Final, Giants 3-2: Brayan Villarreal has thrown four pitches in a Red Sox uniform. All are balls.
Villarreal entered the game and made his Red Sox debut with the score tied and the bases loaded in the ninth inning. He threw four straight balls to walk Marco Scutaro and force in the winning run.
Villarreal — whose fourth pitch actually looked like a strike — faced a very tough situation because Franklin Morales was unable to get the job done.
Morales gave up a one-out single in the ninth inning before running into some control issues with two down. Morales walked Andres Torres, who pinch-hit for the pitcher, and plunked Hector Sanchez, who pinch-hit for Gregor Blanco. That’s when John Farrell called upon Villarreal, who was called up Monday amid Boston’s flurry of roster moves. Villarreal, of course, came over as part of the Jake Peavy trade.
The Red Sox led 2-0 after three innings, although their lead should have been more. They loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning, but only came away with one run. Shane Victorino homered in the third inning to give Boston its last bit of offense.
The Giants cut the deficit in half in the fifth inning when Joaquin Arias tripled home Roger Kieschnick. The Red Sox then maintained a one-run edge until Buster Posey’s sacrifice fly against Junichi Tazawa in the eighth inning knotted things up and paved the way for an eventful ninth.
Xander Bogaerts went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and two groundouts in his major league debut. He left the bases loaded in the first inning and left two runners in scoring position in the third inning, although he did make a nice defensive play to end the fifth. Bogaerts was replaced by Stephen Drew as part of a double switch in the sixth inning.
The Red Sox and Giants will finish their series Wednesday. Felix Doubront and Barry Zito will square off, with the game’s first pitch scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET.
Good night/morning, everyone.
1:13 a.m., 2-2: Well, this is certainly an interesting way to make your Red Sox debut.
Franklin Morales gave up a one-out single to Roger Kieschnick, and then struggled with his control. He walked Andres Torres and hit Hector Sanchez on the forearm to load the bases.
The Red Sox will now turn to Brayan Villarreal for the first time since his Monday call-up.
Mid 9th, 2-2: The Giants turned to closer Sergio Romo in a tie game. He did his job.
Romo sat down the Red Sox in order, and San Francisco will come up in the ninth inning with a chance to walk it off.
Mike Napoli grounded into the hole in his first at-bat in the ninth inning. Brandon Crawford briefly bobbled it, but he recovered to throw out Napoli.
David Ross then grounded to the mound, and Stephen Drew grounded down to third base.
The Giants are scheduled to send up Crawford, Roger Kieschnick and Joaquin Arias in the bottom of the ninth inning. They’ll face Franklin Morales, who will take over on the hill for Boston.
End 8th, 2-2: Things are all tied up in San Francisco.
Marco Scutaro went the other way with a 1-2 fastball for a one-out single into right field. Shane Victorino charged the ball hard and actually thought about firing to first base, but he bobbled it.
Brandon Belt, who has made solid contact in this game, hit a line drive down the left field line that landed just fair. Daniel Nava raced over to grab it as Scutaro went from first to third. Nava chucked the ball back in to second base to keep the double play in order.
Junichi Tazawa couldn’t induce a double-play ball, though. Buster Posey lifted a fly ball to right field. Shane Victorino ranged over into foul territory to make the play, but Scutaro successfully tagged up from third base to tie the ballgame.
Tazawa struck out Hunter Pence to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Mike Napoli entered the game at first base at the start of the inning as part of a double switch. He’ll lead off the ninth inning, with David Ross and Stephen Drew set to follow.
12:36 a.m., Red Sox 2-1: Want to predict what is going to happen next? The MLB PrePlay app allows you to predict every play of every game. By correctly selecting the outcome of every at-bat in real time, you’re able to earn points.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 2-1:Â Will Middlebrooks dropped a two-out single into left-center field, but that was all that the Red Sox mustered up against Santiago Casilla.
Dustin Pedroia grounded back to the mound and Mike Carp struck out swinging before Middlebrooks reached with a hit. Daniel Nava flied out to center field to end the inning.
Junichi Tazawa will be the new Red Sox pitcher in the eighth inning.
End 7th, Red Sox 2-1: Craig Breslow has been invaluable to the Red Sox this season.
