Tag Archives: Red Sox

15 Nov

he is worthy

Ace is a status that must be earned. And Garrett Crochet did exactly that in his first season with Boston, which traded a boatload of prospects to get the Ocean Springs native from the Chicago White Sox last off-season. Crochet went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA for a playoff team. In just his second year as a starter, he led the American League in quality starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. He finished second in the Cy Young Award voting to Tarik Skubal, garnering four of the 30 first-place votes. The lefty also made the All-MLB first team. Crochet’s season — one of the best ever by a Mississippi-born pitcher — is worthy of the Cool Papa Bell Award, given here for the top performance by a Mississippian (native or school alum) in the big leagues. “He was phenomenal,” Craig Breslow, the Red Sox’s chief baseball officer, recently told mlb.com. “It’s what we had hoped he could be when we traded for him, but to see that actually materialize is great.” Crochet’s second-place finish in the Cy Young voting is the best by a Mississippi native. Weir’s Roy Oswalt placed third in 2004. Crochet was two wins shy of becoming the sixth Magnolia State native to win 20. That club includes Reb Russell (22 in 1913), Guy Bush (20 in ’33), Claude Passeau (20 in ’40), Boo Ferriss (21 in 1945 and 25 in ’46) and Oswalt (20 in both 2004 and ’05). … Other winners of AMB’s Bell Award: Brent Rooker, Justin Steele, Austin Riley, Tim Anderson, Corey Dickerson, Mitch Moreland, Brian Dozier, Desmond Jennings, Lance Lynn, Cliff Lee, Oswalt and Chris Coghlan. P.S. Nick Sandlin, former Ferriss Trophy winner out of Southern Miss, has been outrighted off the 40-man roster to Triple-A by Toronto. Sandlin, in his first year with the Blue Jays, had a 2.20 ERA in 19 games but ended the regular season on the injured list and missed the postseason. … It’ll be interesting to see if former USM pitcher Tyler Stuart and ex-DeSoto Central High slugger Blaze Jordan make the 40-man roster in their respective organizations. Both would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft next month if they aren’t protected on the big league roster. Stuart, a 6-foot-9 right-hander, went 2-2 with a 4.29 ERA in 10 games in an injury-curtailed 2025 season in the Washington system. He has a career 3.44 ERA and has pitched in Triple-A. Jordan, St. Louis’ No. 18 prospect, belted a career-high 19 homers in 2025, playing in Triple-A in both the Boston and Cardinals systems. Still only 22 years old, the fifth-year pro hit .270 with 99 RBIs all told last season. … Madison Central High alum Braden Montgomery compiled some amazing numbers in the Arizona Fall League. The White Sox’s top prospect went 15-for-41 (.366) in 12 games for Glendale, with a homer, six doubles, a triple, 11 RBIs, 12 runs, three steals and 13 walks. His OBP was .527. A switch-hitting outfielder, Montgomery batted .270 with 12 homers and 68 RBIs over three minor league levels in his first pro season. (He was acquired by the ChiSox in the Crochet trade with Boston.) … Brandon Woodruff, the ex-Mississippi State standout from Wheeler, has until Nov. 18 to make a decision on the one-year/$22.025 million qualifying offer he received from Milwaukee. Woodruff, who has spent his entire pro career in the Brewers’ system, became a free agent after the World Series ended. … MSU’s 2026 signing class was ranked No. 8 by Baseball America. The feature signee is catcher Will Brick from Memphis; he ranks among the top 10 prep prospects on Perfect Game’s latest chart.

