Braves Shut Out Sox (7/8/01)

What the hell was that? In the last game before the All-Star break the Boston Red Sox laid an egg against the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Local boy Tom Glavine was magnificent by tossing 7 shut-out innings while the Braves offense pounded Tomo Ohka and a host of Red Sox relievers. When it all was said and done the Braves took 2 out of 3 to end the first half on a low note with an 8-0 victory at Fenway Park. How many runs did the Sox score Dean Wormer?

Ohka started off strong by getting Quilvio Veras to ground out to second to start the top of the first. BJ Surhoff doubled to left but Andruw Jones flied out to right and Chipper Jones grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox missed a chance to score off Glavine in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman started with a walk. Chris Stynes flied out to right but Trot Nixon singled. Manny Ramirez flied out to right which sent Offerman to third, but Dante Bichette grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ohka whiffed Ken Caminiti to open the top of the second but Brian Jordan singled to center. Javy Lopez banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Shea Hillenbrand popped up to second, Mike Lansing was thrown out trying to bunt and Doug Mirabelli whiffed to end the inning.

Rico Brogna grounded out to second to begin the top of the third but Mark DeRosa singled to center. Veras grounded out to second and Surhoff popped up to third to end the inning. Glavine cruised in the bottom of the third as Darren Lewis flied out to right to begin. Offerman grounded out to first and Stynes grounded out to short to end the inning.

                                                          Stynes can't crack Glavine

Ohka got the Braves to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fourth inning. Andruw Jones grounded out to short, Chipper Jones grounded out to first and Caminiti also grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Nixon grounded out to short to start. Ramirez walked but Bichette banged into a double play to end the inning.

All of a sudden Ohka lost it in the top of the fifth as Jordan cracked a 400,000 foot home run to put the Braves on top. Lopez flied out to center and Brogna flied out to left but DeRosa and Veras stroked back to back singles before moving into scoring position on a balk. Surhoff doubled home both runners to ice the game. Andruw Jones put the exclamation point on with a 2 run bomb. Chipper Jones whiffed to end the inning but the Braves had pounded the Sox for 5 runs. That was it for Ohka as he allowed 5 runs in 5 innings to trail 5-0 as he left.

                                                            Nice going Ohka

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Hillenbrand flied out to right, Lansing flied out to center and Mirabelli grounded out to third.

Hipolito Pichardo came in to crap his pants in the top of the sixth as Caminiti doubled to start. Jordan singled and Lopez singled in Caminiti to score a run and chase Pichardo. Bryce Florie was brought in and got Brogna to bang into a double play. DeRosa flied out to right to end the inning with the Braves ahead 6-0.

Glavine cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Lewis lined out to second to start. Offerman flied out to center before Stynes watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Florie cruised in the top of the seventh as Veras grounded out to second to begin. Surhoff flied out to right before Andruw Jones looked at strike three to end the inning. The Sox had their only rally in the bottom of the seventh as Nixon and Ramirez stroked back to back singles to start. That was it as Bichette popped up to first, Hillebrand whiffed and Lansing grounded out to short to end the inning.

Bill Pulsipher was brought in for the top of the eighth and got no help from his defense. Chipper Jones hit a routine grounder to Lansing who fielded the ball and threw it over the Monster into the screen for an error. Jones ended up on second before moving to third on the grounder to short by Caminiti. Jordan doubled home Jones to increase the lead. Lopez walked before Wes Helms pinch hit for Brogna only to strike out. DeRosa walked to load the bases but Veras whiffed to end the inning with the Braves ahead 7-0.

Mike Remlinger relieved Glavine and cruised in the bottom of the eighth. Mirabelli whiffed but Lewis somehow singled. Offerman banged into a double play to end the inning.

Carlos Castillo came in to take a beating in the top of the ninth although Surhoff grounded out to first to start. Andruw Jones popped up to first but Chipper Jones launched a 5,000 foot home run to wrap up the scoring. Caminiti grounded out to third to end the inning with the Braves ahead 8-0.

Steve Reed had mop up duty in the bottom of the ninth and Stynes grounded out to short to begin. Nixon flied out to right and Ramirez took strike three to end the game. The Sox mustered just 4 hits, committed an error and was humiliated 8-0.

Jackass of the Night is Tomo Ohka. Now that the Sox offense were going to crack Glavine but he didn't do them any favors by allowing 5 runs in 5 innings.

                                                            Nice going Jackass

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4.

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 full scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 4.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with an error.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Hipolito Pichardo faced 3 men and allowed 2 hits, a double and a run.

Carlos Castillo allowed a run in the top of the ninth.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked.

