Pedro Dazzles, Sox Blank Mariners (5/1/01)

After the Boston Red Sox dropped two straight games against the Kansas City Royals. they had a date with the AL West leading Seattle Mariners on their home turf. Thankfully Pedro Martinez (3-0, 1.47 ERA) saved one of his best pitched games of the season for tonight. Pedro took a pretty damn good team, chewed them up and spat them out for 8 shutout innings. Pedro allowed 3 hits, 4 walks and struck out 12 to keep the Mariners off the scoreboard. Manny Ramirez drove in the only 2 runs the Sox needed by himself against a tough John Halama of Seattle. Rolando Arrojo slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox opened the set with Seattle with a 2-0 victory over them at Safeco Field.

                                                      Rancid approves of the win

Halama got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chris Stynes struck out looking to start. Jose Offerman singled to left but Carl Everett struck out swinging. Manny Ramirez popped up to short to end the inning. Pedro got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ichiro Suzuki flied out to center to start. Mike Cameron struck out swinging but Edgar Martinez was plunked on a 77 mph curveball. This sparked the home plate umpire to give Pedro a warning. John Olerud lined out to second to end the inning. Pedro was not happy about being issued the warning.

                                             "That was a curveball you idiot!" - Pedro

Dante Bichette singled to center to open the top of the second inning but Jason Varitek flied out to center. Shea Hillenbrand flied out to right and Darren Lewis flied out to left to end the inning. Bret Boone took strike three to begin the bottom of the second but Al Martin walked. Tom Lampkin hit a blooper that somehow Lewis caught and doubled Martin off of first to end the inning,

Craig Grebeck struck out swinging to open the top of the third inning before Stynes grounded out to third. Offerman flied out to center to end the inning. David Bell grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the third before Carlos Guillen struck out swinging. Ichiro beat out an infield single to short but Cameron whiffed to end the inning.

Everett took strike three to begin the top of the fourth and Ramirez flied out to right. Bichette flied out to left to end the inning. The Mariners threatened in the bottom of the fourth as Martinez walked to start. Olerud singled to center but Everett bobbled the ball for an error and everyone moved up. Boone popped up to center but Martin walked to load the bases. Lampkin hit a grounder to Offerman who fired home to get Martinez for the force and Bell whiffed to end the inning.

Halama cruised in the top of the fifth as Varitek popped up to first to start. Hillenbrand struck out swinging but Lewis flied out to center to end the inning. Guillen struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Ichiro grounded out to second. Cameron took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth as Grebeck grounded out to third to start. Stynes singled to left but Offerman flied out to left. Everett singled to right and Ramirez dumped a base hit to left to score Stynes, putting Boston on top. Bichette hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but the Sox led 1-0.

                                                                 Ramirez drives in a run

Pedro turned up the heat in the bottom of the sixth as he struck out Martinez swinging to start. Olerud and Boone both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Varitek lined out to center to open the top of the seventh before Hillenbrand popped up to short. Lewis doubled to left but Grebeck grounded out to second to end the inning. Martin took strike three to begin the bottom of the seventh before Lampkin struck out swinging. Bell popped up to right to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the eighth although Stynes flied out to center to start. Offerman hit a routine grounder to short but Guillen threw the ball away for an error. Everett popped up to short but Ramirez made Guillen pay with a double to left to score Offerman. Bichette flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Ramirez does it again

Trot Nixon came in for Bichette for defense in the bottom of the eighth as Mark McLemore pinch hit for Guillen to begin. McLemore singled to center and moved to second on the grounder to third by Ichiro. Cameron lined out to center but Martinez walked. Charles Gipson pinch ran for Martinez but Olerud flied out to left to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who threw 8 shutout innings while striking out 12 batters.

                                                   Pedro gets it done

Norm Charlton came in for the top of the ninth and Varitek grounded out to third to start. Hillenbrand and Lewis stroked back to back base hits but Grebeck popped up to first. Stynes flied out to left to end the inning. Rolando Arrojo came in to clsoe out the bottom of the ninth and Boone popped up to first to start. Martin grounded out to first and Lampkin also grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0.

Hero of the Night is Pedro Martinez. He tossed 8 shutout innings allowing 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out 12 batters.

                                                          Pedro Hero

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Darren Lewis was 2 for 4.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Chris Stynes was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Honorable Mention:

Trot Nixon played right field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Not much went right offensively against Halama but they didn't need much with Pedro on the mound, first inning warning or not. With all the attention Hideo Nomo is getting, Pedro reminded everyone why he's the ace of the staff. The Sox had lost two in a row and needed to bounce back in this one. Ramirez continues to be worth every cent they spent on him and good god almighty can they get rid of Grebeck now? The guy plays good defense but he can't hit the ball off a tee at this point. Lou Merloni may not be able to play short as well but at least he could get on base once in a while. I don't know why they just have Lansing play short and put Grebeck in for defense later because Grebeck is an automatic out at this point. Still, Pedro did well, Manny did well and Arrojo slammed the door pretty good. Not much to complain about in this one. The win improved the Sox to 17-9, tied for first place with the Torotno Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night Hideo Nomo (3-1, 2.40 ERA) takes the mound against old buddy Aaron Sele of the Mariners in the second game of this set. The game begins at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Safeco Field.

