Braves Stun Pedro Late, Defeat Sox (6/14/02)

The Boston Red Sox ongoing problems with elite National League teams followed them to Atlanta in tonight's game against the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Pedro Martinez (7-2, 3.18 ERA) matched Braves pitcher Kevin Millwood for 7 innings to a 1-1 deadlock. Sox manager Grady Little send Pedro back out for the eighth inning and the Braves made him pay. Gary Sheffield hit a crucial sac fly to give the Braves the lead. John Smoltz slammed the door in the 9th inning and the Sox fell to 2-5 in interleague play by dropping a tough 2-1 decision at Turner Field.

                                                       Sox fans to Grady Little

Milwood took the mound in the top of the first and Johnny Damon grounded out to third to start. Jose Offerman walked but Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center. Brian Daubach popped up to short to end the inning. Pedro cruised in the bottom of the first as Rafael Furcal lined out to short to start. Matt Franco and Gary Sheffield both flied out to center to end the inning.

Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Jason Varitek grounded out to second. Trot Nixon took strike three to end the inning. Pedro got in trouble in the bottom of the second although Chipper Jones grounded out to second to start. Andruw Jones flied out to right but Vinny Castilla and Javy Lopez stroked back to back singles but Keith Lockhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Lou Merloni grounded out to second to start. Pedro himself struck out swinging but Damon doubled to left center. Offerman got a base hit to right to score Damon to put the Sox on top. Nomar walked but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                               Damon scores Boston's lone run

Pedro got Millwood swinging to start the bottom of the third and Furcal grounded out to short. Franco singled to left and Sheffield was rung up for strike three to end the inning much to his chagrin.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Hillenbrand went down hacking to start. Varitek popped up to third and Nixon popped up to short to end the inning. The Braves fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Chipper was robbed at the wall by Nixon to start. Andruw Jones doubled just inside the left field line and moved to third on the Castilla grounder to short. Lopez singled in the hole at short to score Jones to tie the game. Lockhart popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Braves tie it

The Sox failed to add on to the lead in the top of the fifth as Merloni flied out to left to begin. Pedro grounded out to second and Damon grounded out to first to end the inning. Pedro stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Millwood grounded out to third to start. Furcal's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Pedro and Franco took strike three to end the inning.

The duel continued in the top of the sixth as Offerman grounded out to second to start. Nomar flied out to deep center but Daubach singled down the left field line. Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning. Sheffield started the bottom of the sixth with a base hit to center to start. Pedro blew away Chipper Jones with a high fastball and Andruw banged into a double play to end the inning.

Varitek flied out to right to begin the top of the seventh and Nixon grounded out to second. Merloni popped up to short to end the inning. Castilla grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh before Lopez grounded out to second. Lockhart lined out to Pedro to end the inning.

Chris Hammond came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pedro whiffed to start. Damon went down swinging and Offerman grounded out to third to end the inning. The Braves took command in the bottom of the eighth as old pal Darren Bragg pinch hit for Hammond to begin. Bragg was called out on strikes but Furcal got a base hit to left. Franco singled Furcal to third and Jesse Garcia ran for Matt. Sheffield was robbed of a home run at the left field wall by Daubach but Furcal scored to put the Braves up. Chipper Jones was intentionally walked and Andruw grounded out to third to end the inning but the Braves were up 2-1. Pedro did the best he could by pitching 8 innings of 2 run ball but the Sox couldn't generate any offense.

                                                   Braves take the lead

Braves closer John Smoltz came out for the top of the ninth with Wes Helms now at first base. Nomar grounded out to first and Daubach popped up to third. Hillenbrand flied out to left to end the game. The Braves have beaten Pedro and the Sox 2-1.

                                                     Boooooo!


Jackass of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including making the final out of the game.

                                                    Hitless Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Pedro Martinez was the hard luck loser tossing a complete game 8 hitter.



The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

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

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.




