Angels Sweep Sox, Sanderson Beats Clemens (4/25/93)

It took almost a month but the horrendous Boston Red Sox offense that plagued the team last season has joined us in 1993. The Sox have dropped their 5th game in a row, four of which they have scored one run or less. Tonight it was the immortal Scott Sanderon of the California Angels that stymied the punchless offense. Roger Clemens (3-1, 1.64) went the distance and allowed just 2 runs, but the impotent Boston bats managed just one run as the Angels completed the sweep 2-1 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                               "Clemens LOST?"

Sanderson began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Billy Hatcher struck out swinging on a big slow curve to start. Ernie Riles stuck out swinging on a high fastball before Mike Greenwell popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. Clemens got the ball in the bottom of the first and Luis Polonia grounded out to second to start. Chad Curtis singled up the middle but was picked off by the alert Clemens. Clemens blew away JT Snow to end the inning.

                                                     YERRRRRR OUT!

Andre Dawson led off the top of the second by grounding out to first to begin. Mo Vaughn hit a home run last night for a young boy in Boston fighting cancer and lined a base hit off the glove of Torey Lovullo here. Ivan Calderon just missed bunting for a hit before he popped up to center. Scott Cooper took a curveball for strike three to end the inning. Chili Davis led off the bottom of the second by grounding out to second to begin before Tim Salmon was rung up for strike three on a check swing. Rene Gonzalez' mother is fighting cancer and Rene doubled down the right field line in a nice tribute. Torey Lovullo popped up to left to end the inning.

John Valentin led off the top of the third inning by grounding out to short to start. Tony Pena as rung up for strike three and Billy Hatcher went down swinging to end the inning. Malden's own Gary DiSarcina changed his number to 33 in the off-season after Larry Bird retired and he started the bottom of the third by grounding out to second. ESPN showed the last time Roger Clemens lost to the Angels was four years earlier as John Orton took strike three. Polonia hit a bullet but right to Cooper to en the inning.

Riles led off the top of the fourth by popping up to Salmon in foul territory to begin. ESPN said Greenwell has lost 17 pounds since last year now that his ankle has healed for the first time since 1989 and he popped up to Polonia in foul territory. Greenwell had a few expletives to say to Scott in the dugout as Dawson foul tipped into the glove for strike three to end the inning.

                            "F(censored) middle of the plate ya f(censored) pu(censored)!!"

Clemens stayed tough in the bottom of the fourth as he blew away Curtis on a high fastball to start. Snow blooped a liner to Valentin and Hatcher ran down a Davis liner to center to end the inning.

Vaughn lined out to left to start the top of the fifth before Calderon grounded out to short. Cooper was rung up for strike three to end the inning and he couldn't believe it.

                                                   "That wasn't a (expletive) strike!" - Cooper

The Angels struck first in the bottom of the fifth although Salmon led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Calderon ran down a Gonzalez liner but Lovullo pounded a home run just out of reach of Hatcher in center to give the Angels the lead. That was Lovullo's first home run since 1989 and DiSarcina watched strike three go by to end the inning but the Angels were up 1-0.

                                               Lovullo goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Valentin flied out to right to start before Pena was rung up for strike three. Hatcher stretched a base hit to left into a double to put the tying run at second but Riles popped up to first to end the inning. Orton led off the bottom of the sixth by grounding out to short to start. Polonia lined a foul ball off his face but heroically stayed in the game. Polonia whiffed and Curtis flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Greenwell got his revenge on Sanderson by ripping a base hit to center to start. Dawson poked a curveball down and away into left for a single and Vaughn lashed a double past Snow to score Greenwell to tie the game. The Sox blew the rally and the game really as Calderon grounded right back to the mound and Cooper was intentionally walked to load the bases but bring up the 1 for 16 Valentin. Naturally Valentin popped up to right. Carlos Quintana pinch hit for Pena begging the question why he  didn't pinch hit for Valentin? Salmon made a great diving catch to rob Quintana of a hit to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 1-1.

                                             Vaughn doubles in the only run the Sox scored

Bob Melvin took over behind the plate as the Angels took command in the bottom of the seventh. Snow flied out to left and Clemens got Davis on a split fingered fastball. Salmon then decided the game when he blasted a home run just over the left field wall to give the Angels the lead. Clemens recovered to punch out Gonzalez to end the inning but the Angels were up 2-1.

                                                          Salmon goes yard

Joe Grahe came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Hatcher grounded out to third to start. Riles whiffed and Greenwell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Clemens came back to finish his game in the bottom of the eighth as Lovullo whiffed to start. DiSarcina popped up to right and Orton lined out to short to end the inning. Clemens ended up pitching a complete game allowing just the 2 runs while striking out 9.

                                              A rare occasion when Clemens loses a duel

The Sox tried to rally in the top of the ninth although Dawson waived at a pitch in the dirt to start. Vaughn lined a base hit to right before Calderon inside outed a base hit to right. Cooper then blooped a single to left and Vaughn gunned it for home.....OUT! Can't blame third base coach Rick Burleson for sending Vaughn with Valentin slumping and Orton made a hell of a tag after a heck of a throw by Polonia. The over-zealous Valentin grounded into a force on the first pitch to end the game. The Angels squeaked by the Red Sox with a damn near flawless defensive game to win 2-1.

