Basebawful Report of the Month

Rolando Arrojo - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero

Rod Beck - 8 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Dante Bichette - 2 Good, 5 Bad, 2 Ugly

Frank Castillo - 3 Good, 1 Hero, 1 Jackass

Paxton Crawford - 3 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Hero

Brian Daubach - 7 Good, 3 Bad, 10 Ugly, 2 Hero

Carl Everett - 13 Good, 4 Bad, 6 Ugly, 1 Hero

Rich Garces - 8 Good, 1 Bad

Craig Grebeck - 2 Good, 12 Bad, 1 Ugly, 4 Honorable Mention

Scott Hatteberg - 2 Good, 6 Bad, 3 Ugly

Shea Hillenbrand - 10 Good, 2 Bad, 11 Ugly, 2 Hero

Mike Lansing - 8 Good, 2 Bad, 5 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Darren Lewis - 3 Good, 6 Bad, 4 Ugly, 2 Honorable Mention

Derek Lowe - 3 Good, 2 Bad, 4 Jackass

Pedro Martinez - 4 Good, 1 Hero

Lou Merloni - 6 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Honorable Mention

Trot Nixon - 8 Good, 3 Bad, 10 Ugly, 1 Honorable Mention

Hideo Nomo - 2 Good, 2 Hero, 1 Jackass

Jose Offerman - 9 Good, 3 Bad, 8 Ugly

Tomo Ohka - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 1 Ugly, 1 Hero

Troy O'Leary - 3 Good, 5 Bad, 11 Ugly, 1 Hero, 1 Honorable Mention

Manny Ramirez - 15 Good, 1 Bad, 6 Ugly, 3 Hero

Pete Schourek - 6 Good, 2 Bad, 1 Jackass

Chris Stynes - 2 Good, 1 Bad, 4 Ugly

Jason Varitek - 10 Good, 4 Bad, 7 Ugly

Tim Wakefield - 4 Good, 1 Ugly, 1 Jackass

Most Valuable Player is Manny Ramirez with 15 Good

Least Valuable Player is Craig Grebeck with 12 Bad

The Ugliest Players of the Month are Shea Hillenbrand and Troy O'Leary with 11 Ugly

Hero of the Month is Manny Ramirez with 3 Hero

Jackass of the Month is Derek Lowe with 4 Jackass

The Honorable Player of the Month is Craig Grebeck with 4 Honorable Mention

Off-Day News (4/30/01)

On this day in Boston Red Sox Basebawful History:

1970 - Sox sweep A's

1971 - Sox come back to defeat Twins

1981 - Sox lose fourth game in a row with defeat at the hands of the Twins

1983 - Angels defeat Sox in 11 innings

1991 - Sox beat Twins late

1993 - Dopson, Sox defeat Angels

2000 - Sox win beanball war with Cleveland

The Sox look to bounce back tomorrow night in Seattle when the Red Sox take on the red hot Mariners. Pedro Martinez (2-0) goes up against John Halama of the Mariners at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Safeco Field.

Royals Outslug Red Sox in 11 Innings (4/29/01)

Its amazing how all the good work the Boston Red Sox put in this month was pretty much undone by the last two games. After the Red Sox committed 5 errors in yesterday's disaster against the Kansas City Royals, today the Sox topped themselves by dropping a hard fought slugfest in extra innings. Manny Ramirez got the party with a 3 run bomb in the bottom of the first inning but the Royals knocked out Sox starter Paxton Crawford in the top of the second inning with a 6 run attack. Trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the seventh, the Sox got to within one then took the lead on a two run Scott Hatteberg homer....only for Derek Lowe (1-4, 6.75 ERA) to blow yet another save by allowing a 1 out homer to Jermaine Dye in the top of the ninth. 2 innings later, Randa hit a 3 run bomb off Lowe to ice the game. The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the frame and the Royals beat the Sox 11-8 in 11 innings.

                                                      Randy Quaid is angry again

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Carlos Beltran lined out to second to start. Old friend Luis Alicea lined out to Crawford and Mark Quinn grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time getting to Royals starter Brian Meadows in the bottom of the first inning although Chris Stynes grounded out to short to start. Trot Nixon walked, Carl Everett singled to left and Manny Ramirez crushed a 3 run bomb over the Monster to put the Sox up early. Troy O'Leary grounded out to second and Scott Hatteberg took strike three to end the inning with Boston ahead 3-0.

