Braves Shut Out Sox (7/8/01)

What the hell was that? In the last game before the All-Star break the Boston Red Sox laid an egg against the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Local boy Tom Glavine was magnificent by tossing 7 shut-out innings while the Braves offense pounded Tomo Ohka and a host of Red Sox relievers. When it all was said and done the Braves took 2 out of 3 to end the first half on a low note with an 8-0 victory at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Ohka started off strong by getting Quilvio Veras to ground out to second to start the top of the first. BJ Surhoff doubled to left but Andruw Jones flied out to right and Chipper Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox missed a chance to score off Glavine in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman started with a walk. Chris Stynes flied out to right but Trot Nixon singled. Manny Ramirez flied out to right which sent Offerman to third, but Dante Bichette grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ohka whiffed Ken Caminiti to open the top of the second but Brian Jordan singled to center. Javy Lopez banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Shea Hillenbrand popped up to second, Mike Lansing was thrown out trying to bunt and Doug Mirabelli whiffed to end the inning.

Rico Brogna grounded out to second to begin the top of the third but Mark DeRosa singled to center. Veras grounded out to second and Surhoff popped up to third to end the inning. Glavine cruised in the bottom of the third as Darren Lewis flied out to right to begin. Offerman grounded out to first and Stynes grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                          Stynes can't crack Glavine

Ohka got the Braves to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fourth inning. Andruw Jones grounded out to short, Chipper Jones grounded out to first and Caminiti also grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Nixon grounded out to short to start. Ramirez walked but Bichette banged into a double play to end the inning.

All of a sudden Ohka lost it in the top of the fifth as Jordan cracked a 400,000 foot home run to put the Braves on top. Lopez flied out to center and Brogna flied out to left but DeRosa and Veras stroked back to back singles before moving into scoring position on a balk. Surhoff doubled home both runners to ice the game. Andruw Jones put the exclamation point on with a 2 run bomb. Chipper Jones whiffed to end the inning but the Braves had pounded the Sox for 5 runs. That was it for Ohka as he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings to trail 5-0 as he left.

                                                            Nice going Ohka

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Hillenbrand flied out to right, Lansing flied out to center and Mirabelli grounded out to third.

Hipolito Pichardo came in to crap his pants in the top of the sixth as Caminiti doubled to start. Jordan singled and Lopez singled in Caminiti to score a run and chase Pichardo. Bryce Florie was brought in and got Brogna to bang into a double play. DeRosa flied out to right to end the inning with the Braves ahead 6-0.

Glavine cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Lewis lined out to second to start. Offerman flied out to center before Stynes watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Florie cruised in the top of the seventh as Veras grounded out to second to begin. Surhoff flied out to right before Andruw Jones looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox had their only rally in the bottom of the seventh as Nixon and Ramirez stroked back to back singles to start. That was it as Bichette popped up to first, Hillebrand whiffed and Lansing grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bill Pulsipher was brought in for the top of the eighth and got no help from his defense. Chipper Jones hit a routine grounder to Lansing who fielded the ball and threw it over the Monster into the screen for an error. Jones ended up on second before moving to third on the grounder to short by Caminiti. Jordan doubled home Jones to increase the lead. Lopez walked before Wes Helms pinch hit for Brogna only to strike out. DeRosa walked to load the bases but Veras whiffed to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-0.

Mike Remlinger relieved Glavine and cruised in the bottom of the eighth. Mirabelli whiffed but Lewis somehow singled. Offerman banged into a double play to end the inning.

Carlos Castillo came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth although Surhoff grounded out to first to start. Andruw Jones popped up to first but Chipper Jones launched a 5,000 foot home run to wrap up the scoring. Caminiti grounded out to third to end the inning with the Braves ahead 8-0.

Steve Reed had mop up duty in the bottom of the ninth and Stynes grounded out to short to begin. Nixon flied out to right and Ramirez took strike three to end the game. The Sox mustered just 4 hits, committed an error and was humiliated 8-0.

Jackass of the Night is Tomo Ohka. Now that the Sox offense were going to crack Glavine but he didn't do them any favors by allowing 5 runs in 5 innings.

                                                            Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4.

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 full scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 4.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with an error.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Hipolito Pichardo faced 3 men and allowed 2 hits, a double and a run.

Carlos Castillo allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked.

