Sox Crush Braves in Season Finale (9/27/20)

The bad news was the Miami Heat eliminated the Boston Celtics with their Game 6 win in the NBA East Finals, the good news was the Boston Red Sox won their final regular season game. HALLELUJA!!! HALLELUJA! The 2020 Boston Red Sox season is over! One of the worst seasons in franchise history is finally over after 2 agonizing months of torture. After the year began with Alex Cora fired in January, Mookie Betts was traded in February. Chris Sale announced he needed Tommy John just as Covid-19 hit in March. The season was postponed until July and at that point, Eduardo Rodriguez developed a serious heart condition due to Covid and was forced to miss the season. Sox GM Chaim Bloom decided to take a knee on fourth down this season by not putting together a legitimate starting rotation, which led to the Sox falling into the last place for the fourth time in nine years. The season ended on a high note though as the Sox made mincemeat out of the Atlanta Braves in the final game of the season. Nick Pivetta (2-0, 6.89 ERA) once again tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball before departing manager Ron Roenicke pulled him. In what could be Jackie Bradley Jr's final game, he led the offensive charge by going 3 for 6 with a home run. Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez and Jonathan Arauz all hit home runs as the Sox closed the book on their last place season on a high note, beating the Braves 9-1 at Truist Field.

                                               Season's over, time to party!

Braves starter Bryse Wilson got tagged immediately in the top of the first inning as Jackie Bradley Jr led off his possible final game in Boston with a double to left to start. Rafael Devers singled down the right field line to score Bradley to put the Sox on top. Xander Bogaerts whiffed but JD Martinez moved Devers to second with a grounder. Kevin Plawecki walked but Bobby Dalbec grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                    Devers drives in a run

The Braves fought back against Pivetta in the bottom of the first as Ozzie Albies flied out to left to start. Freddie Freeman grounded out to second but Marcell Ozuna hit a home run to Denmark to tie the game. None other than old friend Pablo Sandoval drew a walk and Adam Duvall singled to center. Nick Markakis grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Tie game

Michael Chavis grounded out to short to start the top of the second but Tzu-Wei Lin singled to left. Jonathan Arauz singled Lin to third but Tzu was out at home on a grounder by JBJ. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning. Pivetta cruised in the bottom of the second as Dansby Swanson whiffed to start. Tyler Flowers took strike three and Ender Inciarte popped up to short to end the inning.

Bogaerts singled to short to start the top of the third before moving to second on the Martinez grounder. Plawecki took strike three but Dalbec walked. Chavis grounded out to second to end the inning. The departing JBJ made one final highlight reel catch in the bottom of the third when he robbed Albies of a triple at the centerfield wall too start. Freeman singled to center but JBJ robbed Ozuna of extra bases as well. Sandoval struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                     One last one for the highlight reel

The Sox took command in the top of the fourth with Will Smith now on the mound. Lin lined out to short and Arauz whiffed, but today's star JBJ pounded his 7th home run of the year to put the Sox up for good. Devers whiffed to end the inning but it was 2-1 Sox.

                                                               One last home run

Pivetta cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Duvall popped up to second to start. Markakis flied out to center and Swanson took strike three to end the inning,

The Sox got another run in the top of the fifth against Darren O'Day. Bogaerts smashed his 11th home run of the season to increase the lead before Martinez flied out to left. Plawecki and Dalbec both went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                        Bogaerts hits one out

Pivetta returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Flowers whiffed to start. Inciarte walked and Albies singled off the glove of Arauz, but Freeman lined out to right. Ozuna lined out to second to end the inning. Despite having all winter to rest, Sox manager Ron Roenicke felt that was enough from Pivetta and pulled him after allowing just the home run in 5 innings.

                                                                2 starts, 2 wins for Pivetta

Shane Greene came in for the top of the sixth and Chavis lined out to right to start. Lin grounded out to second but Arauz walked. JBJ flied out to left to end the inning. Cesar Puello took Bogaerts' spot in the batting order but went to right with Lin moving to second base and Arauz to short to start the bottom of the sixth. Darwinzon Hernandez took the mound and somehow walked Sandoval to start. Duvall lined out to left but Markakis singled and everyone moved over on the passed ball by Plawecki. Swanson walked to load the bases but Flowers took strike three and Hernandez blew away Inciarte on a 94 mph fastball to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the seventh but after throwing one pitch, he fell to the ground clutching his groin. He had to be carried out on a stretcher and Luke Jackson came in ice cold to replace him. The Sox feasted although Devers grounded out to second to start. Puello singled to right and Martinez smashed his seventh home run of the season to increase the lead. Plawecki walked, Dalbec was plunked and Chavis doubled home Plawecki. Lin grounded out to first but Arauz singled home Dalbec and Chavis to ice the game. JBJ singled to left but Devers grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                              Sox pour it on

Ryan Weber took over for the bottom of the seventh and Albies flied out to right to start. Freeman grounded out to first but Ozuna singled to left. Sandoval grounded into a force to end the inning.

