This game was doomed by the second inning. Thank goodness we won the series and that we have an off-day tomorrow, because it looks like we really need the rest. I checked and we hadn’t had an off-day since before the Yankees series, so it’s about time. If I want to look on the bright side, I chalk this bad game up to everybody being tired. My dad also points out that Roman Anthony wouldn’t have been able to make a real difference for this game even if he was available.
Four Studs, because I’m Trying to Find Positives Right Now, even though We Lost:
Zack Kelly: He was our best
pitcher today and he stopped the bleeding. Unlike his predecessors, he gave up no runs in his outing! Hopefully he can keep this up down the stretch! Given that the majority of the Cleveland carnage happened in the first two innings, he actually gave the Sox a chance to win, or at least catch up. It was a tough task the offense couldn’t manage, but it would’ve been almost entirely impossible if Kelly had had a bad outing today. His line was 4 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
Dustin May: Actually wasn’t bad as a reliever today! He gave up a sac fly and got bailed out a two-on-no-out situation thanks to the defense turning a double play, but 1 ER in relief is better than more than 1 ER in a starting position. May’s final line was 3 IP, 3 hits, 1 run (and earned), 2 walks, and 1 strikeout.
Nick Sogard: Got the Sox their only run with an RBI single. It’s nice that he could provide a little bit of support today in Anthony’s absence.
The Tampa Bay Rays: As I write this, they look like they’re about to sweep the Mariners, which means we still have a decent lead over them in the Wild Card standings as the second and third teams.
Four Big Duds:
Jordan Hicks: I don’t care that we took on his salary in the Devers trade, he needs to get DFA’ed, or sent down to the minors, or Phantom IL’ed, or SOMETHING. I don’t care how “close” he is either, he really is not “close”, whether he’s in earlier innings or later ones. He is, without a singular doubt, the absolute worst baseball player on our roster. The team cannot keep him as an active player if they want to succeed.
The Offense: One run on seven hits is bad. It’s not like any of the Cleveland pitchers we faced today are known for being good, either.
Roman Anthony’s Oblique Strain: Why does Fate hate us?
The Cincinnati Reds: Blew a 5-0 lead and are about to lose their series against the Blue Jays, who refuse to be bad anymore and continue to strengthen their claim as the AL East winner.
Play of the Game: Nick Sogard’s RBI Single
This gets POTG status because it was a very good at-bat by Sogard and prevented the Sox from being shut out.