Bill Pulispher allowed an unearned run in the top of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about limping into the All-Star break. The Sox entered July in first place and ended up in second just 7 days later. The red hot New York Yankees have won 10 out of 11 to take control of the division and the Sox are going to have to step it up in the second half to get back in first. The loss of Pedro Martinez and Jason Varitek hurts but the Sox still have enough talent to compete, especially for the wild card if nothing else. As for this game, not much you can do against Glavine but tip your cap and go get em tomorrow...or in this case after the break. The Sox head into the All-Star break 51-36, 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox head out on a 4 team road trip beginning Thursday in New York against the Mets in interleague play. Nobody knows who's going to start but that's when the season resumes.

Suppan Goes Distance, Royals Beat Sox (8/25/00)

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! The Boston Red Sox had come off winning 7 of their last 9 games to inch closer in the AL East race, plus found out the New York Yankees had lost to the Oakland A's. What did they do? Blow the game late and have old friend Jeff Suppan throw a complete game at them. The Sox scored 2 runs in the first but that was it as the Royals tied it in the 6th then scored 4 runs off Bryce Florie (0-4, 4.44 ERA) to ice the game. When the dust settled the Royals had dropped the Red Sox 6-2 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                               "Damn you Florie!"

The Sox went right to work on Suppan in the top of the first inning as Jose Offerman flied out to left to start. Trot Nixon grounded out to short but Brian Daubach doubled to left. Everett than smashed his 30th home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Troy O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. The Sox would have just 3 hits the rest of the game.

                                                           Everett goes yard

Jeff Fassero got the start for the Red Sox and Johnny Damon led off with a walk. Rey Sanchez grounded out to short and Mike Sweeney struck out swinging. Jermaine Dye flied out to right to end the inning.

Lou Merloni lined out to center to start the top of the second but Scott Hatteberg doubled. Mike Lansing grounded out to third and Manny Alexander grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox would have just two hits in the next seven innings. Meanwhile Joe Randa took strike three to start the bottom of the second before Mark Quinn grounded out to second. David McCarty lined out to left to end the inning.

Offerman singled to center to start the top of the third but was doubled off first on the line drive by Nixon. Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning. The Royals struck back in the bottom of the third as Hector Ortiz grounded out to second to start. Jeff Reboulet singled to left and swiped second before moving to third on the Damon grounder. Sanchez singled home Reboulet to cut the lead. Sweeney flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                     Why can't the Sox have guys like this?

Everett whiffed to start the top of the fourth but O'Leary walked. Merloni grounded back to the mound and Hatteberg lined out to center to end the inning. Fassero got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Dye singled to start but was erased on the Randa double play. Quinn singled to center and took second on a wild pitch, but McCarty grounded out to third to end the inning.

Lansing grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Alexander walked. Offerman took strike three and Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning. Ortiz flied out to center to open the bottom of the fifth before Reboulet grounded out to second. Damon singled to right and Sanchez caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single, but Sweeney grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Daubach grounded out to short to begin the top of the sixth before Everett flied out to left. O'Leary walked but Merloni grounded out to third to end the inning. Fassero was knocked out in the bottom of the sixth as Dye doubled to left to start. Randa singled home Dye to tie the game but Quinn popped up to second. McCarty doubled to center and Ortiz was intentionally walked to chase Fassero. Once again Jeff ran out of gas the third time through the order and was out after 5 1/3 innings. Bryce Florie came in and struck out Reboulet swinging and got Damon to fly out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                 Can't pitch 3 times through the order

Suppan cruised in the top of the seventh as Hatteberg grounded back to the mound to start. Lansing grounded out to third and Alexander flied out to left to end the inning. The Royals took the lead for good in the bottom of the seventh as Sanchez singled to center and Mike Sweeney launched a 2 run bomb into Tempe, Arizona. Dye whiffed, Randa lined out to short and Quinn flied out to center to end the inning but it was 4-2 Royals.

                                                          Royals go on top

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the eighth as Offerman struck out swinging again to start. Nixon grounded out to first and Daubach grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Royals iced it in the bottom of the eighth although McCarty whiffed to start. Ortiz singled to center but Reboulet struck out swinging. Damon then bashed a 2 run bomb into Lake Ontario to ice the game. Sanchez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals up 6-2.

                                               Why can't the Sox get players like this?

Suppan finished the job in the top of the ninth as Everett flied out to right to start. O'Leary got a base hit to center but Merloni banged into a double play to end the game. Suppan went the distance as the Royals had won it 6-2.

                                                                 Where was this in 97?


Jackass of the Night is Bryce Florie. He allowed the 4 runs to put the game away

                                                             Florie the Jackass


The Good:

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 3.

Jeff Fassero tossed 5 1/3 innings of 2 run ball to keep the Sox in the game.



