Off-Day News: 2023 Draft Revisited (7/8/24)

Its the final off-day before the All-Star break and its also the final day off before the 2024 MLB Draft coming up on July 14th. Let's take a look at last year's draft and how former Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom did in his final draft before being shot out of a cannon.

1st Round - C Kyle Teel

The only bright side of the Red Sox freefalling in 2022 was it landed them the 14th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Bloom looks to have got one right when he took Virginia University catcher Kyle Teel. Teel's scouting report said he had a major league ready bat but needed to improve defensively. They weren't kidding about his bat as he hit 2 home runs and drove in 20 runs total between the Complex, Greenville and Portland to end the season. This year he's apart of the Goldust Trio with Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony in Portland hitting .301 with 8 home runs and 49 rbis. Its just a question of when he's promoted to Worcester and the only reason he isn't in Boston already is Connor Wong somehow had a breakout year. Still, Teel himself is definitely majors bound, its only a question of when.

2nd Round - SS Nazzan Zanetello

Defying all logic, once again Chaim Bloom neglected to take the best college pitcher available just to take a high school shortstop in the second round. Nazzan Zanetello graduated from Christian Brothers High School and played 13 games for the Florida Complex and Salem Red Sox. This year he's only hitting .191 but has come on strong in the last few weeks, belting 4 home runs and driving in 14 runs. He's only 19 years old so he's got a long way to go. Still, a little improvement is better than none.


3rd Round - SS Antonio Anderson

Want to know why Chaim Bloom got fired and the Boston Red Sox organization has no starting pitching depth? For three years in a row, Bloom drafted nothing but position players in the early rounds. His third round pick was yet another high school shortstop in Antonio Anderson out of North Atlanta High School. He played just 12 games for the Complex and Salem but this year he's hitting just .162 with 4 home runs and 22 rbis. Just like Zanetello, he's got a long way to go. Nothing against Anderson, but Bloom should have been drafting pitchers here. For example, Jake Bloss from Georgetown University was picked in the third round by the Houston Astros and he just made his MLB debut 3 weeks ago. That could have been with Boston if Bloom was smarter.

4th Round - RHP Matt Duffy

Boston's first pitcher taken wasn't until the fourth round just like in 2021 and once again Bloom needs his head examined. Matt Duffy posted a 4.32 ERA for Canisius University when he was drafted and he allowed 5 runs in 4 innings between the Complex and Salem to end the season. This season he's 1-4 with a 3.86 ERA in 13 starts for Salem. Just like Wyatt Olds and Jaret Godman before, once again Bloom drafted a guy who wasn't even that good in college and he's performed as expected. That's not a knock on Duffy, he's doing his best, but the guy who drafted him to begin with.

4th Round Compensation - SS Kristian Campbell

Define irony. This fourth round compensation selection is the pick the Red Sox were awarded when Xander Bogaerts signed with the San Diego Padres, and this just may be the replacement. Kristian Campbell was a redshirt freshman for Georgia Tech when the Sox drafted him and it looks like a steal when he tore up the Complex and Greenville to end the season last year. This year he hit .306 with 8 homers and 25 rbis in Grenville to earn a promotion to Portland and he's been arguably their best player since. He's hitting .406 with 4 home runs and 18 rbis in just 26 games for the Sea Dogs. Because Worcester and Boston are so crowded, they've tried Campbell at second base and the outfield. Its just a matter of time before he and the Goldust Trio are in Worcester. He may not be Xander Bogaerts, but if he makes the majors, that's a hell of an accomplishment in itself.

4th Round Compensation - SS Justin Riemer

The Sox had another fourth round compensation pick they were awarded for letting Nathan Eovaldi walk to the Texas Rangers. They used it to select Wright State shortstop Justin Riemer. Unfortunately Riemer tore his ACL just 12 games into the season for Wright and missed the rest of the season. He's still rehabbing his knee injury this year but he could be back on the field by July or August. Jury is still out on this one.

