Sox Drop Game To Mother Nature, Twins (7/28/25)

Of all the ways to lose a game, the Boston Red Sox were upended by not only the Minnesota Twins but mother nature as well. Mostly it was due to Alex Cora's pure stupidity but the facts are the Sox were trailing 2-0 when "Big" Dick Fitts escaped a bases loaded jam in the fourth. Despite being down Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman, Sox manager Alex Cora still yanked him after four and after the bullpen tossed nearly 5 full innings yesterday. Alex Bregman put the Sox on top with a 3 run bomb in the fifth but Cora had Jorge Alcala pitch the sixth, where the Twins tied the game. The Sox took the lead in the top of the ninth on a Roman Anthony rbi single, but then the rains came. 90 minutes later Jordan Hicks was thrust into the closer's role and he fell apart. Brooks Lee drove in the winning runs to win the game 5-4 at Target Field.

                                                      "CORAAAAAA!!!!"

The Sox blew a rally immediately in the top of the first against Woods-Richardson as Roman Anthony singled off of Simeon. Woods threw the ball away allowing Roman to take second and Anthony took third when Alex Bregman lined one off of Woods as well. Jarren Duran had a 3-0 count but struck out swinging and Trevor Story popped up to left. Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Fitts got the ball in the bottom of the first and Trevor Larnach lined out to short to begin. Willi Castro lined out to right and Carlos Corrrea lined out to short to end the inning with Fitts throwing just 6 pitches.

Carlos Narvaez grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Wilyer Abreu flied out to left. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. Kody Clemens got a base hit to right to begin the bottom of the second but Royce Lewis flied out to center. Matt Wallner struck out swinging and Ty France forced Clemens at second to end the inning.

Abraham "El" Toro grounded out to first to start the top of the third but Anthony walked. Bregman popped up to second and Duran flied out to left to end the inning. Naturally the opposing team scored first as old pal Christian Vazquez walked to start the bottom of the third. DaShawn Keirsey Jr then hit a home run all the way to Seattle to put the Twins up. Larnach walked but Castro forced him at second. Correa grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                          Twins strike first

Story struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Yoshida got a base hit to center. Narvaez lined out to left but Abreu got a base hit to right to move Yoshida to third. Abreu stole second but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Fitts got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Clemens walked to start. Lewis got a base hit to left and Wallner singled to center to load the bases with nobody out. France struck out swinging and Vazquez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Fitts pulled the Houdini but was out after just 4 innings and 2 runs allowed.

                                                            Fitts pulls the Houdini

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as El Toro singled to center to start. Anthony walked and Bregman pulverized his 14th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Duran doubled to center but Story struck out swinging. Yoshida grounded out to second to move Duran to third and Justin Topa came in to face Narvaez. Carlos grounded out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Another Breggy Bomb

Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Keirsey Jr took strike three to start. Larnach grounded out to third but Castro was hit with a pitch. Castro swiped second but Correa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Abreu got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth and moved to second on the Rafaela grounder to third. Toro grounded out to second to move Abreu to third but Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Sox manager Alex Cora struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Clemens flied out to center to start. Lewis got a base hit to center and Harrison Bader pinch hit for Wallner. Rather than let Murphy finish, Cora brought in Jorge Alcala to face him. A wild pitch and a passed ball moved Lewis to third and Bader walked. Bader stole second and France walked to load the bases. Vazquez hit a sac fly to center to score Lewis but Keirsey Jr struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                          Vazquez ties it

Griffin Jax came in to dominate the top of the seventh as Bregman struck out swinging to start. Duran struck out swinging and Story grounded out to third to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and old pal Mickey Gasper pinch hit for Larnach. Gasper walked but Castro flied out to left. Correa got a base hit to left and Brooks Lee pinch hit for Clemens. Lee struck out swinging and once again Cora overmanaged by bringing in Greg Weissert. Lewis popped up to first to end the inning.

