Sox Outlast Angels in 11, Win 5th Straight (7/5/93)

Don't look now but the Boston Red Sox are red hot. They have won 11 out of 12 and just won their 5th straight game. Rookie Sox starter Aaron Sele and California Angels starter Russ Springer battled to a 1-1 tie through 8 innings. The Sox jumped on Springer for 2 runs in the top of the 9th but the Angels rallied off Sox closer Jeff Russell to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. A single by Bob Melvin and an rbi grounder by Billy Hatcher put the Sox ahead in the top of the 11th and Ken Ryan slammed the door in the bottom half of the frame to give the Sox their 5th straight win 4-3 over the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

                                                      Ice Cube approves of the win

Springer got the ball in the top of the first and Scott Fletcher walked to start the game. Billy Hatcher singled to right but Mike Greenwell banged into a double play to kill the rally. Andre Dawson grounded out to third to end the inning. Sele got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Polonia grounded out to second to start. Chad Curtis grounded out to first but Tim Salmon drew a walk. Chili Davis flied out to left to end the inning.

Mo Vaughn walked to start the top of the second and Bob Zupcic singled to left before both runners moved over on the grounder by Scott Cooper. Once again the rally ended as John Valentin grounded out to third and Tony Pena whiffed to end the inning. Sele whiffed Torey Lovullo to begin the bottom of the second but Greg Myers singled to left. JT Snow struck out swinging and Damion Easley grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Fletcher popped up to second to start. Hatcher singled to left and moved to second on the grounder by Greenwell. Hatcher moved to third on the wild pitch by Springer and Dawson singled him home to put Boston on top. Vaaughn went down hacking to end the inning but the Sox were in front 1-0.

                                                    Dawson puts the Sox on top

Sele kept pace in the bottom of the third as Gary Disarcina lined out to second to start. Polonia grounded out to short and Curtis grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a big rally in the top of the fourth although Zupcic popped up to third to start. Cooper and Valentin stroked back to back singles before Pena walked to load the bases. The rally ended as Fletcher popped up to center and Hatcher grounded into a force to end the inning. Sele struck out Salmon swinging to start the bottom of the fourth before Davis grounded out to short. Lovullo blooped a single over the head of Cooper before Myers whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Dawson grounded out to short and Vaughn whiffed to end the inning. Snow walked to begin the bottom of the fifth before swiping second. Easley grounded out to short, Disarcina popped up to third and Polonia grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Zupcic flied out to left to open the top of the sixth but Cooper singled to center. Valentin hit into a double play to end the inning. The Angels clawed back in the bottom of the sixth as Curtis walked to start. Curtis moved to second on the grounder by Salmon and to third on the grounder by Davis. Lovullo tied the game up with a base hit to right but Myers grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                  Thanks a lot Lovullo

The Sox blew ANOTHER rally in the top of the seventh as Pena walked to start only for Fletcher to hit into a double play. Hatcher doubled to left and Greenwell was intentionally walked leading to Dawson to fly out to right to end the inning. Sele cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Snow whiffed to start. Easley grounded out to short and Disarcina grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth as Vaughn flied out to left to start. Zupcic grounded out to short and Cooper popped up to short to end the inning. Sele had one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Polonia flied out to left to start. Curtis grounded out to short and Salmon struck out swinging to end the inning. The rookie in just his third big league start tossed 8 innings of 1 run ball. Too bad the offense couldn't cash in on their numerous attempts with men on base.

                                                      Outstanding start by Sele

Determined to win the game for Sele, the Sox sprang to life in the top of the ninth inning. Valentin doubled to start and Ernie Riles pinch hit for Pena. Not only did Valentin get thrown out at third on the force by Riles, Ernie was thrown out trying to steal to boot. Fletcher walked and stole second only for Hatcher of all people to clobber his 6th home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Greenwell singled in the hole at short but Dawson popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                       Hatcher puts Boston ahead

Sox manager Butch Hobson wasted no time and brought in Jeff Russell to close out the game with Bob Melvin behind the plate. Davis led off with a double but Lovullo flied out to left. Suddenly Myers singled to right to score Davis to cut the lead. Rod Correia pinch ran for Myers and made it to third on a single by Snow. Easley then hit a shot to Cooper to fired it to second for the out and over to first....SAFE! Easiley beat out the throw, Correia scored and the game was tied. That was Russell's first blown save all year to this point. The alert Melvin threw out Easley trying to steal to end the inning but the game was tied 3-3.