                                                                Ramirez puts the Sox on top

The Royals exploded in the top of the second inning as Jermaine Dye walked to start. Mike Sweeney doubled home Dye and took third on a passed ball. Dee Brown singled home Sweeney but Joe Randa struck out swinging. Hector Ortiz singled to center and Luis Ordaz singled to left. Brown ran around third and O'Leary's throw came home....SAFE! Brown was safe at home to tie the game with the runners moving into scoring position. Beltran singled home both runners to put the Royals on top. Alicea singled to center and Quinn also singled to center to score Beltran. That was it for Crawford who got hammered for 6 runs in just 1 1/3 innings. "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in and struck out Dye swinging before Sweeney grounded out to second to end the inning with the Royals ahead 6-3.

                                      "I'm gonna tell ya right now, you suck Crawford" - Kerrigan

Shea Hillenbrand tried to start a rally in the bottom of the second with a double to left but Brian Daubach struck out swinging. Mike Lansing flied out to right and Stynes grounded out to short to end the inning.

Brown grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Randa flied out to left. Ortiz popped up to second to end the inning. Nixon popped up to short to start the bottom of the third before Everett singled to right. Ramirez flied out to center and Everett was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

Ordaz walked to start the top of the fourth and moved to second on a grounder to Stynes by Beltran. Ordaz moved to third on a grounder to second by Alicea and Quinn struck out swinging to end the inning. O'Leary popped up to short to begin the bottom of the fourth before Hatteberg flied out to right. Hillenbrand grounded out to third to end the inning.

Pete Schourek came in for the top of the fifth and Dye grounded out to short to start. Sweeney flied out to right and brown struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach took strike three to start. Lansing singled to right but Stynes flied out to left. Nixon walked but Everett struck out swinging to end the inning.

Randa was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to open the top of the sixth before Ortiz grounded out to short. Ordaz doubled to right and Beltran walked, but Alicea forced Beltran at second to end the inning. Meadows was chased quickly in the bottom of the sixth when Ramirez plastered his second home run of the day to cut the lead. Tony Cogan came in to pitch and Sox manager Jimy Williams sent in Darren Lewis to pinch hit for O'Leary. Lewis flied out to right but Hatteberg was hit with a pitch. Doug Henry came in to pitch and Hillenbrand singled to center. Daubach lined out to right and Lansing lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                             Manny hits another homer

Rod Beck came in to crap his pants in the top of the seventh inning as Quinn flied out to left to start. Dye struck out swinging but Sweeney doubled to left. Brown singled to right and Sweeney came around third. Nixon fired home...SAFE! Sweeney was safe and the Royals had their 3 run lead back. Randa walked but Ortiz grounded out to second with the Royals ahead 7-4.

                                                             Sweeney adds to the lead

Suddenly the Sox roared back in the bottom of the seventh as Stynes and Nixon stroked back to back singles to chase Henry. Jason Grimsley came in and Everett singled to right to load the bases. Ramirez hit a double play ball to Alicea who flipped to second to force Everett but Ordaz threw wide of first for an error that scored both Stynes and Nixon. Ramirez moved to third on the grounder to short by Lewis but Hatteberg launched his first home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Hillenbrand doubled and Daubach was intentionally walked to get to Lansing. Lansing grounded into a force to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-7.

                                                        Hatteberg puts the Sox on top

Craig Grebeck took over at short with Rolando Arrojo now on the mound for the top of the eighth. Raul Ibanez pinch hit for Ordaz and grounded out to first to start. Beltran took strike three and Alicea struck out swinging to end the inning. Rey Sanchez took over at short with Cory Bailey now on the mound for the Royals in the bottom of the eighth. Stynes grounded out to first and Nixon flied out to right but Everett walked. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in for the save in the top of the ninth and Quinn took strike three to start. Suddenly Dye hit a home run all the way to Rockport's break wall to tie the game. Sweeney singled to left and Brown banged into a double play to end the inning with the game tied 8-8.

                                                     Dye ties it up

The Sox blew a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth as Lewis took strike three to start. Hatteberg flied out to left but Hillenbrand singled to left. Daubach walked to put the winning run at second...but Grebeck grounded into a force to end the inning.

Randa singled to left to start the top of the tenth and moved to second on the sacrifice bunt by Ortiz. Sanchez flied out to right but Beltran walked. Alicea flied out to left to end the inning. Jose Santiago came in for the bottom of the tenth and Stynes flied out to right to start. Nixon grounded out to second and Everett grounded out to first to end the inning.

