Everett Goes Berserk, Sox Beat Mets (7/15/00)

Woah....what the hell was that about? In one of the most baffling displays of aggression since Ty Cobb, Carl Everett let his rage get to him as he attacked home plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected from the game. After Dennis Cook whined that he was over the batter's box last night, Kulpa enforced the rule in the bottom of the second. Everett headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by a bevy of people from doing any further damage. His insanity overshadowed what turned out to be a good win against a good team. Ramon Martinez (7-5, 5.60 ERA) allowed two first inning runs but pitched shutout ball afterwards for five more innings. Brian Daubach came in for Everett and he hit a 3 run home run to break the tie in the sixth inning. The Sox got another run in the seventh inning and survived a Rich Garces meltdown in the top of the ninth. With the tying run at the plate, Derek Lowe got Melvin Mora to ground out to end the game. The Sox had won the game despite Everett's antics 6-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Calm down Carl!

Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mets wasted no time getting to him. Melvin Mora was frozen for strike three and Derek Bell grounded out to third, but Edgardo Alfonzo walked to start. Alfonzo swiped second but Mike Piazza walked as well. Todd Zeile doubled to the centerfield wall to score both runners but Matt Franco flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                         Mets take the lead

Mike Hampton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a grounder to the mound to start. Jeff Frye doubled off the Monster but Jason Varitek flied out to center. Nomar Garciaparra check-swinged grounded out to third to end the inning. Jay Payton popped up to Carl Everett before Mark Johnson flied out to left. Benny Agbayani grounded a base hit up the middle but Ramon buzzed Mora up and in. Agbayani was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Carl Everett stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the second and took a first pitch before Ron Kulpa told him he couldn't stand where he was standing. Sox manager Jimy Williams came out but Everett said he's got this. Everett took a step back and took another pitch. After swinging and missing at strike one and fouling another pitch off, Kulpa again crossed the line off and told Carl not to stand there. This time Carl lost his head and was thrown out by Kulpa. Everett actually headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by Darren Lewis, first base coach Tommy Harper and third base coach Wendell Kim. Jimy Williams apologized to Kulpa as Everett was escorted out. He continued his tirade in the dugout and Bret Saberhagen tried to talk some sense into him. Brian Daubach took his place and struck out swinging to complete the at-bat. Troy O'Leary grounded back to Hampton and Izzy Alcantara got booed by the Fenway crowd before he struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                  Everett loses it

Mora grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Bell took strike three on the outside corner. Alfonzo doubled into the left field corner but Piazza struck out swinging to end the inning. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Zeile made a great play to rob Lewis of a base hit. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alexander booted a grounder by Zeile to start the top of the fourth but Franco banged into a double play. Payton dumped a base hit to right and Johnson struck out swinging on a good changeup to end the inning. Frye flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar popped up to short to end the inning.

The Mets beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Agbayani grounded back to the mound to start. Mora grounded out to short and Bell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach was drilled to start. Payton fell down catching a fly ball from O'Leary but Alcantara dumped a base hit to center. Alexander blooped a base hit to center to score Daubach and Lewis hit a routine grounder to Franco. Franco fired to first but it went under the glove of Zeile to score Alcantara to tie the game. Offerman hit a bullet....right to Alfonzo who doubled off Lewis at second to end the inning. Replays showed Lewis was actually safe but the Sox still tied the game 2-2.

                                                      Big break for the Red Sox

Martinez returned for the top of the sixth and Alfonzo grounded out to third to start. Piazza doubled into the left field corner but Zeile grounded out to third. Franco flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Frye slashed a base hit to center to start. Varitek grounded out to first to move Frye to second and Nomar was intentionally walked. Daubach made the Mets pay for such treachery with a 3 run blast to put the Sox ahead. O'Leary grounded out to short and Alcantara grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 5-2 Sox.

