Basebawful Report of the Month (April)

The first month of the season is in the books and here is the first Basebawful tallies.



Andy Sheets was recently called up and has 2 bad appearances and 1 honorable mention.

Brian Daubach has been very consistent. He has 9 good appearances, 1 bad appearance and 8 ugly appearances.

Brian Rose has been out and out terrible. He has 1 good appearance, was Jackass 2 times and Hero 1 time.

Bryce Florie has been rarely used, making 2 ugly appearances.

Carl Everett has been great. He has 9 good appearances, 2 bad appearances, 7 ugly appearances and was Hero 2 times.

Darren Lewis has been all over the place. He has 3 good appearances, 1 bad appearance, 4 ugly appearance, was Jackass 1 time and 1 honorable mention appearance.

The rubber armed Derek Lowe has been great in his first season as closer. He has 6 good appearances, 2 ugly appearances and was Hero 1 time.

Gary Gaetti decided to call it quits after 4 bad appearances and 1 ugly.

Jason Varitek has been great so far. He has 11 good appearances, 1 bad and 5 ugly appearances.

Jeff Fassero has been a mixed bag. He has 1 good appearance and 3 ugly appearances.

Jeff Frye has been all over the place. He has 2 good appearances, 4 bad appearances, 2 ugly appearances and 2 honorable mentions.

John Valentin had 2 good appearances before going down with a knee injury.

Josh Wasdin has sucked. He has 1 good appearance, 2 bad appearances and 2 ugly appearances.

Jose Offerman has been consistent. He has 5 good appearances, 5 bad appearances, 10 ugly appearances and was Jackass 1 time.

Manny Alexander has been a disappointment. He has 1 good appearance, 7 bad appearances, 2 ugly appearances, 1 Hero appearance and 2 honorable mentions.

Mike Stanley has been good so far. He has 7 good appearances, one bad appearance, 8 ugly appearances and was Jackass 1 time.

Nomar Garciaparra has been great so far. He has 10 good appearances, 4 bad appearances, 4 ugly appearances and was Hero 2 times.

Pedro Martinez has been unhittable, He has 3 good appearances and was Hero 2 times.

Pete Schourek has been average. He has 1 good appearance, 2 bad appearances and was Hero 1 time.

Ramon Martinez has been awful. He has 1 good appearance, 2 ugly appearance and was Jackass 1 time.

Rheal Cormier has been up and down. He has 4 good appearances, 1 bad, 1 ugly and was Jackass 1 time.

Rich Garces has been all or nothing. He has 6 good appearances and has been Jackass 2 times.

Rob Stanifer has 2 good appearances and 1 bad.

Scott Hatteberg has been up and down. He has 4 good appearances, 4 bad, 1 ugly appearance and 1 honorable mention.

Tim Wakefield has been great. He has 6 good appearances and 1 ugly.

Trot Nixon has been solid. He has 7 good appearances, 3 bad appearances and 8 ugly appearances.

Troy O'Leary has been average. He has 2 good appearances, 3 bad, 12 ugly appearances and was Hero 1 time.

Wilton Veras has been all or nothing as well. He has 5 good appearances, 5 bad, 1 ugly and was Hero 1 time.



The Most Valuable Player of the month (Most Good) is Jason Varitek with 11 good appearances.

The Least Valuable Player of the month (Most Bad) is Manny Alexander with 7 bad appearances

The Ugliest Player of the Month (Most Ugly) is Troy O'Leary with 12 ugly appearances

Jackass of the Month is a tie between Brian Rose and Rich Garces with 2 apiece

Hero of the month is a 3 way tie between Pedro Martinez, Carl Everett and Nomar Garciaparra with 2 apiece

The Honorable Man of the Month is a two way tie between Manny Alexander and Jeff Frye

Tempers Flare Against Indians as Sox Prevail (4/30/00)

One thing's for sure, you don't mess with Pedro Martinez or his team. Martinez (5-0, 1.27) ERA was dominant against the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field until a beanball war led to his removal. The Sox held on to win but could lose Pedro to a possible suspension.