Lowe returned for the top of the eleventh inning and Quinn singled to right to start. Dye singled to left but Sweeney flied out to right. Brown struck out swinging but Randa hit a home run all the way to the Klingon Homeworld to put the Royals up for good. Ortiz grounded out to third to end the inning but Lowe had allowed 4 runs to give the Royals an 11-8 lead.

                                                           Randa ices the game

David McCarty took over at first with Roberto Hernandez now pitching the bottom of the eleventh. Ramirez singled to center and Jason Varitek pinch hit for Lewis. Varitek flied out to center and Hatteberg banged into a double play to end the game. The Royals had won it 11-8 in 11 innings.

Jackass of the Night is once again Derek Lowe. Lowe blew the save in the ninth inning and the game in the eleventh.

                                                                   Lowe is Jackass again

The Good:

Carl Everett was 3 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 6 with two home runs, 5 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 4 for 5.

Rich Garces tossed 2 2/3 innings.

Pete Schourek tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rolando Arrojo tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 2.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Paxton Crawford allowed 6 runs in just 1 1/3 innings.

Rod Beck allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

Chris Stynes was just 1 for 6 with a run scored.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but walked twice and scored 2 runs.

Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but was hit with a pitch and hit a 2 run homer.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked twice.

Mike Lansing was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

Something has to be done about Lowe and the bullpen in general. Lowe has been an unmitigated disaster as the closer and Rod Beck has looked shaky as well. Its a shame because most of the Sox losses this month have been due to the bullpen. Crawford threw his first stinker of the season and the bullpen did the best they could. The offense did what they could and they definitely have a black hole at shortstop with the lack of production coming from Lansing and Grebeck. Nomar Garciaparra can't come back fast enough. The Sox had a pretty good month and kept pace with the New York Yankees but all the blown saves may come back to haunt them come September. The Sox finish the month of April with a 16-9 record and now travel to Seattle to play a set with the red hot Mariners. Pedro Martinez (2-0) takes on John Halama of the Mariners tomorrow night at 10:05 PM Eastern time at Safeco Field.

Royals Crush Sloppy Sox (4/28/01)

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

                                                                "Five errors?"

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

                                                        Offerman sets the tone with an error

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

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

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

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

                                                          Nice throw Trot

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

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

                                                             Catch the damn ball

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

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

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

                                                                A comedy of errors for Ohka

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

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

                                                               Sweeney drives in a run

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

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

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

                                                           Quinn hits a bomb

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

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

                                                       Wakefield The Jackass

The Good:

Carl Everett was just 1 for 3 with a walk.

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

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

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

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3.

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

The Bad:

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

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1.

The Ugly:

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Bash Royals (4/27/01)

Everything is coming up Boston Red Sox these days. Whether its Hideo Nomo flirting with no-hitters, Pedro Martinez being his usual self or Manny Ramirez & Carl Everett driving in runs, the Sox have enjoyed much success in April so far. Tonight's game against the Kansas City Royals was no different. Frank Castillo (3-1, 3.55 ERA) tossed a gutty 5 2/3 innings where he allowed just 2 runs to keep the Sox in front. The offense was a balanced attack although Everett led the charge with another grand slam. Ramirez and Troy O'Leary also homered as the Sox left no doubt with their 9-2 win at Fenway Park.

                                                   Kimberly Page approves of the win

Castillo got the ball in the top of the first inning and Carlos Beltran grounded out to second to start. Rey Sanchez struck out swinging and Mark Quinn grounded out to short to end the inning. Blake Stein got the start for the Royals in the bottom of the first and Chris Stynes grounded out to third to start. Trot Nixon singled to left but Carl Everett took strike three. Manny Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jermaine Dye doubled to right to begin the top of the second inning but Mike Sweeney flied out to left. Dee Brown lined out to second and Joe Randa grounded out to short to end the inning. Troy O'Leary flied out to center to start the bottom of the second inning and Jason Varitek struck out swinging. Shea Hillenbrand singled to center but Brian Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning.

AJ Hinch took strike three to begin the top of the third inning and Luis Ordaz grounded out to short. Beltran walked but Sanchez struck out swinging to end the inning. Mike Lansing grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the third and Stynes grounded out to third. Nixon singled to right and stole second before Everett walked. Ramirez singled in the hole at short to load the bases but O'Leary took strike three to end the inning.

