Sox Rally Past Marlins (8/24/26)

As of June 27th, the Boston Red Sox had not had a win when trailing after 7 innings. For the fourth consecutive game, the Red Sox have rallied in the late innings to win a game. The Red Sox battled the Miami Marlins to a 1-1 tie after 5 innings with Ranger Suarez holding Miami with Sandy Alcantara clogging up the Sox. Then in the bottom of the seventh Xavier Edwards knocked in a run to put the Marlins on top against Brayan Bello. Wilyer Abreu scored on a wild pitch in the eighth and the Sox rallied in the ninth. Pete Fairbanks hurt himself walking Gasper and Anthony Siegler tripled off Tyler Zuber to score Mickey. Nick Sogard singled home Siegler and the Sox were in command. Aroldis Chapman locked it down in the ninth inning and the Sox completed their fourth consecutive late rally with a 4-2 victory over the Marlins at Loan Depot Park.

                                                Brenda Castillo approves of the win

Alcantara got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nick Sogard hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third and Wilyer Abreu did the same to end the inning. Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Otto Lopez lined out to first to start. Heriberto Hernandez got a base hit to right but Kyle Stowers forced him at second. Agustin Ramriez walked but Xavier Edwards struck out swinging to end the inning.

Willson Contreras grounded out to third to start the top of the second and Adley Rutschman grounded out to second. Caleb Durbin flied out to center to end the inning. Jakob Marsee was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the second and Javier Sanoja walked. Esteury Ruiz was also hit with a pitch to load the bases but Joe Mack struck out looking. Lopez hit a sac fly to center to score Marsee but Hernandez flied out to center to end the inning with the Marlins up 1-0.

                                                              Marlins strike first

Jarren Duran got a base hit to center to start the top of the third and Mickey Gasper got a base hit to right to move Duran to third. Anthony Seigler grounded out to third to move Gasper to second but Sogard struck out swinging. Rafaela took strike three to end the inning. Stowers doubled to center to start the bottom of the third but Ramirez flied out to center. Edwards struck out swinging but Marsee walked. Sanoja grounded out to second to end the inning.

Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Contreras popped up to second. Rutschman struck out swinging to end the inning. Ruiz flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Mack caught Durbin asleep with a bunt single. Lopez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Durbin got a base hit to left to start. Duran forced Caleb at second then Gasper doubled to center to score Jarren. Seigler flied out to left and Sogard did the same to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                Gasper ties it up

Hernandez got a base hit to left to begin the bottom of the fifth and Stowers walked. Ramirez struck out swinging and Edwards beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Marsee lined out to left to end the inning. That was it for Suarez after just 93 pitches after allowing just 1 run in 5 innings off 4 hits and 4 walks.

                                                  Suarez holds the Marlins to 1 run

Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth but naturally Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras grounded out to third and Rutschman did the same to end the inning. Brayan Bello came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Sanoja lined out to center to start. Griffin Conine pinch hit for Ruiz and grounded out to first followed by Mack grounding back to the mound to end the inning.

Durbin flied out to left to start the top of the seventh but Duran doubled to right. Gasper and Siegler drew back to back walks but naturally Sogard struck out swinging. Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. The Marlins struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Lopez doubled to left to start. Hernadez walked but Stowers struck out swinging. Owen Caisse pinch hit for Ramirez and walked to load the bases. Edwards got a base hit to right to score Lopez but Contreras robbed Marsee of a hit, forcing Hernandez at home. Sanoja grounded out to short to end the inning with the Marlins up 2-1.

                                                              Edwards drives in a run

The Sox answered in the top of the eighth with Josh Ekness now on the mound. Abreu doubled to right to start and Contreras was hit with a pitch. Rutschman flied out to center to move Abreu to third and Wilyer scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Contreras moved to second but Durbin flied out to right. Duran struck out swinging to end the game with the game tied 2-2.

                                                            Sox tie it up

Erik Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Conine grounded out to short to start. Leo Jimenez pinch hit for Mack and Duran dropped a fly ball for an error to put Leo at second. Lopez beat out a bunt down the third base line to put runners at the corners but Hernandez hit a grounder to the mound. Jimenez got literally run over by Rutschman on the ensuing rundown for the second out and Stowers struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                              PAIN TRAIN!

