Jays Rally Late, Defeat Sox (4/22/04)

For six innings, it looked like the Boston Red Sox were going to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays on their on turf. Curt Schilling (2-1, 4.18 ERA) had allowed just one through six innings while the Sox took the lead on a David Ortiz two run bomb and Jason Varitek rbi single. Then the Jays tied it in the bottom of the seventh inning but Sox manager Terry Francona sent Curt back out for the eighth. The bases were loaded for Chris Gomez but Terry stuck with Schilling with 120 pitches on his arm. On a 1-1 count Gomez hit a grand slam to effectively end the game. The shell-shocked Sox couldn't provide an answer and Terry Adams slammed the door in the ninth. The Jays had gotten to Schilling and defeated him 7-3 at the Skydome.

                                                              "Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

The Sox wasted no time getting to Jays starter Miguel Batista in the top of the first inning as Johnny Damon grounded out to first to start. Bill Mueller walked but David Ortiz smashed his fourth home run to put the Sox on top. Manny Ramirez ripped a base hit to right but Kevin Millar forced him at second. Jason Varitek drew a walk but Mark Bellhorn struck out swinging to end the inning with Boston up 2-0.

                                                           Home run Big Papi

Schilling got the ball in the bottom of the first and Howie Clark got a base hit to center to start. Frank Catalanotto forced him at second but Vernon Wells struck out swinging. Carlos Delgado grounded out to first to end the inning.

Gabe Kapler grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the second before Cesar Crespo grounded out to second. Damon doubled to left but Mueller grounded out to second to end the inning. Josh Phelps popped up to second to start the bottom of the second before Eric Hinske flied out to right. Kevin Cash also flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Ortiz walked to start. Ramirez singled in the hole at second but Millar grounded into a double play. Varitek grounded a base hit up the middle to score Ortiz with another run. A wild pitch moved Varitek to third but Bellhorn grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 3-0.

                                                             RBI for Varitek

The Jays answered in the bottom of the third as Orlando Hudson singled in the hole at short to start. Chris Gomez lined out to third but Hudson stole second. Clark got a base hit to right to score Hudson and Catalanotto got a base hit to left. Frank tried for second and got thrown out trying to stretch a double although Clark moved to third. Wells flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays down 3-1.

                                                   Clark drives in a run

Kapler singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Crespo struck out swinging. Damon flied out to center and Mueller grounded out to second to end the inning. Delgado grounded out to second to open the bottom of the fourth before Phelps lined out to right. Hinske singled to center but Cash forced him at second to end the inning.

Ortiz flied out to left to start the top of the fifth but Ramirez walked. Millar ripped a base hit to left but Varitek flied out to left. Bellhorn forced Millar at second to end the inning. Hudson struck out swinging to start the bottom of the fifth before Gomez grounded out to first. Clark struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew their best chance to open it up in the top of the sixth as Kapler grounded out to first to start. Crespo tripled to centerfield and Damon walked to put runners at the corners, chasing Batista. Jason Frasor took over on the mound and Mueller struck out swinging before Ortiz lined out to right to end the inning. Catalanotto flied out to center to start the bottom of the sixth before Wells grounded out to second. Delgado doubled to left but Phelps flied out to left to end the inning.

Kerry Ligtenberg came in to pitch the top of the seventh and the Sox blew another rally. Ramirez doubled to center to start but Millar grounded out to short. Varitek was intentionally walked to set up the double play but Bellhorn took strike three. Kapler flied out to right to end the inning. The Jays struck back in the bottom of the seventh as Hinske struck out swinging to start. Cash took strike three and Hudson tripled to right. Gomez got a base hit to right to score Hudson and Clark singled to left to move Chris to third. Catalanotto singled to center to score Gomez to tie the game. Wells flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 3-3. The Jays did all their damage with two outs.

