G104: Red Sox 19, Yankees 3

Yankees - 020 010 000 -  3  7  0
Red Sox - 700 531 03x - 19 23  0

"Look Out, Boston", crowed the back page of Thursday's Daily News. The rest of that admonition - obviously too lengthy to fit on the page - must have been "... and don't get too winded circling the bases with wild abandon while scoring the most runs your team has ever scored against the Yankees".

In the Yankees' first game of the season at Fenway Park, Masahiro Tanaka (3.1-12-12-3-4, 87) was left in to allow 12 runs, the most runs given up to the Red Sox by a Yankees pitcher since Red Ruffing allowed 12 (10 earned) in eight innings on September 2, 1939.

The Red Sox tied the American League record with eight players having multiple RBI in a game. They are the eighth AL team to do so and the first since the Rangers did it in their 30-3 win over the Orioles on August 22, 2007.

It was also only the second time in franchise history that a Yankees starter allowed 12+ earned runs and the first time that had happened in 96 years. Carl Mays allowed 13 runs (and 20 hits) in a complete game loss to Cleveland on July 17, 1923.

Tanaka's historically bad performance actually LOWERED his ERA against Boston this season! In his other start against the Red Sox, he allowed six runs while getting only two outs in one of the two games in London. So his 2019 ERA against the Red Sox fell tonight from 81.00 to 40.50! lol

Tanaka is the 20th pitcher since 1908 to allow at least 12 runs to the Red Sox, with 18 of the previous 19 games happening before 1951. The only other instance in the last 68 years was Scott Feldman of the Rangers, who allowed 12 runs (but only six earned) in 2.2 innings on August 12, 2008. The Red Sox won that game 19-17. Only four pitchers have ever allowed more than 12 earned runs to Boston: the infamous quartet of Win Noyes, Dan Dugan, Chubby Dean, and Les McCrabb.

Boston had previously scored a high of 17 runs against the Yankees twice in 2005 (May 28 at New York and July 15 at Fenway, both games a 17-1 victory).

Yankees starters now have a 18.34 ERA in their last five games. Each starter in those five games has allowed six or more runs, consecutive game streak not seen by the MFY since August 1945.

July 21 vs COL - James Paxton:    3.1 IP,  7 RA
July 22 at MIN - CC Sabathia:     4.0 IP,  7 RA
July 23 at MIN - Domingo German:  3.2 IP,  8 RA
July 24 at MIN - J.A. Happ:       3.1 IP,  6 RA
July 25 at BOS - Masahiro Tanaka: 3.1 IP, 12 RA

After Rick Porcello (6-6-3-1-5, 112) pitched a clean first inning, the Red Sox unloaded on Tanaka, who allowed six runs while getting only two outs in his last game against Boston (in London). Mookie Betts singled. Rafael Devers walked. Xander Bogaerts (4-for-6, 4 runs, 4 RBI) clubbed perhaps the longest home run of his career, a 451-foot blast. J.D. Martinez flied to center. Andrew Benintendi (3-for-5, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 1 BB) singled, Brock Holt singled, and Mitch Moreland singled. With the bases loaded, Christian Vázquez popped to shortstop. Jackie Bradley (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 1 BB) and Betts each doubled in two runs before Devers lined out to center. (At that point, Tanaka had allowed 13 runs in his last 1.2 innings against Boston, a 70.20 ERA.)

The Red Sox stranded runners at second and third in the third before getting back to work in the fourth. Devers crushed Tanaka's first pitch 437 feet off a sign above the Wall for his 21st home run of the year. On NESN, Dennis Eckersley said it looked like a right-handed-hitting slugger pulling the ball.

Bogaerts singled to right. Martinez struck out, but Benintendi walked. Michael Chavis doubled in one run and Moreland doubled in two more. FINALLY, Tanaka was pulled, and Stephen Tarpley took over. Vázquez doubled in a run and Tarpley threw a wild pitch. With Boston runners at second and third, Tarpley got the next two hitters.

Boston began the fifth with a Bogaerts single, Martinez double, Benintenedi single, and Chavis double. By that time, it was 14-3. ... Sandy León and Bogaerts each went deep in the eighth with MFY catcher Austin Romine on the hill serving up the dongs.

The Red Sox finished the night with 10 doubles, nine singles, and four home runs. ... Eight players had two or more hits, eight players had two or more RBI, and six players scored two or more runs.

AL East: Rays off. ... MFY –, TBR 9.5, BOS 10.0.

Masahiro Tanaka / Rick Porcello

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Holt, 2B
Moreland, 1B
Vázquez, C
Bradley, CF

Friday, 7 PM: James Paxton / Andrew Cashner
Saturday, 4 PM: CC Sabathia / Eduardo Rodriguez
Sunday, 7 PM: Domingo Germán / Chris Sale

Porcello, last five starts: 10.57 ERA, but a 3-1 record. #killthewin

AL East: Rays off. ... MFY –, TBR 10.0, BOS 11.0.

Red Sox Protest Umpire's Handling Of Rays' Late-Inning Substitutions

In the top of the eighth inning yesterday, after Tampa Bay reliever Adam Kolarek retired Sam Travis on a pop-up, Rays manager Kevin Cash made a pitching change, bringing in right-hander Chaz Roe. Simple enough, right?

Except Cash moved Kolarek (a lefty) to first so he could stay in the game and face lefty Rafael Devers. Roe pitched to Mookie Betts and Betts flied out to left. Kolarek came back to the mound and Nate Lowe went in to play first base. Devers grounded out to first, ending the inning.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora came out to confer with the umpires four times. The game was delayed 21 minutes and Boston ended up playing the rest of the game under protest. (Note: The Red Sox declined to file an official, written protest, according to an industry source.)

They brought in the lefty for Charlie [Morton] and then they brought in Roe for Choi. They kept the DH at that moment. So they had a pitcher, a first baseman, they had a pitcher on the mound and they still had a DH. It's kind of hard to explain. ... We felt that they made some illegal substitutions. It was a mess at one point. I wasn't able to keep up with Angel. We protested the game.

The Daily News had an amusing headline: "The Mind-Melting Substitutions In Red Sox-Rays Drove Alex Cora Insane".

Angel Hernandez, the umpiring crew chief, issued a statement after the game:

The dispute on the field was about what the batting order was following the pitcher going to a defensive position. So (Rule 5:11), "if a game's pitcher is switched from the mound to a defensive position, this move shall terminate the designated role for the remainder of the game. The pitcher just removed from the mound may bat in the designated hitter's spot in the batting order or, if more than one defensive change is made, the pitcher may bat in place of any of the substituted players. The manager shall designate the place in the batting order to the umpire."

Hernandez said Cora was upset that Cash didn't inform the umpiring crew where Kolarek would hit in the lineup when he moved him to first base and summoned Roe from the bullpen.

He wanted to know what was going on, so we told him it didn't alter the outcome of anything that had happened so far. What we did (Rule 5:10.b) "in case the manager fails or refuses to make a decision, the plate umpire is authorized to decide the necessary batting order. The umpire's decision is final." That's what we were trying to tell (Cora). But he wanted to protest.

(Hernandez appears to be quoting the exact wording of Rules 5:10.b and 5:11, but he is actually paraphrasing them.)

Chad Jennings of The Athletic reported that Cora's frustration was with Hernandez, who according to the rules, should have designated the batting order himself, if Cash had failed to, and then explained the new batting order to Cora.

In other words, Cash did nothing wrong. The problem arose because Angel Hernandez did not do his job properly or in a timely manner, a fact at which no one should be surprised. (Because Angel Hernandez is one of the worst (if not the worst) umpires working in the major leagues.)

