Imanaga, Cubs Blank Sox (7/19/25)

It took just two games for the feel good story of the ten game win streak to end and send the Boston Red Sox back to reality. The Chicago Cubs dominated the Red Sox for the second straight game as Shota Imanaga outdueled Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA) allowing just 5 hits and a walk in seven shutout innings. For the second straight game the Cubs struck first as both Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker hit back to back home runs on the first two pitches. Vidal Brujan hit a sac fly in the bottom of the second but Bello held tough for six innings. Then Matt Shaw, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ went yard in the seventh and eighth innings to put this game on ice. The Cubs defeated the Sox 6-0 at Wrigley Field, how many runs did the Red Sox get John Cena?

Imanaga got the ball in the top of the first inning and Rob Refsnyder led off with a double to center. Refsnyder moved to third on the grounder to first by Alex Bregman and Romy Gonzalez struck out swinging. Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Things went south real quick for Bello in the bottom of the first as Michael Busch hit the first pitch of the game all the way to Comiskey Park for a home run to put the Cubs up for good. Kyle Tucker then sent the second pitch of the game to the moon to ice it just two batters into the bottom of the first. Seiya Suzuki flied out to center, Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out swinging and Ian Happ grounded out to first to end the inning with the Cubs up 2-0.

                                                       Game was over already

Trevor Story flied out to right to begin the top of the second before Ceddanne Rafaela popped up to first. Masataka Yoshida singled to right and Abraham Toro got a base hit to center, but Connor Wong flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox would have just two hits the rest of the game. The Cubs struck again in the bottom of the second as Dansby Swanson walked to start. Nico Hoerner singled to left and Reese McGuire forced Hoerner at second. Vidal Brujan hit a sac fly to left to score Swanson to increase the lead. Busch struck out swinging to end the inning with the Cubs up 3-0.

                                                  Sac fly by the Cubs

Refsnyder struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Bregman flied out to left. Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning. Tucker grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third before Suzuki flied out to right. PCA got a base hit to right and promptly stole second. Happ lined out to second to end the inning.

Anthony walked to start the top of the fourth before Story struck out swinging. Rafaela popped up to first and Yoshida forced Anthony at second to end the inning. Swanson struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Hoerner singled down the third base line. McGuire popped up to third and Brujan grounded out to second to end the inning.

Toro flied out to right to open the top of the fifth before Wong popped up to third. Refsnyder popped up to first to end the inning. Busch got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Tucker grounded out to second to move Michael to second. Suzuki popped up to short and PCA grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bregman grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth before Gonzalez flied out to right. Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning. Bello returned for the bottom of the sixth and Happ struck out swinging to start. Swanson lined out to left and Hoerner grounded out to short to end the inning. Bello was rocked early but bounced back to allow just 3 runs in 6 innings.

                                                            Bello deserved run support

Story flied out to left to begin the top of the seventh before Rafaela grounded out to third. Yoshida got a base hit to right but Toro hit a roller to Imanaga, throwing the ball away to put runners at the corners. Naturally Wong popped up to second to end the inning. Chris Murphy came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh as McGuire struck out swinging to start. Matt Shaw pinch hit for Brujan and hit a home run all the way to Second City Comedy Club to increase the lead. Busch grounded out to first but Tucker got a base hit to right. Suzuki grounded out to second to end the inning with the Cubs ahead 4-0.

                                                            Shaw is all smiles

Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Jarren Duran pinch hit for Refsnyder. Duran struck out swinging to start and Bregman took strike three before Wilyer Abreu pinch hit for Gonzalez. Abreu struck out swinging to end the inning. The fact the Sox have been utterly dominated by Brad Keller for two straight games is embarrassing. PCA laughed at the Sox as he effortlessly crushed a home run to start the bottom of the eighth and Happ joined in with a home run into the Atlantic Ocean as well. Swansong grounded out to third but Hoerner was hit with a pitch. McGuire lined out to short but Shaw singled to right. Abreu made a sliding catch to rob Busch of a hit to end the inning with the Cubs up 8-0.

                                                              Cubs pour it on

Old friend Ryan Brasier came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Anthony struck out swinging to start. Story went down hacking but Rafaela singled in the hole at short. Yoshida grounded out to short to end the game. The Cubs had won it 6-0.

                                                                 Cubs win

Jackass of the Night is Connor Wong. The worst statistical player in baseball was 0 for 3 including failing with 2 men on twice.

                                                          .144 hitting Jackass

The Good:

Rob Refsnyder was 1 for 3.

Masataka Yoshida was 2 for 4.

