Yankees Sweep Sox, Mussina Nearly Perfect (9/2/01)

If you were to tell me the Boston Red Sox starting pitching held the New York Yankees to 1 earned run in 3 games I would have said "Wow, what a sweep." Yeah, it was a sweep alright, sweep for the YANKEES. After Joe Kerrigan's awful pitch count rules spoiled Frank Castillo's shutout start Friday night andUgueth Urbina spoiled Pedro Martinez' start yesterday, Mike Mussina damn near pitched a perfect game tonight. After all that, the Sox were swept by the world champion Yankees. The 3-peat champs always seem to find a way to win no matter what. Tonight David Cone (8-4, 4.13 ERA) pitched his ass off but Mussina came one strike away from throwing a perfect game. It took a pinch hit effort by Carl Everett to spoil the perfecto but the Yankees still swept the Sox out of Fenway with a 1-0 win.

                                                                "I almost had it!"

Cone took the mound in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch whiffed to start. Derek Jeter hit a routine ground ball to Mike Lansing at short who turned around and threw the ball into the third base seats for an error. David Justice popped up to short but Jeter swiped second. Bernie Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. Mussina began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Trot Nixon whiffed to start. Lansing looked at strike three on the inside corner before Izzy Alcantara lined out to short to end the inning.

Tino Martinez began the top of the second inning with a single up the middle but Jorge Posada whiffed on a splitter down and away. Paul O'Neil banged into a double play to end the inning. Manny Ramirez looked at strike three to begin the bottom of the second before Dante Bichette whiffed. Brian Daubach thought he had ball four but he was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Cone got no help from his defense in the top of the third inning although Randy Velarde popped up to second to start. Alfonso Soriano flied out to the warning track in front of the Monster before Knoblauch hit a routine grounder to Lansing who kicked the ball over to second, running in a circle screaming "GOALLLL!!" for another error. Jeter grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Shea Hillenbrand led off by grounding out to short to start. Lou Merloni also grounded out to short before Joe Oliver grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cone did what he could in the top of the fourth inning as Justice grounded out to first to start. Williams flied out to the warning track in center but Martinez walked. Posada whiffed to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the fourth as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Lansing was rung up for strike three on a high fastball before Alcantara was frozen by a curve at the knees to end the inning.

Cone continued his own good game in the top of the fifth as O'Neil froze on a back door curveball for strike three to begin. Velarde whiffed on a curveball before Soriano popped up to a running Lansing to end the inning. The Sox couldn't touch Mussina in the bottom of the fifth as Manny looked at strike three on the inside corner to start. Bichette grounded out to third before Daubach was frozen for strike three on the outside corner to end the inning.

Cone kept pace in the top of the sixth although Knoblauch singled in the hole at short. Cone recovered to get Jeter to hit into a double play before Justice whiffed badly to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the sixth as Hillenbrand popped up to center to start. As sad as it sounds, that was the first ball out of the infield for the Sox. Merloni popped up to right and Oliver took strike three to end the inning.

Cone matched Mussina in the top of the seventh as Williams grounded out to first to start. Martinez lined out to short but Posada doubled down the right field line past the diving Daubach. O'Neil was intentionally walked and rookie Nick Johnson pinch hit for Velarde only for Cone to strike him out on a splitter to end the inning. The Sox still couldn't hit Mussina in the bottom of the seventh with Enrique Wilson now at third. Nixon grounded out to first before Lansing lined out to Soriano at second. Alcantara was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Miraculously Cone kept the shut-out going in the top of the eighth although Soriano singled to right to begin. Knoblauch flied out to the centerfield warning track before Jeter whiffed. Soriano swiped second before Justice walked. Sox pitching coach John Cumberland went to the mound and informed Cone that Star Trek Voyager was on in the clubhouse and David responded by getting Williams to fly out to the centerfield wall to end the inning. Mussina kept the perfect game in the bottom of the eighth as Manny popped up to short to start. Bichette flied out to center and Daubach earned the hat trick with another strikeout to end the inning.

The Yankees finally got to Cone in the top of the ninth but not without some help. Martinez blooped a single to center but Posada popped up to left. O'Neil hit a routine double play ball to Merloni but he dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error that allowed Martinez to go to third. Clay Bellinger pinch ran for Martinez as Sox manager Joe Kerrigan went to the mound. Rather than take Cone out he told him to go get Wilson before leaving. Leaving David in backfired as Wilson doubled down the right field line to score Bellinger and give the Yankees the lead. That was it for Cone who was outstanding, going 8 1/3 inning allowing just the unearned run.

