Sox Down Angels in Rained Shortened Game (4/23/84)

It was totally cheap but a win is a win. In front of just under 13,000 fans at Fenway, the Boston Red Sox battled the California Angels in a squall. Bob Ojeda (1-2, 3.97 ERA) held the Angels scoreless through six innings and the Sox managed to scratch out a couple of runs. Then the rains came and never let up. Rather than re-starting the game at midnight on a school night, the umpires said to hell with it and called the game. It was cheap but the Sox had won the game 2-0 in 6 innings at Fenway Park.

                                       Gene Kelly approves of the rain shortened win

Ojeda got the ball in the top of the first inning and Gary Pettis grounded out to second to start. Rod Carew struck out but Fred Lynn singled. Doug DeCinces walked and Reggie Jackson struck out to end the inning. Geoff Zahn got the start for California and Marty Barrett greeted him with a base hit. Dwight Evans walked and Wade Boggs flied out to left. Jim Rice flied out to center and Mike Easler flied out to right to end the inning.

Brian Downing began the top of the second with a pop up to first. Bobby Grich grounded out to short but Bob Boone singled. Dick Schofield Jr singled Boone to third but Pettis grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second although Tony Armas grounded out to second to start. Reid Nichols doubled and Jeff Newman singled him to third. Jackie Gutierrez flied out to right but Barrett singled home Nichols. Evans grounded into a force to end the inning but the Sox were up 1-0.

                                                             Barrett drives in a run

Carew grounded out to second to start the top of the third but Lynn walked. DeCinces and Jackson both struck out to end the inning. Boggs walked to start the bottom of the third but Rice banged into a double play. Easler singled but Armas struck out to end the inning,

Ojeda cruised in the top of the fourth as Downing flied out to center to start. Grich also flied out to center and Boone grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Nichols grounded out to the mound to start. Newman grounded out to short and Gutierrez grounded out to first to end the inning.

Schofield Jr struck out to start the top of the fifth before Pettis grounded out to second. Carew also grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fifth as Barrett singled to start. Evans reached on a fielding error by Lynn and Boggs dropped down a bunt to move the runners into scoring position. Rice was intentionally walked to load the bases and Easler scored Barrett with a sac fly. Armas grounded out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                         Herculean sac fly by Easler

Lynn walked to open the top of the sixth and Gutierrez booted a grounder by DeCinces for an error, but Jackson struck out. Downing hit into a double play to end the inning. Ojeda was technically credited with a complete game shutout as he tossed 6 innings and allowed just 3 hits.

                                                        Way to go Ojeda

The end came quickly in the bottom of the sixth. Nichols flied out to left and Newman singled when the downpour got too heavy. The umpires called for the tarp and that was it. A few hours later the umpires said the hell with it and the game was called. The Sox had won it 2-0 in 5 1/3 complete innings.

Hero of the Night is Bob Ojeda. Techincally he threw a complete game 3 hit shutout and even if the game continued, that would have been good enough to win anyway.

                                                         Bobby Hero


The Good:

Marty Barrett was 3 for 3 with an rbi and a run scored.

Wade Boggs walked in 2 plate appearances.

Mike Easler was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Reid Nichols was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Jeff Newman was 2 for 3.



The Bad:

Tony Armas was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jackie Gutierrez was 0 for 2.



The Ugly:

Dwight Evans was 0 for 2 but walked.

Jim Rice was 0 for 2 but walked.




Final Thoughts:

That was a cheap ass win but the Sox will take it. They need every win they can after the horrid start they were on. They need to make up ground quick or else the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers will be too far ahead by June. It was only 6 innings but Ojeda looked great and Marty Barrett filled in for Jerry Remy pretty well. As usual the offense will be there, but the pitching is suspect. Hopefully the Sox can build momentum tomorrow when they send Oil Can Boyd to the mound up against Steve Brown of the Angels at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Outslug A's (4/22/84)

Say what you will about the lousy Boston Red Sox pitching but their offense is definitely for real. Dennis Eckersley (1-2, 6.94 ERA) took a beating as did relief pitcher Mark Clear. They allowed 8 runs between them but were picked up by the offense. Mike Easler led the charge with 3 total rbis and the Sox as a team clubbed three home run and pounded out 15 hits. Needing a win to get back on track, the Sox got it by beating the Oakland A's 12-8 in front of a paltry crowd of just over 14,000 people at Fenway Park.