Abraham Toro was 2 for 3.

The Bad:

Jarren Duran struck out as a pinch hitter.

Alex Bregman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Wilyer Abreu struck out as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Chris Murphy allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

Roman Anthony was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Brayan Bello took the loss but allowed just 3 runs in 6 innings off 6 hits and a walk.

Final Thoughts:

Took just two games for things to fall apart and go back to normal. Terrible situational hitting, giving up runs very early and spotty relief pitching. The season is far from over but all the momentum the Sox built up before the break is gone. The Sox are playing the best the National League has to offer in Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Losing 2 out of 3 to all 3 or worse might take them out of the race for good. Bello and Giolito both went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs apiece but the offense went to sleep. When the bats aren't facing bad teams, they're in trouble. How much longer can you get away with relying on Romy Gonzalez, Abraham Toro and Carlos Narvaez? Also how much longer and the Sox pull the plug on Connor Wong? At this point, ANYONE is better than him. Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli could come out of retirement and put up better numbers than him. I know he's the last man standing from the Mookie Betts trade but how many games is he going to cost them before enough is enough? Its all adding up to a season that just might slip away before the trade deadline. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-47, 5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage the series tomorrow afternoon when Garrett Crochet (10-4) takes on Cade Horton of Chicago. The game begins at 2:30 PM Eastern time at Wrigley Field.

Cubs Snap Streak, Drop Sox (7/18/25)

It was back to reality for the Boston Red Sox as their 10 game winning streak was snapped in pretty much the opening inning of today's game against the Chicago Cubs. Lucas Giolito (6-2, 3.59 ERA) walked the first two batters on 8 pitches nowhere close and grooved a three run homer to Seiya Suzuki. The Sox bats were silenced by Colin Rea and the Chicago bullpen who allowed just 1 measly run. The play of the game came in the top of the fifth when Abraham Toro was foolishly doubled off second on a routine pop up. The Cubs scored a run off Giolito in the bottom of the sixth and the Sox never got closer. The Cubs snapped the Sox win streak and took this game 4-1 at Wrigley Field.

                                                    "Are you kidding me Toro?" - CC

Rea got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jarren Duran took strike three to start. Alex Bregman flied out to left and Roman Anthony struck out swinging to end the inning. Giolito got the ball and walked both Michael Busch and Kyle Tucker on 8 pitches not even close. Seiya Suzuki then hit a 3 run home run all the way to Comiskey Park to essentially end the game right then and there. To add insult to injury, Pete Crow Armstrong hit a routine pop up that Duran failed to call for, and it dropped for a "double". Carson Kelly popped up to third, Ian Happ struck out swinging and Dansby Swanson flied out to center to end the inning but the Cubs were up 3-0

                                                                 That didn't take long

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second inning as Carlos Narvaez struck out swinging to start. Wilyer Abreu drew a walk but Kyle Tucker made a great catch to rob Trevor Story of a hit. Marcelo Mayer lined out to center to end the inning. Nico Hoerner struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Matt Shaw flied out to center. Busch struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to first to start. Abraham "El" Toro also grounded out to first but Duran walked. Bregman singled to right to move Duran to third and Anthony scored Jarren with a double to center. Narvaez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                     10 game hit streak for Anthony

Tucker flied out to center to start the top of the third but Suzuki got a base hit to left. PCA struck out swinging and Kelly flied out to Duran at the wall to end the inning. 

Abreu struck out swinging to open the top of the fourth and Story grounded out to third. Mayer dumped a base hit to left but Rafaela flied out to center to end the inning. Happ grounded out to third to start the bottom of the fourth and Swanson flied out to center. Hoerner lined out to right to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as El Toro got a base hit to right to start. Duran walked and Bregman hit a routine fly ball to center.....catching Toro asleep as he was doubled off second. Anthony walked but Narvaez forced him at second to end the inning. Not even little leaguers make that mistake that Toro did. 

                                                           "What an idiot" - PCA

Shaw got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth and stole second as Busch took strike three. Narvaez was called on catcher's interference to move Shaw to second but Suzuki popped up to short. PCA struck out swinging to end the inning.

Caleb Thielbar came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Abreu took strike three to start. Story popped up to second and Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning. Kelly grounded out to third to start the bottom of the sixth but Happ doubled to right. That was it for Giolito who was at 98 pitches. He went 5 1/3 innings and allowed 4 runs off 5 hits and 2 walks. That first inning killed his chance at a win. Greg Weissert came in and promptly walked Swanson. Naturally Hoerner got a base hit to left to score Happ to ice the game. Shaw lined out to third and that was it for Weissert. Brennan Bernardino got Busch to ground out to first to end the inning with the Cubs up 4-1.