                                                      Cone deserved better

Derek Lowe came in to stop the bleeding and he struck out Soriano to get a key out. Knoblauch hit a grounder to third that Hillenbrand damn near threw away. Daubach scooped it but almost got cleaned out by Knoblauch to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

Mussina came out to finish the perfect game in the bottom of the ninth as Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Hillenbrand. O'Leary hit a bullet but Bellinger made a great diving stop and flip to Mussina for the out. Merloni whiffed on a curve in the dirt before Carl Everett pinch hit for Oliver. Mussina was one strike away from perfection when Everett lined a base hit to left to break up the perfecto. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett and now after all of that, one swing of the bat would either tie or win the game. Nixon took Roger Clemens yard to win a game in the ninth last season but this time Mussina got Trot to ground out to second to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Red Sox out of Fenway with 3 straight late inning rallies and effectively ended the AL East race.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since 10 out of 11 guys failed to put the ball in play just once but I'll go with Lou Merloni. Not only did he go 0 for 4 but his error in the ninth led to the only run scoring for the Yankees.

                                                         Merloni you Jackass!



The Good:

Carl Everett got the only hit of the game for the Sox pinch hitting in the ninth.

David Cone was the hard luck loser but he was hardly a loser. He tossed 8 1/3 innings and gave up no earned runs, just the unearned in the ninth while striking out 8.

Derek Lowe retired the only two men he faced.



The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Izzy Alcantara was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 2.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Joe Oliver was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

None



Honorable Mention:

Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

As the season goes down the crapper this series was a microcosm of exactly why. The Sox had 3 straight outstanding starting pitching performances against the Yankees but the champs still found ways to win. Nothing is going right for the Red Sox and it feels like the titanic is sinking. They did their best to hold on waiting for Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez to return but Nomar's wrist just couldn't get healthy and Pedro's shoulder is definitely not right. That extra inning marathon loss seemed to sap the life of this team and it doesn't look like they are a playoff contender. How do you come back from this? You hold the best team in baseball to 2 runs in 3 games by your starters and lose all three of them, how are you going to beat anyone else? The loss dropped the Sox to 71-64, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East with just 27 games to play. After an off-day the Sox return to action Tuesday night with the Cleveland Indian coming to town. Indians ace Bartolo Colon goes for the Indians against Hideo Nomo (11-6) of the Sox at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Braves Shut Out Sox (7/8/01)

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

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

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

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

                                                          Stynes can't crack Glavine

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

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

                                                            Nice going Ohka

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                            Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4.

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 full scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 4.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with an error.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

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

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

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Yankees Edge Sox Late (5/28/01)

No matter how good the Boston Red Sox are or can be they're always coming up short against the New York Yankees. The Yankees took a 3-1 lead on David Cone and the Red Sox, knocking David out in the third inning. Jose Offerman and Darren Lewis drove in runs to tie the game but in the eighth inning, Jorge Posada doubled off Rich Garces to put the Yankees ahead. Mike Stanton and Mariano Rivera slammed the door and the Yankees had beaten the Red Sox further into second place with a 4-3 win at Fenway Park.

The Yankees jumped on Cone in the top of the first inning as Chuck Knoblauch struck out swinging to start. Derek Jeter walked and stole second before David Justice walked. Bernie Williams got a base hit in the hole at short to load the bases and Tino Martinez hit a seeing eye single to right to score Jeter and Justice. Paul O'Neill grounded out to second to move both runners over but Jorge Posada flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                         Martinez puts New York on top

Andy Pettitte got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off  by grounding out to short. John Valentin drew a walk and took second on a wild pitch, but Carl Everett struck out swinging. Manny Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Scott Brosius struck out swinging to start the top of the second but Alfonso Soriano singled to left. Soriano was thrown out trying to steal but Knoblauch drew a walk. Jeter singled to center and Justice walked to load the bases but Williams grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox fought back in the bottom of the second as Dante Bichette got a base hit to left to begin. Shea Hillenbrand struck out swinging but Jason Varitek walked. Mike Lansing got a base hit to center to score Bichette but Darren Lewis struck out swinging. Offerman struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                                Lansing drives in a run

The Yankees struck again in the top of the third as Martinez grounded out to short to start. O'Neil then hit a home run all the way to Homoa, Louisiana to increase the lead. Posada struck out swinging but Brosius singled to left to chase Cone. Sox manager Jimy Williams saw something he didn't like and decide to pull Cone before it got any worse. Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch and Soriano struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 3-1.

