White Sox Sweep Red Sox (7/2/00)

It just seems to be getting worse for the Boston Red Sox. Before the season, Sports Illustrated picked them to win the World Series. Tonight they just dropped a game under .500 after getting swept by the Chicago White Sox. White Sox ace James Baldwin once again blinded the Red Sox into the eighth inning. BoSox starter Pete Schourek (2-7, 4.25 ERA) lasted just 5 innings and allowed 5 runs to put the BoSox in a hole they couldn't climb out of. Magglio Ordonez hit two home runs and drove in 5 runs while Frank Thomas homered as well. Jose Offerman hit a home run for the BoSox but it wasn't nearly enough as the White Sox swept the Red Sox out of Chicago with an 8-2 victory at Commiskey Park.

                                                      "THEY'RE UNDER .500!!!" - RK

Things went bad right from the start for the Red Sox in the top of the first inning when Jose Offerman drew a walk to start....only to get thrown out at second trying to steal. Jeff Frye struck out swinging and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to left to end the inning. The White Sox blasted Pete Schourek in the bottom of the first inning although Ray Durham struck out swinging to start. Tony Graffanino doubled to right and Frank Thomas walked before Graffanino swiped third. Magglio Ordonez hit a home run all the way to Lake Michigan to put the White Sox up for good four batters into the game. Paul Konerko flied out to center and Carlos Lee grounded out to short to end the inning with the White Sox up 3-0.

                                                           3 run bomb for Ordonez

The BoSox failed to answer in the top of the second although Brian Daubach singled to right to start. Carl Everett lined out to left, Morgan Burkhart went down hacking and Scott Hatteberg flied out to center to end the inning. Chris Singleton popped up to left to start the bottom of the second but Herbert Perry was plunked. Perry was thrown out trying to steal by Hatteberg and Brook Fordyce popped up to first to end the inning.

The BoSox blew their only chance to get back in the game in the top of the third as Ed Sprague Jr and Curtis Pride stroked back to back singles to begin. Offerman's ground out moved both runners over and Frye walked to load the bases. Unfortunately all Nomar could do was score Sprague with a sac fly. Daubach lined out to second to end the inning with the BoSox down 3-1.

                                                           Nomar drives in a run

Things fell apart in the bottom of the third inning although Durham flied out to left to start. Graffanino flied out to left but Thomas clobbered a home run all the way to Saturn to increase the lead. Ordonez then belted his second home run of the game to turn this into a laughter. Konerko singled to left but Lee popped up to third to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                        Ordonez hits another one out

Everett tried to start a rally in the top of the fourth when he lined a base hit to left to start. Burkhart flied out to left and Hatteberg popped up to left but Sprague worked a walk. Pride whiffed to end the inning. Schourek came back for the bottom of the fourth and Singleton walked to start. Perry forced Singleton at second, Fordyce struck out swinging and Durham forced Perry at second to end the inning.

The BoSox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Offerman flied out to left to start. Frye grounded out to short and Nomar lined out to left to end the inning. Schourek came back for the bottom of the fifth and Graffanino grounded out to short to start. Thomas singled to left but Ordonez flied out to right. Konerko popped up to second to end the inning. That was it four Schourek who's trouble with the longball doomed him to allowing 5 runs in 5 innings.

                                                      Schourek gets lit up for 5 runs

Baldwin cruised in the top of the sixth inning as Daubach flied out to center to start. Everett grounded out to second and Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. John Wasdin came on for the bottom of the sixth and crapped his pants. Lee grounded out to second but Singleton got a base hit to right. Singleton went to steal second and Hatteberg fired the ball to first base instead for an error that sent Chris to third. Perry singled home Singleton to increase the lead but Everett made a great diving catch and throw to first to double off Perry to end the inning with Chicago ahead 6-1.

                                               Yerrrrrr out!

Baldwin dominated the top of the seventh as Hatteberg grounded out to second to start. Sprague watched strike three go by and Pride grounded out to second to end the inning. The White Sox lit up Wasdin in the bottom of the seventh as Durham doubled to right to start. Graffanino singled Ray to third and Thomas walked to load the bases. Ordonez hit a ball to the wall to score Durham with a sac fly and move Graffanino to third. Konerko hit a sac fly to score Graffanino to wrap up the scoring for Chicago. Lee whiffed to end the inning but it was 8-1 White Sox.

                                                          Nice relief Wasdin

The BoSox finally showed some life in the top of the eighth inning when Offerman blasted his fourth home run of the season to inch the Sox closer. Frye walked but Nomar flied out to center to chase Baldwin. Kelly Wunsch came in to pitch and Mike Stanley pinch hit for Daubach. Stanley singled to center but Everett whiffed. Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the BoSox down 8-2.