Bill Pulispher allowed an unearned run in the top of the eighth.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about limping into the All-Star break. The Sox entered July in first place and ended up in second just 7 days later. The red hot New York Yankees have won 10 out of 11 to take control of the division and the Sox are going to have to step it up in the second half to get back in first. The loss of Pedro Martinez and Jason Varitek hurts but the Sox still have enough talent to compete, especially for the wild card if nothing else. As for this game, not much you can do against Glavine but tip your cap and go get em tomorrow...or in this case after the break. The Sox head into the All-Star break 51-36, 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox head out on a 4 team road trip beginning Thursday in New York against the Mets in interleague play. Nobody knows who's going to start but that's when the season resumes.

Ohka Pounded, Mariners Take Series (5/10/01)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made an expected roster move. Chris Stynes was placed on the Disabled List with a fractured cheekbone and Lou Merloni was called up to replace him. Its a shame Stynes got hurt because he was playing well when he took the fastball to the face. Thanks a lot Aaron Sele!

                                                                        OUT

                                                                         IN

As for the game, the Seattle Mariners are damn good this year and the Boston Red Sox found out why big time. Timely hitting by the Seattle offense and a shut down bullpen were too much for the Red Sox today. Tomo Ohka (2-2, 3.57 ERA) was game but John Halama of the Mariners was better. Sox manager Jimy Williams rode Ohka too long and it paved the way for the 5-2 victory by the Mariners at Fenway Park.

                                                    Sox fans react

Ohka got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ichiro Suzuki led off with a fly out to left to begin. Stan Javier grounded out to short but Edgar Martinez walked. John Olerud grounded out to short to end the inning. Halama got the start for Seattle and Darren Lewis led off the bottom of the first with a groundout to third. Jose Offerman flied out to right and Carl Everett whiffed to end the inning.

Ohka cruised in the top of the second inning as Bret Boone flied out to right, Al Martin grounded out to second and David Bell flied out to left to end the inning. Manny Ramirez walked to start the bottom of the second but Dante Bichette banged into a double play. Jason Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Ohka whiffed Dan Wilson to begin the top of the third but Carlos Guillen singled to right. Guillen was erased on the Ichiro force and Javier grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a huge chance to take the lead in the bottom of the third after John Valentin doubled to start. Shea Hillenbrand beat out an infield single to short but Valentin had to stay at second. Lansing dropped down a bunt to move the runners over but Lewis killed the rally with a pop up to short. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning. What a waste.

The Mariners did nothing in the top of the fourth inning as Martinez looked at strike three to start. Olerud grounded out to first and Boone grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox also did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Everett whiffed to start. Ramirez flied out to right and Bichette hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Seattle struck first in the top of the fifth inning as Martin singled to start. Bell whiffed and Wilson flied out to right but Guillen singled into the gap. Martin came all the way around and Varitek applied the tag....SAFE! Martin was ruled safe at the plate and Varitek went berserk. He threw the baseball into the fourth row and chucked his mask at home plate umpire Mark Wegner. Varitek got the heave-ho and had to be escorted out of Fenway by armed mounted police officers. Guillen took second on the throw as the Mariners took the lead. Scott Hatteberg took Varitek's place at the dish and Ichiro singled home Guillen. Ichiro swiped second but Javier grounded out to second to end the inning with the Mariners up 2-0.

                                                      YERRRRRR OUT!!

The Sox did manage to fight back in the bottom of the fifth although Hatteberg grounded out to short to start. Valentin walked and Hillenbrand hit a routine grounder to Boone...WHO THREW IT AWAY! Both runners moved into scoring position as Valentin scored on the sac fly by Lansing to cut the lead. Lewis looked at strike three to end the inning but the Sox were back in it 2-1.

                                                         Valentin scores a run

Sox manager Jimy Williams gambled by sending Ohka back out for the top of the sixth and it backfired. Martinez clubbed a 3,000 foot home run to give the Mariners the two run lead back before Olerud singled. Boone atoned for his error by launching a 200,000 foot home run to ice the game and chase Ohka. Tomo did well but fell apart in the 6th, allowing 5 runs in 5 plus innings. Derek Lowe came in to put out the fire and Martin lined out to center. Bell grounded out to third before Wilson singled. Guillen grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mariners up 5-1.

                                                       Ohka ran out of gas

The Sox did manage to strike back in the bottom of the 6th as Offerman doubled to start. Everett flied out to center to move Offerman to third as that was it for Halama. Jeff Nelson came in and all Ramirez could do was ground out to score Offerman with a run to cut the lead. Bichette grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox down 5-2.

                                                       Ramirez drives in a run

Lowe returned for the top of the seventh and got Ichiro to ground out to short to begin. Javier walked and moved to second on the Martinez ground out. Olerud was intentionally walked to get to Boone who flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox pissed away a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Hatteberg singled and Valentin walked to bring the tying run to the plate...but Hillenbrand whiffed. Norm Charlton was brought in to pitch as Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by bringing in Brian Daubach to pinch hit for Lansing much to Mike's dismay. Daubach whiffed and Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning, what a waste.