                                                    Slayer approves of the win

Eckersley cruised in the bottom of the first as Rickey Henderson struck out to start. Dwayne Murphy also struck out and Joe Morgan flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck first against Oakland starter Steve McCatty as Jerry Remy walked to start. Remy moved to second on the force by Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs flied out to right. Jim Rice singled home Remy to put the Sox on top. Mike Easler struck out to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                           Rice drives in a run

Carney Lansford struck out to start the top of the second before Bruce Bochte flied out to right. Dave Kingman struck out to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the second as Tony Armas singled to start. Rich Gedman walked and Reid Nichols singled to load the bases with nobody out. Jackie Gutierrez hit a grounder back to the mound who got Armas at home and Jackie at first for the double play. Jerry Remy singled to center and both runners tried to score. Gedman scored but Nichols was thrown out at home to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                          YERRR OUT!

The A's started to figure out Eckersley in the top of the third as Mike Davis and Mike Heath stroked back to back singles to start. Donnie Hill beat out a double play ball but Eck struck out Henderson. Murphy grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox continued to run into outs in the bottom of the third although Evans grounded out to third to start. Boggs singled but Rice popped up to short. Easler walked and Armas singled to left. Boggs tried to score and he was thrown out at home to end the inning.

                                                     Stay at third next time!

Morgan popped up to third to begin the top of the fourth before Lansford flied out to left. Bochte grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox blew it open in the bottom of the fourth inning as Gedman singled to start. Nichols singled Gedman to third and took second on the throw to chase McCatty. Chris Codiroli came in and Gutierrez singled home Gedman to increase the lead. Remy scored Nichols with a groundout but Evans doubled Jerry to third. Boggs was intentionally walked to load the bases but Rice beat out a double play ball to score Remy. Easler singled home Evans and Armas tripled to clear the bases. Gedman struck out to end the inning but it was 8-0 Sox.

                                                         What a rally

As soon as the Sox broke it open, the A's rallied in the top of the fifth. Kingman hit a home run into the Charles River to start and Davis doubled. Davis moved to third on the Heath fly out to center and scored on the base hit by Hill. Henderson singled and both runners moved into scoring position on the grounder by Murphy. A wild pitch scored Hill but Morgan grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-3.

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth against Jim Bettendorf. Nichols grounded out to short but Gutierrez struck his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Remy popped up to first but Evans walked. Boggs walked but Rice struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-3.

                                                     Jackie hits one out

The Sox needed innings so Eckersley had to gut out the top of the sixth. Lansford flied out to center but Bochte singled. Kingman hit another home run into the Charles River to bring the A's closer. Davis struck out and Heath grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-5. That was it for Eckersley who lasted just 6 innings and allowed 5 runs.

                                                           Not his best stuff

The Sox continued to attack in the bottom of the sixth although Easler struck out to start. Armas grounded out to short but Gedman struck his second home run of the season to increase the lead. Nichols grounded out to short to end the inning but it was now 10-5 Sox.

                                                       Gedman goes yard

Mark Clear came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Hill grounded out to short to start. Henderson was hit with a pitch but Murphy popped up to third. Morgan grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the seventh as Gutierrez flied out to left to start. Remy flied out to center and Evans popped up to second to end the inning.

The A's struck back due to some shoddy fielding in the top of the eighth. Lansford walked and Bochte hit a perfect double play ball to first....that Easler booted for an error. Kingman hit a routine grounder to Boggs but he booted that and Lansford came around to score. A wild pitch moved both runners and Davis walked to load the bases with nobody out. Sox manager Ralph Houk had seen enough of clear and brought in Bob Stanley to get out of the jam. Heath singled home Bochte to put the tying run on first and old pal Garry Hancock came in to pinch hit for Hill. Hancock beat out a double play ball to cut the lead to just two runs. Tony Phillips pinch ran for Hancock but Henderson banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox survived with the lead intact, 10-8.

