Orioles Pound Sox at Fenway (9/28/19)

One thing is for sure, the 2020 Boston Red Sox better ditch this god awful "opener" idea. The reason the Tampa Bay Rays made it effective is because they're stacked with enough arms in their bullpen to get the job done. The Sox don't have those kind of arms and tonight's loss proved that. The lowly O's pounced on the "opener" Jhoulys Chacin for 4 early runs and another 4 runs off of complete bust Andrew Cashner. As been the Sox M.O. all season, as soon as they fell behind, they did not come back. The Sox led 3-2 after the first but the O's took the lead in the third inning. The Sox only scored 1 run the rest of the game and dropped the second to last game of the season 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                   
The O's wasted no time getting to Chacin in the top of the first when Jonathan Villar lined the first pitch of the game into right for a double and DJ Stewart smashed a 400,000 foot home run 3 pitches later to give the O's the lead. Trey Mancini whiffed but Rio Ruiz singled to center. Renato Nunez popped up to second but Chris Davis walked. Steve Wilkerson flied out to right to end the inning but it was 2-0 Orioles.

                                                  The rout is on again

Somehow the Sox rallied against John Means in the bottom of the first inning. Jackie Bradley Jr singled to right but Rafael Devers popped up to third. Xander Bogaerts crushed his 33rd home run of the season to tie the game and JD Martinez clobbered his 36th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Sam Travis flied out to center and Brock "The Hitman" Holt struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 3-2 Sox.

                                                   JD gives the Sox the lead

Chacin failed to hold the lead in the top of the second inning as Austin Wynns struck out swinging to start. Richie Martin pulverized a 79,000 foot home run to tie the game. Villar took strike three and Stewart hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but the game was tied 3-3.

                                                   Tie game

The Sox failed to take the lead in the bottom of the second as Gorkys Hernandez flied out to center to start. Chris Owings whiffed and Sandy Leon went down hacking to end the inning.

The O's took the lead for good in the top of the third inning although Mancini grounded out to first to start. Ruiz popped up to first but Nunez put the O's on top with a 7,000,000 foot home run halfway to Maine to chase Chacin. The "opener" got lit up for 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Bobby Poyner walked Davis when he was brought in but Wilkerson flied out to left to end the inning with the O's ahead 4-3.

         

                                                               Booooooooo!

As usual when the Sox fell behind, they stayed behind int he bottom of the third inning. JBJ whiffed to start before Devers flied out to left. Bogaerts walked but Martinez took strike three to end the inning.

Heath Hembree got the ball in the top of the fourth inning and Wynns struck out swinging to start. Martin grounded back to the mound and Villar popped up to first to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the fourth as Travis grounded out to third to start. Holt lined out to short but Hernandez walked. Owings grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in for the top of the fifth and Stewart walked to start. Mancini whiffed but Stewart was erased on the force by Ruiz. Nunez whiffed to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the fifth although Leon grounded out to third to start. JBJ lined out to third but Devers and Bogaerts stroked back to back singles. With a chance to tie the game...Martinez flied out to right to end the inning.

Andrew Cashner came in to take one final beating this season in the top of the sixth inning. Davis greeted him with a double to left and Wilkerson sacrificed him to third. Wynns singled Davis home and Martin doubled Wynns home. Villar singled home Martin and swiped second base. Villar went to third on the grounder by Stewart and Mancini singled him home to chase the incompetent Cashner. Cashner ends his Sox career as one of the biggest busts in trade history, allowing 4 runs to put the game out of reach. Colten Brewer came in and got Ruiz to ground back to the mound to end the inning but it was 8-3 Orioles.

                                             Travis running around like a pinball machine

The Sox managed a feeble rally against Shawn Armstong in the bottom of the sixth inning as Travis walked to start. Holt flied out to left but Hernandez singled to center. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Owings and struck out swinging but Leon beat out a dribbler to short to score Travis. How big were those Cashner runs now? Tanner Scott came in to pitch to JBJ and got him to ground into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 8-4.

Brewer returned for the top of the seventh and Nunez whiffed to start. Davis grounded out to third but Wilkerson singled to center. Wilkerson stole second and Wynns whiffed to end the inning. Devers grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the seventh but O's manager Bruce Hyde HAD to make a pitching change, bringing in Branden Kline for absolutely no reason. Bogaerts singled to short, Martinez walked and Travis reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases. Representing the tying run....Holt banged into a double play to end the inning. Its been that kind of year.

Josh A Smith came in for the top of the eighth and Martin lined out to center to start. Villar walked but was erased on the Stewart force. Stewart was gunned down trying to steal by the alert Leon to end the inning. Austin Hays took over for Stewart in center with Wilkerson moving to right for the bottom of the eighth. Gorkys Hernandez walked to start and Bruce Hyde just had to make ANOTHER pitching change, bringing in Richard Bleier. Marco Hernandez singled to left but was erased on the Leon force. Naturally JBJ hit into a double play to end the inning.

Smith returned for the top of the ninth and Mancini greeted him with a 15,000 foot home run into the Charles River. Ruiz lined out to center, Nunez went down swinging and Davis took strike three to end the inning with the Orioles ahead 9-4.

                                                    One last kick in the pants

Thankfully the game ended in the bottom of the ninth as Devers flied out to right to start. Just to piss off the remaining fans, Bruce Hyde trudged to the mound and absolutely had to bring in Dillon Tate with a 5 run lead with 1 out in the ninth. Bogaerts grounded out to short and Martinez took strike three to end the game. The O's had won the game 9-4.

                                          Another easy win for Baltimore


Jackass of the Night is Andrew Cashner. He turned a 4-3 game into 8-3 in the blink of an eye to put it out of reach.

                                               One final Jackass for Cashner



The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and a home run.

Gorkys Hernandez was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Marco Hernandez was 1 for 2.

Bobby Poyner got the final out of the third inning.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless fourth inning.

Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

Colten Brewer tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Chris Owings was 0 for 2 with a strikeout/

Jhoulys Chacin allowed 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and hit a home run.

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Sandy Leon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but knocked in a run.

Josh A Smith allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Thank god this miserable season is almost over. September has been absolutely dreadful to watch with no starting rotation, constant pitching changes and lack of clutch hitting. Today was a microcosm of the season with the "opener" failing miserably and their only trade acquisition falling flat on his face. The supposedly good offense once again did not come back when trailing and it all adds up to failure. Thankfully this nightmare is almost over and we never have to see most of these people again. There's no way Smith, Chacin or Cashner are coming back or the Juan Cetenos and Gorkys Hernandez of the world either. The loss dropped the Sox to 83-78 with one game left in the season. The only reason to tune into tomorrow's finale against the Orioles is Eduardo Rodriguez (19-6, 3.80 ERA) quest for 20 wins on the season. Standing in E-Rod's way is old Sox farmhand Chandler Shepherd. The game begins at 3:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Rangers Attack Boston Bullpen, Avert Sweep (9/26/19)

The fact David Price and Chris Sale are out for the season is the reason why today's game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers was a "bullpen game" for Boston. It turned into one of the most boring, frustrating and excruciating losses to sit through this season. Rangers starter Mike Minor needed some chicanery to pad his strikeout totals for the season but the Rangers offense teeing off on the Sox bullpen was the real story. The Rangers got just 7 hits but made them count with a 5th inning grand slam being the exclamation point. When the dust settled the Rangers had averted a sweep with a 7-4 victory at Arlington Park.

Mike Minor got the start for Texas in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez struck out swinging to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second and JD Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Travis Lakins got the "start" for Boston and Shin-Soo Choo walked to start. Choo moved to second on the Elvis Andrus grounder and Willie Calhoun hit a routine grounder to Sam Travis. Travis dove on the ball and wrestled it for an error but luckily Danny Santana grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Travis grounded out to third to open the top of the second inning before Brock "The Hitman" Holt popped up to first. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning. Lakins struck out Rougned Odor swinging to begin the bottom of the second before Nick Solak grounded out to short. Ronald Guzman flied out to right to end the inning. Lakins did his job by pitching 2 perfect innings of this dreary game.

                                                           Lakins finishes strong

Minor turned up the heat in the top of the third by blowing away Jackie Bradley Jr to start. Both Sandy Leon and Chris Owings were called out on strikes to end the inning. Brian Johnson was first out of the pen for the Sox in the bottom of the third and Jose Trevino lined out to left to start. Isiah Kiner-Falefa grounded out to third but Choo walked. Andrus lined out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth when Marco Hernandez caught the Rangers asleep with a bunt single to start. Benintendi whiffed but Martinez singled Hernandez to third. Travis made up for his earlier error with a base hit to score Hernandez with the game's first run. Holt beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Gorkys Hernandez doubled home Martinez. JBJ singled home Holt but the rally ended when Leon grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                               Nice going Leon

The Rangers answered right back in the bottom of the fourth when Calhoun walked to start. Calhoun was erased on the force by Santana but Danny swiped second. Odor whiffed but Solak doubled home Santana. Guzman walked and Sox manager Alex Cora started the musical chairs in the bullpen by bringing in Trevor Kelley. Kelley struck out Trevino to end the inning but the Rangers were down 3-1.

                                             Nice going Johnson

Owings led off the top of the fifth by drawing a walk but got himself thrown out at second trying to steal. Marco Hernandez whiffed and Sox manager Alex Cora said to hell with this game and sat Andrew Benintendi in favor of Juan Centeno. Centeno grounded out to short to end the inning. Centeno took over behind the plate with Leon moving to first and Travis going to right with Mike Shawaryn now on the mound for the bottom of the fifth. Kiner started the rally with a single but Choo froze for strike three. Kiner swiped second and Andrus singled him to third. Andrus swiped second and Calhoun walked to load the bases. Santana then mashed a 500,000 foot grand slam to put the Rangers on top. Odor flied out to center but Solak singled to chase the incompetent Shawaryn. Colten Brewer came in as Solak swiped second on the incompetent Centeno but Guzman grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rangers up 5-3.

                                               Great bullpen help.....