Tim Wakefield came in to pitch the top of the eighth and he whiffed Martin to start. Bell struck out swinging before Wilson grounded out to second to end the inning. Charles Gipson came in for Martin for the bottom of the eighth and the Sox went quietly. Offerman whiffed, Everett lined out to second and Ramirez flied out to left to end the inning.

Rod Beck came in to pitch the top of the ninth and got three straight flyball outs. Guillen flied out to center while both Ichiro and Javier flied out to left to end the inning. Kazuhiro Sasaki came in to close out the bottom of the ninth but Bichette doubled to start. Hatteberg grounded out to short but Dante moved to third. Valentin popped up to short and Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the game. The Mariners had held on to win 5-2.

Jackass of the Night is Tomo Ohka. He got knocked out in the 6th inning while allowing 5 runs on 5 hits and a walk.

                                                       Jackass Tomo

The Good:

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 3.

John Valentin was 1 for 2 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Mike Lansing sacrificed twice and drove in a run.

Derek Lowe pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Tim Wakefield pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Darren Lewis was 0 for 4 with a strikeout

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 before getting ejected.

Brian Daubach struck out as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

The Mariners are off to a hot start and the Sox got caught up in the blaze. The Mariners are pitching, hitting and defending well and today was no different. The Sox couldn't get that clutch hit to put them in the game and Ohka pitched well until he ran out of gas. The Sox are going to need to find a way to beat the Mariners because they look for real this year. Getting Nomar Garciaparra, David Cone and Chris Stynes back healthy is a must going forward. The Mariners have won 4 of 6 against the Sox but the good news is they don't have to play each other again. The loss knocked the Sox out of first place as they are now 20-15 on the season, 0.5 games back of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox are back in action against the visiting Oakland A's. Paxton Crawford (3-1) fresh off beating Barry Zito goes for the Sox up against Cory Lidle of the A's tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

A's Drop Slumping Sox (5/4/01)

It was bound to happen but the Boston Red Sox have hit their first slump of the season. After dropping 4 out of 5 games to the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners, they came to Oakland and laid an egg against the struggling A's. The Sox took a 3-0 lead on Gil Heredia and the A's when Tomo Ohka got knocked out in the second inning with the A's down 3-2. The A's managed to score 5 runs off the Sox bullpen including the struggling Derek Lowe. Meanwhile the A's bullpen pitched a shutout after the third inning as the Sox lost their third straight game 7-3 at Oakland Coliseum.

The Sox wasted no time getting to Heredia in the top of the first inning as Chris Stynes popped up to first to start. Trot Nixon doubled to center and moved to third on the Carl Everett fly ball to center. Manny Ramirez lined a base hit to right to score Nixon to put Boston on top. Dante Bichette singled to left but Scott Hatteberg lined back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                                  Ramirez drives in a run

Ohka got the ball in the bottom of the first inning and Johnny Damon lined out to third to start. Frank Menechino struck out swinging but Jason Giambi doubled to left. Terrence Long grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Shea Hillenbrand flied out to left to start the top of the second inning but Brian Daubach grounded out to first. Miguel Tejada threw a ball by Mike Lansing away for an error but Stynes struck out swinging to end the inning. Olmedo Saenz walked to start the bottom of the second but Jeremy Giambi banged into a double play. Tejada flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Nixon doubled to center to start. Everett dropped down a bunt but beat it out for a base hit. Ramirez struck out swinging but Heredia uncorked a wild pitch. Catcher Ramon Hernandez tried to throw out Nixon at third but Eric Chavez muffed the throw, allowing Nixon to score and Everett to move to third. Bichette singled to center to score Everett and increase the lead. Hatteberg flied out to left and Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                          Bichette drives in a run

The A's then pounced on Ohka in the bottom of the third as Chavez singled to center to start. Chavez stole second and moved to third on the Hernandez grounder to second. Damon singled to right to score Chavez then stole second himself. Damon took third on the passed ball and Menechino singled left to score Damon. Menechino stole second as it was plainly obvious Ohka wasn't holding runners on at all. Jason Giambi walked and both runners moved over on the Long grounder to first. Saenz walked to load the bases and Sox manager Jimy Williams wisely pulled the plug on Ohka before things could get worse. Ohkla lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed 2 runs before getting yanked. Derek Lowe came in and struck out Jeremy Giambi swinging with the Sox still ahead 3-2.

