Royals 8 run sixth Sinks Sox (8/28/16)

Well this game was a sucker punch to the go-nads. The Boston Red Sox were enjoying a nice comfy 4-2 lead over the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals when the champs showed exactly why they won it all last year. In the top of the 6th, the last in the league in runs scored Royals scored 3 runs off the ineffective Eduardo Rodriguez (2-6, 5.35 ERA) and 6 runs off the incompetent Matt Barnes and Robbie Ross Jr. The 8 run inning was more than enough cushion for the Royals as they ran away with a 10-4 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                  Judge Doom hates Sox pitching

Rodriguez took the mound in the top of the first inning and Paulo Orlando led off by grounding out to short to start. Cheslor Cuthbert hit a weak grounder to Travis Shaw at third but he couldn't make the play at first. Lorenzo Cain popped up to Mookie Betts before Eric Hosmer drew a walk. Kendrys Morales popped up to right to end the inning. Yordano Ventura got the start for the Royals and Brock "The Hitman" Holt greeted him by dumping a base hit to left to begin. Xander Bogaerts hit a bullet but right to Cain in right. David Ortiz banged into a double play to end the inning.

Salvador Perez led off the top of the second by launching a home run off the left field foul pole to give the Royals the lead. Alex Gordon ripped a slider between first and second for a base hit before Alcedis Escobar drew a walk as the boo birds came out. Raul Mondesi Jr dropped down a bunt to move the runners over and Orlando hit a bullet to center that scored Gordon and sent Escobar to third. Cuthbert swung and missed at a high fastball for strike three to end the inning but the Royals were up 2-0.

                                                    Good luck getting that one.

Mr. Mookie led off the bottom of the second by lining a base hit off second base to start. Hanley Ramirez banged into a double play but Shaw drew a walk. Chris Young beat out an infield single to third before Sandy Leon popped up to left to end the inning.

Cain led off the top of the third by grounding out to third to start. Hosmer grounded back to E-Rod on the first pitch he saw and Morales lined one off the leg of E-Rod. Rodriguez hurried the throw to first but Ramirez couldn't scoop it for an error. Perez popped up to left to end the inning. Jackie Bradley Jr led off the bottom of the third by roping a single to right but Holt hit into a double play, the Sox third tonight. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

Rodriguez got Gordon to ground out to first to start the top of the fourth before Escobar popped up to Holt. Mondesi Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Ortiz crushed his 31st home run of the year into the triangle in center to cut the lead. Mr. Mookie popped up to shallow right before Hanley hit a bullet....right to Cain. Shaw flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                  Big Papi goes yard

Rodriguez got Orlando to pop up to Holt to start the top of the fifth before some idiot ran onto the field. Cuthbert lined out to Holt before Cain grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the fifth as Young singled off the glove of Cuthbert to begin. Leon hit a fly ball to Orlando and the ball ticked off his glove for an error. Young motored to third with Sandy taking second on the error. JBJ walked to load the bases as Holt grounded out to first to score Young and advanced the others. Bogaerts ripped a single up the middle to score Leon and JBJ to give the Sox the lead and chase Ventura. Matt Strahm came in and got Ortiz to bang into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                     Bogaerts gives the Sox the lead

The Royals exploded in the top of the sixth as Hosmer walked to start. Morales hit a ground rule double into the right field seats and Perez walked to load the bases with nobody out. Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to remind E-Rod that Law & Order SVU was on and Gordon popped up to left. That was it for E-Rod who ended up being charged 5 runs in 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.

                                                Not E-Rod's best stuff

Matt Barnes came in and completely puked on himself. Escobar hit a Baltimore chop off the plate for a base hit that scored Hosmer and Mondesi Jr tripled into the triangle to give the Royals the lead. Barnes plunked Orlando on the hand and Cuthbert hit a chopper to the mound where the only play was at home but Mondesi Jr beat the throw for another run. Cain singled off the Monster to score Orlando and chase Barnes. Matt was brought in with a 2 run lead and ended up allowing all three inherited runners to score and 3 of his own. Yuck! Robbie Ross Jr came in and poured gas on the fire as Hosmer singled off the Monster to score Cain and Cuthbert. Morales singled to left and both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Perez. Gordon grounded out to second but the Royals put 8 runs on the board to ice the game 10-4.

                                    Mondesi ices the game with a 3 run triple and a run scored

The Sox offense was done for the night in the bottom of the sixth as Mr. Mookie was rung up on a check swing strike three to start. Ramirez grounded out to short and Shaw grounded out to first to end the inning.

Ross Jr came back for the top of the seventh and Ramirez made a great pick on a grounder to first by Escobar to start. Mondesi Jr popped up to first and Orlando grounded out to third to end the inning. Young started the bottom of the seventh by popping up to first. Leon drew a walk but JBJ popped up to short. Holt grounded out to second to end the inning.