Final Thoughts:

If the Sox end up missing the playoffs, they can point to their poor interleague record as the reason why. For some reason they can't beat National League teams. Kevin Millwood is no Tom Glavine or Greg Maddux but he still shut down the Boston bats in this game. If Millwood was this good, what is Maddux going to do tomorrow? The Sox need to find a way to get to these elite NL pitchers if they have a prayer of holding on to the AL East lead. Pedro did the best he could so it would be unfair to blame him for the loss. Manny Ramirez being out didn't help either but its only one game. The loss drops the Sox to 44-23, 0.5 games in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send John Burkett (7-1) to the mound up against ace Greg Maddux at 7:05 PM at Turner Field.

Burkett, Sox Crush Royals in Game 1 (4/21/02)

It was good news this afternoon all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics won Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series with the Philadelphia Sixers and the Boston Red Sox beat the daylights out of the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of their doubleheader. After spending the first three weeks of the season on the Disabled List, John Burkett (1-0, 3.60 ERA) made his Sox debut and showed why the Red Sox signed him to compete with the New York Yankees. Burkett tossed 5 gutty innings against the Royals and allowed just two runs to keep Boston in the game. On the other side of the ball, the Sox bats laid waste to the bungholes of the Royals pitchers. The offense pounded out 16 hits and 12 runs against the hapless Royals including five home runs. Johnny Damon hit one against his former team while Manny Ramirez hit two of his own. Jose Offerman and Brian Daubach also went yard to add to the carnage. Tim Wakefield earned his first save of the season by pitching four shutout innings as the Sox took Game 1 of today's doubleheader with a 12-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                      Walter McCarty approves of the win

Dan Reichart got the ball to start the game for the Royals in the top of the first and Johnny Damon led off with a grounder to short. Jose Offerman lined out to a running Raul Ibanez and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Burkett made his Sox debut in the bottom of the first and Chuck Knoblauch led off with a pop up to short to start. Michael Tucker doubled in front of Manny Ramirez but Carlos Beltran struck out swinging. Mike Sweeney popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second and Manny Ramirez slid into first to beat out an infield single to short. Brian Daubach lined a base hit to center but Shea Hillenbrand popped up to second but Trot Nixon doubled to right to score both runners to put Boston on top. Doug Mirabelli walked but the Sox failed a double steal as Nixon was thrown out at third. Mirabelli did take second but Sanchez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Nixon drives in a pair

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the second as Ibanez doubled into the gap in right/center to start. Joe Randa popped up to right and Neifi Perez flied out to left, but Brent Mayne walked. Carlos Febles lined a base hit into centerfield to score Ibanez to cut the lead. Knoblauch popped up to first to end the inning with the Royals down 2-1.

                                                    Febles drives in a run

The Sox got another run in the top of the third as Damon tripled past Mike Sweeney down the first base line to start. All of a sudden Kansas City manager Tony Muser came out to yell at home plate umpire Tim Tschida for no reason and Offerman hit a sac fly to score Damon to increase the lead. Nomar grounded out to third and Manny struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                      Damon scores a run

Tucker got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third and promptly stole second. Beltran struck out swinging on a changeup down and away but Tucker took third on a wild pitch. Sweeney popped up to first and Ibanez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fourth as Daubach clubbed his third home run of the season to add to the lead. Hillenbrand struck out swinging, Nixon grounded out to second and Mirabelli grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                   Daubach hits one out

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as Randa hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Mongolia to cut the lead. Perez and Mayne both grounded out to third but Febles tripled over the head of Damon. Knoblauch grounded out to first to end the inning with the Royals down 4-2.

                                                   Home run Randa

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Sanchez flied out to right to start. Damon grounded out to second and Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning. Burkett came back for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Tucker singled to right to start. Beltran forced Tucker at second and was doubled off first on a pop up to right to end the inning. Carlos forgot there were two outs and that was it for Burkett who tossed 5 solid innings in his Sox debut, allowing just 2 runs and putting the Sox in line for the win.

                                               Burkett gets the job done

Nomar singled in the hole at short to start the top of the sixth but Manny hit into a double play. Daubach singled to left but Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the inning. Tim Wakefield took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and Ibanez grounded out to first to start. Randa struck out swinging and Perez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh as Nixon singled to right to start. Mirabelli popped up to third in foul territory and a wild pitch moved Nixon to second. Sanchez grounded out to third to move Trot to third and Damon drew a walk to chase Reichert. Old pal Cory Bailey came in to pitch and Damon promptly stole second. Offerman then smashed his second home run of the season to put the game out of reach. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-2.

