Sox Outslug Brewers (6/28/82)

Its about time the Boston Red Sox punched back. After getting kicked around for 3 games at home by the Milwaukee Brewers, this time it was the Red Sox that did the kicking. The potent Brewers offense knocked out Sox starter Chuck Rainey but the offense led by Jerry Remy was able to counterpunch Pete Vuckovich into submission. The Sox rode a 5 run seventh inning then survived a late surge by the relentless Milwaukee offense to salvage game four of this series with a 9-7 win at Fenway Park.

                                                  Indiana Jones approves of the win

Rainey took the ball in the top of the first inning and Paul Molitor grounded out to third to begin. Robin Yount singled to left but Cecil Cooper popped up to third. A passed ball moved Yount to second but Ted Simmons flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox ran themselves out in the bottom of the first inning against Vuckovich. Remy grounded out to second to begin before Dwight Evans flied out to center. Jim Rice and Carl Yastrzemski worked back to back walks before Wade Boggs laced a single to left. Rice motored around third and the throw came home...YERRRR OUT! Rice was out to end the inning, damn.

                                                         Nice going Rice

Ben Oglivie grounded out to first to start the top of the second before Gorman Thomas and Roy Howell drew back to back walks. Rainey recovered by getting Ed Romero to bang into a double play to end the inning. The Red Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the second inning as Dave Stapleton grounded out to short to begin. Rich Gedman grounded out to first and Glenn Hoffman grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Brewers struck first in the top of the third inning although Charlie Moore grounded out to second to begin. Molitor beat out an infield single to short but Yount popped up to second. Cooper singled to center and Simmons singled home both runners to put Milwaukee on top. Oglivie flied out to right to end the inning but the Brewers were up 2-0.

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third although Rick Miller walked to start. Remy lined out to short but Evans walked as well. Rice beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Yaz flied out to right to end the inning.

Rainey struck out Thomas to start the top of the fourth but Howell singled to center. Romero flied out to left but Moore walked. Molitor popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Boggs singled to right to begin. Stapleton hit a routine grounder to Romero who went OLE! to allow Dave to reach. Gedman doubled home Boggs to put the Sox on the board and Hoffman scored Stapleton with an rbi grounder to tie the game. Miller grounded out to short but a wild pitch by Vuckovich sent Gedman to third. Remy doubled home Gedman to give the Sox the lead. Evans drew a walk but Rice popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                         Clutch double by Gedman

Could Rainey pitch with the lead in the top of the fifth? Miraculously yes. Yount grounded out to third, Cooper flied out to right and Simmons grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the fifth although Yaz flied out to center to start. Boggs and Stapleton stroked back to back base hits but Gedman grounded out to third. Hoffman flied out to center to end the inning.

The Brewers finally chased Rainey in the top of the sixth although Oglivie flied out to center to begin. Thomas walked and Howell crushed a 7,000 foot home run to give the Brewers the lead. Sox manager Ralph Houk pulled Rainey after allowing 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings. He was game but the home run killed him in the end. Bob Stanley came in and got both Romero and Moore to ground out to short to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 4-3.

                                                Not the best but not the worst either

The Sox answered in the bottom of the sixth as Miller singled to start. Remy poked a single to left and the hustling Miller made it all the way to third with Remy advancing to second on the throw. Evans popped up to second but a passed ball scored Miller and advanced Remy to third. Rice grounded out to short and Yaz grounded out to first but the game was tied 4-4.

                                                              Good hustle Miller

Stanley cruised in the top of the seventh as Molitor struck out to start. Yount grounded out to third and Cooper grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the seventh although Boggs grounded out to first to begin. Stapleton and Gedman drew back to back walks but Hoffman struck out. Miller was plunked to load the bases and Remy cleared the bases with an rbi double. That was it for Vuckovich as Jim Slaton came in and walked Evans. Rice cleared the bases with a triple to chase Slaton. Jamie Easterly came in and Yaz looked at strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                      Remy gets it done

The Brewers fought back in the top of the eighth as Simmons singled to center to start. Oglivie flied out to center but Thomas crushed a 97,000 foot home run to inch the Brewers closer. Marshall Edwards pinch hit for Romero but grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Brewers down 9-6.

