G162: Cleveland 3, Red Sox 1

Red Sox   - 100 000 000 - 1  7  1
Cleveland - 012 000 00x - 3 10  0

Boston finished the season with a 78-84 record (a huge disappointment, but a seven-game improvement over 2014!).

The Red Sox also ended up in fifth/last place for the third time in four seasons.

Rick Porcello / Danny Salazar

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Swihart, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, RF

And then we came to the end ...

While Xander Bogaerts's chances of getting to 200 hits is remote (he has 195), Gordon Edes notes that Bogaerts "still has a chance to become the youngest player to lead the league in a non-strike season since 22-year-old George Brett led the AL with 195 hits in 1975". (Houston's José Altuve leads the AL with 197 hits.)

G161: Cleveland 2, Red Sox 0

Red Sox   - 000 000 000 - 0  3  0
Cleveland - 010 100 00x - 2  8  0

Boston managed six baserunners against Corey Kluber (8-3-0-2-9, 107) and Cody Allen:

1st inning: Mookie Betts walked with 0 outs.
2nd inning: Deven Marrero walked with 2 outs.
4th inning: Travis Shaw singled with 1 out.
5th inning: Sandy Leon singled with 1 out.
7th inning: Brock Holt hit by pitch with 2 outs.
8th inning: Sandy Leon singled with 0 out.

Only Betts advanced to second (stolen base).

Craig Breslow (5.1-5-2-0-2, 66) gave up two home runs: Carlos Santana in the second and Ryan Raburn in the fourth.

Craig Breslow / Corey Kluber

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B Rutledge, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Holt, DH
Marrero, 3B
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Pedroia scratched because of the wet field conditions.

G160: Cleveland 8, Red Sox 2

Red Sox   - 000 200 000 - 2  5  0
Cleveland - 004 030 10x - 8 12  0

David Ortiz slugged his 37th home run of the year, with Xander Bogaerts aboard, in the fourth inning.

Henry Owens / Josh Tomlin

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Holt, 3B
Swihart, C
Bradley, RF

G159: Yankees 4, Red Sox 1

Red Sox - 000 010 000 - 1  7  0
Yankees - 020 000 11x - 4  8  0

Rich Hill / CC Sabathia

Betts, CF
Bradley, LF
Bogaerts, SS
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, RF
Craig, DH
Marrero, 3B
Leon, C
Rutledge, 2B

G158: Red Sox 9, Yankees 5 (11)

Red Sox - 301 000 100 04 - 9 13  0
Yankees - 010 031 000 00 - 5 12  0

Mookie Betts's second home run of the night capped a four-run eleventh inning, giving Boston its sixth straight win.

Travis Shaw hit a three-run homer in the first and he and Betts (who had tied the game at 5-5 with his first dong) each drove in three runs.

Wade Miley / Masahiro Tanaka

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Holt, RF
Swihart, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, LF

Can the Red Sox go 4-1 over the final five games of the season - two in New York, three in Cleveland - and finish at .500?

G157: Red Sox 10, Yankees 4

Red Sox - 600 010 021 - 10 11  1
Yankees - 400 000 000 -  4  7  1

Blake Swihart hit two home runs and drove in five runs. He capped an explosive first inning by hitting a three-run shot and added a two-run dong in the eighth.

Boston - who now has its first five-game winning streak of the season - is in sole possession of third place. ... Since August 17, the Red Sox are 25-14 (.641) - which is a 104-win pace over an entire season.

Rick Porcello: 8-6-4-1-8, 118. ... Mookie Betts homered and doubled.

Rick Porcello / Michael Pineda

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Holt, RF
Swihart, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, LF

Red Sox Press Notes:

The Red Sox have allowed just 1 run over their last 4 games, matching the fewest runs allowed over any 4-game span in franchise history for the 6th time, and the first since the final 5 regulation games of 1978. They also did it in 4-game stretches in 1903, 1915, 1918, and 1919.

The Red Sox record for fewest total runs allowed in any 5-game stretch is 2 (July 3-6, 1915).

The Toronto Blue Jays (91-65) can clinch their first AL East title since 1993 tonight if they beat the Orioles and Boston beats New York.

