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Reminders of 2022 in second loss against Pirates…

Hey, Red Sox Nation! Tough loss last night as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat us 4-1, but let’s break down what happened.

The Pirates’ Ji Hwan Bae hit his first career homer off Nick Pivetta’s 95-mph fastball in the second inning. Bae joked about losing the ball, saying he tends to lose his stuff, so he might as well send it back to Korea. We’ve all been there, right?

Bryan Reynolds also went deep for the third time in two games, with a drive that went into the home bullpen and made it 3-1 in the third. He added an RBI single in the seventh. That man loves hitting against the Red Sox!

On our end, Masataka Yoshida’s first-inning groundout scored our only run. We managed just three hits all night. Definitely not our best performance, especially after scoring at least six runs in each of our first four games.

Roansy Contreras had a great night on the mound for the Pirates, holding us to those three hits over 5 2/3 innings. He retired 13 straight after giving up a run in the first. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

Pivetta put in probably the best outing from a Starting Pitcher so far this year, giving up three runs (one earned) with six strikeouts in five innings. He even joked about it afterwards, saying it was “good, a little mix of everything. A couple of home runs. … That’s about it.”

But let’s talk about the highlight of the night, in my opinion. Bae not only hit his first career homer, but he also made a leaping grab against the Green Monster to rob Rafael Devers of an extra-base hit. Derek Shelton, the Pirates’ manager, even praised Bae’s all-around performance, saying he did great both offensively and defensively. Hate to see it from the opposition, but it’s early enough in the season to still just appreciate the fact that baseball is back!

In other news, Carlos Santana had a little snack break during the game. He went after a foul ball that landed in the stands and ended up eating some popcorn a fan handed him through the net. Hey, gotta keep the energy up somehow, right?

As for the injury report, RHP Brayan Bello and LHP James Paxton both had their rehab work moved to Fort Myers due to the risk (and eventual reality) of cancellation of the WooSox game in Buffalo. Paxton went 3 innings in the Fort, with Cora saying “Good velo, up to 95mph. I texted with him. He’s still a little bit off mechanically, but he’s getting closer.”. He will make at least two more starts before joining Boston,

We’ve got one more game against the Pirates in this series, with veteran RHP Corey Kluber set to go after getting roughed up for five runs over 3 1/3 innings in our opener against Baltimore. Let’s hope he can bounce back and we can end this series on a high note. Go Sox!

Sox drop Game 1 vs. Pirates

It must be something about series openers… Despite the Red Sox homering three times, they were unable to overcome poor starting pitching, falling to the Pirates 7-6 at Fenway Park. It was an exciting game that kept the fans on the edge of their seats until the final pitch.

Kutter Crawford made his first start of the year after breaking camp as a member of the starting rotation. Unfortunately, he struggled in his 2023 debut, surrendering seven earned runs on eight hits and two walks. Three of those runs came right away in the top of the first. However, the Red Sox responded in their half of the first. Rafael Devers, who had an early error, redeemed himself by smashing a solo shot to dead center for his first home run of the season. Masataka Yoshida followed with the first home run of his big-league career, getting an excuse to bring out the dumb-bells with a two-run blast over the Green Monster, knotting things up at three runs apiece.

The stalemate didn’t last long as Adam Duvall drew a one-out walk and Triston Casas looped a towering two-run shot round the Pesky Pole to put Boston up 5-3.

Reynolds made up for his error in the field by mashing a solo home run off Crawford with two outs in the second, and the Pirates tied it up in the third inning.

Crawford ran into more trouble in the fourth, giving up two more solo shots to Jason Delay and Reynolds, giving Pittsburgh a 7-5 lead. After four innings of work, Crawford threw 93 pitches, inducing 15 swings-and-misses, but giving up six hits with exit velocities of 100 mph or more. With Crawford’s outing in the books, Red Sox starters now own a 12.91 ERA, which is not a good start to the season.