                                                       1st blown save for Russell

Steve Frey came in to pitch with Ron Tingley coming in to catch the top of the tenth inning. Vaughn flied out to center and Zupcic popped up to first, but Cooper drew a walk. Valentin flied out to center to end the inning. Tony Fossas came in to pitch the bottom of the 10th and Disarcina grounded out to second to start. Stan Javier pinch hit for Poloinia and grounded out to third. Sox manager Butch Hobson stumbled out of the dugout and tried to take the ball from Scott Fletcher before being directed to the mound. Ken Ryan (2-0, 3.24 ERA) came in to pitch to Curtis and got him to line out to center to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the eleventh with Gene Nelson now on the mound. Melvin got the rally started with a base hit to right before being sacrificed to third by Fletcher. Hatcher hit a fly ball to right but Melvin made a mad dash home to give the Sox the lead. Greenwell walked but Dawson flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                     Melvin puts the Sox ahead with his run scored

Ryan returned for the bottom of the eleventh to close the game out. Salmon grounded out to short before Davis whiffed. Lovullo popped up to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-3 in 11 innings.

Hero of the Night is Bob Melvin. He scored the winning run in the top of the eleventh inning and threw out Easley in the bottom of the ninth.

                                                           Melvin the Hero


The Good:

Billy Hatcher was 4 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 4 with a walk.

John Valentin was 2 for 5.

Tony Pena walked twice in 3 plate appearances.

Aaron Sele was outstanding. He allowed just 1 run on 3 hits in 8 innings of work.

Tony Fossas got the first two outs of the bottom of the 10th.

Ken Ryan earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Ernie Riles was 0 for 1 at the plate and was thrown out trying to steal.

Jeff Russell blew his first save of the year by allowing 2 runs in the ninth inning.



The Ugly:

Scott Fletcher was 0 for 3 but walked twice, stole a base and scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but walked twice.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 4 but walked.

Bob Zupcic was just 1 for 5.




Final Thoughts:

The Sox looked dead in their graves two weeks ago but have clawed their way back to respectability in the last two weeks. The 7 game win streak was fun but this 5 game win streak has to have them thinking about possible playoffs. Aaron Sele is having a 1981 Fernando Valenzuela start to his career and its impossible for him to keep this pace up, but if he were to pitch halfway decent, playoffs isn't a dirty word. The Sox are only 5 games back of the Blue Jays with 2 months left of baseball left to be played. If the Sox can keep up this momentum they very well could be standing tall at the end of September. The win improved the Sox to 42-39, 5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it 6 in a row when they send the rejuvenated Danny Darwin (7-7, 3.24 ERA) to the mound opposite Angels ace Chuck Finley at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Dopson Dazzles Angels (4/30/93)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Scott Fletcher was removed from the Disabled List and nobody has a damn clue who got put on it. Fletcher gives the Sox some speed and on base percentage to an offense that's struggled in his absence.

                                                                 IN

As for the game, this has been an up and down month for not only the Boston Red Sox but for John Dopson (2-1, 3.26 ERA) as well. After pitching one of the best games of his life on Patriots Day, he looked awful in his next start. In tonight's game against the California Angels, Dopson recaptured the magic of Patriots day to shut down the Angels for over 7 innings. He allowed just 1 run before Paul Quantrill slammed the door. John Valentin broke out of his slump with two big home runs and 5 total rbis as the Sox ended the month of April on a positive note with a 6-1 win at Fenway Park.

                                                  Detective John Munch approves of the win

Dopson began his outing by getting Luis Polonia to ground out to second to begin the top of the first. Chad Curtis drew a walk but JT Snow flied out to center. Chili Davis grounded back to the mound to end the inning. John Farrell got the start for California and Fletcher grounded out to third to start. Billy Hatcher popped up to first but Mike Greenwell drew a walk. Andre Dawson popped up to short to end the inning.

