Stewart, A's Defeat Clemens and Sox (7/7/86)

Uh oh, it looks like Roger Clemens (14-2, 2.58 ERA) is human after all. After losing his first game all season last Wednesday against Toronto, the Oakland A's have come into Boston and beaten him as well in new manager Tony La Russa's Oakland debut. Clemens got lit up by rookie sensation Jose Canseco and old slugger Dave Kingman, allowing 6 runs five plus innings of work. Clemens gave up three runs early, the third on an rbi grounder by old pal Carney Lansford. The Sox got a run back on a wild pitch but Kingman and Canseco hit back to back jacks in the sixth to finish off Roger. The Sox did rally to pull close but couldn't deliver the knockout punch in the seventh inning. It all added up to a bitter 6-4 defeat by the Athletics at Fenway Park.

                                                            Dammit

Clemens got the ball in the top of the first and Tony Phillips flied out to center to start. Old buddy Carney Lansford got rung up for strike three and Jose Canseco struck out swinging to end the inning. Stewart got the ball in the bottom of the first and Marty Barrett grounded out to third to start. Wade Boggs flied out to center and Bill Buckner grounded out to first to end the inning.

The A's rallied in the top of the second although Dave Kingman struck out swinging to start. Bruce Botche singled to center but was forced at second by Mike Davis. Dwayne Murphy doubled off the Monster to score Botche and Alfredo Griffin doubled to center to score Murphy. Jerry Willard grounded out to second to end the inning with the A's up 2-0.

                                                            A's strike first

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Jim Rice hit a ground ball up to middle that Phillips fielded but couldn't do anything with it for a "single". Don Baylor forced Rice at second before Dwight Evans flied out to left. Tony Armas struck out swinging to end the inning.

The A's struck again in the top of the third as Phillips chopped a base hit up the middle to start. Phillips took off for second and Gedman threw the ball into the bullpen for an error to move Tony to third. Phillips scored on the Lansford grounder to short to increase the lead and Canseco popped up to first. Kingman struck out swinging to end the inning with Oakland up 3-0.

                                                   Phillips scores another run

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the third as Rich Gedman flied out to center but Rey Quinones singled to center. Barrett drilled a base hit to right to move Quinones to third and a wild pitch scored Rey to put Boston on the board. Boggs and Buckner both flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                             Quinones scores a run

Bochte grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth before Davis struck out swinging. Murphy flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Rice walked to start. Baylor got a base hit to left but Evans popped up to left. Armas struck out swinging and Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rice dopped a pop up by Griffin for a two base error to start the top of the fifth but was thrown out at third trying to steal. Willard grounded out to first and Phillips grounded out to second to end the inning. Quinones grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth but Barrett doubled to the left field wall. Boggs moved Barrett to third with a grounder to second but Buckner struck out swinging to end the inning.

The A's chased Clemens in the top of the sixth as Lansford singled in the hole at short. Canseco hit a home run all the way to the moon then Kingman hit one into the Charles River for back to back jacks. That was the end for Clemens as he got rocked for 6 runs in just 5 plus innings off 7 hits. Tim Lollar walked Botche and Davis blooped a single to left. Murphy grounded out to second to move the runners over but Botche was doubled off at third on a liner to Boggs by Griffin to end the inning with the Sox down 6-1.

                                                 "You sucked tonight, Rog" - Gedman

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the sixth as Rice ripped a base hit to center to start. Phillips slipped catching a pop up by Baylor and Rice took second in the confusion. Evans cracked his 11th home run of the season to cut the lead in half but Armas

                                                           Evans brings the Sox closer

Willard got a base hit to right to start the top of the seventh and was sacrificed to second by Phillips. That was it for Lollar as Sox manager John McNamara wanted Mike Brown to face the righties. Lansford grounded out to short but Canseco got a base hit to left. Willard tried for home but was thrown out by Rice to end the inning.

                                                           Yerrrrr out!

The Sox blew their best chance to get back in the game in the bottom of the seventh as Quinones got a base hit to left. Barrett walked to chase Stewart and Dave Van Ohlen came in to face Boggs. Wade drilled a base hit off the Monster to score Quinones and put the tying run at first. The play of the game occurred when Buckner bunted too hard to third to force Barrett and Buckner was thrown out at first for a double play. Doug Bair came in to face Rice and Jim grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                    Quinones scores a run

Kingman walked to start the top of the eighth but Botche grounded into a double play. Davis singled to right to chase Brown and Joe Sambito came in to pitch. Murphy struck out swinging to end the inning. Stan Javier came in to play center in the bottom of the eighth and Baylor popped up to first. Evans also popped up to first and Armas earned the hat trick with a swinging strikeout to end the inning.

