A Bronx Fail: Red Sox waste their talent on offense

Red Sox pitching kept the team in the game for 8 innings, but the offense slept through their at-bats as if they had bus lag from their traveling from Queens to the Bronx.

Every hit in this game was either a single or a homerun.

Michael Chavis hit a solo homerun but apart from that the Sox only mustered 4 singles and a pair of walks. They went down in order four times (1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th). And they gave up another out on the bases, this time Pillar was caught too far off 1st on a shallow fly to right.

With this staff, there won't be too many games where they are able to stay this close with so few runs. Shame to waste it.

Man of the Game: Chad Green
In his 2 innings of relief he struck out 4 of the 6 batters he faced. He threw 29 pitches and 22 were strikes. He totally shut down the Sox for 2 innings.

Honorable Mentions:
Michael Chavis: 1 for 3, HR, some nice stretches at first
Xander Bogaerts: 2 for 3, BB, a pair of Gold Glove plays at short
Phillips Valdez: 2.2 IP, 0 ER, kept the Sox in the game
Jordan Montgomery: 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K

Shame Shares:
Ryan Weber: 0.3 - 3.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 BB
Colten Brewer: 0.2 - IP, 2 ER
Alex Verdugo: 0.2 - 0 for 4 (0 for 2 with RISP)
Kevin Pillar: 0.1 - 1 for 4, thrown out on basepaths
Rafael Devers: 0.1 - 0 for 3, GIDP
Christian Vazquez: 0.1 - 0 for 4

Red Sox are going win streaking through the quad, and then to the gymnasium (with or without green hats)

Martin Perez might be the key to Red Sox success or failure in 2020. That's an unfortunate sentence to write.

Perez, as opposed to 40% of the current Sox rotation, is a legit Major League starter. He's made 150+ starts in the bigs. He can do a decent job and his upside isn't just 3 innings and 2-3 runs, he can make Quality Starts (6 or more IP, 3 or fewer earned runs).

Can someone tell the Red Sox to please stop running into outs? Alex Verdugo especially. I understand the emotional reaction to poor pitching is to try to eke out a few extra runs. However, risking the 27 precious outs the Sox have on offense for each game with steals and extending singles just isn't worth it. Losing an out hurts more than gaining a base helps. The Sox need all the outs they have to score as many runs as possible. So top running into outs!!!

Man of the Game: Christian Vazquez
Vaz-strzemski as someone more clever than I labelled him on Twitter, has continued to carry this team. Vazquez hit 2 homeruns Thursday night, including a homer with someone on base (what a novelty). He's slugging 1.105 at this point. Vazquez is the first player with multiple Man of the Game awards in 2020.

Honorable Mentions:
Martin Perez: 5.2 IP, 5 K, and a number of those K were in big situations
Drew Smith: 1.2 perfect innings of relief, 2 K, kept the Mets in the game

Red Sox silence Mets crowd, squeeze out 6-5 win

Seeing an actual Major League starter on the mound for the Red Sox was so refreshing. And if the Sox want to claim a playoff spot (a big if for some in the Fenway front office, and the ownership's office in Liverpool), they're going to need to win as many Eovaldi starts as possible.

The Sox fell behind 1-0 early, but unlike previous games the early damage was minimal and the starter was able to go reasonably deep into the game.

The timeliness of Red Sox hitting was nice to see, especially when facing a good opposing starter. Although I'm getting tired of all homeruns being solo homeruns. No need to social distance with the longball, let's see more 2 and 3 run shots.

Man of the Game: Christian Vazquez

Tough choice between Vazquez and Moreland. Vazquez hitting the homer put him over the top. He was 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. He's hitting .400 and slugging .867 in this young season.

Honorable Mentions:

Mitch Moreland: 2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBI

Pete Alonso: 4 for 4 (first opposing player with 2 Honorable Mentions in 2020)

Yoenis Cespedes: 2 for 5, HR

Photo credit: AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Minor league pitching still a major disappointment for Red Sox

If you thought minor league baseball was cancelled this year, you're wrong. It's alive and well and pitching for the Red Sox.

