Tigers Maul Sox, Snap Streak (6/20/97)

So much for the Boston Red Sox 4 game winning streak. The normally punchless Detroit Tigers put a hurting on the Sox pitchers. Tim Wakefield (2-7, 5.48 ERA) got creamed in just 2 1/3 innings, allowing 6 runs. The bullpen got lit up for 6 runs of their own. The Sox offense did manage 6 runs and 10 hits off Detroit pitching but the Tigers offense pounded out 12 runs on 16 hits to knock out the Sox 12-6 at Tiger Stadium.

Justin Thompson got the start for Detroit and Nomar Garciaparra grounded out to short to start. Jeff Frye also grounded out to short and Mike Stanley whiffed to end the inning. Wakefield somehow cruised in the bottom of the first inning as Brian Hunter flied out to right to begin. Curtis Pride whiffed before Tony Clark lined out to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second although Wil Cordero grounded out to third to begin. Tim Naehring singled to right but John Valentin popped up to short. Shane Mack beat out an infield single and Scott Hatteberg walked to load the bases. Jesus Tavarez got his first start with the Sox and he hit a routine grounder to short, but Deivi Cruz bobbled it allowing Naehring to score and reloading the bases. Nomar singled home Mack and Frye walked home Hatteberg. With a chance to break the game open...Stanley lined out to center to end the inning but the Sox led 3-0.

                                                       Tavarez' first start.

The Tigers tied it up in the bottom of the second in about 30 seconds. Bob Hamelin singled to left before Phil Nevin doubled him to third. Melvin Nieves then crushed a 5,000,000 foot home run into the Atlantic Ocean to tie the game. Damion Easley popped up to second before Raul Casanova doubled to right. Deivi Cruz doubled off the Monster to give the Tigers the lead. Hunter whiffed and Pride grounded out to second but the Tigers took the lead 4-3.

                                                              Wake gets lit up

The Sox took command in the top of the third as Cordero flied out to right to start. Naehring, Valentin and Mack all singled to load the bases. Hatteberg walked to tie the game and with a chance to do some serious damage.... Tavarez flied out to right although Valentin scored the go-ahead run. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-4.

                                                       Hatteberg walks in a run

The Tigers knocked Wakefield out in the bottom of the third as Clark walked to start. Hamelin flied out to right but Nevin smashed a 40,000 foot home run to give the Tigers the lead and chase Wakefield. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings and gave up 6 runs. Mark Brandenburg came in and whiffed Nieves before Easley lined out to left to end the inning with the Tigers up 6-5.

Frye grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth but Stanley walked. Cordero lined out to left and Naehring flied out to right to end the inning. The Tigers pounded the Sox in the bottom of the fourth although Casanova grounded back to the mound to start. Cruz singled but was forced on the Hunter grounder. Hunter took off for second and Hatteberg threw the ball completely out of Fenway for an error to advance him to third. Pride singled home hunter and Clark singled Curtis to third. Hamelin singled home Pride to chase Brandenburg. Joe Hudson came in and got Nevin flied out to right to end the inning with the Tigers up 8-5.

                                                          Hudson gets out of it

Somehow the Sox fought back in the top of the fifth as Valentin grounded out to second to start. Mack grounded out to short but Hatteberg singled to right. Tavarez walked and Nomar doubled home Scott. With the tying run at second....Frye flied out to right to end the inning but it was 8-6 Tigers.

                                                        Nomar drives in a run

The Tigers were offended the Sox had the unmitigated audacity to try to come back by rallying in the bottom of the fifth. Nieves doubled to center and moved to third on the Easley grounder to chase Hudson. Heathcliff Slocumb came in and struck out Casanova, but Cruz singled home Nieves to increase the lead. Cruz stole second and third but Hunter grounded out to short to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 9-6.

AJ Sager came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Stanley grounded out to short to start. Cordero flied out to right but Naehring singled to left. Valentin flied out to right to end the inning. The Tigers rallied again in the bottom of the sixth although Pride grounded out to second to start. Clark singled, Hamelin walked and Nevin walked to load the bases. Easley popped up to first to end the inning.

Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Mack to open the top of the seventh, flying out to right. Hatteberg singled to right and Darren Bragg pinch hit for Tavarez. Bragg and Nomar both grounded out to short to end the inning. John Wasdin got the call for the bottom of the seventh and he took a beating too. Casanova grounded out to short but Cruz walked. Cruz moved to second on the Hunter grounder and scored on the Pride triple. Clark singled home Pride to increase the lead. Hamelin grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Tigers ahead 11-6.

