Basebawful Report of the Month

Izzy Alcantara - 3 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Manny Alexander - 5 Good, 8 Bad, 3 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Rod Beck - 5 Good, 1 Bad\

Morgan Burkhart - 4 Good

Rheal Cormier - 7 Good, 6 Bad

Brian Daubach - 5 Good, 9 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero

Carl Everett - 13 Good, 2 Bad, 9 Ugly, 1 Hero

Jeff Fassero - 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Bryce Florie - 2 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Jeff Frye - 9 Good, 2 Bad, 14 Ugly

Rich Garces - 10 Good, 2 Ugly

Nomar Garciaparra - 19 Good, 1 Bad, 5 Ugly, 1 Hero

Scott Hatteberg - 5 Good, 7 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Sang-Hoon Lee - 1 Bad

Darren Lewis - 3 Good, 8 Bad, 7 Ugly

Derek Lowe - 7 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Ugly, 3 Jackass

Trot Nixon - 5 Good, 5 Bad, 8 Ugly

Jose Offerman - 5 Good, 3 Bad, 7 Ugly, 2 Hero

Troy O'Leary - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 7 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Pedro Martinez - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Ramon Martinez - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Hipolito Pichardo - 4 Good, 3 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Curtis Pride - 4 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Ugly

Brian Rose - 1 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 2 Jackass

Donnie Sadler - 2 Bad, 2 Ugly, 3 Honorable Mention

Pete Schourek - 4 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Jackass

Dan Smith - 1 Good, 1 Jackass

Rob Stanifer - 2 Good, 2 Bad

Mike Stanley - 5 Good, 6 Bad, 4 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

Jason Varitek - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 12 Ugly, 1 Hero

Wilton Veras - 3 Good, 5 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Jackass, 2 Honorable Mention

Tim Wakefield - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 2 Jackass, 1 Honorable Mention

John Wasdin - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 2 Jackass

Most Valuable Player is Nomar Garciaparra with 19 Good

Least Valuable Player is Brian Daubach with 9 Bad

Ugliest Player of the Month is Jeff Frye with 14 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Jose Offerman with 2 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Derek Lowe with 3 Jackass

The Honorable Player of the Month is Donnie Sadler with 3 Honorable Mention

White Sox Bash Red Sox (6/30/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a few roster moves. The Sox sent pitching prospect Dennis Tankersley and infielding prospect Cesar Saba to the San Diego Padres for aging slugger Ed Sprague Jr. The Sox are desperate for offense so hopefully Ed has some home runs left in the tank. Also Darren Lewis was placed on the 15 day Disabled List with a bad hamstring. The Sox are gonna need Bernard Gilkey soon if Darren is gone for a long period of time.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game, the June Swoon finally came to an end with another beating at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. With Pedro Martinez on the disabled list, the White Sox feasted on spot starter Hipolito Pichardo (2-1, 3.38 ERA) and anyone that came out of the bullpen. The White Sox pounded out 10 runs on 13 hits to slam home the fact they're contenders in the AL Central. The BoSox offense could only muster four runs as the dismal month came to an end with a 10-4 loss to Chicago at Commiskey Park.

                                                      "We lost again?"

Jim Parque got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman flied out to center to start. Jason Varitek singled to right but Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center. Carl Everett singled to right but Morgan Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Pichardo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ray Durham flied out to left to start. Jose Valentin also flied out to left but Frank Thomas singled to center. Magglio Ordonez walked but Chris Singleton grounded into a force to end the inning.

Brian Daubach grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Mike Stanley struck out swinging. Izzy Alcantara walked but Manny Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning. Pichardo cruised in the bottom of the second as Carlos Lee took strike three to start. Greg Norton struck out swinging and Herbert Perry grounded out to second to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to center to start the top of the third before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar drew a walk but Everett whiffed to end the inning. The ChiSox struck first in the bottom of the third as Brook Fordyce singled to right to start. Durham flied out to left but Valentin doubled to right. Thomas was intentionally walked to load the bases and Ordonez beat out a double play ball to score Fordyce with the first run. Singleton doubled to left to clear the bases but Lee grounded out to short to end the inning with the ChiSox ahead 3-0.

                                                           Singleton drives in two

The BoSox looked to fight back when Burkhart singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Daubach banged into a double play. Stanley took strike three to end the inning, so much for that rally.

                                                     Double play.....

The White Sox added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth although Norton flied out to left to start. Perry grounded out to first but Fordyce hit a home run all the way to Belgium to increase the lead. Durham tripled into the right field corner but Valentin grounded out to first to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                     Fordyce hits a homer

The BoSox struck back in the top of the fifth as Alcantara bashed his first career home run to start. Alexander grounded out to short and Offerman flied out to center, but Varitek reached on an error by Valentin to continue the inning. Nomar singled to left and Everett was plunked to load the bases before Burkhart singled home Varitek and Nomar to cut the lead. Daubach flied out to left to end the inning but the BoSox were down 4-3.

