Sox Crush A's for Series Sweep (5/11/16)

Before the game it was announced that Jed "Glassbones" Lowrie was placed on the disabled list after fouling a ball off his shin in Monday night's game. That was the one thing that held him back his whole career was one injury after another

As for the game, yet another massacre of the Oakland A's by the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. The red hot offense set a 3 game record with 40 runs, capping it off with a 13-3 thrashing to end the 3 game series.

                                                       Happy fans

Coco Crisp tried to catch Christian Vazquez asleep with a bunt but Vaz gunned him down at first to open the top of the first inning. Billy Burns grounded out to Hanley Ramirez at first and Josh Reddick popped up to Travis Shaw to end the inning. Oakland spot starter Eric Surkamp got the ball to start the bottom of the first and struck out Mr. Mookie Betts. Dustin Pedroia grounded out but Xander Bogaerts reached when Yonder Alonso and Marcus Semien crossed each other up and let the ground ball go right between them. David Ortiz flied out to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the second. Khris Davis struck out but Steven Voght singled. Porcello punched out Billy Butler but Yonder Alonso doubled home Davis to give the A's a 1-0 lead. Marcus Semien whiffed to end the inning but the damage was done. Before the start of the bottom of the second inning, NESN showed how Ryan Hanigan got spiked on the Butler play the night before. Ramirez grounded out but Chris Young doubled. Travis Shaw was plunked and Vazquez struck out. Jackie Bradley Jr had been smoking hot and he continued to be with a 3 run blast to put the Sox up 3-1 just like that. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning.

                                               Best Number 9 hitter in the game

Slick Rick wasn't so slick in the top of the third inning. Chris Coghlan singled and advanced to second on the sacrifice bunt by Crisp. Burns walked and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Reddick popped up but right on cue Davis slammed home both runners with a single to tie the game. Voght grounded out to end the inning but the A's had tied it up 3-3. Pedroia walked to lead off the bottom of the third then swiped second as Bogaerts struck out. Ortiz was unintentionally intentionally walked but Ramirez popped up. Young doubled off the monster to score Pedroia and advance Ortiz to third, giving the Sox the lead back. That was it for Surkamp as A's manager Bob Melvin pulled him for Ryan Dull. Travis Shaw was intentionally walked but Christian Vazquez flied out to end the inning. Still, it was 4-3 Sox.

Butler and Alonso lined out to begin the top of the fourth. Semien grounded out to end the inning. The hit parade continued in the bottom of the fourth. JBJ grounded out but Mr. Mookie singled. Pedroia then blasted a 2 run bomb into the monster seats to increase the lead 6-3. Bogaerts and Ortiz hit back to back singles but Ramirez and Young looked at strike 3 to end the inning.

                                              Pedroia says "Happy trailssssss to youuuuuuu"

Slick Rick ran into trouble in the top of the fifth. Coghlan grounded out and Crisp flied out before Burns singled. Reddick walked and Davis was hit with a pitch to load the bases. Voght grounded out to end the inning. Good work by Rick to get out of it. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the fifth against Mark Rzepczynski. Shaw singled and swiped second then Vazquez singled him to third. JBJ doubled home Shaw and chased Rzepcynski. Andrew Triggs was brought in and Mr. Mookie drove in Vazquez with a ground out. JBJ was thrown out at home on the force by Pedroia. Bogaerts singled and Ortiz walked to load the bases. Ramirez joined the parade by doubling home 2 runners and advancing Ortiz to third. Young flied out but it was 10-3 Boston.

                                                      Explosion in the fifth

Porcello returned for the top of the sixth and got Butler grounded out. Alonso grounded out and Semien struck out to end the inning. Another quality start by Porcello. The Sox continued to tack it on in the bottom of the sixth. Zach Neal came in to pitch and Shaw flied out. Vazquez doubled as JBJ struck out. Vazquez took third on a wild pitch and Mr. Mookie slammed a single to drive him in. Betts took second on a wild pitch and Pedroia flied out to end the inning with the Sox up 11-3.

Porcello came out for the seventh but Coghlan greeted him with a single. Crisp whiffed and Coghlan was erased at second on the force by Burns. Sox manager John Farrell bounded out of the dugout and pulled Rick to a decent ovation. Tommy Layne was the first out of the pen and he whiffed Josh Reddick to end the inning. Solid effort by Rick as he continues to be the unofficial ace of the staff.

                                                         6-1 Porcello, who saw that coming?

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the seventh as Bogaerts struck out, Ortiz lined out and Ramirez grounded out to end the inning.

Koji Uehara came on to pitch in the top of the eighth as Brock Holt came in to play short. Shaw moved to first as Josh "Razor" Rutledge came in to play third. Davis grounded out as Voght singled. Butler lined out and Alonso struck out to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in emphatic fashion in the bottom of the eighth. Young popped up and Shaw grounded out, but Vazquez singled. The blazing hot JBJ then blasted a 2 run home run to right to increase the lead 13-3. JBJ is now one rbi behind Ortiz. Mr. Mookie grounded out to end the inning.

                                           Vazquez says "Show me how to hit like that!"