Rob Picciolo came in to play second in the bottom of the eighth as the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Boggs grounded out to short, Stapleton grounded back to the mound and Hoffman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Stanley came out to finish the top of the ninth but the Brewers refused to go quietly. Moore popped up to second but Molitor doubled to left. Yount grounded out to third but Cooper singled home Molitor to put the tying run at the plate. With the game on the line, Simmons flied out to center to end the game. The Sox hung on to win 9-7

Hero of the Night is Jerry Remy. He put the Sox on top twice by going 3 for 5 with a run scored and 4 total rbis.

                                                            Remy the Hero


The Good:

Dwight Evans walked 3 times in 5 plate appearances and scored a run.

Wade Boggs was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Rick Miller was 1 for 2 with a walk, hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.



The Bad:

None



The Ugly:

Jim Rice was just 1 for 4 with a walk but drove in 2 runs.

Carl Yastrzemski was 0 for 4 but walked.

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 2 runs.

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

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Bob Stanley got the win but allowed 3 runs in 3 2/3 of an inning.

Chuck Rainey allowed 4 runs in just 5 1/3 innings, allowing 6 hits and 4 walks.




Final Thoughts:

The Brewers are for real and the Sox need better pitching or else they won't be able to handle the high powered Milwaukee offense going forward. If the Brewers take 3 out of 4 at Fenway, what are they going to do when they get back home? The Sox don't have the starting pitching to hold the Brewers down or the lineup to bop their way back when they go down. Hoffman, Nichols, Stapleton and Miller aren't 30 homer a year guys but that may be what the Sox need to keep the AL East lead. Still, a win is a win so no use panicking just yet. The win improved the Sox to 43-28, 3 games ahead of the Brewers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox travel to Detroit to play a set with the Detroit Tigers. Dennis Eckersley (7-6) goes for the Sox up against Jerry Ujdur at 7:30 PM at Tiger Stadium.

Sox Late Rally Falls Short Against Brewers (6/27/82)

Close but no cigar. The Boston Red Sox fell behind the Milwaukee Brewers 7-1 going into the eighth inning of tonight's game but ultimately fell short. Starter Mike Torrez (4-4, 6.22 ERA) continued to falter by allowing 6 runs in 5 innings to put the Sox in the hole. The Sox fought back in the eighth inning but a crucial double play by Dave Stapleton led the way for the Brewers to recover. The Brewers inched closer to the Sox with their 7-5 win at Fenway Park.

                                             Ex president Ford is angry

Torrez got the ball in the top of the first and Paul Molitor grounded out to first to begin. Robin Yount struck out and Cecil Cooper popped up to short to end the inning. Bob McClure got the start for Milwaukee and Jerry Remy greeted him by watching strike three go by to start the bottom of the first. Dwight Evans and Jim Rice stroked back to back singles but Tony Perez popped up to second. Stapleton popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning.

Torrez cruised in the top of the second inning as Ted Simmons and Ben Oglivie both grounded out to first. Gorman Thomas grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox did nothing in the bottom of the second as Glenn Hoffman struck out to start. Gary Allenson flied out to left before Wade Boggs grounded out to third to end the inning.

Roy Howell struck out to begin the top of the third inning before Ed Romero popped up to second. Charlie Moore hit a routine grounder to Hoffman who dove on top of it and swam on it for an error. More swiped second before Molitor flied out to left to end the inning. Reid Nichols flied out to left to open the bottom of the third before Remy grounded out to third. Evans struck out to end the inning.

The Brewers struck first in the bottom of the third as Yount and Cooper stroked back to back singles to start. Simmons singled in Yount and sent Cooper to third to give the Brewers the lead. Oglivie struck out but Thomas drove in Cooper with a sac fly. Howell doubled but Romero grounded out to third to end the inning with the Brewers up 2-0.