                                                           Daubach puts the Sox on top

Before the top of the seventh inning started Fox cameras caught Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan telling Ramon Martinez that he had "protection" in case something went wrong the following inning. Joe stuck to his word as Payton singled to right to immediately chase Ramon to start. Martinez pitched 6 plus innings and allowed just two runs. Rheal Cormier came in to pitch and Todd Pratt pinch hit for Johnson only to strike out swinging. Agbayani grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                        Ramon goes six plus and keeps the Sox ahead

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Alexander hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Lewis drew a walk, Offerman singled in the hole at second and Frye blooped a single down the right field line. Lewis scored on the sac fly to center by Varitek but Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                 Varitek drives in a run

Cormier returned for the top of the eighth and Mora flied out to left to start. Bell popped up to third and Alfonzo flied out to center to end the inning. Richie Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Daubach flied out to left to begin. O'Leary flied out to right but Alcantara doubled down the left field line. Alcantara moved to third on a balk but Alexander popped up to first to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Piazza drilled a home run into the Red Sox bullpen to start. Zeile flied out to left and Franco grounded back to the mound, but Payton stuck his bat out and singled in the hole at short. That was it for Garces as Sox manager Jimy Williams called upon Derek Lowe to get the save. Payton took second on defensive indifference and scored on the base hit to center by Pratt. Agbayani singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Daubach made a great pick on a bad throw by Lowe on a grounder by Mora to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                     Mora is out to end the game

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 3 run homer in the sixth put the Sox up for good and he made the game ending play at first while not even supposed to be playing today.

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rheal Cormier tossed two scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe earned his 20th save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carl Everett technically struck out in his only at-bat.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Rich Garces was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble when they lose Everett to a suspension for this. They're already underperforming offensively and losing their second best hitter isn't going to help. Its his own fault and there's no defending that by any means. If the umpire says you can't stand in that spot, don't headbutt the guy! We all thought Izzy Alcantara dogging it two weeks ago was bad but this was far worse. Speaking of Izzy, he had a couple of hits in this game in his first start after being benched and hopefully he's learned his lesson. The Sox are gonna need his bat now that Everett will be out a while. Then again, the suspension could be appealed and Bud Selig may have an air conditioner fall on his head and he forgets this ever happened. While that's preposterously unlikely, the fact is Everett can still play until the suspension is verified. As for the game, that was a good win against a good team and Ramon Martinez pitched well today. Nomar couldn't keep his average above .400 but the rest of the team scratched out runs and got on base with some timely hits. Frye, Lewis and Alcantara got it done and so did Daubach. The Sox have a lot of work to do to fix their offense that caused them to relinquish first place in June so we'll see what happens. The win improved the Sox to 45-42, 2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Interleague play continues tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Montreal Expos. Tim Wakefield (5-5) gets the start for the Sox against Mike Johnson of Montreal. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Mulholland, Braves Shut Down Sox (7/8/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. After his impressive showing against the Minnesota Twins, rookie Paxton Crawford has been sent back to Pawtucket. The Sox are about to go on the all-star break so it makes no sense to have Crawford rot on the bench when he could keep hot down in Pawtucket in the meantime. With the starting pitching woes the Red Sox have, we'll be seeing him full time very soon.

                                                                OUT

As for the game, the Sox apparently can't hit Terry Mulholland of the Atlanta Braves. After tossing 5 shutout innings against them last month, Mulholland topped that by holding the Sox to just 1 run in 8 innings of work for a grand total of 13 innings and 1 run allowed. Keep him away from the New York Yankees when the trade deadline comes. As for the pitching side, Ramon Martinez (6-5, 5.79 ERA) actually pitched well but got no run support. Ramon and the Sox fought valiantly to a 1-1 tie going into the seventh when Rheal Cormier and Bryce Florie allowed a Martinez inherited runner to score to give the Braves the lead. Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones both homered off Jeff Fassero and that ended that. The Sox fell further behind in the AL East race by dropping the game 5-1 to the Braves at Fenway Park.

                                                         Ren turns his back on bad relief pitching

Ramon got the ball in the top of the first inning and Quilvio Veras flied out to left to start. Andruw Jones took strike three but Chipper Jones walked. Jones was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. Mulholland got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman flied out to right to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Carl Everett grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Braves struck first in the top of the second as Brian Jordan doubled to left to start. Andres Galarraga struck out swinging but Wally Joyner singled to center. Javy Lopez singled home Jordan to give the Braves the lead. Bobby Bonilla struck out swinging and Walt Weiss flied out to right to end the inning with the Braves ahead 1-0.