Dopson got the Angels to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second inning and Tim Salmon grounded out to third to start. Rene Gonzales grounded out to second and Damion Easley grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Mo Vaughn led off with a double. Mo moved to third on the Carlos Quintana grounder and scored on the Scott Cooper single. Bob Melvin flied out to center and John Valentin iced the game with a 2 run bomb into the screen in left. Fletcher grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                              Cooper knocks in a run

Dopson cruised in the top of the third inning as Greg Myers grounded back to the mound to begin. Gary DiSarcina flied out to right and Polonia singled but was thrown out at second trying to stretch to end the inning. Farrell matched Dopson in the bottom of the third as Hatcher popped up to first to start. Greenwell flied out to center and Dawson grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Curtis flied out to center to open the top of the fourth before Snow flied out to right. Davis took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Vaughn took strike three to start. Quintana and Cooper took back to back walks but Melvin flied out to center. Suddenly Valentin crushed another home run into the screen, this time a 3 run dinger to light the crowd up. Fletcher grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                       Breaking out of his slump

More than enough cushion for Dopson who cruised in the top of the fifth inning. Salmon took strike three, Gonzales grounded out to third and Easley also grounded out to third to end the inning. Ken Patterson took over for Farrell in the bottom of the fifth and Hatcher grounded out to first to begin. Greenwell lashed a base hit to left but Dawson whiffed. Vaughn doubled Greenwell to third but Quintana grounded out to second to end the inning.

Dopson dominated the top of the sixth as Myers grounded out to second to start. DiSarcina took strike three and Polonia flied out to right to end the inning. Chuck Crim came in for the bottom of the sixth and Cooper lined out to second to begin. Melvin took strike three but Valentin walked...only to get picked off to end the inning.

Dopson continued to pitch well in the top of the seventh as Curtis grounded out to third to start. Snow grounded out to first and Davis flied out to right to end the inning. Fletcher singled to open the bottom of the seventh and Luis Rivera pinch ran for him. Hatcher banged into a double play and Greenwell flied out to left to end the inning.

The Angels finally got on the board against a tiring Dopson in the top of the eighth although Salmon popped up to second to start. Dopson had retired 13 in a row before Gonzales singled to left. Easley doubled home Gonzales to break up the shutout and Myers walked to chase Dopson. John ran out of gas but pitched well for 7 1/3 innings, allowing just the 1 run. Paul Quantrill replaced him and Gary Gaetti pinch hit for DiSarcina. Gaetti flied out to center to move Easley to third but Cooper swiped a line drive off the bat of Polonia to end the inning with the Angels down 6-1.

                                                     Excellent effort by Dopson

Gene Nelson came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Dawson hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Vaughn walked but Quintana lined out to center. Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning.

Quantrill stayed in to finish the job in the top of the ninth inning with Bob Zupcic taking over in right field for Dawson. Curtis popped up to short before Snow went down swinging. Davis and Salmon drew back to back walks but Gonzales grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-1.

Hero of the Night is John Valentin. His two home runs outscored the Angels entire offense, driving in 5 runs by himself.

                                                           Valentin the Hero



The Good:

Mike Greenwell was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Mo Vaughn was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Scott Cooper was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

John Dopson earned the win with 7 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and struck out 3.

Paul Quantrill tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Bob Melvin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Scott Fletcher was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Luis Rivera pinch ran for Scott Fletcher and played second base.

Bob Zupcic played right field in the top of the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

The month has been a doozy but the Sox are heading into May on a high note. Being over .500 is better than being under .500 and hopefully the Sox can keep up the momentum moving forward. Frank Viola had a heck of a month and Dopson appears to be healthy. John pitched almost as well tonight as he did Patriots Day and if it wasn't for Danny Darwin, the Sox would be in first place now. Getting Fletcher back helps and if Valentin can break out of his slump, good things are coming in the future. The win improved the Sox to 13-9 as the month ends. The Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Angels with Roger Clemens (3-1) going up against Scott Sanderson in a rematch of last week. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Viola Dazzles A's, Sox Win (4/28/93)

One of the biggest criticisms of Roger Clemens over the years was he was never able to beat the aces of  the Oakland A's such as Dave Stewart or Bob Welch. Say hello to Frank Viola (4-1, 1.47 ERA) Boston Red Sox fans. Bob was tough, allowing 3 runs in nearly 8 innings of work but Viola was able to outpitch him. Frank tossed 7 1/3 innings of 1 run ball before Jeff Russell slammed the door for the Sox. A home run by Mo Vaughn and rbis from Mike Greenwell and Bob Melvin were all Viola needed as the Sox downed the A's 3-1 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                        Adam Oates approves of the win

Welch cruised in the top of the first inning as Billy Hatcher popped up to second to start. Carlos Quintana grounded out to short and Mike Greenwell grounded out to first to end the inning. Rickey Henderson flied out to left to open the bottom of the first before Lance Blankenship flied out to right. Ruben Sierra drew a walk but Kevin Seitzer grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning although Andre Dawson flied out to left to start. Mo Vaughn cracked his fourth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Bob Melvin and Scott Cooper stroked back to back singles but the struggling John Valentin banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                          Vaughn hits one out

Viola struck out Mark McGwire to open the bottom of the second before Dave Henderson whiffed. Terry Steinbach walked but Mike Bordick popped up to third to end the inning.