                                                         Offerman homers

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Singleton singled to right to begin. Perry banged into a double play and Fordyce flied out to left to end the inning. 

Manny Alexander pinch hit for Hatteberg to start the top of the ninth and grounded out to first. Sprague flied out to left and Jason Varitek pinch hit for Pride. Varitek whiffed to end the game. The White Sox had won the game 8-2.

Jackass of the Night is Pete Schourek. He got lit up for 3 home runs and 5 runs in just 5 innings of work to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                              Schourek the Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with a walk including a home run.

Jeff Frye walked twice in four plate appearances.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3.

Mike Stanley singled as a pinch hitter.

Ed Sprague Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Curtis Pride was 1 for 3.

Derek Lowe tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 3.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek struck out as a pinch hitter.

John Wasdin allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Nomar was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Sad to see a season that had so much promise fall off a cliff like this. With the exception of Nomar, not a single player from 99 is coming close to duplicating their production. Troy O'Leary, Offerman, Stanley and Varitek all regressed and losing John Valentin for the season hurt too. The offensive black hole and the lack of a rotation behind Pedro Martinez is the reason the Sox are a game under .500 right now. There's still time to turn things around but it doesn't look good right now. Again, if it wasn't for the slow start by the New York Yankees and the mediocre play of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Sox would be a mile behind in the standings. Schourek just isn't good enough to hang with the likes of Baldwin and for the love of god can someone send John Wasdin on a plane to Siberia? The good news is Troy O'Leary comes off the DL tomorrow and hopefully his head is cleared enough to be the hitter he was last season. As for this game, the less said of the disaster the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 38-39, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox head to Minnesota with a four game set with the Twins. Ramon Martinez goes for the Sox tomorrow against Mike Lincoln of the Twins. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.

O's Stun Sliding Sox In 11 (6/28/00)

The Boston Red Sox got bit by the "June swoon" big time as they have dropped their 5th straight game in a complete collapse. After battling the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays for 2 1/2 months, mediocrity caught up to the Sox as they fell to just a game over .500. The Sox trailed the Orioles 5-4 before tying the game in the 7th. The O's got the lead back in the top of the eighth but the Sox rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. The normally reliable Derek Lowe blew his second consecutive save as the O's tied the game with one out in the ninth. The O's settled matters with a rally off Bryce Florie (0-3, 4.15 ERA) again in the top of the eleventh. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the frame and the O's had sent the Sox to their 5th straight loss 8-7 at Fenway Park.

                                               Sox fans share this sentiment

Ramon Martinez got the start for the Sox in the top of the first and Brady Anderson led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Mike Bordick grounded out to third but Delino Deshields singled to right. Deshields stole second but Albert Belle popped up to short to end the inning. Jason Johnson got the ball for Baltimore in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman walked to start. Jeff Frye whiffed and Offerman was thrown out trying to steal. Jason Varitek lined out to left to end the inning.

The O's rallied in the top of the second although BJ Surhoff popped up to short to start. Will Clark popped up to second and Ryan Minor whiffed....but the ball got away from Varitek and the inning continued. The O's capitalized as Harold Baines singled to right and Charles Johnson singled home Minor. Brady Anderson singled home Baines for another run before Bordick grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's ahead 2-0 after the miscue by Varitek.

                                                              Nice going Varitek

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra drew a walk to start. Morgan Burkhart drove in his first run with the Red Sox with a double to right that scored Nomar. Mike Stanley grounded out to short, Brian Daubach popped up to third in foul territory and Darren Lewis grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                          Burkhart's first RBI

Ramon froze Deshields for strike three to open the top of the third before Belle lined out to left. Surhoff singled to left but Clark flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Wilton Veras drew a walk to start. Offerman singled to right and the throw was nowhere near the plate and Veras scored on the error. Frye singled home Offerman to give Boston the lead, Frye taking second on the throw home. Frye moved to third on the grounder by Varitek and they walked Nomar to get to Burkhart. Morgan hit a routine grounder to first but it was booted to allow Frye. Stanley whiffed and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                       Frye drives in a run

Minor grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Baines grounded out to first. Johnson singled to left but Anderson lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Lewis whiffed to start. Veras flied out to right and Offerman whiffed to end the inning.