                                                   Offerman with a 3 run jack

Wakefield cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Mayne grounded out to short to start. Febles grounded out to third and Knoblauch popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth when Manny smashed a home run to dead center to add to the lead. Daubach singled to center but Hillenbrand forced him at second. Nixon got a base hit to left but Mirabelli hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                         Home run Manny

Carlos Baerga took over for Sanchez to start the bottom of the eighth and Tucker grounded out to third to start. Beltran hit one up the elevator shaft and Sweeney struck out swinging to end the inning.

Miguel Asencio came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Baerga doubled to right to start. Damon belted his second home run of the season to increase the lead and Offerman got a base hit to right. Nomar flied out to left but Ramirez hit his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Daubach flied out to right and Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-2.

                                                    Ramirez goes yard again

Wakefield returned to close out the bottom of the ninth as Ibanez grounded out to second to start. David McCarty pinch hit for Randa and lined out to third. Perez flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had taken Game 1 by a 12-2 score.

                                                              Wakefield closes it out

Hero of the Night is Jose Offerman. He outproduced Kansas City by himself with a three run homer and drove in 4 total runs.

                                                             Jose Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 4 with a two run home run, stolen base, a walk and 3 total runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Brian Daubach was 4 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Trot Nixon was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Carlos Baerga was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

John Burkett earned his first win in Boston by allowing just 2 runs in 5 innings. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 2.

Tim Wakefield earned the save with 4 shutout innings.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 5.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but the Sox have won 5 games in a row and they're doing it with their explosive offense. Damon has been worth every penny out of the leadoff spot while Jose Offerman and Rickey Henderson are having the good kind of competition over who hits second. Ramirez, Nomar, Daubach and Hillenbrand have gotten big hits this season as well. Today's game the bats were cooking with 5 home runs and its tough to beat them when everything is working. Burkett's velocity was down but that's to be expected in his first start after coming off the Disabled List. The best news of the day was that Wakefield sucked up the final four innings, leaving the bullpen rested for Game 2 later on. All in all it was a good offensive day and the hope is the momentum carries over to Game 2. The Sox have no time to celebrate the win because they're back at it later today against the Royals in Game 2. Derek Lowe (2-1) gets the start for Boston against former Tampa Bay punching bag Bryan Rekar. The game begins in a few minutes at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Bash Jays Again (4/17/02)

Make that 5 wins out of 6 for the Boston Red Sox. After the Sox plastered the Toronto Blue Jays by scoring 14 runs last night, the Sox almost matched their effort in tonight's game against Toronto. Darren Oliver (2-0, 3.14 ERA) tossed 6 gutty innings and held the Jays to just two runs in that time frame. Meanwhile the Sox bats stuck it to Scott Eyre and the Toronto bullpen for another 13 hits and 10 runs. The Sox used a team effort to blitz Eyre in the first inning for four runs and cruised from there. Manny Ramirez led the charge with 4 total rbis and a two run home run to outscore the Jays by himself. Everyone in the lineup drove in a run or got on base at least once in the thirteen hit attack. Sun-Woo Kim handled the Jays in the final two innings and the Sox had won their third game in a row 10-3 at the Skydome.

                                 Boston Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek approves of the win

The Sox bombed Eyre in the top of the first as Rickey Henderson led off with a double to left. Johnny Damon drew a walk but Nomar Garciaparra forced him at second. Manny Ramirez opened the salvo with a base hit to center to score Henderson. Shea Hillenbrand struck out swinging but Jose Offerman got a base hit to left to score Nomar. Doug Mirabelli lashed a base hit to right to score Manny and Trot Nixon lined a base hit to left to score Offerman. Rey Sanchez popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                        Ramirez starts the party

Oliver got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shannon Stewart flied out to left to start. Vernon Wells flied out to center and Raul Mondesi popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Henderson led off with a walk to begin. Damon forced Rickey at second but Nomar tripled to center to score Johnny and Ramirez crushed his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. That was it for Eyre as Corey Thurman came in to pitch as Hillenbrand flied out to center. Offerman took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                                  So much for Eyre

Carlos Delgado flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz Jr flied out to left. Darrin Fletcher grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Mirabelli flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Nixon flied out to center. Sanchez popped up to short to end the inning. Homer Bush grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Eric Hinske singled to right. Felipe Lopez struck out swinging and Stewart popped up to short to end the inning.

