Sox Beat Rays In Season Finale (10/5/22)

The miserable 2022 Boston Red Sox season is finally over and at least the Sox went out with a bang, sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays out of Boston before their first round showdown with the Cleveland Guardians. JD Martinez in his possible final game with the Red Sox was the hero of this one, hitting two home runs including a 3 run bomb to pace the offense. Sox starter Nick Pivetta allowed 2 runs in 4 innings but Eduard Bazardo picked up his first career win by pitching the fifth inning. The Sox pulled away in the bottom of the eighth with rbis from Triston Casas and Christian Arroyo and Matt Barnes earned possibly his final save with the Red Sox as Boston ended 2022 winners with a 6-3 victory over the Rays at Fenway Park.

                                                                We made it!

Pivetta got the ball in the top of the first and Manny Margot struck out swinging to start. Randy Arozarena struck out swinging but Jiman Choi got a base hit to right. Harold Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Josh Fleming in the bottom of the first inning as Kike Hernandez grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left and Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Alex Verdugo beat out a double play ball and JD Martinez smashed his 15th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Eric Hosmer grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                         Martinez jacks one

Isaac Paredes walked to start the top of the second and David Peralta did the same. Rene Pinto took strike three and Taylor Walls forced Peralta at second. Jonathan Aranda grounded out to second to end the inning. Christian Arroyo got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second and Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Abraham Almonte took strike three and Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Rays struck back in the top of the third as Margot grounded out to second to start. Arozarena got a base hit to left and Choi hit a home run all the way to South Korea to cut the lead. Ramirez flied out to center and Paredes did the same to end the inning with the Rays down 3-2.

                                                               Choi hits one out

Devers grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third and Bogaerts struck out swinging. Verdugo flied out to center to end the inning.

Peralta flied out to center to start the top of the fourth but Pinto doubled to center. Walls walked but Aranda struck out swinging. Margot forced Walls at second to end the inning. That was it for Pivetta who was pitching well but Alex Cora wanted the bullpen to get in one last game. He allowed 2 runs in 4 innings.

                                                    Pivetta shuts it down for the winter

The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez belted his possibly last home run in a Red Sox uniform to start. Hosmer singled to center but Arroyo grounded into a double play. McGuire got a base hit to center but Almonte grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                             Martinez hits another one out

Eduard Bazardo came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Triston Casas took over for Hosmer at first. Arozarena walked and Vidal Brujan ran for him. Brujan got picked off and its a good thing he was because Choi doubled to right. Ramirez grounded back to the mound and Paredes grounded out to short to end the inning. Hernandez took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth and Devers grounded out to first. Bogaerts beat out a roller to third to chase Fleming. Shawn Armstrong came in and Walls struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Strahm came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Peralta was hit with a pitch to start. Pinto grounded into a double play and Walls struck out swinging to end the inning. Javy Guerra came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Martinez flied out to right to begin. Casas flied out to left and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Yu Chang took over for Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec took over for Devers and Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Aranda struck out swinging to start and Margot lined out to left. Brujan then hit a home run all the way to Concord to cut the lead. Choi walked and Josi Siri pinch hit for Ramirez. Siri lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                          Couldn't quite get it

JT Chargois came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and McGuire flied out to center to start. Almonte was hit with a pitch but Hernandez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

John Schreiber came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Paredes flied out to center. Peralta hit a ground rule double down the right field linen but Pinto struck out swinging. Walls walked but Aranda flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the eighth as Jimmy Yacabonis came in to pitch. Dalbec beat out a roller to third and Chang drew a walk. Verdugo flied out to left and Connor Wong pinch hit for Martinez. Wong walked to load the bases and Casas walked to score Chang. Arroyo drove in the final run of the year with a base hit to right to score Chang. McGuire struck out swinging and Almonte took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 6-3.

                                                        Sox ending the season with a bang

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Margot grounded out to second to start. Brujan flied out to left and Choi flied out to center to end the game & the season. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. In his last game with Boston he hit two home runs and outscored the Rays by himself.

                                                                     One final Hero

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec singled and scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3.

Yu Chang walked and scored a run.

Connor Wong walked in his only at-bat.

