Braves Shut Out Sox (7/8/01)

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

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

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

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

                                                          Stynes can't crack Glavine

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

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

                                                            Nice going Ohka

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                            Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4.

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 full scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 4.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with an error.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

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

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

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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.

Pedro Dominates, Sox Beat Royals (5/18/01)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Craig Grebeck was reinstated from the Disabled List and Lou Merloni was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Craig. Grebeck couldn't hit the ball out of his hand the first month of the season but played damn good defense, at this point he can't get any worse at the plate....right?

                                                                   OUT

                                                                IN

As for the game, Pedro Martinez (6-0, 1.52 ERA) came to the rescue again. After the Red Sox dropped two of three to the Minnesota Twins, Pedro dominated the Kansas City Royals in tonight's game. Pedro tossed 8 shutout innings allowing just 6 baserunners to keep the Sox ahead all game. Manny Ramirez drove in another 2 runs, Jason Varitek hit a 3 run bomb and Trot Nixon went deep for all the runs Pedro needed. Hipolito Pichardo and Derek Lowe fell apart in the ninth inning but the Sox were ahead far enough to withstand it. The Sox had beaten the Royals 6-3 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                   The D.O.C. approves of the win

Stein got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trot Nixon led off with a walk. Jose Offerman flied out to deep right but Carl Everett dropped a base hit to right. Both runners moved over on the Manny Ramirez grounder to third but Troy O'Leary popped up to right to end the inning. Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Carlos Beltran ripped a base hit to center to start. Rey Sanchez beat out a double play ball and Mike Sweeney lined out to Everett. Jermaine Dye took strike three to end the inning.

John Valentin struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning but Brian Daubach walked. Shea Hillenbrand banged into a double play to end the inning. Joe Randa popped up to first to start the bottom of the second before Dee Brown struck out swinging. Old pal Luis Alicea took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Jason Varitek struck out swinging to start. Nixon whiffed on a high fastball but Offerman singled off the glove of Alicea. Everett hit a routine grounder to Alicea but Luis threw wide, Carl sliding around the tag for an error. Ramirez made the Royals pay with a base hit to left to score Offerman to give the Sox the lead. O'Leary whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                  Manny puts the Sox on top

Raul Ibanez led off the bottom of the third with a grounder to second before AJ Hinch struck out swinging. Beltran took strike three on the inside corner to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the fourth as Valentin grounded out to short to start. Daubach walked and Hillenbrand singled to left before Varitek pounded a 3 run home run to right. Nixon then hit a bullet just inside the right field foul pole for back to back home runs. Old friend Cory Bailey replaced Stein and Offerman flied out to center, but Everett golfed a double inside the first base bag. Ramirez hit a line drive to Brown who whiffed on making the catch completely. Ramirez motored around for an rbi "triple" but O'Leary grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                         Back to back jacks

Sanchez hit a little roller to Pedro that he beat out for a single to start the bottom of the fourth and Valentin made an awesome play to turn a double play hit by Sweeney. Dye ripped a base hit to left but Randa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hinch left the game after getting hit with a foul ball and Hector Ortiz took over behind the plate for the top of the fifth. Valentin grounded out to third, Daubach took strike three and Hillenbrand grounded out to first to end the inning. Brown flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Everett didn't make a catch on an Alicea blooper for a "single". Ibanez forced Alicea at second and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning.

Varitek lined back to Bailey to start the top of the sixth before Nixon grounded out to third. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning. Beltran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez grounded out to second. Sweeney grounded out to short to end the inning.

Everett grounded out to first to start the top of the seventh before Ramirez grounded out to short. O'Leary singled to center but Valentin took strike three to end the inning. Pedro dominated the bottom of the seventh as Dye, Randa and Brown all struck out swinging in short order.

Doug Henry came in for the top of the eighth and Daubach struck out swinging to start. Hillenbrand popped up to right but Dye let it drop, throwing out Shea at first. Varitek flied out to center to end the inning. Pedro ran into trouble in his final inning as Alicea walked to start. Ibanez flied out to left and Ortiz went down hacking. Beltran lined a base hit to center to put runners at the corners before Sanchez whiffed to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who struck out 12 batters in 8 dominant innings.

