What Rivalry? The Red Sox Traded Alex Verdugo To The Yankees For Three Meh Pitching Prospects

 

    That Mookie Betts trade to the Dodgers continues to haunt the Red Sox as tonight they gave up the one decent part of that deal-outfielder Alex Verdugo-to the Yankees (of all teams!) for three right-handed pitchers that nobody outside of true baseball nerds has ever heard of before now. After four up and down seasons with Boston, Verdugo was moved no doubt because manager Alex Cora and the Red Sox front office were sick of all his unnecessary drama. He was benched not once but twice last season and for a guy that is 27 years old and has been in MLB for seven seasons but never reached a single All-Star Game, you have to cut your losses at some point. Granted, this is only the eighth ever trade between Boston and New York in the Divisional Era (since 1969) so that tells you that the Sox do not think much of Verdugo at this point. 

As always with prospects, I won't sit here and pretend like I know anything about Richard Fitts (NY's #12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline), Greg Weissert or Nicholas Judice. Weissert is 28 and the only one of the three to appear in an MLB game so far: he had a 4.60 ERA over 29 appearances for the Yankees between 2022 and 2023. Fitts who is 23 years old went 18-13 with a 3.57 ERA in 49 career minor league starts over the past two seasons. Judice is only 22 and he was just drafted this past season in the eighth round of the MLB Draft so needless to say, he has not made his MLB debut yet. The way I look at it, these guys are all scratch tickets meaning that there is no way that the Red Sox will hit on all three of them. If they are lucky, two turn out to be serviceable major league arms or one will be really good. 

    Verdugo had the makings of a guy that could have been a star here (well at least when people still cared about baseball and the Red Sox) but he never made that next step beyond just a good player. He is a decent hitter (.264/.324/.745 last season) but he does not possess much power (13 HRs and 54 RBIs in 140 games). He is a good defender-a Gold Glove finalist in left field in 2023-that is versatile enough to play all three outfield positions well. Finally, he has a fiery personality and unique style-two distinct elements which are quite lacking in most MLB players these days. 

    Will Verdugo finally grow up and take the next step in his career with the no fun allowed Yankees? Probably not but it would be so Red Sox for them to bungle this trade with him becoming a better and more consistent player while these three pitchers are never heard from again. The scary part is that Verdugo was one of Boston's top MLB players and the last thing they need is more of a talent drain. Hopefully this is just the start (but I doubt it) for the Red Sox when it comes to making some real moves this winter. Like the Patriots, they have so many issues to address before they can even be considered any type of contender next season and beyond. Good luck, Craig Breslow!

The Second Walk-Off Win In Two Nights Sends The Red Sox To The ALCS & Ends Tampa's Season

 

    What did I tell you? Anything can happen in the MLB playoffs, especially in a shorter series format. In the 2021 regular season, there was no question that the 100 win Rays were a far superior team to the Red Sox. However, get those same clubs in the pressure cooker of the ALDS and suddenly, all of Tampa's flaws (no starting pitching, shaky lineup, too many young guys, a robot manager, etc) is exposed for all of the world to see. Boston no-showed in Game 1 getting shut out 5-0 but they never looked back after that. They destroyed Tampa 14-6 in Game 2, won Game 3 by a score of 6-4 in 13 innings on Christian Vazquez's two-run homer last night and this evening at Fenway Park, they finished the job with a 6-5 victory at Fenway thanks to the hottest hitter in baseball center fielder Kike Hernandez's walk-off sacrifice fly that scored pinch runner Danny Santana.

    Nobody can question the Rays' method, to a point. Using analytics and an excellent farm system, they routinely outperform expectations and prove that you can get it done with a low budget. Tonight, I'm not sure if their nerds had fallen asleep when they were putting together their pre-game spread sheets for Tampa Bay's manager Kevin Cash but the fact that they even pitched to Kike with first base open (runners on 2nd and 3rd) and one out was puzzling to say the least. Bigger picture, using pitchers as openers and changing their roles from game to game doesn't work in the biggest contests against the toughest opponents. The Rays reached the World Series in 2008 (losing in 5 games vs. the Phillies) and last season vs. the Dodgers (losing in 6 games) so until they actually win a championship, you can't convince me that analytics are everything in baseball. You still have to use your eyes, brain and natural instincts in conjunctions with the endless numbers. 

    The Red Sox built an early 5-0 lead thanks to batting around and scoring five runs in the third inning. With the Rays on the ropes, it looked like it might be a blowout in favor of the home team. However, credit to Tampa as they methodically chipped away against Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez (5 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, 6 Ks, 0 BBs) along with relievers Tanner Houck and Ryan Brasier. The Rays scored once in the fifth inning, twice in the sixth inning and twice in the eighth inning to tie things up at five. 

    Boston's star third baseman Rafael Devers (3-for-4) had the biggest swing of the game as he lofted a three-run shot (scoring Vazquez and first baseman Kyle Schwarber) to center field for a 3-0 advantage on his second home run of the playoffs. Left fielder Alex Verdugo added an RBI double that plated shortstop Xander Bogaerts and DH J.D. Martinez knocked in Dugie with an RBI single. Tampa's rally started innocently enough with an RBI groundout in the fifth. Their best player shortstop Wander Franco (who is just 20 years old!) blasted a two-run bomb (that scored center fielder Kevin Kiermaier as well) to almost the same exact spot as Devers, his second homer of the playoffs cut it to 5-3 in the sixth. Brasier melted down in the eighth as he allowed the two runs without recording an out. Kiermaier (2 runs) roped an RBI double that scored catcher Mike Zunino and right fielder Randy Arozarena (2 hits) knotted things at five with an RBI single that scored Kiermaier. 

    The two Red Sox relievers that excelled in Game 4 were lefty Josh Taylor who worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning with a strikeout on 10 pitches and Garrett Whitlock (1-0) who pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning that only required 15 total pitches. The other AL series has Houston leading Chicago 2-1 after today's game in Chitown was rained out. Whoever wins that series will have home-field advantage vs. the Red Sox and the ALCS is set to start on Friday night. Boston is the last AL East team alive in the playoffs after they held off the Blue Jays for a Wild Card spot, eliminated the Yankees in said Wild Card Game and now they sent the Rays packing as well. It might seem improbable but by reaching MLB's version of the Final Four, the Red Sox have turned this season into an unexpected success with a real chance to reach another World Series. I expect the Astros to beat the White Sox and if that happens, Boston will have their hands full since I believe that Houston has been their worst matchup for years. Regardless, we have quickly been reminded how fun October baseball can be and now we have at least four more games of it to savor. 