Eric Hosmer was 1 for 2.

Triston Casas walked and scored a run.

Christian Arroyo was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Nick Pivetta allowed just 2 runs in 4 innings.

Eduardo Bazardo got the win with a scoreless fifth inning.

Matt Straham pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Barnes earned his 8th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

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

Reese McGuire was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Abraham Almonte was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

Now its time for the eulogy. This year was pretty much decided before the season when Sox GM Chaim Bloom made the mistakes of letting Kyle Schwarber walk and trading Hunter Renfroe for Jackie Bradley Jr. Schwarber hit 46 home runs for Philadelphia and Hunter hit 29 for Milwaukee. Franchy Cordero hit 8 and JBJ hit 3 before being released. The failure by proxy is Bobby Dalbec hit just 12. That's 75 home runs to 23....yikes. On top of that, Trevor Story was a titanic bust hitting .238 in just 94 games. The killer can be blamed on Sox GM Chaim Bloom if you want but the injuries did the team in. Rich Hill, James Paxton and Michael Wacha all got hurt along with Nathan Eovaldi causing the Sox to rely on four rookies. Connor Seabold, Kutter Crawford, Brayan Bello and Josh Winckowski weren't ready for prime time and the AL East feasted on them. Even when the Sox traded pieces at the deadline, Eric Hosmer was hurt within 2 weeks and the Sox faded out of sight with their bad pitching. The July disaster against the Toronto Blue Jays was the microcosm of the lost season. Bad pitching and couldn't beat the AL East. Worse, John Henry has made it clear he's done spending money so we've probably seen the last of every expiring contract including Bogaerts, Hosmer, Pham, Matt Strahm, Nate Eovaldi and Martinez. Replacing Schwarber and Renfroe was a disaster so Sox fans have almost zero faith Sox GM Chaim Bloom can do any better this coming winter. Who knows, maybe John Henry will have a change of heart and they'll sign some free agents and re-sign Bogaerts....yeah right. The final record of the season is 78-84, good for last place for the second time in three seasons. Chaim Bloom did everything asked of him by the owners and could get fired anyway. The farm system didn't have a good season compared to last year either so he's on the hot seat for sure. Hopefully the Sox can turn it around and we can laugh at this season by this time next year....we hope.

Martinez, Sox Drop Orioles (9/29/22)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Nathan Eovaldi was activated from the Injured List to make two more starts before the season is over. The rumor is he won't be coming back so this is audition time. Connor Seabold was optioned to Worcester and his season is over after going 0-4 with a 11.29 ERA. Better luck next year Connor.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, its not only Nate Eovaldi that's auditioning for other teams. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez won't be coming back and Martinez was the hero in this one, breaking a 3-3 tie to put the Sox ahead with a home run. The returning Nathan Eovaldi lasted just 5 innings but only allowed 2 runs to the Baltimore Orioles. The Sox tied the game against Mike Baumann with two rbis from Triston Casas and Kike Hernandez. The Sox took a 3-2 lead but Kyle Stowers hit a home run off Matt Strahm in the seventh. With one out in the eighth, JD Martinez took Dillon Tate deep for a two run home run. Kaleb Ort slammed the door in the ninth and the Sox had taken three in a row from the Orioles including this one 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                  1999 Pedro Martinez approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first and Cedric Mullins struck out swinging to start. Adley Rutschman doubled to left but Anthony Santander lined out to second. Ryan Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning. Baumann got the ball in the bottom of the first and Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers flied out to center but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to right. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Gunnar Henderson doubled to right to start the top of the second but Austin Hays popped up to second. Rougned Odor hit a bullet to Bogaerts who doubled off Gunnar to end the inning. Triston Casas grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second but Christian Arroyo doubled to left. Kike Hernandez and Connor Wong both grounded out to short to end the inning.

The O's struck first in the top of the third as Kyle Stowers got a base hit to right to start. Jorge Mateo got a base hit to left and both runners moved over on the swinging bunt by Mullins in front of the plate. Rutschman grounded out to first to score Stowers and Casas booted a grounder by Santander for an error to score Mateo. Mountcastle lined out to left to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                     "I don't got it" - Casas

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Pham grounded out to short to start. Devers also grounded out to short and Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning.