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the fourth as Rice flied out out to center to begin. Perez struck out and Stapleton grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Brewers struck again in the top of the fifth inning as Moore walked to start. Molitor popped up to second but Yount tripled home Moore. Cooper scored Yount with a sac fly and Simmons flied out to left to end the inning with the Brewers ahead 4-0.

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the fifth as Hoffman walked to start. Allenson lined out to short but Boggs singled to center. Nichols hit one up the elevator shaft but Remy singled in Hoffman to put the Sox on the board. Evans struck out to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                      Remy drives in a run

Torrez returned for the top of the sixth but was immediately chased. Oglivie smashed a 400,000 foot bomb and Thomas responded with a 90,000 foot home run to go back to back. Sox manager Ralph Houk had seen enough and pulled Torrez after allowing 6 runs in 5 plus innings. He's been terrible this year.

                                                             Torrez stinks again

Tom Burgmeier came in and Howell grounded back to the mound before Romero grounded out to short. Moore popped up to Burgmeier to end the inning. The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth as Rice flied out to center to start. Perez flied out to left and Stapleton hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning.

Burgmeier got the Brewers to beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the seventh inning. Molitor and Yount both grounded out to third before Cooper grounded out to first to end the inning. McClure cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Hoffman struck out to begin. Allenson grounded out to short and Boggs popped up to third to end the inning.

The Brewers got a key insurance run in the top of the eighth inning. Simmons flied out to left and Oglivie flied out to center but Thomas belted his second home run of the game. Howell flied out to left to end the inning but it was 7-1 Brewers.

Somehow the Sox exploded in the bottom of the eighth. Nichols singled to start before Remy walked. Evans singled Nichols in and sent Remy to third. Rice doubled home Remy and Perez singled Evans home and sent Rice to third to chase McClure from the game. The tying run came to the plate but Dwight Benard got Stapleton to bang into a double play. Rice scored but there were two outs, the bases empty and the Sox were still down 2. Hoffman grounded out to third to end the inning but it was 7-5 Brewers.

                                                             Thanks a lot Dave

Burgmeier returned for the top of the ninth and Romero looked at strike three to start. Moore singled to right but Molitor grounded out to third. Yount beat out an infield single to third before Cooper struck out to end the inning. Rick Miller pinch hit for Allenson and looked at strike three to begin. Boggs grounded out to short and Carl Yastrzemski pinch hit for Nichols only to strike out to end the game. The Brewers had won 3 in a row against the Sox and this game 7-5.

Jackass of the Night is Mike Torrez. He got lit up for 6 runs in just 5 innings to take the loss.

                                                             Jackass Torrez


The Good:

Jerry Remy was 1 for 3 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

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

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Reid Nichols was 1 for 3 with a walk.



The Bad:

Dave Stapleton was 0 for 4.

Gary Allenson was 0 for 3.

Rick Miller struck out as a pinch hitter.

Carl Yastrzemski struck out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Tony Perez was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3 with an error but walked and scored.

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4.

Tom Burgmeier allowed a run in 4 innings of work.




Final Thoughts:

Looks like the Brew Crew are for real. They just took 3 games in a row from the Sox and are looking for the sweep tomorrow. The Sox lead in the AL East has dwindled and their lack of a third starter is killing them. Their offense isn't good enough like Milwaukee's to bop their way back into games started by Mike Torrez or whoever else isn't Dennis Eckersley. The bullpen can't bail them out EVERY game. The Sox need to do something about Torrez because he's just getting hammered. The loss dropped the Sox to 42-28, 2 games ahead of the Brewers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to avoid a sweep when they send Chuck Rainey to the mound up against Pete Vuckovich at 7:30 PM at Fenway Park.