                                                      New guys getting it done

Pichardo was done after 4 innings and his replacement Bryce Florie wasn't much better in the bottom of the fifth. Thomas crushed a home run all the way to Sweden to increase the lead. Ordonez doubled to left and moved to third on the Singleton grounder. Lee then chased Florie with a home run all the way to Finland to ice the game. Rheal Cormier came in and got Norton swinging but Perry singled to left. Perry swiped second but Fordyce watched strike three go by to end the inning with Chicago ahead 7-3.

                                               Lee watches it go

Jeff Abbott came in for Ordonez to start the top of the sixth and Stanley flied out to center to start. Alcantara singled to left but Alexander popped up to short. Offerman singled to left and Bill Simas came in to pitch to Varitek. Jason grounded out to second to end the inning. The ChiSox tagged Cormier in the bottom of the sixth although Durham flied out to right to start. Valentin grounded out to third but Thomas bashed a home run all the way to Norway to add to the lead. That was it for Cormier as John Wasdin came in to get Abbott to ground out to short to end the inning with Chiago ahead 8-3.

                                                                  Thomas hits another homer

Nomar doubled to left to start the top of the seventh but Everett struck out swinging. Burkhart popped up to left in foul territory and Daubach flied out to left to end the inning. Wasdin got Singleton to hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh before Lee popped up to third in foul territory. Norton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jeff Frye pinch hit for Stanley to start the top of the eighth and struck out swinging. Alcantara flied out to left but Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Alexander and swatted his third home run of the season to cut the lead in half. Offerman flied out to left to end the inning but it was 8-4 Chicago.

                                                      THAT'S how you pinch hit

Wilton Veras took over at third with Offerman going to first and Frye to second to start the bottom of the eighth. Perry singled to left but Fordyce crushed yet another home run to wrap up the scoring. Durham whiffed, Valentin grounded out to second and Thomas flied out to center to end the inning with Chiago ahead 10-4.

                                                                Another home run

Mercifully the game ended in the top of the ninth with Bob Howry on the mound. Varitek whiffed but Nomar extended the agony with a base hit to left. Everett earned a hat trick with a swinging strikeout and Burkhart went down hacking to end the game. The White Sox had won it 10-4.

Jackass of the Night is Bryce Florie. The BoSox had clawed back into the game but Florie served up two home runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                              Jackass Florie

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 3 with a walk and first career home run.

Scott Hatteberg belted a pinch hit home run.

The Bad:

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jeff Frye struck out as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Hipolito Pichardo took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 4 innings of work.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

John Wasdin allowed 2 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Honorable Mention:

Wilton Veras played third base in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That month made the Sox go from World Series contenders at the start to belonging in last place at the end. Its very easy to see why, their pitching has been horrendous and their offense way too streaky. Losing Pedro Martinez to the disabled list didn't help but when the rest of your rotation is what appears to be a washed up Ramon Martinez, Pete Schourek and Tim Wakefield.....that's certainly not World Series material. There's still room to make some trades or see what the kids in Pawtucket have to offer but right now these guys couldn't beat a high school team. The Sox will be bringing up one of the kids to start tomorrow so there ya go. The only saving grace is the New York Yankees aren't off to a good start either so the Sox are beyond lucky to be this bad but still close enough to get back in first. The bullpen was downright offensive in this one and the sooner some of those bums are gone, the better. The Sox ended the month at 38-37, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to rebound tomorrow against the White Sox when 22 year old Paxton Crawford makes his major league debut against Mike Sirotka of Chicago. The game begins at 1:00 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.

Sox Beat Orioles, Lose Pedro (6/29/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves, one good and one bad. The bad news is Pedro Martinez was placed on the 15 day Disabled List with a bad shoulder. Reportedly Pedro fought like hell against this move, even getting in manager Jimy Williams' face about it. The bottom line is it was the right move to make. The Sox are slumping badly and an injured Pedro isn't going to help them. They need him healthy and refocused for the second half of the season especially if the Toronto Blue Jays are for real, let alone the New York Yankees. Sox GM Dan Duquette's Korean import Sang-Hoon Lee was called up from Pawtucket to replace Pedro on the roster. In a much more positive move, the Sox signed free agent outfielder Bernard Gilkey to give them some much needed depth. The 33 year old veteran was hitting just .110 in Arizona for the Diamondbacks so a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered. He hit .294 last year off the bench and if Troy O'Leary can't get hit his head out of his ass, the Sox are going to need Gilkey for the stretch run.