Despite opportunities to score, the Boston lineup quieted down for a bit. However, in the sixth inning, they were able to get something going. Alex Verdugo led off with a single and moved up to second when Yoshida drew a walk. Duvall then greeted new Pirates reliever Duane Underwood Jr. with a broken-bat RBI single that plated Verdugo and cut the deficit to one. Yoshida advanced into scoring position, but he and Duvall were left on base when Casas fanned to end the inning.

The Red Sox went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position on Monday and left 12 runners on base as a team – a worrying reminder of the trend from 2022. Despite the loss, Adam Duvall had a great game, becoming the first player ever to reach base 13 times in his first four games as a member of the Red Sox.

The Red Sox will look to bounce back against the Pirates on Tuesday night with Nick Pivetta making his season debut for Boston. The Pirates will counter with fellow right-hander Roansy Contreras. It’s sure to be another exciting game at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox will be looking to improve their record in the young season.

Sox clinch first series of the season over Orioles

Hey, Red Sox fans! Did you catch yesterday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles? The Sox pulled off another impressive win, scoring nine runs for the third game in a row. That’s right, the team has made history by becoming only the third team ever to score at least nine runs in three consecutive games to start a season. How awesome is that?

Adam Duvall, who hit a walk-off homer in the previous game, continued his impressive streak by contributing three more hits, including two doubles and a two-run single to break a fifth-inning tie. Duvall is the first player in Red Sox franchise history to have six extra-base hits in his first three games with the team. Can you believe it?

Tanner Houck pitched for five innings, giving up three runs, five hits, and a walk while striking out five. Kiké Hernández hit a solo homer, and Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida, and Alex Verdugo each had two hits in the game. But it was Duvall who stole the show once again.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora praised Duvall’s performance, saying, “He has done damage in this stadium before, and we’ve seen it. But to do it with us means a lot. And to see that wall 81 times — hopefully plus — I think there’s a comfort level for him.”

After falling behind by six runs in the previous two games, the Red Sox took an early lead in this one, going up 3-0 after three innings. The Orioles tied it in the fifth with home runs by Adam Frazier and Cedric Mullins, but the Sox came back with three in the bottom half to take a 6-3 lead.

Baltimore managed to close the gap to 6-5 with Mullins’ two-run single in the seventh, but the Red Sox responded with two more runs, thanks to RBI singles from Triston Casas and Hernández. In the end, the Sox won the game 9-5.

It’s been an incredible start to the season for the Red Sox, especially after finishing in last place in 2022 and being predicted to finish at the bottom of the AL East again this year. But as Hernández said, “We’re probably not going to average nine runs a game all year long. But I do believe that’s what we’re capable of.”

So what’s next for the Red Sox? They’ll be facing the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-game series, with RHP Kutter Crawford facing RHP Johan Oviedo. Can the Sox keep up their winning streak and continue to make history? We’ll have to wait and see, but one thing’s for sure: this team is on fire! Go Sox!

Red Sox get first win and trigger the lights in first Fenway walk-off of 2023

Oh man, what a game it was! The Boston Red Sox got their first win of the season, thanks to a dramatic final play that left the Fenway Park crowd screaming in excitement.

It all came down to the routine fly ball from Masataka Yoshida that sailed to medium-deep left field. Baltimore’s Ryan McKenna moved slowly to his right before settling under it, preparing to make the final out. But then, the ball kicked off the palm of his glove and fell to the ground. The Fenway Park crowd erupted in cheers and screams!

Two pitches later, the Red Sox were celebrating at home plate, having won the game 9-8 over the Orioles on Saturday behind Adam Duvall’s second two-run homer. Duvall had four hits and five RBI, and his winning hit hit just above the Green Monster and caromed off a tabletop back onto the field.

“I turned my back and started to go to the clubhouse and I hear the fans screaming,” winning pitcher Kenley Jansen said. What a crazy moment!

Baltimore had stolen five bases in the game and became the first team to steal 10 in its first two games since at least 1901. Jorge Mateo swiped two, and Cedric Mullins, McKenna, and Austin Hays each stole one base.