                                        "Can you idiots field your position?" - Clear

Keith Atherton came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and the Sox added to the lead. Boggs walked but Rice flied out to center. Easler then wrapped up the scoring by pounding his second home run of the year. Armas and Gedman struck out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-8.

Stanley slammed the door in the top of the ninth as Murphy struck out to start. Morgan grounded out to second and Lansford grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had outslugged the A's 12-8.

Hero of the Night is a tough one with everyone on offense contributing but I'll go with Mike Easler. He hit a 2 run bomb and drove in 3 runs total to pace the attack.

                                                          Easler The Hero


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 1 for 2 with 3 walks and a run scored.

Tony Armas was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Rich Gedman was 2 for 4 with a walk, 3 runs scored and a home run.

Reid Nichols was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Jackie Gutierrez was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis and a home run.

Bob Stanley tossed 2 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 2 runs.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored 2 runs.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run and scored.

Dennis Eckersley got the win but allowed 5 runs in 6 innings, he hasn't been right all month.

Mark Clear was charged with 3 runs but only 1 was earned due to shoddy defense in 1+ inning.



Final Thoughts:

At least the offense has shown up in April. The pitching has been suspect but the addition of Easler has really helped the offense big time. Boggs, Rice, Evans, Easler and Armas are as good as Baltimore's. Too bad the pitching is nowhere close to that. The Sox have a lot of young arms and hopefully one of them can develop into something good. Eckersley has lot it big time and Mike Brown obviously isn't the answer. Hopefully the Sox can fix the pitching because it would be a shame to waste an offense that's this good. Today's game was a microcosm on what the Sox have to do to win games. The Sox have only won 5 of the first 15 games they've played and the Detroit Tigers have been red hot to start the season. The Sox welcome the California Angels in next for a set. Bob Ojeda (0-2) takes on Geoff Zahn at 7:35 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                             Joel doesn't like Mike Brown's bad pitching

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

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

                                                            A's take the lead.

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

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

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

                                                             Remy scores a run

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

                                                           Nice going Hoffman

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

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

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

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

                                                       Not the best effort

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

                                                             Gedman scores a run

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

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

                                                            Johnson does his job

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

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

                                                     Jackass Brown


The Good:

Jerry Remy was 2 for 5 with an rbi.

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

Mike Easler was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Rich Gedman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Dave Stapleton singled as a pinch hitter.

John Henry Johnson tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings.




The Bad:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 5.

Tony Armas was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.




The Ugly:

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 3 but walked.

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




Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played short in the ninth inning.




Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Take Down A's, Snap Losing Streak (4/20/84)

ITS A MIRACLE! The Boston Red Sox snapped their 7 game losing streak against the Oakland A's to get back on their winning ways. Bruce Hurst (2-2, 2.31 ERA) tossed 5 2/3 gutty innings while allowing just a single run. Bob Stanley slammed the door with 3 1/3 scoreless innings as the offense scratched out 3 runs. In front of a paltry crowd of 15,523 people the Red Sox beat the A's 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Sgt Hulka approve of the win

Hurst got the start in the top of the first and immediately ran into trouble. Rickey Henderson grounded out to short before Bill Almon struck out swinging, but Davey Lopes singled. Lopes swiped second before Carney Lansford flied out to right to end the inning. Tim Conroy got the start for the A's and Jerry Remy walked to start. Dwight Evans struck out and Wade Boggs forced Remy at second. Jim Rice walked but Mike Easler grounded out to second to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the second although Dave Kingman flied out to left to start. Jeff Burroughs blasted a home run into the Charles River to put the A's up first. Dwayne Murphy singled and Mike Heath walked but Donnie Hill popped up in foul territory. Boggs kamikazed himself making the catch and had to be hauled off in an ambulance headed to Mass General's ICU. Ed Jurak replaced Wade and Henderson struck out to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                                 Sox lose Boggs

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the second as Tony Armas grounded out to short to start. Reid Nichols flied out to left and Gary Allenson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hurst recovered in the top of the third as Almon flied out to center to start. Lopes popped up to first and Lansford flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the third as Glenn Hoffman grounded out to short to start. Remy grounded back to the mound and Evans flied out to right to end the inning.

