Jays Sweep Hapless Sox (10/2/22)

The good news is the Boston Red Sox don't have to play the Toronto Blue Jays anymore. The bad news was this is after the Jays just completed a three game sweep and won 16 out of 19 games this year, almost all of them by multiple runs.  At least this game wasn't embarrassing, they just got beat. Kevin Gausman allowed 2 runs in 3 innings and said "I'm ready for the playoffs, I'm out." and the Sox still couldn't win. Michael Wacha (11-2, 3.32 ERA) ended his season on a sour note, allowing 5 runs in 4 innings. A two run single off Gausman by Bobby Dalbec gave the Sox the lead but home runs by Teoscar Hernandez and Whit Merrifield tied it. The Jays rallied for three more runs off Wacha and the only other run scored by Boston was a Bobby Dalbec home run. Kaleb Ort allowed a run in the seventh and the Blue Jays put a cigarette out on the 2022 season with a 6-3 victory at the Skydome

                                                                  3 more games

Gausman got the ball in the top of the first and Kike Hernandez flied out to center to start. Triston Casas struck out swinging and Tommy Pham lined out to short to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and George Springer popped up to third to start. Bo Bichette grounded out to second and Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as JD Martinez got a base hit to left to start. Christian Arroyo struck out swinging but Abraham Almonte doubled to center. Yu Chang struck out swinging but Bobby Dalbec got a base hit to center to drive in both runners. Connor Wong grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Dalbec driving in a pair

The Jays answered in the bottom of the second as Teoscar Hernandez hit a home run all the way to Quebec to start. Matt Chapman popped up to short before Danny Jansen struck out swinging. Raimel Tapia struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1.

                                                       Home run Hernandez

Hernandez got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but was forced at center by Casas. Pham struck out swinging and Martinez flied out to left to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Whit Merrifield hit a home run all the way to Newfoundland to start. Old pal Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to third but Springer got a base hit in the hole at short. Bichette grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                             Home run Merrifield

Zach Pop came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Arroyo grounded out to second to start. Almonte grounded back to the mound and Chang grounded out to second to end the inning. The Jays took command in the bottom of the fourth as Guerrero walked to start. Hernandez smashed a home run all the way to Calgary to put the Jays up for good. Chapman took struck three but Jansen doubled to center. Tapia struck out swinging but Merrifield got a base hit to left. Jansen scored and Wong threw the ball away for an error to allow Whit to take third. Bradley Jr grounded out to first to end the inning with the Jays up 5-2. That was it for Wacha as he allowed 5 runs in 4 innings off 6 hits and a walk.

                                                    Hernandez  with another home run

Dalbec struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Wong did the same. Wong struck out swinging and Hernandez lined out to first to end the inning. Eduardo Bazardo came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Springer got a base hit to right to start. It looked like Springer stole second but Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that Springer was out. Sure enough, replays showed he was out. Bichette struck out swinging and Guerrero Jr grounded out to first to end the inning.

Adam Cimber came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Casas lined out to center to start. Pham grounded out to short but Martinez got a base hit to center. Arroyo beat out a roller past the mound but Almonte flied out to left to end the inning. Hernandez struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth but Chapman was hit with a pitch. Jansen flied out to center and Tapia hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Anthony Bass came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Chang grounded out to short to start. Somehow Dalbec crushed his 12th home run of the season to cut the lead. Wong grounded out to short and Hernandez lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                       Dalbec finally hits one out

Naturally Kaleb Ort came in to allow a run in the bottom of the seventh as Merrifield doubled to right to start. Bradley Jr grounded out to second to move Merrifield to third and Springer hit a grounder to short. Chang fired home but Merrifield beat the throw to increase the lead. Bichette forced Springer at second then stole second himself. Guerrero Jr lined out to center to end the inning with the Jays up 6-3.

                                                           Jays score another run

Yimi Garcia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Casas appeared to have singled to center on a trap. The Jays challenged but replays showed it was a trap. Naturally Pham banged into a double play anyway and Martinez grounded out to third to end the inning. Franklin German came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hernandez got a base hit to center to start. Chapman walked but Jansen went down hacking. Tapia swung at air and Merrifield forced Chapman at second to end the inning.

Bradley Zimmer took over for Hernandez with Jordan Romano in to close out the top of the ninth. Arroyo popped up to second but Almonte reached on a throwing error by Guerrero. Chang took strike three but Almonte stole second. Dalbec flied out to center to end the game. The Jays had swept the Sox and won this game 6-3.