23 Oct

in the spotlight

Konnor Griffin has been named the minor league player of the year by USA Today/Sports Weekly and is featured in the Oct. 22 publication. The former Jackson Prep star, who also received the 2025 top player award from milb.com and Baseball America, batted .333 with 21 homers, 65 steals and a .941 OPS across three levels of Pittsburgh’s system, peaking at Double-A. As the article notes, Griffin is the first minor leaguer in 20 years to hit .300 with 20 homers, 60 bags and 100 runs. Other winners of this award include former Mississippi Braves Jason Heyward and Ronald Acuna Jr. The Sports Weekly article focuses on Griffin’s family, notably dad Kevin, and his Florence roots. “I’m so proud to be from Florence, Mississippi,” Konnor Griffin says. “And I’m going to do everything I can to make sure they’re proud of me.” … The venerable Baseball Digest, one of the few remaining periodicals of its sort, has nice feature stories on Mississippi natives Garrett Crochet and Herb Washington in its September/October issue. Crochet, from Ocean Springs, starred for Boston this year in his first season since a trade with the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox gave him a 6-year/$170 million contract, and the 6-foot-5 left-hander responded with a Cy Young-caliber season, going 18-5 and leading all pitchers in strikeouts. He also beat the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Series opener. In the article, titled “Money in the Bank,” Crochet talks about how he came to appreciate the intense scrutiny players are under in Boston from fans in addition to media: “At first it was … not off-putting, but kind of awkward. I didn’t really know how to react. But now, you appreciate the fandom in the city.” … Washington, from Belzoni, is best known from his days as the Oakland A’s “designated runner” in 1974-75. An international sprint champion, he was hastily trained as a base-stealer by Maury Wills and, after a horribly slow start, stole 31 bases in 48 tries, scored 33 runs and never batted in 105 games. He was infamously picked off in the 1974 World Series and released early the next season. Per the article, he was offered the chance to bat in the final game of the ’74 season — against Nolan Ryan — and declined. He told the Baseball Digest writers that he just figured, “If you never have an at-bat, not matter how long you’re in baseball, you will have a uniqueness that will make your mark in baseball.” … Brent Rooker is a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award at DH in the American League. The Mississippi State product hit .262 with 30 homers, 92 RBIs and a .479 slugging percentage for the A’s this season. He won the award in 2024. Ex-DeSoto Central High standout Austin Riley is a finalist at third base in the National League but would have to be considered a longshot to win. He was limited by injury to 102 games for Atlanta and hit .260 with 16 homers, 54 RBIs and a .428 slug. He won the award in 2021 and ’23. … One hundred years ago this month, Ellisville native Buddy Myer made his World Series debut with the old Washington Nationals (Senators), helping the club get off to a 3-1 lead against Pittsburgh. Myer, one of Mississippi’s all-time best (.303 career hitter), went 2-for-8 with a walk over those first four games. The rookie infielder didn’t play in the final three, all won by the Pirates. Myer got back to the Series in 1933 with Washington but lost there, too.

15 Oct

it happened one october, take 3

On this date in 1946, Pascagoula native Harry “The Hat” Walker delivered his famous game-winning hit for St. Louis in Game 7 of the World Series against Boston. Walker’s seventh hit and sixth RBI of the series came in the eighth inning at Sportsman’s Park and scored Enos Slaughter, who dashed home all the way from first base. St. Louis won 4-3. Walker batted .412 in that Series but just .237 during the season; he hit .363 and won a National League batting title the next year with Philadelphia. On the losing side on Oct. 15, 1946, was Boo Ferris, the Shaw native and ex-Delta State coaching legend. He had started that game for Boston but was pulled in the fifth. He won Game 2 of the Series.