Henderson got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Hays took strike three. Odor flied out to center and Stowers popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Verdugo grounded out to second to start. Martinez doubled to left and and Casas atoned for his error with a double to left to score him. Arroyo struck out swinging but Hernandez drilled a base hit to right to score Casas. Wong took strike three to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                             Hernandez ties it up

Mateo struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Mullins popped up to third. All of a sudden Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout to take the ball after just 72 pitches. Eovaldi shouted at him and left under protest. How do you take a guy out of his potential last start in Boston out after 72 pitches? Eduardo Bazardo walked Rutschman but got Santander to ground back to the mound to end the inning. Eovaldi lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on just 5 hits.

                                                              Eovaldi doesn't last long

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Pham flied out to right to start. Devers flied out to left and Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning.

Mountcastle struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth and Henderson also went down hacking. Hays flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox got to Cionel Perez in the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo got a base hit to right to start. A wild pitch moved Verdugo to second but Martinez struck out swinging. Casas beat out a roller to short to put runners at the corners and Arroyo grounded out to third to score Verdugo. Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 3-2.

                                                           Casas scores a run

Matt Strahm came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh as Odor grounded out to second to start. Stowers then hit a home run all the way to Sri Lanka to tie the game. Mateo struck out swinging but Mullins beat out a roller to third. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                                Stowers jacks one

Logan Gillaspie came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Wong. Almonte struck out swinging, Pham lined out to right and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch with Reese McGuire behind the plate for the top of the eighth inning. Santander flied out to left to start and Mountcastle struck out swinging. Arroyo booted a grounder by Henderson for an error and Hays got a base hit to left. Odor forced Hays at second to end the inning. Dillon Tate came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bogaerts walked to start. Verdugo forced Xander at second but Martinez blasted his 14th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Casas walked but was forced at second by Arroyo. Hernandez forced Arroyo at second to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                                          Martinez puts Boston on top

Yu Chang came in to play second with Kaleb Ort in to close out the top of the ninth. Stowers struck out swinging and Terrin Vavra pinch hit for Mateo. Vavra grounded out to short but Mullins got a base hit to center. Rutschman grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is JD Martinez. His two run home run put the Sox up for good in the eighth.

                                                                      JD Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Triston Casas was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Nathan Eovaldi allowed just 1 earned run in 4 2/3 innings off 5 hits.

Eduard Bazardo tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Zack Kelly got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Kaleb Ort earned his first save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Matt Strahm allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and and error but drove in a run.

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Honorable Mention:

Yu Chang played second base in the top of the ninth.

Reese McGuire caught the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Six games remaining and this might have been the final home run for JD Martinez and start by Nathan Eovaldi. They might shut them both down or they may not. But if this was it, that was a hell of a goodbye by Martinez. Its too bad Triston Casas wasn't around all year, Jarren Duran regressed and Trevor Story wasn't healthy because a lineup of Duran, Verdugo, Bogaerts, Devers, Martinez, Story, Casas, Christian Vazquez and Kike Hernandez would have been great. Then again, the problem was four of the five starters got hurt and couldn't beat the AL East as a result. The Sox just took 3 out of 4 against Baltimore but its too little, too late. It would be funny if the Sox win their last 6 in a row to end the year on a 10 game win streak...but that's very unrealistic. The only thing left to do is enjoy all these guys that most likely won't be back for the next six games. The win improved the Sox to 75-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Toronto for their final road trip of the season against the Blue Jays, who's 13-3 against them this season. Nick Pivetta (10-11) goes for the Sox against Alek Manoah of Toronto.

