Offense Shut Down in Game 1 Loss (5/18/16)

The Kansas City Royals are the defending world champions and they sure pitched like it in Game 1 of today's doubleheader at Fenway Park. The Royals shut down the high powered Red Sox and scored just enough to take a 3-2 victory in Game 1.

                                                       Sad fans

Ian Kennedy took the mound in the top of the first and got Mr. Mookie Betts to fly out. Dustin Pedroia flied out and Xander Bogaerts struck out to end the inning. The Royals wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first. Alcides Escobar singled and stole second as Lorenzo Cain struck out. Eric Hosmer bashed a 2 run bomb to put the Royals up 2-0 just like that. Kenrys Morales grounded out and Alex Gordon flied out to end the inning.

David Ortiz grounded out to begin the top of the second. Travis Shaw singled but Josh Rutledge struck out. Jackie Bradley Jr flied out to end the inning. Chesler Cuthbert struck out but Christian Colon walked. Drew Butera banged into a double play to end the inning.

Kennedy remained red hot in the top of the third. Chris Young, Ryan Hanigan and Mr. Mookie all struck out in short order. Wright hung tough in the bottom of the third. Jarrod Dyson grounded out, Escobar grounded out and Cain grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth. Pedroia doubled and Bogaerts singled him over to third. Ortiz singled to score Pedroia and advance Bogaerts to third to cut the lead 2-1. The rally ended as Shaw struck out, Rutledge struck out and JBJ grounded out to end the inning. Wright remained tough in the bottom of the frame. Hosmer grounded out and Morales flied out. Gordon struck out to end the inning.

The Sox tied the game in the top of the fifth. Chris Young blasted a solo home run to give the Sox life. Hanigan and Mr. Mookie grounded out but Pedroia walked. A wild pitch moved Pedroia to second but Bogaerts grounded out to end the inning. Cuthbert popped up to open the bottom of the fifth. Colon flied out and Butera grounded out to end the inning.

Ortiz singled to open the top of the sixth but both Shaw and Rutledge struck out. That was it for Kennedy as Brian Flynn replaced him. JBJ Struck out to end the inning. The Royals took command in the bottom of the sixth. Dyson tripled but Escobar popped up. Cain scored Dyson with a sac fly and Hosmer grounded out to end the inning. Just like that.

Luke Hochevar took over in the top of the seventh and struck out the side. Young, Hanigan and Mr. Mookie all went down on strikes. Wright returned for the bottom of the seventh and got Morales to ground out. Gordon flied out but Cuthbert singled. Colon flied out to end the inning.

Kelvin Herrera took the mound for the top of the eighth. Pedroia lined out but Bogaerts singled. Ortiz singled but Bogaerts was foolishly thrown out at third. The tying run was still on base and Shaw flied out to end the inning. Wright came back for one more inning in the bottom of the eighth. Butera and Dyson both struck out but Escobar singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Cain struck out to end the inning. What a great start by Wright once again wasted by no run support.

Royals closer Wade Davis was up for the Sox in the top of the ninth. Brock Holt pinch hit for Rutledge and grounded out. JBJ extended his hitting streak to 23 games with a single to represent the tying run. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Chris Young and just barely beat out a double-play ball. Hanley Ramirez pinch hit for Hanigan and flied out to end the game. The Royals had taken Game 1 of the double-header 3-2.

Jackass of the night is a tough one. Wright pitched his heart out so I have to go with Mookie Betts. He was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. As the leadoff hitter, he was supposed to set up the offense and he did nothing.

                                             Jackass of the Night: Mookie Betts



The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 4. David Ortiz was 3 for 4 with an rbi. Chris Young was 1 for 3 with a home run. This is becoming a theme but Steven Wright makes it to the good list despite a loss. He tossed a complete game giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk. He struck out 6 and his ERA is at 2.52.


The Bad:

Josh Rutledge was 0 for 3 with a hat trick. Brock Holt was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. Marco Hernandez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 3. Hanley Ramirez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.


The Ugly:

Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4. Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 4, extending his hitting streak to 23 games.



Final Thoughts:

That sucked. Losing 2 of 3 to the Royals was not on the itinerary and now they have a chance to be swept in a couple of hours. The only bright spot is Wright went the distance, saving the bullpen for tonight's nightcap in case David Price sucks. The loss drops the Sox to 24-16, one game behind Baltimore for first place in the AL East. Edison Volquez matches up against Price in the nightcap.

Porcello Routed, Royals Snap Streak (5/17/16)

What a disaster. The Sox were rolling heading into Kansas City and apparently Mother Nature cooled them off. After Monday night's game was rained out, the Sox took the field Tuesday and got their asses kicked by the defending world champion Royals 8-4 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                         Randy Quaid is angry again

Yordano Ventura hang tough to begin the game. Mr. Mookie Betts lined out, Dustin Pedroia looked at strike 3 and Xander Bogaerts popped up. Rick Porcello (6-2, 3.51 ERA) got the ball in the bottom of the first and didn't fare too well. Alcides Escobar popped up and Lorenzo Cain grounded out. Erc Hosmer walked but Kendrys Morales grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning. David Ortiz grounded out and Hanley Ramirez whiffed. Travis Shaw singled and Jackie Bradley Jr wasted no time extending his hitting streak with an rbi double to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Christian Vazquez struck out to end the inning. Porcello held his ground in the bottom of the second. Alex Gordon struck out and Salvador Perez flied out. Cheslor Cuthbert of all people legged out an infield single but Omar Infante struck out to end the inning.

