Dodgers Stun Sox on Freeman's Slam (7/19/24)

Well that sucked. For 7 innings the Boston Red Sox held the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodhers in check as Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings and All-Star Game MVP Jarren Duran hit a home run. It all fell apart in the eighth inning as Brennan Bernardino allowed a grand slam to Freddie Freeman to blow the game. Gavin Stone and the Dodgers bullpen held the Sox to one measly run as LA laughed at the Sox 4-1 at Dodgers Stadium.

                                                                   This game sucked

Stone got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran doubled to center to start. David Hamilton lined out to first, Tyler O'Neill lined out to second and Rafael Devers lined out to right to end the inning. Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging to begin. Will Smith got a base hit to center but Freddie Freeman went down hacking. Teoscar Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida flied out to right to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging. Dominic Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. Andy Pages was called out on strikes to start the bottom of the second and Miguel Rojas grounded out to first. Gavin Lux struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Ceddanne Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the top of the third but looked to have been thrown out at second trying to steal when Reese McGuire struck out swinging. Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that he was safe and the call was overturned. Duran grounded out to second to move Rafaela to third but Hamilton grounded out to second to end the inning. Miguel Vargas walked to start the bottom of the third but Chris Taylor popped up to first. A wild pitch moved Vargas to second but Ohtani struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to second to end the inning. 

O'Neill singled in the hole at short to begin the top of the fourth and Devers singled off the glove of Stone. Yoshida flied out to center to move O'Neill to third, but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith grounded out to short to kill the rally and end the inning. Freeman flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Hernandez doubled to left. Page struck out swinging and Rojas flied out to right to end the inning. 

The Sox struck first in the top of the fifth as Rafaela lined out to second to start. McGuire grounded out to first but Duran crushed his 11th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Hamilton popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                      All-Star Game MVP does it again

Lux flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth before Vargas popped up to Rafaela. Taylor lined out to second to end the inning.

O'Neill singled off the glove of Taylor to start the top of the sixth to chase Stone. Anthony Banda came in to pitch and Devers struck out swinging. Yoshida struck out swinging and Abreu lined out to short to end the inning. Ohtani struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth before Smith went down hacking. Freeman lined out to left to end the inning. Despite just throwing 90 pitches, that was it for Pivetta after 6 shutout innings. He allowed just 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8 batters.

                                                            Good work Pivetta

Alex Vesia came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Smith doubled to left to start. Rafaela took strike three and Connor Wong pinch hit for McGuire and struck out swinging before Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hernandez flied out to center to start. Pages walked but Rojas popped up to short. Lux struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Yarbrough came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton....only to fly out to left. O'Neill once again singled in the hole at short but got doubled off first on a bloop to left by Devers to end the inning. The Dodgers struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Vargas walked to start. Taylor was rung up for strike three and that was it for Kelly. Brennan Bernardino came in to face Ohtani and naturally Shohei pounded a ground rule double to left. Smith was intentionally walked to load the bases and Freeman laughed as he effortlessly hit a grand slam to put the game away. Greg Weissert came in to pitch to Hernandez and Teoscar flied out to right. Pages lined out to third to end the inning with the Dodgers up 4-1.

                                           Horrible relief pitching

James Outman came in for Vargas with Daniel Hudson in to close out the top of the ninth. Somehow Yoshida got a base hit to center to start but Abreu struck out swinging. Smith banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had blown the game to the Dodgers 4-1.

                                                                 Dodgers win

Jackass of The Night is Brennan Bernardino. He gave up the grand slam to Freeman to lose the game.

                                                          There goes the game, Jackass 

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Tyler O'Neill was 3 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a stolen base.

Nick Pivetta tossed 6 shutout innings allowing 2 hits and a walk while striking out 8.

Greg Weissert got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Zack Kelly was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Not the best way to come out of the all-star break but the Sox have a big problem. With Justin Slaten and Chris Martin rumored to both be out for the season, the Sox back end looks pretty bad in the later innings. Sad part was this was the first blown save loss after the 7th inning since April 16th, they'd been dominant for 3 months. The offense ran into a hot pitcher but now it's rumored Triston Casas won't be back until mid-August at the earliest. They STILL don't have a true fifth starter so it's all bad Ness with the trade deadline looming. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-43, 5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against LA when Brayan Bello  (10-5, 5.32 ERA) tales on Justin Wrobleski of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:15 at Dodgers Stadium.