Red Sox Outslug Orioles (9/27/22)

Once again the Boston Red Sox starting pitching wasn't good enough to win a game. The normally reliable Michael Wacha was pounded for 6 runs and got knocked out in the fourth inning by the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles would get 2 runs against Matt Strahm (4-4, 3.80 ERA) as well to finish with 15 hits and 9 runs before the game was over. Only problem was....the Red Sox offense took advantage of bad Orioles defense to pound them into submission. Triston Casas hit a two run home run in the second inning and the Sox pushed 6 runs across the plate against Kyle Bradish in the bottom of the third. The Orioles rallied in the top of the fourth but the Sox scored 5 more times in the bottom of the frame. Both bullpens held the fort the rest of the way, but it was Boston that had the advantage. The quartet of Zack Kelly, John Schreiber, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier shut the door as the Sox won the game 13-9 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Janet Jackson approves of the win

The O's wasted no time getting to Wacha in the top of the first as Cedric Mullins flied out to left to start. Adley Rutschman struck out swinging but Anthony Santander doubled to center. Ryan Mountcastle tripled into the right field corner to put Baltimore on top but Gunnar Henderson lined out to center to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                             O's strike first

Bradish got the ball in the bottom of the first inning as Tommy Pham grounded out to short to start. Rafael Devers got a base hit to left but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. Alex Verdugo was retired on a nubber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Ramon Urias tripled into the left field corner to start the top of the second but Rougned Odor grounded out to second. Austin Hays hit a grounder to third and Urias was thrown out at home. A wild pitch moved Hays to second and Kyle Stowers grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez got a base hit to right to start. Triston Casas launched his fifth home run of the month to put the Sox on top. Rob Refsnyder took strike three but Henderson booted a grounder by Enrique Hernandez. Connor Wong lined out to center but Pham walked. Devers struck out swinging but took first on the passed ball to load the bases. Bogaerts forced Devers at second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                             Casas hits another out

The O's took command in the top of the third as Mullins flied out to left to start. Suddenly Rutschman and Santander hit back to back jacks to put Baltimore back on top. Mountcastle struck out swinging and Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning with the O's up 3-2.

                                                             O's take the lead

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the third as Verdugo doubled to left to start. Martinez and Casas worked back to back walks to load the bases and Refsnyder was plunked to score Verdugo. Hernandez forced Martinez at home but Wong walked to score Casas to put the Sox on top. That was it for Kyle Bradish as Joey Krehbiel came in to pitch to Pham. Tommy got a base hit to center to score Refsnyder and Hernandez and Devers was intentionally walked to get to Bogaerts. The gamble failed as Bogaerts walked to score Wong and Verdugo hit a sac fly to center to score Pham. Martinez lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 8-3.

                                                          Pham scores the eighth run

The O's finished off Wacha in the top of the fourth as Urias hit a home run all the way to the North Pole to start. Odor got a base hit to right and Hays tripled into the right field corner to score Rougned. Stowers struck out swinging and finally Sox manager Alex Cora pulled the plug on Wacha. He was charged with six runs in 3 1/3 innings off 8 hits. Matt Strahm came in to pitch and Mullins got a base hit to center to score Hays. Mullins stole second but Rutschman grounded out to short. Santander smashed yet another home run into the Charles River to tie the game. Mountcastle grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 8-8.

                                                      Wacha wasn't good enough

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fourth as Casas got a base hit to center to start. Jake Reed came in to pitch to Refsnyder and Rob got a base hit to right. Hernandez beat out a roller to third to load the bases and Odor failed to field a force play at second on a grounder by Wong to score Casas. Pham was hit with a pitch to score Refsnyder and chase Reed. DL Hall came in to pitch and Devers got a base hit to left to score both Hernandez and Wong. Pham moved to third on the hit and he scored on a force at second by Bogaerts. Verdugo took strike three and Martinez forced Bogaerts at second to end the inning with the Sox up 13-8.

                                                         Sox pour it on

Henderson grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Urias got a base hit to left. Odor got plunked and both runners moved over on a grounder to first by Hays. Jorge Mateo ran for Urias and Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Stowers. Aguilar flied out to left to end the inning. Casas singled in the hole at second to start the bottom of the fifth but Refsnyder took strike three. Hernandez struck out swinging and Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Mullins flied out to right to start. Rutschman grounded out to third and Santander hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Bryan Baker came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth as Pham walked to start. Devers grounded into a double play and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Orioles tagged John Schreiber in the top of the seventh and Mountcastle took strike three to start. Henderson also watched strike three but Mateo doubled to center. Mateo stole third and Odor got a base hit to left to score him. Hays struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's down 13-9.