Sox Live To See Another Day While The Yanks Are Done After Losing 6-2 In The AL Wild Card Game

 

    Last night was the first time that the Red Sox had ever appeared in the winner-take-all AL Wild Card game and it didn't disappoint as they dispatched the Yankees 6-2 at Fenway Park. With the win, the Red Sox advance to the best-of-five ALDS vs. another AL East foe-Tampa Bay-starting tomorrow night (8:07, FS1). Boston's starter Nathan Eovaldi (5.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 8 Ks, 0 BBs) easily outdueled New York's ace Gerrit Cole (2+ IP, 3 ER, 4 hits, 3 Ks, 2 BBs). The Yankees' bullpen was supposed to be one of their biggest advantages but it didn't matter since Cole put them in such a hole, haha apparently that's what $324 million buys you these days in MLB.   

Neither offense did much: Boston had seven hits while New York managed only six. The difference was that the Red Sox made their hits really count. Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit a two-run bomb to straight away center field in the first and DH Kyle Schwarber cranked a solo blast to right field in the third inning. Left fielder Alex Verdugo was also a star for the home team with an RBI double in the sixth and a two-run single in the seventh inning. All that New York's top heavy lineup could provide was a solo shot by first baseman Anthony Rizzo that cut it to 3-1 in the sixth inning while DH Giancarlo Stanton (3-for-4) hit a meaningless solo shot in the ninth inning when the Yanks were trailing 6-1.  

    Ironically for a team that was so shaky defensively all season, the play of the game came from a sweet relay throw from Boston's center fielder Kike Hernandez to Bogaerts to catcher Kevin Plawecki. Stanton just missed a homer (the ball hit a few feet under the lip of the Green Monster) and New York's bozo third base coach Phil Nevin sent right fielder Aaron Judge home with one out. That stupid decision did not turn out well for the visitors as Kike quickly threw the ball to Bogaerts who pegged a perfect strike to Plawecki who got the tag down on a sliding Judge. It was an awesome sequence that saved Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier who escaped the inning by having left fielder Joey Gallo pop out. 

    Boston rookie Tanner Houck pitched a dominant seventh inning with two strikeouts in a clean frame and Hansel Robles followed with a 1-2-3 eighth inning including a strikeout. The other prized Red Sox rookie pitcher Garrett Whitlock allowed that Stanton homer in the ninth but that was it. By surviving the Wild Card game, I believe Boston is playing with house money from here on out. Tampa won the division and 100 games this season, which following their World Series appearance last year proves that they are not a fluke. They are the best team in the American League and one of the top clubs in baseball so they will be favored but anything can happen in the playoffs, particularly in a short series. Game 2 is on Friday night (7:02, FS1) at the Trop while Game 3 is on Sunday afternoon (4:07, MLB Network) back here. If necessary,  Game 4 would be on Marathon Monday in Boston while a do-or-die Game 5 would be on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. Get excited everybody, the Red Sox are in the mix for the World Series this October!

On The Last Day Of The Regular Season, Sox Clinch A Spot In The AL Wild Card Game Vs. NYY

 

    In a season full of crazy highs and lows, it was only fitting that it came down to the final game of the regular season for the Red Sox (92-70 overall, 43-38 away) to ultimately determine their playoff fate. If they had lost to the lowly Nationals (65-97 overall, 35-46 home), they would have been forced to play a tiebreaker game #163 against the Blue Jays (91-71) on Monday. Thankfully, it did not have to come down to that scary scenario as Boston rallied for a thrilling 7-5 victory at Nationals Park to both sweep Washington and set up a doozy of an AL Wild Card game on Tuesday night (8:08, ESPN) at Fenway Park vs. the Yankees (92-70). It will be the first time that the Red Sox have ever played in the Wild Card game so who better to face than their biggest rival? In a sport that is always desperate for attention and ratings, MLB couldn't have asked for a sexier matchup than that.

    Star third baseman Rafael Devers (4-for-5 w/2 HRs, 4 RBIs & 3 runs) was incredible for the visitors while Chris Sale only went 2.1 IP (recording all of his outs via strikeouts) but six relievers helped the Sox get to the finish line. In fact, if you throw out Garrett Richards (3 ER in 1 IP), the other five guys (Hirokazu Sawamura, Martin Perez, Garrett Whitlock, Eduardo Rodriguez and Nick Pivetta) combined for 5.2 scoreless innings and only one hit allowed with five strikeouts. Boston did not make it easy on themselves as they trailed 2-0 in the fourth inning before Devers crushed a solo home run to center (his 37th of the season). The Nats added three more runs in the fifth inning including a two-run double by catcher Alex Avila in his final MLB game that made it 5-1 in favor of the home team. 

    The Sox eventually decided to get to work in the sixth inning as they cut it to 5-2 on an infield single by catcher Christian Vazquez that scored pinch hitter Jose Iglesias (playing in his last game of the season since he was acquired after Sept. 1). Boston tied it with three runs in the seventh on an RBI single by Devers that plated first baseman and former Nationals great Kyle Schwarber and a clutch two-run double by left fielder Alex Verdugo (3-for-5). Raffy saved his last heroics of the day for the ninth inning as he smashed a two-run bomb to left center that scored Schwarber once again. Needless to say, that was a huge swing (sorry for the lame baseball pun) for the Sox who went from having to play a must-win game tomorrow against the very dangerous Jays to hosting a must-win in two days vs. the Yankees.  

    Red Sox manager Alex Cora had to be creative in the last few innings with his bullpen: Whitlock pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning with two strikeouts, Rodriguez (13-8) added a scoreless eighth inning with a strikeout to earn the win and Pivetta closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout for his first save of the season/as a member of the Red Sox. New York also would have faced Toronto if they had lost this afternoon but they beat Tampa Bay (100-62) 1-0 on a walk-off single by their star right fielder Aaron Judge. This will be the fourth time that the Yanks have appeared in the winner-take-all Wild Card game and they are 2-1 previously in them. With Nathan Eovaldi (11-9, 3.75 ERA) opposing Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (16-8), it has all the makings of a classic new chapter to one of the great rivalries in sports. The winners will advance to the ALDS vs. the Rays, what an amazing season for the AL East (minus the 52-110 Orioles!). 

Thanks To Verdugo's HR In The 8th, Sox Rally For Their MLB-Best 33rd Comeback Win Of The Season

 

    Their games still might take way too long to complete but at least the Red Sox (62-39 overall, 32-20 home) in 2021 are making it worth your while if you stick around for the later innings since they seem to have a special ability to never be out of almost any contest. Tonight in their series opener against the Blue Jays (49-47 overall, 27-25 away) at smoky Fenway Park (because of the wildfires in California), they trailed 4-3 in the eighth inning before left fielder Alex Verdugo crushed a two-run bomb (his 10th of the season) into the right centerfield seats that scored right fielder Hunter Renfroe (2-for-3 w/2B, 2 runs, BB). Closer and UConn product Matt Barnes worked an easy 1-2-3 ninth inning on just nine pitches to record his 22nd save of the season. 