The floodgates opened in the top of the fifth when Bordick hit a routine grounder to Veras who threw himself on the ball and wrestled with it for an error. DeShields singled to right and Belle singled home Bordick. Surhoff singled home DeShields to tie the game and send Belle to third. Clark scored Belle with a sac fly to give the O's the lead. Minor popped up to short and Baines flied out to right to end the inning with the O's ahead 5-4.

                                                     Nice error Veras

Frye lined out to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Varitek went down hacking. Nomar walked but Burkhart grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramon came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth as Johnson whiffed to start. Anderson was hit by a pitch but Bordick flied out to right. Anderson swiped second but DeShields popped up to first to end the inning. Ramon got lit up for 5 runs in just 6 innings although only 2 of the runs were earned.

                                                            Not Ramon's best effort

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Stanley whiffed to start. Daubach flied out to center but Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rheal Cormier came in for the top of the seventh and Belle flied out to left to start. Surhoff singled and moved to second on the Clark grounder before Minor walked. Baines popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the seventh as Veras walked to start. Offerman dropped down a bunt to move Wilton to second but Frye popped up to second. Mike Timlin came in to pitch to Varitek and Jason doubled to left to score Veras to tie the game. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                 Varitek ties it up

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Orioles re-took the lead instantly in the top of the eighth with Rod Beck now on the mound. Johnson hit his second home run in many days to give the O's the lead before Anderson flied out to center. Bordick lined out to first and DeShields grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's ahead 6-5.

                                                        Thanks a lot Beck

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Burkhart singled to center to start. Carl Everett pinch hit for Stanley with Curtis Pride pinch running for Burkhart. Everett flied out to right as Chuck McElroy was brought in to pitch to Daubach. Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by pinch hitting Izzy Alcantara to pinch hit for Brian. Alcantara respinded with a base hit to left and Mike Trombley came in to pitch to Lewis. Lewis beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Veras, getting a base hit to right to score Pride and advancing Lewis to third. Manny Alexander pinch ran for Hatteberg and Offerman singled home Lewis to give the Sox the lead. Frye walked but Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                           Offerman gives the Sox the lead

For the second straight game Derek Lowe blew the save in the top of the ninth. Belle grounded out to short but Surhoff doubled to right. Clark tripled over the head of Lewis to score Surhoff with the tying run. Mark Lewis ran for Clark with Jeff Conine pinch hitting for Minor. Conine grounded out sharply to short and Baines was intentionally walked. Johnson grounded into a force to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

Alan Mills came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Nomar lined out to left to start. Pride flied out to center and with the Sox losing the DH, Lowe was scheduled to bat. Sox manager Jimy Williams remembered Pete Schourek had batting experience in the National League and sent him to pinch hit for Lowe. Pete got a base hit to center much to Jimy's delight but Alcantara flied out to center to end the inning.

                                         Pete getting more hits than he allowed in this one

Rich Garces came in for the top of the tenth and Anderson flied out to center to start. Bordick whiffed but DeShields singled to center. Belle struck out swinging to end the inning. Jose Mercedes came in for the bottom of the tenth and Lewis popped up to short to start. Alexander whiffed but Offerman singled to left. Frye walked and Varitek flied out to left to end the inning.

Bryce Florie came in for the top of the eleventh and the O's took command as Surhoff doubled to left to start. Lewis dropped down a bunt to move Surhoff to third and Varitek interfered with Conine to put runners at the corners. Baines doubled home Surhoff to give the O's the lead but Johnson struck out swinging. Anderson was intentionally walked but Bordick grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's ahead 8-7.

                                                           Dammit Florie

Buddy Groom came in to close out the bottom of the eleventh but Nomar singled to left. Pride popped up a bunt to Groom and Sox manager Jimy Williams remembered Tom Wakefield used to bat for Pittsburgh in 1992 and sent him to pinch hit for Florie. Wakefield dropped down a bunt to move Nomar to second but Alcantara flied out to center to end the game. The O's had won it 8-7.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. For the second straight night it never should have come to Bryce Florie pitching the 11th if Lowe did his job in the ninth.

                                                        Lowe the Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 4 with an rbi, walk and a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Pete Schourek got a base hitter as a pinch hitter....yes you read that right.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Izzy Alcantara was 1 for 3 at the plate.

Wilton Veras walked twice and scored twice in 3 at bats.

Scott Hatteberg singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Rheal Cormier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 10th inning.



The Bad:

Mike Stanley was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Carl Everett was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ramon Martinez was lit up for 5 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings of work. He gave up 9 hits while only striking out 3.

Rod Beck allowed a run in the 8th inning.

Bryce Florie allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the 11th to take the loss.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 6 with an error but drove in a run.