                                                           Odor drives in a run

Cionel Perez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Verdugo walked to start. Martinez got a base hit to right but Casas grounded into a double play. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Aguilar got a base hit to center to start. Mullins flied out to center and Rutschman struck out swinging. Santander lined out to center to end the inning. Dillon Tate came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Wong was plunked but Pham grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mountcastle got a base hit to right to start. Henderson walked but Mateo struck out swinging. Odor walked to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate....but Hays grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 13-9.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tommy Pham. He was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, 3 rbis, 2 walks and 2 runs scored to pace the offense.

                                                                 Hero Pham

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong walked, was hit with a pitch, drove in 2 runs and scored twice.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a walk.

Triston Casas was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 run home run and 3 runs scored.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Michael Wacha was pounded for 6 runs in just 3 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits and 4 walks.

John Schreiber allowed a run in the bottom of the seventh.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Enrique Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored 2 runs.

Matt Strahm got the win but allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Just eight games to go and it would be nice for the Sox to end on a high note. Casas had his best game of the month and Kelly looked good to. The Sox are going to look to the future because the rumor is that its all but assured Nathan Eovaldi, Bogaerts, Pham, Martinez and Barnes are long gone. Wacha and Strahm might not be back either and its a shame because Wacha pitched well....when he was healthy. He might of won 20 games this year with a full season and the Sox would be thinking playoffs instead of high draft pick. The offense did well but its too little too late, still good to see though. The win improved the Sox to 73-81, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Baltimore in the third game of the series tomorrow night. Rich Hill (7-7) takes on Dean Kremer of Baltimore at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Late Rally Sink Sox (9/23/22)

One thing is for sure when it comes time to turn the page to 2023, next year's Boston Red Sox team better be able to beat the AL East. It was very evident that they couldn't in 2022. It didn't matter the circumstances, other teams in the division all found ways to win against them. Tonight was no different as the Red Sox once again were dispatched late by the New York Yankees. The Sox did score first when Tommy Pham took Gerrit Cole deep in the top of the first but the Yankees scored four runs against Rich Hill to take a commanding lead. Suddenly Alex Verdugo hit a 3 run bomb off Cole to tie the game in the sixth. In the bottom of the eighth, Jose Trevino hit a two out rbi single off Matt Strahm to put the Yankees up for good. The Sox did manage to put two runners on in the ninth but Abraham Almonte and Reese McGuire failed to bring in a run and the Yankees had beaten the Red Sox 5-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                       "We lost to the Yankees again??"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Cole to start the top of the first inning as Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Rafael Devers struck out swinging but Tommy Pham belted his 17th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Alex Verdugo doubled to right but JD Martinez grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Pham goes yard

Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Aaron Judge struck out swinging to start. Giancarlo Stanton flied out to right and Gleyber Torres grounded out to third to end the inning.

Triston Casas struck out swinging to open the top of the second and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to first. Reese McGuire popped up to center to end the inning. Josh Donaldson flied out to right to begin the bottom of the second but Oswaldo Cabrera singled to right. Jose Trevino flied out to left and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yu Chang grounded out to short to start the top of the third but Hernandez singled to center. Devers struck out swinging and Hernandez was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the third as Marwin Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Aaron Hicks hit a home run all the way to Neptune to tie the game. Judge flied out to left and Stanton popped up to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Hicks goes yard

Pham lined out to left to start the top of the fourth and Verdugo took strike three. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning. Torres walked to begin the bottom of the fourth but was immediately picked off. Donaldson singled to center and Refsnyder booted the ball for an error. Cabrera and Trevino both flied out to center to end the inning.

Casas walked to begin the top of the fifth but Refsnyder lined out to short. McGuire grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees took command in the bottom of the fifth as Kiner singled to center to start. Gonzalez walked and Hicks got a base hit to left to score Kiner. Judge struck out swinging and Stanton flied out to right to move Gonzalez to third. Torres got a base hit to left and Pham threw the ball away to allow Gonzalez & Hicks to score. Donaldson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-1. That was it for Hill who allowed 4 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks.

