Brewers Pound Sox, Drop Third Straight (6/28/89)

Nothing is going right for the Boston Red Sox these days. The Sox continued to drop further under .500 with today's drubbing at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. Mike Smithson (4-6, 5.02 ERA) took the beating as he allowed 6 runs in just over 6 innings of work. Bob Stanley and Mike Rochford also got knocked around by the Brewers in this all around embarrassment. The Sox scratched out 5 runs but it wasn't enough as the Brewers laid waste to the Red Sox 12-5 at County Stadium.

                                                Sox fans wondering how bad 89 can get

The Sox did manage to strike first in the top of the first inning against Milwaukee starter Teddy Higuera. Jody Reed led off with a walk but Luis Rivera and Wade Boggs both took strike three but Reed stole second. Mike Greenwell singled home Reed to put the Sox up early. Dwight Evans drew a walk but Nick Esasky struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Greenwell drives in a run

Smithson initially pitched well in the bottom of the first as Paul Molitor grounded out to short to start. Robin Yount drew a walk but Gary Sheffield flied out to right. Greg Brock popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Jim Gantner booted a routine grounder by Rick Cerone to begin the top of the second. Cerone was erased on the force by Randy Kutcher and Randy stole second. Kevin Romine lined out to short but Reed singled home Kutcher to increase the lead. Rivera popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                                Reed knocks in a run

The Brewers pounced in the bottom of the second as Glenn Braggs doubled to left to start. Rob Deer then smacked a 5,000,000 foot home run into Lake Eerie to tie the game. BJ Surhoff walked and Terry Francona singled to left. Both runners moved over on the grounder by Gantner and Molitor scored Surhoff with a sac fly to give the Brewers the lead. Yount singled to center to score Francona with another run. Sheffield lined out to short to end the inning but it was 4-2 Brewers.

                                                 Some guy named Francona scores a run

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the third as Boggs got a base hit to center to start. Boggs moved to second on a deep fly out to right by Greenwell and Evans drew a walk. Esasky got a base hit to left but Cerone killed the rally with a pop up to short. Kutcher took strike three to end the inning. Smithson recovered in the bottom of the third as Brock flied out to left to start. Braggs and Deer both whiffed to end the inning.

Higuera cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Romine grounded out to third to start. Reed flied out to center and Rivera whiffed to end the inning. Surhoff flied out to center to open the bottom of the fourth before Francona also flied out to center. Gantner singled and stole second before Molitor walked. Yount popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth inning as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Greenwell and Evans both grounded out to short to end the inning. Sheffield grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Brock singled to center. Brock moved to second on the grounder by Braggs but Deer took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox inched closer when Esasky mauled his 12th home run of the year to start the top of the sixth. Rick Cerone walked to chase Higuera from the game. Chuck Crim came in and Kutcher banged into a double play. Romine flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                        Esasky hits one out

Smithson kept pace in the bottom of the sixth as Surhoff grounded out to short to start. Francona lined out to left and Gantner grounded out to first to end the inning.

Crim cruised in the top of the seventh as Reed popped up to first to start. Rivera grounded out to third and Boggs grounded out to second to end the inning. The wheels fell off in the bottom of the seventh as Molitor singled to center to begin. Yount flied out to center but Molitor stole second and Sheffield walked. That was it for Smithson who left trailing 4-3 and eventually was charged with 6 runs in 6 1/3 innings.

                                                       Not his best stuff

Bob Stanley poured gas on the fire when he came in as Brock singled home Molitor with the insurance run. Braggs beat out a double play ball and Deer walked to load the bases. Surhoff then cleared the bases with a double to put the game out of reach. Francona grounded out to third to end the inning but the Brewers were up 8-3.

Tony Fossas made the Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the eighth inning as Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Evans grounded out to third and Esasky also grounded out to third to end the inning. Rookie Mike Rochford came in to take a beating in the bottom of the eighth although Gantner popped up to third to start. Molitor flied out to center but Yount walked. Sheffield beat out an infield single to short before Brock walked to load the bases. Braggs hit a routine grounder to second but Reed threw the ball away allowing Yount and Sheffield to score. Deer was intentionally walked to reload the bases and Surhoff singled home Brock and Bragggs. Francona flied out to left to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 12-3.