                                                           Catalanotto ties it up

Terry Adams came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Crespo grounded out to first to start. Damon grounded out to first but Mueller got a base hit to center. A wild pitch moved Mueller to second but Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning. Things came crashing down in the bottom of the eighth as Delgado singled to right to start. Phelps took strike three but Hinske singled to center. Cash popped up to first but Hudson walked. Sox manager Terry Francona kept Schilling in to face Gomez and Chris hit a grand slam to settle matters. Francona finally lifted Curt who went 7 2/3 innings but allowed 7 runs. Mark Malaska came in and Clark got another base hit to center but Wells flied out to center to end the inning with the Jays up 7-3.

                                                             Schilling gets rocked

Reed Johnson took over for Clark as Adams returned for the top of the ninth. Ramirez walked to start but Millar popped up to first in foul territory. Varitek struck out swinging and Bellhorn flied out to center to end the game. The Jays had won it 7-3.

Jackass of the Night is Curt Schilling. It should be Francona but Schilling was the one who gave up the grand slam and 7 total runs in 7 2/3 innings.

                                                              Schilling The Jackass

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 3 with 2 walks.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and an rbi.

Mark Malaska got the final out of the eighth inning.

The Bad:

Mark Bellhorn was 0 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Bill Mueller was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 4 with a walk but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Kevin Millar was just 1 for 5.

Gabe Kapler was just 1 for 4.

Cesar Crespo was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

That game was a sucker punch to the gonads. The Sox brought it on themselves by leaving a million men on base even before the Jays tied it in the seventh. Mueller and Ortiz not being able to drive in a run in the sixth most likely led to Francona leaving in Schilling as long as he did. Still, who would ever have thought Gomez would hit a grand slam. Hopefully this is a lesson Francona learned not to leave in your starter too long even if its a work horse like Schilling. Games like this also put a damper on a mood because the Sox won 2 out of 3 against Toronto but the third they didn't was tonight. Schilling himself pitched relatively well and his line would have looked a lot better without the grand slam. Just have to tip your cap to the Jays pitchers for not breaking and for Gomez to hit that ball out. Now the tide turns as the Sox now head to New York with a rematch with the Yankees. Derek Lowe (1-1) takes the hill against Jose Contreras of New York. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Yankees Strike Back, Pound Sox (4/18/04)

After the Boston Red Sox dropkicked the New York Yankees around during the first two games of this series, the Yankees were bound to get revenge. It came today as the bats came alive against Derek Lowe (1-1, 9.35 ERA). The well balanced Yankee attack pounded Lowe for 7 early runs and the pitching of the bullpen surrendered just 3 hits and a walk in 6 2/3 innings. When the game was over the Yankees had won it 7-3 at Fenway Park.

The Yankees wore down Lowe early in the top of the first inning. Derek Jeter grounded out to second before Bernie Williams struck out swinging. Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi worked back to back walks before Gary Sheffield grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Yankees starter Jose Contreras in the bottom of the first inning. Johnny Damon whiffed to start but Bill Mueller singled to left. David Ortiz whiffed but Manny Ramirez singled. Kevin Millar put the Sox on top with a double to score Mueller before Ellis Burks flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                   Swing and a miss

The Yankees wasted no time coming back against Lowe in the top of the second inning. Hideki Matsui grounded out to second but Jorge Posada walked. Travis Lee singled to left but Enrique Wilson flied out to left. Jeter singled home Posada to tie the game. Williams grounded into a force to end the inning but it was tied 1-1.

Jason Varitek singled to open the bottom of the second but Cesar Crespo whiffed. Pokey Reese flied out to left and Varitek was gunned down trying to steal to end the inning.

The Yankees knocked Lowe out in the top of the third inning. A-Rod walked before Giambi singled A-Rod to third. Sheffield doubled A-Rod home to give the Yankees the lead before Matsui singled in Giambi to put runners at the corners. Posada doubled home Sheffield but somehow Lowe punched out Lee. Wilson singled home Matsui and moved Posada to third before Jorge scored on the Jeter groundout. Williams doubled home Wilson and Sox manager Terry Francona had seen enough. Lowe was absolutely hammered in the third inning and left allowing 7 runs in just 2 2/3 innings...woof! Mark Malaska came in and A-Rod flied out to center to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 7-1.