Henderson beat out a roller to third to start the top of the fourth but Damon banged into a double play. Nomar walked but Manny flied out to center to end the inning. The Jays struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Wells lined one off Oliver but Sanchez threw him out. Mondesi then hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to cut the lead but Delgado struck out swinging. Cruz then also hit a home run all the way to Vancouver before Fletcher singled to left. Bush struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 7-2.

                                                          Cruz hits one out

Hillenbrand walked to start the top of the fifth but Offerman lined out to center. Mirabelli lined out to left to end the day for Thurman. Pedro Borbon Jr came in and Hillenbrand stole second, but Nixon grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Hinske grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth but Lopez singled to center. Stewart hit into a double play to end the inning.

Sanchez popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the sixth before Henderson grounded out to second. Damon walked to chase Borbon as Justin Miller came in to pitch. Damon swiped second but Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning. Wells singled to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Mondesi flied out to right. Delgado was plunked but Cruz banged into a double play to end the inning.

                                                        Damon helps Delgado up

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh as Ramirez singled to center to start. Hillenbrand forced Manny at second but Offerman singled to right. Mirabelli walked to load the bases but Nixon popped up to third in foul territory. Sanchez was hit with a pitch to score Hillenbrand but Henderson flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 8-0.

                                                  Sanchez drives in a run by getting hit

Oliver came back for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as Fletcher lined out to first to start. Bush singled to left and Hinske walked, but Lopez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Oliver was outstanding, allowing just the two home runs in 7 brilliant innings.

                                                         Oliver gets it done

Bob File got tagged in the top of the eighth as Damon doubled to right to start. Nomar flied out to right but Ramirez dropped a base hit to center to score Damon. Hillenbrand grounded out to third to move Manny to second and Ramirez scored on the Offerman base hit to center. Mirabelli took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-2.

                                              "Well if that don't beat all" - Buck

Sun-Woo Kim came in to get tagged in the bottom of the eighth as Stewart singled to left to start. Wells beat out a roller to third and a wild pitch moved both runners along. Mondesi grounded back to the mound but Delgado grounded out to first to score Stewart. Cruz Jr grounded out to first to end the inning with the Jays down 10-3.

                                                             Kim allows a run

Kelvim Escobar came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Nixon walked to start. Sanchez struck out swinging, Henderson flied out to left and Damon struck out swinging to end the inning. Kim came back to start the bottom of the ninth as Fletcher flied out to right to start. Bush grounded out to third and Hinske grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-3.

Hero of the Night is Manny Ramirez. He was 4 for 5 with a 2 run home run, 4 total rbis, and 3 total runs scored.

The Good:

Rickey Henderson was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jose Offerman was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Darren Oliver earned the win by tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 3.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice, stole a base and scored 2 runs.

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, stole a base and stole a run.

Doug Mirabelli was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Sun-Woo Kim allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win by the Sox and that's three in a row. The Sox have been doing it with pitching with Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez and now Darren Oliver pitching in. Frank Castillo pitched well yesterday so that gives the Sox four dependable starters with John Burkett due to come off the Disabled List soon. The bats continued to roll and the Sox are going to be tough to beat with Damon and Henderson at the top of the order with their speed. Just going from first to third on singles and stealing bases would set the stage for Nomar and Manny. Sox manager Grady Little seriously needs to take advantage of the team speed that they really hadn't had in a long time. All in all things are looking are up for the Sox and hopefully that momentum continues in the next series. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night in Kansas City against the Royals. Pedro Martinez (2-0) takes the hill against Chris George of the Royals. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Mussina, Yankees Defeat Sox (4/14/02)

Sweeping the New York Yankees in a four game series is damn near impossible because they have four aces in their rotation. The Boston Red Sox were looking for their third straight win against the Yankees but ran right into Mike Mussina. Mussina held the Sox scoreless through six innings until Manny Ramirez hit a two run home run in the seventh inning. Tim Wakefield (1-1, 4.09) held the Yankees to two runs in six innings himself but New York teed off on Willie Banks and Sun-Woo Kim for another four runs to put the game away. The vaunted Yankees bullpen such as Ramiro Mendoza and Mariano Rivera slammed the door on the Sox as New York defeated Boston 6-2 at Fenway Park.

Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first inning and Derek Jeter grounded out to second to start. Nick Johnson and Bernie Williams both struck out swinging to end the inning. Mussina got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Johnny Damon grounded back to the mound to start. Jose Offerman grounded out to second and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the second as Jason Giambi singled to right to start. Jorge Posada singled to right and both runners moved over on the strike three passed ball to Robin Ventura. Rondell White hit a sac fly to center to score Giambi to put the Yankees on top. Shane Spencer grounded out to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                        White puts New York on top

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Manny Ramirez lined out to right to start. Brian Daubach and Shea Hillenbrand both struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the third as Alfonso Soriano hit a home run to New Mexico to increase the lead. Jeter walked and stole second but Johnson struck out swinging. Williams flied out to left and Giambi struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                           Soriano hits one out

Trot Nixon flied out to center to start the bottom of the third and Doug Mirabelli struck out swinging. Lou Merloni flied out to right to end the inning.

Wakefield cruised in the top of the fourth and Posada popped up to third in foul territory to start. Ventura lined out to second and White grounded out to short to end the inning. Mussina cruised in the bottom of the fourth as Damon flied out to center to start. Offerman took strike three and Nomar flied out to right to end the inning.

Spencer struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and Soriano flied out to right. Jeter beat out a ground ball to Wakefield and Johnson flied out to center to end the inning. Ramirez grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Daubach struck out swinging. Hillenbrand flied out to left to end the inning.

Wakefield came back for one final inning in the top of the sixth and Williams popped up to short to start. Giambi walked but Posada flied out to center and Jason took second on a passed ball. Ventura struck out swinging to end the inning. Wakefield did the best he could, holding the Yankees to just 2 runs in 6 innings but the Sox bats went silent.

                                                     Wakefield gives six solid innings

The Sox failed to pick up Wakefield in the bottom of the sixth as Nixon lined out to center to start. Mirabelli singled to left but Merloni flied out to right. Damon grounded out to third to end the inning.

Willie Banks took the mound in the top of the seventh inning and White hit a home run all the way to Baltimore, Maryland to increase the lead. Spencer walked and Soriano doubled to center to score him to ice the game. Jeter walked and Johnson singled to center to score Soriano to chase Banks. Sun-Woo Kim came in and Williams struck out swinging before Giambi flied out to right. Posada took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees up 5-0.

                                                        Johnson drives in a big run

The Sox finally woke up in the bottom of the seventh as Offerman lined out to left to start. Nomar singled to left and Ramirez clobbered his second home run of the year to cut the lead. Daubach grounded out to first but Hillenbrand singled to left. Nixon pounded an opposite field double to left and Yankees manager Joe Torre pulled Mussina for Ramiro Mendoza. Sox manager Grady Little countered by pinch hitting Carlos Baerga for Mirabelli. Baerga grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                     Ramirez jacks one gone

Jason Varitek took over behind the plate to start the top of the eighth but Ventura led off with a home run all the way to Venus to wrap up the scoring. White grounded out to first, Spencer lined out to second and Soriano flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees up 6-2.

                                                         Kim gives up a run

Mendoza returned for the bottom of the eighth and Merloni grounded out to third to start. Damon grounded out to short and Offerman hit a routine grounder to Soriano....booted for an error. Offerman moved to third on the base hit to center by Nomar and Torre pulled Mendoza for closer Mariano Rivera. With the game on the line, Ramirez took strike three to end the inning.

Casey Fossum took the mound in the top of the ninth and Jeter grounded out to short to start. Johnson struck out swinging and Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. Rivera returned to close out the bottom of the ninth as Daubach lined out to Mariano to start. Hillenbrand flied out to right but Nixon walked. Williams grounded out to second to end the game. The Yankees had won it 6-2.

