Off-Day News (7/5/18)

Our top story tonight, the Boston Red Sox signed 19 year old international free agent Armando Acosta for 10 grand. Who is he? Who the hell knows. At least Sox General Manager Dave Dombrowski didn't give him 72 million dollars like his predecessor Ben Cherrington gave to Rusney Castillo.

                                        Armando Acosta....the actor that is, not the guy signed today

In other news, Justin Haley reported to Pawtucket and was activated for tonight's PawSox game. Trevor Kelley was demoted to the Portland Sea Dogs and Josh Smith was brought up to Pawtucket take Trevor's place.

                                                           Going to Pawtucket

                                                           Sent down to Portland

On this day in Basebawful History:

2000 - Sox outslug Twins

2013 - Sox beat Angels for 5th straight win

2017 - Rangers knock out Fister, Sox

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night against the Kansas City Royals. Chris Sale (8-4) takes on Brad Keller of Kansas City. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Rodriguez, Sox Sweep Nationals (7/4/18)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. The long awaited return of Tyler Thornburg is officially over as the right handed pitcher has been activated from the disabled list. The Sox needed some bullpen help in 2017 and when they jettisoned Travis Shaw, they thought Thornburg would be the answer. Instead Thornburg had shoulder surgery and missed the whole season while Shaw became a star with the Milwaukee Brewers. Now its Thornburg's turn to see if he can lift the bullpen with 3 months left in the regular season to go. To make room for Thornburg, William Cuevas was sent back to Pawtucket.

                                                   OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox bounced back big time from their failure in New York to sweep the Washington Nationals three straight games on the road. They did it in both blowout and tight fashion but all 3 wins count. In a rare July 4th morning start, the Sox looked sluggish offensively but took advantage of Washington's starter going one inning to tag the bullpen for 3 runs late in the game. Eduardo Rodriguez (10-3, 3.84 ERA) bounced back from his last bad start to toss 6 shutout innings while the bullpen took care of the rest. The Sox had swept the Nationals out of Washington with a 3-0 shutout win at Nationals Park.

                                                        Mylie Moore approves of the win

Nationals starter Erick Fedde took the mound in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a single. Betts was erased on the force by Brock "The Hitman" Holt but JD Martinez grounded out to second. Steve Pearce grounded out to short to end the inning. Rodriguez took the ball in the bottom of the first and struck out Adam Eaton to begin the frame. Trea Turner singled but Anthony Rendon popped up to second. Bryce Harper grounded out to third to end the inning.

Rafael Devers singled to open the top of the second but Nationals starter Erick Fedde fell to the ground clutching his shoulder. He had to be carried off the field and had to be replaced by Matt Grace.

                                                          Poor Fedde

Eduardo Nunez whiffed and Devers was picked off to kill the threat before Jackie Bradley Jr grounded out to second to end the inning. Rodriguez stayed tough in the bottom of the second as Mark Reynolds whiffed to start. Michael A Taylor whiffed but Wilmer Difo walked. Pedro Severino grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Christian Vazquez grounded out to short to begin the top of the third before Rodriguez himself whiffed. Mr. Mookie grounded out to third to end the inning. Grace himself lined out to third to open the bottom of the third before Eaton flied out to center. Turner singled but Rendon flied out to left to end the inning.

Holt grounded out to second to begin the top of the fourth but Martinez doubled. Pearce grounded out to short and Devers whiffed to end the inning. Rodriguez whiffed Harper to open the bottom of the fourth before Reynolds whiffed as well. Taylor lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the fifth as Nunez lined out to right to begin. JBJ grounded out to second and Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning. Difo whiffed on a full count to start the bottom of the fifth before Severino tried to bunt his way on. Devers picked the ball up and threw it completely out of the park for an error to send Severino to second. Goodwin lined out to center and Eaton flied out to right to end the inning.

Brandon Kintzler took over for Grace in the top of the sixth and Rodriguez grounded back to the mound to begin. Mr. Mookie singled but Holt looked at strike three. Martinez singled but Pearce flied out to center to end the inning. Rodriguez came back for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and got Turner to ground out to third to begin. Rendon lined out to right before Harper grounded out to second to end the inning. After his disaster in New York, E-Rod bounced back with 6 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits and one walk while striking out 6.

                                               Good effort by Rodriguez

The Sox struck first against Ryan Madson in the top of the seventh inning as Devers doubled to start. Nunez singled him to third. JBJ hit a fly ball to Eaton and Devers broke for home. The throw was so awful it sailed away allowing not only Devers to score but Nunez to advance to third. Vazquez grounded out to first and Andrew Benintendi pinch hit for Rodriguez. The ball four pitch that walked Benintendi got away and Nunez made a mad dash home for the second run. Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-0 on the two mistakes.