According to the Red Sox, during that single at-bat between Roe and Betts, the Rays technically had two active pitchers in the game. They claim Hernandez did not officially put Kolarek into the Rays lineup. He was clearly still in the game – Kolarek was standing right there at first base – but he had not been officially added to the lineup in place of a position player, which means he should have been out of the game. And if he was out of the game, how could he come back to face Devers? And if he was in the lineup, why didn't the Red Sox know immediately that he had been moved into the No. 3 hole replacing Austin Meadows at DH (Roe officially had taken Ji-Man Choi's place in the No. 9 spot in the order).

"They brought in Roe for Choi," Cora said. "They kept the DH at that moment. So, they had a pitcher, a first baseman, they had a pitcher on the mound, and they still had a DH. It's kind of hard to explain. I'm sorry I can't go over it because there's a lot. It's an illegal substitution ... We saw what was going to happen. When he put (Kolarek at) first, I asked Angel about it and he gave me an answer. I'm like, 'OK, this is about to get interesting.' And it did." ...

Where the Red Sox might have an argument is with the Rays pitching. If Kolarek was not put into the lineup when he went to play first base, why was he allowed to stay in the game and thus available to get Devers out – in a left-on-left matchup – with one pitch? ...

It's largely a clerical, record-keeping argument. Of course Kolarek was in the game, everyone could see him. The rules clearly allow the Rays to put a pitcher at first base and then back on the mound, and the lineup was ultimately changed in a proper way. The question is whether those moves were handled correctly.

Hernandez told a pool reporter that Cash did not specify, when Roe came into the game, where Kolarek would hit in the order, which could explain why he was not immediately placed anywhere in the Rays lineup. With no instruction from the manager, the rules state that Hernandez was allowed to put Kolarek wherever he saw fit (he put him in the DH spot, batting third, the first spot due up in the bottom of the inning). The Red Sox say they should have known that right away for the move to be legal. Cora specifically said the substitution was illegal because of "the way it was presented to us."

Nothing changed in the box score until Roe relieved Kolarek. Kolarek took the field and was properly put in the spot occupied by the DH (#3) and Roe went in the #8 spot, in place of the first baseman. That's a normal double-switch, except the departing pitcher is also the incoming fielder. When Kolarek went back to the mound, he obviously stayed in his batting spot and Lowe, the new first baseman, was put in the #8 position, replacing Roe.

An inning earlier, when Kolarek was warming up in the bullpen, he was told he might be moved to first base for a batter.

I love doing it. It's an exciting way to attack with our bullpen. We're very versatile down there. ... I don't need to change gloves [at first base]. I use the pitcher mitt I have. I definitely have one of the bigger pitching gloves on the whole staff.

G103: Rays 3, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 002 000 000 - 2  5  0
Rays    - 000 120 00x - 3  5  0

The Red Sox had one base runner over the game's final six innings, a two-out single in the sixth by J.D. Martinez (2-for-4). After Rafael Devers drove in two runs with one out in the top of the third, the Rays retired 20 of next 21 batters.

Winning two of three from the Rays is not bad, but this game was very discouraging. Charlie Morton (7-5-2-0-11, 105) outpitched David Price (6-4-3-2-8, 98). ... It was only the fifth game this season in which the Red Sox did not have a base on balls.

Back to Boston, to face the Yankees.

AL East: MFY 10, Twins 7. ... MFY –, TBR 10.0, BOS 11.0.

David Price / Charlie Morton

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Moreland, 1B
Vázquez, C
Holt, 2B
Bradley, CF

AL East: MFY/Twins, 8 PM. ... MFY –, BOS 10.0, TBR 10.0.

G102: Red Sox 5, Rays 4

Red Sox - 200 000 120 - 5 10  0
Rays    - 002 000 002 - 4  6  0

Let's always remember: A win is a win. ... The Red Sox closed out this game after their lead had been cut from 5-2 to 5-4 and the bases were full of Rays, but it goes in the books as a W.

After Brandon Workman pitched a clean eighth, he ran into scads of trouble after getting the second out with a man on first in the bottom of the ninth. He got ahead of Willy Adames 0-2 (and was the proverbial "one strike away" from a save) but he walked him. He gave up a single to Ji-Man Choi, which scored a run, and he walked Travis d'Arnaud, which re-loaded the bases.

Enter Marcus Walden, who threw four wide ones to Tommy Pham, forcing in another run. Walden did his job, however, getting a called strike on Austin Meadows and then a ground ball to Christian Vázquez at first. The play went 3-1 and the Red Sox had a victory.

Boston grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first. Rafael Devers singled with one out and went to third on J.D. Martinez's two-out hit to left-center. A wild pitch from Yonny Chirinos (5.2-6-2-0-5, 88) brought Devers in and Andrew Benintendi's single to center made it 2-0.

Chris Sale (6-4-2-3-10, 116) set down the first eight Rays, striking out the side in the second, but he walked Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay's #9 hitter, with two gone in the third. d'Arnaud hit a home run down the left field line to tie the game. Sale stranded runners at first and third in the fourth and at second in the fifth, throwing 24 pitches in each frame.

Vázquez hit for Mitch Moreland and homered (#16) to start the seventh. The Red Sox added two more runs in the eighth against Diego Castillo and Adam Kolarek. Facing Castillo, Devers singled, Bogaerts walked, and Martinez singled. Kolark entered with the bases loaded and no one out. Benintendi grounded to second and that scored one run. Michael Chavis struck out and Vázquez was walked intentionally. Kolarek then hit Bradley with his first pitch, forcing home Bogaerts, making the score 5-2.

In his second inning, Workman allowed a leadoff single to Matt Duffy. Joey Wendle forced him at second and Nate Lowe struck out. The Red Sox were one out away from a win and although it took longer than they would have liked, they got there.

Boston is now a season-high 10 games above .500 (56-46) and in a tie for second place in the American League East. It's the first time the Red Sox have been higher than third since March 29 (the second game of the season).

AL East: MFY 14, Twins 12 (10). ... MFY –, BOS 10.0, TBR 10.0.

Yankees - 200 030 052 2 - 14 20  1
Twins   - 012 510 021 0 - 12 15  0

Chris Sale / Yonny Chirinos

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Holt, 2B
Moreland, 1B
Bradley, CF
León, C

Mitch Moreland has been activated, with Marco Hernández being optioned to Pawtucket.

Question: Is shaving your mustache or goatee between at-bats becoming a thing?

AL East: MFY/Twins, 8 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 9.0, BOS 10.0.

G101: Red Sox 9, Rays 4

Red Sox - 007 100 001 - 9 12  0
Rays    - 000 000 031 - 4  9  0

The Red Sox hit three home runs in the span of four batters - J.D. Martinez (#20) hit a three-run shot and, one out later, Andrew Benintendi (#8) and Sam Travis (#2) went back-to-back - as part of a seven-run explosion that paved the way to a 9-4 on Monday evening.

Eduardo Rodriguez pitched seven shutout innings (7-2-0-4-6, 113). The Twins beat the visiting Yankees 8-6, so the night was a complete success*.

After Marco Hernández singled off Jalen Beeks (3.2-7-8-2-2, 78) with one out in the third and Mookie Betts walked, Rafael Devers doubled both runners home. Xander Bogaerts (2-for-3, 2 walks) walked and Martinez hit a three-run dong (he drove in a fourth run with a ninth-inning double). Christian Vázquez grounded out, but Benintendi (3-for-5) and Travis both went deep. Hernández led off the fourth with a single and later scored on Bogaerts's double.

Eight of Boston's 12 hits were for extra bases (4 singles, 5 doubles, 3 home runs) and the team went 5-for-9 with RATS.