                                                                 O'Neill hits one out

Brosius booted a grounder by Valentin to start the bottom of the third but Everett forced him at second. Ramirez banged into a double play to end the inning.

Arrojo cruised in the top of the fourth as Knoblauch struck out swinging to start. Jeter grounded out to second and Justice grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Bichette struck out swinging to start. Hillenbrand got a base hit to right but Varitek grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Williams grounded out to first to start the top of the fifth and Martinez flied out to center. O'Neill popped up to Arrojo to end the inning. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fifth as Lansing doubled to left to start. Lewis grounded out to second to move Lansing to third and Mike scored on the Offerman base hit to center. Valentin popped up to second but Everett lined a base hit to left. With the tying run at second....Ramirez lined out to second to end the inning.

Posada struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth but Brosius singled to center. Cone had Brosius picked off but Offerman missed the catch, allowing Scott to take second. Soriano struck out swinging but Knoblauch was hit with a pitch. Jeter forced Knoblauch at second to end the inning. The Sox came back in the bottom of the sixth as Bichette singled to left to start. Hillenbrand banged into a double play but Varitek tripled into the centerfield triangle. Lansing walked and Lewis caught the Yankees asleep with a safety squeeze bunt to score Varitek to tie the game. Offerman lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                             Lewis ties it up with a bunt single

Pete Schourek came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Justice took strike three to start. Williams got a base hit to left but Martinez banged into a double play to end the inning. Valentin popped up to first in foul territory to start the bottom of the seventh before Everett lined out to left. Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning.

Things fell apart in the top of the eighth with Trot Nixon taking over for Bichette in the field. O'Neill doubled off the centerfield wall and Rich Garces came in to pitch to Posada. The gamble failed as Posada doubled home Paul to put the Yankees back on top. Brosius dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Jorge Posada and Henry Rodriguez pinch hit for Soriano only to take strike three. Knoblauch was plunked to put runners at the corners but Jeter grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-3.

                                                     O'Neill starts the rally with a double

Old friend Mike Stanton came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Luis Sojo took over at second. Nixon and Hillenbrand both struck out swinging and Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Justice grounded out to short to start. Williams singled to left but Martinez lined out to third. Williams swiped second but O'Neill grounded out to second to end the inning. Mariano Rivera came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Lansing flied out to center to start. Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Lewis but grounded out to first. Offerman took strike three to end the game. The Yankees had won it 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is Manny Ramirez. He was 0 for 4 and left the tying run on base in the fifth inning.

                                                              Jackass Ramirez

The Good:

Dante Bichette was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Mike Lansing was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Rolando Arrojo tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon struck out in his only at-bat.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

David Cone allowed 3 runs in 2 2/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and 4 walks.

Pete Schourek took the loss by being charged with a run in an inning of work.

Rich Garces allowed the go-ahead run to score in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts and an error but drove in a run.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

Typical Yankees, they always seem to get the hits they need exactly when they need. Cone had nothing but Arrojo stoned them cold. The Sox word hard to tie the game against Pettitte only to fail to do anything against Stanton and Rivera. The big bats like Ramirez, Valentin and Everett went a combined 1 for 11 with a walk. That's three straight bad starts by Cone and he may be all washed up. The Yankees dumped him for his subpar 2000 season and he's picked up where he left off. Its all bad news as the Sox needed to take this two game series to get back in the first place and instead they fell further behind. Cone better start pitching better or else Tomo Ohka or Paxton Crawford will be back up sooner rather than later. All in all it was a typical Yankees win when it counts but the Sox will look to stem the tide on Wednesday. The loss dropped the Sox to 27-22, 1.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action against the Yankees with Pedro Martinez (6-1) takes on Mike Mussina of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Jays Blank Sox Behind Michalek (5/26/01)

After Hideo Nomo tossed a complete game 1 hit shutout in last night for the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays served the same humiliation back to the Boston Red Sox in tonight' game. Chris Michalak pitched the game of his life for the Jays, stoning the Sox cold for 8 shutout innings. Frank Castillo (5-3, 3.74 ERA) was game, holding the Jays to just a single run through six innings. Then the wheels fell off in the seventh as Castillo was chased and Rich Garces allowed both runners he inherited to score and one of his own to put the game out of reach. The Jays got another run against Pete Schourek in the eighth and old friend Paul Quantrill slammed the door in the ninth. One night after getting shutout this time it was the Jays shutting out the Red Sox for the first time all season 5-0 at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Castillo got the ball in the top of the first inning and Shannon Stewart grounded out to second to start. Alex Gonzalez grounded out to short and Carlos Delgado struck out swinging to end the inning. Michalak got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jose Offerman took strike three to start. John Valentin and Carl Everett stroked back to back base hits but Everett got picked off first. Manny Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning.