                                                         Bad defense leads to bad pitching

Dave Engle came in for Surhoff behind the plate with Jay Aldrich now on the mound to begin the top of the ninth. Cerone popped up to second and Kutcher lined back to the mound, but Romine beat out an infield single to short. Reed walked and Rivera singled home Romine. Boggs singled home Reed and if Stanley and Rochford didn't crap themselves, this game would have been interesting. As it was, Greenwell grounded out to second to end the game. The Brewers had won it 12-5.

Jackass of the Night is Bob Stanley. He allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 2 of his own to put the game out of reach

                                                Stanley The Jackass

The Good:

Jody Reed was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Dwight Evans walked twice in four plate appearances.

Nick Esasky was 2 for 4 with a solo home run.

The Bad:

Mike Smithson got lit up for 6 runs in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss. He allowed 7 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3.

Mike Rochford allowed 4 runs in an inning although none were earned.

The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Luis Rivera was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Rick Cerone was 0 for 3 but walked.

Randy Kutcher was 0 for 4 but stole a base and scored a run.

Kevin Romine was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

Can this season end already? Its only June but it appears Morgan Magic has definitely worn off. Not that Sox manager Joe Morgan himself is the problem, but he's just not getting through to these guys like he did last year. It could be a clubhouse issue which means some of these guys won't be back next year. The loss of Bruce Hurst hurt the most as the Sox are getting almost nothing beyond Roger Clemens and Mike Boddicker pitching wise. Smithson took another beating and Stanley looks to have lost it as well. All in all it added up to another piece of crap loss in a season full of them. The loss dropped the Sox to 34-39, 8.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to snap their 3 game losing streak in the series finale with the Brewers tomorrow when they send John Dopson (7-5) to the mound up against Chris Bosio at 2:30 PM at County Stadium.

Sox Rally Falls Short in Milwaukee (6/27/89)

Its been that kind of year for the Boston Red Sox and we're not even out of June yet. The Red Sox incompetence this season is mind-boggling and tonight was no different against the Milwaukee Brewers. Not even Roger Clemens (8-6, 3.06 ERA) could save the Sox this time as the Brewers got to him for 5 runs in just 6 1/3 innings. Rob Murphy was able to hold the fort and the Sox tried to pull off a feverish rally in the top of the ninth. Unfortunately the Sox fell short and the Brewers beat them by the skin of their teeth 5-4 at County Stadium.

                                                     Bill Murray's message to the Red Sox

The Sox wasted no time getting to Brewers starter Don August in the top of the first inning. Jody Reed grounded out to short to start but Danny Heep singled to center. Gary Sheffield booted a grounder by Wade Boggs and Jim Gantner booted a grounder by Greenwell to score Heep to put the Sox on top. Dwight Evans whiffed and Greenwell was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Heep scores a run

Clemens took the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Paul Molitor led off by lining out to center.  Robin Yount grounded out to short but Sheffield singled to short. Greg Brock struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the second when Nick Esasky singled to center to start. Rich Gedman walked but Luis Rivera forced Esasky at third. Randy Kutcher watched strike three go by and Reed flied out to left to end the inning. Glenn Braggs struck out looking to begin the bottom of the second before Rob Deer popped up to third. BJ Surhoff lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the third when Heep walked to start. Boggs singled to left but Greenwell lined out to center. Evans hit one up the elevator shaft and Esasky flied out to center to end the inning. The Brewers took command in the bottom of the third although Terry Francona grounded back to the mound to start. Gantner singled to short and Molitor walked before Yount hit a double play ball to short. Rivera flipped to Reed who turned and fired the ball all the way to Idaho to score Gantner with the tying run. Sheffield singled to left to score Yount to give the Brewers the lead before he stole second. Brock whiffed to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 2-1.

                                                                  Nice error Reed

August cruised in the top of the fourth as Gedman popped up to third to start. Rivera whiffed and Kutcher grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Brewers struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Braggs singled to right to start. Deer moved Braggs to second with a grounder and a wild pitch moved Braggs to third. Surhoff singled him home to increase the lead then moved to second on the grounder by Francona. Gantner grounded out to second to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 3-1.

                                                            Can someone get him out?

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Reed grounded out to short to start. Heep grounded out to second and Boggs also grounded out to second to end the inning. Molitor took strike three to start the bottom of the fifth before Yount flied out to center. Sheffield doubled to left but Brock grounded out to second to end the inning.