*: Well, almost. Nathan Eovaldi came out of the bullpen in the eighth inning - and he struggled (though working with an eight-run lead was the right time, if one must struggle). His first pitch was hit for an infield single. He then threw a wild pitch, gave up a run-scoring double, threw another wild pitch, got a strikeout, and then gave up two more runs on a double and a single. Eovaldi got a second strikeout and gave up another single before being relieved. Matt Barnes got the third out and Josh Taylor pitched the ninth.

AL East: Twins 8, MFY 6 (CC Sabathia was pounded over four innings and the MFY went 2-for-12 with runners on second and/or third. The Twins turned a triple play in the first inning.). ... MFY –, TBR 9.0, BOS 10.0.

Eduardo Rodriguez / Jalen Beeks

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Vázquez, C
Benintendi, LF
Travis, 1B
Bradley, CF
Hernández, 2B

For the Red Sox, the next two weeks are the most important of the 2019 regular season. The next 14 games will be against the Rays and Yankees, the two teams above them in the standings. If Boston harbours any hope of winning the American League East for the fourth consecutive year, it must start kicking ass right now.

            W    L     GB     RS    RA   DIFF
Yankees    64   34   ----    558   420   +138
Rays       57   45    9.0    466   382   + 84
Red Sox    54   46   11.0    566   514   + 52
  
Mon 0722 - Red Sox at Rays, 7 PM            (Yankees at Twins)
Tue 0723 - Red Sox at Rays, 7 PM            (Yankees at Twins)
Wed 0724 - Red Sox at Rays, 12 PM           (Yankees at Twins)
Thu 0725 - Yankees at Red Sox, 7 PM         (Rays off)
Fri 0726 - Yankees at Red Sox, 7 PM         (Rays at Blue Jays)
Sat 0727 - Yankees at Red Sox, 4 PM         (Rays at Blue Jays)
Sun 0728 - Yankees at Red Sox, 7 PM         (Rays at Blue Jays)
Mon 0729 - Off                              (Yankees & Rays off)
Tue 0730 - Rays at Red Sox, 7 PM            (Diamondbacks at Yankees)
Wed 0731 - Rays at Red Sox, 7 PM            (Diamondbacks at Yankees)
Thu 0801 - Rays at Red Sox, 7 PM            (Yankees off)
Fri 0802 - Red Sox at Yankees, 7 PM         (Rays off)
Sat 0803 - Red Sox at Yankees, 1 PM         (Marlins at Rays)
Sat 0803 - Red Sox at Yankees, 7 PM
Sun 0804 - Red Sox at Yankees, 7 PM         (Marlins at Rays)

In 2019, the Red Sox are 1-6 against the Yankees and 4-5 against the Rays.

AL East: MFY/Twins, 8 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 9.0, BOS 11.0.

Exposing Mariano Rivera's Far-Right Politics

During his baseball career, Mariano Rivera was presented as a man of deep Christian faith. His presence on the mound was almost always dignified and calm. It was said he even walked in from the bullpen with an elegant gait. But away from the spotlight of professional baseball, there was (and is) another Mariano Rivera. The private Mariano Rivera. The real Mariano Rivera.

Robert Silverman's lengthy, well-sourced examination of Rivera's far-right political beliefs was published at The Daily Beast on the eve of the former pitcher's induction into baseball's Hall of Fame.

Rivera is closely linked with, and has expressed his support and admiration for, Pastor John Hagee, a hard-core Islamophobic religious extremist, who believes the Holocaust was a result of divine intervention (i.e., Hitler was an agent of God, fulfilling His will) and that New Orleans was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina because the southern city "had a level of sin that was offensive to God".

Earlier this month, Rivera attended a conference in Washington, DC, organized by Christians United For Israel (CUFI), which was founded by Hagee. Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and National Security Adviser John Bolton were also in attendance. Rivera says Hagee convinced him to increase his support for Israel. "Now I understand the even bigger picture of what Israel means," Rivera told the Washington Examiner.

Last summer, Rivera toured an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) military base as part of a spiritual interfaith mission. Rivera stated he was "privileged and honored" to visit the base, to "learn about the young men and women who are ... being trained to be a better person, a better citizen, and a better human being." On May 13, 2018, less than three months before Rivera's visit, those "better human beings" killed more than 50 innocent Palestinians and injured 1,200 more. (Randy Levine, the current Yankees president, has also participated in FIDF fundraisers and promotional events.)

Rivera is a big supporter of Donald Trump (though he has made no public announcement of that fact). In August 2018, Rivera co-hosted a fundraiser with Donald Trump Jr. for the America First PAC, at a cost of $50,000 per couple.

Howard Bryant, the author of The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism, knew Rivera when he worked as a reporter with the Bergen Record and a columnist at the Boston Herald. Rivera may not have been shy about his Christian faith during his playing days, but Bryant notes he "was very cagey, and very, very savvy about what connections those religious beliefs linked to. Now we're seeing who Mariano Rivera really is, or who he's currently influenced by."

G100: Orioles 5, Red Sox 0

Red Sox - 000 000 000 - 0  1  0
Orioles - 112 000 01x - 5  7  0

One hit.

The Red Sox lead the major leagues in hits (967, 39 more than Houston) and runs scored (566, 12 more than the Yankees). The Orioles are the only team in the majors to allow an average of six runs per game (6.21).

One hit. No runs.

Asher Wojciechowski, despite a 6.49 career ERA (8.09 in 14 career starts) and -1.3 WAR, looked like Walter Johnson on Sunday afternoon (7-1-0-2-10, 105), striking out six of the first seven Boston batters, and nine through the first four innings. In seven innings, Red Sox batters swung and missed 23 times.

Brock Holt was hit by a pitch in the third. He also walked in the sixth, and was immediately erased on a double play. Rafael Devers led off the seventh with a DOUBLE. He stayed there and watched two groundouts to third and a fly to center. Jackie Bradley walked with one out in the eighth before Paul Fry struck out the next two batters. Mookie Betts walked in the ninth and stole second base, and was on third when the game ended.

Andrew Cashner (6-6-4-2-7, 105) could not stop the worst team in baseball from scoring in each of the first three innings. Trey Mancini homered in the first and third innings, driving in three runs. Chris Davis's chronically comatose bat doubled in a run in the second. Jonathan Villar homered off Heath Hembree in the eighth.

The Red Sox lost two of three games to the Orioles, and in their sole victory, they blew a five-run lead. ... It was reported that several players felt that Friday's 11-2 loss was the team's worst game of the season. They might be rethinking that opinion tonight, on their flight to Tampa Bay.

AL East: Rockies 8, MFY 4. ... Rays 4, White Sox 2. ... MFY –, TBR 9.0, BOS 11.0.

Andrew Cashner / Asher Wojciechowski

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vázquez, C
Bradley, CF
Holt, 1B
Hernández, 2B

AL East: Rockies/MFY & White Sox/Rays, 1 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 10.0, BOS 11.0.

G99: Red Sox 17, Orioles 6

Red Sox - 041 830 001 - 17 17  0
Orioles - 005 010 000 -  6 14  1

Jackie Bradley drove in six runs through the first four innings on Saturday afternoon, thanks to two three-run homers, and the Red Sox scored a season-high 17 runs. The score (from Boston's perspective) at the end of three consecutive half-innings provided a brief rollercoaster of emotions: 5-0, 5-5, 13-5.

Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts, and Sandy León also homered. It was the third game of the season in which the Red Sox hit at least five home runs. (They hit five against the Rangers on June 13 and six against the Orioles on June 14.)

Devers also tripled and scored three runs. Betts added a single and double, scored twice, and drove in three runs. Brock Holt played three infield positions: second, first, and shortstop. Christian Vázquez started the game behind the plate and ended it at third base.

Six players scored at least two runs: Devers (3), Betts (2), J.D. Martinez (2), Andrew Benintendi (2), Vázquez (2), Bradley (2).

