Mets Rally Past Red Sox (7/14/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox announced that Darren Lewis was removed from the Disabled List and activated for tonight's game against the New York Mets. Lewis was an integral part of the Sox offense that was in first place in May and June and hopefully he can help moving forward to salvage the second half of the season.

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As for the game, the normally reliable Boston bullpen failed them against the New York Mets. Pete Schourek went five innings for the Sox and allowed three runs against the Mets. The Sox bats took a 4-3 lead on the Mets in the bottom of the seventh inning. Things fell apart in the eighth as Hipolito Pichardo got the first two outs but Sox manager Jimy Williams wanted Derek Lowe (2-4, 3.16) to get the four out save. The move backfired as Lowe allowed a 2 out 2 run home run to Mike Piazza to blow the save. Bryce Florie allowed another run in the top of the ninth and Armano Benitez slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth. What should have been a good win for Boston turned into a bitter defeat as the Mets beat the Red Sox 6-4 at Fenway Park.

Schourek got the ball in the top of the first inning and Joe McEwing flied out to right to start. Derek Bell grounded out to second but Edgardo Alfonzo doubled to right. Mike Piazza lined out to right to end the inning. Glendon Rusch got the start for the Mets and Jose Offerman led off with a fly out to right. Jeff Frye and Brian Daubach both grounded out to second to end the inning.

Todd Zeile flied out to center to begin the top of the second and Jay Payton grounded out to third. Benny Agbayani and Todd Pratt hit back to back singles to center but Melvin Mora grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra doubled off the Monster to start. Carl Everett popped up to first in foul territory but Troy O'Leary singled to right to score Nomar. Ed Sprague Jr singled to center but Scott Hatteberg forced Ed at second. Lewis grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                        Nomar scores a run

McEwing popped up to third to start the top of the third and Bell lined out to first. Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Offerman flied out to right to start. Frye hit a seeing eye single to right but Daubach struck out looking. Nomar dumped a base hit to left to put runners at the corners but Everett forced Garciaparra at second to end the inning.

The Mets struck back in the top of the fourth as Piazza clobbered a home run all the way to the Red Sea to tie the game. Zeile grounded out to short but Payton singled to left....only to get picked off. Agbayani grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                             Piazza hits one out

O'Leary grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth inning and Sprague hit one up the elevator shaft. Hatteberg popped up to left in foul territory to end the inning.

The Mets struck again in the top of the fifth as Pratt singled to center and Mora hit a home run all the way to New Orleans to put the Mets on top. McEwing struck out swinging, Bell grounded out to second and Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. That was it for Schourek who allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings and left trailing 3-1.

                                                      Schourek leaves the game trailing

Lewis grounded a single up the middle to start the bottom of the fifth but Offerman flied out to right. Frye forced Lewis at second and Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hiplito Pichardo took the mound in the top of the sixth inning and Piazza struck out swinging to start. Zeile grounded out to third and Payton struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox inched closer in the bottom of the sixth as Nomar singled to left to start. Everett grounded out to second to move Nomar over and O'Leary singled to left to score Garciaparra. Sprague popped up to first but Hatteberg singled to left. Lewis struck out looking to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                           O'Leary drives in a run

Agbayani grounded out to short to start the top of the seventh before Pratt struck out swinging. Mora flied out to right to end the inning. Turk Wendell came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Offerman walked to start. Frye dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Jose to second and Dennis Cook was brought in to face Daubach. During the at-bat Cook kept throwing over at Offerman so many times that Brian got impatient and shouted at Cook, causing Piazza to bark at him The benches emptied but nothing came of it. Brian singled to right to score Offerman but was foolishly thrown out in a rundown trying to stretch a double. Nomar walked and Everett got hit on the shoulder. Cook went berserk and complained that Everett was standing over the plate. Cook shouting at the Sox dugout as he was escorted out of there. Rich Rodriguez came in to face O'Leary and Troy singled to center to score Nomar to tie the game. Old pal Pat Mahomes was brought in to face Sprague but Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by bringing in Morgan Burkhart to pinch hit. Burkhart flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3, but Daubach getting thrown out was crucial.