                                                    Dammit


Jackass of The Night is John Valentin. He failed with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh and with two men on in the top of the ninth.

                                                     Johnny The Jackass


The Good:

Mo Vaughn was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Scott Cooper was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Roger Clemens was the hard luck loser but hardly pitched like one. He tossed a complete game allowing just the two home runs while striking out 9.



The Bad:

Ernie Riles was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Tony Pena was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Quintana lined out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but scored the only run.

Andre Dawson was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Ivan Calderon was just 1 for 4.



Honorable Mention:

Bob Melvin caught the last two innings.




Final Thoughts:

Well that game was a kick in the ass. Clemens made just two mistakes all game and it ended up being the difference in the game. Valentin failing with the bases loaded, Vaughn getting thrown out at home in the ninth and Valentin failing again with two men on. The offensive woes that plagued the Sox last year reared its ugly head this week. This is Boston's 5th loss in a row and they only scored 1 run or less in four of the games. They can't get Scott Fletcher back fast enough the way this team is hitting lately. As if losing Fletcher wasn't bad enough, Andre Dawson had his knee drained directly after the game. Its been bothering him since he hobbled around the bases in Kansas City and he may miss time because of it. Things aren't looking good after they got swept by the Angels and now the Sox travel to Oakland to face the A's Tuesday night. Danny Darwin (0-3) goes for the Sox up against Bobby Witt at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Oakland County Coliseum.

Angels Top Sox, Streak at 4 (4/24/93)

It was a bad day for Boston sports. The Buffalo Sabres swept the Boston Bruins out of their first round NHL playoff series and the Boston Red Sox lost to the California Angels. The Boston Red Sox offense came alive for the first time in four days in tonight's gam against the Angels. The Sox pounded out five runs on three home runs....the bad news is the pitching failed big time. The Angels bashed John Dopson and two relievers for 8 runs off 10 hits. The Sox also committed two errors in the field which led to them dropping their fourth game in a row. The stench of 1992 finally found them in 1993 as the Angels took the game 8-5 at Anaheim Stadium.

                                              "I hate 4 game losing streaks"

Scott Lewis got the Sox for the Angels in the top of the first inning and Bob Zupcic grounded out to third to start. Carlos Quintana flied out to right and Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Dopson got Luis Polonia to ground out to second to begin the bottom of the first before. Chad Curtis grounded out to short. JT Snow singled to left and took second on a passed ball but Chili Davis took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox ran themselves out of a rally in the top of the second inning as Andre Dawson singled to left to start. Mo Vaughn whiffed but Scott Cooper singled Andre to third. John Valentin hit a fly ball to center and Dawson gunned it home. The throw was late but Cooper inexplicably waited until Dawson was safe to try for second and he was thrown out at second to end the inning. The Sox still led 1-0 despite Cooper's foolishness.

                                    "Hey Cooper...yeah you...your baserunning sucks!"

Dopson cruised in the bottom of the second as Tim Salmon took strike three to start. Greg Myers fanned and Rene Gonzalez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ernie Riles popped up to third to start the top of the third inning before Tony Pena grounded out to short. Zupcic popped up to third to end the inning. Torey Lovullo watched strike three go by to begin the bottom of the third inning before Gary DiSarcina was frozen for strike three. Polonia lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth inning although Quintana grounded out to third to start. Greenwell cracked his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Dawson hit one up the elevator shaft and Vaughn grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were up 2-0.

                                                           Greenwell hits one out

Dopson promptly pissed the lead away in the bottom of the fourth inning as Curtis doubled to right to begin. Snow grounded out to first but Davis hit a seeing eye singled to score Curtis. Salmon hit a ground rule double and Davis scored on the Myers ground out. Gonzalez whiffed to end the inning but the Angels tied it 2-2.

The Sox re-took the lead in the top of the fifth inning as Cooper doubled to right to start. Valentin sacrificed Scott to third and he scored on the Riles fly ball to give the Sox the lead back. Pena lined out to second to end the inning but it was 3-2 Sox.

                                                          Riles drives a run

Dopson got in trouble in the bottom of the fifth inning although Lovullo grounded out to second to start. DiSarcina singled before Polonia walked. Gary was thrown out at third trying to steal although Polonia took second. Curtis whiffed to end the inning.

Chuck Crim came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Zupcic popped up to second to start. Quintana grounded out to short and Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Dopson returned for the bottom of the sixth inning and Snow tripled into the left field corner to start. Sox manager Butch Hobson jolted awake from his nap, stumbled out of the dugout and brought in Scott Bankhead to pitch ice cold out of the bullpen. Dopson was game but was knocked out after 5 innings of 3 run ball.