                                                                   Lopez drives in a run

Nomar Garciaparra tried to start a rally with a double to right to begin the bottom of the second but could only move to third on the grounder to second by Morgan Burkhart. Troy O'Leary grounded back to the mound and Jason Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning.

Veras walked to begin the top of the third and moved to second on the grounder to short by Andruw Jones. Chipper Jones flied out to center to move Veras to third but Jordan grounded out to short to end the inning. Ed Sprague Jr flied out to center to start the bottom of the third before Daubach popped up to third in foul territory. Offerman flied out to right to end the inning.

Galarraga hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the fourth before Joyner flied out to left. Lopez also flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fourth as Frye singled to left to start. Everett singled to left but Nomar grounded into a double play. Burkhart struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bonilla grounded out to second to start the top of the fifth and Weiss grounded out to first. Veras walked but Andruw Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. O'Leary singled to right to begin the bottom of the fifth but got picked off. That was a huge out as Varitek doubled to right which would have tied the game. Sprague grounded out to third and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

Chipper Jones grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Jordan grounded out to second. Galarraga walked and stole second but Joyner grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox finally woke up in the bottom of the sixth although Offerman flied out to center to begin. Frye singled to left and Everett dropped a base hit to right to move Frye to third. All Nomar could do was score Frye with a sac fly to tie the game. Burkhart flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                  Nomar drives in a run

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Braves took the lead back in the top of the seventh. Lopez singled to left and Bonilla walk to chase Ramon. Martinez actually did well, he just didn't get any run support. Reggie Sanders pinch ran for Bonilla and Rheal Cormier came in to pitch to Weiss. Weiss hit one up the elevator shaft but Veras singled to left to load the bases. Bryce Florie came in to pitch to Andruw Jones and somehow struck him out swinging. Unfortunately Chipper Jones walked to score Lopez with the go-ahead run. Jordan struck out swinging to end the inning but the Braves led 2-1.

                                                          Jones gives the Braves the lead back

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the seventh as O'Leary flied out to center to start. Varitek grounded out to short and Sprague Jr took strike three to end the inning.

Galarraga singled to left to start the top of the eighth to chase Florie. Jeff Fassero was brought in and Joyner popped up to second, but Lopez hit a home run all the way to Denton, Texas to ice the game. Sanders grounded out to third and Weiss grounded out to short to end the inning but it was 4-1 Braves.

                                                                  Lopez does it again

Daubach struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Offerman grounded out to third. Frye also grounded out to third to end the inning.

Fassero poured more gas on the fire in the top of the ninth as Veras popped up to short to start. Andruw Jones hit a home run all the way to Sri Lanka to wrap up the scoring. Chipper Jones singled to center and that was it for Fassero. John Wasdin came in to pitch and Jordan singled to left. Galarraga struck out swinging but both runners pulled off a double steal. Joyner took strike three to end the inning with the Braves ahead 5-1.

                                                       Jones with another Atlanta home run

The vile John Rocker came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Everett struck out swinging to start. Nomar flied out to left and Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the game. The Braves had won it 5-1.

Jackass of the Night is Jeff Fassero. He turned a 2-1 game into 5-1 real quick to put the Sox in too large of a hole.

                                                              Jeff The Jackass

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Ramon Martinez did well, getting charged with 2 runs in 6 innings of work.

John Wasdin got the final two outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4.

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Bryce Florie allowed an inherited runner to score and was charged with 1 of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 but got picked off.

Rheal Cormier retired just 1 of the 2 batters he faced.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are limping toward the All-Star break and its clear to see that they can't compete with the elite teams in the league. They got swept out of New York and lost 2 of 3 in Atlanta last month and just dropped 2 in a row to the Braves at home. Unless Pedro Martinez is pitching, they don't look good against Cleveland either. Red Sox GM Dan Duquette has some work to do after the break to get some help at the trade deadline. The Sox are desperate for a second starter behind Pedro Martinez since Pete Schourek, Ramon and Jeff Fassero have all faltered. Paxton Crawford is an option but unless he pulls a 1981 Fernando Valenzuela, this team just isn't built for October success. Losing Bret Saberhagen and Juan Pena before the season didn't help but here we are. The Sox offensive woes returned but that's mostly due to the elite pitching of the Braves. Mulholland has their number and Glavine has always been tough to crack. The Sox have one game left before the break and hopefully they can avoid a sweep. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-41, 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to avoid a sweep tomorrow afternoon when Tim Wakefield (4-5) takes on Kevin Millwood of the Braves in the final game before the All-Star break. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Outslug Twins (7/3/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Troy O'Leary was removed from the Disabled List after taking a few weeks off to deal with his impending divorce. The Sox are reeling from a lack of offensive production and they need Troy to get back to where he was last season. If he sucks again, the Sox better hope Bernard Gilkey can be the answer.