                                                            Mayhem at Fenway

Manny Alexander took over at third to start the top of the eighth with Lenny Harris pinch hitting for McEwing. Harris grounded out to first and Bell grounded out to third. Suddenly Jimy Williams bounded out of the dugout and pulled Pichardo in favor of Derek Lowe for the four out save. The move backfired as Alfonzo singled to right and Piazza smashed a home run to Sri Lanka to put the Mets up for good. Zeile singled to left but Payton grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Mets up 5-4.

                                                    Williams makes the wrong move

David Lamb took over at third with John Franco now on the mound for the bottom of the eighth. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Hatteberg only to strike out swinging to start. Lewis struck out swinging but Offerman walked. Frye forced Offerman at second to end the inning.

Bryce Florie came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Agbayani singled to right. Pratt dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Benny to second and he scored on the Mora base hit to center to ice the game. Matt Franco pinch hit for Lamb and banged into a double play to end the inning with the Mets up 6-4.

                                                            Mora hits the killshot

Armando Benitez came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Daubach took strike three to start. Nomar doubled to left but Everett only moved him to third with a ground out to second. O'Leary walked to put the tying run on but Williams having Manny Alexander come in for defense bit him in the ass as Alexander struck out swinging to end the game. The Mets had won it 6-4.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. He served the two out gopher ball to Piazza to put New York up for good.

                                                          Jackass blows it again

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 4 for 4 with a walk and 3 runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 4 with 3 rbis and a walk.

Ed Sprague Jr was 1 for 3.

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 3.

Hipolito Pichardo tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander struck out in his only at-bat.

Jason Varitek struck out in his only plate appearance.

Bryce Florie allowed a run in the ninth.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 but was hit with a pitch.

Darren Lewis was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Pete Schourek allowed 3 runs in just 5 innings of work. He allowed 7 hits and struck out one batter.

Final Thoughts:

Simply put this was Red Sox manager Jimy Williams worst managed game of the season. He took out Pichardo too early and pinch hit Burkhart too early which made him forced to have Manny Alexander come to bat with the game on the line. Lowe should have been have able to get the final out of the eighth inning but at the same time, Pichardo should have been able to do it to save Lowe for the ninth. Williams compounded this by bringing Bryce Florie to give up a run in the ninth. Simply put the Mets scored 3 runs off Lowe and Florie in the final two innings that shouldn't have happened. It ruined a 4 for 4 day by Garciaparra that put him at a .400 batting average and Troy O'Leary driving in 3 runs. The offense and the pitching is usually bad enough to lose games as it is but was Williams' worst game. Meanwhile Mets manager Bobby Valentine almost gave away the game as well but at least he wasn't dumb enough to use his closer in the eighth inning. It all added up to a loss the Sox could ill-afford coming out of the All-Star Break. Its only one game but damn....what could have been. The loss dropped the Sox to 44-42, 2.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the rubber game tomorrow afternoon in a nationally televised game against the Mets when they send Ramon Martinez (6-5) to the mound against Mike Hampton of New York. The game begins at 1:15 PM at Fenway Park.

Pedro Returns From DL, Sox Rally Past Mets (7/13/00)

Before the game it was announced that taking Paxton Crawford's place on the roster would be the returning Pedro Martinez. He's all healed up and ready to go as the Sox look to rally in the second half after their dreadful June swoon.

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As for the game, the Sox started the second half of the season with a thrilling come from behind win against the New York Mets in Interleague Play. Pedro Martinez returned from the Disabled List to toss 7 innings of 2 run ball, showing no signs of rust or injury. The Sox took a 2-1 lead but a Jay Payton home run off Pedro tied the game in the top of the seventh inning. The Mets got an unearned run when Carl Everett booted a Mike Piazza base hit that scored Edgardo Alfonso with the go-ahead run in the eighth. Down to their final strike in the bottom of the ninth, Brian Daubach pounded a 2 run double to give the Sox a stunning 4-3 walkoff win over the Mets at Fenway Park.

                                                                 Happy Fans

Pedro got the ball in the top of the first inning and Melvin Mora led off with a pop up to third in foul territory. Derek Bell grounded out to third and Edgardo Alfonzo flied out to right to end the inning. Bobby Jones got the ball for New York in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a walk....only to get thrown out at second trying to steal. Jeff Frye lined out to right but Brian Daubach singled to center. Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning.