The A's threatened in the top of the ninth as Griffin singled to center to start but was forced at second on Willard's bunt attempt. Phillips also dropped down a bunt but Buckner was pulled off the bag by Boggs' throw. Sox manager John McNamara stormed out of the dugout screaming his head off that Buckner's foot did NOT come off the bag. McNamara got the heave ho by first base umpire Ted Hendry. Pitching coach Bill Fischer lifted Sambito in favor of Steve Crawford. Lansford flied out to right but Canseco singled to left to load the bases. Kingman struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                        "Get outta here you lunatic!" - Hendry

Gedman struck out swinging to start the bottom of the ninth and Mike Stenhouse pinch hit for Rey Quinones. Stenhouse flied out to center and Barrett grounded out to third to end the game. The A's had won it 6-4.

                                                            A's win

Jackass of The Night is Roger Clemens. He allowed 6 runs in just 5 plus innings and put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                               Jackass Clemens

The Good:

Marty Barrett was 2 for 4 with a walk.

Jim Rice was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Rey Quinones was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored.

Tim Lollar tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Mike Brown tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Joe Sambito tossed 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

Steve Crawford pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning.

The Bad:

Bill Buckner was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Mike Stenhouse flied out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Don Baylor was just 1 for 4.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

Uh oh. That's two losses in a row for Clemens and with Bruce Hurst still not back from his groin pull, the Sox are in a bit of trouble if Roger is coming back to earth. ABC analyst Al Michaels made a point if the offense scores four runs with your ace on the mound, usually you win. Not tonight they didn't, Clemens got pounded. The Sox did have a chance to tie it in the seventh but Rice couldn't get it done. Not being able to hit the A's bullpen was disappointing but the A's can't lose them all. Hopefully this is just a minor hiccup and not a major injury like last year. Kingman and Canseco are big home run hitters so maybe they just timed Roger better than others. Either way its just one loss and the all-star break is coming up to rest a bit. They still have a nice lead in the AL East marathon so let's see how they respond in the next one. The loss dropped the Sox to 52-29, 7 games ahead of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night when Oil Can Boyd (10-6) takes on Bill Mooneyham of Oakland. The game begins at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold On, Defeat Tigers (5/2/84)

It was a good day for Boston sports. The Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their second round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox defeated the AL East leading Detroit Tigers. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice powered the Sox offense to 5 runs and Mike Brown (1-2, 5.19 ERA) held the fort for 5 2/3 innings to earn his first win of the season. Bob Stanley ran out of gas in the 9th inning but still held on to earn the save. The Tigers are the team to beat this season and the Sox did just that as they held on to win 5-4 at Tiger Stadium.

                                                     Cedric Maxwell approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Tigers starter Juan Berenguer as Jerry Remy walked to start. Dwight Evans clobbered his second home run of the season to put Boston on top two batters into the game. Wade Boggs flied out to center, Jim Rice popped up to first and Mike Easler flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         Evans with a home run

Brown got the ball in the bottom of the first and Lou Whitaker grounded out to second to start. Alan Trammell grounded out to short and Kirk Gibson flied out to right to end the inning.

Tony Armas grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Rich Gedman popped up to third. Reid Nichols got a base hit but Glenn Hoffman struck out to end the inning. Darrell Evans popped up to short to start the bottom of the second and Johnny Grubb popped up to third. Chet Lemon singled but Dave Bergman grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Remy walked to start. Remy was thrown out trying to steal and Evans struck out. Boggs walked and Rice smashed his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Easler grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                            Rice is getting hot

Brown cruised in the bottom of the third as Howard Johnson popped up to first to start. Dwight Lowry flied out to right and Whitaker grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox blew a chance to add to the lead in the top of the fourth as Armas struck out to start. Gedman motored around for a triple but Nichols popped up to right. Hoffman popped up to first to end the inning. Brown got in trouble in the bottom of the fourth as Trammell popped up to first to start. Gibson singled but Evans flied out to left. Grubb walked and Lemon whiffed to end the inning.

Nothing happened in the top of the fifth as Remy popped up to short to start. Evans popped up to first and Boggs popped up to left in foul territory to end the inning. Brown got in trouble again as Bergman and Johnson both singled to start the bottom of the fifth. Lowry flied out to right, Whitaker struck out and Trammell grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Rice grounded out to short to start. Easler drew a walk but Armas hit one up the elevator shaft. Easler swiped second and Gedman was intentionally walked to get to Nichols. Nichols would have none of it as he got a base hit to score Easler with another run. Hoffman popped up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                 "Walk Gedman again, I DARE you!" - Nichols

Brown ran out of gas in the bottom of the sixth as Gibson and Evans both singled to start. Grubb flied out to left and Lemon struck out, but Bergman singled home Gibson to chase Brown. Sox manager Ralph Houk decided to pull Brown before it got any worse after 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. Bob Stanley got Johnson to pop up to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                        Brown with a good start

Doug Bair came in for the top of the seventh and Remy grounded out to third to start. Evans got a base hit but Boggs flied out to center. Rice struck out to end the inning. Stanley cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Lowry struck out to start. Whitaker lined one off of Stanley but Hoffman threw him out at first. Trammell grounded out to second to end the inning.