                                                           Ohka gets hammered

Heredia cruised in the top of the fourth inning as Daubach grounded out to short to start. Lansing flied out to center and Stynes grounded out to third to end the inning. Tejeda singled to center to begin the bottom of the fourth and moved to second on the Chavez fly ball to left. Tejada swiped third on the swinging strikeout by Hernandez and Damon grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nixon tried to start a rally in the top of the fifth inning as he doubled to center. Everett lined out to left but Ramirez was intentionally walked. Bichette lined out to left and Hatteberg grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The A's rallied in the bottom of the fifth although Menechino struck out swinging to start. Jason Giambi doubled to center and Terrance Long singled to right. Saenz was plunked and that was it for Lowe. Pete Schourek was tasked to get out of the mess but Jeremy Giambi grounded out to second to score his brother to tie the game. Tejada was intentionally walked to re-load the bases but Chavez made the Sox pay with a base hit to right to score Long and Saenz to give the A's the lead. Hernandez flied out to left to end the inning with the A's ahead 5-3.

                                                       The Giambi's give the A's the lead

Hillenbrand grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the sixth but Daubach walked to chase Heredia. TJ Mathews came in to pitch and Lansing walked to put the tying runs on. Stynes banged into a double play to end the inning. Damon flied out to right to start the bottom of the sixth but Menechino doubled to left. Jason Giambi walked but Long banged into a double play.

Mike Magnante came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Nixon struck out swinging to start. Everett popped up to first and Jeff Tam came in for Magnante. Ramirez grounded out to short to end the inning. Rod Beck came in to pour gas on the fire in the bottom of the seventh as Saenz grounded out to third to start. Jeremy Giambi hit a swinging bunt in front of the plate and Hatteberg turned and fired the ball over the unsuspecting Hillenbrand's head at third for an error. Tejada popped up to left but Chavez crushed a 2 run home run all the way to San Jose to ice the game. Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning with the A's ahead 7-3.

                                                                 Chavez ices it

Bichette singled to center to start the top of the eighth and moved to second on the Hatteberg grounder to second. Daubach popped up to short to end the inning. Beck returned for the bottom of the eighth and Damon grounded out to second to start. Menechino struck out swinging but Jason Giambi was hit with a pitch. Long singled to center but Saenz grounded out to third to end the inning.

Tam returned for the top of the ninth and Jose Offerman pinch hit for Lansing to begin. Offerman grounded out to second and Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Stynes. O'Leary grounded out to first and Nixon flied out to right to end the game. The A's had won it 7-3.

Jackass of the Night is Derek Lowe. Yes Pete Schourek gave up the hit to Chavez but Lowe was the one who loaded the bases to begin with and was charged with all 3 runs they scored that inning.

                                                         Lowe is Jackass again

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Dante Bichette was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4 with an error.

Jose Offerman was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Tomo Ohka got lit up for 2 runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Rod Beck allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

The Ugly:

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

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 but walked.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 but walked.

Pete Schourek allowed 3 inherited runners to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

The A's are a damn good team and they proved it tonight. The A's pounded every mistake the Sox pitchers made and took advantage of every second chance or clutch hit situation. The A's pitchers shut down the Sox after the third inning and it seemed like as clutch as the A's were, the Sox were the complete opposite. Hatteberg made and error and Chavez hit a 2 run homer. The Sox intentionally walked Tejada to get to Chavez and he hits the go-ahead base hit. Chavez essentially outscored the Red Sox by himself in this one. I don't know what happened to Ohka but as good as he looked in April, he was pretty bad today. The Bullpen had to toss almost 6 full innings and naturally they allowed 5 runs/ Suddenly the strength of the team that started out 12-4 has become a weakness if the pitching falls apart. Once again Lowe was charged with a loss even though Schourek couldn't limit the damage. It doesn't matter where they bring Lowe in, he just gives up runs. If the Sox rotation falters and they don't have a closer, expect the New York Yankees to leapfrog them pretty soon. The loss dropped the Sox to 17-12, a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound when Paxton Crawford (2-0) takes on Barry Zito of the A's tomorrow afternoon. The game begins at 4:05 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

Royals Crush Sloppy Sox (4/28/01)

Of the eight losses the Boston Red Sox have suffered this season, tonight's game against the Kansas City Royals is unquestionably the worst. Six of the losses were one run games and the seventh was the gem pitched by Andy Pettitte. This game eclipsed them all with bad pitching, bad offense and horrendously bad defense. The Sox committed not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE errors in the field against the Royals. Tomo Ohka (2-1, 2.28 ERA) served up 5 runs in 5 innings but only one of them were earned. The Sox bats were held to just 2 runs by Dan Reichert and the Royals bullpen and Tim Wakefield coughed up another 3 runs in relief. The five errors and eight runs allowed were more than enough for the Royals to beat the Sox 8-3 at Fenway Park.

                                                                "Five errors?"