03 Oct

forging ahead

The final eight teams are now set in the major league postseason, but for the Mississippi baseball aficionado, there are some questions. What will Will Warren’s role be with the New York Yankees? Will Colt Keith be back on the field for Detroit? Is Brandon Woodruff ready to come off the injured list for Milwaukee? … Former Jackson Prep standout Warren watched as the Yankees, behind the gas-pumping Cam Schlittler, eliminated Boston 4-0 Thursday night in Game 3. Warren, 9-8, 4.44 ERA, as a starter this season, shifted to the bullpen for the Wild Card Series but never made an appearance. A Baseball America MLB All-Rookie selection, the right-hander reportedly is a candidate for Saturday’s Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Toronto, the AL East champ and the league’s top seed. On the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster is Southern Miss alum Nick Sandlin (2.20 ERA in 19 games), on the IL since early July with an elbow issue; he has been throwing but apparently isn’t ready for active duty. … Thursday’s loss ended a brilliant season for Ocean Springs High product Garrett Crochet, who beat the Yankees — for the fourth time in 2025 — in the series opener. Also going home is ex-Mississippi State slugger Nathaniel Lowe, who went 1-for-7 in the series. He had one of the Red Sox’s five hits — and one of the 12 punchouts — against Schlitter; he also committed a tough error at first base in the pivotal fourth inning of Game 3. … Keith, former Gatorade player of the year winner (2019) at Biloxi High, watched as the Tigers beat Cleveland in Game 3 on Thursday to advance to the ALDS against Seattle. Keith, who hit .256 with 13 homers, 45 RBIs and 65 runs this season, went on the IL on Sept. 19 with a rib cage injury. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Thursday there were “good signs” that Keith might be able to return for the ALDS. … Ex-MSU star Woodruff’s status remains cloudy for Milwaukee’s National League Division Series against Chicago. The big right-hander returned from injury this year to go 7-2, 3.20, in 12 starts but went on the IL on Sept. 21 with a lat strain. He is technically eligible to come off the IL today (Oct. 3). He has pitched in eight postseason games for the Brewers in his career, going 1-3, 3.18. The Brewers would certainly love to have their horse against the Cubs. … Chicago out-pitched San Diego in their Wild Card Series, winning Games 1 and 3 by 3-1 scores. Former Ole Miss star Drew Pomeranz worked in both of those wins, retiring all six batters he faced and notching two holds. The situational lefty, 36, entered Thursday’s game in the seventh with a runner at first, no outs and the Cubs up 2-0. He got a fly out, a line out and another fly out to end the inning. P.S. The last time the Blue Jays won the AL East, in 2015, their manager was former Jackson Mets catcher John Gibbons. That team lost in the AL Championship Series to Kansas City, which was managed by former JaxMets catcher Ned Yost. Oddly enough, the Royals beat the New York Mets in the World Series.

29 Sep

on the eve …

Few things in baseball beat a Red Sox-Yankees game, especially when it’s a postseason game. At Yankee Stadium. With a Mississippi native starting for Boston and a former Mississippi Braves standout on the bump for New York. That’s what Tuesday’s American League wild card round will give us. Garrett Crochet, an 18-game winner, the pride of Ocean Springs, gets the call for Boston against Max Fried, a 19-game winner who pitched in Pearl in 2017-18. Game time is 5:08 CDT. Crochet went 3-0 with a 3.29 ERA in four starts against the Yankees; he struck out Aaron Judge 10 times in 13 at-bats, yielding two home runs. Fried was 1-1 with a 1.97 in three starts vs. the Red Sox. This best-of-3 series will be the sixth postseason meeting between the rivals. Boston has prevailed in the last three — and won the World Series in two of those years (2004 and 2018). … Boston’s lineup figures to include Mississippi State alum Nathaniel Lowe, a lefty hitter who hasn’t faced the lefty Fried. The Yankees’ roster includes two ex-Biloxi Shuckers standouts in outfielder Trent Grisham and reliever Devin Williams and former Jackson Prep star Will Warren, expected to work out of the bullpen in this series. … In Tuesday’s first game, Detroit is at Cleveland in a matchup of AL Central rivals. There is a familiar name in the Guardians’ bullpen: Kolby Allard, a former first-round pick by Atlanta who pitched for the M-Braves in 2017. The lefty has a 2.63 ERA over 33 games. Biloxi High alum Colt Keith remains on the injured list with Detroit. Former M-Braves outfielder Justyn-Henry Malloy was on the Tigers’ roster at season’s end but may not make their postseason list. … Drew Pomeranz, the ex-Ole Miss star, is a mainstay in the bullpen for the Chicago Cubs, who play host to San Diego in the NL wild card round. M-Braves alum Dansby Swanson has had a productive year as the Cubs’ shortstop. Of note: The Cubs signed Taylorsville’s Billy Hamilton — he of the 326 career stolen bases — to a minor league deal in early September, and he played a handful of games at Triple-A Iowa, swiping three bases in five tries. He’s 35 but can still run; he could be a weapon on the bases should the Cubs add him to the roster at some point. … The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who’ll host Cincinnati in the nightcap on Tuesday, got another a big year from Freddie Freeman, the former M-Braves standout who hit .295 with 24 homers and 90 RBIs for the NL West champs. He is a .277 career postseason hitter with 14 homers, including the Game 1 grand slam that essentially powered the Dodgers to the 2024 World Series title. There is a familiar name on the Reds’ roster also: Ke’Bryan Hayes, son of Charlie Hayes, the Hattiesburg native who won a World Series with the Yankees 29 years ago. P.S. Since there are no major league games today, ripping open a couple packs of Topps cards from, say, 20 years ago can help fill the void until the postseason starts on Tuesday. You never know what treasures might be found inside. To wit: Unfortunately, there were no cards of Mississippians, but there were some interesting ones. Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon (of the curse-busting Red Sox), Vinny Castilla, Eric Chavez/Gold Glove, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds/Sporting News All-Stars, Tony Batista (in the uniform of the defunct Montreal Expos) and a Felix Hernandez/Prospects (but not an actual rookie). The best pull, if not the most valuable, from these two 2005 foil packs: a commemorative action shot of Ken Griffey Jr.’s 500th home run, hit on Father’s Day 2004, when he was with Cincinnati.