    The win over the stunned Jays was the 33rd comeback victory of the season for Boston-the most in MLB-and it put them a season-high 23 games over .500 while their slim lead over the second-place Rays (60-40 overall) in the AL East slightly increased to 1.5 games while Tampa Bay has a game in hand. The Sox struck first with a pair of runs in the second inning on an RBI single by Verdugo that plated Renfroe and second baseman Michael Chavis drove in Verdugo with a ground out. Toronto tied it with a pair of RBI singles in the third inning by their superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (that scored catcher Reese McGuire) and second baseman Marcus Semien (that scored UConn's George Springer). 

    Boston's star third baseman Rafael Devers (2-for-4) helped the Red Sox pull ahead again 3-2 with a solo homer (his team-leading 27th of the season) in the third inning that hooked a few rows back into the right field seats. Red Sox killer and Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette hit a two-run blast over the Green Monster (his 18th of the season also scored Springer) in the fifth inning that gave the Jays a 4-3 advantage. From there, it was a battle of the bullpens which the Red Sox predictably dominated as relievers Phillips Valdez (2.1 scoreless innings with two strikeouts) and Northeastern's Adam Ottavino (3-3; scoreless eighth inning) bridged the gap from the ineffective starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (4.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 hits, 3 Ks, 2 BBs) to Barnes. One of the main reasons why the Blue Jays currently sit where they are in the standings is due to their putrid bullpen.

    Boston improved to 8-4 against Toronto this season and they'll go for their fourth straight win against them tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) as good old Garrett Richards (6-5) faces Jays ace Robbie Ray (8-5). Obviously, Ray is a much better pitcher than Richards but this same matchup actually happened last Wednesday in Buffalo with Richards outlasting Ray in a 7-4 Red Sox triumph. The Sox are 7-3 since the All-Star break and they own the best record in the American League with the Giants (62-37) being the only team with a better mark than them at this point of the season. Oh yeah and the trade deadline is Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. so if you need me, I'll be busy reading juicy tweets and rumor-filled stories about possible deals until that time.

Go Figure: After An Embarrassing 18-4 Loss To The Blue Jays, The Red Sox Walk Them Off Yet Again

 

    The Red Sox (40-27 overall, 20-17 home) and the Blue Jays (33-31 overall, 20-18 away) just concluded one of the strangest four-game series that you will ever see at Fenway Park. To review: Boston walked off Toronto 6-5 on Friday night, the Jays beat them 7-2 on Saturday afternoon then absolutely wiped the floor with the Sox 18-4 on Sunday afternoon. That left tonight's series finale which naturally turned into a pitcher's duel that was ultimately won 2-1 by Red Sox third baseman's Rafael Devers' (2 hits) walk-off single that scored right fielder Alex Verdugo (2 hits). The net result of these bizarre four days was a series split for the Sox who remain three games back of the Rays (43-24)-owners of the best record in MLB. Toronto is in third-place in the AL East but I doubt that they'll ever catch Tampa Bay since they are 8.5 games behind them. 

    It's no coincidence that Boston's shaky at best starting rotation has completely fallen apart since Major League Baseball has turned its attention to foreign substances (Spider Tack!) used by pitchers all around the sport. The Red Sox pitching was so brutal on Sunday that reliever Ryan Weber allowed 11 earned runs (before he was promptly sent back to Worcester today where he belongs) and manager Alex Cora had to use not one but two position players-Marwin Gonzalez and Christian Arroyo-just to get out of the stupid blowout loss alive. For all of those reasons and more, it was heartening to see Nathan Eovaldi (6.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 hits, 4 Ks, 1 BB) pitch great against one of the best lineups in baseball. Toronto's prized rookie hurler Alek Manoah (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 5 Ks, 1 BB) nearly matched Eovaldi except for one mistake that he made early in his stellar outing. 

    Verdugo drove in center fielder Enrique Hernandez with an RBI double in the third inning that gave the home team a 1-0 lead. Cora let Eovaldi try and get out of his own jam which paid off when he induced Jays center fielder Randal Grichuk to ground into a double play. That left DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr on third base and reliever Josh Taylor stranded him there by striking out first baseman Rowdy Tellez to end the top of the seventh. It's hard to believe but after his 1-2-3 eighth inning with two more strikeouts, Taylor has recorded 18 scoreless appearances in a row. 

    It looked like the Red Sox might escape with a 1-0 victory since their usually lights out closer Matt Barnes (3-1) struck out the first two batters that he faced in the ninth inning. After taking a strike on the first pitch of his at bat, Guerrero crushed a game-tying solo home run (his MLB-best 22nd of the season) over the Green Monster. Sox pitchers will no doubt be seeing Vladdy Jr. in their nightmares for weeks since he hit a home run in every game of this series. Luckily for Boston, Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoya keeps trying to make Rafael Dolis (1-3) as the closer against the Red Sox a thing. For the third time (!!) already this season, the guy with a 5.14 ERA cost his team a game as it only took him 11 pitches to cough this one up. Verdugo led off the bottom of the ninth with an infield single, DH J.D. Martinez followed with a single and shortstop Xander Bogaerts flied out to left before Devers rallied from down 0-2 in the count to take a splitter for a ball then he launched a shot to left center that bounced off the scoreboard on the Monster. 

    This was Boston's last game at Fenway for awhile: they are gone for the next 10 days on a road trip that includes eight games in three different cities. The Red Sox play two in Atlanta (30-33 overall,  17-17 home)-the third-place team in the NL East; three in Kansas City (30-35 overall, 16-16 home)-the third-place team in the AL Central; then three at Tampa Bay next week before finally coming home next weekend to play the mediocre Yankees (33-32 overall, 16-16 away)-the fourth-place team in the AL East. Tomorrow night (7:20, NESN), Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4) faces Braves rookie Tucker Davidson (0-0) and on Wednesday night (7:20, NESN), Garrett Richards (4-4) takes on another Braves youngster Ian Anderson (4-3). It's tough to have any faith in E-Rod or Richards at the moment so Boston will need to beat up on Atlanta's starting pitchers who have both been on a roll lately.