                                          Reptile loves a good fight and this didn't disappoint

 

Indians starter Charles Nagy (1-4, 6.03 ERA) was equally as tough as Martinez. Jose Offerman led off the game with a ground out. Trot Nixon struck out and Brian Daubach grounded out. Pedro took the mound and got Jolbert Cabrera to pop out, Omar Vizquel to fly out and struck out Roberto Alomar.

Nagy got Nomar Garciaparra to ground out leading off the second before getting Troy O'Leary and Carl Everett to fly out. Martinez worked around a single by Jim Thome to strike out Manny Ramirez, David Justice and Travis Fryman all swinging.

Nagy continued to dominate in the third, getting Mike Stanley to ground out. Jason Varitek also grounded out before Manny Alexander lined out. Pedro ran into trouble in the bottom of the third. He walked Richie Sexson and gave up a double to Einar Diaz. He then got some help from his defense when second baseman Jose Offerman snared a linedrive hit by Cabrera. Pedro took care of the rest by striking out Vizquel and getting Alomar to fly out.

In the top of the 4th, Nagy continued his hot streak by getting Offerman and Nixon to ground out. Daubach popped up to short center as Nagy had thrown 4 perfect innings. Manny Ramirez led off the bottom of the bottom of the fourth with a single but was stranded when Justice flied out, Thome popped up and Fryman whiffed.

Garciaparra whiffed to lead off the top of the 5th but the Sox finally got on the bases when O'Leary doubled. He was stranded when Everett and Stanley both flied out to end the threat. Pedro came back out and got Sexson to fly out but was tagged by Diaz again for another double. Cabrera moved Diaz to third on the ground out but Martinez struck out Vizquel to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the 6th. Varitek poked one through the hole and Alexander sacrifice bunted him over to second. Offerman grounded out but Tek moved to third on the play. Nixon stepped in and lashed one through the hole to score Varitek and give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Daubach followed with a single but Garciaparra struck out again to end the inning. Pedro got a little wild in the bottom of the 6th. He got Alomar to fly out and Ramirez to ground out but uncharacteristically walked Justice and Thome. Pedro cleared his head to strike out Fryman to end the threat.

The Sox struck again in the top of the 7th. Nagy got both O'Leary and Everett to ground out but Stanley stepped in and belted his 3rd homer of the year to left center to give the Sox a 2-0 lead. Varitek followed with a single but Alexander struck out to end the inning. Martinez came back for the 7th and struck out Sexson to open the inning. Einar Diaz had hit Pedro twice so Martinez buzzed him with a high fastball. The Indians were not amused but Martinez struck Diaz out anyway. Cabrera singled but Vizquel popped up to end the inning.

Things got hairy in the 8th. Nagy responded to the brushback by hitting Offerman who had to be restrained from charging the mound. The benches emptied but no fighting took place. When things settled down Nixon grounded out but Offerman moved to second. Daubach struck out and Nomar popped up. Pedro then sent a message by hitting Alomar on the ass to lead off the bottom of the 8th earning himself the heave ho from umpire Tim Tschida. Derek Lowe came on to pitch the six out save. Alomar responded by swiping second but Ramirez popped up. Alomar then swiped third as Justice walked and stole second himself when Thome struck out. With the tying runs on, Lowe beared down to get Fryman to ground out.

Sean DePaula replaced Nagy for the 9th and got O'Leary to ground out before giving up a single to Everett. Carl stole second but Stanley struck out. Varitek was intentionally walked to get to light hitting Alexander who struck out. Lowe almost melted down in the bottom of the 9th when Richie Sexon led off with a home run. He got Einar Diaz to ground out but walked pinch hitter Mark Whiten. Vizquel hit a rocket to Alexander who snared it but threw the ball away, allowing Whiten to reach 3rd. With the tying run 90 feet away Lowe got Alomar to ground out to earn his 5th save of the year.

Hero of the night is a tough one. I'll have to go with Pedro Martinez. He shut down one of the best offenses in baseball for 7 innings to earn the win. If he wasn't ejected, he could have gone the distance.