Matt Barnes came on to close it out in the top of the ninth. Semien grounded out but Coghlan walked. Crisp lined out but Burns singled. Tyler Ladendorf pinch hit for Reddick and struck out to end the game. The Sox had won 13-3.

Hero of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr. He was 3 for 5 with 2 runs and 6 rbis off of two home runs. He has one fewer rbi than David Ortiz on the season.

 Hero of the Night: Jackie Bradley Jr

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 5 with a run scored. David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with 2 walks. Chris Young was 2 for 5 with a run scored and an rbi. Travis Shaw was 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and 2 runs scored. Christian Vazquez was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored. Rick Porcello improved to 6-1 with a 3.11 ERA. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of 3 run ball, 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5. Tommy Layne struck out the only batter he faced. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th. Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 9th.

The Bad:

None


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 2 for 6 with a run and 2 rbi's. Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base, clubbed a 2 run home run and scored 3 runs. Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.


Honorable Mention:

Brock Holt played shortstop in the 8th and 9th inning. Josh Rutledge played 3rd base in the 8th and 9th.



Final Thought:

What a 3 game set that was. The Sox scored 40 total runs, hit a bunch of home runs and got themselves on a run. Porcello continues to pitch well and this offense is on fire. I know it won't last but it'll be fun to enjoy it while it lasts. If Price can fix himself then this team could go a long way. The win put the Sox at 21-13 on the season, tied for first place with the Baltimore Orioles. Tomorrow night the Sox open a 4 game set with the Houston Astros at Fenway. David Price battles Dallas Kuechel at 7:10 PM.

Bats Bash A's Again (5/10/13)

The Boston Red Sox offense has been pretty scary so far this season, it was absolute frightening tonight as the Sox without David Ortiz bashed around the Oakland A's for 16 hits and 13 runs as the Sox defeated the visitors 13-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                                    Happy fans

Lost in all of the offense was the effort of spot starter Sean O'Sullivan (1-0). He got the ball in the top of the first and got Coco Crisp to line out. Billy Burns tried to reach on a bunt but Sullivan snuffed him out at first. Josh Reddick singled but Khris David grounded out to end the inning. Sean Manaea got the ball for the A's and didn't fare too well. Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a solo blast into the monster seats for a quick 1-0 lead. Dustin Pedroia struck out but Xander Bogaerts singled. Hanley Ramirez then blasted a 460 moon shoot to dead center. Chris Young singled but Josh "Razor" Rutledge banged into a double play to end the inning. Just like that it was 3-0 Boston.

                                          Betts and Ramirez make it 3-0 real quick

The A's got a chance in the top of the second inning. Steven Voght flied out but Billy Butler singled. Yonder Alonso poppep but Marcus Semien singled. Chris Coghlan singled and Butler tried to test Jackie Bradley Jr's arm.....bad idea. JBJ had Butler out by a mile at home to end the inning.

                                               Ryan Hanigan tags out the slow-footed Butler

Manaea found himself in the bottom of the second inning. Travis Shaw, Ryan Hanigan and JBJ all grounded out in short order.

Crisp grounded out to second to start the top of the third inning.  Burns lined out but Reddick singled. Davis grounded out to end the inning. The Sox hit parade continued in the bottom of the third. Betts singled and Pedroia doubled him home. Bogaerts singled home Pedroia and Ramirez singled Bogaerts to third. Young singled home Bogaerts but Razor lined out. Shaw doubled home both runners but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. That was it for Manaea as the A's manager wasted no time pulling the plug, replacing Manaea with Daniel Coulombe. Hanigan struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                 The Sox tack it on...and on...and on...8-0

Voght flied out but Butler singled to open the top of the fourth inning. Alonso flied out and Semien grounded out to end the inning. The Sox were finally silenced in the bottom of the frame. JBJ flied out, Mr. Mookie grounded out but Pedroia walked. Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning.

O'Sullivan flashed some power in the top of the fifth inning. Coghlan and Crisp struck out but Burns singled. Reddick struck out to end the inning. 5 shutout innings from a spot-starter is just what the doctor ordered. The Sox continued to strike in the bottom of the fifth. Ramirez singled and took second on a wild pitch. Young struck out but Razor walked. Shaw then blasted a 3 run bomb to make it 11-0 for good measure. Hanigan grounded out but JBJ singled to chase Coulombe. Andrew Triggs relieved Eric and struck Mr. Mookie out to end the inning.

                                               Bing, bang, boom its 11-0

O'Sullivan finally tired in the top of the sixth. Brock Holt replaced Pedroia at second base to give him the rest of the night off. Davis and Voght singled and moved up on a wild pitch. Butler grounded back to O'Sullivan but Alonso singled home Davis and advance Voght to third. Semien beat out a double-play ball to score Voght to make it 11-2. Coghlan and Crisp hit back to back doubles to make it 11-4. Burns flied out to end the inning. It fell apart at the end but O'Sullivan had tossed 6 innings and kept the Sox in the game.

                                           Solid effort by O'Sullivan

Triggs managed to get Holt, Bogaets and Ramirez all to ground out in short order in the bottom of the sixth.

