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Even In Loss, Chris Sale Shines

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Short of hitting a home run or stealing home, there isn’t much more Chris Sale could have done on Thursday to ensure a Red Sox victory over the Phillies.

Sale was his usual, incredible self, working the full 8.0 innings (110 pitches) against the Phillies. He allowed just one run on four hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts. Officially the loser of the game, Sale actually improved his full-season ERA from 2.97 to 2.82.

Not enough? OK, Sale also belted a career-first double in this Interleague game. He slid cleanly into second then gamely advanced to third on a Mookie Betts pop fly. That neither Dustin Pedroia nor Xander Bogaerts could drive him in from third, well, that’s on them. Sale became the second Red Sox pitcher with a double this season after Rick Porcello‘s two-bagger on May 17 at St. Louis off Mike Leake.

Instead, the Sox lost the final game of the four-game set and handed Philadelphia (1-8) it’s first Interleague victory of 2017. The win also ended an eight game losing streak for the Phillies, who remain the team with the worst record in the majors. Though he left with a no-decision, Phillies rookie Nick Pivetta was outstanding in just his seventh career start, pitching 7.0 IP of shutout baseball with just four hits and two walks allowed while striking out nine.

Thursday’s was the Red Sox’ sixth shutout loss of the season. Only the Giants (7) have had more.

Interleague play has been good for the Sox. They entered Thursday’s action 222-155 (.589) against the National League, giving the Red Sox the best winning percentage since the start of Interleague games in 1997. Thursday’s game was the first time a National League club had shut out or limited Boston to just five hits since last August 6 (Dodgers). Even with the loss, the Sox are guaranteed a winning record in Interleague play for 2017. Boston has had only one losing season against the NL since 2003 (9-11 in 2014).

Winning three games of four versus any opponent is a fine outcome, but the Sox’ on-again-off-again offense maddeningly squandered a chance for the sweep. Now, the Boston ball club heads to Houston to face the best baseball team in the nation, the 45-22 Astros. Drew Pomeranz will be on the mound for Friday’s game.


Red Sox Pedroia Beats Phillies in Extra Innings

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It’s likely most Red Sox fans didn’t expect such a tough contest on Monday when Boston faced the Philadelphia at Fenway. The Phillies arrived at Fenway with a 21-40 record, the worst in the majors, and a 9-26 road record. They’d lost all five Interleague games in which they played this season, the only MLB club to do that (only the Dodgers have yet to play in Interleague in 2017). Philly also toted in a 5.02 team ERA, the worst such pitching performance in baseball.

But the Phillies were no pushovers in this first of two games in Boston before two more later this week in the City of Brotherly Love.

Philadelphia jumped all over Rick Porcello for four first-inning runs. The Sox chipped away at that lead but didn’t ever get on top until it really mattered, at the end of the 11th inning. It was the second straight steamy, long night at Fenway with a game that clocked in past the four hour mark. Unlike Sunday’s bout with the Tigers, though, there were likely less complaints thanks to the Sox victory.

Off to a tough start, Porcello did, in fact, calm down to finish 6.0 innings of work, but allowed ten hits and five runs in the process. He walked one and struck out four. Fortunately, he was backed up by five innings of scoreless relief by Joe Kelly, Robby Scott and Craig Kimbrel, each for an inning, and then two gutsy innings of scoreless play from Matt Barnes.

“I can’t say enough about the job that they did.” Porcello said after the game, “and especially Barnsie…huge, gave us a chance to win.” Porcello also recognized the efforts of Mookie Betts who made a tremendous outfield catch. “He cut that ball off in the gap. If he doesn’t do that, they score, and the game is probably over at that point.”

Betts, after a recent cool spell, is torrid again going 4-for-5 on Monday with a career-high three doubles, one off the MLB-record last set for Boston by Brock Holt in 2014.

The bullpen kept the Sox in the game long enough for Dustin Pedroia to drive in the winning run with just the second walk-off of his long and distinguished career.

Pedroia-Nava Connection

Daniel Nava, who played in Monday’s game for the Phillies, went 3-for-6 improving to a full season average to .329 in his first season with Philadelphia. It’s a nice bounceback so far for a guy who had a miserable .590 OPS in 45 games with the Angels and nine with the Royals last season. Nava played parts of five seasons with the Sox, 2010-15.

In a coincidence almost too strange to be true, Pedroia’s only previous walk-off hit in his long career came June 19, 2010 against the Dodgers. In that game Pedey’s hit drove in Nava to secure the win.

