Brayan Bello-One Of The Few Reasons To Watch The Sox These Days-Signed A Six-Year Extension

 

    It is hard to fathom how irrelevant the Red Sox have become both across MLB but even in their own home region. Last-place finishes the past two years and three out of the last four campaigns (but who is counting?) will do that to you, even in one of the few great baseball markets left in America. With that said, there is rarely anything to write about this mostly anonymous club. Following their 2018 World Series championship-arguably the greatest team in franchise history-Boston has taken a complete nosedive as their owners have clearly tuned out while the rest of the AL East teams load up year after year. Tell me who they are better than: the Yankees, Orioles, Rays and Blue Jays are all better run and most importantly, they have far superior rosters as well. 

    I made a personal rule a few seasons ago: I will not pay for Red Sox tickets until the ownership group (hi John Henry!) proves that they care once again about more than using Fenway Park as their own personal ATM. Sure, I will take a free ticket a few times a season and have a good time on a nice summer night but other than that, who can possibly devote that much energy to this team that is destined to go nowhere anytime soon? Mercifully, there was a welcome bit of good news yesterday as reports came out that Boston's promising young right-handed pitcher Brayan Bello had agreed to a six-year contract extension worth $55 million with a seventh-year club option for $21 million. 

    In parts of two Major League seasons, Bello has only made 39 career starts and it is not like his numbers will blow you away: 14-19 with 4.37 ERA in 214.1 IP with 187 strikeouts, 72 walks, a 1.46 WHIP and .283 opponents' batting average. Under former GM Chaim Bloom, the Red Sox were trying (quite unsuccessfully I might add) to be the Tampa Bay Rays. This reminds me of a Rays style deal since it is primarily based on potential instead of production thus far. If you have seen Bello pitch, you do not have to be new Red Sox GM (and former MLB reliever) Craig Breslow to recognize his special talent in terms of outstanding stuff. His size won't blow you away (generously listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds) and he will be 25 years old (in Domincan years so he might be 35) on May 17. Still, Boston has so rarely been able to draft and develop starting pitchers-think about the Patriots and wide receivers-that when they finally might have a real one like this, it is a cause for much celebration. 

    With (somewhat) notable free agent signing Lucas Giolito likely headed for yet another Tommy John surgery, the scary part is that Bello might have to be their de facto ace/No. 1 starter from the start of the regular season on March 28 when they kick things off in Seattle. In a perfect world, Bello would only have to be like a third or fourth starter on a good team and not need to feel the pressure right away of being a bad team's stopper from day one. However, maybe part of the thinking for his deal is that it will take some of that stress away from him. Very few guys throw 200+ innings anymore in MLB-somewhere your grandfather rolls over in his grave-so it is notable that Bello logged 157 innings last season across 28 starts. You can bet that even checked out Red Sox manager Alex Cora will be extra cautious with Bello since Boston's rotation is undoubtedly their biggest weakness/question mark heading into this ill-fated season. 

Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz (remember them?) are the most recent quality starting pitchers that the Red Sox drafted and developed through their minor league system, so yeah it has been a minute. Regardless of how Bello performs in 2024, it is unlikely to make that much of a difference in term's of his crappy team's win-loss record. He could be great and an All-Star but that will probably only matter in the bigger picture of all things Red Sox. They are essentially acting like a small market club in the way that most of what they can sell to the fanbase is hope for a brighter future ahead because the present promises to remain rather ugly.

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!

With Nothing Left To Play For In '23, Red Sox Get A Jump On The Offseason By Firing Chaim Bloom

 

    On the precipice of possibly their third last-place finish in the past four seasons and with playoff baseball only a memory, the Red Sox (74-72) had no other choice this afternoon than to fire chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom. Other than 2021's improbable run to the ALCS (where they fell to Houston in six games), Bloom has done his best to steer this once proud franchise straight into the ground. Of course, this mess was never all his fault since principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and president Sam Kennedy need to show much more dedication to putting a winning product on the baseball diamond instead of focusing most of their time and efforts (and hefty bank accounts) on other sports ventures. Still, what a disappointment and fraud that Bloom turned out to be: he worked in Tampa Bay for 15 years but never in a huge role so it should not have been a surprise that he was not built for this lofty position.

    We were told that Bloom was one of if not the best nerd in MLB and that could not be further from the truth. Sure, he went to Yale but all he seems to care about is building a farm system while results with the major league team were secondary and not all that important. Ironically, Boston's minor league teams are not in much better shape than they were before Bloom. Did he ever realize that the Red Sox are in one of the biggest markets (and few places that still cares about baseball) and not in Tampa where nobody pays attention or cares so you can be an anonymous robot lurking in the shadows and basically playing fantasy baseball with your dweeby buddies? Baseball America rankings mean nothing in the real world but don't tell that to Bloom and his pals.

