Rays Walkoff in 11...Again (9/21/19)

The Boston Red Sox played Groundhog Day in tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. After making a late comeback just to lose in 11 innings last night, the Sox did the exact same thing tonight against the Rays. The Sox trailed 3-1 going into the eighth inning but but a clutch 2 run bomb by Rafael Devers tied the game. 3 innings later Mitch Moreland put the Sox on top with a home run...only for Josh Smith to serve up a double and a home run to Nate Lowe in short order to give the game to the Rays. The Sox came back just to lose 5-4 in 11 innings to the soon to be wild card champion Rays at Tropicana Field.

                                                Groundhog Day

Tyler Glasnow got the "start" for the Rays and Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to start. Rafael Devers took strike three but Xander Bogaerts doubled to center. JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for the Sox and Austin Meadows flied out to center to begin. Tommy Pham walked but Ji-Man Choi was rung up for strike three. Travis d'Arnaud grounded out to first to end the inning.

Glasnow turned up the heat in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland flailed away for strike three to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt watched strike three go by and Christian Vazquez was rung up for strike three to end the inning. Nate Lowe whiffed to start the bottom of the second but Matt Duffy doubled to right and remained there as Joey Wendle beat out an infield single to second. Both runners moved over on the Kevin Kiermaier grounder and Sox manager Alex Cora bounded out of the dugout. In what was going to be another 5 hour game with one pitching change after another, Bobby Poyner was brought in to finish the inning. Willy Adames whiffed to end the inning, here we go again.

                                                      Short and sweet for Lakins

Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to short to begin the top of the third before Marco Hernandez went down swinging. Mr. Mookie singled to left but Devers whiffed to end the inning. Mike Shawaryn took over for the bottom of the third and Meadows singled off the glove of Hernandez to start. Pham whiffed but Choi walked. d'Arnaud singled home Meadows to put the Rays up first. Lowe grounded out to first. Duffy was plunked to chase Shawaryn. Colten Brewer was summoned and naturally Joey Wendle singled to right. Choi scored but d"arnaud was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Rays up 2-0.

                                                                  2-0 Rays

The Sox fought back against Yonny Chirinos in the top of the fourth as Bogaerts crushed his 32nd homer of the season to cut the lead in half. Martinez and Moreland both whiffed and Holt lined out to third to end the inning but the Sox were back in it down 2-1.

                                              Number 32 for Bogaerts

Ryan Weber took over for the bottom of the fourth and and Kiermaier grounded back to the mound to start. Adames took strike three and Meadows lined back to Weber to end the inning.

Andrew Kittredge came in for the top of the fifth and Vazquez whiffed to start. JBJ singled to right but Hernandez whiffed. Mr. Mookie grounded into a force to end the inning. Weber froze Pham for strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Choi lined out to left. d'Arnaud popped up to first to end the inning.

Peter Fairbanks cruised in the top of the sixth as Devers grounded out to first to start. Bogaerts lined out to left before Martinez struck out swinging to end the inning. Weber returned for the bottom of the sixth as Lowe grounded out to second to start. Duffy whiffed but Wendle singled to second. Dr. Quick Hook Alex Cora pulled Weber for Josh Taylor. The alert Taylor picked off Wendle to end the inning.

Colin Poche came in for the top of the seventh and Moreland took strike three to start. Holt lined out to left butVazquez walked. JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. The Rays got to Taylor in the bottom of the seventh although Kiermaier whiffed to start. Adames then blasted a 500,000 foot home run to increase the lead. Meadows single and Dr. Quick Hook pulled Taylor for Ryan Brasier. Meadows was erased on the force by Meadows and Choi flied out to left to end the inning but it was 3-1 Rays.

                                                    Adames goes yard

Guillermo Heredia took over for Pham with Nick Anderson now on the mound for the Sox big rally. Hernandez went down hacking but Mr. Mookie singled. Devers then belted a 2 run home run to tie the game. Bogaerts and Martinez both grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                           A miserable Devers ties it up

Andrew Cashner came in for the bottom of the eighth and d'Arnaud flied out to center to start. Lowe whiffed and Duffy took strike three to end the inning.

Oliver Drake came in for the top of the ninth and Moreland grounded out to first to start. Holt grounded out to short but Vazquez walked. Andrew Benintendi pinch ran for Vazquez but JBJ grounded out to second to end the inning. Sandy Leon took over behind the plate for the bottom of the ninth with Gorkys Hernandez now in left and Matt Barnes now on the mound. Barnes turned up the heat by getting Wendle to go down hacking to start. Kiermaier also whiffed and Adames also swung and missed for strike three to end the inning.

