After Almost Two Seasons Of Buffoonery, The Red Sox Finally Got A Real First Baseman-Eric Hosmer

 

    Today the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline came and went with the Red Sox (53-52 overall) thankfully making one final important move: they acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer (a four-time Gold Glover!), two minor leaguers and cash considerations from the Padres (60-46 overall) for minor league LHP Jay Groome. The back story is that Hosmer was supposed to be involved with the blockbuster Juan Soto trade from the Nationals (36-69 overall) but he used his no-trade clause to reject a move to DC. This allowed Boston's chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom to swoop in and obtain the 32-year-old Hosmer with San Diego footing the rest of his contract. It was a move that would make Patriots head coach Bill Belichick proud in the way that Bloom was able to get a quality player and still make someone else pay for him.

    Boston's lack of a true first baseman had become a complete embarrassment these last few years. No more being forced to watch Franchy Cordero or Bobby Dalbec stumbling around trying to play a position that neither could handle at all. Hosmer was an All-Star in 2016 and he helped win the 2015 World Series with the Royals. The Padres had also picked up first baseman Josh Bell (who reportedly had been a Red Sox trade target) in the Soto deal so this left Hosmer as the odd man out for what is now one of the best teams in baseball. You cannot blame him for rejecting a move to Washington since the Nationals are going to be rebuilding for years to come. It's not like the Red Sox are exactly World Series contenders at the moment but at least he goes to a market and team that matters so if he plays well, he can set himself up for one last nice contract in MLB before he retires.

    Going back to his days with Kansas City, Hosmer (the No. 3 overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft) had long been rumored to be coveted by Boston. On a personal note, he is married to former NESN sideline reporter and host Kacie McDonnell who is currently pregnant with their first child. In 90 games this season with the Padres, Hosmer was hitting .272/.336/.391 with eight HRs and 40 RBIs. He has a reputation as a leader and a good clubhouse guy which Boston certainly needs more of both of those things these days. He won't be a Hall of Famer but he has put together a notable career in MLB, hitting a career-high 25 homers in both 2015 and 2016 with a career-best 104 RBIs in his All-Star season (when he was also the All-Star Game MVP). He even won the Silver Slugger for the American League first basemen in 2017 and for his career, his batting splits are .277/.336/.429. The Christian Vazquez trade to Houston (67-38 overall) doesn't make a ton of sense although the former Red Sox catcher admitted that he'd be open to returning here this winter in free agency but at least Boston drastically improved its biggest weakness-first base-with the addition of a fine pro like Hosmer.

On The Eve Of The MLB Trade Deadline, The Red Sox Flipped Christian Vazquez To The Astros

 

    With the Red Sox (52-52 overall, 26-25 road) firmly going nowhere this season, they finally started to make some notable moves with the MLB Trade Deadline now less than 24 hours away (Tuesday night at 6 pm EST). Ironically, they opened a three-game series tonight in Houston (67-37 overall, 33-16 home) and actually beat the Astros 3-2 but the move that the Red Sox made right before the game was particularly memorable since it involved catcher Christian Vazquez going to Houston. The homegrown catcher who is having a career-year offensively, was dealt for a pair of minor leaguers: infielder Enmanuel Valdez and outfielder Wilyer Abreu. I will not pretend to know anything about either of those guys but apparently, they are both supposed to be pretty good (at the Triple A and Double A levels respectively). 

    He nearly made his first All-Star team this season as the 31-year-old Vazquez is batting .282/.327/.432 with eight home runs and 42 RBIs. Heading into free agency this winter, he was an obvious asset to use since catcher is one of Houston's only weaknesses as they seek another World Series title. It's a good move personally for him since he will get to go for his second championship and cash in after he helped Boston win the 2018 World Series. The scary part for the Red Sox is that they have absolutely no other decent catcher at the Major League level (haha Kevin Plawecki is the definition of a terrible backup catcher at best in MLB) or in chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom's beloved farm system. The role of catcher has become pretty irrelevant at least offensively as evidenced by the fact that Vazquez is one of the better hitting catchers in the game these days. He was known much more for his defensive prowess when he made his Red Sox debut in 2014 but as the years have gone on, his bat has gotten way better (in 2019 he topped out with 23 HRs and 72 RBIs). 

