Indians Shut Out Sox (10/1/88)

After the Boston Red Sox backed into the AL East Division title last night after their loss to the Cleveland Indians, the Sox offense remained asleep in today's matinee against the same Indians. With Marty Barrett dealing with a bad back and the division already clinched, Sox manager Joe Morgan took no chances in this one with the Oakland A's looming in the American League Championship Series. Jeff Sellers (1-7, 4.83 ERA) was the hard luck loser as he threw 7 no-hit innings only to run out gas in the eighth inning. His counterpart John Farrell of the Indians tossed 8 innings of shut out ball as the Indians took the meaningless game 1-0 at Municipal Stadium. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Farrell got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jody Reed led the game off by grounding out to first to start. Spike Owen doubled into the right field corner before Dwight Evans moved him to third with a grounder. Mike Greenwell popped up to first to end the inning. Sellers got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Ron Washington chased a nasty slider for strike three to start. Andy Allanson whiffed before Joe Carter popped up to short to end the inning.

Todd Benzinger dumped a single into right to begin the top of the second but Kevin Romine flied out to right. Rick Cerone struck out on a swinging on a changeup before Ed Romero swung and missed for strike three to end the inning after a fan got a standing O for pulling a foul ball out of the fence. Corey Snyder grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second inning before Sellers punched out Dave Clark. Luis Medina went down swinging to end the inning, good start for Sellers.

                                                         Sellers gets it done early

Rookie Carlos Quintana whiffed to begin the top of the third inning before Reed popped up to left. Owen grounded out to first to end the inning. Rod Allen grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third as the NBC announcers brought up the last time the Red Sox won in Oakland happened to be a Jeff Sellers start. Eddie Williams went down swinging as did Jay Bell to end the inning. That's 6 K's for Jeff in 3 innings.

Evans drew a leadoff walk in the top of the fourth inning before Greenwell beat out a double play ball. Randy Kutcher pinch ran for Greenwell but he was erased on the Benzinger force. Romine popped up to center to end the inning. Sellers kept up the pace in the bottom of the fourth as Washington whiffed on a nasty slider to begin. Allanson went down swinging as well before Carter grounded out to short to end the inning.

Cerone grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth before Romero grounded out to third. Two yahoos actually got married in the stands and Farrell was so distracted that Quintana drew a walk. Reed flied out to the left field warning track to end the inning.

                                                    Cheers to the happy couple

Sellers remained perfect in the bottom of the fifth as Snyder lined out to center to start. Clark went down swinging and Medina lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox mustered nothing in the top of the sixth as Owen popped up to left. Evans grounded out to short and Kutcher grounded out to third to end the inning. Sellers got Allen to line out to second to begin the bottom of the sixth before Williams was out on a bang bang grounder to short. Bell broke up the perfect game by drawing a walk but Sellers kept up the no-hitter by striking out Washington to end the inning, that's 10 strikeouts as well.

The Sox failed to get Sellers any runs in the top of the seventh as Benzinger grounded out to first to start. Romine whiffed and Evans popped up to center to end the inning. Allanson hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh before Carter popped up to right. Snyder lined out to center to end the inning. Sellers had tossed 7 no-hit innings while striking out 10, outstanding.

                                              "Can these bums score a run?" - JS

Too bad John Farrell was just as tough as Sellers in the top of the eighth with Scott Jordan now in center. Romero grounded out to third, Quintana whiffed and Reed grounded out to third to end the inning. Sellers returned for the bottom of the eighth and got Clark to pop up to short. 5 outs from a no-hitter, Medina crushed a 90,000 foot home run to break up the no-hitter and send Sellers to the showers. On any other day, this would have been just an annoyance but the home run was the difference in the game. Mike Smithson came in and got Allen to pop up to first but Williams caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single to third. Bell swung and missed and fell on himself to end the inning with the Indians up 1-0.

                                          Outstanding effort for Sellers gone to waste

The Sox did try to rally against Farrell in the top of the ninth as Owen dumped a single to right to start. Evans walked to chase Farrell. Closer Doug Jones was brought in to face pinch hitter Larry Parrish (for Kutcher). The worst thing happened as Parrish banged into a double play to kill the rally. Benzinger lined out to first to end the game. The Indians had just 2 hits and one run all game but it was enough to win the game 1-0.

