Sox Can't Get Clutch Hit, Braves Win (5/7/24)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of their second round NBA playoff series but the Boston Red Sox lost to the Atlanta Braves. The story of the game was the incompetent offense and defense displayed by the Red Sox. The Sox went 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base. Meanwhile Red Sox manager Alex Cora yanked Kutter Crawford after just 87 pitches and six innings. In the bottom of the eighth, Marcell Ozuna and Orlando Arcia drove in two runs against Justin Slaten (2-1, 1.80 ERA) to put the Braves ahead. The Sox failed to score against Raisel Iglesias and the Braves had won the game 4-2 at Truist Park.

                                                    "13 men left on base...."

Reynaldo Lopez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran doubled to left to start. Rafael Devers popped up to first and Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging, but Wilyer Abreu walked. Vaughn Grissom grounded out to third to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ronald Acuna Jr beat out a roller to third to start. Acuna Jr was thrown out at second trying to steal and Ozzie Albies struck out swinging. Austin Riley flied out to left to end the inning.

Dominic Smith grounded back to the mound to start the top of the second and Garrett Cooper struck out swinging. Reese McGuire got a base hit to right and Ceddanne Rafaela singled to right but Duran flied out to right to end the inning. Matt Olson struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the second but Marcell Ozuna walked. Orlando Arcia grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Devers got a base hit to left to start the top of the third but O'Neill grounded into a double play. Abreu grounded out to first to end the inning. The Braves struck first in the bottom of the third as Michael Harris popped up to third to start. Travis d'Arnaud was hit with a pitch and Jarred Kelenic hit a home run all the way to Cuba to put the Braves up. Acuna Jr flied out to right but Albies walked. riley singled to left but Olson flied out to left to end the inning with the Braves ahead 2-0.

                                                         Braves take the lead

Grissom got a base hit to center to start the top of the fourth but Smith flied out to left. Cooper lined out to right and McGuire popped up to first to end the inning. Ozuna took strike three to begin the bottom of the fourth and Arcia went down hacking. Harris lined out to short to end the inning.

Rafaela grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Duran tripled into the right field corner. Naturally Devers and O'Neill both struck out swinging to end the inning. d'Arnaud took stirke three to start the bottom of the fifth but Kelenic got a base hit to right. Acuna lined out to left and Albies flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the sixth as Abreu walked to start. Arcia booted a grounder by Grissom for an error but Smith struck out swinging. Cooper walked to load the bases and McGuire walked to score Abreu. That was it for Lopez as Aaron Bummer came in to pitch and Rafaela lined a base hit off his leg to score Grissom. Duran and Devers both struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                          Rafaela ties it up

Crawford returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth and Riley flied out to center to start. Olson got a base hit down the third base line but Ozuna was rung up for strike three. Arcia popped up to third to end the inning. As usual, Cora pulled Crawford early after just 87 pitches, however Kutter allowed just 5 hits, 2 walks and 2 runs in his outing.

                                                            Good work by Crawford

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the seventh with Jesse Chavez now on the mound. O'Neill doubled to left to begin but Abreu flied out to left. Grissom flied out to right but Smith walked. Cooper flied out to right to end the inning. Brennan Bernardino came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Harris popped up to third to start. d'Arnaud flied out to right and old buddy Adam Duvall pinch hit for Kelenic. Duvall walked and Sox manager Alex Cora lifted Bernardino for Greg Weissert. Weissert got Acuna to ground into a force to end the inning.

Joe Jimenez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and McGuire flied out to left to start. Rafaela struck out swinging and Olson dropped a pop up by Duran. Devers was intentionally walked but O'Neill got robed of extra bases on a great catch by Duvall to end the inning. Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Albies walked to start. Riley got a base hit to center but Olson struck out swinging. Ozuna then got a base hit up the middle to score Albies. Riley moved to third on the hit and he scored when Arcia beat out a double play ball. Harris flied out to left to end the inning with the Braves ahead 4-2.

                                                         Arcia gets it done

Raisel Iglesias came in to close out the top of the ninth and Abreu struck out swinging to begin. Grissom grounded out to third and Smith grounded out to short to end the game. The Braves had won the game 4-2.

                                                                 Braves win

Jackass of the Night is Justin Slaten. He allowed the go-ahead runs to score in the eighth inning.

                                                                Justin Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5.

Reese McGuire was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Kutter Crawford tossed 6 innings of 2 run ball allowing 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out six.

