Sox Bash Jays Again (4/17/02)

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

                                 Boston Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek approves of the win

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

                                                        Ramirez starts the party

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

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

                                                                  So much for Eyre

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

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

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

                                                          Cruz hits one out

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

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

                                                        Damon helps Delgado up

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

                                                  Sanchez drives in a run by getting hit

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

                                                         Oliver gets it done

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

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

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

                                                             Kim allows a run

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

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

The Good:

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

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

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

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

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

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

                                                        White puts New York on top

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

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

                                                           Soriano hits one out

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

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

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

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

                                                     Wakefield gives six solid innings

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

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

                                                        Johnson drives in a big run

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

                                                     Ramirez jacks one gone

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

                                                         Kim gives up a run

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

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

                                                     Rivera saves it for the Yankees

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

                                                            Banks The Jackass

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Doug Mirabelli was 1 for 2.

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

Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Johnny Damon was 0 for 4.

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Carlos Baerga was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

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

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                              The Rock & Hulk Hogan approve of the win

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

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

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

                                                    "You're out you dummy!" - Jeter

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

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

                         Sox strike first

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

                                                               Oliver gets it done

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

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

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

                            Garces is pumped up

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

                                                          Merloni with a clutch double

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

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

                                                     Oliver The Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

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

Carlos Baerga was 2 for 3.

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

Rey Sanchez was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Rich Garces struck out the only man he faced.

The Bad:

Tony Clark was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

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

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Royals Pull Away Late, Beat Sox (4/10/02)

It was fun while it lasted but the Boston Red Sox four game win streak came to an end at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. Derek Lowe (1-1, 1.29 ERA) pitched great by allowing just two runs in 7 innings. The problem was Royals starter Paul Byrd was better, holding the Sox to 1 run in 7 innings. "El Guapo" Rich Garces took a four run beating in the top of the eighth to put the game on ice. It all added up to a 6-2 Royals victory over the Sox at Fenway Park.

                                                   Randy Quaid is angry again

The Royals wasted no time getting to Lowe in the top of the first inning as Chuck Knoblauch singled to left to start. Knoblauch moved to second on the grounder to third by Neifi Perez although Carlos Beltran popped up to second. Knoblauch swiped second and scored on the base hit to right by Mike Sweeney. Michael Tucker struck out swinging to end the inning but the Royals were up 1-0.

                                                          Sweeney drives in a run

Byrd got the ball in the bottom of the first and Johnny Damon popped up to short to start. Rey Sanchez also popped up to short and Nomar Garciaparra popped up to second to end the inning.

Joe Randa doubled to left to begin the top of the second but Raul Ibanez popped up to short. Brent Mayne took strike three and Carlos Febles grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second although Manny Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Tony Clark flied out to left but Brian Daubach obliterated his second home run of the season to tie the game. Shea Hillenbrand struck out swinging to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                                  Daubach ties it

Lowe cruised in the top of the third as Knoblauch grounded out to third to start. Perez grounded out to second and Beltran flied out to right to end the inning. Byrd cruised in the bottom of the third as Trot Nixon flied out to center to start. Jason Varitek took strike three and Damon grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Royals got another run in the top of the fourth as Sweeney doubled to left to start. Tucker flied out to left and Randa watched strike three go by, but Ibanez walked. Mayne singled to right to score Sweeney and the runners moved up on the throw home. Febles grounded out to short to end the inning with the Royals up 2-1.

                                                               Mayne drives in a run

The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Sanchez grounded out to short to start. Nomar hit one up the elevator shaft and Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lowe got in trouble in the top of the fifth as Knoblauch singled to center and promptly swiped second. Perez beat out a roller to short and Beltran caught Lowe napping with a bunt single to load the bases. Sweeney banged into a 5-2-3 double play and Tucker flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox blew their own rally in the bottom of the fifth as Clark flied out to center to start. Daubach singled to center and took third on the base hit to right by Hillenbrand. Daubach moved to third on the fly out to right by Nixon and Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Randa flied out to right to start the top of the sixth before Ibanez grounded out to second. Mayne lined out to center to end the inning. Damon flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez popped up to short. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning. 

Lowe returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Nomar booted a ground ball by Febles for an error. Febles swiped second and Knoblauch moved him over to third on a sacrifice bunt. Perez popped up to center and Febles tried to score but was thrown out a the plate by Damon to end the inning. Lowe pitches great, allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings but the Sox bats couldn't pick him up.

                                                             Lowe deserved better

Byrd cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Ramirez grounded out to second to start. Clark grounded out to first and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

The floodgates opened with Rich Garces on the mound in the top of the eighth as Beltran singled to right to start. Beltran swiped second and moved to third on the infield single to short by Sweeney. Tucker ripped a base hit to center to score Beltran and Randa doubled home Sweeney to ice the game. Ibanez hit a sac fly to right to score Tucker and move Randa to third before Randa scored on the sac fly to left by Mayne. Febles grounded out to first to end the inning with the Royals up 6-1.

                                                           "Garces......"

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the eighth as Hillenbrand got a base hit to left to start. Nixon flied out to left but Varitek singled to right to chase Byrd. Old friend Brian Shouse came in and plunked Damon to load the bases. Carlos Baerga pinch hit for Sanchez and....hit a sac fly to center to score Hillenbrand. Old pal Corey Bailey relieved Shouse and struck out Nomar swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                         Baerga drives in a run

Sun-Woo Kim made his season debut in the bottom of the eighth and plunked Knoblauch to start. Knoblauch stole second but Perez popped up to third. Beltran took strike three and Sweeney grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bailey returned to close out the top of the ninth and Ramirez went down hacking to start. Clark grounded out to short and Daubach whiffed to end the game. The Royals had won it 6-2.

Jackass of the Night is Rich Garces. He allowed 4 runs to put the game out of reach in the eighth inning.

                                                                  El Burro

The Good:

Carlos Baerga drove in a run in his only at-bat.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Derek Lowe pitched great. He allowed just 2 runs in 7 innings while striking out three.

Sun-Woo Kim pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 3.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Tony Clark was 0 for 4.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 but struck out twice and allowed 5 stolen bases.

Final Thoughts:

So thats what it felt like to lose huh? After the 3 off-days and four straight wins its been a while since the Sox lost. Sad part was the Sox could have made the game more competitive if Garces didn't lose his lunch in the eighth inning. It's a shame Lowe took the loss because he pitched well for the second straight game. Garces has been solid for years so that's probably just a hiccup, the real story was Ramirez, Nomar & Clark going 0 for 12 with 2 strikeouts. Can't win too many games when your heart of the order does absolutely nothing. Still, the Sox fought hard but couldn't generate any offense. Sun-Woo Kim looked good in his season debut and it's a shame Dustin Hermanson had to get hurt in order for Kim to get called up. All in all it's a bad loss but those are going to happen. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night against Kansas City when Frank Castillo goes for the Sox against Chad Durbin of the Royals. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.