Mark Melancon came in for the top of the eighth and Puello singled to left to start. Martinez took strike three but Plawecki singled to center. Dalbec and Chavis both took strike three to end the inning. Weber got Duvall to hit one up the elevator shaft to begin the bottom of the eighth. Markakis doubled to center but Swanson grounded out to short. Flowers took strike three to end the inning.

Josh Tomlin came on for the top of the ninth and the Sox tagged him. Lin grounded out to first but Arauz struck his only home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. JBJ and Devers whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                            1st and only homer for Arauz

Mike Kickham had mop up duty in the bottom of the ninth and Inciarte lined out to center to start. Albies whiffed and Adeiny Hechavarria pinch hit for Freeman. Hechavarria grounded out to short to end the game and the season for the Red Sox. The Sox ended 2020 on a high note by winning 9-1.

                                                            One last win in 2020

Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. In what could be his last game for the Red Sox, Bradley scored the game's first run, robbed Albies of a triple and his home run in the fourth put the Sox up for good.

                                                   Jackie Bradley Hero

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with a home run before leaving.

Cesar Puello was 2 for 2 with a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Jonathan Arauz was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 total rbis and a home run.

Nick Pivetta earned the win by tossing 5 innings while allowing one run for hits and 2 walks.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

Ryan Weber tossed two scoreless innings.

Mike Kickham tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 3 but walked, was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Tzu-Wei Lin was just 1 for 5.

Final Thoughts:

WE MADE IT!!! After 60 agonizing games and 65 days, the 2020 season is over for the Red Sox. This was as bad as it gets considering the Red Sox didn't have a rotation until the middle of September when Tanner Houck was brought up and Nick Pivetta was activated. In fact, if this was the middle of June and the Sox were 24-36, with the way the offense was gelling and the rotation improving, the Sox may have made a comeback during a full season. As it was, Sox management didn't even try this year. Losing Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez and Colin McHugh to either injury or Covid related issues hurt but Sox GM Chaim Bloom didn't even replace them. The Sox went into the season back in July with only two starters, Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez. Those guys would be 4-5 in a real rotation. Meanwhile the Sox sent a production line of bums to pitch this season and that's the real reason they finished last. The offense was as good as anyone but 4 games out of 5 they were down 5-6 runs by the third inning. There were some bright spots this season with Houck being the first. If he can build on this season, he could be their first homegrown ace since Clay Buchholz. Bobby Dalbec replaced Mitch Moreland and hit almost as many home runs as Moreland did. Phillips Valdez was one of the only guys that could get anyone out in the bullpen and the Sox may want to keep him around next year. Alex Verdugo was never going to replace Mookie Betts but in his own way, he became a stud. The Sox have a lot of work to do in the off-season to repair the damage but with all the prospects Bloom orchestrated to acquire plus the additions of Verdugo and Pivetta, rebuilding just got a lot easier. The Sox need to rebuild their bullpen and make a decision on who's in the outfield. If they don't want to bring Jackie Bradley Jr back they better hope this was just an off-year for Andrew Benintendi. Still, unlike last year things are looking up with a re-stocked farm system, a potential new ace and a younger offense that gelled. The Sox finished their season in last place at 24-36 on the season. If MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred doesn't screw with the draft order, the Sox will get the number 4 overall pick since they finished ahead of Pittsburgh, Texas and Detroit. The Sox will most certainly miss out on Kumar Rocker, Jack Leiter and the number one bat in the country....but that doesn't mean they can't draft a stud anyway. Who knows what the world will look like come February when spring training begins but with Alex Cora possibly returning, Tanner Houck & Nick Pivetta shoring up the starting pitching, Chris Sale & Eduardo Rodriguez coming back and Alex Verdugo gelling with Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers and Christian Vazquez, things are looking a hell of a lot better for 2021 than they did in 2020. Let us never speak of this disaster ever again.

Braves Walkoff Red Sox (9/25/20)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their NBA East Finals series but the bad news was the Atlanta Braves beat the Boston Red Sox. In one of the sorriest affairs in Major League history, the Red Sox and Braves tried to hand each other the game over and over again in an unnecessary extra inning affair. Once again the Sox went to the bullpen too early and they allowed 7 runs in 6 innings. Sox starter Chris Mazza held the Braves to just 1 run in 5 innings as the Sox took a 2-1 lead. Naturally the Braves came back to take a 4-2 lead going into the ninth. Somehow the Sox tied it to send it to the tenth inning. The Sox took the lead in the 10th just for the Braves to tie it. The Sox took the lead in the 11th just for Freddie Freeman to smash a 2 run walkoff home run to win it for the Braves. This year can't end fast enough after the 8-7 Braves win at Truist Field.

                                                    Let frown hour begin

Braves starter Kyle Wright got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first, Christian Arroyo grounded out to short and JD Martinez grounded out to short as well to end the inning. Mazza got tagged in the bottom of the first when Ronald Acuna hit the fifth pitch Chris threw for a 495 foot home run to put Atlanta on top. Ozzie Albies lined out to center but Marcell Ozuna doubled to center. Adam Duvall grounded out to short to move Ozuna to third but Dansby Swanson struck out swinging to end the inning with the Braves ahead 1-0.