Brennan Bernardino got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Greg Weissert got the final out of the seventh inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Rafael Devers was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

You're not going to win too many games going 1 for 14 with runners in scoring position and leaving 13 men on base. Its going to take time for Smith, Cooper and Grissom to get adjusted but until then this is going to be a BAD offense. The good news is fresh troops are on the way as Brayan Bello claims he felt no pain during his rehab assignment in Portland while both Romy Gonzalez and Nick Pivetta are expected to be activated for tomorrow. Gonzalez is an upgrade over Zack Short (who might be gone) and Pivetta will push one of the bottom of the pile relievers like Chase Anderson or Naoyuki Uwasawa back to Worcester. The Sox need to get as healthy as they can because in the era of the third wild card, a 90 win team is right there in contention. Hopefully the Sox will be better with runners on base in the next game because they were AWFUL tonight. The Sox now face an old friend tomorrow night in Chris Sale for the Braves and Nick Pivetta (1-1, 0.82) comes off the Injured List to make the start for the Red Sox. The game begins at 7:20 PM at Truist Park.

Off-Day News (5/6/24)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful history:

1901 - Collins, Pilgrims Drop Senators

1986 - Angels rally past Red Sox

2000 - Rays blank Sox behind Traschel

2001 - Pedro, Sox defeat A's

2013 - Sox beat Twins despite injuries

2016 - Yankees beat Sox amid controversy

2017 - Sox maul Twins

2018 - Sox, Sale outlast Rangers

2019 - Villar, Orioles slam Sox

2021 - Sox beat Tigers in sloppy game

2022 - White Sox defeat struggling Red Sox

2023 - Sox beat Phillies for 8th straight win

The Sox travel to Atlanta for a two game set with the Braves tomorrow night. Kutter Crawford (2-1, 1.56 ERA) takes on Reynaldo Lopez of Atlanta at 7:20 PM at Truist Park.

Sox Lose Refsnyder, Defeat Twins (5/5/24)

Its always something when it comes to the Boston Red Sox this season. Not a week goes by without a catastrophic injury and today was no different. The Red Sox snapped the Minnesota Twins 12 game win streak but Rob Refsnyder had to be carried out with what's being described as a bad hamstring. The injury overshadowed a game where the Red Sox finally outplayed the Twins, outhitting them 11-9 and shutting down their bats. Cooper Criswell pitched 4 1/3 innings of 1 run ball and the bullpen allowed just one run the rest of the game. The bats finally woke up to take a 3-1 lead courtesy of a two run Ceddanne Rafaela home run off Joe Ryan. Vaughn Grissom stepped up with a two run double in the eighth and Rafael Devers pounded a two run home run in the ninth. No one knows how long Refsnyder will be out but the Sox hung on to win 9-2 at Target Field.

                                                      Calling Dr. Pierce

Ryan got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren popped up to short to start. Rafael Devers took strike three and Rob Refsnyder popped up to short to end the inning. Criswell got the ball in the bottom of the first and Alex Kirilloff lined out to center to start. Edouard Julien took strike three and Ryan Jeffers lined out to short to end the inning.

Wilyer Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning before Vaughn Grissom lined out to left. Dominic Smith flied out to center to end the inning. The Twins blew a huge chance in the bottom of the second as Max Kepler singled in the hole at third to start. Carlos Correa got a base hit to left and Trevor Larnach got a base hit to right to load the bases. Willi Castro and Carlos Santana both struck out swinging and Jose Miranda forced Kapler at home to end the inning. Good Houdini job by Criswell.

Reese McGuire struck out swinging to open the top of the third before Ceddanne Rafaela took strike three. Zack Short grounded out to short to end the inning. The Twins struck first in the bottom of the third as Kirilloff took strike three to start. Julien struck out swinging but Jeffers hit a home run to Andrews Air Force Base to put the Twins on top. Kepler flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins up 1-0.

                                                     Home run Jeffers

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Duran doubled to left to start. Duran moved to third on a grounder to first by Devers and Refsnyder doubled off the glove of Corea to score Jarren. Abreu flied out to right and Grissom grounded out to short to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                     Refsnyder tied it

Correa walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Larnach grounded into a double play. Castro flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Smith flied out to center to start. McGuire got a base hit to center and Santana mucked a pickoff throw to move Reese to second. McGuire was thrown out at third trying to steal....but wait! Sox manager Alex Cora challenged that McGuire was safe and Reese was shown to get the hand in. The call was overturned and Rafaela cracked his third home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Short popped up to Correa and Duran flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                            Home run Rafaela

David Hamilton took over for Refsnyder, who had to be carried into the runway with a bad hamstring, to start the bottom of the fifth and Santana doubled to right to start. Miranda popped up to first and that was it for Criswell. He lasted 4 1/3 innings and allowed just one run on 5 hits and a walk. Brennan Bernardino (1-1, 0.64 ERA) came in and got pinch hitter Manny Margot to pop up to second. Julien took strike three to end the inning.