Indians Walk Off in 14 (6/20/82)

In a heartbreaking loss for the Boston Red Sox, the Cleveland Indians rallied in the 8th inning to send the game into extras where they won in the 14th. Mark Clear couldn't slam the door after a decent Bruce Hurst start and Luis Aponte couldn't slam the door in the fourteenth inning. It was a hard fought game but the Indians took it 5-4 in the 14th inning at Cleveland Stadium.

                                             This game makes George Bailey mad

Len Barker got the start for the Indians and he cruised in the top of the first inning. Jerry Remy struck out before Dwight Evans grounded out to first. Carney Lansford grounded out to short to end the inning. Hurst got the ball in the bottom of the first and the Indians immediately tagged him. Miguel Dilone grounded out to third but Toby Harrah smashed a 400,000 foot bomb to put the Indians on top. Mike Hargrove and Andre Thornton both whiffed to end the inning but the Indians were up 1-0.

The lead stayed the same in the top of the second as the Sox beat the ball in the dirt. Carl Yastrzemski grounded out to second, Rich Gedman grounded out to third and Dave Stapleton also grounded out to second to end the inning. The Indians struck again in the bottom of the second as Evans dropped a routine pop up by Alex Bannister to start. Rick Manning caught the Sox asleep with a bunt to put runners at first and third. Von Hayes grounded out to second to score Bannister and move Manning to second before Chris Bando flied out to center. Mike Fischlin tripled into the gap to score both runners. Dilone hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning but it was 3-0 Indians.

The Sox failed to respond in the top of the third as Glenn Hoffman and Reid Nichols both flied out to left to start. Rick Miller singled to left but Remy flied out to left to end the inning. Hurst got in trouble in the bottom of the third by walking the bases loaded. Harrah, Hargrove and Thornton all walked but Bannister hit a ground ball to third. Lansford gunned it home to nail Harrah at home before Gedman fired to first to get Bannister for the double play. Manning struck out to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the fourth as Evans walked to start. Lansford hit one up the elevator shaft but Yaz cracked his 9th home run of the year to cut into the lead. Gedman stuck out and Stapleton grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                               Yaz hits one out

Hurst recovered in the bottom of the fourth as Hayes grounded out to second to start. Bando grounded out to short but Fischlin bunted his way on. Dilone lined out to right to end the inning.

Barker cruised in the top of the fifth inning as Hoffman struck out to start. Nichols grounded out to third and Miller grounded out to second to end the inning. Hurst kept pace in the bottom of the fifth although Harrah walked to start. Hargrove lined out to right but Thornton singled. Bannister and Manning both flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox took command in the top of the sixth as Remy started the rally with a single. Evans lashed a double to left that Dilone bobbled, allowing Remy to score the tying run and advancing Dwight to third. A wild pitch by Barker scored Evans to give the Sox the lead but both Lansford and Yaz flied out to right. Gedman singled to right and Stapleton singled to center but Nichols flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-3.

                                                           Evans gives the Sox the lead

Hurst cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Hayes grounded out to second to begin. Bando grounded out to short and Fischlin struck out to end the inning. That was it for Hurst who turned in a solid effort, throwing 6 innings of 3 run ball to put himself in line for the win.

                                                               Good work Hurst

Barker cruised in the top of the seventh as Miller lined back to the mound to start. Remy popped up to left and Evans struck out to end the inning. Mark Clear was summoned for the bottom of the seventh and Dilone grounded out to first to start. Harrah looked at strike three and Hargrove grounded out to short to end the inning.

Barker returned for the top of the eighth and Lansford grounded out to first to begin. Yaz struck out before Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning. The Indians got to Clear in the bottom of the eighth as Thornton walked and was sacrificed to second by Bannister. Manning struck out but Hayes tied the game with a double. Bando looked at strike three to end the inning but the game was tied 4-4.

                                                        Thanks a lot Clear

Ron Hassey took over behind the plate for the top of the ninth and Stapleton popped up to first to begin. Hoffman lined out to right and Nichols struck out to end the inning. The Indians almost won it in the bottom of the ninth when Fischlin singled to start. Dilone looked at strike three but Harrah singled. Hargrove walked to load the bases but Thornton looked at strike three. Karl Pagel pinch hit for Bannister but Clear froze him for strike three to end the inning.