In 14 starts since the All-Star break, Jake Arrieta of the Cubs has allowed only nine earned runs for a microscopic ERA of 0.80. Is he having one of the best half-seasons of all-time? (I note that the Top 8 half-seasons according to "wOBA-Allowed" include both halves of Pedro's 2000 season!)

G156: Red Sox 5, Yankees 1

Red Sox - 000 002 201 - 5 10  1
Yankees - 100 000 000 - 1  9  0

Travis Shaw and Jackie Bradley each hit two-run home runs off Yankee starter Ivan Nova.

Deven Marrero hit a solo shot in the ninth. ... Shaw also had two singles to go with his sixth-inning dong. ... Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts each had two hits; Betts had two doubles.

Eduardo Rodriguez (6-7-1-1-5, 97) allowed one or no runs in a start for the 11th time in 21 games - the most in the last 100 years by an American League left-hander. ... Also, the Red Sox's pitching staff has allowed only one run in its last four games.

Jon Shestakofsky presented this list:

All-Time Seasons - 40 2B, 15 HR, 20 SB at age 22 or younger
Mookie Betts, 2015
Hanley Ramirez, 2006
Alex Rodriguez, 1997
Vada Pinson, 1959

Eduardo Rodriguez / Ivan Nova

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Shaw, 1B
Holt, RF
Craig, DH
Swihart, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, LF

While the Yankees are almost assured of playing in the Wild Card Game one week from tomorrow, they have not clinched a postseason berth. Getting swept in this four-game series - or even losing three games - could potentially toss a wrench into their October plans.

Also, New York is one victory away from 10,000 regular-season wins, and it would be nice if they did not reach that milestone while the Red Sox are in town.

Boston will try for a franchise-record fourth consecutive shutout.

Tonight will likely be Rodriguez's last start of the year, as he's reached his innings limit (48.1 with Pawtucket and 115.2 with the Red Sox = 164 IP). Earlier reports had his limit at roughly 170.

Boston's rotation for the rest of the series: Rick Porcello (Tuesday), Wade Miley (Wednesday), and Rich Hill (Thursday).

G155: Red Sox 2, Orioles 0

Orioles - 000 000 000 - 0  5  2
Red Sox - 101 000 00x - 2  7  1

The Red Son won their third consecutive game by shutout, tying a team record. It was the tenth* time Boston pitchers have thrown three straight shutouts.

Elias Sports reports that this was the first time the Red Sox have ever won three straight games by shutout in games started by left-handed pitchers.

Not only did the Orioles not touch home plate for three days, they managed to get only two runners as far as third base in 27 innings.

Three Straight Shutouts

June 27-28, 1903      - Beat Browns 6-0, 1-0, 3-0
July 3-5, 1915        - Beat A's 11-0, Senators 4-0, 6-0
June 21-23, 1916      - Beat Yankees 2-0, 1-0, A's 1-0
July 9-11, 1918       - Beat Cleveland 1-0, 2-0, White Sox 4-0
September 8-11, 1919  - Beat Yankees 3-0, Browns 4-0, 6-0
September 19-21, 1958 - Beat Senators 2-0, 2-0, 2-0
August 8-11, 1962     - Beat Cleveland 6-0, 4-0, Orioles 3-0
August 24-26, 1990    - Beat Blue Jays 2-0, 1-0, 1-0
April 25-29, 2004     - Beat Yankees 2-0, Rays 6-0, 4-0
September 25-27, 2015 - Beat Orioles 7-0, 8-0, 2-0

(*: An 11th instance was spread over two seasons: October 2-3, 1999 (Beat Orioles 8-0, 1-0) to April 4, 2000 (Beat Mariners 2-0).)

Henry Owens: 7.2-3-0-1-5, 110. ... Brock Holt scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and Blake Swihart homered in the third. ... Xander Bogaerts had two hits, raising his average to .324.

This was the Red Sox's first sweep of at least three games without allowing a run since September 19-21, 1958, against the Senators.

Ubaldo Jimenez / Henry Owens

Betts, RF
Holt, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 3B
Castillo, LF
Craig, 1B
Swihart, C
Bradley, CF

G154: Red Sox 8, Orioles 0

Orioles - 000 000 000 - 0  5  3
Red Sox - 000 011 24x - 8  8  0

Craig Breslow (4-2-0-2-2, 55) and six relievers combined to shutout the Orioles for the second straight game.

