Yankees Strike Back, Pound Sox (4/18/04)

After the Boston Red Sox dropkicked the New York Yankees around during the first two games of this series, the Yankees were bound to get revenge. It came today as the bats came alive against Derek Lowe (1-1, 9.35 ERA). The well balanced Yankee attack pounded Lowe for 7 early runs and the pitching of the bullpen surrendered just 3 hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings. When the game was over the Yankees had won it 7-3 at Fenway Park.

The Yankees wore down Lowe early in the top of the first inning. Derek Jeter grounded out to second before Bernie Williams struck out swinging. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi worked back to back walks before Gary Sheffield grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Yankees starter Jose Contreras in the bottom of the first inning. Johnny Damon whiffed to start but Bill Mueller singled to left. David Ortiz whiffed but Manny Ramirez singled. Kevin Millar put the Sox on top with a double to score Mueller before Ellis Burks flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                   Swing and a miss

The Yankees wasted no time coming back against Lowe in the top of the second inning. Hideki Matsui grounded out to second but Jorge Posada walked. Travis Lee singled to left but Enrique Wilson flied out to left. Jeter singled home Posada to tie the game. Williams grounded into a force to end the inning but it was tied 1-1.

Jason Varitek singled to open the bottom of the second but Cesar Crespo whiffed. Pokey Reese flied out to left and Varitek was gunned down trying to steal to end the inning.

The Yankees knocked Lowe out in the top of the third inning. A-Rod walked before Giambi singled A-Rod to third. Sheffield doubled A-Rod home to give the Yankees the lead before Matsui singled in Giambi to put runners at the corners. Posada doubled home Sheffield but somehow Lowe punched out Lee. Wilson singled home Matsui and moved Posada to third before Jorge scored on the Jeter groundout. Williams doubled home Wilson and Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough. Lowe was absolutely hammered in the third inning and left allowing 7 runs in just 2 2/3 innings...woof! Mark Malaska came in and A-Rod flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 7-1.

                                                           A-Rod trots around the bases

The Sox did manage to fight back in the bottom of the third as Damon singled to start. Mueller walked and Damon went to third on the fly out by Ortiz. Ramirez doubled home both men to cut the lead. Millar walked and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Yankees manager Joe Torre had seen enough and lifted the incompetent Contreras mid at-bat. Paul Quantrill came in and the rally ended when Burks hit a ground ball to to third, Manny getting thrown out at home on the play. Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were down 7-3.

                                                  Ramirez drives in two

Malaska came out for the top of the fourth as Giambi flied out to right to start. Sheffield doubled to left and Matsui walked but Posada popped up to second. Lee grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Crespo grounded out to second to begin. Reese walked but was erased on the Damon force. Mueller singled to left but Ortiz popped up to short to end the inning.

Malaska returned for one final inning in the top of the fifth. Wilson flied out to center to start but Jeter singled to right. Williams popped up to first before A-Rod looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Manny flied out to right, Millar whiffed and Burks flied out to right to end the inning.

Phil Seibel came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Giambi was plunked to start. Giambi was erased on the Sheffield force before Matsui flied out to center. Posada grounded into a force to end the inning. Gabe White took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and Varitek singled to start. The rally ended as Crespo lined out to second before Reese popped up to first. Damon grounded into a force to end the inning.

                                                                Nice try Crespo

Seibel returned for the top of the seventh and Lee flied out to right to begin. Wilson grounded back to the mound before Jeter and Williams drew back to back walks. A-Rod grounded out to second to end the inning. White got Mueller to fly out to left to start the bottom of the seventh before Ortiz grounded out to first. Tom Gordon came in to pitch to Manny and Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning.

Seibel got Giambi to strike out swinging to open the top of the eighth. Sheffield grounded out to short before Matsui flied out to center to end the inning. Gordon cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Millar popped up to short to begin. Burks flied out to center before Varitek flied out to left to end the inning.

Seibel returned for the top of the ninth but ran out of gas, walking Posada to start. Lee flied out to center and Wilson flied out to right but Jeter walked to chase Seibel. A yeoman's effort by Seibel who tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings against the high powered Yankees lineup. None other than Frank Castillo came on for the final out although he walked Williams to load the bases. A-Rod flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                Great effort by Seibel

Yankees manager Joe Torre took no chances and brought in Mariano Rivera with a four run lead to close out the bottom of the ninth. Crespo grounded out to third before Gabe Kapler pinch hit for Reese and singled to right. Damon flied out to right and Mueller grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees bullpen tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings to win the game 7-3.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. He got knocked out in the third inning and gave up 7 runs that the offense couldn't come back from.

