AC Shadows

 

The last time I posted about video games (e-sports), the Red Sox season was just starting, both the Celtics and the Bruins were starting their ill-fated and short playoff runs, and I had completed my first playthrough of Assassins Creed: Shadows after about 250 hours of playtime. 

Today, the Sox are off and may or may not be at a turning point of their as-of-now historically awful season. The Celtics and Bruins seasons are now but memories and the teams subject to rumors about trades and management changes. And last night, I completed my second run through Shadows after another 150 hours. According to my Steam statistics, my official total is at 408.5 hours, the fifth most time spent in any game. 

My all time leader is Fallout 4 (1,094 hours) and nothing's likely to ever break that record. The only game that even comes close is No. 2 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (934 hours). No. 3 is Cyberpunk 2077 at 563 hours, and No. 4 is Horizon: Forbidden West (426 hours).  

I must be a fan of the Assassins Creed franchise, because Origins (351) is in my Top 10 at No. 7, behind No. 5 Shadows and No. 6 Far Cry 6 (396 hours). I've also got 99 hours in on Assassins Creed: Valhalla and 66 hours on AC: Mirage.        

It took me 100 less hours to complete my second playthrough of Shadows because I played it as a New Game +, so my character was at full strength throughout (I started the second run at Level 66 and finished at Level 88). Also, I had finally figured out the game mechanisms and fighting styles, so I didn't have to repeat each boss fight a half dozen times before I finally won.

Before you ask, no, I'm not about to start a third playthrough. However, I haven't played the game's one official DLC yet, Claws of Awaji, so that will be my next move. Shadows has received many criticisms, many of them justified, and one is that the story "ends" on a very tentative, unresolved note. In fact, the final missions bring up more new questions than answers to the plot up to that point. Awaji reportedly provides a proper ending to the story, or to put it another way, Ubisoft, the game developer, put the end of the story behind a paywall after you've already purchased the game.

The DLC supposedly adds another 10 hours of gameplay, so it will probably take me about another 25. Then after that, on to something new, finally. I've been playing Shadows since February 13 (three and a half months!) and it's more than time to finally move on to something else!

Red Sox 9, Guardians 4

 

Two straight, back-to-back wins! A series win in Cleveland! Eighteen runs in the last two games! The mighty Boston Red Sox are the best 25-33 team in all of baseball!

Jarren Duran didn't get a ninth-inning home run in this game but that's okay - he homered in the first, during the first at-bat in the game. Connor Wong didn't hit a homer off Bibee again, but he still scored twice. In fact, no one homered after Duran's first-inning blast, but the Sox still scored nine runs and Caleb Durban hit a two-run, seventh-inning triple, which is arguably more of an accomplishment than a home run.  In all, the Sox scored six runs in the seventh on RBIs from Abreu, Yoshida, Kiner-Falefa, and Durban's triple. 

The win and the runs total are all the more impressive considering that both Contreras and Rafaela were out of the lineup, and the Sox started three catchers - Gasper (who played first base), Wong (DH), and Narváez (who actually caught). Contreras covered first for Gasper in the bottom of the 9th inning for defensive purposes, but never batted.

Ranger Suarez gave up four runs, but struck out 10 over five complete innings. The bullpen added five more K's, including two by Chapman in the bottom of the ninth.

The Sox are still in last place in the AL East, but are now only three back in the Wild Card race.

The Red Sox are off today, and then have three at home against the Orioles (28-32) at Fenway.  Boston is two back from Baltimore in the standings, and the three-game series is a chance to pull out of last place before a nightmare road trip to New York and Tampa Bay.      

Red Sox 9, Guardians 1

 

I saw this one coming. Sox pitcher Sonny Gray continued to feed off of Cleveland batting, getting seven strikeouts over a full six innings and giving up only one run on four hits. It took the Sox a while to wear down Cleveland's starting pitcher, Parker Messick, but once they finally got him off the mound after five innings, Wong scored a run in the sixth and Durbin scored his second of the game in the eighth.

But let's talk about that ninth inning. Cleveland reliever Will Dion loaded the bases with a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a single, and then walked Yoshida on five pitches to bring home a run. Wong hit a two-run single, giving him three RBIs on the day. Duran then tied Wong's three RBIs with a three-run blast into deep right center. It was Duran's ninth homer of the season, and five of them have come in the ninth inning. 

