Suppan Goes Distance, Royals Beat Sox (8/25/00)

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! The Boston Red Sox had come off winning 7 of their last 9 games to inch closer in the AL East race, plus found out the New York Yankees had lost to the Oakland A's. What did they do? Blow the game late and have old friend Jeff Suppan throw a complete game at them. The Sox scored 2 runs in the first but that was it as the Royals tied it in the 6th then scored 4 runs off Bryce Florie (0-4, 4.44 ERA) to ice the game. When the dust settled the Royals had dropped the Red Sox 6-2 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                               "Damn you Florie!"

The Sox went right to work on Suppan in the top of the first inning as Jose Offerman flied out to left to start. Trot Nixon grounded out to short but Brian Daubach doubled to left. Everett than smashed his 30th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Troy O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. The Sox would have just 3 hits the rest of the game.

                                                           Everett goes yard

Jeff Fassero got the start for the Red Sox and Johnny Damon led off with a walk. Rey Sanchez grounded out to short and Mike Sweeney struck out swinging. Jermaine Dye flied out to right to end the inning.

Lou Merloni lined out to center to start the top of the second but Scott Hatteberg doubled. Mike Lansing grounded out to third and Manny Alexander grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox would have just two hits in the next seven innings. Meanwhile Joe Randa took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Mark Quinn grounded out to second. David McCarty lined out to left to end the inning.

Offerman singled to center to start the top of the third but was doubled off first on the line drive by Nixon. Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning. The Royals struck back in the bottom of the third as Hector Ortiz grounded out to second to start. Jeff Reboulet singled to left and swiped second before moving to third on the Damon grounder. Sanchez singled home Reboulet to cut the lead. Sweeney flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                     Why can't the Sox have guys like this?

Everett whiffed to start the top of the fourth but O'Leary walked. Merloni grounded back to the mound and Hatteberg lined out to center to end the inning. Fassero got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Dye singled to start but was erased on the Randa double play. Quinn singled to center and took second on a wild pitch, but McCarty grounded out to third to end the inning.

Lansing grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Alexander walked. Offerman took strike three and Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning. Ortiz flied out to center to open the bottom of the fifth before Reboulet grounded out to second. Damon singled to right and Sanchez caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single, but Sweeney grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Daubach grounded out to short to begin the top of the sixth before Everett flied out to left. O'Leary walked but Merloni grounded out to third to end the inning. Fassero was knocked out in the bottom of the sixth as Dye doubled to left to start. Randa singled home Dye to tie the game but Quinn popped up to second. McCarty doubled to center and Ortiz was intentionally walked to chase Fassero. Once again Jeff ran out of gas the third time through the order and was out after 5 1/3 innings. Bryce Florie came in and struck out Reboulet swinging and got Damon to fly out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                 Can't pitch 3 times through the order

Suppan cruised in the top of the seventh as Hatteberg grounded back to the mound to start. Lansing grounded out to third and Alexander flied out to left to end the inning. The Royals took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh as Sanchez singled to center and Mike Sweeney launched a 2 run bomb into Tempe, Arizona. Dye whiffed, Randa lined out to short and Quinn flied out to center to end the inning but it was 4-2 Royals.

                                                          Royals go on top

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the eighth as Offerman struck out swinging again to start. Nixon grounded out to first and Daubach grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Royals iced it in the bottom of the eighth although McCarty whiffed to start. Ortiz singled to center but Reboulet struck out swinging. Damon then bashed a 2 run bomb into Lake Ontario to ice the game. Sanchez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals up 6-2.

                                               Why can't the Sox get players like this?

Suppan finished the job in the top of the ninth as Everett flied out to right to start. O'Leary got a base hit to center but Merloni banged into a double play to end the game. Suppan went the distance as the Royals had won it 6-2.

                                                                 Where was this in 97?


Jackass of the Night is Bryce Florie. He allowed the 4 runs to put the game away

                                                             Florie the Jackass


The Good:

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 3.

Jeff Fassero tossed 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball to keep the Sox in the game.