The incompetence began in the top of the first inning for Ohka and the Red Sox. Carlos Beltran hit a routine grounder to Offerman who threw his glove at the ball and did a disco shimmy for an error to start. Beltran moved to second on a grounder to third by Sanchez and Mark Quinn doubled Carlos home to give the Royals the lead. Jermaine Dye took strike three but Mike Sweeney walked. Dee Brown struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                        Offerman sets the tone with an error

Reichert took the mound in the bottom of the first and Trot Nixon hit a routine grounder to Rey Sanchez who threw the ball away for an error. Jose Offerman struck out swinging but Carl Everett singled Nixon to third and swiped second. Manny Ramirez struck out swinging and and Troy O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning.

Joe Randa flied out to left to begin the top of the second and Hector Ortiz grounded out to second. Luis Ordaz singled to right but Beltran popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Jason Varitek walked to start. Shea Hillenbrand tripled into the centerfield triangle to tie the game and scored on the Brian Daubach grounder to give the Sox the lead. Mike Lansing flied out to right and Sanchez dropped a pop up by Nixon for a "single". Offerman struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                   "I don't got it...." Sanchez

The comedy of errors continued in the top of the third as Sanchez hit a squibber in front of the plate that Varitek threw into right field for an error. Nixon tried to throw out Sanchez at second but airmailed the throw for another error to move Rey to third. Ohka started kicking the dirt after Quinn scored Sanchez with a sac fly to tie the game. Dye flied out to right and Sweeney grounded out to second to end the inning but the game was tied 2-2.

                                                          Nice throw Trot

Everett walked to start the bottom of the third but was forced at second by Ramirez. O'Leary popped up to third but Varitek singled in the hole at short. Hillenbrand popped up to first to end the inning.

Bad defense continued in the top of the fourth as Brown grounded out to second to start. Randa popped up to second but Ortiz doubled to left. Ordaz walked and Beltran hit a grounder to Offerman who threw to first....DROPPED by Daubach for another error to score Ortiz. Sanchez flied out to center to end the inning with the Royals ahead 3-2.

                                                             Catch the damn ball

Daubach walked to start the bottom of the fourth but Lansing flied out to right. Nixon took strike three and Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning,

Quinn flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Dye grounded out to short. Sweeney flied out to left to end the inning. Everett flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth and Ramirez popped up to third. O'Leary grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ohka was finally chased in the top of the sixth as Brown walked to start. Brown stole second but Randa grounded back to the mound. Ohka turned and fired the ball into the left field screen to score Brown on Boston's fifth error of the day. That was it for Ohka who got no help from his defense and would be charged with 5 runs in just 5 innings. Tim Wakefield came in and Ortiz singled Randa to third. Ordaz hit a sac fly to center to score Randa with another run to close the book on Ohka. Beltran banged into a double play to end the inning but the Royals led 5-2.

                                                                A comedy of errors for Ohka

Varitek grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth but Hillenbrand singled to center. Daubach flied out to center but Lansing singled to center. Nixon flied out to right to end the inning.

The Royals struck again in the top of the seventh inning as Sanchez grounded out to short to start. Quinn singled to center and moved to second on the Dye grounder to third. Sweeney singled to center to score Quinn and increase the lead. Brown grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 6-2.

                                                               Sweeney drives in a run

Jason Grimsley came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Offerman grounded out to third to start. Everett popped up to third and Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Randa took strike three to start the top of the eighth and Ortiz singled to center. Ortiz moved to second on the grounder to the mound by Ordaz and to third on the base hit by Beltran. Sanchez grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirty in the bottom of the eighth as O'Leary grounded out to first to start. Varitek grounded out to third and Hillenbrand grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Royals struck again in the top of the ninth as Quinn hit a home run to Nottingham, England to start. Dye singled to center but was forced at second by Sweeney. Brown doubled home Sweeney to wrap up the scoring. Rod Beck came in to pitch and Randa flied out to right. Ortiz struck out looking to end the inning with the Royals ahead 8-2.

                                                           Quinn hits a bomb

Mercifully the game ended in the bottom of the ninth as David McCarty came in to play first and Roberto Hernandez came in to pitch. Daubach walked and Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Lansing....who grounded into a double play. Nixon flied out to left to end the game. The Royals had won it 8-2.

Jackass of the Night is Tim Wakefield. Ohka got victimized by bad defense but Wakefield allowed 3 runs and allowed an inherited runner to score to put the game out of reach.

                                                       Wakefield The Jackass

The Good:

Carl Everett was just 1 for 3 with a walk.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Brian Daubach walked twice in four plate appearances and drove in a run.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3.

Rod Beck got the final 2 outs of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout and an error.

Tomo Ohka took the loss but only allowed 1 earned run in 5 innings of work before being lifted in the sixth. He allowed only 4 hits and 3 walks but made an error too.