Curtis Pride was 0 for 2 but scored a run.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Tim Wakefield dropped down a bunt as a pinch hitter....yes you read that right.




Final Thoughts:

This month can't end fast enough but unless the Sox pull off a blockbuster trade, help doesn't appear to be coming. Everything that went right last year has gone wrong this year. Injuries and ineffectiveness on offense and in the rotation has sank the Sox to the point they are at now. Pedro Martinez may go on the DL, Trot Nixon is already on the DL, John Valentin is out for the season,  Troy O'Leary is rumored to be going through a messy divorce and all the bench guys that stepped up in May reverted back to normal this month. The Sox had their way with this Orioles in that early May series but these aren't the same Sox anymore. As for the game, that was absolutely insane. Pete Schourek pinch hitting and getting a hit, Tim Wakefield pinch hitting and dropping down a bunt. Can't say Jimy Williams doesn't get creative sometimes. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-36, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage their three game set against the Orioles tomorrow night when they send tonight's pinch hitter Tim Wakefield (2-5) to the mound up against last night's pinch runner Scott Erickson at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

O's Stun Sox in Ninth, Win in 10 (6/27/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Trot Nixon apparently pulled a hamstring and has been placed on the 15 day Disabled List. This comes at a bad time with the Sox offense struggling big time right now. In his place the Sox called up former 3 time Frontier League MVP Morgan Burkhart. The 28 year old "rookie" has great pop in his bat and the Sox desperately need offense.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                     IN

As for the game, the Sox are inventing new ways to lose these days. On a night when somehow Pete Schourek matched O's ace Mike Mussina for 7 innings, the Sox still found a way to blow it. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the seventh but Derek Lowe gagged in the top of the ninth. Lowe then served up a 2 run bomb in the top of the tenth to Charles Johnson. Bryce Florie came in and allowed 3 runs of his own. The Sox did manage to get a home run by Nomar in the bottom of the tenth but it wasn't enough as the O's stunned the Sox 6-3 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                                   Thanks a lot Lowe

Schourek got the ball in the top of the first and old friend Brady Anderson popped up to first to start. Mike Bordick doubled to right and moved to third on the Delino DeShields grounder. Albert Belle struck out swinging to end the inning. Mussina cruised in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman struck out swinging to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Brian Daubach took strike three to end the inning.

Jeff Conine singled to start the top of the second inning and moved to second on the BJ Surhoff grounder. Cal Ripken Jr popped up to first and Will Clark struck out swinging to end the inning. 

                                                          Ripken pops it up

Nomar Garciaparra singled to right to start the bottom of the second before Morgan Burkhart made his ML debut with a base hit to right. Mike Stanley whiffed and Scott Hatteberg took strike three before Manny Alexander grounded out to second to end the inning.

Charles Johnson hit a routine grounder to Alexander to start the top of the third and he threw his glove at the ball and stomped on it for an error. Anderson banged into a double play and Bordick struck out swinging to end the inning. Curtis Pride grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Offerman grounded out to third. Frye whiffed but the ball got away from the catcher so Frye took first. Daubach flied out to left to end the inning.

DeShields grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Belle struck out swinging. Conine walked but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Mussina cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Nomar flied out to right to start. Burkhart flied out to center and Stanley struck out swinging to end the inning.

Schourek got Surhoff to ground out to first to start the top of the fifth before Ripken popped up to short. Clark walked but Johnson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hatteberg grounded out to third to start. Alexander struck out swinging but Pride got a base hit to center. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning.

Anderson grounded out to second to start the top of the sixth before Bordick flied out to left. DeShields singled to left but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the sixth although Frye took strike three to start. Daubach flied out to center but Nomar singled and Burkhart walked. Stanley whiffed again to earn the hat trick to end the inning.

Schourek came back for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Belle flied out to center to start. Conine grounded out to second but Surhoff singled to right. Ripken Jr grounded out to short to end the inning. That was it for Schourek who pitched one of his best games of the season to shut out the Orioles for 7 innings, he deserved to win this one.

                                                          Good work Pete

The Sox finally cracked Mussina in the bottom of the seventh as Hatteberg singled to center to start. Scott was bunted over to second by Alexander but Pride struck out. Offerman dumped a base hit to right to score Hatteberg with the go ahead run but was thrown out trying to stretch a double to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                              Offerman, what are you doing?

Rich Garces came in to pitch with Izzy Alcantara now in left to start the top of the eighth. Clark singled to right and Luis Matos pinch ran for him. Johnson struck out and Sox manager Jimy Williams wanted the lefty Rheal Cormier to pitch to Anderson. The gamble worked as Anderson hit a liner to Alexander who doubled off Matos at first to end the inning.