Six players had at least two hits: Betts (3), Martinez (3), Devers (2), Xander Bogaerts (2), Vázquez (2), Bradley (2).

Five players knocked in at least two runs: Bradley (6), Betts (3), Devers (2), Martinez (2), Vázquez (2).

Rick Porcello (5-11-6-1-4, 99) gave back a five-run lead in the third inning and was rewarded with a "win". It was Porcello's fifth consecutive start in which he allowed at least four runs.

The Red Sox scored four runs in the second inning before making an out. Martinez singled, Benintendi walked, Vázquez singled (1-0), and Bradley homered (4-0).

In the fourth, it was the opposite, as Boston scored all eight runs with two outs. Bradley flied out to center. Michael Chavis was safe on an E6. Holt flied out to center. Betts homered (7-5). Devers walked. Bogaerts singled. Jimmy Yacabonis relieved Tom Eshelman. Martinez doubled (9-5). Yacabonis threw a wild pitch. Benintendi walked. Vázquez singled (10-5). Bradley homered (13-5). Chavis flied out to center.

Yacabonis's trouble continued in the fifth as Holt doubled, Yacabonis threw another wild pitch, Betts singled (14-5), Devers tripled (15-5), Bogaerts singled (16-5), and Martinez singled. Yacabonis faced 10 batters and recorded only one out, allowing eight hits and seven runs. (He became the first Orioles reliever to allow at least seven runs and record only one out since Rick Bauer on May 11, 2004.)

Infielder/outfielder Stevie Wilkerson took the mound for the second time in eight days and pitched the final two innings. (After throwing one inning against the Rays on July 12, he gave himself the nickname "Dr. Poo-Poo". He is also the fourth position player to pitch for Baltimore this season.)

None of his pitches on Saturday topped 60 mph, which likely confused the hell out of Gameday. The play-by-play recorded all 11 of his pitches in the eighth inning as curveballs (51-60 mph) and all nine of his ninth-inning pitches as sliders (51-55 mph). Or maybe that's really what he threw ...

AL East: MFY 11, Rockies 5. White Sox 2, Rays 1 (11). ... MFY –, TBR 10.0, BOS 11.0.

Rick Porcello / Tom Eshelman

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vázquez, C
Bradley, CF
Chavis, 1B
Holt, 2B

Xander Bogaerts, last night:

[E]very team that comes to play against us, they are playing extra. They really want to beat us and humiliate us. This definitely is one of the worst. ... They're not one of the leading teams in any category ... they're last in our division. For them to beat us like they did ...

Nathan Eovaldi is back on the 25-man roster. Ryan Weber was optioned to Pawtucket.

AL East: Rockies/MFY, 1 PM. White Sox/Rays, 6 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 9.0, BOS 11.0.

G98: Orioles 11, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 020 000 000 -  2  7  2
Orioles - 310 220 30x - 11 14  0

The Orioles began Friday with a 29-66 record. That's the worst record in the majors, but it's actually three games better than what the team had done last season after 95 games. (So things are looking up in Baltimore.) The Red Sox are nowhere near the best team in the American League (at 53-44, they are 9th among 15 teams), but they managed to win their 29th game way back on May 27!

The Orioles are bad at everything. They cannot score runs (27th out of 30 teams) and they cannot prevent runs (29th in runs allowed). And yet the Birds had a grand old time on a sweltering evening at Camden Yards, battering David Price (4-8-6-1-4, 88), who backed up his recent idiotic comments about Dennis Eckersley with his second-worst outing of the season.

Price lasted only four innings and allowed at least two baserunners in every one of them. He gave up home runs to known-mashers Anthony Santander (whose last extra-base hit had come on July 1) and Keon Broxton (owner of a .264 slugging percentage).

Not than anyone else wearing a Boston uniform looked all that good tonight. The first five spots in the Red Sox lineup went 1-for-18. Sam Travis (hitting #6) did yank his first dong of the year, but Baltimore gained one of those runs back in a hurry when Richie Martin tripled to right and scored on J.D. Martinez's fielding error.

Martin, who would have to get hot with the bat for a fortnight to hit his weight (and he's not chubby), lined a pitch to deep right. Martinez drifted back, but he stopped at the warning track and watched the baseball hit off the wall about three feet up from the ground. (Martinez is 6-3, so he probably could have made a basket catch.) The carom eluded Martinez to his glove side and he proceeded to chase after the ball, heading back towards the infield. The ball had stopped and he tried to pick it up, but missed it. At this point, Jackie Bradley finally materialized maybe 10 feet away. JBJ arrived on the scene so late, I assume he had been in a shift, playing Martin on the left field foul line (literally). Martinez finally got rid of the ball, but Travis's relay to the plate was only for show.

After Broxton's homer made it 6-2 and Martin followed with a single, Price proceeded to strike out the next three batters (the top third of the Orioles' order). I guess it took 18 batters and 72 pitches for Price to get properly warmed up.

Colton Brewer began the fifth - and he did not believe in wasting any time digging himself a hole. After a called strike, Brewer's next three pitches were: single, single, HBP. Loading the bases in four pitches, that's some trick. After a sac fly and a walk to re-fill the sacks, Brewer left and Ryan Weber came in. He pitched the rest of the way (3.2-4-3-1-3, 59).

Bradley and Sandy León, down at the bottom of the Red Sox's lineup, each had two hits. In the seventh, they were on first and third with one out, but Mookie Betts flied to right and Rafael Devers struck out. (Of course, the game was out of reach at that point, anyway.) Two innings earlier, with Michael Chavis and León on base, the same hitters had failed, Betts fouling to the catcher and Devers popping to third.

AL East: MFY 8, Rockies 2. White Sox 9, Rays 2. ... MFY –, TBR 9.0, BOS 11.0.

David Price / John Means

Betts, DH
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, RF
Vázquez, 1B
Travis, LF
Chavis, 2B
Bradley, CF
León, C

If Mookie Betts scores a run tonight, he will set a Red Sox franchise record by scoring in 14 consecutive games. He is currently tied with Ted Williams at 13 consecutive games in a single season.

Betts leads MLB with 86 runs scored (nine more than Cody Bellinger and 11 more than Mike Trout). He's on pace to score 144 runs. Only Ted Williams has scored 140+ runs in a season for the Red Sox (see below). The last player for any team to do it was Alex Rodriguez, who scored 143 runs for the 2007 Yankees.

Most Runs Scored, Season, Red Sox

150  -  1949  -  Ted Williams
142  -  1946  -  Ted Williams
141  -  1942  -  Ted Williams
139  -  1938  -  Jimmie Foxx
136  -  1912  -  Tris Speaker
135  -  1941  -  Ted Williams
134  -  1940  -  Ted Williams
131  -  1939  -  Ted Williams
131  -  1950  -  Dom DiMaggio
130  -  1936  -  Jimmie Foxx
130  -  1939  -  Jimmie Foxx

10 of these 11 seasons came within a 15-year period (1936-1950). ... Betts scored 129 runs last year. ... Amazingly, Ted Williams's first five seasons are among the top eight spots on this list (1939-42, 1946 (he missed 1943-45 because of military service)).

Baseball Reference has the probabilities of each team reaching the postseason. "To compute these odds, we simulate the rest of the season and the postseason 1,000 times each day. The methodology relies on Baseball-Reference's Simple Rating System (SRS), which provides a strength-of-schedule-adjusted rating of each team, expressed in runs per game better or worse than an average team."

The page also includes each team's best and worst season from those 1,000 simulations. Best Red Sox season: 93-69. Worst Yankees season: 94-68. ... We have to hope this year ends up like simulated season #1,001.

AL East: Rockies/MFY and White Sox/Rays, 7 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 8.0, BOS 10.0.