Final Thoughts:

That was one of if not THE worst games of the season for the Red Sox. They committed 5 errors and did almost nothing offensively. Manny Ramirez had his first real bad game and the defense was absolute garbage. It was a game of whatever could go wrong, did go wrong from pitching to hitting to defense. Wakefield was brought into a 4-2 game and by the ninth inning it was 8-2. The Sox did almost nothing on offense and the five errors hurt big time. The Sox have had a decent month to start the season but this game was not it. The less said of this disaster, the better. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow against the Royals in the rubber game of this three game set to end the month. Paxton Crawford goes up against Brian Meadows of the Royals at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Lowe Blows Another, Yanks Win 2 of 3 (4/22/01)

Something's wrong with Derek Lowe. Just a year ago he was one of the top rubber armed closers of the game and already he's blown more games this month than he has most of last season. Its a shame because the Boston Red Sox showed some life in extra innings only for Lowe to give the game away. The Sox fought the Yankees to a 2-2 deadlock after 9 innings only to take the lead in the top of the tenth. Lowe then served up nearly consecutive home runs to Paul O'Neill and David Justice to blow the game. The New York Yankees defeated the Red Sox 4-3 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                             Derek Lowe makes little girls scream

Ted Lilly got the ball to start the top of the first and Jose Offerman swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch to begin. Dante Bichette chased a 1-2 pitch in the dirt for another strikeout. Carl Everett flied out to shallow center to end the inning. Tomo Ohka took the mound for the Sox in the bottom of the first. He started well with a high strikeout of Chuck Knoblauch. Derek Jeter grounded out to second but Paul O'Neil singled over the glove of Ohka into center. Bernie Williams flied out to right to end the inning.

Manny Ramirez led off the top of the second with a home run off the top of the centerfield wall to give the Sox the lead. Troy O'Leary whiffed badly and Bernie Williams made a diving catch to rob Jason Varitek of a hit. Shea Hillenbrand extended his torrid hit streak to 9 games with a double down the left field line. Brian Daubach looked at strike tbree to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Ramirez with another home run

David Justice led off the bottom of the second waiving at a 1-2 pitch. Tino Martinez grounded out to second and Jorge Posada looked at strike three at the knees to end the inning.

The slumping Craig Grebeck was 1 for 26 going into the top of the third and he made it 1-27 looking at strike three to start. Offerman slapped one to Scott Brosius who threw wide to first, allowing Jose to reach on the error. Bichette whiffed badly again but Everett singled to center. Manny slapped a soft grounder to Brosius but was thrown out at first to end the inning. Alfonso Soriano singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to steal to begin the bottom of the third. Brosius popped up to right and Knoblauch grounded out to short to end the inning.

O'Leary popped up to start the top of the fourth but Varitek blooped a single to center. Hillenbrand grounded to third but Varitek moved to second. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. That's 7 K's for Lilly. Jeter began the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle and moved to second on the ground out by O'Neill. Ohka hit Willliams but Justice swung at strike three in the dirt. Martinez barked at umpire Bill Miller after being rung up looking to end the inning.

Grebeck drew a leadoff walk to open the top of the fifth and advanced to second on the sacrifice bunt by Offerman, much to Sox analyist Jerry Remy's surprise. The Sox committed a booboo on a grounder by Bichette. Grebeck was caught in a rundown but Jeter dropped the ball, allowing Grebeck to reach third....but Bichette wandered too far off of first and he was thrown out at first. Had Bichette stayed at first it would have been 1st and 3rd with one out. Instead, Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Ohka's 65th pitch of his outing was blasted out of the yard by Posada to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Soriano snuck a single by the mound but stupidly tried for second and was thrown out by a mile. Brosius grounded out to second but Knoblauch blooped a double down the right field line. Jeter grounded out to Hillenbrand to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Posada ties it up

Manny gave the Sox the lead back with a solo shot to left, his second of the day and 6th of the season to open the top of the sixth. O'Leary whiffed but Varitek singled over the glove of Soriano. A wild pitch by Lilly moved Varitek to second but Hillenbrand flied out to left. Daubach popped up to end the inning but the Sox had the lead back 2-1.

                                                       Ramirez hits another one out

O'Neil grounded back to the mound to open the bottom of the sixth but Williams singled to right. Just like that the bullpen began to warm with Rich Garces and Pete Schourek. Williams swiped second but Justice struck out swinging. That was it for Ohka after 94 pitches as he lifted Tomo for Pete Schourek. Three straight good starts by Ohka to begin 2001. Martinez struck out on a check swing to end the inning.

                                                             Good work Ohka

Lilly returned for the top of the seventh and got Grebeck to ground out to short. Offerman walked and Bichette singled off the glove of Soriano, advancing Jose over to third. Darren Lewis came in to pinch run for Bichette. With a chance to give the Sox some insurance, Everett swung and missed at a 3-2 fastball. That was it for Lilly after 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball with 10 strikeouts. Ramiro Mendoza came in and struck out Manny to end the inning. "El Guapo" Rich Garces was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Posada popped up to Offerman and Soriano grounded to Grebeck to begin the inning. With just 7 outs to go, Brosius blasted his first home run of the year to tie the game. Knoblauch singled and swiped second but Garces fanned Jeter to end the inning. Garces got tagged and the Yankees tied it 2-2.