Brian Navarreto came in for Jimenez with Pete Fairbanks coming in to pitch the top of the ninth. Gasper walked and Fairbanks suddenly came out of the game injured. Tyler Zuber came in with Eli White running for Gasper and Siegler greeted him with a triple to put the Sox ahead. Sogard got a base hit to right to score Siegler then moved to second on a Rafaela grounder to second. Cade Gibson came in to face Abreu and Wilyer walked. Contreras grounded out to second to move the runners over but Rutschman grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                     Sogard does it again

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Caissie got a base hit to right to start. Edwards foolishly dropped down a bunt to move Caissie to second and Marsee struck out swinging. Sanoja grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won the game 4-2.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Anthony Siegler. His rbi triple put the Sox on top in the ninth inning.

                                                          Hero Seagulls

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Mickey Gasper was 2 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Eli White scored a run as a pinch runner.

Ranger Suarez allowed just 1 run in 5 innings off 4 hits and 4 walks.

Erik Miller got the win with a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 30th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Adley Rutschman was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 but was hit with a pitch.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4.

Brayan Bello allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox went almost half the year without any comeback wins and they just won four straight games where they trailed in them. The problem is Abreu, Durbin and Contreras hit a bit of a snag and quite frankly Rutschman's been almost useless at the plate since he came off the Injured List. If it wasn't for Sogard, Gasper and Rafaela the Sox might have lost the last four games. The problem is the Sox have relied on Erik Miller and Aroldis Chapman a lot with both Garrett Whitlock and Justin Slaten out with injury. The good news was they delivered big time tonight. The role players such as Seigler and Sogard stepped up and the Sox have a big time decision to make. Trevor Story is due to come off the injured list and he could make or break this team depending on who gets sent down. If he comes back and hits like Adley Rutschman, they're screwed for the next week until September callups. The Sox have the biggest series of the season starting on Friday with the New York Yankees and provided the Sox don't lose to the Marlins in the mean time, this could be the Sox chance to snag the first wild card. Still, overlooking the next two games is a bad idea and the Sox themselves need to stay focused on beating them. The only other bad news was the Tampa Bay Rays won again and you have to give them credit. The Red Sox were the second worst team in baseball on June 24th and throughout this entire comeback run, the only team they didn't blow right by was the Rays. Tampa maintained an 8 game lead on the Sox as of last week and still remain six in front. There's only 31 games left so overtaking them seems unlikely. If the Sox make a statement by finishing off the Marlins and taking 3 of 4 from New York, their playoff chances are all but a given. The win improved the Sox to 72-59, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their fifth straight game and second in a row against Miami when Peyton Tolle (8-6, 3.08 ERA) takes on Captain TBD of the Marlins. The game begins at 6:40 PM at Loan Depot Park.

Red Sox Win Game of The Year (8/6/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Joe La Sorsa who infamously pitched in one game for the Red Sox giving up a home run on the first pitch he threw was given his outright release. The Sox needed to open up some 40 man roster spots with some of the injured guys close to returning and with Erik Miller on the roster, La Sorsa was expendable.

                                                                      OUT

As for the game, that wasn't just the game of the season for the Red Sox, that might have been one of the most pulse pounding, exciting regular season games in Boston Red Sox history. The Red Sox won their eighth straight game and swept the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox by coming back FIVE times in a single game to win in 13 innings. The White Sox got four runs off Sox starter Ranger Suarez and knocked him out after 3 innings. A Connor Wong 2 run home run cut the lead but the ChiSox got a run against Greg Weissert. The BoSox rallied for 3 runs to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth, chasing Chicago starter Luis Castillo. A Justin Slaten throwing error gave Chicago a 7-5 lead but a Masataka Yoshida rbi in the sixth brought the Sox closer. Down to their last strike in the bottom of the ninth, Wilyer Abreu drilled a base hit to tie the game. Normally indomitable closer Aroldis Chapman served up a 2 run meatball to Chase Meidroth in the top of the tenth but an Andruw Monasterio double and Anthony Seigler sac fly tied it in the bottom of the frame. The White Sox got a run off Garrett Whitlock in the top of the eleventh but an Abreu sac fly tied it. The White Sox got a run off Brayan Bello (4-6, 4.97 ERA) in the top of the 12th but a Jake Rogers sac fly tied it again. Bello held the fort in the top of the 13th and Caleb "The Durbinator" Durbin delivered the knockout punch by driving in Nick Sogard to win the game. The BoSox had won their eighth straight game and swept the White Sox with a 12-11 victory in 13 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                           8 in a row.....ah ah ah

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chase Meidroth lined out to short to start. Munetaka Murakami struck out swinging and Miguel Vargas took strike three to end the inning. Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Nick Sogard flied out to left to start. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Randal Grichuk grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Colson Montgomery grounded out to second. Joey Bart was hit with a pitch but Brenton Doyle forced him at second to end the inning. Caleb Durbin struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Masataka Yoshida took strike three. Andruw Monasterio grounded out to third to end the inning.