                                                       The Sox take the lead

Matt Barnes was first out of the bullpen in the top of the seventh as Daniel Murphy pinch hit for Reynolds. Murphy grounded out to first but Taylor singled. Difo looked at a full count strike three before Severino popped up to third to end the inning.

Shawn Kelley got the call to pitch the top of the eighth and Holt flied out to center to begin. Martinez looked at strike three before Pearce grounded out to short to end the inning. Joe Kelly was brought in for the bottom of the eighth and Juan Soto pinch hit for Kelley only to line out to second. Kelly blew away Eaton and Turner to end the inning.

                                               Kelly mows them down

The Sox iced the game in the top of the ninth with Kelvin Herrera now on the mound. Devers flied out to left but Nunez singled and JBJ doubled Eduardo home. Vazquez whiffed before Blake Swihart pinch hit for Kelly. Swihart drew a walk and Mr. Mookie was plunked to load the bases. Justin Miller relieved Miller and Holt grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                               Nunez scores to put the game on ice

Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in for the save in the bottom of the ninth and Rendon greeted him with a base hit. Harper whiffed but Murphy singled to bring the tying run to the plate. Kimbrel responded by blowing away Taylor and getting Difo to hit one up the elevator shaft to end the game. The Sox had swept the Nationals in their own park with a 3-0 win.

                                               A nice July 4th win


Hero of the Night is Eduardo Rodriguez. He tossed 6 shut-out innings while the Sox offense was held in check for most of the game, giving the team the inside track to win the game.

                                                Eduardo The Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with a hit by pitch.

JD Martinez was 2 for 4.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Andrew Benintendi walked as a pinch hitter.

Blake Swihart walked as a pinch hitter.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 26th save with a scoreless 9th inning.



The Bad:

Brock Holt was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Steve Pearce was 0 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 4 with 2 stikeouts.



The Ugly:

None



Final Thoughts:

Now that's the way to bounce back. Fans wondered how the Sox would respond to getting their asses kicked in New York and the Sox did it by sweeping the Nationals on the road, beating their ace in the process. The pitching of Rick Porcello and Rodriguez can't be under estimated as both of them contributed to the sweep. Today the offense was at a premium which was unusual for a July 4th game but the Sox was able to do just enough to win. After scoring 11 runs yesterday, 3 runs seems about right for the next day and they were able to shut down Harper and the Washington offense. Good to see some of the guys besides Betts and Martinez pitch in and they're gonna need more of that if they want to go into the All-Star break with momentum. The win improved the Sox to 59-29, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day Thursday the Sox continue their road trip in Kansas City on Friday night. Chris Sale (8-4) looks to continue the win streak when he takes on Jason Hammel at 8:15 PM at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Bash Nationals In Homer Parade (7/3/18)

The Boston Red Sox always seem to put an offensive display either on or around July 4th and this year was no different. The Sox kicked around Nationals starter Tanner Roark for 9 earned runs including home runs by Eduardo Nunez, Xander Bogaerts and JD Martinez. On the other side of the ball, Brian Johnson lasted just 4 2/3 innings but the bullpen limited the Nationals to just 4 total runs as the Sox took the second game of this three game set 11-4 at Nationals Park.

                                                         Javier Escuella approves of the win

Roark initially shut the Sox down in the top of the first inning as Mr. Mookie Betts grounded out to short to begin. Andrew Benintendi lined out to center and JD Martinez flied out to right to end the inning. Johnson ran into trouble early in the bottom of the first as Trea Turner and Juan Soto led off with back to back singles. Anthony Rendon popped up to second and Bryce Harper whiffed to quel the momentum. Daniel Murphy popped up to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland and Xander Bogaerts stroked back to back singles to start. Rafael Devers beat out a double play ball and Eduardo Nunez belted a 3 run home run to put the Sox on top. Sandy Leon lined out to left and Johnson grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                    Nunez puts the Sox up early

Johnson struck out Mark Reynolds to open the bottom of the second but Michael A Taylor singled. Taylor was gunned down trying to steal by the alert Leon but Pedro Severino walked. Roark himself grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Mr. Mookie grounded out to short to start. Benintendi grounded out to second and Martinez whiffed to end the inning. All of a sudden Moreland fell to the ground and had to be carried out on a stretcher headed to the ICU so Steve Pearce had to come in for him to begin the bottom of the third. Turner popped up to third, Soto grounded out to second and Rendon flied out to center to end the inning.