                                                    Garces can't get it done

Mike Stanton was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth and O'Leary struck out swinging to start. Varitek lined out to second, but Hillenbrand singled past the diving Jeter. Shea then got himself picked off to end the inning, so much for that.

                                                                    Dammit Shea
 

Rod Beck took over in the bottom of the eighth and O'Neil blasted one deep out to right but Lewis ran it down. Williams popped up to short and Justice whiffed to end the inning.

Stanton returned for the top of the ninth and struck out Daubach. Lou Merloni pinch hit for Grebeck and grounded back to the mound. Offerman whiffed to end the inning. Beck returned for the bottom of the ninth with Merloni taking over at short. Martinez was 1 for 25 going into this at-bat and naturally doubled off the centerfield wall to begin the inning. Donzell McDonald pinch ran for Tino as Posada was intentionally walked to set up the double play. Beck then got two key outs as Soriano flied out to left and Brosius popped up to center. Things got dicey when Beck tripped throwing a pitch, leading to a balk, advancing the runners to second and third. Beck whiffed Knoblauch to end the inning and screamed at his accomplishment.

Mariano Rivera came on to pitch the top of the 10th with Luis Sojo taking over at first base. Rivera punched out Lewis and Everett flied out to center, but the Sox rallied. Ramirez singled up the middle and O'Leary singled up the middle as well. Trot Nixon pinch ran for Manny much to analyst Sean McDonough's chagrin. Varitek shocked the crowd and McDonough by blooping a single to center and Nixon scampered home to give the Sox the lead. Would Manny have scored on that? Possibly. Hillenbrand whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Nixon scores a run

Sox closer Derek Lowe (1-3, 6.48 ERA) took the mound to close it out. Lowe got Jeter to ground out to third...but O'Neil smashed a 1-2 sinker just over the right field wall to tie the game. Williams grounded out to first but Justice ended it by launching Lowe's first pitch just over the wall in right almost in the same spot as O'Neil's homer to win the game. Justice was 0-4 with a golden sombrero before the blast. A devastating 4-3 loss to the Yankees.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is easy. Once again its Derek Lowe. He served up the game tying and game winning homers in the bottom of the 10th to lose it.

                                                                Derek Lowe: Jackass



The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with two solo shots. 

Trot Nixon pinch ran for Ramirez and scored a run. 

Jason Varitek was 3 for 5 including the go-ahead rbi in the 10th. 

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 5.

Tomo Ohka was outstanding, tossing 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball against the 3-peat champions. He gave up 7 hits but didn't walk anyone while striking out 6. 

Pete Schourek got the final out of the 6th inning. 

Rod Beck tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Darren Lewis was 0 for 1 at the plate after taking over in right. 

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts. 

Lou Merloni was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Rich Garces gave up the solo homer to Brosius to tie the game in the seventh.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 with but walked. 

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 before being lifted for Lewis. 

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5. 

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts. 

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

What a disaster. The Sox had the game won but the Yankees proved why they are the defending 3 time champions. As usual the Yankees got that clutch hit and made that clutch pitch throughout the game. Justice was 0 for 4 with 4 k's before homering to end it. Tino Martinez was 1 for 25 but doubled off the wall. Garces hadn't given up a run all season but Brosius takes him deep. Ramirez did what he could to keep the Sox in the game but Garces giving up the rocket and Lowe's utter meltdown cost the Sox the game. Lowe claims to be uninjured so what the hell is his problem? There's nothing wrong with his velocity, he's locating like garbage. The Sox need to do something about him because of their 6 losses, he's been directly involved in four of them. This was a bad loss because a win would have really sent a message to the Yankees that they're for real. The Sox have an off-day to think about things before they come back on Tuesday night at home against the Minnesota Twins. Paxton Crawford (1-0) takes on Mark Redman of the Twins on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Crush, Shut Out Devil Rays (4/17/01)

If the New York Yankees vaunted pinching staff couldn't stop the Boston Red Sox over their weekend series, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had even less of a chance. Sure enough, the Boston bats feasted on the inferior Rays pitching for 11 hits and 10 runs. Manny Ramirez struck two home runs while Brian Daubach and Carl Everett also went yard for the Red Sox. On the pitching side of the ball, Tomo Ohka (2-0, 2.65 ERA) pitched arguably is best game as a member of the Red Sox as he shutout the Rays through seven innings. Rich Garces slammed the door in the final two frames and the Sox enjoyed one of their easiest victories of the season with a 10-0 romp over the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.