With The Spotlight On Them For The Next Few Months, The Sox Walked Off The Jays In A 6-5 Win

 

    The Bruins and Celtics are done for the season while the Patriots don't have a real game for almost three months so let's hope that the Red Sox (39-25 overall, 19-15 home) can handle being the main focus for the summer around here. So far so good as they beat the Astros (36-27) 12-8 in a wild game last night at Fenway Park and they topped that with a 6-5 triumph tonight in their series opener against the Blue Jays (31-30 overall, 18-17 away) at Fenway on left fielder Alex Verdugo's (3-for-4, 2B, run, RBI) walk-off single that scraped the Green Monster and scored pinch runner Danny Santana with the winning run. Boston isn't a great team (at least on paper) but they are tough to knock out as proven by their MLB-best 23 comeback wins: tonight was the largest deficit they've overcome as Toronto led 5-1 in the top of the sixth inning. This was the second walk-off victory of the season for the Sox and the third time in Verdugo's career that he's done that in his MLB career. 

    The Jays have to be sick to their stomachs because this was a game that they frankly gave away for multiple reasons: besides that lead (which should have been enough), they had twice as many hits as the Sox (16-8) and they left five more guys on base (13-8) which when you add those all up is a perfect recipe for disappointment. Boston's starting pitcher Garrett Richards (5.1 IP, 4 ER, 11 hits, 3 Ks, 2 BBs) is back to being pedestrian at best and honestly, it's a miracle that he lasted that long after allowing a run in the first inning, two runs in the second inning and another in the sixth inning before manager Alex Cora finally came to get him. Toronto's starter Ross Stripling (5.2 IP, 4 ER, 5 hits, 6 Ks, 2 BBs) was handed all of those leads but none of them were enough for him or the crappy Jays bullpen.  

    Right fielder Teoscar Hernandez opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first that plated shortstop Bo Bichette. In the second, Dante's son knocked in catcher Reese McGuire with a run-scoring single and Hernandez followed with another RBI single to make it 3-0. Boston's offense woke up in the third when first baseman Bobby Dalbec crushed a solo homer to center (his 7th HR of the season). That was quickly forgotten as DH Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (3-for-4, 2B, BB) smoked a two-run bomb (his MLB-leading 19th of the season) that went two feet (443) further than Dalbec's and off the Draft Kings sign that's above the Monster. The Red Sox scored three times in the sixth inning to cut it to 5-4 in favor of the Blue Jays. Right fielder Austin Renfroe knocked in Verdugo with an RBI single, shortstop Marwin Gonzalez (Xander Bogaerts was a late scratch with left knee soreness) walked with the bases loaded to score Renfroe and catcher Christian Vazquez came home on a wild pitch. 

    Toronto had something going in the seventh inning but Boston's lefty reliever Josh Taylor survived a bases-loaded with one out jam by striking out third baseman Cavan Biggio and pinch hitter Riley Adams to end the inning and keep it a one-run game. Arroyo tied it at five with a solo blast of his own (3rd of the season) into the Monster seats in the eighth inning. Garrett Whitlock (2-1) celebrated his 25th birthday with two scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts which earned him his second win of the season. Apparently, the Blue Jays really want Rafael Dolis (1-2) to be their closer but in his appearances vs. the Red Sox this season, he's been a complete disaster. After a throwing error by Bichette put Santana on second base with no outs, Boston didn't take too long to end it as Verdugo was the next guy up and you know what happened then. 

    This is one of those weird wraparound (aka 4-game) series so Boston and Toronto play three more times including on Monday night. Both weekend contests are day games: Nick Pivetta (6-1) starts tomorrow afternoon (4:10, NESN) for the Red Sox against Steven Matz (6-3). On Sunday afternoon, Red Sox lefty Martin Perez (4-3) takes on Blue Jays lefty Robbie Ray (3-2). Finally, Monday night (7:10, NESN) pits Nathan Eovaldi (7-3) against promising youngster Alek Manoah (1-0) who will be making his fourth career start in MLB. This was an important win as well for Boston from the standpoint that the Sox had to keep pace with the first-place Rays (40-24) who beat the Orioles (22-40) 4-2 this evening but remain only one game ahead of Boston while idle New York (33-30) trails Tampa by 6.5 games and Boston by 5.5 games.

Eight Days Later, The Red Sox Finish Their Sweep Of The Lowly Marlins For Their Fifth Straight Win

 

    I don't know about you but nothing gets me fired up quite like a Monday afternoon makeup game between the Red Sox (37-23 overall, 17-13 home) and the Marlins (25-34 overall, 13-22 away) at Fenway Park in the middle of a rare early June heatwave. While you were coming home from work (is that still a thing?), eating dinner or getting ready for Game 5 of Bruins-Islanders, Boston and Miami had to complete their three-game series that saw the finale cancelled last Sunday afternoon because it poured. Not surprisingly, it was not the most exciting or interesting game of the season but at least the Sox still put in enough effort to come away with a 5-3 victory. With the win, Boston pulled within a half game behind first-place Tampa Bay (38-23) in the AL East and their fifth straight victory officially makes them the hottest team in MLB. 

        The final score was not that high in terms of total runs scored but you wouldn't have guessed that since each club had to use six pitchers (come on!) apiece just to get through nine innings. Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (4.2 IP, 2 ER, 7 hits, 6 Ks, 3 BBs) did not have his best stuff in what looked like a great spot to pick up an easy win. Of course, it also helped that Boston was staked to a 2-0 lead in the second inning and it was 5-1 Red Sox by the fifth inning. Garrett Whitlock was the first reliever summoned from Boston's bullpen and he got the final out in the fifth inning on two pitches. Darwinzon Hernandez recorded two outs (both via strikeouts) and Boston's newest weapon-Hirokazu Sawamura (2-0) earned his second win of the season after notching four outs including striking out two. Sox manager Alex Cora pieced together the final two innings by having Josh Taylor get two outs before Northeastern's Adam Ottavino hung on to nail down the last four outs for his third save of the season. Closer Matt Barnes was mercifully unavailable after he pitched in high leverage situations for all three games against the Yankees over the weekend. 

    Shortstop Xander Bogaerts scored on a wild pitch in the first inning to give the home team a 1-0 lead. Left fielder Alex Verdugo (2-for-4) added an RBI double in the third inning that scored second baseman Christian Arroyo (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs, 2B, BB) to make it 2-0 Red Sox. Miami got on the board in the fourth when catcher Jorge Alfaro drove in right fielder Adam Duvall (2-for-5, 2B) with an RBI single. Arroyo answered with a two-run single in the home half of the frame that scored catcher Kevin Plawecki and center fielder Enrique Hernandez. Arroyo later came around on a fielding error by Duvall. Marlins center fielder Starling Marte (3-for-4) crushed a solo homer (his 4th of the season) to center in the fifth that cut it to 5-2 Sox. Miami's third baseman Isan Diaz knocked in left fielder Corey Dickerson with an RBI double in the ninth. Ottavino appeared in his third game in a row and had to throw 23 pitches so I'm pretty sure that he won't be available for Boston's series-opener vs. Houston (33-26 overall, 13-13 away).