5th Round - LHP Connelly Early

The Sox' fifth round pick was used to take left handed pitcher Connelly Early out of Virginia University. He was 12-3 in 18 starts for the Cavaliers but only pitched in one game with Salem to end the season. This year he's gone 1-5 but with a respectable 3.53 ERA. Wins and losses don't really matter in the minors as long as you're getting guys out. Hopefully he gets a late year promotion to Portland to see what he can do at the AA level. He's only 22 so he's got a few years to prove himself.

6th Round - RHP CJ Weins

In the sixth round the Sox took right handed pitcher CJ Weins out of Western Kentucky University. Stop me if you've heard this, he was mediocre in college going 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA for WKU before being drafted. He was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA in Salem when he was traded on July 6th for veteran relief pitcher Trey Wingenter. The fact that Craig Breslow was able to get something for him is remarkable.

7th Round - OF Caden Rose

Usually its the pitchers that Chaim Bloom looked at and thought they were worth more than they were, but in the 7th round the Sox took the outfield equivalent. Caden Rose hit just .261 with 9 home runs and 26 rbis for Alabama before being picked. This year he was hitting .187 with 4 homers and 16 rbis in 25 games before he went on the 60 Day Injured List. If it comes out years later that on draft night, Red Sox draft personnel had never actually seen these guys play and just looked at the list of who hadn't been drafted yet on TV, it would be far more believable than the thought of Sox scouts seeing a guy barely hitting .260 in college and thought that would translate to the pros.

8th Round - RHP Trenner O'Donnell

In the 8th round, the Sox went with right handed pitcher Trenner O'Donnell out of Ball State University. At least he had good college stats, going 13-8 with a 2.95 ERA in 16 starts before being drafted. This year he's 3-3 with a 3.13 ERA in 12 games with Salem so far. Going to need to improve velocity if he wants to get to the big leagues but at least he's off to a good start.

9th Round - RHP Blake Wehunt

In the 9th round, the Sox chose Kennesaw State right handed pitcher Blake Wehunt. As usual, Bloom chose a pitcher with mediocre stats in college as Wehunt went 4-4 with a 4.83 ERA in 14 starts. Now this year he started well going 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA in 8 starts for Salem to earn a promotion to Greenville. Unfortunately he's struggling going 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 5 starts there. He'll be 24 in November and getting beat up in High A ball isn't a good sign. Still, he just got there, he may need time to adjust.

10th Round - LHP Ryan Ammons

Once again Chaim Bloom took a pitcher in college with mediocre stats when he took left handed pitcher Ryan Ammons in the 10th round out of Clemson University. He was 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA before being chosen in the draft. He didn't get to pitch in the Complex or for the organization period as he was traded in December to the New York Mets for Justin Slaten. Slaten has performed admirably out of the bullpen for Boston this season but what about Ammons? He went 1-4 with a 2.88 ERA out of the bullpen for the St. Lucie Mets and was promoted to the Brooklyn Cyclones on July 2nd. Things are looking up for him, but the Sox definitely are benefiting from the trade with Slaten's services. Good luck to Ammons in New York.

11th Round - OF Nelly Taylor

The Sox took on a potential feel-good story when they chose Polk State University outfielder Nelly Taylor in the 11th round. He was plagued with a horrible kidney problem that still affects him today but powered through it to bat .353 with 6 home runs and 48 rbis for Polk State in 2023. This year so far he's hitting .234 with 3 home runs and 33 rbis for Salem, but he's still only 21. If he can beat a kidney disorder, hopefully he can beat opposing pitchers and end up in Greenville sooner than later.

12th Round - RHP Max Carlson

Here we go again. Once again Bloom scraped the bottom of the barrel when he took right handed pitcher Max Carlson out of UNC in the 12th round. He was 5-2 with a 5.45 ERA for the Tar Heels before being drafted by the Sox. He started out great in Salem this year going 4-0 with a 2.35 ERA with 5 saves out of the bullpen to earn a promotion to Greenville. He's only pitched in one game for Greenville so far but at least he got there. Hopefully we'll see what he's made of in the next few months. He could be Greenville's closer in the second half of the season.

