Yankees Sweep Sox, Mussina Nearly Perfect (9/2/01)

If you were to tell me the Boston Red Sox starting pitching held the New York Yankees to 1 earned run in 3 games I would have said "Wow, what a sweep." Yeah, it was a sweep alright, sweep for the YANKEES. After Joe Kerrigan's awful pitch count rules spoiled Frank Castillo's shutout start Friday night andUgueth Urbina spoiled Pedro Martinez' start yesterday, Mike Mussina damn near pitched a perfect game tonight. After all that, the Sox were swept by the world champion Yankees. The 3-peat champs always seem to find a way to win no matter what. Tonight David Cone (8-4, 4.13 ERA) pitched his ass off but Mussina came one strike away from throwing a perfect game. It took a pinch hit effort by Carl Everett to spoil the perfecto but the Yankees still swept the Sox out of Fenway with a 1-0 win.

                                                                "I almost had it!"

Cone took the mound in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch whiffed to start. Derek Jeter hit a routine ground ball to Mike Lansing at short who turned around and threw the ball into the third base seats for an error. David Justice popped up to short but Jeter swiped second. Bernie Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. Mussina began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Trot Nixon whiffed to start. Lansing looked at strike three on the inside corner before Izzy Alcantara lined out to short to end the inning.

Tino Martinez began the top of the second inning with a single up the middle but Jorge Posada whiffed on a splitter down and away. Paul O'Neil banged into a double play to end the inning. Manny Ramirez looked at strike three to begin the bottom of the second before Dante Bichette whiffed. Brian Daubach thought he had ball four but he was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Cone got no help from his defense in the top of the third inning although Randy Velarde popped up to second to start. Alfonso Soriano flied out to the warning track in front of the Monster before Knoblauch hit a routine grounder to Lansing who kicked the ball over to second, running in a circle screaming "GOALLLL!!" for another error. Jeter grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Shea Hillenbrand led off by grounding out to short to start. Lou Merloni also grounded out to short before Joe Oliver grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cone did what he could in the top of the fourth inning as Justice grounded out to first to start. Williams flied out to the warning track in center but Martinez walked. Posada whiffed to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the fourth as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Lansing was rung up for strike three on a high fastball before Alcantara was frozen by a curve at the knees to end the inning.

Cone continued his own good game in the top of the fifth as O'Neil froze on a back door curveball for strike three to begin. Velarde whiffed on a curveball before Soriano popped up to a running Lansing to end the inning. The Sox couldn't touch Mussina in the bottom of the fifth as Manny looked at strike three on the inside corner to start. Bichette grounded out to third before Daubach was frozen for strike three on the outside corner to end the inning.

Cone kept pace in the top of the sixth although Knoblauch singled in the hole at short. Cone recovered to get Jeter to hit into a double play before Justice whiffed badly to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the sixth as Hillenbrand popped up to center to start. As sad as it sounds, that was the first ball out of the infield for the Sox. Merloni popped up to right and Oliver took strike three to end the inning.

Cone matched Mussina in the top of the seventh as Williams grounded out to first to start. Martinez lined out to short but Posada doubled down the right field line past the diving Daubach. O'Neil was intentionally walked and rookie Nick Johnson pinch hit for Velarde only for Cone to strike him out on a splitter to end the inning. The Sox still couldn't hit Mussina in the bottom of the seventh with Enrique Wilson now at third. Nixon grounded out to first before Lansing lined out to Soriano at second. Alcantara was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Miraculously Cone kept the shut-out going in the top of the eighth although Soriano singled to right to begin. Knoblauch flied out to the centerfield warning track before Jeter whiffed. Soriano swiped second before Justice walked. Sox pitching coach John Cumberland went to the mound and informed Cone that Star Trek Voyager was on in the clubhouse and David responded by getting Williams to fly out to the centerfield wall to end the inning. Mussina kept the perfect game in the bottom of the eighth as Manny popped up to short to start. Bichette flied out to center and Daubach earned the hat trick with another strikeout to end the inning.

The Yankees finally got to Cone in the top of the ninth but not without some help. Martinez blooped a single to center but Posada popped up to left. O'Neil hit a routine double play ball to Merloni but he dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error that allowed Martinez to go to third. Clay Bellinger pinch ran for Martinez as Sox manager Joe Kerrigan went to the mound. Rather than take Cone out he told him to go get Wilson before leaving. Leaving David in backfired as Wilson doubled down the right field line to score Bellinger and give the Yankees the lead. That was it for Cone who was outstanding, going 8 1/3 inning allowing just the unearned run.

