Clemens Tosses Gem Against A's (8/26/91)

Good news and bad news for the Boston Red Sox. Good news was Roger Clemens (13-8, 2.59 ERA) tossed a gem to defeat the Oakland A's but the bad news was they lost Jack Clark to a torn calf muscle in the process. A home run by Phil Plantier and an rbi by John Marzano was all the offense the Sox scored but it was all they needed. The loss of Clark hurts big time with one month remaining in the season but the Sox pulled together to beat the A's 3-0 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                              The King of Cartoons approves of the win

Mike Moore got the start for the A's and Wade Boggs led off with a lineout to center before Jody Reed singled to left. Phil Plantier struck out swinging before a wild pitch moved Reed all the way to third. Jack Clark took strike three to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first and Rickey Henderson grounded out to short to start. Old pal Dave Henderson grounded out to short and Jose Canseco whiffed on a high fastball to end the inning.

Canseco robbed Greenwell of a double with a jumping catch to start the top of the second before Mo Vaughn grounded out to second. Ellis Burks popped up to second to end the inning. Harold Baines took strike three on a backdoor slider to start the bottom of the second before Terry Steinbach grounded out to short. Brook Jacoby popped up to right to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as John Marzano lined out to second to start. Luis Rivera took strike three but Boggs singled off the glove of Mike Gallego. Reed was frozen for strike three to end the inning. Jamie Quirk grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Clemens dove for a pop up by Gallego but he dropped it for a "single". Gallego was thrown out at second on a blown hit and run when Mike Bordick swung and missed. Bordick was plunked but Rickey Henderson popped up to Vaughn in foul territory to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the fourth although Plantier lined out to a running Dave Henderson to start. Clark smashed his 22nd home r un of the year into the left field bleachers but hurt his calf on the previous swing. Clark hobbled around the bases and collapsed in the dugout, being hauled off on a gurney and headed to the hospital. Greenwell grounded out to second before Vaughn lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                     Clark gets hurt, still homers, still makes it around

The A's looked to rally in the bottom of the fourth when Dave Henderson crushed a double off the wall in left to start. Clemens recovered to get Canseco looking on a fastball away before Henderson moved to third on the grounder by Baines. Steinbach grounded out to second to end the inning.

Burks beat out an infield single to open the top of the fifth but Marzano whiffed. Burks was thrown out trying to steal and Rivera struck out swinging to end the inning. Jacoby flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Quirk took strike three. Gallego grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Reed flied out to left but Plantier walked. Carlos Quintana pinch hit for Clark and grounded out to short to end the inning. Bordick struck out swinging on a high fastball to start the bottom of the sixth before Rickey Henderson grounded out to third. Dave Henderson popped up to right to end the inning.

The Sox got some insurance in the top of the seventh as Greenwell dumped a single to right to start. Vaughn flied out to left before Burks flied out to center before Marzano doubled down the left field line to score Greenwell. Rivera grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 2-0 Sox.

                                                  Greenwell scores a run

Clemens got in trouble in the bottom of the seventh although Canseco earned a hat trick by striking out swinging. Baines walked an Steinbach singled in the hole at short to put the tying runs on. Reed ran down a pop up by Jacoby and Quirk froze for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the eighth although Boggs grounded out to second to begin. Reed hit a bullet but right to third before Plantier hit a 376 foot home run just over the wall in left to increase the lead. Quintana watched strike three go by to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                  Plantier hits one out

Gallego whiffed to start the bottom of the eighth before Ernie Riles pinch hit for Bordick, flying out to the centerfield wall. Rickey Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning.

Rick Honeycutt came in for the top of the ninth after Moore had thrown 135 pitches. Greenwell went down hacking before Vaughn did as well. A's manager Tony La Russa brought in old friend Dennis Eckersley just to get him some work and he got Burks to pop up to right to end the inning. Clemens came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth with Tom Brunansky now in right. Reed ran down a pop up by Dave Henderson before Canseco earned a golden sombrero by going down swinging. Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy said if Clemens could get Baines to strike out, it would be the first 10 strikeout game for Roger since May 23rd. Naturally Clemens froze Baines with a big curve for strike three to end the game. Clemens pitched a gem against the A's and the Sox had won it 3-0.