                                                    Criswell keeps the Sox in it

Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Hamilton drew a walk. Abreu flied out to center and Grissom lined out to right to end the inning. Zack Kelly came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Jeffers lined out to right to start. Kepler and Corrrea drew back to back walks before Larnarch struck out swinging. Castro flied out to center to end the inning.

Kody Funderburk came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Smith struck out swinging. McGuire got a base hit past Funderburk and was sacrificed to second by Rafaela. Short struck out swinging to end the inning. Santana got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the seventh before Miranda struck out swinging. Margot forced Santana at second and Cam Booser was brought in to face Julien. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli countered by pinch hitting Kyle Farmer for Julien. Farmer forced Margot at second to end the inning.

The Sox put the game away in the top of the eighth as Duran grounded out to second to start. Devers got a base hit to right and Tyler O'Neill pinch hit for Hamilton. Tyler doubled to left while Abreu drew a walk to load the bases. Grissom got his first big hit with the Sox by pounding a double off the right field wall to score Devers and O'Neill. Smith doubled to left to score Abreu and Grissom to ice the game. Jay Jackson came in to face McGuire and Reese grounded out to first to move Smith to third. Rafaela flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 7-1.

                                                             Welcome to Boston, Grissom

Josh Winckowski came in to get tagged in the bottom of the eighth as Jeffers flied out to left to start. Kepler doubled to right but Correa lined out to right. Larnach singled to center to score Kepler but Castro grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins down 7-2.

                                                        Twins get a run back

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth as Short went down hacking to start. Duran smacked a triple to right and Devers mashed his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. O'Neill popped up to second but Abreu walked. Grissom grounded back to Jackson to end the inning with the Sox up 9-2.

                                                         Home run Devers

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Santana lined out to right to start. Rafaela booted a grounder by Miranda for an error but Margot flied out to right. Miranda moved to second on defensive indifference and to third on the Farmer base hit to right. Farmer moved to second on defensive indifference and Jeffers popped up to Grissom to end the game. The Sox had won the game 9-2.

                                                           Sox win

Hero of The Night is Ceddanne Rafaela. His two run home run put the Sox up for good.

                                                    Ceddanne Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Rafael Devers was 2 for 5 with a 2 run homer and two total runs scored.

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 2 with an rbi before leaving with an injury.

David Hamilton walked as a pinch hitter.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a run scored.

Cooper Criswell tossed 4 1/3 innings of 1 run ball allowing 5 hits and a walk while striking out 5.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning to earn the win.

Zack Kelly tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Cam Booser got the final out of the seventh inning.

Kenley Jansen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Zack Short was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Josh Winckowski allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked twice and scored a run.

Vaughn Grissom was just 1 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in 2 runs.

Final Thoughts:

Is it possible to go one week without a serious injury? Its bad enough that the Sox lost Triston Casas, Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida to long term injuries but now their sparkplug Refsnyder is gone. Refsnyder was the only consistent hitter they had after he was activated from the Injured List and he's hurt AGAIN. They think its just a hamstring pull but knowing this year, he probably tore it completely off the bone. This overshadows what was a great win against a team that won 12 in a row. The bullpen stepped up big time after Cooper was pulled early AGAIN but thankfully there's an off-day tomorrow to rest everyone. Abreu continues to show improvement and Grissom got his first big hit with the Sox. If it wasn't for all the injuries, the Sox record would be better than it is. Good news is fresh troops are on the way as Brayan Bello is scheduled to pitch in Portland on Tuesday night for a rehab start and rumor is Nick Pivetta will be starting Wednesday's game against none other than Chris Sale. The win improved the Sox to 19-16, 4.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox are back in action Tuesday night in Atlanta for a two game set with the Braves. Kutter Crawford (2-1, 1.56 ERA) takes on Reynaldo Lopez of Atlanta. The game begins at 7:20 PM at Truist Park.

Twins Win 12th, Drop Sox (5/4/24)

The good news was the Boston Bruins eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their first round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost to the Minnesota Twins. Once again the makeshift lineup of the Red Sox was shut down by the red hot Twins, who have now won 12 games in a row. Pablo Lopez held the Sox bats to just one measly run through six innings. Meanwhile the Minnesota Twins scored a first inning run off Brennan Bernardino and fourth inning run against Cam Booser (0-1, 3.86 ERA) to put the Twins up for good. Justin Slaten allowed the insurance run while the bats stayed silent. The loss of their big guns to injury is coming back to haunt them as the Twins beat the Sox 3-1 at Target Field.

