Kim, Sox Blank Rays in Game 1 (4/29/04)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Byung-Hun Kim was activated from the Disabled List and Phil Seibel was optioned to Pawtucket so Kim could make the start today in Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Now its going to be Kim vs Bronson Arroyo as who's going to be the fifth starter going forward.

                                                                          OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, welcome back Byung-Hun Kim (1-0, 0.00 ERA) who made his return from the Disabled List to make the start in Game 1 in today's double header against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Kim tossed 5 shutout innings to earn the win while the Boston bats did just enough against Victor Zambrano. David Ortiz hit a two run shot in the bottom of the fifth and Mark Bellhorn added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.  In the bottom of the seventh, David McCarty was hit with a pitch with the bases loaded to score a run and the Sox bullpen held the fort. The Sox took Game 1 of the doubleheader 4-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                       Imogen Boorman approves of the win

Kim got the ball in the top of the first inning and immediately Brian Daubach booted a grounder by Carl Crawford for an error. Crawford stole second but Rocco Baldelli flied out to center. Robert Fick also flied out to center but a wild pitch moved Crawford to third. Aubrey Huff flied out to right to end the inning. Zambrano got the ball in the bottom of the first and Johnny Damon walked to start. Bill Mueller struck out swinging and Damon got thrown out at second on a steal attempt. That proved costly as David Ortiz doubled off the bottom of the Monster and Manny Ramirez took strike three to end the inning.

Jose Cruz Jr walked but was hit with a line drive by Tino Martinez for an interference out. Julio Lugo grounded into a double play to end the inning. Daubach grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second and Kevin Millar took strike three. Mark Bellhorn walked but Doug Mirabelli struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brook Fordyce led off the top of the third by striking out swinging and Geoff Blum grounded out to second. Crawford also grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Cesar Crespo singled up the middle to start. Damon forced Crespo at second but Mueller walked. Ortiz walked to load the bases but Ramirez took strike three again. Daubach forced Ortiz at second to end the inning.

Baldelli flied out to center to start the top of the fourth as Fick also popped up to center. Huff popped up to Manny and Ramirez dropped a pop up by Aubrey to avoid a collision with Crepo. Cruz lined out to center to end the inning. Zambrano turned up the heat in the bottom of the fourth as Millar struck out swinging to begin. Bellhorn and Mirabelli both whiffed to end the inning.

Kim returned for one final inning in the top of the fifth as Martinez grounded out to second to start. Lugo grounded out to short and Fordyce struck out swinging to end the inning. Kim was outstanding, allowing just one hit and a walk in 5 shutout innings.

                                                    Good work by Kim

The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth as Crespo flied out to right to start. Damon got a base hit to right but Mueller forced him at second. Ortiz pounded his fifth home run of the season to dead center to put Boston on top. Ramirez earned the hat trick by striking out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Big Papi picks up the team

Tim Wakefield came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Blum beat out a roller to second to start. Crawford flied out to left and Baldelli hit a grounder to Daubach. Brian got the out at first but threw the ball into left field to allow Blum to reach second. Fick took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the sixth as Daubach doubled to center to start. Brian moved to third on a liner to center by Millar. Bellhorn hit a sac fly to center to score Daubach and increase the lead. Mirabelli froze for strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                           Good work Daubach

David McCarty came in to play first in the top of the seventh and Huff popped up to short to start. Cruz Jr grounded out to first but Martinez got a base hit to center. Lugo struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Crespo got a base hit to right to start. Damon grounded into a double play but Mueller walked. Ortiz doubled off the Monster and Ramirez was intentionally walked. Travis Harper came in to pitch to McCarty and hit him to score Mueller. Millar struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                 "Owowowowoowwwwww!!!!" - McCarty

Gabe Kapler came in for Millar with Mike Timlin now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Fordyce popped up to short to start and Blum grounded out to short. Crawford grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Bellhorn took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth before Mirabelli doubled to center to chase Harper. Trever Miller came in to pitch and Crespo struck out swinging. Damon grounded out to short to end the inning.

Baldelli grounded out to first to start the top of the ninth and Sox manager Terry Francona inexplicably brought Alan Embree in to close out the game. Fick flied out to center and Huff grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-0.

                                                         Sox win

 

Hero of The Night is David Ortiz. His two run home run put the Sox up for good.