The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 4 with an error.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run bomb.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Such a shame the Sox couldn't win this one considering the Yankees lost as well. Getting just 3 hits off Suppan after the Everett home run is pathetic considering Jeff's ERA is over 5 this year. Other teams don't have trouble hitting him but the Sox went right in the tank. I know Nomar didn't play but still, that was pathetic. The Sox need to win games like this to keep pace with the Yankees and potential wild card teams. Maybe the Sox need to make a waiver move by August 31st for more offense because this isn't going to cut it. If they can't beat the Royals, how are they going to beat the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays or Cleveland Indians? The loss dropped the Sox to 67-58, 3 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to rebound against the Royals when they send Rolando Arrojo (7-10) up against Brian Meadows at 9:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Everett, Sox Club Expos (7/16/00)

After yesterday's incident, not too many people are happy with Carl Everett right now. Despite his explosive temper, he's still a good player for the Boston Red Sox. The Montreal Expos took a 2-1 lead against the Red Sox in today's interleague game with Boston's run scored by Carl himself. Morgan Burkhart put the Sox ahead in the bottom of the fifth and Everett smashed a two run bomb in the sixth to add some much needed insurance. On the other side of the ball Tim Wakefield (6-5, 4.69 ERA) tossed a gutty game where he allowed just two runs in seven innings of work. John Wasdin earned his second save of the season by pitching the next two scoreless innings and the Sox had beaten the Expos 5-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                      Brande Roderick approves of the win

Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first inning and Peter Bergeron singled up the middle to start. Jose Vidro grounded out to second to move Bergeron to second but Wilton Guerrero flied out to left. Vladimir Guerrero walked but Lee Stevens popped up to short to end the inning. Mike Johnson got the start for Montreal in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman flied out to right to start. Morgan Burkhart also flied out to right and Brian Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

The Expos struck first in the top of the second as Geoff Blum grounded out to third to start. Michael Barrett grounded out to third but Nomar threw a routine grounder by Terry Jones away for an error. Jones stole second and scored on the Lenny Webster single to left. Bergeron grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Expos up 1-0.

                                                                 Webster drives in a run

The Sox answered in the top of the second as Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to open. Carl Everett walked but Troy O'Leary flied out to center. Jason Varitek doubled home Everett to tie the game but Manny Alexander flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                           Tie game

The Expos came right back in the top of the third inning as Vidro grounded out to second to start. Wilton Guerrero grounded out to third but Vladimir Guerrero hit a home run all the way to Colisee De Quebec to put Montreal back on top. Stevens walked but Blum flied out to center to end the inning with the Expos up 2-1.

                                                            Guerrero hits one out

Darren Lewis lined out to third to start the bottom of the third before Offerman grounded out to second. Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Barrett popped up to second to start the top of the fourth and Jones lined out to first, but Webster drew a walk. Bergeron flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox got another run back in the bottom of the fourth as Daubach singled up the middle to begin. Nomar struck out swinging but Everett doubled to left. O'Leary grounded out to first but it was enough to score Daubach to tie the game. Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                            O'Leary drives in a run

The Expos beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Vidro grounded out to second to begin. Wilton Guerrero grounded out to short and Vladimir Guerrero grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox moved ahead in the bottom of the fifth as Alexander got a base hit to left to start. Lewis dropped down a bunt to move Alexander to second but Offerman flied out to right. Burkhart cracked a base hit to right to score Alexander but was thrown out at second base trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                              Yerrrrrr out!

Stevens singled to center to start the top of the sixth but Blum hit into a double play. Barrett grounded out to third to end the inning. Felipe Lira came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Daubach grounded out to second to start. Nomar singled to left and Everett crushed his 25th home run of the season to ice the game. O'Leary singled to right before moving to second on the grounder to second by Varitek, but Alexander lined out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.

                                                           Everett goes yard

Wakefield returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Jones struck out swinging to start. Webster went down hacking and Bergeron grounded out to short to end the inning. Wakefield pitched great, allowing just the two runs in 7 innings of work.

                                                             Wakefield with the strong start

Lewis grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the seventh and Offerman grounded out to first, but Burkhart walked. Scott Forster came in to pitch to Daubach and Brian hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

John Wasdin came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Vidro walked to start. Wilton Guerrero hit a rocket but right at Nomar and his brother Vladimir popped up to Garciaparra as well. Vidro took second on defensive indifference but Stevens grounded out to first to end the inning. Wilton took over for Vladimir in right to start the bottom of the eighth and Garciaparra flied out to right to start. Everett walked but O'Leary popped up to short. Varitek flied out to right to end the inning.