But what had to be on Nava’s mind Monday night was his first career at-bat, the first pitch in particular, right here at Fenway, seven years ago to the very day. Not just a hit but a home run. Not just a home run, but a grand slam.

And for a final irony, Nava’s slam came against the Phillies, in just their 19th game ever at Fenway Park.


Finally, it’s time to Play Ball!

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Opening Day 2017We’ve waited patiently and now patience is rewarded. After an 18-14-3 spring, it’s time to start the 2017 Red Sox season! 

The Sox open the new season, their 117th, at home facing the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s only the second time ever the Pirates have played at Fenway following a three-game set a dozen years ago. 

For all-time, Boston is 57-58-1 on Opening Day, excluding Game 2 of doubleheaders played in 1903, 1948 and 1982. They’re 9-8 in Day One action since 2000.

After six straight years of Opening Days on the road, 2017 marks the 41st time the Sox will open a season at Fenway. In the last 100 seasons dating back to 1917, Boston is 19-15 in home starts and have won five of their last six, including the two most recent bouts in 2009 versus the Rays and in 2010 facing the Yankees.

Pirates’ 2nd-ever trip to Fenway

The Red Sox will play a National League opponent on Opening Day for the second time in three seasons. Boston walloped the Keystone State’s other franchise, the Phillies, 8-0 on Opening Day 2015 in a game that featured two home runs apiece for Dustin Pedroia and Hanley Ramírez. For good measure, Ramírez’ second roundtripper was a 9th inning grand slam.

For all-time, the Sox are 5-7 in regular season action against the Bucs. The only team Boston has faced fewer times than the Pirates are the Reds (10 total games). The last regular season meeting between Boston and Pittsburgh came in September 2014 at PNC Park, a forgettable three-game Pirates sweep. In Pittsburgh’s only previous regular season visit to Boston in June 2005, they fell to the Sox 2-games-to-1.

Sox history buffs know that Boston beat Pittsburgh in the first ever modern World Series, a best-of-nine set that ended at Boston’s Huntington Avenue Grounds on October 13, 1903. In that series the Boston Americans overcame a 1-game-to-3 deficit to win four straight and the series title 5-games-to-3.

Porcello’s Special Day

For the Sox  2016 AL Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello will take the mound in his first career Opening Day start (he’s also seven away from the 1,000th strikeout of his career). The club’s record for most Day One pitching starts is held by Roger Clemens (8). Hall of Famer Tom Seaver owns the MLB record for most Opening Day starts (16).

For Dustin Pedroia it will be his 11th Opening Day start at second base with the Red Sox, three behind the franchise record held by Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr (13).

Andrew Benintendi, Heath Hembree, Eduardo Rodriguez, Robby Scott, Steve Selsky, Ben Taylor, and Christian Vazquez are all making their first career Opening Day starts on Monday with the Red Sox.

Craving even more Opening Day Red Sox stats? At the start of last season RSNStats recalled some Opening Day milestones, such as the Red Sox’ only Opening Day walk-off win (it was in 1941). Have a read through as you settle in and gear up for another exciting new Red Sox season!


Game 6: Buchholz meltdown

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Sunday night’s series finale between the Red Sox and Yankees was a spectacle, but not the kind we hoped to see.

Clay Buchholz, fresh from a solid performance on Opening Day, allowed seven first-inning New York runs that all but sealed the Red Sox’ fate in Game 6. Despite getting within striking distance with three Boston runs, Buchholz quickly gave those runs back.

With their club starting the year 1-4, Yankees fans no doubt heaved a heavy sigh of relief with the performance of Masahiro Tanaka, who improved to 1-1, 7.00 ERA on the year. As important in New York was, no doubt, the awakening of the Yankee bats with home runs by Brian McCann (the 200th of his career) and by Stephen Drew.

Red Sox fans, meanwhile, were left scratching their heads as how Buchholz could swing from such a beautiful outing last Monday to this. Certainly, the Yankees lineup, while not the fearsome bunch of years past, is still better than what Buchholz faced in Philadelphia on Opening Day. Never the less, Buchholz has been known to be inconsistent as the following chart of career performance indicates.

Buchholz Career Record

Edward Mujica, who on Friday allowed a 2-out, 9th inning game-tying home run by Chase Headley (and thereby initiating what would become the longest game in Red Sox history), gave up a home run again Sunday night, his second in as many appearances.