Martinez tried to start a rally in the top of the sixth with a base hit to center but Travis ended it by grounding into a double play. Holt singled to left but Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to second to end the inning. Ryan Weber got the ball in the bottom of the sixth and Trevino whiffed to start. Kiner grounded out to first but Choo walked. Andrus grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox showed some life in the top of the seventh when JBJ clubbed his 21st home run of the season to cut the lead. Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Owings of all people tied the game with his third home run of the season. Marco Hernandez grounded out to first but Centeno singled to left to keep the rally going. Martinez walked and somehow the Sox pulled off a double steal with the two slowest guys on the team. Naturally Travis whiffed to end the inning but the game was tied 5-5.

                                              Owings ties it up

The Rangers immediately retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Weber served up a 8,000,000 foot home run into the Gulf of Mexico to Calhoun to start. Santana struck out swinging but Odor smashed a 5,000 foot home run for the big insurance run. Solak lined out to right and Sox manager Alex Cora decided to piss everyone off with an unnecessary pitching change, bringing in Bobby Poyner to pitch to Guzman. Poyner got Guzman to fly out to left to end the inning but it was 7-5 Rangers.

                                                    Odor ices it

The Sox went quietly in the top of the eighth as Holt grounded out to first to start. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short and JBJ popped up to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in for the bottom of the eighth and Trevino grounded out to short to start. Kiner grounded out to third and Choo flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rangers pulled off some chicanery to get Minor his 200th strikeout of the season in the top of the ninth. Leon flied out to left and Owings popped up to first only for Guzman to drop it on purpose. Naturally Owings whiffed and the sparse crowd went wild for Minor's 200th strikeout. Even worse, rather than let Minor finish the game, Rangers manager Chris Woodward lifted him after 8 2/3 innings for Jose Leclerc. Leclerc punched out Marco Hernandez to end the game and give the Rangers the 7-5 win.

                                              Yeah yeah yeah....whoopie


Jackass of the Night is Ryan Weber. He served up not one, but two home runs after the Sox had fought to tie the game in the seventh.

                                                          Jackass Weber



The Good:

Juan Centeno was 1 for 2 at the plate and stole a base.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis including a solo home run.

Chris Owings was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Travis Lakins tossed two scoreless innings.

Colten Brewer retired the only man he faced.

Trevor Kelley struck out the only guy he faced.

Bobby Poyner retired the only man he faced.

Hector Velazquez pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Shawaryn gave up a grand slam in the bottom of the 5th inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Sam Travis was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Gorkys Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Brian Johnson allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

Thank God there's only 3 games left in this awful season. The real death of the Sox were the lack of starting pitching depth. That fell squarely on former Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski who's only acquisition was Andrew Cashner who's been a titanic bust as both starter and reliever. These bullpen games are hard enough to sit through once per week, twice is just simply torture. The constant pitching changes slow the game to a crawl and since the games are meaningless to begin with, there's really no point in watching anymore. The next two games are about as useful as pants on a pig with the only drama left is if Eduardo Rodriguez can win 20 games in the season finale. Old time MLB writers are squawking about Guzman dropping the ball on purpose so Minor could pad his stats....are they forgetting Don Baylor dropping a pop up so Roger Clemens could strike out 20 in 1986? Eh, who cares?  The loss drops the Sox to an unimpressive 83-76 on the season. Tomorrow night the Sox begin their final homestand of the season when they welcome to the terrible Baltimore Orioles to Fenway. Asher Wojciechowski goes for the Orioles against Nathan Eovaldi (2-0) at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Rays Six Run Rally Sinks Sox (9/23/19)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox got some good news for once. Heath Hembree had been activated off the Injured List and would be available for the final 7 games of the season. This year may be a wash but he'll be needed next season for sure

                                                                      IN

As for the game, another unmitigated disaster in a season full of them. The Sox took a 4-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Rays when the Rays promptly scored 6 runs off Sox starter Jhoulys Chacin and the JV bullpen. As been their M.O. all season, as soon as the Sox fell behind they failed to come back. Blake Snell was hittable for the Rays but the bullpen was not as the Rays took 3 out of 4 in this series with a 7-4 win at Tropicana Field.

                                               Morty's reaction to Boston pitching

Snell took the mound in the top of the first inning and Marco Hernandez went down swinging to start. Mr. Mookie Betts drew a walk but Rafael Devers struck out swinging as well. Mr. Mookie swiped second and JD Martinez walked before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Sam Travis also went down swinging to end the inning. Chacin initially had a good bottom of the first as he struck out Joey Wendle swinging to begin. Tommy Pham went down hacking but Austin Meadows walked. Travis d'Arnaud flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr singled to center to begin. Gorkys Hernandez flied out to center, JBJ swiped second and Chris Owings walked. Sandy Leon hit one up the elevator shaft but Marco Hernandez pounded a ground rule double to put the Sox on top. That was it for Snell as Chaz Roe came in and got Mr. Mookie to pop up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                              Hernandez puts the Sox on top

Chacin cruised in the bottom of the second as Ji-Man Choi grounded out to first to start. Avisail Garcia grounded out to short and Brandon Lowe grounded out to first to end the inning.