                                                           Not Giolito's day

Ryan Pressly came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Rafaela greeted him with a base hit to left. Toro forced Rafaela at second but Duran got a base hit to right to put the tying run at the plate. Bregman beat out a double play ball and old friend Drew Pomeranz came in to face Anthony. Roman lined out to right to end the inning. Tucker popped up to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Suzuki flied out to center. PCA flied out to center to end the inning.

Another old friend Brad Keller came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Masataka Yoshida pinch hit for Narvaez. Yoshida struck out swinging, Abreu grounded out to first and Story grounded out to Story to end the inning. Connor Wong took over behind the plate and Jorge Alcala came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Kelly walked to start but Happ took strike three. Alcala made a great play on a grounder by Swanson to rob him of a hit and Hoerner flied out to left to end the inning.

Daniel Palencia came in to close out the top of the ninth and Mayer got a base hit to right to start. Rafaela grounded into a double play and Toro flied out to right to end the game. The Cubs had won it 4-1.

                                                                    Cubs win

Jackass of The Night is Abraham Toro. Getting doubled off second on a routine fly ball is inexcusable.

                                                                Nice going, Jackass

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Roman Anthony was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Marcelo Mayer was 2 for 4.

Brennan Bernardino tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Jorge Alcala pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Carlos Narvaez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Trevor Story was 0 for 4.

Lucas Giolito took the loss allowing 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings. He gave up 5 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4.

Wilyer Abreu was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4.

Greg Weissert allowed an inherited runner to score in just 1/3 of an inning.

Honorable Mention:

Connor Wong caught the bottom of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a reality check for sure for the Red Sox. It was if the 10 game streak never happened because this was April/May Sox in a nutshell. Another boneheaded blunder on the bases, not being able to hit in the clutch and a starter that can't go six innings. Giolito threw 98 pitches and had only gotten 13 outs, that's not going to cut it. Then there was Abraham Toro getting doubled off on second. Most little leaguers aren't that stupid and he managed to pull it off. The game was essentially over 3 batters into the first because the Sox just couldn't get the big hit when needed. The worst part is pitchers like Drew Pomeranz who hadn't been seen in four years and Brad Keller got the job done for the Cubs. Now the Sox have Shota Imanaga looming for tomorrow's game. This road trip coming out of the All-Star break is going to make or break them going into the trade deadline. Games like this just gives John Henry all the ammo in the world to tell Craig Breslow to sell off Arolids Chapman, Duran, etc. The loss dropped the Sox to 53-46, 4 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14 ERA) takes on Cubs ace Shota Imanaga. The game begins at 7:15 PM Eastern time at Wrigley Field.

Off-Day News: 2025 MLB Draft Coverage Part 2 (7/15/25)

Before we get to the second half of Monday's draft, the Sox made a couple of releases. The Portland Sea Dogs released pitcher Christopher Troye and infielder Luis Ravello. Luis was a Dominican teenager signed back in 2021 and he never hit consistently. He hit .187 for the Florida Complex League, .217 for the Salem Red Sox, .225 for the Greenville Drive and was hitting .162 for the Portland Sea Dogs this year. The Sox just invested in a few shortstops in the draft, that made Ravello expendable. Troye was a 13th round pick back in 2021 and had a good 2023 with Greenville and Portland, but never took the next step. He was 2-2 with a 4.60 ERA last year and was 3-2 with a 7.20 ERA this year for Portland. The Sox took a bevy of pitchers in the draft the last two seasons and a 26 year old floundering in AA isn't going to cut it. Good luck to them wherever they end up.

                                                                             OUT

Now on to the draft. In the 11th round, the Red Sox selected right handed pitcher Barrett Morgan out of Cowley County Junior College in Kansas. He was 3-2 with a 4.03 ERA which doesn't look good as a JuCo pitcher and the double bad news is he might transfer to Texas A&M. As a human being, getting a better education might be a better idea then a quick cash grab to turn pro...but the Sox might benefit if he's actually good. Who knows where he'll end up.

                                                            Texas A&M or Boston?

In the 12th round, the Sox selected left handed pitcher Ethan Walker from Kentucky University. He was 2-1 with a 4.08 ERA for the Wildcats this season in 9 starts. Not eye popping stuff but once again the Sox are going to try to teach him control. What do they have to lose at this point?