Pearce doubled to open the top of the fourth before moving to third on a wild pitch. Bogaerts walked to put runners at the corners but Devers looked at strike three. Nunez banged into a double play to end the inning. The Nationals took advantage of the squander in the bottom of the fourth as Harper doubled to start. Murphy grounded out to first but Reynolds singled home Harper to put Washington on the board. Taylor singled and Reynolds moved to third on the line out by Severino. Roark singled home Reynolds but Turner flied out to left to end the inning with the Nationals down 3-2.

                                             Old pal Tim Bogar fist bumps Roark

The Sox exploded to ice the game in the top of the fifth although Leon whiffed to start. Johnson himself got the rally started with a base hit and Mr. Mookie singled as well. Benintendi singled to load the bases and Martinez singled to left to score Johnson and Betts. Pearce singled home Benintendi and advanced JD to third and Bogaerts effectively ended the game with a 3 run bomb to center. Devers walked but Nunez banged into another double play to end the inning but it was 9-2 Sox.

                                              Bogaerts ices it

Johnson came back for the bottom of the fifth and got Soto to ground out to third. Rendon singled and Harper walked but Murphy lined out to right. Rather than let Johnson get one more batter with a 7 run lead, Sox manager Alex Cora pissed everyone off by taking him out in favor of Heath Hembree so Brian couldn't get credit for the win. Still, Brian went 4 2/3 innings, allowed 2 runs, singled and scored.

                                                    Johnson didn't last long but contributed

Heath Hembree came in and promptly gave up a single to Reynolds to load the bases but struck out Taylor to end the inning.

Somehow Roark came back for the top of the sixth and dominated. Leon lined out to right, Hembree himself took strike three and Mr. Mookie flied out to right to end the inning. The first thing Hembree did in the bottom of the sixth was allow a solo blast to Severino, his first of the year, to inch Washington closer. Hembree got mad and blew away Roark and Turner before freezing Soto for strike three to end the inning with the Nationals down 9-3.

                                                Severino goes yard

Roark finished strong in the top of the seventh as Benintendi lined out to center, Martinez flied out to right and Pearce lined out to center to end the inning. Kudos to Roark and the manager for sticking with him to save their bullpen for tomorrow. Brandon Workman took the mound in the bottom of the seventh and cruised as Rendon grounded out to short to start. Harper looked at strike three before Murphy grounded out to short to end the inning.

Brian Goodwin came in to play right but took the pitcher's spot in the batting order with Wilmer Difo coming in for Harper but at second with Tim Collins now on the mound in Murphy's spot to begin the top of the eighth. Bogaerts walked to start but Devers banged into a double play. Nunez doubled and Leon walked but pinch hitter Blake Swihart (for Workman) looked at strike three to end the inning. William Cuevas made his seson debut in the bottom of the eighth and got Reynolds to ground out to short to begin. Taylor also grounded to short and Severino flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck one last time in the top of the ninth with Matt Grace on the mound. Mr. Mookie walked but was erased on the force by Benintendi. Martinez launched his 26th home run of the year to wrap up the scoring for Boston. Pearce grounded out to third and Bogaerts grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 11-3 Sox.

                                                       Martinez jacks one out

The Nationals had one last surge in the bottom of the ninth as Goodwin homered to start the frame. Turner singled and moved to second on the grounder by Soto, but Rendon flied out to right. Difo grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox winning the game 11-4.

                                                              Another win


Hero of the Night is a tough one but I'll go with Xander Bogaerts. He was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and swatted the 3 run home run to ice the game.

                                                           X-Man the Hero


The Good:

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 1 with a run scored before leaving.

Steve Pearce was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Eduardo Nunez was 2 for 4 including a 3 run homer.

Brian Johnson allowed 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings of work and was 1 for 2 at the plate with a run scored.

Brandon Workman got the win with a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 5 but scored 2 runs.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 but walked.

Heath Hembree allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

William Cuevas allowed a run in 2 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Nice to see the offense explode like that after being at a premium the previous two games. Getting home runs by Devers, Nunez and Bogaerts was important but so was the bullpen limiting the Nationals to 2 runs in the final 4 1/3 innings. Considering who was pitching tomorrow and yesterday, essentially the Sox treated this game as a throwaway and still bashed their way to victory anyway. Its yet to be seen how bad Moreland is hurt and how long he'll be out which is why the acquisition of Steve Pearce suddenly appears more important than it originally seemed. The win propelled the Sox to 58-29, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3) looks to bounce back from his New York disaster to take on Erick Fedde in a July 4th firework spectacle. The Sox look for the series sweep tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM at Nationals Park.