                                                   That ball is GONE

Wright cruised in the top of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr grounded back to the mound to start. Kevin Plawecki and Bobby Dalbec both whiffed to end the inning. Mazza cruised in the bottom of the first as Austin Riley whiffed to start. Nick Markakis flied out to left and Tyler Flowers struck out swinging to end the inning.

Tzu-Wei Lin flied out to right to start the top of the third before Michael Chavis grounded out to short. Jonathan Arauz struck out swinging to end the inning. Adeiny Hechavarria flied out to right to start the bottom of the third but Acuna was plunked. Acuna swiped second but Albies whiffed. Ozuna walked but Duvall took strike three to end the inning.

Wright cruised in the top of the fourth as Verdugo lined out to left to start. Arroyo flied out to right but Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Swanson lined out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth but Riley singled to left. Markakis popped up to third but Flowers singled to left. Hechavarria flied out to left to end the inning.

JBJ broke up the perfect game by swatting his 6th home run of the season to start the top of the fifth. Plawecki singled to center but was forced at second by Dalbec. Lin flied out to right and Chavis lined back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                    JBJ ties it up

Acuna struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Albies popped up to short. Ozuna walked but Duvall flied out to center to end the inning. Mazza had thrown 83 pitches through 5 and allowed just one run, but Sox manager Ron Roenicke felt he was doing too well.

                                                        Mazza goes 5 strong

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Arauz lined out to center to start. Verdugo grounded out to short and Arroyo also grounded out to short to end the inning. Darwinzon Hernandez came in for the bottom of the sixth and Swanson flied out to center to start. Riley walked but Markakis took strike three. Flowers was plunked and Hechavarria flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox took the lead in the top of the seventh although Martinez flied out to right to start. JBJ, Plawecki and Dalbec all walked to load the bases and Rafael Devers pinch hit for Lin. Devers hit an absolute rocket but was robbed of a hit by Riley. JBJ scored the go-ahead run but that could have been a 3 run triple. Darren O'Day came in to pitch and Chavis flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                 Great play by Riley

Ryan Weber came on for the bottom of the seventh and damn near blew the lead. Acuna grounded out to second but Albies was plunked. Ozuna singled to left and Duvall was plunked to load the bases. Somehow Weber struck out Swanson swinging and got Riley grounded out to first to end the inning.

Will Smith came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Arauz took strike three to start. Alex Verdugo whiffed and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning. Ryan Brasier came in to cough up the lead in the bottom of the eighth as Markakis singled to right to start. Flowers took strike three but Hechavarria doubled to right and Acuna was intentionally walked to load the bases. Albies flied out to left but Ozuna singled up the middle to score Markakis and Hechavarria. Duvall hit a routine grounder to Devers who threw it into the stands to score Acuna with another run. Swanson flied out to center to end the inning as Devers pitched a fit in the dugout after helping the Braves take a 4-2 lead.

                                                   Ozuna gives the Braves the lead

Braves closer Mark Melancon came in for the top of the ninth with Ender Inciarte in for Markakis. Martinez started the rally with a base hit to center but was forced at second by JBJ. Plawecki singled and Dalbec walked to load the bases to bring up Devers. Devers hit a ground ball to third that ate up Hechavarria, causing him to airmail the throw into the dugout. JBJ and Plawecki scored to tie the game. Xander Bogaerts pinch hit for Chavis and he was intentionally walked to load the bases. Naturally Arauz forced Dalbec at home on a grounder to first. Verdugo grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 4-4. Once again Roenicke pinch hit for the wrong guy and it cost him.

                                                          Devers ties it up

Cesar Puello came in to play left with Matt Barnes on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Riley popped up to second and Ender Inciarte whiffed, but Freddie Freeman pinch hit for Flowers. Freeman walked and Travis d'Arnaud pinch hit for Hechavarria, walking as well. Acuna grounded into a force to end the inning.

Chris Martin came in for the top of the tenth inning with Alex Verdugo starting at second. Arroyo grounded out to third but Martinez was intentionally walked. JBJ whiffed but Plawecki got a base hit to right that scored Verdugo and sent Martinez to third. Dalbec stepped up with a base hit to center to score Martinez to give the Sox the lead. Devers lined out to short to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 6-4.

Jeffrey Springs came on to pitch the bottom of the tenth and naturally he pissed down his leg. Acuna started at second and Albies effortlessly singled him in. Ozuna whiffed and Duvall popped up to short, but a wild pitch moved Albies to second. Verdugo then went OLE! on a fly ball by Swanson to score Albies to tie the game. Riley was intentionally walked and Inciarte lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied again 6-6.

                                                       "I got it, I got it...I don't got it" - AV

Shane Greene came in to pitch the top of the 11th with Devers starting at second. Puello dropped down a bunt to move Devers to third and Arauz walked to put runners at the corners. Verdugo hit a sac fly to score Devers to give the Sox the lead. Arroyo grounded into a force to end the inning but it was 7-6 Sox.