Emilio Pagan came in for the top of the tenth and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to begin. Mr. Mookie flied out to center and Devers popped up to second to end the inning. Sox closer Brandon Workman came in for the bottom of the tenth and Meadows walked to start. Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Heredia but whiffed. Choi was rung up for strike three and Meadows was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox took the lead in the top of the eleventh with Michael Brosseau in left field and Diego Castillo on the mound. Bogaerts grounded out to short to start before Martinez struck out swinging again. Moreland then put the Sox on top with his 18th home run of the season. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox led 4-3.

                                                     Moreland steps it up

The good feeling lasted 30 seconds as Josh Smith gave away the game in almost record time in the bottom of the eleventh inning. d'Arnaud doubled to left and Lowe pulverized a game winning, walkoff home run to give the game to the Rays. This season sucks.

                                                         Ugh


Jackass of the Night is Josh Smith. Staked to a one run lead, Smith coughed it up in just two batters to give up the walkoff home run to Lowe.

                                                       Nice going Smith



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a two run home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Christian Vazquez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Travis Lakins tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Ryan Weber tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Ryan Brasier tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Andrew Cashner tossed a scoreless inning.

Matt Barnes struck out the side in his inning of work.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Mike Shawaryn was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Colten Brewer gave up an rbi single to Joey Wendle.

Josh Taylor was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but hit a solo home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Andrew Benintendi ran for Vazquez in the top of the ninth.

Sandy Leon caught the final three innings.




Final Thoughts:

Its bad enough the Sox are almost completely unwatchable due to the bad pitching they have but Alex Cora trudging to the mound 7-8 times a game slows it down considerably. I understand if he's trying to bring in as many pitchers as he can to showcase them for either future teams or to show what they've got, but one pitching change after another slows the game down. The worst part is most of the guys he brings in are scrubs who probably won't be on the team next year because they keep giving up runs. The sad part was the Sox still was in position to win the game but they blew it. Luckily there are only 8 more games of torture remaining. No more Cora bringing in 75 pitchers and losing by 7 runs every game. The loss dropped the Sox to 80-74. The Rays look to sweep the Sox tomorrow afternoon when Ryan Yarbrough shuts down the Sox and Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) takes a beating at 1:05 PM at Tropicana Field.

Yankees Outslug Sox in London Debut (6/29/19)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Brian Johnson was placed on the Injured List with an undisclosed ailment and Hector "The Insurance Policy" was activated from the Injured List to take Brian's place. Sam Travis was also called up to be the 26th man for the next two games against the New York Yankees.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                    IN

Well this game was bad news for the Boston Red Sox but great news for worldwide baseball relations, that's for sure. In the first professional American baseball game held in London, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees combined to score 30 runs on 27 hits and 6 home runs. Unfortunately for the Sox the Yankees scored 17 and Boston only scored 13. "Slick" Rick Porcello didn't make it out of the first inning as the Yankees scored 6 runs. Then the Sox countered by knocking out Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka in the bottom of the first with 6 runs of their own. The Yankees pitching then didn't suck as hard as the Sox for the next 8 innings as the Yankees took the first game of this London series 17-13 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                   "THOSE DAMN YANKEES!"

The massacre began in the top of the first inning when DJ LeMahieu singled to right to start. Aaron Judge flied out to the centerfield wall but Gary Sanchez walked. Luke Voit doubled home LeMahieu and Didi Gregorius doubled both runners home. Edwin Encarnacion doubled home Gregorius and Aaron Hicks smashed a home run all the way to Stonehenge to knock Porcello out. Colten Brewer came in and Gleyber Torres walked before moving to second on the grounder by Brett Gardner. LeMahieu took strike three but it was 6-0 Yankees.

                                                       "Are these balls juiced?" - Porcello

The Sox answered in the bottom of the first as Mr. Mookie Betts greeted Tanaka with a base hit to left to start. Rafael Devers doubled home Betts to put the Sox on the board. Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez walked to load the bases, but Andrew Benintendi popped up to short. Christian Vazquez hit a sac fly to score Devers and Brock "The Hitman" Holt got a base hit to right to score Bogaerts to cut the lead in half. Michael Chavis then made the Boston fan portion of Wembley roar as he smashed a 3 run bomb to tie the game. Chad Green came in to pitch and Jackie Bradley Jr got a base hit to right. Mr. Mookie grounded into a force to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 6-6, how about that?

                                                            Sox counter punch

Steven Wright came in for the top of the second and Judge singled to left to start. Sanchez whiffed but Voit singled to left. Gregorius banged into a double play to end the inning. Devers doubled to right to begin the bottom of the second and Bogaerts lined out to center. Martinez singled Bogaerts to third but Benintendi whiffed. Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Yankees took command for good in the top of the third as Encarnacion took strike three to start. Hicks lined out to center but Torres singled to left. Gardner then smashed as home run all the way to Piccadilly to put the Yankees on top. LeMahieu singled to right and Judge walked, but Sanchez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 8-6.

                                                         Wright gives up a few runs

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Holt lined out to left to start. Chavis flied out to right but JBJ singled to left. David Hale came in to pitch to Betts and Mr. Mookie took strike three to end the inning.