                                                      Cone deserved better

Derek Lowe came in to stop the bleeding and he struck out Soriano to get a key out. Knoblauch hit a grounder to third that Hillenbrand damn near threw away. Daubach scooped it but almost got cleaned out by Knoblauch to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

Mussina came out to finish the perfect game in the bottom of the ninth as Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Hillenbrand. O'Leary hit a bullet but Bellinger made a great diving stop and flip to Mussina for the out. Merloni whiffed on a curve in the dirt before Carl Everett pinch hit for Oliver. Mussina was one strike away from perfection when Everett lined a base hit to left to break up the perfecto. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett and now after all of that, one swing of the bat would either tie or win the game. Nixon took Roger Clemens yard to win a game in the ninth last season but this time Mussina got Trot to ground out to second to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Red Sox out of Fenway with 3 straight late inning rallies and effectively ended the AL East race.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since 10 out of 11 guys failed to put the ball in play just once but I'll go with Lou Merloni. Not only did he go 0 for 4 but his error in the ninth led to the only run scoring for the Yankees.

                                                         Merloni you Jackass!



The Good:

Carl Everett got the only hit of the game for the Sox pinch hitting in the ninth.

David Cone was the hard luck loser but he was hardly a loser. He tossed 8 1/3 innings and gave up no earned runs, just the unearned in the ninth while striking out 8.

Derek Lowe retired the only two men he faced.



The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Izzy Alcantara was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 2.

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

Joe Oliver was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

None



Honorable Mention:

Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

As the season goes down the crapper this series was a microcosm of exactly why. The Sox had 3 straight outstanding starting pitching performances against the Yankees but the champs still found ways to win. Nothing is going right for the Red Sox and it feels like the titanic is sinking. They did their best to hold on waiting for Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez to return but Nomar's wrist just couldn't get healthy and Pedro's shoulder is definitely not right. That extra inning marathon loss seemed to sap the life of this team and it doesn't look like they are a playoff contender. How do you come back from this? You hold the best team in baseball to 2 runs in 3 games by your starters and lose all three of them, how are you going to beat anyone else? The loss dropped the Sox to 71-64, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East with just 27 games to play. After an off-day the Sox return to action Tuesday night with the Cleveland Indian coming to town. Indians ace Bartolo Colon goes for the Indians against Hideo Nomo (11-6) of the Sox at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

White Sox Shut Down Red Sox (7/28/01)

That sucked. In a game the Boston Red Sox had to have to keep pace with the New York Yankees, instead they drop a turd against the now .500 Chicago White Sox. Tim Wakefield (6-6, 3.38 ERA) was game but Mark Buehrle was better. A clutch double by Magglio Ordonez was the difference in the game as the White Sox bullpen slammed the door on the 3-1 victory by the ChiSox at Fenway Park.

Wakefield got the ball in the top of the first and Ray Durham whiffed to begin. Aaron Rowand walked but Carlos Lee popped up to third. Ordonez popped up to short to end the inning. The Sox got their only run in the bottom of the first against Buehrle. Jose Offerman and Chris Stynes drew back to back walks before a Trot Nixon flyout moved Offerman to third. Ramirez scored Jose with a sac fly to give the BoSox the lead. Dante Bichette grounded into a force to end the inning with the Bosox ahead 1-0.

                                                                 Manny drives in a run

Jose Canseco flied out to center to start the top of the second before Paul Konerko looked at strike three. Herbert Perry lined out to third to end the inning. Nothing happened in the bottom of the second as Carl Everett lined out to left to start. Mike Lansing singled to right and took second on a balk. Shea Hillenbrand popped up to third and Scott Hatteberg popped up to second to end the inning.

Sandy Alomar drew a walk to begin the top of the third but Wakefield struck out Royce Clayton. Durham singled to center but Rowand banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox blew their chance to blow it open in the bottom of the third as Offerman popped up to second to begin. Stynes singled to left but Nixon whiffed. Ramirez walked but Bichette whiffed to end the inning.

The White Sox threatened in the top of the fourth although Lee whiffed to start. Ordonez doubled to left then swiped third before Canseco walked to put runners at the corners. Konerko popped up to second but Perry was plunked to load the bases. Alomar grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the fourth as Everett flied out to center to start. Lansing grounded out to second and Hatteberg grounded out to third to end the inning.

The White Sox struck back in the top of the fifth although Clayton flied out to left to begin. Durham grounded out to second but Rowand singled. Rowand took second on a passed ball and Lee singled him home. Ordonez doubled and Canseco walked to load the bases but Konerko whiffed to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

The BoSox failed to respond in the bottom of the fifth as Hatteberg lined back to Buehrle to start. Offerman flied out to right but Stynes doubled down the right field line. Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning.

Wakefield cruised in the top of the sixth as Perry and Alomar both flied out to left. Clayton flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox threatened again in the bottom of the sixth as Ramirez singled and Bichette walked but Everett popped up to second. Lansing banged into a double play to end the inning.

The ChiSox took command in the top of the seventh as Durham walked to start. Durham was erased on the force by Rowand before Rowand swiped second.  Lee tripled home Rowand to put Chicago on top and chase Wakefield. "El Guapo" Rich Garces replaced Wakefield and Ordonez doubled home Lee to ice the game. Canseco flied out to left and Konerko whiffed to end the inning but the White Sox were up for good 3-1.