The Mets struck first in the top of the second as Mike Piazza grounded out to third to start. Robin Ventura went down hacking but Todd Zeile doubled off the Monster. Jay Payton doubled down the left field line to score Todd to put New York ahead. Benny Agbayani flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                           Zeile scores a run

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Carl Everett struck out swinging to start. Troy O'Leary doubled off the Monster but both Morgan Burkhart and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning.

Joe McEwing beat out a roller to third to begin the top of the third and took second on the sacrifice bunt by Mora. Bell took strike three and Alfonzo whiffed to end the inning. Ed Sprague Jr flied out to center to begin the bottom of the third and Offerman grounded out to first. Frye walked but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Piazza flied out to right to start the top of the fourth before Ventura went down hacking. Zeile also struck out swinging to end the inning. Nomar tried to start a rally when he singled to left to begin before swiping second on the swinging strikeout by Everett. Both O'Leary and Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Payton watched strike three go by to start the top of the fifth but Agbayani walked. McEwing singled to left but Mora flied out to left. Bell popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Varitek whiffed badly to start. Sprague Jr and Offerman drew back to back walks and Frye beat out an infield single to load the bases. Unfortunately Daubach popped up to first in foul territory and Nomar flied out to center to end the inning.

Pedro cruised in the top of the sixth as Alfonso struck out swinging to start. Piazza flied out to right and Ventura grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth as Everett singled to left to start. O'Leary popped up to second but Burkhart crushed his second home run of the season to put the Sox ahead. Varitek popped up to second and Sprague Jr grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                            Burkhart jacks one out

Pedro failed to hold the lead in the top of the seventh although Zeile took strike three to start. Payton then hit a home run all the way to Luxembourg to tie the game. Agbayani took strike three and McEwing struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. That was it for Pedro who looked strong by going 7 innings, allowing just two runs while striking out 10 in 104 pitches.

                                                           Pedro keeps the Sox in it

Dennis Cook came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Offerman flied out to right to start. Frye took strike three and Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. 

The Mets took command in the top of the eighth with Rheal Cormier now on the mound. Mora grounded out to third to start and Bell lined out to short. Alfonzo singled to left and that was it for Cormier as Rich Garces came in to face Piazza. Naturally Mike blooped a base hit to center...that Everett booted for an error that scored Alfonzo to give the Mets the lead. Ventura struck out to end the inning but the Mets now led 3-2.

                                                           Dammit Everett

John Franco came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Nomar singled in the hole at short to start. Nomar moved to second on the Everett grounder to first then to third on O'Leary's grounder to first. Burkhart took strike three to end the inning.

Garces returned for the top of the ninth and Zeile hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Payton grounded out to second but Agbayani was hit with a pitch. McEwing singled to center but Mora popped up to left to end the inning. David Lamb came in for Agbayani with Armando Benitez now on the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth. Varitek grounded out to first before Scott Hatteberg was sent in to pitch hit for Sprague. Hatteberg walked and Manny Alexander pinch ran for him. The game looked over when Offerman hit a double play ball to short but Mora booted it for an error. Frye flied out to left but Alexander moved to third to put runners at the corners. Down to his last strike, somehow Daubach doubled down the right field line to score both Alexander and Offerman to win the game. The Sox had walked it off 4-3.

Sox Win

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 2 run double in the bottom of the ninth won the game.

                                                             Hero Daubach

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg walked as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander scored a run as a pinch runner.

Pedro Martinez was brilliant, tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball while striking out 10 batters.

Rich Garces got the win by pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Morgan Burkhart was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts but the one hit was a 2 run homer.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 2 but walked.