                                                         Big Papi Hero

The Good:

Bill Mueller walked twice in four plate appearances and scored two runs.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

David McCarty was hit with a pitch to drive in a run.

Cesar Crespo was 2 for 4.

Byung-Hun Kim got the win with 5 shutout innings allowing just a hit and a walk.

Tim Wakefield tossed two scoreless innings.

Mike Timlin tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Alan Embree got the final two outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Kevin Millar was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Mark Bellhorn was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked and drove in a run.

Doug Mirabelli was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Honorable Mention:

Gabe Kapler played right field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about great pitching by the Red Sox as they've posted their third straight shutout. Kim came off the Disabled List and got the win and the red hot bullpen slammed the door. The offense did just enough to win as Ortiz tagged Zambrano for a two run shot and McCarty getting hit with the bases loaded was entertaining. The Sox seem to have the answer to last year's problem with shut down pitching to go along with their big bats. Kudos to guys like Cesar Crespo and Brian Daubach who weren't even the conversation going into Spring Training but helped out big time in this one. The bullpen may not be as lights out moving forward as it is now so enjoy it while it lasts. Five wins in a row is nothing to sneeze at, but six would be better. The Sox look to win their sixth game in a row and the second game of this doubleheader in a few hours when Derek Lowe (2-1) gets the start for the Sox against Damian Moss of Tampa Bay. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Bash Pedro, Sox on Opening Day (4/4/04)

If the taste of Game 7's loss is still on the minds of the Boston Red Sox, Opening Day against the Baltimore Orioles was no better for them. Pedro Martinez (0-1, 3.00 ERA) had diminished velocity and didn't have his best stuff. Sidney Ponson held the mighty Red Sox offense to just 1 run in 5 2/3 innings. Javy Lopez took Pedro deep in the second inning and the O's iced it against Mike Timlin in the seventh inning. The Sox did manage to scratch out 11 hits but only 2 runs as the O's took Opening Day 7-2 at Camden Yards.

                                                      "Haha we won!" - Lee Mazzilli

Ponson got the ball in the top of the first inning and Johnny Damon grounded out to short to start the season. Bill Mueller also grounded out to short but Manny Ramirez lined a base hit to right for the first hit of the season. David Ortiz swung and missed for strike three to end the inning. Pedro got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ryan Roberts grounded out to short to start. Mevin Mora hit a squeaker to Mueller who threw high to first for an infield single. Miguel Tejada popped up to Damon and Rafael Palmeiro dumped a base hit over the head of Mueller into left. Mora tried to take third with Mueller out of position but Pokey Reese made a heads up play to cover the bag. Manny's throw was on time and Mora was out despite his protests to end the inning.

                                             "Yeah you're out, now beat it!" - Alfonso Marquez

Kevin Millar led off the top of the second inning by grounded out to short to start. Gabe Kapler hit one under the glove of Mora for an error but was thrown out at second on the Jason Varitek strikeout to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the second when Javy Lopez hit a home run all the way to the Mississippi River to give Baltimore the lead. The floodgates opened as Jay Gibbons singled past the diving Millar and swiped second. Pedro drilled David Segui in response to something that happened weeks earlier in Spring Training then Larry Bigbie hit a routine grounder to Pedro. Pedro then turned and threw the ball completely out of Camden Yards for an error to score Gibbons. Sox analyst Jerry Remy pointed out Pedro's velocity was down to 90 mph and Luis Matos singled home Segui to ice the game. Matos swiped second but Roberts went down hacking. Pedro got Mora to swing at air and Tejeda flew out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning with the O's up 3-0.

                                                Lopez goes yard

Mark Bellhorn made his Red Sox debut in the top of the third by flying out to the centerfield wall. Pokey Reese made his belated Sox debut by drawing a walk. Damon hit a swinging bunt to the mound but was called out for running inside the line. Reese had to go back to first but Mueller blooped a single to left. Ramirez lined one off of Ponson into center to score Reese with the Sox' first run of the season. Ortiz popped up to Mora to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                          Manny drives in a run

Pedro settled down in the bottom of the third as Palmeiro flied out to the right field warning track to start. Lopez hit one off the glove of Pedro over to third base for an infield single but Gibbons banged into a double play to end the inning.

Millar flied out to the centerfield warning track to start the top of the fourth but Kapler poked a base hit by the diving Roberts. Varitek broke his bat on a pop up to Tejada but Bellhorn doubled into the right field corner. For some dumb reason Reese tried to bunt his way on but Ponson snuffed it out to end the inning. Who the hell called THAT play? Martinez cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Segui popped up to second to start. Bigbie grounded out to second and Matos went down swinging for a 9 pitch inning by Pedro.