                                                                      OUT

                                                             IN

As for the game, the Sox temporarily stopped their slide against the Baltimore Orioles. After being embarrassed the previous two games, this time the Sox left no doubt and no hope for a comeback. The Sox offense pounded Orioles starter Scott Erickson and reliever Darren Holmes for 12 runs and 14 hits. Tim Wakefield (3-5, 5.27 ERA) stepped up big by pitching into the eighth inning to give the bullpen a rest. Korean import Sang-Hoon Lee made his major league debut and the Sox pounded out 16 total hits to beat the Orioles 12-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Bobbie Brown approves of the win

Wakefield took the ball in the top of the first inning and Brady Anderson flied out to center to start. Mike Bordick singled to right but Will Clark hit one up the elevator shaft. Albert Belle singled to left but BJ Surhoff flied out to center to end the inning. Erickson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman greeted him with a base hit to left. Jeff Frye banged into a double play and Carl Everett went down hacking to end the inning.

Wakefield cruised in the top of the second as Harold Baines flied out to left to start. Ryan Minor flied out to center and Mark Lewis grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second although Nomar Garciaparra popped up to second to start. Morgan Burkhart singled to right, Scott Hatteberg walked and Jason Varitek beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Brian Daubach pummeled his 12th home run of the year to put the Sox on top before Wilton Veras grounded out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 3-0.

                                                    Sox go up early

Wakefield cruised in the top of the third as Greg Myers went down swinging to start. Anderson whiffed and Bordick grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a chance to ice the game early in the bottom of the third as Offerman doubled to center before taking third on a wild pitch. Frye popped up to first and Everett grounded out to second, but Nomar walked. Nomar stole second and Burkhart walked to load the bases....only for Hatteberg to ground out to first to end the inning.

Clark grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fourth before Belle flied out to right. Surhoff flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Varitek grounded a base hit in the hole at second to start. Daubach was plunked for hitting a home run but Veras dropped down a bunt to advance the runners over. Offerman scored Varitek with a sac fly before Frye struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                    A random ticket to this game

The O's threatened in the top of the fifth although Baines popped up to second to start. Minor and Lewis stroked back to back singles but Myers flied out to center. Anderson grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Everett singled to center to start. Nomar forced Carl at second but Burkhart singled and Hatteberg clubbed his second home run of the season to put the Sox up big. Varitek flied out to center but Daubach and Veras stroked back to back singles only for Offerman to strike out swinging to end the inning. The Sox were in total control with a 7-0 lead.

                                                          That ball is outta here

Wakefield got Bordick to fly out to left to start the top of the sixth but Clark got a base hit. Belle flied out to center and Surhoff grounded out to second to end the inning. Chuck McElroy came in for the bottom of the sixth and Frye grounded out to short to start. Everett flied out to left but Nomar singled to center. Burkhart walked and Hatteberg singled to load the bases, but Varitek popped up to first to end the inning.

Wakefield continued his dominance in the top of the seventh as Baines grounded out to second to start. Minor grounded out to short but Lewis singled to left. Myers lined out to second to end the inning. Wakefield had tossed 7 shut-out innings, he was outstanding. Darren Holmes came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh as Daubach clobbered his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Veras grounded out to short and Offerman popped up to third, but Frye walked. Everett struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                         Daubach goes yard again

For no other reason than to eat up innings, Sox manager Jimy Williams sent Wakefield out to keep going in the top of the eighth. Things looked good when Anderson grounded out to first but the wheels fell off. Bordick singled to left, Clark doubled off the Monster and Belle crushed a home run into the Atlantic Ocean to chase Wakefield after 7 1/3 gutty innings. Sang-Hoon Lee made his major league debut and got Surhoff to line out to right. Jeff Conine pinch hit for Baines and bashed a home run into the Charles River to cut the lead. Minor singled to left but Lewis lined out to right to end the inning. The O's cut the lead in half but still trailed 8-4.

                                                     Wakefield gets it done

The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the eighth as Nomar got the party started with a double to center. Burkhart drew another walk and Hatteberg singled to left to load the bases. Varitek walked home Nomar and Daubach doubled home Burkhart and Hatteberg. Jose Mercedes came in to pitch and Veras grounded out to short, but Offerman scored Varitek with a sac fly. Frye flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-4.

John Wasdin came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Izzy Alcantara now in right. Myers flied out to left but Anderson singled to center. Anderson swiped second but Bordick flied out to left. Clark grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-4.

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. He was 4 for 4 with a hit by pitch, 2 home runs and 6 total rbis.

                                               Burkhart salutes our Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 2 with 3 walks and 3 runs scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 3 for 4 with a walk, a three run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Tim Wakefield earned the win by tossing 7 1/3 innings of 3 run ball.

John Wasdin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Sang-Hoon Lee allowed a run in his ML debut.

The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was 0 for 5 but drew a walk.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored 3 times.