Yankees Crush Red Sox (7/6/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. The Sox traded last year's 6th round pick, right handed pitcher CJ Weins to the Detroit Tigers for veteran relief pitcher Trey Wingenter. Also, the Salem Red Sox released Elvis Soto. Weins was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA for Salem at the time of the trade and Wingenter was 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA for the Toledo Mud Hens. The Sox are desperate for middle relief and before the trade deadline, this was the best they were going to do. Soto was 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in 7 starts for Salem this year and the Sox think last year's pitching crop can do better than that. Good luck to Weins and Soto.

                                                                              OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, so much for the Red Sox hot streak. The New York Yankees dished it back to the Red Sox tonight as Josh Winckowski was rocked for 3 runs in just 3 2/3 innings and Brennan Bernardino (3-2, 1.72 ERA) was the one who gave up the go-ahead runs. The combo of Greg Weissert and Chase Anderson got nailed for NINE runs combined by a relentless Yankee attack. Ben Rice had THREE home runs including two 3 run bombs. Meanwhile the Sox did chase Gerrit Cole in the fifth inning after four runs allowed, but the Yankee bullpen held strong. All in all the Yankees pounded out 14 hits and 14 runs as they bashed Boston 14-4 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                     "Knock out Cole only to lose?"

Cole got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. David Hamilton took strike three and Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Winckowski in the bottom of the first as Ben Rice hit a home run all the way to Cuba to instantly give New York the lead. Juan Soto popped up to third, Aaron Judge flied out to right and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                               That didn't take long

Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to right. Masataka Yoshida flied out to left but Reese McGuire got a base hit to center. Dominic Smith walked to load the bases but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Anthony Volpe grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Trent Grisham struck out swinging. Jose Trevino walked, Oswaldo Cabrera got a base hit to right and DJ LeMahieu walked to load the bases....but Rice struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Duran popped up to second to start. Hamilton doubled to right but Abreu flied out to center. Devers got a base hit to right to score Hamilton for his 1,000th career hit. Devers stole second, Valdez walked and Yoshida singled to left to score Rafael. McGuire got a base hit to left to score Valdez but Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                           1,000 hits for Devers

The Yankees answered in the bottom of the third as Soto grounded out to first to start. Judge beat out a roller to the mound and Verdugo of all people hit a home run to Wyoming to tie the game. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Winckowski to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Anybody but him....

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Duran swung at air as well. Hamilton also went down hacking to end the inning. Trevino doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Cabrera dropped down a bunt to move him to third. LeMahieu grounded out to short and that was it for Winckowski. He allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino got Rice to line out to center to end the inning.

                                                     Josh had trouble with the long ball

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Devers clobbered his obligatory home run against Cole, 19th of the year to put Boston ahead. That was it for Cole as Tim Hill got Valdez to pop up to short. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3.

                                                            Total Yankee killer

The Yankees exploded in the bottom of the fifth although Soto grounded out to first to start. Judge singled to right and Verdugo caught Bernardino asleep with a bunt single to chase him. Greg Weissert came in and Volpe hit a ground rule double to center into the bullpen to score Judge. Grisham was intentionally walked to load the bases and Austin Wells pinch hit for Trevino. Wells walked to score Verdugo to put the Yankees ahead and Cabrera hit a sac fly to right to score Volpe to increase the lead. LeMahieu singled to left to score Grisham and Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Chase Anderson to stop the bleeding. Instead Rice smacked a 3 run bomb all the way to the moon to ice the game. Soto struck out for failibg to get into the batters box to end the inning with the Yankees up 10-3.

                                                            All Yankees in this one

The Sox were deflated in the top of the sixth as McGuire grounded out to second to start. Smith grounded back to the mound and Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning. Judge grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo grounded out to second. Volpe flied out to right to end the inning. 

Volpe threw a ball away by Duran to start the top of the seventh for an error and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu. Refsnyder flied out to center and Devers did the same to end the inning. The Yankees poured it on in the bottom of the seventh as Grisham doubled to center to start. Wells popped up to third but Cabrera singled to center to move Grisham to third. LeMahieu singled to right to score Grisham and Rice annihilated his third home run of the game to make this a laugher. Soto flied out to center and Judge took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 14-4.