Damon grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth but Mueller poked a seeing eye single to short. Sox analyst Don Orsillo said Jerry Remy looked terrific but Ramirez lined out to center. Ortiz was plunked in retaliation for Segui but Millar whiffed to end the inning. Roberts grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Mora took strike three. Tejeda hit a little nubber down the third base line for a single and Palmeiro drew a walk, but Lopez popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the sixth as Kapler drove a base hit to left to start. Varitek banged into a double play but Bellhorn and Reese drew back to back walks. That was it for Ponson as O's manager Lee Mazzilli pulled him for Rodrigo Lopez. Damon grounded out to short to end the inning. That was the fourth straight inning the Sox had left two men on. Pedro returned for the bottom of the sixth and Gibbons grounded out to short to start. Segui looked to have blooped a single over the head of Reese but Manny ran the ball down for the second out. Bigbie took strike three to end Pedro's day. The bad second inning did Pedro in as he left after giving up 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings.

                                                                Not Pedro's best day

The Sox woes with men on continued in the top of the seventh as Mueller grounded a ball up the middle for a base hit....but Manny banged into a double play. Ortiz missed a home run by about 20 feet but drew a walk. Millar lined out to center to end the inning. Mike Timlin came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the seventh although he got Matos swinging on a nasty splitter to start. Roberts walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal. Mora walked and Sox analyst Jerry Remy pointed out Timlin only walked 9 guys last year total and he's walked two tonight. Tejada sliced a base hit to right to move Mora to third and Palmeiro scored Mora with a base hit through the shift to ice the game. Lopez then hit a double over the head of both Damon & Kapler to clear the bases. That was it for Timlin as new Sox manager Terry Francona replaced himm with Alan Embree. Embree buzzed Gibbons up and in with a fastball before he flied out to center to end the inning. The O's blew it open and led 6-1.

                                                      Lopez does it again

The Sox barely rallied against Mike DeJean in the top of the eighth although Kapler popped up to first in foul territory to start. Varitek walked and Bellhorn singled to right before the returning Brian Daubach pinch hit for Reese. Daubach walked to load the bases and Cesar Crespo pinch ran for him. BJ Ryan was brought in to pitch the Damon and all Johnny could do was score Varitek by grounding out to short. Mueller grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                    Welcome back Daubach

Scott Williamson got no help from his defense in the bottom of the eighth as Segui doubled off the first base bag to start. Bigbie took strike three but Jose Bautista made his MLB debut by pinch running at second. Matos hit a routine grounder to Crespo who turned and threw the ball behind him to Manny for an error that scored Bautista. Roberts forced Matos at second and Mora also grounded to second to end the inning with the O's ahead 7-2.

                                                      Nice throw Crespo

Ryan returned for the top of the ninth and Manny took strike three to start. In his first game for Boston since 1992, Ellis Burks pinch hit for Ortiz and grounded out to first. Millar blooped a base hit to center and Kapler reached on a tapper to third. Varitek whiffed to end the game, the Orioles had won Opening Day 7-2.

                                                 Dammit

Jackass of the Night is Mike Timlin. He got lit up for 3 runs in less than inning to put the game out of reach.

                                                      Jackass Timlin

The Good:

Bill Mueller was 3 for 5.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Gabe Kapler was 3 for 5.

Mark Bellhorn was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Pokey Reese walked twice and scored a run in three plate appearances

Brian Daubach walked as a pinch hitter.

Alan Embree retired the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Ellis Burks was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Cesar Crespo made an error as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth.

Scott Williamson allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

David Ortiz was 0 for 2 but walked.

Kevin Millar was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 but walked and scored.

Pedro Martinez took the loss by allowing 3 runs in 6 innings although all 3 of them were in a bad second inning. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 5.