    No matter who is the next nerd to replace Bloom-and get over it, MLB is riddled with dorks in powerful spots-Boston will never get back to being a perennial power without the owners buying in once again. It is empty talk at press conferences when people like Kennedy go on about how winning the World Series is important, the fans deserve this or that, blah blah blah. Sports fans in New England are not stupid and all you needed to see this week were Red Sox-Yankees (73-73) tickets going for $1 as the former best rivalry in baseball is relegated to a complete afterthought. Did I mention that the stands have been mostly empty this week for these games? Nevermind that Monday and Wednesday's contests were both rained out so there were doubleheaders on Tuesday and today but could you have ever imagined that it would come to this? 

    Looking around MLB, it is quite possible to win at the Major League level and also produce top talent that can both help you win said games while simultaneously helping to acquire the needed pieces to win a World Series title. Just ask the Dodgers (88-57), Braves (96-50) and Astros (83-64) who have been able to do both things at the same time, what a concept! There is no salary cap in MLB so it is imperative that the Red Sox owners remember that and use their financial advantages to get back on top. Ben Cherington, Dave Dombrowski and Bloom all basically got the same amount of time before they were fired from the Red Sox. 

    Regardless of who gets this very important job next, the bottom line is that Boston has to have a clear and focused plan starting from the top. Too often in recent years, they appear reactionary instead of trusting their decision makers and most importantly, backing them up with blank checks. Finally, Boston manager Alex Cora won his death match with Bloom and he might actually be the rare guy who survives a regime change. Typically, a new GM or chief baseball officer will handpick their own manager so we will have to wait and see if Cora makes it much longer than his buddy Chaim. 

With Bogaerts Gone To San Diego, What Is Even The Point Of Rooting For The Red Sox Anymore?

 

    What started out as a decent day for the Red Sox after they finally made a few moves in free agency-signing All-Star closer Kenley Jansen to a two-year, $32 million contract and Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contact-ended in the worst possible way with the late breaking news that franchise shortstop Xander Bogaerts had signed an 11-year deal worth $280 million with the Padres. The fact that the heart and soul of their club is now gone just a few years after they traded away another cornerstone-Mookie Betts-for pennies on the dollar, makes you wonder what exactly Chaim Bloom does for the Red Sox besides transforming them into the Boston Rays? Additionally with Boston's only other star Rafael Devers entering free agency after the 2023 season is there any doubt that he will eventually be moved for a bunch of middling prospects? 

    Very few players in any professional sports these days get to only play for one team but Bogaerts (and Betts for that matter) should have been in that rarified class. He was a two-time World Series champion, an All-Star, a leader on and off the field and a steady professional that always remained accountable even while Bloom and Red Sox ownership continually let him down as they recently stumbled to their fifth (!!!) last-place finish in the past 11 seasons. The last time that I checked, there is no salary cap in MLB (which is preposterous) but that is why big market teams like the Red Sox, Yankees (who just re-signed Aaron Judge to a nine-year deal worth a whopping $360 million dollar contract on Tuesday), Dodgers, Cubs and Phillies should inherently have a huge advantage over the small market teams like Tampa, the Pirates, the Brewers, the A's, etc.

    Bloom was supposedly brought in to firm up Boston's terrible farm system and yet they have produced very few high end prospects since he has been here. Furthermore, what is the point of drafting and developing your own players when like Betts and Bogaerts, they ultimately will be traded away or even worse, leave because you were not even in the same area code in terms of what type of legitimate offer you would give to your homegrown superstar? Listen, we all have the same gripes about the Red Sox and Fenway Park experience these days: the tickets are way too expensive, the product on the field stinks and the ballpark is a pain to get to let alone sit comfortably in on a hot summer night. 

    Fenway is such a tourist trap that it seems immune to not cranking out money no matter how bad the Red Sox might be. Still, that seems to be the only hope to make owner John Henry and his other negligent bozo billionaires to pay attention: stop going to the games, stop buying merchandise and stop watching the games on TV (well that has already happened but that's another story for another day). I have said for years that I love baseball but the sport makes it really hard on fans what with their way too long regular season, tedious games and terrible marketing of the overall product. Likewise, I have no idea how the Red Sox think that treating their team like the Rays is going to make anyone that actually cares about it want to pay any attention ever again. There will always be tough decisions to make in sports but the Red Sox have become completely tonedeaf to what really matters; building a consistent winner with likable players like Bogaerts and Betts should not be that difficult when you have endless resources in every way possible. It is one thing to get pantsed by the Dodgers in a lopsided trade but now they are getting pushed aside by the likes of the Padres. What a joke, thanks for everything Xander-you deserved way better than this pathetic exit from Boston.  

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!). 

With Five Yanks Placed On Covid-19 IL, Sox Blanked Them 4-0 To Improve To 7-0 Vs. NY In '21

 

    The Yankees (46-44 overall, 23-23 home) were already a disaster this season and now they are suffering a Covid-19 outbreak (still?) that caused last night's Red Sox (56-36 overall, 28-17 away)-Yanks game to be postponed. Tonight (along with the rest of MLB), the series and second half began with New York putting five players-left-handed pitchers Nestor Cortes and Wandy Peralta, along with outfielder Aaron Judge, catcher Kyle Higashioka and infielder Gio Urshela-on the Covid-19 injured list. Not surprisingly, with a lineup that was better suited for a Spring Training game in mid-March, the Yanks did not stand much of a chance as Boston shut them out 4-0 this evening at Yankee Stadium. By recording their first shutout in the Bronx in a little over three years, the Sox extended their perfect start (7-0) against their bitter rivals in 2021.   