                                                             Have a day Ben Rice

Jahmai Jones took over for Judge with Joah Maciejewski now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Valdez struck out swinging to start and Yoshida did the same. McGuire also went down hacking to end the inning. Connor Wong took over for Devers to start the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo flied out to left to start. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham flied out to right to end the inning. 

Smith got a base hit to right to start the top of the ninth but Rafaela struck out swinging. Smith moved to second when Duran was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate but Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had won it 14-4.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He ended any hope of a comeback by allowing 4 runs in a seven run 5th by the Yankees.

                                                                 Nice going Jackass

The Good:

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Josh Winckowski allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino took the loss allowing 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Chase Anderson allowed 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong played second in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Welcome to the Ben Rice show here at Yankee Stadium. He was something else today and just have to tip your cap. When a guy hits three home runs and drives in 7 runs by himself, you're not gonna win too many games like that. Winckowski couldn't get the job done but the bullpen allowed 11 runs in relief. Devers had his obligatory home run against Gerrit Cole but other than that, there wasn't much to cheer about. The back end of the bullpen with Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen has been solid but the middle relief isn't up to snuff. You can get ANYONE to pitch middle relief though. That might be their target at the trade deadline. They also need another starter because Winckowski clearly isn't the answer. The Sox never replaced Chris Sale as an ace but getting even a number 3 might help. This just wasn't the Red Sox day. The loss dropped the Sox to 48-41, 8 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when Kutter Crawford (4-7) takes on Luis Gil of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Outlast Marlins in 12 Innings (7/4/24)

Its never easy for the Boston Red Sox but they got to enjoy their fourth of July this season after a hard fought 12 inning victory over the Miami Marlins. Nick Pivetta had one of his best starts of the season tossing 7 shutout innings allowing only a hit and 2 walks while striking out 10. The problem is the Sox could only get 2 runs off Kyle Tyler of Miami. Then in the bottom of the eighth Justin Slaten coughed up the lead to tie the game. Plunged into extra innings, Tyler O'Neill and Enmanuel Valdez drove in runs in the top of the 11th but Zack Kelly served up a 2 run gopher ball to Jesus Sanchez to tie the game. In the 12th, David Hamilton and O'Neill drove in runs to put Boston ahead again. Greg Weissert gave up a sac fly to Jonah Bride but Josh Bell flied out to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-5 in 12 innings at Loan Depot Park.

                                                             Sox fans by the end

Tyler got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. David Hamilton walked and Tyler O'Neill singled to right. Both runners pulled off a double steal and Rafael Devers grounded out to first to score Hamilton. Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0. 

                                                             Devers starts the party

Pivetta got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jazz Chisholm Jr flied out to left to start. Bryan De La Cruz and Josh Bell both struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Reese McGuire grounded out to short. Dominic Smith got a base hit to right but Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right to end the inning. Jesus Sanchez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Jake Burger struck out swinging. Xavier Edwards took strike three to end the inning. 

Duran grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third and Hamilton grounded out to second. O'Neill grounded out to short to end the inning. Rafaela made a great jumping catch to rob Vidal Brujan of a hit and Enmanuel Rivera struck out swinging. Ali Sanchez lined out to third to end the inning.

Devers walked to start the top of the fourth and Abreu forced him at second. Abreu was thrown out at second trying to steal and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. Chisholm Jr walked to star the bottom of the fourth and De La Cruz struck out swinging. Chisholm was thrown out at second trying to steal but Bell walked. Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning.

McGuire popped up to short to start the top of the fifth and Smith flied out to center. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Burger struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Edwards flied out to center. Brujan grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the sixth as Duran popped up to short to start. Hamilton got a base hit to center and O'Neill walked. AJ Puk came in to pitch and the duo pulled off another double steal. Once again Devers grounded out to first to score Hamilton with another run. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                       Tip your cap to the runners

Rivera flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez flied out to center. Chisholm Jr struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yoshida grounded out to first to start the top of the seventh and McGuire struck out swinging. Smith flied out to left to end the inning. Pivetta came back for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as De La Cruz flied out to right to start. Bell grounded out to first but Sanchez tripled to center to break up the no-hitter. Burger struck out swinging to end the inning and that was it for Pivetta. He was outstanding, allowing just a hit and 2 walks while striking out 10 batters in 7 innings.