The ChiSox struck first in the top of the third as Braden Montgomery walked to start. Luisangel Acuna flied out to left but Meidroth hit a home run all the way to Brazil to put Chicago ahead. Murakami grounded out to first but Vargas walked. Grichuk got a base hit to right and Colson Montgomery got base hit to center. Rafaela inexplicably turned and threw the ball into the centerfield stands for an error to score both runners. Bart struck out swinging to end the inning but the White Sox led 4-0. That was it for Suarez who got rocked for 4 runs in just 3 innings off 3 hits and 2 walks.

                                                              Suarez didn't last long

Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Anthony Seigler walked. Connor Wong belted his third home run of the season to cut the lead in half and Sogard got a base hit to right. Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the inning with the BoSox down 4-2.

                                                             Wong hits one out

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Doyle singled in the hole at short to start. Doyle stole second but Braden Montgomery struck out swinging but Doyle went to third. Sam Antonacci pinch hit for Garcia and naturally doubled to right to score Doyle. Meidroth walked but Murakami struck out swinging. Vargas took strike three to end the inning with Chicago ahead 5-2.

                                                         Pain in the ass

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Durbin got  a base hit inside the bag at third and Yoshida singled off the glove of Vargas. Monasterio doubled to right to score Durbin but Duran struck out swinging. Seigler doubled to right to score both runners to tie the game but Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                                Seigler ties it up

Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to throw up on himself in the top of the fifth with Andrew Benintendi pinch hitting for Grichuk. Benintendi got a base hit to center and Colson Montgomery got a base hit to right to put runners at the corners. Bart struck out swinging and Tristan Peters pinch hit for Doyle. Peters popped up to third and Braden Montgomery hit a chopper to the mound.....thrown away by Slaten for an error to score both runners. Antonacci struck out swinging to end the inning but the White Sox now led 7-5.

                                                       Whoops!

Bryan Hudson came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Sogard took strike three to start. Rafaela got a base hit to right but Abreu struck out swinging. Rafaela was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. 

Tyron "El Lanzallamas" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Meidroth took strike three to start. Murakami grounded back to the mound and Vargas grounded out to first to end the inning. Old pal Jordan Hicks came in to get tagged in the bottom of the sixth as Durbin doubled to left to start. Yoshida doubled to center to score Durbin and a wild pitch moved Yoshida to third. Monasterio struck out swinging and Duran lined out to second to chase Hicks. Grant Taylor came in to face Seigler and Anthony flied out to left to end the inning with the Red Sox down 7-6.

                                                               Yoshida refuses to give up

Erik Miller came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Benintendi took strike three to start. Colson Montgomery grounded out to second but Bart was hit with a pitch. Drew Romo pinch ran for Bart and Peters popped up a bunt to Miller to end the inning. Wong was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the seventh and Sogard drew a walk. Rafaela struck out swinging and Abreu beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Durbin took strike three to end the inning.

Braden Montgomery grounded out to third to start the top of the eighth and Antonacci got a base hit to left. Meidroth walked but Murakimi struck out swinging. Vargas struck out swinging to end the inning. Yoshida grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth and Monasterio grounded out to third. Meidroth threw a grounder by Duran away for an error and Seigler got a base hit to right to chase Taylor. Huascar Brazoban came in to face Wong and Duran foolishly tried to run to third during the pitching change, getting thrown out to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Benintendi grounded out to third to start. Colson Montgomery walked but Romo flied out to center. Montgomery took second on a balk and Peters walked as well. Braden Montgomery grounded out to second to end the inning. Things looked up when Wong doubled off the Monster to start the bottom of the ninth and Eli White ran for him. Then things looked bleak when Sogard dropped down a bunt to move Eli to third and Rafaela struck out swinging. Down to their last strike....Abreu singled up the middle to score White with the tying run. Once again Abreu was foolishly thrown at second trying to steal to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

                                                               Not dead yet

Jake Rogers took over behind the plate to make his Sox debut with Aroldis Chapman on the mound to start the top of the tenth. Braden Montgomery started at second base and Antonacci grounded out to second to move him to third. Suddenly Meidroth hit a home run all the way to Naples, Italy to put Chicago on top. Murakimi grounded out to second and Vargas flied out to right but the White Sox now led 9-7.