                                             Not this time Brady

Mike Timlin came in for the bottom of the eighth and Frye grounded out to short to start. Alcantara struck out swinging and Nomar grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to close out the top of the ninth and crapped his pants. Bordick whiffed but DeShields doubled to left. Belle singled home Delino to tie the game but Conine flied out to center. Surhoff was intentionally walked but Ripken struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

The Sox blew another rally in the bottom of the ninth as Burkhart singled to right to start. Stanley dropped down a bunt to move Morgan to second and Hatteberg was intentionally walked. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Alexander but popped up to short. Chuck McElroy came in to face Pride but Williams countered by pinch hitting Darren Lewis for Curtis. Lewis drew a walk to load the bases and Wilton Veras pinch ran for him. Mike Trombley came in to pitch to Offerman and Jose grounded out to first to end the inning....damn.

The floodgates opened in the top of the tenth as Harold Baines pinch hit for Matos and singled to start. Mark Lewis pinch ran for Baines and Johnson hit a home run all the way to the Cardassian Homeworld to give the O's the lead. Williams finally lifted the incompetent Lowe and Bryce Florie came in to get Anderson to fly out to right. Bordick hit a routine grounder to Nomar who went OLE! for an error. Bordick moved to second on the DeShields grounder and Belle was intentionally walked. Conine singled to load the bases and Surhoff drove in two runs with a base hit, moving Conine to third. Ripken hurt himself on a fielder's choice that scored Conine and Scott Erickson (yes, HIM) ran for him. Lewis grounded into a force to end the inning but the Orioles led 6-1...what a disaster.

                                                                O's take the lead

Lewis moved to third and Alan Mills came on to pitch the bottom of the tenth and the Sox rallied. Frye earned the hat trick by striking out swinging but Alcantara singled to left. Nomar swatted his 8th home run of the year to cut the lead in half. Burkhart flied out to center but Stanley got a base hit to center. Orioles manager Mike Hargrove brought in the lefty Buddy Groom to pitch to Hatteberg. Hatteberg whiffed to end the game. The Orioles had won it 6-3 in 10 innings.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. He blew the game in the ninth and took the loss in the 10th inning. It should have never come to Florie giving up unearned runs.

                                                                Jackass Lowe

The Good:

Izzy Alcantara was 1 for 2 with a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Curtis Pride was 1 for 3.

Darren Lewis walked as a pinch hitter.

Rich Garces got the first out of the eighth inning.

Rheal Cormier got the last two outs of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Jeff Frye was 0 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and an error.

Jason Varitek popped up as a pinch hitter.

Bryce Florie allowed 2 inherited runners to score and three of his own

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Mike Stanley was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Wilton Veras ran for Lewis and played third in the top of the tenth.

Final Thoughts:

Another game that was a sucker punch to the gonads for the Red Sox. The Sox had this game won but Lowe blew one of his only saves of the season. Why he came back for the tenth is anyone's guess but its not like Florie did a better job anyway. The Orioles couldn't accomplish anything against Schourek but scored 5 runs in the tenth inning, go figure. Mussina is one of the better pitchers in the AL so getting a run off him is pretty standard. The lack of clutch hitting is killing the Sox whether its Jose Offerman with the bases loaded in the ninth or Hatteberg with a man on in the tenth. Where was Carl Everett to pinch hit tonight? He could have easily pinch hit for Hatteberg hitting on the right side? So many things went wrong tonight and its amazing the Sox were even in first place at all this season the way they've played this month. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-35, 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send Ramon Martinez to the mound up against Jason Johnson of the O's at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Sweep Sox on Walkoff in 13 (6/25/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Not surprisingly the Sox designated Rob Stanifer for assignment and sent Brian Rose back to Pawtucket. Stanifer is expendable and its time to see if anyone else could pitch better. The same can be said for Rose who just isn't developing into the starter Sox brass envisioned him being a few years ago. He's 3-5 this year and maybe a demotion will kick him into gear to rebound. The Sox brought up Pawtucket sensation Izzy Alcantara to replace Stanifer and Rose. Alcantara has been swinging a hot bat in the minors and the Sox could use a buzz on offense for sure.