Hurst got in a jam in the top of the fourth as Kingman walked to start. Burroughs struck out but Murphy and Heath stroked back to back singles to load the bases. Hurst got a big out when Hill popped up to second and Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning. Boston roared back in the bottom of the fourth and Wade's replacement Jurak got the party started with a double. Ed moved to third on the grounder by Rice and Easler motored around with a triple to tie the game. Armas doubled home Easler to give the Sox the lead but Nichols flied out to right. Allenson walked to chase Conroy. Ray Burris came in to pitch and Hoffman doubled home Armas. Allenson gunned it for home but was thrown out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                       Jurak starts the rally

The A's tried to fight back when Almon doubled to open the top of the fifth but Lopes grounded out to short. The alert Hurst picked off Almon but Lansford singled. Kingman swung and missed to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fifth as Remy grounded out to short to start. Jurak whiffed and Rice grounded out to second to end the inning.

The A's chased Hurst in the top of the sixth although Burroughs whiffed to start. Murphy and Heath stroked back to back singles before Jim Essian pinch hit for Hill. Essian flied out to left and Sox manager Ralph Houk said that was it for Hurst. Bruce got himself out of jams for much of the game and left after allowing just the one run in 5 2/3 innings. Bob Stanley came in and Henderson grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                       Good work Hurst

Rice popped up to first to begin the bottom of the sixth but Easler singled. Easler was forced at second by Armas and Nichols flied out to center to end the inning.

Almon grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the seventh before Lopes whiffed. Lansford singled again but Kingman flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the seventh as Allenson popped up to third to start. Hoffman singled but Remy flied out to center. Evans walked but Jurak grounded out to short to end the inning.

Joe Morgan pinch hit for Burroughs to open the top of the eighth and he grounded out to first. Murphy and Heath both grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the eighth as Rice flied out to right to begin. Easler whiffed but Armas singled and Nichols walked. Allenson whiffed to end the inning.

Stanley came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth. Old pal Garry Hancock pinch hit for Essian and grounded out to short. Henderson grounded out to third and Bruce Bochte pinch hit for Almon only to fly out to center to end the game. The Sox had broken their losing streak and defeated the A's 3-1.

Hero of the Night is Ed Jurak. He came off the bench to start the rally and score the tying run.

The Good:

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

Tony Armas was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Glenn Hoffman was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Bruce Hurst got the win with 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 9 hits and struck out 5.

Bob Stanley earned the save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just 1 hit.



The Bad:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 1 before leaving with injury.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 3 but walked.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Jim Rice was 0 for 3 but walked.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 3 but walked.

Gary Allenson was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Ding dong the witch is dead! The Red Sox finally won one and ironically it was the pitching that won the game. Bruce Hurst and Bob Stanley combined to allow just 1 run on a night when the Sox offense was limited to one inning of scoring. The Sox need to do something about their offense because their 1-5 is as good as anyone but 6-9 is a bonafide black hole most of the time. Still, a win is a win and this was the first one in a while, may as well enjoy it. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the A's tomorrow afternoon when they send Mike Brown (0-1) to the mound up against Mike Warren at 2:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Drop Seventh Straight on Late Rally (4/19/84)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost their seventh straight game. Looks like the Boston Red Sox will never win a game again. No matter what they do they just can't get it done and today was no different. In front of a paltry crowd of 10,926 the Sox turned a 4-4 game into a defeat for their seventh straight loss, this game at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Oil Can Boyd (0-2, 3.94 ERA) was game but Mark Clear got bombed and the Rangers swept the Sox out of Fenway Park with a 7-4 defeat.

                      "Oh mighty idol will the Red Sox ever win again?" - IJ

Boyd got the start for the Sox in the top of the first and Billy Sample grounded out to third to start. Gary Ward flied out to right and George Wright flied out to center to end the inning. Charlie Hough took the mound in the bottom of the first and the Sox did nothing. Jerry Remy flied out to center and Dwight Evans struck out. Wade Boggs walked but Jim Rice popped up to second to end the inning.