27 Sep

the night for three dogs

One former Mississippi State standout was hunting a playoff berth on Friday night, while two others were playing spoiler roles in the American League East title race. Nathaniel Lowe and the Boston Red Sox accomplished their mission, clinching an AL wild card, but Lowe’s fellow former Bulldogs Jordan Westburg and Jake Mangum could not spark upsets for Baltimore and Tampa Bay, respectively. Lowe, who joined the Red Sox in mid-August, went 1-for-2 with a sac fly as Boston rallied from three runs down to beat Detroit 4-3 on Ceddanne Rafaela’s walk-off triple in the ninth inning. Fenway Park went nuts. The BoSox are back in the postseason for the first time in four years — and, yes, they celebrated, champagne showers and all. “Just a total team effort. That was fun to watch,” Boston manager Alex Cora told mlb.com. Meanwhile, at Yankee Stadium, Westburg gave the Orioles an early lead with a three-run homer off Will Warren, the Jackson Prep product, but the Yankees powered their way to an 8-4 win. Warren (9-8) got the W as New York remained tied atop the AL East with Toronto, which beat Tampa Bay 4-2 at Rogers Centre. Rookie Mangum, batting .299 on the year, went 1-for-3 for the Rays, who briefly led early on. Toronto holds the tiebreaker over New York. Two games left for both. … In the National League wild card battle, Cincinnati rallied past host Milwaukee — the NL’s best team, record-wise — for a 3-1 win and is now tied with the New York Mets, who crumbled against Miami, losing 6-2. The Reds have won seven of 10. “There are things that are happening with the Reds right now that make you think they are destined for the postseason,” Reds broadcaster Jeff Brantley, the former MSU star, said during the game. The Reds hold the tiebreaker over the Mets for the final wild card. Two games left for both. P.S. On this date in 1935, Hughie Critz, one of Mississippi’s all-time best, played the final game of a 12-year career. The 5-foot-8 Starkville native, who attended MSU when it was called Mississippi A&M, hit .268 with 531 RBIs and 832 runs, playing for the Reds and the New York Giants. … Greenville native George Scott, another of the state’s greats, played his last MLB game on this date in 1979. “Boomer” hit .268 with 271 homers and 1,051 RBIs in 14 seasons; he spent most of his career with the Red Sox. He would play on in Mexico until 1984.