                                                         Anybody but them

New York Yankee fans (you read that right) gladhanded each other on social media saying the game was in the bag going into the bottom of the tenth with Trevor Richards on the mound and Abreu starting at second. Durbin popped up to second as Yankee fans (not White Sox) started celebrating only for Yoshida to draw a walk. No big deal right? WRONG! Jahmai Jones ran for Yoshida and Monasterio doubled off the Monster to score Abreu. Duran was intentionally walked to load the bases and Seigler made them pay with a sac fly to center to score Jones, tying the game again. Rogers walked to reload the bases but Sogard forced him at second to end the inning with the game tied 9-9.

                                                             Heculean sac fly for Seigler

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eleventh with Vargas now on the mound. Benintendi popped up to left but Whitlock bounced a pitch to the backstop to move Vargas to third. Colson Montgomery hit a fly ball to shallow center and Vargas took off. Rafaela's throw came in......safe. Yankee fans (again, not White Sox) erupted on social media as the White Sox had the lead again. Romo struck out swinging to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 10-9.

                                                             Safe!

Yankee fans weren't quite as confident with only a one run lead in the bottom of the 11th and Sogard starting at second. They were right to be cautious because Rafaela got a base hit to center to move Sogard to third and Abreu hit a sac fly to center to score Nick. Rafaela stole second and Durbin walked to put the winning run at second. Jones beat out a roller to third to load the bases but Monasterio popped up to left. Old friend Chris Murphy came in to face Duran and Jarren flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 10-10.

                                                         Abreu ties it again

With nobody left in the bullpen, Brayan Bello came in to pitch the top of the 12th with Romo starting at second. Peters got a base hit to right to move Romo to third and the Red Sox caught a break when Braden Montgomery forced Peters at second but Romo didn't run home. Unfortunately it didn't matter anyway as Antonacci got a base hit to left to score Romo to put Chicago ahead again. Meidroth got a base hit to left and Montgomery tried for home. Duran fired home....OUT! Murakimi was intentionally walked to load the bases but Vargas grounded out to third to end the inning with the White Sox up 11-10.

                                                             Antonacci does it again

Now Yankee fans were confident because there's no way the Red Sox were coming back for the fifth time in one night, right?......RIGHT? Well with Duran at second base, things looked good for the Chicago/New York temporary alliance when Seigler flied out to right.....until Richards uncorked a wild pitch to move Duran to third. Rogers hit a sac fly to center to score Duran and the opposing fans threw their hands up in disgust. Sogard flied out to right to end the inning with the score tied 11-11.

                                            Been with the team 5 minutes....saves the day

Bello returned for the top of the 13th and Vargas at second base but the enemy fans got nervous when Benintendi hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Yankee fans cheered when Vargas stole third as Colson Montgomery struck out swinging but turned to silence when Romo grounded out to second to end the inning. Bello had pitched the first clean inning since Jovani Moran in the ninth.

                                                        Unlikely bullpen ace

Suddenly Yankee fans were strangely quiet when Erick Fedde took the mound for the bottom of the 13th with Sogard starting at second base. The Chicago/New York alliance started fist bumping and preparing for the 14th inning when Rafaela popped up to first, but Abreu was intentionally walked to get to Durbin. Bad move....Durbin ripped a base hit up the middle to score Sogard with the winning run. The Red Sox had survived 12-11 in 13 innings.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Caleb Durbin. His rbi single in the 13th inning won the game for the Sox.

                                                               Ice water Hero

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jahmai Jones singled and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was 2 for 6 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Anthony Seigler was 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 rbis and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a 2 run home run.

Eli White scored a run as a pinch runner.

Jake Rogers hit a sac fly and walked.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Erik Miller pitched two scoreless innings.

Jovani Moran pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

Brayan Bello got the win with 2 innings and only 1 ghost runner allowed.

The Bad:

Ranger Suarez got tagged for 4 runs in just 3 innings.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in the fourth inning.

Justin Slaten allowed 2 runs in the fifth inning by committing a throwing error.

Aroldis Chapman served up a 2 run home run in the 10th inning.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored two runs.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 2 for 7 with 2 strikeouts and a throwing error.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a ghost runner to score in the 11th inning.