                                           Hero of the night: Pedro Martinez

The Good:

Jason Varitek was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3.Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 4 with an error. Manny Alexander was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with an rbi. Brian Daubach, Troy O'Leary and Carl Everett were all just 1 for 4. Mike Stanley was 1 for 4 but his one hit was a solo home run. Derek Lowe gave up a run but earned his fifth save of the year.

Final Thoughts:

The win moved the Sox to 12-9 for the month, 2 games out of first place. Other than Jose Offerman and Troy O'Leary the offense is stepping it up but other than Pedro Martinez, Rich Garces and Derek Lowe...the pitching has not. The Sox look to Jeff Fassero (2-1) to continue the momentum against the Detroit Tigers tomorrow against CJ Nitkowski.

Defensive Miscue Sinks Sox (4/29/00)

For the second straight game the Sox were stymied by the Cleveland Indians pitching at Jacobs Field. This time it was Chuck Finley (3-0, 2.55 ERA) who did the damge as Ramon Martinez (1-2, 6.75) was effective but not good enough as the Indians won 3-2 aided by a huge defensive miscue.

                                              Master Yoda can't bear to watch
 

Jose Offerman led off the game with a walk but was erased on the Manny Alexander force out. Alexander himself was erased on the Nomar Garciaparra force. Nomar then was gunned down stealing second to end the top half. Ramon took the mound and got Jacob Cruz and Omar Vizquel to ground out. Roberto Alomar singled but Manny Ramirez grounded out to end the inning.

Mike Stanley greeted Finley with his second homer of the year to lead off the top of the second. Troy O'Leary grounded out and Carl Everett struck out. Jason Varitek doubled down the right field line but was stranded when Wilton Veras struck out although the Sox led 1-0. Pitching with the lead, Martinez worked a clean inning getting David Justice to fly out, Jim Thome to whiff and Travis Fryman to ground out.

Darren Lewis led off the top of the third with a ground out and Offerman followed with a ground out of his own. Manny Alexander struck out to end the frame. Martinez continued his effective pitching by striking out Richie Sexson to begin the bottom of the third. Einar Diaz grounded out but Cruz walked. Vizquel then grounded out to end the inning.

Nomar led off the 4th with a ground out and Stanley .did the same. O'Leary worked a 2 out walk but was eliminated on a force by Everett. The Jays broke through in the bottom of the 4th. Martinez got Alomar to fly out but Ramirez singled and Justice singled Manny over to third. Thome brought home Ramirez with a sac fly to tie the game but Fryman grounded out to end the inning. It was 1-1 after 4 innings.

Pitching with the game tied, Finley turned up the heat. Varitek and Veras both went down on strikes to begin the 5th and Lewis grounded out. The Jays then took command in the bottom half. Sexson singled and Diaz doubled before Darren Lewis dropped an easy fly ball that Sexson scored on. Now with Diaz on third, he scored on the sac fly by Vizquel to give the Jays a 3-1 lead. Martinez recovered to strike out Alomar and get Ramirez to ground out but the damage was done. Lewis' rare error cost the Sox 2 runs.

The Sox anemic offense could do nothing against Finley in the 6th. Offerman grounded out, Alexander whiffed and Nomar lined out to center. Ramon was finished after 94 pitches and Rich Garces replaced him for the 6th. Garces got Justice to fly out before striking out both Thome and Fryman to end the frame.

Stanley led off the 7th with a ground out and O'Leary struck out. Everett singled to bring the tying run to the plate but there were no homers by Varitek who grounded out instead. Garces continued his mastery on the mound by getting Sexson to ground out, Diaz to strike out and Cruz to fly out. 3 strike outs in 2 shut out innings by Garces would be unfortunately overlooked in a loss.

The Sox tried to desperately rally in the 8th. Veras doubled and Lewis singled Wilton over to third. Offerman almost hit into a double play but he beat out the throw (Lewis out at second) to score Veras cutting the lead 3-2. Offerman was erased on the force by Alexander and Indians manager Charlie Manuel lifted Finley after 7 2/3 for Paul Shuey. Garciaparra walked to put the tying run at second but Stanley flied out to end the threat. Sox closer Derek Lowe took the mound for the bottom of the 8th. Vizquel lined out and Alomar grounded out before Ramirez worked a 2 out walk. Justice flied out to end the 8th and it should be known the Indians didn't get a single hit after the Lewis muff.