25 Sep

playing pepper

Concerns about Garrett Crochet’s durability seem kinda silly now. The ex-Ocean Springs High star delivered one of his best performances of the season Wednesday night: eight innings, three hits, no walks, no runs, six strikeouts in Boston’s impactful 7-1 win at Toronto. The left-hander’s last pitch — No. 100 — hit 97 mph, a called third strike. “At this point of the year, it’s unbelievable,” Red Sox catcher Carlos Narvaez said in an mlb.com story. “He’s still throwing gas, everything has shape.” Crochet (18-5) reached 205 1/3 innings for the season, just his second since converting from reliever. He threw 146 innings for the Chicago White Sox last year, working very conservatively down the stretch of that team’s woeful season. Wednesday’s win reduced the Red Sox’s magic number to one for clinching an American League playoff berth. The proud franchise hasn’t been to the postseason since 2021. The bold off-season trade for Crochet has gotten them over that hump. … Following Toronto’s loss, the New York Yankees beat the White Sox 8-1 and moved into a tie with the Blue Jays atop the AL East. Former Mississippi Braves star Max Fried, in his first year in pinstripes, won his 19th game, boosted by Aaron Judge’s 50th and 51st home runs. … Former Mississippi College standout Blaine Crim hit his fifth homer in 11 games with Colorado — but who noticed? Seattle, powered by Cal Raleigh’s 59th and 60th homers, beat the visiting Rockies 9-2 to clinch the AL West crown. … Mississippi State product Brent Rooker drove in two runs — he has 89 RBIs on the year — and M-Braves alum Shea Langeliers homered in a four-hit game to power the A’s past Houston 6-0. Stumbling toward the finish line with five straight losses, the Astros are a game behind Detroit for the final AL wild card spot. Houston will face ex-MSU standout J.T. Ginn (4-6, 4.57 ERA) today in West Sacramento, Calif. … The fading Tigers, meanwhile, lost their eighth straight, 5-1 to Cleveland, which moved into first place alone in the AL Central. (Colt Keith, the ex-Biloxi High star, has been on the injured list since Sept. 19; he is typically Detroit’s leadoff batter.) … On a night when Cincinnati honored the late Dave Parker — the recently inducted Hall of Famer from Mississippi — the Reds fell to Pittsburgh 4-3 in 11 innings. The Reds remain tied with Arizona, a game back of the Mets for the final National League wild card berth. All three lost on a wild Wednesday. P.S. In the minors, both ex-Ole Miss star Kemp Alderman and ex-Southern Miss standout Matthew Etzel hit home runs to help Jacksonville beat Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 6-4 in Game 2 of the Triple-A International League Championship Series. The deciding game is tonight.

24 Sep

are you not entertained?

On a sensational Tuesday night when the New York Yankees and Seattle clinched playoff berths; Cleveland caught collapsing Detroit; the desperate Mets rallied past the Chicago Cubs; Houston lost its fourth straight; and the Los Angeles Dodgers blew a win for Shohei Ohtani against plucky Arizona, several Mississippians in pro ball deserved attention:
Nathaniel Lowe: The ex-Mississippi State star produced two hits, two walks, two RBIs and a run in Boston’s 4-1 win at Toronto. The Red Sox kept their grip on the second American League wild card and remained in the hunt for the AL East title. Lowe is batting .286 with two homers, 15 RBIs and 14 runs in 29 games since the Red Sox signed him as a free agent following his release by Washington.
Garrett Crochet: The Ocean Springs native gets the ball for Boston tonight against future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer and the AL East-leading Blue Jays. Crochet, a strong Cy Young Award candidate, is 17-5 with a 2.69 ERA in his first season with the Red Sox, who gave the big left-hander a bunch of money to do what he’s doing.
Hurston Waldrep: The Southern Miss alum improved to 6-1 in 10 appearances for Atlanta, which won for the 10th straight time by beating Washington 3-2. Rookie Waldrep pitched around nine baserunners, allowing just one run in six innings and trimming his ERA to 2.88. (Former Mississippi Braves Ronald Acuna and Michael Harris homered for Atlanta, Harris hitting two, one off ex-MSU star Konnor Pilkington.)
Calvin Harris: The former Ole Miss catcher went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs to help Birmingham beat Montgomery 7-3 and force a decisive Game 3 in the Double-A Southern League Championship Series. Harris hit .266 with three homers and 38 RBIs in his third year in the Chicago White Sox’s organization. (MSU alum Colton Ledbetter went 0-for-5 for Montgomery, a Tampa Bay affiliate.)
Kemp Alderman: The ex-Ole Miss slugger and 2023 Ferriss Trophy winner was named to the Southern League postseason All-Star team by MLB Pipeline. The Decatur native batted .282 with 15 homers and 53 RBIs for Miami’s Pensacola club and finished the season in Triple-A, where he belted seven more homers. (Incidentally, he went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in Jacksonville’s 5-4 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the opener of the International League Championship Series.)