Final Thoughts:

There's no more superlatives to say about this year's Red Sox team other than to shut up and enjoy the ride. The Sox trailed this game five different times and any one of them meant the game was over from April to June. Instead, the Sox never gave up and battled back to win one of the best regular season games in history. The White Sox led in every inning from 9 to 12 and couldn't put Boston away. A team effort from stars like Abreu to role players like Jahmai Jones and Jake Rogers helped win this game. The pitching wasn't the greatest and the defense was awful, but they did just enough to win the game. The trio of Durbin, Monasterio and Seigler were huge factors in this one and all 3 came in the Kyle Harrison trade. Bet people will shut up about that trade now. The only sad notes were Willson Contreras sat this one out with illness that might be a concussion after getting drilled the other night and Suarez came out after just 3 innings. With the Sox getting dangerously thin in the rotation with Garrett Crochet still out and Connelly Early gone, the Sox needed Suarez more than ever to hold it together. Hopefully tonight was just a hiccup. Same goes for the relief pitchers who gave up runs such as Weissert, Chapman and Slaten....although Slaten was more due to his own stupidity than allowing a hit. The crazy part is the Sox used all 8 of their relief pitchers and they gave up seven runs after Suarez left....and won. The BoSox just keep on winning come hell or high water and the sad part is they HAD to. The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays were idle so the Sox needed to win this one to keep pace. The Yankees lead in the first wild card is now down to a half game which is hilarious considering they led by 15.5 games at one point. The Cleveland Guardians lost again which puts the Sox 6.5 games in front of them and a full 7 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. The Sox have a legitimate shot to take the division if they remain red hot and the Yankees continue to collapse. The bottom line is this was one of the best regular season games in history and the Sox are on a historic run. The 1984 Tigers started the season 35-5 and the win tonight put the Sox at 31-5 since June 24th. It'll be a tall task to win 4 more games in a row but its not impossible. Just have to keep the momentum going and enjoy the ride. The win improved the Sox to 63-51, 5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now welcome in the Sacramento A's for a three game set beginning tomorrow night. The last team to beat the Red Sox on July 28th will send Jack Perkins to the mound against Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.30 RA) of Boston. The Sox look to win their ninth straight game at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Dodgers (7/31/26)

Its too bad the month of July had to come to an end for the Boston Red Sox. They set a franchise record by playing 25 games and winning 21 of them including tonight's game against the back to back world series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Things looked good early on when Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida drove in runs against the Dodgers "bullpen gamers" to take a 3-0 lead. Then things went south as Ranger Suarez got tagged for 3 runs and Jovani Moran gave up a two run home run to Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the fifth to give LA a 4-3 lead. Suddenly the Sox rallied in the top of the seventh for five big runs, two of them courtesy of a Ceddanne Rafaela two run home run. Andruw Monasterio, Carlos Narvaez and Duran knocked in some insurance runs but the game belonged to Brayan Bello (3-6, 5.30 ERA). With Moran struggling, Bello locked in to toss 4 scoreless innings to earn the win. The Sox had won their third straight game and fourth out of five with a 9-4 win at Dodger Stadium.

                                                           Karliah approves of the win

Edgardo Henriquez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nick Sogard flied out to center to start. Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to center then immediately stole second, but Wilyer Abreu flied out to center. Willson Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. Suarez got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Shohei Ohtani took strike three to start. Andy Pages walked and Miguel Rojas grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Will Klein came in to pitch the top of the second and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to first to start. Caleb Durbin walked and then made it all the way to third when Klein threw the pickoff throw away. Andruw Monasterio took strike three right down the middle but the much maligned Jarren Duran ripped a base hit to center to score Durbin. A wild pitch moved Duran to second but Carlos Narvaez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Duran with a big hit

Freddie Freeman grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and old pal Mr. Mookie Betts took strike three. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the third as Sogard got a base hit to left to start. Rafaela got a base hit to right to move Sogard to third but Abreu struck out swinging. Contreras was hit with a pitch right in the head to load the bases and that was it for Klein. Cole Irvin came in to face Yoshida and Masataka got a base hit inside the bag at first to score both Sogard & Rafaela. Durbin flied out to left and Monasterio lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                        Yoshida picks up Contreras

The blow to the head apparently was too much for Contreras to bear and he left the game in the bottom of the third, forcing Anthony Seigler to take his spot in the lineup but with Sogard playing first. Kyle Tucker grounded out to first, old pal Enrique Hernandez grounded out to short and Eliezer Alfonzo's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Suarez to end the inning.