                                                         Angry fan

Lopez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran popped up to third to start. Rafael Devers grounded out to first but Tyler O'Neill doubled down the left field line. Wilyer Abreu got a base hit to left to score O'Neill to put the Sox on top. Connor Wong got a base hit to center to move Abreu to third but Dominic Smith grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                       Abreu drives in a run

The Twins responded immediately against Bernardino in the bottom of the first as Ryan Jeffers flied out to center to start. Jose Miranda was hit with a pitch and Willi Castro got a base hit to left. A passed ball moved both runners over and Carlos Correa grounded out to third to score Miranda. Max Kepler took strike three to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Correa ties it up

Garrett Cooper struck out swinging to start the top of the second and David Hamilton grounded out to first. Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first to end the inning. Greg Weissert came in to pitch the bottom of the second and Carlos Santana grounded out to second. Old pal Christian Vazquez lined out to first and Austin Martin struck out swinging to end the inning.

Duran walked to start the top of the third but Devers grounded into a double play. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning. Edouard Julien grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Jeffers struck out swinging. Miranda got a base hit in the hole at short but Castro struck out swinging to end the inning.

Abreu struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Wong went down hacking. Smith got a base hit to right and Cooper grounded out to third to end the inning. The Twins struck back in the bottom of the fourth with Cam Booser now on the mound. Correa struck out swinging but Kepler hit a home run all the way to Stanford University to give the Twins the lead. 

                                                       Kepler puts the Twins on top

Hamilton singled to center to start the top of the fifth before David swiped second. Rafaela struck out swinging and Hamilton moved to third on a Duran grounder to second. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Martin got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Julien struck out swinging. That was it for Booser as Justin Slaten came in to pitch. Jeffers popped up to second before Martin stole second. Miranda grounded out to third to end the inning.

O'Neill struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Abreu went down hacking. Wong grounded out to short to end the inning. The Twins iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Castro singled to center to start. Two straight wild pitches moved Castro to third and he scored on the Correa sac fly to center. Kepler got a base hit to left but Santana struck out swinging. Vazquez got a base hit to left and Alex Kirilloff pinch hit for Martin. Kirilloff grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins up 3-1.

                                                     Sac fly for Correa

The Sox blew their best chance in the top of the seventh with Manny Margot in for Kirilloff and Jorge Alcala in to pitch. Smith got a base hit to right but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. That proved costly as Cooper walked, but Hamilton lined out to center. Rafaela got a base hit to right to move to third to chase Alcala. Steven Okert came in to pitch and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Duran. Refsnyder walked to load the bases but Devers struck out swinging to end the threat. Chase Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Julien walked to start. Jeffers doubled to left but Miranda was retired on a nubber in front of the plate. Julien was thrown out at home on a grounder to third by Castro but Willi stole second. Correa flied out to center to end the inning.

Jhoan Duran came in to pitch the top of the eighth and O'Neill took strike three to start. Abreu got a base hit to right but Wong went down hacking. Smith flied out to left to end the inning. Kepler grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth before Santana grounded out to second. Vazquez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Cole Sands came in to close out the top of the ninth with Kyle Farmer in for Miranda. Cooper grounded out to second and Hamilton struck out swinging, but Reese McGuire pinch hit for Rafaela. McGuire lined out to first to end the game. The Twins had won their 12th straight game by a score of 3-1.

                                                           Twins win

Jackass of The Night is Rafael Devers. He struck out twice with men on base including leaving the bases loaded in the top of the seventh.

                                                        Jackass Devers

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder walked as a pinch hitter.

Wilyer Abreu was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 4.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3.

Greg Weissert tossed two scoreless innings.

Chase Anderson tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Reese McGuire was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Brennan Bernardino allowed a run as the opener.

Cam Booser took the loss by allowing a run in 1 1/3 innings.

Justin Slaten allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 2 but walked.

Tyler O'Neill was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but scored a run.

Connor Wong was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

David Hamilton was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but stole a base.

Final Thoughts:

What more can be said apart from this team can't score runs? They already had a mediocre offense going into the season and now they're without Trevor Story, Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas. You can't lose three guns off an already struggling offense and expect to put up 2004 Red Sox numbers. Still, the stars they do have didn't get it done with O'Neill striking out three times and Devers doing it with the bases loaded. The Devers strikeout was the worst because if he got a base hit, they'd at least have been able to play matchups if they were down 3-2 or tied. The bullpen is taking a beating but good news is on the horizon. Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta are nearing rehab assignments, which is a miracle for Pivetta's case. Whitlock's oblique is still bothering him but that's expected. Still, to get two of their starters back is going to make the team better in the long term.....if nobody else gets hurt. The Twins are white hot right now so the Sox will be lucky to win tomorrow's game to not get swept. The loss drops the Sox to 18-16, 4.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid the sweep tomorrow afternoon when Cooper Criswell takes on Joe Ryan of Minnesota. The game begins at 2:10 PM at Target Field.

Twins Drop Sox for 11th Straight Win (5/3/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a much needed roster move. Bobby Dalbec was mercifully sent back to Worcester in favor of the activated Vaughn Grissom. Grissom went 4 for 4 in one of his last rehab games so he's finally ready for action. He's not the greatest fielding second baseman but he can definitely hit, which is much needed.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                         IN

 

As for the game, the Minnesota Twins came into this game on a ten game winning streak and the Red Sox were powerless to stop it. Chris Paddack pitched a two hit shutout through six innings to keep the streak going. Tanner Houck (3-3, 2.18 ERA) stayed strong for six innings but everything fell apart in the bottom of the seventh. He left trailing 2-0 and Naoyuki Uwasawa allowed a bases loaded walk and a double to Ryan Jeffers to ice the game. Rafael Devers knocked in two runners in the bottom of the seventh but that was it as the Twins won it 5-2 at Fenway Park.

The Sox blew a rally instantly in the top of the first against Paddack as Carlos Correa booted a grounder by Jarren Duran for an error to start. Rafael Devers doubled to center but Tyler O'Neill struck out swinging. Wilyer Abreu popped up to short and Garrett Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first as Alex Kirilloff struck out swinging to start. Edouard Julien walked before he stole second on the swinging strikeout by Ryan Jeffers. Max Kepler grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second as Dominic Smith grounded out to second to start. Vaughn Grissom made his Sox debut with a grounder to second and Reese McGuire completed the trifecta with a grounder to second to end the inning. Correa lined out to center to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Larnach grounded out to second. Carlos Santana also lined out to center to end the inning. Ceddanne Rafaela beat out a roller to second to start the bottom of the second but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Duran grounded out to first and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Twins struck first in the top of the third as Willi Castro doubled to left to start. Jose Miranda hit a comebacker to Houck and Kirilloff grounded out to second to move Castro to third. Naturally Julien got a base hit to left to score Castro to put the Twins up for good. Jeffers flied out to left to end the inning but the Twins ended it 1-0.

                                                            Twins go up

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as O'Neill flied out to left to start. Abreu struck out swinging and Cooper grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Kepler walked to start the bottom of the fourth before Correa ripped a base hit to center. Larnach grounded into a double play and Santana grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Smith grounded out to second to start. Grissom flied out to center and McGuire popped up to short to end the inning. Castro flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Miranda went down hacking. Kirilloff grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Duran took strike three. Devers walked but O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning. Julien grounded out to second to start the bottom of the sixth and Jeffers was frozen for strike three. Kepler got a base hit to center but Correa struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Griffin Jax came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Abreu struck out swinging to start. Cooper went down hacking and Smith also whiffed to end the inning. The Twins exploded in the bottom of the seventh as Larnach singled to left. Austin Martin ran for Larnach and Santana singled to right. Castro then dropped down a bunt but McGuire threw the ball into centerfield for an error to score Martin. That was it for Houck who had to extend into the seventh because of the bullpen game tomorrow. He was charged with 4 runs in 6 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 walks. Naoyuki Uwasawa came in and walked Miranda to load the bases. Kirilloff forced Santana at home but Julien walked to to score Castro. Jeffers ended the game with a double to  center to score Miranda and Kirilloff. Kepler popped up to second and Correa took strike three to end the inning with the Twins up 5-0.

                                                             Houck did all he could

Manny Margot took over for Kirilloff with Cole Sands now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Grissom flied out to right to start before McGuire was hit with a pitch. Rafaela took strike three but Duran got a base hit to center. Caleb Theilbar came in to face Devers and Rafael doubled to center to score both runners. O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning with the sox down 5-2.

                                                           Devers drives in a pair

Martin took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth before Santana flied out to center. Castro singled to center and Miranda popped up to Uwasawa to end the inning.

Kyle Farmer came in for Miranda with Jhoan Duran in to close out the top of the ninth. Abreu struck out swinging, Cooper grounded out to third and Smith struck out swinging to end the game. The Twins had won it 5-2.

                                                              Twins win

Jackass of the Night is Naoyuki Uwasawa. He was brought in the game when it was 2-0 and turned it into 5-0 real quick.