                                                              Jackass Lowe


The Good:

Bill Mueller was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Kevin Millar was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4.

Gabe Kapler singled as a pinch hitter

Mark Malaska tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Phil Seibel held the Yankees scoreless for 3 2/3 innings.

Frank Castillo got the final out of the top of the ninth.



The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4.

Cesar Crespo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Pokey Reese was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Any loss hurts but against the Yankees it hurts even more. Lowe simply didn't have it but that was a tremendous effort by the little used members of the bullpen. Malaska, Castillo and Seibel held the Yankees scoreless after Lowe left the game but unfortunately so did the Yankees bullpen after Contreras left. That's an encouraging sign for future games if the bullpen doesn't crap themselves, normally the Sox could bop their way back into a game. Just not today it seemed as the Yankees owed them one. Still the Sox have won two games already in this four game set and tomorrow the finale will be the Patriots Day morning game. Bronson Arroyo takes the hill for the Sox up against Kevin Brown at the special start time of 11 AM at Fenway Park.

Sox Rout Jays Behind Hillenbrand (4/16/02)

Everything's going right for the Boston Red Sox as they continued to roll against the Toronto Blue Jays. After taking 3 out of 4 from the Yankees, the Sox made mincemeat out of the Jays pounding out 14 hits and 14 runs. Shea Hillenbrand led the charge with a 3 run home run in the third to give the Sox a commanding lead. Frank Castillo (1-0, 2.00 ERA) earned his first win of the season with 6 solid innings allowing just a home run to Vernon Wells. Manny Ramirez also homered and a hit parade put the game out of reach. Rolando Arrojo allowed two unearned runs in relief but still slammed the door as the Sox took the game 14-3 at the Skydome.

                                                       Robert Ulrich (RIP) approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Toronto starter Brandon Lyon in the top of the first inning as Johnny Damon took strike three to start. Hillenbrand doubled to left and took third on a wild pitch before scoring on the Nomar Garciaparra grounder to short to put Boston on top. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Nomar drives in a run

Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shannon Stewart grounded out to third to start. Eric Hinske walked but Raul Mondesi banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second as Tony Clark grounded out to second to start. Brian Daubach and Jason Varitek both grounded out to first to end the inning. Carlos Delgado was rung up for strike three to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz Jr popped up to third in foul territory. Darrin Fletcher flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                             Castillo gets Delgado

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Trot Nixon singled to left to start. Nixon swiped second and moved to third on the Rey Sanchez base hit to left. Damon ripped a base hit to left to score Nixon and Hillenbrand capped the rally with a three run home run. Garciaparra grounded out to second but Manny got a base hit to left. Ramirez was forced at second by Clark and Daubach popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                 Hillenbrand goes yard

The Jays tagged Castillo in the bottom of the third as Vernon Wells pounded a home run all the way to Calgary to start. Homer Bush and Felipe Lopez both grounded out to first but Stewart singled in the hole at second. Hinske took strike three to end the inning with the Jays down 5-1.

                                                               Wells hits one out

Varitek flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Nixon watched strike three go by. Sanchez lined out to center to end the inning. Mondesi grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Delgado grounded out to short. Cruz Jr singled to right but Fletcher popped up to third to end the inning.

Damon flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Hillenbrand grounded out to short. Nomar popped up to second to end the inning. Wells flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Bush lined out to center. Lopez grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Ramirez hit his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Clark popped up to third in foul territory before Daubach and Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                                  Ramirez drives in a run

Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske struck out swinging and Mondesi grounded out to third to end the inning. Castillo tossed 6 innings and allowed just 1 run on the home run to Wells. He was pretty good.

                                                              Great effort by Frank

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Justin Miller on the mound. Nixon walk and Sanchez singled to left before both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Damon. Hillenbrand hit a routine grounder to Hinske who booted it for an error to score both runners. Nomar doubled to left to score Shea and took third on a wild pitch. Ramirez walked to put runners at the corners and Clark beat out a double play ball to score Hillenbrand with another run. Daubach flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                               Rookie mistake by Hinske

Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Delgado took strike three to start. Cruz singled in the hole at short and Fletcher walked but Wells struck out swinging. Bush grounded back to the mound but Arrojo threw the ball away allowing Cruz to score. Lopez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 10-2.