Robbie Ross Jr was first out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh. Reddick walked but Davis and Voght struck out. Butler doubled in Reddick to make it 11-5. Alonso grounded out to end the inning. The Sox continued to pile on in the bottom of the seventh. Young was plunked but was erased on the force by Razor. Shaw singled and Razor scored all the way from first when a bad throw by Reddick sailed away. Shaw took second on the error and moved to third on the ground out by Hanigan. Marc Rzepcynski replaced Triggs and JBJ greeted him with a run scoring single. Alonso booted a ball, allowing Betts to reach but Holt grounded out to end the inning, 13-5 Boston.

Junichi Tazawa came on to pitch the top of the eighth just to get some work in. Semien singled but Coghlan blasted one right back to Taz....who threw the ball away trying to double off Semien. Marcus took second on the error. Crisp struck out and Burns grounded out to end the inning with no harm done. The Sox had one last scoring chance in the bottom of the eighth. Tyler Ladendorf took over at second and Coghlan moved to right field. Ryan Madson was brought in to pitch. Bogaerts flied out but Ramirez walked. Young singled and Razor beat out a double play ball to put runners on first and third. Shaw walked to load the bases but Hanigan flied out to end the inning.

Sox closer Craig Kimbrel took the mound in the top of the ninth for no reason other than to get some work in. Ladendorf struck out but Davis singled. Davis took second on defensive indifference and Voght struck out. Butler flied out to end the game. The Sox had won 13-5.

Hero of the night is Travis Shaw. He went 3 for 4 with a 3 run bomb, 5 total rbi's, a walk and 2 runs scored.

                                          Hero of the Night: Travis Shaw

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and his 5th home run of the year. Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 2 with a walk, run scored and rbi. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored. Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, a walk, 2 rbi's and his 4th home run of the year. Chris Young was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored. Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with an rbi. Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth.


The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 2 after taking over for Pedroia. Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 5. Robbie Ross Jr allowed a run in the inning he worked.


The Ugly:

Josh Rutledge was 0 for 4 but walked and scored 2 runs. Sean O'Sullivan got the win by gutting through 6 innings although he allowed 4 runs on TWELVE hits while striking out 3.



Final Thoughts:

Good offense always makes up for lousy pitching and for now the Sox are red hot. They've scored 27 runs the past two games and they're taking advantage of a weak schedule to rack up some wins. In the era of the second wild card, every win counts. Its great to see almost everyone on a hot streak because this is the offense the Sox envisioned in August of last year. In fact, replace Pablo Sandoval with Ramirez and Blake Swihart with Christian Vazquez, this is the exact same offense that posted a winning record from August to September of last year. Betts, Pedroia, JBJ, Shaw, Ortiz, Holt and Bogaerts were there last year and are here now. Let's just hope the starting pitching comes around as well.  The win puts the Sox at 20-13, tied for first place with the Baltimore Orioles. Tomorrow night the A's plan on calling up Eric Surkamp to take on Rick Porcello (5-1).

Sox Offense Explodes, Demolishes A's (5/9/16)

One thing is for sure, no lead is safe against the Boston Red Sox this season. The Sox trailed 4-1 when the offense woke up for 13 runs, cruising to a 14-7 victory over the Oakland A's at Fenway Park.

                                             Red Auerbach and Harry Mangurian celebrate the win

The A's wasted no time pouncing on Clay Buchholz (2-3, 5.90 ERA). Old friends Coco Crisp walked and Jed Lowrie doubled. Josh Reddick grounded out to score Crisp to make it 1-0 Oakland. Khris Davis lined out to right and Stephen Voght lined out to Travis Shaw to end the inning. Oakland Ace Sonny Gray took the mound and had zero trouble. Mr. Mookie Betts flied out and Dustin Pedroia lined out. Xander Bogaerts singled but David Ortiz' line drive was snared for the final out of the inning.

The A's pounded Buchholz in the top of the second as another old friend Danny Valencia ate up Pedroia at second and reached at first, but hurt himself. Yonder Alonso doubled Valencia to third. Josh Phegley grounded out which scored Valencia to make it 2-0. Marcus Semien lined out but Crisp singled home Alonso to make it 3-0 as the boo-birds rained down on Clay. Lowrie whiffed to end the inning. The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the second. Hanley Ramirez flied out to deep right but Travis Shaw doubled. Brock Holt moved Shaw to third with a groundout as a wild pitch by Gray scored Shaw to make it 3-1. Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to end the inning.