                                                      Absolutely average start by Dopson

Scott Bankhead poured gas on the fire by allowing an rbi single to Davis to tie the game. Salmon walked and Myers sacrificed the runners over. Gonzalez lined out to right but Salmon scored to give California the lead. Lovullo was intentionally walked but DiSarcina walked to load the bases. Sox manager Butch Hobson ran out of the dugout and all the way to the bullpen to tell Ken Ryan to go pitch. When Ryan got to the mound, Polonia lashed a base hit to left and Salmon scored easily but Lovullo was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Angels ahead 5-3.

                                                            YERRRRRR OUT!

Crim retired Dawson to open the top of the seventh before Ken Patterson came in to pitch to Vaughn. The move backfired as Vaughn crushed a solo blast to cut the lead. Cooper walked to put the tying run on but Julio Valera came in to pitch. Valentin and Riles both lined out to right to end the inning but the Sox were down 5-4.

                                                           Vaughn hits one out

The Angels iced the game in the bottom of the seventh although Curtis grounded out to second to start. Snow walked and Davis singled before Salmon doubled them home. Salmon tried to third and Valentin heaved the ball into the dugout for an error to give Salmon an unofficial inside the park home run. Myers grounded out to second and Gonzales grounded back to the mound to end the inning but the Angels had blown it open 8-4.

                                                                  Nice throw John

Ivan Calderon pinch hit for Pena to open the top of the eighth and he drew a walk. Zupcic flied out to left but Calderon was forced at second by Quintana. Greenwell whiffed to end the inning. Bob Melvin took over behind the plate in the bottom of the eighth and Lovullo flied out to center to begin. DiSarcina hit a routine grounder to Cooper and Scott threw his glove at the ball, dove on it and wrestled with it for an error. Polonia forced DiSarcina at second and was thrown out trying to steal by the alert Melvin to end the inning.

The Sox refused to go quietly in the top of the ninth as Dawson singled to start, but was erased on the Vaughn double play. That proved to be huge as Cooper cracked his second home run of the year to cut the lead. Valentin flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had lost it 8-5.

Jackass of the Night is Ken Ryan. He allowed an inherited runner to score and 3 of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Nice relief, Jackass



The Good:

Andre Dawson was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Scott Cooper was 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and a home run.

Ivan Calderon walked as a pinch hitter.



The Bad:

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 4.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 4.

Tony Pena was 0 for 2 with a passed ball.

John Dopson was knocked out in the sixth inning after allowing 3 runs in just 5 innings.

Scott Bankhead was charged with 2 runs and allowed an inherited run to score in 2/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

Mo Vaughn was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a solo home run.

John Valentin was 0 for 2 with an error but drove in a run.

Ernie Riles was 0 for 2 but drove in a run.



Honorable Mention:

Bob Melvin caught the bottom of the eighth




Final Thoughts:

Figures, the Sox offense finally scores a bunch of runs but the pitching fails them. Dopson couldn't match his Patriots Day gem but the bullpen didn't help either. I don't know what Hobson was thinking bringing in Ken Ryan instead of Paul Quantrill or Greg Harris but it cost them big time. Still, maybe the Sox offense will pick up from here and they'll be fine moving forward. Tomorrow night the Sox and Angels will be on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. In a nationally televised contest, Scott Sanderson of the Angels goes up against Roger Clemens (3-0) of the Sox at 8:05 PM Eastern Time at Anaheim Stadium.

Langston, Angels Shut Down Sox (4/23/93)

Someone needs to wake up the Boston Red Sox offense. After getting shut out by Randy Johnson and no hit by Chris Bosio in Seattle, the Sox have come to California where Mike Langston blinded them in a complete game 3 hitter while allowing just one run in the ninth inning. The Sox had been held scoreless for 26 innings leading up to the ninth inning but they still couldn't win the game. Frank Viola (3-1, 1.53 ERA) got knocked out in the 6th inning and the Angels sent the Sox to their 3rd straight loss with a 4-1 victory at Anaheim Stadium.

                                      "There seems to be no sign of offense anywhere"

Langston began his dominance in the top of the first inning as Billy Hatcher took strike three to start. Carlos Quintana went down swinging and Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to end the inning. Viola started strong in the bottom of the first as Luis Polonia grounded out to first to start. Chad Curtis grounded out to third and Tim Salmon struck out swinging to end the inning.

Andre Dawson grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Ivan Calderon popped up to short. John Valentin fanned to end the inning. The Angels struck first in the bottom of the second although Gary Gaetti grounded out to third to begin. JT Snow singled and Rene Gonzalez was hit with a pitch before Damion Easley singled home Snow to give the Angels the lead. A ball got away from catcher Tony Pena and Gonzalez tried for home but Pena recovered to gun him down going back to third. Gary DiSarcina popped up to short to end the inning with the Angels ahead 1-0.

Langston cruised in the top of the third as Scott Cooper flied out to center to start. Tony Pena grounded out to third before Luis Rivera popped up to short to end the inning. Viola hung tough in the bottom of the both as John Orton lined out to left to start. Polonia singled to center but Curtis grounded out to third. Salmon flied out to left to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the fourth as Hatcher struck out swinging to start. Quintana grounded out to second but Greenwell doubled to right. Dawson flied out to right to end the inning. Gaetti flied out to right to open the bottom of the fourth but Snow singled to center. Gonzales hit into a double play to end the inning.