Matt Hall spent most of 2019 in AAA Toledo. In 25 appearances and 13 starts with the Mud Hens he had a 5.30 ERA. This was the man making a start for one of the (allegedly) premier teams in Major League Baseball. This is embarrassing.

The Red Sox have been outscored 12-1 in the first two innings of games so far. This is a direct result of having journeymen and AAA relievers as a rotation behind Eovaldi.

Some shabby Sox baserunning added to the variety of uninspiring play: Pereza getting thrown out trying to extend a wall ball single, Benintendi for some reason not staying on second base during a bizarre play. I don't blame Benintendi for not knowing what was going on, but in that situation the smart thing to do is stay on the base.

Just a note about Covid-19 before getting into Man of the Game and Shame Shares: the travel schedules for these teams are far too traditional. Why are there 2-game series at all? Why not have more 4-game and maybe even 5-game series? Trips to Philly should have been combined with trips to New York or Baltimore. You could get creative and do a trip that was Tampa Bay-Miami-Tampa Bay to keep travel limited.

Man of the Game: JD Davis
His 2-run homer in the 5th changed the complexion of the game. He also added an outfield assist in the 1st. He was 2 for 3.

Honorable Mention:
Kevin Pillar: 3 for , 2 doubles

Shame Shares:
Matt Hall: 0.3 shares - 2.2 IP, 3 ER
Austin Brice: 0.2 shares - 1.2 IP, 2 ER
Ryan Brasier: 0.1 share - IP, 3 ER
Ownership: 0.1 share
JD Martinez: 0.1 share - 0 for 4, 2 Ks
Xander Bogaerts: 0.1 share - 0 for 4
Jackie Bradley Jr.: 0.1 share - 0 for 4, 0 for 2 with RISP

Red Sox remain consistent by allowing 7 runs again

On the bright side, at least the Red Sox aren't keeping any of us up late with nail-biting late inning tension. These games are over so early, we'll all be getting to bed by 8pm each night.

Part of me feels bad for these third tier pitchers the Sox are forcing to take the mound. Josh Osich has never started a Major League game. He's only started twice in eight years of minor league ball. It's not like he's been an exceptional reliever either. And so the Red Sox put him on the hill to face a team that hit the 5th most homeruns in the NL last year? Strategy. Value. Great product, guys.

Can you give any blame to Osich for the loss? Technically yes, but is it really his fault? If the Sox had put Devers on the mound, or me, or Dr. Fauci, would you blame the person on the mound or the person who put them there?

I'm tempted to give Osich an Honorable Mention for his start, just for not giving up a run in the 1st inning the way Perez and Weber did.

By the way, Jon Lester pitched 5 no-hit innings for the Cubs Monday night.

Man of the Game: Michael Wacha

Wacha allowed his share of baserunners but he never seemed to be under threat. He made big pitches in big situations and was very much in total control of the game. The Sox hit a pair of homers, but they were solo shots.

Honorable Mentions:

Zack Godley: 4 IP, 0 ER, 7 K

Pete Alonso: Missile homerun that ricocheted off the Monster

Michael Conforto: Bomb homerun deep into the RF bleachers

Dominic Smith: Howitzer homerun deposited in the bullpen

Shame Share:

Josh Osich: 0.2 shares - 2 IP, 2 ER

Ownership 0.3 shares - Not having enough SPs

Chaim Bloom 0.3 - Not having enough SPs

Jeffrey Springs: 0.2 shares - 1.1 IP, 5 ER

Red Sox look O-ful against O's

Baseball is back! And the Red Sox dropped 2 of 3 to a team that lost 67% of the time in 2019. What do you expect when your game 2 starter had an ERA over 5 last year, your game 3 starter has struggled to get out of AAA, your leadoff hitter might not be a leadoff hitter, and you let your best player go with hardly any effort to keep him?