The Yankees iced the game in the top of the fourth against Mike Shawaryn as Voit doubled to center to start. Gregorius walked but Encarnacion whiffed and Hicks flied out to left. The floodgates opened as Torres singled to left to load the bases and Gardner walked home Voit. LeMahieu cleared the bases with a double to put the game out of reach. Judge put the exclamation point on the rally with a home run all the way to Cockfosters to increase the lead. Sanchez whiffed to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 14-6.

                                                      LeMahieu ices the game

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the fourth as Devers flied out to center to start. Bogaerts singled to right but Martinez lined iout to short. Nestor Cortes Jr replaced Hale and Benintendi popped up to third to end the inning.

The Yankeed poured it on in the top of the fifth as Voit doubled to left to start. Gio Urshela ran for Voit and moved to third on a wild pitch. Gregorius singled home Urshela but Encarnacion whiffed. Finally Sox manager Alex Cora pulled Shawaryn and Josh Taylor gave up a single to Hicks before a wild pitch moved both runners over. Torres walked but Gardner took strike three. LeMahieu singled home Gregorius and Hicks to wrap up the scoring. Judge flied out to right to end the inning but it was 17-6 Yankees.

                                                      LeMahieu does it again

The Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth as Vazquez grounded out in front of the plate to start. Holt and Chavis both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the sixth and Sanchez flied out to center to start. Urshela lined back to Brasier and Gregorius flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when JBJ clobbered his 9th home run of the season to start. Mr. Mookie took strike three, Devers grounded out to third and Bogaerts took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down a touchdown and a field goal 17-7.

                                                           JBJ hits one out

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez took over on the mound, Sandy Leon took Holt's spot in the lineup but behind the plate, Vazquez moved to third, Sam Travis came in for Benintendi and Marco Hernandez replaced Devers in the lineup at second base to begin the top of the seventh. Encarnacion whiffed, Hicks took strike three and Torres grounded out to first to end the inning. Mike Tauchman came in for Judge and Austin Romine came in to catch the bottom of the seventh as the Sox rallied. Martinez took strike three and Travis lined out to right, but Vazquez singled to left. Leon singled to short and Chavis smashed his second 3 run bomb of the game to put the Sox behind by a touchdown. JBJ singled to right and the Yankees were forced to bring in Tommy Kahnle. Mr. Mookie walked and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Hernandez singled home JBJ and Kahnle airmailed ball four to Bogaerts, scoring Betts on a mad dash. Adam Ottavino came in and Martinez doubled home Hernandez. Travis popped up to first to end the inning but the Sox somehow cut the lead 17-13.

                                                           Chavis does it again

Eduardo Nunez came in for Bogaerts to start the top of the eighth as Gardner flied out to center to start. LeMahieu lined out to Velazquez and Tauchman whiffed to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the eighth as Vazquez flied out to right to start. Leon singled and Chavis walked, but JBJ beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Mr. Mookie walked to load the bases...but Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Marcus Walden came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Romine grounded out to second to start. Urshela doubled to left but Gregorius grounded out to second. Encarnacion whiffed to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came on to close out the bottom of the ninth as Nunez grounded out to third to start. Martinez singled to left but Travis banged into a double play to end the game. The Yankees had won the slugfest 17-13.

                                                         Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Mike Shawaryn. The Sox were still relatively in the game when he came in and was charged with 8 runs in 1 1/3 innings.

                                                               London Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Marco Hernandez was 1 for 2 with an rbi and run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 1 for 3 was 2 walks and a run scored.

JD Martinez was 3 for 5 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 4 with 6 total rbis, a walk and 2 home runs.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 4 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Colten Brewer got the final 2 outs of the first inning.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless inning.

Hector Velazquez tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Marcus Walden tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sam Travis was 0 for 3.

Rick Porcello allowed 6 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Steven Wright allowed 2 runs in 2 innings to take the loss.

Josh Taylor allowed inherited runners to score and one of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked twice and scored two runs.

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Final Thoughts:

What a slugfest, too bad the Sox didn't win. There's not much you can do when the Yankees can't miss. Still, the baseballs must have been tampered with to give the London crowd a show because there were absolute rockets hit by people who normally don't hit rockets. DJ LeMahieu was a one man wrecking crew but Michael Chavis tried to match him. If this game didn't prove that the Sox need bullpen help, I don't know what will. The Sox have one month left before the trade deadline, time for Sox GM Dave Dombrowski to make a move before they fall too far behind. As for this game, great offense, lousy pitching. The loss dropped the Sox to 44-39, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox try to rebound against the Yankees in their last game in London together. Eduardo Rodriguez goes for the Sox up against Stephen Tarpley of the Yankees at 3:05 PM Eastern time, 8:05 PM London time at Wembley Stadium.