Peter Fairbanks came in for the top of the third and the Sox struck again. Devers flied out to left and Martinez grounded out to short, but Sam Travis keeled over in the dugout and had to be rushed to the local hospital's ICU. Mitch Moreland pinch hit for Travis and doubled to center before JBJ doubled Mitch home. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

Chacin blew away Kiermaier to begin the bottom of the third before Adames took strike three. Wendle grounded out to second to end the inning.

Austin Pruitt came in for the top of the fourth and the Sox nailed him too. Owings grounded out to first to start before Leon took strike three. Marco Hernandez walked and Mr. Mookie singled him to third. Devers singled home Hernandez and Martinez singled home Betts. Moreland walked to load the bases but JBJ missed the killshot by grounding out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                     Devers drives in a run

All of a sudden the Rays sprang to life in the bottom of the fourth although Pham whiffed to start. Meadows singled to right and d'Arnaud singled him to third. Choi then crushed a 970,000 foot home run to cut the lead. Garcia grounded out to third but Lowe smashed a 340,000 foot home run to tie the game and chase Chacin. He was nearly perfect for 3 1/3 innings but fell apart in a hurry.

                                                   So much for Chacin

Bobby Poyner came in to pour gas on the fire as Kiermaier was plunked and Adames cracked a 50,000 foot home run to put Tampa up for good. Wendle took strike three to end the inning but 3 Rays homers had given them the lead 6-4.

                                                   The Rays take the lead

As been their M.O. all season, the Sox quit when they fell behind in the top of the fifth inning. Oliver Drake got Gorkys Hernandez and Chris Owings to strike out swinging before Leon grounded out to short to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez got the ball in the bottom of the fifth and Pham flied out to right to start. Meadows grounded out to first and d'Arnaud struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox quit in the top of the sixth inning as Marco Hernandez grounded out to second to start. Mr. Mookie lined out to center and Devers grounded out to first to end the inning. The Rays wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Choi doubled to start. Garcia doubled home Choi but was thrown out at third trying to stretch by Mr. Mookie. Lowe whiffed and Kiermaier flied out to right to end the inning with the Rays up 7-4.

                                                     YERRRR OUT!

Daniel Robertson took over for Lowe but was at third with Wendle moving to second and Nick Anderson on the mound for the top of the seventh. Martinez and Moreland both struck out swinging but JBJ dumped a base hit to center. Gorkys Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Heath Hembree materialized out of thin air to pitch for the first time since August 1st in the bottom of the seventh inning. Adames lined out to center to start before Wendle grounded out to second. Pham flied out to right to end the inning. Welcome back Hembree!

                                                       Hembree is back

Diego Castillo came in for the top of the eighth and Owings whiffed to start. Leon flied out to center and Marco Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning. Brian Johnson came in for the bottom of the eighth and Meadows singled to start. d'Arnaud whiffed and Choi flied out to center before Jesus Aguilar pinch hit for Garcia. Aguilar walked and Guillermo Heredia pinch ran for him. Robertson whiffed to end the inning.

Emilio Pagan came in for the top of the ninth and the Sox rallied. Mr. Mookie and Devers stroked back to back singles to start but Martinez flied out to right. Colin Poche came in to pitch and Christian Vazquez pinch hit for Moreland...just to strike out swinging. Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for JBJ...just to take strike three to end the game. The Rays had won it 7-4.

                                                                 Another loss to the Rays


Jackass of the Night is Bobby Poyner. He allowed the go ahead home run to Adames that the Sox could got recover from.

                                                        Bobby Jackass


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Brian Johnson pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Sam Travis struck out in his only at bat.

Christian Vazquez struck out as a pinch hitter.

Xander Bogaerts struck out as a pinch hitter.

Gorkys Hernandez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 4 but struck out.

Jhoulys Chacin gave up 4 runs in just 3 2/3 innings.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Chris Owings was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Hector Velazquez allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing this season is almost over because I can't stand watching this garbage anymore. The Sox keep throwing out scrubs to pitch and they hardly ever come back when trailing. It doesn't matter if its the Tampa Bay Rays or the Perkins Institute for the Blind, every game is the same this month more or less. The only thing left to look forward to is if Eduardo Rodriguez can get to 20 wins or not because this is unbearable at this point. It was nice to see Heath Hembree make his return, if nothing else than one less inning per game for one of the interchangeable scrubs. The loss dropped the Sox to 81-75 with just 6 games left in the season. The Sox now travel to Texas for their final road trip of the season. Eduardo Rodriguez (18-6) continues his march towards 20 wins when he goes up against Edinson Volquez at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Arlington Park.

Giants Pound Sox (9/18/19)

One thing is for sure, priority number one for the next Boston Red Sox general manager will be to fix the starting rotation. The Sox inability to come back from late deficits is annoying and the bullpen being worthless for most of the first half was why the general manager is now unemployed, but the destruction of the rotation is the main reason why the season went down the drain. Chris Sale and David Price couldn't stay healthy while Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello went down the drain. Apart from Eduardo Rodriguez, the rotation has been a disaster. Tonight the Sox were forced to start Jhoulys Chacin (3-11, 5.66 ERA) off the scrap heap against the San Francisco Giants. Naturally he and the JV bullpen got beat up by the Giants for 11 runs and 15 hits. The Sox offense barely even tried with just 6 hits of their own and the Giants curbstomped the Sox with an 11-3 win at Fenway Park.