    In the other two much less important moves of the day, Boston acquired outfielder Tommy Pham from the Reds for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Also, they traded their crappy lefty reliever Jake Diekman to the White Sox for a backup catcher who stinks named Reece McGuire. Rumors have swirled for weeks with Boston's season going down the drain that starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (who pitched really well tonight) and designated hitter J.D. Martinez are the other biggest names that could be moved before the deadline now that (thankfully) third baseman Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are both said to be off the table. The addition of a third Wild Card team in the playoffs makes some people want to believe that the Red Sox are still in it since they are only three games out of that last spot but if you've watched this team at all in 2022, there is a reason (or rather many) that they are in last place in the AL East.

    Nobody needs a better deadline than Bloom since the shine has quickly come off of him in what has all the makings of a lost season. From what we can tell (since we rarely see that robot or hear from him), he still thinks that he works for the Tampa Bay Rays and operates on a shoestring budget with a media and fan base that is non-existent and therefore does not care. Baseball in general and the Red Sox certainly are not what they used to be in terms of relevance both nationally and locally but this is one of the few markets where it does still matter. With their basically unlimited payroll, Boston should never be this average (if you're being nice) or fatally flawed. It is wonderful that he has built their minor league clubs up (apparently) but so far, many of his top prospects have performed like far from gamechangers when they have finally reached the Red Sox. The Dodgers have also proven lately that you can be a World Series contender every year while still fielding a great farm system as well. Losing Vazquez stings and he is another guy (much like Kyle Schwarber with the Phillies and Hunter Renfroe with the Brewers this season) who will immediately do well on another better team than Boston. The clock is ticking on Bloom, he has to turn things around soon or else they will need to go in another direction ASAP before things get damaged any further.

The Red Sox Took A 2-1 Series Lead After A 12-3 Demolition Of The Astros In Game 3 Of The ALCS

 

    So it turns out even in the weird time of openers and starting pitchers being less coveted than ever in MLB that they actually do still matter more than the analytics nerds want you to believe. Just ask the Astros who currently are in full scramble mode without hardly any legitimate starters left to turn to in the ALCS. The result is that the Red Sox destroyed them 12-3 tonight in Game 3 at Fenway Park. For those keeping track, Boston has outscored Houston 21-8 in Games 2 and 3 to take a 2-1 series lead with the next two games also at Fenway the following two nights. 

    This one was over fast since the Sox scored six runs in the second inning keyed by first baseman Kyle Schwarber's grand slam (the MLB record third of the playoffs for the Sox and his first HR of this round) that came on a 3-0 pitcher from Astros starter Jose Urquidy who had last appeared on Oct. 3 vs. Oakland-the regular season finale. Boston tacked on three more runs in the third inning and cruised from there as their starter Eduardo Rodriguez (6 IP, 3 ER, 5 hits, 7 Ks, 0 BBs) was superb except for a harmless three-run bomb allowed to Houston's promising young right fielder Kyle Tucker in the fourth inning when his team trailed 9-0. 

    The first two runs for the Red Sox came on an RBI single by catcher Christian Vazquez that plated left fielder Alex Verdugo then DH J.D. Martinez came around to score on a ground out. Vazquez added another RBI single in the third that scored right fielder Hunter Renfroe then second baseman Christian Arroyo hit a line drive that just cleared the Green Monster for a two-run homer (his 1st of the series). No matter what scrub reliever that Astros manager Dusty Baker used (and he inserted five of them after Urquidy was done in the second inning), it hardly mattered as Boston scored more runs off of four of them. 

    Martinez crushed a two-run homer (his second of the series) of his own that went over the Monster in the sixth inning which scored third baseman Rafael Devers. Raffy put the final exclamation on an evening full of fireworks with an opposite field shot over the Monster in the eighth inning-also his second home run of the series. That vaunted Houston offense never really showed up in Game 3 as a trio of Red Sox relievers-Hansel Robles, Martin Perez and Hirokazu Sawamura-each pitched scoreless frames on 12 pitches or less. You can't overstate how important E-Rod's performance was in terms of saving the bullpen for other games.   

