Boston media is saying the Boston Red Sox have had an U-G-L-Y first half of the 2000 season. Its hard to counter that considering all the woes this team has had in all 3 phases of the game. Offensively, defensively and pitching wise the Sox have been mediocre and that's indicated by their record. In their final game before the break, the Sox were anything but mediocre as they put a hurting on the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Tim Wakefield stepped into the rotation and pitched a hell of a game, holding the high powered Braves to 2 runs in 7 innings. Offensively the Sox got to Braves starter Kevin Millwood for 7 runs in just 4 innings. Nomar Garciaparra was a one man wrecking crew, launching 2 home runs and driving in more runs than the Braves as a team scored. It may have been a mediocre first half but the Sox beat the Braves 7-2 at Fenway Park.
Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first inning and Quilvio Veras took strike three to start. Andruw Jones popped up to first and Chipper Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. Millwood got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jose Offerman singled to left to start. Jeff Frye banged into a double play and Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.
Brian Jordan grounded out to third to start the top of the second and Andres Galarraga flied out to center. Wally Joyner singled to right but Javy Lopez took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra walked to start. Carl Everett popped up to second but Troy O'Leary singled to center. Morgan Burkhart walked to load the bases and Jason Varitek singled to left to score Garciaparra to give the Sox the lead. Ed Sprague Jr popped up to first in foul territory and Offerman flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.
The Braves tied the game instantly in the top of the third when Reggie Sanders hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld. Walt Weiss walked but Veras flied out to right. Andruw Jones flied out to left and Chipper Jones flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.
The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Frye flied out to left to start. Daubach popped up to third in foul territory but Nomar crushed his 11th home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Everett took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.
Jordan grounded out to short to begin the top of the fourth but Galarraga singled to center. Joyner banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as O'Leary flied out to left to start. Burkhart and Varitek stroked back to back singles but Sprague flied out to right. Offerman then tripled into the right field corner to score both runners. Frye popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.
The Braves fought back in the top of the fifth as Lopez singled to left to start. Sanders flied out to center but Lopez took second on a passed ball and moved to third on a grounder to first by Weiss. Veras singled to left to score Lopez then swiped second. Andruw Jones struck out swinging to end the inning with the Braves down 4-2.
The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Nomar then belted his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Everett singled to center to chase Millwood from the game. Bruce Chen came in to pitch and O'Leary flied out to left before Burkhart popped up to short. Varitek doubled off the Monster to score Everett but Sprague struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-2.
Wakefield cruised in the top of the sixth as Chipper Jones flied out to center to start. Jordan flied out to center and Galarraga flied out to left to end the inning. Offerman grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Frye grounded out to third. Daubach singled to right but Nomar grounded into a force to end the inning.
Wakefield returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Joyner flied out to right to start. Lopez singled to left but Sanders popped up to third. Weiss grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Wakefield who tossed 7 strong innings, allowing just 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game. Good work, Wakefield.
Jason Marquis came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Everett lined out to second to start. O'Leary grounded out to short but Burkhart singled to right. Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning.
Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Veras struck out swinging to start. Andruw Jones popped up to second and Chipper Jones flied out to left to end the inning. Sprague grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the eighth and Offerman grounded out to first. Frye singled to center but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.
Derek Lowe came in to close out the top of the ninth and Jordan grounded out to short to start. Galarraga struck out looking and Joyner grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-2.
Hero of the Night is Nomar Garciaparra. He hit 2 home runs and outscored the Braves offense by himself.
Hero Nomar
The Good:
Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.
Brian Daubach was 2 for 5 with a run scored.
Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.
Jason Varitek was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.
Tim Wakefield earned the win with 7 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and a walk.
Rich Garces tossed a scoreless eighth inning.
Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.
The Bad:
Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
The Ugly:
Jeff Frye was just 1 for 5.
Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.
Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4.
Final Thoughts:
That was a nice win to end the first half of a season that began with so much promise yet turned mediocre real quick. The Sox were in first place in May then fell flat on their face in June. They couldn't beat good teams like the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox or the Atlanta Braves. The Sox have a lot of work to do before the trade deadline to get some pitching help. The rotation after Pedro Martinez is in shambles so they need another starter badly. The trio of Garces, Lowe and Rheal Cormier have been solid but another lefty in the bullpen would be nice, if its not Tim Young then they should go get another. Bottom line is between injuries to Offerman, Troy O'Leary's personal problems, the erosion of Mike Stanley and the blown knee of John Valentin weakened the team and hopefully they can rebound from it in the second half. The win improved the Sox to 43-41, 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox return to action after the All-Star break this coming Thursday night against the New York Mets. Pedro Martinez comes off the Disabled List to make the start against Bobby Jones of the Mets this Thursday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment