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.

Sox Rout Jays Behind Hillenbrand (4/16/02)

Everything's going right for the Boston Red Sox as they continued to roll against the Toronto Blue Jays. After taking 3 out of 4 from the Yankees, the Sox made mincemeat out of the Jays pounding out 14 hits and 14 runs. Shea Hillenbrand led the charge with a 3 run home run in the third to give the Sox a commanding lead. Frank Castillo (1-0, 2.00 ERA) earned his first win of the season with 6 solid innings allowing just a home run to Vernon Wells. Manny Ramirez also homered and a hit parade put the game out of reach. Rolando Arrojo allowed two unearned runs in relief but still slammed the door as the Sox took the game 14-3 at the Skydome.

                                                       Robert Ulrich (RIP) approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Toronto starter Brandon Lyon in the top of the first inning as Johnny Damon took strike three to start. Hillenbrand doubled to left and took third on a wild pitch before scoring on the Nomar Garciaparra grounder to short to put Boston on top. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Nomar drives in a run

Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shannon Stewart grounded out to third to start. Eric Hinske walked but Raul Mondesi banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second as Tony Clark grounded out to second to start. Brian Daubach and Jason Varitek both grounded out to first to end the inning. Carlos Delgado was rung up for strike three to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz Jr popped up to third in foul territory. Darrin Fletcher flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                             Castillo gets Delgado

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Trot Nixon singled to left to start. Nixon swiped second and moved to third on the Rey Sanchez base hit to left. Damon ripped a base hit to left to score Nixon and Hillenbrand capped the rally with a three run home run. Garciaparra grounded out to second but Manny got a base hit to left. Ramirez was forced at second by Clark and Daubach popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                 Hillenbrand goes yard

The Jays tagged Castillo in the bottom of the third as Vernon Wells pounded a home run all the way to Calgary to start. Homer Bush and Felipe Lopez both grounded out to first but Stewart singled in the hole at second. Hinske took strike three to end the inning with the Jays down 5-1.

                                                               Wells hits one out

Varitek flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Nixon watched strike three go by. Sanchez lined out to center to end the inning. Mondesi grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Delgado grounded out to short. Cruz Jr singled to right but Fletcher popped up to third to end the inning.

Damon flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Hillenbrand grounded out to short. Nomar popped up to second to end the inning. Wells flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Bush lined out to center. Lopez grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Ramirez hit his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Clark popped up to third in foul territory before Daubach and Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                                  Ramirez drives in a run

Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske struck out swinging and Mondesi grounded out to third to end the inning. Castillo tossed 6 innings and allowed just 1 run on the home run to Wells. He was pretty good.

                                                              Great effort by Frank

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Justin Miller on the mound. Nixon walk and Sanchez singled to left before both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Damon. Hillenbrand hit a routine grounder to Hinske who booted it for an error to score both runners. Nomar doubled to left to score Shea and took third on a wild pitch. Ramirez walked to put runners at the corners and Clark beat out a double play ball to score Hillenbrand with another run. Daubach flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                               Rookie mistake by Hinske

Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Delgado took strike three to start. Cruz singled in the hole at short and Fletcher walked but Wells struck out swinging. Bush grounded back to the mound but Arrojo threw the ball away allowing Cruz to score. Lopez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 10-2.

                                                                Cruz scores a run

Feliz Heredia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Varitek got a base hit to left to start. Nixon struck out swinging and Sanchez banged into a double play to end the inning. Lou Merloni came in for Nomar and Carlos Baerga came in for Hillenbrand to start the bottom of the eighth and Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske grounded out to first and Mondesi flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox poured it on in the top of the ninth against Bob File as Damon got a base hit to center to start. Baerga singled to right and Merloni singled to left to load the bases. Ramirez pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Damon and Baerga and Clark grounded out to second to score Merloni. Manny moved to third on the play and he scored on the grounder to third by Daubach. Varitek flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-2.

                                                                 Damon starts a rally

Arrojo came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Delgado was hit with a pitch to start. Cruz hit a grounder to the mound but Rolando's throw to second was off-line for an error to move Delgado to third. Fletcher grounded into a double play to score Delgado but Wells lined out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-3.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. His 3 run home run gave the Sox a commanding lead they wouldn't relinquish.

                                                                Shea Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Carlos Baerga singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Lou Merloni singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 total rbis, two total runs scored and a home run.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rey Sanchez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Frank Castillo got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and walked 1

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Tony Clark was 0 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5.