                                                                Cruz scores a run

Feliz Heredia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Varitek got a base hit to left to start. Nixon struck out swinging and Sanchez banged into a double play to end the inning. Lou Merloni came in for Nomar and Carlos Baerga came in for Hillenbrand to start the bottom of the eighth and Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske grounded out to first and Mondesi flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox poured it on in the top of the ninth against Bob File as Damon got a base hit to center to start. Baerga singled to right and Merloni singled to left to load the bases. Ramirez pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Damon and Baerga and Clark grounded out to second to score Merloni. Manny moved to third on the play and he scored on the grounder to third by Daubach. Varitek flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-2.

                                                                 Damon starts a rally

Arrojo came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Delgado was hit with a pitch to start. Cruz hit a grounder to the mound but Rolando's throw to second was off-line for an error to move Delgado to third. Fletcher grounded into a double play to score Delgado but Wells lined out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-3.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. His 3 run home run gave the Sox a commanding lead they wouldn't relinquish.

                                                                Shea Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Carlos Baerga singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Lou Merloni singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 total rbis, two total runs scored and a home run.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rey Sanchez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Frank Castillo got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and walked 1

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Tony Clark was 0 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5.

Rolando Arrojo got the save by tossing 3 innings but allowed 2 unearned runs on his two errors.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win and the Sox definitely avoided a hangover after beating the Yankees three out of four games. Castillo stepped up and pitched a hell of a game and the Sox bats turned it on. Hillenbrand and Ramirez drove in some key runs when it was still a game and it became a laugher in later innings. Not much you can say about a blowout like this other than its always fun to see the team win easy and not have to worry about the game. Arrojo threw the ball all over the field but he saved the rest of the bullpen tomorrow and beyond. If only Tony Clark could get going this offense would be deadly with Baerga and Rickey Henderson coming off the bench. Beating the Jays in a blowout was great but hopefully they can save some of that offense for tomorrow's game. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Jays tomorrow night when Darren Oliver (2-0, 3.14 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Scott Eyre of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

Royals Stun Sox In Ninth (4/11/02)

For eight innings it looked like the Boston Red Sox were headed for their fifth victory in their first seven games of the season. Then in one inning the Kansas City Royals stunned the Sox with a monumental ninth inning comeback. The Sox broke out to a 4-1 lead after the second inning but the Royals tied the game against Boston starter Frank Castillo and reliever Rolando Arrojo. A Johnny Damon rbi triple in the bottom of the eighth seemed to put the game away. Ugueth Urbina (0-2, 8.31 ERA) got shelled for 4 runs and Carlos Beltran hit the killshot with a two run double off Willie Banks. What shuld have been a 5-4 victory turned into a bitter 8-5 defeat by the Royals at Fenway Park.

                                                         "Dammit Urbina!"

Castillo got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch struck out swinging to start. Castillo snuffed out a Neifi Perez bunt attempt but Carlos Beltran doubled to left. Mike Sweeney walked but Michael Tucker grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally against Royals starter Chad Durbin in the bottom of the first as Johnny Damon grounded out to first to start. Shea Hillenbrand took strike three but Nomar Garciaparra walked. Manny Ramirez walked and Durbin threw a pickoff threw away allowing both runners to move up. Tony Clark walked to load the bases but Brian Daubach took strike three to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the second although Joe Randa grounded out to second to start. Raul Ibanez hit a home run all the way to St. Louis to put KC on top. AJ Hinch grounded out to third but Luis Alicea walked. Knoblauch struck out swinging to end the inning but the Royals were up 1-0.

                                                            Ibanez hits one out

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The Sox answered in the bottom of the second as Jason Varitek singled to left to begin. Trot Nixon singled to right and Rey Sanchez doubled to center to score Varitek. Damon grounded out to first to score Nixon and move Sanchez to third before Hillenbrand capped the rally with a 2 run home run into the screen. Garciaparra flied out to center and Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                               Hillenbrand with a home run

Perez flied out to left to start the top of the third before Beltran's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Castillo. Sweeney popped up to short to end the inning. Clark grounded back to the mound to begin the bottom of the third before Daubach struck out swinging. Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning.

Tucker went down hacking to start the top of the fourth before Randa was frozen for strike three. Ibanez flied out to center to end the inning. Nixon flied out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth before Sanchez singled to center. Damon walked and the duo pulled off a double steal, but Hillenbrand struck out swinging. Nomar popped up to right to end the inning.