Final Thoughts:

Not the way the Red Sox wanted to start the season, especially coming off the heels of Game 7 against the New York Yankees last October. Pedro's velocity was down and had trouble getting his curveball over. Pedro was able to battle after the bad second inning but the Sox offense couldn't crack Sidney Ponson or Rodrigo Lopez. Leaving two men on 4 innings in a row didn't help. Timlin and Williamson allowed 4 runs combined and that can't continue. It was nice to see Daubach and especially Ellis Burks come back to the Sox. The Sox did manage to get hits in this game but couldn't get the clutch one. The offense will come this season so it shouldn't be that concerning. It was freezing out tonight so hopefully as the weather heats up, so will the team. The Sox have now lost 4 Opening Days in a row going back to the Derek Lowe disaster in 01. After an off-day Monday, Curt Schilling makes his Red Sox debut 18 years after he was drafted by the franchise. He takes on Eric DuBose of the Orioles at 3:00 PM Tuesday afternoon at Camden Yards.

Braves Stun Pedro Late, Defeat Sox (6/14/02)

The Boston Red Sox ongoing problems with elite National League teams followed them to Atlanta in tonight's game against the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Pedro Martinez (7-2, 3.18 ERA) matched Braves pitcher Kevin Millwood for 7 innings to a 1-1 deadlock. Sox manager Grady Little send Pedro back out for the eighth inning and the Braves made him pay. Gary Sheffield hit a crucial sac fly to give the Braves the lead. John Smoltz slammed the door in the 9th inning and the Sox fell to 2-5 in interleague play by dropping a tough 2-1 decision at Turner Field.

                                                       Sox fans to Grady Little

Milwood took the mound in the top of the first and Johnny Damon grounded out to third to start. Jose Offerman walked but Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center. Brian Daubach popped up to short to end the inning. Pedro cruised in the bottom of the first as Rafael Furcal lined out to short to start. Matt Franco and Gary Sheffield both flied out to center to end the inning.

Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Jason Varitek grounded out to second. Trot Nixon took strike three to end the inning. Pedro got in trouble in the bottom of the second although Chipper Jones grounded out to second to start. Andruw Jones flied out to right but Vinny Castilla and Javy Lopez stroked back to back singles but Keith Lockhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Lou Merloni grounded out to second to start. Pedro himself struck out swinging but Damon doubled to left center. Offerman got a base hit to right to score Damon to put the Sox on top. Nomar walked but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                               Damon scores Boston's lone run

Pedro got Millwood swinging to start the bottom of the third and Furcal grounded out to short. Franco singled to left and Sheffield was rung up for strike three to end the inning much to his chagrin.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Hillenbrand went down hacking to start. Varitek popped up to third and Nixon popped up to short to end the inning. The Braves fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Chipper was robbed at the wall by Nixon to start. Andruw Jones doubled just inside the left field line and moved to third on the Castilla grounder to short. Lopez singled in the hole at short to score Jones to tie the game. Lockhart popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Braves tie it

The Sox failed to add on to the lead in the top of the fifth as Merloni flied out to left to begin. Pedro grounded out to second and Damon grounded out to first to end the inning. Pedro stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Millwood grounded out to third to start. Furcal's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Pedro and Franco took strike three to end the inning.

The duel continued in the top of the sixth as Offerman grounded out to second to start. Nomar flied out to deep center but Daubach singled down the left field line. Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning. Sheffield started the bottom of the sixth with a base hit to center to start. Pedro blew away Chipper Jones with a high fastball and Andruw banged into a double play to end the inning.

Varitek flied out to right to begin the top of the seventh and Nixon grounded out to second. Merloni popped up to short to end the inning. Castilla grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh before Lopez grounded out to second. Lockhart lined out to Pedro to end the inning.

Chris Hammond came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pedro whiffed to start. Damon went down swinging and Offerman grounded out to third to end the inning. The Braves took command in the bottom of the eighth as old pal Darren Bragg pinch hit for Hammond to begin. Bragg was called out on strikes but Furcal got a base hit to left. Franco singled Furcal to third and Jesse Garcia ran for Matt. Sheffield was robbed of a home run at the left field wall by Daubach but Furcal scored to put the Braves up. Chipper Jones was intentionally walked and Andruw grounded out to third to end the inning but the Braves were up 2-1. Pedro did the best he could by pitching 8 innings of 2 run ball but the Sox couldn't generate any offense.

                                                   Braves take the lead

Braves closer John Smoltz came out for the top of the ninth with Wes Helms now at first base. Nomar grounded out to first and Daubach popped up to third. Hillenbrand flied out to left to end the game. The Braves have beaten Pedro and the Sox 2-1.

                                                     Boooooo!


Jackass of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including making the final out of the game.

                                                    Hitless Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Pedro Martinez was the hard luck loser tossing a complete game 8 hitter.