                                                          Ordonez with the backbreaker

The BoSox did nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Hillenbrand lined out to third to begin. Hatteberg lined out to center and Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning.

Garces returned for the top of the eighth and Perry singled to right to start. Perry moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Alomar but Clayton grounded out to third. Durham grounded out to first to end the inning. Stynes singled to start the bottom of the eighth and Nixon sacrificed him to second to chase Buehrle. Bob Howry was brought in to pitch to Manny and Ramirez walked to put the tying run on. Bichette grounded out to third and closer Keith Foulke came in for the four out save. With the game on the line...Everett whiffed to end the inning.

23 year old rookie Casey Fossum made his major league debut in the top of the ninth and Rowand grounded out to short to begin. Lee singled to right but was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double. Ordonez grounded out to second to end the inning. Chris Singleton took Lee's spot in the batting order but was in left with Rowand moving to center to start the bottom of the ninth. Brian Daubach pinch hit for Lansing but grounded out to first. Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Hillenbrand but whiffed. Hatteberg popped up to short to end the inning. The ChiSox had won it 3-1.

Jackass of the Night is Carl Everett. He was 0 for 4 at the plate including the big strikeout to end the 8th inning rally.

                                                         Everett is a Jackass

The Good:

Chris Stynes was 3 for 3 with a walk.

Manny Ramirez walked 3 times and drove in a run.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3.

Rich Garces tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless 9th inning in his major league debut.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach grounded out as a pinch hitter.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3.

Troy O'Leary struck out as a pinch hitter.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked and scored.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4.

Tim Wakefield took the loss but pitched reasonably well. He went 6 1/3 innings and was charged with 3 runs. The 5 walks killed him in the end.

Final Thoughts:

The BoSox are in trouble if they keep losing games to inferior teams while the New York Yankees continue to win. They only mustered 5 hits and a single run against Mark Buehrle but Keith Foulke owned them in the final four outs. The Sox had their chances to do some damage but couldn't get any hits with men in scoring position. Not having Jason Varitek hurts because both Doug Mirabelli and Hatteberg are backup catchers so offense has been hard to come by once the Sox get to the bottom of the order. If only Everett was hitting like he was last year, the Sox would still be in first place. The word on the street is the Sox are looking for a closer since Derek Lowe has been garbage this season. The Sox have 3 days to find one before the season gets out of hand. The less said of this worthless defeat, the better. The good news is Nomar Garciaparra makes his season debut tomorrow. The loss dropped the BoSox to 59-44, 3.5 games behind the surging Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back in the rubber game of this series tomorrow afternoon when David Cone goes up against Sean Lowe of the ChiSox at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park. Help us Nomar!

Pedro Dazzles, Sox Blank Yankees (5/30/01)

Thank goodness for Pedro Martinez (7-1, 1.44 ERA) this season. The Boston Red Sox are trying to match the New York Yankees hall of fame rotation of Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite and Roger Clemens more often than not with Hideo Nomo, Tomo Ohka and Frank Castillo. Tonight Pedro blanked the high powered Yankees with 8 innings of shutout ball. His counterpart Mike Mussina didn't give an inch as he went the distance for New York, allowing just 2 earned runs himself. The Sox bats managed just a 2 run double from Brian Daubach and an rbi single by Carl Everett but it was just enough. The struggling Derek Lowe slammed the door in the top of the ninth to preserve the win. The Sox pulled within a half game of the AL East lead with a 3-0 victory over the Yankees at Fenway Park.

                                            Congressman Joe Moakley (RIP) approves of the win

Pedro got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch led off by flying out to the right field warning track to start. Derek Jeter grounded back to the mound and David Justice struck out swinging to end the inning. Mussina got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off by getting rung up on a check swing strike three to start. Trot Nixon took strike three right down the middle and Carl Everett struck out swinging to end the inning.

Bernie Williams walked to start the top of the second inning but Tino Martinez banged into a double play. Paul O'Neill stroked a single to center but Jorge Posada struck out swinging on a nasty changeup to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Manny Ramirez hit a dribbler off the glove of Scott Brosius for an error to start. Troy O'Leary doubled off the centerfield wall but Shea Hillenbrand popped up to Martinez in foul territory. Brian Daubach hit a ground rule double into the bullpen to put the Sox on top. John Valentin hit a ball deep to center to move Daubach to third but Jason Varitek struck out swinging on a high fastball to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                    Sox strike first

Pedro cruised in the top of the third as Brosius struck out swinging to start. Alfonso Soriano struck out swinging on a high fastball and Knoblauch popped up to left to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third as Offerman ripped a base hit to left to start. Nixon dropped down a sacrifice bunt to mover Offerman to second and Jose scored on a line drive off the Monster by Everett. Unfortunately Everett was thrown out at second trying to stretch a double and Ramirez flied out to the right field warning track to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                        Yerrrr out!

Jeter flied out to Nixon in the right field corner to start the top of the fourth as the rain started pouring down. Justice and Williams both struck out swinging to end the inning. O'Leary took strike three to start the bottom of the fourth before Hillenbrand grounded out to third. Daubach took strike three as well to end the inning.