To Read: An Oral History Of The Varitek-A-Rod Fight & A Feature On Dennis Eckersley

Two great things to read today.

Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic presents an oral history of the Jason Varitek-Alex Rodriguez fight, a few days before its 15th anniversary.

It was July 24, 2004, and the Red Sox beat the Yankees, 11-10, in one of the best regular-season games ever played at Fenway Park. The drama unfolded in a Shakespearean manner beginning with a bizarre rain delay laced with gamesmanship and unraveling with a wild third-inning brawl before a comeback capped by an inexplicable walk-off home run against a Hall of Fame closer. ...

Mueller: I don't think he'd ever charge Roger Clemens or somebody significant on the mound. But I feel like he took advantage of Bronson. It was a breaking ball, an off-speed pitch, and I was like, "Oh, please."

Rodriguez: You look at some of those moments and you cringe like, "What the hell was I doing?"

Mueller: I was like, "Man, I want to see this because I want 'Tek to take down A-Rod." ...

Millar: The best part of that fight was over there on the first-base side on that on-deck circle. I think you forget there were some big boys over there. Trot Nixon, Tanyon Sturtze and Gabe Kapler. They can move some luggage. Out of nowhere, we look over like, "What's going on?!" And then Tanyon was bleeding around his eye and Trot is trying to choke him out because he saw him grab Kapler around the neck and it gets weird for a second. ... There's always a good little fight that goes on, on the side. ...

Schilling: To me, that was the day the 2004 team found its identity.

Millar: We were at a point where we needed to figure out how to win. I always joked around and said we went 2-0. We won the baseball game and won the fight.

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe has a fantastic feature on Dennis Eckersley.

The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, has enshrined 232 players, and if there is one among them who is distinctive in as many different ways as Eckersley, that player needs a better publicist.

Eckersley was born in Oakland, California, and raised in nearby Fremont. He fell in love with baseball when "the Giants played the Yankees in the '62 World Series,” he says. "I was eight years old. Isn't that when everyone falls in love with baseball, at eight years old?"

He demonstrates his pitching motion, which featured a high leg kick reminiscent of '60s Giants ace Juan Marichal, a fellow Hall of Famer. "Marichal was my hero," he says. "I was hooked." ...

[Eckersley debuted with Cleveland.] Then on March 30, 1978, near the end of spring training, Eckersley was traded to the Red Sox along with catcher Fred Kendall ...

The same day, his wife Denise, whom he'd married when they were both 18 and with whom he had an infant daughter, Mandee, told him she wanted a divorce. A few months later she told him she wanted to marry his best friend, Indians center fielder Rick Manning. ...

The Red Sox had acquired a 23-year-old pitcher with a golden arm, a broken heart, and a devastated soul. "I was in agony my first year here, and no one really knew that. I was [expletive] angry, man. I was late all the time. I would be rolling in when batting practice was going on. I lived downtown, how the hell are you going to be late? I was angry, and someone was going to pay." ...

The Red Sox traded Eckersley to the Chicago Cubs in May 1984 for another player of some renown. ... Eckersley found some on-field success in Chicago, winning 27 games in three seasons, but there were no night games at Wrigley Field then, which meant he could start drinking earlier.

At Christmas 1986 while visiting family in Connecticut, Eckersley wound up drunk at the gathering. His sister-in-law recorded it on video and made him watch it the next day. "I saw the look in my eyes; I didn't know that guy and I didn't like that guy," Eckersley said years later. "I had to turn off the video. I saw too much. ...It was an ugly feeling in my stomach."

In January 1987, he checked himself into an alcohol treatment facility in Newport, Rhode Island, and got sober. ...

In Oakland, Eckersley was reinvented as a closer. ...

Eckersley wound up saving 390 games, along with winning 197 — he's still the only player in Major League history to have 100 saves and 100 complete games. He made six All-Star teams, won the American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards, and won a World Series. When he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004, he was asked what his plaque should look like. "As long as the mustache looks right, everything will be OK," he said. ...

Eckersley, incurably candid as he is, does not pretend his life is perfect. He brings up the tragedies and dark times willingly, talking of ghosts old and new that haunt him. His sister, Cindy Cowgill, died last August at age 58. "She just drank herself to death," he says. "I still can't believe it." His older brother, Wally, has been in and out of prison, and was sentenced to 48 years in 1989 for the kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and attempted murder of a 58-year-old woman. In May, a New Hampshire newspaper revealed that the daughter Eckersley and Nancy adopted, who has battled mental illness and is now 22, is homeless in the state. It's one subject he would prefer not to talk about on the record, but it's clear the circumstances leave him aching. ...

For all his glory on the field, Eckersley's most impressive save was of himself. "I used to play the role of Johnny Diva, this baseball god," he says, "but inside, I was full of doubts. I was always like that, like, 'Uh-oh, it's about to go wrong.' I fight that, but man, I'm figuring it out. I'm happy now. It's a good life. ... Ultimately, it's just about being understood. Don't we all want that?"

Why Eck has not seen fit to work with a writer on a book about his "life and times" is a mystery to me. His honesty, common sense, candidness, humour, and crisp memory guarantee the result would be a hit.

G97: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 0

Blue Jays - 000 000 000 - 0  2  0
Red Sox   - 000 040 10x - 5  7  0

Chris Sale (6-2-0-2-12, 101) struck out nine batters in the first four innings and Rafael Devers clubbed a three-run homer as the Red Sox cruised to victory on Thursday afternoon. Marcus Walden and Darwinzon Hernandez combined for three stress-free innings of relief.

The Red Sox took three out of four against Toronto and are headed to Baltimore for three games. After that series, beginning next Monday, the Red Sox – 9.0 games out as I type this – will have their best opportunity at getting back into the AL East race. This is the schedule from July 22 to August 4: 3 games at Rays, 4 games vs Yankees, 3 games versus Rays, 4 games at Yankees. That's 14 straight games against the two teams ahead of them in the standings.

Sale and Thomas Pannone (4.1-5-4-2-3, 65) matched zeroes for four innings, with the Red Sox presenting the only threat, when they had men on first and second with one out in the first. In the fifth, Sam Travis doubled to left and scored on Sandy León's single to center. Mookie Betts walked (though ball 4 was likely strike 3). Devers hit his 19th home run of the year on Pannone's first pitch, an 88-mph fastball more or less down the middle that was pounded 417 feet to right-center into a 12-mph wind.

Betts's solo homer in the seventh gave him a run scored in 13 consecutive games, which ties the Red Sox franchise record set in 1946 by Ted Williams. (Two other Red Sox batters had 13-game streaks, but those were split over two seasons: Joe Cronin (1940-41) and Tony Armas.) Billy Hamilton of the Phillies scored in 24 straight games back in 1894, but the "modern" record is 18 games, shared by Red Rolfe (1939 Yankees) and Kenny Lofton (2000 Clevelands). ... Betts finished the seven-game homestand with a .429 average (12-for-28) and nine runs scored.

[In looking up the Yankees' record, I found that Babe Ruth has the second-longest streak in Yankees history, 16 games in 1928. Ruth also has two streaks of 15 games (1921 and 1930-31) and two streaks of 14 games (both in 1926: April 20-May 5, May 13-26).]

The Blue Jays had six baserunners:

T2: Justin Smoak leadoff single, Danny Jansen fielder's choice
T3: Cavan Biggio leadoff walk
T5: Vladimir Guerrero leadoff walk, Brandon Drury two-out single
T7: Jansen HBP

Sale threw 67 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He had 20 swings-and-misses, including eight on his slider, even though his velocity was down. In the first inning, Sale struck out the side in the first inning with a fastball that stayed around 90-92.

Pawtucket: Nathan Eovaldi pitched the second inning against Louisville today and struck out the side (and issued one walk). He threw 19 pitches, 11 strikes. Eovaldi is expected to be with the team tomorrow night in Baltimore.