Junichi Tazawa came in for the top of the eighth and Cuthbert whiffed to start. Cain popped up to first and Hosmer grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth against Peter Moylan. Bogaerts grounded out to third before Ortiz whiffed. Mr. Mookie hit a sharp grounder to third and beat out the bad throw for a "hit" but Ramirez grounded into a force to end the inning.

Tazawa returned for the top of the ninth as Morales beat the shift with a base hit to left to start. Billy Burns ran for Morales and was erased on the force by Perez. Taz made a great play to nab a liner by Gordon to induce the double play to end the inning. The game ended in the bottom of the ninth as Joakim Soria closed it out by getting Shaw to ground out to first to start. Young watched strike three go by before Leon blooped a single to left. JBJ drew a walk but Holt whiffed to end the game. The Royals had won it 10-4.

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He allowed 3 inherited runners to score and was charged with 5 of his own to put the Sox completely out of reach.

                                                          Barnes The Jackass


The Good:

Chris Young was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Robbie Ross Jr tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Junichi Tazawa tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4.

Eduardo Rodriguez was charged with 5 runs in just 5 1/3 innings to take the loss.



The Ugly:

Brock "The Hitman" Holt was just 1 for 5 with an rbi.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but knocked in two runs.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with a walk.




Final Thoughts:

This game sucked big portions of ass. The Royals are on a hot streak this month but they're still last in the league in runs scored. The Royals had no trouble scoring runs off Rodriguez and Barnes and the Sox stopped trying after falling behind. Games like this can't happen with the AL East race this close. The Sox have a chance for the first time in 3 years and they have to beat the bad teams as well as the good ones as the calendar turns to September. Apart from Ortiz home run, the less said of this game the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 72-58, 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox come home for a crucial homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays. "Slick" Rick Porcello (17-3) takes on Matt Andriese at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Smash Royals, End Streak (8/27/16)

That's more like it. After a pitiful 3 game losing streak, the Boston Red Sox got back on track against the Kansas City Royals. Dustin Pedroia nearly broke a major league record with 11 straight hits but fell one short. David Price (13-8, 3.97 ERA) tossed 6 solid innings of 2 run ball while the offense pounced on the world champs for 12 hits and 8 runs. The Sox got back on track with an 8-3 victory over the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                 The Gronk approves of the win

Price got the ball in the top of the first and Paulo Orlando hit a bullet right to Jackie Bradley Jr to start. Cheslor Cuthbert singled past the diving Aaron Hill into left before Lorenzo Cain beat out a double play ball. Eric Hosmer was frozen on a 95 mph fastball on the back to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Royals starter Danny Duffy in the bottom of the first inning as the scorching hot Dustin Pedroia led off with a base hit to center. Xander Bogaerts blasted his 16th home run of the season completely out of Fenway to give the Sox the lead 2 batters into the game. The Royals then played a game of "I got it...I don't got it" as David Ortiz' routine pop up fell in for a "single". Ortiz then tried to take second on a wild pitch but Salvador Perez fired a bullet to second to nail Big Papi. Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center but Hanley Ramirez dumped a base hit to right. Sandy Leon popped up to first to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.

                                                 Bogaerts puts Boston up early

The Royals immediately answered in the top of the second although Kendrys Morales popped up to first to start. Perez then swatted a line drive home run into the Monster Seats to put the Royals on the board. Alex Gordon followed with a double high off the Monster and he scored on the double to left by Alcides Escobar. Christian Colon popped up to Hanley on the infield before Orlando waived at a pitch in the dirt to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                Royals tie it up

The Sox countered in the bottom of the second as Chris Young walked to start. Hill flied out to deep right as a passed ball moved Young to second. Jackie Bradley Jr drove home Young with a ground rule double into the right field corner to give the Sox the lead. Pedroia doubled off the Monster to score JBJ but Escobar threw the ball away to allow Pedroia to advance to third. He was stranded as Bogaerts grounded out to second as did Ortiz to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                 Pedroia drives in another run

Price got Cuthbert to pop up to third to start the top of the third before Cain grounded out to second. Hosmer walked but Morales struck out swinging to end the inning. Duffy cruised in the bottom of the third as Mr. Mookie flied out to the centerfield warning track to start. Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley told a story of how back in 1998, 41 year old Paul Molitor dropped a bunt on Eck to walkoff the Twins over the Red Sox. What Eck forgot is none other than a young David Ortiz scored the tying run in the 6th inning of that game for the Twins. Back to this game, Ramirez grounded out to second and Leon was caught looking for strike three to end the inning.

                                                 "How DARE you try to win the game Paul!"