Nomo Almost No-Hits Twins (4/26/01)

Darren Lewis won't be sleeping tonight, that's for sure. The normally gold glove caliber outfielder was upset with himself when he misplayed a Torii Hunter fly ball in the seventh inning of the Boston Red Sox's game against the Minnesota Twins. Hideo Nomo (3-1, 2.40 ERA) was gunning for another no-hitter as he held the Twins hitless for 6 innings. Minnesota starter Eric Milton was almost as tough, surrendering just a Mike Lansing rbi single in the second inning to keep pace with Nomo. After Nomo and Milton were gone, Shea Hillenbrand doubled home Troy O'Leary for a big insurance run. The troubled Derek Lowe pulled himself together to toss two scoreless innings to nail down the save and a 2-0 win over the Twins at Fenway Park.

                                                                Big Red approves of the win

Nomo ran into trouble immediately in the top of the first when Matt Lawton walked to start. Jason Maxwell walked but Corey Koskie took strike three. Lawton moved to third on a David Ortiz fly ball to center but Doug Mientkiewicz also flied out to center to end the inning. Milton allowed a leadoff double to center to Chris Stynes to open the bottom of the first but Jose Offerman popped up to second. Carl Everett flied out to center and Manny Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning.

Torii Hunter grounded out to short to begin the top of the second and Jacque Jones struck out swinging. AJ Pierzynski flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Dante Bichette singled to center to start. Jason Varitek walked but Shea Hillenbrand flied out to left. Mike Lansing stepped up with a base hit to center to score Bichette with the first run. Darren Lewis flied out to center and Stynes hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                               Lansing puts the Sox on top

Luis Rivas walked to start the top of the third but Lawton popped up to short. Rivas stole second but Maxwell struck out swinging. Koskie flied out to left to end the inning. Offerman took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Everett flied out to right. Ramirez singled to left but Bichette grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ortiz grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Mientkiewicz flied out to right. Hunter also flied out to right to end the inning. Varitek singled to center to begin the bottom of the fourth although Hillenbrand flied out to right. Lansing flied out to left but Lewis dropped a base hit to left. Stynes grounded out to third to end the inning.

Jones struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth and Pierzynski flied out to right. Rivas popped up to second to end the inning. Nomo had not allowed a hit through five innings so far. Milton stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Offerman flied out to right to start. Everett struck out swinging but Ramirez walked. Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lawton walked to start the top of the sixth but Maxwell flied out to center. Lawton swiped second and third but Koskie struck out swinging. Ortiz walked to put runners at the corners but Mientkiewicz struck out swinging to end the inning with the no-hitter intact. Varitek doubled to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Hillenbrand popped up to short. Both Lansing and Lewis grounded out to third to end the inning,

Hunter led off the top of the seventh with a sinking liner to right and Lewis slid to catch it....but the ball bounced off his glove. The official scorer ruled it a hit to break up the no-no as Fenway Park exploded in boo's, not at Lewis but for the scoring rule. Brian Buchanan pinch hit for Jones and struck out swinging before Hunter stole second on the Pierzynski swinging strikeout. Rivas flied out to left to end the inning and Nomo settled on 7 innings of 1 hit shutout ball. Good work Nomo!

                                            Lewis makes this play 9 times out of 10

Milton did his part for the Twins as Stynes flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh. Offerman flied out to center and Everett grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in for the six out save with Craig Grebeck in at short for Lansing to begin the top of the eighth. Lawton grounded out to second, Maxwell grounded out to short and Koskie grounded out to second to end the inning. Old pal Hector Carrasco came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ramirez walked to start. Troy O'Leary pinch ran for Ramirez and took second on a wild pitch. Bichette grounded out to short and O'Leary moved to third on the grounder to third by Varitek. Hillenbrand doubled off the Monster to score O'Leary with the insurance run. Greneck flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                     Hillenbrand drives in a run

Lowe returned to close out the top of the ninth with Trot Nixon now in right for defense with Lewis taking over in left. Ortiz grounded out to second but Mientkiewicz singled to center to bring the tying run to the plate. Mientkiewicz moved to second on the grounder to short by Hunter and Buchanan struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0.

Hero of the Night is Hideo Nomo. He tossed 7 shutout innings allowing 1 hit and 5 walks while striking out 8.

                                                             Hideo Hero

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Troy O'Leary scored a run as a pinch runner.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Derek Lowe earned his third save with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Chris Stynes was just 1 for 4.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3 but dropped Hunter's fly ball to break up the no-hitter.