Duran got a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth but Narvaez struck out swinging. Sogard walked but was forced at second by Rafaela to put runners at the corners. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Ohtani doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Pages grounded out to short. Rojas flied out to center to move Ohtani to third and Shohei scored on the Freeman base hit to center. Betts forced Freeman at second to end the inning with the Dodgers down 3-1.

                                                              Dodgers fight back

Seigler grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Yoshida flied out to center. Durbin grounded out to short to end the inning. Teoscar Hernandez flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Tucker walked. Enrique Hernandez got a base hit to center and Alfonzo got a base hit to center to score Tucker....but Enrique was thrown out at second. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts challenged Hernandez was safe at second but the umpires held up the call. When play resumed....Ranger Suarez asked out of the game because he didn't want to pitch anymore. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings allowing 3 runs off 4 hits and 2 walks. Jovani Moran came in and immediately zipped a wild pitch that moved Alfonzo to second before Ohtani hit a home run all the way back to Japan to put the Dodgers on top. Pages got a base hit to left but Rojas flied out to left to end the inning with Dodgers ahead 4-3.

                                                         "Dammit Tracy!" - RS

Monasterio flied out to right to start the top of the sixth and Duran grounded back to the mound. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the sixth and finally, Brayan Bello was summoned to put the fire out. Mr. Mookie got a base hit to left and both runners moved over on a grounder to short. Tucker took strike three and Max Muncy pinch hit for Hernandez. Alfonzo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Suddenly the Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Sogard walked to start. Rafaela then clobbered his 12th home run of the year to put the Sox back on top. Abreu singled inside the bag at first but Seigler flied out to center. Yoshida beat out a roller to third and Durbin managed to beat out a bunt down the third base line to load the bases. Monasterio doubled into the left field corner to score both Abreu and Yoshida. Duran grounded back to the mound but Durbin scored to increase the lead. Narvaez was hit with a pitch but Sogard struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 8-4.

                                                            Monasterio with the killshot

Ohtani grounded out to second to start the bottom of the seventh and Pages did the same. Rojas grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth but Abreu walked. Seigler grounded into a double play to end the inning. Freeman got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth but Mr. Mookie flied out to right. Teoscar Hernandez struck out swinging but Kyle Tucker singled to right. Muncy grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox got a run in the top of the ninth as Yoshida got a base hit to right to start. Durbin doubled to left but Monasterio grounded out to short to chase Irvin. Evan Phillips came in and Jahmai Jones ran for Yoshida. Duran was intentionally walked to load the bases for Narvaez and Carlos hit a sac fly to center to score Jones. Sogard flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                            Narvaez drives in a run

Bello returned to finish the bottom of the ninth and Alfonzo flied out to center to start. Ohtani grounded out to second and Pages took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

                                                                      Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His 2 run home run put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Hero Rafaela

The Good:

Willson Contreras was hit with a pitch before leaving the game.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jahmai Jones scored a run as a pinch runner.

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Brayan Bello tossed 4 scoreless innings to earn the win.

The Bad:

Anthony Seigler was 0 for 3.

Ranger Suarez allowed 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 4 hits and 2 walks.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Nick Sogard was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored two runs.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

What a month that was for the Sox. Not only did they have a historic run, on June 24th the Sox had the second worst record in all of baseball. As July 31st came to an end, they had the 3rd best record in the American League. The Sox have been doing it with never say die offense that fights to the end, something they didn't do the first three months of the season. Last month if they were down 4-3 to the Dodgers in the sixth inning, the game was over. Not anymore. The only concerns in this game is Chad Tracy pulling the plug on Ranger Suarez early and the health of Willson Contreras. If Contreras has a concussion, they're in BIG trouble with Curtis Mead not slated to come back until September if at all. The strange season of Brayan Bello continues as he's virtually unhittable coming out of the bullpen compared to when he starts in the first inning. If he's the modern day Dick Radatz, coming in for 3-4 innings at a time, why not? With Connelly Early traded and Garrett Crochet not coming back, the rotation is down to Sonny Gray, Patrick Sandoval, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle and Jake Bennett. Having a guy eat up 3-4 innings to save the rookie bullets of Tolle and Bennett is crucial. The bad news was the New York Yankees knocked off the Chicago Cubs but the good news was both the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians lost. The Sox now have a 3 game lead on the Guardians and Minnesota Twins although they're still 3.5 games behind the Yankees for the first wild card. With Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton out for New York, their bubble may burst any time now. The Sox need to win one of the next two games with the Dodgers to send a message they can hang with MLB elite. The win improved the Sox to 58-51, 6 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their fourth straight game and second straight against Los Angeles tomorrow night when Payton Tolle (6-6, 3.32 ERA) takes on Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The game begins at 9:10 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Small Ball Sox Beat Jays (7/26/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox organization made some shocking and non-shocking moves. The Greenville Drive released 21 year old outfielding prospect Natanael Yuten after he hit just .165 with 4 home runs this season. Its one thing to be struggling hitting .200-220, its another to be an automatic out. Better luck with another team. The Sox also sent Alec Gamboa back to Worcester to make room for the returning Ranger Suarez. His groin and illness healed so he's ready to return to active duty. 