Luis Rivera popped up to first to begin the top of the third before Hatcher grounded out to third. Quintana flied out to center to end the inning. Eric Fox walked to begin the bottom of the third but Rickey Henderson took strike three. Blankenship was rung up for strike three and the alert Melvin gunned down Fox trying to steal to end the inning.

Welch cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Greenwell grounded out to third to start. Dawson grounded out to short and Vaughn flied out to left to end the inning. Sierra grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth before Seitzer popped up to second. McGwire popped up to second as well to end the inning.

Melvin grounded out to second to begin the top of the fifth but Cooper and Valentin stroked back to back singles. Rivera hit into a double play to end the inning. Dave Henderson flied out to right to begin the bottom of the fifth before Steinbach grounded out to third. Bordick doubled to left to break up the no-hitter but Fox lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the sixth inning as Hatcher grounded out to second to start. Quintana and Greenwell stroked back to back base hits and Dawson was plunked to load the bases. The rally ended as Vaughn whiffed and Melvin grounded into a force to end the inning. Viola kept up the pace in the bottom of the sixth inning as Rickey Henderson flied out to left to start. Blankenship flied out to center but Sierra singled to left. Seitzer walked but McGwire lined out to third to end the inning.

Welch cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Cooper watched strike three go by to begin. Valentin grounded out to short and Rivera flied out to center to end the inning. Viola got the A's to air mail everything in the bottom of the seventh. Dave Henderson flied out to right, Steinbach flied out to center and Bordick flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the eighth as Hatcher got a base hit to left to start. Quintana singled Hatcher to third and Bob Zupcic pinch ran for Quintana. Greenwell beat out a double play ball to score Hatcher with another run. Dawson flied out to right but Vaughn drew a walk. Melvin knocked in a big run with a base hit to left to score Greenwell. That was it for Welch as Mike Mohler came in to strike out Cooper to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                Melvin drives in a run

It was the A's turn to come back in the bottom of the eighth although Fox flied out to center to begin. Rickey Henderson singled to right and all of a sudden Sox manager Butch Hobson sprinted out of the dugout to take out Viola. Frank outpitched Bob Welch by going 7 1/3 innings while being charged with a run. Even though Jeff Russell was warming up, Hobson brought in Greg Harris out of nowhere to face pinch hitter Dale Sveum (for Blankenship). Naturally Sveum singled Henderson to third and Hobson tripped coming out of the dugout to finally bring in Russell. Sierra scored Henderson with a sac fly to break up the shutout but Seitzer grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                        Tremendous effort by Viola

Ed Nunez came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Valentin popped up to second to start. Rivera drew a walk but was thrown out trying to steal second. Hatcher flied out to center to end the inning. Russell came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and McGwire popped up to first to start. Dave Henderon lined out to second and Steinbach whiffed to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-1.

Hero of the Night is Frank Viola. He earned his 4th win of the month by tossing 7 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He walked 4 but allowed just three hits.

                                                   Viola is the Hero



The Good:

Carlos Quintana was 2 for 4.

Mo Vaughn was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Bob Melvin was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 4.

Jeff Russell earned his 4th save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Greg Harris gave up a hit to the only guy he faced.



The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and scored.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

John Valentin was just 1 for 4.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 3 but walked.



Honorable Mention:

Bob Zupcic pinch ran for Quintana and played right the final two innings.




Final Thoughts:

Big win by the Sox who historically couldn't match the A's pitching when they were at their best. Even in the last few years its been tough to beat the A's in pitchers duels but Viola stepped up big time. If Viola can keep up this pace, he could be up there with Roger Clemens in terms of wins this season. Viola didn't pitch bad last year and all the Sox need are a few bats in key spots. Valentin is going to be a stud someday, he just needs time to figure it out. The guy the Sox are missing the most is Phil Plantier, they could have kept him instead of signing Ivan Calderon or Andre Dawson. Tony Pena appears heading to the end of the line and the Sox would be wise to draft and develop a catcher. Still, this is all future stuff and for now the Sox were able to outpitch the Oakland A's. After another off day, the Sox are back in action Friday night at home against the California Angels. John Dopson (1-1) looks to recapture the magic he had on Patriots day when he takes on John Farrell at 7:40 PM at Fenway Park.