                                                                           OUT

                                                                       IN

As for the game, this was not the best three game stretch for the Boston Red Sox. After failing to win back to back close games they sent their ace Pedro Martinez to the mound for this one. Wouldn't you know it, Pedro picked THIS game to throw one of his worst of the season. The possibly injured Pedro was mortal as he allowed 5 runs before being removed in the 7th inning. The Sox were done in by a gaggle of errors, including a crucial one by Carl Everett in the bottom of the 13th. Capitalizing on the break, Tony Batista singled home the winning run to win the game for the Jays. The first place Jays swept the Sox out of the Skydome with a 6-5 win in 13 innings.

                                                  Swept by the Jays? Ugh

The Sox wasted no time getting to Jays ace Chris Carpenter in the top of the first inning. Jose Offerman led off with a walk and Jeff Frye lined out to left. Carl Everett singled to center and Nomar Garciaparra doubled home both runners. Brian Daubach flied out to left and highly touted Red Sox prospect Izzy Alcantara made his major league debut by striking out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                           Nomar puts the Sox on top

Pedro got tagged in the bottom of the first inning as Shannon Stewart hit the second pitch he saw out of the yard for a solo home run. Chris Woodward grounded out to first, Tony Batista went down hacking and Carlos Delgado grounded out to first to end the inning with the Jays down 2-1.

Scott Hatteberg flied out to left to start the top of the second before Wilton Veras grounded out to short. Curtis Pride singled to to center and Offerman singled him to third. Frye grounded out to third to end the inning. Brad Fullmer hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz popped up to second. Marty Cordova hit a routine grounder to Nomar who dropped an elbow on the ball and pinned it for the 1-2-3 and the error. Alberto Castillo walked but Homer Bush grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Everett walked to start. Nomar flied out to right but Daubach walked. Alcantara forced Everett at third but Hatteberg doubled home both runners to increase the lead. Veras flied out to right to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 4-1.

                                                        Hatteberg adds to the lead

Normally a 3 run lead is more than enough cushion for Pedro but he seemed off in the bottom of the third. Stewart got plunked to start before Woodward struck out swinging. Batista flied out to left and Delgado hit a routine grounder to Veras. Veras picked the ball up and spiked it like a football before doing the boogie woogie for an error. Fullmer made Veras pay by doubling home Stewart to cut the lead. Cruz grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox lead was cut 4-2.

The Sox fought back in the top of the fourth as Pride doubled to center to begin. Offerman flied out to deep center which moved Curtis to third, and he scored on the Frye base hit. That was it for Carpenter as Lance Painter came in to get Everett to pop up to first. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 5-2.

                                                            Frye drives a run in

Pedro cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Cordova took strike three to start. Castillo grounded out to short and Bush whiffed to end the inning.

The Sox failed to add to the lead in the top of the fifth although Daubach doubled to right to begin. Alcantara grounded out to short but a wild pitch moved Brian to third. Hatteberg lined out to short and Veras took strike three to end the inning. Once again Pedro got tagged in the bottom of the fifth although Stewart was frozen for strike three to start. Woodward watched strike three go by but Batista pulverized a solo home run to cut the lead. Delgado flied out to left to end the inning but the Sox only led 5-3.

John Frascatore came in to pitch the top of the sixth and the red hot Pride singled to left. Offerman flied out to center and Frye moved Pride to second with a grounder. Everett flied out to center to end the inning. Fullmer hit a routine grounder to Offerman who kicked the ball and ran around in a circle screaming "GOALLLLLL" for an error to start the bottom of the sixth. Pedro recovered to get Cruz swinging but plunked Cordova. Pedro struck out Castillo and Bush swinging to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the seventh as Nomar grounded out to third to start. Daubach whiffed and Alcantara grounded out to third to end the inning. Pedro uncharacteristically ran out of gas in the bottom of the seventh. Stewart grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the seventh and Woodward singled to left. Batista whiffed but Delgado pounded a 2 run bomb to tie the game. Fullmer singled and that was it for Pedro. Sox manager Jimy Williams figured out something was wrong and pulled his ace after allowing 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings. Rich Garces walked Cruz but Cordova grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                            A rare bad game by Pedro

Pedro Borbon Jr came in for the top of the eighth and Hatteberg flied out to center to start. Veras and Pride both whiffed to end the inning. Garces returned for the bottom of the eighth and cruised. Castillo flied out to center, Bush grounded out to third and Stewart flied out to left to end the inning.

Jays closer Billy Koch came in for the top of the ninth and Offerman singled to center to start. Frye dropped down a sacrifice bunt to get Jose to second but the Jays made a huge gamble by intentionally walking Everett to get to Nomar. Somehow the gamble worked as Nomar banged into a double play to end the inning. Sox closer Derek Lowe came in for the bottom of the ninth and Woodward went down hacking to start. Batista doubled to left and Delgado was intentionally walked to set up a double play. The gamble worked as Fullmer hit a bullet to Nomar who doubled off Batista to end the inning.