Pedro dominated the top of the fifth as Martinez struck out swinging to start. O'Neill flied out to center and Posada struck out swinging to end the inning. Valentin grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth before Varitek took an inside fastball for strike three. Offerman struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees threatened in the top of the sixth as Brosius hit a seeing-eye single at short to start. Soriano somehow spun around to avoid getting hit and the ball clipped the bat into Varitek's glove for strike three. Yankees manager Joe Torre sprinted out of the dugout and DEMANDED the call be changed because how DARE they call something against the Yankees, but home plate umpire Mike Winters told him to scram. Knoblauch hit a routine grounder to Offerman who threw wide of second for an error. Jeter struck out swinging on a high fastball and Justice grounded out to short to end the inning. Nixon popped up to Soriano to start the bottom of the sixth before Everett struck out swinging. Ramirez popped up to right to end the inning.

Williams flied out to left to start the top of the seventh before Martinez was frozen for strike three. O'Neill singled off the Monster but Posada grounded out to first to end the inning. O'Leary hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh before Hillenbrand grounded out to short. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pedro came back for one final inning in the top of the eighth as Brosius grounded out to second to start. Henry Rodriguez pinch hit for Soriano and struck out swinging, but Knoblauch dumped a base hit in front of Everett. Jeter struck out swinging to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who tossed 8 shutout innings and struck out 13 Yankees, he was unhittable.

                                                                Great work Pedro

Luis Sojo took over for Rodriguez to start the bottom of the eighth and Valentin struck out swinging to start. Varitek walked but Offerman flied out to left. Nixon and Everett walked to load the bases but Ramirez popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. Derek Lowe came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Justice swung at a ball in the dirt for strike three. Williams blooped a base hit to center but Martinez popped up to left. Williams took second on defensive indifference but O'Neill struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-0.

                                                                     Sox win

Hero of the Night is Pedro Martinez. He tossed 8 shutout innings allowing just 4 hits while striking out 13.

                                                      Pedro Hero

The Good:

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with 2 rbis.

Derek Lowe earned his 5th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3.

John Valentin was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and an error but scored a run.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 2 with a strikeout but walked.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 but scored a run.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 2 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

It wasn't as epic as last year's pitcher's duel between Roger Clemens and Pedro in New York but tonight Mike Mussina didn't give an inch. Mussina was almost unhittable after allowing the early runs and Pedro kept pace the whole game. Its a sad state of affairs when only one member of the Sox rotation is feared by New York because if they were to ever meet in the playoffs, the rest of Boston's staff doesn't measure up. That was their problem in 1999 and that would be their problem this year as well. The Sox will get Nomar Garciaparra back at some point but the Sox are gonna need more out of their starters. Obviously you can't expect David Cone, Hideo Nomo and Frank Castillo to pitch like Pedro did tonight, but they need an improvement that's for sure. The Sox did what they had to do tonight to win and get them closer to first place, better than a loss. The win improved the Sox to 28-22, 1/2 game back of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now travel to Toronto for a set with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hideo Nomo of the Sox takes on Chris Michalak of the Jays tomorrow night at 7:10 PM at the Skydome.

Wakefield, Sox Down Jays at 100th Party (5/27/01)

Today was a day for fun as the city of Boston celebrated 100 years of the Boston Red Sox with a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Even though the Sox played their first game In April of 1901 Sox owner John Harrington decided to pick today to honor the franchise. Tim Wakefield (2-0, 2.36 ERA) survived a shaky first few innings to toss 7 solid innings to keep the Sox ahead. Down 2-1 in the fourth, Brian Daubach tied the game with a home run and Carl Everett put the Sox ahead in the fifth. Jose Offerman drove in the insurance run and Wakefield turned the game over to the bullpen in the eighth. Rod Beck and Derek Lowe slammed the door on the win as the Sox avenged yesterday's loss with a 4-2 win over the Jays at Fenway Park.

                                          Raoul Duke approves of the win 

The Jays tagged Wakefield in the top of the first inning as Shannon Stewart was plunked to start. Stewart stole second and moved to third on a grounder to second by Alex Gonzalez. Carlos Delgado grounded out to second to score Stewart to put Toronto on top. Raul Mondesi popped up to second to end the inning with the Jays up 1-0.

                                                                     Stewart scores a run

Steve Parris got the start for Toronto in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman flied out to left to start. Trot Nixon hit one up the elevator shaft but Carl Everett singled to right. Everett stole second but Manny Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Jays struck again in the top of the second as Brad Fullmer hit a home run all the way to Edmonton to increase the lead. Tony Bautista struck out swinging and Jose Cruz Jr grounded out to first but Darrin Fletcher singled to right. Homer Bush grounded out to second to end the inning with the Jays ahead 2-0.