Angels Sweep Sox, Sanderson Beats Clemens (4/25/93)

It took almost a month but the horrendous Boston Red Sox offense that plagued the team last season has joined us in 1993. The Sox have dropped their 5th game in a row, four of which they have scored one run or less. Tonight it was the immortal Scott Sanderon of the California Angels that stymied the punchless offense. Roger Clemens (3-1, 1.64) went the distance and allowed just 2 runs, but the impotent Boston bats managed just one run as the Angels completed the sweep 2-1 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                               "Clemens LOST?"

Sanderson began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Billy Hatcher struck out swinging on a big slow curve to start. Ernie Riles stuck out swinging on a high fastball before Mike Greenwell popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Polonia grounded out to second to start. Chad Curtis singled up the middle but was picked off by the alert Clemens. Clemens blew away JT Snow to end the inning.

                                                     YERRRRRR OUT!

Andre Dawson led off the top of the second by grounding out to first to begin. Mo Vaughn hit a home run last night for a young boy in Boston fighting cancer and lined a base hit off the glove of Torey Lovullo here. Ivan Calderon just missed bunting for a hit before he popped up to center. Scott Cooper took a curveball for strike three to end the inning. Chili Davis led off the bottom of the second by grounding out to second to begin before Tim Salmon was rung up for strike three on a check swing. Rene Gonzalez' mother is fighting cancer and Rene doubled down the right field line in a nice tribute. Torey Lovullo popped up to left to end the inning.

John Valentin led off the top of the third inning by grounding out to short to start. Tony Pena as rung up for strike three and Billy Hatcher went down swinging to end the inning. Malden's own Gary DiSarcina changed his number to 33 in the off-season after Larry Bird retired and he started the bottom of the third by grounding out to second. ESPN showed the last time Roger Clemens lost to the Angels was four years earlier as John Orton took strike three. Polonia hit a bullet but right to Cooper to en the inning.

Riles led off the top of the fourth by popping up to Salmon in foul territory to begin. ESPN said Greenwell has lost 17 pounds since last year now that his ankle has healed for the first time since 1989 and he popped up to Polonia in foul territory. Greenwell had a few expletives to say to Scott in the dugout as Dawson foul tipped into the glove for strike three to end the inning.

                            "F(censored) middle of the plate ya f(censored) pu(censored)!!"

Clemens stayed tough in the bottom of the fourth as he blew away Curtis on a high fastball to start. Snow blooped a liner to Valentin and Hatcher ran down a Davis liner to center to end the inning.

Vaughn lined out to left to start the top of the fifth before Calderon grounded out to short. Cooper was rung up for strike three to end the inning and he couldn't believe it.

                                                   "That wasn't a (expletive) strike!" - Cooper

The Angels struck first in the bottom of the fifth although Salmon led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Calderon ran down a Gonzalez liner but Lovullo pounded a home run just out of reach of Hatcher in center to give the Angels the lead. That was Lovullo's first home run since 1989 and DiSarcina watched strike three go by to end the inning but the Angels were up 1-0.

                                               Lovullo goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Valentin flied out to right to start before Pena was rung up for strike three. Hatcher stretched a base hit to left into a double to put the tying run at second but Riles popped up to first to end the inning. Orton led off the bottom of the sixth by grounding out to short to start. Polonia lined a foul ball off his face but heroically stayed in the game. Polonia whiffed and Curtis flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Greenwell got his revenge on Sanderson by ripping a base hit to center to start. Dawson poked a curveball down and away into left for a single and Vaughn lashed a double past Snow to score Greenwell to tie the game. The Sox blew the rally and the game really as Calderon grounded right back to the mound and Cooper was intentionally walked to load the bases but bring up the 1 for 16 Valentin. Naturally Valentin popped up to right. Carlos Quintana pinch hit for Pena begging the question why he  didn't pinch hit for Valentin? Salmon made a great diving catch to rob Quintana of a hit to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 1-1.

                                             Vaughn doubles in the only run the Sox scored

Bob Melvin took over behind the plate as the Angels took command in the bottom of the seventh. Snow flied out to left and Clemens got Davis on a split fingered fastball. Salmon then decided the game when he blasted a home run just over the left field wall to give the Angels the lead. Clemens recovered to punch out Gonzalez to end the inning but the Angels were up 2-1.

