Ramon took the mound in the top of the first inning and Shannon Stewart popped up to first to start. Craig Grebeck grounded out to short but Raul Mondesi singled to center. The alert Jason Varitek gunned down Mondesi trying to steal to end the inning. Jose Offerman singled to short to start the bottom of the first but he was thrown out trying to steal. Jeff Frye singled to left but Nomar Garciaparra flied out to right. Carl Everett hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.
The Jays struck first in the top of the second as Carlos Delgado singled to center to start. Brad Fullmer singled to right and Tony Batista pulverized a 4,000 foot home run to put the Jays up big. Jose Cruz Jr whiffed, Alex Gonzalez flied out to center and Alberto Castillo grounded out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 3-0.
Wells cruised in the bottom of the second as Mike Stanley struck out swinging to begin. Varitek flied out to right and Troy O'Leary grounded out to second to end the inning.
Martinez recovered in the top of the third as Stewart took strike three to start. Grebeck popped up to third and Mondesi flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Manny Alexander motored around for a triple to begin. Darren Lewis lined a single to left to bring in Alexander and cut the lead. The rally ended as Offerman banged into a double play and Frye grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 3-1 Jays.
The Jays wasted no time knocking Ramon out of the game in the top of the fourth inning as Delgado walked to start. Fullmer singled and Batista walked to load the bases before Cruz Jr doubled home Delgado and Fullmer. Gonzalez singled home both runners and Sox manager Jimy Williams ran out of the dugout screaming, throwing sunflower seeds at Ramon and chasing him into the dugout. Ramon's miserable season continued by allowing 7 runs in just 3 plus innings.
Tim Wakefield came in and got Castillo struck out swinging to begin. Stewart forced Gonzalez at second before stealing second. Grebeck lined out to third to end the inning with the Jays up 7-1.
The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fourth as Nomar struck out swinging to start. Everett hit one up the elevator shaft and Stanley grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Jays kept up the onslaught in the top of the fifth as Mondesi doubled to right to begin. Delgado flied out to left but Fullmer pounded a 40,000 foot home run. Batista swung at air but Cruz Jr singled. Gonzalez looked to have iced the game with a 2 run home run. Castillo singled to left but O'Leary gunned him down at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Jays up 11-1.
The Sox refused to go quietly with a rally in the bottom of the fifth. Varitek got the party started with his 4th home run of the season before O'Leary doubled to left. Alexander singled Troy to third and Lewis beat out a double play ball to score O'Leary with another run. Offerman flied out to center but Frye singled Alexander to third. Nomar singled to center and Cruz threw the ball away, allowing Alexander and Frye to score. Everett whiffed to end the inning but it was 11-5 Jays.
Wakefield managed to settle down in the top of the sixth as Stewart grounded out to third to start. Grebeck also grounded out to third and Mondesi went down swinging to end the inning. The Sox failed to rally in the bottom of the sixth as Stanley grounded out to short to start. Varitek took strike three and O'Leary popped up to third to end the inning.
Delgado hit one up the elevator shaft to begin the top of the seventh before Fullmer flied out to left. Batista singled to left before Cruz Jr flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox managed to knock Wells out in the bottom of the seventh although Alexander flied out to right to start. Lewis and Offerman stroked back to back singles to chase Wells from the game. Old buddy Paul Quantrill came in and Frye hit a routine grounder to second...bobbled by Grebeck for an error to load the bases. Nomar was hit with a pitch to force in a run and Everett walked to score Offerman. Stanley whiffed but Varitek doubled off the Monster to clear the bases and bring Fenway back to life. The Sox were down 11-1 and now had the tying run at second base. Pedro Borbon Jr came in and O'Leary popped up to third to end the inning but the Sox had fought all the way back to be down 11-10.
Rod Beck made his season debut in the top of the eighth after coming off the Disabled List earlier in the week. Gonzalez struck out swinging but Castillo singled to center. Stewart lined out to third and Grebeck was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning. Flamethrower Billy Koch came in for the six out save in the bottom of the eighth and blew away Alexander to start. Trot Nixon pinch hit for Lewis but went down swinging as well. Offerman took strike three to end the inning.
Beck returned just to get Mondesi to ground out to short to start the top of the ninth. Rheal Cormier took over and got Delgado to ground out to second before Fullmer grounded out to first to end the inning. Things looked bleak when Frye grounded out to short to begin the bottom of the ninth but Nomar cracked a double to right to put the tying run on second. Everett blew it when he popped up to third, forcing Sox manager Jimy Williams to pinch hit Brian Daubach for Stanley. Koch blew Daubach away to end the game. The Jays held on to win the game 11-10.
Jackass of the Night is Ramon Martinez. The way things were going, a quality start would have won the game but Ramon made a mess in his pants, going just 3 innings while allowing 7 runs.
The Good:
Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored.
Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis, a hit by pitch and a run scored.
Jason Varitek was 2 for 4 with a home run and 4 total rbis.
Manny Alexander was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.
Darren Lewis was 2 for 3 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Rod Beck tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Rheal Cormier got the final 2 outs of the ninth inning.
The Bad:
Mike Stanley was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.
Brian Daubach struck out as a pinch hitter.
Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.
Trot Nixon struck out as a pinch hitter.
Tim Wakefield gave up 4 runs in 4 innings of work.
The Ugly:
Carl Everett was 0 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.
Final Thoughts:
Kudos to the Sox for not rolling over and playing dead after falling behind 11-1, but good lord did Martinez and Wakefield suck tonight. It could be time to consider that Ramon is all washed up because he hasn't looked good almost all season give or take a few starts. The Blue Jays offense is for real and the Sox aren't going to survive too many slugfests with them. The good news that Beck pitched well in his first game back and if he's effective, that's another reliable arm they can use along with Rich Garces and Derek Lowe. Sox manager Dan Duquette has some work to do regarding the rotation if Fassero, Brian Rose, Pete Schourek and Ramon Martinez can't pitch well. The loss of Juan Pena in Spring Training hurts big time. There is still a month left before the trade deadline so hopefully Duquette can find someone to pair with Pedro before its too late. The loss drops the Sox to 35-28, still 0.5 game ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow Jeff Fassero (6-2) tries his luck against Frank Castillo of the Blue Jays in the series finale. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.
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