                                                       Jackass Uwasawa

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbis.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Garrett Cooper was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Dominic Smith was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Vaughn Grissom was 0 for 3.

Tanner Houck took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 6 innings off 6 hits and 2 walks.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout with a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 0 for 2 with an error but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 but was thrown out trying to steal.

Final Thoughts:

This offense is offensive and its only going to get worse as the season goes on. They were going to have trouble scoring to begin with and that was before we found out A. Triston Casas and Trevor Story got hurt and B. Rafaela would evaporate offensively. Its a shame because the pitching holds up more often than not, but that's going to change too unless Brayan Bello and Garrett Whitlock come back soon. They're down to Houck, Kutter Crawford, Cooper Criswell and hope for rain or an off-day. Houck pitched relatively well in this one but fell apart in the seventh, Uwasawa allowing all those runs to score didn't help. Still, apart from a Devers double the offense didn't do anything. Things need to change or else they're going to get a one way ticket back to last place. The only thing saving them right now is the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are struggling worse than they are....yippie. The loss dropped the Sox to 18-14, 2.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. Boston looks to rebound tomorrow against the Twins with a "bullpen" game. Brennan Bernardino (0-1, 0.73 ERA) gets the start against Pablo Lopez of Minnesota. The game begins at 2:10 PM at Target Field

Giants Shut Down Sox (5/2/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Enmanuel Valdez was optioned down to Worcester and Sox activated shortstop Zack Short. Short isnt much with the bat but he fields his position well, and with the Sox record at 14-2 when they don't allow an error, Sox brass looks to keep it that way. Valdez was hitting just .156 with an error so it was an easy move to make. Maybe once a bunch of people come back healthy, Valdez will be seen again.

                                                                                OUT

                                                                         IN

It was bad news all around as the Boston Bruins lost Game 6 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Francisco Giants defeated the Boston Red Sox. The Boston bats went quiet in this one as the Giants bullpen held the Sox to just one measly run the entire game. Josh Winckowski tossed shutout ball but was pulled in the fifth with the game tied 1-1. In the top of the seventh, Zack Kelly (0-1, 3.18 ERA) was charged with two runs to put the Giants ahead. The Sox bats couldn't rally in the final three innings and the Giants had beaten the Sox 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                     The retiring Jack Edwards (with Andy Brickley) can't bear to watch

Winckowski got the ball in the top of the first and Jung Hoo Lee flied out to center to start. Jorge Soler grounded out to third but Wilmer Flores walked. Michael Conforto grounded out to second to end the inning. Harrison got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. Rafael Devers was hit with a pitch. Tyler O'Neill drew a walk but Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging. Connor Wong walked to load the bases but Garrett Cooper flied out to right to end the inning.

Patrick Bailey flied out to right to start the top of the second but Matt Chapman walked. Thairo Estrada grounded into a double play to end the inning. Bobby Dalbec walked to start the bottom of second but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging. Zack Short made his Sox debut by striking out swinging and Duran also went down hacking to end the inning.

The Giants struck first in the top of the third as Mike Yastrzemski hit a home run all the way to Cambridge to start. Nick Ahmed popped up to first and Lee flied out to center, but Soler singled to left. Flores lined out to left to end the inning with the Giants up 1-0.

                                                   A Yastrzemski homer at Fenway

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Devers singled to center to start. O'Neill hit a rocket off the top of the Monster to score Devers to tie the game. Refsnyder walked but Wong went down hacking. Cooper grounded into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Tyler ties it up

Conforto grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Bailey flied out to center. Chapman popped up to first to end the inning. Dalbec grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth but Yaz lost a Rafaela ball in the sun for a double. Short took strike three and Lee robbed Duran of a double with a good catch to end the inning.

Winckowski briefly came back for the top of the fifth as Estrada grounded out to third to start. He allowed no runs, 2 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino came in and Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft. Ahmed grounded out to third to end the inning. 

                                                     Short and sweet for Wink

Devers froze for strike three leading off the bottom of the fifth but O'Neill walked. Refsnyder grounded into a double play to end the inning. 

Lee flied out to left to start the top of the sixth and Bernardino was done. Zack Kelly came in and Soler flied out to left. Flores singled to center but Conforto popped up to third to end the inning. Ryan Walker came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Wong grounded out to third to start. Cooper got a base hit to center but Dalbec struck out swinging. Rafaela lined out to center to end the inning. 

The Giants put the game away in the top of the seventh as Bailey singled to left to start. Chapman singled to left and Estrada got a base hit to right to score Bailey, putting the Giants up for good. Cam Booser came in to face Yaz with runners at the corners but Austin Slater pinch hit for him. Slater struck out swinging but Ahmed hit a sad fly to left to score Chapman, icing the game. Lee lined out to left to end the inning with the Giants up 3-1.