Easler tried to start a rally with a base hit to start the top of the eighth but Armas and Gedman both struck out to kill that. Nichols grounded into a force to end the inning. The Tigers struck back in the bottom of the eighth as Gibson tripled to start and scored on the Evans grounder to cut the lead. Grubb singled but was forced at second by Lemon. Bergman singled but Johnson struck out to end the inning with the Tigers down 5-2.

                                                            Dammit Stanley!

Willie Hernandez took over for the top of the ninth and Hoffman singled to start. Remy sacrifice bunted Hoffman to second but Evans struck out. Boggs grounded out to third to end the inning. The Tigers made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth when Barbaro Garbey pinch hit for Lowry. Garbery singled and Whitaker doubled him home. Whitaker moved to third on the fly out by Trammell and Gibson doubled him home. With the tying run on second, Evans grounded out to short. Stanley struck out Grubb to end the game. It got hairy at the end but the Sox had won it 5-4.

Hero of the Night is Mike Brown. He held the powerful Tigers to just 1 run in 5 2/3 innings to pick up his first win of the season.

                                                          Brown gets the Hero



The Good:

Jerry Remy walked twice, dropped down a perfect bunt and scored a run.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run.

Mike Easler was 1 for 3 with a stolen base, walk and a run scored.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Reid Nichols was 2 for 4 with an rbi.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Glenn Hoffman was just 1 for 4.

Bob Stanley allowed 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings but earned his fourth save of the season.




Final Thoughts:

The Tigers are for real this season but the Sox aided their cause by winning the game. If they're the team the beat the Sox have to match them on both sides of the ball. The Sox are gonna need an elite starter if they hope to catch the Tigers this season. Its only May so the Sox have 3 months to come up with a trade or hope one of their prospects become an ace. Otherwise the Sox have no chance to catch the Tigers if their starters don't step up. Mike Brown was good today and they're going to need more of that going forward. The win improved the Sox to 10-14, 10 games behind the Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to take the series when they send Bob Ojeda (1-2) to the mound up against Tigers ace Jack Morris at 3:05 PM Eastern Time at Tiger Stadium.

Mariners Beat Sox in Ten Innings (4/26/84)

Once again the suspect Boston Red Sox pitching let them down big time in tonight's game against the Seattle Mariners. The Sox clung to a 4-2 lead going into the seventh when Sox manager Ralph Houk let Mike Brown give up a 2 run single to spike Owen. Three innings later Bob Stanley was left in too long and he gave up the backbreaking two run homer to Alvin Davis. The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the tenth but the Mariners held on long enough to win the game 6-5 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                             "DAMMIT STANLEY!!"

Brown actually pitched well to begin the top of the first as Jack Perconte popped up to short to start. Barry Bonnell singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Alvin Davis grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Seattle starter Matt Young in the bottom of the first inning. Marty Barrett led off with a double but Ed Jurak struck out. Dwight Evans drove home Barrett with a base hit to give the Sox the lead. Tony Armas singled but Mike Easler popped up to short. Dave Stapleton grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                        Evans drives in a run

Pat Putnam walked to open the top of the second but Gorman Thomas popped up to first. Al Cowens flied out to center but Putnam swiped second. Coles grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second as Reid Nichols grounded out to third to start. Both Jeff Newman and Jackie Gutierrez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Mariners took the lead in the top of the third although Bob Kearney grounded out to short to start. Spike Owen grounded out to second but Perconte singled. Bonnell then struck a home run all the way to the Mississippi River to put the Mariners on top. Davis singled but Putnam struck out to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 2-1.

Barrett tried to rally the Sox with a base hit to open the bottom of the third but Jurak struck out. Barrett was thrown out at second trying to steal and Evans popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning.