                                                                  IN

As for the game, the struggling Red Sox offense found their tonic in the form of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins knocked Ramon Martinez out in the fourth inning but the Red Sox bats exploded for 9 runs in the top of the inning. The Sox hit four home runs in the fourth inning alone but the Twins kept fighting back. Hipolito Pichardo and Rheal Cormier both got tagged for runs but the Sox offense pounded out 15 hits and 11 runs to outslug the Twins 11-8 at the Metrodome.

                                                 Roberta Vazquez approves of the win

Mike Lincoln got the start for Minnesota in the top of the first and Jose Offerman singled to right to start. Jeff Frye also singled to right but Morgan Burkhart banged into a double play. Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins struck first in the bottom of the first against Martinez as Jay Canizaro doubled to right to start. Canizaro moved to third on the fly out by Christian Guzman and Matt Lawton walked. Ron Coomer doubled home Canizaro and Corey Koskie walked to load the bases. Denny Hocking popped up to short but David Ortiz walked home Lawton to increase the lead. Chad Moeller popped up to first to end the inning with the Twins ahead 2-0.

                                                               Ortiz walks in a run

The Sox struck back in the top of the second as Carl Everett walked to start. Troy O'Leary singled in the hole at second but Ed Sprague Jr banged into a double play.  Jason Varitek hit a seeing eye single into left to score Everett and put the Sox on the board. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 2-1.

                                                          Varitek drives in a run

The Twins threatened again in the bottom of the second as Jacque Jones singled to center to start. Canizaro singled to left and Jones took third on a fly ball to center by Guzman. Lawton lined out to second and Coomer grounded out to third to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to left to start the top of the third and Frye grounded out to short. Burkhart singled to right but Daubach grounded out to first to end the inning. The Twins added to the lead in the bottom of the third as Koskie walked and Hocking doubled him to third. Ortiz hit a sac fly to score Koskie and Hocking went to third on a grounder to short by Moeller. Jones lined out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 3-1.

                                                        Ortiz drives in another run

The Sox exploded in the top of the fourth as Everett clubbed his 24th home run of the season to right to start. O'Leary then smashed his sixth of the season to tie the game. Sprague walked and Varitek drilled his fifth home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Alexander walked to chase Lincoln as Jason Ryan came in to pitch. Offerman forced Alexander at second before moving to second on a wild pitch. Frye walked and Burkhart crushed his first career home run to put the Sox up big. Daubach walked and Everett doubled to right to chase Ryan. Hector Carrasco came in to pitch and O'Leary doubled home both runners to add to the carnage. Sprague grounded out to short and Varitek flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox hit 4 home runs and scored 9 runs to take a 10-3 lead.

                                                                 What a barrage

The Twins answered in the bottom of the fourth as Canizaro singled to center and Guzman singled to right to start. Lawton doubled home Canizaro and Sox manager Jimy Williams had seen enough of Ramon after 3 plus innings. Hipolito Pichardo came in and was just as bad as Coomer singled home Guzman and Koskie singled home Lawton. Both runners moved over on a swinging bunt by Hocking that was thrown out at first and Ortiz hit another sac fly to score Coomer. Moeller struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 10-7.

                                                                     Ramon sucked again 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Alexander struck out swinging to start. Offerman flied out to right but Frye singled to right. Frye took second on a wild pitch, Burkhart walked and both runners moved over on another wild pitch. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. Jones grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Canizaro grounded out to short. Guzman walked and Lawton was hit with a pitch but Coomer grounded out to first to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before O'Leary flied out to left. Sprague struck out swinging to end the inning.  Rheal Cormier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Koskie singled to left to start. Koskie moved to second on the grounder to short by Hocking and old friend Butch Huskey pinch hit for Ortiz. Huskey grounded back to the mound to move Koskie to third and Moeller took strike three to end the inning.