    I don't believe it's hyperbole to say that Game 4 tomorrow night (8:08, FS1) is basically a must-win for the Astros. Their pitching is in shambles therefore I can't see them reeling off three consecutive wins against Boston's on fire offense. Nick Pivetta gets his first start of the postseason for the Red Sox against the ghost of Zack Greinke who like Urquidy before tonight's beating hasn't appeared yet in the playoffs. Haha what could possibly go wrong there? Improbably, the Sox are only two wins away from the World Series and if they take care of business at Fenway these next few games, they won't even have to return to Houston.

Christian Vazquez's Epic Walk-Off HR In The 13th Inning Puts The Sox One Win Away From The ALCS

 

    After getting blanked by the Rays 5-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS on Thursday night, the Red Sox responded with a resounding 14-6 victory on Friday in Game 2 at Tropicana Field but they topped that today by surviving a 13-inning marathon (fitttingly a day before the first Boston Marathon to ever be held in October) and winning 6-4 on a walk-off two-run homer (the first of the playoffs) by catcher Christian Vazquez. Suddenly, they have a 2-1 series lead (remember it is only a best-of-five series) with a chance to eliminate Tampa tomorrow night (7:07, FS1). Vazquez is the obvious hero for the Sox but their starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (5 IP, 2 ER, 3 hits, 8 Ks, 1 BB) was good and Nick Pivetta (1-0) was brilliant with four scoreless innings of relief (with 7 strikeouts) to get the win.   

    Boston outhit Tampa Bay 15-10 with center fielder Kike Hernandez (3-for-6, HR, 2 RBIs), first baseman Kyle Schwarber (3-for-5, HR, 2 runs) and second baseman Christian Arroyo (3-for-5, 2B, run) all having huge performances at the plate. Other than Vazquez's bomb (only the 8th time in MLB history that a catcher has hit a walk-off HR in extra innings), the play that will be remembered for eternity from Game 3 was a bizarre ground-rule double that turned out to be an enormous break for the home team. With pinch hitter Yandy Diaz on first base after a one-out single, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier roped a two-out double to right field that bounced off the wall, then ricocheted off right fielder Hunter Renfroe and over the wall. Diaz would have easily scored the go-ahead run but according to the MLB rule, it was a ground-rule double which meant that Diaz did not score and Kiermaier could not advance to third base. Instead, Pivetta struck out catcher Mike Zunino (0-for-6 with 4 strikeouts) to end the top of the 13th inning. 

    Renfroe walked with one out in the bottom of the 13th inning against Tampa Bay's reliever Luis Patino (0-1). That set the stage for the most memorable hit of Vazquez's Red Sox/MLB career as he hit a fly ball that just got over the Green Monster and into the front row of seats up there. Each club had a two-run lead earlier in the game: left fielder Austin Meadows hit a two-run blast (his 1st of the playoffs) to right in the first inning that scored Rays phenom Wander Franco for a 2-0 advantage. Boston chipped away with a lead-off shot by Schwarber (his first of the postseason) in the first inning then Kike's RBI single in the third inning plated Arroyo with the tying run. Third baseman Rafael Devers (did you know that his arm/wrist doesn't feel well?) followed with another run-scoring single that scored Schwarber and gave the Sox a 3-2 lead-their first of Game 3. 

    Hernandez set a franchise record with a hit in seven consecutive plate appearances and he put an exclamation point on that with a solo home run (his 2nd of the series) to left in the fifth inning. Tampa's two-run deficit only lasted until the eighth inning when Franco hit a solo homer (his 1st of the playoffs) to left and outfielder Randy Arozarena tied it on an RBI double that scored pinch runner Manuel Margot. Starting extra innings with a runner on second base is only a regular season thing hence why this contest took over five ours to complete. Red Sox manager Alex Cora had to mix and match with five other relievers before he left Pivetta (who originally was supposed to start Game 4) in there for good. By using an opener-Drew Rasmussen who lasted two innings-Rays manager Kevin Cash was forced to put in seven (!) other relievers before Patino fell apart in his second inning of work.