                                                                Fullmer hits one out

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second as Troy O'Leary tripled into the centerfield triangle to start. Tony Bautista booted a grounder by Shea Hillenbrand for an error to score Troy but Brian Daubach struck out swinging. John Valentin flied out to right but Jason Varitek walked. Offerman lined out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                               O'Leary scores a run

Stewart hit one up the elevator shaft to start the top of the third before Gonzalez struck out swinging. Delgado walked and took second on a wild pitch but Mondesi struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Nixon singled to left to start. Everett caught the Jays asleep with a bunt single to the mound but Ramirez struck out swinging. O'Leary struck out swinging and Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the inning.

Fullmer singled to right to start the top of the fourth before moving to second on a passed ball. Batista and Cruz both struck out swinging before Fletcher flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Daubach smashed his eighth home run of the season to tie the game. Valentin popped up to second, Varitek flied out to left and Offerman lined out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                              Daubach hits one out

Bush struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Stewart took strike three. Gonzalez singled to left but was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. The Sox took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Nixon doubled to center to start. Everett doubled into the same spot to score Nixon to put the Sox on top before Ramirez flied out to right. O'Leary was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Hillenbrand hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

 

                                                                     Everett with an rbi

Delgado flied out to center to start the top of the sixth before Mondesi popped up to third in foul territory. Fullmer flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the sixth although Daubach struck out swinging to start. Valentin struck out swinging but Varitek doubled off the Monster. Offerman ripped a base hit to center to score Varitek and chase Parris. Pedro Borbon Jr came in to pitch and Offerman swiped second. Nixon grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-2.

                                                                Offerman drives in a run

Wakefield returned for one final inning in the top of the seventh and Batista popped up to second to start. Cruz beat out a bunt in front of the plate but Fletcher grounded into a double play to end the inning. Wakefield was outstanding, allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings of work. He allowed 5 hits and struck out 7.

                                                           Wakefield gets it done

Everett grounded out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and that was it for Borbon. Paul Quantrill came in and Ramirez struck out swinging. O'Leary also went down hacking to end the inning.

Rod Beck came in to pitch the top of the eighth as Bush grounded out to short to start. Stewart went down hacking and Gonzalez grounded out to first to end the inning. Hillenbrand grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the eighth but Daubach singled to center. Valentin banged into a double play to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning and Delgado singled to right to start. Mondesi flied out to right and Offerman made a great diving stab to rob Fullmer of a base hit. Delgado moved to second on that grounder but Batista grounded out to third to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

                                                         Offerman saves the day

Hero of the Night is Tim Wakefield. He earned the win by allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings of work to keep the Sox in the game and ahead.

                                                                  Hero Wakefield

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was 3 for 4 with an rbi and a stolen base.

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with a home run.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Derek Lowe earned his fourth save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run and stole a base.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Even though the Sox technically played their first game in April of 01 and won their first home game in early May, Sox brass felt today should honor 100 years of Sox baseball. At least the current incarnation delivered a win with timely hitting and pitching. Looks like the decision to demote Paxton Crawford and Tomo Ohka in favor of putting Tim Wakefield and David Cone in the rotation is working so far. Hopefully both Paxton and Crawford can turn things around for themselves in case god forbid somebody gets hurt. The offense is doing well despite not having Nomar Garciaparra and it'll only get better when he comes back. The Sox needed to win this game because they got two big games coming up at home against the New York Yankees. They dropped the two in New York earlier this week and they need to win both if they want to get back in first place. The win improved the Sox to 27-21, 0.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Now the Sox face the Yankees in a weird two game series as they play tomorrow night, are off Tuesday and play again Wednesday night. David Cone gets another crack at his old team when he takes the hill for the Sox up against Andy Pettite of the Yankees. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Nomo Throws Gem, Sox Blank Jays (5/25/01)

If Pedro Martinez is the unquestioned ace of the Boston Red Sox, then Hideo Nomo (5-3, 3.60 ERA) is the legitimate number 2. In his best start since his no-hitter against Baltimore, Nomo dazzled the Toronto Blue Jays in tonight's game. Nomo pitched a complete game 1 hit shutout while striking out 14 batters, better than any Pedro start this season. Offensively Carl Everett and Mike Lansing drove in all the runs the Sox needed as Nomo dominated. The Sox needed a bounce back win after dropping two in a row to the New York Yankees as they blanked the Jays 4-0 at Fenway Park.

