The Rays wasted no time scoring in the top of the first. Gerald Williams began the game with a triple but Dave Martinez failed to score him with a fly ball. Greg Vaughn singled home Williams but old pal Jose Canseco grounded out. Fred McGriff singled but Vinny Castilla grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox answered in the bottom of the first off Rays starter Dave Eiland. Jose Offerman struck out but Trot Nixon doubled and Brian Daubach doubled Nixon home. Nomar Garciaparra grounded out and Troy O'Leary struck out to end the inning, but the game was tied 1-1.
Ramon settled down in the top of the second. Mike Difelice grounded out, Kevin Stocker grounded out and Tony Graffanino flied out to end the inning. Carl Everett popped up to begin the bottom of the second. Mike Stanley popped up as well but Jason Varitek walked. Wilton Veras grounded out to end the inning.
Ramon got in trouble in the top of the third. Williams grounded out and Martinez struck out but Vaughn singled and stole second. Canseco walked but McGriff struck out to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the third. Offerman singled but was thrown out trying to steal second. Nixon singled and Daubach doubled again. Nomar scored Nixon with a sac fly but O'Leary grounded out to end the inning with the Sox leading 2-1.
Ramon stayed strong in the top of the fourth as Castilla struck out, Difelice flied out and Stocker grounded out in short order. The Sox knocked Eiland out in the bottom of the fourth. Everett led off the inning with his 9th home run of the year. Stanley struck out but Varitek and Veras hit back to back doubles to chase Eiland and give the Sox a 4-1 lead. Corey Lidle replaced Eiland and Offerman singled home Veras to make it 5-1. Nixon flied out and Daubach struck out to end the inning.
The Rays struck back in the top of the fifth. Graffinino doubled and Williams singled him home. Williams was thrown out at second trying to steal as Martinez struck out. Vaughn flied out to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2. Lidle returned for the bottom of the fifth. Nomar grounded out, O'Leary lined out and Everett grounded out to end the inning.
Ramon returned for the top of the sixth but was quickly chased when Canseco led off with a solo blast. McGriff singled and Sox manager Jimy Williams had seen enough, pulling Ramon for "El Guapo" Rich Garces. Garces uncorked a wild pitch that moved McGriff to second and he walked Castilla. Trot Nixon made the play of the game when Difelice hit a rocket to right but Trot made a running catch against the wall to preserve the lead. Stocker struck out and Graffanino whiffed to end the inning, the Rays were inching closer at 5-3. Lidle returned for the bottom of the 6th. Stanley grounded out as both Varitek and Veras whiffed to end the inning.
Garces returned for the top of the seventh. Williams and Martinez grounded out and Vaughn flied out to end the inning. Jim Morris relieved Lidle in the bottom of the seventh. Offerman singled and Nixon walked, but Daubach banged into a double play. Jeff Sparks relieved Morris and Nomar grounded out to end the inning.
Rubber arm closer Derek Lowe was brought in for a 6 out save. Canseco whiffed, McGriff grounded out and Castilla grounded out to end the inning. Sparks cruised in the bottom of the eighth. O'Leary struck out, Everett grounded out and Stanley popped up to end the inning.
Lowe returned for the top of the ninth to nail down the save. Difelice flied out but Stocker was plunked. Steve Cox pinch hit for Graffinino and lined out. Williams grounded out to end the game. The Sox won 5-3.
Hero of the night is a tough one but I'll go with Trot Nixon. Trot Nixon was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored, along with his saving catch in the 6th inning.
The Good:
Jose Offerman was 3 for 4 with an rbi. Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with an rbi. Jason Varitek was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. Wilton Veras was 1 for 3 with an rbi and run scored. Rich Garces tossed 2 scoreless innings of relief. Derek Lowe earned his 6th save of the year with 2 scoreless innings of his own.
The Bad:
Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts. Mike Stanley was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but drove in a run. Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 but made the one hit count as it was his 9th home run of the year. Ramon Martinez (2-2, 6.49 ERA) got the win but was knocked out in the 6th inning after allowing 3 runs on 8 hits and a walk while striking out 4.
Final Thoughts:
Thank God for Trot Nixon. The Sox fought hard in this one and they came away the winner. Ramon continues to struggle but the duo of Garces and Lowe continue to impress. The offense clicked early on and Nixon's catch certainly saved the day. Still, if the Sox want to overtake the New York Yankees, they'll need better starting pitching. Having Jeff Fassero and Ramon go 5-6 innings a pop and Brian Rose stink out the place is not going to cut it. Still, the win improves the Sox record to 15-10, 3 games behind the Yankees for first place. Tomorrow Pedro Martinez takes the hill opposite Steve Traschel.
No comments:
Post a Comment