                                                           A-Rod trots around the bases

The Sox did manage to fight back in the bottom of the third as Damon singled to start. Mueller walked and Damon went to third on the fly out by Ortiz. Ramirez doubled home both men to cut the lead. Millar walked and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Yankees manager Joe Torre had seen enough and lifted the incompetent Contreras mid at-bat. Paul Quantrill came in and the rally ended when Burks hit a ground ball to to third, Manny getting thrown out at home on the play. Varitek grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were down 7-3.

                                                  Ramirez drives in two

Malaska came out for the top of the fourth as Giambi flied out to right to start. Sheffield doubled to left and Matsui walked but Posada popped up to second. Lee grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the fourth although Crespo grounded out to second to begin. Reese walked but was erased on the Damon force. Mueller singled to left but Ortiz popped up to short to end the inning.

Malaska returned for one final inning in the top of the fifth. Wilson flied out to center to start but Jeter singled to right. Williams popped up to first before A-Rod looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Manny flied out to right, Millar whiffed and Burks flied out to right to end the inning.

Phil Seibel came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Giambi was plunked to start. Giambi was erased on the Sheffield force before Matsui flied out to center. Posada grounded into a force to end the inning. Gabe White took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and Varitek singled to start. The rally ended as Crespo lined out to second before Reese popped up to first. Damon grounded into a force to end the inning.

                                                                Nice try Crespo

Seibel returned for the top of the seventh and Lee flied out to right to begin. Wilson grounded back to the mound before Jeter and Williams drew back to back walks. A-Rod grounded out to second to end the inning. White got Mueller to fly out to left to start the bottom of the seventh before Ortiz grounded out to first. Tom Gordon came in to pitch to Manny and Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning.

Seibel got Giambi to strike out swinging to open the top of the eighth. Sheffield grounded out to short before Matsui flied out to center to end the inning. Gordon cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Millar popped up to short to begin. Burks flied out to center before Varitek flied out to left to end the inning.

Seibel returned for the top of the ninth but ran out of gas, walking Posada to start. Lee flied out to center and Wilson flied out to right but Jeter walked to chase Seibel. A yeoman's effort by Seibel who tossed 3 2/3 shutout innings against the high powered Yankees lineup. None other than Frank Castillo came on for the final out although he walked Williams to load the bases. A-Rod flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                Great effort by Seibel

Yankees manager Joe Torre took no chances and brought in Mariano Rivera with a four run lead to close out the bottom of the ninth. Crespo grounded out to third before Gabe Kapler pinch hit for Reese and singled to right. Damon flied out to right and Mueller grounded out to short to end the game. The Yankees bullpen tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings to win the game 7-3.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. He got knocked out in the third inning and gave up 7 runs that the offense couldn't come back from.

                                                              Jackass Lowe


The Good:

Bill Mueller was 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Kevin Millar was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4.

Gabe Kapler singled as a pinch hitter

Mark Malaska tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

Phil Seibel held the Yankees scoreless for 3 2/3 innings.

Frank Castillo got the final out of the top of the ninth.



The Bad:

David Ortiz was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4.

Cesar Crespo was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Pokey Reese was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Any loss hurts but against the Yankees it hurts even more. Lowe simply didn't have it but that was a tremendous effort by the little used members of the bullpen. Malaska, Castillo and Seibel held the Yankees scoreless after Lowe left the game but unfortunately so did the Yankees bullpen after Contreras left. That's an encouraging sign for future games if the bullpen doesn't crap themselves, normally the Sox could bop their way back into a game. Just not today it seemed as the Yankees owed them one. Still the Sox have won two games already in this four game set and tomorrow the finale will be the Patriots Day morning game. Bronson Arroyo takes the hill for the Sox up against Kevin Brown at the special start time of 11 AM at Fenway Park.

Orioles Humiliate Sox in 11 Innings (4/15/04)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves. Brian Daubach cleared waivers and returned to Pawtucket while Bobby Jones was sent to Pawtucket with him after a disastrous start to his season. 25 year old left handed pitcher Phil Seibel was called up to take his place. Seibel was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets back in November and could make his major league debut soon. Can't be any worse than Jones....right?

                                                                            OUT

                                                                   IN

It was a bad day in Boston sports as the Boston Bruins lost Game 5 to the Montreal Canadiens in their first round NHL playoff series and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Boston Red Sox in eleven innings. In the opposite of Saturday's game, Orioles ace Sidney Ponson and Sox ace Pedro Martinez were hammered for seven runs apiece. Brian Roberts set the tone with a leadoff home run but the Sox got a two run Johnny Damon single and a three run Bill Mueller home run to take a 5-2 lead. Trailing 7-4 in the fifth, David Segui hit a three run bomb off Pedro and the score would remain the same until the 11th inning. Miguel Tejada hit a leadoff blast off of Bronson Arroyo (0-1, 8.53) ERA and the floodgates opened. The O's got five runs off Arroyo, rookie Phil Seibel and the returning Frank Castillo. The Sox continued their mediocre start to the season with a 12-7 defeat at the hands of the Orioles at Fenway Park.

                                                    "This sucks" - Andrew Raycroft

Four pitches into the game, Brian Roberts hit a home run all the way into the Potomac River to put the O's up instantly in the top of the first. Melvin Mora flied out to center but Miguel Tejada drew a walk. Rafael Palmeiro forced Tejada at second but Javy Lopez struck out swinging to end the inning with the O's up 1-0.

                                                        Home run Roberts

Ponson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Johnny Damon grounded out to third to start. Bill Mueller popped up to short but David Ortiz singled to right. Manny Ramirez took strike three to end the inning.

The O's struck again in the top of the second as Jay Gibbons walked to start. David Segui banged into a double play but Luis Matos walked. Matos scored all the way from first on a Larry Bigbie double to left but Roberts grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's up 2-0.

                                                            Bigbie drives in a run

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the second as Kevin Millar walked to start. Jason Varitek singled to right but Gabe Kapler popped up to short. Mark Bellhorn walked to load the bases but Pokey Reese popped up to first in foul territory. Damon singled to right to score Millar and Varitek then Mueller smacked his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox led 5-2.

                                                    Home run Mueller

Mora beat out a roller to short to start the top of the third but Tejada forced him at second. Palmeiro flied out to center and Lopez grounded out to second to end the inning. Mora heaved a ground ball by Ramirez into the stands to start the bottom of the third before Millar took strike three. Varitek forced Ramirez at second Kapler grounded out to second to end the inning.

The O's struck back in the top of the fourth as Gibbons beat out a roller to third to start. Segui singled to right to move Gibbons to third and he scored on the Matos force at second. Matos stole second and Bigbie singled to center to score him to cut the lead. Roberts took strike three and Mora forced Bigbie at second to end the inning with the O's down 5-4.

                                                         Matos is a menace

The Sox answered in the bottom of the fourth as Bellhorn singled to left to start. Reese caught the O's asleep with a bunt single and Damon singled to left to score Bellhorn. Mueller beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Ortiz scored Reese with a grounder to third. Ramirez technically hit a single in the hole at short but Mueller was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-4.

                                                          Damon drives in a run

The O's finished off Pedro in the top of the fifth as Tejada flied out to right to start. Palmeiro grounded out to first and Pedro was one out away from getting out of it unscathed. It didn't happen as Lopez doubled to left, Gibbons walked and Segui hit a home run all the way to Uranus to tie the game. Matos struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7. That was it for Martinez who got rocked for 7 runs in just 5 innings of work. He allowed 8 hits and 4 walks.

                                                          "I sucked tonight" - Pedro

Rodrigo Lopez came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Millar started off with a double to center. Varitek struck out swinging and Millar moved to second on the grounder to short by Kapler. Bellhorn hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Mark Malaska came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Bigbie flied out to left to start. Roberts grounded out to third but Mora walked. Tejada walked but Palmeiro took strike three to end the inning. Reese grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the sixth and Damon walked. Mueller struck out swinging but Damon took second on the play, only for Ortiz to go down hacking to end the inning. 