Boyd got some help from his defense in the top of the second inning. Buddy Bell led off with a single but Larry Parrish banged into a double play. Pete O'Brien flied out to right to end the inning. Somehow the Sox scored first in the bottom of the second inning. Mike Easler grounded out to second but Tony Armas blasted a solo home run to put the Sox on top. Rich Gedman flied out to center but Reid Nichols doubled. A wild pitch moved Nichols to third and a passed ball scored him. The hazards of a knuckleball pitcher is you never know where the ball will land. Glenn Hoffman struck out to end the inning but it was 2-0 Boston.

                                                     Armas goes yard

Boyd kept the lead in the top of the third inning as Ned Yost flied out to right, Wayne Tolleson flied out to center and Curt Wilkerson grounded out to first to end the inning. 9 up, 9 down for Boyd. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third inning. Remy grounded out to second but Evans doubled. Boggs scored Dwight with a double of his own and moved to third on a passed ball. The rally ended as Rice struck out and Easler grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                     Boggs makes it a 3-0 game

Sample became the first baserunner for Texas when he walked to open the top of the fourth but Ward flied out to center. Wright banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time increasing the lead when he smashed his second solo home run of the game to start the bottom of the fourth. Gedman grounded out to first, Nichols grounded out to short and Hoffman struck out to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

Just when it seemed this would be an easy victory for the Sox, Boyd crapped his pants in the top of the fifth inning. Bell doubled and Parrish walked. O'Brien and Yost struck back to back rbi singles to cut the lead in half. Tolleson dropped down a bunt that Boyd fielded and ended up throwing it 500 feet completely out of Fenway for an error that scored O'Brien and moved the others into scoring position with nobody out. Wilkerson grounded out to score Yost with the tying run but Sample flied out to center. Ward flied out to right to end the inning but the Rangers had easily tied the game 4-4.

                                                  Nice going Boyd

The Sox offense never recovered and they were done for the night in the bottom of the fifth. Remy struck out but Evans walked. Boggs flied out to center and Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

Boyd came back for the top of the sixth and allowed a leadoff single to Wright, only for Bell to ground into a double play. Parrish doubled and O'Brien was intentionally walked only for both runners to advance on a passed ball by Gedman. Yost struck out to end the inning. Hough shut down the Sox in the bottom of the sixth as both Easler and Armas struck out. Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Boyd cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Tolleson flied out to right, Wilkerson grounded back to the mound and Sample popped up to Boyd to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh inning as Nichols and Hoffman grounded out to third before Remy grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boyd somehow returned for the top of the eighth inning and Ward popped up to second to start. Wright popped up to short but Bell doubled. Parrish flied out to left to end the inning. Odell Jones replaced Hough in the top of the eighth inning and Evans popped up to third to start. Boggs singled and Rice flied out to right. Easler walked to put the go-ahead run at second but Armas grounded out to short to end the inning.

Houk rolled the dice twice in the top of the ninth and crapped out both times. He sent Boyd out to go another inning but lasted just one batter when O'Brien singled. Houk quickly hooked him but settled on Mark Clear to limit the damage. Instead Clear poured gas on the fire as Mickey Rivers pinch hit for Yost and singled. Tolleson singled to load the bases and Bob Jones pinch hit for Wilkerson just to walk in the go-ahead run. The boo-birds rained down on clear and it got worse as Sample singled home Rivers for the insurance run. Ward struck out but Wright grounded out, scoring Tolleson with the dagger. Bell flied out to center to end the inning but it was now all over, 7-4 Rangers.

                                                   Outstanding incompetence by Clear

The deflated Red Sox went through the motions in the bottom of the ninth with Marv Foley behind the plate and Jim Anderson at short. Gedman flied out to center and Nichols struck out before Rick Miller was sent in to pinch hit for Hoffman. Miller flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had lost their seventh straight by a score of 7-4.

Jackass of the Night is Mark Clear. He allowed his inherited runner to score and two of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                               Its quite Clear who the Jackass is


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Tony Armas was 2 for 4 with both hits being solo home runs.