    The teams combined for eight hits so it was not exactly an offensive explosion but Boston at least made theirs count with a two-run homer and a solo shot. Red Sox starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (7-5) wasn't his sharpest (40 of his 97 pitches were balls) but it was plenty good enough against such a weak starting nine. In 5.2 innings, E-Rod allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks. It only took two Sox relievers to complete the job from there: Hirokazu Sawamura induced a ground out (on three pitches) from Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez to end the sixth inning and strand a runner at second base. Tanner Houck has spent most of the season with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox (lucky him!) but he was recalled to Boston yesterday and he closed it out with three scoreless innings including three strikeouts for his first career MLB save. 

    Boston got all the runs they needed in the second inning as shortstop Xander Bogaerts scored on a ground out by right fielder Hunter Renfroe and second baseman Christian Arroyo crushed a two-run bomb to right center (his sixth of the season) that scored third baseman Rafael Devers. Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez added an insurance run with a solo homer to right in the eighth inning that made it 4-0 on his 19th home run of the season. Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (3-5) was decent enough (6 IP, 3 ER, 3 hits, 4 Ks, 2 BBs) but he basically would have had to no-hit the Red Sox to steal a win for his overmatched club in the series opener. 

    With the victory, Boston held serve for a 1.5 game lead over second-place Tampa Bay (54-37) in the AL East while New York dropped to fourth-place behind Toronto (46-42). Even though the Yanks are a complete mess, they still undeservedly get the primetime spotlight the next two nights: Nathan Eovaldi (9-5) faces fellow All-Star Gerrit Cole (9-4) tomorrow (7:15, Fox) and Martin Perez (7-5) takes on Jameson Taillon (4-4) on Sunday (7:08, ESPN). There is no chance that the Yanks will make some miraculous comeback and push the Red Sox and Rays for the AL East crown this fall. Hell, I'd be shocked if they sniffed the neighborhood of the Wild Card spots. New York is hopeless but that is not our problem so we can only laugh at their misery as Boston continues to bury them in 2021. PS one of Boston's top prospects-outfielder Jarren Duran-was called up as well and since he's a lefty hitter, I bet that he makes his MLB debut vs. Cole. 

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. 

After Going 1-9 Against The Yankees Last Season, The Sox Have Started 5-0 Vs. New York In 2021

 

    They won the series opener 5-3 against the Yankees (40-36 overall, 19-18 away) last night at a sold out Fenway Park and then the Red Sox (46-31 overall, 22-17 home) kept the good vibes going tonight with a 4-2 victory. With those two wins, they improved to 5-0 against New York this season (their best start since 2009's 9-0 record against their biggest rival) with a chance to pick up their second sweep vs. them in 2021 as the series ends tomorrow afternoon (1:10, NESN). Sox starter Nathan Eovaldi (7.2 IP, 1 ER, 7 hits, 6 Ks, 0 BBs) threw his second gem of the year against one of his former clubs as Boston's de-facto No. 1 pitcher improved to 8-4. 

    Yanks starter Jordan Montgomery (6 IP, 3 ER, 8 hits, 5 Ks, 2 BBs) was decent enough, the issue as usual for his mediocre (by their very high standards) club is that they really struggle to score runs if they are not hitting (mostly solo) home runs. Conversely, Boston's offense is good enough that they can find other ways to score rather than always relying on the long ball in every single game to win. It looked like this would be a relatively easy victory for the home team as the Red Sox scored twice in the second inning, they added a run in the third and took a 4-0 lead in the seventh. New York finally got on the board in the eighth inning but former Yankees great Adam Ottavino got first baseman Luke Voit to ground out with the bases loaded to end a massive threat in that frame.  

    With Matt Barnes unavailable this evening, Ottavino was the closer and he needed 33 pitches to record his fifth save of the season but somehow he did it. After allowing a run in the ninth, he struck out Yankees star Aaron Judge with runners on first and second base to end the game as the fans that were at Fenway went wild. Boston had opened the scoring with center fielder Kike Hernandez's sacrifice fly that scored shortstop Xander Bogaerts (3-for-3 w/2B). Third baseman Rafael Devers did an amazing thing on the base paths later in that inning-something which you never say about him-when he scored on a foul out by first base. Bogey scored in the third inning on right fielder Hunter Renfroe's (3-for-4) infield single and a Bogaerts sacrifice fly plated second baseman Michael Chavis in the seventh inning. Both of New York's runs were produced by second baseman DJ LeMahieu (4-for-5): he hit a solo homer to right in the eighth (his seventh of the season) and he drove in pinch hitter Rougned Odor with an RBI single in the ninth.