Rheal Cormier was charged with an unearned run in the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

Now that's how you get off to a good second half start. The Sox looked dead in the water down a run in the ninth with the double play ball headed to Mora. The Sox were lucky Mora booted it but Daubach's double was anything but lucky as it was struck well enough to win the game. Pedro's oblique has healed and he looked great by striking out 10 batters. The only hiccup was Everett's error that allowed the go-ahead run to score in the eighth but Everett had started the sixth inning rally with a hit so gotta take the good with the bad. All in all the Sox desperately need a winning streak to get back in first place and hopefully this could be the start. The win improved the Sox to 44-41, 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Mets tomorrow night when they send Pete Schourek (2-8, 4.67 ERA) against Glendon Rusch of the Mets. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Beat Braves, Limp into All-Star Break (7/9/00)

Boston media is saying the Boston Red Sox have had an U-G-L-Y first half of the 2000 season. Its hard to counter that considering all the woes this team has had in all 3 phases of the game. Offensively, defensively and pitching wise the Sox have been mediocre and that's indicated by their record. In their final game before the break, the Sox were anything but mediocre as they put a hurting on the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Tim Wakefield stepped into the rotation and pitched a hell of a game, holding the high powered Braves to 2 runs in 7 innings. Offensively the Sox got to Braves starter Kevin Millwood for 7 runs in just 4 innings. Nomar Garciaparra was a one man wrecking crew, launching 2 home runs and driving in more runs than the Braves as a team scored. It may have been a mediocre first half but the Sox beat the Braves 7-2 at Fenway Park.

                                                     Honky Tonk Man approves of the win

Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first inning and Quilvio Veras took strike three to start. Andruw Jones popped up to first and Chipper Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. Millwood got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Jose Offerman singled to left to start. Jeff Frye banged into a double play and Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Brian Jordan grounded out to third to start the top of the second and Andres Galarraga flied out to center. Wally Joyner singled to right but Javy Lopez took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra walked to start. Carl Everett popped up to second but Troy O'Leary singled to center. Morgan Burkhart walked to load the bases and Jason Varitek singled to left to score Garciaparra to give the Sox the lead. Ed Sprague Jr popped up to first in foul territory and Offerman flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                         Varitek drives in a run

The Braves tied the game instantly in the top of the third when Reggie Sanders hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld. Walt Weiss walked but Veras flied out to right. Andruw Jones flied out to left and Chipper Jones flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                         Sanders hits one out

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Frye flied out to left to start. Daubach popped up to third in foul territory but Nomar crushed his 11th home run of the season to put Boston back on top. Everett took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                         Garciaparra goes yard

Jordan grounded out to short to begin the top of the fourth but Galarraga singled to center. Joyner banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as O'Leary flied out to left to start. Burkhart and Varitek stroked back to back singles but Sprague flied out to right. Offerman then tripled into the right field corner to score both runners. Frye popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-1.

                                                            Offerman with a clutch triple

The Braves fought back in the top of the fifth as Lopez singled to left to start. Sanders flied out to center but Lopez took second on a passed ball and moved to third on a grounder to first by Weiss. Veras singled to left to score Lopez then swiped second.  Andruw Jones struck out swinging to end the inning with the Braves down 4-2.

                                                                Veras drives in a run

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Nomar then belted his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Everett singled to center to chase Millwood from the game. Bruce Chen came in to pitch and O'Leary flied out to left before Burkhart popped up to short. Varitek doubled off the Monster to score Everett but Sprague struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 7-2.

                                                                Nomar with another run

Wakefield cruised in the top of the sixth as Chipper Jones flied out to center to start. Jordan flied out to center and Galarraga flied out to left to end the inning. Offerman grounded out to short to start the bottom of the sixth and Frye grounded out to third. Daubach singled to right but Nomar grounded into a force to end the inning.

Wakefield returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Joyner flied out to right to start. Lopez singled to left but Sanders popped up to third. Weiss grounded out to second to end the inning. That was it for Wakefield who tossed 7 strong innings, allowing just 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game. Good work, Wakefield.

                  Wakefield gets it done

Jason Marquis came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Everett lined out to second to start. O'Leary grounded out to short but Burkhart singled to right. Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Veras struck out swinging to start. Andruw Jones popped up to second and Chipper Jones flied out to left to end the inning. Sprague grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the eighth and Offerman grounded out to first. Frye singled to center but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to close out the top of the ninth and Jordan grounded out to short to start. Galarraga struck out looking and Joyner grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-2.

Hero of the Night is Nomar Garciaparra. He hit 2 home runs and outscored the Braves offense by himself.

                     Hero Nomar 

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Tim Wakefield earned the win with 7 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and a walk.