Brown settled down in the top of the fourth as Thomas grounded out to first to start. Cowens grounded out to short and Coles struck out to end the inning. The Sox roared back in the bottom of the fourth as Armas and Easler walked to start the frame. Stapleton struck out but Nichols walked to load the bases. Newman scored Armas with a sacrifice fly to tie the game and Gutierrez put the Sox on top with a base hit. Barrett added the insurance run with a base hit but Jurak grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                           Newman ties it up

Kearney singled to open the top of the fifth but was forced at second by Owen. Perconte flied out to center but a wild pitch moved Owen to second. Bonnell grounded out to second to end the inning. Evans flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Armas struck out. Easler got a base hit but Stapleton flied out to right to end the inning,

Brown got the Mariners to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the sixth inning. Davis and Putnam grounded out to second and Thomas grounded out to short to end the inning, The Sox blew a chance to break it open in the bottom of the sixth as Nichols walked to start Newman dropped down a bunt to move Reid to second but Gutierrez flied out to right. The red hot Barrett was intentionally walked and Jurak grounded into a force to end the inning,

The Mariners took advantage of shoddy defense to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Cowens hit a routine grounder to Jurak who kicked the ball over to first for an error. Coles was hit with a pitch and Kearney dropped down a bunt to move the runners over. Owen slapped a base hit to score both runners and tie the game. Owen swiped second but Perconte grounded out to short. That was it for Brown who never should have pitched to Owen. As it was Brown went 6 2/3 innings and allowed 4 runs. Bob Stanley came in and got Bonnell to ground back to the mound to end the inning with the game tied 4-4.

                                                          Brown deserved better

The Sox failed to take the lead in the bottom of the seventh as Evans flied out to right to start. Armas grounded out to second and Easler flied out to center to end the inning.

Stanley got Davis to fly out to left to start the top of the eighth before Putnam struck out. Thomas grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the eighth as Stapleton flied out to left to start. Nichols singled but Newman banged into a double play to end the inning.

Stanley struck out Cowens to begin the top of the ninth before Coles also struck out. Kearney grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox had their chance to score in the bottom of the ninth when Young threw a routine grounder by Gutierrez away. Ed Vande Berg replaced Young and Barrett forced Jackie at second....but Jurak banged into a double play to end the inning.

Stanley was brought out for the top of the tenth and ran out of gas. Owen and Perconte both grounded back to the mound but Bonnell singled. Phil Bradley pinch hit for Bonnell and clobbered a 2 run homer to put the Mariners up for good. Putnam flied out to center to end the inning with the Mariners ahead 6-4.

                                                     One bad pitch spelled his doom

Mike Stanton came on to close out the bottom of the tenth and Evans flied out to center to start. Armas stepped up by bashing his 5th homer of the year to cut the lead. Paul Mirabella replaced Stanton and Easler singled to put the tying run on. Wade Boggs pinch hit for Stapleton but struck out. For some reason Bradley moved to left and Dave Henderson came in to play center for Seattle. Nichols got a base hit to put the winning run at first....but Newman grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox fought hard but the Mariners won it 6-5.

Jackass of the Night is Ed Jurak. He was 0 for 4 with 2 stirkeouts, leaving a ton of men on base. His error in the 7th led to the tying runs scoring.

                                                         Jurak the Jackass


The Good:

Marty Barrett was 3 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Tony Armas was 2 for 4 with a walk, home run and 2 runs scored.

Mike Easler was 2 for 4 with a walk and a run scored.

Reid Nichols was 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.




The Bad:

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wade Boggs struck out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run.

Jeff Newman was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Jackie Gutierrez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Mike Brown allowed 4 runs in 6 2/3 innings of work. He was in a few batters too late.

Bob Stanley took the loss by allowing 2 runs in 3 1/3 innings, also left in a few batters too late.




Final Thoughts:

This is one of the few times Ralph Houk didn't manage well in this game. Leaving in Brown and Stanley too long is one thing, but not pinch hitting Jeff Newman with Jim Rice or Jerry Remy with the game on the line is outrageous. Still, you have to make the plays with what you have and Stanley shouldn't be giving up home runs to ice cold pinch hitters. The offense once again did well all things considered but Jurak leaving men on all night and letting Newman bat in the 10th was abysmal. The underlying tones of bad pitching continue to haunt the Red Sox and its going to be a long season if this continues. The Sox look to bounce back as they hit the road in their next series. Tomorrow night the Sox travel to Chicago to face the White Sox. Dennis Eckersley (1-2) goes one on one with LaMarr Hoyt at 8:05 PM Eastern Time at Fenway Park.

A's Knock Out Brown, Drop Sox (4/21/84)

It was a bad day for Boston sports. The Boston Celtics were beaten by the Washington Bullets in Game 3 of their first round NBA playoff series and the Boston Red Sox lost to the Oakland A's. The feel good win of last night's game over the A's lasted less than 24 hours for the Red Sox. The A's sent the Sox to yet another April loss as they pounded Mike Brown (0-2, 7.24 ERA). Brown managed to pitch into the 7th inning but allowed 5 big runs. An error by Glenn Hoffman didn't help either and when the dust settled, the A's had beaten the Sox 5-2 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                             Joel doesn't like Mike Brown's bad pitching

At first Brown cruised in the top of the first as Rickey Henderson flied out to center to start. Dwayne Murphy flied out to left and Joe Morgan flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox looked to rally in the bottom of the first when Jerry Remy reached on an error by Donnie Hill to start. Dwight Evans got a base hit but Wade Boggs banged into a double play. Jim Rice flied out to left to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the second inning as Carney Lansford flied out to center to start. Bruce Bochte walked and Dave Kingman pounded a home run all the way into the Long Island Sound to give the A's the lead. Glenn Hoffman booted a ground ball to allow Mike Davis to reach on an error but Mike Heath struck out. Davis was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning with the A's up 2-0.