The big story was the trade at midnight last night. The Sox sent injured starter Connelly Early to the Washington Nationals for 25 year old third baseman Curtis Mead. After Dylan Cease carved up the Sox last night, Sox GM Craig Breslow didn't wait around, he went out and got a right handed power bat they needed. Early was supposed to be the next Jon Lester going 8-7 with the Sox the last 2 years but his elbow injury had Sox fans and apparently the front office concerned. With the rise of Jake Bennett and the fiery personality of Payton Tolle, Breslow apparently felt Early was the odd man out with Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray rolling (Gray's last start not withstanding). Mead was a light hitting backup infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2023-25 before getting traded at the deadline to the Chicago White Sox. He was traded to the Washington Nationals in the off-season where he broke out this season smacking 17 home runs and driving in 48 runs. The half empty way of looking at it is you might have just traded a potential lefty ace for a below average defensive infielder that might have had a fluke offensive half season. The Sox would be stuck with another below average defender that couldn't hit. The half full way to look at it is the Sox desperately needed a right handed hitting power hitter. If Mead figured something out to be a potential 20-30 homer hitting guy, there's your new DH. You can move Masataka Yoshida to left for a Yoshida/Jahmai Jones platoon and sit Duran down. If Trevor Story comes back your 3-7 would be Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras, Curtis Mead, Trevor Story and Caleb Durbin. That's pretty good. Time will tell.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, how about the small ball Red Sox? With power hitting at a premium for another 24 hours, the Sox did something they rarely did under Alex Cora, the little things. As they say in football, the Sox nickel & dimed the Toronto Blue Jays in today's game. Ranger Suarez came off the Injured List to toss 4 shutout innings but the Sox bats stepped up. Carlos Narvaez dropped down a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the third and Ceddanne Rafaela knocked in Andruw Monasterio shortly after. In the bottom of the fourth, Romy Gonzalez dropped down a bunt and Jarren Duran knocked in 2 runs. Narvaez dropped down another bunt in the seventh and Jahmai Jones knocked them in. Apart from Ryan Watson allowing a run in the ninth, the bullpen pitched in to hold the Jays to that run. The Sox won the game 6-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                Jackson Koivun approves of the win

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Nathan Lukes struck out swinging to start. Vladimir Guerrero Jr took strike three and Alejandro Kirk lined out to right to end the inning. Gausman took the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Masataka Yoshida popped up to short to start. Daulton Varsho robbed Ceddanne Rafaela with a base hit with a great diving catch and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

George Springer got a base hit to center to start the top of the second but Varsho grounded into a double play. Kazuma Okamoto popped up to short to end the inning. Willson Contreras flied out to right to start the bottom of the second and Caleb Durbin struck out swinging. Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to in the hole at first but Jarren Duran flied out to left to end the inning.

Ernie Clement flied out to left to start the top of the third but Andres Gimenez doubled to center. Davis Schneider struck out swinging and Lukes took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Andruw Monasterio singled to left to start. Carlos Narvaez dropped down a bunt to move Andruw to second and Yoshida moved him to third with a grounder to first. Rafaela got a base hit to left to score Monasterio but Abreu took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Sox strike first

Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Kirk got a base hit over the head of Monasterio. Gimenez got a base hit to right but Varsho forced him at second Okamoto froze for strike three to end the inning. That was it for Suarez who the Sox didn't want to push after coming off the Injured List. He tossed 4 shutout innings allowing 4 hits.