The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 4 with an error.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run bomb.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Such a shame the Sox couldn't win this one considering the Yankees lost as well. Getting just 3 hits off Suppan after the Everett home run is pathetic considering Jeff's ERA is over 5 this year. Other teams don't have trouble hitting him but the Sox went right in the tank. I know Nomar didn't play but still, that was pathetic. The Sox need to win games like this to keep pace with the Yankees and potential wild card teams. Maybe the Sox need to make a waiver move by August 31st for more offense because this isn't going to cut it. If they can't beat the Royals, how are they going to beat the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays or Cleveland Indians? The loss dropped the Sox to 67-58, 3 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look to rebound against the Royals when they send Rolando Arrojo (7-10) up against Brian Meadows at 9:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Mulholland, Braves Shut Down Sox (7/8/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. After his impressive showing against the Minnesota Twins, rookie Paxton Crawford has been sent back to Pawtucket. The Sox are about to go on the all-star break so it makes no sense to have Crawford rot on the bench when he could keep hot down in Pawtucket in the meantime. With the starting pitching woes the Red Sox have, we'll be seeing him full time very soon.

                                                                OUT

As for the game, the Sox apparently can't hit Terry Mulholland of the Atlanta Braves. After tossing 5 shutout innings against them last month, Mulholland topped that by holding the Sox to just 1 run in 8 innings of work for a grand total of 13 innings and 1 run allowed. Keep him away from the New York Yankees when the trade deadline comes. As for the pitching side, Ramon Martinez (6-5, 5.79 ERA) actually pitched well but got no run support. Ramon and the Sox fought valiantly to a 1-1 tie going into the seventh when Rheal Cormier and Bryce Florie allowed a Martinez inherited runner to score to give the Braves the lead. Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones both homered off Jeff Fassero and that ended that. The Sox fell further behind in the AL East race by dropping the game 5-1 to the Braves at Fenway Park.

                                                         Ren turns his back on bad relief pitching

Ramon got the ball in the top of the first inning and Quilvio Veras flied out to left to start. Andruw Jones took strike three but Chipper Jones walked. Jones was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Mulholland got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman flied out to right to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Carl Everett grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second as Brian Jordan doubled to left to start. Andres Galarraga struck out swinging but Wally Joyner singled to center. Javy Lopez singled home Jordan to give the Braves the lead. Bobby Bonilla struck out swinging and Walt Weiss flied out to right to end the inning with the Braves ahead 1-0.

                                                                   Lopez drives in a run

Nomar Garciaparra tried to start a rally with a double to right to begin the bottom of the second but could only move to third on the grounder to second by Morgan Burkhart. Troy O'Leary grounded back to the mound and Jason Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning.

Veras walked to begin the top of the third and moved to second on the grounder to short by Andruw Jones. Chipper Jones flied out to center to move Veras to third but Jordan grounded out to short to end the inning. Ed Sprague Jr flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Daubach popped up to third in foul territory. Offerman flied out to right to end the inning.

Galarraga hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the fourth before Joyner flied out to left. Lopez also flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Frye singled to left to start. Everett singled to left but Nomar grounded into a double play. Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bonilla grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Weiss grounded out to first. Veras walked but Andruw Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. O'Leary singled to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but got picked off. That was a huge out as Varitek doubled to right which would have tied the game. Sprague grounded out to third and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

Chipper Jones grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Jordan grounded out to second. Galarraga walked and stole second but Joyner grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox finally woke up in the bottom of the sixth although Offerman flied out to center to begin. Frye singled to left and Everett dropped a base hit to right to move Frye to third. All Nomar could do was score Frye with a sac fly to tie the game. Burkhart flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                  Nomar drives in a run

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Braves took the lead back in the top of the seventh. Lopez singled to left and Bonilla walk to chase Ramon. Martinez actually did well, he just didn't get any run support. Reggie Sanders pinch ran for Bonilla and Rheal Cormier came in to pitch to Weiss. Weiss hit one up the elevator shaft but Veras singled to left to load the bases. Bryce Florie came in to pitch to Andruw Jones and somehow struck him out swinging. Unfortunately Chipper Jones walked to score Lopez with the go-ahead run. Jordan struck out swinging to end the inning but the Braves led 2-1.

                                                          Jones gives the Braves the lead back

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh as O'Leary flied out to center to start. Varitek grounded out to short and Sprague Jr took strike three to end the inning.

Galarraga singled to left to start the top of the eighth to chase Florie. Jeff Fassero was brought in and Joyner popped up to second, but Lopez hit a home run all the way to Denton, Texas to ice the game. Sanders grounded out to third and Weiss grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 4-1 Braves.