Wasdin returned to close out the top of the ninth and Blum flied out to right to start. Barrett also flied out to right and Jones grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-2.

Hero of the Night is Carl Everett. He was 2 for 2 with 2 walks, a 2 run homer and 2 runs scored.

                                                         Hero Everett

The Good:

Morgan Burkhart was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Manny Alexander was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Tim Wakefield earned his fourth straight win as a starter with 7 innings of 2 run (1 earned) ball. He allowed 4 hits and struck out 2.

John Wasdin earned the save by tossing 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 2.

The Ugly:

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 with an error and a strikeout but scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

The league is going to come down hard on Everett for his nonsensical headbutting of Ron Kulpa and Carl knows it. Hopefully he can carry the team to make up for the rapport he lost and today he did. He scored runs, he hit home runs and even made a nice catch. The Sox need to take advantage of playing National League teams and so far after the break, they've beaten New York 2 out of 3 and now took the first game against Montreal. Wakefield pitched well again and there should be no reason why he isn't in the rotation permanently with Pedro & Ramon Martinez, Pete Schourek and Jeff Fassero. We got two weeks until the trade deadline and getting a second starter is the goal. They got plenty of bench help if Jimy Williams ever decides to use Bernard Gilkey, Morgan Burkhart and Izzy Alcantara and the bullpen has been a strength with Rheal Cormier, Rich Garces and Derek Lowe. Getting that true number 2 starter would put them up there with the New York Yankees. After all, that was their weakness last year when the likes of an injured Bret Saberhagen and Kent Mercker were losing to the Yankees starters. All in all it was a good win and the Sox are still within striking distance of first place, its your move Dan Duquette. The win improved the Sox to 46-42, 2 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it three wins in a row and 2 against Montreal tomorrow night against the Expos. Jeff Fassero (6-3, 4.92 ERA) takes on Julio Santana at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Everett Goes Berserk, Sox Beat Mets (7/15/00)

Woah....what the hell was that about? In one of the most baffling displays of aggression since Ty Cobb, Carl Everett let his rage get to him as he attacked home plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected from the game. After Dennis Cook whined that he was over the batter's box last night, Kulpa enforced the rule in the bottom of the second. Everett headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by a bevy of people from doing any further damage. His insanity overshadowed what turned out to be a good win against a good team. Ramon Martinez (7-5, 5.60 ERA) allowed two first inning runs but pitched shutout ball afterwards for five more innings. Brian Daubach came in for Everett and he hit a 3 run home run to break the tie in the sixth inning. The Sox got another run in the seventh inning and survived a Rich Garces meltdown in the top of the ninth. With the tying run at the plate, Derek Lowe got Melvin Mora to ground out to end the game. The Sox had won the game despite Everett's antics 6-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Calm down Carl!

Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mets wasted no time getting to him. Melvin Mora was frozen for strike three and Derek Bell grounded out to third, but Edgardo Alfonzo walked to start. Alfonzo swiped second but Mike Piazza walked as well. Todd Zeile doubled to the centerfield wall to score both runners but Matt Franco flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                         Mets take the lead

Mike Hampton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a grounder to the mound to start. Jeff Frye doubled off the Monster but Jason Varitek flied out to center. Nomar Garciaparra check-swinged grounded out to third to end the inning. Jay Payton popped up to Carl Everett before Mark Johnson flied out to left. Benny Agbayani grounded a base hit up the middle but Ramon buzzed Mora up and in. Agbayani was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Carl Everett stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the second and took a first pitch before Ron Kulpa told him he couldn't stand where he was standing. Sox manager Jimy Williams came out but Everett said he's got this. Everett took a step back and took another pitch. After swinging and missing at strike one and fouling another pitch off, Kulpa again crossed the line off and told Carl not to stand there. This time Carl lost his head and was thrown out by Kulpa. Everett actually headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by Darren Lewis, first base coach Tommy Harper and third base coach Wendell Kim. Jimy Williams apologized to Kulpa as Everett was escorted out. He continued his tirade in the dugout and Bret Saberhagen tried to talk some sense into him. Brian Daubach took his place and struck out swinging to complete the at-bat. Troy O'Leary grounded back to Hampton and Izzy Alcantara got booed by the Fenway crowd before he struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                  Everett loses it

Mora grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Bell took strike three on the outside corner. Alfonzo doubled into the left field corner but Piazza struck out swinging to end the inning. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Zeile made a great play to rob Lewis of a base hit. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alexander booted a grounder by Zeile to start the top of the fourth but Franco banged into a double play. Payton dumped a base hit to right and Johnson struck out swinging on a good changeup to end the inning. Frye flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar popped up to short to end the inning.