Brock Stewart came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Yoshida grounded out to second to start. Narvaez struck out swinging but Lewis missed a pop up by Abreu for a "double". Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning. Bader popped up to first to start the bottom of the eighth before France flied out to center. Vazquez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jhoan Duran came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Toro walked to start. David Hamilton ran for Toro and stole second. Hamilton stole third and Anthony drilled a base hit to center to score him to put Boston on top. All of a sudden it started raining and Bregman flied out to center. Anthony was thrown out at second trying to steal and Duran walked. Duran stole second but Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3. Then it started raining....and raining....

                                                            Anthony drives in a run.

After nearly a ninety minute long rain delay, Jordan Hicks came in to close out the bottom of the ninth with Romy Gonzalez now in for Anthony. Naturally Keirsey Jr got a base hit to right to start and Gasper was hit with a pitch. Castro was hit with a pitch to load the bases with nobody out, but Correa forced Keirsey Jr at home on a grounder to third. Lee did the honors with a 2 run single to walkoff the Red Sox 5-4.

                                                             Twins win

Jackass of The Night is Jordan Hicks. He got shelled in the ninth inning to lose the game.

                                                             Jordan Jackass

The Good:

Roman Anthony was 2 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Alex Bregman was  for 5 with a 3 run home run.

Wilyer Abreu was 3 for 4 with a stolen base.

Abraham Toro was 1 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

David Hamilton stole two bases and scored a run as a pinch runner.

Brennan Bernardino got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Greg Weissert tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Trevor Story was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Murphy was charged with a run in 1 1/3 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dick Fitts allowed just 2 runs but in just 4 innings of work.

Jorge Alcala allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

Honorable Mention:

Romy Gonzalez played first base in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

This one was on Cora as it was the bullpen. The Sox were down Aroldis Chapman (bad back) and Garrett Whitlock (stomach bug) and Cora STILL pulled Fitts after 4 and asked his depleted bullpen to throw another 5 innings. Jorge Alcala and Jordan Hicks failing isn't surprising because that's why they had ERAs over 6. The injury to Justin Slaten and the ineffectiveness of Luis Guerrero has Alcala in this position even if its unfair. Some fans are saying Hicks getting up and down to warm up multiple times due to the rain delay screwed up his rhythm but still, he couldn't find the plate at all. The offense is still lost apart from Bregman and Anthony but this was a very winnable game. That's the difference in winning another series 2 out of 3 and a five game win streak. Bottom line is Cora can't be blamed for trying to make due with the roster of backups and cheap relief options, but managing every game like its Game 7 of the world series is not sustainable. The Sox better make some moves at the deadline because this team is going to crash and burn if they don't. The loss dropped the Sox to 57-51, 6 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night when Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.97 ERA) takes on rookie Pierson Ohl making his ML debut. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Phillies Pound Fitts, Sox (7/22/25)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have lost four out of five coming out of the All-Star break to the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Its easy to see why as they absolutely haven't hit the ball at all apart from the rally against the Cubs on Sunday. Tonight it was Cristopher Sanchez that took his frustrations out from being snubbed at the All-Star game on the Red Sox. Sanchez tossed a complete game 4 hitter while striking out 12 batters. A Rob Refsnyder home run was the only blemish on Sanchez during the game. Meanwhile "Big" Dick Fitts (1-4, 4.86 ERA) got rocked by the Phillies for two home runs and four runs allowed. Nick Castellanos knocked in a run in the first while Max Kepler went yard in the second. Kyle Schwarber hit his 33rd home run of the season as well as Fitts was gone in the fourth inning. The sad part was the bullpen held the fort the rest of the way but the bats were asleep again. It added up to a 4-1 Phillies win at Citizens Bank Park.

Sanchez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder grounded out to second to start. Roman Anthony struck out swinging and Alex Bregman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Phillies got to Fitts immediately in the bottom of the first as Trea Turner singled to left to start. Kyle Schwarber struck out swinging but Bryce Harper got a base hit to right to move Turner to third. Nick Castellanos singled to center to score Turner and move Harper to third. Castelllanos stole second and JT Realmuto took strike three. It looked like Harper had a straight steal of home but the umpires ruled a balk on Fitts to score Harper anyway and catcher's interference on Carlos Narvaez to move Brandon Marsh to first. Otto Kemp flied out to right to end the inning with the game already over, 2-0 Phillies.