                                                         Wasdin gets hammered too

The Sox surrendered in the top of the eighth as Frye walked to start but Stanley banged into a double play. Cordero lined out to center to end the inning. The Tigers continued to pummel Wasdin in the bottom of the eighth as Nevin walked to start. Somehow Nieves went down hacking but Easley doubled Nevin to third. Casanova was intentionally walked to load the bases and Cruz scored Nevin with a sac fly to wrap up the scoring. Hunter whiffed to end the inning with the Tigers up 12-6.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt to end the game in the top of the ninth. Naehring grounded out to short, Valentin grounded out to third and O'Leary grounded out to second to end the game. The normally impotent Tigers knocked the Sox goofy 12-6.

Jackass of the Night could be any of the pitchers but I'll go with Tim Wakefield. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings and allowed 6 runs, putting the Sox in a hole they couldn't get out of.

                                                           Tim the Jackass



The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 5 with 2 runs batted in.

Tim Naehring was 3 for 5 with 2 runs scored.

Shane Mack was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 2 for 2 with 2 walks, an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Jesus Tavararez walked and drove in a run in 2 at bats.



The Bad:

Wil Cordero was 0 for 5.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 2.

Darren Bragg was 0 for 1.

Mark Brandenburg allowed 2 runs in just 1 1/3 innings.

Joe Hudson was charged with a run in 2/3 of an inning.

John Wasdin allowed 3 runs in 2 innings.



The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was 0 for 3 but walked twice and drove in a run.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 4 but walked.

John Valentin was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Heathcliff Slocumb allowed an inherited runner to score but none of his own in 1 2/3 innings.




Final Thoughts:

It was too good to be true and sure enough the real Red Sox showed up tonight. It was nice to see the Sox string a few victories in a row but the pitching is such trash that it wasn't going to last. Its sad to see the pitching fall apart this hard considering how hard the offense is working to keep them in games. Not only did the Sox get lit up, it was from a team that doesn't really hit well to boot. Wakefield is a long way from his 1995 season and maybe its time to cut the chord with him. Then again, nobody else is pitching well either so its not like he's the problem. The less said of this disaster the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 31-39, 16 games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the AL East. The Sox look for revenge tomorrow night against the Tigers when they send Vaughn Eshelman to the mound against Brian Moehler at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Tigers Stadium.

Red Sox Crush Jones, Mets (6/15/97)

Who saw THIS coming? One of the worst teams in baseball defeated one of the best pitchers in the game as the Boston Red Sox laid waste to the bungholes of Bobby Jones and the New York Mets. Jones came into the game 11-2 but was tagged for 5 runs in just 4 innings. The Sox scored another 5 runs off the Mets bullpen to pound out 10 total runs and 13 hits. Meanwhile Vaughn Eshelman (1-1, 4.00 ERA) won his first game of the season with 7 strong innings, allowing just 1 run to a pretty good Mets lineup. Kerry Lacy and Joe Hudson slammed the door and the Sox had a rare good day with a 10-1 victory over the Mets at Shea Stadium.

                                                         Lynn Thomas approves of the win

Jones got the ball in the top of the first and Nomar Garciaparra led off with a liner to center. Darren Bragg lined out to left and Mo Vaughn took strike three to end the inning. Eshelman got the ball in the bottom of the first as Bernard Gilkey ate up third baseman Tim Naehring on a line drive to start. Eshelman had Gilkey picked off but Vaughn threw the ball away allowing Bernard to reach third. Carlos Baerga grounded out to third and John Olerud grounded out to short. Todd Hundley struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                    "I don't got it' - Garciaparra

Naehring struck out swinging to start the top of the second and Scott Hatteberg lined out to right. John Valentin got a base hit to left and Troy O'Leary struck out swinging to end the inning. The Mets struck first in the bottom of the second as Carl Everett caught Naehring asleep with a bunt single to start. Alex Ochoa doubled off the second base bag and Matt Franco grounded out to short to move Everett. Luis Lopez was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Jones. Gilkey lined out to center to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                          Mets strike first

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Shane Mack took strike three to start. Eshelman somehow beat out a bunt down the third base line and Garciaparra belted his ninth home run of the year to put the Sox on top. Bragg doubled to center and Vaughn drilled a base hit to left to score him. Naehring doubled to left and Hatteberg walked to load the bases. Valentin hit a routine grounder to third and Franco tried to throw home....instead the threw the ball away for an error to score Vaughn and and Naehring. Unfortunately Vaughn came up limping and had to leave the game. The Sox can NOT afford to lose him. O'Leary was intentionally walked and the gamble worked as Mack grounded into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                     Sox pour it on but lose Vaughn

Mike Stanley took over for Vaughn at first to start the bottom of the third as Baerga grounded out to third to start. Olerud flied out to left and Hundley took strike three to end the inning.