                                                                  Lopez does it again

Daubach struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Offerman grounded out to third. Frye also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Fassero poured more gas on the fire in the top of the ninth as Veras popped up to short to start. Andruw Jones hit a home run all the way to Sri Lanka to wrap up the scoring. Chipper Jones singled to center and that was it for Fassero. John Wasdin came in to pitch and Jordan singled to left. Galarraga struck out swinging but both runners pulled off a double steal. Joyner took strike three to end the inning with the Braves ahead 5-1.

                                                       Jones with another Atlanta home run

The vile John Rocker came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Everett struck out swinging to start. Nomar flied out to left and Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Braves had won it 5-1.

Jackass of the Night is Jeff Fassero. He turned a 2-1 game into 5-1 real quick to put the Sox in too large of a hole.

                                                              Jeff The Jackass

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Ramon Martinez did well, getting charged with 2 runs in 6 innings of work.

John Wasdin got the final two outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4.

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bryce Florie allowed an inherited runner to score and was charged with 1 of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 but got picked off.

Rheal Cormier retired just 1 of the 2 batters he faced.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are limping toward the All-Star break and its clear to see that they can't compete with the elite teams in the league. They got swept out of New York and lost 2 of 3 in Atlanta last month and just dropped 2 in a row to the Braves at home. Unless Pedro Martinez is pitching, they don't look good against Cleveland either. Red Sox GM Dan Duquette has some work to do after the break to get some help at the trade deadline. The Sox are desperate for a second starter behind Pedro Martinez since Pete Schourek, Ramon and Jeff Fassero have all faltered. Paxton Crawford is an option but unless he pulls a 1981 Fernando Valenzuela, this team just isn't built for October success. Losing Bret Saberhagen and Juan Pena before the season didn't help but here we are. The Sox offensive woes returned but that's mostly due to the elite pitching of the Braves. Mulholland has their number and Glavine has always been tough to crack. The Sox have one game left before the break and hopefully they can avoid a sweep. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-41, 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon when Tim Wakefield (4-5) takes on Kevin Millwood of the Braves in the final game before the All-Star break. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Glavine, Braves Down Sox (7/7/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox released Curtis Pride who refused his minor league assignment and elected to become a free agent. With the addition of Bernard Gilkey and the return of Trot Nixon in two weeks, Pride became expendable. Thanks for the 9 games Curtis and good luck with your future endeavors.

                                                                           Bye bye Pride

As for the game, if there was any doubt as to why the Atlanta Braves are a mile ahead of the Boston Red Sox in terms of ready to compete in October, look no further than the starting rotation. Tonight Braves ace Tom Glavine dominated the Red Sox for 7 shutout innings while Sox starter Pete Schourek (2-8, 4.67 ERA) was knocked out in the second inning. Schourek left after putting the Sox in 5-0 hole. The bullpen stepped up big for the Sox with 7 1/3 scoreless innings but the Sox could only muster an eighth inning rally that was quelled pretty quickly. With the Sox down 5-3 and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, Jason Varitek flied out to center to end the threat. The Braves slammed the door in the ninth and snapped the Sox back to reality with a 5-2 win at Fenway Park.

                                                    "That's for you, Schourek!"

Schourek got the ball in the top of the first and Quilvio Veras singled to left to start. Veras was thrown out trying to steal second and Andruw Jones lined out to center. Chipper Jones singled to left but Brian Jordan flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox had one of their only rallies in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman singled to left to start. Jeff Frye banged into a double play but Carl Everett walked. Nomar Garciaparra walked and Morgan Burkhart was drilled to load the bases. Bernard Gilkey took a full count strike three to end the inning.

The Braves exploded in the top of the second inning as Andres Galarraga hit a home run all the way to the Greensboro Coliseum to put the Braves on top. Javy Lopez singled to left and Bobby Bonnila doubled him to third, Lopez scoring on the Reggie Sanders grounder to short. Walt Weiss struck out swinging but Veras was hit with a pitch. A wild pitch moved both runners and Andruw Jones singled home both men, taking second on the throw. Another wild pitch moved Andruw to third and he scored on the Chipper Jones double to center. That was it for Schourek as the incompetent lefty was tagged for 5 runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Hipolito Pichardo came in and Jordan lined out to left to end the inning with the Braves up 5-0.

                                                      "I sucked tonight" - Schourek

Keith Lockhart took over for Veras in the bottom of the second and Ed Sprague Jr walked to start. Manny Alexander flied out to right and Scott Hatteberg took strike three, but Offerman singled to center. Frye lined out to left to end the inning.