Breslow, who needed just one pitch to exit Boston’s sixth-inning jam, took care of business in the seventh as well.
Roger Kieschnick popped out to second base and Joaquin Arias flied out to right field.
Brett Pill then pinch-hit for the pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, and he sent a fly ball toward the left-center field gap. It looked like it had a chance to get down, but Jacoby Ellsbury made a running grab to end the inning.
Santiago Casilla will be the new Giants pitcher in the eighth inning.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 2-1: David Ross broke up Ryan Vogelsong’s string of 10 in a row retired. Vogelsong settled right back down after.
Ross led off the seventh inning with a double to right field. He went the other way with it, and Hunter Pence couldn’t track it down.
Vogelsong then retired Stephen Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and Shane Victorino in order.
End 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Craig Breslow needed just one pitch to exit the inning.
Breslow took over for Jake Peavy with two outs and a runner on second. He faced Brandon Crawford, who bounced to Dustin Pedroia at second base for the third out.
Peavy departed after throwing 92 pitches (58 strikes) in 5 2/3 innings. He gave up one run on five hits while striking out four and walking one. It was clear that Peavy really didn’t want to come out of this game.
Xander Bogaerts, who was replaced by Stephen Drew as part of a double switch, went 0-for-3 with a strikeout and two groundouts in his major league debut. He did, however, make a very nice play to end the fifth inning, which kept the one-run lead intact.
12:04 a.m., Red Sox 2-1: The Red Sox are making a double switch.
Brandon Belt doubled to lead off the sixth inning. Jake Peavy then recorded two straight outs, but John Farrell will turn to Craig Breslow with the left-handed hitting Brandon Crawford coming up.
Xander Bogaerts will come out of the game as part of the double switch. Stephen Drew will take over at shortstop.
The pitcher will now be hitting out of the No. 7 spot for Boston following the move.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Ryan Vogelsong stayed in his rhythm.
Vogelsong retired the side in order in the sixth inning. He has now retired 10 in a row.
Will Middlebrooks and Xander Bogaerts struck out swinging in the sixth. Squeezed in between the two K’s was a flyout off the bat of Daniel Nava.
End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: The Red Sox still hold a one-run lead because of a bang-bang play that went their way.
Roger Kieschnick led off the fifth inning with a blooper into center field. Xander Bogaerts leaped, but the ball sailed just over his head.
Joaquin Arias didn’t wait long to drive in Kieschnick. Arias ripped a ground ball into the left field corner. Kieschnick came all the way around from first base to score while Arias slid in safely with a triple. Daniel Nava’s throw to third base was actually cut off, so that allowed Arias some extra time to make his way to third.
The Red Sox benefited from bringing the infield in. Dustin Pedroia made a great diving play on a rocket from pitcher Ryan Vogelsong for the first out, and the second baseman put away Gregor Blanco after another good stop for the second out.
Marco Scutaro then hit a chopper over the mound. Bogaerts charged in, made the play, transitioned the ball to his throwing hand very quickly and threw out Scutaro, who dived into first base. It was a huge play — and a difficult one — yet Bogaerts made it look routine.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-0: Ryan Vogelsong has settled in nicely.
Vogelsong has now retired seven in a row after pitching a perfect fifth inning. He needed 10 pitches to retire Shane Victorino, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Carp.
Victorino and Pedroia both grounded out to the left side. Carp went down hacking at a curveball.
End 4th, Red Sox 2-0: The Giants couldn’t capitalize on a perfect chance to cut the deficit in half.
Brandon Belt absolutely drilled a ball to right-center field to lead off the inning. Shane Victorino raced back, but got twisted up while trying to flag down the fly ball. The ball landed at the base of the wall, and Belt reached third base with a leadoff triple.
Belt’s triple probably would have been a home run in any other ballpark. It’s 421 feet to right-center at AT&T Park, though, and he was forced to settle for a triple.
That was big because the Giants spoiled the opportunity. Buster Posey grounded out to third base, and Hunter Pence and Brandon Crawford each struck out swinging.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 2-0: The Red Sox went down quickly in the fourth inning.
Ryan Vogelsong needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order. David Ross, Jake Peavy and Jacoby Ellsbury were his victims.
Ross flied out to center field, and Peavy and Ellsbury each put the ball on the ground.
End 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: Jake Peavy didn’t have any issues in the third inning.