The A's continued to tack it on in the top of the third. Shaw ran from first all the way to center to catch a pop up by Reddick, but Davis blasted a solo shot into the monster seats to make it 4-1. Voght flied out and Chris Coghlan pinch hit for the injured Valencia then grounded out to first to end the inning. Manny Alexander pinch ran for Nomar as Albie Lopez replaced Hernandez on the mound. Nixon grounded into a force to end the inning. Once again the Sox tried to fight back as Christian Vazquez walked. Betts bounced a tailor made double play ball to Coghlan but he bobbled it and was only able to get Mookie at first. Pedroia grounded out to short which failed to advance the runner. Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

Buchholz came out for the top of the fourth for another beating. Alonso doubled but Phegley lined out to Shaw. Alonso was thrown out at third on the ground ball by Semien. Crisp lined out to end the inning. The Sox offense exploded in the bottom of the fourth. Ortiz doubled and Ramirez singled David over to third. Shaw doubled home Ortiz and advanced Ramirez to third to cut the lead 4-2. Holt whiffed but JBJ singled home both runners to tie the game. Vazquez grounded out which moved JBJ to second and Mr. Mookie doubled home JBJ to give the Sox their first lead 5-4. Make it 6-4 as Pedroia singled home Betts. A wild pitch by Gray moved Dustin to second and Bogaerts walked to chase Gray. Fernando Rodrigues came on to pitch for the A's. Ortiz started the inning with a double and he hit another one that scored Pedroia plus advance Bogaerts to third to make it 7-4. Ramirez whiffed to end the inning but just like that the Sox scored 6 runs.

Could Buchholz go one more inning with the lead? Lowrie grounded out but Reddick walked. Davis flied out and Voght struck out to end the inning. At 87 pitches, Buchholz may have been able to go 6. The Sox continued to tack on in the bottom of the inning. Shaw singled and Holt smashed a line drive home run to right to give the Sox a 9-4 lead. Holt hit 2 home runs total last year, that was his third this year. JBJ singled but Vazquez struck out. Mr. Mookie flied out and Pedroia struck out to end the inning.

Instead of throw Buchholz out for another inning, Sox manager John Farrell decided to let his bullpen get some work in. Tommy Layne was first out of the chute in the top of the sixth. Coghlan grounded out to first, Alonso looked at strike 3 and Phegley whiffed to end the inning. John Axford came on for the bottom of the sixth and allowed an infield single by Bogaerts. Ortiz lined out but Ramirez walked. Shaw struck out but Holt walked. The smoking hot JBJ then hit one deep to right...INTO THE BULLPEN FOR A GRAND SLAM! Just like that it was 13-4. Vazquez struck out to end the inning. JBJ is on fire.

Carson Smith came on for the top of the seventh for no reason other than to get some work in. Josh "Razor" Rutledge replaced Pedroia in the batting order but was at third base. Holt moved from left field to second base, Shaw moved to first base and Chris Young replaced Ramirez in the batting order but was in left field. Got all that? Semien struck out but Crisp walked. Lowrie moved Crisp over to second with a ground out and Reddick lofted a lazy fly ball to JBJ, routine out right? WRONG! JBJ muffed it and Crisp came around to score to make it 13-5. Thanks a lot Jackie. Davis flied out to end the inning.

                                            Lord Vader finds JBJ's lack of defense disturbing

The Sox wouldn't let up in the bottom of the seventh. Billy Butler came into the game to play first, Coghlan moved to second base and Alonso moved to third. Former Sox prospect JB Wendelken (traded for Jake Peavy) came in to pitch. Mr. Mookie grounded out but Razor Rutledge walked. A wild pitch moved Razor to second and a Bogaerts fly out moved Razor to third. Ortiz then hit a pop up 10 feet on the infield....and Phegley let it drop for a run scoring single to make it 14-5. Nice one Phegley. Chris Young flied out to end the inning.

Heath Hembree came on to pitch the top of the eighth. Voght and Coghlan hit back to back singles and Alonso flied out, moving Voght to third. Phegley grounded into a double play to end the inning. A's closer Sean Doolittle was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eighth just to get some work in. Shaw whiffed, Holt grounded out and JBJ whiffed to end the inning.

Hembree returned for the top of the ninth and got blasted. Semien flied out but Crisp doubled. Butler lined out but Reddick singled to score Crisp. Reddick took second on defensive indifference and Davis doubled him home. Voght struck out to end the game. The Sox had won by a touchdown 14-7.

Hero of the night is Jackie Bradley Jr. He was 3 for 5 with 6 total rbi's with 2 runs scored and a grand slam.

                                          Hero of the Night: Jackie Bradley Jr


 The Good:

Josh Rutledge walked in his only appearance and scored. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4 with a walk and a home run. David Ortiz was 3 for 5 with a run scored and 2 rbi's. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Travis Shaw was 3 for 5 with an rbi and 3 runs scored. Tommy Layne pitched a scoreless 6th inning.


The Bad:

Chris Young was 0 for 1 in his only plate appearance.


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 with a run scored and an rbi. Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a run scored and rbi. Brock Holt was just 1 for 4 but walked, scored twice and made the hit count as it was a 2 run home run. Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3 with a walk. Clay Buchholz got the win but only lasted 5 innings and gave up 4 runs. His ERA is a hideous 5.90. Carson Smith allowed an unearned run in the 7th inning due to a Bradley Jr miscue. Heath Hembree gave up 2 runs in 2 innings of work.



Final Thoughts:

The offense is on fire right now. Its a good thing too because David Price and Buchholz are struggling and it doesn't matter who the fifth starter is (Henry Owens, Joe Kelly, etc) because they get hammered too. This kind of output won't last but until Eduardo Rodriguez comes back, the offense and the bullpen is going to have to carry the load. Sonny Gray is having an off-year so far but the Sox still knocked him six ways from Sunday. They're going to need the offense tomorrow night when Sean O'Sullivan makes his first start opposite Sean Manea. The win put the Sox at 19-13, percentage points behind Baltimore for first place in the AL East.