Raul Mondesi popped up to short to begin the top of the second inning but Brian Simmons singled to left. Tony Batista struck out swinging and Jose Cruz Jr took strike three to end the inning. Dante Bichette reached on an error by Gonzalez to start the bottom of the second and moved to third on the grounder to short by Shea Hillenbrand. Jason Varitek and Mike Lansing both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Alberto Castillo struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Homer Bush grounded out to third. Stewart singled to center and swiped second but Gonzalez struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                              Stewart swipes second

Darren Lewis tried to drop down a bunt in the bottom of the third but Michalak snuffed it out. Offerman and Valentin both flied out to left to end the inning.

Delgado flied out to left to start the top of the fourth and Mondesi grounded out to third. Simmons flied out to center to end the inning. Everett flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fourth but Ramirez popped up to short. Bichette popped up to third to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the fifth as Batista struck out swinging to start. Cruz struck out swinging but Castillo hit a home run all the way to Russia to put the Jays on top. Bush grounded out to short to end the inning but the Jays led 1-0.

                                                             Castillo homers off Castillo

Hillenbrand tried to start a rally with a base hit to right to start the bottom of the fifth but Varitek flied out to right. Lansing forced Hillenbrand at second but Lewis got a base hit to right. Offerman hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

                                                                 Hillenbrand is out

Stewart popped up to first to start the top of the sixth and Gonzalez struck out swinging. Delgado struck out swinging to end the inning and its a shame the Sox couldn't score for Castillo after he held the Jays to 1 run in 6 innings. The Sox blew their only chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the sixth as Valentin was hit with a pitch to start only to get thrown out at third on a base hit to right by Everett. Everett then got thrown out trying to move to second on a pitch in the dirt and Ramirez walked. What should have been bases loaded and 1 out ended up Bichette flying out to center to end the inning.

The wheels fell off in the top of the seventh as Mondesi got a base hit to left to begin. Simmons singled to center and that was it for Castillo. He did the best he could but the Sox bats let him down big time. "El Guapo" Rich Garces poured gas on the fire as Batista doubled off the Monster to score Mondesi almost immediately. Cruz was intentionally walked to load the bases and somehow Castillo went down looking. Bush beat out a double play ball to score Simmons and Stewart singled to center to score Batista to ice the game. Gonzalez forced Stewart at second to end the inning but it was 4-0 Jays.

                                                            "Thanks a lot Garces"

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh although Hillenbrand singled to left to start. Varitek grounded into a double play and Lansing grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pete Schourek came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Delgado greeted him with a double to left. Mondesi singled to center to score Delgado but Simmons forced him at second. Batista popped up to first and Cruz Jr flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays up 5-0.

                                                           Mondesi drives in a run

Lewis doubled to left to start the bottom of the eighth and took third on the fly out to center by Offerman. Valentin lined out to short and Everett popped up to second to end the inning. Somehow Michalak had shut out the Sox through eight innings, it was the game of his life.

                                                      How do you lose to this guy?

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Castillo grounded out to third to begin. Bush struck out swinging and Bichette dropped a line drive by Stewart for a 2 base error. Gonzalez grounded out to second to end the inning. Old friend Paul Quantrill came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Ramirez singled to left to start. Bichette also got a base hit to left but Hillenbrand forced Dante at second. Varitek grounded into a double play to end the game. The Jays had shutout the Sox 5-0.

Jackass of the Night is Rich Garces. He allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                                El Jackass

The Good:

John Valentin was 1 for 3.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4.

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4.

Darren Lewis was 2 for 3.

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Pete Schourek allowed a run in the eighth inning.

The Ugly:

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Frank Castillo was charged with 3 runs in 6 innings to take the loss but allowed just 1 through the first 6.