Galarraga struck out swinging to open the top of the third but Lopez singled to center. Bonilla walked but Sanders hit into a double play to end the inning. Glavine dominated the bottom of the third as Everett struck out swinging to start. Nomar grounded out to second and Burkhart grounded out to second as well to end the inning.

Pichardo cruised in the top of the fourth as Weiss grounded out to second to begin. Lockhart grounded out to first and Andruw Jones flied out to right to end the inning. Gilkey popped up to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Sprague flied out to left. Alexander popped up to left to end the inning.

Chipper Jones grounded out to second to begin the top of the fifth but Jordan singled to right. A wild pitch moved Jordan to second and he moved to third on the grounder to first by Galarraga. Lopez grounded out to third to end the inning. Hatteberg grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Offerman also grounded out to second. Frye lined out to third to end the inning.

Pichardo returned for the top of the sixth and Bonilla walked to start. Sanders forced Bonilla at second and Weiss forced Sanders at second. Lockhart singled to left but Andruw Jones flied out to right to end the inning. Pichardo tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings to give the Sox a chance to get back in the game.

                                                                   Pichardo gets it done

There would be no comeback in the bottom of the sixth as Everett grounded out to first to start. Nomar grounded out to third but Burkhart singled to right. Gilkey flied out to center to end the inning.

Bryce Florie came in for the top of the seventh and Chipper Jones flied out to center to begin. Jordan took strike three and Galarraga struck out swinging to end the inning. Sprague grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh but Manny Alexander beat out a swinging bunt in front of the plate. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Hatteberg and banged into a double play to end the inning.

Florie returned for the top of the eighth and Lopez took strike three to begin. Bonilla flied out to left and Sanders grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox finally rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Offerman singled to left to begin. Frye singled to left and Everett beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Nomar beat out a double play ball to score Offerman and Burkhart walked. Gilkey was plunked to load the bases and the Braves called in the vile John Rocker to pitch to Sprague. Ed drew a walk to score Nomar and put the tying run at first. Kerry Ligtenberg came in to pitch and Sox manager Jimy Williams sent in Brian Daubach to pinch hit for Alexander. Daubach walked to cut the lead but Varitek flied out to center to end the rally. The Sox had cut the lead 5-3.

                                                             Daubach walks in a run

Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Weiss singled to right to start. Lockhart dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Weiss to second but Andruw Jones grounded out to third, Chipper Jones was intentionally walked and Jordan flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox bullpen had not allowed a run since the second inning. Offerman grounded out to first to start the bottom of the ninth but Frye got a base hit to right to bring the tying run to the plate. A passed ball moved Frye to second but Everett popped up to second. With the game on the line, Nomar flied out to center to end the game. The Braves had won it 5-3.

Jackass of the Night is Jason Varitek. He came up with a man on and the bases loaded and failed both times.

                                                             Varitek The Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5.

Morgan Burkhart was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch and a run scored.

Ed Sprague Jr walked twice and drove in a run in 4 plate appearances.

Manny Alexander was 1 for 3.

Brian Daubach walked and drove in a run.

Hipolito Pichardo pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Bryce Florie pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Pete Schourek took the loss by allowing 5 runs in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Bernard Gilkey was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch.

Final Thoughts:

This game was a good old fashioned sucker punch to the gonads. The Sox made mincemeat out of the Twins but ran smack into a team that can actually pitch. Glavine was Glavine for 7 innings but Varitek leading the bases loaded sealed their doom. You're not gonna get too many chances to get to guys like Glavine, Milwood, Maddux, etc and it would have helped if Schourek didn't stink the joint out to start. Hats off to the Sox bullpen who kept the Braves down the final 7 innings, its too bad the Sox couldn't complete the comeback. Can't really complain about Jimy Williams because he pulled Schourek before it was too late and syou had Everett and Nomar come up in the ninth. Just didn't work out this time. The worst part about the Sox having to play the Braves is the Toronto Blue Jays crashed down to Earth. The New York Yankees are making their move and the Sox could possibly be swept before the all-star break. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-40, 2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to rebound against the Braves when they send Ramon Martinez (6-4) up against Terry Mulholland of the Braves. The game begins at 5:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Crush Twins on July 4 Showdown (7/4/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves. Rod Beck was placed on the Disabled List with a pain in the neck, Wilton Veras was sent down to Pawtucket and Curtis Pride was designated for assignment. In their places the Sox called up Tim Young and activated Bernard Gilkey. The Sox are putting all their faith behind Ed Sprague Jr at third by sending Veras down and hope Gilkey can give them something in the outfield that Pride, Darren Lewis and others can't.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox celebrated the Fourth of July by smacking around the Minnesota Twins for the second consecutive game. This time Tim Wakefield (4-5, 5.21 ERA) kept the Twins off the board with 6 solid innings of 3 run ball. Bernard Gilkey had a tremendous Red Sox debut by going 3 for 4 with a home run and four runs batted in. Manny Alexander, Troy O'Leary and Jose Offerman also went yard as the Sox pounded out 18 hits and 14 runs. Bryce Florie earned his first save of the season by pitching the final 3 innings of the season and the Sox enjoyed July 4th with a 14-4 victory over the Twins at the Metrodome.