                                                   Molly Holly approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Rays starter Travis Harper in the top of the first inning as Trot Nixon flied out to center to start. Jose Offerman walked but was forced at second by Carl Everett. Everett swiped second and took third on a wild pitch before Manny Ramirez launched his second home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Troy O'Leary hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                          Ramirez hits one out

Ohka got the ball in the bottom of the first and Gerald Williams led off with a pop up to short. Steve Cox doubled to left and moved to third on the Greg Vaughn fly ball to center, but Fred McGriff grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox put the game away early in the top of the second although Jason Varitek grounded out to second to start. Shea Hillenbrand walked and Vaughn dropped a routine pop up by Brian Daubach in foul territory. Daubach made Vaughn pay with a 2 run blast to right to increase the lead. Lou Merloni popped up to second but Nixon walked. Offerman doubled to right and Everett cleared the bases with a 3 run shot to ice the game. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                        Everett helps end it early

Ohka cruised in the bottom of the second as Jose Guillen flied out to right to start. Aubrey Huff grounded out to second and Russ Johnson took strike three to end the inning.

Mike Judd came in to pitch the top of the third and O'Leary flied out to left to start. Varitek grounded out to first but Hillenbrand got a base hit to center. Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning. Old friend John Flaherty flied out to right to open the bottom of the third but Felix Martinez got a base hit in the hole at short. Williams popped up to second and Cox grounded out to second to end the inning.

Merloni got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Nixon banged into a double play. Offerman popped up to second to end the inning. Vaughn struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth and McGriff grounded out to second. Guillen hit a routine grounder to Offerman who dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error. Huff grounded out to short to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth but Ramirez ripped a base hit to left. O'Leary forced Ramirez at second and Varitek grounded out to second to end the inning. Johnson singled to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Flaherty hit one up the elevator shaft. Martinez singled to right but Williams banged into a double play to end the inning.

Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Daubach struck out swinging. Merloni singled to center but Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning. Craig Grebeck took over for Merloni to start the bottom of the sixth and Cox grounded out to second to start. Vaughn and McGriff stroked back to back singles but Guillen popped up to right. Huff took strike three to end the inning.

Rusty Meachem came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Offerman flied out to right to start. Everett singled to center and Huff booted a grounder by Ramirez for an error to put runners at the corners. O'Leary scored Everett with a sac fly to increase the lead and Varitek whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                          Rookie mistake by Huff

Ohka returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Johnson singled to left to start. Flaherty popped up to short and Johnson was doubled off first on a bullet hit to Ohka to end the inning. Tomo was outstanding, tossing 7 shutout innings and allowing just 7 hits.

                                                         Good work Ohka

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth as Hillenbrand flied out to right to start. Daubach was plunked for old times sake and Grebeck popped up to second. Nixon doubled home Daubach to stick it to the Rays and Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                           Nixon drives in a run

"El Guapo" Rich Garces came in for the bottom of the eighth and Williams grounded out to short to start. Cox flied out to center and Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth as Everett struck out swinging to start. Ramirez hit his second homer of the game to add to the lead. O'Leary flied out to right and Varitek popped up to Martinez in foul territory to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-0.

                Ramirez goes yard again 

Garces came back to finish off the bottom of the ninth and McGriff flied out to right to start. Guillen took strike three and Huff struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-0.

Hero of the Night is Tomo Ohka. He tossed 7 shutout innings while allowing just 7 hits to earn the win.

                                                         Ohka The Hero

The Good:

Carl Everett was 2 for 5 with a 3 run homer, stolen base and 3 runs scored.

Manny Ramirez went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 2 total runs scored and 3 total rbis.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, 2 run home run and 2 runs scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Lou Merloni was 2 for 3.

Rich Garces tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its only 14 games into the season but things are looking bright for the Boston Red Sox. Tomo Ohka looks to have taken the next step in his development and Manny Ramirez has been worth every penny spent on him so far. The addition of him in the lineup makes Carl Everett even more dangerous because they won't be able to walk him with Manny behind him. Just think of how deadly this offense will be when Nomar Garciaparra comes back. Grebeck can't even hit the ball out of his hand right now which makes it a wonder why he's even on the team at this point. Chris Stynes will be coming off the Disabled List soon and it would make more sense to cut Grebeck than it would to send down Lou Merloni. At least Merloni can hit the ball even if he's not a natural shortstop. Still, if the only thing worth complaining about is the shortstop situation, you know things are going good. Ohka was outstanding and Garces hasn't missed a beat from last year. If Derek Lowe can turn things around the pitching will be where it was last year with a new anchor on offense in Ramirez, that's bad news for the AL East. The Sox look to make it four straight wins tomorrow night when Paxton Crawford (1-1) takes on Albie Lopez of the Devil Rays. The game begins at 7:15 PM at Tropicana Field.