AL East: G1: MFY 6, Rays 2. G2: MFY 5, Rays 1. ... MFY –, TBR 8.0, BOS 10.0.

Thomas Pannone / Chris Sale

Betts, CF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, RF
Vázquez, DH
Chavis, 2B
Benintendi, LF
Travis, 1B
León, C

Rafael Devers is hitting .455 against the Blue Jays this year. In 14 games, he has hit seven home runs, collected 25 RBI, and posted an OPS of 1.409. (The 25 RBIs are the most any Boston player has ever had against Toronto in one season (since 1977) - and the teams still have four games against each other.)

Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo:

He's probably going to become one of the best hitters in baseball. He's 22 years old and he's hitting .320-something. I know he hits good against us, but he hits good against everybody else, too, because that's why he's hitting over .320. I wish I could say it's fun to watch, but he really is, because he's a good hitter and he's just a kid. He might be the batting champion one of these years, for sure. I'm making that call.

Over the last five weeks (since June 11), Devers is hitting .393/.437/.735 with 11 doubles, eight homers, and 30 RBIs.

Manager Alex Cora:

Yesterday I was talking to J.D. [Martinez] and said, "J.D., where were you when you were 22?" And he said, "I was raking in A-ball."

AL East: Rays/MFY, DH: 3 & 7 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 9.5.

Pumpsie Green Died Today, At Age 85

Elijah Jerry "Pumpsie" Green, the first black player to wear a Red Sox uniform, died today at age 85. The team had a moment of silence before Wednesday night's game against the Blue Jays.

Before Green made his debut as a pinch-runner against the White Sox on July 21, 1959, the Red Sox were the last major league team holding out against integration. It had been almost three years since Jackie Robinson had played his last game.

Green tripled off the left field wall in his first at-bat at Fenway Park, kicking off an August 4 doubleheader against the Kansas City Athletics. "I was almost on a cloud or in a trance or something," he said years later. "I couldn't breathe. I was so hyped up." (Back in June, I reviewed a book about Green for young readers.)

Green played four seasons for the Red Sox as a second baseman and shortstop before ending his brief career with the Mets in 1963, as a third baseman.

From Green's bio at SABR's Bio Project (written by Bill Nowlin, who also edited Pumpsie & Progress: The Red Sox, Race, and Redemption, a 2010 collection of essays):

Pumpsie Green signed his 1959 contract in Scottsdale on February 25, suited up in a Red Sox uniform, and immediately took part in his first workout. Roger Birtwell's Boston Globe story began, "The Boston Red Sox – in spring training, at least – today broke the color line." After the workout, however, Green had to travel alone to the Frontier Motel, in Phoenix, some 17 miles out of town. He'd been turned away at the team hotel, the Safari. "Negroes are not permitted to live in Scottsdale," Birtwell explained.

The Red Sox began to dissemble. Publicity director Jack Malaney denied that the reason was racism, trying to convince disbelieving writers that the Safari had simply run out of rooms what with all the tourists in town.

Green lived an isolated existence, separated from his teammates. It was a pathetic situation. Boston Globe writer Milton Gross depicted the imposed isolation: "From night to morning, the first Negro player to be brought to spring training by the Boston Red Sox ceases to be a member of the team he hopes to make as a shortstop." Segregation, wrote Gross, "comes in a man's heart, residing there like a burrowing worm. It comes when a man wakes alone, eats alone, goes to the movies every night alone because there's nothing more for him to do and then, in Pumpsie Green's own words, 'I get a sandwich and a glass of milk and a book and I read myself to sleep.'"

The Giants, integrated since 1949, had their entire team housed in the Adams Hotel in Phoenix, and Pumpsie eventually took a room at the Giants' hotel. ...

Green was finally recalled by the Red Sox and debuted in Chicago on July 21. He came in as a pinch-runner and stayed in the game at shortstop. ... It was an uneventful debut but press coverage was extremely positive. Several Boston newspapers ran an AP photograph showing Ted Williams giving Pumpsie some pointers on hitting. The Herald ran it on the front page, under a banner eight-column headline: "Green Joins Red Sox in Chicago." The Globe ran four stories on Green, and one on the game. The paper radiated excitement. One story was headlined "Everyone Pleased Pumpsie Returning." ...

After the game, Green was able to stay in the same Chicago hotel as the rest of the team. ... [The Red Sox] made arrangements to fly [his wife] Marie Green to Boston to join her husband when the team returned home 10 days later. ...

Pumpsie's first hit came off Jim Perry in the second game of a July 28 doubleheader in Cleveland. ... The day's first game had seen the debut of Boston's second black ballplayer, pitcher Earl Wilson, who threw one inning in relief ...

After the 13-game road trip, it was time for the Red Sox to return home. "Pumpsie Here Tuesday" blared the full-page headline in the Boston Record. ...

Boston Celtics basketball star Bill Russell was there to greet Pumpsie when he arrived. They'd known each other since high school. Green also took a call in the Red Sox clubhouse from Jackie Robinson. ...

Leading off in the bottom of the first, he was "given a nice hand when he first came to bat." He later told Scott Ostler, "On my way up to home plate, the whole stands, blacks and whites, they stand up and gave me a standing ovation. A standing ovation, my first time up! And the umpire said, 'Good luck, Pumpsie,' something like that." Pumpsie promptly tripled off the left-field wall, pouring on speed rather than pulling up at second base. ... The Sox lost the second game, 8-6, but Green reached base four times – a single, two walks, and on an error. ...

Pumpsie said he felt welcomed by the Sox players. ... "Ted Williams – he would talk to you and give you advice on any matter, even things not about baseball. The whole team was ... supportive of me whenever we played a game." In the background, though, pitcher Frank Sullivan said, "There were a lot of teammates that had to give up calling Larry Doby rotten names. That also included some coaches." ...

[Williams] set the tone from the beginning, not speaking out but clearly signaling his acceptance of Pumpsie, who became his throwing partner before games. "He asked me to warm up with him the first day I came here, and I've been warming up with him ever since." He told Herb Crehan, "He didn't say anything beyond the invitation to play catch, and it surprised me a little bit. But I understood and appreciated the gesture." ...

Looking back, Pumpsie was frank about Boston and his time in the major leagues. ... "Sometimes it would get on my nerves. Sometimes I wonder if I would have even made it to the major leagues if it had not been for this Boston thing. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off it was not for the Boston thing. Things like that you can never answer."

Green told Danny Peary, "When I was playing, being the first black on the Red Sox wasn't nearly as big a source of pride as it would be once I was out of the game. At the time I never put much stock in it, or thought about it. Later I understood my place in history. I don't know if I would have been better in another organization with more black players. But as it turned out, I became increasingly proud to have been with the Red Sox as their first black."

(Green throws out the first pitch at a Red Sox game in 2009.)

G96: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4

Blue Jays - 001 010 011 - 4  5  0
Red Sox   - 011 200 01x - 5 14  1

Rafael Devers drove in four runs with a home run, double, and single. His final RBI, in the bottom of the eighth, was extremely welcome when the Blue Jays assembled a rally in the ninth against Brandon Workman, who threw a season-high 45 pitches in 1.2 innings.

Eduardo Rodriguez (6.1-3-2-3-4, 99) solved every Toronto hitter except Teoscar Hernández, who hit two solo home runs. Matt Barnes wriggled out of trouble in the top of the seventh, after walking his first batter and loading the bases. He fanned both Danny Jansen and Eric Sogard. The third strike to Sogard, a curve in the dirt, got away from Christian Vázquez, but he was able to retrieve the ball and step on the plate to force the runner coming in from third.