17 Sep

just stuff

Dakota Jordan, the ex-Mississippi State star from Canton, and Niko Mazza, a Southern Miss and MRA alum, celebrated a California League championship on Tuesday night. The San Francisco Giants’ Low-Class A San Jose club won the pennant with a 4-2 victory over Inland Empire. Jordan, a Cal League postseason All-Star, has been on the injured list since mid-August; he hit .311 with 14 homers and 82 RBIs. Mazza, 4-3 with a 2.22 ERA this season, did not pitch in the clincher. … Former William Carey University standout Patrick Lee won a ring with Detroit’s High-A West Michigan team, which completed a dominant season with a Midwest League championship. … Ex-DeSoto Central High slugger Blaze Jordan belted his 12th homer for Triple-A Memphis – a two-run shot off MSU product Christian MacLeod – as the Redbirds (a St. Louis affiliate) beat St. Paul 7-6. Jordan has 18 homers and 94 RBIs all told this season, his fifth in the minors. … After a month-long stay on the IL, Jordan Westburg returned to Baltimore’s lineup and went 0-for-3 with two walks and a run in the Orioles’ win against the Chicago White Sox. The MSU alum is the Orioles’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee for 2025. … Ex-USM standout Chuckie Robinson – 0-for-1 with a run and a sac in his one appearance for the Los Angeles Dodgers – was sent down (again) to the minors. … After his sizzling start for Boston, former MSU star Nathaniel Lowe is now in a 2-for-20 skid; he went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in the Red Sox’s 2-1 loss to the A’s. … Current MSU standout Ace Reese – the SEC newcomer of the year last season – was ranked the No. 8 draft prospect among college players for 2026 by MLB Pipeline. Reese hit .352 with 21 bombs in 2025.

15 Sep

hot starts

On this date in 2002, Cliff Lee threw the first pitch of his major league career. Perhaps foreshadowing what was to come, the ex-Meridian Community College standout went 5 1/3 innings, allowing a lone run, but took a loss for Cleveland in a 5-0 defeat against visiting Minnesota. A 6-foot-3 left-hander, Lee would finish his 13-year MLB career with a 143-91 record, a 3.52 ERA, a Cy Young Award, an ERA title and four All-Star Game appearances. He never won a World Series ring but was 7-3, 2.52, in the postseason. In sum, he was really good. Born in Arkansas, he spent two years at MCC (under Scott Berry) and was drafted by Baltimore in 1998. He didn’t sign and went on to Arkansas, where he was a fourth-round pick by Montreal in 2000. He was traded to Cleveland in the summer of 2002 along with Brandon Phillips and Grady Sizemore in a blockbuster deal for Bartolo Colon and Lee Stevens. Lee would win 90 games for the Indians, 22 in 2008 when he earned the Cy Young. He won 58 games in parts of five seasons with Philadelphia and went 2-0 in the 2009 World Series. … Also on this date, in 1984, Natchez native Freddie Toliver made his MLB debut, tossing a scoreless inning for Cincinnati against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Drafted out of a California high school in 1979, Toliver went 10-16, 4.73, in 78 MLB games; he was 7-6, 4.24, for a 91-win Minnesota club in 1988. … And on this date in 1993, Keith Kessinger, an Ole Miss alum, went 1-for-2 for Cincinnati against Atlanta, getting his knock off Kent Mercker in his first at-bat. Kessinger, son of former big league star Don Kessinger, hit .259 in 11 games in ’93, his only year in The Show. P.S. Crochet v. Warren Act II went a lot like the original. Crochet, the former Ocean Springs High standout now with the Boston Red Sox, threw six effective innings Sunday night, allowing three runs and fanning 12, in Boston’s 6-4 victory over the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Warren, the Jackson Prep product, gave up all six runs in the first inning – two on a hit by Mississippi State alum Nathaniel Lowe – and took the loss. Crochet (16-5, 2.63 ERA in 30 starts) beat Warren and Yanks on Aug. 23, punching out 11 in seven innings in a 12-1 win. Warren (now 8-7, 4.44) got roughed up in that game, too. He has a 9.42 ERA in three career starts against Boston. Of note: Crochet has fanned Aaron Judge 11 times in 15 at-bats; Judge has hit two homers off the lefty, including one Sunday. The season series between the two American League East rivals has ended. The Red Sox, who won the series, trail the second-place Yankees by 1.5 games. … Former Southern Miss standout Chuckie Robinson has been recalled again (see previous posts) by the Los Angeles Dodgers.