The Red Sox win, 9-1, and tie up the road series at one game each. What a team! I love these guys! 

Tampa Bay lost yesterday, so the Sox bounce from 13 games  back to "only" 12 in the division. Toronto lost as well, so the Sox are now four back in the Wild Card standings, with five teams ahead of them in the race. Yesterday was apparently a tough day for the AL East, and I can't pass up the opportunity to point out that the Yankees lost, too.

Ranger Suarez (2-3, 3.02) takes on Tanner Bibee (0-7, 4.57) in this afternoon's rubber match. Suarez is 1-1 against Cleveland in three career games, giving up 11 hits and getting 11 K's. He's yet to give up his first homer to the Guardians. Bibee's had 10- and 12-win seasons, but he's off to a terrible start this year, taking the loss in seven of his 12 starts. He's  1-0 against the Sox in two career starts, striking out five over 10 innings and giving up nine hits, including a two-run homer by Connor Wong in 2024 (Wong's in the game as the DH today).

Let's go, Boston! Let's go, Wong! Let's go, Duran! Let's go, Suarez! Let's beat these Guardians!  

   

Guardians 4, Red Sox 3

 

So how did that jack-assy strategy of putting in a reliever to start the first inning for Bello work out yesterday? Well, the reliever, Tyler Samaniego, gave up four runs on six hits in the first inning and cost us the game, while Bello shut out Cleveland over seven innings, striking out three and giving up only four hits. 

I don't know, what say we use our starting pitchers to start games and our relievers for relief when necessary, and stop this cutesy bullshit  of putting in a reliever as a "short starter" for the first inning of games? Just spitting out ideas here, but what do I know - I'm not managing a .411 ball team.

The Sox got a little bit of offence going in the fifth inning, getting three runs on a Mayer single, a Durbin double, and a Duran sac fly, but that was all we got. We're now an unlucky 13 games back from first place.

This afternoon, Sonny Gray (5-1, 3.27) will see what he can do for the Sox against Cleveland. Gray had a career 95 strikeouts against Cleveland in 103 innings, his third highest count against any other team. In his last game against the Guardians, a masterful performance for St. Louis back on June 27 of last year, he struck out 11, went the full nine innings, and was but one single short of a no-hitter.

He'll be up against The Guardian's Parker Messick (6-1. 2.24). He's only faced the Sox once before, striking out two but giving up three runs on nine hits in a short start in Fenway back on September 1 of last year. 

If past performance is any indicator of future results, this matchup is favorable for Boston and we've got a chance. Carpe diem, motherfuckers! Let's beat these guys!

Braves 10, Red Sox 2

Last night, Tolle and the Boston bullpen essentially provided batting practice for the Braves, giving up 10 runs on 11 hits. As a rule of thumb, if a Braves batter got on base, he got home. The Sox pulled a couple of runs out of their ass in the bottom of the fourth on a walk, single, and double, but otherwise let Sale cruise for five innings and then let the Atlanta bullpen pad their stats.

Man, I hate this team. In 50 years of cheering for the Red Sox, this is the worst I've ever seen.

Now the last-place Sox (23-32) are off to Cleveland (33-25), the first-place team in the AL Central. Rookie reliever Tyler Samaniego (0-2, 1.04) will be making his first career start. The team sent Samaniego down to the minors early this week, but had to call him right back after more pitching injuries. However, he's thrown 13 K's and allowed only two earned runs in 17⅓ innings of relief, so we know he's got good stuff, but I don't know if he'll be expected to go long tonight, or if he's in just as a short starter for some other pitcher. I give up. Who knows, and just as importantly, who cares?

The Guardians will be starting pitcher Slade Cecconi (3-5, 5.18), who's only faced the Sox once before, going 5⅓ innings last September 2 with eights K's but seven earned runs. 

100 more days until college football.

Red Sox 8, Braves 0

 

Well, I'll be. The Boston Red Sox, the best 23-31 team in all of MLB (they're better than the Tigers, Royals, Angels, Mets, Giants, and Rockies) beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-0, the team with the most wins (37) in baseball this year, one third of the way through the long season.

Supposedly good Atlanta pitcher Bryce Elder, who gave up seven hits including a home run to Willson Contreras back on May 16, gave up nine hits last night, and completely melted down in the fourth inning, giving up four runs and leaving two on with one out when he finally got pulled. He had faced 20 batters in the game and managed only one strikeout.  