Sox Bounce Back, Beat Scherzer (7/2/18)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move, sending down Justin Haley to Pawtucket and calling up William Cuevas. This is damage control after the New York Yankees pounded everyone the Sox threw at them with the exception of Chris Sale. If anything Cuevas is a stop gap until Tyler Thornburg is ready.

                                                                OUT

                                                            IN

As for the game, THAT is how you bounce back from a tough loss. After getting wiped out by the Yankees and facing one of the best pitchers in the National League, the Sox showed some balls by beating that pitcher and holding on to win the game. The Sox tagged Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer for 3 early runs and got a big lift from "Slick" Rick Porcello (10-3, 3.57 ERA) on both sides of the plate to keep the Nationals down. Mookie Betts hit a towering home run in the 7th inning that proved to be the difference maker as the Sox held on to win 4-3 at Nationals Park.

                                                 Ocelot approves of the win

Scherzer got the ball in the top of the first inning and Mr. Mookie Betts popped up to first to begin. Andrew Benintendi whiffed before Xander Bogaerts flied out to right to end the inning. Porcello began the bottom of the first by getting Adam Eaton to fly out to right. Trea Turner grounded out to first but Juan Soto walked. Anthony Rendon grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Mitch Moreland singled to start. Rafael Devers popped up to second but Brock "The Hitman" Holt was plunked. Sandy Leon whiffed and Jackie Bradley Jr was intentionally walked to get to Porcello. Shockingly Rick came through with a bases clearing double to put the Sox on top. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                            Porcello helps out his own cause

Porcello kept the lead for himself in the bottom of the second as Bryce Harper grounded out to second to start. Daniel Murphy singled and Wilmer Difo singled as well but Mr. Mookie gunned down Murphy trying to go to third. Pedro Severino grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Bogaerts was plunked to begin the top of the third but Moreland and Devers both whiffed. Holt singled Bogaerts to third but Leon flied out to center to end the inning. Porcello got Scherzer to ground back to the mound to begin the bottom of the frame but Eaton singled to center. Eaton was erased on the force by Turner and Soto looked at strike three to end the inning.

Scherzer cruised in the top of the fourth as JBJ flied out to left to begin. Porcello whiffed this time and Mr. Mookie flied out to center to end the inning. The Nationals struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Rendon smashed a 990,000 foot home run into the Atlantic Ocean to cut into the lead. Harper was fooled for strike three and Murphy lined out to first, but Difo singled. Severino looked at strike three to end the inning with the Nationals down 3-1.

                                                  Rendon goes yard

Scherzer found his groove in the top of the fifth as Benintendi whiffed to start. Bogaerts lined out to left and Moreland whiffed to end the inning. For the second time Porcello got Scherzer to ground back to the mound, this time to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Eaton walked but Turner lined out to third. Soto singled but Rendon whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the sixth although Devers popped up to second to begin. Holt singled and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Leon, but JBJ was intentionally walked. Porcello was allowed to hit away but looked at strike three to end the inning. The Nationals inched closer in the bottom of the sixth although Harper flied out to left to start. Murphy smashed a 30,000 foot home run to center but Difo looked at strike three. Severino grounded out to third to end the inning with the Nationals down 3-2. That was it for Porcello who tossed 6 gutty innings and struck the decisive blow at the plate.

                                                   Porcello gets it done

The Sox got some big insurance in the top of the seventh against Brandon Kintzler as Mr. Mookie crushed a solo home run to center to increase the lead. Benintendi flied out to left before Bogaerts whiffed. Moreland flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                    Betts with the insurance blast

Matt Barnes got the call for the bottom of the seventh and Brian Goodwin pinch hit for Kintzler only to line out to second. Eaton singled but Turner whiffed. Soto walked but Rendon grounded into a force to end the inning.

Tim Collins took over for the top of the eighth and Devers whiffed to start. Holt singled but was picked off in a rundown. Leon looked at strike three to end the inning. Joe Kelly took over for the bottom of the eighth and immediately Harper smashed a 20,000 foot bomb to inch the Nationals closer. Kelly responded by blowing away Murphy and Difo before pinch hitter Mark Reynolds walked. Michael Taylor pinch hit for Collins and the Sox countered with a double switch. Craig "The Buzzard" Kimbrel came in for the four out save while Christian Vazquez came in to catch. Taylor flied out to right to end the inning with the Nationals down 4-3.