The Sox got nothing in the top of the third. Brock Holt struck out but Mr. Mookie singled...only for Pedroia to ground into a double play to end the inning. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the third. Paulo Orlando tripled to lead off the inning and Escobar scored him with a ground out to tie the game. Cain lined out but Hosmer crushed a straight fastball 420 feet to dead center to give the Royals a 2-1 lead. Morales grounded out but the rout was on.

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the fourth. Bogaerts and Ortiz grounded out but Ramirez singled. Shaw singled but JBJ grounded out to end the inning. Shoddy defense doomed the Sox in the bottom of the fourth. Gordon grounded out but Perez and Cuthbert singled. Infante singled and JBJ played hot potato with the ball, allowing Perez to score to make it 3-1. Orlando made Jackie pay with a 2 run single to make it 5-1. Escobar lined out and Cain grounded out to end the inning. JBJ making an error? Say it ain't so.

The life drained from the Sox at that point as Vazquez grounded out, Holt grounded out and Mr. Mookie struck out in the top of the fifth. Hosmer walked to begin the bottom of the fifth but Morales and Gordon flied out. Perez struck out to end the inning.

The Sox clawed back in the top of the sixth. Pedroia singled but both Bogaerts and Ortiz popped up. Ortiz was plunked and Shaw put the Sox back in the game with a 3 run blast to right to cut the lead 5-4. JBJ walked to chase Ventura and Luke Hochevar came in to pitch to Vazquez...who grounded out. Still, the Sox were back in it.

                                                  Shaw puts the Sox back in it

Porcello returned for the top of the 6th but was quickly chased by a Cuthbert double.

                                               Porcello "I sucked tonight"  Vazquez "I know"

Matt Barnes was brought in and Infante lined out. Orlando moved Cuthbert to third with a double and Escobar walked. A wild pitch by Barnes advanced Escobar but Cain grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox failed to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Holt looked to have walked but a strike was called. John Farrell was lived and was given the heave ho after arguing.

                                                      Steaming mad

Holt eventually grounded out and so did Mr.Mookie. Pedroia flied out to end the inning. Tommy Layne took over for Barnes in the bottom of the seventh. Hosmer lined out, Morales flied out and Gordon struck out in short order.

Kelvin Herrera came on to pitch the top of the eighth. Bogaerts singled and Ortiz flied out. In another rare site, Bogaerts was gunned down at second trying to steal. The Sox had been near perfect on the bases most of the season....not tonight. Ramirez whiffed to end the inning. Everything fell apart in the bottom of the eighth. Perez walked but Cuthbert struck out. Acting Sox manager Torey Luvello bounded out of the dugout and called upon Koji Uehara. Why he let Layne start or why didn't he simply let him finish no one will know. All that was know was Uehara pissed himself. Omar Infante laid down a sacrifice bunt and Uehara apparently threw it into the centerfield bleachers 400 feet away because Perez scored and Infante made it all to way to third. Orlando put the dagger in with a 2 run bomb to make it 8-4. Escobar popped up but Cain doubled. Hosmer popped up to end the inning. Absolutely bawful.

Joakim Soria came on to pitch the top of the ninth. Shaw popped up but JBJ walked. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Vazquez and struck out. Big help Marco. JBJ walked to second on defensive indifference and Holt grounded out to end the game. The Sox had blown it 8-4.

Jackass of the night is Koji Uehara. Yes Porcello gave up the first 5 runs but Uehara allowed the game to get out of hand in the 8th inning by allowing 3 runs and letting an inherited run home.

                                                   Jackass of the Night: Koji Uehara





The Good:

Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Travis Shaw was 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored and 3 total rbi's. Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi. Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 6th inning.


The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 4. Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3. Marco Hernandez pinch hit for Vazquez and struck out. Brock Holt was 0 for 4. Rick Porcello got lit up for 5 runs (4 earned) in just 5 innings, giving up 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts were both just 1 for 4. Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 with a run scored. Tommy Layne gave up a run in an inning and a third.



Final Thoughts:

That was absolutely bawful. That was the Sox first real complete stinker since the hangover game against New York. The world champs are for real despite what their record says. The Sox can't kick the ball around and throw straight fastballs to these guys or they'll make you pay. The loss dropped the Sox to 24-15 on the season. Tomorrow is a double-header with Steven Wright going in Game 1 and David Price going game 2.

Rainout News (5/16/16)

Tonight's game against the Kansas City Royals has been rained out and Wednesday will now be a day/night doubleheader between the two teams. Before tonight's game was postponed, it was announced that Sean O'Sullivan was designated for assignment after Sunday's disaster. The Boston Red Sox called up Marco Hernandez to replace him. This isn't a surprise as O'Sullivan was just there to hold the fort until Eduardo Rodriguez was ready. One has to wonder why Brian Johnson didn't get the call but it doesn't matter now.