                                                     Rivera saves it for the Yankees

Jackass of the Night is Willie Banks. He allowed 3 runs in the seventh inning to put the game out of reach.

                                                            Banks The Jackass

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Doug Mirabelli was 1 for 2.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher is on the Good list but Tim Wakefield tossed six solid innings and allowed just two runs. If the Sox had any offense, this would have been enough to win.

Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Johnny Damon was 0 for 4.

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Baerga was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Sun-Woo Kim allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Its extremely hard to beat the Yankees when their pitching holds up like this and the Red Sox bullpen proved why they're still not at that elite level yet. You have essentially 6 innings to beat the Yankees before Mendoza, Stanton and Rivera are summoned and the Sox did almost nothing against them today. Banks and Kim allowed 4 runs to put the game out of reach while Mendoza and Rivera avenged yesterday by slamming the door. The Sox couldn't beat Mussina or the bullpen and on this day, the Yankees were the better team. Wakefield did the best he could and he'll shine again another day. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow morning on Patriots Day in the final game of this series when Derek Lowe (1-1) takes on Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. The game begins at 11:05 AM at Fenway Park.

Oliver, Sox Down Yankees (4/12/02)

Things are always ramped up when its the Boston Red Sox take on the New York Yankees. In the first game of the season series, the Red Sox drew first blood in this war. Darren Oliver (1-0, 0.00 ERA) got the spot start for the Sox and tossed a shutout into the sixth inning. Orlando Hernandez was equally tough for the Yankees but a Sox rally in the bottom of the fifth gave them a 2-0 lead. The Yankees got a run back against Sun-Woo Kim and Casey Fossum but a Lou Merloni rbi double in the bottom of the eighth was the big insurance run. Yankees rookie Nick Johnson took Ugueth Urbina deep in the top of the ninth but Urbina finished the job as the Sox won the game 3-2 at Fenway Park.

                                              The Rock & Hulk Hogan approve of the win

Oliver got the ball to start the top of the first and Alfonso Soriano struck out swinging to start. Derek Jeter grounded out to short but Bernie Williams walked. Jason Giambi singled to left but Rondell White forced Giambi at second to end the inning. Hernandez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Johnny Damon led off by taking strike three to start. Jose Offerman grounded out to second but Shea Hillenbrand singled to left. Manny Ramirez singled to right but Tony Clark struck out swinging to end the inning.

Ron Coomer doubled to left to begin the top of the second and Shane Spencer walked, but Nick Johnson flied out to left. Alberto Castillo grounded into a double play to end the inning. Trot Nixon struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second and Carlos Baerga grounded back to the mound. Doug Mirabelli walked and Rey Sanchez singled him to third, but Damon flied out to center to end the inning.

Soriano froze for strike three to start the top of the third before Jeter grounded back to the mound. Williams grounded out to short to end the inning. Offerman caught the Yankees asleep with a bunt single to start the bottom of the second but was caught in a rundown. Hillenbrand flied out to right and Ramirez grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

                                                    "You're out you dummy!" - Jeter

Giambi ripped a base hit to left to start the top of the fourth before moving to second on the grounder to third by White. Coomer grounded out to second to move Giambi to third before Spencer grounded out to short to end the inning. Clark struck out swinging again to start the bottom of the fourth before Nixon flied out to center. Baerga singled to left but Mirabelli grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Johnson took strike three to begin the top of the fifth before Castillo popped up to right in foul territory. Soriano singled to left but Jeter went down hacking to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the fifth as Sanchez ripped a base hit to right to begin. Damon singled in the hole at short and Offerman doubled home Sanchez to put the Sox on top. Hillenbrand grounded out to short to score Damon to increase the lead and Ramirez was intentionally walked. Clark flied out to right and Nixon popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                         Sox strike first

Oliver returned for the top of the sixth and Williams grounded out to third to start. Giambi pounded a ground rule double into the centerfield stands but White grounded out to third. Coomer walked and Sox manager Grady Little felt Oliver had done enough. He had tossed 5 2/3 shutout innings to give the Sox a chance to win. Sun-Woo Kim came in and got Spencer to ground out to short to end the inning.