                                                           Not good enough

Suddenly the Sox answered in the top of the sixth as Chang struck out swinging to start. Hernandez doubled to right and Devers walked, but Pham struck out swinging. Verdugo then launched his 10th home run of the season to tie the game. Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                                Verdugo ties it up

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Cabrera flied out to center to start. Trevino struck out swinging and Kiner popped up to short to end the inning.

Ron Marinaccio came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Casas walked. Refsnyder and McGuire both struck out swinging before Chang grounded out to second to end the inning. Kaleb Ort came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Gonzalez popped up to third to start. Hicks took strike three but Judge got a base hit to left. Stanton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jonathan Loaisiga came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hernandez grounded out to third to start. Devers and Pham both grounded out to first to end the inning. Matt Strahm came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Torres struck out looking to start. Donaldson grounded out to short but Harrison Bader pinch hit for Cabrera. Bader walked and Strahm threw the pickoff throw away to move Bader to third. Trevino ripped a base hit to center to score Bader to put the Yankees up for good. Kiner walked and Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-4.

                                                           Yankees take the lead

Verdugo struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth but Martinez singled inside the third base bag. Bobby Dalbec ran for Martinez and Casas singled to right. Abraham Almonte pinch hit for Refsnyder with Connor Wong pinch running for Casas. Almonte took strike three and McGuire grounded out to first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 5-4.

                                                                   Yankees win

Jackass of The Night is Matt Strahm. He allowed the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth partly due to his own error.

                                                             Thanks a lot, Jackass

The Good:

Kike Hernandez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Alex Verdugo was 2 for 4 with a 3 run home run.

Triston Casas was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Zack Kelly pitched a scoreless inning.

Kaleb Ort pitched a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with an error and a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

You Chang was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rich Hill allowed 4 runs in 5 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored.

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with 2 errors but the one hit was a home run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for Triston Casas in the ninth.

Bobby Dalbec pinch ran for JD Martinez in the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Now that the Red Sox are just about mathematically eliminated, the Sox have to look to next year to right the ship. Chaim Bloom went cheap by going after Michael Wacha, James Paxton and Rich Hill and paid for it. When Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Sale went down, the season was over right then and there. They got absolutely murdered by the AL East in June and July and never really could beat the teams after August either. The Yankees just won back to back games in the late innings and it has to be in the minds of the players themselves. Just when they think they can win, everything goes wrong. Matt Strahm has been solid all year and now this happens. Alex Cora pinch hitting Abraham Almonte in the ninth was inexcusable but that's more to do with his limitations than anything. He deserves to be fired for blowing last year's ALCS but the starting rotation was decimated this year, I doubt they'll fire him for something out of his control. One thing is for sure, Bloom & the Red Sox need to spend actual money this off-season. The rumors are that Eovaldi, Bogaerts and Martinez are gonners and if that's true, why bother watching next year? Rolling out a broken down Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Kutter Crawford, etc doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The less said, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-78, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage this series tomorrow afternoon when Nick Pivetta gets the ball for the Sox against Domingo German of New York. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

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 Blank O's (9/11/22)

Before the game the Worcester Red Sox released Hirokazu Sawamura thus ending his tumultuous tenure with the Boston Red Sox. He was apart of The A-Team that kept the Sox in first place from April to July of 2021 but injuries and overuse killed the momentum. Sawamura was never the same, getting demoted after putting up a 3.76 ERA (which wasn't really that bad) and choosing to go home rather than finish the season in Worcester. So long Hiro The Hero.

                                                                  Bye bye Sawamura

As for the game, it took until the 142nd game of the season but the Red Sox finally won a series against an AL East team. The Sox BARELY beat the Baltimore Orioles but a win is win whether its by one run or ten. Rich Hill (7-6, 4.56 ERA) held the O's scoreless through five innings while a first inning sac fly by Xander Bogaerts proved to be the only run of the game. The much maligned Red Sox bullpen managed to toss four shutout innings, the last of which was a save by Matt Barnes to put the game away. The Sox had beaten the Orioles 1-0 at Camden Yards.

