Sox Beat Tigers With Five Run Rally (5/4/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Danny Coulombe was placed on the Injured List with back spasms and the Sox called up 29 year old career minor league relief pitcher Alec Gamboa from Worcester. Get well soon Coulombe.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, better late than never for the Red Sox in this one. Payton Tolle (1-1, 2.04 ERA) earned his first win of the season by holding the Detroit Tigers to 2 unearned runs in 7 strong innings. The Sox also caught a break with Tarik Skubal being scratched from today's game with injury. Boston got all their runs in one inning but made them count. Jarren Duran struck a three run home run in the top of the seventh with rbis from Wilyer Abreu and Marcelo Mayer to give the Sox the lead. Dillon Dingler did double home two runs in the bottom of the eighth against Garrett Whitlock but Aroldis Chapman slammed the door in the ninth. The Sox had beaten the Tigers 5-4 at Comerica Park.

                                                        Chuckles approves of the win

Tyler Holton got the ball to start the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran got a base hit to right to start. Willson Contreras forced Duran at second and Roman Anthony forced Contreras as well. Trevor Story got a base hit to left but Wilyer Abreu took strike three to end the inning. Tolle got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jahmai Jones struck out swinging to start. Matt Vierling grounded out to short and Dillon Dingler popped up to short to end the inning.

Ty Madden came in to pitch the top of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right. Marcelo Mayer grounded out to first and Carlos Narvaez grounded out to short to end the inning. All of a sudden Roman Anthony had to leave the game and Masataka Yoshida took over in left for the bottom of the second. Riley Greene grounded back to the mound and Spencer Torkelson took strike three. Wenceel Perez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Zack Short booted a grounder by Andruw Monasterio to begin the top of the third but Duran got a bae hit to right to move Monasterio to third then promptly stole second. Naturally Contreras struck out swinging and Yoshida forced Monasterio at home on a grounder to first. Story struck out swinging to end the inning. Hao-Yu Lee popped up to first to start the bottom of the third and Colt Keith grounded out to third. Short struck out swinging to end the inning.

Abreu took strike three to start the top of the fourth and Rafaela grounded out to third. Mayer got a base hit to center but Narvaez grounded out to third to end the inning. Jones flied out to center to open the bottom of the fourth and Vierling flied out to center. Dingler also flied out to center to end the inning.

Monasterio popped up to second to start the top of the fifth and Duran struck out swinging. Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning. Greene broke up the perfect game with a double to right to start the bottom of the fifth but Torkelson struck out swinging. Perez grounded out to short and Lee took strike three to end the inning.

Yoshida got a base hit in the hole at third to start the top of the sixth but Story took strike three. Abreu flied out to center but Rafaela beat out a roller to third. Mayer took strike three to end the inning. The Tigers struck first in the bottom of the sixth as Keith was hit with a pitch to start. Short popped up a bunt to first but Jones walked. Narvaez had Jones picked off but threw the ball away for an error and Monasterio threw a grounder by Vierling away for an error to score both Jones and Keith. Dingler struck out swinging and Greene struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 2-0.

                                                    "My bad guys" - Monasterio

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Ricky Vanesco now on the mound. Narvaez walked and Monasterio atoned for his error with a base hit to right. Duran then suddenly pounded his fourth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Contreras popped up to first but Yoshida doubled to right. Story grounded out to short and Enmanuel De Jesus came in to face Abreu. Wilyer got a base hit to left to score Yoshida and Rafaela got a base hit to right. Mayer got a base hit to right to score Abreu with another run but Narvaez forced him at second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                         Mayer caps off the rally

Tolle returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as Torkelson lined out to left to start. Perez popped up to first and Lee flied out to center to end the inning. Tolle was outstanding, allowing 2 unearned runs in 7 innings off 1 hit and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                                Outstanding effort

Monasterio struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth and Duran took strike three. Contreras walked but Yoshida grounded out to first to end the inning. The Tigers struck back in the bottom of the eighth with Caleb Durbin in for Monasterio and Garrett Whitlock now on the mound. Keith got a abse hit to center but Short flied out to left. Kerry Carpenter pinch hit for Jones and struck out swinging. Vierling walked and Dingler double to left to score both runners. Greene struck out swinging to end the inning but the Tigers were only down 5-4.

                                                         Dingler gets two back

Old pal Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Story struck out swinging to start. Abreu walked but was doubled off first on a line drive to short by Rafaela to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Torkelson struck out swinging to start. Perez grounded out to short and Lee flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                                                   Red Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jarren Duran. His 3 run homer put the Sox up for good.