The Mets beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Agbayani grounded back to the mound to start. Mora grounded out to short and Bell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach was drilled to start. Payton fell down catching a fly ball from O'Leary but Alcantara dumped a base hit to center. Alexander blooped a base hit to center to score Daubach and Lewis hit a routine grounder to Franco. Franco fired to first but it went under the glove of Zeile to score Alcantara to tie the game. Offerman hit a bullet....right to Alfonzo who doubled off Lewis at second to end the inning. Replays showed Lewis was actually safe but the Sox still tied the game 2-2.

                                                      Big break for the Red Sox

Martinez returned for the top of the sixth and Alfonzo grounded out to third to start. Piazza doubled into the left field corner but Zeile grounded out to third. Franco flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Frye slashed a base hit to center to start. Varitek grounded out to first to move Frye to second and Nomar was intentionally walked. Daubach made the Mets pay for such treachery with a 3 run blast to put the Sox ahead. O'Leary grounded out to short and Alcantara grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 5-2 Sox.

                                                           Daubach puts the Sox on top

Before the top of the seventh inning started Fox cameras caught Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan telling Ramon Martinez that he had "protection" in case something went wrong the following inning. Joe stuck to his word as Payton singled to right to immediately chase Ramon to start. Martinez pitched 6 plus innings and allowed just two runs. Rheal Cormier came in to pitch and Todd Pratt pinch hit for Johnson only to strike out swinging. Agbayani grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                        Ramon goes six plus and keeps the Sox ahead

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Alexander hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Lewis drew a walk, Offerman singled in the hole at second and Frye blooped a single down the right field line. Lewis scored on the sac fly to center by Varitek but Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                 Varitek drives in a run

Cormier returned for the top of the eighth and Mora flied out to left to start. Bell popped up to third and Alfonzo flied out to center to end the inning. Richie Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Daubach flied out to left to begin. O'Leary flied out to right but Alcantara doubled down the left field line. Alcantara moved to third on a balk but Alexander popped up to first to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Piazza drilled a home run into the Red Sox bullpen to start. Zeile flied out to left and Franco grounded back to the mound, but Payton stuck his bat out and singled in the hole at short. That was it for Garces as Sox manager Jimy Williams called upon Derek Lowe to get the save. Payton took second on defensive indifference and scored on the base hit to center by Pratt. Agbayani singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Daubach made a great pick on a bad throw by Lowe on a grounder by Mora to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                     Mora is out to end the game

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 3 run homer in the sixth put the Sox up for good and he made the game ending play at first while not even supposed to be playing today.

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rheal Cormier tossed two scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe earned his 20th save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carl Everett technically struck out in his only at-bat.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Rich Garces was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble when they lose Everett to a suspension for this. They're already underperforming offensively and losing their second best hitter isn't going to help. Its his own fault and there's no defending that by any means. If the umpire says you can't stand in that spot, don't headbutt the guy! We all thought Izzy Alcantara dogging it two weeks ago was bad but this was far worse. Speaking of Izzy, he had a couple of hits in this game in his first start after being benched and hopefully he's learned his lesson. The Sox are gonna need his bat now that Everett will be out a while. Then again, the suspension could be appealed and Bud Selig may have an air conditioner fall on his head and he forgets this ever happened. While that's preposterously unlikely, the fact is Everett can still play until the suspension is verified. As for the game, that was a good win against a good team and Ramon Martinez pitched well today. Nomar couldn't keep his average above .400 but the rest of the team scratched out runs and got on base with some timely hits. Frye, Lewis and Alcantara got it done and so did Daubach. The Sox have a lot of work to do to fix their offense that caused them to relinquish first place in June so we'll see what happens. The win improved the Sox to 45-42, 2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Interleague play continues tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Montreal Expos. Tim Wakefield (5-5) gets the start for the Sox against Mike Johnson of Montreal. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Mets Rally Past Red Sox (7/14/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced that Darren Lewis was removed from the Disabled List and activated for tonight's game against the New York Mets. Lewis was an integral part of the Sox offense that was in first place in May and June and hopefully he can help moving forward to salvage the second half of the season.