    The Astros just took three of four from the Red Sox last week at Minute Maid Park so they'll be trying to continue that roll as two of the best teams in baseball face each other three more times this week at Fenway. Martin Perez (4-2) gets the ball tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) in the series opener against Framber Valdez (1-0); they both pitched gems last week against these same clubs. On Wednesday night (7:10, NESN) Nathan Eovaldi (7-2) takes on Jake Odorizzi (0-3) who the Sox shelled in his last outing. Finally, Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4) opposes Zack Greinke (6-2) on Thursday night (7:10, NESN). Houston is in a similar position to Boston in the AL West as they trail first-place Oakland (35-26) by only one game and who really expects that to last for much longer? The heatwave should be here for a few more days as these contenders meet yet again for what should be a better series than the mostly one-sided affair in Texas.

After 6-5 Win In 10 Innings, Red Sox Earned Their First Series Sweep At Yankee Stadium Since 2011

 

    This weekend's three-game set in the Bronx served as a classic baseball snapshot of two teams headed in different directions. The Red Sox (36-23 overall, 20-10 away) put an exclamation point on a great few days at Yankee Stadium as they escaped with a 6-5 victory in 10 innings this evening. Down 3-1 in the seventh inning and allowing the tying run in the bottom of the ninth did not deter Boston as they kept grinding until they came away with their third win in a row against the fading Yankees (31-29 overall, 17-16 home) who have lost four straight games and they are 2-8 in their last 10 games which has dropped them into fourth-place in the AL East. For Boston, this exorcised some recent demons in NY as they picked up their first sweep at Yankee Stadium since 2011 and they ended their ugly streak of 12 series losses in a row there. 

    NY's starting pitcher Domingo German gave them their best outing of the series as he allowed a solo homer to left fielder Alex Verdugo (his 8th of the season) in the first inning but then he settled down to go 5.2 innings, allowing just that one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks. The Red Sox' starting pitcher Garrett Richards (5 IP, 3 ER, 8 hits, 6 Ks, 2 BBs) was not very good but Boston's bullpen (5 other guys) were able to outlast New York's (4 guys). Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez had a two-run double in the first that scored DH Aaron Judge (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks) and shortstop Gleyber Torres (2 hits). Judge's ground out in the fourth inning plated another run for the home team and extended their lead to 3-1. 

    Second baseman Marwin Gonzalez tied it for the Red Sox with a two-run home run (his 2nd of the season) in the seventh inning that scored right fielder Hunter Renfroe. Boston took back the lead in the following inning as pinch hitter Christian Arroyo scored on Bogaerts' sacrifice fly. Each Red Sox reliever went one inning: Darwinzon Hernandez (2 BBs) had the sixth, former Yankee and Brooklyn native Adam Ottavino (1 BB) pitched the seventh, Josh Taylor struck out two in a scoreless eighth which set closer Matt Barnes up with a 4-3 lead in the ninth. He was working for the third game in a row and that probably played a major factor since he was not lights out as usual. Torres drove in Judge with a clutch RBI double to tie it up at 4-4. 

    I've said earlier this season that Bogaerts is the best shortstop in MLB but I'll extend that praise even further by calling him one of the top all-around players in baseball. He came through with another huge play: a two-run single in the 10th inning that scored catcher Christian Arroyo and first baseman Bobby Dalbec with the tying and go-ahead runs. Barnes threw 23 pitches in the ninth inning so who the hell did Boston's manager Alex Cora use in the 10th inning to wrap up the sweep? It was Phillips Valdez who allowed a run on an infield single but he also got a key double play and survived to record his first career save in MLB. 

    Boston returns home in second-place in the AL East-one game behind first-place Tampa Bay (38-23)-with an eight-game homestand about to begin. Before they can play three games with Houston (33-26) and a four-game series against Toronto (30-27), the Red Sox have a makeup date with Miami (25-33) tomorrow night (5:10, NESN). The Marlins are also 2-8 in their last 10 games so Boston hopes to keep them on their recent tailspin as Nick Pivetta (6-1) faces Pablo Lopez (1-3). After a series in Pittsburgh (23-35), Miami has to come here for one more game so hopefully their interest level isn't too high vs. an interleague opponent as they try to avoid a three-game sweep in their last meeting of the season with the Sox (haha assuming that Boston-Miami World Series ain't happening in 2021). Ideally, Boston doesn't get caught looking ahead to its more difficult opponents that they will see later this week.  

Martin Perez Throws A Gem To Help The Red Sox Avoid A Four-Game Sweep In Houston & Win 5-1

 

    After losing their first three games of the series in Houston (31-25 overall, 20-13 home) and scoring a grand total of four runs in said defeats, the Red Sox (33-23 overall, 17-10 away) were in desperate need of a win this afternoon at Minute Maid Park. Boston's fifth starter Martin Perez (4-2)-who has been sneaky good all season-picked a great time to have his best outing in two years with the Sox. He went 7.2 scoreless innings (his longest outing since May 2, 2019), striking out four and walking only one as Boston won 5-1. Considering that this week-long road trip continues this weekend in New York with their first series against the Yankees (31-26 overall), this was one of the more meaningful victories so far in 2021 for the Red Sox. 

    Astros starter Jake Odorizzi (3 IP, 3 ER, 2 Ks, 3 BBs) wasn't nearly as economical with his pitches as Perez was, Boston's starter only needed 82 pitches to come four outs away from a complete game while the former Ray and Twin labored through 76 pitches in less than half as many innings of work. All of the Red Sox' offense came from two swings of the bat: second baseman Christian Arroyo hit a three-run home run to left field in the second inning that just reached the seats. Third baseman Rafael Devers (2B, two BBs) and right fielder Hunter Renfroe (1B, BB) scored on Arroyo's first homer of the season/as a Red Sox. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts was in his first extended slump of this campaign (0-for-24) at the plate but hopefully he broke out of it with a two-run double in the seventh inning that plated DH J.D. Martinez (two 2Bs) and left fielder Alex Verdugo (two BBs, 1B). 

    Red Sox manager Alex Cora got ejected earlier in the game for dumping on home plate umpire Lance Barrett's terrible strike zone. I mention this only because bench coach Will Venable was in charge when the time came to either pull Perez or let him try to get out of his first jam of the day (runners on 1st and 2nd). Venable took the cautious approach and lifted Perez in favor of Northeastern's Adam Ottavino who got Houston star Alex Bregman to fly out to center to end the threat. Brandon Workman is back with the Red Sox and he made his first appearance of the season in the ninth. Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel (3-for-4) hit a solo home run to left (his 8th of the season) but it only meant that the Sox would not get a shutout, oh well. 