13th Round - RHP Cade Feeney

Mr. Feeney was drafted in the 13th round out of North Dakota State where he went 6-5 with a 4.57 ERA in 14 starts. This year he's 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA and 3 saves for the Greenville Drive. Maybe moving him to the bullpen was a good idea and he'll thrive there. Otherwise, posting a 4.57 ERA in college as a starter usually doesn't translate well to the pros. Wyatt Olds and Jaret Godman can tell him that.

14th Round - LHP Jojo Ingrassia

In the 14th round, the Sox took left handed pitcher Jojo Ingrassia out of Cal State-Fullerton. He was 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 7 saves in 2023 for Cal State and so far this year he's 3-1 with a 2.17 ERA with 1 save for Salem. He might be headed to Greenville soon and he turns 22 on July 24th. Still, rather him put up good stats for Salem than bad.

15th Round - OF Phoenix Call

The Sox took a risk when they drafted high school phenom Phoenix Call out of Calabasas High School in the 15th round because he was almost guaranteed to go to UCLA. Well, he did. Unfortunately for him he hit .222 with no home runs, 2 rbis and a HIDEOUS slugging percentage of .259 his freshman year. He's got at least two more years to go so he has plenty of time to improve, but so far the Sox might have gotten lucky that he chose UCLA over them. Check back on this one next year.

16th Round - RHP Isaac Stebens

In the 16th round, the Sox took Oklahoma State closer and right handed pitcher Isaac Stebens. Stebens was 4-1 with a 2.24 ERA and 6 saves in 2023 and was unhittable in Salem to start the year. He allowed just 1 earned run in 11 innings for a 0.82 ERA to earn a promotion to Greenville. Unfortunately he's 2-2 with a 5.13 ERA and just 2 saves for the Drive out of the bullpen. Still, he may need time to adjust and might come back stronger next year. At least he's gotten this far.

17th Round - OF Dylan Schlaegel

In the 17th round, the Sox took Mansfield Legacy High School outfielder Dylan Schlaegel as a risk because he was committed to little known Dallas Baptist University. He ended up going to DBU and sat out the 2024 season. His life, his choice. His favorite bible verse is Psalm 23, maybe Connor Butler will be proud.

18th Round - LHP Zach Fogell

In the 18th round, the Sox took left handed pitcher Zach Fogell out of UConn. Fogell actually spent his freshman year back in 2019 for Brown University but Covid wiped out 2020 and the whole entire Ivy League refused to play the 2021 season. After 2022, Fogell transferred to UConn where he was unhittable in 2023 going 8-1 with a 1.89 ERA out of the bullpen. The kicker was he was already 22 by then so he had an advantage over the other students. He pitched 4.2 innings between the Complex and Salem to end the season and didn't allow an earned run. He started this year in Salem allowing no runs in 5 innings before being promoted to Greenville. So far with the Drive he's 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA out of the bullpen. On the bright side, he hasn't really hit a wall yet but the downside is he turns 24 on July 23rd. Him hanging around Single A when a lot of guys his age are in AAA or the majors is not a good look. Still, would rather him get guys out than suck completely.

19th Round - OF Stanley Tucker

Instead of taking a bum pitcher in the 19th round for the third year in a row, Bloom switched it up and took Texas Tech outfielder Stanley Tucker. Tucker has been god awful at the plate, batting .195 for the Complex and .077 for Salem to end 2023. This year he's hitting just .181 with one home run for Salem. Most 19th round picks are cucka anyway so no big loss if he doesn't pan out. Still, would have been nice if he could at least get out of Salem.

20th Round - RHP Robert Orloski

With their 20th and final pick, the Sox took Middleton High School right handed pitcher Robert Orloski. Orloski ended up not signing with the Red Sox and instead chose to go to University of Texas San Antonio. His freshman year he was 3-5 with a 5.94 ERA in 11 starts....not exactly setting the world on fire. The Sox may have dodged a bullet since he didn't sign with them, time will tell on this one.