                                                      Uncle Sam approves of the win

The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Minnesota starter Eric Milton in the top of the first inning. Jose Offerman doubled to left but Ed Sprague Jr took strike three. Carl Everett flied out to left but Nomar Garciaparra doubled to center to score Offerman to put the Sox on the board. Morgan Burkhart flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Nomar gets the party started

The Twins answered against Wakefield in the bottom of the first as Christian Guzman walked and stole second immediately.  Guzman moved to third on the grounder by Denny Hocking and scored on the Matt Lawton grounder to second. Ron Coomer hit a routine grounder to Sprague who dove on the ball and swam on it for an error. Corey Koskie forced Coomer at second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                               Guzman scores a run

The Sox exploded in the top of the second as Troy O'Leary singled to left to start. Jason Varitek doubled to left to score Troy and Bernard Gilkey made his Red Sox debut with an rbi base hit to right to score Jason. Manny Alexander belted his first home run of the season to put the icing on the cake. Offerman flied out to left and Sprague hit one up the elevator shaft, but Everett walked. Nomar grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                           Alexander hits a homer???

Butch Huskey popped up to second to start the bottom of the second before David Ortiz walked. Marcus Jensen struck out swinging before Ortiz took second on a passed ball. Jacque Jones grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox were relentless in the top of the third as Burkhart singled to center to begin. O'Leary struck out swinging but Varitek singled to center. Gilkey doubled home both runners to put himself halfway to the cycle and increase the lead. Gilkey moved to third on the fly ball by Alexander but Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                           Gilkey drives in more runs

Guzman doubled to right to start the bottom of the third but Hocking struck out swinging. Guzman moved to third on the grounder to short by Lawton but Coomer popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox cracked new pitcher Jason Ryan in the top of the fourth as Sprague grounded out to third to start. Everett singled to right, Nomar doubled to left and Burkhart doubled them both home to add to the lead. O'Leary smashed his seventh home run of the season (100th career) but Varitek grounded out to second. Gilkey put himself a triple away from the cycle with a solo home run to increase the lead. Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 12-1 Red Sox.

                                                     O'Leary hits one out

The Twins answered in the bottom of the fourth as Koskie walked to begin. Huskey lined out to left but a passed ball moved Koskie to second. Ortiz ripped a double past the shift to score Koskie and moved to third on the Jensen grounder. Jones doubled home Ortiz and Guzman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins down 12-3.

                                                  Ortiz drives in a run

Johan Santana came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Offerman flied out to left to start. Sprague struck out swinging but Everett tore up Koskie at third with a grounder for a "single". Nomar flied out to right to end the inning. Hocking grounded out to third to open the bottom of the fifth but Burkhart threw a grounder by Lawton completely out of the Metrodome for an error. Coomer popped up to short and Koskie grounded out to second to end the inning.

Burkhart struck out swinging to begin the top of the sixth before O'Leary flied out to left. Varitek grounded out to third to end the inning. Wakefield came back for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Huskey flied out to center to start. Ortiz popped up to Sprague in foul territory and Jenson took strike three to end the inning. Wakefield was servicable, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings of work.

                                               Wakefield goes six strong

Midre Cummings came in to play left for Lawton, Jason Maxwell came in for Coomer and Latroy Hawkins came in to pitch the top of the seventh. With a chance for the cycle...Gilkey grounded out to short to start. Alexander popped up to first and Offerman flied out to left to end the inning. Bryce Florie came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jones grounded out to second to start. Guzman grounded out to second but Hocking doubled to left. Cummings beat out a nubber to second to put runners at the corners but Maxwell struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth against Bob Wells as Sprague lined out to short to start. Everett hit a routine pop up to left but Cummings overran it for a "triple". Maxwell made a great play to rob Nomar of a hit but Burkhart walked. O'Leary dropped a base hit to left to score Everett with another run but Varitek flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 13-3.