Price whiffed Perez on an 88 mph cutter to start the top of the fourth before Gordon lined out to a running Betts. Escobar whiffed on a 90 mph cutter to end the inning. The Sox added to the lead in the bottom of the fourth as Sox broadcaster Dave O'Brien finally pointed out David Ortiz played in the game Eck was talking about. Young drew a four pitch walk before Hill was out on a bang bang play at first after a great play by Hosmer. JBJ took a horrible strike three call but the red hot Pedroia singled home Young to increase the lead. Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                               Pedroia 7 for his last 7

Price continued to pitch well in the top of the fifth as Colon was retired on a swinging bunt to Leon to start. Orlando grounded out to third but Cuthbert doubled down the left field line. Cain flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox displayed some power in the bottom of the fifth although Ortiz flied out to the right field warning track to start. Mr. Mookie and Hanley then belted back to back home runs to light up the crowd. Leon grounded out to third and Young flied out to right to end the inning but it was 7-2 Sox.

                                                   Hanley and Mookie go back to back

Price was nearly perfect in the top of the sixth as Hosmer whiffed to start. Morales grounded out to short but Perez walked. Price finished his outing by catching Gordon looking to end the inning. Price went 6 solid innings while allowing just 2 runs while striking out 7.

                                                   Good work Price

Old nemesis Chien-Ming Wang came in for the bottom of the sixth and the Sox tagged him too. Hill walked but JBJ whiffed. Pedroia continued his hot streak with a base hit up the middle to go 11 for 11 and Bogaerts pounded a ground rule double into the right field corner to score Hill. Ortiz grounded out to second and Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 8-2 Sox.

                                                 Another rbi for Bogaerts

Brad Ziegler was first out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh and Escobar popped up to first to start. Bogaerts made a great play to rob Colon of a hit and also retired Orlando on a grounder to end the inning. Billy Burns took over for Cain to start the bottom of the seventh and Ramirez grounded out to first to start. Leon grounded out to second and Young flied out to the centerfield wall to end the inning.

Clay Buchholz was summoned for the top of the eighth and Cuthbert grounded out to short to start. Burns beat out an infield single to second....but wait! Sox manager John Farrell challenged the call and replays showed he was OUT! Hosmer drew a walk but Hanley fell on his ass making a catch to rob Morales of a hit to end the inning. Sox fans stood in the bottom of the eighth to see if Pedroia could tie the major league record of 12 straight hits. First Hill grounded out to short before JBJ poked a base hit to center. The record remained intact as Pedroia banged into a double play to end the inning. Oh well!

Robbie Ross Jr came in for the top of the ninth with Travis Shaw now at third base. Perez jacked a home run off the hands of a fan in the centerfield bleachers to cut the lead. Ross got mad and caught Gordon looking for strike three before Escobar was rung up for strike three on a check swing. Colon got plunked but Betts made a running catch on Orlando to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

                                                   Big win for the Sox.



Hero of the Night is Xander Bogaerts. He drove in as many runs by himself as the entire Royals did and hit the big two run home run.

                                                     X-Man Hero



The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 4 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Chris Young walked twice and scored 2 runs in 4 at bats.

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

David Price got the win with 6 innings of 2 run ball. He struck out 7 batters as well.

Brad Ziegler pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Clay Buchholz pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Robbie Ross Jr gave up a run in the ninth inning.



The Ugly:

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4.

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Aaron Hill was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Travis Shaw played third base in the top of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

That was an impressive win against the red hot Duffy who was 11-1 coming into this game. Not only that but Price pitched his ass off in this one. Buchholz pitched well out of the bullpen and the offense continues to click. Would have been nice to see Pedroia tie the ML record for consecutive hits but at least the game was well in hand when he hit into the double play. Mookie Betts needs a strong September to challenge Mike Trout in the AL MVP race but then again, the entire teams need a strong September to win the AL East race. All in all it was a good win against the current champs and hope they can continue the trend. The win improved the Sox to 72-57, 1 game behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the champs tomorrow night. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-5) goes up against Yordano Ventura at 8:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Tigers Late Rally Snaps Streak (8/18/16)

If the Boston Red Sox want a shot at the playoffs this year, they need to stop with these late inning blown leads. 5 times in the past few weeks the Sox had a late lead only to blow it, and tonight made six courtesy of the Detroit Tigers. Clay Buchholz held the Tigers to 1 measly run in 6 innings while Matthew Boyd held the Sox to a run through six as well. The Sox broke through with 2 runs in the top of the eighth but the combination of Junichi Tazawa and Brad Ziegler gave up 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox got the tying run to second base in the top of the ninth but Francisco Rodriguez retired both Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts to end the game. The Tigers had rallied past the Sox 4-3 at Comerica Park.