Wilton Veras was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Izzy Alcantara played right field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Finally the Sox looked like themselves again. Morgan Burkhart seemed to have breathed life into this group because they hit the ball all over the place tonight. A strong pitching performance by Wakefield helped and they're gonna need more like that with Pedro Martinez gone for a few weeks. Not much else can be said other than the Sox beat a team they were supposed to. If they have any hope of getting back in the race they're going to need good starting pitching. The win improved the Sox to 38-36 on the season, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox travel to Chicago for a set with the White Sox. Hipolito Pichardo (2-0) gets the spot start for the BoSox with Jim Parque going for the ChiSox. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.

O's Stun Sliding Sox In 11 (6/28/00)

The Boston Red Sox got bit by the "June swoon" big time as they have dropped their 5th straight game in a complete collapse. After battling the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays for 2 1/2 months, mediocrity caught up to the Sox as they fell to just a game over .500. The Sox trailed the Orioles 5-4 before tying the game in the 7th. The O's got the lead back in the top of the eighth but the Sox rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. The normally reliable Derek Lowe blew his second consecutive save as the O's tied the game with one out in the ninth. The O's settled matters with a rally off Bryce Florie (0-3, 4.15 ERA) again in the top of the eleventh. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the frame and the O's had sent the Sox to their 5th straight loss 8-7 at Fenway Park.

                                               Sox fans share this sentiment

Ramon Martinez got the start for the Sox in the top of the first and Brady Anderson led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Mike Bordick grounded out to third but Delino Deshields singled to right. Deshields stole second but Albert Belle popped up to short to end the inning. Jason Johnson got the ball for Baltimore in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman walked to start. Jeff Frye whiffed and Offerman was thrown out trying to steal. Jason Varitek lined out to left to end the inning.

The O's rallied in the top of the second although BJ Surhoff popped up to short to start. Will Clark popped up to second and Ryan Minor whiffed....but the ball got away from Varitek and the inning continued. The O's capitalized as Harold Baines singled to right and Charles Johnson singled home Minor. Brady Anderson singled home Baines for another run before Bordick grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's ahead 2-0 after the miscue by Varitek.

                                                              Nice going Varitek

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra drew a walk to start. Morgan Burkhart drove in his first run with the Red Sox with a double to right that scored Nomar. Mike Stanley grounded out to short, Brian Daubach popped up to third in foul territory and Darren Lewis grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                          Burkhart's first RBI

Ramon froze Deshields for strike three to open the top of the third before Belle lined out to left. Surhoff singled to left but Clark flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Wilton Veras drew a walk to start. Offerman singled to right and the throw was nowhere near the plate and Veras scored on the error. Frye singled home Offerman to give Boston the lead, Frye taking second on the throw home. Frye moved to third on the grounder by Varitek and they walked Nomar to get to Burkhart. Morgan hit a routine grounder to first but it was booted to allow Frye. Stanley whiffed and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                       Frye drives in a run

Minor grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Baines grounded out to first. Johnson singled to left but Anderson lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Lewis whiffed to start. Veras flied out to right and Offerman whiffed to end the inning.

The floodgates opened in the top of the fifth when Bordick hit a routine grounder to Veras who threw himself on the ball and wrestled with it for an error. DeShields singled to right and Belle singled home Bordick. Surhoff singled home DeShields to tie the game and send Belle to third. Clark scored Belle with a sac fly to give the O's the lead. Minor popped up to short and Baines flied out to right to end the inning with the O's ahead 5-4.

                                                     Nice error Veras

Frye lined out to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Varitek went down hacking. Nomar walked but Burkhart grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramon came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth as Johnson whiffed to start. Anderson was hit by a pitch but Bordick flied out to right. Anderson swiped second but DeShields popped up to first to end the inning. Ramon got lit up for 5 runs in just 6 innings although only 2 of the runs were earned.

                                                            Not Ramon's best effort

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Stanley whiffed to start. Daubach flied out to center but Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rheal Cormier came in for the top of the seventh and Belle flied out to left to start. Surhoff singled and moved to second on the Clark grounder before Minor walked. Baines popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the seventh as Veras walked to start. Offerman dropped down a bunt to move Wilton to second but Frye popped up to second. Mike Timlin came in to pitch to Varitek and Jason doubled to left to score Veras to tie the game. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                 Varitek ties it up

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Orioles re-took the lead instantly in the top of the eighth with Rod Beck now on the mound. Johnson hit his second home run in many days to give the O's the lead before Anderson flied out to center. Bordick lined out to first and DeShields grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's ahead 6-5.

                                                        Thanks a lot Beck

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Burkhart singled to center to start. Carl Everett pinch hit for Stanley with Curtis Pride pinch running for Burkhart. Everett flied out to right as Chuck McElroy was brought in to pitch to Daubach. Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by pinch hitting Izzy Alcantara to pinch hit for Brian. Alcantara respinded with a base hit to left and Mike Trombley came in to pitch to Lewis. Lewis beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Veras, getting a base hit to right to score Pride and advancing Lewis to third. Manny Alexander pinch ran for Hatteberg and Offerman singled home Lewis to give the Sox the lead. Frye walked but Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                           Offerman gives the Sox the lead

For the second straight game Derek Lowe blew the save in the top of the ninth. Belle grounded out to short but Surhoff doubled to right. Clark tripled over the head of Lewis to score Surhoff with the tying run. Mark Lewis ran for Clark with Jeff Conine pinch hitting for Minor. Conine grounded out sharply to short and Baines was intentionally walked. Johnson grounded into a force to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

Alan Mills came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Nomar lined out to left to start. Pride flied out to center and with the Sox losing the DH, Lowe was scheduled to bat. Sox manager Jimy Williams remembered Pete Schourek had batting experience in the National League and sent him to pinch hit for Lowe. Pete got a base hit to center much to Jimy's delight but Alcantara flied out to center to end the inning.

                                         Pete getting more hits than he allowed in this one

Rich Garces came in for the top of the tenth and Anderson flied out to center to start. Bordick whiffed but DeShields singled to center. Belle struck out swinging to end the inning. Jose Mercedes came in for the bottom of the tenth and Lewis popped up to short to start. Alexander whiffed but Offerman singled to left. Frye walked and Varitek flied out to left to end the inning.

Bryce Florie came in for the top of the eleventh and the O's took command as Surhoff doubled to left to start. Lewis dropped down a bunt to move Surhoff to third and Varitek interfered with Conine to put runners at the corners. Baines doubled home Surhoff to give the O's the lead but Johnson struck out swinging. Anderson was intentionally walked but Bordick grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's ahead 8-7.

                                                           Dammit Florie

Buddy Groom came in to close out the bottom of the eleventh but Nomar singled to left. Pride popped up a bunt to Groom and Sox manager Jimy Williams remembered Tom Wakefield used to bat for Pittsburgh in 1992 and sent him to pinch hit for Florie. Wakefield dropped down a bunt to move Nomar to second but Alcantara flied out to center to end the game. The O's had won it 8-7.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. For the second straight night it never should have come to Bryce Florie pitching the 11th if Lowe did his job in the ninth.

                                                        Lowe the Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 4 with an rbi, walk and a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Pete Schourek got a base hitter as a pinch hitter....yes you read that right.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Izzy Alcantara was 1 for 3 at the plate.

Wilton Veras walked twice and scored twice in 3 at bats.

Scott Hatteberg singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Rheal Cormier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 10th inning.



The Bad:

Mike Stanley was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Carl Everett was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ramon Martinez was lit up for 5 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings of work. He gave up 9 hits while only striking out 3.

Rod Beck allowed a run in the 8th inning.

Bryce Florie allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the 11th to take the loss.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 6 with an error but drove in a run.

Curtis Pride was 0 for 2 but scored a run.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Tim Wakefield dropped down a bunt as a pinch hitter....yes you read that right.




Final Thoughts:

This month can't end fast enough but unless the Sox pull off a blockbuster trade, help doesn't appear to be coming. Everything that went right last year has gone wrong this year. Injuries and ineffectiveness on offense and in the rotation has sank the Sox to the point they are at now. Pedro Martinez may go on the DL, Trot Nixon is already on the DL, John Valentin is out for the season,  Troy O'Leary is rumored to be going through a messy divorce and all the bench guys that stepped up in May reverted back to normal this month. The Sox had their way with this Orioles in that early May series but these aren't the same Sox anymore. As for the game, that was absolutely insane. Pete Schourek pinch hitting and getting a hit, Tim Wakefield pinch hitting and dropping down a bunt. Can't say Jimy Williams doesn't get creative sometimes. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-36, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage their three game set against the Orioles tomorrow night when they send tonight's pinch hitter Tim Wakefield (2-5) to the mound up against last night's pinch runner Scott Erickson at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

O's Stun Sox in Ninth, Win in 10 (6/27/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Trot Nixon apparently pulled a hamstring and has been placed on the 15 day Disabled List. This comes at a bad time with the Sox offense struggling big time right now. In his place the Sox called up former 3 time Frontier League MVP Morgan Burkhart. The 28 year old "rookie" has great pop in his bat and the Sox desperately need offense.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, the Sox are inventing new ways to lose these days. On a night when somehow Pete Schourek matched O's ace Mike Mussina for 7 innings, the Sox still found a way to blow it. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the seventh but Derek Lowe gagged in the top of the ninth. Lowe then served up a 2 run bomb in the top of the tenth to Charles Johnson. Bryce Florie came in and allowed 3 runs of his own. The Sox did manage to get a home run by Nomar in the bottom of the tenth but it wasn't enough as the O's stunned the Sox 6-3 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                                   Thanks a lot Lowe

Schourek got the ball in the top of the first and old friend Brady Anderson popped up to first to start. Mike Bordick doubled to right and moved to third on the Delino DeShields grounder. Albert Belle struck out swinging to end the inning. Mussina cruised in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman struck out swinging to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Brian Daubach took strike three to end the inning.