                                                          Giants take the lead

Erik Miller came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Short flied out to left to start. Duran grounded out to second and Devers struck out swinging to end the inning,

Naoyuki Uwasawa made his ML debut in the top of the eighth and Soler popped up to third to start. Flores popped up to third and Conforto struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    Welcome to the big leagues

Tyler Rogers came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and O'Neill grounded out to short to start. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and struck out swinging before Wong grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bailey grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth before Chapman grounded out to second. Estrada grounded out to short to end the inning. Camilo Doval came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cooper grounded out to first to start. Reese McGuire pinch hit for Dalbec and struck out swinging. Rafaela lined out to right to end the game. The Giants had won it 3-1.

                                                             Giants win

Jackass of The Night is Zack Kelly. He was charged with 2 runs to take the loss.

                                                        Kelly The Jackass

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Tyler O'Neill was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Josh Winckowski tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed just 1 run off 2 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino tossed a full scoreless inning.

Naoyuki Uwasawa tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Reese McGuire struck out as a pinch hitter.

Zack Short was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Connor Wong was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Garrett Cooper was just 1 for 4.

Bobby Dalbec was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Cam Booser allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in a full inning.

Final Thoughts:

The problem with the Sox having so many injuries is they're going to have to win a lot of low scoring games for a while. Masataka Yoshida, Vaughn Grissom, Trevor Story and Triston Casas are all on the Injured List and that's four of your nine starters. The rumor is Grissom will be ready tomorrow and Bobby Dalbec gets shot out of a cannon. Dalbec has been a disaster at the plate and Grissom does have a good bat. Sure Zack Kelly got lit up tonight but otherwise the pitching has been the bright spot this season. They all have interesting stories from Booser taking up carpentry thinking he'd never pitch again and Uwasawa coming over from Japan only to get cut by the Tampa Bay Rays, then picked up on a whim here. Jarren Duran picked a fine time to go into a slump and Rafaela still looks lost at the plate. Hopefully both of them turn it around soon because both the Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays have looked awful this year to start. The Sox may be perfectly mediocre but there are some BAD teams in baseball that are far worse than they are. If the Sox can get healthy, they might have something here. The loss dropped the Sox to 18-14, 2.5 games behind the Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox now hit the road and the first stop is Minnesota to play the Twins. Tomorrow night Tanner Houck (3-2, 1.60 ERA) gets the start against Chris Paddack of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:10 PM Eastern time at Target Field.

Crawford, Sox Beat Giants (5/1/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. The Sox sent a bag full of money to the Chicago White Sox for left handed pitcher Bailey Horn. Horn was drafted by the White Sox in the 5th round of the 2020 draft 6 slots before the Sox picked Shane Drohan. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Ryan Tepera at the trade deadline in 2021 then was traded back to the White Sox for Matthew Thompson back in February. He's been batting practice for the Charlotte Knights, allowing 13 runs in 10 1/3 innings so what Sox GM Craig Breslow sees in him, who knows. The Sox may be making some moves with the 40 man roster since the squad is decimated by injury, we may see Horn pitch in Boston or not ever. Time will tell. Another move was the Sox sent a back of cash to the New York Mets for shortstop Zack Short. He hits .187 but if he fields his position, its an improvement. Lastly, the Red Sox placed Masataka Yoshida on the Injured List with a bad hand injury and acquired first baseman Dominic Smith from the Tampa Bay Rays for another sack full of money. If Smith is smart, he'd wear a bulletproof vest for tonight's game.

                                                                        OUT

                                                                   IN

It was a good night for Boston sports as the Boston Celtics sent the retiring Mike Gorman home happy by eliminating the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the San Francisco Giants. Kutter Crawford (2-1, 1.56 ERA) once again pitched a quality game as he shut down the Giants with 7 strong innings, holding the Giants to 2 runs. The offense was a balanced attack with six different guys driving in runs. New first baseman Dominic Smith made a good hard catch and drove in a run as well. Chris Martin shook off his recent ineptitude with a scoreless inning and Greg Weissert slammed the door in the ninth inning. It was Boston's fourth win in a row and second straight over the Giants as the Sox won 6-2 at Fenway Park.

