy Jimenez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Yasmani Grandal lined out to center. Jake Burger flied out to center to end the inning.

The BoSox struck first but Refsnyder lined out to right to start the top of the third inning. Turner and Devers both walked and Duvall somehow doubled off the left field wall to score Turner. Naturally Yoshida popped up to left and that was it for Banks. Jesse Scholtens came in to pitch and Sox manager Alex Cora countered by bringing in Triston Casas to hit for Dalbec. As usual, Casas popped up to left to end the inning with Boston up 1-0.

                                                            Duvall drives in a run

Gavin Sheets struck out swinging to open the bottom of the third inning but Elvis Andrus got hit with a pitch. Zach Remillard grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Arroyo flied out to right to start. Hernandez popped up to short and Hamilton struck out swinging again to end the inning. Benintendi ripped a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Vaughn struck out swinging. Robert then hit a home run all the way to Indonesia to put the ChiSox up for good. Jimenez grounded out to short but Grandal hit a swinging bunt down the third base line. Burger forced Grandal at second to end the inning but the White Sox up for good, 2-1.

                                                          Robert goes yard

The BoSox failed to respond in the top of the fifth inning as Refsnyder grounded out to short to start before Turner took strike three. Devers walked but Duvall popped up to right to end the inning. Sheets walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Andrus lined out to right. Remillard flied out to center but Benintendi iced the game with a triple down the right field line to score Sheets. Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning with the ChiSox icing it 3-1.

                                                             Benintendi slides in safe

Once again the BoSox failed to respond in the top of the sixth as Seby Zavala took over for Grandal. Yoshida grounded out to short, Casas popped up to center and Arroyo lined out to second to end the inning. Naturally Robert hit a home run to the moon to start the bottom of the sixth. Jimenez flied out to center, Zavala flied out to center as well and Burger took strike three to end the inning with Chicago up 4-1. That was it for Crawford who made essentially three mistakes, two of them to Robert to allow 4 runs in 6 innings of work.

                                                            Not his best stuff

The BoSox left more men on base in the top of the seventh as Hernandez lined out to center to start. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Hamilton and got a base hit to left. Refsnyder took strike three right down the middle but Turner moved Duran to third with a single in the hole at third. The ChiSox brought in Aaron Bummer to pitch to Devers and naturally he hit a pop up to right to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate in Refsnyder's spot with Brennan Bernardino coming in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Clint Frazier pinch hit for Sheets and struck out swinging before Andrus also took strike three. Remillard singled to center but Bernardino picked him off to end the inning.

Duvall hit a bullet right to Bummer's face to start the top of the eighth before Yoshida took strike three right down the middle. Casas also struck out swinging to end the inning, pathetic. Benintendi grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and that was it for Bernardino. Kaleb Ort came in and Vaughn popped up to short. Robert Jr then dumped a base hit to left but Jimenez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Keynan Middleton effortlessly closed the door in the top of the ninth as Arroyo lined out to second to start. Hernandez grounded out to third and Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The White Sox had won the game 4-1.

                                                             White Sox win

Jackass of The Night is Triston Casas. He allowed Benintendi to score the third run and went 0 for 3 at the plate

                                                          Jackass Casas

The Good:

Justin Turner was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers walked twice in four plate appearances.

Adam Duvall was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Kaleb Ort tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bobby Dalbec struck out in his only plate appearance.