Wright, Ortiz Fuel Sox Win Over Yankees (5/8/16)

Who would have thought trading Lars Anderson for Steven Wright at the 2012 trade deadline would have benefited the Boston Red Sox the way it did? While Lars is currently in Double A, Wright (3-3, 1.51 ERA) has become the unlikely ace of the Red Sox. He outwitted the New York Yankees, backed by the long ball, to throw a complete game, 3 hit masterpiece in Yankee Stadium to propel the Sox to a 5-1 victory.

                                                          Happy fans

As they've done most of the season, the Sox struck first in the top of the first. Luis Severino started for the Yankees and  Mr. Mookie Betts walked. Dustin Pedroia silenced critics that said he had diminished power by swatting an opposite field home run to give the Sox a 2-0 lead instantly. Xander Bogaerts struck out, David Ortiz grounded out and Hanley Ramirez struck out to end the inning.

                                Yankee fans convinced Pedroia was washed up, they were wrong.

Steven Wright began his incredible start by striking out Brett Gardner to begin the game. Starling Castro grounded out but Brian McCann singled. Mark Teixeira grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning.

Severino's fastball was moving in the top of the second. Travis Shaw, Brock "Hitman" Holt and Jackie Bradley Jr all struck out in short order.  Carlos Beltran lined out to start the bottom of the second but Dustin Ackley walked. Aaron Hicks banged into a double play to end the inning.

Ryan Hanigan flied out to begin the top of the third. Mr. Mookie popped up and Pedroia whiffed to end the frame. Gregorious grounded out, Headley flied out and Gardner flied out to begin and end the bottom of the third. This game was moving fast.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth. Who else but Big Papi? After Bogaerts whiffed, Ortiz smashed a 429 foot bomb to right to give the Sox a 3-0 lead. Ramirez struck out again and Shaw lined out to end the inning.

                                                  That's one

Wright continued to dominate in the bottom of the fourth. Castro struck out, McCann popped up and Teixeira struck out in short order.

Holt lined out to start the top of the fifth but JBJ singled. Hanigan banged into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees went just as quick in the bottom of the fifth. Beltran flied out, Ackley struck out and Hicks struck out. Wright had thrown 53 pitches through 5 and the talk was could he go the distance?

Severino had made just two mistakes all game and made zero in the top of the sixth. Mr. Mookie popped up, Pedroia grounded out and so did Bogaerts to end the inning. The Yankees went quietly in the bottom of the sixth as Gregorious grounded out, Headley grounded out and Gardner flied out to end the inning. Carson Smith would not be needed.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh. Big Papi crushed his second home run of the night to put the Sox up 4-0. As if the Yankee fans weren't sick of him already, here was something else the dwindling crowd could shout at.  Ramirez whiffed for the third time tonight and Shaw grounded out. Holt singled to chase Severino as Chase Shreve was brought in. JBJ got some Tony Clark luck when a well struck ball bounced into the stands for a ground rule double. Sure enough, Hanigan struck out to end the inning.

                                                       That's two

The Yankees got their only shot at Wright in the bottom of the seventh when Castro doubled to lead off the inning. McCann flied out to right and Castro moved to third.....where he was picked off by the alert Wright. Teixeira cranked one but Wright snared it for the third out. Junichi Tazawa would not be needed.

                                           Castro.....YERRRRRRRR OUT!

The Sox added one for good measure in the top of the eighth. Mr. Mookie popped up and Pedroia grounded out, but Bogaerts absolutely crushed a home run to dead center to put the Sox up 5-1. Ortiz grounded out to end the inning.

                                           Bogaerts likes homering in Yankee Stadium

Wright came back for the bottom of the eighth. Beltran and Ackley flied out to right and Hicks struck out. Koji Uehara would not be needed tonight.

Johnny Barbato came on to pitch the top of the ninth and plunked Ramirez. He was in so much pain that he ran the bases with total reckless abandon. He swiped second and dashed to third when Barbato's throw sailed away. Then he was thrown out at home on the short fly ball by Shaw. Holt flied out to end the inning. Ramirez claimed after the game his wrist was sore.  It was up to Wright to finish it off. Gregorious flied out and Headley grounded out, but Gardner ended the shutout with a solo blast to cut the lead 5-1. Ronald Torreyes pinch hit for Castro and struck out to end the game. The Sox had won 5-1 and Wright got the complete game.

 We have co-Heroes of the Night. Hero number 1 is David Ortiz. His 2 home runs were all the offense the Sox needed as he passed Carl Yazstremski for second place on the all-time Red Sox home run list.

                                           Hero Number 1: David Ortiz

Hero number 2 is the unlikely new ace of the Red Sox, Steven Wright. Wright pitched a complete game 3 hitter, giving up just the 1 run with 2 outs in the 9th. His ERA lowered to a Pedro-esque 1.52 to earn his 3rd win of the season.