                                                                OUT

                                                                    IN

On This Day in Basebawful History:

1970 - Sox snap 5 game losing streak by beating Indians

2000 - Jays rally past Lowe, Red Sox

2001 - Buchanan homer helps Twins beat Sox

2013 - Middlebrooks saves Sox against Rays

Tomorrow night "Slick" Rick Porcello (6-1) goes for the Sox against Yordan Ventura of the Royals. The game begins at *:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Outslug Houston, Take 3 of 4 (5/15/16)

The Boston Red Sox offense can't continue to score over 10 runs a game but they did in this one. It was a good thing too because they survived a lousy start by Sean O'Sullivan and rallied to take a 10-9 victory at Fenway Park over the Houston Astros. Heath Hembree got the win for the Sox.

                                             Heath approves of Heath

At first, O'Sullivan started well. Jose Altuve flied to center to begin the game. George Springer flied out but Carlos Correa struck out to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first. Mr. Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia walked to lead off the game. Xander Bogaerts lined out and Betts moved to third. Pedroia then took off for second and Jason Castro's throw airmailed, allowing Betts to scamper home with the 1-0 lead. Travis Shaw struck out but Hanley Ramirez home Pedroia. Jackie Bradley Jr popped up to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

O'Sullivan promptly vomited up his intestines in the top of the second. O'Sullivan fumbled a ground ball hit by Colby Rasmus and threw wide, only for Bogaerts to fumble and Rasmus ended up on second....two errrors on one play. Tyler White walked and Luis Valbuena gave the Astros the lead with a 3 run blast. Carlos Gomez walked and stole second but Preston Tucker struck out. Castro grounded out and Altuve flied out to end the inning with Houston in front 3-2. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second. Josh "Razor" Rutledge doubled and Brock "Hitman" Holt moved him to third on a ground out. Ryan "Hot Hands" Hanigan singled home Razor to tie the game. Mr. Mookie singled and Pedroia flied out, moving Hanigan to third. Bogaerts then cleared the bases with a 3 run bomb to give the Sox a 6-3 lead. Shaw flied out to end the inning.

                                            X-Man's blast makes it 6-3

The slugfest continued in the top of the third. Springer grounded out but Correa launched a solo home run to cut the lead 6-4. Rasmus caught the defense asleep with a bunt single but White struck out. Valbuena popped up to end the inning. Mike Fiers relieved Devenski in the bottom of the third. Ramirez singled and JBJ moved him to second on a groundout. Razor hit one in the hole for a single, advancing Hanley to third. Razor swiped second but Holt struck out. Hanigan delivered the clutch hit with a single to score both runners. Mr. Mookie flied out but the Sox now had a commanding 8-4 lead.

The lead was kept intact in the top of the fourth. Gomez popped up, Tucker grounded out and Castro lined out to end the inning. The Sox offense finally quieted in the bottom of the fourth. Pedroia grounded out, Bogaerts flied out and Shaw grounded out to end the inning.

O'Sullivan then gagged in the top of the fifth. Altuve singled and Springer singled him to third. Correa lined out and Sox manager John Farrell had seen enough, pulling O'Sullivan for Robbie Ross Jr.  Rasmus struck out but White walked to load the bases. Valbuena hit a ground rule double to plate two runners and Gomez was plunked to re-load the bases. Tucker struck out to end the inning but the Astros were now down 8-6. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the fifth. Ramirez doubled and JBJ singled him to third. Ramirez was then thrown out at home on the force by Rutledge. Holt moved the runners with a groundout but Hanigan grounded out to end the inning.

The opportunity wasted loomed large in the top of the sixth when the Astros rallied. Castro walked and Sox manager John Farrell replaced Ross with Heath Hembree (2-0). Castro was erased at second on the force by Altuve, who promptly stole second. Springer struck out but Altuve stole third as well. Correa then grounded a ball to Rutledge who fired....100 FEET OVER THE HEAD OF RAMIREZ, allowing Altuve to score. The Astros quickly pounced as Rasmus doubled home Correa to tie the game and White singled him in to take the lead. Valbuena grounded out but the damage was done. The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the frame. Mr. Mookie grounded out but Pedroia legged out an infield hit. Bogaerts walked and Shaw moved both runners over with a ground out. With a chance to tie or take the lead....Ramirez grounded out. Another opportunity wasted.

Hembree settled down in the top of the seventh. Gomez tried to catch Hembree asleep with a bunt but Hembree risked life and limb to throw him out at first. Tucker grounded out but Castro walked. Altuve lined out to end the inning. Scott Feldman relieved Fiers as the Sox had another chance. JBJ grounded out but Razor singled. Joe West then decided to make himself the star of the game by ringing up Holt. Holt yelled at him and West gave him the heave-ho. Now the Sox needed a new left fielder and was still trailing.

 

                                                   "Respect mah authoritahhhhh"

Hanigan then lofted a routine fly to Gomez and Springer walked over.....AND THE BALL DROPPED IN! Someone forgot to call the other off and Rutledge made a mad dash home to tie the game. Since nobody touched it, Hanigan got credit for his 4th rbi of the game.