                                                    "Not this again" - CN

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Trevor Story struck out swinging and Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning. The Phillies iced the game in the bottom of the second as Max Kepler hit a home run all the way to Pittsburgh to start. Bryston Stott lined out to left and Turner flied out to right, but Schwarber crushed his 33rd home run of the season to ice it. Harper grounded out to second to end the inning with the Phillies up 4-0.

                                                   Why can't the Sox get guys like him

Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Narvaez struck out swinging. Abraham Toro grounded out to second to end the inning. Castellanos flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Realmuto struck out swinging. Marsh went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Refsnyder launched his sixth home run of the season to cut the lead. Anthony struck out swinging but Bregman got a base hit to left. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Story forced Bregman at second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                            Refsnyder hits one out

The Phillies finished off Fitts in the bottom of the fourth as Kemp got a base hit to left to start. Kepler lined out to left and Sox manager Alex Cora had seen enough of Fitts. He got rocked for 5 runs in just 3 1/3 innings in his first start since July 7th, rusty was an understatement. Brennan Bernardino came in and Stott flied out to left, but Turner got a base hit to right. Schwarber grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                            Not good enough

Yoshida grounded out to first to begin the top of the fifth before Rafaela flied out to center. Narvaez grounded out to second to end the inning. Harper walked to start the bottom of the fifth but Castellanos took strike three. Realmuto popped up to second and Marsh struck out swinging to end the inning.

Toro struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Refsnyder went down hacking. Anthony also swung at air to end the inning. Chris Murphy came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Kemp was plunked to start. Kemp was picked off but Kepler walked. Kepler swiped second but Stott flied out to left. Turner struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bregman grounded back to the mound to start the top of the seventh before Gonzalez grounded out to second. Story got a base hit in the hole at short and Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning. Schwarber led off the bottom of the seventh with a grounder to first. Harper struck out swinging and Castellanos grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rafaela singled off the glove of Sanchez to start the top of the eighth then Narvaez forced him at second. Narvaez went to second on a grounder to first by Toro but Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Realmuto grounded out to short to start. Marsh lined out to center and Kemp grounded out to second to end the inning.

Edmundo Sosa came in to play third as Sanchez came out to complete the game in the top of the ninth. Anthony took strike three, Bregman lined out to third and Gonzalez struck out swinging in short order. Sanchez tossed a complete game 4 hitter as the Phillies won 4-1.

                                                          Phillies win

Jackass of the Night is Dick Fitts

                                                           The accountable Jackass

The Good:

Trevor Story was 1 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3.

Brennan Beranrdino tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Chris Murphy tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Greg Weissert tossed a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 3.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and an error.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but the one hit was a home run.

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely a glass half empty or full situation. The half empty is the Sox walked into two straight good teams and have totally failed, going 1-4 in five games. They beat up on bad teams but lose to the good ones. The half full way to look at it is they walked into four aces in five games. Sanchez should have been an all-star and Zack Wheeler was well. Not many teams could do well when faced against four aces in five games. The Sox definitely need to win some of these games if they want to inspire confidence, but today wasn't good enough. Fitts got pounded but the bullpen stepped up in his absence. The bottom line is the offense isn't hitting coming out of the break no matter how you look at it. The Sox may need to get a bat at the deadline as well as a number 2 starter. The Sox are right in the thick of things currently and need to make some moves if they want to keep in contention. The loss dropped the Sox to 54-49, six games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow when Lucas Giolito takes on Jesus Lazardo of Philadelphia. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Citizens Bank Park.

Sox Rout Rockies (7/7/25)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox have won 4 games in a row including tonight's rout against the Colorado Rockies. On the pitching side, "Big" Dick Fitts (1-3, 4.28 ERA) won his first game of the season by holding the Rockies to 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings. Offensively the Sox pounded Austin Gomber and the Rockies bullpen for 14 hits and 9 runs. Abraham Toro capped off a 3 run second inning with a 2 run double and Roman Anthony hit his first Fenway Park home run. The Sox bats kept pouring it on highlighted by home runs from Ceddanne Rafaela and Romy Gonzalez as the Sox cruised in this one 9-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                     LA Knight approves of the win

Fitts got the ball in the top of the first and Tyler Freeman singled to second to start. Hunter Goodman flied out to center and Freeman was thrown out trying to steal. Mickey Moniak struck out swinging to end the inning. Gomber got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Nate Eaton doubled to left to start. Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging and Eaton was thrown out at third trying to steal. Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Rockies struck first in the top of the second when Trevor Story threw a grounder by Thairo Estrada away for an error to start. Michael Toglia walked and both runners moved over on a grounder back to Fitts by Ryan McMahon. Brenton Doyle got a base hit to center to score Estrada and move Toglia to third. Yanquiel Fernandez struck out swinging and Ryan Ritter popped up to second to end the inning with Colorado up 1-0.