                                                          Salmon goes yard

Joe Grahe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hatcher grounded out to third to start. Riles whiffed and Greenwell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Clemens came back to finish his game in the bottom of the eighth as Lovullo whiffed to start. DiSarcina popped up to right and Orton lined out to short to end the inning. Clemens ended up pitching a complete game allowing just the 2 runs while striking out 9.

                                              A rare occasion when Clemens loses a duel

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the ninth although Dawson waived at a pitch in the dirt to start. Vaughn lined a base hit to right before Calderon inside outed a base hit to right. Cooper then blooped a single to left and Vaughn gunned it for home.....OUT! Can't blame third base coach Rick Burleson for sending Vaughn with Valentin slumping and Orton made a hell of a tag after a heck of a throw by Polonia. The over-zealous Valentin grounded into a force on the first pitch to end the game. The Angels squeaked by the Red Sox with a damn near flawless defensive game to win 2-1.

                                                    Dammit


Jackass of The Night is John Valentin. He failed with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and with two men on in the top of the ninth.

                                                     Johnny The Jackass


The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Scott Cooper was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Roger Clemens was the hard luck loser but hardly pitched like one. He tossed a complete game allowing just the two home runs while striking out 9.



The Bad:

Ernie Riles was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Tony Pena was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Quintana lined out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but scored the only run.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ivan Calderon was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Bob Melvin caught the last two innings.




Final Thoughts:

Well that game was a kick in the ass. Clemens made just two mistakes all game and it ended up being the difference in the game. Valentin failing with the bases loaded, Vaughn getting thrown out at home in the ninth and Valentin failing again with two men on. The offensive woes that plagued the Sox last year reared its ugly head this week. This is Boston's 5th loss in a row and they only scored 1 run or less in four of the games. They can't get Scott Fletcher back fast enough the way this team is hitting lately. As if losing Fletcher wasn't bad enough, Andre Dawson had his knee drained directly after the game. Its been bothering him since he hobbled around the bases in Kansas City and he may miss time because of it. Things aren't looking good after they got swept by the Angels and now the Sox travel to Oakland to face the A's Tuesday night. Danny Darwin (0-3) goes for the Sox up against Bobby Witt at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Oakland County Coliseum.

Angels Top Sox, Streak at 4 (4/24/93)

It was a bad day for Boston sports. The Buffalo Sabres swept the Boston Bruins out of their first round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox lost to the California Angels. The Boston Red Sox offense came alive for the first time in four days in tonight's gam against the Angels. The Sox pounded out five runs on three home runs....the bad news is the pitching failed big time. The Angels bashed John Dopson and two relievers for 8 runs off 10 hits. The Sox also committed two errors in the field which led to them dropping their fourth game in a row. The stench of 1992 finally found them in 1993 as the Angels took the game 8-5 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                              "I hate 4 game losing streaks"

Scott Lewis got the Sox for the Angels in the top of the first inning and Bob Zupcic grounded out to third to start. Carlos Quintana flied out to right and Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Dopson got Luis Polonia to ground out to second to begin the bottom of the first before. Chad Curtis grounded out to short. JT Snow singled to left and took second on a passed ball but Chili Davis took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox ran themselves out of a rally in the top of the second inning as Andre Dawson singled to left to start. Mo Vaughn whiffed but Scott Cooper singled Andre to third. John Valentin hit a fly ball to center and Dawson gunned it home. The throw was late but Cooper inexplicably waited until Dawson was safe to try for second and he was thrown out at second to end the inning. The Sox still led 1-0 despite Cooper's foolishness.

                                    "Hey Cooper...yeah you...your baserunning sucks!"

Dopson cruised in the bottom of the second as Tim Salmon took strike three to start. Greg Myers fanned and Rene Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ernie Riles popped up to third to start the top of the third inning before Tony Pena grounded out to short. Zupcic popped up to third to end the inning. Torey Lovullo watched strike three go by to begin the bottom of the third inning before Gary DiSarcina was frozen for strike three. Polonia lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth inning although Quintana grounded out to third to start. Greenwell cracked his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Dawson hit one up the elevator shaft and Vaughn grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                           Greenwell hits one out

Dopson promptly pissed the lead away in the bottom of the fourth inning as Curtis doubled to right to begin. Snow grounded out to first but Davis hit a seeing eye singled to score Curtis. Salmon hit a ground rule double and Davis scored on the Myers ground out. Gonzalez whiffed to end the inning but the Angels tied it 2-2.

The Sox re-took the lead in the top of the fifth inning as Cooper doubled to right to start. Valentin sacrificed Scott to third and he scored on the Riles fly ball to give the Sox the lead back. Pena lined out to second to end the inning but it was 3-2 Sox.