                                                 A big win

Hero of the Night is Roger Clemens. The A's aren't the same as they have been the last 3 years but tossing a complete game, 3 hit shutout against the 3-peat AL Champs is nothing to sneeze at.

                                                       Rocket Hero


The Good:

Phil Plantier was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Jack Clark was 1 for 2 with a solo home run.

John Marzano was 1 for 3 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4.

Jody Reed was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Ellis Burks was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Tom Brunansky played right field in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

As bad as the Sox have played this year, the fact they're only 5.5 games out of first place is an out an out miracle. There's still a month left to topple the Toronto Blue Jays but they'll need all hands on deck. Clemens can't come to the rescue every time so they're going to need someone else to step up. Hopefully Clark is okay because he looked really hurt after the home run he hit. The Sox can't afford to lose him for the season with the Sox playoff hopes hanging by a thread. If he can't come back, they're done for. The win improved the Sox to 63-62, 5.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow Mike Gardiner (5-6) goes for the Sox up against Bob Welch at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

Angels Sweep Sox (8/25/91)

Well this west coast trip began with a thud now didn't it? With the Boston Red Sox desperately needing some momentum heading into the home stretch, the Sox got swept out of Anaheim by the mediocre California Angels. Joe Hesketh (8-3, 3.69 ERA) had one of his worst starts all year as he allowed 7 runs and got knocked out in the fifth inning. Dennis Lamp gave up two big insurance runs and the normally light hitting Angels earned the sweep with a 9-5 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

                                            Judge Doom hates getting swept

Mark Langston got the start for the Angels and Wade Boggs started the top of the first with a ground out to first to start. Jody Reed grounded out to short but Carlos Quintana drew a walk. Jack Clark grounded out to third to end the inning. Hesketh got the Angels to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the first inning. Luis Polonia grounded out to first, Gary Gaetti grounded out to short and Wally Joyner grounded out to first to end the inning.

Phil Plantier walked to begin the top of the second but Ellis Burks banged into a double play. Tom Brunansky grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Dave Winfield doubled to begin the bottom of the second and moved to third on the Lance Parrish fly out. Hesketh got a big out when Junior Felix grounded out to third and Shawn Abner whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third inning as John Marzano flied out to center to begin. Luis Rivera and Boggs stroked back to back singles before moving into scoring position on the Reed grounder. Quintana hit a routine fly to right but Felix dropped it to allow both runners to score and Carlos to reach second. Clark doubled home Quintana to increase the lead but got picked off to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                           Quintana scores a run

The Angels struck back in the bottom of the third as Luis Sojo flied out to right to start. Dick Schofield grounded out to third but Polonia walked. Gaetti pounded a home run to left to cut the lead. Joyner grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Home run Gaetti

The Sox answered in the top of the fourth as Plantier walked to start. Burks went down swinging but Bruno crushed his 14th home run of the year to increase the lead. Marzano singled to center but Rivera flied out to left. Boggs grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-2.

                                                 Brunansky hits one out

The Angels countered in the bottom of the fourth although Winfield grounded out to third to start. Parrish and Felix stroked back to back singles before the light hitting Abner crushed a 300,000,000 foot home run into the Fiji Islands to tie the game. Sojo grounded out to third but Schofield singled to center. Polonia popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                     The light hitting Abner ties it

Mike Fetters took over for the top of the fifth and Reed lined out to third to begin. Quintana got a base hit up the middle but Clark banged into a double play to end the inning. The Angels knocked Hesketh out in the bottom of the fifth as Gaetti flied out to left to start. Joyner doubled and Winfield walked to chase Hesketh. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings and was charged with 7 runs. Dennis Lamp came in and poured gas on the fire as Parrish singled home Joyner, Felix singled home Winfield and Abner doubled home Parrish. Sojo flied out to left and Schofield flied out to center to end the inning with the Angels up 8-5.

                                                        Terrible effort by Hesketh

The Sox had one last chance to come back in the top of the sixth but Plantier grounded out to first to start. Burks took strike three but Brunansky walked. Marzano singled to bring the tying run to the plate but Rivera grounded out to second to end the inning. The Angels iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Polonia took strike three to start. Gaetti hit one up the elevator shaft but Joyner tripled and Winfield doubled him home to wrap up the scoring. Parrish swung and missed for strike three but the Angels were up 9-5.