                                              "Your rotation sucks!" Dr. Pierce

The Giants wasted no time tagging Chacin in the top of the first inning as Mike Yastrzemski walked to start. Brandon Belt doubled Yaz to third and Kevin Pillar scored him with a ground out. Alex Dickerson took strike three but Stephen Vogt homered to ice the game 5 batters in. Brandon Crawford singled but Cristhian Adams whiffed to end the inning with the Giants up 3-0.

                                                That didn't take long

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the first against Giants starter Jeff Samardzija as Andrew Benintendi lined out to center to start. Xander Bogaerts popped up to third but Rafael Devers walked. Christian Vazquez grounded into a force to end the inning.

Chacin recovered in the top of the second as Mauricio Dubon whiffed to start. Aramis Garcia struck out swinging and Mike Yaz grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Brock "The Hitman" Holt grounded out to first to start. Mitch Moreland flied out to center before Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Giants knocked Chacin out in the top of the third inning although Belt struck out swinging to start. Pillar beat out an infield single but Dickerson took strike three. Pillar stole second, Vogt walked and Crawford doubled home Pillar to increase the lead. Dr. Quick Hook Alex Cora decided enough was enough from Jhoulys. Chacin didn't have it as he allowed 4 runs in just 2 2/3 innings. Bobby Poyner came in and punched out Adames to end the inning with the Giants up 4-0.

                                                      Another awful start

Marco Hernandez lined out to left to start the bottom of the third but Sandy Leon. Benintendi banged into a double play to end the inning.

Brian Johnson was summoned for the top of the fourth and Dubon grounded out to third to begin. Garia whiffed and Mike Yaz lined out to right to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the fourth as Bogaerts grounded out to third to begin. Devers grounded out to third as well before Vazquez flied out to left to end the inning.

Belt took strike three to begin the top of the fifth before Pillar grounded out to second. Dickerson flied out to center to end the inning. Holt tried to rally the Sox by drawing a walk in the bottom of the fifth but Moreland flied out to right. JBJ walked but Hernandez beat out a double play ball. Leon popped up to short to end the inning.

Travis Lakins got the call for the top of the sixth and Vogt grounded out to third to start. Crawford grounded out to second but Adames singled to center. Dubon grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth although Benintendi watched strike three go by to start. Bogaerts was rung up for strike three but Devers blast his 30th home run of the season to break up the shutout. Vazquez grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were down 4-1.

                                                           Devers hits number 30

Mike Shawaryn came in to pitch the top of the seventh an blew away Garcia to start. Mike Yaz swung at air and Belt popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the seventh as Holt singled to center to start. That was it for Samardzija as Fernando Abad came in and Moreland banged into a double play. JBJ and Hernandez stroked back to back singles and Leon singled home Leon to cut the lead in half. Representing the go-ahead run.....Benintendi grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                   Leon drives in a run

Shawaryn came back for the top of the eighth and promptly crapped his pants. Pillar and Dickerson stroked back to back singles before Joey Rickard ran for Dickerson. Vogt hit a sac fly to score Pillar and Rickard stole second on the Crawford strike out. Alex Cora brought in Colten Brewer and the first thing he did was give up an rbi single to Adames. Dubon whiffed to end the inning but the Giants had iced it 6-2.

                                               Giants ice the game

Tyler Rogers came in for the bottom of the eighth and the Sox laid down. Bogaerts grounded out to third, Devers grounded out to second and Vazquez popped up to second to end the inning.

Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth. Garcia doubled to left and Mike Yaz singled him home. Devers dropped a pop up by Belt for a base hit and Pillar singled to load the bases Rickard popped up to first and Vogt banged into a double play to end the inning....but wait! Giants manager Bruce Bochy challenged the call and the umps reversed it, Vogt was safe at first and Mike Yaz scored another run. That was it for Velazquez as Ryan Weber came in and Crawford hit a routine grounder to short. Bogaerts went OLE! for an error that scored Belt. Adames single to left to re-load the bases and Dubon singled home Vogt and Crawford as the boo birds rained down. Garcia lined out to right but the Giants scored 5 runs off the JV bullpen to take an 11-2 lead.

                                                          Yaz scores another run

Enderson Franco came in to close out the bottom of the ninth as Juan Centeno pinch hit for Holt. Centeno popped up to short and Chris Owings pinch hit for Moreland only to strike out swinging. JBJ prolonged the agony with his 20th home run of the year. Hernandez flied out to center to end the game. The Giants had won it easily 11-3.

                                                            Mike Yax is 2-0 at Fenway


Jackass of the Night is Jhoulys Chacin. He took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings, putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of and having to rely on the JV bullpen to wreck the day.

                                                       Keep the head down, Jackass



The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and his 30th homer.

Brock Holt was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 total runs scored and his 20th home run.

Sandy Leon was 1 for 2 with a walk and an rbi.

Bobby Poyner struck out the only man he faced.