                                               "I thought you had it!"  "I thought YOU had it!"

Mr.Mookie made the Astros pay with a triple into the gap to give the Sox a 10-9 lead. Pedroia lined out but now the Sox needed just 6 outs to survive.

                                         Mr. Mookie put the Sox on top for good

Junichi Tazawa got the ball for the top of the eighth as Chris Young took over in left. Springer whiffed on a nasty splitter, Correa struck out and Rasmus grounded out to end the inning. Pat Neshek came on to pitch the bottom of the eighth.  Bogaerts lined one off the glove of Pat but it was ruled an error. Shaw popped up and Ramirez looked at strike three. JBJ popped up to end the inning.

Sox manager John Farrell turned to the exhausted Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel to close the game out. Craig blew away White and the Sox got an assist from Joe West, calling a second strike on a 3-1 count to Valbuena that looked out of the zone. Valbuena then lined out to left on the next pitch, thanks Joe. Kimbrel blew away Gomez on a 3-2 pitch to end the game. The Sox survived 10-9.

                                               Koji Uehara would be jealous of this

Hero of the Night is Ryan Hanigan. He was 3 for 4 with 4 rbi's and 2 runs scored.

                                                 Hero of the Night: Ryan Hanigan


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi, stolen base and 2 runs scored. Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 5 with a run scored and rbi. Josh Rutledge was 3 for 4 with a stolen base and 3 runs scored. Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless eighth. Craig Kimbrel earned his 10th save of the year with a scoreless ninth.


The Bad:

Travis Shaw was 0 for 5. Brock Holt was 0 for 4 and was ejected in the bottom of the seventh. Sean O'Sullivan got knocked out in the 5th inning after surrendering 6 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits, 2 walks, 2 home runs in just 4 1/3 inning.  Robbie Ross Jr allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own in just 2/3 of an inning.


The Ugly:

Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base and scored. Xander Bogaerts was just 1 for 4 with a walk but made the hit count as it was a 3 run home run.  Jackie Bradley Jr extended his hitting streak to 21 games but was just 1 for 5. Heath Hembree got the win but gave up 2 runs (1 earned) which could have cost the game.


Honorable Mention:

Chris Young played left field in the 8th and 9th innings.



Final Thoughts:


Eduardo Rodriguez and Joe Kelly can't come back fast enough. The Sox offense is damn good but short starts by spot starters such as Sean O'Sullivan, Henry Owens, etc kill the bullpen early. The big four of Carson Smith, Koji Uehara, Tazawa and Kimbrel were used a lot this weekend due to lousy starting pitching and an extra inning affair. Still, they nailed down 3 of the 4 games and simply getting better starting pitching will help the cause. If it wasn't for mother nature, its quiet possibly the Sox could have swept the series. The win, combined with the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles losing, put the Sox in a first place tie in the AL east with Baltimore and a 3 way tie for the best record in the American League. The 24-14 Sox now travel to Kansas City to play a 3 game set with the defending world champions. Rick Porcello (6-1, 3.11 ERA) matches up against Yordano Ventura at 7:05 tomorrow night.

Ortiz Carries Sox To Extra Innings Win (5/14/16)

Its a shame David Ortiz has to retire. Still, its better he goes out like Mariano Rivera with one last great season than go out like Willie Mays or Kobe Bryant (save for Kobe's final game). Today was vintage Big Papi as he saved the Boston Red Sox on three separate occasions to propel them to a 6-5 extra innings win over the visiting Houston Astros at Fenway Park.

                                                 Mercedes Javid approves of the victory

Buchholz started the top of the first by allowing a single to the pain in the ass Jose Altuve. George Springer banged into a double play but Carlos Correa launched a fastball into the centerfield bleachers to make it 1-0 just like that. Colby Rasmus singled but Marwin Gonzalez struck out to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting the run back. Mr. Mookie Betts singled off Astros starter Collin McHugh to begin the frame. Jackie Bradley Jr was moved up to the 2 slot with Dustin Pedroia getting the night off and he singled. Xander Bogaerts smacked a ground rule double that scored Mr. Mookie to tie the game. David Ortiz walked to load the bases but JBJ was thrown out at home on the force by Hanley Ramirez. Travis Shaw worked a walk to give the Sox a 2-1 lead but Josh "Razor" Rutledge banged into a double play to kill the rally.

Just like that, Buchholz crapped himself in the top of the second. Luis Valbuena singled but Preston Tucker popped up. Jose Castro walked but Ryan Marisnick flied out. Altuve walked to load the bases and Buchholz left a hanging fastball that Springer was more than happy to deposit into the monster seats for a grand slam, giving the Astros a 5-1 lead. Correa grounded out to end the inning and Clay left the mound to thunderous boo's from the hostile crowd. This time the Sox could not answer. Brock "Hitman" Holt flied out and Christian Vazquez grounded out. Mr. Mookie hit a pop up that Correa lost in the sun, hitting him on the head and allowing Mookie to reach second. Unfortunately JBJ grounded out to end the inning.