                                                         Another reclamation project

In the 13th round the Sox did NOT take a pitcher but instead took Wake Forest third baseman Jack Winnay. Why? He's a local kid from Newton who graduated from Belmont Hill. He hit 20 home runs in 2024 and 15 this season for Wake Forest. If nothing else, you can say a kid from Newton got drafted.

                                                          From Belmont Hill to Boston

In the 14th round the Sox took right handed pitcher Carter Rasmussen out of Wofford College. What is Wofford College? Its a private school in South Carolina. He was 6-2 with a 3.21 ERA but he's making a big jump. He'll be going from facing batters from The Citadel, Mercer and Western Carolina to some of the top minor league prospects. He better be ready.

                                                  From Southern Conference to MLB

In the 15th round, the Sox took West Virginia outfielder Skylar King. He hit .291 with 3 home runs and 32 rbis this past season and with the Sox taking a bevy of pitchers in the draft, an outfielder was needed as well. Hope he can hit the minors as good as he hit at WVU.

                                                                   Good luck King

In the 16th round, the Sox went with Division 3 pitcher of the year Jason Gilman out of Kean University. He won a whole bunch of accolades this year including leading D3 in wins and K's. The problem is, it was Division 3. Your local accountant played D3 baseball. Not that he cant make the transition to the majors, but it'll be a tall order to go from Kean to Salem.

                                                     D3 Hero Jason Gilman

The Sox made a crapshot when they drafted Ole Miss right handed pitcher Patrick Galle in the 17th round. He pitched just 14 innings in 11 games the last two years and allowed 11 runs. Why Craig Breslow wanted to take a flier on him is anyone's guess. Still, its the 17th round, not much is left by this point.

                                                            Good luck Galle

The Sox took yet another pitcher in the 18th round when they selected Auburn left hander Cade Fisher. Fisher looked good at Florida in 2023 going 6-0 with a 3.23 ERA then fell flat on his face in 2024 with the Gators. This year at Auburn he was 1-3 with a 4.68 ERA which doesn't sound like a big prospect, but, the draft is almost over.

                                                           Rollercoaster college career

The Sox made a peculiar pick when they took Christian Military Academy outfielder Fabian Bonilla Huertas in the 19th round. He's committed to Florida Southwestern State College but we'll see if he chooses the Sox over them. If not, just a wasted 19th round pick.

                                                                       19th round pick

With their 20th and final draft pick, the Sox went with BYU right handed pitcher Garrison Sumner. This might be the most peculiar 20th round pick since Chaim Bloom took Connor Butler who was destined to become a youth pastor. Sumner was straight batting practice, going 3-3 with a 8.32 ERA for the Cougars. I know 600 players had already been chosen by this point in the draft, but there must have been SOMEONE better than a guy who wasn't even good in college. Still, it would be a hell of a story if he turned it around at the pros. Good luck.

                                                        8.32 ERA in college.....

After the draft the Sox signed three undrafted rookie free agents. The first was North Georgia University outfielder Andrews Opata. He put up good stats this year hitting .372 with 12 home runs and 62 rbis. Why wasn't he drafted? North Georgia isn't exactly known as a baseball powerhouse or the teams they play. Still, unlike some of the others on the list, its better to draft guys that at least look like they can do well rather than guys who proved they couldn't.

                                                              Undrafted but undeterred

The second undrafted rookie free agent signed was University of Texas San Antonio shortstop Ty Hodge. He was 1 for 18 for Texas A&M then transferred to Houston Christian before transferring to UTSA this season. He hit .292 with 6 home runs and 42 rbis but his failure at Texas A&M is what MLB scouts were afraid of. The Sox took a flier on him and let's see how this plays out.

                                                               From failure to MLB

Lastly the Boston Red Sox signed Michigan State catcher Caleb Berry. Berry bashed 6 home runs and drove in 34 runs while hitting .297 for the Spartans. The reason he went undrafted was he's already 23 and his year at Michigan was post-grad. Still, for an undrafted rookie free agent, you have nothing to lose if you can get anything out of him.

                                                     What's another year of college?

It was very apparent that Craig Breslow had a mission in this draft, power arms. For the second straight year Breslow took power arms whether their stats were good or not. Legendary University of Kentucky basketball coach Adolph Rupp used to say "I can teach guys how to play basketball, I can't teach height." Breslow's message was "We can work on mechanics, but you can't teach fire." A lot of fans were complaining about the lack of positional players taken, but that's where the trades for James Tibbs and Yophery Rodriguez come into play. The Sox have a loaded team up top with exciting young players but they have a lack of power arms. Breslow is hoping to fix this. Whether he'll be around to see his success is to be determined.