                                                       Rockies strike first

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Rob Refsnyder walked to start. Story forced him at second and McMahon threw a grounder by Carlos Narvaez away for an error. Wilyer Abreu doubled to left to score Story and Abraham "El" Toro doubled to right to score both runners. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third and Eaton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                      El Toro drives in a pair

Freeman got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but Goodman grounded into a double play. Moniak grounded out to second to end the inning. Gonzalez took strike three to start the bottom of the third but Anthony got a base hit to center. Refsnyder struck out swinging and Story grounded out to third to end the inning.

Estrada grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth and Toglia watched strike three go by. McMahon also struck out swinging to end the inning. Narvaez grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Abreu popped up to third. El Toro grounded out to short to end the inning.

Doyle grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Fernandez did the same. Ritter struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Rafaela grounded out to second to start. Eaton flied out to left but Gonzalez tripled into the left field corner. Anthony clobbered his first Fenway home run of the season to increase the lead. Refsnyder got a base hit in the hole at short to chase Gomber. Jimmy Herget allowed Refsnyder to steal second and a wild pitch moved him to third. Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 5-1.

                                                              Welcome to Fenway

Freeman grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth and Goodman struck out swinging. Moniak singled to right and Estrada doubled to left to chase Fitts. Dr Quick Hook Cora does it again, pulling a guy before he could finish an inning. Fitts was charges with 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings but only 2 were earned. Chris Murphy came in and Toglia hit a grounder to third Eaton did nothing with to score Moniak. McMahon got a base hit to center to score Estrada. Doyle struck out swinging to end the inning with the Rockies down 5-3.

                                                                Fitts deserved better

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Narvaez got a base hit to left to start. Abreu got a base hit to right but El Toro could only move the runners over with a grounder to short. Rafaela struck out swinging and Marcelo Mayer pinch hit for Eaton. Tyler Kinley came in to face Mayer and struck him out swinging to end the inning. 

Kyle Farmer pinch hit for Fernandez to start the top of the seventh and grounded out to second. Ritter flied out to right but Freeman walked. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock was summoned to face Goodman and Hunter struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck in the bottom of the seventh as Gonzalez grounded out to first to start. Anthony got a base hit to right and Jarren Duran pinch hit for Refsnyder. Duran got a base hit to right to score Anthony but Story grounded out to third. Narvaez singled to left to score Duran and Ryan Rolison came in to face Abreu. Wilyer lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 7-3.

                                                                That's how you pinch hit

Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Jordan Beck pinch hit for Moniak. Beck flied out to center and Estrada grounded out to short. Toglia watched strike three go by to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the eighth as El Toro struck out swinging to start. Rafaela mauled his 12th home run of the season but Mayer took strike 3. Gonzalez launched his 4th home run of the year but Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 9-3.

                                                             Gonzalez goes yard

Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the top of the ninth and McMahon doubled to left to start. Doyle watched strike three go by and Farmer went down hacking, but Ritter walked. Freeman grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had taken it 9-3.

                                                               Sox in

Hero of The Night is Roman Anthony. The rookie's 2 run shot was the difference in the game and his first at Fenway.

                                                                   Roman Hero

The Good:

Nate Eaton was 1 for 3.

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jarren Duran hit a pinch hit rbi single and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Richard Fitts allowed 3 runs in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win. He allowed 5 hits and a walk.

Garrett Whitlock got the only man he faced.