Brock Holt (3-for-5) singled in Andrew Benintendi in the second, but Hernández went yard with Rodriguez's first pitch in the third. Devers hit his 18th homer in the third and doubled home two more runs in the fourth (after a passed ball put them on second and third).

Hernández's second dong closed the gap to 4-2. The Blue Jays drew one run closer when Lourdes Gurriel hit a home run off Josh Taylor with one out in the eighth. Taylor then hit Randal Grichuk with an 0-2 pitch and walked Cavan Biggio. Workman, who perhaps should have begun the inning instead of Taylor, was immediately robbed of a clear strike call against Justin Smoak by plate umpire Lance Barrett. See pitch #2:

Workman battled back and got Smoak looking at strike three, which was slightly outside (was it a make-up call or yet another missed call? My money is on the latter.). Freddy Galvis put up a good fight, fouling off four pitches in a 10-pitch at-bat, before swinging and missing a pitch in the dirt.

The Red Sox left the bases loaded in the seventh when Nick Kingham struck out Jackie Bradley, but they were able to put something together against Ken Giles in the eighth. Holt singled with one out and Mookie Betts walked. Devers lined a single to center, scoring Holt. But that was the extent of the action, as Xander Bogaerts popped to first and J.D. Martinez popped to right.

Workman went right out on the high-wire in the ninth by walking his first two batters (the #8 and #9 hitters in the Blue Jays lineup). Workman struck out Sogard and got Vlad Guerrero Jr. to lined out to right. Betts drifted back and leapt a tiny bit for the ball, as Hernández tagged at second and went to third.

After a meeting on the mound with the pitching coach, the infielders, and the battery, Gurriel chopped Workman's first pitch up the middle and into center, scoring Hernández and sending Jansen to second. Workman got ahead of Grichuk 0-2, with a called strike and a foul ball. Grichuk took a ball, fouled off two more pitches, and took another ball. He swung and missed a pitch in the dirt and Vázquez threw him out at first for the win. (Workman threw 46 pitches in a relief stint in May 2017.)

The start of the game was delayed 33 minutes by rain.

AL East: Rays/MFY, postponed by rain. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 9.5.

Aaron Sanchez / Eduardo Rodriguez

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Chavis, 1B
Bradley, CF
Vázquez, C
Holt, 2B

April 18: The Red Sox are 6-13, 8.5 GB. A dreadful start, sure, but the fans predicting doom are obviously ignorant (of both math and several other things). Boston is only 8.5 games out with 143 to play.

July 17: The Red Sox are 51-44, 10 games out with 67 to play. Although they have played at a 96-win pace since mid-April (45-31, .592), the Red Sox are now further away from first place with less time to get there.

Manager Alex Cora says his team has been "consistent at being inconsistent". Xander Bogaerts adds: "You can't go on a roll if you win one, lose one, win one, lose one."

Nathan Eovaldi will have a rehab game with Pawtucket on Thursday and, if all goes well, rejoin the Red Sox bullpen this weekend.

Oh, good. It's Price v. Eck 2, Electric Boogaloo. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). ... Message to Price (who insists he has moved on and in the next breath shows everyone that he has not moved on):

AL East: Rays/MFY, 7 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 10.0.

G95: Blue Jays 10, Red Sox 4

Blue Jays - 031 002 004 - 10 14  0
Red Sox   - 100 030 000 -  4  9  1

Andrew Cashner did not fare that well in his Red Sox debut (5-8-6-2-2, 92). His teammates had just rallied with two outs to tie the game at 4-4 in the fifth and his first pitch of the sixth was hit out of the park by Justin Smoak.

After Freddy Galvis singled, it was time for Cashner to cash out. (He had pitched at least six innings in each of his last five starts. So much for that 'streak' ...)

Josh Taylor came in and committed a throwing error and threw a wild pitch, allowing Galvis to eventually score. Heath Hembree and Ryan Weber were abused for four more runs in the ninth.

Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts each had three hits and two RBI. ... Darwinzon Hernandez pitched the eighth inning, walking one batter and striking out two. ... The Red Sox turned four double plays and Andrew Benintendi had two outfield assists.

Meanwhile, in New York, the Yankees scored six runs in the eighth inning, beating the Rays 8-3 and pushing the Red Sox back to 10 GB.

AL East: MFY 8, Rays 3. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 10.0.

Jacob Waguespack / Andrew Cashner

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vázquez, C
Bradley, CF
Chavis, 1B
Holt, 2B

Roster: Ryan Brasier to Pawtucket, Darwinzon Hernandez to Boston.

AL East: Rays/MFY, 7 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 5.0, BOS 9.0.

G94: Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 8

Blue Jays - 022 000 040 -  8 13  0
Red Sox   - 505 000 00x - 10 13  2

Michael Chavis hit a first-inning grand slam to spark the Red Sox. Mookie Betts doubled. After Rafael Devers popped up, Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez both walked. Andrew Benintendi's single scored one run and Chavis's four-bagger (on his at-bat's seventh pitch) made it 5-0.

Boston's five runs in the third came after the first two batters were retired. Sandy León walked. Brock Holt was safe on an infield single and Betts walked. Devers singled to right for two runs. Bogaerts singled to center, giving the Red Sox an 8-4 lead. Martinez walked, re-loading the bases, and Joe Biagini relieved Sam Gaviglio. Benintendi doubled to left for two runs.

Eight of the nine Boston batters scored a run. .. Rick Porcello: 6-8-4-0-2, 112.

AL East: Rays 5, MFY 4. (Travis d'Arnaud hit a two-out, full-count, three-run homer in the top of the ninth off Aroldis Chapman. It was his third home run of the game) ... MFY –, TBR 5.0, BOS 9.0.

Trent Thornton / Rick Porcello

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Chavis, 1B
Bradley, CF
León, C
Holt, 2B

Eduardo Núñez has been designated for assignment. He batted .255/.277/.366 and had a -2.4 WAR over the last two seasons.

Hector Velázquez has been optioned to Pawtucket, while pitcher Ryan Weber and first baseman Sam Travis have been called up from the PawSox.

Steven Wright was put on the 10-day injured list with a right big toe contusion before last night's game. He was hit by a ground ball on Saturday.

AL East: Rays/MFY, 7 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 10.0.

Two Different Teams Have Scored 7 Runs In An Inning For Three Consecutive Days

This is undoubtedly rare (perhaps even unprecedented), but I don't know how rare.

On each of the last three days, two different teams have scored seven runs in an inning. On both Friday and Saturday, two teams scored seven runs in the first inning.

Friday, July 12, 2019

Rays      - 720 101 500 - 16 20  1
Orioles   - 001 100 002 -  4  5  2
  
Mariners  - 000 000 000 -  0  0  3
Angels    - 720 011 20x - 13 13  0

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Pirates   - 000 011 110 -  4 11  2
Cubs      - 701 200 00x - 10 13  1
  
White Sox - 000 000 200 -  2  7  1
Athletics - 700 401 01x - 13 13  0

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Tigers    - 107 110 200 - 12 19  0
Royals    - 300 131 000 -  8 10  0
     
Astros    - 320 000 700 - 12 12  0
Rangers   - 200 000 200 -  4  5  2

G93: Dodgers 7, Red Sox 4 (12)

Dodgers - 300 010 000 003 - 7  9  2
Red Sox - 200 000 020 000 - 4 12  2

After Xander Bogaerts (#20) and J.D. Martinez (#19) tied the game with back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning, Hector Velázquez imploded and gave up three runs in the twelfth.

Velázaquez walked Joc Pederson, committed an interference error on the first base line that allowed Cody Bellinger to reach safely, gave up a single to A.J. Pollack, loading the bases, and then walked Max Muncy, forcing in the Dodgers' go-ahead run. Another run scored on a one-out single by Alex Verdugo and Los Angeles upped the score to 7-4 when a third run scored on a force out.