                                                   O'Leary drives in a run

Sox manager Jimy Williams made no friends in the Boston media by having Jeff Frye come in for Gilkey with the cycle still in play along with Brian Daubach in right replacing Everett for the bottom of the eighth. The Twins struck back although Koskie grounded out to first to start. Huskey grounded out to third but Ortiz doubled off the baggy in right. Jensen dumped a base hit to right to score Ortiz to cut the lead and Jones singled to left. Guzman beat out an infield chopper to Nomar to load the bases but Hocking flied out to left to end the inning with the Twins down 13-4.

                                                     Ortiz scores a run

Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Frye popped up to second to start. Alexander popped up to Koskie in foul territory but Offerman swatted his fifth home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. Sprague popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-4.

                                               Offerman joins the homer parade

Florie returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cummings flied out to left to start. Maxwell grounded out to third but Koskie pounded a ground rule double into the left field stands. Huskey grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-4.

                                                                   Sox Win

Hero of the Night is Bernard Gilkey. He was 3 for 4 in his Sox debut with 4 runs batted in including a home run.

                                                   Gilkey Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 6 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Carl Everett was 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer, 3 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Tim Wakefield got the win with 6 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks.

Bryce Florie got the save by allowing a run in 3 innings of work.

The Bad:

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.

Jeff Frye was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 5 with an error but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Honorable Mention:

Brian Daubach played right field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Happy fourth of July everyone. The Red Sox picked up where they left off yesterday by hitting another 4 home runs. The Sox are going to be sad to leave the Metrodome after their resurgence following the horrific June swoon they had. Gilkey made a nice first impression which is what the Sox needed considering the struggles of O'Leary and Darren Lewis. If Gilkey can give them a shot in the arm off the bench, they fixed part of their problems. They still need another starter to go with Pedro Martinez but solving the bench was a good start. Speaking of O'Leary, that's two good games in a row since he came off the Disabled List and hopefully he can get back to where he was last year. All in all, it was a good win and the Sox need to keep the momentum going of they want to rebound in the standings. The win improved the Sox to 40-39, 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look for the series sweep against the Twins when they send Jeff Fassero (6-3, 4.35 ERA) out against Mark Redman of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.

Lazy Sox Dropped By Chicago (7/1/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. 22 year old Paxton Crawford was brought up from Pawtucket to make his major league debut in today's game. Sang-Hoon Lee was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Paxton. With Jeff Fassero suffering a dead arm and Pedro Martinez resting an aching shoulder, the Sox rotation is in big trouble. Hopefully Crawford can give the team a lift until the Sox can get more help.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, its a new month but the same old Red Sox. In fact, these guys look worse than they did before. New addition Ed Sprague Jr failed to impress and 22 year old rookie Paxton Crawford got knocked out in the sixth inning. The biggest sin is Izzy Alcantara put on an embarrassing display of a lack of interest. He let two routine fly balls fall in for hits, committed an error and got himself thrown out in a run-down. For a guy who can hit the ball really well, looking that lazy helped cost the Sox the game against the Chicago White Sox. Jose Valentin drove in 4 runs by himself and Mike Sirotka held the Sox to just 2 runs and 6 hits in the game. The BoSox are fading fast and dropped to .500 on the season with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the White Sox at Commiskey Park.

                                     Walter Mattheau (RIP) needs a drink to watch this game

Sirotka got the ball in the top of the first and made the BoSox beat the ball in the dirt. Jose Offerman grounded out to short, Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Nomar Garciaparra grounded out to third to end the inning. Paxton Crawford made his ML debut in the bottom of the first and Ray Durham lined out to short to start. Jose Valentin went down hacking and Frank Thomas grounded out second to end the inning.

Sirotka cruised in the top of the second as Ed Sprague Jr made his Red Sox debut by striking out swinging to begin. Carl Everett flied out to left and Morgan Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. Crawford matched Sirotka in the bottom of the second as Paul Konerko popped up to first to start. Chris Singleton struck out swinging and Carlos Lee flied out to right to end the inning.

Brian Daubach flied out to left to open the top of the third and Jason Varitek lined back to Sirotka. Izzy Alcantara walked but Offerman forced him at second to end the inning. The White Sox struck first in the bottom of the third although Herbert Perry flied out to left to start. Tony Graffanino grounded out to short but Mark Johnson walked. Durham hit a routine pop up to Alcantara WHO LET IT JUST DROP! Not only did Johnson score all the way from first but Alcantara barely threw the ball back to allow Durham to reach second. The loafing by Alcantara bit the Sox as Valentin doubled over the heads of everyone to score Durham with another run. Thomas was intentionally walked but Konerko grounded into a force to end the inning with Chicago up 2-0.