Boyd got the ball in the top of the first inning and Aaron Hill struck out swinging to start. Xander Bogaerts flied out to left and Mr. Mookie Betts got a base hit to center. Hanley Ramirez got a base hit to right but Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to first to end the inning. Buchholz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ian Kinsler flied out to JBJ to start. Erick Aybar got a base hit to right but Miguel Cabrera grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Sandy Leon grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Bryan Holaday flied out to left. Deven Marrero grounded out to short to end the inning. The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the second as old friend Victor Martinez grounded out to third to start. JD Martinez got a base hit to left and it looked like Jackie Bradley Jr caught a sinking line drive by Casey McGehee. The Tigers challenged that it was a trap and sure enough, it was called a trap to move Martinez to third. Sox manager John Farrell argued that even if it was a trap, Martinez was tagged out. The umpires told Farrell to get lost and he started yelling at them in the dugout. Home plate umpire Scott Barry told Farrell to shut up and John ran out of the dugout challenging him to a fight. Barry had to tell him that it wasn't Farrell that was ejected but third base coach Brian Butterfield. When things calmed down, old pal Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a sac fly to center to score Martinez. Andrew Romine got a base hit to right but Alex Presley grounded out to first to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.

                                     "What he say?" - JF  "GET OUTTA HERE!" - SB

Andrew Benintendi got a base hit to right to start the top of the third and Hill drew a walk. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Mr. Mookie flied out to center to move Hill to third. Ramirez walked to load the bases but JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. Kinsler flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Aybar's bunt was snuffed out by Buchholz. Cabrera got a base hit to right but Victor Martinez flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Leon crushed his seventh home run of the season to tie the game. Holaday flied out to right, Marrero lined out to third and Benintendi took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        What a season for Leon so far

JD Martinez grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and McGehee grounded out to short. Saltalamacchia flied out to left to end the inning.

Hill got a base hit to left to start the top of the fifth and Bogaerts lined out to left. Mr. Mookie forced Hill at second and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Romine struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and but Presley got a base hit to right. Kinsler lined out to left and Aybar grounded out to second to end the inning.

JBJ grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth and Leon flied out to center. Sox analyst Jerry Remy admitted he gets to the ballpark around 7 AM for day games because he hates waiting around in his hotel room. Then he said eventually he'll get there at 5 AM. Holaday lined out to center to end the inning. Buchholz came back for the bottom of the sixth and Cabrera was hit with a pitch to start. JD Martinez popped up to short and JD Martinez struck out swinging. McGehee also went down hacking to end the inning. That was it for Buchholz who tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 1 run off 6 hits.

                                                            Buchholz was on today

Travis Shaw pinch hit for Marrero to start the top of the seventh with old pal Alex Wilson now on the mound. Shaw struck out swinging and Benintendi flied out to left. Hill popped up to second to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Saltalamacchia flied out to left to start. Romine lined out to center and Presley flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the eighth as Bogaerts beat out a roller to second to start. Mr. Mookie blooped a base hit to right and Ramirez singled up the middle to score Bogaerts. Justin Wilson came in to pitch to Bradley and JBJ grounded into a double play....only for Betts to score on a wild pitch. Leon walked but Holaday struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                           Sox score the go-ahead runs

Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and crapped his pants big time. Kinsler ripped a base hit to left, Aybar doubled to right and Cabrera got a base hit to center to score Kinsler and chase Tazawa. Brad Ziegler poured gas on the fire as Victor Martinez singled to right to score Aybar. Tyler Collins ran for Cabrera as JD Martinez walked to load the bases. McGehee hit a grounder to short and Bogaerts came home to force Collins then Justin Upton ran for Victor Martinez. Saltalamacchia struck out swinging but Romine walked to score Upton to put the Tigers on top. Presley grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers up 4-3.

                                                           Tigers take the lead

The Sox did try to rally in the top of the ninth with Francisco Rodriguez no on the mound. Shaw walked to start and Brock "The Hitman" Holt ran for him. Andrew Benintendi beat out a double play ball and the Tigers challenged that he was out. The umpires said he was safe and David Ortiz pinch hit for Hill. Ortiz got a base hit to center and Dustin Pedroia ran for him. With the tying run at second....Bogaerts grounded out to first to move the runners over. With the game on the line....Mr. Mookie hit a bullet to Kinsler to end the game. The Tigers had won it 4-3.

                                                           Tigers win

Jackass of The Night is Brad Ziegler. Yes, Tazawa put the runners on but Ziegler allowed all 3 of them to score, including walking home the go-ahead run with 2 outs.

                                                                Jackass Ziegler

The Good:

Aaron Hill was 1 for 3 with a walk.

David Ortiz singled as a pinch hitter.

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Travis Shaw walked in 2 plate appearances.

Clay Buchholz pitched 6 innings of 1 run ball allowing 6 hits.

Robbie Ross Jr pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 4.

Deven Marrero was 0 for 2.

Bryan Holaday was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Junichi Tazawa was charged with 3 runs in the eighth inning to take the loss.

The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt ran for Travis Shaw in the ninth inning.