                                                     Not much relief tonight

Boston went quietly in the top of the seventh as Boggs popped up to short to start. Reed and Quintana both grounded out to third to end the inning. Tom Bolton came in for the bottom of the seventh inning and Felix grounded out to third to start. Abner whiffed and Sojo grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Clark flied out to right to start the top of the eighth before Plantier singled to center. Burks banged into a double play to end the inning. Bolton returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Schofield grounded out to short, Polonia whiffed and Gaetti grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox did try to rally in the top of the ninth although Bruno popped up to second to begin. Marzano grounded out to second but Rivera beat out an infield single to second. Boggs drew a walk to chase Fetters. Mark Eichhorn came in to pitch with "Psycho" Steve Lyons pinch hitting for Reed. Lyons grounded out to first to end the game. The Angels completed the sweep over the frazzled Sox with a 9-5 win.

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

                                                       Lamp the Jackass



The Good:

Carlos Quintana was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Phil Plantier was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Tom Brunansky was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

John Marzano was 2 for 4.

Luis Rivera was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Tom Bolton tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Steve Lyons was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Joe Hesketh got creamed for 7 runs in just 4 1/3 innings. He gave up 7 hits and walked two batters.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Jack Clark was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.



Final Thoughts:

Well this west coast trip is off to a caterwauling of nonsense. The Sox needed to win 2 of 3 to keep pace with the Toronto Blue Jays and instead they fell further behind. Unless the Sox go on a tear in September, it doesn't look like the Sox will be repeating as AL East champions. If they kept Mike Boddicker and left Matt Young on the scrap heap, maybe they'd be frontrunners for the playoffs. As it is, they may not have enough to get it done this year. Its too bad their two big free agent signings on the pitching side, Young and Danny Darwin, fell flat on their faces. The loss dropped the Sox back to .500 at 62-62, 5.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox travel to Oakland to continue their road trip and Roger Clemens (12-8) goes up against Mike Moore at 10:05 PM Eastern Time at Oakland Coliseum.

McCaskill, Angels Outduels Morton & Red Sox (8/24/91)

What year is this? 5 years ago if Kirk McCaskill of the California Angels shut down the Boston Red Sox in a season he went 17-10 it would have been par for the course. This season Kirk has already lost 16 games and appears to be headed on the downside of his career. Plus, if you told me before the game that Kevin Morton (3-2, 4.41 ERA) would toss 7 innings and allow just 1 run, I'd have asked how much the Sox won by. As it was, McCaskill turned back the clock 5 years to toss 8 innings of shutout ball. Bryan Harvey slammed the door as the Sox mustered just 4 total hits and got blanked by the Angels 1-0 at Anaheim Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

McCaskill began his dominance in the top of the first as Wade Boggs lined out to left to start. Jody Reed grounded out to short and Phil Plantier grounded out to first to end the inning. Morton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Polonia beat out an infield single to first. Luis Sojo grounded into a double play and Wally Joyner took strike three to end the inning.

Jack Clark popped up to first to start the top of the second before Mike Greenwell flied out to center. Mo Vaughn got a base hit to center but Ellis Burks flied out to right to end the inning. Gary Gaetti walked to open the bottom of the second but Dave Winfield flied out to left. Dave Gallagher flied out to right and Shawn Abner flied out to left to end the inning.

John Marzano grounded out to short to start the top of the third before Luis Rivera grounded out to first. Boggs singled to left but Reed popped up to short to end the inning. Dick Schofield Jr walked to begin the bottom of the third but Ron Tingley grounded back to the mound. Polonia took strike three before Sojo grounded out to second to end the inning.

McCaskill cruised in the top of the fourth as Plantier popped up to short to start. Clark flied out to right and Greenwell was thrown out at second after reaching on a fielding error by Joyner to end the inning.

                                                 Stop getting thrown out at second

Morton kept pace in the bottom of the fourth as Joyner flied out to left to start. Gaetti popped up to short but Winfield walked. Gallagher flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Vaughn grounded out to third to start. Burks grounded out to short and Marzano grounded out to second to end the inning. Morton dominated the bottom of the fifth as Abner lined out to third to start. Schofield Jr popped up to Greenwell in foul territory and Tingley whiffed to end the inning.