Honorable Mention:

Trot Nixon played right field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

As dominant as Pedro Martinez has been the last 3 years, not even he has had the buzz that Hideo Nomo gets when he pitches. Nomo fell just 9 outs short of another no-hitter and a lot of people say that Lewis should have been charged with an error. Lewis himself after the game says he should have had it and he feels bad he let Nomo down. Nomo to his credit shook off the dropped ball to still toss a 7 inning shutout. New York Yankee fans could be getting nervous because Pedro Martinez has been trying to strong arm the Red Sox to the playoffs almost by himself the last few years and now he has a bonafide number 2 to help. The offense didn't do much against Milton but Hillenbrand and Lansing drove in all the runs Nomo needed. If Nomo and Ramirez have been the two most important pieces of this year's team, Hillenbrand and Frank Castillo aren't too far behind. There's a long way to go in this season but so far Dan Duquette may be on to something here if the Sox can keep up this pace. Derek Lowe shook off his recent disasters to toss a six out save, hopefully he can leave his rocky start to the season behind. The Sox now welcome the Kansas City Royals to Fenway for a three game set to close out the month of April. Frank Castillo (2-1) gets the start for the Red Sox against Blake Stein of the Royals. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Bullpen Blows Another as Twins Defeat Sox (4/25/01)

With the stench of Derek Lowe's meltdown on Sunday against the Yankees fresh in the minds of Boston Red Sox fans, this time it was Rod Beck that blew a lead against the Minnesota Twins. The Sox bolted out to a 2-0 thanks to a Jose Offerman home run before the Twins came back to tie the game against Pedro Martinez. Troy O'Leary put the Sox on top and then came the top of the ninth. One strike away from victory, AJ Pierzynski doubled in the tying run and rattled Beck. Once again one out away from escaping the tenth inning, Beck allowed a bases clearing double to Torii Hunter. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the tenth but it wasn't enough as the Twins defeated the Red Sox 6-4 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                   James Caan doesn't like blown games

Pedro took the mound to begin the top of the first and Matt Lawton looked at strike three to start. Denny Hocking also took strike three as the crowd went wild. Pedro flipped the script and walked Corey Koskie on 4 pitches but David Ortiz whiffed on a 2-2 count to end the inning. Twins ace Brad Radke took the mound in the bottom of the first and the Sox rallied. Trot Nixon doubled into the left field gap and Jose Offerman jacked one just over the glove of Lawton into the Red Sox bullpen for his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Carl Everett flied out to left, Manny Ramirez struck out swinging and Troy O'Leary was robbed of a hit by Luis Rivas to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                  Jose gives Pedro a 2-0 cushion

The Twins struck back in the top of the second although Doug Mientkiewicz struck out swinging to begin. Torii Hunter worked a walk and moved to second on the Jacque Jones grounder to Pedro. AJ Pierzynski doubled down the 1st base line to score Hunter and cut the lead. Rivas whiffed to end the inning with the Twins down 2-1.

                                                               Hunter scores a run

Jason Varitek opened the bottom of the second with a single to right but Shea Hillenbrand popped up to short center. Brian Daubach doubled off the Monster to put runners at second and third....for Craig Grebeck. Sure enough Grebeck popped up to Mientkiewicz who made a diving catch in foul territory, got up and gunned down Varitek at home to end the inning. That missed chance was huge as the game went on.

                                                     Yerrrr out!

Lawton grounded to Daubach who nearly airmailed Pedro on the cover for the first out of the top of the third. Hocking grounded to short and Koskie struck out swinging to end the inning. Nixon got his uniform buzzed to earn a hit by pitch to begin the bottom of the second but was erased at second on a force by Everett. Everett then swiped second then advanced to third on the wild throw by Pierzynski. He was stranded as Manny flied out to center to end the inning.

Ortiz led off the top of the fourth by striking out swinging and Mientkiewicz grounded to Daubach. Hunter singled to center but was then thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. O'Leary grounded to first to begin the bottom of the fourth and Varitek lined out to center. Hillenbrand was robbed of a hit by a diving Mientkiewicz to end the inning.

The Twins tied the game in the top of the fifth as Jones stroked a line drive to center that O'Leary fell down trying to catch and Jones hustled to second on the error. Pierzynski dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Rivas slammed a single up the middle to tie the game. Pedro uncorked a wild pitch that moved Rivas to second and he swiped third on the strikeout looking by Lawton. Hocking struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                         Rivas ties it up

Daubach popped up to shallow center to begin the bottom of the fifth and Grebeck also lined out to center. Nixon flied out to right to end the inning to make it seven in a row retired by Radke.

Pedro ran into trouble in the top of the sixth as Koskie flied out to left to start. Ortiz whiffed to earn the hat trick but Mientkiewicz and Hunter hit back to back singles. Jones popped up in between home and third, Hillenbrand sliding under Varitek to make the catch to end the inning. Inspired by Shea's effort, the Sox took the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Offerman grounded out to third and Everett popped up to Koskie as well, but Ramirez broke thestring of nine in a row retired by Radke with a double off the centerfield wall. O'Leary singled home Manny but was fooled by the cutoff throw and was thrown out at first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                            What were you thinking?