                                                     He was 7 outs from the no-hitter

Anthony Bender came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Rafaela took strike three to start. Duran got a base hit to center and Brujan threw a ball away after Hamilton grounded out to first. O'Neill took strike three to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the eighth as Edwards grounded out to first to start. Brujan walked and Nick Gordon pinch hit for Rivera. Gordon walked and Jonah Bride pinch hit for Sanchez. A wild pitch moved Brujan to third but Bride struck out swinging. Brennan Bernardino came in to face Chisholm and the move backfired as Chisholm got a base hit to right to score Brujan. De La Cruz singled to center to score Gordon and it was a good thing the Sox weren't at Fenway or else the whole city of Boston would be booing Alex Cora and the Sox bullpen for blowing Pivetta's gem. Bell grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Marlins tie it up

Nick Fortes took over for Gordon with Tanner Scott now on the mound for the top of the ninth. Devers struck out swinging an Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Yoshida did the same to end the inning. Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Sanchez doubled to right to start. Burger struck out swinging and Edwards got a base hit to center. Sanchez motored around third and Duran came up firing.....OUT! But wait! The Marlins challenged that McGuire interfed with Sanchez but the umpires upheld the call. Brujan was intentionally walked but Fortes flied out to left to end the inning.

Andrew Nardi came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Masataka Yoshida at second base and Andrew Nardi on the mound. Micro managing Cora instead pinch hit Connor Wong for McGuire and Enmanuel Valdez running for Yoshida. Wong struck out swinging and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Smith. Gonzalez flied out to right and Rafaela was intentionally walked. Duran struck out swinging to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth and Fortes started the inning at second base. Bride grounded out to first to move Fortes to third and Chisholm was intentionally walked. Chisholm stole second but De La Cruz struck out swinging. Bell also went down hacking to end the inning.

Calvin Faucher came in to pitch the top of the 11th with Duran at second base. Hamilton grounded out to first and O'Neill hit a roller to short. Edwards threw the ball away allowing Duran to score and O'Neill to advance to second. Devers was intentionally walked but Refsnyder was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Valdez got a base hit to right to score O'Neill and reload the bases. Wong struck out swinging and Gonzalez forced Valdez at second to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                              Valdez drives in a run

Kelly returned to close out the bottom of the 11th with Bell at second base but Sanchez immediately hit a home run all the way to Tampa Bay to tie the game. Burger struck out swinging, Edwards grounded out to first and Brujan did the same to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                         Sanchez ties it up

Old friend Matt Andriese came in to pitch the top of the 12th with Romy Gonzalez starting at second. Rafaela got a base hit to left to move Romy to third and Ceddanne stole second. Duran struck out looking but Hamilton grounded out to third to score Gonzalez. O'Neill doubled to center to score Rafaela to seemingly ice the game. Devers was intentionally walked and Refsnyder flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 6-4.

                                                         Hamilton puts the Sox ahead

Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the 12th and Brujan started at second. Fortes singled off the glove of Gonzalez to move Brujan to third and Vidal scored on the Bride sac fly to center. Chisholm Jr flied out to center but De La Cruz singled to center. Bell flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had survived 6-5 in 12 innings.

                                                                    Sox win

Hero of The Night is Tyler O'Neill. He drove in 2 runs including the final run that decided the game.

                                                             Hero O'Neill

The Good:

Rafael Devers walked 3 times in 6 plate appearances with 2 rbis.

Enmanuel Valdez singled and drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3.

Nick Pivetta tossed 7 shutout innings allowing a hit and 2 walks with 10 strikeouts.

Kenley Jansen tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Rob Refsynder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Connor Wong was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Justin Slaten was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Brennan Bernardino allowed 2 inherited runners to score in 1/3 of an inning.

Zack Kelly allowed 2 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 5 but walked, stole two bases, drove in a run and scored 2 runs.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 2 but scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked, stole a base and scored a run.

Greg Weissert got the save by allowing an unearned run in the bottom of the 12th.