                                                          Riles drives a run

Dopson got in trouble in the bottom of the fifth inning although Lovullo grounded out to second to start. DiSarcina singled before Polonia walked. Gary was thrown out at third trying to steal although Polonia took second. Curtis whiffed to end the inning.

Chuck Crim came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Zupcic popped up to second to start. Quintana grounded out to short and Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Dopson returned for the bottom of the sixth inning and Snow tripled into the left field corner to start. Sox manager Butch Hobson jolted awake from his nap, stumbled out of the dugout and brought in Scott Bankhead to pitch ice cold out of the bullpen. Dopson was game but was knocked out after 5 innings of 3 run ball.

                                                      Absolutely average start by Dopson

Scott Bankhead poured gas on the fire by allowing an rbi single to Davis to tie the game. Salmon walked and Myers sacrificed the runners over. Gonzalez lined out to right but Salmon scored to give California the lead. Lovullo was intentionally walked but DiSarcina walked to load the bases. Sox manager Butch Hobson ran out of the dugout and all the way to the bullpen to tell Ken Ryan to go pitch. When Ryan got to the mound, Polonia lashed a base hit to left and Salmon scored easily but Lovullo was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Angels ahead 5-3.

                                                            YERRRRRR OUT!

Crim retired Dawson to open the top of the seventh before Ken Patterson came in to pitch to Vaughn. The move backfired as Vaughn crushed a solo blast to cut the lead. Cooper walked to put the tying run on but Julio Valera came in to pitch. Valentin and Riles both lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox were down 5-4.

                                                           Vaughn hits one out

The Angels iced the game in the bottom of the seventh although Curtis grounded out to second to start. Snow walked and Davis singled before Salmon doubled them home. Salmon tried to third and Valentin heaved the ball into the dugout for an error to give Salmon an unofficial inside the park home run. Myers grounded out to second and Gonzales grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Angels had blown it open 8-4.

                                                                  Nice throw John

Ivan Calderon pinch hit for Pena to open the top of the eighth and he drew a walk. Zupcic flied out to left but Calderon was forced at second by Quintana. Greenwell whiffed to end the inning. Bob Melvin took over behind the plate in the bottom of the eighth and Lovullo flied out to center to begin. DiSarcina hit a routine grounder to Cooper and Scott threw his glove at the ball, dove on it and wrestled with it for an error. Polonia forced DiSarcina at second and was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Melvin to end the inning.

The Sox refused to go quietly in the top of the ninth as Dawson singled to start, but was erased on the Vaughn double play. That proved to be huge as Cooper cracked his second home run of the year to cut the lead. Valentin flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had lost it 8-5.

Jackass of the Night is Ken Ryan. He allowed an inherited runner to score and 3 of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Nice relief, Jackass



The Good:

Andre Dawson was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Scott Cooper was 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a home run.

Ivan Calderon walked as a pinch hitter.



The Bad:

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 4.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 4.

Tony Pena was 0 for 2 with a passed ball.

John Dopson was knocked out in the sixth inning after allowing 3 runs in just 5 innings.

Scott Bankhead was charged with 2 runs and allowed an inherited run to score in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Mo Vaughn was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

John Valentin was 0 for 2 with an error but drove in a run.

Ernie Riles was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.



Honorable Mention:

Bob Melvin caught the bottom of the eighth




Final Thoughts:

Figures, the Sox offense finally scores a bunch of runs but the pitching fails them. Dopson couldn't match his Patriots Day gem but the bullpen didn't help either. I don't know what Hobson was thinking bringing in Ken Ryan instead of Paul Quantrill or Greg Harris but it cost them big time. Still, maybe the Sox offense will pick up from here and they'll be fine moving forward. Tomorrow night the Sox and Angels will be on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. In a nationally televised contest, Scott Sanderson of the Angels goes up against Roger Clemens (3-0) of the Sox at 8:05 PM Eastern Time at Anaheim Stadium.