Sox Bullpen Implodes against Blue Jays (6/22/19)

Think its time to do something about the bullpen Dave Dombrowski? Tonight the Boston Red Sox had the borderline AAA Toronto Blue Jays down 6-1 going into the 7th inning and completely fell apart. Mike Shawaryn, Marcus Walden, Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier combined to allow 7 runs off 6 hits, 5 walks and 2 home runs to blow their 15th save of the season. The 6-1 lead turned into a bitter defeat as the Sox rallied in the ninth, but fell short. When the nightmare was over the Jays had handed an 8-7 loss on the Sox.

                                                  "You all suck!"

Brian Johnson got the ball in the top of the first inning and got Eric Sogard to pop up to right to begin. Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded out to third before Lourdes Gurriel Jr dumped a single to left....that Andrew Benintendi went OLE on to allow Gurriel to reach second on the error. Benintendi atoned for his error by running down a bullet by Randal Grichuk to end the inning. Derek Law got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to second to begin. Benintendi also grounded out to second before Xander Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Teoscar Hernandez led off the top of the second inning by striking out swinging on a 90 mph fastball. Brock "The Hitman" Holt made a diving stab to rob Calvin Biggio of a hit before Freddy Galvis flied out to the centerfield wall to end the inning. JD Martinez drew a walk and moved to second when Holt grounded a ball off the foot of Law, but right to first for an out. Last night's hero Christian Vazquez drew a walk before Jackie Bradley Jr doubled off the left field wall to score both runners, giving the Sox the lead. A jealous Jerry Remy told a story how Fred Lynn and Wade Boggs could pepper the Monster whenever they wanted while he barely ever hit the wall himself. Michael "The Ice Horse" Chavis singled up the middle to score JBJ and chase the opener Law. Sam Gaviglio came in and got Eduardo Nunez to ground back to the mound but Chavis moved to second. Mr. Mookie walked and Benintendi lashed a double off the wall to score both runners. Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 5-0 Red Sox.

                                                   Sox go on top

Rowdy "Roddy" Telez grounded out to second to begin the top of the third inning before Holt snared a pop-up by Luke Maile. Sogard hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Martinez lined one off of Telez to begin the bottom of the third but he flipped the ball to first for the out. Holt lined out to center but Vazquez sliced his 10th homer of the year just inside the Pesky Pole to increase the lead. JBJ lashed a single to center but Chavis popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                    Vazquez hits one out

The Jays struck back in the top of the fourth inning as Guerrero Jr singled off the foot of the left field wall to begin. Guerrero Jr took second on a wild pitch before Chavis OLE'd a routine grounder to short to score Vlad and advance Gurriel Jr to second. Somehow the error was charged to Bogaerts as Johnson recovered to strike out Grichuk. Hernandez beat out an infield single to the mound but Biggio was rung up on a check swing for strike three. Galvis popped up to second to end the inning but it was now 6-1 Sox.

Nunez stroked a single up the middle to begin the bottom of the fourth but Biggio was in the right place to turn an unassisted double play on Betts. Benintendi doubled into the left field corner but Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning.

Telez flied out to the centerfield wall to begin the top of the fifth before Maile whiffed. Sogard flied out to right to end the inning with Johnson finished after 83 pitches. He allowed just the 1 run in 5 innings of work.

                                                      Johnson finishes strong

Martinez was fooled for strike three to begin the bottom of the fifth but Holt singled to right. Biggio dropped a double play ball by Vazquez but JBJ grounded out to first to end the inning.

Mike Shawaryn whiffed Guerrero Jr to open the top of the sixth before Gurriel Jr also went down on strikes. Grichuk grounded out to second to end the inning. Nick Kingham came in for the bottom of the sixthn and whiffed Chavis to start. Nunez grounded out to first but Mr. Mookie walked. Benintendi flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox completely melted down in the top of the seventh inning although Holt corralled a pop-up by Hernandez to start. Biggio singled to center and Galvis pulvarized a 500,000 foot home run to cut the lead in half. Tellez then pounded a million foot home run as the boo birds rained down. Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough and took Shawaryn out. Marcus Walden came in and promptly walked Maile. Somehow Walden froze Sogard for strike three but Guerrero Jr poked a seeing eye single to right to advance Maile to third. The nightmare continued as a wild pitch scored Maile and advanced Guerrero Jr to second. Somehow Gurriel Jr whiffed on a high fastball to end the inning but the comeback was underway with the Jays only down 6-5.

                                                    Nice going Shawaryn

The Sox offense laid down and died in the bottom of the seventh inning as Bogaerts popped up weakly to short to begin. Martinez and Holt whiffed badly to end the inning.

