Red Sox Shut Out Rays, 1-0

 

David Hamilton's sole and solo homer in the 3rd inning was the difference between the Red Sox and the Rays today in a good old-fashioned pitchers' duel.

Sean Newcomb started for the Sox and pitched 4.2 shutout innings with four strikeouts, but after Hamilton got the go-ahead run, he gave up a walk and a single in the fifth. The Sox brought on reliever Greg Weissert with two outs, and he got the third out with a K to end the inning and then went three-up and three-down in the sixth with a pop fly and two more Ks.  Garrett Whitlock struck out the side in the seventh and got another K in the eighth, and then Justin Slaten ended the game with three quick outs on a fly ball and two more strikeouts. In all, the Boston pitchers made 13 strikeouts in the game.

The Red Sox return to .500 (10-10). They get a day's rest tomorrow and then start a weekend home stand against the White Sox (4-13, but 2-1 against Boston so far this season).    

It's Magic

The Orlando Magic (41-41) won the No. 7 seed in the NBA East Play-In tournament after Atlanta's Trae Young pulled some stupid shit with the refs and the ball and got ejected from the game. The Magic will play the No. 2 seed and reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics, with Game 1 in the Garden on Sunday afternoon (3:30 pm).

The Celtics are 2-3 against the Magic this season, with both teams winning on their home courts. Most recently, back on April 9, the Magic beat the Celtics' bench by 20 points (Coach Joe Mazzulla sat out all his starters for the game). However, assuming Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, White, and Holiday all don't sustain injuries during practice this week, Boston will win this series in five, with Game 3 in Orlando going to the Magic.    

Devils 5, Bruins 4

 

What? There was another Bruins game? I thought Sunday's win was the last of the season!

Well, technically, Sunday's game WAS the last win of the season, because the Bruins lost in OT tonight in what I've certified to be the actual, for-real, no-shit last game of this miserable season. 

Pastrnak scored a goal and made an assist, fittingly. Boston finishes the 24-25 season with a 33-39-10 record, dead last in the Atlantic and the East. 

Let's not talk hockey again for at least six months, okay?   

Red Sox 7, Rays 4

 

Yeah, now THAT'S more like it!  Alex Bregman, Boston's new certified A-list slugger, scores four runs on two homers and an RBI double and single. Jarren Duran homers to deep left center, also scoring Carlos Narváez, and Ceddanne Rafaela hits an RBI single. Walker Buehler (2-1, 5.23) faces 21 batters over five innings, relievers Justin Wilson and Zack Kelly give three solid innings of relief before Kelly got into some trouble in the bottom of the 9th, and closer Aroldis Chapman gets his fourth save of the season by getting the strikeout Boston needed for the win.

See? Isn't winning fun? Let's do this more often!

The road series in Tampa is tied, 1-1. The rubber match is tomorrow, 7:00 pm.

Tampa Bay 16, Red Sox 1

 

Like, literally, WTF? Tanner Houck gives up 10 earned runs to the Rays, the most a Red Sox pitcher has ever allowed Tampa Bay for some sort of new record. The Sox fall to 8-10 on this young season, fourth in the AL East, but are still somehow only two games back from New York (Yankees suck).

Something's got to change. All the hope and good will we felt on opening day with some new starting pitchers and badly needed relievers, and with a certified A-list slugger in the lineup, is all gone in a dismal start that feels like the despair we were experiencing at the end of last season.

We gotta get it together and start playing better.       

Bruins End Forgettable Season with a Win

 

The Bruins beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1, in their last game of the season. They end the season with 73 points on a 32-29-9 record, last in the Atlantic and last in the East.  

FWIW, Elias Lindholm scored first, assisted by Pastrnak, Fabian Lysell scored his first of the season on its last day, Morgan Geekie scored a power-play goal assisted by Pasta, and Jakub Lauko hit an open netter late in the third, also with a assist by Pasta.

And that's it for the 2024-25 Boston Bruins. One less team to have to follow here at SDW. 

Red Sox Avoid Sweep by Worst Team in AL

 

Trevor Story wasn't about to let the Red Sox get swept by the White Sox. He hit a two-RBI double in the sixth to give Boston a 2-0 lead and then homered to deep left center in the top of the 9th for a 3-1 win.

Garrett Crochet (2-1, 1.38) gets the win for Boston with 11 strike-outs over 7.1 innings. 

Next, the 8-9 Red Sox go to Tampa for a three-game series with the Rays (7-8). 

Celtics 93, Hornets 86

 

See? I told you the Celtics bench could beat the Hornets. 

Joe Mazzulla continued his on-again/off-again rotation of playing his starters one game, then resting them the next by playing the bench against Charlotte today after playing his starters against them on Friday (the starters rested on the previous road game in Orlando). Boston won both games against the Hornets to end the season with back-to-back wins and an overall 19-3 run going back to March 2.

The defending NBA champions finished the 2024-25 season 61-21 (.744), first place in the Atlantic Division and three games back from Cleveland in the East. As the No. 2 seed in the East, they will get a week off and then play the No. 7 seed as determined by the play-in tournament.

Best wishes for the postseason, gentlemen.

Congratulations to BU Men's Hockey

 

One game short of winning the National Championship, 2025 Beanpot Champion Boston University lost the NCAA Frozen Four final to Western Michigan, 6-2. The Terriers entered the third period trailing 3-2, but three unanswered WMU goals sealed the win for the Broncos.

Friendly reminder that BU got to this game by beating Ohio State, Colgate, and Penn State. 

Hell of a season, BU, and thanks for the memories. We'll be cheering for you next year.  

White Sox 3, Red Sox 2

 

Okay, let's make sure I've got this straight - when you're playing one of the worst teams in MLB, you're supposed to sweep them for three easy wins, right? Right?

Then can someone please explain to me why the Red Sox have fallen 0-2 to the White Sox so far this series? Please? 

Public Service Announcement

The BU Terriers play for the national championship in college hockey tonight at 7:30 pm tonight against fourth-seeded Western Michigan. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Rearrange your schedule and arrange your day such that you can watch this game.   

Go, Terriers!

White Sox 11, Red Sox 1

 

Oh, dear. This is going to be another one of those seasons, isn't it?