Pedro returned for one more inning in the top of the seventh and Everett made a great diving catch to rob Pierzynski of a hit to start. Not to be outdone, Grebeck lunged and made a great throw to rob Rivas of a hit. Daubach then scooped a throw from Grebeck to rob Lawton of a hit to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who left after 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10.

                                                       Pedro with 7 strong innings

The Sox missed a golden chance to put the game away in the bottom of the seventh as Varitek singled to right to begin. Hillenbrand flied out to center and Daubach singled to left, but Sox manager Jimy Williams decided to let Grebeck hit to keep his glove for the late inning defense. Right on cue he popped up to left amidst a chorus of boo's. Nixon whiffed to end the inning.

"El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the eighth and he flashed some leather of his own by snaring a line drive by Hocking to begin. Koskie popped up to left and Ortiz struck out swinging for the fourth time in the game to end the inning. Eddie Guardado replaced Radke for the bottom of the eighth and Offerman worked a leadoff walk. Everett struck out swinging, Ramirez flied out to left and O'Leary grounded out to short to end the inning.

With Derek Lowe scuffling, Jimy Williams turned to Rod Beck to close the game out. He was better off with Lowe although Mientkiewicz grounded to Daubach to begin. Hunter flied out to center and the Sox were one out away from victory. Jones then shot a fly ball deep out to left, O'Leary jumped....and missed the catch. It fell for a double and the inning continued. It should have been caught. Beck ran the count to 2-2, one strike away when Pierzynski doubled off the Monster to tie the game. Rivas flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3. 

                                                       Pierzynski ties it

Varitek grounded out to third begin the bottom of the ninth but Hillenbrand doubled to right to put the winning run at second. Twins manager Tom Kelly brought in Bob Wells but Jimy Williams countered by having Chris Stynes pinch hit for Daubach. Stynes grounded out to short but Shea moved to third. Finally Williams had the sense to pinch hit for Grebeck by sending up Scott Hatteberg to face Wells. With the winning run on third, Hatteberg flied out to right to end the inning.

Beck returned for the top of the tenth as Offerman moved from second to first, Stynes came in to play second and Mike Lansing took over at short. Lawton was 0 for 4 but stroked a single to right to begin. Hocking sacrifice bunted him to second and Koskie was intentionally walked to set up the double play. That was it for Beck as Williams brought in Pete Schourek to face the two lefties Ortiz and Mientkiewicz. Ortiz popped up to short but Doug walked to load the bases. Sox manager Jimy Williams lifted Schourek for Rolando Arrojo to pitch to Hunter. It was a bad move as Hunter cleared the bases with a double down the left field line out of the reach of Hillenbrand to give the Twins to lead. Two runs charged to Beck, one to Schourek. Jones flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins ahead 6-3, what a disaster.

                                                   Even Hogan is shocked to see the Sox blow it

Could the Sox rally in the bottom of the tenth against LaTroy Hawkins? Nixon grounded out to first but Offerman walked. Everett lofted a ball down the left field line that Jones misplayed, allowing Offerman to take third and Everett second. Unfortunately Ramirez could only get a run in on a ground out, moving Carl to third. O'Leary flied out to left to end the game. The Twins had won 6-4 after being down to their last strike in the ninth.

                                                        Twins win

Jackass of the Night is easy, Rod Beck. He not only gave up the lead in the 9th, he was charged with the go-ahead runs in the tenth too

                                                                   Scream louder Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with 2 walks a 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored. 

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4

Brian Daubach was 2 for 3

Pedro Martinez tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10. 

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 3. 

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Pete Schourek walked Mientkiewicz in the ninth who came around to score. 

Rolando Arrojo gave up the 3 run double to Hunter.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but was hit by a pitch and scored a run. 

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5 but stole a base. 

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run and drove in one. 

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run. 

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Mike Lansing played shortstop in the 10th.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The Sox had this game won and they let it slip away. Yet another bullpen loss is very concerning to a team that's supposed to be challenging for the AL East this season. The 3-peat New York Yankees are going to win a lot of games with their bullpen and the Sox need to prove that they can too. Wasting a Pedro start is even worse considering how well he pitched too. It sucks because the trio of Beck, Schourek and Arrojo have all had a good month heading in to tonight's game. Guess they were all due for a stinker but man, what a wasted opportunity against a team that's hot like the Twins. The offense fought hard to the bitter end and the mistakes they made during the game came back to haunt them big time. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow night when they send Hideo Nomo (2-1) to the mound up against Eric Milton of the Twins. the game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Everett, Sox Slam Twins (4/24/01)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Shockingly the Sox sent down Lou Merloni to Pawtucket to make room for the returning Chris Stynes coming off the Disabled List. Craig Grebeck can't hit for beans and Merloni was on a hot streak before today's game, this is one of the first head scratching moves of the 2001 season by the Sox who have done everything right so far

