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.

Everett Goes Berserk, Sox Beat Mets (7/15/00)

Woah....what the hell was that about? In one of the most baffling displays of aggression since Ty Cobb, Carl Everett let his rage get to him as he attacked home plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected from the game. After Dennis Cook whined that he was over the batter's box last night, Kulpa enforced the rule in the bottom of the second. Everett headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by a bevy of people from doing any further damage. His insanity overshadowed what turned out to be a good win against a good team. Ramon Martinez (7-5, 5.60 ERA) allowed two first inning runs but pitched shutout ball afterwards for five more innings. Brian Daubach came in for Everett and he hit a 3 run home run to break the tie in the sixth inning. The Sox got another run in the seventh inning and survived a Rich Garces meltdown in the top of the ninth. With the tying run at the plate, Derek Lowe got Melvin Mora to ground out to end the game. The Sox had won the game despite Everett's antics 6-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Calm down Carl!

Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mets wasted no time getting to him. Melvin Mora was frozen for strike three and Derek Bell grounded out to third, but Edgardo Alfonzo walked to start. Alfonzo swiped second but Mike Piazza walked as well. Todd Zeile doubled to the centerfield wall to score both runners but Matt Franco flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                         Mets take the lead

Mike Hampton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a grounder to the mound to start. Jeff Frye doubled off the Monster but Jason Varitek flied out to center. Nomar Garciaparra check-swinged grounded out to third to end the inning. Jay Payton popped up to Carl Everett before Mark Johnson flied out to left. Benny Agbayani grounded a base hit up the middle but Ramon buzzed Mora up and in. Agbayani was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Carl Everett stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the second and took a first pitch before Ron Kulpa told him he couldn't stand where he was standing. Sox manager Jimy Williams came out but Everett said he's got this. Everett took a step back and took another pitch. After swinging and missing at strike one and fouling another pitch off, Kulpa again crossed the line off and told Carl not to stand there. This time Carl lost his head and was thrown out by Kulpa. Everett actually headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by Darren Lewis, first base coach Tommy Harper and third base coach Wendell Kim. Jimy Williams apologized to Kulpa as Everett was escorted out. He continued his tirade in the dugout and Bret Saberhagen tried to talk some sense into him. Brian Daubach took his place and struck out swinging to complete the at-bat. Troy O'Leary grounded back to Hampton and Izzy Alcantara got booed by the Fenway crowd before he struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                  Everett loses it

Mora grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Bell took strike three on the outside corner. Alfonzo doubled into the left field corner but Piazza struck out swinging to end the inning. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Zeile made a great play to rob Lewis of a base hit. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alexander booted a grounder by Zeile to start the top of the fourth but Franco banged into a double play. Payton dumped a base hit to right and Johnson struck out swinging on a good changeup to end the inning. Frye flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar popped up to short to end the inning.

The Mets beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Agbayani grounded back to the mound to start. Mora grounded out to short and Bell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach was drilled to start. Payton fell down catching a fly ball from O'Leary but Alcantara dumped a base hit to center. Alexander blooped a base hit to center to score Daubach and Lewis hit a routine grounder to Franco. Franco fired to first but it went under the glove of Zeile to score Alcantara to tie the game. Offerman hit a bullet....right to Alfonzo who doubled off Lewis at second to end the inning. Replays showed Lewis was actually safe but the Sox still tied the game 2-2.

                                                      Big break for the Red Sox

Martinez returned for the top of the sixth and Alfonzo grounded out to third to start. Piazza doubled into the left field corner but Zeile grounded out to third. Franco flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Frye slashed a base hit to center to start. Varitek grounded out to first to move Frye to second and Nomar was intentionally walked. Daubach made the Mets pay for such treachery with a 3 run blast to put the Sox ahead. O'Leary grounded out to short and Alcantara grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 5-2 Sox.

                                                           Daubach puts the Sox on top

Before the top of the seventh inning started Fox cameras caught Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan telling Ramon Martinez that he had "protection" in case something went wrong the following inning. Joe stuck to his word as Payton singled to right to immediately chase Ramon to start. Martinez pitched 6 plus innings and allowed just two runs. Rheal Cormier came in to pitch and Todd Pratt pinch hit for Johnson only to strike out swinging. Agbayani grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                        Ramon goes six plus and keeps the Sox ahead

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Alexander hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Lewis drew a walk, Offerman singled in the hole at second and Frye blooped a single down the right field line. Lewis scored on the sac fly to center by Varitek but Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                 Varitek drives in a run

Cormier returned for the top of the eighth and Mora flied out to left to start. Bell popped up to third and Alfonzo flied out to center to end the inning. Richie Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Daubach flied out to left to begin. O'Leary flied out to right but Alcantara doubled down the left field line. Alcantara moved to third on a balk but Alexander popped up to first to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Piazza drilled a home run into the Red Sox bullpen to start. Zeile flied out to left and Franco grounded back to the mound, but Payton stuck his bat out and singled in the hole at short. That was it for Garces as Sox manager Jimy Williams called upon Derek Lowe to get the save. Payton took second on defensive indifference and scored on the base hit to center by Pratt. Agbayani singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Daubach made a great pick on a bad throw by Lowe on a grounder by Mora to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                     Mora is out to end the game

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 3 run homer in the sixth put the Sox up for good and he made the game ending play at first while not even supposed to be playing today.

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rheal Cormier tossed two scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe earned his 20th save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carl Everett technically struck out in his only at-bat.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Rich Garces was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble when they lose Everett to a suspension for this. They're already underperforming offensively and losing their second best hitter isn't going to help. Its his own fault and there's no defending that by any means. If the umpire says you can't stand in that spot, don't headbutt the guy! We all thought Izzy Alcantara dogging it two weeks ago was bad but this was far worse. Speaking of Izzy, he had a couple of hits in this game in his first start after being benched and hopefully he's learned his lesson. The Sox are gonna need his bat now that Everett will be out a while. Then again, the suspension could be appealed and Bud Selig may have an air conditioner fall on his head and he forgets this ever happened. While that's preposterously unlikely, the fact is Everett can still play until the suspension is verified. As for the game, that was a good win against a good team and Ramon Martinez pitched well today. Nomar couldn't keep his average above .400 but the rest of the team scratched out runs and got on base with some timely hits. Frye, Lewis and Alcantara got it done and so did Daubach. The Sox have a lot of work to do to fix their offense that caused them to relinquish first place in June so we'll see what happens. The win improved the Sox to 45-42, 2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Interleague play continues tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Montreal Expos. Tim Wakefield (5-5) gets the start for the Sox against Mike Johnson of Montreal. The game begins at 1:05 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.

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

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

                                                                        IN

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

                                                                 Happy Fans

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

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

                                                           Zeile scores a run

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

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

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

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

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

                                                            Burkhart jacks one out

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

                                                           Pedro keeps the Sox in it

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

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

                                                           Dammit Everett

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

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

Sox Win

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

                                                             Hero Daubach

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg walked as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander scored a run as a pinch runner.

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

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

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

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

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 2 but walked.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                     Honky Tonk Man approves of the win

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

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

                                                         Varitek drives in a run

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

                                                         Sanders hits one out

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

                                                         Garciaparra goes yard

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

                                                            Offerman with a clutch triple

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

                                                                Veras drives in a run

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

                                                                Nomar with another run

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

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

                  Wakefield gets it done

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

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

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

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

                     Hero Nomar 

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

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

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

Rich Garces tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 5.

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

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

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