URFA - C Drew Ehrhard

After the draft was over, the Sox signed two rookie free agents. The first was Zach Ehrhard's OLDER brother Drew. Drew has the designation of being one of the oldest "draft picks" in franchise history after spending six years at Tampa University. After signing with the Sox, he has just 16 at-bats in 11 games between the Complex and Greenville. Somehow he got promoted to Portland and is on their Development List. Technically he made AA faster than a lot of guys drafted. Zach Ehrhard is still at Oklahoma State.

URFA - RHP Cooper Adams

The other undrafted free agent the Sox signed was right handed pitcher Cooper Adams out of Mt. St Mary's University. He was 8-3 with a 5.03 ERA in 14 starts before starting this season in Greenville. Not surprising he is 0-4 with a 5.94 ERA for Greenville. Once again, he had a lousy ERA for a small college, what was Bloom expecting him to do when he signed?

All in all we got a lot of guys on this list who show potential with two of them on the fast track to Worcrester. Kyle Teel and Kristian Campbell are the two biggest prospects but guys like Connelly Early and Trenner O'Donnell are sneaky picks that might make it some day. Its only been one year so judging any of them on the same level as the 2020 and 2021 draftees would be unfair and even 2022 to a degree. Still....with four drafts under his belt, Chaim Bloom has exactly ZERO major leaguers. Now he's got the Goldust Trio in Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel along with Chase Meidroth, Luis Guerrero, Nick Yorke and Niko Kavadas knocking at the door....but otherwise everyone else is a longshot, bust or already gone. How many other major league teams have exactly ZERO draft picks make the majors in the last four years? That's why Chaim Bloom is gone, folks. Hopefully Craig Breslow has more successful coming up next week. It would be wise to take the best starting pitcher available at pick 12 when the time comes. Bloom neglected the rotation in favor of position players, maybe Craig will fix that.

Sox Blank Yankees (7/7/24)

Yesterday the New York Yankees snapped the Boston Red Sox' 5 game win streak and the Sox responded by blanking them in tonight's game on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Kutter Crawford (5-7, 3.20 ERA) tossed one of the best games of his career holding New York to no runs in 7 strong innings. Offensively the Sox didn't do much against Yankees starter Luis Gil until late in the game. Rafael Devers belted a solo home run in the top of the seventh, Ceddanne Rafaela hit a solo shot in the top of the eighth and Devers did the honors with another home run in the ninth. Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen slammed the door as the Sox won their 6th out of 7 games including this one 3-0 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                     Ben Crenshaw approves of the win

Gil came in to pitch the top of the first and Jarren Duran popped up to second to start. David Hamilton took strike three and Tyler O'Neill grounded out to third to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ben Rice grounded out to second to start. Juan Soto popped up to first and Aaron Judge flied out to center to end the inning.

Rafael Devers got a base hit to center to start the top of the second but Connor Wong forced him at second. It looked like Wong stole second but Yankees manager Aaron Boone challenged he was out. Sure enough, the call was overturned and Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Alex Verdugo flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Anthony Volpe grounded out to third. Austin Wells grounded out to third to end the inning.

Wilyer Abreu took strike three to start the top of the third but Dominic Smith doubled to right. Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to center and Duran popped up to second to end the inning. Oswaldo Cabreras flied out to right to start the bottom of the third and Trent Grisham singled to center. DJ LeMahieu grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Hamilton hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the fourth and O'Neill struck out swinging. Devers also struck out swinging to end the inning. Rice struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth and Soto grounded out to short. Judge took strike three to end the inning.

Wong struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Yoshida grounded out to first. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. Verdugo popped up to short to start the bottom of the fifth and Volpe lined out to short. Wells grounded out to first to end the inning.