Inexplicably, Buchholz found his groove in the top of the third. Rasmus singled but he struck out both Gonzalez and Valbuena. Tucker flied out to end the inning. The Sox got one back in the bottom of the third. Bogaerts popped up but David Ortiz blasted homer number 513 to right to cut the lead 5-3. Ramirez singled but once again the Sox killed the rally when Shaw grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                                             Number 513

A 1-2-3 inning continued to elude Buchholz in the top of the fourth.  Castro flied out and Marisnick grounded out, but Altuve walked. Springer flied out to end the inning. The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the fourth. Razor doubled  but Hitman lined out. Vazquez singled but Mr. Mookie could only manage to beat out a double play ball to score Razor. JBJ grounded out to end the inning but it was now 5-4.

Buchholz finally got the 1-2-3 inning by striking out Correa to begin the top of the fifth. Rasmus grounded out and Gonzalez struck out swinging. The Sox mustered nothing against McHugh in the bottom of the fifth. Bogaerts singled but Ortiz flied out. Ramirez whiffed and Shaw popped up to end the inning.

Valbuena and Tucker flied out to left to open the top of the sixth. Castro doubled but Marisnick grounded out. Another typical Buchholz start, batting practice one inning, unhittable the rest of the day. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth.  Razor struck out but Holt singled. Holt advanced to second on the ground out by Vazquez and Mr. Mookie walked. Once again with a chance to do damage, JBJ grounded out.

Carson Smith replaced Buchholz for the top of the seventh. Altuve beat out an infield single but Springer banged into a double play. Correa singled to chase Smith as Sox manager John Farrell went with Tommy Layne to pitch to Rasmus. The matchup worked as Layne struck out Rasmus to end the inning. Pat Neshek took over for McHugh and the Sox offense was done for the night. Bogaerts flied out and Ortiz struck out on a 67 mph meatball. Ramirez whiffed badly to end the inning.

Layne returned for the top of the eighth and the move backfired as Gonzalez doubled. Valbuena sacrifice bunted him over to third and Tyler White pinch hit for Tucker. White was intentionally walked to set up a force although Carlos Gomez pinch ran for White. Gomez swiped second but Gonzalez was caught in a rundown and tagged out, although Gomez reached third. Castro walked and Farrell pulled Layne for Junichi Tazawa. Marisnick struck out to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally one last time in the bottom of the eighth against Will Harris. Shaw walked and Razor sacrifice bunted him to second. Holt grounded out to move Shaw to third and Dustin Pedroia pinch hit for Vazquez. With the tying run 90 feet away....Pedroia grounded out on the first pitch.

Ryan Hanigan took over behind the plate as Tazawa stayed in to pitch the top of the ninth. Altuve and Springer flied out but Correa was plunked. Correa was foolishly thrown at second by Hanigan with Rasmus batting to end the inning. Luke Gregerson came on to pitch the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox were 0-13 when trailing after 8 entering the inning. Make it 0-14 as Mr. Mookie flied out but JBJ walked. Bogaerts worked the count to 3-0 but just barely beat out a double play. Ortiz somehow tied the game on an rbi triple as Fenway exploded. Then Hanley Ramirez inexplicably tried to suicide squeeze Ortiz home but was thrown out at first by a mile. What the hell was he thinking? It was on to extra innings.

                                                         Big Papi refuses to go quietly

Craig Kimbrel was brought in to pitch the top of the 10th. Rasmus popped up, Gonzalez flied out and Valbuena flied out to end the inning. The Sox got a chance in the bottom of the 10th against Ken Giles. Shaw doubled off the monster but Rutledge missed the bunt and struck out. Holt lined out but Shaw took third on a wild pitch. With the winning run 90 feet away.....Hanigan grounded out to end the inning. Damn.

Koji Uehara (2-1) came on to pitch the top of the 11th. Gomez and Castro struck out but Marisnick doubled and Altuve was intentionally walked. Springer popped up to end the inning. Rookie Mike Feliz got the ball in the bottom of the 11th and things looked bleak when both Mr. Mookie and JBJ grounded out. Bogaerts then lashed a single to right and in came Ortiz. Why Astros manager AJ Hinch decided to pitch to Ortiz, no one knows. It was a mistake because Ortiz turned on a 2-2 fastball and belted it into the triangle, scoring Bogaerts with the winning run. The Sox had won it 6-5.

Hero of the Night is obviously David Ortiz. He was a one man wrecking crew with a home run, triple and double to propel the Sox to victory.

                                                      Hero of the Night: David Ortiz


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 5 with a walk, rbi and run scored.Xander Bogaerts was 3 for 6 with an rbi and 3 runs scored. Travis Shaw was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi. Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3. Carson Smith got 2 of the 3 batters he faced. Tommy Layne pitched a full scoreless inning. Junichi Tazawa pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless inning. Koji Uehara got the win with a scoreless 11th inning.


The Bad:

Dustin Pedroia was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.


The Ugly:

Jackie Bradley Jr was just 1 for 5 with a walk. Hanley Ramirez was just 1 for 5. Josh Rutledge was 1 for 4 with a run scored. Brock Holt was 1 for 5. Ryan Hanigan was 0 for 1 at the plate but threw out Correa trying to steal. Clay Buchholz was once again the definition of inconsistent. He gave up 5 runs early but hung on to go 6 full giving up 7 hits, 3 walks while striking out 5.