                                              The retiring Mike Gorman approves of the win

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jung Hoo Lee singled to right to start. Jorge Soler popped up to short and LaMonte Wade Jr took strike three. Matt Chapman also took strike three to end the inning. Miller got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran walked to start. Rafael Devers walked but Rob Refsnyder watched strike three go by. Tyler O'Neill grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Michael Conforto grounded out to second to start the top of the second and Thairo Estrada popped up to first. Mike Yastrzemski grounded out to second to end the inning. Dalton Jefferies came in to pitch the bottom of the second and Wilyer Abreu walked to begin. Connor Wong took strike three but Abreu swiped second. Dominic Smith made his Sox debut by flying out to right and Enmanuel Valdez watched strike three go by to end the inning. 

The Giants struck first in the top of the third as Tom Murphy hit a home run all the way to Zanzibar to put SF up already. Nick Ahmed struck out swinging, Lee lined out to left and Soler lined out to center to end the inning but the Giants were up 1-0

                                                           Home run Murphy

The Sox answered in the bottom of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela singled in the hole at second to start. Duran walked and Devers doubled off the Monster to score Rafaela. Refsnyder grounded out to short but Duran scored to out Boston on top.  O'Neill struck out swinging and Abreu grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                       Devers with a big double

The Giants struck again in the top of the fourth as Wade Jr flied out to left. Chapman struck out swinging but Conforto walked. Estrada doubled off the Monster and Yaz caught the Sox asleep with a bunt down the third base line to score Conforto. Murphy struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       His grandfather would be proud

Wong doubled off the Monster to start the bottom of the fourth and moved to third on the Smith grounder to second. Valdez smacked a double to left to score Wong to put the Sox back on top. Rafaela lined out to short but Duran tripled into the right field corner to score Valdez. That was it for Jefferies as Taylor Rogers came in to pitch to Devers. Rafael grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-2.

                                                                           Safe!

Ahmed grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth and Lee flied out to right. Soler lined out to third to end the inning. Refsnyder got a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fifth but O'Neill flied out to right. Abreu flied out to center and that was it for Rogers. Luke Jackason came in to face Wong and Connor got a base hit to left. Smith drove in his first run with a base hit to center to score Refsnyder. Valdez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                           First Sox rbi for Smith

Wade Jr walked to start the top of the sixth before moving to second on the Chapman squibber in front of the plate. Conforto struck out swinging and Estrada grounded out to first to end the inning. Rafaela took strike three to start the bottom of the sixth before Duran went down hacking. Devers grounded out to short to end the inning.

Crawford returned for the top of the seventh inning and Yaz hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Murphy grounded out to first and Ahmed popped up to third to end the inning. Crawford pitched well, going 7 strong innings and allowed 2 runs off 4 hits and 2 walks.

                                                      Good work Crawford

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the seventh with Mitch White now on the mound. Refsnyder grounded out to third and O'Neill took strike three, but Abreu singled to left. Wong doubled to center to score Wilyer but Smith grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                         Wong drives in a run

Chris Martin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Lee grounded out to short to start. Soler lined out to center and Wade Jr struck out swinging to end the inning. Valdez popped up to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Rafaela grounded out to short. Duran lined out to center to end the inning.

Greg Weissert came in to close out the top of the ninth and Chapman singled to center to start. Conforto struck out swinging and Estrada grounded into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-2.

                                                           Weissert closes it out

Hero of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He got the win with 7 innings of 2 run ball while allowing 4 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6 batters.

                                                           Hero Crawford

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Rafael Devers was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Wilyer Abreu was 1 for 3 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored.

Connor Wong was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Chris Martin pitched a scoreless eighth.

Greg Weissert closed out the top of the ninth.

The Bad:

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Dominic Smith was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Rob Refsnyder was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Enmanuel Valdez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

No matter who gets hurt, the Sox just keep on winning. Kutter Crawford had another good start and the rotation that's left is holding up so far remarkably. With all the injuries going on, the guys that are left are stepping it up. Wilyer Abreu is hitting .316 and looks to be finding his niche in right field and Connor Wong has gone God mode lately. With Nathan Hickey, Johanfran Garcia and Kyle Teel all performing well in the minors, Wong clearly doesn't want to be just a stopgap. That's going to create a good kind of competition when the time comes. Its a shame that Yoshida has joined the ever growing injured list but Sox manager Alex Cora didn't like him anyway. Duran, O'Neill and Abreu have locked up the outfield and Yoshida doesn't have enough power to be a regular DH in Cora's eyes. Vaughn Grissom is due back soon so there's going to be a lot of people coming and going. As long as they keep winning games, they could have Dave Penzer out there as long as they get the victory. The win improved the Sox to 18-13, 1.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for their fifth straight win and series sweep of the Giants tomorrow afternoon when Josh Winckowski (1-1, 3.50 ERA) takes on Kyle Harrison of San Francisco. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.