Final Thoughts:

Things aren't looking good for the Sox right now. Dropping 3 out of 4 to the New York Yankees and Blue Jays isn't the way you want to end the month of May. Not only that but getting shut out by Michalak was embarrassing. The worst part was its Boston's own fault getting runners thrown out trying to steal, getting picked off and running into outs. That seventh inning where Valentin and Everett ran themselves out in a 1-0 game with Ramirez coming up was the difference. If they stayed put then Bichette's fly ball would have scored Valentin to tie the game. Castillo pitched a good game but was let down by the offense and the bullpen. Garces and Schourek turned a 1-0 game into 5-0 pretty quick and usually Garces usually isn't that bad. All in all it was a bad game with errors, guys running into outs and not being able to score any runs. The loss dropped the Sox to 26-21, 0.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon against the Jays when Tim Wakefield (1-0) makes his second start of the season against Steve Parris of Toronto. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Drop Cone, Sox (5/23/01)

In a series that could possibly pay dividends in the future, the Boston Red Sox laid an egg in the first game against the New York Yankees in the Bronx. David Cone (0-1, 5.63 ERA) was not ready for primetime against his old team as he was rocked for 3 runs in 5 innings. Meanwhile Andy Pettitte damn near came within an eyelash of a complete game for the Yankees, holding the Sox to just three runs. The true story was after Cone was out, the Yankees feasted on Tim Wakefield and Rod Beck coming out of the bullpen for four runs. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada all homered for New York while a ninth inning rally fell short against Mike Stanton. It all added up the Yankees taking the game 7-3 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                  Watching first place start to slip away

Pettitte got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman led off with an inside out flyball to right. John Valentin followed with a pop up to right and Carl Everett flied out to left to end the inning. Cone got the ball in the bottom of the first inning amidst a chorus of boos and Chuck Knoblauch struck out swinging on a nasty splitter to start. Derek Jeter doubled just out of the reach of Dante Bichette but Paul O'Neill struck out looking on a pitch on the inside corner. Bernie Williams was hit in the knee with a slider but Tino Martinez was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez hit a broken bat bloop single to center to start. A wild pitch moved Manny to second and Bichette drew a walk. Bichette broke up a double play at second to allow Shea Hillenbrand to reach first and Jason Varitek hit a fly ball to left. Ramirez scored but Hillenbrand was foolishly thrown out in a run-down to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                               Bichette helps the cause

David Justice grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second but Jorge Posada was hit with a pitch that grazed his uniform. Scott Brosius struck out swinging and Alfonso Soriano flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the third as Mike Lansing dropped a base hit to right to start. Darren Lewis dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Lansing to second but Offerman struck out swinging. Valentin walked but Everett forced him at second to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third as Knoblauch flied out to right to start. Jeter dropped a base hit just over the head of Valentin but O'Neill flied out to center. Williams then hit a home run all the way to Shea Stadium to put the Yankees on top. Martinez ripped a base hit to center but Justice took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-1.

                                                              Williams goes yard

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the fourth as Ramirez flied out to center to start on the first pitch. Bichette flied out to left and Hillenbrand took strike three to end the inning. Cone settled down in the bottom of the fourth as Posada grounded out to second to start. Brosius hit one up the elevator shaft and Soriano struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pettitte cruised in the top of the fifth as Varitek struck out swinging to start. Lansing took strike three and Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning. The Yankees finished off Cone in the bottom of the fifth although Knoblauch flied out to center to start. Jeter blooped a single to center and O'Neill singled him to third before Derek scored on the force at second by Williams. Bernie stole second base but Martinez flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 3-1. That was it for Cone who was mediocre against his old team after 5 innings.

                                                           Cone doesn't last very long

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Offerman flied out to right to start. Valentin flied out to center and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Tim Wakefield was supposed to start yesterday's game that got rained out and took the mound for the bottom of the sixth. Justice struck out swinging but Posada walked and Lansing whiffed on a throw by Hillenbrand on a grounder by Brosius to put runners at the corners. The error was charged to Hillenbrand instead of Lansing and Soriano hit a sac fly to left to score Posada. Knoblauch popped up to right to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 4-1.

                                                   Nice catch Mike

Ramirez dropped a base hit into the right field corner to start the top of the seventh but Bichette hit into a double play. Hillenbrand grounded out to third to end the inning. The Yankees struck again in the bottom of the seventh as Jeter led off with a home run to Jupiter to ice the game. O'Neill grounded out to second, Williams struck out swinging and Martinez grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-1.