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Caleb Hamilton was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Kutter Crawford took the loss by allowing 4 runs in just 6 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out four.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Can things get any worse for the Red Sox? Its bad enough they penny pinched in the off-season and now the product on the field is suffering. With Chris Sale on the downside of his career, the Red Sox don't have a legitimate ace anymore. Trotting out Corey Kluber, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford and Nick Pivetta isn't going to cut it. Not to mention the real cataclysm was not scoring runs in a bullpen game against a team 10 games under .500. To say Chaim Bloom's tenure as GM has been a disaster class is an understatement. Apart from 3 months in 2021, they've been a sub .500 team since he took over. Not resigning ANY of their free agents and signing a washed up Kluber + unproven commodity in Yoshida would have most GM's on the unemployment line. Let's see how long Chaim lasts at this rate. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-39, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action at home against the Miami Marlins. Garrett Whitlock (4-2) takes on Sandy Alcantara of Miami this Tuesday night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Twins Walkoff Sox in 10 Innings (6/21/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox placed Corey Kluber on the Injured List with right shoulder inflammation and called up 25 year old speedster David Hamilton from Worcester. The Sox got Hamilton in the Hunter Renfroe trade where he stole 70 bases last year for the Portland Sea Dogs. He had already swiped 30 for Worcester this year so it'll be interesting to see if he becomes the next Dave Roberts.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, its one thing to lose because the other team played better, pitched better and or hit better but its another thing to lose on pure stupidity. That's what the Red Sox did against the Minnesota Twins in this game. The Sox took a 1-0 lead on Sonny Gray but the Twins took a 2-1 lead on Boston starter Garrett Whitlock. With the game tied at 3, the Sox had first and third with nobody out in the top of the sixth but Arroyo was thrown out trying to steal and the Sox didn't score. The Twins took the lead in the sixth and Alex Verdugo was thrown out trying to stretch a double in the seventh. In the eighth inning, David Hamilton made his ML debut by scoring the tying run on a Triston Casas double. In the top of the tenth, Alex Cora refused to play small ball and the Sox didn't score. Max Kepler did the honors with an rbi single off Kaleb Ort in the bottom of the tenth to win the game 5-4 in 10 innings at Targer Field.

                                                          Message to the Red Sox

Gray got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first but Justin Turner walked. Turner stole second and Rafael Devers doubled to center to score Justin. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Sox strike first

Whitlock got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Edouard Julien flied out to center to start. Alex Kirilloff popped up to third and Carlos Correa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Triston Casas flied out to left to start the top of the second but Christian Arroyo got a base hit to center. Reese McGuire flied out to center and Enrique Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Twins took command in the bottom of the second as Byron Buxton doubled to right to start. Max Kepler got a base hit to center to score Buxton then moved to second on a Royce Lewis grounder to second. Joey Gallo took strike three and Christian Vazquez singled off the glove of Hernandez to score Kepler. Michael Taylor popped up to first to end the inning with the Twins up 2-1.

                                                          Twins take the lead

The Sox fought back in the top of the first and Duran took strike three to start. Verdugo popped up to third but Turner belted his 11th home run of the year to tie the game. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                            Turner ties it

It looked like Julien hit a home run to start the bottom of the third but it was ruled a double at the last second. Kirilloff flied out to left to move Julien to third and Edoard scored on the grounder to third by Correa. Buxton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins up 3-2.

                                                             Twins lead again

Yoshida got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth and took second when Taylor booted the ball for an error. Casas grounded out to second to move Yoshida to third but Arroyo struck out swinging. McGuire walked but Hernandez lined out to left to end the inning. Kepler struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth but Lewis doubled to left. Lewis took third on a wild pitch but got picked off by Whitlock. Gallo took strike three to end the inning. 

Gallo and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli were so irate they both grabbed samurai swords and chased home plate umpire David Rackley into the Twins bullpen, getting ejected from the game. When play resumed Willi Castro took over in left for the top of the fifth. Duran took strike three but Verdugo tripled to right. Turner got a base hit to center to score Verdugo but Devers struck out swinging. Yoshida flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                            Turner ties it again

Vazquez flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Taylor took strike three. Julien singled to center and Kirilloff did the same, but Correa forced Kirilloff at second to end the inning. 

Brock Stewart came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas singled to center to start. Arroyo got a base hit to right to move Triston to third and everything went to hell. Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and Arroyo was foolishly thrown out at second trying to steal. Wong and Hernandez both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Buxton popped up to short to start. Kepler then hit a home run all the way to Indiana to put Minnesota ahead again. Lewis lined out to left and Castro popped up to third to end the inning with the Twins up 4-3.

                                                    Kepler puts the Twins ahead

Kyle Farmer came in for Julien and Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Duran's bunt was snuffed put by Jax to start. Verdugo got a base hit to center but was foolishly thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Turner flied out to right to end the inning. Whitlock came back for the bottom of the seventh and Vazquez lined out to center to start. Taylor grounded out to first and Farmer grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Whitlock who got tagged for 4 runs off 8 hits but lasted 7 innings.

                                                             Wasn't good enough

The Sox rallied in the top of the eighth with Jhoan Duran now on the mound. Devers grounded out to first but Yoshida walked. Speedster David Hamilton made his ML debut by running for Yoshida, promptly stealing second. Casas doubled to center to score Hamilton but Arroyo grounded out to short. Wong grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4. 

