June 22, 2019

G78: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 7

Blue Jays - 000 100 430 - 8 10  0
Red Sox   - 051 000 001 - 7  9  2
Brian Johnson allowed one unearned run in five innings (5-4-1-0-4, 83) and Mike Shawaryn turned in a clean sixth and the Red Sox led 6-1 ... and then the roof fell in.

Shawaryn gave up a one-out single to Cavan Biggio in the seventh. Freddy Galvis and Rowdy Tellez hit back-to-back home runs. Marcus Walden came in and walked Luke Maile. Eric Sogard struck out, but Maile went to third on Vladimir Guerrero's single and scored on Walden's wild pitch. Boston led by one run, 6-5.

In the eighth, Teoscar Hernández singled off Matt Barnes with one out. A wild pitch sent him to second and he scored on Biggio's game-tying single. Galvis flied to left and Tellez walked. A second wild pitch from Barnes put runners on second and third; Barnes ended up walking Billy McKinney.

Ryan Brasier took over and he walked Sogard on four pitches that were nowhere near the zone, forcing in the go-ahead run. Brasier got ahead of Guerrero 1-2, but eventually walked him too, gift-wrapping another run for Toronto. (The bullpen allowed two hits in the eighth, but also gave out four walks and two wild pitches. That is inexcusable.)

The Red Sox went in order in both the seventh and eighth innings. Facing Ken Giles in the ninth, Rafael Devers struck out. Mookie Betts walked and stole second. Andrew Benintendi struck out. Xander Bogaerts hit a ground-rule double down the left field line, scoring Betts. (It was Bogaerts's seventh consecutive game with a double.) With the tying run at second, J.D. Martinez chased a high 2-2 fastball at 98 and struck out.

Way back in the second inning, after walks to Martinez and Vázquez, Bradley knocked in both runners with a double. JBJ scored on Chavis's single and after Betts walked, Benintendi's double to left scored Chavis and Mookie. Vázquez hit his 10th home run of the year in the third.

SNCV's dong data:
2014-18: 291 games, 10 dongs
2019:     62 games, 10 dongs
AL East: MFY 7, Astros 5. Athletics 4, Rays 2. ... MFY –, TBR 5.5, BOS 8.0.
Derek Law / Brian Johnson
Betts, RF
Benintendi, LF
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Holt, 2B
Vázquez, C
Bradley, CF
Chavis, 1B
Núñez, 3B
Xander Bogaerts has doubled in six consecutive games. The American League record is seven, last accomplished by Mitch Moreland and José Ramírez in 2017. (Yadier Molina had an eight-game streak with the Cardinals in 2016.) Bogaerts has also reached base safely multiple times in a career-best eight games.

The Red Sox have won eight of their last nine games, with the bullpen posting a 1.70 ERA.

Steve Pearce will play rehab games with Pawtucket today and tomorrow. Heath Hembree may pitch in a rehab game on Monday.

AL East: MFY –, TBR 4.5, BOS 7.0. ... Astros/MFY, 7 PM; Rays/Athletics, 4 PM.

2 comments:

Paul Hickman said...

The 7th & 8th were like visiting a ......

Belligerent
Alcoholic
Dentist

without an Anaesthetic ......

BAD indeed !!!!!!

johngoldfine said...

Yeah, I tuned in early when it was 6-1 and the not-Joe C radio guy was saying, "Toronto may well have to save their bullpen for tomorrow by having position players pitch today."

But, you know, baseball....

Games like this one always remind me of the end of 'Absalom, Absalom,' when Quentin Compson is saying, trying to convince himself, 'I don't hate the South, I don't hate the South, I don't, I don't.'

Me, I don't hate the Red Sox, I don't, I don't....