Indians closer Steve Karsay took the mound as David Justice moved to center field and Alex Ramirez replaced Jacob Cruz in left. The Sox went quietly as O'Leary grounded out, Everett struck out and Varitek grounded out to end the game.

Jackass of the night is an easy one. Darren Lewis' error cost the Sox 2 runs which ended up the difference in the game.

                                                           Jackass of the night: Darren Lewis

The Good:

Wilton Veras was 1 for 3 with a run scored. Rich Garces struck out 3 of the 6 batters he faced in 2 perfect innings. Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The Bad:

Manny Alexander was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run. Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 with a walk. Mike Stanley was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo blast. Carl Everett and Jason Varitek were both just 1 for 4. Ramon Martinez took the loss but didn't pitch that bad, giving up 2 runs in 5 innings on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 3.

Final Thoughts: 

The Sox had plenty of chances to tie it up with a bloop or a blast but in the end fell to 11-9 on the season. With Ramon Martinez beaten, Boston looks to younger brother Pedro (4-0) to end the slide against Charles Nagy tomorrow.

Indians Three Run Sixth Sinks Sox (4/28/00)

The Cleveland Indians are not a team you take lightly and their offense can turn a game around in a blink of an eye. The Boston Red Sox found that out as a 3 run sixth inning propelled the Indians to a 4-3 win at Jacobs Field.

                                             Captain Picard can't bear to watch

Dave Burba took the mound in the top of the first inning for Cleveland. Jose Offerman flied out but Trot Nixon singled. Brian Daubach walked but both Nomar Garciaparra and Troy O'Leary struck out to end the inning. Pete Schourek took the mound in the bottom of the first. Omar Vizquel grounded out, Travis Fryman flied out and Roberto Alomar lined out to end the inning.

Carl Everett whiffed to lead off the top of the second inning. Mike Stanley walked but Scott Hatteberg flied out. Wilton Veras grounded out to end the inning. Schourek remained tough in the bottom of the second inning.  Manny Ramirez struck out,  David Justice flied out and Richie Sexson grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third inning. Offerman grounded out but Nixon doubled. Daubach grounded out but moved Nixon to third. Nomar drove Trot in with a single to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. O'Leary flied out to end the inning. The Indians threatened in the bottom of the third. Jim Thome singled and advanced to second on the passed ball by Hatteberg. Einar Diaz grounded out and moved Jim to third. Jose Cruz walked but Vizquel banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the fourth.  Everett flied out but Stanley singled. Hatteberg walked but Veras forced Stanley at third. With the chance to do damage...Offerman grounded out. Right on cue the Indians tied it up in the bottom of the fourth. Fryman led off with a solo shot. Alomar grounded out, Ramirez flied out and Justice grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fifth inning. Nixon and Daubach worked back to back walks and Nomar singled to load the bases. O'Leary scored Nixon with a sac fly and Daubach moved tho third. Everett singled to score Brian and give the Sox a 3-1 lead. The Sox had Burba on the ropes but Stanley banged into a huge double play to end the inning. The Sox needed more runs and this cost them dearly.  Sexson singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth but Thome struck out. Diaz and Cruz both grounded out to end the inning.

Burba settled down in the top of the sixth. Hatteberg flied out, Veras grounded out and Offerman lined out to end the inning. Schourek ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth.  Vizquel grounded out but Fryman doubled. Alomar singled him to third and Ramirez singled him in to make it 3-2. Sox manager Jimy Williams replaced Schourek with lefty Rheal Cormier. Justice singled and Alomar broke for home, the throw was on line but Hatteberg dropped it and Alomar scored the tying run. Sexson flied out and all Cormier had to do was retire one more batter to escape tied. Instead  Thome singled in Ramirez to give the Indians a 4-3 lead. That was it for Cormier as Tim Wakefield was brought in to stop the bleeding.  Diaz grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox offense deflated after that crushing inning. Ricardo Rincon came in to pitch the top of the seventh. Nixon and Daubach both struck out and Indians manager Charlie Manuel brought in Scott Kamieniecki to pitch to Nomar. Garciaparra flied out to end the inning. Cruz walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. Vizquel struck out and Fryman popped up. Cruz swiped second but Alomar grounded out to end the inning.