Brian Johnson tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Travis Lakins pitched a scoreless 6th inning.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 3.

Juan Centeno was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Chris Owings struck out as a pinch hitter.

Mike Shawaryn allowed 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

Hector Velazquez allowed 4 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Ryan Weber allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Marco Hernandez was just 1 for 4.

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




Final Thoughts:

Just 11 more games and this miserable season is over. The Sox are clearly going through the motions as the season comes to a close. Getting bitchslapped by the San Francisco Giants is just par for the course when it comes to this year's team. Even the Fenway crowd is giving louder ovations to Mike Yastrzemski than any member of the Red Sox. That actually sends a louder message to ownership that the fans have had enough of the team. At least the silver lining is that Sox owner John Henry told the primary culprit to please leave the premises. The less said about this disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 79-72, just about mathematically eliminated. The Sox look to avoid a sweep by the Giants when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (17-6) up against former ace Madison Bumgarner tomorrow afternoon at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Lose To Yankees, Dombrowski Fired (9/8/19)

Tonight would have been another ho-hum loss for the Boston Red Sox in a season full of them but Red Sox owner John Henry realized that general manager Dave Dombrowski failed to make his team competitive this season. Henry shocked the nation by firing Dave less than a year after a franchise record for wins before winning the World Series. Dombrowski's legacy has always been torpedoing a farm system for one big victory only to fall flat afterwards. The 97 Marlins and the 2012 Tigers are proof of that. Henry was the owner of the 97 Marlins and saw first hand how Dombrowski blew up the team and decided to can him before he could do the same to the Sox. We wish him well in his future endeavors.

                                                    YOU'REEEEEE FIREDDDDD!!!!

As for the game, holy moly does "Slick" Rick Porcello (12-12, 5.83) suck this season or what? In a season that's reaching 2011 John Lackey levels, Porcello once again laid an egg, getting shelled for 6 runs in just 4 plus innings of work. Unlike Lackey, Porcello places the blame on no one but himself but for someone about to enter free agency, stinking all year is a pretty bad look. The Yankees pounded out 13 hits and 10 runs, Rafael Devers committed 3 errors and it all came crashing down in a 10-5 loss at Fenway Park.

Somehow the Yankees did not score in the top of the first inning as DJ LeMahieu grounded out to short to start. Aaron Judge grounded out to third and Didi Gregorius grounded out to second to end the inning. Masahiro Tanaka was greeted by Mr. Mookie Betts lining a single to center to start the bottom of the first. Rafael Devers whiffed and Xander Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Yankees effortlessly took the lead in the top of the second although Gary Sanchez lined out to third to start. Edwin Encarnacion singled and Gleyber Torres hit a 700 foot home run to give the Yankees the lead. Brett Gardner flied out to center and Luke Voit grounded out to second to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                          How unusual, Yankees lead

Naturally the Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as JD Martinez whiffed to start. Andrew Benintendi grounded back to the mound but Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled to left. Mitch Moreland flied out to left to end the inning.

The Yankees pounded Porcello in the top of the third as Mike Tauchman pounded a ground rule double to left to start. LeMahieu singled and Judge singled home Tauchman, sending LeMahieu to third. Gregorous popped up to second but Sanchez scored LeMahieu with a grounder. Encarnacion grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-0, game over.

                                                   Yankees score again and again

Somehow the Sox fought back in the bottom of the third inning. Sandy Leon got a lucky single to left and Jackie Bradley Jr bashed his 18th home run of the season to cut the lead. Mr. Mookie flied out to right but Devers singled to center. Bogaerts banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                JBJ goes yard

The relentless attack continued in the top of the fourth as Torres singled to left to begin. Gardner flied out to right and Voit whiffed, but Tauchman laughed at the Sox as he effortlessly crushed a 12,000 foot home run. LeMahieu grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 6-2. That was it for Porcello who once again stunk the joint out with the season slipping away, allowing 6 runs in just 4 innings.

                                                            Bye bye Porcello

Somehow the Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth although Martinez lined out to center to start. Benintendi grounded back to the mound but Holt singled past the diving Tauchman. Tauchman hurt himself and had to be replaced by Cameron Maybin as Moreland doubled home Holt. Somehow Leon doubled off the Monster to score Moreland. No magic for JBJ this time as he grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox were down 6-4.

                                                 Holt starts the rally

The Yankees took a dump on Ryan Brasier in the top of the fifth inning as Judge easily pounded a 500,000 foot bomb to start. Gregorius hit a routine grounder to third and Devers threw his glove at the ball for an error. Somehow Sanchez whiffed but Encarnacion easily singled to left, advancing Gregorius to third. That was it for Brasier as Trevor Kelley came in to get Torres to ground into a force, but Gregorius scored. One and done for Kelley as Josh Taylor came in to strike out Gardner to end the inning with the Yankees up 8-4.

                                                         The carnage continues

Chad Green came in for the bottom of the fifth and Mr. Mookie struck out swinging to start. Devers grounded out to first and Bogaerts grounded out to short to end the inning.