                                            Hero Number 2: Steven Wright

The Good:

Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 3


The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.  Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run. Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but made the one hit count with a 2 run home run. Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 but made the hit count as it was a home run.  Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick but was hit with a pitch and stole his 4th base of the season. Brock Holt was just 1 for 4.


Final Thoughts:

Who would have thought going into the season that Steven Wright was your ace. Still, with the starting pitching being erratic for the start of this season, Sox fans will take it. The offense was there tonight but more importantly so was the pitching. The big four of the bullpen (Carson Smith, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara and Craig Kimbrel) got another day of rest which is always good during a marathon of a season thanks to Wright's performance. The Sox needed to knock the Yankees around and they've gone 4-2 against them so far (5-1 really, if it wasn't for Ron Kulpa). Aroldis Chapman returns and now the Yankees bullpen can match Boston's. Still, the Sox move on from New York and come home to play a set with the Oakland A's. The win moved the Sox to 18-13 on the season, a half game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place. Clay Buchholz (1-3, 5.71 ERA) matches up against Oakland ace Sonny Gray (3-3, 4.84 ERA0 tomorrow night at 7:10 PM

Price Pounded, Yankees Cruise (5/7/16)

David Price (4-1, 6.75 ERA) was supposed to be the missing piece, the ace, the stopper, the high priced free agent that was supposed to put the Boston Red Sox over the top. Instead, through the first month season he's been a bust of epic proportions. In his latest disaster, he was smacked around by the punchless New York Yankees as they cruised to an 8-2 victory at Yankee Stadium behind the superb pitching of Nathan Eovaldi.

                                               Sad Sox fans

Mr. Mookie Betts led the game off with a single but Dustin Pedroia quickly erased him by grounding into a double play. Xander Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. Price took the mound in the bottom of the first and got Brett Gardner to strike out. Last night's Yankee hero Aaron Hicks reached on an infield single but Starling Castro hit into a double play to end the innning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning. David Ortiz looked at strike three but Hanley Ramirez was plunked.  Travis Shaw grounded out but it moved Ramirez to second. Brock "The Hitman" Holt singled home Hanley to make it 1-0.  Jackie Bradley Jr struck out to end the inning. Price protected the lead in the bottom of the second.  Mark Teixeira grounded out to third,  Carlos Beltran flied out and Dustin Ackley flied out to end the inning.

Eovaldi settled down in the top of the third inning. Christian Vazquez grounded out and Mr. Mookie flied out. Pedroia grounded out to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third. Chase Headley singled and Did Gregorious sacrificed him to second. The light hitting Austin Romine (son of 1988 Red Sox hero Kevin) doubled home Headley to tie the game. Gardner grounded out and Hicks flied out to end the inning. Trouble was brewing.

Bogaerts grounded to short to open the top of the fourth. Ortiz grounded out and Headley decided to maim some fans in the stands by throwing away a swinging bunt by Ramirez, allowing him to reach second. He was stranded when Shaw struck out to end the inning. The Yankees pounded Price in the bottom of the fourth. Castro singled and Teixeira beat out an infield hit of his own. Beltran struck out but Ackley walked to load the bases. Headley lined one to Betts but Castro didn't test his arm. All Price needed was one more out and the game was still tied, instead Gregorius cleared the bases with a triple to give the Yankees a commanding 4-1 lead. Romine flied out but the damage was done.

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the fifth. Holt flied out but JBJ bashed his 3rd home run of the year to cut the lead 4-2. Vazquez grounded out but Mr. Mookie singled. Pedroia whiffed to end the inning but the Sox had some life. With Aroldis Chapman suspended and the duo of Delan Betances and Andrew Miller resting, if Price could keep the damage to a minimum the Sox had a great shot to claw back into it.

                                                The lone highlight, JBJ goes yard

Instead the opposite happened in the bottom of the fifth. Gardner struck out but Hicks and Castro worked back to back walks. Teixeira struck out and once again all Price needed was one more out. Instead Beltran lashed a double to put the Yankees up 6-2 and chase Price from the game. 30 million dollars to get knocked around by the Yankees missing 3 starters due to rest and injury. Thank's a lot Price!

                                      Facing one of the worst offensive teams, Price is hammered

Matt Barnes took the mound and Ackley popped up to end the inning.

The Sox laid down from here on. Somehow Bogaerts singled to begin the top of the sixth but was erased on the Ortiz double play. Ramirez grounded out to end the inning. The Yankees continued to tack it on in the bottom of the frame. Headley struck out but Gregorious and Romine hit back to back singles. Gardner walked to load the bases and Hicks brought home Didi with a sac fly. Castro flied out but it was now 7-2. The bottom of the order of all people was getting it done.

Meanwhile no one could get it done in the top of the seventh. Shaw and Holt lined out and JBJ struck out to end the inning. Tommy Layne was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Teixeira lined out, Beltran whiffed and Ackley grounded out to end the inning.