    While the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry isn't what it used to be, it is still one of the best in MLB, especially when they haven't met for the first two months of the regular season. Just like the old days, it will get the primetime TV slots: Nathan Eovaldi (6-2) goes for the Sox tomorrow night (7:05, NESN) vs. TBA; on Saturday night (7:15, FOX), it will be the struggling Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4) against Jameson Taillon (1-4); for Sunday Night Baseball (7:08, ESPN) Garrett Richards (4-4) takes on Domingo German (4-3). Boston enters the three-game set with a 2.5-game lead on New York with a game in hand. After today's 9-2 loss to the first-place Rays (36-22 overall and 2 games ahead of the Sox), the Yanks are 3-7 in their last 10 games while the Red Sox are 5-5 in their last 10. Boston also lucked out that NY's ace Gerrit Cole (6-3) pitched this afternoon so they won't being seeing him in action this weekend. Two out of three wins in the Bronx is what I'm realistically wishing for and I think that is an attainable goal for the Red Sox.

Until Further Notice, There Will Be No Angels In The Outfield This Season For That Wretched Team

 

    After seeing last year's disaster of a season, I think that Red Sox (25-16 overall, 13-11 home) fans are experts on what an awful baseball team looks like (along with Boston's other last-place finishers from recent years). The Angels (16-22 overall, 8-13 away) appear to be that type of lifeless bunch as they got destroyed 9-0 this afternoon at Fenway Park on a beautiful day that felt like summer. Boston's starting pitcher Martin Perez (6 IP, 3 hits, 5 Ks, 4 BBs) threw six shutout innings to pick up his first win of the season (1-2) then three relievers followed him with scoreless outings. Former Orioles stiff Dylan "Don't Call Me Bud" Bundy (0-5) got rocked for seven earned runs in just four-plus innings of work if you can call it that. 

    The Red Sox had three times as many hits as the Angels (12-4) and Los Angeles did not record a single extra base hit while Boston had five doubles and three home runs on the day. Is that good? Center fielder Alex Verdugo (2-for-4 w/2 runs) celebrated his 25th birthday (damn I am old) with a solo homer (his 5th HR of the season) in the first inning that gave the Sox an early 1-0 lead. For the second game in a row, the last two hitters in Boston's lineup came through as first baseman Bobby Dalbec (2 doubles, 2 runs) had a two-run double in the fourth inning, followed by an RBI double by left fielder Franchy Cordero. PS you know that your team is rolling when that bum is doing positive things. 

    The best shortstop in MLB-Xander Bogaerts (double, 2 runs)-put it out of reach for LA with a three-run bomb over the Green Monster (and the Monster seats!) in the fifth inning. It was his ninth home run of the season and he continues to lead MLB in hits along with many other offensive categories for his position. Cordero notched another RBI double in the sixth inning and third baseman Rafael Devers (2 runs, walk) provided the last run with a solo blast to the bleachers in right field in the seventh inning-his 10th homer of the season (tied for the team lead with J.D. Martinez). The unlikely trio of Phillips Valdez (strikeout), Darwinzon Hernandez (strikeout) and Austin Brice (strikeout) each pitched an inning of scoreless relief to wrap the second shutout of the year for the Red Sox.

    Boston goes for the three-game sweep tomorrow afternoon (1:10, NESN) as Nathan Eovaldi (4-2) faces Jose Quintana (0-3, 9.00 ERA) who is off to a nightmare start to 2021. The Red Sox have won their last three games in a row and Monday is an off-day so another beating of the Angels would be the perfect ending to this recent stretch of strong play against an overmatched opponent. The Yankees (22-17), Blue Jays (21-17) and Rays (22-19) are all playing pretty well at the moment too so even though Boston has the best record in baseball, they only lead their AL East rivals by two games, two and a half games and three games respectively. The early returns show that their division is the best in the American League and maybe even MLB depending on how you view the top heavy NL West (home of the Giants, Padres and Dodgers).

Still No Boston Marathon On Patriots' Day But At Least The Red Sox Crushed The White Sox 11-4

 

    Our world is still nothing like it was in pre-pandemic times but at least in terms of sports, we are slowly getting back to a sense of some normalcy. Patriots' Day is typically a sacred holiday in Massachusetts: the Boston Marathon starts in Hopkinton that morning and ends in downtown Boston that afternoon while the Red Sox always play a game at Fenway Park with an early start time of 11:10 a.m. In 2020, the Boston Marathon was virtual and MLB's regular season didn't start until July (mostly with empty stadiums) so you had to smile today when it was a sunny April day in the Bay State and the Red Sox (11-6 overall, 5-5 home) hosted the White Sox (8-9 overall, 5-6 away) in their four-game series finale. After getting swept 3-2 and 5-1 yesterday in a doubleheader, Boston bounced back with a resounding 11-4 win to gain a split of the series. The end result was never in doubt since the home team scored six runs in the first and led 10-2 by the fourth inning to cruise to the easy victory. 

White Sox starter Lucas Giolito (1-1) is a good pitcher, not that you would get that impression today if you watched the Red Sox run him over. In one plus innings, he allowed eight runs (7 earned) on eight hits with two walks and zero strikeouts. Is that bad? Things got so hopeless for Chicago that manager/your drunk grandpa Tony LaRussa used not one but two position players (Yermin Mercedes and UMass Lowell's Danny Mendick) to close out the last two innings. In situations like that, MLB should adopt some type of pseudo-Little League mercy rule. On the other side, Red Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (3-1) had a better outing: 6.1 innings, four earned runs, nine hits, 10 strikeouts and zero walks. He threw exactly 100 pitches before being lifted for ace reliever Garrett Whitlock who was able to get the last eight outs (including 2 strikeouts) without allowing a hit or walk. How impressive has he been so far this season? 

    The Red Sox had 17 hits and six guys put together multi-hit performances, in fact first baseman Bobby Dalbec was the only Boston hitter to finish without a hit. DH J.D. Martinez (3-for-5, 2 RBIs, 2 runs), center fielder Alex Verdugo (3-for-4, 2 RBIs, BB) & second baseman Kike Hernandez (2-for-6, 2B, 2 runs) all hit solo homers. Catcher Christian Vazquez was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, third baseman Rafael Devers was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored while left fielder Franchy Cordero was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one walk. The only White Sox hitters to show up after their early morning wake-up calls were shortstop Tim Anderson (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2B) and right fielder Adam Eaton (2 2Bs, 3 RBIs).

    Chicago actually led for a very brief moment in time when center fielder Luis Robert doubled in Anderson in the first inning. Hernandez tied it with a lead-off home run (his 3rd HR of the season) that sneaked just over the line above the Green Monster. Devers and shortstop Marwin Gonzalez each added an RBI single before another run scored on a groundout then two more runs scored following a single by Cordero and a fielding error by left fielder Leury Garcia. Martinez crushed a homer to left in the second (his 6th HR of the season) and right fielder Hunter Renfroe drove in Devers with a sacrifice fly. 