    As you can imagine, the Red Sox no doubt want to end this if possible on Monday. They want no part of a winner-take-all Game 5 on Wednesday back at the Trop. Furthermore, there is plenty of pressure on Tampa as well since they reached the World Series last year and rolled to an AL East title thanks to 100 regular season victories. Eduardo Rodriguez could not get out of the second inning in Game 1 vs. Tampa but he will receive a major chance to redeem himself in Game 4 because he will start for Boston. Besides Pivetta, all the other Red Sox pitchers that came out of the bullpen tonight threw less than 20 pitches meaning I think they would be available if needed tomorrow night. The most effective were Ryan Brasier (who pitched a scoreless inning with 1 strikeout) and Garrett Whitlock who nailed down the last four outs (3 strikeouts) to send the tight matchup to extra innings. Thanks to Chicago's 12-6 pasting of Houston this evening, no teams will be swept in the ALDS or NLDS this season. All four series will be in action tomorrow so it should be a great day (and night) for baseball.

The Sox Completed Another Three-Game Sweep Of The Yankees, They Are 6-0 Vs. NYY This Season

 

    Once again, the Yankees (40-37 overall, 19-19 away) are a mess this season but as always, that is not the Red Sox' (47-31 overall, 23-17 home) problem at all. Good for Boston for taking advantage of the situation as they destroyed the Yanks 9-2 this afternoon on a sweltering day at Fenway Park. Thanks to another three-game sweep of their biggest rival, the Sox improved to 6-0 against the Yankees in 2021. Standings wise this was a very important contest since coupled with Tampa Bay's (47-32) unexpected loss 6-4 to the Angels (37-40), the Sox retook the lead in the AL East. They are a half game ahead of the Rays (with a game in hand), six games in front of Toronto (40-36) and now 6.5 ahead of the lifeless Yankees. 

The craziest part of a very surprising victory was that Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (6 IP, 2 ER, 5 hits, 8 Ks, 0 BBs) clearly outdueled New York's ace Gerrit Cole (5 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 6 Ks, 2 BBs) who is typically one of the best pitchers in baseball. For E-Rod (6-4), it was his first win in nine starts while Cole (8-4) suffered through his worst outing of the season. The home team wasted no time taking control of the game as center fielder Kike Hernandez laced a home run over the Green Monster (his 7th of the season) on the first pitch of the game for Boston. It soon became 4-0 Red Sox when third baseman Rafael Devers (3-for-4) crushed a three-run bomb to right field (his 19th of the season!). That was only in the first inning so naturally Boston added two more runs in the third inning: designated hitter J.D. Martinez hit a solo home run to center (his 15th of the season) and shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2-for-4 with 2 runs scored) came around on catcher Christian Vazquez's sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 in favor of the good guys. 

    Fittingly, New York's only two runs came from a two-run shot by their star outfielder Aaron Judge (his 17th home run of the season) that went over the Green Monster in the sixth inning. Boston's offense wasn't done as they ended up scoring as many runs today (9) as they had combined in the last two days. In the seventh, Devers knocked in Bogaerts with an RBI single that pushed the Red Sox' lead up to 7-2. Vazquez added his own solo homer (his 4th of the season) that went into the Monster Seats in the eighth inning then Kike drove in second baseman Marwin Gonzalez with an RBI double later on in the frame. 

    This weekend was so bad for the Yankees that you have to believe that ownership could be exploring many possible trade ideas along with some personnel changes. The Red Sox outscored them 18-7 over the weekend in the series. Aaron Boone seems like a nice enough guy (and I have to admit I liked him very much as a commentator at ESPN-his previous position) but I don't think that he's cut out to be an MLB manager-at least not in a huge market like NYC. Remember that this is a guy who had never coached or managed at any level until he got one of the most coveted positions in baseball. Haha with an empty resume like that, who could have seen this coming? 

    There is no off-day for the Red Sox tomorrow even though it's Monday. They begin a four-game series with the Royals (33-43 overall, 15-24 away) at Fenway followed by a six-game West Coast road trip that starts in Oakland (47-33 overall, 25-18 home) and ends in Los Angeles where they'll meet the Angels (37-40 overall, 21-19 home) for three games. Kansas City stinks, they have lost five straight games although keep in mind that the Royals won two out of three at home vs. the Sox a few weeks ago. Today was the start of another heatwave in the Boston area so you are crazy if you want to attend any of the Royals series unless you have access to a luxury box with air conditioning. Mr. Human Puddle himself Garrett Richards (4-5) faces the sneaky good Danny Duffy (4-3) tomorrow night (7:10, NESN) in the series opener; on Tuesday night (7:10, NESN), Nick Pivetta (6-3) takes on Brad Keller (6-8); on Wednesday night, it will be Martin Perez (5-4) vs. Mike Minor (6-5) in a battle of mediocre lefty starters; in Thursday afternoon's (1:10, NESN) series finale, it is Nathan Eovaldi (8-4) against TBA for KC who arguably has been their best pitcher during this miserable season. 