The Jays completed the comeback in the top of the eighth inning against Matt Barnes. Grichuk was rung up for strike three but naturally Hernandez beat out an infield single to short. Hernandez took second on another wild pitch and scored on the hit off the glove of Holt by Biggio to tie the game. Somehow Galvis flied out to left but naturally Telez walked. Billy McKinney pinch hit for Maile and yet another wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position. Naturally McKinney walked to load the bases and chase the ineffective Barnes. Ryan Brasier came in and walked Sogard on four pitches to give the Jays the lead. Guerrero Jr walked to score Tellez to ice the game. Somehow Gurriel Jr popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox bullpen allowed 6 hits, 5 walks and 2 home runs in just two innings to give the Jays the 8-6 lead. Absolutely pathetic.

                                               This sucks

Naturally the Sox offense was done for the night as Vazquez flied out weekly to right against Daniel Hudson. JBJ weekly popped up to left and Chavis whiffed badly on a pitch heading to the backstop to end the inning. The Jays bullpen had retired 7 in a row and 11 of 12, what a difference.

Josh Smith had mop up duty in the top of the ninth as Grichuk took strike three to start. Hernandez whiffed and Biggio froze for strike three to end the inning. Jays closer Ken Giles came in for the bottom of the ninth and blew away pinch hitter Rafael Devers (for Nunez) to begin. Somehow Mr. Mookie walked to bring the tying run to the plate before swiping second. Naturally Benintendi whiffed on a high fastball but the Jays made a boo boo. Bogaerts hit a routine pop up to left but Galvis let the ball drop and bounce into the stands for a ground rule double to score Betts. With the game on the line...Giles blew away Martinez to end the game. A frustrating loss in a season full of the left the Jays the 8-7 winners over the loser Sox.

                                                          Another loss

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He was charged with 3 runs on 2 walks and 2 hits to blow the game.

                                                        Hide your face Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts walked 3 times in 5 plate appearances and scored 2 runs.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs scored and a solo home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 1 for 3.

Brian Johnson came up big tossing 5 innings of 1 run ball throwing a season high 84 pitches.

Josh Smith struck out the side in the top of the ninth inning.



The Bad:

Rafael Devers struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mike Shawaryn allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in just 2/3 of an inning.

Ryan Brasier walked in two in herited runners.



The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.




Final Thoughts:

In a season full of frustrating losses, this one takes the cake. They had a 6-1 lead over a glorified Triple A team and not only didn't score anymore runs, but allowed 7 in just two innings. Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski screwed up by letting Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel walk without replacing them and then screwed up again by not making a move in May to prevent some of these 15 blown saves. He HAS to do something now because the Tampa Bay Rays are fading and the Sox have a realistic chance to win the wild card, let alone challenge the New York Yankees. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-36, 8 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to rebound against the Jays when they send "Slick" Rick Porcello (5-6, 4.31 ERA) to the mound up against Marcus Stroman of the Jays. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Twins Outlast Sox in 17 Innings (6/18/19)

Well this was a sucker punch to the gonads. After the Boston Red Sox ripped off six straight wins to get them some level of respectability, they piss it all away in one of the most agonizing losses of the season. The Sox jumped out to a 2-1 lead over the Minnesota Twins when the Twins tied it in the 8th inning. 5 innings later the Sox took the lead only for the Twins to come back again. Then in the 17th inning the Twins nailed the decisive blow to take the game 4-3 in 17 innings at Target Field.

                                                Morty is sad the Sox lost

Michael Pineda began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts whiffed to start the game. Andrew Benintendi singled to right but JD Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning. Price began the bottom of the first by allowing a single to Jorge Polanco to start. Mitch Garver and Nelson Cruz both flied out to right before Eddie Rosario flied out to center to end the inning.

Pineda dominated the top of the second inning as Rafael Devers grounded out to second to start. Xander Bogaerts flied out to center before Brock "The Hitman" Holt also flied out to center to end the inning. Price cruised in the bottom of the second as CJ Cron grounded back to the mound to start. Marwin Gonzalez grounded out to short before Miguel Sano whiffed to end the inning.

Pineda cruised in the top of the third inning as Michael Chavis whiffed to start. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to right and Christian Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning. Price got Jake Cave to hit a 390 foot fly out to center on the first pitch of the bottom of the third inning. Jonathan Schoop whiffed and Polanco flied out to right to end the inning.

Somehow Mr. Mookie walked to open the top of the fourth inning before swiping second. Benintendi and Martinez both whiffed but Devers singled home Betts to give the Sox the lead. Devers was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                 Devers puts the Sox up a run

The Twins fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Garver lined out to left to start. Cruz grounded out to third but Rosario doubled and Cron singled him home to tie the game. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Tie game

Bogaerts singled to open the top of the fifth but Holt erased him on a force. Chavis struck out swinging and JBJ flied out to center to end the inning. Price got Sano to pop up to third to start the bottom of the fifth before Cave grounded out to first. Schoop singled to left but Polanco popped up to second to end the inning. That was it for Price who lasted just 5 innings and threw 73 pitches, but only allowed a run.