                                                  Alice approves of the win

Nomo began the top of the first by getting Shannon Stewart to ground out to short to start. Alex Gonzalez dropped down a bunt but it was snuffed out by Shea Hillenbrand and Carlos Delgado struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                         Hillenbrand makes the play

The Sox struck first in the bottom of the first against Esteban Loaiza as Jose Offerman drew a leadoff walk to start. Trot Nixon doubled off the Monster and Carl Everett doubled home Offerman to put the Sox on top. Manny Ramirez struck out swinging, Troy O'Leary flied out to left and Jason Varitek took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                         Everett drives in a run

Raul Mondesi grounded out to to third to start the top of the second before Brad Fullmer struck out swinging. Tony Batista flied out to left to end the inning. Shea Hillenbrand singled to right to start the bottom of the second but Brian Daubach struck out swinging. Mike Lansing flied out to center but Offerman walked again. Nixon grounded out to first to end the inning,

Jose Cruz struck out swinging to start the top of the third before Darrin Fletcher grounded out to second. Homer Bush struck out swinging to end the inning. Everett grounded out to third to start the bottom of the third before Ramirez flied out to center. O'Leary grounded a base hit up the middle but Varitek popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

Stewart broke up the perfect game with a double to left to start the top of the fourth. Gonzalez dropped down a bunt to move Stewart to third but Delgado struck out swinging. Mondesi grounded out to short to end the inning. Hillenbrand flied out to center to begin the bottom of the fourth before Daubach grounded out to first. Lansing lined one off of Loaiza but Gonzalez threw him out at first to end the inning.

Fullmer struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth before Batista grounded out to third. Cruz struck out swinging to end the inning. Loaiza cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Offerman grounded out to third to start. Nixon lined out to second and Everett struck out swinging to end the inning.

Fletcher grounded out to third to start the top of the sixth before Bush struck out swinging. Stewart took strike three to end the inning. Stewart got so angry that he started tearing all his clothes off while screaming "Vete a la mierda!!" to home plate umpire Tim Timmons. Stewart was thrown out of the game and escorted out of Fenway by armed security.

                                                           Stewart gets ejected

Brian Simmons took over for Stewart for the bottom of the sixth and Ramirez grounded out to short to start. O'Leary grounded out to first but Varitek singled to right. Hillenbrand walked and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning.

Nomo turned up the heat in the top of the seventh as Gonzalez struck out swinging to start. Delgado struck out swinging and Mondesi went down hacking to end the inning. Lansing flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh but Offerman got a base hit to left. Nixon flied out to left and Everett popped up to second to end the inning.

The strikeout streak continued as Fullmer went down hacking to start. Batista went down swinging but Cruz grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the eighth as Ramirez grounded a single up the middle to start. O'Leary got a base hit to right to chase Loaiza. Kelvim Escobar came in and Varitek walked to load the bases with nobody out. Hillenbrand popped up to second and Daubach forced Ramirez at home, but Lansing doubled to the wall to clear the bases. Offerman took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                                 Ramirez starts the rally

Nomo returned to finish the job in the top of the ninth as Fletcher grounded out to second to start. Bush popped up to Hideo and Simmons grounded out to first to end the game. Nomo went the distance and the Sox had won it 4-0.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of the Night is Hideo Nomo. He threw a complete game 1 hit shutout while striking out 14 batters.

                                                         Hideo Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and a run scored.

Troy O'Leary was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with a walk.

The Bad:

None.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Mike Lansing was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run double to put the game away.

Final Thoughts:

After two losses to fall out of first to the Yankees, the Sox needed just one win against the Jays to regain first place. The offense wasn't terribly exciting although they did just enough to win. Nomo has been schizophrenic this season as he's either throwing gems or stinkers with little in between. He nearly pitched back to back no-hitters and was damn near perfect in this one. What cost the Red Sox in 1999 against the Yankees (and last year really) was the lack of a number 2 starter and hopefully Nomo can keep this momentum going all season. The sooner Nomar Garciaparra comes back to complete the offense, the better. The win improved the Sox to 26-20, 0.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against the Jays tomorrow afternoon when Frank Castillo (5-2) goes up against Chris Michalak of Toronto. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Mussina Outduels Pedro, Yankees Edge Sox (5/24/01)

So much for the first place Boston Red Sox. The New York Yankees proved why they are the defending four time AL Champion by taking two in a row from the Red Sox including tonight's pitcher's duel. Mike Mussina outpitched Pedro Martinez (6-1, 1.60 ERA) in a wonderful pitcher's duel that saw only three runs scored and 24 combined strikeouts. Mussina held the Sox to just 1 run in 8 innings of work while Pedro pitched a complete game 6 hitter while allowing two runs. Jose Offerman drove in Boston's only run in the third inning but Bernie Williams tied the game in the fourth with a solo shot off Martinez. Paul O'Neill drove in the go-ahead run in the fifth and that was it for either team. The Sox only real chance to tie the game was in the seventh inning but they failed. Mariano Rivera closed the door in the ninth inning and the Yankees took first place with a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium.

                                                           Dammit

Mussina got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman lined out to short to start. John Valentin flied out to left and Carl Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Chuck Knoblauch grounded out to short to start. Derek Jeter grounded out to third and Paul O'Neill struck out swinging to end the inning.

Manny Ramirez watched strike three go by to begin the top of the second and Troy O'Leary flied out to center. Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Bernie Williams flied out to left to start the bottom of the second before Tino Martinez singled to center. David Justice singled to right but Jorge Posada took strike three. Scott Brosius struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third as Shea Hillenbrand grounded back to the mound to start. Brian Daubach struck out swinging but Trot Nixon doubled to right. Offerman ripped a base hit to right to score Nixon to put the Sox on top although Valentin flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox had taken the lead 1-0.