Brennan Bernardino pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but scored a run.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

Chris Murphy allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox need to beat up on bad teams and they're doing it so far. Sweeping the Nationals AND The Rockies seems like a tall order even though Colorado is horrible, but its something they have to do if they have any shot of getting back in the AL East race. Especially with the all-star break approaching after the Tampa Bay series. Fitts getting his first win of the season was a nice touch and kudos to the bullpen to lock it down after he left. Also kudos to Anthony for his first Fenway home run. Maybe things are looking up around here. The win improved the Sox to 47-45, 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Colorado and five wins total tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (4-3) takes on Kyle Freeland of Colorado. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Past Reds (7/1/25)

This game is going to be a paradox because it was actually suspended and completed the next day. When the dust settled, the Boston Red Sox had rallied past the Cincinnati Reds. "Big" Dick Fitts was the original starter for the Sox and he allowed a run in 3 innings while Brady Singer had allowed two of them. Then rain came and the game was suspended until the next day. When the next day resumed, Brayan Bello (4-3, 3.42 ERA) allowed 2 runs to put the Sox in a 3-2 hole. Carlos Narvaez hit a sac fly to tie the game and in the bottom of the eighth, both Wilyer Abreu and Trevor Story drove in runs. Aroldis Chapman earned his 350th career save as the Sox had won the game 5-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Anora approves of the win

Fitts got the ball in the top of the first inning and TJ Friedl walked to start. Matt McLain grounded out to third to move Friedl to second and TJ moved to third on the grounder to first by Elly De La Cruz. Austin Hays struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Singer in the bottom of the first as Jarren Duran doubled to left to start. Roman Anthony doubled to left to score Duran and Abraham "El" Toro flied out to right to move Roman to third. Carlos Narvaez singled to right to score Anthony and Wilyer Abreu walked. Trevor Story struck out swinging and Marcelo Mayer took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Sox strike first

Gavin Lux lined out to left to start the top of the second and Spencer Steer flied out to right. Jose Trevino lined out to center to end the inning. David Hamilton grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center. Duran watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Will Benson singled to right to start the top of the third and Christian Encarnacion-Strand got a base hit in the hole at short. Friedl dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over and McLain grounded out to third to score Benson. De La Cruz flied out to left to end the inning with the Reds down 2-1. Due to the game being postponed due to rain, that was it for Fitts who allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

                                                     Short and sweet for Fitts

Anthony grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third and Toro flied out to right. Narvaez walked and Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Rain then postponed the game to the following day and when action resumed, Brayan Bello took the mound to start the top of the fourth. Hays grounded out to third but Lux walked. Steer then hit a home run all the way to Franklin Park Zoo to put the Reds on top. Trevino struck out swinging and Benson grounded out to second to end the inning but the Reds were up 3-2.

                                                         Steer jacks one out

Sam Moll came in to pitch the bottom of the fourth and Story grounded out to short to start. Mayer struck out swinging and Hamilton popped up to third to end the inning.

Strand grounded out to third to open the top of the fifth and Friedl flied out to left. McLain grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Rafaela struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Duran whiffed as well. Anthony swung at air to end the inning.

De La Cruz grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth and Hays grounded out to short. Lux took strike three to end the inning. Scott Barlow came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Toro doubled off the glove of De La Cruz to start. A wild pitch moved Toro to third and he scored on the sac fly by Narvaez to tie the game. Abreu got a base hit to right but Story lined out to third. Abreu stole second but Mayer lined out to third to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                         Tie game

Steer was hit with a pitch to start the top of the seventh but Trevino struck out swinging. Benson grounded into a double play to end the inning. Lyon Richardson came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hamilton lined out to short to start. Rafaela grounded out to short and Duran took strike three to end the inning.

Strand popped up to second to begin the top of the eighth but Friedl was hit with a pitch. McLain grounded into a double play to end the inning. Santiago Espinal came in to play third in the bottom of the eighth and Anthony took strike three to start. Toro got a base hit to left and Nate Eaton ran for him. Eaton stole second and moved to third on the Narvaez grounder to second. Abreu got a base hit to right to score Eaton and Story doubled to left to score Abreu just like that. Story was thrown out at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                           Sox take the lead

Romy Gonzalez came in for Eaton with Aroldis Chapman now on the mound to start the top of the ninth. De La Cruz struck out swinging and Hays grounded out to short. Lux grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-3.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of The Night is Aroldis Chapman for earning his 350th career save.