When all was said and done the Red Sox allowed 14 Yankees runs, the most allowed to any club since a 14-1 loss to the Blue Jays last July 28. Boston had three games where an opponent scored 14+ runs in 2014, just one such game in 2013.

Red Sox pitching, we all know, is suspect but in the cold weather of April the Red Sox anticipated offensive pop has yet to fully materialize. Hanley Ramirez gracefully swatted his club-best third home run of the year. Another small but bright sign was the long awaited first hit of the season for Mike Napoli.

While a sweep of the Yankees would have been satisfying (the last came September 13-15, 2013 at Fenway; the last in New York was June 7-9, 2011), Sunday’s game still counts as just one loss despite the lopsided score.

After the game the Red Sox headed to Boston for the Home Opener with wins in both of the first two series of the season.


Red Sox power as advertised;
Buchholz pitches a gem

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It’s hard to find anything not to like about Opening Day 2015 if you’re a Red Sox fan.

Clay Buchholz

Clay Buchholz

The opener to the 115th Red Sox campaign was a decisive 8-0 shut out of the Philadelphia Phillies behind a solid performance by Clay Buchholz, who became the first Boston starter to allow no runs over 7.0+ innings of work on Opening Day since Pedro Martinez on April 4, 2000 facing the Mariners. It’s the first Boston shut out of an opponent on Opening Day since a 2-0 win over the Mariners on Opening Day 2000.

Buchholz’ 9 strikeouts were the most by a Red Sox pitcher on Opening Day since Josh Beckett struck out 10 in his start against the Rays on Opening Day 2009. Since 1914 only Beckett, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Wes Ferrell, Joe Dobson and now Clay Buchholz have struck out 9 or more batters in the first game of a season.

In all, Buchholz went 7.0 innings with 3 hits (the first coming with 2 outs in the fourth inning), a walk, and those 9 strikeouts.

Buchholz became the first Red Sox to go from the No. 5 starting role a year earlier to the Opening Day starter since Clemens in 1988. Clay and Bob Stanley are the only Red Sox pitchers since 1960 to be 30+ years old at the time of their 1st Opening Day starts.

8 runs via the home run

At the plate the Boston offense was as advertised: powerful. In the 102 Opening Day games since 1914, Monday’s marked the 20th to feature multiple Red Sox home runs. Having 5 Boston home runs made today’s game historical, tying the club record for most HRs in the past 102 Opening Day games (also April 12, 1965 against the Senators).

Setting aside Opening Day records, it was the first time the Red Sox have clubbed 5 home runs in a regular season game since totaling 8 HRs in a 20-4 taming of the Tigers on September 4, 2013.

Dustin Pedroia‘s fist inning home run Monday marked the third time in his career he’s circled the bases on Opening Day, joining Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice as the Red Sox with the 3rd-most Opening Day games with a home run since at least 1914. Pedroia’s second solo shot, coming in the top of the 5th inning, marked the fourth time he’s had multiple home runs in a single game (on June 24, 2010 Pedroia had a career-high 3 HRs in a game against the Rockies).

Besides Pedroia today the only MLB second baseman with multiple home runs on Opening Day is the Diamondbacks Felipe Lopez on April 6, 2000.

Hanley Ramirez

Hanley Ramirez

Hanley Ramirez, appearing in his first game for Boston since October 2, 2005, also belted a career-high two home runs for the 17th time in his career: a solo shot in the fifth inning and a majestic grand slam off the left field foul post in the top of the 9th inning. It was the first Red Sox grand slam on Opening Day since Jack Clark‘s in 1991. The only other occasion was Carlton Fisk in 1973.

It was Ramirez’ 6th career grand slam, his first since July 2, 2011 with the Marlins vs the Rangers. Last season the Red Sox tied with the Astro and Athletics for the 2nd-most grand slams in the American League (5 each). The Orioles and Reds led baseball with 6 each.

Coming off a scorching Spring Training, 22-year old Mookie Betts added to the Red Sox offense with a third inning solo home run. Betts joins Tom Winsett and Tony Conigliaro as the only Red Sox aged 22 or younger to have Opening Day home runs. Betts distinguished himself further as the Sox’ youngest Opening Day lead off hitter since Rico Petrocelli in 1965 (age 21) and the club’s youngest Opening Day center fielder since Conigliaro in 1964 (age 19).

The Red Sox have the day off Tuesday before facing the Phillies in Game 2 of the opening series on Wednesday night, 7:05 ET/4:05 PT. ESPN 2 is broadcasting the game nationally.