Jeff Conine singled to start the top of the second inning and moved to second on the BJ Surhoff grounder. Cal Ripken Jr popped up to first and Will Clark struck out swinging to end the inning. 

                                                          Ripken pops it up

Nomar Garciaparra singled to right to start the bottom of the second before Morgan Burkhart made his ML debut with a base hit to right. Mike Stanley whiffed and Scott Hatteberg took strike three before Manny Alexander grounded out to second to end the inning.

Charles Johnson hit a routine grounder to Alexander to start the top of the third and he threw his glove at the ball and stomped on it for an error. Anderson banged into a double play and Bordick struck out swinging to end the inning. Curtis Pride grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Offerman grounded out to third. Frye whiffed but the ball got away from the catcher so Frye took first. Daubach flied out to left to end the inning.

DeShields grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Belle struck out swinging. Conine walked but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Mussina cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Nomar flied out to right to start. Burkhart flied out to center and Stanley struck out swinging to end the inning.

Schourek got Surhoff to ground out to first to start the top of the fifth before Ripken popped up to short. Clark walked but Johnson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hatteberg grounded out to third to start. Alexander struck out swinging but Pride got a base hit to center. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning.

Anderson grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth before Bordick flied out to left. DeShields singled to left but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth although Frye took strike three to start. Daubach flied out to center but Nomar singled and Burkhart walked. Stanley whiffed again to earn the hat trick to end the inning.

Schourek came back for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Belle flied out to center to start. Conine grounded out to second but Surhoff singled to right. Ripken Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Schourek who pitched one of his best games of the season to shut out the Orioles for 7 innings, he deserved to win this one.

                                                          Good work Pete

The Sox finally cracked Mussina in the bottom of the seventh as Hatteberg singled to center to start. Scott was bunted over to second by Alexander but Pride struck out. Offerman dumped a base hit to right to score Hatteberg with the go ahead run but was thrown out trying to stretch a double to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                              Offerman, what are you doing?

Rich Garces came in to pitch with Izzy Alcantara now in left to start the top of the eighth. Clark singled to right and Luis Matos pinch ran for him. Johnson struck out and Sox manager Jimy Williams wanted the lefty Rheal Cormier to pitch to Anderson. The gamble worked as Anderson hit a liner to Alexander who doubled off Matos at first to end the inning.

                                             Not this time Brady

Mike Timlin came in for the bottom of the eighth and Frye grounded out to short to start. Alcantara struck out swinging and Nomar grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to close out the top of the ninth and crapped his pants. Bordick whiffed but DeShields doubled to left. Belle singled home Delino to tie the game but Conine flied out to center. Surhoff was intentionally walked but Ripken struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the ninth as Burkhart singled to right to start. Stanley dropped down a bunt to move Morgan to second and Hatteberg was intentionally walked. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Alexander but popped up to short. Chuck McElroy came in to face Pride but Williams countered by pinch hitting Darren Lewis for Curtis. Lewis drew a walk to load the bases and Wilton Veras pinch ran for him. Mike Trombley came in to pitch to Offerman and Jose grounded out to first to end the inning....damn.

The floodgates opened in the top of the tenth as Harold Baines pinch hit for Matos and singled to start. Mark Lewis pinch ran for Baines and Johnson hit a home run all the way to the Cardassian Homeworld to give the O's the lead. Williams finally lifted the incompetent Lowe and Bryce Florie came in to get Anderson to fly out to right. Bordick hit a routine grounder to Nomar who went OLE! for an error. Bordick moved to second on the DeShields grounder and Belle was intentionally walked. Conine singled to load the bases and Surhoff drove in two runs with a base hit, moving Conine to third. Ripken hurt himself on a fielder's choice that scored Conine and Scott Erickson (yes, HIM) ran for him. Lewis grounded into a force to end the inning but the Orioles led 6-1...what a disaster.

                                                                O's take the lead

Lewis moved to third and Alan Mills came on to pitch the bottom of the tenth and the Sox rallied. Frye earned the hat trick by striking out swinging but Alcantara singled to left. Nomar swatted his 8th home run of the year to cut the lead in half. Burkhart flied out to center but Stanley got a base hit to center. Orioles manager Mike Hargrove brought in the lefty Buddy Groom to pitch to Hatteberg. Hatteberg whiffed to end the game. The Orioles had won it 6-3 in 10 innings.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. He blew the game in the ninth and took the loss in the 10th inning. It should have never come to Florie giving up unearned runs.

                                                                Jackass Lowe

The Good:

Izzy Alcantara was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Curtis Pride was 1 for 3.

Darren Lewis walked as a pinch hitter.

Rich Garces got the first out of the eighth inning.

Rheal Cormier got the last two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jeff Frye was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Jason Varitek popped up as a pinch hitter.