After taking out his pitchers after one inning all damn season, NOW Sox manager Ron Roenicke let Springs throw another inning. Inciarte started at second and Springs threw an 80 mph straight fastball right down the middle that Freeman hit to Jupiter to end the game. The Sox bullpen allowed 7 runs in 6 innings and the Braves had won it 8-7 in 11 innings.

                                                          Braves win

Jackass of the night is Jeffrey Springs. He was tasked to protect leads twice and allowed 4 runs to lose the game.

                                              That's right, scram ya Jackass

The Good:

Jackie Bradley Jr scored 3 runs, walked and hit a home run.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts walked as a pinch hitter.

Cesar Puello dropped down a bunt in his only at bat that led to the run scoring.

Chris Mazza tossed 5 innings of 1 run ball allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks.

Darwinzon Hernandez tossed a scoreless 6th inning.

Ryan Weber tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Christian Arroyo was 0 for 6.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 3.

Ryan Brasier allowed 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was 0 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

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

Jonathan Arauz was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

This season can't end fast enough. The only positive is that if Sox GM Chaim Bloom is good at his job, we'll never have to see Ron Roenicke manage or the bums in the bullpen ever again. There's scrap heap pickups and then there's dumpster diving, the Sox dumpster dived for their pitchers this year. The Sox had the lead THREE times and blew all three of them. Brasier and Springs managed to allow 7 runs between them and any other season, fans would complain. The Sox have two games left and are still locked in to the #3 pick in the draft. As it stands now if Pittsburgh takes Kumar Rocker and Texas takes Jack Leiter, the Sox can choose the top 5 tool bat in the country. That's if they remain in the number 3 position. Chris Mazza surprised everyone by going 5 strong with only 1 run allowed, its a shame the bullpen couldn't hold it. Once again Roenicke pulling him after 83 pitches when he has all winter to rest proves Roenicke is not a manager. Two more games and he's gone, thankfully. The loss drops the Sox to 22-36, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send the rookie Tanner Houck (2-0, 0.00 ERA) up against Atlanta's rookie Tucker Davidson at 7:10 PM at Truist Park.

Sox Pound Orioles (9/23/20)

The bad news was the Boston Celtics lost Game 4 of their NBA East Finals series to the Miami Heat. The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles. Amazing what happens when you have good starting pitching. The Red Sox have showed some life the last week and there's a big difference in Zack Godley throwing 88 mph fastballs down the middle and Nathan Eovaldi (4-2, 3.72 ERA) throwing 100 miles an hour on the corners. Eovaldi in his potentially last start of the season threw harder than he had all year and the Orioles were his victims. Eovaldi held the Orioles to no runs in 6 innings while blowing away 8 batters. The rejuvenated Red Sox offense pounded out 10 hits and 9 runs and cruised to an easy 9-1 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                       Angie Everhart approves of the win

Eovaldi got the ball in the top of the first inning and blew away Cedric Mullins on a 100 mph fastball to start. DJ Stewart whiffed on a 95 mph fastball but Ryan Mountcastle fisted a single past Christian Arroyo nut Renato Nunez whiffed on a splitter in the dirt to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the first against Orioles starter Dean Kremer as Alex Verdugo doubled off the Monster to start. Rafael Devers went down swinging but Xander Bogaerts drew a walk. Verdugo took third on the fly ball to center by JD Martinez and Jackie Bradley Jr ripped a base hit to right that scored him. Bogaerts took third on the hit and scored on the seeing eye single by Kevin Plawecki to right. JBJ took third on the hit but Bobby Dalbec grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         JBJ drives in the first run

Eovaldi caught Chance Sisco swinging with a splitter to start the top of the second but Austin Hays singled to center. Rio Ruiz flied out to left and Pat Valaika hit a shot off the Monster. JBJ fired to second and Christian Arroyo applied the tag...SAFE! Arroyo demanded a challenge and the umpires reversed the call, Valaika was out and the inning was over. Michael Chavis grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Arroyo walked. Verdugo flied out to center and Devers whiffed badly to end the inning.

Eovaldi blew away Ramon Urias to start the top of the third before Devers snuffed out a bunt attempt by Mullins. Stewart swung and missed for strike three to end the inning. Bogaerts hit a seeing eye single in the hole at short to start the bottom of the third and Martinez doubled off the centerfield wall to score Xander. JBJ flied out to the right field wall to move Martinez to third when the Baltimore medical staff rushed to the mound to check on Kremer. Plawecki tripled past the diving Hays to score Martinez with another run. Dalbec hit a grounder to third but Plawecki was thrown out at home by a mile. Naturally Chavis doubled off the bottom of the Monster to score Dalbec and it should have scored Plawecki too. Arroyo walked to chase Kremer. Branden Kline came in and walked Verdugo to load the bases and Devers cleared the bases with a double into the right field corner. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning but it was now 8-0.

                                                  Devers clears the bases

Ryan Mountcastle singled to short to start the top of the fourth but Nunez banged into a double play. Sisco grounded out to second to end the inning. Martinez whiffed to start the bottom of the fourth before JBJ also struck out swinging. Plawecki lined out to left to end the inning.