    It is bizarre to see a Red Sox-Yankees Sunday game take place in the afternoon but oh well, it will be refreshing not to have a four-hour marathon on Sunday Night Baseball. Tomorrow, we get Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4) vs. New York's ace Gerrit Cole (8-3) in the start of yet another heatwave. Eddie has been a mess for nearly two straight months, going eight consecutive starts without recording a win. Cole's numbers have noticeably dropped since MLB cracked down on sticky substances (hmmm!) but he is still a good pitcher so I'd be shocked to see him get outdueled by this terrible version of Rodriguez. Then again, Boston has owned New York in the early going this season so perhaps something goofy will happen and they will improve to 6-0 against them in 2021. As it stands right now, the Sox are 5.5 games ahead of the Yanks and only half a game behind the first-place Rays (47-31) in the AL East therefore every contest truly matters.

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.  

Red Sox Take Round One With The Yankees, 5-2 At Yankee Stadium As Eovaldi Shuts Them Down

 

    The Red Sox (34-23 overall, 18-10 away) didn't win a single game last season at Yankee Stadium in their wretched 2020, therefore tonight's 5-2 series-opening victory was Boston's first in the Bronx since 2019. The starting pitcher for the Sox-Nathan Eovaldi (7-2)-went six solid innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits with seven strikeouts and no walks. Boston's win put them 3.5 games ahead of New York for second-place in the AL East while Texas' (23-36) surprising 5-4 victory over the Rays (36-23) this evening left Tampa Bay only one game up on the Red Sox. Tampa is finally showing some signs of slowing down a bit (6-4 in their last 10 games) after being the hottest team in MLB for awhile.

    As good as Eovaldi's outing was, the two relievers that followed him out of the Sox' bullpen were even better. Hirokazu Sawamura got his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry and he must have loved it as he went two scoreless innings and struck out five without allowing a hit. Around the same time that UConn baseball opened its 2021 NCAA Tournament journey with a 6-1 win vs. Michigan, Huskies alum Matt Barnes did his now customary thing by striking out the side in a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 13th save of the season. Sawamura threw 29 pitches therefore I doubt that he'd be available on Saturday but Barnes only had 17 pitches so I think that he could be ready in the right spot for tomorrow's game if he is needed. 

    BC's Michael King (0-3) got the start for the Yanks and while he went 5.1 innings which is more than they could have expected, he made one fatal mistake: Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers crushed a three-run bomb to the upper deck in right field in the first inning (his team-leading 15th HR of the season) that scored left fielder Alex Verdugo and shortstop Xander Bogaerts (2 singles, 2 runs). Boston opened up a 5-0 lead when first baseman Marwin Gonzalez (2 doubles) tacked on two more runs with a two-run double in the sixth down the left field line that scored right fielder Hunter Renfroe and Bogaerts. Both of New York's runs came in the home half of the sixth inning as right fielder Aaron Judge hit a Yankee Stadium special-an opposite field homer to right that just got over the fence. Luckily his team-leading 14th home run of the season was a solo shot so no big deal. The other Yankees run came when Gonzalez made two errors on the same play which is pretty hard for a big leaguer to do. 

    Tomorrow's game (7:15, FOX) starts at exactly the same time as Game 4 of Bruins-Islanders so I think I know what you'll be checking in on during commercials and intermissions from the hockey game or you can be a cool guy like me and have one of them on your laptop while the other is on your TV at the same time. As bad as the Yankees' offense has been this season, it could be a slugfest since Boston's former ace Eduardo Rodriguez (5-4, 5.64 ERA) takes on New York's Jameson Taillon (1-4, 5.10 ERA). Rodriguez has been a mess lately and arguably the Red Sox' worst starter in 2021 (as crazy as that sounds) while Taillon is a journeyman bum. This could serve as a good spot for Eddie to start to return to form or he could continue to struggle and give us more reasons to worry about him. Only time will tell as Boston tries to clinch the series already.

Red Sox Outlast Yankees 6-5 in 19 Innings/Longest Game in Team History (6:49)

My brain is completely fried, all thanks to the Red Sox-Yankees 19-inning marathon tonight at Yankee Stadium. Thankfully, Boston (3-1 overall, 3-1 away) came out on top 6-5 after blowing three one-run leads in the ninth, 16th and 18th innings. New York (1-3 overall, 1-3 home) could be the worst team in the AL East so this would have been a terrible loss for the Red Sox. I doubt there has ever been many crazier fourth games of the regular season in MLB history since this also featured a needless 16-minute delay in the 12th when some lights went out.

Steven Wright (1-0) pitched the equivalent of a short start: five innings, two earned runs on six hits with one strikeout and three walks. He blew it in the 16th as Mark Teixeira tied it at four with a towering home run to left field (his second of the season) and in the 18th on Carlos Beltran's RBI double. Rookie Mookie Betts provided the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 19th that scored Xander Bogaerts (4 for 8 with walk, stolen base).

Wade Miley's Red Sox debut was a good one, well at least until the sixth inning when he allowed an RBI single to Alex Rodriguez (yes, that loser) and sacrifice fly by Brian McCann which cut it to 3-2 Boston. Miley went 5.2 innings, allowing the two earned runs on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He works exceptionally quick and he's a lefty that doesn't throw hard with a beard, so I'll call him Mark Buehrle lite.