Varitek walked to start the top of the seventh and Travis Miller came in to pitch. Somehow Alexander tripled into the left field gap to score Varitek with another run. Offerman grounded out to third, Frye struck out swinging and Burkhart went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-7.

                                                              A triple by Alexander

Jones struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the seventh and Canizaro popped up to third. Guzman flied out to center to end the inning.

Jason Maxwell came in to play second base to start the top of the eighth as Daubach singled to right. Everett popped up to first, O'Leary flied out to center and Sprague also popped up to center to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the eighth although Lawton grounded out to second to start. Coomer grounded out to second but Koskie doubled to right. Hocking singled to right to chase Cormier and score Koskie to inch the Twins closer. Derek Lowe came in for the four out save and old pal Midre Cummings pinch hit for Huskey. Cummings grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins down 11-8.

                                                            Hey look its Midre

Johan Santana came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Varitek struck out swinging to start. Alexander struck out swinging but Offerman singled to left. Frye struck out swinging to end the inning. Lowe returned for the bottom of the ninth and Marcus Jensen pinch hit for Moeller to begin. Jensen grounded out to second, Jones grounded out to first and Maxwell took strike three to end the game. The Sox had hit four home runs and won the game 11-8.

Hero of the Night is Morgan Burkhart. His first home run of the season was a 3 run bomb that iced the game.

                                                      Daubach salutes our Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk and 3 total runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 total rbis.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run, a walk, 3 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Derek Lowe tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 18th save of the season.

The Bad:

Ramon Martinez got hammered for 6 runs in just 3 plus innings.

Hipolito Pichardo allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 1 of his own in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and tripled home a run.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Final Thoughts:

The bad news was Ramon Martinez sucked again and could be on his way out when his brother comes back. He looks all washed up and how many times are the Sox going to run him out there to get knocked out in the 3rd or 4th inning? Pichardo and Cormier also allowed runs and this bullpen is starting to look tired after the bad starts anyone other than Pedro Martinez has had this season. Thank goodness for Derek Lowe to slam the door. The good news was the offense clicked big time today and Burkhart led the charge with a 3 run bomb after the homers by Everett, O'Leary and Varitek. The Sox are hoping Sprague and Burkhart can deliver where Wilton Veras, Gary Gaetti and Donnie Sadler failed. The win improved the Sox to 39-39, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins when Tim Wakefield (3-5, 5.27 ERA) goes up against Eric Milton of the Twins. The game begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.

O's Stun Sliding Sox In 11 (6/28/00)

The Boston Red Sox got bit by the "June swoon" big time as they have dropped their 5th straight game in a complete collapse. After battling the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays for 2 1/2 months, mediocrity caught up to the Sox as they fell to just a game over .500. The Sox trailed the Orioles 5-4 before tying the game in the 7th. The O's got the lead back in the top of the eighth but the Sox rallied to take the lead in the bottom of the eighth. The normally reliable Derek Lowe blew his second consecutive save as the O's tied the game with one out in the ninth. The O's settled matters with a rally off Bryce Florie (0-3, 4.15 ERA) again in the top of the eleventh. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the frame and the O's had sent the Sox to their 5th straight loss 8-7 at Fenway Park.

                                               Sox fans share this sentiment

Ramon Martinez got the start for the Sox in the top of the first and Brady Anderson led off by hitting one up the elevator shaft. Mike Bordick grounded out to third but Delino Deshields singled to right. Deshields stole second but Albert Belle popped up to short to end the inning. Jason Johnson got the ball for Baltimore in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman walked to start. Jeff Frye whiffed and Offerman was thrown out trying to steal. Jason Varitek lined out to left to end the inning.

The O's rallied in the top of the second although BJ Surhoff popped up to short to start. Will Clark popped up to second and Ryan Minor whiffed....but the ball got away from Varitek and the inning continued. The O's capitalized as Harold Baines singled to right and Charles Johnson singled home Minor. Brady Anderson singled home Baines for another run before Bordick grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's ahead 2-0 after the miscue by Varitek.