                                                                      IN

As for the game, the normally reliable Boston bullpen failed them against the New York Mets. Pete Schourek went five innings for the Sox and allowed three runs against the Mets. The Sox bats took a 4-3 lead on the Mets in the bottom of the seventh inning. Things fell apart in the eighth as Hipolito Pichardo got the first two outs but Sox manager Jimy Williams wanted Derek Lowe (2-4, 3.16) to get the four out save. The move backfired as Lowe allowed a 2 out 2 run home run to Mike Piazza to blow the save. Bryce Florie allowed another run in the top of the ninth and Armano Benitez slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth. What should have been a good win for Boston turned into a bitter defeat as the Mets beat the Red Sox 6-4 at Fenway Park.

Schourek got the ball in the top of the first inning and Joe McEwing flied out to right to start. Derek Bell grounded out to second but Edgardo Alfonzo doubled to right. Mike Piazza lined out to right to end the inning. Glendon Rusch got the start for the Mets and Jose Offerman led off with a fly out to right. Jeff Frye and Brian Daubach both grounded out to second to end the inning.

Todd Zeile flied out to center to begin the top of the second and Jay Payton grounded out to third. Benny Agbayani and Todd Pratt hit back to back singles to center but Melvin Mora grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra doubled off the Monster to start. Carl Everett popped up to first in foul territory but Troy O'Leary singled to right to score Nomar. Ed Sprague Jr singled to center but Scott Hatteberg forced Ed at second. Lewis grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                        Nomar scores a run

McEwing popped up to third to start the top of the third and Bell lined out to first. Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Offerman flied out to right to start. Frye hit a seeing eye single to right but Daubach struck out looking. Nomar dumped a base hit to left to put runners at the corners but Everett forced Garciaparra at second to end the inning.

The Mets struck back in the top of the fourth as Piazza clobbered a home run all the way to the Red Sea to tie the game. Zeile grounded out to short but Payton singled to left....only to get picked off. Agbayani grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Piazza hits one out

O'Leary grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth inning and Sprague hit one up the elevator shaft. Hatteberg popped up to left in foul territory to end the inning.

The Mets struck again in the top of the fifth as Pratt singled to center and Mora hit a home run all the way to New Orleans to put the Mets on top. McEwing struck out swinging, Bell grounded out to second and Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Schourek who allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings and left trailing 3-1.

                                                      Schourek leaves the game trailing

Lewis grounded a single up the middle to start the bottom of the fifth but Offerman flied out to right. Frye forced Lewis at second and Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hiplito Pichardo took the mound in the top of the sixth inning and Piazza struck out swinging to start. Zeile grounded out to third and Payton struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox inched closer in the bottom of the sixth as Nomar singled to left to start. Everett grounded out to second to move Nomar over and O'Leary singled to left to score Garciaparra. Sprague popped up to first but Hatteberg singled to left. Lewis struck out looking to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                           O'Leary drives in a run

Agbayani grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh before Pratt struck out swinging. Mora flied out to right to end the inning. Turk Wendell came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Offerman walked to start. Frye dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Jose to second and Dennis Cook was brought in to face Daubach. During the at-bat Cook kept throwing over at Offerman so many times that Brian got impatient and shouted at Cook, causing Piazza to bark at him The benches emptied but nothing came of it. Brian singled to right to score Offerman but was foolishly thrown out in a rundown trying to stretch a double. Nomar walked and Everett got hit on the shoulder. Cook went berserk and complained that Everett was standing over the plate. Cook shouting at the Sox dugout as he was escorted out of there. Rich Rodriguez came in to face O'Leary and Troy singled to center to score Nomar to tie the game. Old pal Pat Mahomes was brought in to face Sprague but Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by bringing in Morgan Burkhart to pinch hit. Burkhart flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3, but Daubach getting thrown out was crucial.