The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4.

Glen Hoffman was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Mike Easler was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Reid Nichols was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Oil Can Boyd nearly went the distance but took the loss by allowing 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks.




Final Thoughts:

Can it get any worse? It doesn't appear to be possible after the Sox found a way to lose 7 straight games. Blowouts, close games, incompetent starters, bullpen failures, inconsistent offense....you name it, it happened. The Detroit Tigers are finding ways to win while the Sox are inventing new ways to lose. Tomorrow night Bruce Hurst (1-2) takes a beating as the Oakland A's come to town with Tim Conroy expected to pitch a 3 hit shut-out against the Sox at Fenway Park.

Rangers Edge Sox, Streak at 6 (4/18/84)

Quite simply the Boston Red Sox suck right now. They are inventing new ways to lose and have dropped their sixth straight game. In front of a paltry crowd of just over 12,000 people, Bob Ojeda (0-2, 5.40 ERA) got rocked and couldn't recover. The Texas Rangers held the Red Sox scoreless for the final 7 innings of the game and came away with a 4-3 victory at Fenway Park.

Ojeda took the mound in the top of the first inning and Billy Sample struck out to begin the ballgame. Gary Ward walked but was gunned down at the second trying to steal by the alert Rich Gedman. George Wright struck out to end the inning. Jerry Remy led off the bottom of the second with a base hit. Dwight Evans struck out but Remy swiped second. Wade Boggs flied out to left and Jim Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ojeda got through the top of the second inning by getting Buddy Bell to fly out to right to begin. Larry Parrish walked but Dave Hostetler flied out to center. Ned Yost flied out to left to end the inning. Somehow the Sox scored first in the bottom of the second inning and it started with a Mike Easler single. Tony Armas singled Mike to third and Easler scored on the groundout by Gedman. Reid Nichols tripled home Armas and Glenn Hoffman singled home Reid. The rally ended cold turkey when Remy banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-0.

                                                      Nichols with the triple

As usual when the Sox get a lead, the pitcher tries to piss it away and the Rangers got on the board in the top of the third. Wayne Tolleson grounded out to second to start but Curt Wilkerson doubled. Wilkerson broke for third but the alert Gedman threw him out trying to steal. It was a good thing Gedman got him because Sample smashed a 7,000 foot home run to put the Rangers on the board. Ward grounded out to second to end the inning but it was now 3-1 Sox.

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Evans struck out again to start. Boggs singled but Rangers starter Danny Darwin struck out both Rice and Easler to end the inning.

The Rangers knocked Ojeda out early in the top of the fourth although Wright grounded back to the mound to begin. Bell walked and Parrish singled him to third, taking second on the throw. Hostetler walked and Yost singled in two runners to tie the game. Sox manager Ralph Houk had seen enough of Ojeda and brought in Bob Stanley to stop the bleeding. Tolleson beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Wilkerson singled home Hostetler to give the Rangers the lead. Wilkerson tried for second and Gedman threw him out trying to steal. The Rangers would probably be up by 5 runs if they stopped running into outs but instead the Rangers were up 4-3.

                                                     Nice going Ojeda

The Sox offense couldn't do a damn thing against Darwin in the bottom of the fourth inning. Armas hit one up the elevator shaft, Gedman grounded out to first and Nichols struck out to end the inning.

Stanley shut down the Rangers in the top of the fifth as Sample flied out to right to start. Ward singled but Wright flied out to center. Bell singled but Parrish popped up to first to end the inning. Pete O'Brien replaced Hollister in the bottom of the fifth as Hoffman flied out to center to begin. Remy struck out and Evans flied out to center to end the inning.

Stanley matched Darwin in the top of the sixth by getting O'Brien on strikes to start the frame. Yost grounded out to short and Tolleson flied out to left to end the inning. Nothing doing for the Sox in the bottom of the sixth as Boggs popped up to short and Rice flied out to center. Easler singled but Armas grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Rangers did nothing in the top of the seventh as Wilkerson struck out, Sample grounded out to second and Ward grounded out to short to end the inning. Darwin matched Stanley in the bottom of the seventh as Gedman grounded out to third to begin. Nichols struck out and Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman...only to ground out to third to end the inning.

