2016 Season - Game 31

Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees
May 7, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (21-10)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	8	1
New York (16-13)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
W: D. Price (5-1) L: N. Eovaldi (2-4) S: C. Kimbrel (11)

NEW YORK, NY - After a road series against the White Sox the Yankees would host Boston in the hopes of avenging their previous series. Nate Eovaldi would get a chance to get revenge on David Price, and both starters would repeat their previous performances on some level.

Eovaldi would do his best, going toe-to-toe with Price, but after four scoreless innings the Red Sox finally got to Eovaldi. The Yankees defense managed to blunt Boston's hitting, but it finally caught up with them. Eovaldi loaded the bases in the 5th and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit an RBI sacrifice fly to put Boston up 1-0 and that would end up being the ball game.

Eovaldi managed 7.0 IP with one run allowed and six hits, he also came close to repeating his previous start against the Red Sox by racking up nine strikeouts. Price ended up with the win and the much better game. He left the game after 8.0 IP allowing only a single hit and a single walk with a whopping fifteen strikouts. Price has been using his two-seamer and change up more often, and finding batters struggling to catch up.

Price's great game kept Boston in the AL East lead.

Boston's offense has been in a funk, without Price's gem they easily could have lost this game. Scoring a single run on eight hits isn't a great way to win games, but so far it has worked out well enough.

2016 Season - Game 26

New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox
May 1, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York (14-10)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	1
Boston (16-10)	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	9	0
W: D. Price (4-1) L: N. Eovaldi (2-3) S: C. Kimbrel (8)

BOSTON, MA - The season has barely started and the Fenway faithful were treated to the type of series you always hope for. Rivals battling for the top spot in their division is hard to top in terms of entertainment, and this one didn't fail to live up to the billing.

New York opened things up in the 1st inning thanks to a rare defensive miscue by Xander Bogaerts. Alex Rodriguez ended up with an RBI single that was able to score Brett Gardener from second, and the trash talking just got more heated from there on.

Nate Eovaldi and David Price traded scoreless innings until the 5th when Jackie Bradley Jr. almost made it 2-1 but had to settle for an RBI triple that caromed off the 420 marker in deep center field and easily scored Blake Swihart from first. Boston finally did manage to make it 2-1 in the next inning after a David Ortiz double play scored Bogaerts from third while Dustin Pedroia and Ortiz were sent packing.

Boston celebrates Bogaerts' game winning run.

This ended up being quite a pitchers duel, with Eovaldi and Price striking out double-digit batters, but Price got the win after allowing only two hits. Craig Kimbrel piled on with a perfect 9th inning, three batters faces and three strike outs.

Pedroia and Hanley Ramirez each managed two doubles, but they were overshadowed by the pitching performance.

2016 MiLB Report (April)

The Red Sox boast one of the best, if not the best, farm systems in baseball. The only knock on their system would be a lack of pitching depth, but they have some very high end players that are only a few years away from making the majors. 
Player (Prospect Grade - John Sickels, Current Level)

Yoan Moncada, 2B (Grade : A, Double-A Portland)

Boston's best prospect, and a Top-5 overall, Moncada is on pace to make the majors sooner rather than later. The only thing that seems to be stopping his march to stardom is Dustin Pedroia, but management will find a way to make it work. Moncada hasn't started off hitting all that well with a .234 average after April, but his 10SB shed light on his potential as a devastating base runner.

Rafael Devers, 3B (Grade : A, Double-A Portland)

Devers is giving Moncada a run for his money after showing greatly improved defense and an ability to hit well, just 19 and already looking like he's destined for a move to Triple-A. Very sluggish start to his season, but there is still a lot of baseball left to play.

Andrew Benintendi, OF (Grade : A-, Double-A Portland)

Slow start for Benintendi in terms of batting average, coming in at .255, but he leads the Sea Dogs with 5HR and 19RBI. He's done just about nothing but rake since being drafted, and a good season in Portland could land him in Pawtucket next year.

Anderson Espinoza, RHP (Grade : B+, Class-A Greenville)

Boston's best arm by far and a potential Ace in the making. Upper 90's fastball and a curveball that shows plus potential pairs well with his easy and smooth delivery. At only 17 years old he could be one of the top pitching prospects in baseball next year.

Michael Kopech, RHP (Grade : B, Double-A Portland)

Kopech was suspended at the end of 2015 for PED use, and he's come back looking strong. Has top-of-rotation potential and draws comparisons to Zach Wheeler, started off the season 2-3 but his 41K in 32.1IP are a good example of his potential.

Sam Travis, 1B (Grade : B, Triple-A Pawtucket)

Travis is limited defensively and has been waylaid by an early season injury.