                                                Harper goes yard

Shawn Kelley came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Spencer Kieboom now behind the plate. JBJ caught Rendon asleep with a bunt but Vazquez flied out to right. Mr. Mookie flied out to center and Benintendi whiffed to end the inning. Kimbrel came back to finish it off in the bottom of the ninth and he blew away Eaton to start. Turner flied out to right but Soto walked. Rendon lined out to a running Benintendi to end the game. The Sox had won a big bounce back game 4-3.

                                                  Great bounce back win


Hero of the Night is Rick Porcello. He got it done on both sides of the plate, smacking the 3 run double and tossing 6 innings of 2 run ball to get the win.

                                                    Slick Rick the Hero


The Good:

Brock Holt was 3 for 3 with a run scored.

Jackie Bradley Jr was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, an HBP and a run scored.

Matt Barnes pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Craig Kimbrel earned his 25th save with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Andrew Benintendi was 0 for 5 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Sandy Leon was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Joe Kelly allowed a run in just 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was just 1 for 4 with a walk and outfield assist but the one hit was a solo home run.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Mitch Moreland was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

After getting humiliated by New York, the Sox bounced back in a big way to beat the Nationals' best pitcher. Who would have thought the deciding blow would come off the bat of Porcello? That's the kind of season the Sox are having where they just find ways to win. The Sox grinded this one out on a day offense came at a premium as the only other run not driven in by "Slick" Rick was a homer by Mr. Mookie. Benintendi was terrible today by earning a golden sombrero and Joe Kelly has been struggling lately. Both are gonna have to pick up the pace if they hope to make a run for October after the All-Star break. Then again so does everyone else. The win improved the Sox to 57-29, once again 1 game in firont of the New York Yankees as they lost to the Atlanta Braves in extra innings. Tomorrow evening the Sox turn to Brian Johnson to take on the struggling Tanner Roark at 6:00 PM at Nationals Park.

Yankees Bash Scared Price, Sox Out of First (7/1/18)

Quite simply, David Price (9-6, 4.28 ERA) absolutely cannot pitch well in big games. With first place in the AL East on the line Price laid yet another egg in the Bronx, getting shelled by the frontrunning New York Yankees. They pounded Price for 9 hits and 8 earned runs while never looking back. Luis Severino, a real ace, held the Sox to no runs in 6 2/3 innings. When it was over the Yankees had taken the season series lead (5-4), taken over first place and taken this game 11-1 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                                   Nice going Price

Severino took the mound in the top of the first and Mr. Mookie Betts greeted him with a routine fly out to center. Andrew Benintendi whiffed badly on 3 fastballs right down the middle but JD Martinez walked on four pitches. Mitch Moreland whiffed as well to end the inning. Price timidly got the ball in the bottom of the first and somehow got Aaron Hicks to ground out to third to begin. Naturally Aaron Judge effortlessly crushed a 50,000 foot solo home run off the scared Price to give the Yankees the lead they would never relinquish. Giancarlo Stanton laughed at Price as he crushed a single just barely cut off by Benintendi. Didi Gregorious also effortlessly doubled off the wall off a shaken Price to put runners on second and third. Gleybar Torres yawned as he crushed a 3 run 980 foot bomb to put the Yankees up by four in a blink of an eye. Somehow Miguel Andujar grounded out to second and even more miraculous that Price got Greg Bird to ground out to first but the Yankees had ended the game early 4-0.

                                                        The rout was on

The Sox gave up at that point as Xander Bogaerts weakly grounded out to short to open the top of the second inning. Rafael Devers grounded out pathetically to first and Brock "The Hitman" Holt weakly grounded out to second to end the inning. Kyle Higashioka led off the bottom of the second by watching strike three go by but naturally Brett Gardner slapped an infield single to second. Hicks then effortlessly launched a 570,000 foot home run to right to extend the massacre. Somehow Judge popped up to right on an easily hittable meatball and Stanton popped up to left to end the inning but it was 6-0 Yankees.

                                                             Hicks goes yard

The Red Sox didn't even try in the top of the third as Christian Vazquez lined out to left and Jackie Bradley Jr whiffed badly on a slider in the dirt. Somehow Mr. Mookie drew a lucky walk and Benintendi poked a single to advance Mookie to third. Benintendi swiped second but Martinez whiffed badly to end the inning. Price returned for the bottom of the third and somehow got Gregorius to ground back to the mound before striking out Torres. Andujar effortlessly crushed a single to right but Price somehow whiffed Bird to end the inning.