                                                                         OUT

                                                               IN

With all of the hype and publicity Manny Ramirez has been deservingly getting lately, Carl Everett reminded fans in tonight's game that he was their top slugger last year. Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the second inning to the Minnesota Twins, Everett clobbered a grand slam home run to put the Red Sox up for good. The 1-2 punch of Everett and Ramirez has been tough to beat for AL pitchers this year and Everett delivered in this one. Paxton Crawford (2-0, 2.55 ERA) tossed 5 innings of 3 run ball to earn the win, combining with Tomo Ohka to pick up where they left off last season. Dante Bichette also homered, Tim Wakefield tossed the final four innings to earn the save and the Sox beat the Twins 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                            Carver approves of the win

The Twins jumped all over Crawford in the top of the first inning as Denny Hocking flied out to center to start. Luis Rivas hit a home run all the way to Dublin, Ireland to give the Twins the lead. Matt Lawton walked, Corey Koskie got a base hit to center and David Ortiz got a base hit to right to score Lawton. Koskie moved to third on the Ortiz hit and he scored on a Torii Hunter grounder to third. Doug Mientkiewicz walked but Jacque Jones grounded into a force to end the inning with the Twins up 3-0.

                                                                   Ortiz drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the first against Twins starter Mark Redman as Chris Stynes returned from the Disabled List to get a base hit to left. Jose Offerman singled to center but Carl Everett struck out swinging. Manny Ramirez singled to left to load the bases but Dante Bichette struck out swinging.....only for the ball to get away from the catcher and Stynes scored on a mad dash home. Scott Hatteberg grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were down 3-1.

                                                            Welcome back Stynes

AJ Pierzynski grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Hocking flied out to left. Rivas struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the second as Shea Hillembrand grounded out to second to start. Mike Lansing singled to center but Darren Lewis flied out to center. Stynes got a base hit to center and Lansing took third on a wild pitch. Offerman walked to load the bases and Everett pounded a grand slam into the screen to give the Sox the lead. Ramirez singled to left to chase Redman and JC Romero came in to pitch. Bichette grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                              Grand slam Everett

Lawton grounded out to first to start the top of the third and Koskie grounded out to second. Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning. Hatteberg grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Hillenbrand struck out swinging. Lansing grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hunter flied out to center to start the top of the fourth before Mientkiewicz doubled to right. Jones singled Doug to third but Pierzynski struck out swinging. Hocking grounded into a force to end the inning. Lewis and Stynes both lined out to third to begin the bottom of the fourth and Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rivas popped up to second to start the top of the fifth but Lawton singled to right. Koskie flied out to right and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who allowed 3 runs in 5 innings to set himself up for the win.

                                                    Crawford gets it done

The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fifth as Everett grounded out to short to start. Ramirez flied out to center but Bichette plastered his first home run of the season to left but Hatteberg grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                                Bichette hits one out

Tim Wakefield took over for the top of the sixth and Hunter singled to left to start. Hunter stole second on the Mientkiewicz swinging strikeout and took third on the Jones grounder to first. Pierzynski grounded out to third to end the inning. Hillenbrand grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth and Lansing also grounded out to first. Lewis took strike three to end the inning.

Wakefield got tagged in the top of the seventh inning although Hocking flied out to center to start. Rivas popped up to second but Lawton hit a home run all the way to Lisbon, Portugal to cut the lead. Koskie struck out swinging to end the inning but the Twins were down 6-4.

                                                              Lawton hits one out

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Stynes singled to right to start. Offerman doubled Stynes to third and Everett singled home Jose to increase the lead. Everett moved to second on the Ramirez grounder and Bichette was intentionally walked to load the bases. Eddie Guardado came in to pitch to Hatteberg and Trot Nixon pinch ran for Bichette. Hatteberg flied out to left and Lansing lined out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-4.

                                                       Offerman scores a run

Craig Grebeck came in to play short with Lewis moving to left and Nixon moving to right to begin the top of the eighth inning. Ortiz flied out to right,  Hunter struck out swinging and Mientkiewicz grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the eighth with Travis Miller now on the mound. Grebeck doubled to right and Lewis doubled him home before Stynes moved Lewis to third on a grounder to first. Offerman grounded out to third but Everett walked. Ramirez lined a base hit to left to score Lewis to wrap up the scoring. Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                         Ramirez with another rbi

Wakefield came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Jones popped up to second to start. Pierzynski and Hocking both struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

Hero of the Night is Carl Everett. He outscored the Twins by himself by hitting a grand slam and knocking in 5 runs.

                                                                 Hero Everett

The Good:

Chris Stynes was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

Dante Bichette was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Craig Grebeck was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

Paxton Crawford earned the win with 5 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks.