Michael Chavis, 3B (Grade : B, Triple-A Pawtucket)

Chavis has a quicker path to the majors but will need to fend off Devers if he plans on sticking there. Decent bat and good defense, but profiles as a high-risk high-reward type. Started off slow at the plate.

Brian Johnson, RHP (Grade : B-, Triple-A Pawtucket)

Boston's next-man-up in the pitching queue is a finesse lefty with a good track record when healthy. Started off the season 3-0 with 19K over 29.2IP, decent ERA but has been plagued by walks early on.

Luis Alexander Basabe, OF (Grade : B-, Class-A Greenville)

High-risk high-reward IFA not to be confused with his twin brother Luis Basabe, Luis Alejandro Basabe that is. Has tools to succeed, has some power, some speed, solid tools across the board.

Devin Marrero, SS (Grade : C+, Triple-A Pawtucket)

The prospect bounty ends here, Marrero has some hitting woes but plays defense well. Could make a place for himself as a utility man, but there are other prospects in the system with better tools that could leap over him. Started off the season hot by hitting .277 with 1HR and 12RBI, has limited value with Xander Bogaerts holding down SS.

2016 Season - Game 21

Boston Red Sox at Atlanta Braves
Apr 26, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (12-9)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Atlanta (6-14)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0
W: M. Banuelos (1-2) L: D. Price (3-1) S: J. Grilli (2)

ATLANTA, GA - After a good trip to Houston and a win last night the Red Sox have enjoyed a 7-1 record since April 18th, and with the Braves in full rebuild mode 8-1 was very likely. Fortunately for the Braves, they didn't care all that much about Boston's previous eight games.

Boston came in to this game with a David Price vs. Manny Banuelos duel and what seemed like an easy win, but Banuelos had the game of his life to flip this around on the visiting side. Price started the game like every other start this season and mowed down batters until a two-seam fastball hung over the plate a little too much and Adonis Garcia crushed a solo-HR to put the Braves up 1-0 for good.

It would be a very frustrating game for Price, saddled with a 1-0 deficit and pitching lights out. After eight strong innings Price would take a seat after allowing only two hits and striking out eighteen. The only excitement came before Price's exit when a Markakis ground out turned into a safe call at first. The call brought John Farrell out of the dugout and eventually to the locker room after getting ejected.

Banuelos finished is night with two hits, one walk, and ten strikeouts. The Red Sox have started the season hot, but very undisciplined, with yet another double-digit strike out game on their hands. Strike outs could turns games like this from a loss to a win if they could lay off a few pitches, especially when teams know that Boston is going to swing free.

2016 Season - Game 16

Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
Apr 21, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tampa Bay (8-8)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
Boston (9-7)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	0
W: K. Uehara (2-0) L: D. Carpenter (0-1)

BOSTON, MA - After a rough streak the Red Sox came into the final game of this series looking to sweep the Rays after two big wins, and Tampa Bay made it hard. A matchup between a former Rays great and a future Rays great would prove to be an exciting pitchers duel.

The Rays jumped all over David Price to open the game and a Brandon Guyer triple put him in a tough situation that only got worse when Corey Dickerson grounded out to first and brought Guyer home. Boston looked like they would come back with two on, but Chris Archer used his slider to get Hanley Ramirez swinging and escape trouble.

Price and Archer traded off scoreless innings until the 3rd when Dustin Pedroia drove in Xander Bogaerts from second to tie the game. With the score knotted 1-1 Price and Archer really knuckled down and put on a great show for the Fenway faithful. Archer left the game in the 7th after allowing a single run on seven hits with eight strikouts, and Price would leave the next inning with a single run allowed on five hits with twelve strikeouts.

Archer did his best, but Boston held on to sweep.

The game would continue to be a pitchers duel with no hits until a 9th inning Rusney Castillo triple put Boston in prime position to win, and Jackie Bradley Jr. ended it with a walk-off single to keep them over .500. The Red Sox hit the road next with a rough series at Houston that should be their toughest test of the season.

2016 Season - Game 11

Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox
Apr 18, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Toronto (3-9)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Boston (5-6)	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	13	2
W: D. Price (3-0) L: M. Estrada (0-3) S: C. Kimbrel (3)

BOSTON, MA - After a strong start to the season the Red Sox find themselves in a bit of a tailspin. Boston finished a home series against Toronto today coming off a four game losing streak that included a three game sweep at home to Baltimore. The Red Sox would turn to David Price to halt the skid in a rematch with Marco Estrada, and he didn't dissapoint.