The Sox continued to do nothing against Severino in the top of the fourth as Moreland weakly grounded out to first, Bogaerts weakly grounded out to second and Devers popped up to short to end it. The Sox hadn't even hit a ball hard yet. Meanwhile Price managed to give up a home run to KYLE HIGASHIOKA to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Moreland needed to make a huge drive to snare a rocket hit by Gardner and Hicks blasted yet another 800 foot bomb to extend the massacre. Price finally had enough and ran away screaming into the dugout with his arms flailing over his head after 3 1/3 innings and EIGHT runs allowed on five home runs. The 31 million dollar ace pissed down his leg in the biggest game of the year to date.

                                                         Price sucks again

Justin Haley was summoned to be the sacrificial lamb and naturally Judge singled followed by a Judge double. It took a miracle catch by Benintendi to hold Gregorius to a sac fly and had to make a diving catch to rob Torres of a triple to end the inning with the Yankees up 9-0.

Severino continued the domination by inducing Holt to hit a weak ground ball to third to begin the top of the fifth. Vazquez popped up meekly to center but JBJ somehow drew a lucky walk. Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning an the Sox still had not hit a ball hard yet. Meanwhile Andujar hit a rocket into left for a leadoff single in the bottom of the fifth. Miguel moved to second on the ground out into the shift by Bird but Mr. Mookie robbed Higashioka of his second home run. Betts then had to run up the wall to rob Gardner of a double to end the inning.

Guess what Benintendi did in the top of the sixth? Grounded out meekly to second. Martinez grounded out softly to third but FINALLY the Sox hit a ball hard when Moreland singled. Bogaerts whiffed badly to end the inning. 6 innings 0 runs against Severino. Hicks drew a walk to start the bottom of the sixth before Judge effortlessly singled. Somehow Stanton popped up to first and Neil Walker pinch hit for Gregorius, erasing Judge at second on a force. Torres walked to load the bases but somehow Andujar grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox failed to hit a ball hard in the top of the seventh as Devers grounded out weakly to shot and Holt grounded out weakly to second. That was it for Severino who had allowed just 5 baserunners in 6 2/3 innings. The complete opposite of Price that's for sure. David Robertson came in for Severino and Vazquez lined out weakly to center to end the inning.

                                                 A real ace came through tonight

Sox manager Alex Cora emptied the bench in the bottom of the seventh as Steve Pearce replaced Betts in right, Blake Swihart took Bogaerts' spot in the order but when to second, Holt switched to short and Brandon Workman took over for Haley. Bird popped up to third to start before Higashioka flied out to left. Gardner grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Robertson easily struck out both JBJ and Pearce to start the top of the eighth before Dellin Betances came in to get Bogaerts to weakly ground to first to end the inning. Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez came in to allow Hicks to hit his 3rd homer of the game to increase the lead. Judge walked and Brandon Drury pinch hit for Stanton only to hit the hardest hit single all year. Walker laughed as he effortlessly singled Judge home. JBJ had to make a great diving catch to rob Torres of a triple and somehow Andujar banged into a double play with the Yankees ahead 11-0.

                                                        Hicks goes yard again

Mercifully it ended in the top of the ninth as Martinez swung at strike three that bounced in front of the plate to start. Aroldis Chapman came in just to get some work in and Sox manager Alex Cora pinch hit Sandy Leon for Moreland. Leon doubled and Swihart singled him to third. Leon scored as Devers forced Swihart at second but Holt grounded into a force to end the inning. The Yankees had taken first place, the lead in the head to head series and this game 11-1.

Jackass of the Night is obviously David Price. Once again Price got lit up by the Yankees for 8 runs off 9 hits including 5 home runs. Yuck!

                                                             Price the ultimate Jackass


The Good:

Mitch Moreland was 1 for 3.

Sandy Leon singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Blake Swihart singled in his only at-bat.

Brandon Workman pitched a scoreless 7th inning.



The Bad:

Steve Pearce struck out in his only at-bat.

Xander Bogaerts was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brock Holt was 0 for 4.

Christian Vazquez was 0 for 3.

Hector Velazquez allowed 2 runs in one inning of work.



The Ugly:

Mookie Betts was 0 for 2 but walked.

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 4 with a stolen base.

JD Martinez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jackie Bradley Jr was -0 for 2 but walked.