Wei-Yin Chen / Craig Breslow

Betts, RF
Pedroia, DH
Bogaerts, SS
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Holt, 3B
Rutledge, 2B
Swihart, C
Bradley, CF

Craig Breslow will make his first major league start this afternoon. Breslow, who has appeared in 522 games over ten seasons as a reliever, is expected to throw roughly 40 pitches.

Mookie Betts has reached base in 28 straight games.

G153: Red Sox 7, Orioles 0

Orioles - 000 000 000 - 0  2  0
Red Sox - 001 013 02x - 7  9  1

Rich Hill: 9-2-0-1-10, 116.

Rich Hill is the only major league pitcher in the last 100 years to record at least 10 strikeouts in each of his first three career starts with any single American League team.

He is also the first pitcher since 1900 to make his season debut in September or later and have 10+ strikeouts in his first three games of that season.

Longest Red Sox Streaks with 10+ strikeouts and no more than 1 walk, last 100 Years:

3 Games, Rich Hill, 2015
3 Games, Pedro Martinez, 1999

(Thanks to Jon Shestakofsky for the factoids.)

Mookie Betts robbed Chris Davis of a home run, leaping over the bullpen wall and snagging the ball for the final out of the game (video).

Kevin Gausman / Rich Hill

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Marrero, 3B
Holt, LF
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

Also: Rays/Blue Jays and White Sox/Yankees. ... The Blue Jays' East-clinching magic number is 8. It has been 22 years since Toronto finished atop the division (1993).

G152: Rays 4, Red Sox 2

Rays    - 000 003 100 - 4 11  1
Red Sox - 200 000 000 - 2  5  0

David Ortiz hit a two-run homer (with Mookie Betts aboard). It was his 36th dong of the season and RBI #s 100 and 101.

It was Ortiz's ninth season with 100+ RBI for the Red Sox, tying Ted Williams for most in club history.

Ortiz now has six 35-HR/100-RBI season with the Red Sox (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015). That is the most in team history (Jimmie Foxx and Manny Ramirez each had five seasons).

Most 30-HR/100-RBI Seasons For American League Team

1. Babe Ruth    12  Yankees
2. Lou Gehrig   10  Yankees
3. David Ortiz   9  Red Sox

Erasmo Ramirez / Wade Miley

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Holt, 3B
Hanigan, C
Bradley, CF

G151: Rays 6, Red Sox 2

Rays    - 000 000 132 - 6 14  1
Red Sox - 000 000 002 - 2  7  1

The Blue Jays beat the Yankees 4-0 and increased their lead to 3.5 games, with 10 games to play. New York has 11 games left on its schedule, including four against the Red Sox next week in the Bronx.

Drew Smyly / Rick Porcello

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Swihart, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, CF

G150: Rays 5, Red Sox 2

Rays    - 000 012 020 - 5  8  0
Red Sox - 200 000 000 - 2  8  1

Also: Yankees 6, Blue Jays 4 (10). Toronto leads by 2.5 games.

Matt Moore / Henry Owens

Betts, RF
Rutledge, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Swihart, C
Marrero, 3B
Bradley, CF

Alex Speier, 108 Stitches (Globe):

This doesn't happen.

To have one player who is so good at such a young age is catching lightning in a bottle. To have another bolt strike the same place at the same time? Preposterous.

Yet that's what's happening right now with the Red Sox. Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts, born five days apart in the first week of October 1992, are both emerging in a way that has them leading the Red Sox out of the ignominy of last place with the possibility of vastly better days on the horizon. ...

[Bogaerts is] now hitting .323 with a .353 OBP and .426 slugging mark. In the last 75 years, here's the complete list of American League players to hit .320 or better in their age 22 seasons (or younger):

Ted Williams (Hall of Famer, 1940-41)
Al Kaline (Hall of Famer, 1955)
Paul Molitor (Hall of Famer, 1979)
Ken Griffey Jr. (soon-to-be Hall of Famer, 1991)
Alex Rodriguez (would-have-been Hall of Famer, 1996)
Mike Trout (likely-to-be Hall of Famer, 2012-13)
Bogaerts ...