Final Thoughts:

The Sox were 0-13 going into the game when trailing after 8 innings but David Ortiz said that was enough of that. This was vintage Big Papi as he carried them the whole afternoon. Also showcased was the bullpen that nobody is talking about. Everyone keeps trumpeting the New York Yankees but 4 is more than 3. Smith, Tazawa, Uehara and Kimbrel kept the Astros off the board long enough for the Sox to pull this one out. They survived another Clay Buchholz start and one has to wonder if this could be his last start with Eduardo Rodiguez and Joe Kelly ready to return. The win put the Sox at 23-14, 1 game behind the Baltimore Orioles who have now won 7 straight. Tomorrow will be a slugfest as Sean O'Sullivan gets the start for Boston against Chris Devenski at 1:35.

Mother Nature Aids Astros Win (5/13/16)

Starting a knuckleballer in the rain is risky but Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell took the gamble by starting Steven Wright in the downpour. The gamble failed as the Astros knocked him out in the fifth inning and came back with a 7-6 come from behind victory at Fenway Park in a heavy rain.

                                                        Ghoulish Tom Brady is sad

Jose Altuve singled to lead off the game just like last night. George Springer grounded back to Wright, advancing Altuve to second. Carlos Correa looked at strike 3 even though Correa didn't think so. It was a strike, Ryan "Hot Hands" Hanigan just dropped it. Colby Rasmus hit one in the hole at short to reach on a base hit, but Xander Bogaerts cutting the ball off saved a run. It only delayed the inevitable as Marwin Gonzalez singled up the middle to give the Astros a 1-0 lead. Luis Valbuena flied out to end the inning. Could Lance McCullers making his season debut silence the Sox? Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short and Dustin Pedroia looked at strike 3, but Xander Bogerts extended his hit streak to 8 games with a bloop to right. David Ortiz whiffed to end the inning.

Carlos Gomez led off the top of the second inning by popping up. Jason Castro hit a hard one to left but Brock Holt ran it down for the second out. Jake Marisnick grounded out to third to end the inning. Hanley Ramirez singled through the hole at second and Travis Shaw walked to begin the bottom of the second. Hitman Holt worked an 8 pitch walk to load the bases. Hot Hands Hanigan then doubled in both Ramirez and Shaw to give the Sox a 2-1 lead just like that. Jackie Bradley Jr extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a double to score Holt to make it 3-1. Houston's misery continued when a pitch from McCullers squirted right under Castro to score Hanigan and advance JBJ to third. Mr. Mookie singled home JBJ to make it 5-1. Pedroia lined out to right for the first out. Bogaerts then banged into a double play to end the inning.

Could Wright hold off the Astros long enough to make it an official game? Not at first in the top of the second inning. Altuve continued to be a pain in the ass by working a walk.and Springer singled him to third with a shot off the monster. The Sox defense pitched in when Pedroia snared a liner by Correa and doubled off Springer at first. Rasmus then looked at strike 3 to end the inning. Ortiz grounded weakly to first to begin the bottom of the third. Ramirez was also thrown out at first on a swinging bunt. Shaw singled off the monster but was thrown out at second trying to stretch.

                                         Ren turns his back on the horrid baserunning by Shaw

Gonzalez popped up to left to begin the top of the fourth inning. Valbuena grounded out to Ramirez as the rain picked up. Gomez whiffed to end the inning. Now the race was on to make this an official game. Holt grounded out to Altuve to begin the bottom of the fourth. Hanigan struck out and so did JBJ to end the inning.

The Astros bashed Wright into submission to begin the top of the fifth. Castro doubled off the monster, Marisnick reached on a bunt single, Altuve singled to score Castro and Springer doubled home the two runners to make it 5-4 just like that. Correa walked and Ramus advanced both runners with a ground out. Gonzalez slammed a single to score Springer, advance Correa to third and to chase Wright. Starting a knuckleballer in the rain is risky, but you can't control mother nature. Matt Barnes came in and got Valbuena to pop up. Gonzalez swiped second but Gomez whiffed to end the inning. Good work by Barnes to keep the game tied. The Sox offense continued to remain quiet as Mr. Mookie flied out, Pedroia popped up and the monster stole a home run from Bogaets, he had to settle for a double. Ortiz was intentionally walked and that was it for McCullers. Scott Feldman was first out of the pen for Houston and he got Ramirez to ground into a force to end the inning.

It was now a battle of the bullpens and the Astros teed off on Barnes in the top of the 6th. Castro singled but Marisnick whiffed. Altuve was finally retired on a pop up but Springer bashed a 2 run home run into the monster seats to give the Astros a 7-5 lead. That was it for Barnes as Robbie Ross Jr took over. Rasmus lined out to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth. Travis Shaw cut the deficit with a solo blast to make it 7-6. Holt lined out and Hanigan grounded out, but JBJ singled. With the tying run on....Mr. Mookie flied out to end the inning.

Ross remained tough in the top of the 7th. Gonzalez and Valbuena struck out and Gomez flied out to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh as Pedroia legged out an infield single, but Bogaerts struck out. Terry Sipp was brought in to pitch to Ortiz, who flied out. Ken Giles replaced Sipp to pitch to Ramirez. Ramirez walked but Shaw grounded out to end the inning, the Astros kept the lead.