The Orioles threatened in the top of the fifth as Hays singled to right to start. Ruiz whiffed but Valaika singled to right. Urias banged into a double play to end the inning. Bruce Zimmermann came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Dalbec swung and missed for strike three but the ball got away allowing Dalbec to reach first. Chavis lined out to right, Arroyo flied out center and Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning.

Eovaldi returned for the top of the sixth and Mullins grounded out to third to start. Stewart walked but Mountcastle lined out to right. Nunez singled to left but Sisco whiffed to end the inning. That was it for Eovaldi who emptied the tank in what should be his last start of the season. He allowed 7 hits, no runs and a walk while striking out 8.

                                                   Eovaldi finishes this lost year strong

Zimmermann cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Devers whiffed to start. Bogaerts grounded out to third and Martinez also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Mike Kickham was first out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh and naturally Hays hit a home run to Argentina to put the Orioles on the board. Ruiz lined one off Kickham but Bogaerts threw him out at first. Valaika singled to left but Kickham got Urias swinging at air on a nasty curve. Mullins grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                       Hays hits one out

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as JBJ walked to start. Plawecki singled to left but Dalbec whiffed. Urias made a great stab to get Plawecki at second but a wild pitch scored JBJ. Arroyo popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                                     JBJ scores a run

Kickham returned for the top of the eighth and Stewart grounded out to second to start. Mountcastle singled to center, Nunez walked and Sisco walked to load the bases. Sox manager Ron Roenicke finally pulled the incompetent Kickham and Jeffrey Springs was brought in. Springs froze Hays with a 91 mph inside fastball for strike three and got Ruiz to ground out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Verdugo took strike three to start. Devers grounded out to third but Bogaerts beat out an infield single to short. Tzu-Wei Lin ran for Bogaerts but was forced at second by Martinez to end the inning.

Springs returned for the top of the ninth and Valaika whiffed to start. Urias singled to right but Mullins whiffed on an 83 mph fastball. Stewart whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won it easily 9-1.

                                                       Sox win!

Hero of the Night is Nathan Eovaldi. He was outstanding in his last start, throwing 6 shutout innings while touching 100 on the gun.

                                                  One final Hero for Eovaldi

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Kevin Plawecki was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Christian Arroyo walked twice and scored a run in 2 innings of work.

Jeffrey Springs tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Mike Kickham allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Alex Verdugo was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored 2 runs.

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but the one hit drove in 3 runs.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored a run.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Michael Chavis was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Honorable Mention:

Tzu-Wei Lin pinch ran for Bogaerts and played short in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Sox fans are kicking trash cans because the Sox cost themselves the top 2 draft slots but what did they expect? What's the biggest difference between the Sox in August and the Sox the last few weeks? Starting pitching, that's what. When you have Eovaldi, Martin Perez, Tanner Houck and Nick Pivetta tossing zeroes for 5-6 innings and an offense that's still good, that's at least a .500 team if not better. The Sox bullpen is still a mess but if Pivetta can be fixed and Houck is the real deal, the rebuild is going to go a lot quicker. Eovaldi was hitting 100 tonight only because this was his last start. If he did that 2 or 3 starts in a row, his arm would fall off. Still, Perez, Pivetta and Eovaldi could be 3, 4 and 5 in the rotation and Sox fans can live with it until Chris Sale comes back. As for this game, hate to tell the "tank" fans but the Sox are better than the Orioles. Baltimore played over their heads the first month of the season and the Sox completely underachieved. On paper, with Houck and Pivetta especially, the Sox are better. Hopefully the Sox won't be riddled by injuries and get Alex Cora back for 2021. As for this game, good win. The win improved the Sox to 22-34, 1 game behind the Orioles for fourth place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to sweep the Orioles when they send Martin Perez (3-4, 3.88 ERA) to the mound up against Orioles ace Alex Cobb. The final home game of the season begins at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Houck Dazzles, Sox Finally Beat Yankees (9/20/20)

Don't look now but Tanner Houck (2-0, 0.00 ERA) could be the real deal for the Boston Red Sox. The rookie passed a big test when he dismantled the high powered New York Yankees offense in today's game. Houck outwitted the Yankees by no-hitting them through 5 and allowing just one unearned run through 6 innings to earn his second win. Meanwhile the Sox offense had no problems scoring against Yankees rookie pitcher Deivi Garcia. Michael Chavis lit him up for two home runs and 5 total rbis as both JD Martinez and Bobby Dalbec hit home runs. The Yankees could be the odds on favorite to win the world series but the Red Sox took a dump in their championship strew by beating them soundly 10-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Kemba Walker approves of the win

Houck got the ball in the top of the first and DJ LeMahieu lined out to right to start. Luke Voit was plunked but Aaron Hicks banged into a double play to end the inning. Garcia got the ball in the bottom of the first and Christian Vazquez grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers doubled to left but JD Martinez lined out to left. Bobby Dalbec whiffed to end the inning.