                                                          Short but pointless

Vazquez singled to open the top of the sixth but Mr. Mookie banged into a double play. The DP was big because Benintendi caught Sano asleep with a bunt single but Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Mike Shawaryn came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Garver doubled to left to begin. Cruz singled Garver to third but Mitch was picked off by the alert Vazquez. Rosario hit one up the elevator shaft but Cron was plunked. Max Kepler pinch hit for Gonzalez and walked but somehow Shawaryn punched out Sano to end the inning.

The Sox took the lead in the top of the seventh with Ryne Harper now on the mound. Devers bashed his 12th homer of the year to start the inning before Bogaerts grounded out to short. Holt grounded out to second but Chavis took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 2-1.

                                                              Devers goes yard

Ryan Brasier took over for the bottom of the seventh and blew away Cave to start. Schoop was called out on batter interference and Polanco flied out to center to end the inning.

Trevor May came in for the top of the eighth and JBJ greeted him with a base hit to right. Vazquez flied out to right but Mr. Mookie lined out to Kepler. Benintendi whiffed to end the inning. Going for the six out save, the Sox brought in Brandon Workman to close it out and the move backfired. Garver walked but Cruz whiffed and Rosario popped up to short to put the Sox 4 outs from victory. It didn't happen as Cron walked and Kepler singled home Garver to tie the game. Sano whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                     Kepler ties it up

Taylor Rogers came in for the top of the ninth and Martinez whiffed to start. Devers took strike three before Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in for the bottom of the ninth and hit Cave to start. Schoop took strike three before Barnes blew away Polanco. Garver popped up to second to end the inning.

Tyler Duffey had the top of the tenth and the Sox looked to take command when The Hitman doubled to right before moving to third on the Chavis grounder. JBJ was plunked but the rally ended when Vazquez popped up to right and Mr. Mookie did the same to end the inning. Josh Taylor had the bottom of the tenth and Cruz whiffed to start. Rosario lined out to center but Cron singled to center. Kepler whiffed to end the inning.

Duffey cruised in the top of the eleventh as Benintendi whiffed and Martinez earned the hat trick with his third strikeout. Devers was called out for batter interference to end the inning. Taylor punched out Sano to start the bottom of the eleventh before Cave also went down hacking. Schoop lined out to center to end the inning.

Blake Parker had the top of the 12th and the Sox tried to end it although Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Holt singled to right but was erased on the Chavis force. JBJ singled but Vazquez whiffed to end the inning. Colten Brewer almost gave the game away in the bottom of the 12th although Polanco flied out to center to start. Garver lined out to left but Cruz walked. Rosario singled to right and Luis Arraez ran for Cruz, but Cron flied out to right to end the inning.

Mike Morin came in for the top of the 13th and Mr. Mookie had a nasty surprise for him in the form of his 12th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Benintendi grounded out to second, Martinez lined out to left but Devers singled to right. Bogaerts flied out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                              Betts jacks one out

With Workman and Brasier already used, Sox manager Alex Cora had no choice but to go with Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez for the bottom of the 13th. Naturally the pain in the ass Kepler homered instantly to tie the game. Sano grounded out to second, Cave grounded out to second and Schoop grounded out to third to end the inning but the Twins had tied it again 3-3.

                                             Kepler ties it again

Matt Magill came in for the top of the fourteenth inning and the Sox looked to take the lead again when Holt singled to center to start. Chavis singled to right and JBJ moved both runners over with a bunt. Vazquez popped up and Mr. Mookie was intentionally walked to load the bases. Benintendi failed to make the Twins pay by grounding out to second to end the inning. Velazquez got Polanco to fly out to left to start the bottom of the frame before Garver went down swinging. Arraez lined out to third to end the inning.

Martinez earned the golden sombrero with a strikeout swinging to start the top of the 15th inning. Devers grounded out to first but Bogaerts doubled to left. Holt whiffed to end the inning and Velazquez returned for the bottom of the frame.  Rosario doubled to start but was doubled off second on the bullet to first by Cron. Kepler took strike three to end the inning.

Zack Littell came in for the top of the 16th inning and Chavis earned a golden sombrero of his own by striking out swinging. JBJ grounded out to third but Vazquez singled to left. Eduardo Nunez ran for Vazquez but Mr. Mookie popped up to first to end the inning. Sandy Leon took over behind the plate for the bottom of the 16th and Velazquez froze Sano for strike three to start. Cave grounded out to first but Schoop singled to left. Polanco grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance to finish off the Twins in the top of the 17th inning when Benintendi singled to right to start. Benintendi went to steal second and the throw sail which moved Andrew to third. With the go-ahead run 90 feet away...Martinez earned the rare Platinum Doughnut with his 5th strikeout of the night. Devers grounded out to first and Bogaerts grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox deserved to lose after that lack of clutch hitting and they did in the bottom of the 17th with Brian Johnson on the mound. Garver grounded out to short but Arraez singled to center. Rosario doubled to right and Cron was intentionally walked. The pain in the ass Kepler ended it with a base hit to right. The Twins had snapped the 6 game win streak with a 4-3 win in 17 innings.