Koji Uehara came on to pitch the top of the eighth. Castro struck out and Marisnick flied out, but Altuve doubled. Springer struck out to end the inning. Will Harris locked it down in the bottom of the eighth. Holt looked at strike 3, Hanigan whiffed but JBJ continued his hot streak with a base hit. Mr. Mookie struck out to end the inning.

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel took the mound in the top of the ninth and struggled. Correa struck out but Rasmus walked. Gonzalez flied out but Rasmus stole second. Valbuena walked but Gomez whiffed to end the inning. Having your closer coming in to a non-save situation and throwing 26 pitches isn't exactly a recipe for success. Luke Gregerson came on for the save in the bottom of the ninth. Pedroia and Bogaerts whiffed and Ortiz flied out to end the game. The Astros had fought back to win 7-6.

Jackass of the Night is Matt Barnes. He allowed the go-ahead 2 run blast to George Springer.

The Good:

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5. Hanley Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Travis Shaw was 2 for 3 with a home run (rbi), 2 runs scored and a walk. Jackie Bradley Jr was 3 for 4 with a run scored and an rbi. Robbie Ross Jr pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Koji Uehara pitched a scoreless 8th inning. Craig Kimbrel pitched a scoreless 9th inning


The Bad:

Steven Wright was forced to pitch in the pouring rain and for four innings he held his own, but was wiped out in the fifth. He went just 4 1/3 innings giving up 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks while only striking out 3.


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 with an rbi. Dustin Pedroia was just 1 for 5. David Ortiz was 0 for 4 but walked. Brock Holt was 0 for 3 but walked and scored. Ryan Hanigan was 1 for 4 but scored a run and drove in 2. Steven Wright was forced to pitch in the pouring rain and for four innings he held his own, but was wiped out in the fifth. He went 4 1/3 innings giving up 5 runs on 9 hits and 2 walks while only striking out 3.


Final Thoughts:

The streak had to end sometime and unfortunately blowing a 4 run lead was the way to do it. The most alarming thing is that the Sox are 0-13 when trailing after 8 innings. Not a single walkoff yet. I love the double digit run games as much as anyone, but the good teams in the franchise history have been able to come from behind in the later innings. The 2003, 2004 and especially the 2013 Red Sox all came back time and time again for walkoff wins. Still, I'm not too worried about Wright's misfire. Pitching in the pouring rain is a death knell for knukleballer so this was pretty much expected. After all, it was almost 17 years to the day (May 10,2000) that Tim Wakefield pitched in a torrential downpour and got lit up for 3 runs on 4 hits in just 1/3 of an inning. It would have been nice for Matt Barnes not to give up tape measure blasts but fastballers are prone to that. The loss knocked the Sox to 22-14, a game behind the Baltimore Orioles (6 wins in a row) for first place in the AL East.

Price Dazzles, Sox Roll To Fifth Straight Win (5/12/16)

The much maligned David Price was hammered in his last start and was searching for answers. Noted scientist Dr. Taylor Ahern couldn't help, the Dalai Lama himself couldn't help, and Sox manager John Farrell couldn't help. Price looked hopeless. Then a savior appeared, Dustin Pedroia. The diminutive hero went above and beyond the call of duty, risking life and limb to save Price. With the media wolves circling, Dustin went up to David Price and said "Hey man you're not kicking your leg high enough." HALLLLLLLLLELUJAH! Price claimed he was cured. The media wolves scoffed and said "We'll believe it when we see it." The media wolves were silenced as David Price's velocity returned and the Houston Astros were the victims. Price (5-1, 6.00 ERA) dazzled as he tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball to propel the Sox to victory. The bats remained red hot as they pounded Houston 11-1 at Fenway Park.

                                    An accurate description of David Price to Boston media

Price came out for the top of the first and immediately gave up back to back singles to Jose Altuve and George Springer as the crowd groaned. Price recovered to strike out Carlos Correa, Tyler White and Marwin Gonzalez to end the inning. He did hit 94 mph to Correa so that was a good sign. Houston ace Dallas Kuechel took the mound in the bottom of the first and got Mr. Mookie Betts to ground back to him. Luis Valbuena tried to make a barehanded grab on a Dustin Pedroia groundout but missed it, allowing Pedroia to reach first. Xander Bogaerts put the Sox on top with a 2 run blast into the monster seats to give the Sox a quick 2-0 lead. Despite guest PA announcer Kevin Millar shouting his name, David Ortiz stuck out. Hanley Ramirez walked but Chris Young looked at strike 3 to end the inning.

                                                   X-Man makes it 2-0 real quick

Carlos Gomez whiffed to begin the top of the second inning. Valbuena atoned for his miscue by executing a picture perfect bunt single. Erik Kratz hit a wind aided ball off the wall for a double. Pedroia got ate up on a ground ball by Jake Marisnick which scored Valbuena and advanced Kratz to third. Altuve looked at strike 3 and Springer took a 95 mph fastball for strike 3. His velocity is back apparently but the Astros cut the lead 2-1.