Langston dominated the top of the fifth as Calderon grounded out to third to begin. Valentin took strike three before Cooper lined out to left to end the inning. Easley flied out to center to begin the bottom of the fifth before DiSarcina grounded back to the mound. Orton flied out to right to end the inning.

The scoreless streak continued in the top of the sixth as Pena popped up to second to start. Rivera popped up to first and Hatcher grounded out to short to end the inning. 24 consecutive scoreless innings by the Sox offense.

                                             Langston effortlessly shuts out the Sox

The Angels knocked Viola out in the bottom of the sixth as Polonia beat out an infield single and swiped second. Curtis singled Polonia to third then swiped second himself. Salmon singled home both runners and Gaetti hit a routine grounder to Viola. Frank turned and fired the ball into his own dugout to wake up the sleeping Butch Hobson for an error to score Salmon and send Gaetti to second. Gaetti took third on a grounder by Snow before Gonzalez walked to chase Viola. Frank was due for a stinker and this was it, allowing 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings. Greg Harris came in and Easley popped up to left and DiSarcina flied out to center to end the inning with the Angels up 4-0.

                                                              Not his best stuff.

The Sox continued to scuffle in the top of the seventh inning as Quintana lined out to center to begin. Greenwell took strike three and Dawson lined out to third to end the inning. Orton popped up to right to start the bottom of the seventh before Polonia grounded out to second. Curtis was plunked and stole second...but was picked off to end the inning.

Calderon had the unmitigated audacity to draw a walk to open the top of the eighth inning but Valentin banged into a double play. Cooper whiffed to end the inning. Jeff Russell came in for the bottom of the eighth just to get some work in and he blew away Salmon to start. Gaetti whiffed and Snow flied out to center to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox rallied in the top of the ninth although Pena grounded out to second to start. Bob Zupcic pinch hit for Rivera and doubled to left but Hatcher lined out to center. A balk moved Zupcic to third and Greenwell singled him home to break the scoreless streak at 26 innings. Greenwell flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had dropped it 4-1.

Jackass of the Night is Frank Viola. He lasted just 5 1/3 innings and allowed 4 runs to take his first loss of the season.

                                                            Frank the Jackass



The Good:

Bob Zupcic was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

Greg Harris tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Jeff Russell tossed a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Billy Hatcher was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 3.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Pena was 0 for 3.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 2.



The Ugly:

Carlos Quintana was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Mike Greenwell was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ivan Calderon was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Looks like the first two weeks of the season was just a flim flam after the Boston offense has fallen apart in the last 3 days. The Sox have scored exactly one run in 27 innings and looked lifeless against Randy Johnson, Chris Bosio and now Mark Langston. Not that Danny Darwin, Viola and Joe Hesketh were outstanding, but they didn't even have a chance with no run support. Hopefully the Sox can right the ship because they were doing so well the first two weeks of the season. Getting Scott Fletcher back will help but he's not going to help THAT much if they can't generate much offense. Tomorrow the Sox look to finally score some runs when they send John Dopson to the mound up against Scott Lewis at 10:05 PM Eastern Time at Anaheim Stadium.

Bosio No-Hits Sox (4/22/93)

It was a terrible day for Boston sports. The Boston Bruins lost Game 3 of their first round NHL playoff series to the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Red Sox got no-hit by the Seattle Mariners. So much for the improved Boston Red Sox offense. Nearly 10 years after Dave Righetti of the New York Yankees no-hit the Sox, tonight it was Chris Bosio and the Seattle Mariners. Joe Hesketh (2-1, 6.08 ERA) got smacked around by the Seattle offense and the Sox couldn't crack Boiso, leading to a 7-0 defeat at the Kingdome in Seattle.

                                                  The AP with the bad news

The Sox actually started out well when Ernie Riles and Carlos Quintana worked back to back walks to open the top of the first inning. That was it for any kind of offense the rest of the game as Mike Greenwell banged into a double play and Andre Dawson whiffed to end the inning. Hesketh got the ball in the bottom of the first and walked Mike Felder to start. Henry Cotto flied out to right and Ken Griffey flied out to left, but Felder stole second. Jay Buhner watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Mo Vaughn whiffed to begin the top of the second before Ivan Calderon grounded back to the mound. Scott Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. The Mariners struck first in the bottom of the second as Bret Boone singled to center to start. Tino Martinez singled to right and Mike Blowers singled home Boone, advancing Tino to third. Dave Valle beat out a double play ball to score Martinez with the second run. Omar Vizquel flied out to center and Felder flied out to left to end the inning with the Mariners leading 2-0.

                                               "Well this sucks...." - Hesketh

The Sox couldn't get a hit in the top of the third as John Valentin whiffed to begin. Tony Pena lined out to second and Riles grounded out to first to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the third as Cotto flied out to left and Griffey flied out to right, but Buhner walked. Boone then smashed a 70,000 foot home run to left to ice the game early. Martinez grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 4-0 Mariners.