It seems like these two teams have eachother's number, or at least Estrada and Price do. For the most part this game was very much like their first meeting, with both teams going scoreless through four innings. The biggest difference today was Boston's ability to get hits, but it didn't matter much as they didn't convert into runs.

Luckily for Red Sox fans, the only inning of action broke their way and Boston took advantage of a crazy series of events to take a lead. Things started out when Rusney Castillo tried to score from second on a Jackie Bradley Jr. single, but Jose Bautista gunned him down at home plate from right field. Bradley then stole second where he scored from easily when Mooke Betts hit an RBI double off the Green Monster. Three pitches later Betts tried to steal third and was rewarded with an errant throw by Russell Martin which allowed him to race home and give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Estrada lasted longer today but failed to finish the 6th inning after giving up ten hits on the day. He did manage nine strikeouts, but his efforts were overshadowed by Price. Price would leave after the 7th having only allowed a single hit and fifteen strikeouts. Carson Smith and Koji Uehara combined for holds and handed things off to Kimbrel in the 9th, and three strikeouts later the game was over.

Boston really needed a win after a rough AL East slate that would roll into a series with Tampa Bay at home and a rough road trip to Houston.

2016 Season - Game 6

Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays
Apr 10, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (4-2)	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	1	0	4	9	0
Toronto (1-6)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
W: D. Price (2-0) L: M. Estrada (0-2)

TORONTO, ON - Boston came into this game looking to close out their second series of the season after splitting the first two games with the Blue Jays. Toronto has had a rough start, coming into this game 1-5, and facing David Price wasn't going to help.

The Red Sox and Blue Jays traded scoreless innings, with Marco Estrada matching Price's efforts, until Boston broke things open in the 5th. Estrada had been able to hold Boston's hitters to a single hit until the 5th when he loaded the bases and put himself in trouble. Toronto managed to get two outs, but Jackie Bradley Jr. put Boston ahead with a three run triple that would prove to be enough to win.

Estrada left the game after the 5th, but Price just kept mowing down Blue Jays hitters. Boston made it 4-0 in the 8th with a Dustin Pedroia RBI single that brought Mookie Betts in from third, who was there courtesy of stealing second and a Xander Bogaerts single. Price could have taken a seat, but he was on a no-hitter through seven innings and manager John Farrell had to let him go on. It proved to be a good decision as Price carried the no-no through the 9th and finished with a real gem.

Price celebrates his first career no-hitter.

Price wrapped things up with fourteen strike outs and one walk, it took him 120 pitches to do it but it's early enough in the season to let him put that much mileage on his arm. Boston has been doing a good job on defense, particularly from the mound, so hopefully they can continue holding down opposing offenses while winning comfortably.

2016 Season - Game 1

Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians
Apr 4, 2016	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston (1-0)	2	0	1	3	0	3	2	9	1	21	29	0
Cleveland (0-1)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
W: D. Price (1-0) L: C. Kluber (0-1)

CLEVELAND, OH - The Red Sox started 2016 with the best possible result, but with 161 games to go it's hard to believe this will be the norm. Coming into the season it was obvious that Boston's offense would be it's strength, but nobody thought they would open the season like this.

Mookie Betts started him MVP campaign in the 1st with a single and a stolen base to put himself on second, and a Dustin Pedroia double drove him in to start Corey Kluber's nightmare. One out later Hanley Ramirez would drive in Pedroia from third to start things off 2-0. David Price, the Red Sox high-priced offseason signing would also get his campaign under way by striking out all three of Cleveland's hitters to close out the 1st.

Kluber headed into the 4th inning already down 3-0, and he wouldn't be able to get a single out while being credited with all three baserunners. After a Betts solo-HR and a Rusney Castillo RBI double Blake Swihart would drive in Castillo with an RBI double of his own. Former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona ran out of patience and pulled Kluber from the game. Kluber allowing five runs on nine hits and only struck out a single batter.

Hard to believe it, but things only got worse for the Indians. It didn't help that David Price would end up going seven strong innings while only allowing three hits, and Cleveland's bullpen only made it easier for the Boston ace. Indians relievers surrendered a whopping fifteen runs between the 6th and 9th inning, all of them off of homeruns. Betts, who already had a solo-HR coming into the 7th added two more, both of them multi-run homeruns. Swihart and Ramirez accounted for the remaining multi-run homers, and Cleveland couldn't get out of this game fast enough.

Betts second HR soars into the stands.

Betts finished the game 5/6 with three HR, five runs scored, seven RBI, and a SB. His night is even more impressive considering he's hitting leadoff, hopefully a strategy of giving him the most AB on the team will work out over the course of the season.