Paul Shuey took over for the top of the eighth inning. O'Leary flied out, Everett popped up and Stanley flied out to end the inning. Wakefield returned for the bottom of the 8th. Ramirez popped up, David Justice flied out and Sexson struck out to end the inning.

Steve Karsay was brought in to close it out in the top of the ninth. Hatteberg flied out and Jason Varitek pinch hit for Veras. Varitek singled to put the tying run on and Manny Alexander pinch ran for him. Manny was erased on the force by Offerman and Nixon grounded out to end the game. The Indians had won 4-3

Jackass of the night is an easy one. Rheal Cormier was brought in to protect a 3-2 lead and he turned it into a 4-3 defeat. None of the runs allowed were charged to him but he definitely blew the game.





The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with an rbi. Mike Stanley was 1 for 3 with a walk. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Veras and singled. Tim Wakefield tossed 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.


The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 5. Wilton Veras was 0 for 3.  Pete Schourek took the loss allowing 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk, lasting only 5 1/3 innings.


The Ugly:

Brian Daubach was 0 for 2 but walked twice and scored a run. Troy O'Leary was 0 for 3 with an rbi. Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with an rbi. Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 3 with a walk.


Honorable Mention:

Manny Alexander pinch ran for Varitek in the ninth.

21 Hit Attack Pounds Rangers Into Submission (4/26/00)

The Boston Red Sox batted around and around throughout the ballgame, attacking the Texas Rangers with 21 hits and 14 runs. The Sox dominated the Rangers to take a 14-4 victory at Arlington Park.

                                                 Koffing approves the win

The Sox put the game away essentially in the top of the first inning. Rangers starter Mark Clark didn't have it although he managed to get Jose Offerman to ground out and Trot Nixon to fly out. Then the hit parade began. Brian Daubach doubled and Nomar Garciaparra doubled him home. Troy O'Leary walked and Carl Everett smashed his 7th home run of the year to put the Sox up 4-0. Jeff Frye singled and Jason Varitek walked before Wilton Veras singled home Frye. The guy who started the inning, Offerman, struck out but the Sox led 5-0. Jeff Fassero (2-1) got the ball to start the bottom of the first and got Luis Alicea to ground out. Chad Curtis singled but was erased on the Ivan Rodriguez double play.

The Sox knocked Clark out in the top of the second inning. Nixon flied out but Daubach singled. Nomar reached on an error and O'Leary made them pay by singling home Daubach to chase Clark. Rangers manager Johnny Oates brought in Matt Perisho to pitch and Matt got both Everett and Frye to fly out to end the inning with the Sox leading 6-0. Fassero ran into trouble by walking Rafael Palmeiro and giving up a double to David Segui. Ruben Mateo made things easier with a ground out to third and Fassero punched out Gabe Kapler. Royce Clayton flied out to end the inning.

The Sox scored quickly in the third as Jason Varitek launched his second home run of the season to increase the lead 7-0. Veras, Offerman and Nixon all grounded out to end the inning. Tom Evans and Alicea grounded out to begin the bottom of the third. Curtis doubled but Pudge Rodriguez flied out to end the inning.

The Sox scored again in the top of the fourth.  Daubach struck out but Nomar swatted his 2nd home run of the year to make it 8-0. O'Leary and Everett singled then Frye hit a picture perfect double play ball to second....only for Alicea to chuck the throw to first into the stands, allowing O'Leary to score and Frye to reach second. Varitek flied out to end the inning but it was now 9-0. The Rangers finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Palmeiro flied out but Segui doubled and Mateo singled him to third. Kapler beat out a double-play ball to score Segui. Clayton popped up but the Rangers now trailed 9-1.