Tim Wakefield earned his second save by tossing 4 innings and allowing just 1 run.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon struck out in his only at-bat.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Darren Lewis was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Twins are currently leading the AL Central and the Sox smacked them around pretty good. Everett served notice that he's still a dangerous hitter and can pick up the slack if Manny Ramirez has an off-day. The thing is Manny hasn't had an off-day yet and the Sox are rolling because of it. Crawford didn't pitch that great today but he did just enough to earn the win. The rubber armed Wakefield saved the bullpen for the next day with his serviceable performance. Its a wonder why the Sox sent Merloni to Pawtucket instead of Grebeck but Craig responded with a hit once he came into the game. If Stynes can give the Sox a shot in the arm, obviously his return won't be a bad thing. All in all it was a good win against a good team and the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins tomorrow night. Pedro Martinez goes for the Sox up against Brad Radke of the Twins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Lowe Blows Another, Yanks Win 2 of 3 (4/22/01)

Something's wrong with Derek Lowe. Just a year ago he was one of the top rubber armed closers of the game and already he's blown more games this month than he has most of last season. Its a shame because the Boston Red Sox showed some life in extra innings only for Lowe to give the game away. The Sox fought the Yankees to a 2-2 deadlock after 9 innings only to take the lead in the top of the tenth. Lowe then served up nearly consecutive home runs to Paul O'Neill and David Justice to blow the game. The New York Yankees defeated the Red Sox 4-3 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                             Derek Lowe makes little girls scream

Ted Lilly got the ball to start the top of the first and Jose Offerman swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch to begin. Dante Bichette chased a 1-2 pitch in the dirt for another strikeout. Carl Everett flied out to shallow center to end the inning. Tomo Ohka took the mound for the Sox in the bottom of the first. He started well with a high strikeout of Chuck Knoblauch. Derek Jeter grounded out to second but Paul O'Neil singled over the glove of Ohka into center. Bernie Williams flied out to right to end the inning.

Manny Ramirez led off the top of the second with a home run off the top of the centerfield wall to give the Sox the lead. Troy O'Leary whiffed badly and Bernie Williams made a diving catch to rob Jason Varitek of a hit. Shea Hillenbrand extended his torrid hit streak to 9 games with a double down the left field line. Brian Daubach looked at strike tbree to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Ramirez with another home run

David Justice led off the bottom of the second waiving at a 1-2 pitch. Tino Martinez grounded out to second and Jorge Posada looked at strike three at the knees to end the inning.

The slumping Craig Grebeck was 1 for 26 going into the top of the third and he made it 1-27 looking at strike three to start. Offerman slapped one to Scott Brosius who threw wide to first, allowing Jose to reach on the error. Bichette whiffed badly again but Everett singled to center. Manny slapped a soft grounder to Brosius but was thrown out at first to end the inning. Alfonso Soriano singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to steal to begin the bottom of the third. Brosius popped up to right and Knoblauch grounded out to short to end the inning.

O'Leary popped up to start the top of the fourth but Varitek blooped a single to center. Hillenbrand grounded to third but Varitek moved to second. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. That's 7 K's for Lilly. Jeter began the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle and moved to second on the ground out by O'Neill. Ohka hit Willliams but Justice swung at strike three in the dirt. Martinez barked at umpire Bill Miller after being rung up looking to end the inning.

Grebeck drew a leadoff walk to open the top of the fifth and advanced to second on the sacrifice bunt by Offerman, much to Sox analyist Jerry Remy's surprise. The Sox committed a booboo on a grounder by Bichette. Grebeck was caught in a rundown but Jeter dropped the ball, allowing Grebeck to reach third....but Bichette wandered too far off of first and he was thrown out at first. Had Bichette stayed at first it would have been 1st and 3rd with one out. Instead, Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Ohka's 65th pitch of his outing was blasted out of the yard by Posada to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Soriano snuck a single by the mound but stupidly tried for second and was thrown out by a mile. Brosius grounded out to second but Knoblauch blooped a double down the right field line. Jeter grounded out to Hillenbrand to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Posada ties it up

Manny gave the Sox the lead back with a solo shot to left, his second of the day and 6th of the season to open the top of the sixth. O'Leary whiffed but Varitek singled over the glove of Soriano. A wild pitch by Lilly moved Varitek to second but Hillenbrand flied out to left. Daubach popped up to end the inning but the Sox had the lead back 2-1.

                                                       Ramirez hits another one out

O'Neil grounded back to the mound to open the bottom of the sixth but Williams singled to right. Just like that the bullpen began to warm with Rich Garces and Pete Schourek. Williams swiped second but Justice struck out swinging. That was it for Ohka after 94 pitches as he lifted Tomo for Pete Schourek. Three straight good starts by Ohka to begin 2001. Martinez struck out on a check swing to end the inning.

                                                             Good work Ohka

Lilly returned for the top of the seventh and got Grebeck to ground out to short. Offerman walked and Bichette singled off the glove of Soriano, advancing Jose over to third. Darren Lewis came in to pinch run for Bichette. With a chance to give the Sox some insurance, Everett swung and missed at a 3-2 fastball. That was it for Lilly after 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball with 10 strikeouts. Ramiro Mendoza came in and struck out Manny to end the inning. "El Guapo" Rich Garces was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Posada popped up to Offerman and Soriano grounded to Grebeck to begin the inning. With just 7 outs to go, Brosius blasted his first home run of the year to tie the game. Knoblauch singled and swiped second but Garces fanned Jeter to end the inning. Garces got tagged and the Yankees tied it 2-2.