                                                            A's take the lead.

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the second as Mike Easler struck out to start. Tony Armas grounded out to third but Rich Gedman got a base hit. Reid Nichols flied out to left to end the inning.

The A's got another run in the top of the third as Hill singled and took second on a balk. Henderson grounded out to short but Murphy singled home Hill to increase the lead. Morgan singled and Murphy took third on the Lansford fly ball. Bochte flied out to left to end the inning with the A's ahead 3-0.

The Sox tried to come back in the bottom of the third inning as Hoffman walked to start. Remy singled Glenn to third and Evans beat out a double play ball to put the Sox on the board. Boggs popped up to short and Rice grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox down 3-1.

                                                             Remy scores a run

The A's got another run in the top of the fourth inning as Kingman struck out to start. Davis flied out to left but Hoffman booted a ground ball by Heath to kept the inning going. The A's pounced as Hill singled Heath to third and Mike scored on a wild pitch. Henderson struck out to end the inning but it was 4-1 A's.

                                                           Nice going Hoffman

Easler singled to start the bottom of the fourth and moved to second on the Armas grounder. Gedman grounded back to the mound and Nichols grounded into a force to end the inning.

Brown cruised in the top of the fifth inning as Murphy flied out to right to start. Morgan flied out to left and Lansford flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fifth as Hoffman flied out to left to start. Remy flied out to left but somehow Evans doubled. Boggs grounded out to second to end the inning.

Bochte grounded back to the mound to start the top of the sixth before Kingman struck out. Davis and Heath stroked back to back singles but Hill grounded out to second to end the inning. Rice flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Easler drew a walk. Easler was thrown out trying to steal and Armas struck out to end the inning.

The A's finally knocked out Brown in the top of the seventh although Henderson grounded out to short to start. Murphy pulverized a home run all the way to Nova Scotia to increase the lead. Morgan drew a walk and that was it for Brown. The incompetent righty allowed 5 runs in just 6 1/3 innings. John Henry Johnson came in and Tony Phillips pinch ran for Morgan. Lansford singled but Bochte struck out. Kingman flied out to center to end the inning with the A's up 5-1.

                                                       Not the best effort

The Sox did try to rally in the bottom of the seventh as Gedman singled to start. Nichols walked and Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman. Miller flied out to center but Gedman moved to third, and Rich scored on the Remy single to bring the tying run to the plate. Keith Atherton replaced Warren and Nichols moved to third on the Evans fly ball. Tom Burgmeier was brought in to face Boggs and Wade flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                             Gedman scores a run

Jackie Gutierrez took over at short for the top of the eighth as the A's beat the ball in the dirt. Davis, Heath and Hill all grounded out to second in short order. The Sox tried to rally again in the bottom of the eighth as Rice doubled to start. The rally ended as Easler struck out and Armas flied out to center. Jim Essian took over behind the plate and Gedman struck out to end the inning.

Johnson returned for the top of the ninth and Henderson popped up to second. Murphy popped up to short and Phillips hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. Good job by Johnson for keeping the Sox in the game.

                                                            Johnson does his job

Nichols popped up to second to begin the bottom of the ninth but Dave Stapleton pinch hit for Gutierrez. Stapleton singled but Remy flied out to right. Evans walked to bring the tying run to the plate but Boggs grounded back to the mound to end the game. The A's had won it 5-2.

Jackass of the Night is Mike Brown. He lasted 6 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs to take the loss.

                                                     Jackass Brown


The Good:

Jerry Remy was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a walk and an rbi.

Mike Easler was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rich Gedman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Dave Stapleton singled as a pinch hitter.

John Henry Johnson tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.




The Bad:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 5.

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.




The Ugly:

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 3 but walked.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 1 with an error but walked and scored.




Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played short in the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

Another dreary loss in an April full of them. I don't get what the Sox see in Mike Brown because he's been a disappointment since he was put in the rotation. Then again nobody else is stepping up to be an ace either. Then again, it didn't matter if Cy Young started this game because the Sox couldn't generate any offense. Wade Boggs, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Rich Gedman and Glenn Hoffman are in terrible slumps and when 5 of your 9 batters are having trouble getting on, how are the others supposed to drive them in? The Sox need another bat in the lineup and they need another ace. Good luck getting either of those. Tomorrow the Sox look to bounce back against the A's when they send Dennis Eckersley (0-2) to the mound up against Steve McCatty at 2:05 PM at Fenway Park

Tigers Outslug Sox, Streak at 4 (4/12/84)

Well the good news was the Boston Red Sox offense finally woke up to knock around the red hot Detroit Tigers for 9 runs off 14 hits. The bad news was the Tigers offense knocked the Sox pitching staff six ways from Sunday for 13 runs off 16 hits along with 3 errors committed by the Sox defense. When all was said and done the Tigers stomped the Red Sox 13-9 at Fenway Park in front of a capacity crowd for the fourth straight loss by the Sox.