Houck struck out Giancarlo Stanton swinging to begin the top of the second before Gleyber Torres lined out to left. Brett Gardner flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Jackie Bradley Jr doubled to left to start before moving to third on a passed ball. Michael Chavis then smashed a home run into Landsdowne Street to put the Sox on top. Cesar Puello hit a seeing eye single to left but Tzu-Wei Lin flied out to center. Jonathan Arauz whiffed and Vazquez lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                        Over everything for Chavis

Clint Frazier hit a routine grounder to Devers to start the top of the third but he threw the ball all the way to Montana for an error. Gary Sanchez banged into a double play but Tyler Wade walked. LeMahieu grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third as Devers atoned for his error with a base hit to third. Martinez flied out to left but Dalbec singled to left. JBJ brought home Devers with a base hit to center. Chavis then belted a line drive 3 run bomb into the Monster Seats to ice the game. Puello walked but Lin flied out to right. Arauz popped up to short to end the inning but it was 6-0 Sox.

                                                     That's two for Chavis

Houck cruised in the top of the fourth as Voit struck out swinging to start. Hicks flied out to center and Stanton grounded out to short to end the inning. Luis Cessa came in for the bottom of the fourth and Vazquez walked to start. Devers lined out to center and Vazquez was thrown out trying to steal on the swinging strikeout by Martinez to end the inning.

Torres walked to start the top of the fifth but Gardner flied out to left. Frazier went down hacking and Sanchez whiffed to end the inning. Houck had no-hit the Yankees for 5 innings. Dalbec lined out to center to start the bottom of the fifth but JBJ singled to center. Chavis lined out to right but Puello walked. Lin grounded out to first to end the inning.

Wade broke up the no-no in the top of the sixth and took third on a passed ball. LeMahieu walked to put Houck in trouble for the first time all game. Houck got Voit to bang into a double play to score Wade and Hicks to ground out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1. Houck showed good poise to finish strong with 6 solid innings of 1 run ball.

                                                            Houck mows them down

Jonathan Holder came on for the bottom of the sixth and Arauz grounded out to second to start. Vazquez doubled to right but Devers lined out to left. Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. 

Phillips Valdez was first out of the pen in the top of the seventh and Stanton whiffed to start. Torres grounded out to third but Gardner walked. Frazier whiffed to end the inning. The Sox removed all hope of a Yankees comeback in the bottom of the seventh as Dalbec clobbered his 7th home run of the year to increase the lead. JBJ singled to left and Chavis walked before both runners moved over on the Puello grounder, Lin scored JBJ with a sac fly as Gardner threw the ball away on an error. Arauz singled home Chavis before Vazquez hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                                                                Dalbec hits number 7

Ryan Brasier cruised in the top of the eighth as Sanchez grounded out to short to start. Wade grounded out to first as some weirdo climbed into the Monster Seats to shout invectives at Michael Chavis. Alert Fenway Park security shoved the guy off the Monster and BPD arrested the guy. When play resumed LeMahieu whiffed to end the inning. The Sox finished off the scoring in the bottom of the eighth against Erik Kratz as Devers lined out to center to start. Martinez blasted his 6th homer of the year to wrap up the scoring. Dalbec was plunked and he laughed at Kratz before he moved to second on the JBJ grounder. Chavis grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                        Martinez hits one out

Jeffrey Springs had mop up duty in the top of the ninth as Voit hit a home run into Russia to start. Hicks struck out swinging and Stanton took strike three but Torres walked. Gardner singled to center but Frazier whiffed to end the inning. The Sox had beaten the Yankees for the first time all year 10-1.

                                                    Sox win!

We have Co-Heroes of the Night in this game. First up is Michael Chavis. He singlehandedly beat the Yankees on the offensive side with 2 home runs and 5 total rbis.

                                                          Hero 1: Chavis

Hero number 2 is Tanner Houck. The rookie stymied the high powered Yankees for 6 innings of 1 unearned run ball. He allowed just 1 hit and 3 walks while striking out 4.

                                                     Hero 2: Houck

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Bobby Dalbec was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored, a hit by pitch and a home run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 4 for 5 with an rbi and 3 runs scored.

Cesar Puello was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Phillips Valdez tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jeffrey Springs allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Christian Vazquez was just 1 for 4 but walked.

JD Martinez was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a home run.

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Jonathan Arauz was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