Dustin Pedroia ran for Ortiz in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

How many games is that now in the past few weeks the Sox have blown in the eighth or ninth inning? The two blown games against the New York Yankees, the Robinson Cano home run off Fernando Abad, the Los Angeles Angels rally and the Minnesota Twins scoring 7 runs in the 7th inning. Every team has blown leads but you'd think with the bullpen they have it wouldn't be as frequent. Still, its not entirely Tazawa and Ziegler's fault, only getting one run off Matthew Boyd should have been a clue it wasn't going to be their day. Still, this could be the end of the line for Tazawa which is a shame, he was the man from 2012-15. Overworked relief pitchers have a shelf life and apparently his is expired. Still, its only one loss but it still stings. The loss dropped the Sox to 67-53, 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow night against the Tigers when "Slick" Rick Porcello (16-3) takes on Michael Fulmer of Detroit. The game begins at 8:10 PM eastern time at Comerica Park.

Sox Rally Past Diamondbacks (8/13/16)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox are starting to make their push for the playoffs for the first time in three years. The Sox beat the Arizona Diamondbacks after their spot starter Clay Buchholz only lasted 4 1/3 innings. Arizona took a 3-1 lead over Boston when Robbie Ross Jr (2-2, 3.80 ERA) allowed an inherited runner to score from Buchholz. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth against Archie Bradley scoring 3 runs to take the lead. Brock "The Hitman" Holt smacked a two run home run in the bottom of the sixth for some insurance. Things got hairy in the eighth when Matt Barnes walked the bases loaded but Brad Ziegler struck out the next three batters to keep the lead. Craig Kimbrel locked it down in the ninth and the Sox had won 2 in a row against Arizona 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                    Otar The Mad approves of the win

Buchholz got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jean Segura grounded out to second to start. Michael Bourn flied out to center and Paul Godschmidt struck out swinging to end the inning. Bradley got the ball in the bottom of the first and Dustin Pedroia popped up to short. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to third and Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jake Lamb walked to start the top of the second but Rickie Weeks grounded into a double play. Yasmany Tomas grounded out to short to end the inning. David Ortiz struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second and Hanley Ramirez lined back to Bradley. Travis Shaw popped up to short to end the inning.

Chris Owings walked to start the top of the third but Oscar Hernandez flied out to center. Socrates Brito grounded into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the third as Sandy Leon got a base hit to right to start. Brock Holt forced Sandy at second but Andrew Benintendi singled to left. Pedroia dumped a base hit to right to score Holt and move Benintendi to third. Bogaerts struck out swinging and Mr. Mookie took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                 Safe!

The Diamondbacks struck back in the top of the fourth as Segura lined out to third to start. Bourn got a base hit to center, Goldschmidt walked and both runners pulled off a double steal. Lamb grounded out to second to score Bourn and Weeks got a base hit to right to score Goldschmit. Tomas grounded out to second to end the inning with Arizona up 2-1.

                                                                  Arizona takes the lead

Ortiz grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Ramirez grounded out to second. Shaw popped up to short to end the inning.

The Diamondbacks struck again in the top of the fifth as Owings singled to center to start. Hernandez flied out to left and that was it for Buchholz. He'd be charged with 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 3 walks in his first start in over a month. Robbie Ross Jr got Brito to fly out to left but Segura walked. Bourn got a base hit to right to score Owings but Goldschmidt forced him at second to end the inning with the Diamondbacks up 3-1.

                                              "This one's on me, Clay. I got Wright hurt" - JF

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Leon belted his fifth home run of the season to start. Segura and Brito nearly collided on a routine pop up by Holt for an error to allow Brock to reach second. Benintendi doubled to center to score Holt and moved to third on a grounder to second by Pedroia. Bogaerts struck out swinging but Mr. Mookie chopped a base hit over Lamb's head to score Benintendi. Ortiz walked but Ramirez popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                                 Leon starts the rally

Ross froze Lamb for strike three to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Robbie. Junichi Tazawa came in and Weeks flied out to center, but Shaw couldn't come up with a grounder by Tomas for an error. Owings grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Shaw popped up to short to start. Leon walked and Holt smashed his 6th home run of the season to increase the lead. That was it for Bradley as Steve Hathaway was brought in to face Benintendi. Andrew took strike three and Randall Delgado came in to face Pedroia. Dustin got a base hit to left but Bogaerts popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                          Hitman Home Run

Matt Barnes came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Hernandez drilled as base hit to left to start. Brito struck out swinging and Segura grounded into a double play to end the inning. Daniel Hudson came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Mr. Mookie popped up to second to start. Ortiz lined out to right and Ramirez also flied out to right to end the inning.