Justin Haley allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

What a complete embarrassment. Not only did the Sox look totally outclassed this weekend but its become evident neither Eduardo Rodriguez or David Price can handle the bright lights of big game situations. Price continues to be a $217 million dollar bust in every big game situation he's been put in. Not only that but the Yankees must be dancing around in joy knowing the Sox can't match their starters when it comes to big spots. If this is the beginning of the end for the Sox and they stumble to 90-95 wins on the season, they only have themselves to blame for not only losing this series but get beaten soundly. The loss dropped the Sox to 56-29, 1 game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to pick up the pieces as they continue on the road to Washington for a three game set with the Nationals. The only problem is "Slick" Rick Porcello (9-3) runs smack into Nationals ace Max Scherzer tomorrow at 7:00 PM at Nationals Park. So much for the Red Sox.

Basebawful Report of the Month

Andrew Benintendi had 9 Good, 4 Bad, 12 Ugly

Blake Swihart had 2 Good, 8 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Bobby Poyner had 1 Good

Brandon Workman had 9 Good, 1 Bad

Brian Johnson had 5 Good

Brock Holt had 7 Good, 2 Bad, 8 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

Chris Sale had 2 Good, 1 Bad, 3 Hero

Christian Vazquez had 7 Good, 5 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Craig Kimbrel had 5 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero

David Price had 3 Good, 1 Ugly and 1 Hero

Eduardo Nunez had 10 Good, 5 Bad, 8 Ugly

Eduardo Rodriguez had 3 Good, 2 Jackasses

Hector Velazquez had 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly

Jackie Bradley Jr had 6 Good, 5 Bad, 11 Ugly, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jalen Beeks had 1 Jackass

JD Martinez had 13 Good, 4 Bad, 7 Ugly and 2 Hero

Joe Kelly had 6 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Jackass

Justin Haley had 2 Good, 1 Bad

Heath Hembree had 10 Good.

Matt Barnes had 9 Good, 2 Jackasses.

Mitch Moreland had 10 Good, 6 Bad, 8 Ugly and 1 Honorable Mention

Mookie Betts had 8 Good, 1 Bad, 7 Ugly

Rafael Devers had 10 Good, 5 Bad, 9 Ugly and 2 Heroes

Rick Porcello had 1 Good, 2 Ugly and 1 Hero

Robby Scott had 1 Bad

Sam Travis had 1 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly

Sandy Leon had 3 Good, 4 Bad and 5 Ugly

Steve Pearce had 1 Good, 1 Honorable Mention

Steven Wright had 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero

Tzu-Wei Lin had 2 Bad

Xander Bogaerts had 12 Good, 3 Bad, 12 Ugly



Most Valuable Player is JD Martinez with 13 Good.

Least Valuable Player is Blake Swihart with 8 Bad

Ugliest Player of The Month (due to a tiebreaker) is Andrew Benintendi with 12

Hero of the Month is Chris Sale with 3

Jackass of the Month is a 3 way tie between Eduardo Rodriguez, Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes

The Honorable Players of the Month are Swihart, Brock Holt, Christian Vazquez, Mitch Moreland and Steve Pearce

Sox Pound Yankees, Sale Dominant (6/30/18)

After the New York Yankees beat the crap out of the Boston Red Sox last night to take over first place, the Red Sox served the humilation back tonight to the Yankees. Riding the hot hand of Chris Sale (8-4, 2.41 ERA) and his 7 shutout innings, the Sox pounded Yankees starter Sonny Gray and the bullpen for 11 runs off 17 hits. If Friday night's game was lopsided, this was an out and out disaster for the Yankees as the Sox moved back into first to end the month of June with a 11-0 drubbing of the Yankees in Yankee Stadium.

                                            Warren Demartini approves of the win

The Sox put the game away early in the top of the first inning although Mr. Mookie Betts flied out to right to begin. Andrew Benintendi grounded out to second but JD Martinez beat out an infield single to second. Mitch Moreland walked and Xander Bogaerts singled. Last night it was Gleyber Torres of the Yankees who was the big hero so tonight it was Rafael Devers turn to take center stage as he pulvarized a grand slam into the left field stands to ice the game early. Eduardo Nunez grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

                                                   Devers blasts a grand slam

Sale got off to a rocky start when he plunked Aaron Hicks to open the bottom of the first although he recovered to blow away Aaron Judge. Giancarlo Stanton singled but Torres whiffed. Didi Gregorius lined out to center to end the inning. That would be the last hit allowed by Sale the rest of his outing.

The Sox pounced again in the top of the second inning as Sandy Leon doubled to start. Jackie Bradley Jr lined out to left but Mr. Mookie walked. Benintendi singled to right to score Leon and advance JBJ to third, where he scored on the Martinez sac fly. Benintendi swiped second but Moreland grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox up 6-0.