The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.




Final Thoughts:

If the Sox end up missing the playoffs, they can point to their poor interleague record as the reason why. For some reason they can't beat National League teams. Kevin Millwood is no Tom Glavine or Greg Maddux but he still shut down the Boston bats in this game. If Millwood was this good, what is Maddux going to do tomorrow? The Sox need to find a way to get to these elite NL pitchers if they have a prayer of holding on to the AL East lead. Pedro did the best he could so it would be unfair to blame him for the loss. Manny Ramirez being out didn't help either but its only one game. The loss drops the Sox to 44-23, 0.5 games in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send John Burkett (7-1) to the mound up against ace Greg Maddux at 7:05 PM at Turner Field.

Burkett, Sox Crush Royals in Game 1 (4/21/02)

It was good news this afternoon all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics won Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series with the Philadelphia Sixers and the Boston Red Sox beat the daylights out of the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of their doubleheader. After spending the first three weeks of the season on the Disabled List, John Burkett (1-0, 3.60 ERA) made his Sox debut and showed why the Red Sox signed him to compete with the New York Yankees. Burkett tossed 5 gutty innings against the Royals and allowed just two runs to keep Boston in the game. On the other side of the ball, the Sox bats laid waste to the bungholes of the Royals pitchers. The offense pounded out 16 hits and 12 runs against the hapless Royals including five home runs. Johnny Damon hit one against his former team while Manny Ramirez hit two of his own. Jose Offerman and Brian Daubach also went yard to add to the carnage. Tim Wakefield earned his first save of the season by pitching four shutout innings as the Sox took Game 1 of today's doubleheader with a 12-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                      Walter McCarty approves of the win

Dan Reichart got the ball to start the game for the Royals in the top of the first and Johnny Damon led off with a grounder to short. Jose Offerman lined out to a running Raul Ibanez and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Burkett made his Sox debut in the bottom of the first and Chuck Knoblauch led off with a pop up to short to start. Michael Tucker doubled in front of Manny Ramirez but Carlos Beltran struck out swinging. Mike Sweeney popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second and Manny Ramirez slid into first to beat out an infield single to short. Brian Daubach lined a base hit to center but Shea Hillenbrand popped up to second but Trot Nixon doubled to right to score both runners to put Boston on top. Doug Mirabelli walked but the Sox failed a double steal as Nixon was thrown out at third. Mirabelli did take second but Sanchez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Nixon drives in a pair

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the second as Ibanez doubled into the gap in right/center to start. Joe Randa popped up to right and Neifi Perez flied out to left, but Brent Mayne walked. Carlos Febles lined a base hit into centerfield to score Ibanez to cut the lead. Knoblauch popped up to first to end the inning with the Royals down 2-1.

                                                    Febles drives in a run

The Sox got another run in the top of the third as Damon tripled past Mike Sweeney down the first base line to start. All of a sudden Kansas City manager Tony Muser came out to yell at home plate umpire Tim Tschida for no reason and Offerman hit a sac fly to score Damon to increase the lead. Nomar grounded out to third and Manny struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                      Damon scores a run

Tucker got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third and promptly stole second. Beltran struck out swinging on a changeup down and away but Tucker took third on a wild pitch. Sweeney popped up to first and Ibanez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fourth as Daubach clubbed his third home run of the season to add to the lead. Hillenbrand struck out swinging, Nixon grounded out to second and Mirabelli grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                   Daubach hits one out

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as Randa hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Mongolia to cut the lead. Perez and Mayne both grounded out to third but Febles tripled over the head of Damon. Knoblauch grounded out to first to end the inning with the Royals down 4-2.

                                                   Home run Randa

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Sanchez flied out to right to start. Damon grounded out to second and Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning. Burkett came back for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Tucker singled to right to start. Beltran forced Tucker at second and was doubled off first on a pop up to right to end the inning. Carlos forgot there were two outs and that was it for Burkett who tossed 5 solid innings in his Sox debut, allowing just 2 runs and putting the Sox in line for the win.

                                               Burkett gets the job done

Nomar singled in the hole at short to start the top of the sixth but Manny hit into a double play. Daubach singled to left but Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the inning. Tim Wakefield took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and Ibanez grounded out to first to start. Randa struck out swinging and Perez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh as Nixon singled to right to start. Mirabelli popped up to third in foul territory and a wild pitch moved Nixon to second. Sanchez grounded out to third to move Trot to third and Damon drew a walk to chase Reichert. Old pal Cory Bailey came in to pitch and Damon promptly stole second. Offerman then smashed his second home run of the season to put the game out of reach. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-2.