Things looked bad when Bourn, Goldschmidt and Lamb walked consecutively to load the bases with nobody out to start the top of the eighth. Brad Zeigler came in and struck Weeks out swinging on 3 pitches. Tomas went down hacking and Fenway erupted when Owings swung at air to end the inning. Ziegler had pulled the Houdini to get out of the jam.

                                                       Outstanding job by Ziegler

Adam Loewen came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Aaron Hill pinch hit for Shaw. Hill popped up to first, Leon grounded out to third and Holt flied out to center to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to close out the top of the ninth and Phil Gosselin pinch hit for Hernandez. Gosselin struck out swinging and Brandon Drury pinch hit for Brito. Drury flied out to right and Segura grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brad Zeigler. He pulled the Houdini in the top of the eighth to keep the Sox on top.

                                                                     Hero Ziegler

The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 total runs scored.

Andrew Benintendi was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Junichi Tazawa got the final 2 outs of the 6th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 19th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Travis Shaw was 0 for 3.

Aaron Hill was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Matt Barnes walked the bases loaded in the top of the eighth.

Clay Buchholz allowed 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 3 hits and 3 walks.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run and he scored 3 runs.

Robbie Ross Jr allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

What an effort by Ziegler and the Red Sox there. Having to start Buchholz with Steven Wright down, surviving that, then surviving the eighth inning. Sandy Leon would probably be in contention for AL MVP if he was brought up just a month earlier. Bogaerts and Betts are cooling off big time due to bumps & bruises with limited days off since the all-star break but the bottom of the order got it done tonight. Benintendi, Holt and Leon stepped up big time and the Sox would be in a playoff spot if the season ended now. Still, there's 47 games left in the season and the Sox need a nice winning streak to the catch the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles. The Sox have a death march against the AL East next month that might decide the division but they can get ahead of the curve with a streak now. If only Wright didn't get hurt, Buchholz isn't giving them much. The win improved the Sox to 63-52, 2 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox go for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon when "Slick" Rick Porcello (15-3) takes on Zack Greinke of Arizona. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Dodgers Blank Rodriguez, Sox (8/6/16)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Bryan Holoday was activated for today's game after being signed yesterday and Ryan Hanigan was placed on the Disabled List with an ankle injury. Way too many injured catchers this year between Blake Swihart, Christian Vazquez and now Hanigan. Tommy Layne was also given his release, guess the Sox are going with Fernando Abad as their lefty specialist moving forward.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, not how you wanted to follow up after pulverizing the Los Angeles Dodgers last night. The Dodgers turned the trick on the Red Sox, shutting them out due to lights out pitching from Ross Stripling and the Dodgers bullpen. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-5, 5.93 ERA) was lit up for 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings but the key to the game was the top of the first. The Sox had the bases loaded but couldn't score. The Sox bats had just 3 hits and a walk the rest of the game. The Sox bullpen held the fort but the bats didn't as the Dodgers shut out Boston 3-0 at Dodgers Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Stripling got the ball in the top of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts singled off of Stripling to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt ripped a base hit to center but Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging to start. David Ortiz grounded out to second to move the runners over but Jackie Bradley Jr walked to load the bases. Sandy Leon grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Rodriguez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ortiz made a jumping grab of a Howie Kendrick liner to start. Corey Seager grounded out to third and Justin Turner struck out swinging to end the inning.

Travis Shaw struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Andrew Benintendi grounded out to short. Rodriguez took strike three right down the middle to end the inning. The Dodgers struck first in the bottom of the second as Adrian Gonzalez got a base hit to left to start. Enrique Hernandez got a base hit to left but Josh Reddick lined out to left. Scott Van Slyke struck out swinging but AJ Ellis got a base hit to left to score Gonzalez, putting the Dodgers up for good. Stripling struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was already over 1-0 Dodgers.

                                                       Ellis puts LA ahead

Mr. Mookie got a base hit to center to start the top of the third but Holt forced him at second. Bogaerts grounded out to second to move Holt to second and Ortiz flied out to left to end the inning. Holt made a great diving stop on a Kendrick grounder to start the bottom of the third and Seager struck out swinging. Turner flied out to right to end the inning.

JBJ lined out to right to start the top of the fourth as legendary, retiring broadcaster Vin Scully said he's going to miss the roar of the crowd the most when he goes. Leon flied out to right but Shaw got a base hit to right. Benintendi grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                        We'll miss ya, Scully

Gonzalez beat out a grounder to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Hernandez got a base hit to center. Reddick struck out swinging and Van Slyke lined out to right. Sox pitching coach Carl Willis sprinted to the mound to tell Rodriguez that Gene Kelly was a good dancer. Rodriguez was so inspired that he got Ellis to pop up to center to end the inning.