The Sox blew their chance to take the lead in the top of the tenth against Paul Quantrill as Daubach grounded out to short to start. Alcantara grounded out to short but Hatteberg singled to center. Veras doubled him to third but Pride whiffed to end the inning. Lowe returned for the bottom of the tenth and the Jays nearly walked it off. Cruz walked and Cordova singled to put the winning run at second. Castillo dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over but Bush hit a grounder to Veras who fired home to get Cruz with the second out. Stewart whiffed to end the inning and the game continued.

Quantrill returned for the top of the eleventh and Offerman grounded out to third to start. Frye popped up to first and Everett popped up to third to end the inning. Rod Beck came in for the bottom of the eleventh and Woodward flied out to center to begin. Batista grounded out to third but Sox manager Jimy Williams wanted the lefty/lefty matchup, bringing in Rheal Cormier to pitch to Delgado. Cormier did strike out Delgado but they lost Beck the rest of the night after two batters.

The Sox blew another chance to take the lead in the top of the 12th inning. Nomar grounded out to second and Daubach took strike three, but Alcantara singled. Hatteberg singled Izzy to third and Jason Varitek was sent to pinch hit for Veras. Varitek flied out to left to end the inning. Manny Alexander came in to play third in the bottom of the 12th and Fullmer singled to right to start. Cruz forced Fullmer at second and Cordova lined out to right. Castillo flied out to right to end the inning.

Matt DeWitt came in for the top of the 13th and the Sox blew their final chance to get a run. Pride grounded out to first to start but Offerman walked. Frye whiffed but Everett singled to right. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning. Bryce Florie came in for the bottom of the 13th but the Sox made a fatal mistake. Bush grounded out to third and and Stewart grounded out to short to start. Woodward hit a routine pop up to Everett but he tried to catch it in his hat and the ball dropped in for an error that allowed Chris to take second. Batista ended the game with a base hit to end the game and give the series sweep to the Jays 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is unfortunately Bryce Florie. Everett should have caught the ball in the 13th but he still gave up the base hit to Batista to end it.

                                                              Florie the Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with 2 walks and run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 5 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 3 for 6 with 2 rbis.

Curtis Pride was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Rich Garces tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rod Beck got the first 2 outs of the eleventh.

Rheal Cormier tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Jason Varitek flied out as a pinch hitter.

Pedro Martinez got lit up for 5 runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Jays smacked him around for 6 hits and a walk even though Martinez struck out 10.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 6 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 7 with an error but drove in a run.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 5 but walked and scored a run.

Izzy Alcantara was just 1 for 6 but scored a run.

Wilton Veras was just 1 for 5 with an error and a strikeout.



Honorable Mention:

Manny Alexander played third base in the final two innings.




Final Thoughts:

Well this series was a sucker punch to the gonads. The Sox were in 3 consecutive close games and lost all three of them. The Jays managed to outpitch and outhit the Sox when it counted. They even smacked around Pedro Martinez to drive home the fact their offense is no joke. If the Jays pick up a starter at the trade deadline, they may be a bigger threat than the New York Yankees for the AL East supremacy. This game was frustrating as the Sox kept making errors which led to runs that spelled their doom. The Everett one in the 13th hurt the most because the Sox would have been out of the inning had he caught the ball. The less said of this disgrace, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-34, 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Tuesday night when they return home to face the Baltimore Orioles. Mike Mussina takes on Pete Schourek at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rally Falls Short, Jays Win (6/24/00)

Two straight games the Boston Red Sox had a chance to tie or win the game in the ninth inning and two straight games they have failed. The Toronto Blue Jays battered Sox starter Brian Rose (3-5, 6.11 ERA) for 4 runs and knocked him out in the third inning. Down 5-2 in the eighth inning, the Sox closed the gap to 5-4 but Rheal Cormier gave up the killshot to Brad Fullmer. Jays flamethrowing closer Billy Koch slammed the door as the Jays held on to win 6-4 at the Skydome.

                                             Bender tells Brian Rose how he feels

Roy Halladay got the start in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman flied out to left to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to short and Carl Everett flied out to right to end the inning. The Jays immediately pounced on Brian Rose in the bottom of the first inning. Shannon Stewart grounded out to third to start but Alex Gonzalez was plunked. Raul Mondesi grounded out to short but Carlos Delgado hit the roof of the Skydome with a 2 run home run to give the Jays the lead. Brad Fullmer flied out to left to end the inning with the Jays up 2-0.