The Red Sox had squandered a chance to win the game in the eleventh against Dylan Floro thanks to some dumb baserunning. (What a surprise, I know.) Jackie Bradley doubled to lead off, but boneheadedly tried to go to third on Marco Hernandez's grounder to short and was thrown out. After Mookie Betts flied to right (and Hernandez tagged and went to second). Rafael Devers was walked intentionally. Bogaerts's infield single loaded the bases, but X was forced out at second on Martinez's grounder.

Starters: Hyun-Jin Ryu (7-8-2-1-6, 94) / David Price (5-4-4-3-7, 113). Price actually allowed fewer earned runs (1) than Ryu (2), but he also needed 19 more pitches to get six fewer outs.

AL East: MFY 4, Blue Jays 2. Rays 4, Orioles 1. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 10.0.

Hyun-Jin Ryu / David Price

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Vázquez, C
Benintendi, LF
Chavis, 1B
Bradley, CF
Núñez, 2B

Lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu leads the majors in ERA (1.73), BB/9 (0.83), and K/BB ratio (9.90). He leads the National League with a 0.908 WHIP. In 15 starts last season, Ryu had a 1.97 ERA.

AL East: Blue Jays/MFY and Rays/Orioles, 1 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 9.0.

Red Sox Acquire Andrew Cashner From Orioles; He Will Start On Tuesday

The Red Sox acquired right-handed pitcher Andrew Cashner from the Orioles, sending two 17-year-old minor leaguers (infielder Noelberth Romero and outfielder Elio Prado) to Baltimore.

Cashner will make his first Red Sox start on Tuesday night against the Blue Jays.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski:

Definitely gives us the improvement in that fifth spot, which we've scuffled for such a long time this year. He's a guy that's taken the ball and given six, seven innings on a consistent basis, so we like a lot of the things about him. We think he makes us better.

Cashner, 32, is in his 10th major league season; the Red Sox will be his sixth team. He has a 3.83 ERA in 17 starts this season. Since the beginning of June, Cashner has a 1.41 ERA in five starts, allowing opponents a .202 on-base average and a .221 slugging percentage (zero home runs in 32 innings).

G92: Dodgers 11, Red Sox 2

Dodgers - 101 030 411 - 11 14  1
Red Sox - 000 101 000 -  2  6  1

Chris Sale (4.2-7-5-1-7, 92) began the fifth inning by allowing a single and hitting a batter. With one out, Justin Turner and David Freese hit back-to-back doubles, giving the Dodgers a 5-1 lead.

Turner finished the night with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored, and two RBI.

Steven Wright gave up solo home runs to Cody Bellinger and A.J. Pollock in the seventh.

Xander Bogaerts knocked in both of Boston's runs, hitting his 19th home run of the year in the fourth and singling in Mookie Betts (who singled and stole second) in the sixth.

AL East: Blue Jays 2, MFY 1. Orioles 2, Rays 1 (makeup of May 5 game). Rays 12, Orioles 4. ... MFY –, TBR 6.0, BOS 9.0.

Ross Stripling / Chris Sale

Betts, RF
Devers, 3B
Bogaerts, SS
Martinez, DH
Benintendi, LF
Vázquez, 1B
Holt, 2B
León, C
Bradley, CF

The fact that Chris Sale has not won a regular season game at Fenway Park in more than a year will certainly be mentioned (at least once) by NESN's Dave O'Brien this evening. And while the statement is true, it's also some serious bullshit.

In Sale's very next home start after getting that last W on July 11, he threw six scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and two walks and striking out 10. But because the Red Sox bullpen blew the lead three innings after Sale left the game, his excellent outing was 'meaningless'.

In fact, in Sale's three home starts after July 11, he threw 10 scoreless innings. But since he did not get a magical W, that 0.00 ERA is garbage. Those starts came during an insane streak of nine starts in which Sale allowed only one run in 48 innings. But, again, who cares about a 0.19 ERA when there are no home wins included?

This year, Sale has made eight starts at home and is 0-2. Note to OB and all Boston sports media: It's never wise to ignore 75% of relevant data in making a determination.

Here is what Sale did in four of those six no-decisions:

April 23 vs Tigers:  5 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
April 28 vs Rays:    7 innings, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks,  8 strikeouts
May 14 vs Rockies:   7 innings, 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 0 walks, 17 strikeouts
June 10 vs Rangers:  7 innings, 3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk,  10 strikeouts

Sale allowed six earned runs in those 26 innings (and struck out 45 batters), but his 2.08 ERA is ignored, because events well beyond his control left him with an 0-0 record.

Overall, Sale has made 12 starts at Fenway since his last home win. He is 0-2 (his 10 no-decisions represent 83% of those starts); and has a 3.69 ERA and an excellent 1.066 WHIP (that would be 6th in the AL this year). His totals: 61 innings, 48 hits, 29 runs, 25 earned runs, 17 walks, 97 strikeouts (his 14.3 K/9 would lead the majors this year).

The Red Sox are 16-7 in their last 23 games and they have scored in the first inning in nine of their last 11 games.

Rafael Devers is hitting .411 with a 1.230 OPS in 23 games since June 11. ... Mookie Betts has scored a run in each of his last seven games. ... Brock Holt is batting .364 since returning from the IL on May 27 (28 games). In those games, he's hitting .522 (12-for-23) with RATS.

Last Night:

The Los Angeles Angels played their first home game since the sudden death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs. After Debbie Skaggs (Tyler's mother) threw out the first pitch, the Angels (all wearing #45) scored seven runs in the first inning - Mike Trout, who was drafted with Skaggs in 2009, drove in four with a first-pitch home run and a double - and Taylor Cole and Felix Peña combined for a no-hitter as the Angels won 13-0 on the eve of what would have been Skaggs's 28th birthday. The Angels ended the evening by laying all of their jerseys on the mound.

AL East: Blue Jays/MFY and Rays/Orioles, 1 PM. ... MFY –, TBR 6.5, BOS 9.0.

Atlantic League All-Star Game Uses Electronic Strike Zone

If our robot umpire overlords have not arrived, they are at least getting closer to taking their proper place in the (inter)national game.

The TrackMan system, which uses Doppler radar to determine whether a pitch has passed through the strike zone, made its professional debut last Wednesday in the Atlantic League's all-star game. MLB signed an agreement this spring with the independent league to have it road-test new technology and rules before they are implemented in the American and National leagues.

After plate umpire Brian deBrauwere received Trackman's determination in his earpiece (which was connected to an iPhone in his pocket), he would either "confirm or correct the program's decision", according to Deadspin's Gabe Fernandez.

The players didn't seem to mind the change - pitcher Mitch Atkins noticed pitches higher in the strike zone were called strikes ("Technically, they're strikes, but umpires never called them") - but former major leaguer Kirk Nieuwenhuis pointed out that giving the plate umpire the discretion to overrule TrackMan "defeats the purpose" of having an electronic strike zone.

CloseCallSports' YouTube channel compiled a highlight reel of the robot ump's calls. The system needs some fine-tuning, but this was only one game. If you remain ambivalent or are against robot umps, please remember that numerous blown calls by "the human element" alter the outcome of every single game, every single day.

Mark T. Williams, a professor of finance at Boston University, and a team of grad students analyzed nearly four million pitches over the course of the last 11 seasons.

Umpires make lots of errors. And what's interesting about this is not only that umpires make errors, but that they were consistently made. ... When it comes to the two strike bias – when a batter would have two strikes on them – umps were almost 30 percent likely to call a ball a strike. That was astounding to me, that umps would have such bias against the batter. [The highest error rates came from older, veteran umpires.]

The Atlantic League plans to install TrackMan in all eight of its ballparks in the coming weeks.