The Red Sox Found A Way To Beat Jacob deGrom & Sweep The Mini Two Game Series With The Mets

 

    It was only two games but it's tough to picture the Red Sox (16-9 overall, 8-1 away) having a much better stay in New York City than they did yesterday and today against the Mets (9-10 overall, 6-4 home) at Citi Field. After last night's 2-1 victory for Boston, they topped that with a 1-0 shutout tonight that featured the unlikely storyline of Nick Pivetta (3-0) getting the better of Jacob deGrom (2-2) aka the best pitcher in the world. The Red Sox only had four total hits-third baseman Rafael Devers was 2-for-3 with a double-but that was twice as many as the Mets who had no answers for Pivetta or three Boston relievers. With their third straight win, Boston swept the series (with two more meetings set for Sept. 21 & 22 at Fenway Park) and remained three games ahead of second-place Tampa Bay (13-12) in the AL East. 

    Don't be fooled by his .500 record, deGrom (6 IP, 1 ER, 3 hits, 9 Ks, 1 BB) is off to an unreal start and his crappy team for years has rarely given him any decent run support. Pivetta (5 IP, 1 hit, 7 Ks, 3 BBs) has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2021 for the Red Sox. He took on the challenge of opposing deGrom and even though he lasted one less inning, he was somehow a little better than him. The only run of the entire game was in the second inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts doubled and two batters later, catcher Christian Vazquez took a 100 mph deGrom fastball that was a tad high and drove it to right center which allowed Bogey to score. 

        Boston manager Alex Cora's secret weapon out of the bullpen-righty reliever Garrett Whitlock (2 IP, 1 hit, 4 Ks, 1 BB)-is not going to be sneaking up on anyone for much longer. After him, Northeastern's Adam Ottavino pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning with one strikeout (and a great leaping catch by second baseman Marwin Gonzalez) for the hold. Finally, can we talk about how Matt Barnes has suddenly morphed into one of the best closers in MLB? It took him two more pitches (12) than last night but Barnes once again pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning and this time he struck out the side as well for his sixth save of the season. 

    Boston's road trip ends with a four-game series at Texas (10-15 overall, 4-8 home) that begins tomorrow night (8:05, NESN) with Martin Perez (0-1) facing Kyle Gibson (2-0). On Friday (8:05, NESN), it'll be Nathan Eovaldi (3-2) vs. Japanese rookie righty Kohei Arihara (2-2). The teams ring in May Day on Saturday night (7:05, NESN) with Eduardo Rodriguez (4-0) taking on Jordan Lyles (2-2). Finally, it ends on Sunday afternoon (2:35, NESN) as Garrett Richards (1-2) opposes Mike Foltynewicz (1-3). The Rangers haven't been good in years and this campaign looks no different as they are already five games behind first-place Oakland (15-10) in the AL West and squarely in last-place. It's tough to expect another sweep on the road, especially in such a long series so I'll say that the Red Sox should win three out of four in Arlington, TX this weekend. 

After You Went To Bed, The Red Sox Walked-Off The Rays In 12 Innings On Martinez's 2-Run 2B

 

    I'm nothing if not a man of my word and while I pledged on Opening Day to never talk about the Red Sox (2-3 overall, 2-3 home) again until they deserved even a sliver of your attention, tonight was the first time this season that they made me feel any type of joy. After getting swept in the three-game opening weekend series by Baltimore (3-2), they have bounced back to win their first two games at Fenway Park vs. Tampa Bay (2-3 overall, 2-3 away). Last night's 11-2 domination was nice and all but what can you say about that which will make it remotely interesting? Tonight was much more of what the blogger ordered as Boston rallied in the ninth inning to tie it at three, scored one run in the 11th to keep it going then won it 6-5 in the 12th inning on DH J.D. Martinez's two-run double to right. 