Jackie Gutierrez took over at short for the top of the eighth and Wright grounded out to second to begin. Bell grounded out to third but Parrish doubled. O'Brien was intentionally walked and Yost grounded out to first to end the inning.  Darwin returned for the bottom of the eighth and Remy grounded back to the mound to start. Evans and Boggs stroked back to back singles to put the tying run in scoring position...but Rice banged into a double play to end the inning.

Stanley returned for the top of the ninth and Tolleson grounded out to second to start. Wilkerson and Sample stroked back to back singles but Ward banged into a double play to end the inning. Stanley had tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the Sox in the game.

                                                        Stanley with the yeoman's effort

The Sox had one last chance to rally in the bottom of the ninth with Dave Tobik now on the mound and Easler got it started with a walk. Armas grounded out but Easler moved to second, causing Sox manager Ralph Houk to pinch run Marty Barrett for Mike. Gedman grounded out as well but Easler moved to third. Rangers manager Bobby Cox took no chances and walked Nichols to get to the rookie Gutierrez. Naturally Jackie grounded out to end the game, the Sox had lost 6 in a row and this game 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is Jim Rice. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including a crucial double play in the eigth inning.

                                                       Jim the Jackass


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4.

Mike Easler was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Reid Nichols was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and rbi.

Glenn Hoffman was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Bob Stanley tossed 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.



The Bad:

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Gutierrez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bob Ojeda took the loss, giving up 4 runs in just 3 1/3 innings, falling apart in the 2nd.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 but nailed 3 guys trying to steal and drove in a run.



Honorable Mention:

Marty Barrett pinch ran for Easler in the 9th.




Final Thoughts:

Is this team ever going to win again? Nothing they do seems to go right these days. They scored 3 runs in the first two innings and then absolutely nothing the rest of the game. Stanley pitches his ass off but the Sox couldn't score for him. I hate to say it but something's wrong with the bottom of the order. It gets pretty light after the 6th spot and other teams are starting to take notice. Cox had Nichols walked to get to Gutierrez and it worked for the Rangers. As sad as it sounds, maybe the Sox need another bat in the lineup to generate some offense. As for now the Sox have lost their 6th straight. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to salvage the series against the Rangers when Oil Can Boyd (0-1) goes for the Sox opposite Charlie Hough at 2:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Eckersley Hammered, Streak Reaches 5 (4/17/84)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series. The bad news was...yikes! The Boston Red Sox can't do anything right these days. Even after getting 3 days off they still can't pitch or hit which is why they have lost 5 straight games. This time it was the Texas Rangers who beat the daylights out of Dennis Eckersley (0-2, 6.75 ERA). Old buddy Frank Tanana held off the Sox and the Rangers had won it 8-4 at Fenway Park.

                                          "Those Red Sox sure do stink" - Lamar

Once again the Sox threw up on themselves to open the top of the first game. Mickey Rivers hit a routine ground ball to Jerry Remy at second who inexplicably tried to swat the ball over to first with his glove. It didn't come close and Rivers reached first on the error. Pete O'Brien hit a routine grounder to Mike Easler at firs t, who was laughing so hard at Remy that the ball went right through his legs. Rivers ended up on third and O'Brien was standing on second. Eckersley did manage to get George Wright to pop up to first, but Buddy Bell grounded out to short to score Rivers, causing Eckersley to throw up his hands in disgust at his infield. Larry Parrish struck out to end the inning but the Rangers led 1-0 without a single hit.

                                                        "I suck" - Remy

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the first as Remy flied out to center to start. Dwight Evans walked but Wade Boggs struck out. Jim Rice singled to put the tying run on second....but Easler flied out to left to end the inning.

Eckersley did what he could in the top of the second, striking out both Billy Sample and Ned Yost to start. Wayne Tolleson doubled but Curt Wilkerson flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second when Tony Armas singled to start. Reid Nichols was hit with a pitch but Glenn Hoffman hit a little squibber in front of the plate, getting Armas thrown out at third. Gary Allenson flied out to left but Remy made up for his earlier error with a 2 run double to give the Sox the lead. Evans struck out to end the inning but the Sox led 2-1.