Off-Day News: 2025 MLB Draft Coverage (7/14/25)

The 2025 MLB Draft kicked off last night and the Washington Nationals took Eli Willits first overall out of an Oklahoma high school.  The Angels took UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner second overall and Matt Holliday's son Ethan went fourth overall to the Colorado Rockies. Back in 2022, the Sox took Gavin Kilen in the 13th round but he chose to go to school. Kilen was taken 13th overall by the San Francisco Giants. 

                                               Sox drafted the right guy in the wrong year

The Red Sox chose 15th overall and they took Oklahoma University right handed pitcher Kyson Witherspoon. He was 10-4 with a 2.64 ERA with 125 strikeouts in 95 innings. He can hit 95-97 on the gun with a 91 mph slider. The Sox desperately needed a power arm in their system and this was the top pitcher on the board when he was chosen. Boston media was raving about Gage Wood but they went with the best remaining. His twin brother Malachi went in the second round to the Detroit Tigers. The last pitcher drafted by the Sox in the first round was Tanner Houck in the 2017. Hopefully Witherspoon is more consistent than Tanner has been.

                                                                Has a chance to be a star

Thanks to the Quinn Priester trade, the Red Sox got the Milwaukee Brewers second round pick. They used to it to select Tennessee University right handed pitcher Marcus Phillips. Phillips was another fireballer who reached 101 mph on the gun for the Vols this season. He was 4-5 with a 3.90 ERA for Tennessee including striking out 98 batters in 83 innings. His stats aren't eye-popping for the 33rd overall pick but the thinking is you can't teach velocity. The name of the game is fireball and he can throw it, just have to make sure its not straight as an arrow.

                                                           Another power arm

With their own second round pick 75th overall, the Sox selected Virginia University shortstop Henry Godbout. Godbout was a shortstop coming out of college but moved to second to add some size. That size translated into him hitting 9 home runs and driving in 47 runs while hitting .372 in 2024. This year he had a "down" year hitting 8 home runs and driving in 37 runs while hitting "just" .309. He's a power hitting second baseman and even though he's much taller, the projection is that he could be the next Dustin Pedroia. That's a bit of a reach, but the Sox haven't had a star second baseman since Pedroia broke down 7 years ago. Time will tell.

                                                              Good luck to Godbout

With their third round pick, the Sox took right handed pitcher Anthony Eyanson from Louisiana State University. Eyanson was arguably the ace of the 2025 NCAA Champion Tigers by going 12-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 18 starts. He's not a fireballer like the previous two pitchers as he sits more 95, but he's got a devastating slider. He struck out 152 batters in 108 innings and that's the kind of guy who can get out of jams.

                                                    Eyanson won the College World Series

In the fourth round, the Sox took Arizona University shortstop Mason White. White racked up the accolades this season as he was Big 12 MVP, NCAA Regional MVP and second team All-American. He hit .327 with 20 home runs and 73 rbis for Arizona this season. No idea how someone like this drops all the way to the fourth round but if he's as good as the accolades say, he could be an intriguing prospect moving forward.

                                                            Big 12 Player of The Year

In the fifth round the Sox took Arkansas University right handed pitcher Christian Foutch. This one was a bit of a reach because he pitched out of the bullpen and went 1-0 with a 4.09 ERA. Still, Chaim Bloom was drafting guys who were awful in college while current Sox GM Craig Breslow are at least taking mediocre guys. He might be good, time will tell.

                                                          Future bullpen arm

The Sox took another pitcher in the sixth round when they tabbed right handed pitcher Leighton Finley out of Georgia University. He was 3-2 with a 4.85 ERA for the Bulldogs this year which isn't great, but its better than being batting practice. Maybe Breslow thinks the Sox instructors can improve his techniques.

                                                            Another pitching prospect

The Sox took yet another pitcher in the seventh round when they took left handed pitcher Myles Patton out of Texas A&M. This one was a head scratcher as he had a bad year for the Aggies, going 3-5 with a 5.26 ERA. What they see out of him is anyone's guess. The previous regime was burned by drafting bum pitchers in college, hopefully history doesn't repeat itself.

                                                    Hope the Sox know what they are doing

In the 8th round the Sox took.....you guessed it....another pitcher. Dylan Brown, the left handed pitcher out of Old Dominion was 5-2 with a 4.06 ERA in 15 starts. Not great but it'll do. The Sox are trying to build up some left handed arms with Peyton Tolle and Connelly Early, hopefully Brown is the next one.