                                                          Jeter goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth although Varitek grounded a single up the middle to begin. Lansing grounded into a double play and Lewis flied out to center to end the inning. Rod Beck came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and the Yankees tagged him too. Justice singled to right and Posada hit a one handed home run just over the wall in right. Brosius took strike three but Soriano singled to left. Knoblauch lined to Everett but Jeter beat out a roller to third for his fifth hit of the game. Henry Rodriguez pinch hit for O'Neill and lined out to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 7-1.

                                                        Posada barely hits one out

Somehow the Sox rallied against Pettitte in the top of the ninth as Offerman drew a walk to start. Valentin flied out to center but Everett singled into the gap in center to move Jose to third. Ramirez doubled into the centerfield gap to clear the bases and chase Pettitte. Old friend Mike Stanton came in to pitch and Ramirez moved to third on the grounder to second by Bichette. Brosius made a great play to throw out Hillenbrand at first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 7-3.

                                                        Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Tim Wakefield. He turned a 3-1 game into 5-1 to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                              Jackass Wakefield.

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 2.

David Cone allowed 3 runs in 5 innings to take the loss.

Rod Beck allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Joe Offerman was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 but walked.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

This game was a microcosm of how everything goes New York's way no matter what. David Cone pitches against his former team and craps out meanwhile Pettitte damn near goes the distance. Jeter gets 5 hits including a home run while Nomar Garciaparra is out with a bad wrist. The Sox make an error and the Yankees capitalize and the Sox do nothing after the second inning offensively. The key to the game was Wakefield and Beck failing to keep the Yankees off the board after Cone left. The Yankees have had the best lock-down bullpen in baseball the last 5 years and you can't give up 4 runs in 3 innings. Ramirez seemed to be the only one capable of driving someone in and that wasn't until the ninth inning. The less said of this game, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 25-19, 0.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox turn to Pedro Martinez (6-0) to keep the Sox in first against Mike Mussina of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Varitek, Castillo Smash Royals (5/20/21)

Jason Varitek revealed last year he was playing virtually the whole season for the Boston Red Sox with a bad wrist which is why he hit just .248 and 10 home runs. He had off-season surgery to fix it and apparently it transformed him into Carlton Fisk for a day. Varitek hit not one, not two but THREE home runs against the Kansas City Royals and drove in 7 runs to outscore the Royals by himself. On the other side of the ball, Frank Castillo (5-2, 3.64 ERA) tossed 6 innings and allowed just an unearned run to keep the Sox comfortably ahead. Manny Ramirez and Carl Everett also joined the homer parade while the tag team of "El Guapo" Rich Garces and Hipolito Pichardo slammed the door on the Royals. It all added up to a 10-3 Boston win over the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                       Chris Herren approves of the win

Brian Meadows got the start for Kansas City and Trot Nixon led off the top of the first with a base hit to right. Jose Offerman hit a seeing eye single in the hole at second and both runners advanced on the Carl Everett fly out to center. Manny Ramirez was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Dante Bichette banged into a double play to end the inning. The Royals wasted no time scoring on Frank Castillo in the bottom of the first although Carlos Beltran flied out to left to start. Rey Sanchez grounded out to short but Mike Sweeney dumped a base hit to left. Somehow Bichette managed to kick the ball out of the park for an error and Joe Randa doubled Sweeney home to give the Royals the lead. Dee Brown struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                       Dammit Dante

The Sox got the run back in the top of the second although Brian Daubach flied out to left. Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to short but Jason Varitek smacked his third home run of the season to tie the game. Mike Lansing grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                   Varitek ties it up

Castillo settled down in the bottom of the second as Mark Quinn grounded out to third to start. Raul Ibanez flied out to center and old friend Luis Alicea lined out to short to end the inning. 

The Sox did nothing in the top of the third as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Offerman flied out to left and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Hector Ortiz singled to right to begin the bottom of the third but was forced at second by Beltran. Sanchez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Beltran to second but Sweeney struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the top of the fourth as Ramirez smashed his 15th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Bichette doubled to left and Daubach walked, but Hillenbrand forced Brian at second to put runners at the corners. Varitek then smashed a three run bomb to increase the lead. That was it for Meadows as Jose Santiago came in to strike out Mike Lansing swinging. Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 5-1 Red Sox.