    Eaton's RBI double in the third scored second baseman Nick Madrigal and cut it to 8-2 Red Sox but Verdugo answered in the bottom of the frame with a blast to right (his 3rd HR of the season). The Red Sox increased their lead to eight runs when Vazquez scored on Cordero's infield single in the fourth inning to make it 10-2 in favor of the home team. Eaton wasn't giving any at bats away as he notched another RBI double in the fifth that scored Anderson and the final White Sox run came in to score on a groundout in the seventh. Martinez provided the last run with an RBI single in the seventh that scored Hernandez. 

    Toronto (7-9 overall, 4-6 away) visits Fenway the next two nights for the first meetings of the season between the AL East rivals. Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0) faces Blue Jays ace Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) in a battle of quality lefties. On Wednesday night (7:10, NESN), it'll be the immortal Garrett Richards (0-1) vs. TBA. Toronto is tied with Baltimore (7-9) for third-place in the AL East, 3.5 games behind the first-place Red Sox but at least they are still 1.5 games ahead of the awful Yankees (5-10). The Red Sox lead MLB in runs scored (96) and they have the best run-differential in the American League (+28) so it would be nice if Rodriguez could give them a little more than the five inning outings that he's posted in his first two starts of 2021.  

Twins Avoid A Sweep & Snap Five-Game Losing Streak While Sox Lose For First Time In 10 Games

 

    It had been awhile but Boston (9-4 overall, 6-1 away) finally lost another game, 4-3 in the series finale at Target Field this afternoon against the Twins (6-7 overall, 2-5 home). The Red Sox' nine-game win streak ended while the Twins' five-game losing streak also came to a halt. Not to sound like a Little League coach here but even in defeat, the Sox proved that they are winners. They trailed 3-0 in the eighth when outfielder Alex Verdugo worked an amazing 10-pitch at bat before slashing an opposite field three-run double to left that scored second baseman Christian Arroyo, pinch hitter Marwin Gonzalez and right fielder Hunter Renfroe with the tying runs. That's where the magic would end though for Boston as right fielder Max Kepler drove in infielder Luis Arreaz (4 hits, run, 2 RBIs) with a bloop single in the bottom of the ninth to win it. 

    In many ways, the Red Sox were fortunate to keep it that close since Garrett Richards (5 IP, 2 runs, 4 hits, 4 Ks, 2 BBs) was their starting pitcher. He actually was ok by his crappy 2021 standards but they couldn't do anything against the Twins starter Michael Pineda (7 IP, 2 hits, 6 Ks, 1 BB) who completely shut them down with seven scoreless innings. Arraez gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead with a two-run single in the second inning that scored center fielder Jake Cave and catcher Ryan Jeffers. Hirokazu Sawamura was the first reliever out of Boston's bullpen and he promptly allowed a solo homer to infielder Miguel Sano-the first batter that he faced. 

    Former Rays reliever Alex Colome (1-1) earned his first win for the Twins by pitching a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts. Northeastern's Adam Ottavino (1-1) suffered his first loss for the Red Sox. He never really gave himself a chance in the ninth as he allowed a leadoff single to Arraez, he drilled infielder Jorge Polanco in the foot with a terrible pitch, then surprisingly stuck out DH Nelson Cruz before allowing Kepler's game-winning hit. Still, it's tough to complain about much with the Red Sox right now after they just won three out of four at Minnesota and they currently own a three-game lead over second-place Toronto (6-7) in the AL East. 

    Speaking of the Blue Jays, Boston will get their first look at them next week since they are part of a 10-game homestand for the Red Sox which starts tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) with four games against the White Sox (6-7 overall, 3-4 away). Weather permitting (since it's supposed to rain on Friday), it'll be Nick Pivetta for Boston vs. Chicago's Dylan Cease. Even though the Marathon is not on Monday like it used to be in the before times, Chicago is here for the traditional four-game series over Patriots Day weekend including the 11:10 am start on Monday. Toronto is only here for two games followed by a four-game series starting on Thursday and into next weekend with the Mariners (8-5 overall, 5-2 away). It's been a great few weeks for the Red Sox, let's hope that they can keep that momentum going back at Fenway Park. 

The Red Sox Sweep A Doubleheader With The Twins As Their Win Streak Rolls On To Nine Games

 

    I hope that you have already started to pay attention to the Red Sox (9-3 overall, 6-0 away) this season because what they are doing right now is rather incredible. In today's adventure, Boston swept a doubleheader at Target Field against the Twins (5-7 overall, 1-5 home). The Red Sox took Game 1 by a score of 3-2 and then the nightcap turned into a blowout as they won that 7-1. Boston has won nine games in a row after getting swept by Baltimore (5-6) in their season opening series at Fenway Park while Minnesota has dropped its last five straight games. Besides the constant winning-which is always fun-the Red Sox are making it interesting by getting the results in different ways. I would still maintain that the starting rotation is their biggest question mark but thus far, it has done the job while different relievers and hitters step up in every game. 

    Keep in mind that all doubleheaders are seven innings long (unless they go to extra innings) thanks to a much needed rule change by MLB last season to tighten things up a bit. Nathan Eovaldi (2-1) started the opener this afternoon and he was relatively sharp for the 82 pitches that manager Alex Cora had him throw. In five innings, Eovaldi allowed two earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and no walks. He outlasted Twins starter Kenta Maeda (1-1) who only went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs (2 earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks. 

    In Game 1, Boston scored all of its runs in the second inning while Minnesota did the same in the third inning. Right fielder Hunter Renfroe gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with an RBI single that scored first baseman Marwin Gonzalez. Renfroe ended up later scoring on a throwing error by Maeda then second baseman Christian Arroyo (2 for 4, 2B) added a run-scoring single of his own that allowed left fielder Franchy Cordero to cross home plate. For the Twins, second baseman Jorge Polanco hit a two-run single that scored catcher Ryan Jeffers and shortstop JT Riddle. Boston's bullpen got two scoreless innings that let them hang on to that one-run lead for good. Lefty Darwinzon Hernandez pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning on just seven pitches (haha way to be patient Minnesota) while closer Matt Barnes recorded his second save of the season thanks to two strikeouts and a great diving catch by Alex Verdugo (2 for 4) in left field to end it. 