                                          Dr Hook McCracken can't stand Sox pitching

Bruce Hurst (1-2, 2.55 ERA) never got out of the box as he was ambushed by the angry Tigers. Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell worked back to back walks before Barbaro Garbey hit a routine double play ball to Glenn Hoffman at short. Hoffman fielded the ball and threw it straight up in the air before catching it in his hat much to the chagrin of the irate crowd. Glenn was charged with an error but the bases were loaded with nobody out. Hurst somehow managed to strike out Lance Parrish but Larry Herndon walked to drive in the game's first run. Chet Lemon singled home Trammell and Garbey to increase the lead before Rod Allen singled in Herndon. Rusty Kuntz singled home Lemon and that was it for Hurst. He lasted just 1/3 of an inning although the insane error by Hoffman didn't help and was on the hook for 5 runs with two runners still on base.

                                                   "I sucked today!" - Hurst

Mike Brown came in and poured gas on the fire by allowing a double to Tom Brookens. Whitaker hit a routine tapper in front of Rich Gedman who was so angry at Hoffman that he wrestled with the ball instead of throwing it to a base, allowing Kuntz and Brookens to both score, causing half the crowd to get up and leave. Trammell doubled and for some reason Tigers manager Sparky Anderson pinch hit Dave Bergman for Garbey. Bergman was intentionally walked to re-load the bases but Brown got Parrish to bang into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers put up 8 runs on 5 hits and 2 errors to take an 8-0 lead.

                                           Major Burns prays for the Sox pitchers

Somehow the Sox came roaring back in the bottom of the first inning against Milt Wilcox. Remy singled and Dwight Evans was hit with a pitch. Wade Boggs walked to load the bases and Jim Rice singled home Remy and Evans. Mike Easler singled home Boggs but Tony Armas banged into a double play, still managing to score Rice but it cleared the bases. This was huge because Gedman belted a solo home run to chase Wilcox and put the Sox back in striking distance. Doug Bair replaced Wilcox and got Dave Stapleton to strike out to end the inning but the Sox put up a five spot to trail 8-5.

                                                 "WE'RE NOT DEAD YET!!" - Gedman

Brown trudged back to the mound for the top of the second inning and Herndon doubled to lead off. Lemon struck out then Darrell Evans pinch hit for Rod Allen only to strike out. Herndon took third on a wild pitch but Kuntz flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox inched closer in the bottom of the second inning although Hoffman struck out to start. Remy popped up to first but Evans launched a solo home run to cut the lead to just two. Boggs struck out to end the inning but the Sox were back in it, 8-6.

                                                           Evans gets a run back

All Brown had to do was hold the fort until the offense kept clawing back in the top of the third and somehow he did. Brookens grounded out to first before Whitaker hit a routine ground ball to Hoffman at short. This time Hoffman picked the ball up, threw it over his head like a grenade and stuck his fingers in his ears waiting for the explosion that never came. The only reason Whitaker didn't take second was he was too busy laughing at Glenn. Whitaker was forced at second by Trammell and Alan was thrown at second trying to steal by Gedman to end the inning. The Sox didn't do much in the bottom of the third although Rice led off with a single. Mike Easler struck out and Tony Armas forced Rice at second. Gedman struck out to end the inning.

Brown couldn't tame the Tigers in the top of the fourth inning although he got Bergman to ground out to begin. Parrish then launched a 1,000 foot home run to give the Tigers their 3 run lead back. Herndon flied out to left and Lemon grounded out to third to end the inning with the Tigers up 9-6.

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the fourth as Stapleton singled but Hoffman banged into a double play. Remy popped up to short to end the inning.

Brown recovered in the top of the fifth to get Evans to fly out to right. Kuntz struck out but Brookens singled. Whitaker popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the fifth although Evans walked to begin. Boggs flied out to left but Rice banged into a double play to end the inning.

Brown finally ran out of gas in the top of the sixth inning although Trammell hit one up the elevator shaft to begin. Bergman singled but Parrish popped up to first. Herndon doubled and Sox manager Ralph Houk made the change to bring in Bob Stanley. Brown had allowed 2 runs in nearly 6 innings pitched, it could have been a lot worse. Stanley got Lemon to fly out to right to end the inning. Glenn Abbott came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Easler greeted him with a single. Armas got hit with a pitch to put the tying run at the plate. Gedman grounded out to first but both runners moved into scoring position. Stapleton walked to load the bases and Houk pinch hit Rick Miller for Hoffman hoping for a spark. The opposite happened as Miller banged into a double play to end the inning. What a waste.