                                                                       Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Michael Wacha. He allowed 5 runs in 4 innings to put the game out of reach and take the loss.

                                                           Jackass Wacha

The Good:

JD Martinez was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4 with a home run and 3 total rbis.

Eduardo Bazardo tossed two scoreless innings.

Franklin German pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Tommy Pham was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Yu Chang was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with an error and a strikeout.

Kaleb Ort allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Kike Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

Triston Casas was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Christian Arroyo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Thank god this season is almost over. That was the last time the Sox have to face Toronto and that was their last road trip of the season. The Red Sox have gotten dominated by New York Yankee teams of the past but losing 16 out of 19 is straight belt to ass. If the Jays had still beaten the Sox 11 games to 8, the Sox would be over .500. One of the worst things about this season was if the Sox had a decent record against AL East teams, they'd be in the playoffs. Add 4 more wins against the Jays, Yankees, Orioles and Rays and right now they'd have 91 wins. Its a shame the way things turned out the way they did but that's on Chaim Bloom. He allowed Schwarber to walk and trade Renfroe for Bradley. Then he went bargain bin shopping for Wacha, James Paxton and Rich Hill and all 3 got hurt. The biggest factor wasn't even Bloom's fault but Chris Sale only pitching in two games this year. As for this one? Wacha had a good season but not even he could stop the Jays onslaught. The Sox need to design their offense and pitching to stop them next season in the off-season....if Bloom is allowed to do that. The loss dropped the Sox to 75-84, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now come home for their final 3 games of the season against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rich Hill makes his final start for the Red Sox against Tyler Glasnow of Tampa. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

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 Walkoff Red Sox in 10 Innings (9/22/22)

Before the game the epitaph of the Boston Red Sox's season was completed as Trevor Story was placed on the Injured List with a bad foot. His season is over and so is Boston's playoff chances. Bobby Dalbec was called up from Worcester to replace Trevor.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, the miserable season against the AL East continued as the New York Yankees walked off the Sox in tonight's game. Jameson Taillon shut down the Sox for six innings as the Yankees built a 3-0 lead over Michael Wacha. Suddenly home runs by Reese McGuire and Triston Casas put the Sox on top. The Yankees tied the game with one out in the bottom of the eighth on a Harrison Bader sac fly and Josh Donaldson settled matters in the bottom of the tenth. Donaldson's rbi single made a loser of Kaleb Ort (1-2, 5.79 ERA) and the Yankees had beaten the Sox 5-4 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                                            "Josh Donaldson...."

Taillon got the ball in the top of the first inning and Tommy Pham doubled to left to start. Rafael Devers flied out to center, Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging and Alex Verdugo lined out to left to end the inning. Wacha got the ball in the bottom of the first and Aaron Judge walked to start. Anthony Rizzo was hit with a pitch but Gleyber Torres flied out to center to move Judge to third. Josh Donaldson grounded into a double play to end the inning.

JD Martinez struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Triston Casas took strike three. Enrique Hernandez struck out swinging to end the inning. Giancarlo Stanton got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the second but Oswaldo Cabrera popped up to third. Harrison Bader flied out to center and Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Yu Chang led off the top of the third with a double to left but Connor Wong struck out swinging. Pham  flied out to right but Devers walked. Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. Kyle Higashioka struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Judge drew a walk. Rizzo grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Verdugo struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Martinez grounded out to third. Casas also grounded out to third to end the inning. Torres flied out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Donaldson singled to center. Stanton grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Hernandez grounded out to third to open the top of the fifth and Chang struck out swinging. Wong beat out a roller to short and Pham flied out to center to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Cabrera walked to start. A passed ball moved Cabrera to second and he stayed there on the infield single to third by Bader. Kiner singled to center to load the bases and Higashioka hit a sac fly to center to score Cabrera. Judge struck out swinging but Rizzo walked to re-load the bases. Torres struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                           Yankees strike first

Devers grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Bogaerts grounded out to first. Verdugo blooped a base hit to right but Martinez took strike three to end the inning. The Yankees finished off Wacha in the bottom of the sixth as Donaldson singled to center to start. Stanton then blasted a home run all the way to Maine to increase the lead. Cabrera struck out swinging, Bader went down hacking and Kiner grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 3-0. That was it for Wacha who allowed 3 runs in 6 innings but got no run support at all.