    The Rays did make the World Series last season (granted it was after a goofy 60-game regular season), the point being that they are expected to be way better than the Red Sox in 2021. Also, Boston was able to find a way to survive despite facing their ace Tyler Glasnow (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 hits, 9 Ks, 2 BBs) who mostly shut them down. Boston's starter Martin Perez (5 IP, 3 ER, 5 hits, 6 Ks, 2 BBs) didn't do much but at least he lasted long enough to give his bullpen a chance to go to work. You can't ask for much more than that from your fifth starter, especially when he goes against someone way better than him.

    Before they won it in extra innings, the only lead the Red Sox had came in the first inning when third baseman Christian Arroyo scored on a wild pitch. Former Red Sox prospect center fielder Manuel Margot dropped in a two-run single in the third inning which scored first baseman Yandy Diaz and catcher Mike Zunino. In the sixth inning, pinch hitter Joey Wendle made it 3-1 in favor of Tampa as he singled in second baseman Brandon Lowe. Martinez has been on fire to start the season-a welcome sight after his horrific 2020-and he cut it to 3-2 in the eighth inning with an RBI double which scored center fielder Alex Verdugo. 

    Catcher Christian Vazquez was the hero for the Red Sox in the ninth inning as he blasted a solo home run over the Monster off Tampa Bay's closer Diego Castillo who already had two saves this season. MLB instituted a new extra innings rule last year that you might not know about: every inning starts with a runner on second base and no outs, with the hope that the games don't last very long once they reach that point. After Boston's closer (we think) Matt Barnes pitched two sparkling innings (0 hits, 4 strikeouts), Rays shortstop Willy Adames drove in Lowe with an RBI double in the 11th to put Tampa Bay ahead 4-3. Boston answered in the bottom of the frame with a clutch RBI single by third baseman Rafael Devers (who had been ice cold to start 2021) that scored shortstop Xander Bogaerts with the tying run.  

     Rays right fielder Randy Arozarena (a breakout star last postseason) put Tampa back in front with a ground out in the 12th that plated Zunino. No matter, that set the stage for Martinez to come up against a sidearm reliever named Ryan Thompson (0-1) who hit Verdugo with a pitch then threw a wild pitch to advance right fielder Hunter Renfroe to third base and Verdugo to second base. Martinez hit an opposite field line drive that crossed up Arozarena-who made an incredible diving catch last night-and then he dove for it but the baseball landed behind him. Reliever Phillips Valdez (1-0) was credited with the win-his first-for Boston.

    The Red Sox will go for the three-game sweep tomorrow afternoon (1:10, YouTube) as Nathan Eovaldi faces lefty Ryan Yarbrough. Alert your grandpa and any other olds in your life that yes, the game will not be available on NESN or any other TV station, only YouTube. Thanks John Henry! Winning three straight against Tampa Bay would be a sweet way to erase some of the bitter feelings from the debacle of a series against Baltimore. With the Bruins and Celtics on this evening as well, I can't say that I paid much attention to the Red Sox until those other games were long over but credit to them for at least keeping my attention in the late innings. I still don't believe in this team at all but hopefully they prove me wrong and we have something resembling a baseball season this summer. Wouldn't that be a welcome change after the last two lost years for the Red Sox? 

I Can't Believe That I'm Saying This But Did We Count Out the Red Sox Too Soon?

Let's be honest: it would take one hell of a turnaround for the Red Sox to push for a Wild Card spot let alone compete in the upside down AL East. Still, the last few days have been a revelation in terms of showing us that maybe there is a reason to tune in and hope for the improbable for the rest of 2014.

Boston (42-51 overall, 19-25 away) won their third straight game as they opened the final series before the All-Star break with an 8-3 win at Houston's (39-55 overall, 20-27 home) Minute Maid Park. The Red Sox had 12 hits and led 8-1 in the sixth inning en route to a very rare laugher (in a good way). They are within eight games of the second Wild Card spot and 9.5 behind first-place Baltimore.