                                                         Pedro pitches a shutout

Nixon walked to start the top of the ninth but Offerman struck out swinging. Nixon moved to third on the Everett grounder but Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Hipolito Pichardo came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the ninth as Sweeney singled to left to start. Dye singled up the middle and Randa lashed a base hit to left to chase Pichardo with the bases loaded. Derek Lowe came in and Brown hit a routine grounder to Hillenbrand. Shea threw the ball a hundred feet in the air for an error to score Sweeney and Dye. Alicea doubled down the third base line to score Randa and bring the tying run to the plate. Ibanez hit a bullet but right to Valentin and Wilson Delgado pinch hit for Ortiz. Lowe struck out Delgado swinging and Beltran grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                  "I had them all the way!" - Lowe

Hero of the Night is Pedro Martinez. He tossed 8 shutout innings allowing just 5 hits and a walk while striking out 12 batters.

                                                                    Martinez The Hero

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Brian Daubach walked twice in four plate appearances with a run scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hipolito Pichardo was charged with 3 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

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

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Derek Lowe allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That got hairy at the end but a win is a win. Pedro once again dominated and its come to be expected when he faces a light hitting team like the Royals. The offense really only scored in one inning but it was enough to win the game. Ramirez, Varitek and Nixon supplied the offense and Daubach & Valentin supplied the defense. If Hillenbrand keeps making errors, Sox manager Jimy Williams may need to use some defense in the later innings. Since Craig Grebeck can't hit for beans, put him at short and Valentin at third late in the game. The Sox look to be in pretty good shape offensively, Nomar Garciaparra can make this team deadly when he comes back. All in all it was a good win to keep in front of the New York Yankees and this could be the start of a nice win streak. The win improved the Sox to 24-17, 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to keep momentum going tomorrow night against the Royals when Hideo Nomo (4-2) takes on Dan Reichert of the Royals, The game begins at 8:05 PM at Kauffman Stadium.

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

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

                                                  "Hello operator? This sucks!"

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

                                                             Ramirez drives in a run

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

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

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

                                                                 Valentin scores a run

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

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

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

                                                              Guzman ties it up

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

                                                                 Wakefield does a good job

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

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

                                                       Buchanan puts the Twins ahead

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

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

                                                   Schourek The Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3.

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

Hipolito Pichardo tossed a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Troy O'Leary struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Honorable Mention:

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

Final Thoughts:

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

O'Leary, Sox Rally Past Expos (7/17/00)

For six innings it looked like the Montreal Expos was going to beat the Boston Red Sox. The Sox took a 2-0 lead over Montreal starter Julio Santana but Jeff Fassero coughed it up in the top of the fifth. Terry Jones tagged Rich Garces for a run to put the Expos ahead but Troy O'Leary hit a back-breaking three run home run off Steve Kline in the bottom of the seventh. The Sox rallied for two more runs in the bottom of the eighth to make a winner out of Hipolito Pichardo (4-1, 2.57 ERA). Derek Lowe shut the door in the ninth and the Sox had beaten the Expos 7-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                          Carrie Otis approves of the win

Fassero got the ball in the top of the first inning and Wilton Guerrero struck out swinging to start. Mike Mordecai walked but Jose Vidro lined out to short. Vladimir Guerrero lined out to right to end the inning. Santana got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jeff Frye grounded out to short to start. Morgan Burkhart and Brian Daubach both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lee Stevens struck out swinging to open the top of the second before Chris Widger flied out to right. Fernando Seguignol took strike three to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second when Nomar Garciaparra belted his 13th home run of the season to start. Carl Everett flied out to center before Troy O'Leary doubled to left. Manny Alexander grounded out to third but Scott Hatteberg got a base hit to left to score O'Leary. Darren Lewis forced Scott at second to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                             Hatteberg drives in a run

Terry Jones flied out to right to start the top of the third before Tomas De La Rosa grounded out to short. Wilton Guerrero also grounded out to short to end the inning. Frye lined out to right to start the bottom of the third before Burkhart flied out to center. Daubach walked and Nomar singled to left, but Everett popped up to third to end the inning.