Seven Red Sox relievers appeared between Miley and Wright. Some highlights: Robbie Ross got the last two outs in the sixth, Alexi Ogando had a 1-2-3 seventh, Junichi Tazawa pitched a scoreless eighth, Anthony Varvaro got four outs in his Red Sox debut, Tommy Layne recorded five outs (including three strikeouts) and Craig Breslow had two clean innings.

Pablo Sandoval hadn't done much in the three-game opening series at Philadelphia so it was nice to see him come through with a 4-for-9 night with RBI singles in the first and 18th. Daniel Nava's two-run single in the sixth gave Boston that short-lived 3-0 cushion. Yankees starter Nathan Eovaldi (formerly of the Marlins) seems like your classic guy that throws hard but doesn't really know how to pitch. He was charged with three earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work.

Hanley Ramirez was 3-for-9 at the plate which was good but he made a poor read on a play in left field (get used to that) and also got gunned down at third by a mile following Sandoval's clutch single in the 18th. You just know that he is going to be super frustrating to watch every day.

The Edward Mujica as closer joke went as expected in 2015 with Chase Headley hitting a bomb off him in the ninth that sent it to extra innings. It sounds like Koji Uehara could be back by Monday for Opening Day at Fenway and not a moment too soon even though this was Mujica's first save chance of the young season.

Perhaps the craziest part of this whole silly event is that the game on Saturday happens to be in the afternoon (1:05, NESN) so sleep fast fellas! Joe Kelly opposes Adam Warren which doesn't inspire any thoughts of a pitcher's duel or anything of the sort but another four-hour plus contest.

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Anthony Ranudo Earns Win in MLB Debut, New Look Red Sox Beat Yankees 4-3

Even with Yoenis Cespedes on the bench (his flight from Oakland arrived late this afternoon in Boston), I have to say that I looked forward to tonight's Red Sox (49-60 overall, 27-29 home) game as much as any others that I can remember from this very forgettable season. Seeing a team that was basically half Pawtucket Red Sox beat the Yankees (55-53 overall, 30-27 away) 4-3 at Fenway Park was pretty gratifying. Anthony Ranaudo (1-0) made his MLB debut and it was a good one: 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 4 hits, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks.

Former Red Sox Chris Capuano (1-2) got the start for New York and he continued to prove that he's nothing special at this stage in his overachieving career. They will probably lose a bunch of games from here on out but I'll give the Red Sox credit for addressing many (who needs pitching?) problems facing the team. You hear all the clichés but it really was cool to see new faces like Allen Craig (1st hit for Boston-a double) blend with youngsters such as Mookie Betts and Will Middlebrooks who are trying to win everyday jobs for next season.

Brock Holt tripled and Dustin Pedroia (2 for 4 w/run) drove him in with an RBI double in the third inning. David Ortiz knocked in Pedroia with an RBI single for a 2-0. Carlos Beltran cut New York's deficit in half with a solo homer in the fourth inning-his 13th of the season. Middlebrooks doubled in the fourth
and David Ross delivered an RBI single that ended with him limping off the field. Clearly his foot is in rough shape so he should be out for a while (DL?).

Beltran came through again with an RBI double in the sixth that scored another former Red Sox-Jacoby Ellsbury. Dustin Pedroia's RBI single in the 7th turned out to be the insurance that Boston needed as Derek Jeter hit a solo homer over the Monster in the eighth.

Another PawSox Tommy Layne pitched a 1-2-3 7th and Junichi Tazawa surrendered the homer to Jeter before Koji Uehara locked it down with a 1-2-3 9th (1 strikeout/13 total pitches) for his 22nd save of the season.

It's another wretched (at least on paper) pitching matchup tomorrow afternoon (4:05, NESN): Allen Webster (1-0) vs. Shane Greene (3-10). Did I mention that it's supposed to rain all day? So yeah, might want to skip out on the tickets that you know your friends, family and co-workers will be trying to dump on you.

UPDATE 8/2: The Red Sox sent Ranaudo back to Pawtucket (womp womp) and added Joe Kelly to the active roster. Additionally, Ross went on the DL and the Red Sox called up catcher Dan Butler from the PawSox. Finally, Yoenis Cespedes is in the lineup this afternoon and playing left field in his Red Sox debut.

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Our Regional Nightmare is Over: Lackey Headed to St. Louis, Craig & Kelly Coming to Boston

He bounced back in a big way last season and helped the Red Sox win a World Series title but even then, it was always difficult to pretend to cheer for that jerk John Lackey. The good news for Boston fans is that now that awkward situation is behind us since he was traded to St. Louis (56-50) along with minor league pitcher Corey Littrell and cash considerations for outfielder Allen Craig and right-handed starter Joe Kelly.

Lackey is 11-7 with 3.60 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in 21 starts this season. At age 35 (36 in October) and coming off a major elbow injury, it's a miracle that he has returned to this level. His team option for next year is only $500,000 which shows how little faith the Red Sox had that he could ever be himself again.