                                                               Oliver gets it done

Baerga beat out an infield single to short and Lou Merloni pinch ran for him to begin the bottom of the sixth. Mirabelli struck out swinging, Merloni was thrown out at second trying to steal and Sanchez flied out to right to end the inning.

Kim returned for the top of the seventh and Johnson struck out swinging to begin. Castillo grounded out to short but Soriano doubled to center. Jeter grounded out to third to end the inning. Damon grounded out to first to begin the bottom of the seventh before Offerman flied out to right. Hillenbrand lined out to left to end the inning.

Williams struck out swinging to begin the top of the eighth but Giambi doubled to center. White struck out swinging and Sox manager Grady Little wanted Casey Fossum to pitch to Coomer. Yankees manager Joe Torre countered by bringing in Robin Ventura to pinch hit. Naturally Ventura singled to right to score Giambi and cut the lead. Torre sent in Enrique Wilson to run for Ventura and John Vander Wal to pinch hit for Spencer. This time Little countered by bringing in "El Guapo" Rich Garces to face John. Vander Wal took strike three to end the inning with the Yankees down 2-1.

                            Garces is pumped up

The Sox got that run back in the bottom of the eighth with old friend Mike Stanton now on the mound. Ramirez doubled to right and moved to third on the grounder to second by Clark. Nixon flied out to center but Merloni stepped up with a double off the Monster to score Ramirez with the insurance run. Steve Karsay came in to pitch to Mirabelli and Doug flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 3-1.

                                                          Merloni with a clutch double

Ugueth Urbina came in to close out the top of the ninth and Johnson greeted him with a solo home run to cut the lead. Jorge Posada pinch hit for Castillo but lined out to short before Soriano struck out swinging. Jeter flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-2.

Hero of the Night is Darren Oliver. He tossed a 5 2/3 inning shutout by allowing 5 hits while striking out 4.

                                                     Oliver The Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Carlos Baerga was 2 for 3.

Lou Merloni got an rbi double in his only at bat.

Rey Sanchez was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Rich Garces struck out the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Tony Clark was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Casey Fossum allowed a hit to the only man he faced.

Ugueth Urbina allowed a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth.

The Ugly:

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

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Sun-Woo Kim was charged with a run in 2 full innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

To be the man you gotta beat the man....WOOOOO! If the Sox want to knock off the four time defending AL champion they need to win every game they can against them. Having Darren Oliver and Lou Merloni step up to win a game is huge considering the big guns haven't fired yet. The Yankees made a bold move replacing their championship core with AL MVP Jason Giambi, Ron Coomer and David Wells so they're not going to take their loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks lying down. The only two negatives about this game is the slump of Tony Clark and the ineffectiveness of Ugueth Urbina. It's early in the season but the Sox could be 8-1 if it wasn't for those two. Still, there's a long way to go and the Sox opened the salvo with a win. The Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon against the Yankees when they send Pedro Martinez (1-0) to the mound against David Wells of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Lowe Dazzles O's, Sox Win First (4/5/02)

After two off-days and a rainout, the Boston Red Sox finally got back to work in Baltimore and what a performance it was. Derek Lowe (1-0, 0.00 ERA) had no-hit the Baltimore Orioles for seven innings in his first start of the season as the bats were able to scratch out a few runs against O's starter Josh Towers. Johnny Damon led the game off with a solo home run and two batters later Nomar Garciaparra added his first home run of the season as well. Nomar drove in Damon in the top of the fifth but that would be more than enough for Lowe. After the no-no was broken up in the eighth, "El Guapo" Rich Garces and Ugueth Urbina slammed the door on the O's. It all added up to the first win of the season as the Sox blanked the Orioles 3-0 at Camden Yards.