Jhoulys Chacin came in for the top of the sixth and somehow kept the Yankees off the board. Voit lined out to third and Maybin lined out to second, but LeMahieu walked. Judge lined out to third to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the sixth as Martinez flied out to center to start. Benintendi also flied out to center before Holt whiffed to end the inning.

Josh A Smith got his turn in the top of the seventh and Gregorius grounded out to short to start. Sanchez popped up to third and Encarnacion whiffed to end the inning. The Sox had no chance in the bottom of the seventh as Moreland, Leon and JBJ all whiffed in short order.

Torres flied out to center to begin the top of the eighth before Gardner whiffed. Voit singled to right as Tyler Wade pinch ran for him. Maybin singled but LeMahieu grounded out to third to end the inning. Gio Urshela took over at third with LeMahieu moving to first when the Sox had one last gasp in the bottom of the eighth. Mr. Mookie crushed his 27th home run of the year but Devers popped up to third. Bogaerts grounded back to the mound and Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 8-5.

                                                          One last run

As usual, once the Sox scored the Yankees answered in the top of the ninth against Marcus Walden. Judge popped up to third but Gregorius walked. Sanchez hit a routine grounder to Devers who threw himself on the ball like a grenade then got up and threw the ball into the Monster Seats for a double error on the same play. Encarnacion laughed at Devers as he effortlessly singled home Gregorius. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in but Torres doubled home Sanchez to wrap up the scoring. Gardner flied out to right and Urshela grounded out to short to end the inning but Devers cost the Sox 2 runs with horrid defense, trailing 10-5.

                                                       Bad day for Devers

Jonathan Loasiga ended the misery in the bottom of the ninth as Benintendi lined out to second to begin. Holt and Moreland whiffed to end the game. The Yankees almost effortlessly beat the fading Sox 10-5.

                                                    Another nail in the coffin


Jackass of the Night is Rick Porcello. With the season fading away he got pounded for 6 runs in 4 innings, once again crapping himself.

                                                   Jackass Porcello


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Brock Holt was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Trevor Kelley retired the only man he faced.

Josh Taylor retired the only man he faced.

Jhoulys Chacin tossed a scoreless inning.

Josh A Smith tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 4.

JD Martinez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 4.

Ryan Brasier gave up 2 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Marcus Walden was charged with 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 3 errors in the field.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Hector Velazquez allowed an inherited runner to score but got the last two outs of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Ding Dong Dumbo is gone. Someone had to pay for the Red Sox falling flat on their face this season and Dombrowski deserved it more than anyone. All season long fans were getting increasingly frustrated with Dombrowski doing absolutely nothing to improve the team as the bullpen blew one game after another in the first half, then he kicked back with his hands behind his head when the trade deadline came. He sealed the Sox fate by not going after anyone other than Andrew Cashner who quickly found out pitching in front of 34,000 rabid fans is a bit different than the 15,000 he was used to in Baltimore. If the excuse is he didn't have the farm system talent to make a deal, that's on him too. He had 3 years to build something but all he did was trade away Ben Cherrington picks while failing to restock the minors. It would be unfair to not give him credit for helping to mold the 2018 Red Sox but it would also be unfair not to place some blame for this season falling apart. Whoever the Sox bring in has a gigantic mess to clean up with JD Martinez headed to free agency and a starting rotation in shambles. As for this game, who gives a damn? Tomorrow the Sox look to tie the series when they send Eduardo Rodriguez (17-5) up against James Paxton at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Angels Crush Sox Playoff Hopes (8/31/19)

If Boston Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski isn't fired at the end of the season, most Sox fans will be stunned. He ignored the bullpen issues all season and it tonight's loss to the Los Angeles Angels may have been one of the final nails in the coffin on the 2019 season. The Sox led the Angels 4-3 going into the 8th inning when the Angels pulled off a 7 run rally to put the game out of reach. What should have been a locked down win turned into a 10-4 defeat to further put the Sox out of playoff position.

                                            "Bullpen blows it again??"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Angels starter Dillon Peters in the top of the first inning. Mr. Mookie Betts led off with a base hit to center to begin. Betts was erased on the force by Rafael Devers before Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging. JD Martinez continued his hot streak with a double to right to score Betts to put the Sox on top. Sam Travis whiffed to end the inning with Boston up 1-0.

                                                   Martinez drives in a run

Josh Taylor was the opener for the Sox and David Fletcher singled to left to start. Mike Trout walked but Brian Goodwin whiffed. Albert Pujols walked to load the bases but Taylor froze Justin Upton for strike three. Kole Calhoun flied out to left to end the inning.

Andrew Benintendi flied out to center to start the top of the second before Christian Vazquez flied out to almost the exact same spot. Brock "The Hitman" Holt lined a ball off the glove of Luis Rengifo for a single but Sandy Leon popped up to short to end the inning. Marcus Walden came in to pitch the bottom of the first and Andrelto Simmons singled to short to begin. Rengifo forced Simmons at second but a wild pitch moved Luis to second. Kevan Smith walked but Fletcher flied out to center. Trout singled to right to score Rengifo and send Smith to third. Trout swiped second but Goodwin whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Trout ties it up

The Sox answered in the top of the third as Mr. Mookie doubled to left to begin before moving to third on the Devers grounder. Bogaerts lined out to first but Martinez singled home Betts. Fletcher booted a ball by Travis to allow him to reach on an error and Benintendi made the Angels pay with a base hit to right to score Martinez. Vazquez whiffed to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 3-1.