Like Yoenis Cespedes, acquired earlier today from Oakland, Craig was an All-Star last season. The difference is that this year, he's gone off a cliff coming back from a foot injury (remember that from the World Series?). This season he's hitting .237/.291/.346 with seven homers, 44 RBIs, 17 doubles and 34 runs in 97 games. Last season, he hit .315/.373/.457 with 13 homers, 97 RBIs, 29 doubles and 71 runs in 134 games. Granted it was a smaller sample size but last season's breakout wasn't that crazy since he was good in 2011 and 2012. At age 30, he's a good guy to take a chance on.

Kelly is 26 and this is only his third full season in MLB. He's also been banged up, dealing with a hamstring injury hence why he's only made seven starts in 2014. He's 2-2 with 4.37 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He was solid last season, 10-5 in 37 games (15 starts) with 2.69 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 79 strikeouts/44 walks in 124 innings. Since the Red Sox' pitching rotation is now wide open, Clay Buchholz is the only holdover from Opening Day, Kelly should have a great chance to earn a spot for at least the next few years.

UPDATE 7/31: Looks like the Red Sox are done for the day after they shipped Andrew Miller (3-5, 2.34 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 69 strikeouts/13 walks in 50 appearances) to Baltimore for Double-A pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez (their No. 3 prospect). Miller is having a career year but he'll never be better than this; get ready to see him facing David Ortiz a million times a season.

Showing that they have a good sense of humor, the Red Sox traded one bucket of crap-Stephen Drew-to the Yankees at the last minute before the deadline for a bucket of shit-second baseman Kelly Johnson. That means that Xander Bogaerts will get to move back to shortstop (where he should have been all season) and Will Middlebrooks will return from purgatory aka Pawtucket. The ironic part is that New York comes to Fenway for a three-game series starting tomorrow night. At least there is a reason to watch the rest of the season with all these new guys on the Red Sox.

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Red Sox Beat Yankees 2-1 in Classic Pitcher's Duel

We know that enjoyable nights like this have been few and far between in the 2014 season for the Red Sox and that will most likely continue the rest of the way. It's precisely why you have to take them for what they are, Boston (37-44 overall, 17-25 away) beat New York (41-38 overall, 18-19 home) 2-1 tonight at Yankee Stadium in the middle game of a three-game series.

Jon Lester (9-7) came out on top of Masahiro Tanaka (11-3) who is a lock for the AL Rookie of the Year but also the frontrunner for the Cy Young (up to this point at least). Both of Boston's runs came on homers, fittingly enough at that Little League park. David Ross took Tanaka deep to left center in the third for his fourth home run of the season. Then Mike Napoli came through with a 355-foot "homer" (his 10th of the season) that ESPN Stats and Info noted would only go out in Yankee Stadium (it reached the first row), no other stadium in MLB. Oh well!

Lester went eight innings, allowing one unearned run (thanks Stephen Drew) on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Lester earned his ninth win at the new Yankee Stadium, four more than any other opponent. Napoli's homer was his sixth there since 2013, again the most by a visitor. Tanaka had the rare complete game loss: allowing seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Almost all of his teammates have suffered major drop offs from their performance levels in 2013 but not Koji Uehara. He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts for his 17th save of the season. His ERA is 1.23 and with manager John Farrell in charge of the AL at the All-Star Game, you can bet he'll be making a trip to Minnesota in a few weeks.

It's been a pretty tough season at the plate for Dustin Pedroia (.268/.339/.377) but he had one of his better games going 3 for 4 plus he started a sweet double play in the eighth inning with Drew. Jacoby Ellsbury was the only Yankee with multiple hits, he was 2 for 4.

The series wraps up tomorrow night (8:05, ESPN) with another primetime game. John Lackey (8-5) takes on rookie Chase Whitley (3-1) in Sunday Night Baseball. Boston's top prospect Mookie Betts was called up earlier today and he's set to make his MLB debut tomorrow night, probably in right field. Rubby De La Rosa was the unfortunate casualty of this somewhat gutsy (and obvious) move by the Red Sox as he was sent back to Pawtucket. That's right, Jake Peavy is still in the rotation along with Brandon Workman.

A win would be nice for Boston, particularly because its the finale of this long and mostly painful (3-6) road trip. Tonight's victory made them 3-6 against the Yankees in 2014 with 10 meetings remaining.

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There's Dumb and then There is Michael Pineda

It's about time that Red Sox-Yankees had some new drama since admittedly the last few years have been pretty blah for the alleged best rivalry in MLB. Tonight shall forever be known as the night that Michael Pineda overdosed on pine tar. He had gotten away with having it all over his hand two weeks ago when New York (12-9 overall, 6-6 away) beat Boston (10-12 overall, 5-7 home) 4-1 at Yankee Stadium but it was a different story in the friendly confines of Fenway Park.

Red Sox manager John Farrell pointed out the pine tar all over Pineda's neck (I'm serious) and the Yankees hurler was ejected with two outs in the bottom of the second. Boston had already scored twice in the first inning and they went on to post a 5-1 victory that will perhaps propel them out of the depths of mediocrity that they've been stuck in since the opening series in Baltimore.