Smith got  abase hit to right to start the top of the sixth but Rafaela hit one up the elevator shaft. Duran struck out swinging and Hamilton went down hacking to end the inning. Cabrera got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the sixth and Grisham hit a bullet....right to Hamilton who doubled off Oswaldo at first. LeMahieu doubled but Rice struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                     Kutter was fired up after that one

The Sox got a run in the top of the seventh as O'Neill grounded out to third to start. Who else but Devers clobbered his 20th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Wong flied out to right to chase Gil from the game. Luke Weaver came in and Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Devers jacks one

Soto doubled to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Judge struck out swinging. Verdugo grounded out to second and Volpe lined out to left to end the inning. Crawford was outstanding, shutting out the Yankees for seven innings allowing just 3 hits in the process.

                                                           Great job by Crawford

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Smith took strike three but Rafaela belted his 11th home run of the year to increase the lead. Duran walked but Hamilton struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             All smiles today

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Wells popped up to short to start. Cabrera walked but Grisham struck out swinging. LeMahieu grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth with Michael Tonkin now on the mound. O'Neill struck out swinging but Devers mashed his second home run of the night to ice the game. Wong grounded back to the mound and Yoshida grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                          Devers does it again

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the ninth looking for his 438th career save. Rice grounded out to first, Soto lined out to left and Judge struck out swinging in short order to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-0.

                                                                438th save for Kenley

Hero of The Night is Kutter Crawford. He shut out the Yankees for 7 innings and allowed just 3 hits.

                                                               Hero Crawford

The Good:

Rafael Devers was 3 for 4 with 2 solo home runs.

Dominic Smith was 2 for 3.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a home run.

Justin Slaten tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 18th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

David Hamilton was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

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

Connor Wong was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

That was a big win by the Sox and caps off a very nice stretch where they've won 6 out 7 to get back to respectability. They're still a mile behind first place but its a good start. The Sox need an ace pitcher at the trade deadline but that seems unlikely. Maybe getting another 2 or 3 starter would help but they definitely need some help in the rotation to get them over the hump. The offense is as good as anyone and the back end of the bullpen is solid, but middle relief and rotation is an issue. Crawford pitched a hell of a game and Tanner Houck is been solid, but its been hope and pray after that. Devers hitting 2 more home runs against the Yankees is icing on the cake. The Sox have a homestand left before the all-star break and going in hot would be nice. The win improved the Sox to 49-41, 8 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 with a six game homestand to end the first half of the season. The Oakland A's with Joey Estes gets the start for them against Brayan Bello (8-5) of Boston. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Crush Red Sox (7/6/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. The Sox traded last year's 6th round pick, right handed pitcher CJ Weins to the Detroit Tigers for veteran relief pitcher Trey Wingenter. Also, the Salem Red Sox released Elvis Soto. Weins was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA for Salem at the time of the trade and Wingenter was 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA for the Toledo Mud Hens. The Sox are desperate for middle relief and before the trade deadline, this was the best they were going to do. Soto was 0-3 with a 4.88 ERA in 7 starts for Salem this year and the Sox think last year's pitching crop can do better than that. Good luck to Weins and Soto.

                                                                              OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, so much for the Red Sox hot streak. The New York Yankees dished it back to the Red Sox tonight as Josh Winckowski was rocked for 3 runs in just 3 2/3 innings and Brennan Bernardino (3-2, 1.72 ERA) was the one who gave up the go-ahead runs. The combo of Greg Weissert and Chase Anderson got nailed for NINE runs combined by a relentless Yankee attack. Ben Rice had THREE home runs including two 3 run bombs. Meanwhile the Sox did chase Gerrit Cole in the fifth inning after four runs allowed, but the Yankee bullpen held strong. All in all the Yankees pounded out 14 hits and 14 runs as they bashed Boston 14-4 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                     "Knock out Cole only to lose?"