                                                       Morton getting it done

Rivera whiffed to start the top of the sixth before Boggs flied out to left. Reed lined one off the glove of McCaskill but Schofield Jr threw him out at first to end the inning. Polonia struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth before Sojo popped up to short. Joyner grounded out to second to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the seventh as Plantier flied out to center to start. Clark took strike three and Greenwell flied out to left to end the inning. The Angels finally tagged Morton in the bottom of the seventh although Gaetti hit a squibber in front of the mound to start. Winfield then clobbered a 4 million foot home run into the Pacific Ocean to give the Angels the lead. Gallagher popped up to first and Abner grounded out to short to end the inning. Morton pitched his ass off but left trailing 1-0 after 7 innings.

                                                      Morton deserved better

The Sox tried to fight back in the top of the eighth although Vaughn grounded out to short to start. Burks singled to left to put the tying run on but Marzano flied out to left. Steve Lyons pinch hit for Rivera and popped up to right in foul territory to end the inning. McCaskill tossed 8 innings of shut-out ball and the Sox couldn't touch him. Greg Harris came in for the bottom of the eighth with Lyons taking over at second with Reed moving to short. Schofield Jr grounded out to short to start but Tingley singled to center. A wild pitch moved Tingley to second before moving to third on the Polonia grounder to first. Sojo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Bryan Harvey came in to close out the top of the ninth and the Sox tried to rally when Boggs led off with a double to center. Reed did his job with a sacrifice bunt to move Boggs to third....but Plantier lined out to first. Clark lined out to second to end the game. The Angels had won it 1-0.

Jackass of the Night is Phil Plantier. All he had to do was hit a grounder or a fly ball and the game would have been tied but instead he went 0 for 4 and failed to get Boggs home in the ninth.

                                                 Plantier the Jackass



The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4.

Mo Vaughn was 1 for 3.

Ellis Burks was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the good list but Kevin Morton pitched great. The rookie allowed just 1 run in 7 innings on just 2 hits and 3 walks.

Greg Harris pitched a scoreless eighth inning.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 3.

Jack Clark was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3.

John Marzano was 0 for 3.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Steve Lyons was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

None




Final Thoughts:

Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. Morton pitched his ass off in this one and the Sox offense failed to pick him up. They made McCaskill look like his 1986 self and getting just 4 hits is unacceptable. The Sox normally can score runs so what in the world was that? Even so, the Sox had their chance in the ninth but Plantier and Clark blew that completely. Its a shame and its just another frustrating loss in a season full of them. The Sox have 39 games left in the season but they just seem off compared to last year. They can still go on a run but they are definitely missing Mike Boddicker this season. The only positive to come from this apart from Morton's performance was the game sucked but at least it was short. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-61, 4.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon against the Angels. Joe Hesketh (8-2, 3.22 ERA) goes for the Sox up against Mark Langston of the Angels at 4:05 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Abbot, Angels Shut Down Sox (8/23/91)

Well this game was a sucker punch to the go-nads. The Boston Red Sox needed a big win against the California Angels to stay afloat in the AL East and instead they were shut down by the one handed Jim Abbott. The Sox offense got three hits and a run against Abbott in the first inning but just three hits the rest of the way. Matt Young (3-4, 4.23 ERA) couldn't keep pace by allowing one of the longest home runs in recorded history to Wally Joyner and 3 total runs. Dan Petry allowed a big insurance run charged to Tony Fossas and the Angels sent the Sox further down the hole with a 4-1 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                            "lousy bums!"

The Sox got to Abbott in the top of the first inning as Wade Boggs beat out an infield single to third to start. Jody Reed beat out an infield single to second but Carlos Quintana hit into a double play that left Reed at second. Jack Clark drew a walk and Mike Greenwell singled home Reed to put the Sox on top. Ellis Burks lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox head 1-0.

                                                             Greenwell puts Boston ahead

Sox starter Matt Young gave the lead away in about 40 seconds in the bottom of the first. Luis Polonia walked, took second on a passed ball and stole third just like that. Gary Gaetti walked but Wally Joyner popped up to Greenwell. Dave Winfield singled home Polonia to tie the game but Dave Parker flied out to left. Bobby Rose singled home Gaetti to give the Angels the lead. Lance Parrish grounded out to first to end the inning with the Angels up 2-1.