                                                  A bitter loss


Jackass of the Night is JD Martinez. He was 0 for 8 with the Platinum Doughnut of 5 strikeouts including stranding Benintendi at third base in the top of the 17th.

                                              Keep swinging and missing, Jackass



The Good:

Mookie Betts walked twice, scored 2 runs and hit a solo home run.

Rafael Devers was 3 for 8 with a solo home run and 2 total rbis.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 5 with a hit by pitch.

Brock Holt was 3 for 7.

David Price pitched 5 innings of 1 run ball to keep the Sox in it.

Mike Shawaryn pitched a scoreless 6th inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 9th inning.

Josh Taylor tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Colten Brewer pitched a scoreless 12th inning.



The Bad:

Brandon Workman allowed a run in the 8th inning.

Brian Johnson took the loss with a run allowed in the 17th inning.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was 3 for 8 but had a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Xander Bogaerts was just 2 for 8.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 7 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was just 2 for 7.



Honorable Mention:

Eduardo Nunez ran for Vazquez in the 16th inning.

Sandy Leon caught the final two innings.




Final Thoughts:

Dammit, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! The Sox had a golden chance to win 7 games in a row and pissed it away 3 times. Workman and Velazquez blowing leads and failing to take the lead in the 17th all led to the Sox demise. David Price only lasting 5 innings hurt because the Sox were forced to use Brasier, Workman and Barnes early. If Price went 7 maybe the Sox could have had one of those three for the later innings instead of Velazquez and Johnson. Maybe if Dave Dombrowski didn't put his faith in Colten Brewer, maybe the Sox would have another reliever to depend on. Everything stinks right now. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-35, 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for revenge tomorrow night when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (7-4) up against the Sox nemesis Kyle Gibson at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Sox Sweep Orioles in 10 Innings (6/16/19)

 It was weird and wild but the Boston Red Sox won their fifth straight game today inlcuding a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles. Brian Johnson made his first start in 2 months and lasted just 3 innings. The Sox a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth only for Marcus Walden to blow the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Trailing 3-2, Marco Hernandez struck his first home run of the year in the top of the ninth to tie the game. The Sox then rallied for 5 runs in the top of the tenth only for the Orioles to rally in the bottom of the frame. Still, Josh Smith was able to get Pedro Severino to ground out to first to end the game. The Sox emerged victorious 8-6 in 10 innings to sweep the Orioles out of Oriole Park in Camden Yards.

                                                      Nikki Brooks approves of the win

John Means got the start for the Orioles in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts singled to center to start. Christian Vazquez flied out to center and JD Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning. Johnson got his first start in 2 months and Hanser Alberto greeted him with a base hit to center to start the bottom of the first. Trey Mancini walked but Pedro Severino banged into a double play. Renato Nunez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rafael Devers lined out to first to begin the top of the second but Xander Bogaerts got a base hit to left. Michael Chavis flied out to right and Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to center to end the inning. Johnson cruised in the bottom of the second as Anthony Santander struck out swinging to start. Jonathan Villar tried to bunt his way on but Chavis snuffed it out. Davis flied out to right to end the inning.

Eduardo Nunez got a hit to center to start the top of the third but Marco Hernandez struck out swinging. Mr. Mookie popped up to third and Vazquez lined out to right to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the third as Keon Broxton doubled to left to start. Richie Martin flied out to right but Broxton moved to third and Keon scored on the Alberto single to short to give the O's the lead. Mancini grounded into a force but a wild pitch moved Trey to second. Severino walked but Nunez grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                           O's take the lead

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth inning although Martinez struck out swinging to start. Devers singled to center and Bogaerts doubled him home to tie the game. Chavis singled off the glove of Davis but Bogaerts was thrown out at home. JBJ doubled to right to score Bogaerts to give the Sox the lead. Nunez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                            Devers scores a run

Johnson returned for the bottom of the fourth just to allow back to back singles to Santander and Villar to start. That was it for Johnson who tossed 3 plus innings and only allowed a run. 

                                                        Short and sweet for Johnson

Colten Brewer came in and Davis beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Broxton tried to bunt his way on but ran into Vazquez trying to make the play, forcing Broxton out on interference. O's manager Brandon Hyde stormed out of the dugout with a machete and attacked home plate umpire Tripp Gibson. Gibson moved out of the way and alert secret service agents seized Hyde and wrestled him to the ground. Hyde was ejected and Martin whiffed to end the inning.

