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 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 Hours To Go Until The Trade Deadline, Sox Finally Did Something: Trading For Kyle Schwarber

 

    I don't know about you but I will admit that I was getting pretty antsy tonight since tomorrow's MLB Trade Deadline (4 pm ET) was quickly approaching and the Red Sox (63-41 overall) still hadn't made a single deal while many other playoff and World Series contenders like them were quite busy. Thankfully that all changed late this evening as Red Sox chief baseball nerd Chaim Bloom woke up from his slumber and actually did something productive: he flipped some 20-year-old pitcher named Aldo Ramirez (ranked the club's #19 prospect by MLB Pipeline) to the Nationals for left fielder Kyle Schwarber. You might remember him as a key part of the 2016 World Series champion Cubs and he was also the hottest player in baseball earlier this season before he strained his right hamstring on July 2. To make room on the 40-man roster, Boston designated reliever Brandon Workman for assignment. 

    Technically, Schwarber is a rental since he will be a free agent after 2021 who figures to make a boatload of money because he was an All-Star this summer for the first time in his career and he's hitting .253/.340/.570 with 25 home runs and 53 RBIs. He originally started out as a catcher but almost exclusively in the past five seasons, he has been a full-time left fielder (playing his entire career in the National League). Boston's outfield is currently pretty full with Alex Verdugo in left, Jarren Duran in center and Hunter Renfroe in right not to mention J.D. Martinez is primarily a DH so where does that leave Schwarber to play? A new first baseman is arguably the biggest need for the Red Sox so perhaps they hope to have Schwarber try and fill that black hole. 

    Boston lacked lefty hitters so at the very least, Schwarber should immediately help to fix that. He will never win a batting title (his career batting average is .233, yuck) but he has legit power which is hard to find: 146 HRs and 332 RBIs in 623 games. Kyle also has a proven track record of postseason success where he has hit .288/.405/.576 with six homers and 11 RBIs in 24 playoff games. He has reached 25+ home runs four times in seven MLB seasons (6 with Chicago, 1 with Washington) with his best year being 2019 with 38 HRs, 92 RBIs and .250/.339/.531. He strikes out a ton (679 times in 2071 career at bats) so we'll need to get used to that but what do you expect from a guy that's shaped like a fire hydrant at six-feet-tall and 229 pounds? He is in the prime of his career at the age of 28 and the former first-round draft pick (4th overall in 2014) will want to cash in after he bet on himself and signed a modest one-year deal (worth $7 million) last winter with the Nationals. 

    This was a nice start for Bloom and hopefully he continues to work the phone lines tomorrow morning and afternoon to find a true first baseman, a reliever and possibly a starting pitcher as well. Over the last few days, many top MLB reporters had mentioned that the Red Sox were in on Nationals ace Max Scherzer (who is now going to the Dodgers in a blockbuster trade) and Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (headed to the Yankees, ugh) and while they missed out on both of those guys, Schwarber is better than a consolation prize. Assuming that he's not a complete disaster these next few months in Boston, he would be another nice piece to help Bloom build a World Series contender year after year. We are not sure exactly when he will make his Red Sox debut, they have a huge three-game series at Tampa Bay (61-42 overall)-who is only 1.5 games back with a game in hand-starting tomorrow night (7:10, NESN)-but he has been lightly jogging and taking batting practice lately so it should not be too far away. 

UPDATE 7/30/21:  Welp, the Red Sox made two other trades today but they were for a pair of awful relievers: righty Hansel Robles was acquired from the Twins for minor league righty Alex Scherff and infielder Michael Chavis went to Pittsburgh (poor bastard) for lefty Austin Davis. 

Nationals Sweep Weekend Series Vs. Red Sox At Fenway Park

Now I'm not a betting man (wink, wink, nod, nod) but if I was, I'd say put some money on the Washington Nationals before everyone else in the gambling world does the same. They probably won't win a World Series in the next year or two but after seeing them up close this weekend in Boston (on TV), they have the look of a serious contender in the near future (Tampa Bay Rays style slew of young talent).

The Nationals (35-23, 17-13 away) left Fenway Park with a 4-3 win this afternoon against the going nowhere Red Sox (29-31, 14-19 home).

Washington swept the three-game series and as a result, they are still firmly in control of the powerful NL East. Conversely, Boston has fifth-place in the AL East locked down and it doesn't appear to be getting better anytime soon since all the other teams in the division are winning games-the key to not being in last place.

Boston has lost six of its last seven games to fall a season-high six games back of the Rays in the AL East.

It was tied 3-3 headed into the ninth inning but Alfredo Aceves (0-4) couldn't keep it that way. Roger Bernadina (2 hits, stolen base) drove in pinch hitter Bryce Harper with an RBI double. When will MLB managers learn that closers almost never have a clean inning when they don't come into a save situation?