                                                          That damn Winfield 

The Sox offense was done for the day as Abbott cruised in the top of the second. Tom Brunansky grounded out to short to start before John Marzano whiffed. Luis Rivera struck out swinging to end the inning. Shawn Abner popped up to first to begin the bottom of the second but Dick Schofield Jr walked. Polonia lined out to second and Abner was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Marzano to end the inning.

                                                       "Where you goin Abner?"

The Sox blew their last chance to rally in the top of the third when Boggs and Reed stroked back to back singles to start. Quintana whiffed and Clark banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox would have just 1 hit the rest of the way. The Angels struck back in the bottom of the third as Gaetti whiffed to start. Joyner then smashed one of the longest home runs in recorded history to increase the lead. Winfield singled to left but Parker and Rose both struck out swinging to end the inning with the Angels ahead 3-1.

                                               "Holy moly that went far" - WJ

The Sox went lifeless in the top of the fourth as Greenwell flied out to left to start. Burks grounded out to short and Brunansky flied out to center to end the inning. Young got Parrish and Abner to both ground out to short to start. Schofield Jr singled but Polonia grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Marzano grounded out to second to start. Rivera grounded back to the mound and Boggs grounded out to second to end the inning. Gaetti walked to start the bottom of the fifth and moved to second on the Joyner grounder. Winfield walked but both Parker and Rose flied out to center to end the inning.

Reed grounded out to short to open the top of the sixth but Quintana singled to center. Clark banged into a double play to end the inning. Parrish struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the sixth before Abner whiffed. Schofield Jr lined out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew another rally in the top of the seventh although Greenwell flied out to left to start. Burks grounded out to third but Brunansky walked. Marzano walked but Rivera grounded into a force to end the inning. The Angels finally chased Young in the bottom of the seventh as Polonia walked to start. Gaetti flied out to left but Joyner singled Polonia to third to chase Young. He was matched up with Abbott and failed to keep pace, allowing 3 runs in 6 1/3 innings. Dennis Lamp came in and Winfield lined out to third. One and done for Lamp as Tony Fossas came in and got Parker to fly out to left to end the inning. 

                                                         Not Young's best start

Mark Eichhorn replaced Abbott for the top of the eighth and Boggs flied out to right to start. Reed struck out swinging and Quintana lined out to first to end the inning. The Angels got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as Rose and Parrish stroked back to back singles to start. Dan Petry came in and Abner struck out swinging, but Schofield Jr scored Rose with a grounder. Polonia was intentionally walked and Gaetti flied out to left to end the inning with the Angels ahead 4-1.

                                                      Not much Petry could have done

Bryan Harvey came in to close out the top of the ninth and Clark flied out to right to start. Greenwell popped up to third and Mo Vaughn pinch hit for Burks. Vaughn grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Angels had won it 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is Matt Young. He allowed 3 runs to the Angels when he could ill afford to do to take the loss.

                                                Jackass Young's face says it all

The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4.

Jody Reed was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Dennis Lamp retired the only man he faced

The Bad:

Ellis Burks was 0 for 3.

Mo Vaughn grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Fossas was charged with a run in 1/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Carlos Quintana was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jack Clark was 0 for 3 but walked.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Tom Brunansky was 0 for 2 but walked.

John Marzano was 0 for 2 but walked.

Dan Petry allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in an inning of work.

Final Thoughts:

Another tough loss in a season full of them. Abbott brought his A game but the Sox missed a chance to do some damage three times during the game. They couldn't get a clutch hit when it counted and they deserved this loss big time. Matt Young once again didn't justify his price tag, making the Sox look like even bigger fools for letting Mike Boddicker walk. Tony Fossas didn't inspire anyone out of the bullpen either, putting Dan Petry in an impossible situation. The Sox are falling further and further behind the Toronto Blue Jays and they just don't seem to have the "Morgan Magic" this year. Roger Clemens can only do so much by himself. Still, the Sox still have a month to turn it around and repeat as division champions. The loss dropped the Sox to 62-60, 4.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to bounce back against the angels when they send rookie Kevin Morton (3-2, 4.89 ERA) to the mound against Kirk McCaskill of the Angels. The game begins at 10:00 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.