Final Thoughts:

Happy fourth of July everyone. The Sox had a bash today knocking off the Miami Marlins for their fourth consecutive win. Ever since they dropped those two games to Chicago back in June the Sox have gone on a little bit of a run. They probably have no chance to catch the Baltimore Orioles or New York Yankees but a nice hot streak leading to the all-star break could have them in a playoff spot of some sort. Gotta feel for Pivetta who was literally unhittable for 6 2/3 innings just to end up with a no-decision. Kudos to the Sox for fighting back again and again to take the game though. Can't say they didn't want in and normally Sox manager Alex Cora managing every game like its Game 7 of the World Series gets annoying, but when you're fighting for your playoff lives in July you have to pull out all the stops. Things worked out this time thanks to some clutch hitting but Justin Slaten needs to cut down on the blown saves. Still, a win is a win and this one was important in the era of the third wild card. The win improved the Sox to 47-40, 8 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to New York for a three game deathmatch with the Yankees. Tanner Houck goes for the Yankees against Nester Cortes of New York. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Winckowski, Sox Down Padres (6/30/24)

The Boston Red Sox have been hoping to find top flight starting pitching from within and they might have it with the resurgence of Josh Winckowki (2-1, 2.72 ERA). Josh stared down the San Diego Padres and shut them out in 5 strong innings. Offensively the Sox got to San Diego starter Matt Waldron with a two run Rafael Devers home run in the bottom of the first. The Sox got another run in the third and Jarren Duran went yard in the bottom of the fifth. The bullpen came in and the only blemish was a Ha-Seong Kim rbi double off Justin Slaten in the top of the seventh. The tag team of Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen slammed the door and the Sox staved off a series sweep with a 4-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                      Victoria June approves of the win

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first inning and Luis Arraez lined out to left to start. Jurickson Profar grounded out to short and Jake Cronenworth struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox got to Wauldron got the ball in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran grounded back to the mound to start. David Hamilton flied out to left but Wilyer Abreu walked. Rafael Devers crushed his 18th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                      Kiss that one goodbye

Manny Machado got a base hit to right to start the top of the second but Donovan Solano lined out to third. Jackson Merrill got a base hit to right and Ha-Seong Kim moved both runners over with a grounder to third. Kyle Higashioka grounded out to first to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida took strike three to start the bottom of the second but Dominic Smith doubled to center. Reese McGuire took strike three and Ceddanne Rafaela hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Bryce Johnson got a base hit to center to open the top of the third but Arraez grounded into a double play. Profar grounded out to second to end the inning. Merrill made a great running catch to rob Duran of a hit to start the bottom of the third and Hamilton lined out to first. Abreu got a base hit to right and Devers did the same to move Wilyer to third. A passed ball scored Abreu but Valdez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                          Abreu scores another run

Cronenworth got hit with a pitch to start the top of the fourth but Machado grounded into a double play. Solano grounded out to second to end the inning. Yoshida got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fourth and a passed ball moved him to second. Smith grounded out to first to move Yoshida to third but McGuire flied out to center. Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

Merrill got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth and Kim dropped down a bunt to move him a second. Higashioka grounded out to third and Johnson flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Winckowski who allowed just 4 hits in 5 shutout innings.

                                                         Good work Winckowski

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Duran blasted his ninth home run of the season to increase the lead. Hamilton flied out to left and that was it for Waldron. Wandy Peralta came in to pitch and Abreu got a base hit to center. A wild pitch moved Abreu to second and a grounder to second by Devers moved Wilyer to third. Valdez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                               Duran leaves the yard

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Arraez got a base hit to right to start. Profar flied out to center but Arraez moved to second on a grounder to short by Cronenworth. That was it for Bernardino as Justin Slaten came in to face Machado. Manny grounded out to third to end the inning. Stephen Kolek came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Yoshida got a base hit to right to start. Smith grounded into a double play and McGuire grounded out to first to end the inning.

Solano struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh but Merrill doubled to center. Kim doubled to left to score Merrill to cut the lead. Higashioka grounded out to short to move Kim to tbhird and David Peralta pinch hit for Johnson. Peralta grounded out to second to end the inning with the Padres down 4-1.

                                                             Kim drives in a run

Adrian Morejon came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Rafaela struck out swinging to start. Duran walked and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Hamilton. A wild pitch moved Duran over to second and Refsnyder walked. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and struck out swinging before Devers flied out to center to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arraez grounded back to the mound to start. Profar got a base hit to center but Cronenworth struck out swinging. Machado flied out to right to end the inning. Jeremiah Estrada came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Valdez flied out to center to start. Yoshida flied out to center as well and Smith completed the trifecta with a fly out to center to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and Solano flied out to right to start. Merrill struck out swinging and Kim lined out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-1.