                                                      Our Hero watches it go

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 5.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Peyton Tolle tossed 7 innings of 2 unearned run ball allowing a hit and a walk while striking out 8.

Aroldis Chapman earned his seventh save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 1 before leaving the game.

Garrett Whitlock allowed 2 runs in the bottom of the eighth.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

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

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout with an error but walked and scored a run.

Andruw Monasterio was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but scored a run,

Honorable Mention:

Caleb Durbin came in to play third in the final few innings.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox lucked out big time not having to face Skenes but still only scored their runs in one inning out of 9 against the Tigers bullpen. Thank goodness for Tolle as the Tigers had no chance offensively unless the Sox were kicking and throwing the ball around. Too bad about Anthony who eerily got hurt swinging a bat the exact same way last year when he strained his oblique to miss the rest of the season. Hopefully he's okay but if he's out, there goes one of the young guns the Sox were banking on. Still, it was nice to see the Sox score some runs for once, but Whitlock better get his act together because that's too many games he's allowed runs in lately. Just like Tolle, thank goodness for Chapman being close to automatic as it gets. Hopefully this home run turns Duran's season around and gives the Sox momentum moving forward. The win improved the Sox to 14-21, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their second straight game against Detroit tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (1-4) takes on Framber Valdez of Detroit. The game begins at 7:40 PM Eastern time at Comerica Park.

Astros Drop Sox in 10 Innings (5/3/26)

Of all the embarrassing losses of the season for the Boston Red Sox this one might take the cake. The Sox were completely shut down by the equally hapless Houston Astros and their terrible bullpen. Cody Bolton and a host of mediocre relief pitchers held the Sox to just 9 hits and 1 measly run. The sad part was Ranger Suarez of the Sox was out after 4 shutout innings but the bullpen surrendered just 1 run to plunge the game into extras with a 1-1 tie. In the top of the tenth, Cam Smith hit a 2 run single off Zack Kelly in the top of the tenth to put the game away. To show how bad this season is Bryan Abreu came into the game with a 0-2 record and ERA over 11, and he got the final six outs to end the game. The lowly Sox had lost 3-1 to the Astros in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                           "This team can't score"

Suarez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Carlos Correa grounded out to second to start. Yordan Alvarez struck out swinging but Isaac Parades doubled to center. Christian Walker struck out swinging to end the inning. Bolton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran got a base hit to right to start. Willson Contreras took strike three and Roman Anthony beat out a double play ball. Wilyer Abreu walked and naturally with a man on second, Andruw Monasterio struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jose Altuve lined out to center to start the top of the second and Brice Matthews flied out to right. Cam Smith got a base hit to left and Christian Vazquez flied out to center to end the inning. Marcelo Mayer took strike three to start the bottom of the second and Ceddanne Rafaela was retired on a squibber in front of the plate. Carlos Narvaez doubled to center but Caleb Durbin hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Dustin Harris' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Narvaez to start the top of the third and Correa lined out to center. Alvarez got a base hit to right and Paredes struck out swinging to end the inning. Duran grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Contreras got a base hit to left. Anthony doubled to center and that was it for Bolton. AJ Blubaugh came in to face Abreu and struck him out swinging. Monasterio tried a suicide squeeze bunt but Paredes threw him out at first to end the inning.

Walker walked to start the top of the fourth before Altuve flied out to left. Matthews grounded out to short to move Walker to second but Smith lined out to short to end the inning. All of a sudden Suarez started clutching his hamstring and had to leave the game after four shutout innings. Its been that kind of year.

                                                             Bye bye Suarez

Mayer flied out to right to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela took strike three. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the top of the fifth as Vazquez got a base hit to right to start. Harris dropped down a bunt to move Christian to second and Correa walked. Alvarez lined out to center to chase Tyler. Greg Weissert got Paredes to line out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Durbin popped up to first to start. Suddenly Duran bashed his third home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Contreras walked but Anthony flied out to center. Contreras stole second but Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Duran hits one out

The Astros answered in the top of the sixth as Walker got a base hit in the hole at short to start. Altuve doubled to left and Matthews hit a sac fly to score Walker....and somehow Altuve was thrown out at third trying to advance as well. Smith got a base hit to center but Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Matthews ties it

Monasterio walked to start the bottom of the sixth but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Mayer got a base hit to left and Rafaela got plunked, but Narvaez struck out swinging. Durbin popped up to second to end the inning.