The Sox failed to answer in the top of the fourth inning. Quintana grounded out to third, Greenwell lined out to center and Dawson popped up to second to end the inning. Hesketh was quickly chased in the bottom of the fourth as Blowers singled and stole second to begin before Valle singled him in. That was it for the incompetent Hesketh after 3 innings and 5 runs allowed. Paul Quantrill came in and got Vizquel to fly out to center before getting Felder to fly out to right. Cotto grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 5-0 Seattle.

Boiso kept the no-no through five as Vaughn grounded out to second to start. Calderon lined out to center and Cooper flied out to right to end the inning. Quantrill stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth by getting Griffey to whiff to begin. Buhner grounded out to third but Boone singled. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the sixth as Valentin grounded out to second to begin. Pena grounded out to third and Riles grounded out to second to end the inning. Quantrill fell apart in the bottom of the sixth although Blowers watched strike three go by to begin. Valle singled before Vizquel singled to right. Rather than field the ball, Quintana dove on top of it and wrestled around with it. Valle scored and Vizquel motored around to third on the error. Felder singled home Vizquel for yet another run and Mackey Sasser pinch hit for Cotto only to fly out to center. Tony Fossas replaced Quantrill and got Griffey to fly out to right to end the inning but it was 7-0.

                                      Wrestling with baseballs is never a good thing

Once again the Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the seventh inning. Quintana, Greenwell and Dawson all grounded out to short to end the inning. Greg Harris took over for the bottom of the seventh and whiffed Buhner to start. Boone also struck out swinging but Martinez walked. Blowers grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox barely made contact in the top of the eighth as Vaughn flied out to center to start. Calderon grounded out to third and Cooper whiffed to end the inning. Ken Ryan took over for the bottom of the eighth and got Valle to pop up to third to start. Vizquel singled but Felder grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox had one last chance to crack Boiso in the top of the ninth but failed. Valentin grounded out to short and Pena grounded out to third. Riles lined one up the middle but Vizquel stabbed it and fired to first for the final out. Of all people, Chris Boiso had thrown a no-hitter. Can you believe it?

                                                The fat guy threw a no-hitter


Jackass of the Night is Mike Greenwell. He had the best chance to put the Sox up early to avoid the no-hitter but banged into a double play.

                                              Greenwell the Jackass


The Good:

Tony Fossas got the final out of the 6th inning.

Greg Harris pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Ken Ryan pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Andre Dawson was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mo Vaughn was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Ivan Calderon was 0 for 3.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Tony Pena was 0 for 3.

Joe Hesketh got lit up for 5 runs in just 3 innings to earn the loss.



The Ugly:

Ernie Riles was 0 for 3 but drew a walk.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 3 with an error but drew a walk.

Paul Quantrill was charged with 2 runs, 1 earned in 2 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

Well that's a kick in the pants for sure. The Sox pitching had been rolling with the offense trying to keep up but this was a total embarrassment. The pudgy Boiso had the Boston bats beating the ball in the dirt all night and the Sox had no answer. The pitching couldn't hold up either so it was a complete disaster all around. Its only one game but it still makes you want to vomit if you are a Red Sox fan. Tomorrow night the Sox travel to Anaheim to play the California Angels. Frank Viola (3-0) goes one on one with Mark Langston at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Anaheim Stadium.

Sox Blanked By Mariners (4/21/93)

All good things must come to an end and the Boston Red Sox 4 game winning streak was snapped by the Seattle Mariners. The big lefty Randy Johnson tossed a complete game 4 hit shutout while Danny Darwin (0-3, 7.36 ERA) continued to suck hard, getting knocked out in the fifth inning. The bullpen did the best it could but nothing was stopping Johnson as the Mariners shut the Sox out 5-0 at the Kingdome. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Johnson began his dominance in the top of the first as Bob Zupcic popped up to first to start. Carlos Quintana singled to center but Mike Greenwell whiffed. Andre Dawson grounded into a force to end the inning. The Mariners wasted no time scoring against Darwin in the bottom of the first as Omar Vizquel singled to short to begin. Mike Felder flied out to right but Vizquel swiped second on the Ken Griffey Jr strikeout. Pete O'Brien singled home Vizquel but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double to end the inning with the Mariners up 1-0.

                                                             1-0 Mariners

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the second as Ivan Calderon grounded out to short to start. John Valentin popped up to second and Scott Cooper grounded out to short to end the inning. Jay Buhner singled to right to open the bottom of the second before moving to second on the Tino Martinez grounder. Dave Valle popped up to short before Fernando Vina grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bob Melvin grounded back to the mound to start the top of the third but Luis Rivera drew a walk. Zupcic banged into a double play to end the inning. The Mariners iced it in the bottom of the third as Rich Amaral singled to right to begin. Vizquel flied out to right but Amaral swiped second. Felder popped up to first but Griffey Jr launched a 407,000 foot bomb to ice the game. O'Brien flied out to left to end the inning but it was 3-0 Mariners.