Working in his third straight save-situation, Nationals closer Tyler Clippard had to throw 25 pitches but he still managed to close it out by striking out the side for his eighth save of the season.

The most impressive aspect about the three games for Washington is that they were all close and yet they found a way to win them all. They won by three runs on Friday night, two runs yesterday afternoon and two runs today. That points to three main winning ingredients: enough timely offense, solid outings and reliable bullpens.

Jordan Zimmermann got a no-decision but he had an acceptable start. He went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Tom Gorzelanny (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth to get the win.

Jon Lester had the same result as Zimmermann: nothing in the win-loss column. He was decent too after a poor beginning. Lester went seven innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits with a season-high nine strikeouts and two walks.

Washington took a 1-0 lead in the first on Ryan Zimmerman's groundout which scored Danny Espinosa (2 hits, 2 RBIs, run, walk, stolen base).

Boston tied it on Dustin Pedroia's fielder's choice in the third that scored Nick Punto. The Red Sox grabbed their only lead in the fourth on David Ortiz's (3 hits) solo homer (14th of the season) into Boston's bullpen.

Espinosa gave the Nationals a 3-2 lead in the seventh with a two-run double off the Monster that would have been a routine out in any other park.

Scott Podsednik's ground out in the seventh tied it as Ryan Sweeney scored.

Not for nothing but I'm going to say that with a healthy Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford in the lineup, the Red Sox wouldn't score nine total runs in three games at Fenway Park no matter who they were playing. When the Red Sox are right, it seems like they average about nine runs (slight exaggeration) at home especially when the weather is so great.

Interleague play (so far the Red Sox are 2-4 against their NL East counterparts) continues as Boston hits the road to face the Miami Marlins (31-29, 4th place NL East) at their stupid new stadium-Marlins Park. Fresh off a three-game sweep (take a number) at the hands of the Rays, the Marlins enter the series on a six-game losing streak which is double what the Red Sox are currently suffering through. After that, the Red Sox visit Wrigley Field for three games this weekend to take on the woeful Chicago Cubs led by former GM Theo Epstein.

Bobby Valentine got thrown out in the ninth inning today arguing balls and strikes but hopefully he's taking notes from the master-Ozzie Guillen-who also happens to be Miami's manager. Former Marlin Josh Beckett (4-6) faces Josh Johnson (3-4) tomorrow night (7:10 p.m., NESN), Clay Buchholz (6-2) gets Mark Buehrle (5-6) Tuesday night (7:10 p.m., NESN) and Felix Doubront (6-3) opposes Ricky Nolasco (6-4) in the series finale on Wednesday night (7:10 p.m., NESN).

National League rules will be in effect meaning no DH in the lineup and the pitchers have to hit, so Valentine will need to find a way to get Ortiz plenty of at bats since he's been by far the team's best hitter so far this season. Sit Adrian Gonzalez instead who hasn't done anything.

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Dice-K Returns, Red Sox Fall Back Under .500

While you were enjoying a beautiful early summer day, the Boston Red Sox were busy falling back under the .500 mark.

Daisuke Matsuzaka made his 2012 debut after last appearing in May 2011 but he wasn't able to help the Red Sox (29-30, 14-18 home) enough as they fell 4-2 to the Washington Nationals (34-23, 16-13 away) this afternoon at Fenway Park.

Dice-K was limited to five innings (80 pitches) as he was eased back into action. He allowed four earned runs on five hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez (8-2) looks like an All-Star and he continued his excellent season with 6.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on three hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Former Red Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche (10th of the season) hit a solo homer to right center in the second inning for a 1-0 Washington lead. The Nationals scored their other three runs in the fourth thanks to Michael Morse's RBI ground rule double and Ian Desmond's two-run single.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia provided Boston's only runs with a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh.

The Red Sox only had five hits, they were 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position and they left seven men on base. Sean Burnett got a 1-2-3 eighth for his 10th hold of the season and Tyler Clippard recorded his seventh save of the season (second in two games) with a scoreless ninth.

Jordan Zimmermann (3-5) faces Jon Lester (3-4) tomorrow afternoon (1:35 p.m., NESN) as the Nationals go for the sweep of the Red Sox in this three-game series.

UPDATE 6/10: Rich Hill was put on the DL with elbow soreness and Mark Melancon's exile in Pawtucket is over, he's back with the Red Sox.

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So The Washington Nationals Look Legit

Welcome to Major League Baseball in 2012, where the Washington Nationals look like one of the top teams in the National League while the Boston Red Sox are stuck squarely in the middle of the pack of the American League.

Washington (33-23, 15-13 away) opened its Interleague series at Fenway Park tonight with a bang as they beat the Red Sox (29-29, 14-17 home) 7-4, for their first ever win in Boston since the franchise moved from Montreal.