Rolando Arrojo got the save by tossing 3 innings but allowed 2 unearned runs on his two errors.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win and the Sox definitely avoided a hangover after beating the Yankees three out of four games. Castillo stepped up and pitched a hell of a game and the Sox bats turned it on. Hillenbrand and Ramirez drove in some key runs when it was still a game and it became a laugher in later innings. Not much you can say about a blowout like this other than its always fun to see the team win easy and not have to worry about the game. Arrojo threw the ball all over the field but he saved the rest of the bullpen tomorrow and beyond. If only Tony Clark could get going this offense would be deadly with Baerga and Rickey Henderson coming off the bench. Beating the Jays in a blowout was great but hopefully they can save some of that offense for tomorrow's game. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Jays tomorrow night when Darren Oliver (2-0, 3.14 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Scott Eyre of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.

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.

Sox Sweep O's Behind Hillenbrand, Martinez (4/7/02)

After the Opening Day disaster many Boston Red Sox fans wondered if Pedro Martinez (1-0, 7.00 ERA) would ever be the same again. Well hopefully today's strong start against the Baltimore Orioles is the beginning of the comeback for Pedro. Martinez threw just 85 pitches in 6 innings but it was enough to hold the punchless Orioles to just an unearned run. Meanwhile Shea Hillenbrand was a one man wrecking crew with not one but two 2 run home runs to pace the offense. Nearly everyone in the lineup got on base at least once and the bullpen stepped up to finish Pedro's work. Ugueth Urbina notched his third save in a row as the Sox swept Baltimore out of their own stadium with a 4-1 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                    Tsianina Joelson approves of the win

Calvin Maduro got the start for Baltimore in the top of the first and Johnny Damon led off with a pop up to left. Carlos Baerga made his Red Sox debut by grounding out to first and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Pedro Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Hairston popped up to left to begin. Chris Singleton flied out to center and David Segui struck out swinging to start.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez walked to start. Manny moved to second on the grounder to first by Clark and Trot Nixon struck out swinging. Shea Hillenbrand then smashed his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-0.

                                                              Hillenbrand hits one out

Jeff Conine popped up to first to start the bottom of the second and Tony Batista grounded out to third. Jay Gibbons smacked a ground rule double to center but Melvin Mora struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Lou Merloni made his season debut by slapping a base hit to left to open the top of the third. Damon popped up to left in foul territory and Baerga popped up to third. Nomar singled to center but Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning. Geronimo Gil struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Mike Bordick flied out to right. Hairston walked but Singleton flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Clark doubled to center to start. Nixon lined out to second but Hillenbrand smacked his second two run homer of the day to ice the game early. Varitek flied out to left and Merloni popped up to second to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

                                                     Hillenbrand does it again

The O's got a run back thanks to a blunder in the bottom of the fourth. Segui flied out to center to start but Conine doubled to left. Batistia hit one up the elevator shaft but Gibbons hit a little roller to third. Rather than just hold the ball and let Gibbons have his hit, Hillenbrand chucked the ball 100 feet over Tony Clark's head and Conine came around to score. Mora struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                                        "Hillenbrand....."

Rodrigo Lopez came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Damon grounded back to the mound to begin. Baerga singled to left but Nomar flied out to right. Ramirez walked but Clark popped up to second to end the inning. Martinez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Gil was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Bordick popped up to second and Hairston struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lopez cruised in the top of the sixth as Nixon struck out swinging to start. Hillenbrand flied out to right and Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Singleton lined out to right to begin the bottom of the sixth and Segui popped up to second. Conine lined out to center to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who threw just 85 pitches but tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and a walk.

                                                            Pedro gets the job done

Merloni flied out to center to open the top of the seventh and Damon struck out swinging. Baerga got his first hit with a single to left but Nomar flied out to left to end the inning. Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Batista walked to start. Gibbons banged into a double play and Mora took strike three to end the inning.

Ramirez led off the top of the eighth with a ground out to short. Clark flied out to center but Nixon ripped a base hit to center. Hillenbrand flied out to center to end the inning. The O's threatened in the bottom of the eighth as Gil popped up to Clark in foul territory to start. Bordick was hit with a pitch but Hairston popped up a bunt to Varitek. Singleton singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Segui flied out to right to end the inning.

Jorge Julio came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Varitek grounded out to second to start. Merloni walked and Damon singled him to third, but Johnny could only move to second on the fly out to left by Damon. Nomar flied out to right to end the inning. Ugueth Urbina came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Conine led off with a base hit to center. Batista popped up to short but Conine walked to second on defensive indifference. Gibbons singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners but Mora struck out swinging. Gary Matthews pinch hit for Gil as Gibbons also walked to second base on defensive indifference. Matthews grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had swept the Orioles with a 4-1 victory.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. His two 2 run homers were the difference in the game.