Meanwhile, young Connelly Early, a legitimately good pitcher, went seven full shutout innings, striking out seven and giving up only four hits. 

Everyone on the Boston lineup got at least one hit last night. Duran got four of them, including an eighth inning homer against Braves reliever Carlos Carrasco. Rafaela got three, including a two-run single in the fourth to make the game 4-0, and then stole second base before Abreu brought him home on a single. 

Wins like this are few and far between for the Red Sox - hell, any win is a rare occurrence this season - so we'll celebrate when we can. The win changes nothing - the Sox are still cellar dwellers, 11½ back from Tampa Bay (who, interestingly, are on a four-game losing streak right now) and three games back in the Wild Card standings with five teams ahead of them. Still, it feels good to win one.

I love the Red Sox - always have, always will. In 50 years of cheering for them, I've seen worse seasons.

Unfortunately for Boston, though, it's Sale Day. The Sox managed to avoid him down in Atlanta, but he's scheduled to take the mound in Fenway tonight. He's a career 3-1 against the Red Sox with 41 strikeouts and is 7-3 overall this season with a 1.89 ERA. He'll be facing Boston's Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.45), who may not have Sale's stats but is nonetheless one of the bright spots in this cursed season. He pitched a winning game against the Braves in Atlanta on May 16, going eight innings and allowing only two runs of four hits. If Tolle can repeat that effort and the Boston bats stay hot, we have a chance at winning this series.

Braves 7, Red Sox 6

 

Well, at least it was close, but it's now four straight losses (and counting) for the third time this season. 

It all started so good. The first two batters on the first inning, Duran and Rafaela, both hit solo homers to give the Sox an early 2-0 lead. Suarez gave up a two-run homer in the fourth to let the Braves tie the game and gave up another run in the sixth for an Atlanta lead. Weissert came on that inning with two on and no outs and brought both base runners home before ending the inning at 5-2, Atlanta. 

Boston got to within 5-4 until Guerrero gave up a two-run homer in the eighth. The Sox managed to scrape together two more runs in the bottom of the ninth to get to within one run of the Braves, but ended up with a final score of 7-5, Atlanta. 

Boston (22-31) is now two full games back from the fourth-place Orioles, and 12½ back from Tampa Bay in the AL East. While they were recently two games back in the Wild Card standings, they're now four back.

Connelly Early (4-2, 3.33), who got six strikeouts against the Braves back in a losing effort on May 15, starts tonight. He'll be facing Bryce Elder (4-2, 1.97) who gave up three runs, including a two-run Contreras homer, in the Sox only win this season against the Braves on the 16th. 

Friendly reminder that the Braves don't actually play in Atlanta. Their current home, Truist Park, is actually out in suburban Smyrna, Georgia, where their racist fans can go to see a game while encountering fewer negroes than at the former downtown Atlanta Turner Field. Fuck them both, both the team and their fans.

Twins 6, Red Sox 5

 

We got swept. The Twins, a sub-.500 team a game-and-a-half back from qualifying for a Wild Card berth, came into Fenway, sacred ground, and won three straight games, sweeping the Red Sox. When they left Boston, the Twins were in the third and final Wild Card spot. 

Boober ("that's B. Ober," etc.) got the win for Minnesota. Guerrero took the mound in the sixth for Boston and gave up two runs, sparing Gray, who gave up three, from suffering yet another career loss to the Twins.

Offensively, this was far from the worst Boston performance this year. Yoshida and Contreras both homered, and Mayer brought Yoshida home with a single in the fourth. Sogard tripled in the ninth, and Kiner-Falefa brought him home with a double and advanced on a balk before the inning ended with the tying run on third and the winning run on first.      

It's all the more frustrating when you look at the team stats - the Sox had more extra base hits than the Twins (7-3), more homers (2-0), threw more Ks (12-7), and left fewer on base (15-24). It should have been a Boston victory, but instead was a one-run home loss and a series sweep.

The Sox are now all alone in last place in the AL East. Even the Orioles looked at our 22-30 record and said, "Nah, fuck that shit," and moved a half-game ahead of us. Boston's fallen from two back in the Wild Card standings to 3½ back.