Rodriguez struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Mr. Mookie grounded out to second. Holt grounded out to first to end the inning. The Dodgers iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Chris Taylor pinch hit for Stripling to begin. Taylor got a base hit to left and Kendrick walked. Seager doubled to right to score Taylor but Turner grounded out to short. Gonzalez hit a broken bat flare to center to score Kendrick and chase Rodriguez. Once again E-Rod struggled allowing 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 8 hits and a walk. Matt Barnes came in and Joc Pederson pinch hit for Hernandez. Pederson struck out swinging and Reddick lined out to first to end the inning with the Dodgers up 3-0.

                                                               Not good enough

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the sixth with Grant Dayton now on the mound. Bogaerts flied out to right to start and Ortiz struck out swinging. JBJ flied out to right to end the inning. Aaron Hill took Ortiz spot in the batting order with Shaw moving to first to start the bottom of the sixth. Van Slyke got a base hit to center but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Ellis took strike three and Dayton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Leon walked to start the top of the seventh but Shaw struck out swiHinging. Benintendi struck out swinging and Hanley Ramirez pinch hit for Barnes. Ramirez struck out swinging as well to end the inning. 

                                                Bryan Holoday doesn't find this fun

Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Kendrick struck out swinging to start. Seager grounded out to second but Turner got a base hit to left. Gonzalez took strike three to end the inning.

Joe Blanton came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Sox analyst Dave O'Brien told a story of how bench coach Torey Lovullo learned how to double knot his shoes from legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to start and Holt grounded out to short. Bogaerts got a base hit to left but Hill grounded out to short to end the inning. Pederson grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth but Reddick singled to right. Clay Buchholz came in to pitch and Van Slyke took strike three. Ellis forced Reddick at second to end the inning.

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the top of the ninth and JBJ struck out swinging to start. Leon went down hacking and Shaw whiffed to end the game. The Dodgers had blanked the Sox 3-0.

                                                            Dodgers win

Jackass of The Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. Not that the bats did anything but he got hammered for 3 runs in just 4 1/3 innings off 8 hits and a walk.

                                                   "Get out of here, Jackass" - Farrell

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4.

Matt Barnes tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Robbie Ross Jr tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Clay Buchholz got the final two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Aaron Hill was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Hanley Ramirez struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

That game sucked and the Sox are in trouble. Pedroia fouled a ball off his foot and is out, Ortiz was taken out of this one and the National League rules pretty much force Hanley to the bench. They can't afford to lose both Pedroia and Ortiz. Stripling wasn't even that good and the Sox couldn't touch him or the bullpen. Rodriguez also failed once again and its a mental issue at this point. Just by looking at his body language, any time he gets a runner on it totally screws him up. He didn't pitch until May and he hasn't looked good at all. David Price has underperformed, Pomeranz has been a bust so far, Clay Buchholz looks washed and E-Rod hasn't lit it up. Thank goodness for Rick Porcello and Steven Wright. Just hope they can bounce back tomorrow. The loss dropped the Sox to 60-49, 2 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow evening when David Price (9-7, 4.30 ERA) takes on Brandon McCarthy of the Dodgers. The game begins at 7:10 PM Eastern time at Dodger Stadium.

Sox Drop Mariners in 11 (8/4/16)

Before the game, the Boston Red Sox waived goodbye to Michael Martinez as he was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians. We'll always have July 22nd right?

                                                             Bye bye Martinez

As for the game, better late than never for the Boston Red Sox. Once again the vaunted offense was shut completely down, this time by Ariel Miranda and the Seattle bullpen....for the most part. Miranda held the Sox to just 2 runs in 6 innings courtesy of a Travis Shaw home run and Mookie Betts rbi double. Sad part was Drew Pomeranz pitched his best game for Boston so far by holding Seattle to 2 runs in 6 innings himself. The battle of the bullpens lasted all the way into the 11th inning. Brock "The Hitman" Holt got the big rbi hit to drive in Shaw against Cody Martin. In the bottom of the frame, Brad Ziegler had the tying run at third but struck out Seth Smith to end the game. The Sox had prevailed 3-2 in 11 innings at Safeco Field.

                                                       Janet Jackson approves of the win

Miranda got the ball in the top of the first for his ML debut and Mr. Mookie Betts led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Xander Bogaerts got a seeing eye single into left and David Ortiz dumped a base hit to left as well. Dustin Pedroia walked to load the bases but Jackie Bradley Jr struck out swinging. Aaron Hill flied out to right to end the inning. Pomeranz got the ball in the bottom of the first and Guillermo Heredia walked to start. Franklin Gutierrez struck out swinging and Robinson Cano took strike three. Nelson Cruz grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Travis Shaw smoked his 13th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Ryan Hanigan and Bryce Brentz both watched strike three go by and Mr. Mookie struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Sox take the lead

Dae-ho Lee lined out to second to start the bottom of the second but Kyle Seager walked. Mike Zunino struck out swinging and Leonys Martin grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Bogaerts got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but Ortiz grounded into a double play. Pedroia flied out to left to end the inning. Shawn O'Malley caught Pedroia asleep with a bunt single to start the bottom of the third and Heredia forced him at second. Heredia was thrown out at second trying to steal and Gutierrez struck out swinging to end the inning.