Sox Blanked By Mariners (4/21/93)

All good things must come to an end and the Boston Red Sox 4 game winning streak was snapped by the Seattle Mariners. The big lefty Randy Johnson tossed a complete game 4 hit shutout while Danny Darwin (0-3, 7.36 ERA) continued to suck hard, getting knocked out in the fifth inning. The bullpen did the best it could but nothing was stopping Johnson as the Mariners shut the Sox out 5-0 at the Kingdome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Johnson began his dominance in the top of the first as Bob Zupcic popped up to first to start. Carlos Quintana singled to center but Mike Greenwell whiffed. Andre Dawson grounded into a force to end the inning. The Mariners wasted no time scoring against Darwin in the bottom of the first as Omar Vizquel singled to short to begin. Mike Felder flied out to right but Vizquel swiped second on the Ken Griffey Jr strikeout. Pete O'Brien singled home Vizquel but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.

                                                             1-0 Mariners

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Ivan Calderon grounded out to short to start. John Valentin popped up to second and Scott Cooper grounded out to short to end the inning. Jay Buhner singled to right to open the bottom of the second before moving to second on the Tino Martinez grounder. Dave Valle popped up to short before Fernando Vina grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bob Melvin grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third but Luis Rivera drew a walk. Zupcic banged into a double play to end the inning. The Mariners iced it in the bottom of the third as Rich Amaral singled to right to begin. Vizquel flied out to right but Amaral swiped second. Felder popped up to first but Griffey Jr launched a 407,000 foot bomb to ice the game. O'Brien flied out to left to end the inning but it was 3-0 Mariners.

                                                      Griffey Jr is something else

Quintana was frozen for strike three to start the top of the fourth before Greenwell whiffed. Dawson flied out to right to end the inning. Buhner flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Martinez lined out to center. Valle walked and Vina singled to center, but Amaral lined out to right to end the inning.

Calderon swung at air to open the top of the fifth before Valentin flied out to right. Cooper flied out to center to end the inning. The Mariners finally knocked out Darwin in the bottom of the fifth. Vizquel flied out to center and Felder popped up to third, but Griffey Jr smashed yet another home run to increase the lead. Sox manager Butch Hobson tripped and fell coming out of the dugout to remove Darwin. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings while allowing 4 runs. Scott Bankhead came in and got O'Brien to ground out to second to end the inning with the Mariners up 4-0.

                                                           Terrible start by Darwin

Melvin tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but Rivera flied out to center. Zupcic flied out to right and Quintana fanned to end the inning. The Mariners wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Buhner singled to start. Martinez singled Buhner to third and Jay scored on the double play by Valle. Vina flied out to right to end the inning but the Mariners were up 5-0.

                                                             Terrible relief by Bankhead

Johnson turned up the heat in the top of the seventh by punching out both Greenwell and Dawson to start. Calderon singled to center but Valentin flied out to center to end the inning. Ken Ryan came in for the bottom of the seventh and froze Amaral for strike three to start. Vizquel popped up to third but Felder singled to left. Hobson woke up from his nap and ran to the mound to get Ryan out of there, bringing in Tony Fossas ice cold out of the bullpen. Fossas got Griffey Jr to line out to right to end the inning.

Billy Hatcher pinch hit for Cooper to start the top of the eight but grounded out to short. Melvin grounded out to third but Rivera doubled to center. Zupcic popped up to second to end the inning. Ernie Riles took over at third with Henry Cotto pinch hitting for O'Brien to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Fossas struck out Cotto before Buhner grounded out to first. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                       Good work Fossas

Johnson finished his masterpiece in the top of the ninth as Quintana took strike three to start. Greenwell popped up to third and Dawson grounded out to third to end the game. Johnson tossed a complete game 4 hit shoutout to defeat the Sox 5-0.

                                                  Gotta tip your hat to Johnson


Jackass of the Night is Danny Darwin. Not that the Sox offense had a chance in hell to hit Johnson, but Darwin didn't help by getting knocked around for 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings to fall to 0-3 on the season.

                                                      Darwin Jackass


The Good:

Ivan Calderon was 1 for 3.

Bob Melvin was 1 for 3.

Luis Rivera was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Ken Ryan got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Tony Fossas tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 2.

Billy Hatcher flied out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Carlos Quintana was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Scott Bankhead allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.



Honorable Mention:

Ernie Riles played third base in the bottom of the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

Not much you can do when Johnson is that tough. He was on tonight and the Sox lineup without Mo Vaughn and Scott Fletcher didn't do much. Its only one loss but that was a bad effort offensively and by Danny Darwin. He underperformed the last two seasons and now he's 0-3 to start the season. If he doesn't turn it around the Sox should send him packing like they did Jack Clark. The Sox are back in action tomorrow night as Joe Hesketh (2-0) gets the start for the Sox up against Chris Bosio of the Mariners at 10:05 PM Eastern Time at the Kingdome.