                                                       Hero Hillenbrand

The Good:

Carlos Baerga was 2 for 5.

Manny Ramirez walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Lou Merloni was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Pedro Martinez allowed an unearned run in 6 innings to get the win. He struck out 5 batters.

Rolando Arrojo tossed two scoreless innings.

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

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 5.

Tony Clark was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

I'd say the pitching has been spectacular the past three games but to be fair, the Orioles offense is as rancid as their bathroom facilities. The Sox allowed a total of 3 runs in 3 games and the run allowed in this one was on an error. Still, seeing Castillo, Lowe and Pedro pitch well is better than the alternative. Urbina has been used for three straight games but at least he's locked it down in all three. Hillenbrand carried the offense in this one the same as Nomar Garciaparra carried the offense in the previous game. Some days are going to be like that and other days its going to be a balanced attack. Still, the more wins they get from guys like Hillenbrand doing the damage is a bonus when Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Nomar heat up. All in all there wasn't much to complain about other than Hillenbrand's error but the home runs more than made up for that. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox look to make it four wins in a row as they come home for a set with the Kansas City Royals beginning on Tuesday night. Dan Reichert goes for the Royals against Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox making his season debut. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Yankees Sweep Sox, Mussina Nearly Perfect (9/2/01)

If you were to tell me the Boston Red Sox starting pitching held the New York Yankees to 1 earned run in 3 games I would have said "Wow, what a sweep." Yeah, it was a sweep alright, sweep for the YANKEES. After Joe Kerrigan's awful pitch count rules spoiled Frank Castillo's shutout start Friday night andUgueth Urbina spoiled Pedro Martinez' start yesterday, Mike Mussina damn near pitched a perfect game tonight. After all that, the Sox were swept by the world champion Yankees. The 3-peat champs always seem to find a way to win no matter what. Tonight David Cone (8-4, 4.13 ERA) pitched his ass off but Mussina came one strike away from throwing a perfect game. It took a pinch hit effort by Carl Everett to spoil the perfecto but the Yankees still swept the Sox out of Fenway with a 1-0 win.

                                                                "I almost had it!"

Cone took the mound in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch whiffed to start. Derek Jeter hit a routine ground ball to Mike Lansing at short who turned around and threw the ball into the third base seats for an error. David Justice popped up to short but Jeter swiped second. Bernie Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. Mussina began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Trot Nixon whiffed to start. Lansing looked at strike three on the inside corner before Izzy Alcantara lined out to short to end the inning.

Tino Martinez began the top of the second inning with a single up the middle but Jorge Posada whiffed on a splitter down and away. Paul O'Neil banged into a double play to end the inning. Manny Ramirez looked at strike three to begin the bottom of the second before Dante Bichette whiffed. Brian Daubach thought he had ball four but he was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Cone got no help from his defense in the top of the third inning although Randy Velarde popped up to second to start. Alfonso Soriano flied out to the warning track in front of the Monster before Knoblauch hit a routine grounder to Lansing who kicked the ball over to second, running in a circle screaming "GOALLLL!!" for another error. Jeter grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Shea Hillenbrand led off by grounding out to short to start. Lou Merloni also grounded out to short before Joe Oliver grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cone did what he could in the top of the fourth inning as Justice grounded out to first to start. Williams flied out to the warning track in center but Martinez walked. Posada whiffed to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the fourth as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Lansing was rung up for strike three on a high fastball before Alcantara was frozen by a curve at the knees to end the inning.

Cone continued his own good game in the top of the fifth as O'Neil froze on a back door curveball for strike three to begin. Velarde whiffed on a curveball before Soriano popped up to a running Lansing to end the inning. The Sox couldn't touch Mussina in the bottom of the fifth as Manny looked at strike three on the inside corner to start. Bichette grounded out to third before Daubach was frozen for strike three on the outside corner to end the inning.

Cone kept pace in the top of the sixth although Knoblauch singled in the hole at short. Cone recovered to get Jeter to hit into a double play before Justice whiffed badly to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the sixth as Hillenbrand popped up to center to start. As sad as it sounds, that was the first ball out of the infield for the Sox. Merloni popped up to right and Oliver took strike three to end the inning.