                                                              Short but sweet

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Contreras walked to start. Durbin got a base hit to right and Gonzalez dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Duran drilled a base hit to right to score both runners. Monasterio flied out to center and Narvaez was rung up for strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                      Duran drives in a pair

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Clement struck out swinging to start. Gimenez singled over the head of Monasterio but Schneider lined out to center. Lukes grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Yoshida lined out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Rafaela grounded out to second. Abreu grounded out to second as well to end the inning.

Tyron "Flamethrower" Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Guerrero Jr lined out to right to start. Kirk got a base hit to right but Springer popped up to second. Varsho walked on 4 straight pitches but Okamoto flied out to right on a 2-0 count to end the inning. Contreras struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Durbin grounded out ton short. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Justin "Incinerator" Slaten came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Clement grounded out to short to start. Gimenez grounded out to first and Yohendrick Pinango pinch hit for Schneider. Pinango struck out swinging to end the inning. Braydon Fisher came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Duran greeted him with a base hit to center. Duran stole second and Monasterio walked on four pitches. Narvaez dropped down a bunt to move the runners over to chase Fisher. Brendon Little came in to face Yoshida and Sox manager Chad Tracy countered by pinch hitting Jahmai Jones and he doubled off the centerfield wall to bring in both runners. Rafaela struck out swinging but Abreu doubled off the Monster to score Jones. Contreras grounded out to to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                               Jones is all fired up

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lukes grounded out to second to start. Guerrero Jr flied out to right and Kirk grounded out to third to end the inning. Adam Macko came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Durbin lined one off of Adam for a single to start. Gonzalez banged into a double play but Duran hit a roller to first with no one covering for a single. Lukes made a great sliding catch on a Monasterio liner to end the inning.

Watson returned for the top of the ninth and Springer grounded out to short to start. Varsho beat ou grounder to Contreras and Okamoto struck out swinging. Clement then hit a ball that got caught under the left field barrier for a ground rule double. Naturally Gimenez hit a grounder that ate up Durbin to score Varsho but Pinango lined out to Duran to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. He was 3 for 4 and his 2 run single iced the game.

                                                                  Our Hero

The Good:

Caleb Durbin was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3.

Andruw Monasterio was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Ranger Suarez tossed 4 scoreless innings allowing 4 hits while striking out six.

Greg Weissert got the win with a scoreless fifth inning.

Tyron Guerrero pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Justin Slaten pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Jahmai Jones hit a 2 run double, stole a base and scored a run as a pinch hitter.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Wilyer Abreu was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drive in a run.

Willson Contreras was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Ryan Watson allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Carlos Narvaez struck out in his only official at-bat but dropped down two key bunts.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox and now they're going to find out if they have enough to make a run. Sox manager Chad Tracy has states they're going to stick Curtis Mead at second base for now meaning Anthony Seigler's out of the starting lineup. Durbin has turned into a fine defensive third baseman and they want to keep Yoshida in the lineup so unfortunately Seigler was the odd man out. As for this game, its been mentioned before but Alex Cora refusing to go small ball cost them a lot of games, especially in extra innings. They'd fail to score, lose the game and he'd fold his arms and say coldly "We play for two, not one." Well Tracy was playing for whatever he could get and it worked three times. Carlos Narvaez and Romy Gonzalez were just as important as the guys that drove in the runs. On days where the power isn't there, that's what they have to do. Suarez looked fine in his return from the sniffles and a groin pull so no one should be concerned about him. The real concern is with Connelly Early gone for good, their rotation is now Sonny Gray, Suarez, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett and Patrick Sandoval with Brayan Bello as the piggybacker. They're not winning anything without Garrett Crochet come October but this might be enough to get them there. Standings wise the Tampa Bay Rays once again beat the Cleveland Guardians and the Philadelphia Phillies smacked around the New York Yankees so the Sox are 1.5 games ahead of Cleveland and 4.5 behind New York for the first wild card. They're still in pretty good shape so unless something drastic happens in a week, they might just roll out what they have and pray they get Trevor Story, Triston Casas, Crochet, etc back at some point. The win improved the Sox to 54-50, 7.5 games behind the Rays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have a brutal seven game west coast trip beginning tomorrow night against the Oakland A's. Payton Tolle (5-6, 3.31 ERA) takes on Jack Perkins of the A's at 9:40 PM eastern time at Sutter Health Park.