Scott Williamson came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Mueller heaved a grounder by Lopez into the stands for an error to start. Gibbons popped up to left but Segui walked. Matos struck out swinging and Bigbie flied out to center to end the inning. Ramirez walked to start the bottom of the seventh but Millar popped up to short. Varitek forced Manny at second and Kapler struck out swinging to end the inning.

Mike Timlin came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and Roberts got a base hit to left to start. Mora dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Roberts to second and Brian moved to third on the Tejada grounder to second. That was it for Timlin as Sox manager Terry Francona brought in Keith Foulke to face Palmeiro. Raffy hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. BJ Ryan came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Bellhorn struck out swinging to start. David McCarty pinch hit for Reese only to ground out to third. Damon took strike three to end the inning.

Cesar Crespo came in to play short in the top of the ninth and Lopez grounded back to the mound to start. Gibbons grounded out to second but Segui singled to left. Tim Raines Jr pinch ran for Segui and stole second, only for Matos to fly out to right to end the inning. Mueller struck out swinging to start the bottom of the ninth and Ortiz flied out to center. Manny got a base hit to center to put the winning run on but Millar flied out to right to end the inning.

Alan Embree came in to pitch the top of the tenth and Bigbie grounded out to short to start. Roberts struck out swinging and Mora flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox blew their chance to win in the bottom of the tenth with Mike DeJean on the mound. Varitek flied out to center to start but Kapler dumped a base hit to center. Bellhorn walked but Crespo popped up to third in foul territory. Buddy Groom was brought in to face the lefty Damon and ended up hitting him to load the bases. Unfortunately Muller flied out to center to end the inning.

Bronson Arroyo came in to pitch the top of the eleventh and immediately crapped his pants. Tejeda hit the fifth pitch he saw out of the galaxy to put the O's on top. Palmeiro singled to right but Lopez lined out to center. Gibbons tripled into the right field corner to score Palmeiro before Raines Jr walked. Matos hit a routine grounder to Mueller who booted it to load the bases and chase Arroyo. Phil Seibel made his major league debut by getting Bigbie to hit a grounder to Millar....also booted for an error to score Gibbons to ice the game. Roberts walked on four pitched not even close to score Raines and that was it for Seibel. Frank Castillo made his return to Fenway for the first time in two years and immediately allowed a base hit to center by Mora to score Matos with the final run. Tejada banged into a double play to end the inning but the Orioles scored five runs in the frame and led 12-7.

                                                        Home run Tejada

Jorge Julio came in to close out the bottom of the eleventh and Ortiz flied out to left to start. Ramirez went down hacking and Millar struck out swinging to end the game. The O's had won it 12-7 in 11 innings.

Jackass of the Night is Bronson Arroyo. He was charged with five runs in the top of the eleventh to take the loss.

                                                               Jackass Arroyo

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 rbis, a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 5 with a walk.

Mark Bellhorn was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Pokey Reese was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Mark Malaska pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Scott Williamson pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Mike Timlin got the first two outs of the eighth inning.

Keith Foulke tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Alan Embree tossed a scoreless tenth inning.

The Bad:

David McCarty grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Cesar Crespo was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Pedro Martinez was awful. He allowed 7 runs off 8 hits and 4 walks.

Phil Seibel allowed two inherited runners to score without recording an out.

The Ugly:

Bill Mueller was just 1 for 6 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors but hit a three run home run.