Red Sox management has Memorial Day off to reflect on what they have and haven't done to this team. Then on Tuesday, it's Sale Day, but unfortunately Sale (7-3, 1.89) will be pitching for the Atlanta Braves, the National League's first-place team (36-18). The Sox will be starting Ranger Suarez (2-2, 2.40). Both Sale and Suarez managed to miss a start in this month's series down in Atlanta, but Sale is a career 2-0 against the Sox since leaving Boston and Suarez is a career 4-4 against the Braves. 

After they get swept by the Braves, the Red Sox have road trip to Cleveland (32-23) and then a tour of the AL East, with a home series against Baltimore (23-30) and then a brutal road trip to New York (31-22) and Tampa Bay (34-16). 

We're toast.

Twins 4, Red Sox 2

 

See? I told you I don't like one-inning openers! Jovani Morán started the game, gave up two runs in the first inning, and took the loss. Bello could have done that much, and he "relieved" Morán in the second inning only to give up two more runs in the fifth. Meanwhile, Boston's offense disappeared once again, with only one RBI base hit the entire game and a gifted run on a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth. 

Back to last place, where we're now tied, 22-29, with the Orioles. We even fell to 2½ back in the Wild Card standings.

The Twins have clinched the series, but we can still at least avoid a sweep this afternoon (1:35). Sonny Gray (5-1, 2.93) will be taking the mound today for the Sox. Over the years, Gray's struggled against the Twins, going 1-6 in nine starts with a career ERA of 5.67 versus Minnesota. He's given up 11 home runs to the Twins, the most to any team other than the Rays (15), but he's pitched 30 more innings in his career to Tampa Bay than to Minnesota. He gave up two homers and five runs to the Twins in Boston's 6-0 loss back on April 14. 

The Twins  will be starting Boober ("Actually, it's B. Ober, for Bailey Ober, but that new guy, Ronald, in back, he drew in that other "O" and made it "Boober,' fucking asshole"). (IYKYK) Anyway, Boober (5-2, 3.63) is a career 2-2 against the Sox in five starts and an ERA of 2.48 versus Boston.

Twins 8, Red Sox 6

 

Heading into the seventh inning with a 6-3 lead last night, it looked like the Red Sox were really going to do it - win their first four-game streak of the season. They had just swept the Royals and were back home against a team, Minnesota, only a mere half-game ahead of them in the Wild Card standings. They were nine outs away from their fourth straight win, and after striking out the Twins' Alex Jackson, eight outs away. 

That's when Justin Slayton gave up a pair of home runs, both with runners on first. Four quick runs, and the Twins lead, 7-6. 

A Boston throwing error, a Minnesota single, and a hit-by-pitch loaded up the bases in the ninth, and then reliever Tyron Guerrero walked in the Twins' eighth run. The Sox were hitless in the bottom of the ninth, although Jarren Duran did get on base on a wild pitch, but a Minnesota double play ended his chances to advance and ended the game and ended the winning streak. 

Sadly, the bullpen wiped out a great start by Payton Tolle. He gave up three runs in the second inning, but otherwise struck out nine and gave up only four hits over six innings. 

So the Sox now find themselves out of their former tie for third place with Toronto and all alone in fourth, 1½ back from the Jays and 12½ back from the first place Rays. They're still two back in the Wild Card standings, though - it seems like nothing can change that. 

This afternoon (4:10 pm), the Sox will use Jovani Morán (0-1, 2.81) as a short-game opener for Brayan Bello (2-5, 7.16). They'll be facing the Twins Taj Bradley (4-1, 2.07), who's a career 4-1 against the Sox with 42 Ks over 26 innings. Today will be the first time this season either Bello or Bradley face their opposing teams, although Morán shut out the Twins over 2⅓ innings in relief on April 13 following a disastrous, 11-run start by Crochet (remember that game?).  

I don't understand the logic of  a short reliever opening a game. On the one hand, if the starter can go only so many innings, it doesn't matter if it's the first innings or middle innings. But if the problem is that a starter tends to be a little wild in the first inning before settling down, it's the start that throws him off, not the skill of the first-inning batters, and delaying that wild start by one inning shouldn't make any difference.

But what do I know? I'm not managing a 22-28 MLB baseball team.

Red Sox 4, Royals 3

 

Sweet! A sweep! The lowly Boston Red Sox entered this three-game road series a half-game back from the Royals in the Wild Card standings, and leave Kansas City 2½ games ahead of them. 