Jackie Gutierrez took over at short as Stanley returned for the top of the seventh. Evans grounded out to short, Kuntz struck out and Brookens grounded out back to Stanley to end the inning. The Sox hit into ANOTHER double play as Evans bounced into one after Remy singled. Boggs flied out to center to end the inning but that was 5 double plays in 7 innings...that ain't funny.

The Tigers finally iced the game in the top of the eighth inning. Whitaker, Trammell, Bergman and Parrish all singled to score two runs and put runners at the corners. Herndon beat out a double play ball to score another run and Lemon singled Parrish to third. Evans beat out a double play ball to score yet another run although Kuntz struck out to end the inning with the Tigers up 13-6. Game over.

                                           "Awww man I crapped mah pants!" - Stanley

Willie Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Dwight Lowry taking over behimd the dish in the bottom of the eighth. Rice struck out but Easler and Armas struck back to back singles. Gedman walked to load the bases for some hope but Stapleton hit one up the elevator shaft. Reid Nichols pinch hit for Gutierrez and came through with a double to score Easler and Armas. Remy followed through with a single to score Gedman but Evans struck out to end the inning. The Sox did manage to get closer but was still too far out of reach 13-9.

                                                    Nichols brings the Sox closer.

Mark Clear came in to pitch with Ed Jurak taking over at short for the top of the ninth inning. Brookens struck out but Whitaker doubled. Trammell walked but Bergman flied out to right. Lowry grounded out to second to end the inning. The end finally came in the bottom of the ninth although Boggs walked to begin. Naturally Rice grounded into the SIXTH double play of the game. Easler doubled but Armas grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox lost their fourth straight 13-9.

Jackass of the Night is Bob Stanley. Had he held the fort after Mike Brown left, the Sox could have taken the game or at least had a solid chance. Instead he allowed 4 runs in 2 1/3 innings that ended up being the difference in the game.

                                                         Jackass of the Night: Bob Stanley


The Good:

Jerry Remy was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, solo home run and 2 total runs scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 5 with 2 rbi's and a run scored.

Mike Easler was 4 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dave Stapleton was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Reid Nichols doubled in 2 runs as a pinch hitter.

Mike Brown tossed 5 1/3 innings of relief allowing just 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game.

Mark Clear pitched a scoreless ninth.



The Bad:

Glen Hoffman was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and 2 errors committed in the field.

Rick Miller hit into a double play as a pinch hitter.

Bruce Hurst sucked, allowing 7 runs (5 earned) in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and scored.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3 with a walk, solo home run and 2 total runs scored but his error in the first allowed 2 runs to score which ended up being crucial.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played shortstop in the top of the eighth.

Ed Jurak played shortstop in the top of the ninth.



Final Thoughts:

It was nice for the offense to finally wake up but the pitching picked a fine time to take the day off. The Sox couldn't get anyone out whether it was Hurst, Brown or Stanley. The good news is THIS is the offense the front office expected going into the season and its unlikely Hurst is going to suck like that too often. If they can keep this kind of offense going, they have a chance to catch Baltimore in the AL East race, even if they have no ace. Tomorrow night the Texas Rangers are in town as the Sox look to snap their four game losing streak. Old buddy Frank Tanana matches up with Dennis Eckersley (0-1) in the first game of the series at Fenway Park.

Sox Offense Falters in Seattle (4/10/84)

Another game, another miserable performance by the Boston Red Sox bats. After getting stoned in both Anaheim and Oakland to begin the season, the Sox then brought their anemic offense to Seattle where they were beaten by the Mariners. This time the Sox mustered just 6 hits and 1 run as Jim Beattie looked unhittable. Bob Ojeda (0-1, 4.50 ERA) wasn't good enough as the Mariners took the game 5-1 at the Kingdome.

                                                  Lt Goldblume cant stand the Sox offense

Beattie got the ball in the top of the first and Jerry Remy greeted him by flying out to left. Dwight Evans walked and broke for third on a base hit by Wade Boggs....and got thrown out by a mile. Boggs managed to take second on the throw but Jim Rice flied out to left to end the inning. Nice going Dwight. The Mariners wasted no time scoring in the bottom of the first inning. Jack Perconte doubled and was advanced to third on the sacrifice bunt by Larry Milbourne. Barry Bonnell singled home Perconte and Gorman Thomas doubled Bonnell home to increase the lead. Steve Henderson struck out but Dave Henderson was hit with a pitch. Bob Kearney hit a comebacker to end the inning but the Mariners were up for good already 2-1.