I'm bringing back a Boston Blood Sox tradition: The Man of the Game award, along with Honorable Mentions, and Shame Shares. Quick definitions:

Man of the Game: The best performing player on either team. The player who changed the game the most (in a good way).

Honorable Mention: Noteworthy performances for either team.

Shame Shares: For Red Sox losses, the distribution of responsibility for the loss. So let's say Martin Perez was 50% responsible for Saturday's loss, he gets 0.5 of a shame share (0.5 of the loss).

I'll keep track throughout the season so you can so who are the heroes, and who is dragging the team down.

Game 1: Red Sox 13, Orioles 2
This was almost a flawless victory. The Sox amassed 17 hits, including 8 doubles, and added 7 walks. Every starter reached base at least once. Nathan Eovaldi didn't need many of the 13 runs in his 6 solid innings of work.

Man of the Game: Kevin Pillar
In his Red Sox debut Pillar was 3 for 5 with a double and 3 RBI. He also robbed the O's of an extra-base hit in the 1st.

Honorable Mentions:
JD Martinez: 3 for 5, 3 RBI
Nathan Eovaldi: 6 IP, 1 ER
Jackie Bradley Jr.: 3 for 4, 2 RBI
Jose Peraza: 4 for 5, 2 RBI

Game 2: Orioles 7, Red Sox 2
The Sox lost, but more importantly Xander Bogaerts got half a day off, which is perhaps worth a loss. Sarcasm. Martin Perez nearly got out of a 1st inning jam with no damage at all, but allowed a 2-out double on a juicy sinker to Renato Nunez. After another rough inning, Perez settled down and the Sox scored a pair in the 6th to give themselves some hope, but then Dylan Covey gave up a pair of runs right back and murdered that hope.

Man of the Game: Hanser Alberto
I wanted to award this to someone else, someone who didn't forget how many outs there were. But Alberto played a key part in all three of the Orioles' rallies, ending up 3 for 5 (with all three hits impacting the game), with a double, an RBI, and two runs.

Honorable Mentions:
Miguel Castro: 0.1 IP, 3 pitches, 3 strikes, K in a potentially game-changing situation
Alex Verdugo: 3 for 4
Jackie Bradley Jr.: 2 for 4, 2 nice catches in center
Alex Cobb: 5.1 innings, 1 earned run, 6 K

Shame Shares:
Martin Perez: 0.5 shares - 5 ER in 5 IP
Dylan Covey: 0.2 shares - 2 ER in 2 IP
Andrew Benintendi: 0.1 share - 0 for 5, 2 Ks
Rafael Devers: 0.1 share - 0 for 5, 4 Ks
Jose Peraza: 0.1 share - 0 for 4

Game 3: Orioles 7, Red Sox 4
More bad pitching, this time Ryan Weber got grilled. Nothing is more discouraging than starting the game in a hole. Except maybe having a bullpen so bad that no lead ever feels safe. Both teams hit 2 homeruns each, but the difference was both Orioles homeruns came with a runner on, the Sox homers were solo shots.

Man of the Game: Anthony Santander
He hit a homerun and robbed a homerun in the same inning, both in right field. He also scored a run in the 3rd after working a leadoff walk. And he took a single away from JD Martinez in the 6th which might have kept the Sox from having a much bigger inning.

Honorable Mentions:
Christian Vazquez: 2 for 4, HR, CS
Jose Iglesias: 4 for 5, 2 doubles

Shame Shares:
Ryan Weber: 0.7 shares - 3.2 IP, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 HR
Austin Brice: 0.1 shares - 1 IP, 1 ER
Jose Peraza: 0.1 share - 0 for 4, GIDP
Alex Verdugo: 0.1 share - 0 for 4, 2 Ks

With the condenses schedule, each game is worth almost 3 times as much, so this is like losing 6 games to the Orioles. But with expanded playoffs it's like the regular season is only half as important. So the Sox essentially have a record of 1.5 wins and 3 losses.