Jovani Moran came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Shay Whitcomb pinch hit for Harris. Whitcomb took strike three but Correa walked. Alvarez flied out to center and that was it for Moran. Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to face Paredes and Isaac struck out swinging to end the inning. Daniel Johnson came in for Whitcomb with Steven Okert on to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Duran flied out to center to start but Contreras doubled to left. Anthony lined out to right to move Willson to third but Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning.

Walker got a base hit in the hole at second to start the top of the eighth and Braden Shewmake came in to run for him. Altuve dropped down a sacrifice bunt but Matthews flied out to right. Smith struck out swinging to end the inning. Enyel De Los Santos came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Andruw Monasterio. Yoshida got a base hit to left and Isiah Kiner-Falefa ran for him. Mayer struck out swinging, Rafaela flied out to center and Narvaez lined out to third to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Vazquez got a base hit to center to start. Yainer Diaz ran for him but Johnson's bunt forced Diaz at second. Correa took strike three and Alvarez struck out swinging to end the inning. The much maligned Bryan Abreu came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Durbin grounded out to second to start. Duran struck out swinging and Abreu threw a grounder by Contreras away for an error, allowing Willson to reach second. With the winning run on second....Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the tenth with Alvarez starting at second. Paredes walked and Shewmake dropped down a bunt to move the runners over but ended up reaching first to load the bases. Altuve hit into a 6-2-5 double play but Matthews walked to re-load the bases. Smith drilled a base hit to right to score all three runners....but wait! Matthews was called out at the plate and the Astros challenged, but the call upheld. Still, the Astros now led 3-1.

                                                       Smith puts the Astros on top

All the Sox had to do was score off one of the worst pitchers in baseball with Anthony starting at second to start the bottom of the tenth. Abreu walked and Kiner dropped down a bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Mayer was hit with a pitch to load the bases and naturally Rafaela grounded into a double play to end the game. The Astros had won 3-1 in 10 innings.

                                                                 Astros win

Jackass of The Night is Zack Kelly. He allowed 2 walks, 2 runs and a hit in the top of the tenth to take the loss.

                                                             Jackass Kelly

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with a home run.

Willson Contreras was 3 for 4 with a walk and a stolen base.

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ranger Suarez tossed 4 scoreless innings before leaving with injury.

Jovani Moran got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 5.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked twice.

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Carlos Narvaez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Greg Weissert allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Isiah Kiner-Falefa ran for Yoshida in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Well, looks like the problem wasn't Alex Cora and the coaching staff after all. Its only been a few weeks since they fired Cora and the coaches and the same offensive woes remain. The Astros are just as bad as the Sox and Boston made their pitchers look like the 1970 Orioles in this one. Some of the worst pitchers in baseball damn near pitched a shutout and Bryan Abreu tossing 2 scoreless innings is absolutely inexcusable. Worse yet, Ranger Suarez is hurt and the Sox can't afford to lose him with Garrett Crochet already out. The bottom line is this is one of the worst offensive teams in Sox history due to injuries and ineffectiveness and unless the veterans turn it around, this season will be over in a hurry. Then again, the sooner Sox GM Craig Breslow is gone the better it seems like. The loss dropped the Sox to 13-21, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Detroit for a three game set with the Tigers. Payton Tolle (0-1) takes on Tyler Holton of Detroit. The game begins at 7:10 PM eastern time at Comerica Park.

Astros Pound Early, Sox (5/2/26)

It was bad news all around as the Boston Celtics completed their choke with a Game 7 loss in their first round NBA playoff series with the Philadelphia Sixers and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Houston Astros. Just when you think the Red Sox are going to build momentum, they lay an egg. Connelly Early (2-2, 3.79 ERA) put up his first big stinker of the season as he got wrecked by the Astros. Christian Walker drove in a run in the first and Brice Matthews hit a 3 run shot in the fourth. Carlos Correa added another run against Early and Walker hit another home run against Ryan Watson. The Sox rallied with a Willson Contreras sac fly, a Wilyer Abreu rbi single and a Trevor Story rbi but that was it. Bryan King slammed the door and the Astros had beaten the Sox 6-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                           "Good going Early"

The Astros wasted no time getting to Early in the top of the first as Carlos Correa walked to start. Yordan Alvarez struck out swinging but Isaac Parades walked. Christian Walker got a base hit to left to score Correa but Jose Altuve grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0.

                                                              Walker drives in a run

Spencer Arrighetti got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran flied out to center to start. Willson Contreras grounded out to third and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning.