                                                   The new pitcher from Old Dominion

Stop me if you've heard this, the Red Sox took....another pitcher....in the ninth round. They selected Anthony Eyanson's LSU teammate, right handed pitcher Jacob Mayers. Mayers was a classic Wild Thing Vaughn at LSU as he throws 100 mph but walks more batters than not. He was 2-0 with a 4.80 ERA this year for the college champs and the mission is to teach him control. If they can do that, they may have a future closer on their hands.

                                       "Wild Thing, you make my butt sting!" - Randy Quaid

The Sox shocked the world then they did NOT take a pitcher in the 10th round. They instead took Kansas State shortstop Maximus Martin. He hit .320 with 14 home runs at Kansas State as well as play games at centerfield. They might move him to another position at some point, but if he can hit, he'll play anywhere.

                                                                   Nice tie

All in all, the name of the game is pitching. Breslow drafted a whole bunch of pitchers last year and he's doing it again this year. But this isn't just taking the best player available or spinning around three times and choosing a name out of a hat, this is design. They're taking power pitchers that can hit 100 on the gun and teaching them either control or movement. At least Breslow understands the name of the game is power and they're taking as many power arms as they can. Law of averages means if you take 10 pitchers, one of them has to be good unless your scouting department totally blows. Even so you have to account for injuries, guys who simply can't learn control or don't have the mental capacity to pitch under pressure. Peyton Tolle was taken in the second round last year and he might be Portland's ace right now. The sky is the limit for Kyson Witherspoon and some of these guys. Its up to the developmental system to take it from here.

Bello, Sox Sweep Rays For 10th Straight (7/13/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Blake Sabol was traded to the Chicago White Sox for a big brown sack full of money. After Carlos Narvaez broke out, Sabol was expendable. Since Sox brass refuses to cut Connor Wong because he's last man standing from the Mookie Betts trade, Sabol was the one sent to Chicago. The Sox have Nathan Hickey in AAA in case someone else gets hurt or they finally tell Wong to beat it.

                                                                           OUT

As for the game, say hello to the hottest team in baseball heading into the All-Star break. The Boston Red Sox had swept the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies coming into this series with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox won three straight games and needed one more to win 10 games in a row. They got it as timely hitting and great pitching by Brayan Bello (6-3, 3.14 ERA) kept the Sox in the game. An obstruction call on Marcelo Mayer and a Trevor Story rbi put the Sox ahead before Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two run shot to put the game away. Bello gave way to Justin Wilson, Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman to slam the door. Chapman blew away the side in the ninth as the Sox won 10 straight games and this one 4-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                 Freya Von Doom approves of the win

Bello got the ball in the top of the first and Chandler Simpson grounded out to short to start. Jonathan Aranda took strike three and Yandy Diaz lined out to right. Pepiot got the ball in the bottom off the first inning and Jarren Duran singled to center to start. Alex Bregman popped up to third and Duran got promptly picked off. Roman Anthony grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Jake Mangum grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Josh Lowe grounded out to second. Junior Caminero singled to left but Matt Thaiss flied out to right to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Story flied out to right. Ceddanne Rafaela grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Rays goofed in the top of the third as Ha-Seong Kim flied out to right to start. Taylor Walls flied out to left but Story bobbled a grounder by Simpson for an infield single. Aranda was hit with a pitch but Diaz lofted a ball to Rafaela. Ceddanne dove and it looked like he made the catch, but he dropped it. Simpson pulled up thinking the ball was caught but then realized it wasn't. Before he could cross home plate, Aranda was thrown out at third to end the inning.

The Sox caught another break in the bottom of the third as Marcelo Mayer doubled to the bullpen wall to start. Romy Gonzalez grounded out to third and Connor Wong grounded out to second to move Mayer to third. Mayer looked like he was picked off, but third base umpire Scott Barry ruled that Caminero obstructed Mayer with his right leg so Marcelo was allowed to score. Duran walked but Bregman popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         "He's safe" - Barry

The lead lasted 8 seconds as Mangum doubled to left to start the top of the fourth. A wild pitch moved Mangum to third and he scored on the liner to right by Lowe. Caminero grounded out to third and Thaiss grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Lowe ties the game

Anthony flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Yoshida grounded out to first. Story got a base hit to left but Rafaela struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Sox bad defense reared its ugly head as Kim popped up to first to start the top of the fifth. Walls got a base hit to center and Bello booted a grounder by Simpson for an error. Aranda struck out swinging and Diaz popped up to right to end the inning. Mayer grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth before Gonzalez grounded out to third. Somehow Wong got a seeing eye single into right but Duran struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mangum struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth and Lowe golfed a pop up to center. Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. Bregman grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth but Anthony doubled off the top of the Monster. Anthony moved to third on the Yoshida grounder to first and scored on the Story line drive single off the Monster. Story promptly stole second and Rafaela smashed a home run that hit the top of the Monster and bounced into the seats. Mayer struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                        Rafaela gets the Wally Head