                                                           JBJ scores another run

Sale got Miguel Andujar to pop up to first to open the bottom of the second before Brandon Drury looked at strike three. Austin Romine walked and moved to second on a wild pitch but Brett Gardner looked at strike three to end the inning.

The Sox knocked Gray out in the top of the third as Bogaerts and Devers stroked back to back singles to open the frame. Both runners advanced into scoring position on the Nunez grounder and that was it for Gray. Adam Warren replaced him and got Leon to fly out to right. Bogaerts took off for home but was thrown out by Judge to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the third as Hicks flied out to center, Judge whiffed and Stanton lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as JBJ flied out to left to start. Mr. Mookie singled but Benintendi and Martinez whiffed to end the inning. Sale blew away Torres to start the bottom of the fourth before Gregorious popped up back to Chris. Andujar flied out to center to end the inning.

Warren held down the Sox in the top of the fifth as Moreland whiffed to start. Bogaerts grounded out to third but Devers singled. Nunez whiffed to end the inning. Sale cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Drury whiffed to start. Romine grounded out to second and Gardner grounded out to third to end the inning.

Giovanny Gallegos came in for the Yankees and the Sox tagged him in the top of the sixth. Leon whiffed to start before JBJ singled. Mr. Mookie walked but Benintendi whiffed. Martinez joined the rbi parade with a single to score JBJ. Moreland flied out to left to end the inning but it was 7-0 Sox.

                                                 Martinez scores

Sale turned up the heat in the bottom of the sixth by striking out Hicks to start. Sale blew away Judge and Stanton to end the inning.

Kyle Higashioka came in to catch the top of the seventh as Bogaerts grounded out to short to begin. Devers smacked a double to right before Nunez whiffed. Leon smashed his fourth homer of the year to increase the lead before JBJ grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                  Leon goes yard

Sale returned for one last inning in the bottom of the seventh and he began by striking out Torres. Gregorius grounded out to first and Andujar grounded out to second to end the inning. Sale had thrown 7 innings of 1 hit, no run ball while striking out 11. Yankee fans were stunned.

                                             Sale dominates the Yankees

Jonathan Holder was the next to get tagged in the top of the eighth as Mr. Mookie doubled to begin. Benintendi moved Betts to third with a groundout and Martinez singled Betts home. Moreland flied out to right and Bogaerts grounded into a force to end the inning but it was 10-0 Sox.

Brock "The Hitman" Holt took over for Nunez, Blake Swihart took over for Leon and Heath Hembree took the mound for the bottom of the eighth inning. Drury whiffed to start before Higashioka popped up to second. Gardner walke but Hicks grounded out to first to end the inning.

Chasen Shreve was the last in line for the Sox to score on in the top of the ninth. Devers got his 5th hit of the night with a base hit to left to begin. A wild pitch moved Devers to second before he scored on the Holt single. Swihart whiffed, JBJ lined out to second and Mr. Mookie whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-0.

                                                            Have a day Devers

Steve Pearce came in for Moreland with Hector "The Insurance Policy" Velazquez now on the mound for the bottom of the ninth. Judge grounded out to third and Stanton grounded out to short before Torres singled to left. Gregorius grounded out to end the game. The Sox had ransacked the Yankees 11-0 to jump back in first.

Hero of the Night is Chris Sale. He held the high powered Yankee offense to just 1 hit over 7 innings while striking out 11.

                                                             Sale the Hero


The Good:

Mookie Betts was 2 for 4 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

JD Martinez was 3 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 5 for 5 with 3 total runs scored including a grand slam.

Brock Holt singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Sandy Leon was 2 for 4 with 2 total runs scored including a 2 run homer.



The Bad:

Eduardo Nunez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Blake Swihart struck out in his only at bat.



The Ugly:

Andrew Benintendi was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Mitch Moreland was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

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



Honorable Mention:

Steve Pearce played first in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Now that's more like it. After getting humiliated last night it was nice to see the Sox serve it back to the Yankees in their own house. Chris Sale was outstanding and if these two teams are to meet in October, I'd match him up against anyone the Yankees throw out. Devers has been in a sophomore slump this season so to see him break out was great to see. The addition of Steve Pearce may not pay dividends in the boxscore but having that extra depth will keep a lot of people healthy when it matters. Beating the Yankees in New York is always clutch especially with first place on the line. There's still one more game to win if the Sox want to walk out of New York in first place. The win improved the Sox to 56-28, 1 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night is the rubber match to decide first place and give someone that lead in the season series with both teams at four wins apiece right now. David Price (9-5) looks to shed his "not a big game pitcher" image when he takes on Luis Severino at 8:00 PM at Yankee Stadium.