How rare is it to have two players who are so young performing at that level on the same team? Since 1901, the Red Sox are now just the third team with two players who, in their age 22 season or younger, have posted a WAR of 4.0 or better. The others were the 1909 Tigers (Ty Cobb, Donie Bush) and the 1970 Reds (Johnny Bench, Bernie Carbo).

Betts and Bogaerts have each reached base 200-plus times this year (Betts has exactly 200). They're the first Sox teammates to reach 200 times at the age of 22 or younger since Tony Conigliaro and George Scott in 1966 — a performance that offered a harbinger of the Sox emerging from second-division failure as a regular contender.

G149: Red Sox 8, Rays 7

Rays    - 300 000 031 - 7 11  1
Red Sox - 000 100 34x - 8 10  1

Xander Bogaerts's eighth-inning grand slam erased Tampa Bay's 6-4 lead. Bogaerts finished the night 2-for-5, with a double, home run, two runs scored, and five RBI. Boston (72-77) moved into sole possession of fourth place, dropping the Rays into the basement.

After Xavier Cedeno struck out the first two Boston hitters in the eighth, he plunked Jackie Bradley with a pitch. Mookie Betts (2-for-3, 2 BB) and Dustin Pedroia (3-for-4) each singled and Bogaerts nailed a 2-2 pitch to left field for his seventh home run of the season.

David Price and the Blue Jays beat the Yankees 4-2. Toronto leads the East by 3.5 games.

Chris Archer / Eduardo Rodriguez

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Holt, 3B
Hanigan, C
Bradley, CF

A win tonight will put the Red Sox in fourth place!

In his last two starts against Boston (June 28 and September 11), Archer has allowed eight runs in 11 innings. I hope that if the Red Sox beat Archer again, they don't celebrate too much and hurt his feelings.

Alex Speier of the Globe notes that Rodriguez's 1.68 ERA in night games this year "is the lowest since at least 1914 by a Red Sox pitcher who has made 10 or more night starts in a season, besting Pedro’s 1.82 mark in his outrageous 1999 season."

Note: I know you have to add that "since at least 1914" qualifier when using Baseball Reference's Play Index, but there were absolutely no night games before 1914, so in this case you can say "in Red Sox history" and be completely safe!

Also: Yankees at Blue Jays. Toronto leads the East by 2.5 games.

G148: Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 3

Red Sox   - 000 120 010 - 4 10  1
Blue Jays - 030 000 000 - 3  9  3

The Red Sox authored another come-from-behind victory on Sunday afternoon, with Jackie Bradley hitting a sacrifice fly to snap a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning.

Toronto stranded a runner at second base in the bottom half on the ninth, against Robbie Ross. Justin Smoak - who made the final out in yesterday's game - struck out to end this affair.

Rich Hill (7-7-3-0-10, 107) is the first Red Sox pitcher in history to record at least 10 strikeouts in each of his first two career starts for the team.

Travis Shaw went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs in the fifth inning. ... Dustin Pedroia and Xander Bogaerts each had two hits, and X scored twice.

The Yankees - who now trail the Blue Jays by three games - and Mets play tonight at 8 PM.

Rich Hill / Mark Buehrle

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Sandoval, 3B
Castillo, LF
Leon, C
Bradley, CF

G147: Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 6

Red Sox   - 000 001 105 - 7 13  0
Blue Jays - 000 002 022 - 6  8  0

Coming into Saturday's game, the Blue Jays were 73-0 when leading after eight innings.

Make that 73-1.

Jackie Bradley hit a one-out, game-tying, two-run homer in the top of the ninth - and the Red Sox kept hitting, batting around and scoring five times. (Bradley also tied the game at 2-2 with a double in the seventh.)

Brock Holt began the inning with a double off Roberto Osuna and, after Blake Swihart was called out on strikes, Bradley clubbed his ninth homer of the season, into the second deck in right-center. Mookie Betts grounded out, but Dustin Pedroia walked. The Jays brought in Aaron Sanchez. Xander Bogaerts singled. David Ortiz singled, giving Boston a 5-4 lead. A wild pitch scored another run - and after Travis Shaw was intentionally walked, Rusney Castillo singled in another run. Finally, Ryan Tepera, Toronto's third pitcher of the inning, retired Holt for the final out.