Mullins hit a three-run homer, Ryan Mountcastle had a two-run shot, and the Orioles tagged Chris Sale for seven runs over three innings in his first Fenway start since 2021. Sale gave up three homers, but he did have six strikeouts, getting Ramón Urías three of his five times.

“I was out there throwing batting practice,” Sale said. “About as embarrassed as I’ve even been on a baseball field.”

Baltimore went ahead 7-1 on Mullins’ homer before Boston rallied behind Duvall, who fell a single shy of the cycle. Rafael Devers had three hits and Alex Verdugo a two-homer homer for the Red Sox, who cut it to 8-7 in the seventh on Duvall’s RBI double.

The game was full of exciting moments, including a charging barehand grab by third baseman Devers and a diving catch by McKenna on Kiké Hernández’s liner.

Orioles’ Mateo injured his right hand on a headfirst slide but stayed in the game, while Red Sox’s RHP Garrett Whitlock pitched four innings for Triple-A Worcester in a rehab start on Friday.

All eyes will be on the series finale on Sunday afternoon when LHP Cole Irvin makes his Orioles debut and starts against RHP Tanner Houck for the Red Sox. What a thrilling game this was, and we can’t wait for more action on the field!

Red Sox battle, but fall short on opening day…

The Boston Red Sox opened the 2023 MLB season against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on Thursday, March 30th. The game was marked by a late comeback attempt by the Red Sox, which ultimately fell just short in a 10-9 loss. Despite the loss, the Red Sox came into the season with a sense of optimism, with Manager Alex Cora noting that “today’s Day 1,” and that the team had done a lot of work in spring training that they hoped would translate to the regular season.

Unfortunately, the game did not start well for the Red Sox. In the first five innings alone, Boston pitchers issued eight walks, two wild pitches, and a hit batter while allowing four stolen bases. The pitching struggles continued throughout the game, with the Red Sox walking a total of nine batters and allowing the Orioles to tie a team record for the most walks on opening day.

Cora acknowledged that there was a lot of work to be done after the game, noting that “overall there’s a lot of stuff that we saw today that we didn’t do in Spring Training, and we’ve got to be better.” The hope for the Red Sox is that they can improve quickly, with their next game scheduled for Saturday against the Orioles.

One of the key areas the Red Sox are hoping to improve upon this season is their pitching staff’s ability to throw strikes. The team acquired veteran Corey Kluber for this very reason, as his control is typically pinpoint. However, Kluber struggled in his first start for the Red Sox, lasting just 3 1/3 innings while allowing five runs on six hits and four walks on 80 pitches (48 strikes).

Kluber’s struggles were compounded by those of Zack Kelly and Ryan Brasier, who also struggled with their command during the game. Despite these struggles, the Red Sox made a valiant effort to come back in the later innings of the game. Down 10-4 after seven innings, they scored three runs in the eighth and two in the ninth, with new acquisition Masataka Yoshida leading the way with two hits, including an RBI single.

Yoshida had a chance to be the hero in the ninth inning, coming up with two on and one out and a chance to be the walk-off hero in what would have been an Opening Day comeback for the ages. Although he hit a ground ball that looked like it would result in a game-ending double play, the Orioles gave the Red Sox a reprieve when shortstop Jorge Mateo made a throwing error to first, allowing Alex Verdugo to score to make it a one-run game.

The Red Sox had one more chance to tie the game or take the lead, with Adam Duvall coming up to bat with two outs in the ninth. However, he went down on three nasty pitches by Orioles closer Felíx Bautista, ending the game in a 10-9 loss for the Red Sox.

Despite the loss, there were some positive signs for the Red Sox. Their revamped lineup showed a lot of energy and fight, with new acquisitions like Yoshida and Duvall making an impact. Justin Turner, another veteran making his Boston debut, noted that he was “proud of what we did,” and that the team “just fell a little short.”

While it’s still early in the season, the Red Sox will need to improve quickly if they hope to compete in the American League East. With Chris Sale set to make his first start of the season on Saturday, the team will look to bounce back and get their first win of the season.