Yainer Diaz struck out swinging to open the top of the second but Brice Matthews walked. Cam Smith flied out to center and Dustin Harris took strike three to end the inning. Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the second but Trevor Story grounded into a double play. Marcelo Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning.

Correa flied out to left to start the top of the third and Alvarez popped up to short. Parades also popped up to short to end the inning. Rafaela got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the third then promptly stole second. Connor Wong grounded out to third but Caleb Durbin walked. Duran walked to load the bases and....Contreras grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Astros iced the game in the top of the fourth as Walker got a base hit to left to start. Altuve doubled to center but Diaz grounded out to second. Matthews then hit a home run all the way into the Atlantic Ocean to ice the game. Smith doubled to center and moved to third on the Harris grounder to first. Correa singled to right to score Smith but Alvarez flied out to left to end the inning with the Astros up 5-0. That was it for Early who got shelled for 5 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                          Early sucked today

Once again the Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Anthony walked to start. Abreu walked but Story struck out swinging. Mayer grounded out to short to move the runners over but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ryan Watson came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Parades flied out to left to start. Walker then hit home run all the way to the Potomac River to increase the lead. Altuve struck out swinging and Diaz grounded out to short to end the inning with the Astros up 6-0.

                                                             One man wrecking crew

The Sox rallied briefly in the bottom of the fifth as Wong got a base hit to left to start. Durbin popped up to second but Duran got a base hit to right to move Wong to third. Contreras hit what looked to be a 3 run home run but died at the left field wall, settling for a sac fly to score Wong. Anthony got a base hit to left to move Duran to third and Abreu walked to load the bases. Naturally Story popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                          If only it was 10 feet higher

Matthews struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth and Smith did the same. Harris got a base hit to right and immediately stole second. Correa struck out swinging to end the inning. Enyel De Los Santos came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Mayer lined out to right to start. Correa made a great diving catch to rob Rafaela of a base hit and Wong grounded out to third to end the inning.

Alvarez walked to start the top of the seventh and Parades doubled to left. Walker grounded out to short and then Altuve hit a grounder to second. Mayer fired home and Alvarez bowled over Narvaez, but he held on for the out. The Astros challenged that Narvaez illegally blocked the plate and the umpires upheld the call, then they challenged Narvaez never tagged him to begin with and also lost that challenge. Diaz grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox rallied again in the bottom of the seventh as Durbin flied out to right to start. Duran struck out swinging but Contreras got a base hit to left to chase De Los Santos. Bennett Sousa came in to pitch and promptly walked Anthony. Abreu got a abse hit to right to score Contreras and move Anthony to third. Story got a base hit to left to score Anthony but for some baffling reason, Sox manager Chad Tracy pinch hit Andruw Monasterio for Mayer, only for the Astros to bring in Kai-Wei Teng to face him. Tracy countered THAT by having Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Monasterio. Yoshida did draw a walk to load the bases and Isiah Kiner-Falefa ran for him. With the tying run at the plate....Rafaela took strike three right down the middle to end the inning with the Sox down 6-3.

                                                      Story drives in a run

Tyler Samaniego came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Matthews caught Contreras asleep with a bunt single. Smith grounded into a double play but Harris got a base hit to left. Correa got a base hit to right but Alvarez grounded out to second to end the inning. Wong took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Durbin grounded out to third. Duran hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Parades flied out to left to start the top of the ninth but Walker got hit in the head by a pitch. Walker had to leave the game and Braden Shewmake ran for him. It looked like Altuve hit into a double play and the Sox challenged that he was out at first, but replays showed Jose was safe. Diaz grounded out to third to end the inning. Bryan King came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Contreras flied out to center to start. Anthony grounded out to second and Abreu grounded out to third to end the game. The Astros had won the game 6-3.

                                                            Astros win

Jackass of the Night is Connelly Early. He got tagged for 5 runs in just 4 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                               Connelly Jackass

The Good:

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Masataka Yoshida walked as a pinch hitter.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Caleb Durbin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Ryan Watson allowed a run in 3 innings of work.