                                                      Griffey Jr is something else

Quintana was frozen for strike three to start the top of the fourth before Greenwell whiffed. Dawson flied out to right to end the inning. Buhner flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Martinez lined out to center. Valle walked and Vina singled to center, but Amaral lined out to right to end the inning.

Calderon swung at air to open the top of the fifth before Valentin flied out to right. Cooper flied out to center to end the inning. The Mariners finally knocked out Darwin in the bottom of the fifth. Vizquel flied out to center and Felder popped up to third, but Griffey Jr smashed yet another home run to increase the lead. Sox manager Butch Hobson tripped and fell coming out of the dugout to remove Darwin. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings while allowing 4 runs. Scott Bankhead came in and got O'Brien to ground out to second to end the inning with the Mariners up 4-0.

                                                           Terrible start by Darwin

Melvin tried to start a rally with a base hit to left to start the top of the sixth but Rivera flied out to center. Zupcic flied out to right and Quintana fanned to end the inning. The Mariners wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Buhner singled to start. Martinez singled Buhner to third and Jay scored on the double play by Valle. Vina flied out to right to end the inning but the Mariners were up 5-0.

                                                             Terrible relief by Bankhead

Johnson turned up the heat in the top of the seventh by punching out both Greenwell and Dawson to start. Calderon singled to center but Valentin flied out to center to end the inning. Ken Ryan came in for the bottom of the seventh and froze Amaral for strike three to start. Vizquel popped up to third but Felder singled to left. Hobson woke up from his nap and ran to the mound to get Ryan out of there, bringing in Tony Fossas ice cold out of the bullpen. Fossas got Griffey Jr to line out to right to end the inning.

Billy Hatcher pinch hit for Cooper to start the top of the eight but grounded out to short. Melvin grounded out to third but Rivera doubled to center. Zupcic popped up to second to end the inning. Ernie Riles took over at third with Henry Cotto pinch hitting for O'Brien to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Fossas struck out Cotto before Buhner grounded out to first. Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                       Good work Fossas

Johnson finished his masterpiece in the top of the ninth as Quintana took strike three to start. Greenwell popped up to third and Dawson grounded out to third to end the game. Johnson tossed a complete game 4 hit shoutout to defeat the Sox 5-0.

                                                  Gotta tip your hat to Johnson


Jackass of the Night is Danny Darwin. Not that the Sox offense had a chance in hell to hit Johnson, but Darwin didn't help by getting knocked around for 4 runs in 4 2/3 innings to fall to 0-3 on the season.

                                                      Darwin Jackass


The Good:

Ivan Calderon was 1 for 3.

Bob Melvin was 1 for 3.

Luis Rivera was 1 for 2 with a walk.

Ken Ryan got the first two outs of the seventh inning.

Tony Fossas tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Bob Zupcic was 0 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Scott Cooper was 0 for 2.

Billy Hatcher flied out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Carlos Quintana was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Scott Bankhead allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.



Honorable Mention:

Ernie Riles played third base in the bottom of the eighth.




Final Thoughts:

Not much you can do when Johnson is that tough. He was on tonight and the Sox lineup without Mo Vaughn and Scott Fletcher didn't do much. Its only one loss but that was a bad effort offensively and by Danny Darwin. He underperformed the last two seasons and now he's 0-3 to start the season. If he doesn't turn it around the Sox should send him packing like they did Jack Clark. The Sox are back in action tomorrow night as Joe Hesketh (2-0) gets the start for the Sox up against Chris Bosio of the Mariners at 10:05 PM Eastern Time at the Kingdome.

Clemens Guides Sox to 4th Win in a Row (4/20/93)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox placed Scott Fletcher on the Disabled List. In his place the Sox called up John Valentin from Pawtucket. Valentin has a big bat even if he's not as fast as Fletcher.

                                                                OUT

                                                                IN

The bad news was the Boston Bruins dropped Game 2 of their first round NHL playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. The good news was "Rocket" Roger Clemens (3-0, 1.48 ERA) strong-armed the Boston Red Sox to their 4th win in a row and the first in a set against the Seattle Mariners. Roger was pulled in the 7th inning but allowed just 1 run to earn his third win of the season. John Valentin homered in his first game up from Pawtucket as Mike Greenwell's first home run of the season paced the offense. The Sox added to their winning ways with a 5-2 win at the Kingdome.

                                                Suzanne Somers approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time scoring in the top of the first inning against Seattle starter John Cummings. Billy Hatcher led off with a lineout to center but Carlos Quintana singled. Mike Greenwell singled Carlos to third and he scored on the Andre Dawson grounder to give the Sox the quick lead. Mo Vaughn grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                        Dawson drives one in

Clemens was unusually rusty in the bottom of the first and the Mariners answered. Omar Vizquel and Mike Felder drew back to back walks before Ken Griffey Jr singled home Vizquel to tie the game. Tino Martinez hit one up the elevator shaft and Pete O'Brien banged into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

John Valentin made his first at bat of the season in the top of the second by flying out to center. Scott Cooper grounded out to first and Tony Pena grounded out to short to end the inning. Clemens blew away Jay Buhner to start the bottom of the second but Fernando Vina walked. Dave Valle flied out to right but Vina stole second. Rich Amaral grounded out to second to end the inning.