                                                               Aroldis Hero

The Good:

Abraham Toro was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Nate Eaton stole a base and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 2 with a walk and 2 rbis.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and an rbi.

Brayan Bello tossed 5 innings of 2 run ball to earn the win.

The Bad:

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Richard Fitts allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Romy Gonzalez played first in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox to rally at the end after getting nothing done up to that point. The only problem is there's another game to play today and they already used Chapman. Bello had a yeoman's effort to win this one and hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum into "game 2" later. Apart from the bottom of the order being completely useless, this was a good win to scratch out runs the way they did. Obviously the Rafael Devers trade is going to affect them offensively but being able to scratch and claw will be a necessity at this point. Still, at least they won a game for once. The win improved the Sox to 43-44. Technically since this game concluded on Wednesday, there's no point in posting the standings. The Sox are going to go with a bullpen game against Nick Martinez of Cincinnati. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Angels Sweep Fading Sox (6/25/25)

Looks like the Rafael Devers trade did more harm than good for the Boston Red Sox. The Sox have now lost 6 of their 9 games following the trade including an embarrassing three game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels. The Sox broke out to a 2-0 lead on a 2 run single by Trevor Story off Yusei Kikuchi but that would be the only runs scored the rest of the game for Boston. "Big" Dick Fitts lasted just four innings but left with the game tied 2-2. Luis Guerrero (0-1, 3.18 ERA) allowed rbi singles to Jo Adell and Travis d'Arnaud to put Los Angeles up for good. Mike Trout added another run off Brennan Bernardino and the Angels swept the Red Sox 5-2 at Angel Stadium.

                                                               Fans are unhappy

The Sox wasted no time getting to Kikuchi in the top of the first inning as Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging to start. Scott Kingery booted a grounder by Jarren Duran for an error and Romy Gonzalez got a base hit to right. Carlos Narvaez hit one up the elevator shaft but Wilyer Abreu walked. Trevor Story drilled a base hit to left to score both Duran and Gonzalez. Ceddanne Rafaela forced Story at second base with the Sox ahead 2-0. They would have just 1 more hit the rest of the game.

                                                              Story drives in a pair

Fitts got the ball in the bottom of the first and Nolan Schanuel lined out to right to start. Christian Moore was hit with a pitch and Mike Trout walked, but Taylor Ward grounded out to first. Jo Adell struck out swinging to end the inning.

Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Nate Eaton took strike three. Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning. Travis d'Arnaud popped up to short to start the bottom of the second before LaMonte Wade Jr struck out swinging. Luis Rengifo singled to right but Kingery forced him at second base to end the inning.

Duran struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Gonzalez flied out to center. Narvaez got the last hit of the game for the Sox on a single to center but Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Schanuel lined out to left to start the bottom of the third before Moore went down hacking. Trout was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Story struck out swinging to begin the top of the fourth before Rafaela also swung at air. Mayer grounded out to first to end the inning. The Angels finally got to Fitts in the bottom of the fourth and Ward lined out to center to begin. Adell then hit a home run all the way to the moon to cut the lead. d'Arnaud then hit a home run all the way to Peru to tie the game. Wade Jr singled to center but Rengifo struck out swinging. Kingery struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. Once again Alex Cora was going to tax his bullpen by yanking Fitts after just 4 innings and 83 pitches. He allowed just the two home runs.

                                                         Didn't last long thanks to Cora

Eaton struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Refsnyder was rung up for strike three. Duran also went down hacking to end the inning. Luis Guerrero came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the fifth as Schanuel walked to start. Moore forced Schanuel at second but Trout walks. Ward took strike three but Adell singled to center to score Moore. d'Arnaud singled to left to score Trout to ice the game. That was it for Guerrero as Brennan Bernardino came in to get Wade to ground out to short to end the inning with the Angels ahead 4-2.