                                                            Mayhem at Fenway

Manny Alexander took over at third to start the top of the eighth with Lenny Harris pinch hitting for McEwing. Harris grounded out to first and Bell grounded out to third. Suddenly Jimy Williams bounded out of the dugout and pulled Pichardo in favor of Derek Lowe for the four out save. The move backfired as Alfonzo singled to right and Piazza smashed a home run to Sri Lanka to put the Mets up for good. Zeile singled to left but Payton grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Mets up 5-4.

                                                    Williams makes the wrong move

David Lamb took over at third with John Franco now on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Hatteberg only to strike out swinging to start. Lewis struck out swinging but Offerman walked. Frye forced Offerman at second to end the inning.

Bryce Florie came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Agbayani singled to right. Pratt dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Benny to second and he scored on the Mora base hit to center to ice the game. Matt Franco pinch hit for Lamb and banged into a double play to end the inning with the Mets up 6-4.

                                                            Mora hits the killshot

Armando Benitez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Daubach took strike three to start. Nomar doubled to left but Everett only moved him to third with a ground out to second. O'Leary walked to put the tying run on but Williams having Manny Alexander come in for defense bit him in the ass as Alexander struck out swinging to end the game. The Mets had won it 6-4.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. He served the two out gopher ball to Piazza to put New York up for good.

                                                          Jackass blows it again

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 4 for 4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 4 with 3 rbis and a walk.

Ed Sprague Jr was 1 for 3.

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 3.

Hipolito Pichardo tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander struck out in his only at-bat.

Jason Varitek struck out in his only plate appearance.

Bryce Florie allowed a run in the ninth.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 but was hit with a pitch.

Darren Lewis was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Pete Schourek allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings of work. He allowed 7 hits and struck out one batter.

Final Thoughts:

Simply put this was Red Sox manager Jimy Williams worst managed game of the season. He took out Pichardo too early and pinch hit Burkhart too early which made him forced to have Manny Alexander come to bat with the game on the line. Lowe should have been have able to get the final out of the eighth inning but at the same time, Pichardo should have been able to do it to save Lowe for the ninth. Williams compounded this by bringing Bryce Florie to give up a run in the ninth. Simply put the Mets scored 3 runs off Lowe and Florie in the final two innings that shouldn't have happened. It ruined a 4 for 4 day by Garciaparra that put him at a .400 batting average and Troy O'Leary driving in 3 runs. The offense and the pitching is usually bad enough to lose games as it is but was Williams' worst game. Meanwhile Mets manager Bobby Valentine almost gave away the game as well but at least he wasn't dumb enough to use his closer in the eighth inning. It all added up to a loss the Sox could ill-afford coming out of the All-Star Break. Its only one game but damn....what could have been. The loss dropped the Sox to 44-42, 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game tomorrow afternoon in a nationally televised game against the Mets when they send Ramon Martinez (6-5) to the mound against Mike Hampton of New York. The game begins at 1:15 PM at Fenway Park.

Pedro Returns From DL, Sox Rally Past Mets (7/13/00)

Before the game it was announced that taking Paxton Crawford's place on the roster would be the returning Pedro Martinez. He's all healed up and ready to go as the Sox look to rally in the second half after their dreadful June swoon.

                                                                        IN

As for the game, the Sox started the second half of the season with a thrilling come from behind win against the New York Mets in Interleague Play. Pedro Martinez returned from the Disabled List to toss 7 innings of 2 run ball, showing no signs of rust or injury. The Sox took a 2-1 lead but a Jay Payton home run off Pedro tied the game in the top of the seventh inning. The Mets got an unearned run when Carl Everett booted a Mike Piazza base hit that scored Edgardo Alfonso with the go-ahead run in the eighth. Down to their final strike in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Daubach pounded a 2 run double to give the Sox a stunning 4-3 walkoff win over the Mets at Fenway Park.

                                                                 Happy Fans

Pedro got the ball in the top of the first inning and Melvin Mora led off with a pop up to third in foul territory. Derek Bell grounded out to third and Edgardo Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. Bobby Jones got the ball for New York in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a walk....only to get thrown out at second trying to steal. Jeff Frye lined out to right but Brian Daubach singled to center. Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning.