                                                        Ramirez puts the Sox on top

Randa popped up to right to start the bottom of the fourth but Brown singled to right. Quinn doubled to left but Ibanez popped up to left. Alicea struck out swinging to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to left to start the top of the fifth before Everett grounded out to second. Ramirez doubled to left but Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning. Ortiz popped up to second to start the bottom of the fifth before Beltran popped up to short. Sanchez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Boston poured it on in the top of the sixth as Daubach doubled to left to begin. Hillenbrand singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners and the red hot Varitek ripped a base hit to center to score Daubach. Lansing beat out a double play ball and Nixon hit a sac fly to left to score Shea with another run. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning but the Sox led 7-1.

                                                               Sac fly for Nixon

Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Sweeney doubled to right to start. Randa flied out to right and Sweeney moved to third on the grounder to second by Brown. Quinn flied out to center to end the inning. That was it for Castillo who allowed just an unearned run in 6 solid innings and 93 pitches.

                                                         Castillo gets it done

Mac Suzuki came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Everett flied out to right to start. Ramirez struck out swinging and Bichette grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Darren Lewis took over in left for Bichette and "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Ibanez popped up to second, Alicea grounded out to first and Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth as Daubach grounded out to first to start. Hillenbrand singled up the middle and Varitek plastered his third home run of the day to increase the lead. Lansing popped up to first in foul territory but Nixon walked. Nixon took second on a wild pitch but Offerman popped up to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-1.

                      Varitek does it again

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the eighth although Beltran grounded back to the mound to begin. Sanchez tripled into the centerfield gap and scored on the Sweeney grounder to second. Randa singled to right but Brown hit a routine grounder to Offerman. Jose threw his glove at the ball and dropped an elbow on the glove for an error. Quinn popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning but the Royals were down 9-2.

                                                                   Sanchez with a triple

The Sox got that run right back when Everett pounded his fifth home run of the season to open the top of the ninth. Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Ramirez and took strike three. Lewis grounded out to short and Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning but the Sox led 10-2.

                                                                Everett jacks one out

Hipolito Pichardo came in to finish the game in the bottom of the ninth and Ibanez hit a grounder to Offerman who dove on the ball and swam on it for an error. Alicea popped up to third and David McCarty pinch hit for Ortiz. McCarty walked and both runners moved over on a wild pitch before Ibanez scored on the sac fly to right by Beltran. Sanchez grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-3.

Hero of the Night is Jason Varitek. He went 4 for 4 with 7 rbis and 3 home runs.

                                                             Hero Varitek

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4 with 3 runs scored.

Frank Castillo allowed an unearned run in 6 innings to get the win. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 3.

The Bad:

Scott Hatteberg struck out as a pinch hitter.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with 2 errors.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but the one hit was a home run.

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

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

Rich Garces allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Hipolito Pichardo allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Big game by Varitek and the Sox definitely needed the win with the New York Yankees on the horizon. If Varitek is back to where he was in 1999 this offense is going to be deadly when Nomar Garciaparra returns. Nixon, Offerman, Nomar, Ramirez, Everett, Bichette, Varitek, Daubach and Hillenbrand would make even the Yankees pitchers afraid. Its only one game but if Varitek says he's healed, that's only good news. The even better news was Castillo dominating on the other side of the ball. The Sox finally have some pitchers to go with Pedro Martinez in Hideo Nomo and Castillo. If Tomo Ohka and Paxton Crawford can develop, this could be a playoff contending team in a few months. All in all it was a feel good win and hopefully more are on the way as we head to the end of May. The win improved the Sox to 25-18, 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox travel to New York to take on the damned Yankees on Tuesday night. David Cone gets the start for the Sox against Andy Pettite of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Twins Pinch Homer Beats Sox (5/16/01)

Just when you thought the Boston Red Sox were going on a run to re-establish dominance in the AL East, they get beat in frustrating fashion by the Minnesota Twins. The Red Sox handed starter Tim Wakefield a 3-0 lead after the third inning but not only did they get shutout the rest of the way, Wakefield coughed up the lead in tje bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the eighth, Brian Buchanan smashed a pinch hit home run off of Pete Schourek (0-2, 2.65 ERA) to put the Twins up for good. The Sox did get the tying run on in the top of the ninth against LaTroy Hawkins, but pinch hitter Troy O'Leary struck out swinging to end the game. The Twins had beaten the Red Sox for the first time in Minnesota for the first time since August 1999 with a 4-3 win at the Metrodome.