Hinch flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Alicea lined out to second. Knoblauch grounded out to short to end the inning. Blake Stein took over for Durbin in the bottom of the fifth and Ramirez flied out to right to start. Knoblauch dropped a pop-up by Clark for an error and Daubach walked. Varitek popped up to short and Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Royals struck back in the top of the sixth inning although Perez flied out to right to start. Beltran waked and Sweeney ripped a base hit to left. Ramirez picked the ball up and threw it into the Royals bullpen for an error to move the runners over. Tucker grounded out to second to score Beltran but Randa grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals down 4-2. That was it for Castillo who tossed 6 innings and allowed just two runs. If only the bullpen could have held the lead.

                                                       Six solid innings from Castillo

Sanchez flied out to right to begin the bottom of the sixth before Damon popped up to short. Hillenbrand walked but Nomar flied out to center to end the inning.

Rolando Arrojo came in to vomit up his intestines in the top of the seventh as Ibanez walked to start. Hinch was hit with a pitch and Alicea caught the sleep with a bunt single to third to load the bases. Knoblauch grounded out to short to score Ibanez and Perez flied out to center to score Hinch who had moved to third on the grounder. Beltran grounded out to third to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                              Arrojo blows the lead

Ramirez walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Clark grounded into a double play. Daubach struck out swinging to earn the hat trick to end the inning. 

Casey Fossum came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Sweeney popped up to right to start. Tucker grounded out to first and Randa grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox took command against Jason Grimsley in the bottom of the eighth as Varitek flied out to left to start. Nixon grounded out to short but Sanchez singled to left. Grimsley threw the pickoff throw away but Damon tripled into the right field corner to put the Sox on top. Hillenbrand took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 5-4.

                                                             Damon with an rbi triple

Ugueth Urbina came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Ibanez singled to center to start. Old friend Donnie Sadler pinch ran for Ibanez and promptly stole second. Hinch walked and a wild pitch moved both runners over. Alicea grounded out to second to score Sadler to tie the game and move Hinch to third. Knoblauch doubled to left to score Hinch to give the Royals the lead and Perez walked to chase the incompetent Urbina. Willie Banks came in and a passed ball moved Perez to second and Beltran iced the game with a two run double to center. Another passed ball moved Sweeney to third but Sweeney and Tucker both struck out swinging to end the inning. The Royals had taken the lead 8-4.

                                                                 Sadler's revenge

Carlos Febles took over at second to start the bottom of the ninth and Nomar walked to start. Ramirez flied out to center, Clark struck out swinging and Daubach went down hacking to earn the golden sombrero to end the game. The Royals had won it 8-4.

Jackass of the Night is Ugueth Urbina. He got shelled in the ninth inning to give away the game.

                                                               Urbina The Jackass

The Good:

Rey Sanchez was 3 for 4 with a stolen base, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Frank Castillo pitched six solid innings and allowed just 2 runs.

Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Rolando Arrojo allowed 2 runs in an inning of work.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but walked, stole a base, walked and drove in 2 runs.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 but walked twice.

Tony Clark was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts but walked.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Willie Banks allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in the ninth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a boot to the head. It looked like the Sox had them when Damon tripled home Sanchez but Urbina couldn't get the job done. After what the Sox went through last year with Derek Lowe, the LAST thing they need is the guy they traded the career of Tomo Ohka away for to turn into the next Lowe. Hopefully its just early season jitters because the Sox are going to need Urbina to match the bullpens of other teams in the league. The offense was fine for the most part but one bad inning by Arrojo and one terrible inning from Urbina sealed their fate. It sucks for Castillo who's pitched well in two straight games but has nothing to show for it. Still, its only one loss and the Sox have plenty more action to come this season. The Sox better get their gamefaces on because the current four-peat American League Champion New York Yankees come to town for a four game set. Darren Oliver gets the spot start tomorrow night to take the place of Dustin Hermanson against Orlando Hernandez of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Nomar Powers Sox Past Orioles (4/6/02)

If only the Boston Red Sox had Nomar Garciaparra for most of last year, they may have been a lot more successful. After missing all but 21 games last season, Nomar's power bat was instrumental in the Sox beating the Baltimore Orioles in today's game. Frank Castillo got the start for the Red Sox and held the O's to 1 run on 1 hit through 6 innings. The problem was O's starter Scott Erickson held the Sox scoreless through six as well. The only hit the O's had was a Jay Gibbons home run in the third. The Sox tied the game in the seventh when Shea Hillenbrand hit a sac fly to score Nomar which set the stage for the eighth. With two on and two out, Melvin Mora dropped a wind carried pop up into the stands and the very next pitch Nomar smashed a three run home run to put the Sox up big. Casey Fossum allowed a home run to Mike Bordick but Ugueth Urbina slammed the door in the ninth inning/ It all added up to a 4-2 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