The Mets struck first in the top of the second as Mike Piazza grounded out to third to start. Robin Ventura went down hacking but Todd Zeile doubled off the Monster. Jay Payton doubled down the left field line to score Todd to put New York ahead. Benny Agbayani flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                           Zeile scores a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Carl Everett struck out swinging to start. Troy O'Leary doubled off the Monster but both Morgan Burkhart and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning.

Joe McEwing beat out a roller to third to begin the top of the third and took second on the sacrifice bunt by Mora. Bell took strike three and Alfonzo whiffed to end the inning. Ed Sprague Jr flied out to center to begin the bottom of the third and Offerman grounded out to first. Frye walked but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Piazza flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Ventura went down hacking. Zeile also struck out swinging to end the inning. Nomar tried to start a rally when he singled to left to begin before swiping second on the swinging strikeout by Everett. Both O'Leary and Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Payton watched strike three go by to start the top of the fifth but Agbayani walked. McEwing singled to left but Mora flied out to left. Bell popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Varitek whiffed badly to start. Sprague Jr and Offerman drew back to back walks and Frye beat out an infield single to load the bases. Unfortunately Daubach popped up to first in foul territory and Nomar flied out to center to end the inning.

Pedro cruised in the top of the sixth as Alfonso struck out swinging to start. Piazza flied out to right and Ventura grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth as Everett singled to left to start. O'Leary popped up to second but Burkhart crushed his second home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Varitek popped up to second and Sprague Jr grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                            Burkhart jacks one out

Pedro failed to hold the lead in the top of the seventh although Zeile took strike three to start. Payton then hit a home run all the way to Luxembourg to tie the game. Agbayani took strike three and McEwing struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. That was it for Pedro who looked strong by going 7 innings, allowing just two runs while striking out 10 in 104 pitches.

                                                           Pedro keeps the Sox in it

Dennis Cook came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Offerman flied out to right to start. Frye took strike three and Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Mets took command in the top of the eighth with Rheal Cormier now on the mound. Mora grounded out to third to start and Bell lined out to short. Alfonzo singled to left and that was it for Cormier as Rich Garces came in to face Piazza. Naturally Mike blooped a base hit to center...that Everett booted for an error that scored Alfonzo to give the Mets the lead. Ventura struck out to end the inning but the Mets now led 3-2.

                                                           Dammit Everett

John Franco came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Nomar singled in the hole at short to start. Nomar moved to second on the Everett grounder to first then to third on O'Leary's grounder to first. Burkhart took strike three to end the inning.

Garces returned for the top of the ninth and Zeile hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Payton grounded out to second but Agbayani was hit with a pitch. McEwing singled to center but Mora popped up to left to end the inning. David Lamb came in for Agbayani with Armando Benitez now on the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth. Varitek grounded out to first before Scott Hatteberg was sent in to pitch hit for Sprague. Hatteberg walked and Manny Alexander pinch ran for him. The game looked over when Offerman hit a double play ball to short but Mora booted it for an error. Frye flied out to left but Alexander moved to third to put runners at the corners. Down to his last strike, somehow Daubach doubled down the right field line to score both Alexander and Offerman to win the game. The Sox had walked it off 4-3.

Sox Win

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 2 run double in the bottom of the ninth won the game.

                                                             Hero Daubach

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg walked as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander scored a run as a pinch runner.

Pedro Martinez was brilliant, tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 10 batters.

Rich Garces got the win by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Morgan Burkhart was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but the one hit was a 2 run homer.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 2 but walked.

Rheal Cormier was charged with an unearned run in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Now that's how you get off to a good second half start. The Sox looked dead in the water down a run in the ninth with the double play ball headed to Mora. The Sox were lucky Mora booted it but Daubach's double was anything but lucky as it was struck well enough to win the game. Pedro's oblique has healed and he looked great by striking out 10 batters. The only hiccup was Everett's error that allowed the go-ahead run to score in the eighth but Everett had started the sixth inning rally with a hit so gotta take the good with the bad. All in all the Sox desperately need a winning streak to get back in first place and hopefully this could be the start. The win improved the Sox to 44-41, 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Mets tomorrow night when they send Pete Schourek (2-8, 4.67 ERA) against Glendon Rusch of the Mets. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.