                                                            Tina Jordan approves of the win

Towers got the ball in the top of the first inning and Johnny Damon immediately socked his first home run of the year to put the Sox up for good one batter into the game. Jose Offerman lined out to right but Nomar Garciaparra smashed his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Manny Ramirez flied out to left and Tony Clark took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                    Damon and Garciaparra hit homers

Lowe got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Hairston struck out swinging to start. Chris Singleton flied out to left and David Segui grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Trot Nixon lined out to short to begin the top of the second but Shea Hillenbrand lined out to right. Jason Varitek grounded out to second to end the inning. Jeff Conine grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Jay Gibbons grounded out to second. Tony Batista flied out to left to end the inning.

Rey Sanchez led off the top of the third with a pop up to short but Damon singled to left. Offerman popped up to short and Nomar flied out to center to end the inning. The O's beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third inning as Melvin Mora grounded out to third to start. Brook Fordyce also grounded out to third and Mike Bordick grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Ramirez grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth but Clark ripped a base hit to center. Nixon forced Clark at second and Hillenbrand grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The O's beat the ball in the dirt again in the bottom of the fourth as Jerry Hairston grounded out to short to start. Singleton and Segui both grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Varitek flied out to center to begin. Sanchez popped up to Towers but Damon singled to left. Damon stole second, Offerman walked and Nomar lashed a base hit to center to score Damon. Offerman got picked off second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                               Dammit Jose

The O's got their first baserunner when Hillenbrand threw a ground ball by Conine all the way to the Everglades for an error to begin the bottom of the fifth. Lowe recovered to get Gibbons to bang into a double play and Batista to ground out to third to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Clark popped up to third in foul territory. Nixon stroked a single to left and Hillenbrand pounded a ground rule double down the left field line, but Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning. Lowe got in trouble for the first time all night when he walked Mora and Fordyce back to back to start the bottom of the sixth. Bordick hit one up the elevator shaft and Hairston grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Rick Bauer came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Sanchez grounded back to the mound to begin. Damon also grounded back to the mound and Offerman took strike three to end the inning. Lowe got Singleton to pop up to second to begin the bottom of the seventh. Segui popped up to short and Conine flied out to left to end the inning. Lowe was 6 outs away from repeating Hideo Nomo in the same venue a year later.

Nomar grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth but Ramirez singled to center. Clark hit into a double play to end the inning. There would be no repeat as Gibbons walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Batista beat out a roller to third to break up the no-hitter. Sox manager Grady Little came to get Lowe and that was a hell of an effort by Derek to hold the O's to just one hit and 3 walks in 7 plus innings. "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch and Mora lined out to center before Gary Matthews pinch hit for Fordyce. Matthews popped up to third but Bordick walked to load the bases. Hairston forced Bordick at second to end the inning.

Fernando Lunar took over behind the plate for the top of the ninth and Nixon grounded out to second to start. Hillenbrand grounded out to third but Varitek singled to center. Sanchez hit a seeing eye single into left but Damon forced Sanchez at second to end the inning. Ugueth Urbina took the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth and Singleton led off with a double to right. Segui flied out to right and Singleton took third on the fly out to center by Conine. Gibbons lined out to Nomar to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-0.

Hero of the Night is Derek Lowe. He was 6 outs from a no hitter and finished with 7 shutout innings where he allowed 1 hit and 3 walks.

Hero Lowe

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 3 for 5 with a home run, stolen base and 2 total runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a home run and two total rbis.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

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

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4.

Tony Clark was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4.

Rey Sanchez was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

That was a nice bounceback win considering Pedro Martinez' disaster on Opening Day. Its a shame they lost Dustin Hermanson on Wednesday night but Lowe looked great tonight. Obviously expecting Lowe to go from closer to starter may not work but it did for one night anyway. He had the O's in fits all night and only the walks came back to bite him. Nomar and Damon were a nice 1-2 punch and once Manny Ramirez and Tony Clark get cooking, this is going to be a tough lineup to beat. The big thing when it comes to Lowe is his defense. If Nomar, Hillenbrand and Sanchez can field ground balls, that's going to do wonders for Lowe. Urbina and Garces slammed the door pretty good and if Urbina can pitch as well as Lowe did in 2000, this could be a tough bullpen this year too. All in all it was a good win and hopefully more wins are on the way. Tomorrow afternoon Frank Castillo makes his first start of the year for Boston against Scott Erickson of the Orioles. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Camden Yards.