Greenwell got a base hit to center to start the top of the sixth but Evans banged into a double play. Esasky grounded out to third to end the inning. Braggs popped up to first to begin the bottom of the sixth but Deer and Surhoff stroked back to back singles. Both runners moved over on the Francona grounder but Gantner whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Gedman singled to right to begin. Dana Williams pinch ran for Gedman but Rivera banged into a double play. Kutcher doubled to center and Reed singled him home to cut the lead and chase August. Kevin Romine pinch hit for Heep and Tony Fossas came in to pitch. Romine singled to left but Boggs grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                            Kutcher scores a run

The Brewers iced the game in the bottom of the seventh with Rick Cerone now behind the plate. Molitor walked to start but was thrown out by Cerone trying to steal. Yount singled to right and Sheffield walked to chase Clemens. Roger didn't have it tonight as he would be tagged for 5 runs in just 6 1/3 innings. Rob Murphy made a mad dash out of the bullpen to the mound only to allow Brock to single home Shefield and Yount to increase the lead. Braggs popped up to first and Deer took strike three to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                             Not Roger's best outing

Greenwell tried to start a rally with a base hit to start the top of the eighth and Chuck Crim came in to pitch. Evans singled to center but Esasky flied out to center and Cerone banged into a double play to end the inning. Murphy sprinted out of the dugout to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Surhoff doubled to right to begin. Francona popped up to first and Surhoff was thrown out trying to steal third by Cerone. Gantner grounded out to second to end the inning.

Suddenly the Sox rallied in the top of the ninth as Rivera and Kutcher stoked back to back singles to start. Reed flied out to center and Romine grounded back to the mound, but Crim was lifted for Dan Plesac. Boggs beat out a little roller to short to score Rivera and Greenwell singled home Kutcher to put the tying run at third. Unfortunately Evans flied out to center to end the game. The Sox fought hard but the Brewers held on to win 5-4.

Jackass of the Night is Roger Clemens. Yes Murphy allowed the final two runs to score but had Clemens pitched better, the Sox may have won the game. As it was, he took the loss by allowing 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings.

                                                            Jackass Clemens

The Good:

Danny Heep was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Kevin Romine was 1 for 2.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Mike Greenwell was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Luis Rivera was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Randy Kutcher was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Jody Reed was just 1 for 5 with an error but drove in a run.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 5.

Nick Esasky was just 1 for 4.

Rick Cerone was 0 for 1 at the plate but threw out two runners trying to steal.

Rob Murphy allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Honorable Mention:

Dana Williams pinch ran for Gedman in the top of the seventh.

Final Thoughts:

That 9th inning was a sucker punch to the gonads. Not that the Sox would have won in extra innings guaranteed but with the way things are going this season, a win like that would bring much needed rapport back. The Sox just don't have the magic this season and its very evident. There's something wrong and the loss of Bruce Hurst couldn't hurt THAT much. Hopefully the Sox can turn it around this season or else they may go from first to worst like in 1987 again. Even Clemens looked mortal in this one and that's never a good thing. The loss dropped the Sox to 34-38, 7.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send Mike Smithson (4-5) to the mound up against Teddy Higuera of the Brewers. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Fenway Park.

Clemens, Sox Beat Tigers (6/5/89)

This season is a disaster for the Boston Red Sox but thank goodness for Roger Clemens (6-4, 2.82 ERA) this season. One of the only silver linings so far held the Detroit Tigers to just 5 hits and 2 runs while pitching into the eighth inning. Mike Greenwell put the Sox up early with a 2 run bomb off Detroit starter David Palmer. Dwight Evans added a solo blast off old pal Mike Trujillo and the Sox scratched out two other runs. Rob Murphy slammed the door in the final two innings and the Sox had beaten the Tigers 5-2 at Tiger Stadium.

                                                       Monique Noel approves of the win

The Sox bushwhacked Palmer in the top of the first inning as Jody Reed walked to start. Reed moved to second on the grounder to first by Ed Romero and Wade Boggs singled home Reed to put Boston top. Mike Greenwell smashed his eighth hone run of the year to increase the lead and Dwight Evans singled to left. Ellis Burks forced Evans at second then stole second base, but Carlos Quintana took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                              Home run Greenwell

Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first and Gary Pettis flied out to left to start. Dave Bergman grounded out to second and Lou Whitaker flied out to right to end the inning.