                                                                Sox win

Hero of The Night is Josh Winckowski. He blanked the Padres for five innings to give the Sox a much needed win.

                                                        Hero Winckowski

The Good:

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

Rob Refsnyder walked as a pinch hitter.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 2 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 16th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have been banking on the home grown starters such as Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck and Brayan Bello this season while being patient with Nick Pivetta. Hopefully Winckowski has figured things out to give them a lift moving forward. The Sox could really use an ace but we all know Sox GM Craig Breslow is "on a budget" so that's not possible. We still have a month before the trade deadline to see what Breslow can do to add to the team. Still, a win is a win and Duran and Devers were a big part of today's win. The three headed monster of Justin Slaten, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen are also tough to beat. If the Sox can keep their starters going 6 or 7 innings, they'll be in good shape moving forward. But who are we kidding? The win improved the Sox to 44-40, 9 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night on the road in Miami for a three game set with the Marlins. Kutter Crawford (3-7) goes for the Sox against Valente Bellozo of Miami. The game begins Tuesday night at 6:40 PM at Loan Depot Park.

Bello Rocked, Jays Roll (6/25/24)

For two innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox would continue their winning ways against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Sox got a home run by Rafael Devers and another run off Kevin Gausman in the bottom of the second. Then Sox starter Brayan Bello (7-5, 5.55 ERA) totally imploded on the mound in the top of the third. Errors from Wilyer Abreu, Tyler O'Neill and Ceddanne Rafaela didn't help as the Jays scored 7 runs highlighted by a George Springer home run. Josh Winckowski allowed 2 runs in the top of the fourth and all the Sox could muster was 2 more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Bello got rocked and the Sox got rolled as the Jays took this one 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                          "Bello......"

Bello got the ball in the top of the first and Bo Bichette struck out swinging to start. Spencer Horwitz was hit by a pitch but Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded into a double play to end the inning. Gausman got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Enmanuel Valdez lined out to right and Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Justin Turner walked to start the top of the second but George Springer struck out swinging. Addison Barger hit a bullet to Dominic Smith at first who doubled off Turner to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Rafael Devers clobbered his 16th home run of the season to start. Guerrero booted a grounder by Tyler O'Neill for an error and Masataka Yoshida doubled home Tyler to increase the lead. Dominic Smith lined out to right, Reese McGuire grounded out to short and Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                           Devers gets a piece of one

Bello suddenly imploded in the top of the third as Danny Jansen doubled to left to start. Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a base hit down the third base line and Kevin Kiermaier singled off the glove of Enmanuel Valdez. Wilyer Abreu proceeded to throw the ball away for an error to score both Jansen and Kiner. Bichette and Horwitz both walked to load the bases and Guerrero Jr doubled to center to score Kiermaier and Bichette. Turner grounded out to first to score Horwitz and Springer ended the game with a 3 run bomb to chase Bello. For two innings he was solid then allowed 7 runs in 1/3 of an inning, yikes. Greg Weissert came in and got Barger to ground out to third. Jansen flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 7-2.

                                                          Bello implodes

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Duran lined out to center to start. Valdez got a base hit to right but Abreu struck out swinging. Devers grounded out to second to end the inning.

Josh Winckowski came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Kiner took strike three to start. Kiermaier singled in the hole at short but Bichette lined out to right. Horwitz walked and Guerrero Jr doubled to left to score Kiermaier. O'Neill threw the ball away for an error and Horwitz scored as well. Turner flied out to right to end the inning with the Jays up 9-2.

                                                         Jays were all smiles in this one

O'Neill walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Yoshida flied out to left. Smith hit a grounder to first but Guerrero booted it for an error. McGuire flied out to center but O'Neill moved to third. Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Springer grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Barger took strike three. Jansen took strike three to end the inning. Duran flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth and Valdez struck out swinging. Abreu lined out to right to end the inning.

Rafaela threw a grounder by Kiner away for an error to start the top of the sixth but Kiermaier lined out to center. Bichette struck out swinging and Horwitz popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Devers doubled to center to start when a fan reached over and grabbed the ball. O'Neill then launched his 16th home run of the season where a fan couldn't reach and grab it. Yoshida grounded out to short, Smith struck out swinging and McGuire lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 9-4.