                                                     Trashcan Carla approves of the win

Kyle Bradish got the ball to start the top of the first and Tommy Pham got a base hit to right. Pham stole second and moved to third on a Alex Verdugo grounder to second. Xander Bogaerts hit a sac fly to center to score Pham and Rafael Devers grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Bogaerts drives in the only run

Rich Hill got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ryan McKenna struck out swinging to start. Anthony Santander took strike three and Ryan Mountcastle flied out to left to end the inning.

Trevor Story struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning and JD Martinez grounded out to third. Triston Casas flied out to left to end the inning. Ramon Urias grounded out to third to start the bottom of the second before Jesus Aguilar popped up to short. Austin Hays singled to right but Jorge Mateo forced him at second to end the inning.

Kike Hernandez walked to start the top of the third and Connor Wong dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Pham popped up to first and Verdugo flied out to left to end the inning. Rougned Odor struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third and Robinson Chirinos also went down hacking. McKenna walked and Santander got a base hit to center, but Mountcastle flied out to left to end the inning.

Bogaerts walked to start the top of the fourth but Devers grounded into a double play. Story struck out swinging to end the inning. Urias lined out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Aguilar struck out swinging. Hays walked and Mateo flied out to right to end the inning.

Martinez reached first on catcher's interference to start the top of the fifth but Casas grounded into a double play. Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning. Hill returned for one last inning in the bottom of the fifth and Odor was hit with a pitch to start. Chirinos walked but McKenna popped up a bunt to third. Santander and Mountcastle struck out swinging to end the inning. Hill lasted just 5 innings but didn't allow a run on 2 hits and 3 walks.

                                                       Not great but it'll do

Wong struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Pham popped up to second. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning. John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Urias grounded back to the mound to start. Gunnar Henderson pinch hit for Aguilar and struck out swinging, but Hays singled down the third base line. Mateo forced Hays at second to end the inning.

Bogaerts lined out to center to start the top of the seventh before Devers got a base hit to left. Story grounded into a double play to end the inning. Christian Arroyo took over for Story with Matt Strahm now on the mound for the bottom of the seventh. Odor was hit with a pitch to start before moving to second on a balk. Chirinos struck out swinging before McKenna grounded out to third. Odor stole third but Santander struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bryan Baker came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Martinez flied out to right to start. Casas struck out swinging but Hernandez walked. Wong took strike three to end the inning. Garrett Whitlock came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Mountcastle struck out swinging to start. Urias struck out swinging but Henderson walked. It looked like Hays forced Henderson at second but Brandon Hyde the Orioles manager challenged that Henderson was safe. The call was upheld and the inning was over.

Dillon Tate took over on the mound with Terrin Vavra in for McKenna and Cedric Mullins in for Odor to start the top of the ninth. Pham took strike three but Verdugo and Bogaerts stroked back to back base hits to chase Tate. Cionel Perez came in and Devers struck out swinging, but Arroyo walked to load the bases. Martinez flied out to left to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Mateo struck out swinging to begin. Mullins struck out swinging and Adley Rutschman pinch hit for Chirinos. Rutschman lined out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 1-0.

                                                                  Sox win

Hero of The Night is Rich Hill. His 5 shutout innings were enough to help the Sox take the eventual victory. He allowed 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7

                                                             Hero Hill

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Christian Arroyo walked as a pinch hitter.

Kike Hernandez walked twice in three plate appearances.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Matt Strahm pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

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

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3.

Triston Casas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

How pathetic is it that the Red Sox took until there were just 22 games left in the season to win their first series of the year against an AL East team? Even if they were just halfway competent against them, they'd be in a playoff spot. As it is, they're just about mathematically eliminated. Still, a win is a win. Hill stayed tough for 5 innings but the bullpen held on in this one. All the injuries to the rotation sapped the bullpen this year but they put in a yeoman's effort in this one. Bogaerts got the only run of the game which is also sad considering the Sox offense is supposed to be elite. With Nathan Eovaldi, Bogaerts and Martinez on their way out, them lighting it up would look good in free agency. Too bad Bogaerts and Martinez aren't exactly doing that. Just another lost season and another nail in the coffin of the Chaim Bloom regime. The win improved the Sox to 69-72, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox look to start a winning streak with a two game set with the New York Yankees at home beginning on Tuesday night. Nick Pivetta takes on Gerrit Cole at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.