Cole got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran grounded out to second to start. David Hamilton took strike three and Wilyer Abreu flied out to left to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Winckowski in the bottom of the first as Ben Rice hit a home run all the way to Cuba to instantly give New York the lead. Juan Soto popped up to third, Aaron Judge flied out to right and Alex Verdugo struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                               That didn't take long

Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Enmanuel Valdez got a base hit to right. Masataka Yoshida flied out to left but Reese McGuire got a base hit to center. Dominic Smith walked to load the bases but Ceddanne Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. Anthony Volpe grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Trent Grisham struck out swinging. Jose Trevino walked, Oswaldo Cabrera got a base hit to right and DJ LeMahieu walked to load the bases....but Rice struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Duran popped up to second to start. Hamilton doubled to right but Abreu flied out to center. Devers got a base hit to right to score Hamilton for his 1,000th career hit. Devers stole second, Valdez walked and Yoshida singled to left to score Rafael. McGuire got a base hit to left to score Valdez but Smith struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                           1,000 hits for Devers

The Yankees answered in the bottom of the third as Soto grounded out to first to start. Judge beat out a roller to the mound and Verdugo of all people hit a home run to Wyoming to tie the game. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Winckowski to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                           Anybody but him....

Rafaela struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth and Duran swung at air as well. Hamilton also went down hacking to end the inning. Trevino doubled to left to start the bottom of the fourth and Cabrera dropped down a bunt to move him to third. LeMahieu grounded out to short and that was it for Winckowski. He allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks. Brennan Bernardino got Rice to line out to center to end the inning.

                                                     Josh had trouble with the long ball

The Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Abreu struck out swinging to start. Devers clobbered his obligatory home run against Cole, 19th of the year to put Boston ahead. That was it for Cole as Tim Hill got Valdez to pop up to short. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-3.

                                                            Total Yankee killer

The Yankees exploded in the bottom of the fifth although Soto grounded out to first to start. Judge singled to right and Verdugo caught Bernardino asleep with a bunt single to chase him. Greg Weissert came in and Volpe hit a ground rule double to center into the bullpen to score Judge. Grisham was intentionally walked to load the bases and Austin Wells pinch hit for Trevino. Wells walked to score Verdugo to put the Yankees ahead and Cabrera hit a sac fly to right to score Volpe to increase the lead. LeMahieu singled to left to score Grisham and Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Chase Anderson to stop the bleeding. Instead Rice smacked a 3 run bomb all the way to the moon to ice the game. Soto struck out for failibg to get into the batters box to end the inning with the Yankees up 10-3.

                                                            All Yankees in this one

The Sox were deflated in the top of the sixth as McGuire grounded out to second to start. Smith grounded back to the mound and Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning. Judge grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Verdugo grounded out to second. Volpe flied out to right to end the inning. 

Volpe threw a ball away by Duran to start the top of the seventh for an error and Romy Gonzalez pinch hit for Hamilton. Gonzalez struck out swinging and Rob Refsnyder pinch hit for Abreu. Refsnyder flied out to center and Devers did the same to end the inning. The Yankees poured it on in the bottom of the seventh as Grisham doubled to center to start. Wells popped up to third but Cabrera singled to center to move Grisham to third. LeMahieu singled to right to score Grisham and Rice annihilated his third home run of the game to make this a laugher. Soto flied out to center and Judge took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 14-4.

                                                             Have a day Ben Rice

Jahmai Jones took over for Judge with Joah Maciejewski now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Valdez struck out swinging to start and Yoshida did the same. McGuire also went down hacking to end the inning. Connor Wong took over for Devers to start the bottom of the eighth and Verdugo flied out to left to start. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham flied out to right to end the inning. 

Smith got a base hit to right to start the top of the ninth but Rafaela struck out swinging. Smith moved to second when Duran was retired on a swinging bunt in front of the plate but Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the game. The Yankees had won it 14-4.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Greg Weissert. He ended any hope of a comeback by allowing 4 runs in a seven run 5th by the Yankees.

                                                                 Nice going Jackass

The Good:

David Hamilton was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Enmanuel Valdez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Reese McGuire was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Dominic Smith was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Josh Winckowski allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 innings off 5 hits and 2 walks.