Luis Rivera grounded out to third to begin the top of the third before Hatcher flied out to right. Quintana walked but Greenwell grounded out to short to end the inning. Clemens got both Vizquel and Felder to ground out to second to open the bottom of the third, but wisely walked Griffey Jr. The alert Pena gunned down Griffey trying to steal to end the inning.

The Sox pulled off some great incompetence in the top of the fourth as Dawson was plunked to start. Vaughn walked but Dawson was picked off second, Valentin whiffed and Vaughn was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. That's not how you end a rally. Clemens managed to get Martinez to fly out to center to open the bottom of the fourth before O'Brien grounded back to the mound. Buhner walked but Vina flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the 5th inning as Cooper flied out to left to start. Pena lined out to left and Rivera hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Clemens stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Valle flied out to left to start. Amaral popped up to left and Vizquel watched strike three go by to end the inning.

The Sox failed to capitalize on another chance in the top of the sixth inning as Hatcher flied out to center to begin. Quintana stroked a single and Greenwell walked, but Dawson hit into a double play to end the inning. Clemens had a similar inning in the bottom of the sixth as Felder singled to start. Griffey Jr walked but Martinez flied out to right and O'Brien banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox jumped ahead in the top of the seventh inning although Vaughn grounded out to second to start. The rookie Valentin pulverized his first home run of the season in his first game to give the Sox the lead. Cooper grounded back to first but Pena singled to right. Rivera flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-1.

                                                          First big fly for Valentin

Clemens didn't last long in the bottom of the seventh inning as Buhner singled to center to start. Vina flied out to left and all of a sudden Butch Hobson stumbled out out of the dugout and took Clemens out of the game. Greg Harris wasn't even warming up when he was brought in to show how confused Clemens was. Still, The Rocket lasted 6 1/3 innings and allowed just 1 earned run. Harris had Buhner picked off but the ball went through Vaughn's glove for an error that put Jay at third. Harris got Valle to pop up to left and Amaral to ground out to short to end the inning with the Sox still ahead 2-1.

                                                         Another good effort by Clemens

The Sox added some much needed insurance in the top of the eighth inning although Hatcher grounded out to third to start. Quintana singled to right and the much maligned Ivan Calderon pinch ran for him. Greenwell clobbered his first home run of the season to increase the lead. That was it for Cummings as Jeff Nelson came in to pitch. Dawson flied out to right but Vaughn doubled. Valentin walked and Cooper singled to left. Vaughn scored but the rookie Valentin was gunned down at third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                          Greenwell's first home run this year

Calderon took over in right with Bob Zupcic giving Greenwell the night off in the bottom of the eighth. Vizquel grounded out to first, Felder flied out to left and Griffey Jr also grounded out to first to end the inning.

Pena singled to start the top of the ninth but Rivera banged into a double play. Hatcher singled to center but Calderon grounded out to second to end the inning. Harris came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth and Martinez popped up to third. O'Brien singled, Buhner walked and Vina hit a pop up single into no man's land to load the bases. That was it for Harris as closer Jeff Russell got Valle to fly out to center, but O'Brien scored to cut the lead. Lee Tinsley pinch hit for Amaral and took strike three to end the game. The Sox had won their 4th game in a row and defeated the Mariners 5-2.

Hero of the Night is John Valentin. His home run in his season debut put the Sox up for good in the seventh inning.

                                                         First Game, First Hero


The Good:

Carlos Quintana was 3 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Mike Greenwell was 2 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

Mo Vaughn was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Tony Pena was 2 for 4.

Roger Clemens got the win with 6 1/3 innings of 1 run ball. He walked 6, gave up 3 hits and struck out 2.

Jeff Russell earned his 3rd save by getting the final 2 outs of the bottom of the ninth.



The Bad:

Luis Rivera was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Billy Hatcher was just 1 for 5.

Ivan Calderon was 0 for 1 at the plate but scored a run.

Andre Dawson was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Scott Cooper was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Greg Harris allowed a run in 2 innings of work.



Honorable Mention:

Bob Zupcic played left field in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

How about those first place Red Sox? Its only April 20th but 11-3 is better than 3-11. The Sox pitching has been outstanding the first couple weeks of the season and Clemens delivered tonight. John Valentin showed some pop in his bat and it was nice to see Greenwell get his first home run. If Valentin can show that he can hit consistently, either Calderon or Rivera are gone. Neither one of them can show that they hit so far but again, its early in the season. All in all its a good win and the Sox can close out April in a flourish for the first time in years. Tomorrow evening the Sox run into Randy Johnson and the Mariners and counter with Danny Darwin (0-2). The game begins at 10:05 PM Eastern time at the Kingdome.