                                                              Nice going Varitek

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the second as Nomar Garciaparra drew a walk to start. Morgan Burkhart drove in his first run with the Red Sox with a double to right that scored Nomar. Mike Stanley grounded out to short, Brian Daubach popped up to third in foul territory and Darren Lewis grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                          Burkhart's first RBI

Ramon froze Deshields for strike three to open the top of the third before Belle lined out to left. Surhoff singled to left but Clark flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third as Wilton Veras drew a walk to start. Offerman singled to right and the throw was nowhere near the plate and Veras scored on the error. Frye singled home Offerman to give Boston the lead, Frye taking second on the throw home. Frye moved to third on the grounder by Varitek and they walked Nomar to get to Burkhart. Morgan hit a routine grounder to first but it was booted to allow Frye. Stanley whiffed and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                       Frye drives in a run

Minor grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth before Baines grounded out to first. Johnson singled to left but Anderson lined out to left to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Lewis whiffed to start. Veras flied out to right and Offerman whiffed to end the inning.

The floodgates opened in the top of the fifth when Bordick hit a routine grounder to Veras who threw himself on the ball and wrestled with it for an error. DeShields singled to right and Belle singled home Bordick. Surhoff singled home DeShields to tie the game and send Belle to third. Clark scored Belle with a sac fly to give the O's the lead. Minor popped up to short and Baines flied out to right to end the inning with the O's ahead 5-4.

                                                     Nice error Veras

Frye lined out to right to start the bottom of the fifth before Varitek went down hacking. Nomar walked but Burkhart grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramon came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth as Johnson whiffed to start. Anderson was hit by a pitch but Bordick flied out to right. Anderson swiped second but DeShields popped up to first to end the inning. Ramon got lit up for 5 runs in just 6 innings although only 2 of the runs were earned.

                                                            Not Ramon's best effort

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the sixth as Stanley whiffed to start. Daubach flied out to center but Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rheal Cormier came in for the top of the seventh and Belle flied out to left to start. Surhoff singled and moved to second on the Clark grounder before Minor walked. Baines popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox tied it up in the bottom of the seventh as Veras walked to start. Offerman dropped down a bunt to move Wilton to second but Frye popped up to second. Mike Timlin came in to pitch to Varitek and Jason doubled to left to score Veras to tie the game. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 5-5.

                                                 Varitek ties it up

Just as soon as the Sox tied it, the Orioles re-took the lead instantly in the top of the eighth with Rod Beck now on the mound. Johnson hit his second home run in many days to give the O's the lead before Anderson flied out to center. Bordick lined out to first and DeShields grounded out to second to end the inning with the O's ahead 6-5.

                                                        Thanks a lot Beck

The Sox rallied in the bottom of the eighth as Burkhart singled to center to start. Carl Everett pinch hit for Stanley with Curtis Pride pinch running for Burkhart. Everett flied out to right as Chuck McElroy was brought in to pitch to Daubach. Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by pinch hitting Izzy Alcantara to pinch hit for Brian. Alcantara respinded with a base hit to left and Mike Trombley came in to pitch to Lewis. Lewis beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners and Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Veras, getting a base hit to right to score Pride and advancing Lewis to third. Manny Alexander pinch ran for Hatteberg and Offerman singled home Lewis to give the Sox the lead. Frye walked but Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-6.

                                                           Offerman gives the Sox the lead

For the second straight game Derek Lowe blew the save in the top of the ninth. Belle grounded out to short but Surhoff doubled to right. Clark tripled over the head of Lewis to score Surhoff with the tying run. Mark Lewis ran for Clark with Jeff Conine pinch hitting for Minor. Conine grounded out sharply to short and Baines was intentionally walked. Johnson grounded into a force to end the inning but the game was tied 7-7.

Alan Mills came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Nomar lined out to left to start. Pride flied out to center and with the Sox losing the DH, Lowe was scheduled to bat. Sox manager Jimy Williams remembered Pete Schourek had batting experience in the National League and sent him to pinch hit for Lowe. Pete got a base hit to center much to Jimy's delight but Alcantara flied out to center to end the inning.