                                                                       Casas ties it

Chris Martin came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Kirilloff struck out swinging to start. Correa grounded out to second and Buxton struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Hernandez to start the top of the ninth and struck out swinging. Duran struck out swinging and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Kepler struck out swinging to start. Lewis popped up to third amd Castro's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Jansen to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Verdugo starting at second base. Rather than bunt, Turner grounded out to short to start. Devers struck out swinging and Adam Duvall pinch hit for Hamilton. Duvall was intentionally walked and Pablo Reyes ran for him. Casas struck out swinging to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth with Castro on second. Vazquez was intentionally walked to start and Taylor dropped down a bunt to move Castro to third. Farmer got a base hit to center to score Castro with the winning run. The Twins had won it 5-4.

                                                               Twins win

Jackass of The Night should be Alex Cora but Christian Arroyo getting thrown out trying to steal with nobody out then killing the 8th inning rally didn't help.

                                               "Thanks for the help, Jackass" - EH

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Justin Turner was 2 for 4 with a stolen base, a walk, a home run, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Hamilton stole a base and stole a run as a pinch runner.

Adam Duvall walked as a pinch hitter.

Triston Casas was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Reese McGuire walked in 2 plate appearances.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder struck out as a pinch hitter.

Kaleb Ort took the loss by allowing the winning run in the 10th.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Garrett Whitlock went 7 innings but allowed 4 runs off 8 hits while striking out 6.

Honorable Mention:

Pablo Reyes ran for Duvall in the 10th.

Final Thoughts:

Games like that are frustrating because running into outs and being stubborn will cost you more games than win them. Arroyo getting thrown out at second when a double play would have scored a run was ridiculous and Verdugo getting greedy was big too. The worst was the 10th inning when Turner should have dropped down a bunt. Sox manager Alex Cora when asked said "We play for two, not one." That's a slap in the face to the bullpen thinking they can't get 3 outs without giving up the ghost runner and also extremely foolish, especially on the road when you get first dibs. Whitlock looked mortal in this one after two consecutive great starts but he still went 7. If he can keep up this pace, he can team with Chris Sale and James Paxton nicely. Hopefully tomorrow the Sox can clean up the mess because they can't afford to lose too many games like that when they're in last place. The loss dropped the Sox to 39-36, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon and take the series against the Twins when Justin Garza (0-1) is the "opener" for the Sox against Joe Ryan of Minnesota. The game begins at 1:10 PM eastern time at Target Field.

Red Sox Crush Twins (6/20/23)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The Sox signed 33 year old relief pitcher Kyle Barraclough. He made his MLB debut with the Miami Marlins back in 2015 and earned a ring with the Washington Nations with 33 games in 2019. He pitched in 8 games with the Los Angeles Angels last year and was on the street this year. If they needed another arm in Worcester, why not?

                                                             IN

As for the game, nice to see the Boston bats explode again. The Sox offense pounded Bailey Ober and the Minnesota Twins for 15 hits and 10 runs, doing most of their damage in the later innings. Christian Arroyo led the charge by going 5 for 5 with 4 home runs and Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with 3 rbis of his own. On the other side of the ball Kutter Crawford (2-3, 3.74 ERA) tossed 5 shutout innings in just 77 pitches to get the win. Unfortunately the Sox brought in Corey Kluber to finish the game off and he got lit up for 4 runs in the final two innings to lose the shutout. The Sox still won the game 10-4 at Target Field.

                                                    Ken Rosenberg approves of the win

Ober got the ball in the top of the first inning and Alex Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Justin Turner singled to left but Rafael Devers flied out to center. Turner took second on a passed ball but Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Edouard Julien grounded back to the mound to start. Carlos Correa and Alex Kirilloff both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Adam Duvall struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Triston Casas flied out to right. Christian Arroyo and Connor Wong stroked back to back singles to left but Enrique Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Byron Buxton got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the second but Joey Gallo popped up to third. Royce Lewis got a base hit to left but Max Kepler grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Verdugo flied out to center to start the top of the third and Turner struck out swinging. Devers also swung at air for strike three to end the inning. Ryan Jeffers got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the third but Willi Castro popped up to third. Julien popped up to short but Correa got a base hit to left. Kirilloff grounded out to short to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth as Yoshida grounded back to the mound to start. Duvall blasted his 5th home run of the year to put Boston ahead but Casas grounded out to second. Arroyo then smashed his third home run of the year to increase the lead. Wong popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                         Duvall watches it go

Buxton popped up to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Gallo struck out swinging. Lewis singled to center but Kepler flied out to left to end the inning. 