Let's not have Pineda's utter stupidity completely overshadow what was John Lackey's best performance as a Red Sox (8 innings, 1 earned run, 7 hits, 11 strikeouts, 0 walks), in the regular season at least I know he had some great ones last postseason. It's the second time in his career that he's had 11 Ks & 0 BBs vs. New York (the other was when he was an Angel) and he became only the fourth Red Sox pitcher to do that (joining Pedro Martinez, Jim Lonborg and Cy Young).

Pineda figures to be suspended by MLB, how long is another question but he also screwed his team over since his manager Joe Girardi had to burn through four additional relievers. Boston went up 2-0 in the first on RBI singles by Dustin Pedroia (2 hits, 2 runs) and A.J. Pierzynski (walk). The Red Sox pushed two more runs across in the third against David Phelps on a ground rule double by Mike Napoli (3 for 4) and a wild pitch.

Alfonso Soriano's sacrifice fly in the sixth produced New York's only run. Brock Holt (2 walks) continued his fine play with an RBI single in the eighth that drove in Xander Bogaerts (single, run). You hate to see him used in non-save situations but Farrell always plays Koji Uehara when he's warmed up so he went out there in the ninth and struck out the side to end it.

To kill time before Bruins-Red Wings Game 4 tomorrow night (8, NESN), we will probably see about 1.5 innings of the series finale between the Red Sox and Yankees (7:10, NESN Plus). CC Sabathia (2-2) faces Felix Doubront (1-2) and they both suck so both teams could put up big numbers as they try to clinch the three-game series.

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Who Needs Ellsbury or Uehara When You've Got Sizemore and Mujica, Wait What?

Does it get any better than Red Sox-Yankees in April? The cold temperatures, empty seats at Yankee Stadium and games that really don't mean that much. With that said, Boston's (5-6 overall, 3-2 away) 4-2 win over New York (5-6 overall, 2-3 home) tonight in the Bronx sure was pleasing. Jon Lester (1-2) had his worst (6.2 innings, 2 earned runs, 6 hits, 6 strikeouts, 2 walks) of three starts this season but at least the Red Sox won for a change.

Hey gang, did you know that CC Sabathia (1-2) lost a ton of weight? 'Tis true, he also has a dead arm and is a sliver of what he used to be on the mound (literally and figuratively). For a while it looked like the ghost of CC would get the win as Alfonso Soriano's (2 hits) solo homer in the second was the only run through five innings. Boston's bats finally woke up in the sixth thanks to Jonny Gomes' (2 hits) solo homer, his first of the season.

That was nothing though compared to Grady Sizemore's (2 hits) three-run blast later in the inning, his second homer of the season. Sabathia went seven innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Boston still needs to improve its hitting with runners on base: they were 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left six on base.

Lester was cruising until the seventh when a tight strike zone caught up to him. Kelly Johnson's RBI single cut it to 4-2 Red Sox and ended Lester's night. Junichi Tazawa got four outs then turned it over to Edward Mujica. Yes, the guy that was so shaky in the home opener got a chance to close since Koji Uehara's shoulder was stiff. Yikes!

Naturally, Mujica had a 1-2-3 ninth with one strikeout on 13 pitches. Why did we ever doubt him? After splitting the first two games, the teams meet tomorrow afternoon (1:05, NESN) as John Lackey (2-0) takes on Hiroki Kuroda (1-1).

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When You Think About It, Jacoby Ellsbury & the Yankees are a Perfect Match

I'm not to spend much time on it because the fact is that we all knew that Jacoby Ellsbury was gone as soon as last season ended with his second World Series title. However, the reason that he is worth one last blog post is because he decided to sign a seven-year deal worth $153 million (with an option for an 8th year that pushes it to $169 million) with the Yankees.

That's right, the quiet guy that shied away from most attention in medium-market Boston will now go to a far tougher place with the additional pressure of the third richest contract in MLB history ever given to an outfielder hanging over him. Since he's from Oregon and went to Oregon State, I figured he would go to the Mariners or another team on the West Coast. In many ways, this totally fits the Yankees' recent losing philosophy: overspend on the sexy free agent (C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez come to mind) both in terms of money and years then be stuck with him in the latter stages of a bloated contract.

Ellsbury was drafted by Boston in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2005 draft. He sped through the minor leagues and was already in MLB by the time the Red Sox won the World Series in 2007. He was a big part of that postseason and when healthy (huge question mark), there is no doubt that he is a game-changer. Besides pink hats, most Red Sox fans will understand why Boston didn't want to invest so much into a player that is simply not dependable. Due to various injuries, he only played 18 games in 2010 and 74 in 2012. Even this past season, which was a good one (92 runs, 172 hits, 31 doubles, 8 triples, 9 homers, 53 RBIs, 52 stolen bases, .297 average, .355 OBP and .426 SLG) for him, he played in 134 regular season games in a free agency year.