Peavy sat down the side in order, with Gregor Blanco’s at-bat being the most strenuous.
Peavy struck out the pitcher, Ryan Vogelsong, to begin the inning. He elevated with a fastball to pick up the K.
Blanco saw six pitches and worked the count full after Peavy jumped ahead, 0-2. Blanco ended up lifting a fly ball down the left field line that Daniel Nava grabbed just in front of the wall in foul territory.
Marco Scutaro lined out to end the inning.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 2-0: Shane Victorino extended the lead with a solo homer to lead off the third inning.
Victorino worked the count full before turning on a get-me-over fastball located on the inner half of the plate. Victorino drilled the top of an ambulance parked in a runway just beyond the left field fence. It was his eighth homer of the season.
Dustin Pedroia followed with a six-pitch walk before Ryan Vogelsong retired Mike Carp and Will Middlebrooks. Carp, who hit a sac fly in the first inning, flied out to left field, and Will Middlebrooks popped out in the middle of the infield.
Daniel Nava extended the inning with a double down the right field line, but Xander Bogaerts — batting for the second time in his big league career — couldn’t cash in with two runners in scoring position.
End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: The Giants put a couple of runners on against Jake Peavy in the second inning before the right-hander closed out a scoreless frame.
Peavy struck out Buster Posey to begin the inning. Peavy battled back after falling behind in the count, 2-0, and he put the Giants All-Star away with a fastball that tailed back over the outside corner.
Hunter Pence then put up an excellent at-bat. Pence fouled off three straight pitches before laying off a slider to earn a nine-pitch walk.
Roger Kieschnick started generating a threat by singling into center field with two outs, but Joaquin Arias grounded to second base to end the inning.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Maybe Ryan Vogelsong can use his first-inning escape to build some momentum.
Vogelsong looked much better in the second inning while retiring the Red Sox in order.
David Ross grounded out to third base in his first at-bat since being activated off the 60-day disabled list Monday.
Jake Peavy then grounded back to the mound, and Jacoby Ellsbury struck out looking.
End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: Jake Peavy tossed a perfect first inning. All three outs came in the air.
Gregor Blanco started the inning with a popout to Will Middlebrooks in shallow left field. Blanco actually hit a popup in foul territory prior to being retired, and Xander Bogaerts made a nice sliding attempt.
Marco Scutaro and Brandon Belt ended the first inning with flyouts to left field and right field, respectively.
Mid 1st, Red Sox 1-0: It didn’t take long for Xander Bogaerts to find himself in a big spot.
Bogaerts’ first major league at-bat came with the bases loaded in the first inning. Unfortunately for the Red Sox, the rookie is still searching for his first hit.
Ryan Vogelsong and the Giants had a hard time recording outs in the first inning, although the right-hander eventually escaped a major jam with just one run allowed.
Jacoby Ellsbury singled into right field to begin the game. He then swiped his major league-leading 45th base. Buster Posey delivered a very good throw to second base, but Marco Scutaro simply didn’t catch it.
Shane Victorino, who reached base four times in Monday’s win, then got plunked in the back. Dustin Pedroia followed with a ground ball up the middle that Scutaro corralled on a dive. Scutaro had no play, though, and the Red Sox had the bases loaded with no outs.
Mike Carp gave the Red Sox a run with a sacrifice fly to right field, and Will Middlebrooks reloaded the bases with a ground ball to the right side that Scutaro hard a hard time handling. Middlebrooks was given a hit, although Scutaro should have made the play.
To Vogelsong’s credit, he buckled down from there. Daniel Nava lifted a routine fly ball to shallow left field, and Bogaerts hit a ground ball that deflected off Vogelsong’s glove and over to Scutaro for the third out.
10:16 p.m.: Jacoby Ellsbury takes a ball down and in. We’re underway.
10:11 p.m.: The Red Sox will look to continue their impressive interleague stretch on Tuesday.
The Sox enter the contest 10-3 against National League opponents this season, which is the best mark in the majors.
The Red Sox lead the majors with a .327 average, .393 on-base percentage and .514 slugging percentage in interleague play. They are second in the majors with 5.69 runs per game versus NL teams.
9:44 p.m.: It’s almost time for the official launch to the Xander Bogaerts era.