    Game 2 looked like it would be a pitcher's duel between Eduardo Rodriguez (2-0) and Minnesota's ace Jose Berrios (2-1) but that's not exactly how it played out. The Twins actually had a 1-0 lead for a few innings as left fielder Kyle Garlick (what a great name) knocked in third baseman Josh Donaldson with a sacrifice fly. Berrios cruised through the first four innings but he started to labor in the fifth inning and Minnesota's manager Rocco Baldelli had a strangely quick hook which immediately blew up in his face. Cordero walked with the bases loaded which scored third baseman Rafael Devers (2 for 4, 2 RBIs, run, 2B). Baldelli elected to swap Berrios for something called Tyler Duffey and what do you know, it didn't work! Verdugo's (3 for 4, 3 RBIs, 2 runs) two-run single scored first baseman Bobby Dalbec and catcher Christian Vazquez with the go-ahead runs. Cordero came around to score on a wild pitch by Duffey and finally, Devers greeted another scrub Twins reliever (the immortal Caleb Thielbar) with a two-run single of his own that scored DH J.D. Martinez and Verdugo. 

    The promising part for E-Rod is that he was far from at his best but he went five innings and only allowed one earned run on five hits with five strikeouts and a walk. Credit to Red Sox GM Chaim Bloom for discovering Rule-5 pick Garrett Whitlock from the Yankees. The righty reliever had his third consecutive scoreless outing, pitching a clean sixth inning with one strikeout in 10 pitches. Expect his role to expand as the season goes along, he is a real weapon out of the bullpen (and eventually in the rotation) for Boston with quality stuff. After Verdugo's solo bomb in the seventh (his 2nd HR of the season), it became such a laugher that the Red Sox were able to use their 26th man (called up since rosters expand for a doubleheader) righty Eduard Bazardo who made his MLB debut. It was a little rocky as it took him 24 pitches to get three outs since he walked two guys but he got a strikeout and most importantly didn't allow a run as Red Sox manager Alex Cora (who in Game 1 collected his 200th MLB victory) got to rest his top bullpen guys. 

    Tomorrow is Jackie Robinson Day in MLB so every player will be wearing his No. 42. Boston goes for the sweep with its worst starter-Garrett Richards (0-1)-looking for his first win as a Red Sox-going up against former Yankees pine tar aficionado Michael Pineda (1-0). It's another afternoon game with an hour earlier start time (1:10, NESN) so that Boston can hopefully get back home before it's too late tomorrow night. They also bid for their 10th straight win which would make them the second team in MLB-after the Dodgers (10-2) of course-to reach double digit victories in mid-April.

Winners Of Six Games In A Row & Two Straight Series, Red Sox Are The Hottest Team In MLB

 

    There has been so much going on in the sports world around here this past week with a bunch of Celtics and Bruins games not to mention UMass men's hockey winning their first national championship in program history (huge congrats to the Minutemen!) plus a few great weather days for early April in New England were thrown in the mix, so you are all excused for not paying close attention to the Red Sox (6-3 overall, 3-0 away) thus far in 2021. After getting swept by the Orioles (4-5 overall, 0-3 home) in their opening series last weekend at Fenway Park, Boston bounced back to sweep a three-game set at home with Tampa Bay (4-5) and they already paid back the Orioles by completing a three-game sweep of them this weekend at Camden Yards. After spoiling Baltimore's home opener on Thursday 7-3, the Sox outlasted them 6-4 in 10 innings on Saturday night and then hit six home runs en route to a 14-9 high school football score this afternoon. 

    DH J.D. Martinez had a Covid-19 scare yesterday and was out of the lineup but it must have been a false positive or maybe contract tracing because he was back in there today and he had one of the best games of his storied career: 4-for-6 with 3 HRs, 4 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Third baseman Rafael Devers also had an awesome day at the plate with a pair of home runs (he's homered in his last three games) and five RBIs. Lastly, right fielder Alex Verdugo smacked an opposite field three-run bomb. It was 10-1 in the sixth inning so the final score makes this seem a little closer than it actually was in reality. Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta (2-0) wasn't great but he went six full innings, allowing four earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. I'm not going to freak out about Boston's bullpen giving up a bunch of runs since it was two of their worst guys-Austin Brice and Phillips Valdez-that combined to allow five earned runs in 1.2 innings. 

    Boston cranked out 17 hits with center fielder Kike Hernandez going 2-for-5 with two runs scored out of the leadoff position and shortstop Xander Bogaerts was 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run scored. After Baltimore looked so good in their first series against the Red Sox, they came crashing back to Earth in this one and played the role of American League East cellar dweller which is what most people expect out of them in 2021. There is a reason that you've never heard of Baltimore's starting pitcher Jorge Lopez (4 IP, 7 ER, 8 hits, 4 Ks, 1 BB), it's because he stinks. Verdugo got the party started with his homer (his 1st of the season) in the third inning. Martinez went back-to-back with him for his third homer of the season and a 4-0 lead. 

    Orioles third baseman Maikel Franco hit an RBI single in the fourth inning to get his team on the board. The Sox tacked on five runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Martinez, a three-run homer for Devers and Hernandez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. J.D. hit a solo shot in the sixth inning before Franco hit a three-run blast (his 1st homer of the season) of his own and first baseman Trey Mancini did the same in the next frame-his second HR of the season-which made it interesting for at least a few minutes. Raffy crushed a two-run homer in the eighth and Martinez completed his hat trick with a solo homer that pushed Boston's lead back to 13-7. He was the first guy on Boston to hit three homers in the same game since Mookie Betts in July 2019. The Red Sox scored one more run in that inning on a throwing error. The Orioles plated their pair of runs in the ninth inning on a ground out and a wild pitch. 

    The Red Sox are off to Minnesota for a four-game series of afternoon matinees with the Twins (5-4 overall, 1-2 home) beginning tomorrow afternoon (2:10, NESN) as Martin Perez (0-0) takes on former Yankee J.A. Happ (0-0). For some reason (frigid April nights in Minnesota?) all four games begin in the afternoon but knowing global warming, there will probably be a heat wave there this week. Nathan Eovaldi (1-0) opposes Kenta Maeda (1-0) on Tuesday afternoon (2:10, NESN) then Twins ace Jose Berrios (1-0) faces Eduardo Rodriguez (1-0) on Wednesday afternoon (2:10, NESN) before the series finale on Thursday afternoon (1:10, NESN): Garrett Richards (0-1) vs. Michael Pineda (1-0) which figures to be a high-scoring affair. I do not expect tons of people to start watching every Red Sox game (especially with such goofy start times during workdays) since they have gotten off to a promising start but at least they are giving us all a reason to at follow them in the background while we watch or do other things as well. 

UPDATE 4/13/21: Yesterday's series opener between the Red Sox & Twins was postponed because of the riots in Minnesota following the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright (an unarmed black guy) by police. Today's game will proceed as scheduled and they'll have a doubleheader tomorrow.