                                                               Angels take the lead

Gonzalez flied out to center to start the top of the sixth and Narvaez lined out to second. Abreu hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Angels struck again in the bottom of the sixth as Rengifo singled in the hole at third to start. Kingery dropped down a bunt to catch Bernardino asleep but Schanuel popped up to short. Zack Kelly came in to freeze Moore for strike three, but Trout got a base hit to right to score Rengifo. Ward struck out swinging to end the inning with the Angels up 5-2.

                                                            Trout with the kill shot

Story grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh before Rafaela struck out swinging. Mayer flied out to right to end the inning. Adell struck out swinging to start the bottom of the seventh before d'Arnaud doubled to left. Wade Jr lined back to Kelly and Rengifo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Old Sox prospect Ryan Zeferjahn came in to pitch the top of the eighth and David Hamilton pinch hit for Eaton. Roman Anthony pinch hit for Refsnyder and walked, but Duran flied out to right. Abraham "El" Toro pinch hit for Gonzalez and flied out to center to end the inning. Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Kingery walked to start. Kingery was thrown out at second trying to steal and Schanuel grounded out to second. Moore struck out swinging to end the inning.

Narvaez struck out swinging to start the top of the ninth before Abreu took strike three as well. It looked like Story had blooped a base hit to left but replays showed Ward caught it to end the game. The Angels had won the game 5-2.

                             "Angels win, now everybody go home!" - Alan Porter

Jackass of The Night is Luis Guerrero. He allowed the go-ahead runs to score in the fifth inning.

                                                     Jackass Guerrero

The Good:

Roman Anthony walked as a pinch hitter.

Romy Gonzalez was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Abraham Toro was 0 for 1.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Nate Eaton was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

David Hamilton was 0 for 1.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Richard Fitts allowed 2 runs in 4 innings of work. He allowed 4 hits and a walk while striking out 6.

Zack Kelly allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Its been the same story for five years now. Cora yanks a starter early at the first sign of trouble, the bullpen blows it and the offense can't come back. Having a bonafide Triple A lineup doesn't help though. Red Sox ownership have no one to blame but themselves for trading Rafael Devers and watching the offense evaporate as a result. The bullpen didn't help in this one as they allowed 3 runs in 5 innings but having to throw 5 innings is embarrassing in itself. The Sox need another bat at the trade deadline now that Devers is gone but good luck getting the front office to pony up the prospects or money to get one. For the fourth straight year we're headed to another .500 season or worse. The loss dropped the Sox to 40-42, 7 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox come back home for a six game homestand. First on the list is the Toronto Blue Jays this Friday night.  Brayan Bello (3-2) takes on Jose Berrios of Toronto at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Angels Early Rally Drop Sox (6/2/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Nate Eaton was sent back to Worcester and Romy Gonzalez was activated from the Injured List. Not much to say about this one, one utility guy swapped out for another.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     IN

Talk about a comeback for the ages that never was. The Los Angels looked to be headed for an easy victory over the Red Sox when they blasted "Big" Dick Fitts (0-3, 4.71 ERA) for six runs in the top of the first inning. Zach Neto, Mike Trout and Jo Adell all went yard to build the lead. Then the Sox rallied with a run in the third against Ty Anderson and four in the fifth with Romy Gonzalez driving in two runs to cut the lead to 1. Unfortunately Adell went yard again off Hunter Dobbins and a Ceddanne Rafaela solo shot was all Boston could do. The Angels had won the game 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                   "If only Fitts didn't suck tonight" - GL

The Angels wasted no time getting to Fitts in the top of the first inning as Zach Neto hit the first pitch of the game out of the yard to put the Angels up for good instantly. Nolan Schanuel walked, Taylor Ward got a base hit to right and Abraham Toro booted a grounder by Jorge Soler to score Nolan. Mike Trout then hit a home run all the way to Pluto to ice the game just like that. Logan O'Hoppe lined out to first but Jo Adell hit a home run onto the Mass Pike to send the fans into a booing rampage. Luis Rengifo lined out to left and Scott Kingery grounded out to short to end the inning with the Angels up 6-0. Bye bye Dick Fitts.

                                           "You suck....and get outta here!" - Narvaez

Ty Anderson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Rafael Devers did the same and Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hunter Dobbins came in to pitch the top of the second and Neto flied out to right to start. Schanuel flied out to center and Ward struck out swinging to end the inning. Carlos Narvaez flied out to left to start the bottom of the second but Romy Gonzalez singled off the glove of Rengifo. Abraham "El" Toro got a base hit to right and Trevor Story beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning.