Bogaerts — at 20 years, 323 days old — will be the youngest position player to appear in a game for the Red Sox since Dwight Evans in 1972.
9:26 p.m.: Joe Girardi offered up “no comment” when reporters asked him about the five-game suspension given to Ryan Dempster.
CC Sabathia, who pitched against Dempster on Sunday, said that he thinks the right-hander should have been suspended longer than five games.
Click here for the Yankees’ reaction >>
8:59 p.m.: There’s a change to report on the Giants’ end.
Outfielder Jeff Francoeur has been designated for assignment.
Francoeur is hitting .194 (12-for-62) in 22 games with the Giants after signing with them as a free agent in July. Prior to joining San Francisco, Francoeur hit .208 (38-for-183) with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 59 games with the Royals.
Francoeur, who was a first-round pick back in 2002, has always had a ton of potential. He even had a couple of decent seasons in Atlanta and a good season with Kansas City in 2011. The 29-year-old simply hasn’t been getting it done of late, though.
7:23 p.m.: Xander Bogaerts will bat seventh in his major league debut.
Bogaerts, who will play short, brings plenty of talent to the table. He’s considered one of the top prospects in baseball, and many Red Sox fans have been waiting for this day for a while.
David Ross will also see his first action since being activated off the 60-day disabled list Monday. He’ll bat eighth while taking his usual spot behind the dish.
David Ortiz will be out of Tuesday’s lineup. With Mike Napoli battling a foot ailment, Mike Carp will be the Red Sox’ first baseman in San Francisco. Carp will bat cleanup, while third baseman Will Middlebrooks will slide all the way up to fifth in the order.
Tuesday’s complete lineups are below.
Red Sox (74-53)
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
Shane Victorino, RF
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
Mike Carp, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Daniel Nava, LF
Xander Bogaerts, SS
David Ross, C
Jake Peavy, RHP (9-5, 4.41 ERA)
Giants (55-69)
Gregor Blanco, CF
Marco Scutaro, 2B
Brandon Belt, 1B
Buster Posey, C
Hunter Pence, RF
Pablo Sandoval, 3B
Roger Kieschnick, LF
Brandon Crawford, SS
Ryan Vogelsong, RHP (2-4, 6.75 ERA)
5:34 p.m.: This time has come. Xander Bogaerts will make his major league debut Tuesday.
Red Sox manager John Farrell said during an appearance on MLB Network Radio that Bogaerts will be in Tuesday’s starting lineup while Stephen Drew gets a night off.
Click here to read more about Bogaerts >>
5:14 p.m.: Joe Girardi called for Ryan Dempster to be suspended, and the league decided that a five-game ban was appropriate.
Dempster has been suspended five games and fined an undisclosed amount for intentionally hitting Alex Rodriguez in the second inning of Sunday’s game.
Since the Red Sox are off Thursday and Monday, Dempster won’t even miss a start as a result of the suspension. Really, this boils down to MLB needing to make some sort of statement by punishing Dempster, especially since the right-hander wasn’t ejected from Sunday’s game. The league simply can’t run the risk of things getting out of hand with this whole A-Rod situation.
More of my thoughts on Dempster’s suspension can be found at the link below — if you guys are looking for any pregame reading material.
Click here for an opinion on Dempster’s suspension >>
8 a.m. ET: The Red Sox earned a much-needed win Monday. Now, it’s a matter of stringing some victories together.
Jon Lester looked like an ace Monday, as he pitched into the ninth inning while completely shutting down the Giants’ offense. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for the Red Sox, who entered the contest having lost four of their last five games and on the heels of a hectic travel schedule.
Tuesday is a new day, though. The Red Sox must put Monday’s 7-0 win behind them and focus on the task at hand. Jake Peavy will be the man asked to make it two straight victories for Boston.
Peavy surrendered just two runs in six innings while outpiching Mark Buehrle in his last start in Toronto. He suffered the loss, though, as the Red Sox’ bats failed to cash in on numerous scoring chances. Peavy, who is 1-1 with a 5.00 ERA in three starts since joining the Red Sox, will go up against Ryan Vogelsong on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s first pitch is scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET, as the Red Sox continue their West Coast swing. Hopefully, you’re all ready to stay up late, tune in on NESN and drop by the NESN.com live blog.