Honorable Mention:

Andruw Monasterio "pinch hit" in the bottom of the seventh.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa played second base in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Not a great time to be a Boston sports fan. Mike Vrabel is under fire as New England Patriots coach, the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins are both out of the first round and the Red Sox are in last place. The Sox absolutely cannot score more than 3 runs to save their lives. If their starting pitchers don't pitch like aces, they have no chance to win a game. The biggest problem are Duran, Story and Durbin being some of the worst players in all of baseball with Carlos Narvaez, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony having sophomore slumps. When 6 out of your 9 players are almost automatic outs, you're not going to win many games. Hopefully Anthony, Narvaez, Durbin and Mayer can work out of it as second year players but Story and Duran are very concerning. Duran turns 30 in December and Story is already 33, this might be it for them. Early got tagged but once again, as a second year pitcher, he's going to go through some growing pains. He still has great stuff, the Astros just got to him today. Kudos to the bullpen to hold the Astros to just 1 run in 5 innings, too bad the Sox couldn't make the comeback. The loss dropped the Sox to 13-20, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow afternoon when Ranger Suarez goes for the Sox against Cody Bolton of Houston. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Bennett, Duran Stop Astros (5/1/26)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Portland Sea Dogs catcher Drew Ehrhard retired to become the new Red Sox bullpen catcher. Nate Eaton was sent down to Worcester and the Sox are calling up 25 year old left handed pitcher Jake Bennett to make today's start and his Major League debut. The Sox gambled by sending popular prospect Luis Perales to the Washington Nationals for the more ML ready Bennett and now Jake gets his shot. Good luck to him.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                              IN

As for the game, welcome to the show Jake Bennett (1-0, 1.80 ERA). The highly touted pitching prospect made his ML debut and held the Astros to just 1 run in 5 gutty innings. Bennett allowed a third inning home run to Carlos Correa but Jarren Duran hit a three run jack against Mike Burrows in the bottom of the frame. The usually terrible Sox offense once again did nothing else but the Boston bullpen stepped up. Zack Kelly, Danny Coulombe, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman slammed the door as the Sox took the game 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Freakabritt approves of the win

Bennett got the ball in the top of the first inning and Carlos Correa lined out to left to start. Yordan Alvarez took strike three but Carlos Parades walked. Christian Walker walked but Jose Altuve grounded out to third to end the inning. Burrows got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Willson Contreras was plunked but Roman Anthony flied out to left. Wilyer Abreu flied out to center to end the inning.

Yainer Diaz grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Cam Smith struck out swinging. Brice Matthews got a base hit to center and promptly stole second, but Dustin Harris grounded out to first to end the inning. Trevor Story got a base hit to center to begin the bottom of the second but Marcelo Mayer grounded into a double play. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Astros struck first in the top of the third as Correa hit a home run all the way to Mongolia to start. Alvarez grounded out to second but Parades got a base hit to left. Walker grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Astros up 1-0.

                                                          Astros take the lead

Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the third as Carlos Narvaez walked to start. Caleb Durbin got a base hit to center and Duran launched his second home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Contreras got a base hit to left and Anthony singled to right, but Abreu grounded into a double play. Story lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                           About time Duran

Altuve lined out to center to start the top of the fourth but Diaz got a base hit to left. Smith grounded into a double play to end the inning. Mayer got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fourth and Rafaela singled to left. Narvaez flied out to left but a passed ball moved both runners over. Durbin hit a grounder to third and Mayer was thrown out at home. Duran popped up to third to end the inning.

Matthews struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but Harris got a base hit to right. Correa flied out to right and Alvarez grounded out to third to end the inning. That was it for Bennett who held the Astros to 1 run in his Major League debut off 5 hits and 2 walks.

                                                              Good debut for Bennett

Contreras was rung up for strike three to open the bottom of the fifth but Anthony doubled to right. Abreu flied out to left and Story grounded out to first to end the inning.

Zack Kelly came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Parades singled to right to start. Walker struck out swinging but Altuve reached on a swinging bunt in front of the plate. Diaz flied out to center and Smith struck out swinging to end the inning. Mayer struck out swinging to open the bottom of the sixth and Rafaela flied out to center. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Matthews grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh and Danny Coulombe came in to face pinch hitter Shay Whitcomb. Shay flied out to right but Correa got a base hit to center. Alvarez forced Correa at second to end the inning. Daniel Johnson came in to play left and Bennett Sousa came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Durbin flied out to right, Duran lined out to center and Contreras struck out swinging to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Parades popped up to first to start. Walker got a base hit to right but Altuve popped up to second. Diaz doubled to center but Smith popped up to first to end the inning. Bryan King came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Anthony singled to right to start. Abreu grounded into a double play but Story got a base hit to left. Mayer flied out to left to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Matthews took strike three to start. Old friend Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Johnson and grounded out to short. Correa doubled to center but Alvarez grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-1.

                                                         Sox win

Hero of The Night is Jake Bennett. He won his ML debut by going 5 innings and holding the Astros to just 1 run.