                                                "Hey you...Ojeda....pitch better!"

Did you expect the Sox to come back in this one? Me neither, although Mike Easler somehow worked a walk to begin the top of the second. Tony Armas grounded out to advance Easler to second but Rich Gedman flied out to right. Dave Stapleton flied out to center to end the inning. Ojeda got himself back on track in the bottom of the second as Phil Bradley hit a comebacker to begin. Spike Owen popped up to second but Perconte singled. Milbourne flied out to right to end the inning.

More bawfulness occurred in the top of the third as Jackie Gutierrez flied out to right to start. Remy somehow motored around for a triple but Evans left him there by grounding out sharply to second. Boggs grounded out to second to end the inning, what a waste. Ojeda ran into trouble in the bottom of the third by walking Bonnell to start. Thomas flied out to center but Steve Henderson singled. Dave Henderson and Kearney struck out to end the inning.

Rice worked a walk to open the top of the fourth inning but Easler flied out to left. Armas struck out and Gedman hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Bradley grounded out to short to start. Owen hit a routine single to center but Arms inexplicably tried to dive on the ball like a grenade, allowing Spike to reach second on the error. Perconte popped to short but Milbourne singled Owen to third. Bonnell singled home Spike for another insurance run. Thomas struck out to end the inning but it was now 3-0 Seattle.

                                               "OJEDAAAAAA!!!!!"

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth inning as Stapleton grounded out to short and Gutierrez grounded out to to second. Remy somehow singled but Evans struck out to end the inning. The Mariners ran themselves into outs in the bottom of the fifth. Steve Henderson walked and stole second and Dave Henderson beat out an infield single. Gedman then managed to throw out both Hendersons trying to steal and Kearney flied out to center to end the inning.

                                              "Those Hendersons can't run on me" - Gedman

The futility continued in the top of the sixth as Boggs struck out to start. Rice somehow singled but Easler flied out to center and Armas struck out to end the inning. Gedman came up big again in the bottom of the sixth as Bradley grounded out to short to start. Owen walked and he was thrown out at second trying to steal. Perconte was hit with a pitch but Milbourne flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox went quietly in the top of the seventh as Gedman and Stapleton both flied out to center before Gutierrez flied out to right to end the inning. The Mariners finally knocked out Ojeda in the bottom of the seventh inning. Bonnell walked but Thomas flied out to center. Steve Henderson then blasted a 2 run bomb to chase Ojeda from the game. The offense was non existent but he still gave up 5 runs in 6 1/3 innings.

                                                             Poor performance by Ojeda

Sunday's failed starter Mike Brown was given a shot to redeem himself by Sox manager Ralph Houk and he delivered. Dave Henderson flied out to right but Kearney singled. Bradley walked and the two runners got revenge on Gedman by pulling off a double-steal. Brown struck out Owen to end the inning with the Mariners up 5-0.

Bonnell moved to left as Domingo Ramos came in to play first, eliminating Gorman Thomas to begin the top of the eighth. The Sox rallied with Remy getting a base hit before Evans walked to chase Beattie. Ed Vande Berg came in and walked Boggs to load the bases Now the Sox were a double or a blast away from getting back in the game....but Rice banged into a double play, scoring Remy and moving Evans to third. Easler walked to put runners at the corners and Mike Stanton replaced Vande Berg on the mound. With a chance to put the Sox closer...Armas struck out AGAIN to end the inning with the Sox down 5-1. Brown returned for the bottom of the eighth and got Perconte to fly out to start. Milbourne walked but Bonnell flied out to right. Ramos grounded out to third to end the inning.

The game finally came to an end in the top of the ninth inning. Gedman struck out but Stapleton singled. Rick Miller pinch hit for Gutierrez and banged into a double play to end the game. The Mariners had won it 5-1.

Jackass of the Night is Bob Ojeda. He gave up 5 runs and failed to get out of the seventh inning. Yes the putrid offense failed to produce but 5 runs is 5 runs.

                                             Jackass of the Night: Ojeda


The Good:

Jerry Remy was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Wade Boggs was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jim Rice was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Mike Brown threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts and an error.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jackie Gutierrez was 0 for 3.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 2 but walked twice.

Mike Easler was 0 for 2 but walked twice.

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 4.




Final Thoughts:

Apart from Boggs and Remy, this team has hit like complete crap for the first 7 games of this season. Hard to win games when you hit that poorly. Still, these guys are too good to hit this bad. Maybe warmer weather will warm them up, I don't know. Ojeda pitched like crap but with no offense it really didn't matter. Its good to have a healthy Remy to fall back on and hopefully he can stay healthy. Tomorrow is Game 2 of this 3 game set with Dennis Eckersley on the mound opposite Matt Young at the Kingdome.