Hernandez flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Verdugo grounded out to first. Turner was hit with a pitch but Devers grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Crawford came back for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Jeffers doubled to left to start. Castro grounded out to first to move Jeffers to third but Julien struck out swinging. Correa also went down hacking to end the inning. Crawford tossed 5 shutout innings allowing 6 hits.

                                                          Good work Crawford

The Sox got another run in the top of the sixth as Yoshida got a base hit to left to start. Duvall flied out to left and Casas flied out to center, but Arroyo singled to right to move Masataka to third. Wong got a base hit to right to score Yoshida but Hernandez popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                              Wong drives in a run.

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Donovan Solano pinch hit for Kirilloff. Solano struck out swinging but Buxton walked. Gallo took strike three and Lewis popped up to first to end the inning. 

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Brent Headrick on the mound. Verdugo singled to left and Turner doubled to right to score him, taking third on the throw. Devers was hit with a pitch and Yoshida lined a ball off Headrick to score Turner. Duvall flied out to left but Casas got a base hit to right to load the bases. Arroyo doubled to right to clear the bases then Wong followed with a walk. Hernandez flied out to right and Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                            Yoshida adds to the cause

Corey Kluber came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Kepler walked to start. Jeffers grounded into a double play and Castro popped up to third to end the inning. 

Kyle Farmer came in for Correa with Oliver Ortega on the mound to start the top of the eighth. Turner walked but Devers flied out to left. Yoshida belted his 8th home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. Duvall popped up to second and Casas struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-0.

                                                               Home run Yoshida

Julien got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the eighth but Farmer took strike three. Solano flied out to left but Buxton hit a home run all the way to Ecuador to cut the lead. Gallo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 10-2.

                                                              Twins strike back

Christian Vazquez took over for Buxton with Castro himself now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Arroyo got a base hit to center but Wong flied out to right. Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the ninth as Lewis hit a home run all the way to North Dakota to start. Kepler followed with a home run all the way to India and Jeffers beat out a roller to third. Castro flied out to left, Julien grounded out to first and Farmer grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-4.

                                                                     Sox win

Hero of The Night is Christian Arroyo. He was 5 for 5 with with a home run, 4 total rbis and a run scored.

                                                              Hero Arroyo

The Good:

Justin Turner was 2 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 3 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Kutter Crawford tossed 5 shutout innings off 6 hits while striking out 5.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

The Bad:

Enrique Hernandez was 0 for 5.

Corey Kluber got the "save" by allowing 4 runs in 3 innings.

The Ugly:

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

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Adam Duvall was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

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

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox but two bad notes. Enrique Hernandez was totally useless and hes down to batting .229 on the season. Might be time to get a new 6th man so to speak. Also Corey Kluber can't start or pitch in relief, might be time to say goodbye to him too with his ERA over 7. Sox GM Chaim Bloom went cheap to sign him and paid for it. Still, the positives were Crawford pitched well again, Arroyo had a hell of a game and both Duvall & Yoshida got some power back. The Sox were banking on Yoshida becoming Hideki Matsui 2.0 but instead hes been Kaz Matsui 2.0. Hopefully Duvall & Yoshida can start mashing because Casas and Devers cant carry the team by themselves. All in all besides two guys it was a heck of a win and they need all the momentum they can get. The win improved the Sox to 39-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their sixth straight game and second straight against the Twins tomorrow evening when Garrett Whitlock takes on Sonny Gray of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Bello, Sox Drop Yankees in Game 2 (6/18/23)

Its about time the Boston Red Sox made a statement against the AL East. After taking 2 of 3 last week from the New York Yankees, the Sox swept a doubleheader today against the Yankees including tonight's Game 2. Brayan Bello (4-4, 3.49 ERA) tossed 7 superb innings and held the Yankees to just a first inning run in the process. An Enrique Hernandez rbi double off Luis Severino tied it in the bottom of the second and some Kyle Higashioka interference scored Alex Verdugo in the bottom of the fourth. Triston Casas hit a 2 run double in the bottom of the fifth and that was all the offense Boston needed. Josh Winckowski and Kenley Jansen slammed the door as the Sox took Game 2 of the doubleheader 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                       The Uso's approve of the win

The Yankees struck first in the top of the first inning as Jake Bauers walked to start. Gleyber Torres doubled off the glove of Jarren Duran and Anthony Rizzo grounded out to second to score Bauers. Giancarlo Stanton struck out swinging and Josh Donaldson grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                    Yankees strike first

Severino got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran got a base hit to center to start. Justin Turner struck out swinging and Duran got picked off. Alex Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning.