The Sox threatened in the fifth but finally did not score against new pitcher Mike Munoz. Veras and Offerman hit back to back singles and Nixon moved the runners over with a ground out. Daubach walked to load the bases and Fransisco Cordero relieved Munoz. Nomar popped up and so did O'Leary to end the inning. The Rangers struck back in the bottom of the fifth.  Evans struck out but Alicea walked. Curtis flied out but Pudge blasted a 2 run shot to cut the lead 9-3. Palmeiro flied out to end the inning.

The Sox got the leadoff man on in the top of the sixth when Everett walked. Frye walked as well but Varitek struck out and Veras banged into a double play to end the inning. Segui singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and Sox manager Jimy Williams decided to pull Fassero after only 77 pitches. Rich Garces came in and erased Segui at second on a force by Mateo. Kapler struck out but Clayton doubled Mateo to third. Evans flied out to end the inning.

Mike Venafro came on to pitch the top of the seventh inning and he struck out both Offerman and Nixon. Daubach doubled and for some reason Nomar was intentionally walked with a 6 run lead. O'Leary failed to make the Rangers pay by grounding out to end the inning. Brian Rose of all people came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh, mostly because the 3 consecutive rainouts screwed up the rotation. Alicea, Curtis and Rodriguez all grounded out in short order.

The Sox got back on the board in the top of the eighth. Everett grounded out but Frye doubled and Varitek singled him to third to chase Venafro. Tim Crabtree replaced Venafro and Veras said hi with a base hit that scored Frye. Offerman grounded out and Nixon looked at strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-3. Rheal Cormier was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Palmeiro flied out, Segui struck out and Mateo popped up to end the inning.

The Sox put together one last rally in the top of the ninth. Daubach doubled and Nomar singled him to third. O'Leary singled home Brian and Everett doubled in Nomar. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett as Frye grounded out to score O'Leary and advance Darren to third. Varitek scored Lewis with a sac fly but Veras grounded out to end the inning. 21 total hits and a 14-3 lead. Andy Sheets replaced Nomar in the top of the ninth and John Wasdin came on to pitch. Kapler doubled but Clayton flied out. Evans singled but Wasdin punched out Alicea. Curtis flied out to end the game. The Sox had won 14-4.

Hero of the Night is a tough one with so much offense. I gotta go with Carl Everett. His 3 run home run put the game away early and he went 3 for 5 with a walk, run scored and 4 total rbi's.

                                                                Hero of the Night: Carl Everett


The Good:

Brian Daubach was 4 for 5 with a walk and 3 runs scored. Nomar Garciaparra went 3 for 5 with a walk, 3 runs scored, a home run and 2 rbi's. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett and scored a run. Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a walk, an rbi and 2 runs scored. Jason Varitek was 2 for 4 with a walk, run scored and 2 rbi's. Wilton Veras was 3 for 6 with 2 rbi's. Jeff Fassero pitched into the 6th inning to earn the win, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks while striking out 3. Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 6th inning. Brian Rose pitched a scoreless 7th inning. Rheal Cormier pitched a scoreless eighth inning.


The Bad:

Only two names on this list and they are both well deserved. Trot Nixon somehow went hitless in an 0 for 6 disaster. John Wasdin gave up a run in the ninth inning.



The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 6



Honorable Mention:

Andy Sheets played shortstop in the ninth

Big Sixth Inning Picks Up Pedro In Win (4/25/00)

There will be days that Pedro Martinez (4-0) won't have his best stuff and the Sox offense will need to step it up. Today was one of those days as the Sox rode a big 6th inning to defeat the Texas Rangers 6-3 at Arlington Park.

                                                 Dr. Pierce approves of the victory

The Sox wasted no time scoring as Jose Offerman led off the game with a solo home run off Texas starter Rick Helling. Trot Nixon flied out but Brian Daubach walked. Nomar Garciaparra flied out and Troy O'Leary grounded out to end the inning but the Sox had the 1-0 lead. Pedro took the mound in the bottom of the first and got Luis Alicea to fly out. Chad Curtis popped up and Ivan Rodriguez struck out to end the inning.