Brennan Bernardino took the loss allowing 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

Chase Anderson allowed 5 runs in 3 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Masataka Yoshida was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong played second in the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Welcome to the Ben Rice show here at Yankee Stadium. He was something else today and just have to tip your cap. When a guy hits three home runs and drives in 7 runs by himself, you're not gonna win too many games like that. Winckowski couldn't get the job done but the bullpen allowed 11 runs in relief. Devers had his obligatory home run against Gerrit Cole but other than that, there wasn't much to cheer about. The back end of the bullpen with Justin Slaten and Kenley Jansen has been solid but the middle relief isn't up to snuff. You can get ANYONE to pitch middle relief though. That might be their target at the trade deadline. They also need another starter because Winckowski clearly isn't the answer. The Sox never replaced Chris Sale as an ace but getting even a number 3 might help. This just wasn't the Red Sox day. The loss dropped the Sox to 48-41, 8 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball when Kutter Crawford (4-7) takes on Luis Gil of New York. The game begins at 7:10 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Sox Rally Past Yankees In 10 Innings (7/5/24)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Chris Martin was placed on the Injured List with right elbow inflammation and Cam "The Carpenter" Booser had been called up from Worcester to take his place. Elbow injuries are scary

                                                                          OUT

                                                                             IN

As for the game, that might have been the win of the season against the New York Yankees. For eight innings the Yankees had a comfortable 3-1 lead on the Red Sox. The Yankees rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth to chase incompetent starter Tanner Houck. Nestor Cortes allowed a Romy Gonzalez home run in the fifth but all hope looked lost. Then with two outs in the top of the ninth, Mastaka Yoshida belted a two run home run off Clay Holmes to tie the game. Then in the top of the tenth, Ceddanne Rafaela smashed a two run home run off Tommy Kahnle to give the Sox the lead. In the bottom of the tenth, Kenley Jansen survived a first and third with nobody out situation to record three straight outs. The Sox had stolen one against the Yankees 4-2 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                                   Coco Lovelock approves of the win

Cortes got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran struck out swinging to start. Rob Refsnyder struck out swinging and Tyler O'Neill lined out to left to end the inning. Houck got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ben Rice popped up to third to start. Juan Soto took strike three and Aaron Judge grounded out to short to end the inning.

Rafael Devers struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Connor Wong grounded out to second. Romy Gonzalez doubled to left but Masataka Yoshida struck out swinging to end the inning. Alex Verdugo grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second and Gleyber Torres lined out to left. Austin Wells grounded out to first to end the inning.

Enmanuel Valdez grounded out to second to open the top of the third and Ceddanne Rafaela flied out to right. Duran flied out to right to end the inning. After a rain delay, Anthony Colpe got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third. Trent Grisham walked but was forced at second by DJ LeMahieu. Rice grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Refsnyder flied out to left to start the top of the fourth but O'Neill walked. Devers struck out swinging and Wong popped up to third to end the inning. The Yankees struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Soto walked to start. Judge walked but Verdugo flied out to left. Torres appeared to hurt himself beating out a roller to short to load the bases and Oswaldo Cabrera ran for him. Wells hit a routine grounder to second and Valdez...threw the ball away allowing Soto to score. Volpe walked home Judge and Sox manager Alex Cora had enough of Houck. For whatever reason, Sox manager Alex Cora is treating every game like its Game 7 of the World Series and Tanner was done after being charged with 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings. Bailey Horn came in and Grisham grounded out to second to score Cabrera and LeMahieu grounded out to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-0.

                                                               Houck was garbage tonight

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth as Gonzalez belted his first home run of the season to start. Yoshida flied out to center but Valdez atoned for his error with a base hit to center. Rafaela struck out swinging and Duran flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                           First of the year for Romy

Rice got a base hit to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Soto forced him at second. Judge struck out swinging and Verdugo did the same to end the inning.