Bryce Florie allowed 2 inherited runners to score and three of his own

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Mike Stanley was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Wilton Veras ran for Lewis and played third in the top of the tenth.

Final Thoughts:

Another game that was a sucker punch to the gonads for the Red Sox. The Sox had this game won but Lowe blew one of his only saves of the season. Why he came back for the tenth is anyone's guess but its not like Florie did a better job anyway. The Orioles couldn't accomplish anything against Schourek but scored 5 runs in the tenth inning, go figure. Mussina is one of the better pitchers in the AL so getting a run off him is pretty standard. The lack of clutch hitting is killing the Sox whether its Jose Offerman with the bases loaded in the ninth or Hatteberg with a man on in the tenth. Where was Carl Everett to pinch hit tonight? He could have easily pinch hit for Hatteberg hitting on the right side? So many things went wrong tonight and its amazing the Sox were even in first place at all this season the way they've played this month. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-35, 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send Ramon Martinez to the mound up against Jason Johnson of the O's at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Sweep Sox on Walkoff in 13 (6/25/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Not surprisingly the Sox designated Rob Stanifer for assignment and sent Brian Rose back to Pawtucket. Stanifer is expendable and its time to see if anyone else could pitch better. The same can be said for Rose who just isn't developing into the starter Sox brass envisioned him being a few years ago. He's 3-5 this year and maybe a demotion will kick him into gear to rebound. The Sox brought up Pawtucket sensation Izzy Alcantara to replace Stanifer and Rose. Alcantara has been swinging a hot bat in the minors and the Sox could use a buzz on offense for sure.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, this was not the best three game stretch for the Boston Red Sox. After failing to win back to back close games they sent their ace Pedro Martinez to the mound for this one. Wouldn't you know it, Pedro picked THIS game to throw one of his worst of the season. The possibly injured Pedro was mortal as he allowed 5 runs before being removed in the 7th inning. The Sox were done in by a gaggle of errors, including a crucial one by Carl Everett in the bottom of the 13th. Capitalizing on the break, Tony Batista singled home the winning run to win the game for the Jays. The first place Jays swept the Sox out of the Skydome with a 6-5 win in 13 innings.

                                                  Swept by the Jays? Ugh

The Sox wasted no time getting to Jays ace Chris Carpenter in the top of the first inning. Jose Offerman led off with a walk and Jeff Frye lined out to left. Carl Everett singled to center and Nomar Garciaparra doubled home both runners. Brian Daubach flied out to left and highly touted Red Sox prospect Izzy Alcantara made his major league debut by striking out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Nomar puts the Sox on top

Pedro got tagged in the bottom of the first inning as Shannon Stewart hit the second pitch he saw out of the yard for a solo home run. Chris Woodward grounded out to first, Tony Batista went down hacking and Carlos Delgado grounded out to first to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1.

Scott Hatteberg flied out to left to start the top of the second before Wilton Veras grounded out to short. Curtis Pride singled to to center and Offerman singled him to third. Frye grounded out to third to end the inning. Brad Fullmer hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz popped up to second. Marty Cordova hit a routine grounder to Nomar who dropped an elbow on the ball and pinned it for the 1-2-3 and the error. Alberto Castillo walked but Homer Bush grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Everett walked to start. Nomar flied out to right but Daubach walked. Alcantara forced Everett at third but Hatteberg doubled home both runners to increase the lead. Veras flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 4-1.

                                                        Hatteberg adds to the lead

Normally a 3 run lead is more than enough cushion for Pedro but he seemed off in the bottom of the third. Stewart got plunked to start before Woodward struck out swinging. Batista flied out to left and Delgado hit a routine grounder to Veras. Veras picked the ball up and spiked it like a football before doing the boogie woogie for an error. Fullmer made Veras pay by doubling home Stewart to cut the lead. Cruz grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox lead was cut 4-2.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Pride doubled to center to begin. Offerman flied out to deep center which moved Curtis to third, and he scored on the Frye base hit. That was it for Carpenter as Lance Painter came in to get Everett to pop up to first. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 5-2.

                                                            Frye drives a run in

Pedro cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Cordova took strike three to start. Castillo grounded out to short and Bush whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox failed to add to the lead in the top of the fifth although Daubach doubled to right to begin. Alcantara grounded out to short but a wild pitch moved Brian to third. Hatteberg lined out to short and Veras took strike three to end the inning. Once again Pedro got tagged in the bottom of the fifth although Stewart was frozen for strike three to start. Woodward watched strike three go by but Batista pulverized a solo home run to cut the lead. Delgado flied out to left to end the inning but the Sox only led 5-3.