Pitching in his home state, John Lackey (10-6) became the first Red Sox pitcher to reach double digit wins this season. His usual pinpoint control was off (3 strikeouts/5 walks) but he still lasted six innings and only allowed two earned runs on four hits.

For once, Boston built an early lead and proceeded to increase it over the next few innings just like a good team. Brock Holt (2 for 4, double, 2 runs, walk) had an RBI triple in the third and Dustin Pedroia followed with an RBI double for the 2-0 advantage. Rookie catcher Christian Vazquez had quite a memorable night: recording his first MLB hit, extra base hit and RBI. He added an RBI double in the fourth as the Red Sox went up 3-0 on the hapless Astros.

Enrique Hernandez's RBI single cut it to 3-1 in the fourth but Scott Feldman (4-6) couldn't keep it even that close as he was charged with seven earned runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings. Vazquez notched a two-run double in the sixth and David Ortiz greeted lefty Darin Downs with a bases clearing double that put this in the win column for the Red Sox.

Chris Carter went over .200 and boosted his stats with a pair of garbage time solo homers in the sixth and eighth (his 18th and 19th of the season). Houston finished 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and they left 10 men on base. Daniel Nava and Jackie Bradley Jr. each collected two singles and scored a run in the victory.

Assuming that he's not traded before first pitch (4:10, NESN)-a very real possibility-Jake Peavy (1-7) will take the mound tomorrow vs. Brett Oberholtzer (2-7). As you can tell by their records, this is unlikely to be a pitcher's duel but rather a battle of bullpens and a long game so stock up on some adult beverages to get through it comfortably.

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The Curse of A.J. Pierzynski is Broken, Red Sox Start a Fresh New Chapter

A funny thing happened to the Red Sox tonight on the way to another heartless loss: they actually pulled out an improbable comeback capped off by a walk-off single by Brock Holt to beat the White Sox 5-4 at Fenway Park. Chicago (44-48 overall, 20-27 away) had been up 4-0 in the eighth inning before Boston (40-51 overall, 22-26 home) scored three in the eighth then two in the ninth for their seventh walk-off win of the season.

With their ace Chris Sale (7.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, 6 strikeouts) on the mound, this was a game that the White Sox had no business losing. He left after throwing 107 pitches; relievers Jake Patricka and Javy Guerra (0-1) each gave up two earned runs to blow it after Chicago had won the first two games of the series. It sounds cheesy but wins have been so hard to come by lately that I almost forgot how sweet they can feel in situations like that.

Rubby De La Rosa (5 innings, 6 hits, 3 earned runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts) made his first start for Boston since June 21 after he was called up to take Brandon Workman's place (while he went back to Pawtucket). Rookie catcher Christian Vazquez made his MLB debut and with Boston designating A.J. Pierzynski for assignment earlier in the day, this means that the highly touted youngster will be getting plenty of playing time to see what he can do.

Jose Abreu (2 for 4) hit a solo homer to center field, his 28th of the season (!), in the first inning. Conor Gillaspie (2 for 4 with double, 2 runs) followed with a solo shot of his own in the second for a 2-0 White Sox advantage. Chicago scored a run in the fourth on Mike Napoli's error and it was 4-0 in the seventh following an RBI double by Adam Eaton.

The Red Sox' rally started with something I've never seen before: an infield double by Mookie Betts (2 for 3 with 2 runs, double). Dustin Pedroia drove him in with a single then David Ortiz (2 for 4 with run) crushed an opposite field double off the wall in left center to cut it to 4-2. Jonny Gomes (2 for 3) made it 4-3 with an RBI double.

He batted ninth as part of Boston's five rookies in the lineup (their most since 1987) but Betts came through again in the ninth. He was hit by a pitch then scored the tying run on Daniel Nava's pinch hit double. That set the stage for Holt's first career walk-off hit and who better to provide it with how incredible he's been since he was called up (again).

It didn't seem like much at the time but this victory wouldn't have been possible without Craig Breslow (1-2-3 6th), Junichi Tazawa (scoreless 8th) and the newest All-Star Koji Uehara (5-2) who struck out the side in the ninth to set the tone.

In their last home game before the All-Star break, Jon Lester (9-7) faces Jose Quintana (5-7) tomorrow afternoon (4:05, NESN) as Boston tries to split the four-game series with Chicago.

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