The Nationals two young superstars-Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper-lived up to their billing. Strasburg (7-1) struck out 13 in only six innings and Harper fell a triple shy of a cycle with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Felix Doubront (6-3) picked a bad night to have his worst outing of the season since he needed to be on top of his game to hope to hang with Strasburg (2 earned runs, 4 hits, 2 walks). Doubront lasted four innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Washington was up 7-2 before Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo homer, his fifth of the season and 200th of his career, to straightaway center in the eighth and Daniel Nava (2 hits) had an RBI double in the ninth. Nationals closer Tyler Clippard came on for the final two outs, which he nailed down easily (8 pitches) for his sixth save of the season.

Mike Aviles actually gave Boston a 2-0 lead in the second with a two-run double. Strasburg settled down after that and conversely, Doubront unraveled.

Ryan Zimmerman (2 hits) got the Nationals rally started with an RBI single in the third. Ian Desmond (2 hits) followed later that inning with a two-run double. Washington broke it open with three runs in the fourth inning. Danny Espinosa (2 hits, 2 runs, walk, stolen base) had a two-run ground-rule double to right and Harper crushed a two-run bomb to center (425 feet, his 6th of the season).

Harper added an RBI single in the sixth although he was thrown out at second trying to stretch it into a double.

Make sure you have plenty of drugs and alcohol (anything to numb the pain) on hand tomorrow afternoon (4:05 p.m., NESN) as Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his 2012 debut against former A's pitcher Gio Gonzalez (7-2). This might be a reverse lock but otherwise I see no possible way that the Red Sox win and/or Dice K makes it past the fifth inning. To make room for Dice on the roster, Marlon Byrd will be designated for assignment.

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Thanks for playing Nationals

Another night in DC: another Red Sox win and another new attendance record at Nationals Park. Boston beat Washington 6-4 last night behind the power of David Ortiz and Jason Varitek.

Anderson Hernandez gave the Nationals (20-49) a 1-0 lead in the second with an RBI single.

From there, the Red Sox (44-27) reeled off six straight runs to take command of the game. Ortiz had the biggest blow, a three-run moonshot to center in the fourth gave Boston a 3-1 lead.

In the fifth, Dustin Pedroia (2 hits) had an RBI single which scored Nick Green (who was almost impaled earlier by an exploding bat, really).

One inning later, Varitek hit a two-run shot of his own to the second deck in right, that also scored Ortiz to give the Sox a 6-1 lead.

Much like Brad Penny the night before, Boston pitcher Jon Lester (6-6) was not great (especially for his high standards) but he gave his team six consistent innings. He gave up three runs on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

The Nationals made it somewhat interesting as Josh Willingham hit a two-run double in the sixth and Cristian Guzman (2 hits, walk) added an RBI triple in the seventh.

Jonathan Papelbon recorded his 17th save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth, a rarity for him these days.

Boston looks for the sweep tonight and even more importantly, we get our first glimpse of John Smoltz. He'll be limited to 85-90 pitches (so probably 5 or 6 innings) but who knows what to expect from the 42-year-old future Hall of Famer.

DC has a baseball team?

The Red Sox made their first trip to see the Washington Nationals in our nation's capital and game one last night was a complete success. Up 4-3 in the eighth, Boston (43-27) exploded for six runs en route to a comfortable 11-3 win.

As expected, Red Sox fans filled the stands at Nationals Park, accounting for a record sellout. The three-game set is supposed to be the only sold-out series of the season for the hapless Nationals (20-48).

The Sox banged out 17 hits, led by Jason Bay (4-for-6, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), Jacoby Ellsbury (4-for-4 including his first two-triple game with 3 RBIs, a walk and steal), Dustin Pedroia (3 hits, 2 runs) and Kevin Youkilis (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBIs).

Boston starter Brad Penny was far from great but it didn't matter. He lasted 5.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits with three runs and six strikeouts.

Manny Delcarmen (2-1) got the win in relief even though he only recorded one out.

Adam Dunn gave Washington a lead in the first with an RBI double which scored Ryan Zimmerman (2 hits, 2 runs).

Bay added to his AL-leading RBI totals with a solo homer in the second to tie it at one.

Ellsbury's first triple, in the fourth, scored Bay to make it 2-1 Red Sox.

Zimmerman scored on a Penny wild pitch in the fourth to tie it at two.

Youkilis' RBI single in the fifth scored Pedroia but a pair of bum ex-Sox tied it up as Willie Harris hit an RBI double in the sixth which plated Josh Bard.

Jason Varitek gave Boston the lead for good with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

The Sox went wild on a bunch of the Nationals terrible relievers in the eighth. Bay began the damage with a two-run single. Varitek added an RBI single and Ellsbury's second triple scored two. Nick Green ended the big inning with an RBI single.

Youkilis made it 11-3 in the ninth with an RBI double.

Jon Lester goes for Boston tonight.