Cone matched Mussina in the top of the seventh as Williams grounded out to first to start. Martinez lined out to short but Posada doubled down the right field line past the diving Daubach. O'Neil was intentionally walked and rookie Nick Johnson pinch hit for Velarde only for Cone to strike him out on a splitter to end the inning. The Sox still couldn't hit Mussina in the bottom of the seventh with Enrique Wilson now at third. Nixon grounded out to first before Lansing lined out to Soriano at second. Alcantara was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Miraculously Cone kept the shut-out going in the top of the eighth although Soriano singled to right to begin. Knoblauch flied out to the centerfield warning track before Jeter whiffed. Soriano swiped second before Justice walked. Sox pitching coach John Cumberland went to the mound and informed Cone that Star Trek Voyager was on in the clubhouse and David responded by getting Williams to fly out to the centerfield wall to end the inning. Mussina kept the perfect game in the bottom of the eighth as Manny popped up to short to start. Bichette flied out to center and Daubach earned the hat trick with another strikeout to end the inning.

The Yankees finally got to Cone in the top of the ninth but not without some help. Martinez blooped a single to center but Posada popped up to left. O'Neil hit a routine double play ball to Merloni but he dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error that allowed Martinez to go to third. Clay Bellinger pinch ran for Martinez as Sox manager Joe Kerrigan went to the mound. Rather than take Cone out he told him to go get Wilson before leaving. Leaving David in backfired as Wilson doubled down the right field line to score Bellinger and give the Yankees the lead. That was it for Cone who was outstanding, going 8 1/3 inning allowing just the unearned run.

                                                      Cone deserved better

Derek Lowe came in to stop the bleeding and he struck out Soriano to get a key out. Knoblauch hit a grounder to third that Hillenbrand damn near threw away. Daubach scooped it but almost got cleaned out by Knoblauch to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

Mussina came out to finish the perfect game in the bottom of the ninth as Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Hillenbrand. O'Leary hit a bullet but Bellinger made a great diving stop and flip to Mussina for the out. Merloni whiffed on a curve in the dirt before Carl Everett pinch hit for Oliver. Mussina was one strike away from perfection when Everett lined a base hit to left to break up the perfecto. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett and now after all of that, one swing of the bat would either tie or win the game. Nixon took Roger Clemens yard to win a game in the ninth last season but this time Mussina got Trot to ground out to second to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Red Sox out of Fenway with 3 straight late inning rallies and effectively ended the AL East race.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since 10 out of 11 guys failed to put the ball in play just once but I'll go with Lou Merloni. Not only did he go 0 for 4 but his error in the ninth led to the only run scoring for the Yankees.

                                                         Merloni you Jackass!



The Good:

Carl Everett got the only hit of the game for the Sox pinch hitting in the ninth.

David Cone was the hard luck loser but he was hardly a loser. He tossed 8 1/3 innings and gave up no earned runs, just the unearned in the ninth while striking out 8.

Derek Lowe retired the only two men he faced.



The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Izzy Alcantara was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 2.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Joe Oliver was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

None



Honorable Mention:

Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

As the season goes down the crapper this series was a microcosm of exactly why. The Sox had 3 straight outstanding starting pitching performances against the Yankees but the champs still found ways to win. Nothing is going right for the Red Sox and it feels like the titanic is sinking. They did their best to hold on waiting for Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez to return but Nomar's wrist just couldn't get healthy and Pedro's shoulder is definitely not right. That extra inning marathon loss seemed to sap the life of this team and it doesn't look like they are a playoff contender. How do you come back from this? You hold the best team in baseball to 2 runs in 3 games by your starters and lose all three of them, how are you going to beat anyone else? The loss dropped the Sox to 71-64, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East with just 27 games to play. After an off-day the Sox return to action Tuesday night with the Cleveland Indian coming to town. Indians ace Bartolo Colon goes for the Indians against Hideo Nomo (11-6) of the Sox at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Radke, Twins Rally Past Red Sox (5/17/01)

The good news was David Cone made his Red Sox debut by making the start in tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins. On top of that, Manny Ramirez hit career home run number 250. The bad news was Cone didn't last long and Brad Radke became MLB's first seven game winner by shutting down the Sox. The Boston bats bolted to a 3-0 lead but Cone was knocked out in the fourth inning. Rolando Arrojo (1-2, 4.37 ERA) got knocked around for a couple of runs and the Twins took the lead. The lead held up and the Twins knocked off the Red Sox with a 5-3 win over them at the Metrodome.