                                                            Offerman drives in a run

Alfonso Soriano flied out to left to start the bottom of the third before Knoblauch singled to center. Jeter flied out to center before O'Neill grounded out to second to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth before Ramirez popped up to third in foul territory. O'Leary lined a base hit to left but Varitek flied out to left to end the inning. The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Williams hit a home run to Santo Domingo to tie the game. Martinez popped up to second, Justice took strike three and Posada watched strike three go by to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                                 Williams hits one out

Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth but Daubach singled to left. Nixon grounded back to the mound but Daubach moved to second on the play. Offerman struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Brosius singled to left to start. Soriano took strike three but Knoblauch walked only for Jeter to beat out a double play ball. O'Neill ripped a base hit to left to score Brosius with the go-ahead run. Williams struck out swinging to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-1.

                                                                   O'Neill drives in a run

Mussina cruised in the top of the sixth as Valentin struck out swinging to start. Everett went down hacking to earn the hat trick and Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning. Martinez walked to begin the bottom of the sixth before the Yankees made a boo-boo. Varitek dropped a pop up by Justice and manage to turn it into a double play. Posada struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox blew their last chance to get back in the game in the top of the seventh as O'Leary grounded out to first to start. Varitek struck out swinging but Hillenbrand singled to right. Daubach doubled to left but Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning. Pedro did what he could in the bottom of the seventh as Brosius grounded out to third to start. Soriano and Knoblauch both struck out swinging to end the inning.

Offerman took strike three to start the top of the eighth and Valentin grounded out to first. Everett struck out swinging to earn the golden sombrero and end the inning. Mussina dazzled the Sox to allow just 1 run in 8 innings, just gotta tip your cap.

                                                        Pedro was good, Mussina was better

Martinez returned for the bottom of the eighth and Jeter walked to start. Jeter stole second but O'Neill struck out swinging. Williams watched strike three go by and Tino Martinez popped up to second to end the inning. Pedro had thrown a complete game while allowing just 2 runs while striking out 12. Its a shame the Sox couldn't score for him.

                                            Pedro goes the distance but didn't get the win

Mariano Rivera took the mound for the top of the ninth and Ramirez grounded out to short to start. O'Leary struck out swinging and Varitek grounded out to first to end the game. The Yankees had won it 2-1.

Jackass of the Night is Carl Everett. He went 0 for 4 with a golden sombrero of 4 strikeouts.

                                                        Jackass Everett

The Good:

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 3.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Pedro Martinez dominated the Yankees, holding them to just 2 runs on just 6 hits while striking out 12.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Dammit! THIS is the reason why the Yankees have won 3 World Series in a row. They do it with timely hitting and shut down pitching. Pedro held the Yankees to 2 runs in 8 innings and it just wasn't enough. The Yankees picked up Mussina to offset the loss of David Cone and he came through for them. Its a shame the Sox couldn't score any runs because they just dropped out of first place with this losss. It always seems when push comes to shove in big games the Yankees always find ways to win. The Sox went into New York up 1.5 games and left in second place. Hopefully this doesn't turn into last year where the Sox plummeted like a dead deer in June. This is no time to panic but this was definitely not a good look to drop out of first this quickly. The sad part was the bottom of the order did well but the top of the order couldn't hit Mussina. Ramirez, Everett and Varitek were all but useless in this one. Hopefully they can snap out of it in the next game. The loss dropped the Sox to 25-20, 0.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow when they start a set with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hideo Nomo (4-3) takes the mound against Esteban Loaiza of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Pedro Dominates, Sox Beat Royals (5/18/01)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Craig Grebeck was reinstated from the Disabled List and Lou Merloni was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Craig. Grebeck couldn't hit the ball out of his hand the first month of the season but played damn good defense, at this point he can't get any worse at the plate....right?

                                                                   OUT

                                                                IN

As for the game, Pedro Martinez (6-0, 1.52 ERA) came to the rescue again. After the Red Sox dropped two of three to the Minnesota Twins, Pedro dominated the Kansas City Royals in tonight's game. Pedro tossed 8 shutout innings allowing just 6 baserunners to keep the Sox ahead all game. Manny Ramirez drove in another 2 runs, Jason Varitek hit a 3 run bomb and Trot Nixon went deep for all the runs Pedro needed. Hipolito Pichardo and Derek Lowe fell apart in the ninth inning but the Sox were ahead far enough to withstand it. The Sox had beaten the Royals 6-3 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                   The D.O.C. approves of the win

Stein got the ball in the top of the first inning and Trot Nixon led off with a walk. Jose Offerman flied out to deep right but Carl Everett dropped a base hit to right. Both runners moved over on the Manny Ramirez grounder to third but Troy O'Leary popped up to right to end the inning. Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Carlos Beltran ripped a base hit to center to start. Rey Sanchez beat out a double play ball and Mike Sweeney lined out to Everett. Jermaine Dye took strike three to end the inning.