                                                     Hero Bennett

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Roman Anthony was 3 for 4.

Trevor Story was 2 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3.

Caleb Durbin was 1 for 3.

Zack Kelly tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Danny Coulombe got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his sixth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Marcelo Mayer was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Good win but the same offensive problems remain. Apart from one swing from Duran this would have been a 1-0 loss. The Sox already replaced the manager and the hitting coach and nothing really has changed. The offensive woes continue although the pitching has been solid. Bennett looked good in his debut the the bullpen held the fort in this one. The 8-9 combo of Whitlock and Chapman has been deadly since the beginning of last year and its unfortunate that they don't get many chances to be used in that role since the Sox bats have been completely incompetent. There's still time to turn the season around but unless Triston Casas and Romy Gonzalez come back soon, it seems highly unlikely a comeback is in order. The win improved the Sox to 13-19, 8 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to mke it two in a row against the Astros tomorrow afternoon against the Astros when Connelly Early (2-1) takes on Spencer Arrighetti of Houston. The game begins at 4:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Rout Bello, Sox (4/29/26)

Before the game, the terrible season for the Boston Red Sox got even worse when Garrett Crochet was placed on the Injured List with shoulder inflammation. His velocity has been down all season and they're claiming its "fatigue", but we all know the truth. Its doubtful he'll pitch again this season. The Red Sox called up Nate Eaton to make his season debut with an off-day tomorrow. Bye bye Crochet.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster for a terrible team. After getting shut out the night before, the Boston Red Sox bats nearly put up another goose egg against the Toronto Blue Jays. Jays starter Eric Lauer was knocked out in the fifth inning after allowing a run and the Toronto bullpen held the Sox to 4 measly hits and a walk after. Meanwhile Brayan Bello (1-4, 9.12 ERA) has completely fallen apart, getting rocked for 4 runs in just 3 2/3 innings. The bullpen wasn't much better allowing 4 runs of their own. The Jays as a whole pounded out 10 hits and 8 runs as they took the game 8-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                               "Nice going Bello"

The Sox struck first in the top of the first inning against Lauer although Roman Anthony grounded out to second to start. Willson Contreras suddenly belted his 7th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to left but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Trevor Story flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                 Willson goes yard

Bello got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ernie Clement grounded out to short to start. Abreu made a leaping catch at the wall on a Jesus Sanchez fly ball but Vladimir Guerrero Jr singled in the hole at third. Kazuma Okamoto took strike three to end the inning. 

Andrew Monasterio lined out to third to open the top of the second and Connor Wong flied out to center. Isiah Kiner-Falefa also flied out to center to end the inning. Daulton Varsho lined out to first to start the bottom of the second and Yohendrick Pinango flied out to right. Myles Straw popped up to second to end the inning.

Caleb Durbin flied out to center to start the top of the third and Anthony grounded out to first. Contreras flied out to left to end the inning. Bello imploded in the bottom of the third as Andres Gimenez struck out swinging to start. Brandon Valenzuela got a base hit to right but Clement flied out to right. Sanchez got a base hit to center and Guerrero Jr got a base hit to right to load the bases. Okamoto got a base hit to left to score Valenzuela & Sanchez, putting the Jays up for good. A wild pitch moved the runners over and Varsho walked to re-load the bases. Pinango singled to left to score Guerrero but Okamoto was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Jays up 3-1.

                                                             Okamoto with the killshot

The Sox took the rest of the night off as Abreu walked to start the top of the fourth. Rafaela flied out to right and Story lined out to center. Abreu swiped second but Monasterio grounded out to second to end the inning. Sox manager Chad Tracy pulled an Alex Cora im the bottom of the fourth as Straw grounded out to third to start. Gimenez grounded out to first but Valenzuela walked. Rather than let Bello finish the inning, Tracy yanked him after just 63 pitches. Bello would be charged with 4 runs in 3 2/3 innings. Tracy summoned Greg Weissert and he did what hes done all year, give up a 2 run jack to Clement to put the game on ice. Sanchez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays ahead 5-1.

                                                                 Another Bello stinker

Wong flied out to center to start the top of the fifth but Kiner got a base hit to right. Somehow Durbin got a base hit to center and Anthony got a base hit to right to load the bases. Braydon Fisher was summoned to face Contreras and he hit a bullet....right to Gimenez who fired to second to double off Durbin to end the inning, of course. The Jays poured it on in the bottom of the fifth as Guerrero Jr singled to center to start. Okamoto took strike three and that was it fir Weissert. Jovan Moran came in and immediately hit Varsho with a pitch. George Springer pinch hit for Pinango and naturally got a base hit to center to score Guerrero, moving Varsho to third. Straw hit a sac fly to right to score Varsho and Gimenez popped up to short to end the inning with the Jays up 7-1.