Eovaldi returned for the eighth inning and picked up where he left off. Vazquez and Mr. Mookie grounded out and Pedroia whiffed. In a game the Yankees HAD to have from Eovaldi, he delivered. Sean O'Sullivan made his Sox debut in the bottom of the eighth. Headley singled but Gregorious flied out. Romine then doubled home Headley. Gardner grounded out and Hicks whiffed to end the inning. Romine and Gregorious combined for 5 hits and 5 rbi's. That should never happen.

Nick Goody took the mound for the top of the ninth. Bogaerts whiffed, Ortiz flied out and Ramirez whiffed. Two games in a row Ramirez struck out to end the game. The Yankees had won 8-2.

Jackass of the Night is easy, David Price. The "ace" got smacked around in 4 2/3 innings, giving up 6 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out 4.

The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a run scored and was hit with a pitch. Brock Holt was 1 for 3 with an rbi. Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 including a solo home run. Tommy Layne pitched a scoreless 7th inning


The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout. Travis Shaw was 0 for 3 with a strikeout. Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3. Sean O'Sullivan made his Red Sox debut by allowing a run in the bottom of the eighth inning.


The Ugly:

Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4. Matt Barnes gave up a run in 1 1/3 inning of relief.



Final Thoughts:

I don't know what's worse, getting robbed of a win the previous game or laying down against a team missing A-Rod, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and their top 3 relievers (injury, rest and suspension). I give major credit to Eovaldi, the Yankees were dead in the water if he stunk with Yankees manager Joe Girardi resting both Betances and Miller. Instead he pitched his ass off and gave the team a much needed shot in the arm. Meanwhile David Price went out and crapped his pants. Maybe its time to panic about him. He claims he isn't hurt but SOMETHING has to explain his diminished velocity and the lack of command on his pitches. The Sox offense has scored 4 runs the past two games but it'll be there. Having Price as a question mark in the same breath as Clay Buchholz was not what the team needed, especially with Henry Owens struggling and both Joe Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez hurt. As sad as it sounds, the Sox look to 5th starter Steven Wright (2-3) as the stopper tomorrow against Luis Severino to salvage the series.

Ron Kulpa Aids Yankees Win (5/6/16)

Before the game, Henry Owens was demoted to Pawtucket after his awful start yesterday and was replaced by veteran Sean O'Sullivan. With Eduardo Rodriguez pitching Sunday in Pawtucket, it comes at a surprise that Brian Johnson was passed over in favor of O'Sullivan.

                                                                    Out

                                                                        In

As for the game, rarely do umpires decide games but this was one of them. An absolute travesty of justice in the ninth inning robbed the Boston Red Sox of a victory against the last place New York Yankees. In the end, Ron Kulpa, the same man Carl Everett headbutted 16 years ago, was the deciding factor as the Yankees literally stole a 3-2 victory at Yankee Stadium.

                                            "God damn Ron Kulpa!!!"

The Sox wasted no time scoring in the top of the first inning off Michael "Pine Tar" Pineda. Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to center as Dustin Pedroia flied out to left. Bogaerts lashed a double down the first base line. The Yankees shifted for David Ortiz and Bogaerts jogged to third clean for a stolen base. Turns out he didn't have to go anywhere as Ortiz blasted a 2 run shot to right, number 510, to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. Hanley Ramirez and Travis Shaw hit back to back singles, but Brock "Hitman" Holt struck out to let Pineda off the ropes to end the inning.  That proved huge later.

                                          Number 510 for Big Papi

Unfortunately "Slick" Rick Porcello (5-1, 2.95 ERA) couldn't protect the lead in the bottom of the first. He walked Jacoby Ellsbury on 4 straight balls but struck out Brett Gardner on 3 straight strikes. Ellsbury stole second base when Vazquez dropped the pitch out from Porcello. Teixeira whiffed as Ellsbury swiped third when Vazquez dropped another one, but hurt himself in the process. Brian McCann cut the lead 2-1 with a double down the line. Porcello struck out Carlos Beltran to end the inning.

Dustin Ackley replaced Jacoby Ellsbury in the batting order but was in right field, Aaron Hicks moved to center to start the top of the second inning. Jackie Bradley Jr looked at strike 3, Christian Vazquez grounded out but Mr. Mookie walked. Betts swiped second but Pedroia grounded out to end the inning. Porcello then puked on himself in the bottom of the second. Starlin Castro beat out an infield single to short and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Hicks. Didi Gregorious hit a 5 foot swinging bunt that did not advance Castro as Didi was thrown out at first. Ronald Torreyes walked and the Yankees tied it on the base hit by Ackley, although Torreyes was thrown at third to end the inning. Just like that it was 2-2.

The rejuvinated Pineda cruised in the top of the third as Bogaerts popped up, Ortiz flied out and Ramirez lined out to end the inning. "Slick" Rick struggled in the bottom of the third inning. Gardner led off with a double but Teixeira flied out. McCann whiffed on a full count but Gardner swiped third. Vazquez is having an off night as well as Porcello. Beltran popped up to end the inning.

Pineda continued to dominate the top of the fourth. Shaw whiffed, Holt grounded out but JBJ somehow singled. Vazquez looked at strike 3 to end the inning. Castro flied out to begin the bottom of the fourth. Hicks flied out but Gregorious singled. Torreyes grounded out to end the inning.

