Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Jeff Fassero was removed from the Disabled List to start tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins. Mike Stanley has been placed on the Disabled List with a strained right shoulder to make room for Fassero. Stanley was the odd man out with Bernard Gilkey and Morgan Burkhart getting it done recently.
As for the game, thank goodness for the Minnesota Twins. After the Red Sox fell out of first place amidst a June swoon, the Red Sox laid waste to the bungholes of the Twins for 11 runs on Monday, 14 runs last night and another 11 runs tonight. Jeff Fassero got knocked out in the second inning in his first game back off the Disabled List after allowing 4 runs. John Wasdin (1-3, 5.26 ERA) pitched his best relief game of the season by holding the Twins scoreless with 4 1/3 clutch innings. The Sox bats pounced on Minnesota starter Mark Redman with all nine batters getting at least one hit. Jeff Frye and Scott Hatteberg hit long balls while the Sox pounded out 12 total hits. Things got hairy at the end when Rich Garces and Tim Young couldn't get it done, but Derek Lowe earned his 19th save by slamming the door in the ninth. The Sox scored 36 runs in the last 3 games and beat the Twins 11-8 tonight at the Metrodome.
The Sox wasted no time getting to Redman in the top of the first inning as Jose Offerman led off with a ground out to short. Jeff Frye singled to center and Carl Everett walked. Both runners moved over on the Nomar Garciaparra grounder to short and Morgan Burkhart came through with a base hit to center to score both of them. Troy O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.
Fassero got the ball in the bottom of the first and clearly didn't have it. Christian Guzman doubled to left to start before Denny Hocking walked. Matt Lawton singled home Guzman and Ron Comer singled home Hocking to tie the game. Fassero recovered to get Butch Huskey and Corey Koskie to look at strike three before Chad Moeller flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Bernard Gilkey walked to begin the top of the second but Ed Sprague Jr struck out swinging. Scott Hatteberg banged into a double play to end the inning. The Twins knocked out Fassero in the bottom of the second as Jay Canizaro singled to right to start. Jason Maxwell walked but Guzman struck out swinging. Hocking flied out to left but Lawton doubled home both men to chase Fassero. The lefty looked rusty in his first game off the Disabled List allowing 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings. John Wasdin came in and Coomer grounded out to third to end the inning with the Twins ahead 4-1.
The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Offerman singled to right to start. Frye smashed his first home run of the season to cut the lead and Everett walked. Nomar doubled to left to score Everett and chase Redman from the game. LaTroy Hawkins poured gas on the fire as Burkhart walked, but O'Leary took strike three. Gilkey struck out swinging but Sprague singled home Nomar to give the Sox the lead. Hatteberg then clobbered his fourth home run of the season to ice the game. Offerman walked and took second on a wild pitch, but Frye grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.
Wasdin cruised in the bottom of the third as Huskey flied out to left to start. Koskie grounded out to second and Moeller flied out to right to end the inning.
Everett flied out to left to begin the top of the fourth before Nomar grounded out to short. Burkhart was hit with a pitch but O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning. Canizaro struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth and Jacque Jones pinch hit for Maxwell. Jones popped up to short and Guzman flied out to left to end the inning.
Gilkey flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Sprague grounded out to short. Hatteberg grounded out to first to end the inning. Wasdin cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Hocking took strike three to start. Lawton grounded back to the mound and Coomer flied out to right to end the inning.
Travis Miller came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Offerman grounded out to short to start. Frye also grounded out to short but Everett doubled to left. Nomar was intentionally walked but Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. Huskey doubled to right to begin the bottom of the sixth but Koskie popped up to short. Moeller grounded out to third and Canizaro also grounded out to third to end the inning.
The Sox tacked it on in the top of the seventh as O'Leary singled to right to start. Gilkey singled to left and Sprague doubled home both runners to increase the lead. Hatteberg grounded out to second to move Sprague to third but Offerman took strike three. Frye struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-4.
Rich Garces came in for the bottom of the seventh and Jones grounded back to the mound to begin. Guzman grounded out to first and Hocking flied out to center to end the inning.
Mike Lincoln came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Everett grounded out to first to start. Nomar doubled to left but Burkhart struck out swinging. O'Leary was plunked but Gilkey grounded out to third to end the inning. Garces cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Lawton grounded out to short to begin. Coomer flied out to right and Huskey took strike three to end the inning.
Sprague grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth and Hatteberg grounded out to first. Offerman flied out to left to end the inning. For some reason Sox manager Jimy Williams sent Garces back out for the bottom of the ninth and he ran out of gas. Koskie walked and Moeller singled to left to set the stage for David Ortiz. Ortiz pinch hit for Canizaro and smashed a 3 run home run to Neptune to cut the lead. Lefty Tim Young was brought in to face Jones and Jacque hit a home run all the way to Wisconsin to cut the lead. Williams then brought in closer Derek Lowe who got Guzman to ground out to first. Hocking singled to right and took second on defensive indifference, but Lawton took strike three. Coomer watched strike three go by to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-8.
Hero of the Night is Ed Sprague Jr. His rbi base hit in the third put the Sox ahead and his 2 run double was much needed insurance later.
Hero Sprague
The Good:
Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.
Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.
Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.
Morgan Burkhart was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, 2 rbis and a run scored.
John Wasdin tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings.
Derek Lowe earned his 19th save with a scoreless ninth.
The Bad:
Jeff Fassero allowed 4 runs in just 1 2/3 innings.
Rich Garces allowed 3 runs in 2 plus innings.
Tim Young allowed a home run to the only man he faced.
The Ugly:
Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.
Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and scored a run.
Bernard Gilkey was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.
Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.
Final Thoughts:
So far so good for the new look Red Sox. After the June swoon, the Sox seem to be back in shape with the additions of Morgan Burkhart, Bernard Gilkey and the returning O'Leary. If Brian Daubach is your bat off the bench, you know you're in good shape. The Sox beat around the Twins but the key to the game was Wasdin. He's been batting practice much of the season but he and Garces combined for 6 1/3 shutout innings after Fassero got rocked. I don't know what Jimy Williams was thinking trying to stretch Garces for another inning when he had Tim Young and Rheal Cormier perfectly capable of mopping up the ninth. As it was, it turned into a save situation for Lowe and now they had to use all these guys before tomorrow night's game. The Sox will worry about tomorrow night when it happens. For now, its the role players like Sprague, Hatteberg, etc that deserve to enjoy the win. The win improved the Sox to 41-39, 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Twins tomorrow evening when they send rookie Paxton Crawford (0-1, 3.38 ERA) against Brad Radke of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:05 PM at the Metrodome.
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