Bello returned for the top of the seventh and naturally Thaiss sliced a base hit to left to start. Kim managed to foul balls off both his legs before taking strike three. That was it for Bello who pitched a hell of a game, going 6 2/3 innings allowing 1 run without walking anyone. Justin Wilson came in and Walls grounded out to short to move Thaiss to second. Simpson grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                            "Bello ya sonovagun, good game" - Cora

Ian Seymour came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh with Curtis Mead coming in for the beat up Kim. Gonzalez grounded out to short, Wong took strike three and Duran flied out to center to end the inning.

Garrett "The Lock" Whitlock came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Aranda was called out on strike three on the outside corner to start. Diaz lined a base hit past Mayer and Mangum beat out an infield single to short. Lowe forced Mangum at second to put runners at the corners but Caminero struck out swinging to end the inning. Bregman got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the eighth but was forced at second by Anthony. Yoshida grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the top of the ninth and Christopher Morel pinch hit for Thaiss. Morel struck out swinging on a hanging slider and Chapman blew away Mead. Walls also struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had swept the series, won 10 straight and took the game 4-1.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brayan Bello. He held the Rays to just 1 run in 6 1/3 innings allowing 6 hits and no walks while striking out 5.

                                                           Hero Bello

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Trevor Story was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Ceddanne Rafaela was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Marcelo Mayer was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Connor Wong was 1 for 3.

Justin Wilson got the final 2 outs of the seventh inning.

Garrett Whitlock pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Aroldis Chapman earned his 17th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 4.

Romy Gonzalez was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Alex Bregman was just 1 for 4.

Roman Anthony was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are absolutely rolling heading into the All-Star break after winning 10 in a row. The pitching has been lights out and credit Alex Cora for finally letting the starters go longer. Bello going the distance last game and into the seventh today shortens the game tremendously. If and when Justin Slaten comes back, this bullpen might be one of the best in the game. Ceddanne Rafaela and Trevor Story have stepped up in the wake of Rafael Devers getting traded and the returns of Alex Bregman and Masataka Yoshida will give them two more contact hitters. The Sox are starting to develop an identity on offense and if they can avoid any more key injuries, they can come out of the gate firing this Friday in Chicago. The Sox were pretty much dead on June 29th but winning 13 out of 14 brought them back into the thick of things. There's still rumors of the Sox dealing Duran, Chapman and possibly Bregman, but winning cures everything. If the Sox come out of the break continuing to win, they might be buyers at the trade deadline in a few weeks. All in all it was a great win today and the Sox did what they had to do to get back in the race. The win improved the Sox to 53-45, 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East. The Sox come out of the break this Friday taking on the Chicago Cubs in Chicago. Lucas Giolito (6-1, 3.36 ERA) takes on Colin Rea of the Cubs. The game begins at 2:20 PM at Wrigley Field.

Crochet, Sox Blank Rays (7/12/25)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made an unfortunate roster mover. The MRI showed Hunter Dobbins tore his ACL and would be out for the rest of the season. He was placed on the Injured List and "Big" Dick Fitts was called up to replace him. With Quinn Priester gone and Kutter Crawford already out for the season, pitching depth was becoming an issue. Now with Dobbins out, they either need to trade for another starter or ride with a 3-4-5 of Brayan Bello, Walker Buehler and Fitts. Sox GM Craig Breslow has 3 weeks to make a choice.

                                                                             OUT

                                                                        IN

As for the game, you can say the Red Sox got little for the Quinn Priester, Chris Sale and Rafael Devers trades but one that did work out was getting Garrett Crochet (10-4, 2.23 ERA). The ace of the Sox stepped up big to run their win streak to nine straight games when he shut down the Tampa Bay Rays. After having two weeks of non-stop offense, the Sox bats were held to just 5 hits and a run by Shane Baz and Edwin Uceta. A Carlos Narvaez rbi in the fourth would be Boston's only run of the game. Turns out that's all they needed as Crochet pitched a complete game, 3 hit shutout for the first time in his career.  Garrett didn't walk anyone and the defense made no errors so Tampa didn't have a chance at all the entire game. The Sox found a way to win a one run game, 3 in a row against Tampa and 9 straight overall as they blanked the Rays 1-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Krosis approves of the win

Crochet got the ball in the top of the first and Yandy Diaz took strike three to start. Ha-Seong Kim struck out swinging but Jake Mangum grounded out to third to end the inning. Baz got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jarren Duran popped up to short to start. Ceddanne Rafaela singled to center then promptly stole second. Roman Anthony walked but Carlos Narvaez grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Junior Caminero struck out swinging to begin the top of the second but Christopher Morel flied out to right. Curtis Mead got a base hit to right and Danny Jansen flied out to left to end the inning. Masataka Yoshida grounded out to second to start the bottom of the second before Trevor Story flied out to right. Wilyer Abreu was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Jose Caballero struck out swinging to start the top of the third and Taylor Walls lined out to center. Diaz grounded out to third to end the inning. Abraham "El" Toro grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third but Marcelo Mayer walked. Duran flied out to right and Mayer was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Kim grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Mangum lined out to Rafaela. Caminero grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Rafaela grounded back to the mound to start. Anthony doubled to right and Navarez hit a seeing eye single into left to score Roman. Yoshida hit a bullet right to Kim who doubled off Narvaez to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                             Narvaez drives in a run

Morel grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Mead did the same. Jansen struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Story doubled to right to begin. Abreu struck out swinging, El Toro popped up to third and Mayer flied out to center to end the inning.

The Rays only threat came in the top of the sixth when Caballero popped up to short to start. Walls got a base hit to right and Diaz got a base hit to center to move Walls to third. Kim then tried a suicide squeeze bunt to first and El Toro came home instead of get the easy out......YERR OUTTA THERE! Rays manager challenged that Walls was safe but the call was upheld. Mangum grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                                   OUT!

Duran doubled to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Rafaela popped up to first. Anthony grounded out to short and Caballero made a great catch to rob Narvaez of a hit to end the inning.

Caminero struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Story made a great diving stab on a Morel liner. Mead struck out swinging to end the inning. Yoshida was hit with a pitch to start the bottom of the seventh but Story struck out swinging to end Shane Baz' day. Edwin Uceta struck out Abreu swinging but Yoshida stole second. El Toro struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jansen struck out swinging to start the top of the eighth and Caballero was rung up for strike three. Walls grounded out to short to end the inning. The only question now was would Sox manager Alex Cora go with Crochet to finish it or go with Aroldis Chapman? Mayer struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth but Duran drew a walk. Rafaela struck out swinging but Duran swiped second base. Anthony grounded out to second to end the inning.

Crochet returned to complete the game in the top of the ninth and Diaz grounded back to him to start. Kim was retired on a squibber in front of the plate and Abreu snared a liner by Mangum to end the game. Crochet had gone the distance and the Sox held on to win 1-0.

                                                            Sox win

Hero of the Night is Garrett Crochet. He tossed a complete game, 3 hit shutout with no walks and striking out 9 batters.

                                                             Garrett Hero

The Good:

Jarren Duran was 1 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Roman Anthony was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Carlos Narvaez was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Trevor Story was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

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

Abraham Toro was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Ceddanne Rafaela was just 1 for 4 with a walk but stole a base.

Masataka Yoshida was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch and stole a base.

Marcelo Mayer was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Things are firing on all cylinders right now and the Sox in this epic win streak have found ways to win that they weren't for much of April and May. Rallying to beat the Rays twice and then winning a one run game like this one weren't happening. The Sox still make errors but today was as flawless as it got. Story with the big stab, Toro coming home to preserve the shutout and some difficult catches were made. The Sox bats went silent for the first time in two weeks but still found a way to win. Crochet is definitely making a march on the AL Cy Young Award and more importantly, the Sox took another baby step toward October. Even though this is a July regular season game, The Sox will very likely match up against the other team's ace in Game 1 of the playoffs if they make it that far. Having Crochet pitch games like this gives them a chance to beat anyone whether its the AL leading Detroit Tigers or the Seattle Mariners who bumped Tampa out of the third slot. The Sox bats were due for a let down but Crochet picked them up big time. Better yet, the complete game saved the bullpen for tomorrow's finale so a four game sweep and 10 wins in a row is on the table. The Sox looked dead in the water and sellers at the trade deadline when they were 41-44 and coming off a 4-8 stretch after the Devers trade. Since then they've won 12 of their last 13 and today's win improved them to 52-45, 4 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the series and win 10 games in a row tomorrow afternoon when Brayan Bello (5-3, 3.27 ERA) takes on Ryan Pepiot of Tampa. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.