                                                              O'Neill jacks one

Guerrero Jr struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Turner popped up to third. Springer got a base hit to center but Barger struck out swinging to end the inning. Davis Schneider came in for Barger and Brendon Little came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Rafaela grounded out to short and Duran struck out swinging, but Valdez walked. Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Abreu and walked....but Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jansen grounded out to short to start the top of the eighth and Kiner did the same. Kiermaier singled off the glove of Winckowski and Bichette grounded out to short to end the inning. Trevor Richards came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and O'Neill struck out swinging to start. Yoshida struck out swinging and Smith flied out to left to end the inning.

Horwitz grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth and Guerrero Jr struck out swinging. Turner got a base hit to right and Springer did the same, but Schneider took strike three to end the inning. Yeoman's effort for Winckowski who saved the bullpen with 6 innings of relief.

                                                                Good effort, good job

Ernie Clement came in for Horwitz with Chad Green in to close out the bottom of the ninth. McGuire grounded out to third and Rafaela grounded out to second. Duran struck out swinging to end the game. The Jays had won the game 9-4.

                                                                    Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Brayan Bello. He got rocked for 7 runs in just 2 1/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                         "Get outta here, Jackass"

The Good:

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Romy Gonzlez walked as a pinch hitter.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Greg Weissert tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Josh Winckowski allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings of relief.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 3 with a walk, 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored but struck out and committed a crucial error.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about a giant step backwards. The Sox had all the momentum going with 8 wins in 9 games and Bello just had to crap his pants. Not that offense did much in this one but when you're put in a 7-2 hole in the blink of an eye, not much you can do. Bello's ERA is up to 5.55 and its very obvious he has mental problems. At the first sign of trouble, he crumbles like a graham cracker. That Jansen double opened the floodgates and Bello never recovered. Josh Winckowski didn't even do that bad in relief but even if he pitched a clean slate, they still would have lost. The errors by Abreu and O'Neill didn't help but this one is on Bello. The loss dropped the Sox to 43-37, 8.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when Kutter Crawford takes on Yariel Rodriguez of Toronto. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Red Sox Walkoff Blue Jays (6/24/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Mercifully Brad Keller and Cam Booser were sent back to Worcester as Isaiah Campbell and Josh Winckowski were brought back in return. Also new papa Connor Wong was placed on the Paternity List and Tyler Heineman was called up to take his place. Congratulations to Connor.

                                                                               OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, don't look now but the mediocre Red Sox have won three games in a row including walking off the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. The Sox took a 2-1 lead on Toronto thanks to a two run shot off Toronto starter Chris Bassitt, but Sox starter Tanner Houck got blitzed in the seventh inning. After allowing a game tying single to Kevin Keirmaier, Isaiah Campbell came in only for David Hamilton to throw a ball away and Vladimir Guerrero Jr to hit a home run to put the Jays up 6-2. A furious rally in the eighth culminated in a Romy Gonzalez bases loaded single to tie the game. A Ceddanne Rafaela single, a balk and a Jarren Duran base hit to right was enough to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. The Sox had stunned the Jays 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                     The Mayor approves of the win

Tanner Houck got the ball in the top of the first inning and Isiah Kiner-Falefa struck out swinging to start. Spencer Horowitz flied out to left and Vladimir Guerrero Jr grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Chris Bassitt got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran lined out to right to start. David Hamilton grounded out to second and Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Old friend Justin Turner took strike three to begin the top of the second and George Springer grounded out to third. Addison Barger grounded out to second to end the inning. Rafael Devers grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second and Tyler O'Neill grounded out to third. Masataka Yoshida lined out to center to end the inning.

Davis Schneider lined out to left to start the top of the third and Alejandro Kirk grounded out to short. Kevin Kiermaier struck out swinging to end the inning. Dominic Smith walked to start the bottom of the third but Reese McGuire banged into a double play. Ceddanne Rafaela was hit with a pitch but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the fourth as Kiner singled to center to start. Horowitz took strike three but Guerrero Jr singled in the hole at short. Turner ripped a base hit to center to score Kiner to put the Jays on top. Springer grounded into a double play to end the inning but the Jays were up 1-0.

                                                     It had to be Turner didn't it?