John Valentin struck out swinging to start the top of the second inning but Brian Daubach walked. Shea Hillenbrand banged into a double play to end the inning. Joe Randa popped up to first to start the bottom of the second before Dee Brown struck out swinging. Old pal Luis Alicea took strike three to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Jason Varitek struck out swinging to start. Nixon whiffed on a high fastball but Offerman singled off the glove of Alicea. Everett hit a routine grounder to Alicea but Luis threw wide, Carl sliding around the tag for an error. Ramirez made the Royals pay with a base hit to left to score Offerman to give the Sox the lead. O'Leary whiffed on a pitch in the dirt to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                  Manny puts the Sox on top

Raul Ibanez led off the bottom of the third with a grounder to second before AJ Hinch struck out swinging. Beltran took strike three on the inside corner to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the fourth as Valentin grounded out to short to start. Daubach walked and Hillenbrand singled to left before Varitek pounded a 3 run home run to right. Nixon then hit a bullet just inside the right field foul pole for back to back home runs. Old friend Cory Bailey replaced Stein and Offerman flied out to center, but Everett golfed a double inside the first base bag. Ramirez hit a line drive to Brown who whiffed on making the catch completely. Ramirez motored around for an rbi "triple" but O'Leary grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-0.

                                                         Back to back jacks

Sanchez hit a little roller to Pedro that he beat out for a single to start the bottom of the fourth and Valentin made an awesome play to turn a double play hit by Sweeney. Dye ripped a base hit to left but Randa struck out swinging to end the inning.

Hinch left the game after getting hit with a foul ball and Hector Ortiz took over behind the plate for the top of the fifth. Valentin grounded out to third, Daubach took strike three and Hillenbrand grounded out to first to end the inning. Brown flied out to left to start the bottom of the fifth but Everett didn't make a catch on an Alicea blooper for a "single". Ibanez forced Alicea at second and Ortiz grounded out to short to end the inning.

Varitek lined back to Bailey to start the top of the sixth before Nixon grounded out to third. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning. Beltran struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Sanchez grounded out to second. Sweeney grounded out to short to end the inning.

Everett grounded out to first to start the top of the seventh before Ramirez grounded out to short. O'Leary singled to center but Valentin took strike three to end the inning. Pedro dominated the bottom of the seventh as Dye, Randa and Brown all struck out swinging in short order.

Doug Henry came in for the top of the eighth and Daubach struck out swinging to start. Hillenbrand popped up to right but Dye let it drop, throwing out Shea at first. Varitek flied out to center to end the inning. Pedro ran into trouble in his final inning as Alicea walked to start. Ibanez flied out to left and Ortiz went down hacking. Beltran lined a base hit to center to put runners at the corners before Sanchez whiffed to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who struck out 12 batters in 8 dominant innings.

                                                         Pedro pitches a shutout

Nixon walked to start the top of the ninth but Offerman struck out swinging. Nixon moved to third on the Everett grounder but Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning. Hipolito Pichardo came in to crap his pants in the bottom of the ninth as Sweeney singled to left to start. Dye singled up the middle and Randa lashed a base hit to left to chase Pichardo with the bases loaded. Derek Lowe came in and Brown hit a routine grounder to Hillenbrand. Shea threw the ball a hundred feet in the air for an error to score Sweeney and Dye. Alicea doubled down the third base line to score Randa and bring the tying run to the plate. Ibanez hit a bullet but right to Valentin and Wilson Delgado pinch hit for Ortiz. Lowe struck out Delgado swinging and Beltran grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-3.

                                                  "I had them all the way!" - Lowe

Hero of the Night is Pedro Martinez. He tossed 8 shutout innings allowing just 5 hits and a walk while striking out 12 batters.

                                                                    Martinez The Hero

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, an rbi and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Brian Daubach walked twice in four plate appearances with a run scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Hipolito Pichardo was charged with 3 runs without getting an out.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Derek Lowe allowed 2 inherited runners to score but none of his own in the bottom of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That got hairy at the end but a win is a win. Pedro once again dominated and its come to be expected when he faces a light hitting team like the Royals. The offense really only scored in one inning but it was enough to win the game. Ramirez, Varitek and Nixon supplied the offense and Daubach & Valentin supplied the defense. If Hillenbrand keeps making errors, Sox manager Jimy Williams may need to use some defense in the later innings. Since Craig Grebeck can't hit for beans, put him at short and Valentin at third late in the game. The Sox look to be in pretty good shape offensively, Nomar Garciaparra can make this team deadly when he comes back. All in all it was a good win to keep in front of the New York Yankees and this could be the start of a nice win streak. The win improved the Sox to 24-17, 1.5 games ahead of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to keep momentum going tomorrow night against the Royals when Hideo Nomo (4-2) takes on Dan Reichert of the Royals, The game begins at 8:05 PM at Kauffman Stadium.