                      "How am I supposed to pitch with that idiot in right?" - Crawford

The BoSox did try to fight back in the top of the fourth as Frye walked to start. Nomar singled to center but Sprague popped up to left. Everett moved both runners over with grounder to first and Burkhart walked to load the bases. Daubach dropped a base hit to center to score Frye but Nomar was thrown out at home to kill the rally and end the inning with the BoSox down 2-1.

                                                Ren's message to Nomar

The White Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Singleton walked to start. Varitek tried to pick off Chris at first and airmailed Daubach with the throw, allowing Singleton to reach third. Lee grounded out to short but Perry scored Singleton with a sac fly to increase the lead. Graffanino singled but Johnson flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago ahead 3-1.

                                               Varitek looking like Garo Yepremian out here

Varitek grounded out to short to open the top of the fifth and Alcantara grounded out to second. Offerman singled to left but Frye whiffed to end the inning. Crawford kept pace in the bottom of the fifth as Durham grounded out to third to start. Valentin popped up to second and Thomas walked to load the bases. Konerko popped up to second to end the inning.

The BoSox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Nomar flied out to left to start. Sprague also flied out to left and Everett grounded out to third to end the inning. Alcantara did it again in the bottom of the sixth as he lollygagged after a routine pop up by Singleton that dropped and got behind him for a single and an error. Lee then hit a routine grounder to Sprague who booted it for another error. Perry was intentionally walked to load the bases and Alcantara did manage to catch a pop up from Graffanino, but his throw home was so bad that Singleton could have ran home backwards for another run. That was it for Crawford who pitched a hell of a game but got no help from his defense. He lasted 5 1/3 innings and would be charged with 6 runs (just two earned). Rich Garces came in and got Johnson to strike out looking, but walked Durham to reload the bases. Valentin cleared the bases with a triple to center to ice the game. Thomas whiffed to end the inning but the White Sox had blown it open due to more bad defense to lead 7-1.

                                                   Crawford deserved better

The Sox went quietly in the top of the seventh as Burkhart popped up to first to start. Daubach grounded out to second and Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning. Bryce Florie came on for the bottom of the seventh and Konerko grounded out to third to start. Singleton walked but Lee banged into a double play to end the inning.

Alcantara continued to give everyone a headache in the top of the eighth as he did manage to get a base hit to left to start. Offerman whiffed but Frye walked. Nomar whiffed and with a 1-1 count on Sprague, Alcantara just walked toward third base and was thrown out to end the inning. What the hell was he thinking?

                                                   Beavis' assessment of Alcantara

Perry grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth and Graffanino flied out to center. Johnson flied out to left to end the inning. The BoSox did try to rally in the top of the ninth against Keith Foulke. Sprague Jr popped up to first before Everett popped up to second. Burkhart walked and Daubach singled to left. Varitek atoned for his earlier error by hitting a double to right to score Burkhart. Sox manager Jimy Williams had enough of Alcantara and sent in Scott Hatteberg to pinch hit for him. Hatteberg flied out to left to end the game. The White Sox had defeated the incompetent Red Sox 7-2.

Jackass of the Night is an easy one. Izzy Alcantara cost the Red Sox more runs on both sides of the ball than humanly possible. He let a ball drop in that he should have had, dropped another and managed to get thrown out on the basepaths. Talk about the definition of "Jackass"

                                                             Izzy the Jackass

The Good:

Jeff Frye walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Morgan Burkhart walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1.

Rich Garces allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Paxton Crawford took the loss in his ML Debut but pitched reasonably well. He was charged with 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings but only 2 were earned. He allowed 4 hits and walked 5.

Final Thoughts:

Its one thing to lose a game to a better team, its another thing to lose like THIS. The Red Sox are in big trouble as now they can't do anything right. They finally get a good start by a kid making his MLB debut and they still managed to screw it up. The worst part is Alcantara is no "rookie", he's 27 years old and should know better than to loaf in the field. How many kids with half his talent would kill to be in right field for the Boston Red Sox? After the game Jimy Williams said the game was "Ugly with a capital U-G-L-Y" and Jeff Frye said they looked like the Bad News Bears out there. Ironic considering Walter Matthau died today, but the BoSox did look like garbage in this game. If it wasn't for the New York Yankees going through a rough patch, the BoSox would be so far out of first place they wouldn't be able to climb out. As it is, the loss drops the Sox to 38-38 on the season, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the BoSox look to rebound when they send Pete Schourek (2-6) out against White Sox ace James Baldwin. The game begins at 2:05 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.