                                                            Wacha deserved better

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the top of the seventh with Clarke Schmidt now on the mound. Triston Casas belted his third home run of the season to cut the lead and Hernandez got a base hit to right. Yu Chang walked and Reese McGuire pinch hit for Wong. Somehow McGuire smashed his second home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Pham flied out to right, Devers grounded out to short and Bogaerts lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                        McGuire gives Boston the lead

John Schreiber came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Higashioka doubled to center to begin. Oswald Peraza ran for Higashioka and Judge drew a walk. Rizzo banged into a double play but Torres walked. Donaldson grounded out to second to end the inning.

Jose Trevino took over behind the plate with Aroldis Chapman now on the mound for the top of the eighth inning. Verdugo struck out swinging but Martinez walked. Sox manager Alex Cora made the idiotic decision to have Abraham Almonte run for Martinez and Casas drew a walk. Lou Trivino came in to pitch to Hernandez and Enrique walked to load the bases. Chang popped up to short and McGuire struck out swinging to end the inning, what a waste. Ryan Brasier came in to blow the game in the bottom of the eighth as Stanton singled in the hole at short to start. Tim Locastro pinch ran for Stanton and it looked like he was thrown out at second trying to steal, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged he was safe. Sure enough, replays showed Locastro was safe. Cabrera grounded out to short to move Locastro to third and he scored on the sac fly to center by Bader to tie the game. Kiner grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                        Yankees tie it

Clay Holmes came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Pham got a base hit to right....but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Devers grounded out to third and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Trevino flied out to left to start. Judge flied out to center and Rizzo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bogaerts started the top of the tenth at second base and Verdugo struck out swinging. Almonte flied out to center and Casas grounded out to short to end the inning. Marwin Gonzalez ran for Stanton at second base to start the bottom of the tenth with Kaleb Ort now on the mound. Torres was intentionally walked and Donaldson got a base hit to left to score Gonzalez with the winning run. The Yankees had won it 5-4 in 10 innings.

                                                           Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with Kaleb Ort. Didn't even get an out in the 10th inning and took the loss.

                                                              Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Enrique Hernandez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Yu Chang was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 2.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 2 with a 3 run home run.

Michael Wacha tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks.

John Schreiber pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Abraham Almonte was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ryan Brasier allowed the tying run to score in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Tommy Pham was 2 for 5 but was thrown out at second representing the go-ahead run in the ninth.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but walked.

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but drew a walk.

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

Final Thoughts:

Only 13 more games of this garbage remain. The Red Sox were totally embarrassed by the AL East this season and other teams just find ways to win. The Sox stunned the Yankees by going from down 3-0 to up 4-3 but couldn't get the job done. The Yankees playing small ball as much as relying on the long ball won them this game. Pham getting thrown out at second, Cora pinch hitting for JD Martinez, Kaleb Ort with men on base. Nothing worked for Boston at the end although they did deny Aaron Judge his 61st home run...for one day anyway. No Tracy Stallard this game for you! All in all it was another bad loss in a season full of them, and with Trevor Story out, this year can't end fast enough. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-77, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow against the Yankees when Rich Hill (7-7) takes on Gerrit Cole of New York. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Rout Orioles (9/10/22)

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

                                                         Ysolda approves of the win

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

                                                          Grand slam Devers

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

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

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

                                                            O's inch closer

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

                                                  "You're out, you dummy!"

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

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

                                                       2 run shot for Arroyo

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

                                                             O's score a run

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

                                                           Wacha with the solid start

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

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

                                                          Good work Almonte

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

                                                            O's get a run back

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

                                                         What a massacre

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

                                                           Red Sox win

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

                                                             Grand slam Hero

The Good:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                     OUT

                                                                        IN

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

                                                   Red Sox vs the AL East this year

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

                                                         Verdugo strikes first

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

                                                            Ramirez ties it up

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

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

                                                     Pham scores the go-ahead run

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

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

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

                                                       Get well soon Franchy 

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

                                                                Wacha deserved better

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

                                                        Rays go up for good

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

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

                                                          Rays win

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

                                                             Jackass Familia

The Good:

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

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.

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

Reese McGuire got a base hit as a pinch hitter.

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

The Bad:

Triston Casas was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kike Hernandez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

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

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

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

Kevin Plawecki was 0 for 2 but walked.

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

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong ran for McGuire in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

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