Eshelman bunted foul for strike three to start the top of the fourth and Garciaparra struck out swinging. Bragg flied out to left to end the inning. Everett grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fourth and Ochoa grounded out to third. Franco grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fifth with Barry Manuel now on the mound. Stanley lined out to right and Naehring grounded out to first. ESPN analysts Joe Morgan and Jon Miller were discussing how Sam Lacy was assigned to over Jackie Robinson in Spring Training in Havana, Cuba. Both Jackie and Sam were denied service and had to stay in a fleabag motel. In real time, Hatteberg then pounded his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. Valentin got a base hit to center but O'Leary lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 6-1.

                                                          What a blast by Hatteberg

Lopez grounded out to short to start the bottom of the fifth and Manuel took strike three. Gilkey lined out to left to end the inning.

Mack beat out a roller to second to start the top of the sixth but Eshelman's bunt was too hard, forcing Shane at second. Eshelman took second on a balk but was doubled off on the Garciaparra liner to Franco to end the inning. Baerga lined out to right to start the bottom of the sixth and Olerud lined out to left. Hundley walked and Everett doubled to left, but Ochoa grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Bragg popped up to right to start. Stanley walked and Naehring got a base hit to right. Hatteberg struck out swinging but Valentin got a base hit to right. The throw beat Stanley to the plate but Hundley dropped the ball for an error to score Mike. O'Leary was intentionally walked to get to Mack and Shane made them pay with a double to left to score Naehring & Valentin. Eshelman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox up 9-1.

                                                            This turned into a rout

Eshelman returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Lopez struck out swinging. Kevin Morgan made his ML debut pinch hitting for Manuel and popped up to short to end the inning. Eshelman was outstanding, allowing just one run off four hits and a walk in seven innings of work.

                                                   One of the best starts of Vaughn's career

The Sox rallied in the top of the eighth with Alberto Castillo behind the plate and Takashi Kashiwada now on the mound. Garciaparra doubled into the right field corner then took third on the Bragg grounder to second. Stanley walked and Naehring hit a sac fly to left to score Garciaparra. Hatteberg flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 9-1.

                                                          Another run for Boston

Kerry Lacy came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Gilkey got a base hit to left to start. Baerga flied out to the centerfield warning track and Gilkey took second on defensive indifference. Olerud took strike three and Castillo lined out to right to end the inning.

Cory Lidle came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Valentin grounded out to short to start. O'Leary struck out swinging and Mack grounded out to third to end the inning. Joe Hudson came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Everett grounded out to first to start. Ochoa grounded out to second and Steve Bieser pinch hit for Lidle. Bieser grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-1.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of The Night is Vaughn Eshelman. He allowed just 1 run in 7 innings off 4 hits and a walk. He was also 1 for 4 with a run scored at the plate.

                                                             Hero Eshelman

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 5 with a 2 run home run and scored 2 total runs.

Mo Vaughn was 1 for 2 with an rbi and a run scored before leaving the game.

Mike Stanley walked twice and scored a run.

Tim Naehring was 2 for 4 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

John Valentin was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Shane Mack was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Kerry Lacy tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

Joe Hudson tossed a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and hit a home run.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked twice.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are already without Wil Cordero for being a dumbass but now they lost Vaughn as well. Thankfully x-rays showed negative so there's no immediate danger but we'll see what the MRI results are when they get back to Boston. This season has been so bad that even when they knock out the best pitcher in the National League, hang 10 runs total on the Mets and have Vaughn Eshelman's best career start, they still find a way to sour it. Hopefully Vaughn is okay but who knows the way this year is going. Still, where was that from Eshelman the last two years? If he can come back from Pawtucket and pitch like that moving forward, they might have something here. Otherwie, this season is heading to hell in a hand basket so enjoy the small victories like tonight's when they happen. The win improved the Sox to 28-38, good for last place in the AL East. The Sox resume inter-league play tomorrow night when they come home to face the Philadelphia Phillies for the first time since the 1915 World Series. Tom Gordon goes for the Sox against Matt Beech of Philadelphia. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.