JBJ grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth but Hill got a base hit to right. Shaw took strike three and Hanigan flied out to center to end the inning. Cano flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth but Cruz and Lee drew back to back walks. Seager flied out to center but Zunino walked to load the bases. Martin grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Brentz doubled to right to start. Mr. Mookie also doubled to right to score Brentz. Bogaerts lined out to the left field wall and Ortiz lined out to center. Pedroia flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Mr. Mookie drives in a run

The lead lasted 8 seconds in the bottom of the fifth as O'Malley pulverized a home run into the Pacific Ocean to start. Heredia dropped down a bunt to catch Pedroia asleep and moved to second on a grounder to third by Heredia. Cano grounded out to second to move Heredia to third and Cruz was intentionally walked. The slumping Lee broke a 3 for 36 skid with a base hit to center to score Heredia. Seager grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       O'Malley hits one way out of here

JBJ got a base hit to right to start the top of the sixth but Hill flied out to right. Shaw hit a bullet...right to Lee who doubled off Bradley to end the inning. Zunino was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate to start the bottom of the sixth before Martin struck out swinging. O'Malley struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Pomeranz who allowed just 2 runs in 6 innings of work off 4 hits and 6 walks.

                                                            Better outing from Drew

Drew Storen came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Hanigan lined out to short to start. Brock "The Hitman" Holt pinch hit for Brentz and grounded out to first. Mr. Mookie singled in the hole at short but Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning. Robbie Ross Jr came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Heredia grounded out to second to start. Gutierrez walked but Cano grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Vidal Nuno came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Ortiz popped up to second to start. Pedroia blooped a base hit to center but JBJ struck out swinging. Tom Wilhelmson came in to face Hill and Aaron walked. Shaw grounded out to short to end the inning. Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Cruz struck out swinging to start. Lee struck out swinging but Seager got a base hit to left. Zunino struck out swinging to end the inning.

Sandy Leon pinch hit for the 0 for 20 Hanigan to start the top of the ninth and grounded out to second. Holt walked but Mr. Mookie banged into a double play to end the inning. Fernando Abad came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Leon just barely got Martin at first on a swinging bunt in front of the plate. O'Malley got a base hit to center and Gutierrez walked to put the winning run at second. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in to face Cano with Nori Aoki running for Gutierrez. Cano grounded out to second to end the inning.

Blake Parker came in to pitch the top of the tenth and Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Ortiz grounded out to first but Pedroia singled to center. JBJ walked but Hill grounded out to third to end the inning. Cruz struck out swinging to start the bottom of the tenth and Adam Lind pinch hit for Lee. Lind struck out swinging and Seager went down hacking to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the 11th with Cody Martin now on the mound. Shaw drilled a base hit to left and Leon dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Holt hit a chopper up the middle for a base hit off the glove of O'Malley to score Shaw to put Boston ahead. Mr. Mookie struck out swinging and Holt was caught in a rundown to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                        Shaw scores the go-ahead run

Brad Ziegler came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Zunino walked to start. Luis Sardenas ran for Zunino and Martin dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Luis to second. O'Malley grounded out to first to move Sardenas to third and Seth Smith pinch hit for Heredia. Smith struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 11 innings.

                                                               Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brock Holt. His rbi single in the 11th put the Sox up for good

                                                       Brock "The Hero" Holt

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 6 with an rbi.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5.

Dustin Pedroia was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Travis Shaw was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Bryce Brentz was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Drew Pomeranz tossed 6 innings of 2 runs scored. He allowed 4 hits and 6 walks.

Robbie Ross Jr tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Fernando Abad tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Craig Kimbrel got the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Brad Ziegler earned his 21st save with a scoreless 11th inning.

The Bad:

Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

David Ortiz was just 1 for 5.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Aaron Hill was just 1 for 4 with a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Big, big win by the Sox considering their offensive woes lately and being on the road in extra innings. Pomeranz pitched his best game with the Sox and the bullpen was lights out. With a quartet of Tazawa, Koji Uehara, Kimbrel and Ziegler....this team could be very tough to beat if the starters can go 6 innings at a time. The Sox are going to need all hands on deck because they have a good a shot as anyone to make the playoffs as they're only 2 games out of first place in a very competitive AL East. The Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are in their sights and two good months of baseball, especially against an AL East gauntlet in September, could get them over the hump. The win improved the Sox to 59-48, 2 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have to travel to Los Angeles for a three game deathmatch with the Dodgers. Steven Wright (12-5) takes on Scott Kazmir of LA. The game begins tomorrow night at 10:10 PM eastern time at Dodger Stadium.