John Frascatore came in to pitch the top of the sixth and the red hot Pride singled to left. Offerman flied out to center and Frye moved Pride to second with a grounder. Everett flied out to center to end the inning. Fullmer hit a routine grounder to Offerman who kicked the ball and ran around in a circle screaming "GOALLLLLL" for an error to start the bottom of the sixth. Pedro recovered to get Cruz swinging but plunked Cordova. Pedro struck out Castillo and Bush swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh as Nomar grounded out to third to start. Daubach whiffed and Alcantara grounded out to third to end the inning. Pedro uncharacteristically ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh. Stewart grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the seventh and Woodward singled to left. Batista whiffed but Delgado pounded a 2 run bomb to tie the game. Fullmer singled and that was it for Pedro. Sox manager Jimy Williams figured out something was wrong and pulled his ace after allowing 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings. Rich Garces walked Cruz but Cordova grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                            A rare bad game by Pedro

Pedro Borbon Jr came in for the top of the eighth and Hatteberg flied out to center to start. Veras and Pride both whiffed to end the inning. Garces returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Castillo flied out to center, Bush grounded out to third and Stewart flied out to left to end the inning.

Jays closer Billy Koch came in for the top of the ninth and Offerman singled to center to start. Frye dropped down a sacrifice bunt to get Jose to second but the Jays made a huge gamble by intentionally walking Everett to get to Nomar. Somehow the gamble worked as Nomar banged into a double play to end the inning. Sox closer Derek Lowe came in for the bottom of the ninth and Woodward went down hacking to start. Batista doubled to left and Delgado was intentionally walked to set up a double play. The gamble worked as Fullmer hit a bullet to Nomar who doubled off Batista to end the inning.

The Sox blew their chance to take the lead in the top of the tenth against Paul Quantrill as Daubach grounded out to short to start. Alcantara grounded out to short but Hatteberg singled to center. Veras doubled him to third but Pride whiffed to end the inning. Lowe returned for the bottom of the tenth and the Jays nearly walked it off. Cruz walked and Cordova singled to put the winning run at second. Castillo dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over but Bush hit a grounder to Veras who fired home to get Cruz with the second out. Stewart whiffed to end the inning and the game continued.

Quantrill returned for the top of the eleventh and Offerman grounded out to third to start. Frye popped up to first and Everett popped up to third to end the inning. Rod Beck came in for the bottom of the eleventh and Woodward flied out to center to begin. Batista grounded out to third but Sox manager Jimy Williams wanted the lefty/lefty matchup, bringing in Rheal Cormier to pitch to Delgado. Cormier did strike out Delgado but they lost Beck the rest of the night after two batters.

The Sox blew another chance to take the lead in the top of the 12th inning. Nomar grounded out to second and Daubach took strike three, but Alcantara singled. Hatteberg singled Izzy to third and Jason Varitek was sent to pinch hit for Veras. Varitek flied out to left to end the inning. Manny Alexander came in to play third in the bottom of the 12th and Fullmer singled to right to start. Cruz forced Fullmer at second and Cordova lined out to right. Castillo flied out to right to end the inning.

Matt DeWitt came in for the top of the 13th and the Sox blew their final chance to get a run. Pride grounded out to first to start but Offerman walked. Frye whiffed but Everett singled to right. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning. Bryce Florie came in for the bottom of the 13th but the Sox made a fatal mistake. Bush grounded out to third and and Stewart grounded out to short to start. Woodward hit a routine pop up to Everett but he tried to catch it in his hat and the ball dropped in for an error that allowed Chris to take second. Batista ended the game with a base hit to end the game and give the series sweep to the Jays 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is unfortunately Bryce Florie. Everett should have caught the ball in the 13th but he still gave up the base hit to Batista to end it.

                                                              Florie the Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with 2 walks and run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 5 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 3 for 6 with 2 rbis.

Curtis Pride was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Rich Garces tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rod Beck got the first 2 outs of the eleventh.

Rheal Cormier tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jason Varitek flied out as a pinch hitter.

Pedro Martinez got lit up for 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Jays smacked him around for 6 hits and a walk even though Martinez struck out 10.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 7 with an error but drove in a run.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 5 but walked and scored a run.

Izzy Alcantara was just 1 for 6 but scored a run.

Wilton Veras was just 1 for 5 with an error and a strikeout.



Honorable Mention:

Manny Alexander played third base in the final two innings.




Final Thoughts:

Well this series was a sucker punch to the gonads. The Sox were in 3 consecutive close games and lost all three of them. The Jays managed to outpitch and outhit the Sox when it counted. They even smacked around Pedro Martinez to drive home the fact their offense is no joke. If the Jays pick up a starter at the trade deadline, they may be a bigger threat than the New York Yankees for the AL East supremacy. This game was frustrating as the Sox kept making errors which led to runs that spelled their doom. The Everett one in the 13th hurt the most because the Sox would have been out of the inning had he caught the ball. The less said of this disgrace, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-34, 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night when they return home to face the Baltimore Orioles. Mike Mussina takes on Pete Schourek at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.