                                                    Garces can't get it done

Mike Stanton was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth and O'Leary struck out swinging to start. Varitek lined out to second, but Hillenbrand singled past the diving Jeter. Shea then got himself picked off to end the inning, so much for that.

                                                                    Dammit Shea
 

Rod Beck took over in the bottom of the eighth and O'Neil blasted one deep out to right but Lewis ran it down. Williams popped up to short and Justice whiffed to end the inning.

Stanton returned for the top of the ninth and struck out Daubach. Lou Merloni pinch hit for Grebeck and grounded back to the mound. Offerman whiffed to end the inning. Beck returned for the bottom of the ninth with Merloni taking over at short. Martinez was 1 for 25 going into this at-bat and naturally doubled off the centerfield wall to begin the inning. Donzell McDonald pinch ran for Tino as Posada was intentionally walked to set up the double play. Beck then got two key outs as Soriano flied out to left and Brosius popped up to center. Things got dicey when Beck tripped throwing a pitch, leading to a balk, advancing the runners to second and third. Beck whiffed Knoblauch to end the inning and screamed at his accomplishment.

Mariano Rivera came on to pitch the top of the 10th with Luis Sojo taking over at first base. Rivera punched out Lewis and Everett flied out to center, but the Sox rallied. Ramirez singled up the middle and O'Leary singled up the middle as well. Trot Nixon pinch ran for Manny much to analyst Sean McDonough's chagrin. Varitek shocked the crowd and McDonough by blooping a single to center and Nixon scampered home to give the Sox the lead. Would Manny have scored on that? Possibly. Hillenbrand whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Nixon scores a run

Sox closer Derek Lowe (1-3, 6.48 ERA) took the mound to close it out. Lowe got Jeter to ground out to third...but O'Neil smashed a 1-2 sinker just over the right field wall to tie the game. Williams grounded out to first but Justice ended it by launching Lowe's first pitch just over the wall in right almost in the same spot as O'Neil's homer to win the game. Justice was 0-4 with a golden sombrero before the blast. A devastating 4-3 loss to the Yankees.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is easy. Once again its Derek Lowe. He served up the game tying and game winning homers in the bottom of the 10th to lose it.

                                                                Derek Lowe: Jackass



The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with two solo shots. 

Trot Nixon pinch ran for Ramirez and scored a run. 

Jason Varitek was 3 for 5 including the go-ahead rbi in the 10th. 

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 5.

Tomo Ohka was outstanding, tossing 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball against the 3-peat champions. He gave up 7 hits but didn't walk anyone while striking out 6. 

Pete Schourek got the final out of the 6th inning. 

Rod Beck tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Darren Lewis was 0 for 1 at the plate after taking over in right. 

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts. 

Lou Merloni was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Rich Garces gave up the solo homer to Brosius to tie the game in the seventh.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 with but walked. 

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 before being lifted for Lewis. 

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5. 

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts. 

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

What a disaster. The Sox had the game won but the Yankees proved why they are the defending 3 time champions. As usual the Yankees got that clutch hit and made that clutch pitch throughout the game. Justice was 0 for 4 with 4 k's before homering to end it. Tino Martinez was 1 for 25 but doubled off the wall. Garces hadn't given up a run all season but Brosius takes him deep. Ramirez did what he could to keep the Sox in the game but Garces giving up the rocket and Lowe's utter meltdown cost the Sox the game. Lowe claims to be uninjured so what the hell is his problem? There's nothing wrong with his velocity, he's locating like garbage. The Sox need to do something about him because of their 6 losses, he's been directly involved in four of them. This was a bad loss because a win would have really sent a message to the Yankees that they're for real. The Sox have an off-day to think about things before they come back on Tuesday night at home against the Minnesota Twins. Paxton Crawford (1-0) takes on Mark Redman of the Twins on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Beat Mussina, Yankees (4/21/01)

In an eeirly similar game to last Sunday, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees played another ugly game with 3 errors and a lot of hits. Just like last Sunday, the Red Sox came out on top. Rookie Shea Hillenbrand and the red hot Manny Ramirez keyed a 9 hit Boston attack that pounded Mike Mussina for 6 runs in four innings. The Sox smacked around the Yankees JV bullpen for 2 more runs to put the game out of reach. Frank Castillo (2-1, 3.60 ERA) held the Yankees to 3 runs in 5 innings of work. The Sox bullpen shut down the Yankees the rest of the way and the Sox had beaten them 8-3 at Yankee Stadium.