                                                   Offerman with a 3 run jack

Wakefield cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Mayne grounded out to short to start. Febles grounded out to third and Knoblauch popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth when Manny smashed a home run to dead center to add to the lead. Daubach singled to center but Hillenbrand forced him at second. Nixon got a base hit to left but Mirabelli hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                         Home run Manny

Carlos Baerga took over for Sanchez to start the bottom of the eighth and Tucker grounded out to third to start. Beltran hit one up the elevator shaft and Sweeney struck out swinging to end the inning.

Miguel Asencio came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Baerga doubled to right to start. Damon belted his second home run of the season to increase the lead and Offerman got a base hit to right. Nomar flied out to left but Ramirez hit his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Daubach flied out to right and Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-2.

                                                    Ramirez goes yard again

Wakefield returned to close out the bottom of the ninth as Ibanez grounded out to second to start. David McCarty pinch hit for Randa and lined out to third. Perez flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had taken Game 1 by a 12-2 score.

                                                              Wakefield closes it out

Hero of the Night is Jose Offerman. He outproduced Kansas City by himself with a three run homer and drove in 4 total runs.

                                                             Jose Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 4 with a two run home run, stolen base, a walk and 3 total runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Brian Daubach was 4 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Trot Nixon was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Carlos Baerga was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

John Burkett earned his first win in Boston by allowing just 2 runs in 5 innings. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 2.

Tim Wakefield earned the save with 4 shutout innings.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 5.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but the Sox have won 5 games in a row and they're doing it with their explosive offense. Damon has been worth every penny out of the leadoff spot while Jose Offerman and Rickey Henderson are having the good kind of competition over who hits second. Ramirez, Nomar, Daubach and Hillenbrand have gotten big hits this season as well. Today's game the bats were cooking with 5 home runs and its tough to beat them when everything is working. Burkett's velocity was down but that's to be expected in his first start after coming off the Disabled List. The best news of the day was that Wakefield sucked up the final four innings, leaving the bullpen rested for Game 2 later on. All in all it was a good offensive day and the hope is the momentum carries over to Game 2. The Sox have no time to celebrate the win because they're back at it later today against the Royals in Game 2. Derek Lowe (2-1) gets the start for Boston against former Tampa Bay punching bag Bryan Rekar. The game begins in a few minutes at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Rout Jays Behind Hillenbrand (4/16/02)

Everything's going right for the Boston Red Sox as they continued to roll against the Toronto Blue Jays. After taking 3 out of 4 from the Yankees, the Sox made mincemeat out of the Jays pounding out 14 hits and 14 runs. Shea Hillenbrand led the charge with a 3 run home run in the third to give the Sox a commanding lead. Frank Castillo (1-0, 2.00 ERA) earned his first win of the season with 6 solid innings allowing just a home run to Vernon Wells. Manny Ramirez also homered and a hit parade put the game out of reach. Rolando Arrojo allowed two unearned runs in relief but still slammed the door as the Sox took the game 14-3 at the Skydome.

                                                       Robert Ulrich (RIP) approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Toronto starter Brandon Lyon in the top of the first inning as Johnny Damon took strike three to start. Hillenbrand doubled to left and took third on a wild pitch before scoring on the Nomar Garciaparra grounder to short to put Boston on top. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Nomar drives in a run

Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shannon Stewart grounded out to third to start. Eric Hinske walked but Raul Mondesi banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second as Tony Clark grounded out to second to start. Brian Daubach and Jason Varitek both grounded out to first to end the inning. Carlos Delgado was rung up for strike three to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz Jr popped up to third in foul territory. Darrin Fletcher flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                             Castillo gets Delgado

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Trot Nixon singled to left to start. Nixon swiped second and moved to third on the Rey Sanchez base hit to left. Damon ripped a base hit to left to score Nixon and Hillenbrand capped the rally with a three run home run. Garciaparra grounded out to second but Manny got a base hit to left. Ramirez was forced at second by Clark and Daubach popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                 Hillenbrand goes yard

The Jays tagged Castillo in the bottom of the third as Vernon Wells pounded a home run all the way to Calgary to start. Homer Bush and Felipe Lopez both grounded out to first but Stewart singled in the hole at second. Hinske took strike three to end the inning with the Jays down 5-1.