David Ortiz was just 1 for 6 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Kevin Millar was just 1 for 5 with an error and 2 strikeouts, but walked and scored a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Gabe Kapler was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Frank Castillo allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

Final Thoughts:

What a way to lose. The Sox were 90 feet away from winning this thing in the tenth and it all fell apart in the 11th. Phil Seibel got thrown in the fire and its a shame to make your ML debut in a situation like that. It should have never come to any of that if the offense didn't fall asleep in the fourth inning and if Pedro Martinez didn't stink the joint out. Hats off to the Baltimore bullpen who ended up tossing 7 scoreless innings after Ponson left the game and the offense for fighting back to tie the game then take the lead in extras. The Sox defense failed them as well as the Mueller and Millar errors definitely hurt in that fateful inning. The Sox have only played eight games this season but they've looked like garbage in half of them. Still, missing two big bats and having to use your bullpen in all these extra inning games are tough to overcome. The schedule doesn't get any easier because the Sox now travel to the Bronx for an early season showdown with the New York Yankees. Tim Wakefield (0-0) gets the start for Boston against new acquisition Javier Vazquez of the Yankees. The game begins at 8:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Blue Jays Spoil Fenway Opener (4/9/04)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Ramiro Mendoza was placed on the 15 day Disabled List while Mark Malaska was called up to take his place. Mendoza was dealing with an issue in Spring Training but Malaska had a good season for the Tampa Bay Rays last year. 

                                                                        OUT

                                                                        IN

The good news was the Boston Bruins won Game 2 of their first round NHL playoff series but the bad news was the Toronto Blue Jays spoiled Opening Day at Fenway Park by beating the Boston Red Sox. The Jays and Sox battled to a 4-4 tie as Bronson Arroyo went six innings. The Sox took the lead with a Jason Varitek home run but things fell apart as Mike Timlin got hammered for three runs in the eighth. Alan Embree allowed another run in the ninth and Dave McCarty the first baseman was sent to the mound to finish the game. It all added up to a 10-5 Blue Jays victory at Fenway Park.

 

Arroyo got the ball in the top of the first and Reed Johnson took strike three to start. Frank Catalanotto tripled into the right field corner but Vernon Wells popped up to David Ortiz for a big out. Carlos Delgado lined out to a running Johnny Damon to end the inning. Lilly got the ball in the bottom of the first and Damon led off by grounding out to short. Bill Mueller popped up to third in foul territory and Ellis Burks struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Jays struck first in the top of the second as Josh Phelps walked to start. Eric Hinske dropped a base hit to right and Orlando Hudson walked to load the bases. Chris Woodward popped up to Mark Bellhorn and Kevin Cash struck out swinging, but Johnson singled off the Monster to score both Phelps and Hinske. Catalanotto grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 2-0.

                                                                      Jays take the lead

Manny Ramirez flied out to right to start the bottom of the second before David Ortiz flied out to left. Kevin Millar grounded out to third to end the inning.

Wells struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Delgado grounded out to first. Phelps got hit in the shoulder but Hinske lined out to a running Damon to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Jason Varitek singled to center to start. Mark Bellhorn forced Varitek at second and Pokey Reese grounded out to third to move Bellhorn to second. Damon dumped a base hit to right to score Bellhorn to cut the lead. Hudson kamikazed himself into the wall in foul territory to catch a pop up by Mueller to end the inning with thr Sox down 2-1.

                                                             Bellhorn scores a run

The Jays struck back in the top of the fourth as Hudson walked to start. Woodward popped up to short but Cash fisted a bloop single over the head of Bellhorn to move Hudson to third. Johnson beat out a double play ball to score Hudson and Damon missed a line drive by Catalanotto resulting in a base hit. Wells hit a double to right to score Johnson but Catalanotto was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Jays up 4-1.

                                                                      YERRRR OUT!

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth although Burks struck out swinging to start. Ramirez hit a line drive off of the foot of Hinske and it rolled into the dugout for a "ground rule double" before Ortiz hit a conventional ground rule double into the right field corner to score Manny. Ortiz moved to third on the Millar grounder to second. Varitek and Bellhorn both walked to load the bases before Reese doubled to the Monster to score Ortiz & Varitek to tie the game. Gabe Kapler pinch hit for Damon and grounded out to short to end the inning but the game was tied 4-4.

                                                           Reese ties the game

The Jays threatened in the top of the fifth as Delgado singled to center to start. Phelps singled over the head of Reese and Hinske just barely beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Hudson took strike three and Hinske was gunned down at second trying to steal to end the inning.