                                                         Kimberly Liebe approves of the win

Erickson got the ball in the top of the first inning and the legendary Rickey Henderson led off by striking out swinging. Johnny Damon grounded back to the mound and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Hairston grounded out to third to start. Chris Singleton flied out to right and David Segui grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Brian Daubach made his season debut with a single to right but Shea Hillenbrand lined out to center. Trot Nixon beat out a roller to third but Doug Mirabelli made his season debut by grounding into a force to end the inning. Jeff Conine flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Tony Batista grounded out to third. Melvin Mora flied out to left to end the inning.

Rey Sanchez lined right back to Erickson to begin the top of the third before Henderson hit one up the elevator shaft. Damon grounded out to second to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the third when Jay Gibbons hit a home run all the way to Edina, Minnesota to put the O's on top. Geronimo Gill grounded out to short, Mike Bordick struck out swinging and Hairston flied out to left to end the inning but the O's led 1-0.

                                                                 Gibbons goes yard

The Sox couldn't crack Erickson in the top of the fourth as Nomar flied out to left to start. Ramirez took strike three and Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning. Singleton walked to start the bottom of the fourth and promptly stole second. Segui grounded out to first to move Singleton to third but Conine grounded out to short. Batista went down hacking to end the inning.

Hillenbrand grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Nixon flied out to left. Mirabelli grounded out to short to end the inning. Castillo cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Mora grounded out to short to start. Gibbons grounded back to the mound and Gil grounded out to first to end the inning.

Erickson dominated the top of the sixth as Sanchez watched strike three go by to begin. Henderson also took strike three and Damon grounded out to first to end the inning. Castillo had one last inning left in him and he got Bordick to strike out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth. Hairston lined out to center and Singleton popped up to third to end the inning. Castillo had allowed just the one hit to Gibbons for a home run but otherwise dominated for six innings of work.

                                                        Castillo gets the job done

The Sox did pick up Frank in the top of the seventh as Nomar singled to left to start. Ramirez followed with a base hit to move Nomar to third but Daubach went down hacking. Hillenbrand smacked a sac fly to center to tie the game and get Castillo off the hook. Nixon flied out to center to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                           Hillenbrand ties it up

Casey Fossum took over for the bottom of the seventh inning and Segui struck out swinging to start. Conine flied out to center but Batista singled to center. Mora lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the eighth although Mirabelli flied out to right to start. Sanchez grounded out to short but Henderson singled to left. Damon singled to right and Mora dropped a pop up by Garciaparra into the stands. That proved fatal as Nomar smashed a three run home run to put the Sox on top. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                      Nomar puts Boston on his back

Fossum returned for the bottom of the eighth but Gibbons popped up to Sanchez to start. Gil flied out to center but Bordick hit a home run all the way to the Giant in Alexandria, Virginia to cut the lead. Hairston flied out to center to end the inning with the O's down 4-2.

                                                        Bordick cuts the lead

B.J. Ryan came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Daubach popped up to second to start. Hillenbrand singled to center but Nixon took strike three. Willis Roberts came in to face Mirabelli and Doug struck out swinging to end the inning. Ugueth Urbina came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Singleton popped up to short to start. Segui hit one up the elevator shaft but Conine doubled to left to bring the tying run to the plate. Batista flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

Hero of the Night is Nomar Garciaparra. His three run blast was the difference in the game

                                                            Nomar The Hero

The Good:

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Frank Castillo allowed a run in 6 innings of work. He allowed just one hit and a walk.

Ugueth Urbina earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rickey Henderson was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Casey Fossum allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

For the second straight game the offense accomplished almost nothing but the pitching got it done. Castillo was great for 6 innings and Nomar stepped up big with the home run. The offense will be there this season with Damon, Ramirez and Nomar at the top of the order with Nixon and Varitek at the bottom of it, the key will be the pitching. The Sox will be banking on John Burkett and Frank Castillo to pitch well with Derek Lowe as a wild card. For the past two games its been good but have to remember its the Orioles. The O's don't have a very formidable lineup so let's see what happens when the Sox play the New York Yankees or the Oakland A's. You still have to win the games in front of you and its been two in a row for the Sox. The Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon looking for the series sweep against the Orioles. Pedro Martinez goes for Boston against Calvin Maduro of the Orioles. The game begins at 1:35 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.

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.