Pineda cruised in the top of the fifth as well. Mr. Mookie grounded out, Pedroia grounded out and Bogaerts lined out to end the inning. The Sox had Pineda on the run in the first but let him off the hook, that proved fatal by this point. Porcello did his best in the bottom of the fifth. Ackley grounded out, Gardner flied out and Teixeira grounded out to end the inning.

Pineda returned for one more inning in the top of the sixth. Ortiz grounded out but Ramirez reached on a swinging bunt. Shaw and Holt hit back to back singles to load the bases.....and JBJ banged into a double play to end the inning. Once again Pineda was let off the hook.

                                          "Bradleyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!"

Porcello came back for the bottom of the sixth and struck out McCann. Beltran flied out and Castro grounded out.

It was up to the Yankees bullpen to save this one as Chasen Shreve came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Vazquez greeted him with a double but Mr. Mookie popped up the bunt to McCann.

                                              Way to go JBJ

Kirby Yates replaced Shreve and Pedroia lined out, then Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning.

Right on cue, after so many Red Sox misfires, the Yankees cashed in immediately in the bottom of the seventh when Aaron Hicks launched his first homer of the year off Porcello to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Porcello recovered to get Gregorious to ground out, Torreyes to ground out and Ackley to fly out to end the inning. Porcello had gone 7 and had given up 3 runs, a quality start wasted by the inability to get a clutch hit.

                                                  Old Hoss Radbourn gets the last laugh

It was time for the 1-2 punch of Delin Betances and Andrew Miller in the top of the eighth. Ortiz lined out to right and Ramirez struck out, but Shaw singled to chase Betances. Miller came in and issued his first walk of the season to pinch hitter Chris Young (for Holt). Once again with a chance to do some damage...JBJ looked at strike 3 to end the inning. That's 5 left on base for Jackie, brutal. Tommy Layne came to pitch the bottom of the eighth as Young stayed in left. Gardner walked but Teixeira banged into a double play. McCann grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox then got robbed in the top of the ninth with one bad call after another. Josh "Razor" Rutledge pinch hit for Vazquez and singled. Mr. Mookie looked to have walked but the pitch out of the zone was called a strike. Betts whiffed and had words for umpire Ron Kulpa. It would get worse.

Pedroia lashed a single to left and Bogaerts lofted a ball that Gregorious fell down trying to chase and just like that the bases were loaded. Miller's pitch count was rising and in stepped David Ortiz. Ortiz ran the count to 3-1 and Miller fired a pitch that McCann caught in the dirt....strike 2. Wait, what?? STRIKE 2? Ortiz and everyone else in the world including Sox analyst Steve Lyons thought it was a ball, not Kulpa. John Farrell sprinted out of the dug-out and got the heave ho by Kulpa.

                                                    Farrell saying Kulpa should have been tossed, not him.

The sad part was, the 3-2 pitch was even worse than the 3-1. At least the 3-1 pitch was on the outside corner, bungled by McCann but at least in the zone. The 3-2 pitch was down at Ortiz ankles.....strike 3. Kulpa rang up Ortiz out of personal spite and Ortiz responded....well....look.

                                            Complete chaos on the field

Ortiz was ejected and Farrell stayed long enough to heckle Kulpa some more. It was up to Ramirez now but his body language said it all. He swung and missed at 3 straight curveballs with a half-hearted swing to end it. The Yankees stole one 3-2.

Jackass of the Night is Jackie Bradley Jr for failing in the clutch repeatedly. The double play in the 6th when a fly ball would have given the Sox the lead, the strikeout with two men on.

                                          Jackass of the Night: Jackie Bradley Jr


The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a run scored and stolen base. Travis Shaw was 3 for 4. Brock Holt was 1 for 3. Chris Young pinch hit for Holt and walked. Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3. Josh Rutledge pinch hit for Vazquez and singled. Tommy Layne pitched a scoreless 8th inning.


The Bad:

Ron Kulpa. Look at this pitch graph and tell me the Sox didn't get screwed on the 3-2 pitch.

The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 4 but walked and stole a base. Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5. David Ortiz launched a 2 run home run but was 1 for 5 total, although he was screwed out of a bases loaded walk in the ninth. Hanley Ramirez was 2 for 5 but struck out with the bases loaded in the ninth. Rick Porcello took the loss but hardly pitched like a loser. He went 7 innings and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 5.


Final Thoughts:

As Gorilla Monsoon would say, this was a miscarriage of justice. Still, the Sox did themselves no favors before the ninth by failing to hit in the clutch for most of the game. As bad as Kulpa was, he didn't have anything to do with Bradley hitting into a double play or Ramirez waiving at 3 straight curveballs. Porcello didn't have his best stuff either. Still, the positive to come out of this was the Sox were fired up. They wanted this win and they wanted it bad. The way Farrell and Ortiz reacted was a fire that hadn't been seen in years. The loss dropped the Sox to 17-12 on the season and a half game behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place. The Sox look to take their frustrations out on Nathan Eovaldi and the Yankees at 1 PM with David Price on the mound.