                                                         Yerrrr out!

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Mueller popped up to right to start. Burks struck out swinging and Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning.

Arroyo returned for one last inning in the top of the sixth and Woodward lined out to a running Kapler to start. Cash popped up to Reese and Johnson flied out to left to end the inning. Arroyo wasn't the sharpest but battled to go six innings while allowing four runs. He allowed 8 hits and 3 walks while striking out four.

                                                                 Good work Arroyo

The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Ortiz grounded out to second to chase Lilly. Jays manager Carlos Tosca summoned Justin Speier to face Millar and Kevin grounded to short. Varitek clobbered his first home run of the year to put Boston on top. Bellhorn flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox up 5-4.

                                                             Home run Varitek

Mark Malaska made his Sox debut in the top of the seventh and Catalanotto flied out to the left field wall to start. Wells grounded out to third and Delgado flied out to left to end the inning. Reese struck out swinging to open the bottom of the seventh before Kapler flied out to left. Mueller grounded out to first to end the inning.

Everything fell apart in the top of the eighth with Mike Timlin on the mound. Phelps struck out swinging but Hinske singled to center. Hudson doubled to the centerfield wall to score Hinske with the tying run and Simon Pond pinch hit for Woodward. Pond struck out swinging but Cash doubled to center to score Hudson with the go-ahead run. Johnson was plunked and Catalanotto hit the kill shot with a ground rule double into the bullpen. Wells popped up to second to end the inning with the Jays up 7-5.

                                                Game gets away from Millar and the Sox

Terry Adams came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Chris Gomez playing short for Pond. Burks grounded out to third and Ramirez grounded out to short, but Ortiz walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Auquilino Lopez came in to face Millar and Kevin forced Ortiz at second to end the inning.

Alan Embree came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth as Delgado led off with a home run into the Charles River to ice the game. Phelps flied out to right and Hinske walked to chase Embree. Sox manager Terry Francona wanted to save his bullpen after last night's marathon so he brought in first baseman David McCarty to finish the game. Hudson hit a comebacker to McCarty to allow Hinske to move to second. Gomez walked and Hinske took third when the ball went to the backstop. Cash doubled into the centerfield triangle to score both runners. Johnson grounded out to short to end the inning with the Jays up 10-5.

                                                     New relief pitcher....David McCarty?

Kerry Ligtenberg came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Varitek struck out swinging to start. Bellhorn flied out to center and Brian Daubach made his return to Fenway by pinch hitting for Reese. Daubach grounded out to second to end the game. The Jays had won it 10-5.

                                                               Jays win

Jackass of the Night is Mike Timlin. He allowed 3 runs to take the loss and put the game out of reach

                                                           Timlin The Jackass

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 1 for 2 with an rbi before leaving the game.

David Ortiz was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 runs scored.

Pokey Reese was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Mark Malaska pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Bill Mueller was 0 for 4.

Ellis Burks was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Kevin Millar was 0 for 4.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Alan Embree was charged with 2 runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

Dave McCarty the first baseman allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning on the mound.

The Ugly:

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Mark Bellhorn was 0 for 3 but walked and scored a run.

Bronson Arroyo went 6 innings but allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks. He did strike out four.

Final Thoughts:

Well this was an unmitigated disaster. The Sox plane didn't land until 6 this morning and then they had to do the Opening Day ceremony. Makes sense the team ran out of gas as the game went along. The Jays offense feasted on Sox pitching for 14 hits and 10 runs including battering Timlin and Embree. Those two were integral to the bullpen last year so hopefully they're getting the badness out of their system early. Arroyo didn't look that great but it was the first start of his season. Johnny Damon left the game with a knee injury but Sox manager Terry Francona said it wasn't that serious, thankfully. All in all the Sox are 2-3 to start the season but they're too good to be this bad. They'll turn it around eventually but they're definitely stumbling to start. If that wasn't bad enough, the Sox now have to face Roy Halladay tomorrow who had their number last year. Luckily Pedro Martinez (0-1) is here to match him and the game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway park.