                                                      Hyde gets the heave-ho

Hernandez grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Mr. Mookie walked. A wild pitch moved Betts to second but Vazquez flied out to center. Another wild pitch moved Betts to third but Martinez walked. Devers flied out to center to end the inning. Mike Shawaryn came in for the bottom of the fifth and Alberto grounded out to short to start. Mancini walked and Severino singled to left but Nunez whiffed. Santander walked to load the bases and chase Shawaryn. Josh Taylor got Villar to ground into a force to end the inning.

Jimmy Yacabonis came in for the top of the sixth and Bogaerts walked to start. Chavis hit a double play ball to the mound but Villar threw the relay throw away, allowing Michael to reach second. Richard Bleier came in and JBJ grounded out to short to send Chavis to third. Nunez grounded out to third to end the inning. Taylor struck out Davis swinging and Broxton looking to start the bottom of the sixth. Devers booted a ball by Martin for an error but Alberto flied out to center to end the inning.

Hernadez grounded out to third in the top of the seventh and Shawn Armstrong took over on the mound. Mr. Mookie flied out to right but Vazquez singled to right. Martinez forced Vazquez at second to end the inning. Marcus Walden came on for the bottom of the seventh and Mancini singled to center. Trey took second on a wild pitch but Severino was caught looking for strike three. Nunez flied out to right and Santander grounded out to second to end the inning.

Devers grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth but Bogaerts walked. Chavis whiffed and Paul Fry got JBJ to strike out swinging to end the inning. The O's took command in the bottom of the eighth as Villar walked to start. Villar swiped second and then third on the Davis swinging strikeout. Rio Ruiz pinch hit for Broxton but Villar scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Ruiz grounded out to second and Travis Lakins came in to pitch. Steve Wilkerson pinch hit for Martin and he tripled to right. Alberto singled home Wilkerson to give the O's the lead. Mancini grounded into a force to end the inning but the O's were up 3-2.

                                                        Thanks a lot Lakins

Mychal Givens came in to close out the top of the ninth but Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Nunez only to line out to right. All of a sudden Hernandez clobbered his first home run of the season to tie the game. Mr. Mookie tripled to right but Givens got a big out when Vazquez struck out swinging. Martinez whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Hernandez ties it up

Brandon Workman came on for the bottom of the ninth and Severino singled to left to begin. Nunez forced Pedro at second and Santander flied out to left. Villar whiffed to end the inning to send the game to extras.

The Sox exploded in the top of the tenth as Devers smashed his 11th homer of the year to give the Sox the lead instantly. Ruiz booted a routine grounder by Bogaerts and Chavis singled off the glove of Villar. David Hess came in and got JBJ to fly out to center but Holt walked to load the bases. Hernandez popped up to short but Mr. Mookie singled home Bogaerts and Chavis, moving Holt to third. Vazquez singled home Holt and Betts to ice the game. Martinez flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                         Devers puts Boston on top

Josh Smith came in for the bottom of the tenth and the Orioles pounced. Chavis booted a grounder by Davis to start before Ruiz beat out a double play ball. Wilkerson blasted a home run into the Nile River to inch the O's closer. Alberto lined out to center but Mancini crushed a home run into the Indian Ocean to cut the lead. Severino grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-5 in 10 innings.

                                                         Sox win

The Co-Heroes of the Night are Marco Hernandez and Rafael Devers. Hernandez got the clutch home run to tie the game in the ninth and Devers hit the go-ahead shot in the top of the tenth.

                                                         Devers and Hernandez the Heroes

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 3 for 5 with a walk, 2 rbis, a stolen base and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 2 for 6 with 2 rbis.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Michael Chavis was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 1 for 3.

Brock Holt walked and scored in two at bats.

Colten Brewer tossed a scoreless inning.

Mike Shawaryn got the first two outs of the fifth inning.

Josh Taylor tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brandon Workman earned the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Marcus Walden allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

Travis Lakins allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.

Josh Smith allowed 3 runs in the bottom of the tenth.

The Ugly:

JD Martinez was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Brian Johnson lasted just 3 innings and allowed a run.

Final Thoughts:

That's four in a row since the Sox rallied to beat the Texas Rangers. The Sox desperately needed a winning streak to get back into things and they got it. The Sox bullpen had some mishaps due to shoddy defense but they tossed 7 innings after Johnson was pulled in the fourth. The offense stepped up big with Devers, Hernandez, Bogaerts and company pounding out 8 total runs, 5 of which in the tenth inning to put the game away. The Sox are two weeks away from a showdown with the New York Yankees in London and the Sox need to get close enough so they can catch them, or at least stay within reach of them. The Sox are gonna need great starts from David Price, Chris Sale and Rick Porcello if they have any hope to salvage this season after their poor start. The win improved the Sox to 39-34, 5.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Minnesota for a three game set with the Twins. "Slick" Rick Porcello (4-6, 3.44 ERA) takes the mound up against Twins ace Jose Berrios. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Target Field.