Rich Garces tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 5.

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

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

That was a nice win to end the first half of a season that began with so much promise yet turned mediocre real quick. The Sox were in first place in May then fell flat on their face in June. They couldn't beat good teams like the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago White Sox or the Atlanta Braves. The Sox have a lot of work to do before the trade deadline to get some pitching help. The rotation after Pedro Martinez is in shambles so they need another starter badly. The trio of Garces, Lowe and Rheal Cormier have been solid but another lefty in the bullpen would be nice, if its not Tim Young then they should go get another. Bottom line is between injuries to Offerman, Troy O'Leary's personal problems, the erosion of Mike Stanley and the blown knee of John Valentin weakened the team and hopefully they can rebound from it in the second half. The win improved the Sox to 43-41, 2.5 games behind the Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox return to action after the All-Star break this coming Thursday night against the New York Mets. Pedro Martinez comes off the Disabled List to make the start against Bobby Jones of the Mets this Thursday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                                OUT

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

                                                         Ren turns his back on bad relief pitching

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

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

                                                                   Lopez drives in a run

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

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

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

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

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

                                                                  Nomar drives in a run

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

                                                          Jones gives the Braves the lead back

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

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

                                                                  Lopez does it again

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

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

                                                       Jones with another Atlanta home run

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

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

                                                              Jeff The Jackass

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3.

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

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

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4.

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

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

The Ugly:

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                           Bye bye Pride

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

                                                    "That's for you, Schourek!"

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

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

                                                      "I sucked tonight" - Schourek

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

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

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

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

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

                                                                   Pichardo gets it done

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

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

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

                                                             Daubach walks in a run

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

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

                                                             Varitek The Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5.

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

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

Manny Alexander was 1 for 3.

Brian Daubach walked and drove in a run.

Hipolito Pichardo pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Bryce Florie pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

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

The Ugly:

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Hang On, Sweep Twins (7/6/00)

It wasn't pretty but the Boston Red Sox completed a four game sweep of the Minnesota Twins. The Sox scored a grand total of 44 runs in the last four games but gave up 27 of their own. Rookie Paxton Crawford (1-1, 2.19 ERA) earned his first Major League win by allowing just 1 run in 7 innings. Nomar Garciaparra hit two 2 run home runs and Brian Daubach also hit a 2 run bomb to pace the offense. The Sox were cruising but the bullpen fell apart for the second straight day. Rheal Cormier, Tim Young and Derek Lowe combined to turn an 8-1 game into putting the tying run at second base in the bottom of the ninth. Lowe managed to get out of it and the Sox had swept the Twins with a too close for comfort 8-7 win at the Metrodome.

                                                    Tommy Callahan says it all

The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Twins starter Brad Radke in the top of the first inning. Jeff Frye grounded out to first before Brian Daubach struck out swinging. Carl Everett singled to right and Nomar Garciaparra struck his 9th home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Morgan Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                   Garciaparra with a 2 run bomb

The Twins answered in the bottom of the first against Crawford as Midre Cummings singled to center to start. Christian Guzman singled Cummings to third but Matt Lawton popped up to short. Guzman stole second and Ron Coomer scored Cummings with a sac fly. Corey Koskie grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins down 2-1.

                                                             Cummings scores a run

Troy O'Leary flied out to center to start the top of the second before Bernard Gilkey popped up to second. Jason Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning. David Ortiz singled to left to start the bottom of the second but Chad Moeller popped up to Frye in foul territory. Jacque Jones grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Ed Sprague Jr grounded out to short to start. Frye singled to left and Daubach plastered his 14th home run of the season to increase the lead. Everett grounded out to second and Nomar struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                                              Daubach hits one out

Jay Canizaro flied out to center to start the bottom of the third but Cummings singled to right. Guzman singled to left but Cummings was doubled off second after a great catch by Everett on a sinking line drive off the bat of Lawton to end the inning.

Radke cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Burkhart grounded out to first to start. Both O'Leary and Gilkey struck out swinging to end the inning. Coomer popped up to Frye to begin the bottom of the fourth before Koskie did the same. Ortiz grounded out to second to end the inning.