Jack Perconte came in to play second in the top of the tenth with Barker still on the mound. Miller beat out an infield single and was sacrificed to second by Remy, but Evans grounded out to third. Yaz flied out to center to end the inning. Tom Burgmeier came in to pitch the bottom of the tenth and Manning grounded out to first to start. Hayes lined out to second but Hassey singled to center. Fischlin grounded out to third to end the inning.

Dan Spillner came in to pitch the top of the eleventh and Yaz struck out to begin. Gedman grounded out to second and Stapleton looked at strike three to end the inning. The Indians almost won it in the bottom of the eleventh when Dilone singled to start and was sacrificed to second by Harrah. Dilone swiped third and Hargrove was plunked. Thornton was intentionally walked and Jerry Dybzinsky pinch hit for Percone....only to bang into a double play to end the inning.

Dybzinsky moved to short with Fischlin taking over at second to open the top of the 12th inning. Wade Boggs pinch hit for Hoffman and flied out to right to start. Nichols looked at strike three before Miller grounded out to short to end the inning.

Julio Valdez took over at short for the bottom of the 12th and Manning singled to right to begin. Manning was sacrificed to second by Hayes and he moved to third on the grounder by Hassey. Fischlin popped up to first to end the inning.

Remy grounded out to second to start the top of the 13th but Evans drew a walk. Lansford looked at strike three before Yaz popped up to third to end the inning. Luis Aponte came in for the bottom of the 13th and Dilone grounded out to short to start. Harrah flied out to left and Hargrove watched strike three go by to end the inning.

Gedman singled to start the top of the 14th and Gary Allenson pinch ran for him. Stapleton singled and Valdez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. They never moved as Nichols flied out to right and Miller flied out to center to end the inning. The end mercifully came in the bottom of the 14th when Thornton singled to start. Dybzinsky sacrificed him to second but for some reason Sox manager Ralph Houk had Manning intentionally walked. Hayes walked to load the bases and Hassey singled home Thornton to end the game. It took 14 innings but the Indians had won it 5-4.

Jackass of the Night is Reid Nichols. He was 0 for 6 including 2 strikeouts and failed to get two men in scoring position in during the crucial top of the 14th inning.

                                                             Nice clutch hitting Jackass



The Good:

Rich Gedman was 2 for 6.

Dave Stapleton was 2 for 6.

Julio Valdez dropped down a perfect bunt in the top of the 14th inning.

Rick Miller was 2 for 6.

Bruce Hurst tossed 6 innings of 3 run ball to keep the Sox in the game. Only 1 run was earned, he walked four and struck out 4.

Tom Burgmeier tossed 3 shutout innings of relief.



The Bad:

Carney Lansford was 0 for 6 with a strikeout.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Wade Boggs flied out as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4 with an error but walked twice and scored 2 runs.

Carl Yastrzemski was just 1 for 6 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Mark Clear blew the lead in the bottom of the 8th but pitched scoreless 7th and 9th innings.

Luis Aponte took the loss in the bottom of the 14th but pitched a clean top of the 13th.



Honorable Mention:

Gary Allenson ran for Gedman in the top of the 14th and caught the bottom of the 14th.




Final Thoughts:

This game was a sucker punch to the gonads. As mediocre as the Sox offense was against Barker today, they still had a chance to win if Clear didn't blow it. Still, they had 2 on and 1 out in the top of the 14th but couldn't get the clutch hit they needed. The Indians are a perfectly mediocre 31-32 and the Sox blew a big chance to gain a game in the AL East standings by dropping this one. The less said of this unmitigated disaster, the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 39-25, 2 games in front of the Detroit Tigers for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox are back home against the Tigers with a chance to put some distance from them in the East standings. Dan Petry goes for the Tigers up against John Tudor (5-5) of the Red Sox at 7:00 PM at Fenway Park.