                                         Pete getting more hits than he allowed in this one

Rich Garces came in for the top of the tenth and Anderson flied out to center to start. Bordick whiffed but DeShields singled to center. Belle struck out swinging to end the inning. Jose Mercedes came in for the bottom of the tenth and Lewis popped up to short to start. Alexander whiffed but Offerman singled to left. Frye walked and Varitek flied out to left to end the inning.

Bryce Florie came in for the top of the eleventh and the O's took command as Surhoff doubled to left to start. Lewis dropped down a bunt to move Surhoff to third and Varitek interfered with Conine to put runners at the corners. Baines doubled home Surhoff to give the O's the lead but Johnson struck out swinging. Anderson was intentionally walked but Bordick grounded into a force to end the inning with the O's ahead 8-7.

                                                           Dammit Florie

Buddy Groom came in to close out the bottom of the eleventh but Nomar singled to left. Pride popped up a bunt to Groom and Sox manager Jimy Williams remembered Tom Wakefield used to bat for Pittsburgh in 1992 and sent him to pinch hit for Florie. Wakefield dropped down a bunt to move Nomar to second but Alcantara flied out to center to end the game. The O's had won it 8-7.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. For the second straight night it never should have come to Bryce Florie pitching the 11th if Lowe did his job in the ninth.

                                                        Lowe the Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 4 with an rbi, walk and a run scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 1 for 3 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Pete Schourek got a base hitter as a pinch hitter....yes you read that right.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Izzy Alcantara was 1 for 3 at the plate.

Wilton Veras walked twice and scored twice in 3 at bats.

Scott Hatteberg singled and drove in a run as a pinch hitter.

Rheal Cormier pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 10th inning.



The Bad:

Mike Stanley was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Carl Everett was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Ramon Martinez was lit up for 5 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings of work. He gave up 9 hits while only striking out 3.

Rod Beck allowed a run in the 8th inning.

Bryce Florie allowed the go-ahead run to score in the top of the 11th to take the loss.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was just 1 for 4 but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 6 with an error but drove in a run.

Curtis Pride was 0 for 2 but scored a run.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Tim Wakefield dropped down a bunt as a pinch hitter....yes you read that right.




Final Thoughts:

This month can't end fast enough but unless the Sox pull off a blockbuster trade, help doesn't appear to be coming. Everything that went right last year has gone wrong this year. Injuries and ineffectiveness on offense and in the rotation has sank the Sox to the point they are at now. Pedro Martinez may go on the DL, Trot Nixon is already on the DL, John Valentin is out for the season,  Troy O'Leary is rumored to be going through a messy divorce and all the bench guys that stepped up in May reverted back to normal this month. The Sox had their way with this Orioles in that early May series but these aren't the same Sox anymore. As for the game, that was absolutely insane. Pete Schourek pinch hitting and getting a hit, Tim Wakefield pinch hitting and dropping down a bunt. Can't say Jimy Williams doesn't get creative sometimes. The loss dropped the Sox to 37-36, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to salvage their three game set against the Orioles tomorrow night when they send tonight's pinch hitter Tim Wakefield (2-5) to the mound up against last night's pinch runner Scott Erickson at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Hold Off Yankees, Back in First (6/22/00)

Who would have thought that the Martinez that would save the Boston Red Sox in a series against the New York Yankees would be Ramon (6-4, 5.75 ERA) and not Pedro? After the Yankees bashed the Sox heads in 22-1 on Monday night then defeated Pedro the following night, the Sox showed some serious balls to win last night and tonight. Ramon tossed arguably his best game of the season by going nearly 7 innings and holding the world champs to 2 runs. Timely offense in the first couple of innings against Jake Westbrook was all the Sox need to vault back into first with a 4-2 win at Fenway Park.

                                                 The Temptations approve of the win

The Yankees struck first in the top of the first inning although Chuck Knoblauch grounded out to second to begin. Derek Jeter took strike three but Paul O'Neill walked and Bernie Williams crushed a home run all the way into the Azores to give the Yankees the lead. Tino Martinez grounded out to second to end the inning but the Yankees led 2-0.

                                                            Williams goes yard

The Sox failed to respond against Westbrook in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman took strike three to start. Jeff Frye grounded out to short and Trot Nixon lined out to second to end the inning.