Soler struck out swinging to start the top of the third but Trout got a base hit to center. O'Hoppe grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the third although Kristian Campbell grounded back to the mound to start. Duran doubled to center and Devers did the same to score Jarren. Refsnyder struck out swinging but Narvaez walked. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                            Devers drives in a run

Adell took strike three to begin the top of the fourth but Rengifo singled to left. Kingery forced Rengifo at second and Neto struck out swinging to end the inning. Toro struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Story grounded out to short. Rafaela lined out to short to end the inning.

Schanuel walked to start the top of the fifth but Ward lined out to second. Soler forced Schanuel at second and Trout got a base hit to left. O'Hoppe lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Campbell took strike three to start. Duran doubled to center, Devers walked and both runners moved over on a wild pitch. Refsnyder got a base hit to left to score Duran and Narvaez doubled to left to score Devers. That was it for Anderson as Hunter Strickland came in only for Gonzalez to double to right to score Refsnyder and Narvaez. Toro grounded out to short to move Gonzalez to third and with the tying run 90 feet away....Story struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 6-5.

                                                        Sox inch closer

Naturally all the momentum was lost instantly in the top of the sixth when Adell hit a home run all the way to Oklahoma to start. Rengifo hit one up the elevator shaft, Kingery popped up to first and Neto grounded out to short to end the inning with the Angels up 7-5.

                                                         Second home run for Adell

Reid Detmers came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Rafaela reached on a swinging bunt in front of the plate to start. Campbell forced Rafaela at second but Duran got a base hit to right. Devers flied out to left but Refsnyder walked to load the bases. With the tying run on second....Narvaez grounded out to short to end the inning. Angels pitching coach Barry Enright wasn't too happy about the Refsnyder walked and he walked toward home plate umpire Chad Whitson brandishing a tire iron. Whitson tossed Enright from the game and he had to be escorted out by armed SWAT members. 

Nick Burdi made his Red Sox debut pitching the top of the seventh and naturally Gonzalez threw a grounder by Schanuel away for an error. Ward struck out swinging but Soler walked. Trout grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

                                                            Burdi with a good debut

Kevin Newman took over for Kingery in the bottom of the seventh with old pal Ryan Zeferjahn now on the mound. Gonzalez grounded back to the mound and El Toro struck out swinging. Story took strike three to end the inning.

Luis Guerrero came in to pitch the top of the eighth and O'Hoppe flied out to right to start. Adell popped up to first and Rengifo grounded out to third to end the inning. Hector Neris came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela immediately greeted him with his fourth homer of the season to cut the lead. Campbell grounded back to the mound, Duran struck out swinging and Devers flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 7-6.

                                                           Rafaela gets the Wally Head

Newman lined out to center to start the top of the ninth and Neto grounded out to third. Schanuel grounded out to second to end the inning. Old pal Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder. Abreu struck out swinging, Narvaez flied out to center and Gonzalez flied out to right to end the game. The Angels had won it 7-6.

                                                         Angels win

Jackass of The Night is Richard Fitts. He allowed 6 runs in the first inning to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                              Jackass Fitts

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Hunter Dobbins allowed just one run in 5 innings.

Nick Burdi pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Luis Guerrero pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Kristian Campbell was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Abraham Toro was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a sucker punch to the gonads. They were down 6-0 and rallied to make it 6-5, only to give up a run. Then they get a run but can't deliver the knockout blow. Fitts melting in the first inning only for the Sox to rally was a welcomed sight to see, only problem is they didn't complete the comeback. One of the reasons the Sox have been so miserable this season is inconsistent pitching outside of Garret Crochet, Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello. Tanner Houck was awful, Richard Fitts has been inconsistent, Walker Buehler hasn't pitched well and Hunter Dobbins isn't lighting the world on fire either. If they can get better pitching, things will work themselves out. The loss dropped the Sox to 29-33, 9 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow evening when Brayan Bello goes for the Sox against Yusei Kikuchi of Los Angeles. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.