Varitek flied out to right to start the top of the fifth and Sprague popped up to second. Frye lined out to center to end the inning. Moeller grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the fifth before Jones struck out swinging. Canizaro flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Daubach flied out to left to start. Everett walked and Nomar belted his second home run of the day to increase the lead. Burkhart grounded out to second and O'Leary grounded out to short to end the inning with Boston ahead 6-1.

                                                         Another homer for Nomar

Cummings flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Guzman's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Daubach. Lawton grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boston added to the lead in the top of the seventh although Gilkey grounded out to short to start. Varitek walked and Sprague singled in the hole at short before Manny Alexander pinch ran for Ed. Frye took strike three but Daubach hit a gap shot to right. Varitek scored easily and Alexander beat the throw home by a millimeter, but Daubach was gunned down at third trying to stretch a triple to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-1.

                                                    Pinch runner scores a run

Crawford returned for one more inning in the bottom of the seventh as Coomer popped up to Alexander to start. Koskie doubled to right but Ortiz also popped up to Alexander. Moeller struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford was sensational, tossing 7 innings while allowing just 6 hits and a run.

                                                          Way to go Crawford

Bob Wells took over for Radke in the top of the eighth and Everett struck out swinging to start. Nomar flied out to center and Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. Rheal Cormier took over for Crawford in the bottom of the eighth and Jones lined out to Alexander to start. O'Leary hurt himself diving for a triple by Canizaro and had to leave the game. Frye moved to right, Gilkey went to left and Jose Offerman came in to play second as O'Leary was rushed to the local ICU. Cummings grounded out to third but Guzman singled home Canizaro to cut the lead. Lawton flied out to left to end the inning with the Twins down 8-2.

                                                            Guzman drives in a run

Eddie Guardado came in for the top of the ninth and Offerman singled to center to start. Gilkey banged into a double play and Varitek popped up to second to end the inning. Tim Young came in to mop up the bottom of the ninth but crapped his pants. Coomer popped up to first but Koskie was plunked. Ortiz then smashed a home run all the way to the Domican Republic to cut the lead. Moeller walked and that was it for Young. Sox closer Derek Lowe was brought in and he puked on himself as well. Moeller took second on defensive indifference and scored on the Jones single to center. Denny Hocking pinch hit for Canizaro and singled to center to put runners at the corners. Cummings grounded out to first but Jones scored and Hocking moved to second. Guzman singled home Hocking to cut the lead and swiped second. With the tying run at second base, Lowe got Lawton to ground out to second to end the game. Things got scary at the end but the Sox came away with the 8-7 win.

Hero of the Night is Paxton Crawford. The rookie earned his first ML win by allowing 1 run in 7 innings of work. He allowed just 6 hits and struck out 2.

                                                         Paxton Hero

The Good:

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with a 2 run homer and 4 total rbis.

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with a walk an 2 runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with two 2 run homers.

Jose Offerman singled in his only at bat.

Ed Sprague was 1 for 3.

Manny Alexander scored a run as a pinch runner.

The Bad:

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bernard Gilkey was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in the eighth inning.

Tim Young was charged with 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Derek Lowe allowed an inherited runner to score and 2 of his own in the ninth.

The Ugly:

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

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox are going to be sad to leave Minnesota. They came into the series reeling and ended up scoring 44 runs to get the offense back on track. Unfortunately the pitching crapped the bed by allowing 27 runs in 4 games. The bullpen in particular has been rancid but that's going to change. Rich Garces, Lowe and Cormier are too good to be stuck in a rut for too long. The Sox are going to get Pedro Martinez back after the all-star break as well. Last night it was the role players that stepped up but tonight it was the stars. Everett, Daubach and Nomar carried the offense and it was a welcome sight to see. Crawford looked damn good in his sophomore effort without "Dizzy" Izzy Alcantara to muck things up for him. He's most likely gone when Pedro comes back but you'll see him down the road for sure. Hopefully the Sox can ride this momentum for a win streak heading into the break. The win improved the Sox to 42-39, 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox now come home to face the NL East leading Atlanta Braves in a 3 game showdown before the All-Star break. Pete Schourek (2-7, 4.25 ERA) takes on Braves ace Tom Glavine tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.