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Duran ripped a base hit to center to start. Hamilton popped up to short and Abreu took strike three, but Devers belted his 15th home run of the season to put Boston on top. O'Neill popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                     Devers puts Boston on top

Duran made a great catch at the centerfield wall to rob Barger of extra bases to lead off the top of the fifth. Schneider grounded out to third and so did Kirk to end the inning. Yoshida got a base hit to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but was forced at second by Smith. McGuire popped up to third and Rafaela forced Smith at second to end the inning.

Kiermaier struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth before Kiner took strike three. Horowitz was hit with a pitch, Guerrero Jr doubled to center and Turner walked to load the bases. Springer flied out to Duran to end the inning. Jarren lined out to short to start the bottom of the sixth before Hamilton lined out to center. Abreu hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

The Jays struck back in the top of the seventh as McGuire ran into Barger for catcher's interference to start. Schneider took strike three but Kirk moved Barger to second with a grounder to third. Naturally Kiermaier got a base hit to center to score Barger to tie the game. That was it for Houck who once again got no run support, allowing 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings on 5 hits and a walk. Isaiah Campbell made his return to the Sox and Hamilton threw a routine grounder by Kiner away for an error to move Kiermaier to third. Naturally Horowitz lined a base hit to right to score Kiermaier and Guerrero Jr hit a home run all the way to Cuba to increase the lead. Turner took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                       Houck deserved better

Devers got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the seventh but O'Neill flied out to right. Yoshida got a base hit to center but Smith struck out swinging. Enmanuel Valdez pinch hit for McGuire but popped up to third to end the inning.

Tyler Heineman took over behind the plate with Chase Anderson now on the mound to start the top of the eighth. Springer flied out to left to start before Barger struck out swinging. Schneider flied out to left to end the inning. Nate Pearson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela popped up to second to start. Duran doubled down the third base line and Hamilton crushed his fifth home run of the year to cut the lead. Abreu struck out swinging but Tim Mayza came in to pitch to Devers and Rafael singled to center. Kiermaier failed to come up with a double by O'Neill and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Yoshida. Refsnyder was intentionally walked to load the bases and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Smith. Zach Pop came in to pitch to Romy and Gonzalez responded with a base hit to left to score Devers and O'Neill to tie the game. Heineman struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox roared back to tie the game 6-6.

                                                        Gonzalez ties it up

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Kirk got a base hit to center to start. Steward Berroa came in to run for Kirk and Kiermaier struck out swinging. Berroa was thrown out trying to steal and Hamilton made a great play to rob Kiner of a hit to end the inning. Danny Jansen took over behind the plate to start the bottom of the ninth and Horowitz booted a grounder by Rafaela to start. A balk was called to move Ceddanne to second and he scored to win the game on the Duran base hit to right. The Sox had rallied down 6-2 to win the game 7-6.

                                                           Sox win

The Co-Heroes of the Night are Romy Gonzalez for his 2 out 2 run single and Jarren Duran for his walkoff base hit.

                                                           Hero 1

                                                        Hero 2

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 3 for 4 with a 2 run home run and 2 total runs scored.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 3.

Rob Refsnyder walked in his only plate appearance.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a run scored and a hit by pitch.

Tanner Houck was charged with 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings but only 2 were earned. He allowed 5 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

Chase Anderson tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with an error.

Enmanuel Valdez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Taylor Heineman struck out in his only plate appearance.

Isaiah Campbell allowed a 3 run home run to Guerrero Jr.

The Ugly:

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4 with an error but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Tyler O'Neil was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but the Sox have finally began to come back to win games. Ever since that loss to the White Sox, Boston has come back again and again in the later innings. Also, ever since that loss they have gone 11-3 and took control of one of the wild card spots. They had every reason to pack it in tonight down 6-2 in the eighth inning with five outs to go. The big home run by Hamilton and the two run single by Gonzalez showed this team has balls after all. Its too bad Isaiah Campbell crapped his pants because everything else went right. Duran took another step toward an All-Star nod while Hamilton continues to fill in for Trevor Story admirably. Yoshida even got a couple of hits so this team is absolutely rolling right now.  The Cleveland Guardians beat the Baltimore Orioles so the Sox picked up a half game on the idle New York Yankees and a full game on Baltimore. All of a sudden the Sox are inching their way back into contention, which is remarkable given how the season was going heading into June. The win improved the Sox to 43-36, 8.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays when Brayan Bello (7-4, 4.93 ERA) takes on Kevin Gausman of Toronto. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.