How will the Patriots win without filming sidelines from the press box?

Forget losing Tom Brady. How are the Patriots going to win without the massive advantage of filming sidelines from the press box? The NFL's harsh and absolutely not ridiculous punishment of the Patriots came down today. But worse than the fine and the forfeited draft pick is the impact the lack of press box sideline footage will have in the win-loss column.

When Tom Brady's DeflateGate suspension was first announced, I remember laughing hysterically at how absurdly severe it was. And now I can't even take the NFL seriously enough to laugh at it when it tries to act like it cares about its rules when it over-punishes the Patriots for doing something that was as close to nothing as something can be.

And of course, the same old crew of people will emerge from the woodwork and get on their well-worn soapboxes to preach about the moral uprightness of their teams and the debauched wickedness of the evil Patriots. By this point, these aging crusaders of football ethics will have hoarse voices as they try to remember their rehearsed streams of bullshit occasionally peppered with half-truths and innuendo. They'll likely be doing so while wearing the jersey of a team with cap violations, rampant PED use, or coaches who block kick returners.

Most importantly, the NFL has sent a message to everyone far and wide: don't film a team's sideline from the press box. The sideline, which is visible to 60,000 people, is being filmed by TV networks and NFL Films, and is often full of microphones attached to coaches and players, must not be filmed from the press box. This is too much of an advantage for one team to have.

Rob Gronkowski: no ill will toward him for leaving, no good will either

Rob Gronkowski is one of the greatest football players any of us will ever see: a game-changing pass catcher and an even better run blocker. His presence helped the Patriots revive the physically imposing style of offense they won with in the early 2000s.

Unfortunately, he didn't want to play here anymore. And that's fine. I get it. It can't be much fun to play under Belichick. You don't get the big money, you have to watch what you say and do in public, it's probably a more demanding job than many of us have ever had to deal with in our professions, and NFL players can't just decide to change jobs after giving 2 weeks notice like we can.

So go have fun, Gronk. No bad feelings.

But no good feelings either. At least not any good feelings concerning the present or future, just some nostalgia and gratitude for what you did in the past.

I'm not going to root for him. Nor am I going to blame the brain trust in Foxborough for not changing their culture and philosophy for a single player, as great as he may be, in order to keep him here. It is what it is. I'll live with the potentially alienating culture that won 6 Super Bowls, 18 division titles, and 30 playoff games. It seems to be working.

I rooted for Gronk when he was a Patriot, when there was a two-way street of what he committed to the team and what we committed to him. Gronk and his family lived like kings up here, and while he was in Patriots' blue, red, and silver that was fine. But the two way street of athlete/fan support isn't a 1,100 mile interstate highway. The street has moved down to Florida and to the NFC. So the social contract between king and subject is no longer in effect when the king moves his castle to a different land, and starts fighting under a different banner.

Especially when up here he preferred not fighting at all over fighting for the Patriots. Don't forget that. He chose to leave football over playing here. I have no qualms with that, but I'm not going to fawn over an ex-Patriot who preferred being a retired ex-Patriot over being a Patriot.

Now as for Brady, I will root for him somewhat as a Buccaneer. Because unlike Gronk Brady seemed to help push the Patriot Way among his fellow players. Gronk only seemed to tolerate it. Brady and Belichick built this kingdom on and off the field.  That's special.

Furthermore, and this is just my opinion, Gronk's "charms" are wasted on me. I find his act a little lame, and more than a little boring. We get it, you're a big goofball that smiles and dances a lot, you stick your tongue out, and the number 69 is hilarious. It's not a bad act, but not nearly unique or funny enough to merit a long-distance fan relationship.

So ultimately, no ill will for leaving. But no good will for anything on the football field since you retired. It's kind of like the first 9 years of The Simpsons compared to everything after: I enjoy the memories, but am apathetic toward your present and future.