Who knows if Jackie Bradley Jr. can come anywhere close to replace Ellsbury's Gold Glove defense in center field or consistent leadoff at bats? Maybe Boston shifts Shane Victorino to center field in 2014 to give Bradley Jr. another season to improve. Lazy sports writers and fans will compare this move to Johnny Damon signing with the Yankees. The problem is that Damon was much more of a leader when he was on the Red Sox. As talented as he is, Ellsbury always felt like a robot. We wish him well in New York (seriously) but it's time for all of us to move on.

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Red Sox Sweep Yankees To Finish 13-6 vs. New York This Season; Magic Number Down To 4

The Red Sox have become a wagon in 2013 and the Yankees didn't stand a chance this weekend or most of the other times they met this season. Boston (92-59 overall, 50-25 home) won 9-2 over New York (79-71 overall, 35-40 away) tonight at Fenway Park and truthfully, it didn't even feel that close. The Red Sox swept the three-game series (outscoring them 22-7) from the Yankees and finished 13-6 vs. New York, their best record against them since 1973.

Mariano Rivera's cute retirement tour was well done with plenty of unique Fenway/Red Sox related items but Boston did all they could in these past three games to make sure that he'll never face them again. The Red Sox are a season-high 33 games over .500 with the best record in MLB. Their magic number to clinch the AL East is only four.

Clay Buchholz (11-0) went six innings, allowing one run (0 earned) on two hits with three strikeouts and four walks. OBP machine Daniel Nava went 4 for 5 with two doubles, a run and RBI. Mike Napoli set the tone with a two-run blast in the first inning off the back wall over the camera in center field, his 22nd homer of the season. David Ortiz was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, a run and walk. Dustin Pedroia (2 walks, 2 runs) had a two-run double and Xander Bogaerts was 2 for 3 with double, two runs and a walk.

Ivan Nova (8-5) was New York's best pitcher for a long stretch this season but he has been hit hard lately. In 4+ innings, he allowed five runs (4 earned) on six hits with four walks.

The regular season ends two weeks from today; Boston has six more games left on their final homestand of the regular season. They host the Orioles (79-70 overall, 3rd in AL East) beginning on Tuesday (7:10, NESN) at Fenway. After tomorrow's day off, the Red Sox send Ryan Dempster (8-9) to the mound on Tuesday vs. Scott Feldman (12-10). Wednesday (7:10, NESN) gives us Jake Peavy (11-5) against Wei-Yin Chen (7-7) and Thursday (7:10, NESN) wraps up with John Lackey (9-12) vs. Chris Tillman (16-6).

UPDATE 9/17: With Pawtucket's season over, the Red Sox added three more players to their already bloated roster: Steven Wright, Brock Holt and Brayan Villareal.

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Don't Look Now But The Red Sox Are The Best Team in MLB

On paper, one of the only things the Red Sox seem to lack this season is a true ace. Don't tell that to Jon Lester (14-9) though who has been pitching like one for the his last eight starts: he's held opponents to three earned runs or less in each successive outing. This afternoon, he did the impossible-keeping a Red Sox-Yankees game well under three hours (2:43) as Boston (91-59 overall, 49-25 home) beat New York (79-70 overall, 35-39 away) 5-1 at Fenway Park.

Truth be told, this wasn't exactly a vintage Yankee lineup as Alfonso Soriano was a late scratch with a thumb injury, Mark Reynolds batted second and the steroid riddled corpse of A-Rod batted cleanup. Regardless, Lester was brilliant: he went eight innings and allowed one earned run on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

CC Sabathia (13-13) has morphed into just another guy which is shocking when you consider the absurd amount of innings he used to throw every season and his ahem less than stellar conditioning. In six innings, the Red Sox touched him up for six earned runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and four walks. New York certainly won't regret the bloated contract they gave him.

Boston got to work early as they scored all five of their runs by the fifth inning. Will Middlebrooks drove in Mike Napoli (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks) in the second for the first Red Sox run and a 1-0 advantage. David Ortiz knocked in Dustin Pedroia with an RBI double in the third and Jonny Gomes (double, 2 walks) singled in Ortiz.

Robinson Cano provided the only Yankee run with a ground out in the fourth but New York was held to just three hits and two walks. Curtis Granderson doubled, tripled and scored the run. Shane Victorino (2 for 3, double, stolen base) made it 4-1 with an RBI single in the home half of the fourth then Daniel Nava wrapped it up with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

You knew it was Boston's day when Franklin Morales had a 1-2-3 9th inning on 12 pitches. The Yankees must have planned late lunches on Newbury Street or something with the lack of fight that they exhibited in such a must-win for them.

The Red Sox already clinched another series victory but they can sweep the Yankees tomorrow night (8:05, ESPN) as unbeaten Clay Buchholz (10-0) takes on Ivan Nova (8-4). Who am I kidding, we'll all be watching 49ers-Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. Boston has planned a pregame ceremony for Yankees closer Mariano Rivera but what better way to send him into retirement than stomping on their ill-fated postseason dreams? PS I bet you hadn't heard that he was retiring.

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