As sad as it sounds, this was the most encouraging win of the season. Houck took a Yankees team headed to the playoffs and diced them up. Michael Chavis and Bobby Dalbec are considered part of the future and they both hit home runs. Jackie Bradley Jr may be traded but if not, he showed you why the Sox put up with his streaky hitting because he can get hot. Phillips Valdez has been one of the few bright spots out of the bullpen this season and should definitely be invited to Spring Training next year. The Sox may have torpedoed their chances for the top 2 draft picks but who cares? Bottom line is if your starting 5 next year are Chris Sale, Eduardo Rodriguez, Houck, Nathan Eovaldi and Martin Perez....I can live with it. Sale won't be ready at the start of the season but that's why they went and got Nick Pivetta. Pivetta may suck hard facing American League batters but at least its an improvement over all the bums they trotted out this year. The Sox also pounded a nail into the coffin of the Yankees division title hopes with their win. There's no chance in hell the Minnesota Twins can beat the Yankees in the first round but they certainly are due. As for this game, one of the best wins of the season going back to Opening Day. If Houck is the real deal, and this game helped proved he might be, the re-build just got a lot easier. The win improved the Sox to 20-34, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow is an off-day so the Sox will be back in action for their final three home games of the season Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles. None other than Nick Pivetta will be activated to make the start for the Sox. As it stands right now, the Sox rotation for the final six games will be Pivetta, Eovaldi, Perez, Houck, Mazza and Pivetta again. At least the Sox have starters now and the Orioles game begins Tuesday night at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Defeat Sox in 12 Innings (9/18/20)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox finally announced who the player they got from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Kevin Pillar at the trade deadline was.  Their 27th ranked prospect, former UConn pitcher and local Methuen resident Jacob Wallace. The 22 year old Wallace can dial it up to the mid-high 90's with a good slider. He was Uconn's closer back in college so it'll be interesting to see if he amounts to anything. Even if Wallace doesn't pan out, as of this moment the Sox traded 2 months of a rental in Pillar for a 22 year old potential closer. It was the right move to make no matter how it turns out. Also Robinson Leyer was thankfully sent back to the Alternate Training Site, hopefully never to be seen again. Darwinzon Hernandez was activated off the Injured List to take his spot.

                                                                  OUT

                                                                  IN

As for the game, its quite apparent the Boston Red Sox cannot defeat the New York Yankees. Even though the goal is not to win this year for most members of "Red Sox Nation" the Yankees pretty much handed the Sox the game and Boston said "nah, we're good."  Martin Perez tossed 6 shutout innings while Christian Arroyo smacked a 3 run home run to give the Sox a lead early. The Sox led 4-0 after 6 needing just 9 outs to beat the Yankees for the first time in their last 11 meetings. Naturally Darwinzon Hernandez, Ryan Brasier and Matt Barnes combined to blew the lead. Ryan Weber allowed 2 runs in extra innings and the Yankees dispatched the Sox 6-5 at Fenway Park.

Perez got the ball in the top of the first and DJ LeMahieu grounded out to third to start. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both took strike three to end the inning. Jordan Montgomery got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Verdugo whiffed to start. Montgomery threw a routine grounder by Rafael Devers away and Xander Bogaerts singled to third. JD Martinez and Christian Vazquez both whiffed to end the inning.

Luke Voit took strike three to begin the bottom of the second but Gleyber Torres and Aaron Hicks both singled to left. Gio Urshela banged into a double play to end the inning. Kevin Plawecki flied out to right to start the bottom of the second but Jackie Bradley Jr walked. Michael Chavis banged into a double play to end the inning.

Gary Sanchez lined out to left to start the top of the third but Clint Frazier was plunked. LeMahieu walked but Judge hit into a double play to end the inning. Christian Arroyo struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third but Verdugo got an infield hit to first. Devers hit a double play ball to LeMahieu but Torres dropped the relay throw and everyone was safe. Both runners moved over on the Bogaerts grounder but Martinez lined out to center to end the inning.

Verdugo keeled over in the dugout, was carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to Mass General's ICU so Tzu-Wei Lin took his spot in right. Stanton began the top of the fourth by flying out to left before Voit took strike three. Torres took strike three to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fourth as Vazquez singled to left to begin. Plawecki flied out to right but JBJ singled to left. Vazquez swiped third but Chavis whiffed. Arroyo then pounded his third home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Lin struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 3-0 Boston.

                                                       Arroyo says "That one's out of here"

Hicks flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Urshela took strike three. Sanchez took strike three to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the fifth as Devers walked to start. Bogaerts forced Devers at second then took second base on a wild pitch. Bogaerts swiped third but Martinez whiffed. That was it for Montgomery as Luis Cessa came in and Vazquez doubled home Bogaerts to increase the lead. Plawecki whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                               Vazquez channels the power of Ermac

Perez returned for the top of the sixth only because Sox manager Ron Roenicke was taking a nap and Frazier singled to right to start. LeMahieu popped up to second and just as Roenicke woke up, Judge banged into a double play to end the inning. Perez had thrown just 86 pitches and had a shutout going but Roenicke felt that was too much.

                                                    86 pitches and 6 shutout innings for Perez

The Sox blew a chance to ice the game in the bottom of the sixth although JBJ flied out to left to start. Chavis flied out to center but Arroyo singled to left and Lin walked. Devers flied out to left to end the inning.

Naturally once Perez was gone the Yankees rallied against Darwinzon Hernandez in the top of the seventh. Stanton walked but Voit whiffed and Stanton was forced at second by Torres. Had Hernandez gotten one more out, this game was over but nope. Hicks singled to center and Urshela walked to load the bases. Marcus Walden came in to get the final out and instead Sanchez hit a ground rule double to right to score two runs. Frazier grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 4-2 Sox.

                                              .190 hitters sure are tough!

Adam Ottavino came in to shut down the Sox in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts flied out to center to start. Martinez flied out to right but Vazquez doubled to center. Plawecki grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ryan Brasier came in to crap his pants in the top of the eighth as LeMahieu lined out to right but Judge singled to left. Stanton doubled home Judge and Mike Tauchman ran for him. Voit lined out to third and Torres took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees down 4-3.