The Yankees wouldn't score again the rest of the night as Ramon went to work in the top of the second inning. Jorge Posada flied out to center but Shane Spencer drew a walk. Ricky Ledee forced Spencer at second but stole second. Scott Brosius popped up to first to end the inning. The Sox clawed back in the bottom of the second inning as Nomar Garciaparra led off with a double to left and Carl Everett singled him home. Brian Daubach singled Everett to third and Carl scored on the sac fly by Jason Varitek to tie the game. Daubach moved to third on the grounder by Curtis Pride but Manny Alexander flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                         Nomar starts the rally

Ramon caught Knoblauch looking to start the top of the third before Jeter flied out to right. O'Neill doubled to left but Williams struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the third although Offerman flied out to left to start. Frye doubled to right and Nixon walked to bring up Nomar. Garciaparra delivered with a double to left to score Frye with the go-ahead run. Everett was intentionally walked to load the bases and Daubach made Westbrook pay with a base hit to left to score Nixon, but Nomar was thrown out at home. That was it for Westbrook as Jason Grimsley came in and uncorked a wild pitch to move Everett and Daubach. Varitek grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                            Sox take the lead

Ramon kept the lead intact in the top of the fourth as Tino Martinez grounded out to first to start. Posada grounded out to first and Spencer went down swinging to end the inning. Pride and Alexander both grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fourth but Knoblauch threw away a routine grounder by Offerman away. A wild pitch moved Offerman to third but Frye grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ledee struck out swinging to begin the top of the fifth but Brosius grounded out to short. Knoblauch singled to left but Jeter flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox nearly iced it in the bottom of the fifth as Nixon walked to start. Nomar forced Nixon at second before Everett went down hacking. Daubach walked and Varitek was plunked to load the bases but Pride whiffed to end the inning.

Ramon cruised in the top of the sixth inning as O'Neill grounded out to short to start. Williams took strike three and Tino Martinez flied out to center to end the inning. Grimsley held the Sox down in the bottom of the sixth as Alexander grounded back to the mound. Offerman lined out to first but Frye singled to right. Nixon grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ramon returned briefly in the top of the seventh with Darren Lewis now in left. Posada whiffed but Spencer singled to right. Ledee popped up to short and Sox manager Jimy Williams thought that was good enough for Ramon. Martinez pitched great to hold the Yankees to two runs in 6 2/3 innings. Bryce Florie came in and gave up a single to Brosius, but Knoblauch grounded out to third to end the inning.

                                                         Hell of an effort by Ramon

Mike Stanton came in for the bottom of the seventh and looked more like himself. Nomar lined out to left but Everett singled to center. Daubach whiffed and Varitek flied out to left to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in for the top of the eighth and cruised. Jeter flied out to right, O'Neill grounded out to first and Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the eighth as Lewis grounded out to third to start. Alexander grounded out to second and Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe was brought in to close out the top of the ninth and Tino Martinez grounded out to second to begin. Posada hit a bullet but Nomar snared it and Spencer grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won the game and reclaimed first place with the 4-2 win.

Hero of the night is Ramon Martinez. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of 2 run ball against the world champs to earn the win.

                                                 Ramon The Hero



The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Trot Nixon walked twice and scored a run in 4 at-bats.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Bryce Florie got the final out of the 7th inning.

Rich Garces tossed a scoreless 8th inning.

Derek Lowe earned his 17th save with a scoreless ninth inning.



The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Curtis Pride was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 4.



The Ugly:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 2 but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.




Final Thoughts:

That's more like it. After the Sox more or less lucked into a win last night due to the ineffectiveness of Mike Stanton, tonight they needed strong pitching to beat the champs. Ramon Martinez stepped up big time as did the bullpen. The Sox didn't get much offense once Westbrook was out of the game but they got all they needed with the way the pitching staff held the fort. The Sox are a starter or two away from seriously challenging the Yankees for AL East supremacy and Sox manager Dan Duquette has a little over a month to find that starter. As for now, how about those first place Red Sox? The win improved the Sox to 37-31, 0.5 games in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to continue their winning ways against the surging Toronto Blue Jays in their next series. Tomorrow night John Wasdin (0-2) gets the spot start against Frank Castillo at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.