                                                  "Hello operator? This sucks!"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Minnesota starter JC Romero in the top of the first inning as John Valentin led off with a ground out to third. Jose Offerman singled to right and Carl Everett hit a gap shot to left. Jacque Jones threw the ball away allowing Offerman to score and Manny Ramirez drove home Everett with a base hit to left. Dante Bichette struck out swinging and Shea Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                             Ramirez drives in a run

Wakefield got the ball in the bottom of the first and Christian Guzman led off with a ground out to first. Luis Rivas grounded back to the mound but Matt Lawton walked. Corey Koskie flied out to center to end the inning.

Jason Varitek struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Lou Merloni flied out to left. Darren Lewis tried to bunt his way on but Romero snuffed it out to end the inning. Doug Mientkiewicz led off the bottom of the second with a fly out to right and Chad Allen took strike three. Jones struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Valentin doubled to left to start. Offerman flied out to right but Valentin moved to third on the Everett grounder to second. Ramirez got a base hit to left to score Valentin with another run. Bichette lined out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                                 Valentin scores a run

Torii Hunter flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before AJ Pierzynski grounded out to second. Guzman walked but was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Hillenbrand grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Lawton took strike three. Koskie grounded out to short to end the inning. Rivas grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth before Lawton took strike three. Koskie grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lewis singled to right to start the top of the fifth but Valentin banged into a double play. Offerman flied to center to end the inning. The Twins roared back in the bottom of the fifth although Mientkiewicz struck out swinging to start. Allen struck out swinging but Jones walked. Hunter singled to right and Pierzynski singled to left to score Jones to put the Twins on the board. Guzman tripled home both runners to tie the game but Rivas grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 3-3.

                                                              Guzman ties it up

Everett flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Ramirez struck out swinging. Bichette walked but Hillenbrand popped up to center to end the inning. Wakefield returned for one last inning in the bottom of the sixth as Lawton lined out to second to start. Koskie struck out swinging and Mientkiewicz flied out to left to end the inning. Wakefield had one bad inning but overall did well in 6 innings, allowing 3 runs.

                                                                 Wakefield does a good job

Romero came back for the top of the seventh and Varitek struck out swinging to start. Merloni struck out swinging and Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox had Romero on the ropes early but he dominated after that. Hipolito Pichardo made his season debut in the bottom of the seventh and Allen grounded out to second to start. Jones lined out to left and Hunter struck out looking to end the inning.

Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Valentin hit the roof with a pop up and Guzman caught it off the carom. Offerman singled to right but Everett struck out swinging. Bob Wells was brought in to face Ramirez and Manny forced Offerman at second to end the inning. The Twins took command in the bottom of the eighth as Pete Schourek came in to pitch. Brian Buchanan pinch hit for Pierzynski and hit the first pitch thrown to him one million feet for a home run to put the Twins up for good. Guzman struck out looking and Rivas grounded out to short, but Lawton doubled to left. Koskie flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins ahead 4-3.

                                                       Buchanan puts the Twins ahead

LaTroy Hawkins came in to close out the top of the ninth with Tom Prince taking over behind the plate. Bichette grounded out to third and Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Hillenbrand, flying out to center. Varitek singled up the middle to put the tying run on and Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Merloni. Trot Nixon pinch ran for Varitek but O'Leary struck out swinging to end the game. The Twins had won it 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is Pete Schourek. He served up the go-ahead home run to Buchanan in the eighth.

                                                   Schourek The Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3.

Tim Wakefield tossed 6 innings of 3 run ball to keep the Sox in the game.

Hipolito Pichardo tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Troy O'Leary struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

John Valentin was just 1 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Honorable Mention:

Trot Nixon pinch ran for Varitek in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a frustrating loss considered the Sox offense took the night off after the third inning. They seem to have a problem of scoring early but can't get much done after that. Romero seemed to have gotten stronger as the game went along and the Boston bats went silent. Brian Daubach has been nursing a bad thumb since last Friday but he may play tomorrow, any offense he brings will be welcomed after an effort like that. Schourek giving up the jack sucked and its too bad the Sox couldn't bail him out offensively. Ramirez is trying to not only break Hack Wilson's rbi record but hit .400 as well and the Sox need to get him some help big time. Nomar Garciaparra won't be back for another 2 months but the bottom of the order is just not scary enough as currently constructed. There's plenty of time to make a move before the deadline but that's far down the road. The loss dropped the Sox to 23-16, 1.5 games in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow afternoon against the Twins when David Cone makes his Red Sox debut opposite Twins ace Brad Radke. The game begins at 1:09 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.