                                                    Stanton watches it go

Zack Britton came on for the bottom of the eighth as JBJ took strike three to start. Chavis also was rung up for strike three and Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Matt Barnes came on to close out the top of the ninth and guess what happened? Hicks grounded out to short and Urshela popped up to second to put the Yankees down to their last out with their worst hitter average wise coming up. Naturally Sanchez hit a line drive home run into the Monster Seats to tie the game. Frazier took strike three to end the inning but the game was tied 4-4.....of course.

                                                     Yankees tie it up

Chad Green came in for the bottom of the ninth and Lin flied out to left to start. Devers whiffed but Bogaerts singled to left. Bogaerts stole second but Martinez earned the hat trick by taking strike three to end the inning.

Ryan Weber came in for the top of the tenth with Clint Frazier starting at second base. LeMahieu moved him over to third with a grounder but somehow Weber struck out Judge swinging. Tauchman lined out to third to end the inning. Aroldis Chapman came on for the bottom of the tenth with Martinez starting at second. Vazquez walked to put two men on but instead of bunting, Sox manager Ron Roenicke had Plawecki hit away. Naturally he flied out to right and the worst part is Martinez and Vazquez pulled off a double steal. Now with the winning run on third....JBJ took strike three and Chavis whiffed to end the inning. They deserved to lose.

The Yankees looked to have put the game away in the top of the eleventh when Tauchman started at second and Voit singled him home to give the Yankees the lead. Tyler Wade ran for Voit but Torres lined out to center and Hicks banged into a double play to end the inning. It should be noted that the run was unearned to Weber because he didn't actually put Tauchman on, but the Yankees still led 5-4.

Jonathan Loaisiga came on for the bottom of eleventh with Chavis starting at second base and Arroyo singled him in to tie the game. Lin popped up a bunt (why didn't Plawecki do that?) but WADE DROPPED IT! Both runners were safe but Devers banged into a double play.....BUT WAIT! Sox manager Ron Roenicke challenged that Devers was safe. Sure enough, he was and the Sox had the winning run at third again. Bogaerts was intentionally walked to load the bases.... and Martinez whiffed to earn the Golden Sombrero. Vazquez flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                             Arroyo does what he can to keep the Sox in it

Once again the Yankees took the lead in the top of the 12th inning with Hicks starting at second. Urshela singled Aaron to third but somehow Weber whiffed Sanchez and froze Frazier for strike three. Naturally LeMahieu doubled home Hicks to give the Yankees the lead. Judge grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 6-5 Yankees. Poor Weber, he allowed 2 runs but only because they were already on to begin with.

                                                     Tough break for Weber

The game finally ended in the bottom of the 12th with Vazquez starting at second. Plawecki moved Vazquez to third with a grounder but JBJ popped up to center. Chavis grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees had won their 9th straight game and 11th straight over the Red Sox 6-5.

                                                    Booooooo!!!

Jackass of the Night is JD Martinez. He was 0 for 6 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts, leaving NINE men on base alone.

                                             Golden Sombrero Jackass

The Good:

Alex Verdugo was 1 for 2 before leaving.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a walk, 2 stolen bases and a run scored.

Christian Vazquez was 3 for 5 with a walk, rbi, stolen base and a run scored.

Christian Arroyo was 3 for 5 with 4 total rbis including a 3 run home run.

Martin Perez tossed 6 shutout innings while allowing 3 hits and a walk while striking out 7.

The Bad:

Darwinzon Hernandez was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Ryan Brasier allowed a run in the top of the eighth.

Matt Barnes allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Tzu-Wei Lin was 0 for 2 but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but walked.

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 but walked and scored a run.

Michael Chavis was 0 for 6 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but scored a run.

Marcus Walden allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 1/3 of an inning.

Ryan Weber took the loss by allowing 2 runs in 3 innings of work but neither of them were earned.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox have a golden chance to knock the Yankees out of AL East contention and instead they puke all over themselves. Literally the Sox had a 4-0 lead with 9 outs to go and found a way to lose. Not only that, they had golden chances to win the game in the 10th and 11th but couldn't cash in. This team can't beat the Yankees, it doesn't matter what the situation is. The Sox could take a 7-1 lead tomorrow in the fourth inning and everyone on the planet knows the Yankees would win the game. The worst part is the fans are trying to justify it saying they want to lose. Yeah, have fun with that. When you got a chance to knock the Yankees into the 2nd tier of the playoffs without the comforts of Yankee Stadium, you take it. How do you give up a 2 out out home run to .189 hitting Gary Sanchez? Speaking of .189 hitters, JD Martinez may end up finishing there because he can't hit off a tee at this point. A REAL manager would have benched him or dropped him in the order a month ago. Nope, not Ron Roenicke. Luckily there's only eight more games of this nonsense to go. The loss dropped the Sox to 19-33, last place in the AL East. Tomorrow Chris Mazza (1-1, 5.57 ERA) gets pounded by the Yankees while JA Happ pitches a shutout at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.