                                                             Cone can't bear to watch

Radke got the ball in the top of the first and Trot Nixon popped up to second to start. Scott Hatteberg grounded out to short and Carl Everett flied out to right to end the inning. Cone made his debut in the bottom of the first and Cristian Guzman flied out to center to start. Denny Hocking flied out to left but Matt Lawton walked. Corey Koskie flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning as Manny Ramirez doubled to center to begin. Troy O'Leary lashed a base hit to center to score Ramirez and Shea Hillenbrand got a hit to center. Brian Daubach flied out to left, Lou Merloni popped up to short and Mike Lansing struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox would have just 3 hits the rest of the game but they led 1-0.

                                                               O'Leary drives in a run

Doug Mientkiewicz grounded out to first to start the bottom of the second before Chad Allen grounded out to short, Jacque Jones struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Hatteberg lined out to left but Everett singled to left. Ramirez then blasted his 250th career home run to increase the lead. O'Leary struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0. The Sox would have just one hit from here on.

                                                               Ramirez hits number 250

The Twins struck back in the bottom of the third although Hunter grounded out to third to start. Pierzynski grounded out to first but Guzman walked. Hocking was hit with a pitch and Lawton singled home Guzman to cut the lead. Lawton stole second but Koskie took strike three to end the inning with the Twins down 3-1.

                                                               Lawton drives in a run

Hillenbrand grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Daubach flied out to center. Merloni took strike three to end the inning, Cone's comeback was shortlived in the bottom of the fourth as Mientkiewicz hit a home run all the way to Billings, Montana to cut the lead. Allen walked and stole second before Jones walked. That was it for Cone who in his first start since October allowed 2 runs in 3 plus innings of work. Rolando Arrojo came in and Hunter flied out to right. Pierzynski struck out swinging and Guzman grounded out to first to end the inning with the Twins down 3-2.

                                                           Cone doesn't last long

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Lansing grounded out to third to start. Nixon grounded out to first and Hatteberg grounded out to short to end the inning. The Twins went up for good in the bottom of the fifth as Hocking singled to left to start. Lawton singled to center and Koskie hit a home run all the way to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to give the Twins the lead. Mientkiewicz singled to left but Allen flied out to right. Jones flied out to center and Hunter struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins up 5-3.

 

                                                       Koskie puts the Twins up for good

Jason Maxwell took over at second to begin the top of the sixth and Everett grounded out to short to start. Ramirez lined back to the mound and O'Leary grounded out to short to end the inning. Pierzynski grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth before Guzman lined out to second. Maxwell doubled to left but Lawton grounded out to first to end the inning.

Hillenbrand flied out to right to begin the top of the seventh before Daubach flied out to left. Merloni singled to center but Lansing flied out to center to end the inning. "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Koskie grounded out to second to start. Mientkiewicz grounded out to first but Allen walked. Jones singled to left but Hunter struck out swinging to end the inning.

Radke cruised in the top of the eighth as Nixon flied out to center to start. Hatteberg lined out to second and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Rod Beck came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Pierzynski flied out to left to start. Guzman singled to right but was doubled off first on the great catch by Nixon off the bat of Maxwell to end the inning.

Radke came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Ramirez struck out swinging to start. O'Leary struck out swinging and Hillenbrand grounded out to third to end the game. Radke had thrown a complete game 6 hitter to beat the Red Sox 5-3.

                                                                Radke goes the distance

Jackass of the Night is Rolando Arrojo. He allowed the backbreaking 3 run homer to Koskie to take the loss.

                                                        Jackass Arrojo

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a 2 run homer and 2 runs scored.

Lou Merloni was 1 for 3.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

David Cone lasted 3 plus innings and allowed 2 runs.

The Ugly:

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

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Good to see Cone back but he didn't last long. Chalk it up to first game jitters but either way his short outing isn't good considering the Sox fired Tomo Ohka and Paxton Crawford down to Pawtucket in order to make room for David. Still, if Cone falters either one of those guys can be brought back up. As it is, he just didn't have it today. The first two innings went great but then seemed to get hit around. Maybe it'll take a while to get his wind back but either way the kind of effort he gave today isn't going to cut it. The postage stamp strike zone didn't help either. As for the other side of the ball, once again the Sox got to a starter early only for him to turn around and pitch like Cy Young the rest of the game. Radke gave up just six hits in the game and his one mistake to Ramirez. Arrojo giving up the bomb was the difference in the game. He had been good up to that point, just have to tip your cap to the Twins and say "ya got me." The loss dropped the Sox to 23-17, 1.5 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Kansas City for a set with the Royals. Pedro Martinez (5-0) goes for the Sox up against Blake Stein of the Royals. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.