Nick Esasky walked to start the top of the second but Rich Gedman flied out to left. Reed banged into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers struck back in the bottom of the second as old friend Fred Lynn popped up to first in foul territory to start. Keith Moreland hit a home run to Addison Gilbert Hospital to cut the lead but Matt Nokes grounded back to the mound. Chet Lemon took strike three to end the inning with the Tigers down 2-1.

                                                           Moreland goes deep

The Sox answered in the top of the third as Romero walked to start. Boggs doubled to right and Romero scored on the grounder to first by Greenwell. Evans grounded out to short and Burks went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                              Romero scores a run

Clemens cruised in the bottom of the third as Rick Schu flied out to right to start. Alex Pedrique flied out to right and Pettis took strike three to end the inning.

Quintana flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Esasky grounded out to short. Gedman grounded out to second to end the inning. Clemens dominated the bottom of the fourth as Bergman grounded back to the mound to start. Whitaker grounded out to second and Lynn struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Reed walked to start the top of the fifth but Jody was doubled off first on the bullet to third hit by Romero. Boggs singled in the hole at first and that was it for Palmer. Paul Gibson came in to pitch and Greenwell flied out to center to end the inning. Moreland grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth but Nokes singled to left. Lemon walked but Schu went down hacking. Pedrique went down swinging to end the inning.

Old friend Mike Trujillo came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Evans greeted him with his eighth home run of the season to increase the lead. Burks took strike three but Quintana and Esasky drew back to back walks to chase Trujillo. Frank Williams came in and Quintama was doubled off second on a bullet hit to Whitaker by Gedman to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                                Evans jacks one

The Tigers got a run back in the bottom of the sixth as Pettis struck out swinging to start. Bergman grounded out to first but Whitaker hit a home run all the way to Venus to cut the lead. Lynn grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers down 4-2.

                                                                Whitaker hits one out

Reed grounded out to third to start the top of the seventh before Romero popped up to second. Boggs grounded out to second to end the inning. Moreland hit a squibber in front of the plate that Gedman spiked like a football for an error to start the bottom of the seventh. Nokes banged into a double play but Lemon singled to center. Schu grounded out to second to end the inning. 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the eighth as Greenwell grounded out to short to start. Evans singled up the middle and stole second for good measure. Burks walked and Quintana lined a base hit to right. Evans came around to score but was thrown out at home. Esasky grounded out to third to end the inning. Clemens returned briefly for the bottom of the eighth and Pat Sheridan pinch hit for Pedrique to start. Sheridan struck out swinging but Pettis singled to center to chase Clemens. Roger was game, tossing 7 1/3 innings and giving up just the two solo shots. Rob Murphy sprinted from the bullpen to take the mound and Gary Ward pinch hit for Bergman. Ward popped up to first in foul territory and Whitaker grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                             Clemens pitches into the eighth

Mike Heath came in for the top of the ninth and the Sox blew another rally. Gedman grounded out to second but Reed and Romero drew back to back walks. Willie Hernandez came in to pitch to Boggs and Wade flied out to left. Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Murphy bolted out of the dugout to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lynn struck out swinging to start. Moreland singled to center but Nokes struck out swinging. Lemon took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-2.

Hero of the Night is Roger Clemens. The Sox had a balanced offensive attack but Roger Clemens held the fort for 7 1/3 innings, allowing just two solo home runs to earn the win.

                                                                  Rocket Hero

The Good:

Jody Reed walked three times in five plate appearances and scored a run.

Wade Boggs was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 3 for 4 with an rbi, stolen base and a run scored.

Carlos Quintana was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Nick Esasky walked twice in four plate appearances.

Rob Murphy got the save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with an error.

The Ugly:

Ed Romero was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 5 but knocked in 3 total runs and hit a 2 run homer.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked and stole a base.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox can't get untracked this season but Clemens has been his usual self for sure. He didn't completely dominate the Tigers but they could only muster two solo home runs against him. Murphy has been damn good this season and slammed the door big time. Greenwell knocked in 3 big runs and its good to see the offense do some running with Burks and Evans swiping bags. If Morgan Magic is wearing off, the Sox have a lot of work to do to prepare for next season. Still, the Sox were a balanced attack in this game and hopefully the Sox can turn the ship around like they did last year. The win improved the Sox to 25-27,  5.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to beat the Tigers again tomorrow night when Joe Price (1-1) takes on Mike Schwabe of Detroit. The game begins at 8:30 PM Eastern time at Tiger Stadium.