                                                      Springer drives in a run

Abreu was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate to start the top of the sixth. Rafaela struck out swinging but Story doubled to center. Monasterio flied out to right to end the inning. Valenzuela flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Clement flied out to right. Sanchez also flied out to right to end the inning.

Tommy Nance came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong grounded out to short to start. Marcelo Mayer pinch hit for Kiner and got a base hit to center. Durbin grounded back to the mound to move Mayer to second and Joe Mantiply came in to face Anthony. Roman struck out swinging to end the inning. Guerrero Jr walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Okamoto flied out to right. Varsho lined out to center and Springer flied out to left to end the inning.

Contreras got a base hit to center to start the top of the eighth and Abreu singled to left to chase Mantiply. Spencer Miles got Rafaela to fly out to center but Story walked to load the bases. Jarren Duran pinch hit for Monasterio and naturally struck out swinging on a pitch 3 feet over his head. Wong grounded out to third to end the inning. The Jays wrapped up the scoring against Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock in the bottom of the eighth as Straw grounded out to short to start. Gimenez grounded out to first but Valenzuela hit a home run all the way to Calgary to increase the lead. Clement grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 8-1.

                                                             Home run Valenzuela

Mayer grounded out to first to start the top of the ninth and Durbin struck out swinging. Anthony took 3 straight pitches right down the middle to end the game. The Jays had won it 8-1.

                                                                   Jays win

Jackass of The Night is Brayan Bello. He got rocked for 4 runs in 3 2/3 innings to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                       Jackass Bello

The Good:

Willson Contreras was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa was 1 for 2.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 2.

The Bad:

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andruw Monasterio was 0 for 3.

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

Connor Wong was 0 for 4.

Greg Weissert allowed 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Garrett Whitlock allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Caleb Durbin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jovani Moran allowed a run in 2 12/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

So much for the "dead coach bounce" after Alex Cora was fired. The last two games the Sox returned to their inept offensive woes and habit of bringing in the wrong relief pitchers. Can't even blame Cora for this one, he's not here anymore. The bats damn near matched Toronto in the hits department but only pushed across one measly run. Bello once again stunk the joint out but so did the bullpen as well. Its becoming clear that the Red Sox are at a crossroads. They're a good offense away from 2018 and bad pitching away from last year's Colorado Rockies, and the last two games have been a step in the latter's direction. The season is only a month old and its been a colossal failure with everyone upset. Fans have had enough and to a man, the players look like they have no hope as well. The sad part is there's still 5 months left in the season and it will be torturous for sure. The loss dropped the Sox to 12-19, good for last place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night at home against the Houston Astros when Jake Bennett makes his ML debut for the Sox against Mike Burrows of Houston. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yesavage, Jays Blank Sox (4/28/26)

The good news was the Boston Bruins won Game 5 of their first round NHL playoff series but not only did the Boston Celtics lose Game 5 of their first round NBA playoff series, but the Boston Red Sox were once again shut out. Toronto Blue Jays rookie Trey Yesavage held the Sox to just 4 measly hits in 5 1/3 innings. Not only did the Sox offense shoot blanks again, new manager Chad Tracy managed just like Alex Cora. In the bottom of the fifth, Peyton Tolle (0-1, 3.38 ERA) was trailing 2-0 with 2 men on at just 68 pitches. Tracy yanked Tolle for Zack Kelly and Vladimir Guerrero Jr knocked home a run to essentially ice the game. The Sox got zero hits against the Toronto bullpen and the Jays ended the Sox 3 game win streak with a 3-0 win at the Skydome. How many runs did the Sox score John Cena?

Yesavage got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Willson Contreras doubled to left and moved to third on the Roman Anthony grounder to second, but Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. Tolle got the ball in the bottom of the first and Myles Straw's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Contreras. Ernie Clement walked but Vladimir Guerrero Jr flied out to right. Kazuma Okamoto popped up to third to end the inning.

Trevor Story caught Yesavage asleep with a bunt single to start the top of the second but Masataka Yoshida flied out to left. Carlos Narvaez hit one up the elevator shaft but Marcelo Mayer got a base hit to right to move Story to third. Caleb Durbin flied out to right to end the inning. Daulton Varsho struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Eloy Jimenez lined out to center. Davis Schneider walked and Tyler Heineman struck out swinging to end the inning.