                                                               Wells hits one out

Varitek flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Nixon watched strike three go by. Sanchez lined out to center to end the inning. Mondesi grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Delgado grounded out to short. Cruz Jr singled to right but Fletcher popped up to third to end the inning.

Damon flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Hillenbrand grounded out to short. Nomar popped up to second to end the inning. Wells flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Bush lined out to center. Lopez grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Ramirez hit his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Clark popped up to third in foul territory before Daubach and Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                                  Ramirez drives in a run

Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske struck out swinging and Mondesi grounded out to third to end the inning. Castillo tossed 6 innings and allowed just 1 run on the home run to Wells. He was pretty good.

                                                              Great effort by Frank

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Justin Miller on the mound. Nixon walk and Sanchez singled to left before both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Damon. Hillenbrand hit a routine grounder to Hinske who booted it for an error to score both runners. Nomar doubled to left to score Shea and took third on a wild pitch. Ramirez walked to put runners at the corners and Clark beat out a double play ball to score Hillenbrand with another run. Daubach flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                               Rookie mistake by Hinske

Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Delgado took strike three to start. Cruz singled in the hole at short and Fletcher walked but Wells struck out swinging. Bush grounded back to the mound but Arrojo threw the ball away allowing Cruz to score. Lopez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 10-2.

                                                                Cruz scores a run

Feliz Heredia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Varitek got a base hit to left to start. Nixon struck out swinging and Sanchez banged into a double play to end the inning. Lou Merloni came in for Nomar and Carlos Baerga came in for Hillenbrand to start the bottom of the eighth and Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske grounded out to first and Mondesi flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox poured it on in the top of the ninth against Bob File as Damon got a base hit to center to start. Baerga singled to right and Merloni singled to left to load the bases. Ramirez pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Damon and Baerga and Clark grounded out to second to score Merloni. Manny moved to third on the play and he scored on the grounder to third by Daubach. Varitek flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-2.

                                                                 Damon starts a rally

Arrojo came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Delgado was hit with a pitch to start. Cruz hit a grounder to the mound but Rolando's throw to second was off-line for an error to move Delgado to third. Fletcher grounded into a double play to score Delgado but Wells lined out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-3.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. His 3 run home run gave the Sox a commanding lead they wouldn't relinquish.

                                                                Shea Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Carlos Baerga singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Lou Merloni singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 total rbis, two total runs scored and a home run.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rey Sanchez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Frank Castillo got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and walked 1

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Tony Clark was 0 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5.

Rolando Arrojo got the save by tossing 3 innings but allowed 2 unearned runs on his two errors.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win and the Sox definitely avoided a hangover after beating the Yankees three out of four games. Castillo stepped up and pitched a hell of a game and the Sox bats turned it on. Hillenbrand and Ramirez drove in some key runs when it was still a game and it became a laugher in later innings. Not much you can say about a blowout like this other than its always fun to see the team win easy and not have to worry about the game. Arrojo threw the ball all over the field but he saved the rest of the bullpen tomorrow and beyond. If only Tony Clark could get going this offense would be deadly with Baerga and Rickey Henderson coming off the bench. Beating the Jays in a blowout was great but hopefully they can save some of that offense for tomorrow's game. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Jays tomorrow night when Darren Oliver (2-0, 3.14 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Scott Eyre of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Mussina, Yankees Defeat Sox (4/14/02)

Sweeping the New York Yankees in a four game series is damn near impossible because they have four aces in their rotation. The Boston Red Sox were looking for their third straight win against the Yankees but ran right into Mike Mussina. Mussina held the Sox scoreless through six innings until Manny Ramirez hit a two run home run in the seventh inning. Tim Wakefield (1-1, 4.09) held the Yankees to two runs in six innings himself but New York teed off on Willie Banks and Sun-Woo Kim for another four runs to put the game away. The vaunted Yankees bullpen such as Ramiro Mendoza and Mariano Rivera slammed the door on the Sox as New York defeated Boston 6-2 at Fenway Park.

Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first inning and Derek Jeter grounded out to second to start. Nick Johnson and Bernie Williams both struck out swinging to end the inning. Mussina got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Johnny Damon grounded back to the mound to start. Jose Offerman grounded out to second and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the second as Jason Giambi singled to right to start. Jorge Posada singled to right and both runners moved over on the strike three passed ball to Robin Ventura. Rondell White hit a sac fly to center to score Giambi to put the Yankees on top. Shane Spencer grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                        White puts New York on top

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Manny Ramirez lined out to right to start. Brian Daubach and Shea Hillenbrand both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the third as Alfonso Soriano hit a home run to New Mexico to increase the lead. Jeter walked and stole second but Johnson struck out swinging. Williams flied out to left and Giambi struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                           Soriano hits one out

Trot Nixon flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Doug Mirabelli struck out swinging. Lou Merloni flied out to right to end the inning.

Wakefield cruised in the top of the fourth and Posada popped up to third in foul territory to start. Ventura lined out to second and White grounded out to short to end the inning. Mussina cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Damon flied out to center to start. Offerman took strike three and Nomar flied out to right to end the inning.

Spencer struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Soriano flied out to right. Jeter beat out a ground ball to Wakefield and Johnson flied out to center to end the inning. Ramirez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Daubach struck out swinging. Hillenbrand flied out to left to end the inning.

Wakefield came back for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Williams popped up to short to start. Giambi walked but Posada flied out to center and Jason took second on a passed ball. Ventura struck out swinging to end the inning. Wakefield did the best he could, holding the Yankees to just 2 runs in 6 innings but the Sox bats went silent.

                                                     Wakefield gives six solid innings

The Sox failed to pick up Wakefield in the bottom of the sixth as Nixon lined out to center to start. Mirabelli singled to left but Merloni flied out to right. Damon grounded out to third to end the inning.

Willie Banks took the mound in the top of the seventh inning and White hit a home run all the way to Baltimore, Maryland to increase the lead. Spencer walked and Soriano doubled to center to score him to ice the game. Jeter walked and Johnson singled to center to score Soriano to chase Banks. Sun-Woo Kim came in and Williams struck out swinging before Giambi flied out to right. Posada took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-0.

                                                        Johnson drives in a big run

The Sox finally woke up in the bottom of the seventh as Offerman lined out to left to start. Nomar singled to left and Ramirez clobbered his second home run of the year to cut the lead. Daubach grounded out to first but Hillenbrand singled to left. Nixon pounded an opposite field double to left and Yankees manager Joe Torre pulled Mussina for Ramiro Mendoza. Sox manager Grady Little countered by pinch hitting Carlos Baerga for Mirabelli. Baerga grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                     Ramirez jacks one gone

Jason Varitek took over behind the plate to start the top of the eighth but Ventura led off with a home run all the way to Venus to wrap up the scoring. White grounded out to first, Spencer lined out to second and Soriano flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 6-2.

                                                         Kim gives up a run

Mendoza returned for the bottom of the eighth and Merloni grounded out to third to start. Damon grounded out to short and Offerman hit a routine grounder to Soriano....booted for an error. Offerman moved to third on the base hit to center by Nomar and Torre pulled Mendoza for closer Mariano Rivera. With the game on the line, Ramirez took strike three to end the inning.

Casey Fossum took the mound in the top of the ninth and Jeter grounded out to short to start. Johnson struck out swinging and Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. Rivera returned to close out the bottom of the ninth as Daubach lined out to Mariano to start. Hillenbrand flied out to right but Nixon walked. Williams grounded out to second to end the game. The Yankees had won it 6-2.

                                                     Rivera saves it for the Yankees

Jackass of the Night is Willie Banks. He allowed 3 runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.

                                                            Banks The Jackass

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Doug Mirabelli was 1 for 2.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher is on the Good list but Tim Wakefield tossed six solid innings and allowed just two runs. If the Sox had any offense, this would have been enough to win.

Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Johnny Damon was 0 for 4.

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Baerga was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sun-Woo Kim allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Its extremely hard to beat the Yankees when their pitching holds up like this and the Red Sox bullpen proved why they're still not at that elite level yet. You have essentially 6 innings to beat the Yankees before Mendoza, Stanton and Rivera are summoned and the Sox did almost nothing against them today. Banks and Kim allowed 4 runs to put the game out of reach while Mendoza and Rivera avenged yesterday by slamming the door. The Sox couldn't beat Mussina or the bullpen and on this day, the Yankees were the better team. Wakefield did the best he could and he'll shine again another day. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow morning on Patriots Day in the final game of this series when Derek Lowe (1-1) takes on Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. The game begins at 11:05 AM at Fenway Park.