Carl Everett struck out to open the top of the second inning. Mike Stanley flied out and Jason Varitek popped up to end the inning. The Rangers struck in the bottom of the second.  Rafael Palmeiro and David Segui singled before Ruben Mateo advanced the runners on the ground out. Gabe Kapler hit a routine grounder to Stanley who bobbled it, allowing the runners to score to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Mike Lamb struck out but Royce Clayton was hit with a pitch.  Alicea struck out but the damage was done.

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third.  Manny Alexander grounded out and Offerman struck out. Nixon flied out to end the inning. Pedro rebounded in the bottom of the third. Curtis grounded out, Rodriguez struck out, Palmeiro walked and Segui struck out.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the fourth as well. Daubach struck out, Nomar flied out, O'Leary doubled and Everett struck out. Mateo grounded out to begin the bottom of the fourth. Kapler singled but was erased on the Lamb force. Clayton grounded out to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth. Stanley worked a walk but Varitek grounded out. Alexander popped up and Offerman struck out to end the inning.  Pedro remained tough in the bottom of the fifth. Alicea flied out, Curtis struck out and Rodriguez struck out to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the sixth inning. Nixon walked and Daubach moved him over to second with a ground out. Nomar singled but Nixon didn't move. O'Leary lofted a ball toward Alicea who bobbled it, allowing Nixon to score and advance Nomar to third. The game was tied 2-2. Everett popped up but Stanley walked to load the bases. Varitek poked one into right field that scored Nomar and O'Leary to give the Sox a 4-2 lead. Alexander singled home Stanley but Offerman grounded out to end the inning with a 5-2 score. The Rangers answered in the bottom of the sixth. Palmeiro grounded out and Segui flied out. Mateo then swatted a solo home run to cut the lead 5-3. Kapler flied out but the Rangers had managed to score 3 runs off Pedro.

The Sox got the run back in the top of the seventh. Nixon and Daubach flied out but Nomar doubled to chase Helling. Mike Venafro came into pitch and he walked O'Leary. Everett doubled home Nomar but O'Leary was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. The Sox now lead 6-3. Pedro returned for the bottom of the seventh. Lamb struck out, Clayton grounded out, Alicea singled and Curtis flied out to end the inning. Pedro was far from his best but still pitched 7 innings of 3 run ball.

Fransisco Cordero came in to pitch the 8th inning. Stanley struck out but Varitek walked. Alexander flied out and Offerman struck out to end the inning. Sox manager Jimy Williams brought in closer Derek Lowe for a six out save. Rodriguez grounded out and Palmeiro struck out, but Segui singled. Mateo flied out to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the ninth inning against Matt Perisho. Nixon doubled and Daubach singled through the hole and took second on a bad throw. Nomar was intentionally walked but O'Leary failed to recapture the magic of the 99 LDS by lining out to first. Jeff Zimmerman replaced Perisho and got Everett to ground into a force at home. Stanley grounded out to end the inning. Lowe came back for the bottom of the ninth and got 3 straight ground-outs to end the game and earn his 4th save of the year. The Sox had won 6-3

Hero of the Night is a tough one. Pedro wasn't particularly sharp and the offense was spread out. I'll go with Derek Lowe. He was brought in for a 6 out save facing a dangerous lineup and retired 6 of the 7 batters he faced to earn the save.

                                              Hero of the Night: Derek Lowe



The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 rbi's. Pedro Martinez (4-0, 1.59 ERA) wasn't at his best but gutted his way through 7 innings, giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 8.


The Bad:

None.


The Ugly:

Jose Offerman hit a leadoff home run but was just 1 for 5 total. Trot Nixon and Troy O'Leary were both 1 for 4 with a walk and a run scored. Brian Daubach was 1 for 4 with a walk. Carl Everett was 1 for 5 with an rbi. Mike Stanley was 0 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored. Manny Alexander was 1 for 4 with an rbi.