                            New heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman approves of the win

Mussina dominated the top of the first inning as Trot Nixon took strike three to start. Jose Offerman struck out swinging and Carl Everett looked at strike three to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Castillo in the bottom of the first as Chuck Knoblauch singled to center to start. Knoblauch took off for second and Sox catcher Scott Hatteberg threw the ball 75 feet to the left of second for an error to advance Chuck to third. Derek Jeter effortlessly hit a sac fly to score Knoblauch and Paul O'Neill hit a home run to Jupiter as Yankee fans thought the game was in the bag. Bernie Williams grounded out to second but David Justice singled to left. Tino Martinez popped up to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                         O'Neill goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez grounded out to second to start. Troy O'Leary flied out to left and Scott Hatteberg took strike three to end the inning. All of a sudden Craig Grebeck keeled over in the dugout and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU. Lou Merloni took over at short for the bottom of the second and Jorge Posada flied out to right to start. Alfonso Soriano singled to right but was forced at second by Scott Brosius. Knoblauch grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Shea Hillenbrand clobbered his second home run of the season to start. Brian Daubach struck out swinging but Lou Merloni singled to left. Merloni stole second but Nixon popped up to short. Offerman doubled to right to score Lou and tie the game but Everett grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Merloni steals second 

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third as Jeter singled to left to start. O'Neill walked and Hatteberg was so incompetent he allowed a double steal to Jeter and O'Neill. Williams effortlessly hit a sac fly to score Jeter and O'Neill moved to third on a grounder to first by Justice. Martinez flied out to center to end the inning but the Yankees led 3-2.

                                                             Jeter scores a run

The Sox took command in the top of the fourth as Ramirez worked a 12 pitch at bad that ended with a base hit to center. O'Leary also dumped a base hit to center and Hatteberg hit a routine grounder to Jeter...BOOTED FOR AN ERROR! The bases were loaded and Hillenbrand made Mussina pay with a double to right to score both Ramirez and O'Leary. Daubach flied out to the centerfield wall but that scored Hatteberg and moved Shea to third. Merloni hit a sac fly to score Hillenbrand and Nixon popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                    Hillenbrand gives Boston the lead

Posada grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Soriano grounded out to short. Brosius singled to left but Knoblauch flied out to right to end the inning.

26 year old Adrian Hernandez made his ML debut for the Yankees in the top of the fifth and Offerman flied out to center to start. Everett flied out to left but Ramirez hit a nubber in front of the plate....thrown away by Hernandez. O'Leary grounded out to second to end the inning. Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth and Jeter flied out to right to start. O'Neill flied out to left and Williams flied out to center to end the inning.

Hatteberg walked to start the top of the sixth but Hillenbrand forced him at second. Daubach forced Shea at second and Merloni popped up to short to end the inning. Pete Schourek came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Justice took strike three to start. Martinez flied out to right and Posada grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Nixon flied out to center to start the top of the seventh and Offerman flied out to left. Everett flied out to center to end the inning. Rolando Arrojo came in for the bottom of the seventh and Soriano flied out to left to start. Brosius flied out to right but Knoblauch singled to right and took second on a wild pitch. Jeter walked but O'Neill lined out to short to end the inning.

Ramirez crushed his fourth home run of the season to lead off the top of the eighth and chase Hernandez from the game. Randy Choate came in and O'Leary flied out to right. Hatteberg took strike three but Hillenbrand was plunked. Daubach singled to right and Todd Williams came in to pitch. Merloni struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                    Ramirez hits one to Monument Park

Williams doubled to left to start the bottom of the eighth but Justice flied out to right. Williams moved to third on the Martinez grounder to first but Posada flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the ninth although Nixon grounded out to second to start. Offerman and Everett worked back to back walks but Ramirez could only move the runners over with a ground out to third. O'Leary walked to load the bases and Hatteberg walked home Offerman to wrap up the scoring. Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning but it was 8-3 Sox.

                                                   Hatteberg walks in a run

Rod Beck came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Soriano flied out to to left to start. Brosius grounded out to third but Knoblauch singled to right. Jeter grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. He homered in the second inning and put the Sox on top for good in the fourth.

                                                            Hillenbrand Hero

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Lou Merloni was 1 for 3 with a stolen base, rbi and a run scored.

Frank Castillo got the win by going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs.

Pete Schourek tossed a scoreless 6th inning.

Rolando Arrojo tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 3 with an error and 2 strikeouts but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Craig Grebeck played shortstop in the bottom of the first inning.

Final Thoughts:

Its only April but this is the second time in a week that the scrap heap pickup Castillo kept pace with the 88 million dollar Mussina. Obviously Mussina will or should have the better year but right now its something to laugh at for Sox fans. The Sox have now beat the Yankees in 4 out of 6 games and once they get everyone back at full health, they should be able to compete with them for the AL East crown. Hillenbrand has been a much needed shot in the arm after the Wilton Veras struggle of last year and Ramirez has been worth every penny spent on him. The Sox bullpen outside of Derek Lowe has been virtually unhittable this season, matching the vaunted Yankees bullpen. I don't know why Lou Merloni isn't starting at short over Grebeck at this point, especially since Craig got hurt and can't hit the ball out of his hand. Bottom line is the Sox have the Yankees on the run and hopefully they can get to them again tomorrow in the series finale. Tomorrow afternoon Tomo Ohka (2-0) goes up against Ted Lilly of the Yankees at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.