                                                 Most fans reaction to David Price at this point

 Travis Shaw grounded out to begin the bottom of the second. Christian Vazquez walked and took second base on a wild pitch. Vazquez scored when, who else, Jackie Bradley Jr hit a seeing eye single. It gave the Sox a 3-1 lead and extended his hitting streak to 18 games. Mr. Mookie grounded out as JBJ made it to second base. Pedroia walked and Xander Bogaerts hit one deep to center but it was caught at the wall. If he pulled it, it was gone. Still, the Sox got the 2 run lead back.

                                                                      JBJ makes it 3-1

Correa walked to open the top of the third. White popped up to Bogaerts as NESN showed highlights of Roger Clemens 20 strikeout game against Seattle after Max Scherzer struck out 20 Detroit Tigers last night. Gonzalez singled but Gomez banged into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third. Ortiz hit a ground rule double and Ramirez doubled him home. Young singled home Ramirez to make it 5-1. Shaw grounded out to advance Young to third. Vazquez whiffed and JBJ grounded out to end the inning.

                                            Hanley Ramirez chugging the Sox Train


Price returned for the top of the fourth. Valbuena grounded out and Kratz struck out. Marisnick flied out to end the inning. Kuechel finally had a quick inning in the bottom of the fouth. Mr Mookie and Pedroia grounded out then Bogaerts popped up to end the inning.

Altuve singled to open the top of the fifth but Springer whiffed on a 3-2 fastball. Correa struck out then White struck out to end the inning. That's 10 for Price in 5 innings. Ortiz grounded out to open the bottom of the fifth. Ramirez singled off the monster but Young banged into a double play to end the inning.

Gonzalez became victim number 11 as he whiffed to open the top of the sixth. Gomez grounded out and Valbuena flied out to end the inning. Shaw grounded out to begin the bottom of the sixth but Vazquez singled. JBJ hit a high chopper than Kuechel dropped, allowing JBJ to reach first. Mr. Mookie made Dallas pay by launching a 3 run bomb into the monster seats to ice the game 8-1. Pedroia grounded out and Bogaerts whiffed to end the inning. You don't know when, where or who was going to strike with this offense.

                                              Mr. Mookie joins the homer parade

Kratz flied out deep to Betts in right to open the top of the seventh. Marisnick struck out and that was it for David Price. Sox manager John Farrell replaced him with Junichi Tazawa  after tossing 113 pitches. Altuve lined out to end the inning. Josh Fields replaced the ineffective Kuechel in the bottom of the seventh. Ortiz grounded out but Ramirez singled. Young struck out but Shaw doubled home Ramirez. Vazquez struck out but it was now 9-1.

Brock Holt took over at second base for Pedroia and Josh "Razor" Rutledge took over at third base as Shaw moved to first in the top of the eighth. Springer singled but Correa popped up. Preston Tucker pinch hit for White and popped up. Gonzalez grounded out to end the inning. Great work by Taz.

                                       Amazing what happens when your arm isn't falling off

The Sox offense wouldn't quit in the bottom of the eighth. JBJ flied out but Gonzalez played "Ole!" on a ground ball by Mr. Mookie, allowing him to reach first. Brock "Hitman" Holt doubled Mookie to third and Bogaerts singled him home. Ortiz hit a sac fly to score Holt and make it 11-1. Razor Rutledge struck out to end the inning.

Heath Hembree got the ball in the top of the ninth. Gomez popped up, Valbuena lined out and Kratz popped up to end the inning. The Sox had won 11-1 and Bogaerts paid for it.

                                                   

Hero of the night is an easy one. David Price's velocity returned and he baffled the Astros for 6 2/3 innings. He gave up 1 measly run on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 12.

                                                                   The Price is Hero


The Good:

Dustin Pedroia was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run. Brock Holt pinch hit for Dustin, he singled and scored. Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a run scored and 3 total rbi's, hitting his 3rd home run of the year. Hanley Ramirez was 3 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored. He's hitting .313 on the season. Christian Vazquez was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Jackie Bradley Jr was 2 for 4 with a run scored and an rbi. Junichi Tazawa tossed 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. Heath Hembree pitched a scoreless ninth.


The Bad:

Josh Rutledge pinch hit for Ramirez and struck out.


The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 5 but made it count with a 3 run blast, scoring 2 total runs. David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored. Chris Young was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run. Travis Shaw was just 1 for 4 but also drove in a run.


Final Thoughts:

The Sox offense has scored 51 runs the past four days and obviously that won't last, but it sure is fun to watch. The important thing was David Price admitting that his mechanics were off and went out to fix it. For one game at least, Price's fastball sat 93-95 and Houston batters had no chance. THIS is the David Price the Sox thought they were getting in the off-season. If this continues, the Sox are going to be very, very hard to beat 3 days out of 5. It may even be 4 days because when Eduardo Rodriguez returns, the spot-starters (Sean O'Sullivan, Henry Owens, etc) will be gone. The win improved the Sox to 22-13, percentage points behind Baltimore (who also have won 5 in a row) for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Steven Wright (3-3, 1.52 ERA) takes the mound opposite McCullers.