           Indians celebrate


Jackass of the Night is Larry Parrish. Normally its unfair to bring in someone ice cold off the bench and have him hit, but the double play proved to be the difference in the game with Farrell on the ropes.

                  Nice double play, Jackass


The Good:

Spike Owen was 2 for 4.

Dwight Evans walked twice in 4 plate appearances.

Jeff Sellers took the loss but pitched incredibly well. He allowed 1 run on just 1 hit while striking out 10 in 7 1/3 innings.

Mike Smithson got the final two outs of the 8th inning.



The Bad:

Jody Reed was 0 for 4.

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 2.

Randy Kutcher was 0 for 1.

Kevin Romine was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Rick Cerone was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Romero was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Todd Benzinger was just 1 for 4.

Carlos Quintana was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Good thing this game means nothing because if the Sox lost a meaningful game on a solo home run and as double play in the ninth, this would have really hurt. Sellers pitched the game of his life but the JV offense failed to score a run. If Ellis Burks, Wade Boggs, Marty Barrett or Jim Rice played I'm sure they could have at least pushed across one run. As it is, its just an annoyance as the real goal is to stay healthy for the Oakland A's. The Sox already have their rotation set with Bruce Hurst going in Game 1 at Fenway, Roger Clemens in Game 2 and Mike Boddicker in Game 3 in Oakland. As for the regular season, tomorrow is the finale with Mike Boddicker (3.39 ERA) going for the Sox up against Tom Candiotti at 2:30 PM Eastern time at Cleveland Stadium.

Sox Come Back to Beat Twins (8/23/87)

As this dreary season trudges on, the Boston Red Sox are looking for some signs of good prospects for the future. Today Jeff Sellers (5-6, 6.24 ERA) can stick a feather in his cap saying he beat the legendary Steve Carlton. The Twins big deadline acquisition took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth when the Sox exploded for a rally. Don Baylor hit a grand slam off Carlton and Dwight Evans followed with his 29th homer of the year off Juan Berenguer. Sellers hung in there until the eighth inning and Wes Gardner slammed the door in the ninth. The Sox aren't going anywhere this season but at least Sellers can say he beat Carlton with the 6-4 victory over the Twins at Fenway Park

                                                         Bobby Kennedy approves of the win

Sellers got the ball in the top of the first inning and Dan Gladden struck out swinging to start. Greg Gagne grounded out to short but Kirby Puckett doubled to center and Kent Hrbek flied out to center to end the inning. Carlton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ellis Burks grounded out to short to start. Marty Barrett lined out to right and Wade Boggs' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Carlton to end the inning.

The O's tagged Sellers in the top of the second as Gary Gaetti and Roy Smalley stuck back to back home runs to give the O's the lead. Tom Brunansky struck out swinging, Steve Lombardozzi grounded back to the mound and Sal Butera flied out center to end the inning with the Twins up 2-0.

                                                                Gaetti hits one out

Don Baylor led off the bottom of the second by getting plunked. Baylor slid in safely at second on the grounder to short by Dwight Evans and moved to third on the grounder to first by Mike Greenwell. Dave Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Twins struck again in the top of the third as Gladden grounded out to second to start. Gagne singled to right but Puckett struck out swinging. Hrbek then hit a home run all the way to the Taj Mahal to increase the lead. Gaetti grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Twins ahead 4-0.

                                                                  Hrbek hits one out

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the third as Spike Owen popped up to a running Puckett to start. Marc Sullivan slapped a single to right but Burks was frozen on a looping curve for strike three. Barrett lining out to Brunansky to end the inning.

                                                        Sullivan gets on base

Sellers got Smalley to fly out to left to start the top of the fourth but Brunansky singled to left. Brunansky was caught stealing second and Lombardozzi flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Boggs lashed a base hit to right to start. Baylor struck a base hit to left but Evans was rung up for strike three. Evans went berserk and had to be restrained from attacking the umpires by Baylor and Sox manager Joe Morgan. When play resumed Greenwell walked to load the bases and Henderson walked home Baylor to put the Sox on the board. Owen banged into a double play to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                Evans goes berserk!