                                                           Delgado hits one out

The Sox fought back in the top of the second inning when Nomar Garciaparra struck his 7th home run of the season to lead off. Brian Daubach struck out swinging and Jason Varitek flied out to left, but Darren Lewis reached on an error. Curtis Pride struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                             Nomar goes yard

Rose got Tony Bautista to pop up to right to start the bottom of the second. Jose Cruz grounded out to second but Alberto Castillo singled to right. Homer Bush flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox tied it up in the top of the third as Manny Alexander singled to left to begin. Offerman lined out to right but a grounder by Frye moved Alexander to second. Everett lashed a base hit to score Alexander to tie the game. Nomar singled Everett to third but Daubach flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                         Everett drives in a run

As soon as the Sox tied it, the Jays took the lead back in the bottom of the third. Stewart walked and Gonzalez belted a home run into the Merrimack River to increase the lead. Mondesi popped up to third and Delgado flied out to left. Fullmer hit a routine grounder to Nomar who threw his glove at the ball and screamed for an error. Sox manager Jimy Williams ran out of the dugout screaming and tried to throw a roundhouse right at Rose, blaming him for the error. Rose ran away and Hipolito Pichardo materialized out of thin air to take the mound. Batista grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays up 4-2.

                                                             Get him outta there!

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Varitek grounded back to the mound to start. Lewis grounded out to short but Pride drew a walk. Alexander whiffed to end the inning. Pichardo got the Jays to beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fourth although Cruz got a base hit to center to begin. Castillo and Bush grounded out to short while Stewart grounded out to second to end the inning.

Halladay held down the Sox in the top of the fifth as Offerman flied out to center to start. Frye flied out to right but Everett walked. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning. The Jays struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Gonzalez and Mondesi hit back to back singles to start. Delgado lined a base hit to right to score Gonzalez with another run. Fullmer hit a bullet to Offerman who doubled off Delgado for the double play. Batista lined out to left to end the inning with the Jays up 5-2.

Chris Woodward took over for Gonzalez to begin the top of the sixth as Daubach whiffed to start. Varitek flied to center and Lewis took strike three to end the inning. Pichardo returned for the bottom of the sixth and Cruz grounded out to first to start. Castillo grounded out to short and Bush grounded out to second to end the inning.

It was the Sox turn to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the seventh inning. Pride grounded out to second, Alexander grounded out to third and Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning. Rod Beck came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Stewart lined out to right to start. Woodward whiffed and Mondesi grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox finally rallied in the top of the eighth inning. Frye got a base hit and Everett singled Jeff to third to chase Halladay. Paul Quantrill came in and Nomar scored Frye with a grounder. Daubach whiffed but Varitek singled home Everett. Lewis grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox back in it 5-4.

                                                         Varitek drives in a run

Just as soon as the Sox fought back, the Jays iced it in the bottom of the eighth against Rheal Cormier. Delgado grounded out to second but Fullmer crushed a home run all the way to Saskatchewan to ice the game. Batista flied out to left but Cruz singled to left. Castillo grounded out to short to end the inning with the Jays ahead 6-4.

Flamethrower closer Billy Koch took the mound to close out the top of the the ninth. Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Pride and struck out swinging. Alexander took strike three and Offerman flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had dropped a close one 6-4 to the Jays.

Jackass of the Night is Brian Rose. The problematic starter turtled once again in a big time pitching situation with first place slipping away. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and took the loss allowing 4 runs.

                                                       Rose colored Jackass



The Good:

Carl Everett was 2 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with 2 total rbis and a home run.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless seventh inning.



The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 5.

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

Darren Lewis was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg struck out as a pinch hitter.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in the eighth inning.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with an rbi.

Curtis Pride was 0 for 2 but walked.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Hipolito Pichardo allowed a run in 3 1/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

How much longer will the Sox put up with Brian Rose in the rotation? The New York Yankees are vulnerable for the first time in 3 years and the Sox are right in the middle of the AL East race. They can't afford to slip behind them with losses like this. Rose simply doesn't have the stuff to compete at a level this high. Maybe a trade to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is in order to get him out of the bright lights of Boston and New York. As for the game, the Sox battled but once again Toronto outhit them. The Sox can't afford to get into slugfests with the Jays who have too much power. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-33, 1.5 games behind the Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to rebound in a battle of aces. Chris Carpenter goes for the Jays up against Pedro Martinez of the Sox at 1:05 PM at the Skydome.