                                                    Vazquez picked a fine time to go into a slump

The Angels bashed Brian Johnson in the bottom of the third as Pujols doubled to right to begin. Pujols moved to third on the Upton fly out to right and scored on the Calhoun double. Simmons flied out to left but Rengifo tied the game with a double to right to score Calhoun. Smith grounded out to third to end the inning but the game was tied 3-3.

                                                 Nice going Johnson

The Sox took the lead in the top of the fourth when Holt doubled to center to start. Leon dropped down a bunt to send Brock to third and Mr. Mookie scored Holt with a sac fly. Devers lined out to left to end the inning but the Sox led 4-3.

Johnson had a much easier bottom of the fourth as Fletcher grounded out to second to start. Trout whiffed and Goodwin grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the fifth as Bogaerts flied out to right to start. Martinez lined out to left and Travis grounded out to short to end the inning. Johnson got Pujols to fly out to left to open the bottom of the fifth before Upton whiffed. Calhoun whiffed to end the inning.

Benintendi popped up to third to begin the top of the sixth before Vazquez whiffed. Holt took strike three to end the inning. Johnson came back for one more inning in the bottom of the sixth and got Simmons to fly out to center to begin. Rengifo grounded out to third and Smith flied out to right to end the inning. Johnson allowed the 2 runs in the third but gave the Sox 3 scoreless innings after that.

Leon whiffed to begin the top of the seventh inning and that was it for Peters. Ty Buttrey came in and Betts was plunked before he swiped second. Devers flied out to left and Bogaerts popped up to first to end the inning. Matt Barnes came in for the bottom of the seventh and Fletcher grounded out to short to start. Trout whiffed but Goodwin doubled to right. Pujols grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew their chance to increase the lead in the top of the seventh when Luis Garcia walked Martinez to start. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Travis and hit a ball back to the mound. Garcia threw wide of first and both runners were safe. Benintendi dropped down a bunt to move both runners over and Mitch Moreland pinch hit for for Vazquez. Moreland walked to load the bases but the normally reliable Holt banged into a double play to end the inning. Not making the same mistake twice two days in a row, Sox manager Alex Cora brought Jackie Bradley Jr in to replace Martinez in the lineup but in centerfield with Betts moving to right along with Ryan Brasier on the mound to start the bottom of the eighth. The Angels exploded as Upton and Calhoun ripped back to back singles to start. Simmons singled to left to score Upton to tie the game. Shohei Ohtani pinch hit for Rengifo but whiffed. Matt Thaiss pinch hit for Smith but flied out to center. One out away from going to the ninth tied, Fletcher doubled home Calhoun to give the Angels the lead. Trout was intentionally walked and Goodwin made the Sox pay by scoring Simmons and Fletcher with a base hit. That was it for Brasier who let the lead slip away. Josh Smith came in and Goodwin stole second. Pujols crushed a 500,000 bomb to ice the game. Upton whiffed to end the inning but the Angels rallied for 7 runs to ice the game 10-4.

                                                    Dammit

Jose Rodriguez came in for the top of the ninth and Leon grounded out to short to start. Mr. Mookie singled to right but was forced at second by Devers. Bogaerts hit a ground rule double to left and JBJ walked to load the bases which would have put the tying runs on if it wasn't for the Pujols homer. It didn't matter as Hernandez grounded out to third to end the game. The Angels had won it 10-4.

Jackass of the Night is Ryan Brasier. He allowed the go-ahead runs to score even before the Pujols homer.

                                                     Jackass Brasier



The Good:

Mookie Betts was 3 for 3 with a hit by pitch, rbi, stolen base and run scored.

JD Martinez was 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr walked in his only plate appearance.

Andrew Benintendi was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Mitch Moreland walked as a pinch hitter.

Brock Holt was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Josh Taylor pitched a scoreless first inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Sam Travis was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marco Hernandez was 0 for 2.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Marcus Walden allowed a run in the second inning.

Josh Smith served up the 3 run homer to Pujols in the 8th inning.



The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 but scored a run.

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 5.

Brian Johnson allowed 2 runs in 4 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Thanks a lot Dave Dombrowski. Since the Sox don't have a proven set-up guy, the Sox have to rely on scrap heap pickups like Brasier, Walden and Smith to get the job done. Guys like Barnes and Brasier must have their arms falling off from overuse because they just don't have pitching depth. That's on Dombrowski who went into the season legitimately thinking Colten Brewer and Tyler Thornburg was the answer to losing Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly. The Sox are trying desperately to hang on but with their rotation in shambles and their bullpen exhausted, it doesn't look good. Still, just the fact the offense has refused to quit shows at least they're going down swinging. The loss dropped the Sox to 73-63, 6 games behind the Cleveland Indians for the second wild card spot. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon when David Price returns from the injured list to make the start up against Andrew Heaney at 4:00 PM Eastern time at Angel Stadium.