Nick Sogard, back up from the minors to replace an injured Roman Anthony, hit an RBI single in the first inning, and Carlos Narváez hit into a double play that same inning but still managed to score Ceddanne Rafaela. 

Jarren Duran, who hit a two-run homer in the ninth on Tuesday night, hit another two-run homer last night in the seventh, launching the ball 383 feet into deep left center. Duran has a double, a triple, and two homers in this series, and also stole a base, becoming the 11th player to reach 35 career triples and 100 stolen bases in Red Sox history, and the first to do so since Carl Yastrzemski. He also singlehandedly saved the game last night with an incredible leaping catch in foul territory in the bottom of that same seventh inning in which he hit the home run. 

Young Connelly Early picked up his fourth win of the season. He went 6⅓ innings with five K's and three runs on six hits and only one walk. The bullpen shut out the Royals with three more K's and Chapman got his 12th save of the season. 

This is a miserable season but it's hard not to feel good right now. The Sox improve to 22-27 with three straight wins and the second series sweep of the season. The Rays and the Jays both won last night so Boston is still tied with Toronto for third place in the AL East, 11½  back from Tampa Bay (but at least the Yankees lost last night). Texas, the latest team to cling to the third and final Wild Card spot, also won, so the Sox are still tied with the Jays at two games back in the Wild Card standings.

More reasons to be cheerful: the Sox are off today, but their next series is back home in Fenway against the Minnesota Twins (23-27), another team like Kansas City entering the series a mere half game ahead of them in the standings. This is another fortunate matchup, one we can win, even though the Sox are 1-2 against the Twins so far this season. Payton Tolle (2-2, 2.05) will start tomorrow against rookie Connor Prielipp (1-2, 2.88). Neither pitcher played in last month's series in Minneapolis and neither has ever faced tomorrow's opposing teams. 

Can the Sox make it four straight for the first time this season? They will be returning to Fenway on a three-game winning streak in front of a friendly (hopefully) home crowd to play a team almost as pathetic as they are, and are starting the series with one of their best pitchers. They have a chance, and while it may not be all "field of dreams," highlight-reel material, we should still be excited.

Red Sox 7, Royals 1

 

Two in a row! The Red Sox beat the Royals a second straight time in a 7-1 rout in Kansas City. 

Starter Ranger Suarez gave up one run and struck out three in 4⅓ innings and lowered his ERA to 2.40. However, disregarding a rough start to the season, his ERA over his last seven starts is 1.12, the best for a Red Sox starter over a seven-game span within a single season since Chris Sale in 2018 and Luis Tiant in 1972. 

The bullpen gave up only two hits in the remaining 4⅔ innings while striking out seven. Whitlock got outs on the three straight batters he faced in the eighth with only seven pitches and picked up the win.  

But the real hero last night was Willson Contreras, who went 2-5 at bat, getting an RBI on each of his hits. He even scored a run on a groundout in the eighth, bringing Rafaela home from third. Durbin hit an RBI in the second and Durran launched a two-run homer to deep right in the ninth.

The pitching seems to be coming into focus for this year's sorry-ass Red Sox, and it's nice to see the offense come alive last night, although Boston still has the second fewest runs this year (177) in MLB. 

Winning has benefits - after two straight wins, the Sox (21-27) move out of the AL East basement and are now tied for third with Toronto. However, while the Sox were going 2-0, the Rays have been 3-0, and Boston is still 11½ out of first place. On the other hand, Boston is still only two games back from qualifying for a Wild Card berth. 

Lefty Connelly Early (3-2, 3.21) pitches tonight versus righty Michael Wacha (4-2, 2.83). It will be the young Early's first time facing the Royals. His last start was May 15 against the hard-hitting Braves, the team with the highest batting average (.263) in MLB, yet he managed to strike out six but also gave up two solo homers. Wacha is a career 3-1 against Boston. In his last start against the Sox back on August 6 of last year, Romy Gonzalez hit a double to deep right center in the first for two runs, but Wacha gave up only two more hits and no runs over the next five innings.

Can the Sox complete their second series sweep of the season? Can they break the tie in the standings with Toronto and take sole possession of third? And will Early be able to take advantage of the Royals low batting average (.238), or will Wacha exploit Boston's .239? Stay tuned and see!