Robbie Ross set down the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth - and then it was "fasten your seat belts" time. Josh Donaldson walked and Jose Bautista lined a two-run dong to left-center. Pinch-hitter Matt Hague doubled to deep center, bringing the potential winning run to the plate. Justin Smoak took a strike and then grounded to Pedroia at second.

The Yankees beat the Mets 5-0, cutting Toronto's AL East-lead to 3.5 games.

Wade Miley / R.A. Dickey

Betts, RF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Holt, 3B
Swihart, C
Bradley, CF

G146: Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1

Red Sox   - 000 010 000 - 1  8  1
Blue Jays - 001 302 00x - 6  9  0

Not all Red Sox losses are bad. In dropping the first game of a weekend series at Skydome, Boston helped scuttle the Yankees' division-winning dreams. The Mets beat the MFY 5-1, dropping the Yankees 4.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East.

Porcello: 6-8-6-2-4, 111. ... Mookie Betts had two hits, including a double. ... Josh Rutledge knocked in Boston's lone run, which was scored by Rusney Castillo.

Rick Porcello / Marcus Stroman

Betts, RF
Holt, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Swihart, C
Rutledge, 2B
Bradley, CF

Mookie Betts will try his hand at playing right field during this series. According to interim manager Torey Lovullo:

We all know Jackie [Bradley] is comfortable in center. ... Jackie is comfortable no matter where you put him. We're probably looking at Mookie's first steps, Mookie's coverage. His reads. It's more about Mookie in the situation of being a right fielder than it is Jackie being a center fielder. We feel fine about arm strength. Everybody is concerned about the right fielder's arm strength. We know that Mookie has really improved in that area.

It has been reported that the Red Sox and Blue Jays will close out spring training in 2016 with two exhibition games at Montreal's Olympic Stadium on April 1 and 2. Boston will begin the regular season in Cleveland on April 4.

While the Red Sox are (I hope) rolling over for the Blue Jays, the Yankees play the NL East-leading Mets.

G145: Red Sox 10, Orioles 1

Red Sox - 013 500 010 - 10 12  1
Orioles - 000 000 001 -  1  8  0

Dustin Pedroia hit two home runs and drove in five runs.

Henry Owens: 7.2-6-0-0-4, 113.

Brock Holt singled twice, scored twice, and drove in two runs. David Ortiz also had two hits, including his 35th home run of the season. This is Ortiz's sixth 35+ HR season with the Red Sox, the most in team history (Jimmie Foxx, Manny Ramirez, and Ted Williams had five).

Henry Owens / Mike Wright

Holt, RF
Sandoval, 3B
Pedroia, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Castillo, LF
Swihart, C
Bradley, CF
Marrero, SS

The Red Sox have shut down Junichi Tazawa for the rest of the season. Interim manager Torey Lovullo: "There is no injury. There is nothing behind this other than us giving him a rest."

Joe Kelly pitched only 2.1 innings (53 pitches) last night before leaving with right shoulder tightness and fatigue.

OTM's Alex Skillin writes, about Owens:

He's flashed dominant form against good offenses, but also seen big league hitters punish his mistakes in a way minor leaguers likely never did. ... His performances for Boston haven't been altogether convincing, though how much his development would benefit from a return to the minors is unknown.

G144: Orioles 6, Red Sox 5 (13)

Red Sox - 001 030 010 000 0 - 5 12  1
Orioles - 004 010 000 000 1 - 6  9  0

Joe Kelly / Ubaldo Jimenez

Betts, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Sandoval, 3B
Castillo, LF
Hanigan, C
Bradley, RF

David Ortiz was named AL Player of the Week, with a .444/.545/1.111 hitting line, three homers (including career blast #500), and nine RBIs. It was the sixth time Ortiz has won the award, but the first since May 30-June 5, 2011.

G143: Orioles 2, Red Sox 0

Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  3  1
Orioles - 100 000 10x - 2  9  0

Eduardo Rodriguez / Kevin Gausman

Betts, CF
Rutledge, 2B
Bogaerts, SS
Ortiz, DH
Shaw, 1B
Sandoval, 3B
Castillo, LF
Swihart, C
Bradley, RF

The Battle for Third Place continues ...

TOR ----
MFY  3.5
BAL 12.5
TBR 12.5
BOS 13.5