Refsnyder lined out to second to start the top of the sixth and O'Neill took strike three. Devers struck out swinging to end the inning. Cabrera grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth and Wells got a base hit to center. Volpe struck out swinging and Grisham flied out to right to end the inning. Yeoman's effort by Horn to escape that jam in the fourth and keep the Sox in it from there.

                                                               Unsung hero Bailey Horn

Luke Weaver came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wong struck out swinging to start. Weaver snuffed out Gonzalez' bunt attempt and Yoshida flied out to center to end the inning. Cam "The Carpenter" Booser came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and LeMahieu grounded out to third to start. Rice walked but Soto flied out to center. Judge also flied out to center to end the inning.

Valdez got a base hit off the glove of Weaver to start the top of the eighth and Wells threw a swinging bunt away off the bat of Rafaela for an error. David Hamilton ran for Valdez but Duran struck out swinging. Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Refsnyder and also struck out swinging. O'Neill grounded out to third to end the inning. Verdugo struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth and Cabrera flied out to center. Wells got a base hit to left and Volpe flied out to center to end the inning.

Clay Holmes came in to close out the top of the ninth and Devers grounded back to the mound to start. Wong grounded out to short and Dominic Smith pinch hit for Gonzalez. Yankee fans gladhanded each other thinking the game was in the bag only for Smith to get a base hit to right. Yankee fans were still saying that "Nestah got da win bay-beee" when Smith took second on defensive indifference only for Yoshida to shock the world by belting his third home run of the season to tie the game. Hamilton flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                Smith laughing all the way to the bank

Justin Slaten came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Grisham took strike three to start. LeMahieu grounded out to third and Rice popped up to short to end the inning.

The Red Sox had a nasty surprise waiting for Tommy Kahnle in the top of the tenth with Hamilton starting at second base. Rafaela crushed his 10th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Duran doubled to left but Abreu struck out swinging. O'Neill was retired on a nubber in front of the plate but Devers was intentionally walked. Wong grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                           Touch em all Rafaela

Kenley Jansen came in to close out the bottom of the tenth with Rice starting at second base. Soto got a base hit to right to move Rice to third and Yankee fans started gladhanding each other again saying "Dis Judge kid will hit a homah to win da game baybeee!" Instead Judge popped up to third, Verdugo popped up to first and Cabrera grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had stolen this one 5-3 in 10 innings.

                                                           Sox win

We have Co-Heroes of the Night. Masataka Yoshida belted a 2 out 2 run home run to keep the Sox alive and Ceddanne Rafaela hit a 2 run bomb to give the Sox the lead.

                  As Loudness would say "YOU ARE DA HEROOOOOOOES"

The Good:

Romy Gonzalez was 2 for 3 with a home run.

Dominic Smith singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Enmanuel Valdez was 2 for 3.

David Hamilton scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning.

Bailey Horn tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Cam Booser pitched two scoreless innings.

Justin Slaten got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Kenley Jansen earned his 17th save with a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

Rob Refsnyder was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Connor Wong was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Tanner Houck was charged with 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings off 2 hits and 4 walks.

The Ugly:

Jarren Duran was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Tyler O'Neill was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Rafael Devers was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing like sticking it to the Yankees just when they think they had the game won. The Yankees do it to the Red Sox all the time so it was nice to see the Sox rally for once. For 8 innings the game was essentially in the bag for New York but Yoshida, Smith and Rafaela never gave up. Also give a shoutout to the bullpen for throwing essentially 7 shutout innings against one of the best offenses in the game. Bailey Horn and Cam Booser combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to get the game to the ninth inning. Kudos to Romy Gonzalez for his first home run of the season as well. This might get into the head of Clay Holmes as well as a young pitcher. Someone like Kenley Jansen could shrug a game like this off, could Clay? The Sox have won six games in a row and apart for that 4 game losing streak at the end of June, they've been playing a lot better than they were going into the Chicago series. Hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum all the way to the all-star break. The win improved the Sox to 48-40, 8 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it six wins in a row and second straight against the Yankees.