Billy McKinney grounded out to first to start the top of the second and Oswaldo Cabrera lined out to short. Kyle Higashioka struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers singled to center to start. Rob Refsnyder dropped down a bunt to move him to second but Triston Casas struck out swinging. Enrique Hernandez doubled off the Monster to score Rafael to tie the game, but Reese McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Hernandez ties it

Anthony Volpe grounded out to third to start the top of the third but Bauers singled in the hole at second. Bauers stole second but Torres struck out swinging. Rizzo flied out to center to end the inning. Pablo Reyes struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Duran lined out to second. Turner struck out swinging to end the inning.

Stanton struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Donaldson walked. McKinney took strike three and Donaldson was picked off to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo got a base hit to left to start. Devers popped up to third and Refsnyder got a base hit to right. Casas walked to load the bases but Hernandez popped up to first. Higashioka interfered with McGuire and Verdugo scored to put the Sox on top. Reyes flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                   "That guy.....yes him....he did it" - RM

Cabrera grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Higashioka popped up to short. Volpe struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Duran walked to start. Turner struck out swinging but Duran stole second. Verdugo blooped a base hit to left and Devers walked to load the bases. Refsynder struck out swinging but Casas hit a ground rule double down the right field line to score both Duran and Verdugo. Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                        Casas drives in a pair

Bauers grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Torres doubled to center. Rizzo grounded out to first to move Torres to third and Stanton walked. Donaldson grounded out to short to end the inning. Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and McGuire singled in the hole to short. McGuire was thrown out at second trying to steal and Reyes struck out swinging. Duran also struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bello returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh as McKinney got a base hit to center to start. Casas fielded a grounder by Cabrera and did nothing with it, but wasn't charged with an error. Willie Calhoun pinch hit for Higashioka and struck out swinging before Volpe beat out a double play ball. Volpe took second but Bauers struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Bello who dominated the Yankees for 7 innings allowing 1 run off 4 hits and 3 walks.

                                                       Bello pitched great

Wandy Peralta came in to pitch with Jose Trevino behind the plate for the bottom of the seventh. Turner grounded out to third, Verdugo grounded out to second and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning.

Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Torres popped up to second to start. Rizzo was hit with a pitch but Stanton struck out swinging. Donaldson forced Rizzo at second to end the inning. Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Refsnyder struck out swinging to start. Casas took strike three and Hernandez also went down hacking to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth with Christian Arroyo in for Refsnyder. McKinney grounded out to first to start and Cabrera took strike three. Trevino singled to right and moved to second on a wild pitch, but Volpe struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-1.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brayan Bello. He held the Yankees to one run off 4 hits and 3 walks in 7 innings.

                                                        The Hero was fired up

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3.

Triston Casas was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Josh Winckowski tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 15th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Justin Turner was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Pablo Reyes was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Christian Arroyo played second in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing like shoving it up the ass of the Yankees is there? Yankee fans saying "Sevy>Bello" on social media might be re-thinking that after this game. The Sox aren't that far behind the Yankees in the standings and they're just about to catch them if the Sox can keep the momentum going. Another big factor in today's win was the relief pitching. Winckowski and Jansen were the 8-9 punch and both locked it down. What a turnaround for Bello and Winckowski this season as both were thrust into the rotation in the middle of a pennant race last year (and Connor Seabold) and failed miserably. Winckowski now as a late inning reliever has found life and Bello turned it around out of the rotation. Hopefully both can continue to pitch well because it'll shorten games like this one. Another one who's turned it around is Duran who's hitting .288 out of the leadoff spot. He was left for dead after last year as well. All in all beating the Yankees is always fun and doing it twice in the same day is double the fun. The win improved the Sox to 37-35, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Minnesota for a three game set with the Twins beginning tomorrow night. James Paxton (2-1) goes for the Sox against Pablo Lopez of Minnesota. The game begins at 7:41 PM Eastern time at Target Field.