Duran lined out to right to start the top of the third and Contreras grounded out to short. Anthony flied out to left to end the inning. The Jays put the game away in the bottom of the third as Andres Gimenez singled to center to start. Straw struck out swinging and Clement popped up to second, but Guerrero Jr doubled to left. Okamoto got a base hit to left to score both runners but was thrown out at second to end the inning with the game already over 2-0.

                                                       Okamoto gives the Jays the lead

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Story took strike three but Yoshida got a base hit to right. Narvaez flied out to right to end the inning. Varsho struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Jimenez grounded out to short. Schneider flied out to center to end the inning.

Straw made a great sliding catch to rob Mayer of extra bases to start the top of the fifth and Durbin popped up to short. Duran lined out to center to end the inning. The Jays iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Heineman popped up to third to start. Gimenez grounded back to the mound but both Straw and Clement worked back to back walks. Shades of Alex Cora, Sox manager Chad Tracy yanked Tolle after just 68 pitches because he was terrified of him facing Guerrero. Tolle would be charged with 3 runs in just 4 2/3 innings. Naturally Zack Kelly came in and Guerrero got a base hit to center to score Straw to ice the game. Okamoto grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 3-0.

                                                               Tolle deserved better

Contreras struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and that was it for Yesavage....tossing 5 1/3 shutout innings. Mason Fluharty got Anthony to ground out to first but Abreu walked. Story flied out to center to end the inning. Varsho struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Jimenez also went down hacking. Schneider walked to chase Kelly, bringing Tyler Samaniego into the game. Heineman forced Schneider at second to end the inning.

Jeff Hoffman came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Yoshida took strike three right down the middle to start. Narvaez struck out swinging and Mayer grounded out to first to end the inning. Gimenez popped up to second to start the bottom of the seventh but Straw got a base hit to center. That was it for Samaniego and Ryan Watson was summoned. Clement lined out to center but Guerrero Jr was hit with a pitch. Okamoto struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Durbin lined out to first to start. Duran took strike three and Contreras grounded out to second to end the inning. Varsho got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth and Jesus Sanchez pinch hit for Jimenez. Sanchez popped up to third and Schneider grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Louis Varland came in to close out the top of the ninth and Anthony struck out swinging to start. Abreu went down hacking and Story swung at air to end the game. The Jays had won it 3-0.

                                                            Jays win

Jackass of The Night is a tough one but we'll go with Caleb Durbin. He was 0 for 3 including leaving 2 men on in the Sox best chance of the night.

                                                              Jackass Durbin

The Good:

Masataka Yoshida was 1 for 3.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3.

Tyler Samaniego tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Ryan Watson tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Roman Anthony was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Peyton Tolle took the loss allowing 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings off 3 hits and 4 walks.

The Ugly:

Willson Contreras was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Trevor Story was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Zack Kelly allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

Meet the new Sox, same as the old Sox. Sox brass has been insisting that Alex Cora and the ex-coaches were the problem as the Sox were unprepared and lifeless under him. Well they are just as unprepared and lifeless without him as showcased tonight. In a battle of 2024 draft picks, Yesavage dominated the Sox while Tolle looked mortal against the Jays. It might be time to start axing some of the players since its primarily their fault they look like garbage night in and night out. You can only blame the general manager and the manager for so much, but at the end of the day its up to the players to lay off bad pitches or put on competitive at-bats. Jarren Duran is hitting .172, Trevor Story is hitting .193, Roman Anthony is hitting .209 and Caleb Durbin is hitting .168. There's your problem right there. Durbin is only in his second year and he's adjusting to a new franchise, Anthony is also in his second year and will be given every opportunity to bust out of it, but the other two are supposed to be your team leaders. We've seen Duran and Story hit a lot better than this so if they continue to suck, it might be time to look for trading partners. Story's contract is up after next year and Duran's up after this year. There's still time to turn it around but those three can't continue to drag the team down night after night. The silver lining is the bullpen held the Jays scoreless with Tyler Samaniego's 7th consecutive scoreless appearance. Marcelo Mayer seems to be responding to Chad Tracy, hopefully Anthony will pick it up soon as well. The Sox play their final game in April tomorrow afternoon against the Jays with Brayan Bello (1-3, 9.00 ERA) looking to improve on his last outing against  Eric Lauer of Toronto. The game begins at 3:05 PM at the Skydome.