Viola Dazzles White Sox (4/18/93)

The bad news was the Boston Bruins dropped Game 1 of their first round NHL playoff series with the Buffalo Sabres. The good news was the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago White Sox. Good to see the Boston Red Sox playing a friendly game of "Anything you can do, I can do better". After Joe Hesketh mastered the Chicago White Sox for 8 innings and no runs yesterday, Frank Viola (3-0, 0.75) looked the ace of old with a complete game, 9 hit shutout. Andre Dawson, Scott Cooper and Mike Greenwell provided the timely offense and the BoSox shut down the ChiSox 4-0 a Fenway Park.

                                                 Ann Margret approves of the win

Viola began his dominance in the top of the first inning when Joey Cora flied out to right to start. Mike Huff doubled to left before moving to third on the Frank Thomas grounder. George Bell flied out to right to end the inning. Rod Bolton got the start for the White Sox and Scott Fletcher grounded out to short to begin. Bob Zupcic singled to right and moved to second on the grounder Mike Greenwell. Andre Dawson flied out to center to end the inning.

Robin Ventura tried to rally the White Sox in the top of the second with a leadoff double to start. Ellis Burks grounded out to short before Ventura was caught in a rundown during a Bo Jackson grounder. Carlton Fisk flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Mo Vaughn walked and somehow stole second. Ivan Calderon whiffed but Scott Cooper singled home Vaughn to give the Sox the lead. Tony Pena popped up to the pitcher before Cooper got caught checking out some girl in the crowd and got picked off to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                  Pay attention to the game, good sir

Ozzie Guillen grounded out to third to begin the top of the third inning but Cora drew a walk. The alert Pena gunned down Cora trying to steal and its a good thing he did because Huff beat out an infield single. Thomas grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the third although Luis Rivera popped up to second to start. Fletcher singled and swiped second base before Zupcic walked. Greenwell singled home Fletcher to increase the lead. Dawson banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-0.

                                                        Greenwell increases the lead

Bell singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Ventura hit into a double play. Burks grounded out to second to end the inning. Vaughn tried to start a rally in the bottom of the fourth with a base hit to right but Calderon banged into a double play. Cooper singled to right but Pena forced him at second to end the inning.

Viola cruised in the top of the fifth inning as Jackson whiffed to start. Fisk flied out to center and Guillen grounded out to third to end the inning. Bolton matched Viola in the bottom of the fifth as Rivera grounded out to third to start. Fletcher popped up to short and Zupcic flied out to left to end the inning.

Cira grounded out to short to open the top of the sixth before Huff took strike three. Thomas doubled off the Monster but Bell lined out to right to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the sixth as Greenwell tripled into the centerfield gap to begin. Dawson lined out to center but Greenwell scored to increase the lead. Vaughn grounded out to short and Calderon grounded out to short as well to end the inning.

                                                  Ever heard of offense Ivan?

Viola got in trouble in the top of the seventh but Ventura grounded out to second to begin. Burks flied out to right but Jackson singled. Fisk singled to center but Guillen popped up to third to end the inning. Bolton cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Cooper grounded out to first to start. Pena lined out to left and Rivera popped up to second to end the inning.

Viola got Cora to ground out to second to start the top of the eighth before Huff took strike three. Thomas grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the eighth as Fletcher singled to left to begin. Zupcic hit one up the elevator shaft and that was it for Bolton. Scott Radinsky came in and Greenwell singled Fletcher to third. Dawson singled home Fletcher to wrap up the scoring. Jeff Richardson pinch ran for Dawson but Vaughn whiffed. Calderon grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                  Dawson drives in a run

Viola came out to finish the job in the top of the ninth as Bell grounded out to third to start. Ventura flied out to left but Burks and Jackson stroked back to back singles. Fisk lined out to second to end the game. The BoSox won the game 4-0.

Hero of the Night is Frank Viola. He tossed a complete game shutout scattering 9 hits and a walk to guide the BoSox to victory.

                                                            Viola the Hero


The Good:

Scott Fletcher was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Bob Zupcic was 1 for 3 and a walk.

Mike Greenwell was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Andre Dawson was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Mo Vaughn was 1 for 3 with a walk, stolen base and run scored.

Scott Cooper was 2 for 3 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Ivan Calderon was 0 for 4 with a strike out.

Tony Pena was 0 for 3.

Luis Rivera was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

None



Honorable Mention:

Jeff Richardson pinch ran in the bottom of the eighth inning.




Final Thoughts:

If Viola and Joe Hesketh can keep this up, the Sox may have something this year. The offense seems to have found its groove and the pitching has been phenomenal to start the season. Clemens and Viola look unhittable and if Danny Darwin can pick things up, they could be a contender again. Its only April but they already look improved from last year. Bob Zupcic has been filling in admirably for Billy Hatcher and when Billy comes back, his speed along with Fletcher will give opposing pitchers fits. It may not last but for the first 3 weeks of the season, its been fun. Tomorrow will be the Patriots Day game against the White Sox at a special start time. John Dopson takes on Alex Fernandez at 11:00 AM at Fenway Park.