Mordecai took strike three to start the top of the fourth but Nomar threw a grounder by Vidro away for an error. Vladimir Guerrero flied out to right but Stevens walked. Widger forced Stevens at second to end the inning. O'Leary popped up to third to start the bottom of the fourth before Alexander flied out to center. Hatteberg walked but Lewis flied out to right to end the inning.

Fassero fell apart in the top of the fifth as Seguignol hit a home run all the way to Neptune to start. Jones singled to right and de la Rosa dropped down a bunt to move him to second. Wilton Guerrero singled to left to score Jones to tie the game and Mordecai singled to center to chase Jeff. He lasted just 4 1/3 innings and allowed 2 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks. Rich Garces came in and Vidro struck out swinging before Vlad Guerrero forced his brother at third to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                      Not good enough from Fassero

Frye got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Burkhart flied out to left. Daubach struck out swinging but Nomar walked. Everett popped up to short to end the inning. 

The Expos took command in the top of the sixth as Stevens got a base hit to center to start. Widger flied out to right but Seguignol went down hacking. Jones doubled to center to score Stevens and de la Rosa struck out swinging to end the inning with the Expos up 3-2.

                                                             Jones puts the Expos ahead

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as O'Leary grounded out to short to start. Alexander popped up to first but Hatteberg walked. Lewis walked and that was the end for Santana. Anthony Telford came in to face Frye and Jeff flied out to center to end the inning.

Hipolito Pichardo came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Wilton Guerrero struck out swinging. Mordecai popped up to first but Vidro drew a walk. Vladimir Guerrero forced his brother at second base to end the inning. Suddenly the Sox sprang to life in the bottom of the seventh with Peter Bergeron coming in for Seguignol. Burkhart walked before Daubach struck out swinging. Burkhart took second on a wild pitch and Nomar drew a walk. Everett struck out swinging and Expos manager Felipe Alou brought in Steve Kline to face O'Leary. The gamble backfired as O'Leary mashed a 3 run bomb to put the Sox on top. Alexander lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 5-3.

                                                                Troy puts the Sox up

Pichardo returned for the top of the eighth and Stevens lined out to left to start. Chris Widger struck out swinging and Bergeron grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Scott Forster came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Hatteberg took strike three to start. Lewis and Frye stroked back to back singles but Burkhart struck out swinging. Daubach was plunked to load the bases and chase Forster. Scott Strickland came in to pitch and Garciaparra got a base hit to left to score Lewis. Everett walked to score Frye but O'Leary flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox up 7-3.

                                                            Nomar drives in a run

Derek Lowe came in to close out the top of the ninth and Jones got a base hit to left to start. Andy Tracy pinch hit for de la Rosa and Jones took second on defensive indifference. Tracy and Wilton Guerrero both struck out swinging and Mordecai took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-3.

Hero of The Night is Troy O'Leary. His 3 run homer put the Sox up for good.

                                                                 Troy O'Hero

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 3 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Hipolito Pichardo got the win with 2 scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Manny Alexander was 0 for 4.

Rich Garces allowed a run in 1 2/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and was hit with a pitch.

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Jeff Fassero lasted just 4 1/3 innings but allowed just 2 runs off 4 hits and 2 walks.

Final Thoughts:

Good win by the Sox even if Jeff Fassero can't buy a win at this point. The Sox need to beat up on the Expos big time and this come from behind win certainly helps. Pichardo saved the day this time as well as Derek Lowe after the Sox took the lead. The Sox are going to need a number two starter at the deadline with Brian Rose, Jeff Fassero and Pete Schourek not getting the job done. The offense is also still an issue but for now the mission is to get another starter. The Sox have two weeks before the trade deadline and now's a good time to start thinking about it. The win improved the Sox to 47-42, 1 game behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the series tomorrow night when Pedro Martinez (9-3, 1.51 ERA) takes on Javier Vazquez of the Expos. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

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.

                                                                      IN

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.