                                                  "I don't suck" - Remy

It took about 30 seconds for Eckersley to cough up the lead in the top of the third inning. Rivers flied out to right but O'Brien crushed a 583,000 foot home run halfway to Vermont to tie the game. Wright grounded out to second and Bell flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                         "No no Jerry, I suck" - Eckersley

The Sox blew a chance in the top of the third inning to take the lead. Boggs singled but was erased on the Rice force. Rice swiped second but Easler whiffed. Armas flied out to right to end the inning.

The Rangers took command in the top of the fourth inning although Parrish flied out to center to start. Sample singled and Yost singled him to third. Tolleson hit a sac fly to score Sample to give Texas the lead. Wilkerson grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was now 3-2 Texas.

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fourth inning as Nichols struck out to start. Hoffman popped up to second and Allenson popped up to first to end the inning.

The Rangers struck again in the top of the fifth inning although Rivers grounded out to second to start. O'Brien singled and Wright doubled him to third. Bell was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up the double play but it backfired as Parrish singled to score two runners, advancing Bell to third. Sample hit a sac fly to score Bell and Yost grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was now 6-2 Rangers and getting worse.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth inning as Remy grounded out back to the mound, Evans grounded out to short and Boggs grounded out to second in short order.

Tolleson singled to lead off the top of the sixth and was sacrificed to second by Wilkerson. Rivers flied out to right but Tolleson moved to third. O'Brien popped up to third to end the inning. Rice walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth but Easler flied out to right and Armas popped up to third. Nichols singled but Hoffman flied out to left to end the inning.

The Rangers delivered the knockout blow in the top of the seventh inning. Wright doubled and Bell singled him home to finally chase Eckersley. Rookie Al Nipper took the mound and walked Parrish but Sample grounded into a double play. Yost doubled home Bell to close the book on Eck, he had surrendered EIGHT runs in 6 innings. Tolleson flied out to right to end the inning but it was now 8-2 Rangers.

                                                         Eck not looking good anymore

The Sox went quietly against Tanana in the bottom of the seventh as Allenson grounded back to the mound, Remy struck out and Evans grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nipper returned for the top of the eighth and Wilkerson flied out to center to start. Rivers flied out to left but O'Brien singled. Wright flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the eighth against Tom Henke. Boggs walked but Rice popped up to second. A wild pitch moved Boggs to second and a balk moved him to third. Easler walked as Rangers manager Bobby Cox brought in Odell Jones to pitch to Armas. Tony popped up to second but Nichols singled in Boggs. Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman and flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 8-3.

                                                 Nichols drives in a run

Nipper came back for the top of the ninth with Jackie Gutierrez now at short. Bell popped up to short, Parrish struck out and Sample grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the ninth as Rich Gedman pinch hit for Allenson but flied out to center. Remy struck out but Evans walked. Boggs hit a routine grounder to Bell but he booted it for an error, allowing the inning to continue. Rice singled home Evans but Easler struck out to end the game. The Rangers had won it 8-4.

Jackass of the Night is Dennis Eckersley. He allowed EIGHT runs in just 6 innings to take the loss.

                                                      Eck the Jackass


The Good:

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a walk, stolen base and an rbi.

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

Al Nipper tossed 3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Gary Allenson was 0 for 3.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 5 with an error but knocked in two runs.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Mike Easler was 0 for 4 with an error but walked.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3 but scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played short in the top of the ninth




Final Thoughts:

Is this team ever going to win again? It sure doesn't seem like it as they have no ace and can't seem to field at all. Bruce Hurst can't pitch every game so someone else has to step up on the mound. The offense will hit their stride but it won't mean anything if Dennis Eckersley, Mike Brown, Bob Ojeda, etc get pounded more often than not. The Sox also look like fools for letting Frank Tanana slip away but oh well. Speaking of Ojeda, he goes tomorrow night against the Rangers opposite Danny Darwin at Fenway Park.