Sellers turned up the heat in the top of the fifth as Butera struck out swinging to start. Gladden whiffed and Gagne went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the fifth although Sullivan grounded out to short to start. Burks caught the Twins asleep with a bunt single to first and moved to second on a balk. Barrett singled Burks to third and Boggs walked to load the bases. Baylor responded with a grand slam into the left field screen to give the Sox the lead. That was it for Carlton and Juan Berenguer replaced the ancient lefty. Evans responded by clocking his 29th home run of the season to increase the lead. Greenwell walked but was doubled off of first on the line drive to short by Henderson to end the inning. The Sox turned a 4-1 deficit into a 6-4 lead.

                                                        Baylor clubs a grand slam

Sellers cruised in the top of the sixth as Puckett struck out swinging to start. Hrbek grounded out to second and Gaetti hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Owen lined out to left to begin the bottom of the sixth and Sullivan took strike three. Burks walked but Barrett flied out to right to end the inning.

Smalley grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh but Brunansky walked and took second on a passed ball. Lomardozzi struck out swinging and Randy Bush pinch hit for Butera. Bush struck out swinging to end the inning. Tim Laudner took over behind the plate for the bottom of the seventh as Boggs grounded out to short to start. Batlor and Evans both lined out to left to end the inning.

Sellers returned briefly in the top of the eighth just to strike out Gladden looking. Apart from the home runs, Sellers was downright dominant by striking out 10 batters. Wes Gardner came in and Gagne struck out swinging but Puckett doubled to right. Hrbek flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                          Sellers with a strong start

Greenwell grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eight and Henderson struck out swinging. For some reason Twins manager Tom Kelly brought in Jeff Reardon to pitch to Owen. Owen grounded out to first to end the inning.

Gardner came in to pitch the top of the ninth and got Gaetti to ground out to second to start. Smalley walked but Brunansky banged into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

Hero of the Night is Don Baylor. His grand slam turned the game around and led the Sox to victory

                                                Hero Baylor

The Good:

Ellis Burks was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Mike Greenwell walked twice in four plate appearances.

Marc Sullivan was 1 for 3.

Wes Gardner earned his 6th save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Spike Owen was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Marty Barrett was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a home run.

Dave Henderson was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in run.

Jeff Sellers got the win but allowed 4 runs in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed 6 hits and struck out 10.

Final Thoughts:

Not much to cheer about this season but that grand slam will be one for the highlight reel. Sellers pitched a good game even if he was allowing home runs left and right. Evans' quest for 40 home runs at age 35 continues. If only the rest of the offense carried over from last season....or the pitching for that matter. Gardner finally looked good and if the Sox expect him to be closer of the future, today was one of those days that showed promise. Beating up Carlton was good to see even if he's at the end of the line. As we head toward the end of August, the only hope for the season is to hopefully finish about .500. The win improved the Sox to 60-63 on the season, 13.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Carlton Fisk and the Chicago White Sox come to town next and tomorrow night Bruce Hurst (14-7) looks to quell the uprising. Jose DeLeon goes for the White Sox and the game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sellers Shuts Out A's (7/3/87)

Now THAT was impressive. Struggling Boston Red Sox starter Jeff Sellers (3-1, 6.86 ERA) turned in one of the best pitching performances of the season in tonight's game against the Oakland A's. Sellers tossed a complete game, 6 hit shutout to give the club a much needed shot in the arm. Steve Ontiveros was the hard luck loser for the A's as rbi's from Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks were Boston's only offensive output of the night. It was enough thanks to the efforts of Sellers for a 2-0 Sox win at Oakland County Stadium.

                                              Eberhard Anheuser approves of the win

Ontiveros cruised in the top of the first inning as Ellis Burks grounded out to short to start. Marty Barrett popped up to third before Wade Boggs grounded out to short to end the inning. Sellers began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Luis Polonia flied out to left. Mike Davis struck out before Jose Canseco singled to left. Mark McGwire flied out to center to end the inning.

The Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second inning as Mike Greenwell grounded out to second to start. Don Baylor grounded out to first and Dwight Evans grounded out to second to end the inning. Sellers got Reggie Jackson to strike out to open the bottom of the second before Carney Lansford popped up to second. Terry Steinbach flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Bill Buckner popped up to second to begin. Spike Owen singled to right before moving to second on the "Mr. Nepotism" Marc Sullivan grounder. Burks singled home Owen to give the Sox the lead. Barrett grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Burks drives in a run

Sellers held up the lead in the bottom of the third as Tony Phillips flied out to left to begin. Alfredo Griffin flied out to left and Polonia struck out to end the inning.

Boggs singled to center to start the top of the fourth but was forced at second by Greenwell. Baylor banged into a double play to end the inning. The Indians threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Davis struck out to start. Canseco grounded out to second but McGwire singled to center and Jackson doubled to left. Sellers froze Lansford for strike three to end the inning.

The Sox threatened in the top of the fifth although Evans flied out to center to begin. Buckner grounded out to first but Owen walked. Sullivan beat out an infield single to second but Burks grounded into a force to end the inning. Steinbach grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Phillips flied out to left. Griffin popped up a bunt to end the inning.

The Sox got some bad news in the top of the sixth although Barrett singled to short to start. Boggs singled to left but Barrett fell on top of second base and passed out. Barrett was carried out on a stretcher and Ed Romero pinch ran for him. Both runners moved over on the grounder by Greenwell but Baylor popped up to left. Evans walked to load the bases but Buckner popped up to short to end the inning.

                                                        Bye bye Barrett

Sellers kept up the pace in the bottom of the sixth as Polonia grounded out to second to begin. Davis hit one up the elevator shaft before Canseco struck out to end the inning.

The Sox scored some insurance in the top of the seventh although Owen flied out to center to begin. Sullivan and Burks stroked back to back singles before Romero lined a base hit to left. Sullivan was thrown out at home but Burks made it to third. Boggs was hit with a pitch to load the bases and Greenwell walked in a run to chase Ontiveros. Gene Nelson came in and Baylor popped up to first to end the inning but the Sox was up 2-0.

                                                     Stop getting thrown out at home!

Sellers stayed tough in the bottom of the seventh inning as McGwire struck out to start. Jackson doubled to left but Lansford grounded out to third. Steinbach flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the eighth inning as Evans grounded out to third to begin. Buckner flied out to right and Owen flied out to left to end the inning. The A's threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning although Phillips grounded out to second. Griffin walked but Polonia flied out to left. Davis walked and Canseco beat out an infield single to load the bases. Sox manager John McNamara let Sellers stay in and he punched out McGwire to end the inning. Outstanding work Jeff!

Sullivan struck out to begin the top of the ninth before Burks took strike three. Romero popped up to first to end the inning. Dave Henderson took over for Greenwell in the bottom of the ninth and Jackson grounded out to second to begin. Lansford beat out an infield single to short but Steinbach hit into a double play to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0 behind the complete game by Jeff Sellers.

Hero of the Night is Jeff Sellers. He tossed a complete game shutout allowing just 6 hits and 2 walks. Sellers struck out 8 and earned his 3rd win of the year.

                                                       Sellers The Hero



The Good:

Ellis Burks was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Marty Barrett was 1 for 3 before leaving.

Ed Romero was 1 for 2.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Spike Owen was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Marc Sullivan was 2 for 4.



The Bad:

Don Baylor was 0 for 4.

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Mike Greenwell was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked.



Honorable Mention:

Dave Henderson played left field in the bottom of the 9th inning.




Final Thoughts:

This season is a disaster but that was a damn good win. Sellers has been a disappointment in his Sox career but that was impressive. The Sox are in a serious world series hangover but for one day, they took the Oakland A's and shut them down. Also it was nice to see Mr. Nepotism contribute for once. Its too bad the Sox aren't that good this year but the bright side is on the rare occasion things go well, its entertaining. Hopefully Burks and Greenwell can develop into starts because Rice and Evans are getting old. The win improved the Sox to 39-40, 10.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it 2 in a row in Oakland as they take on the A's in a 4th of July special. Jose Rijo goes for the A's up against Bruce Hurst (9-5) of the Sox at 4 PM Eastern Time at Oakland Coliseum.