The Royals struck first in the top of the fourth although Quinn grounded out to second to start. Dye struck out swinging but Sweeney doubled to left. Brown singled up the middle to score Sweeney with the game's first run. Randa grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Royals up 1-0.

                                                   Not the Dee Brown that Boston fans are used to

Varitek singled to center to start the bottom of the fourth but Hillenbrand flied our to right. Daubach grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Hinch grounded out to short to start the top of the fifth and Ordaz grounded out to third. Beltran took strike three to end the inning. The Sox roared back in the bottom of the fifth as Lansing grounded out to third to start. Stynes singled to center but Nixon popped up to short. Stynes stole second but Everett walked. Ramirez then crushed his seventh home run of the season to put the Sox on top. O'Leary followed with his first home run of the season to add to the lead. Varitek walked to chase Stein and Kris Wilson came in to pitch. Hillenbrand struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox led 4-1.

                                                    O'Leary hits his first home run of 2001

The end came quickly for Castillo in the top of the sixth as Sanchez singled to right to begin. Quinn doubled to center and Dye singled to center. Sanchez scored easily but Quinn was thrown out at home to chase Castillo after 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. Rolando Arrojo came in and walked Sweeney but Brown hit one up the elevator shaft. Randa struck out swinging to end the inning with the Royals down 4-2.

                                                          Castillo tosses a gutty game

The Sox broke it open in the bottom of the sixth as Daubach singled to center to begin. Lansing hit a routine grounder to Wilson who bobbled it for an error. Stynes singled to left to load the bases and chase Wilson. Jose Santiago came in to pitch and Nixon punched a single to left to score Daubach and reload the bases. Everett iced the game with a grand slam to put the game out of reach. Ramirez flied out to center, O'Leary grounded out to short and Varitek grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-2.

                                                         Everett with another grand slam

Hinch grounded out to short to begin the top of the seventh but Ordaz walked. Beltran singled to left but Sanchez banged into a double play to end the inning. Old friend Cory Bailey came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Hillenbrand lined out to second to start. Daubach struck out swinging and Lansing grounded out to second to end the inning.

Arrojo struck out Quinn swinging to begin the top of the eighth and Dye also went down hacking. Sweeney flied out to right to end the inning. Stynes struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Nixon grounded back to the mound. Everett grounded out to first to end the inning.

Arrojo came back to close out the top of the ninth and Brown grounded out to second to start. Randa walked but Hinch struck out swinging. Ordaz forced Randa at second to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-2.

Hero of the Night is Manny Ramirez. His 3 run home run gave the Sox the lead they wouldn't give up

                                                        Manny The Hero

The Good:

Chris Stynes was 2 for 5 with 2 runs scored and a stolen base.

Trot Nixon was 3 for 5 with an rbi, stolen base and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 total runs scored and a grand slam.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Frank Castillo earned the win with 5 2/3 innings of 2 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and one walk.

Rolando Arrojo earned his third save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but the one hit was a solo home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 4 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

If the Sox can keep up this pace for the whole season they're going to be right there with the Oakland A's and New York Yankees. The Sox seem to have found their groove offensively and the pitching has been spectacular apart from Derek Lowe this month. The best part is they've done it without Nomar Garciaparra, David Cone, Bret Saberhagen and John Valentin....all of which are scheduled to return at some point this season. Apart from Nomar, the sad part is the other three haven't been needed. Paxton Crawford, Tomo Ohka and Castillo have done great in the rotation and Hillenbrand has had a good month at third base. Still, you can never have too much pitching so if and when the injured players return is a good thing. As for this game, the Royals are considerably weaker without Johnny Damon this season so the Sox need to take advantage. Castillo did well but was running out of gas in the sixth and kudos to Sox manager Jimy Williams for pulling the plug before the Royals bopped back into it. Arrojo and Wakefield have been damn good as long relievers and Arrojo's performance now has the bullpen rested for tomorrow night's game. It was a good win and the Sox look to make it 2 in a row against the Royals when Tomo Ohka (2-0) goes up against Dan Reichert of the Royals. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Nomo Almost No-Hits Twins (4/26/01)

Darren Lewis won't be sleeping tonight, that's for sure. The normally gold glove caliber outfielder was upset with himself when he misplayed a Torii Hunter fly ball in the seventh inning of the Boston Red Sox's game against the Minnesota Twins. Hideo Nomo (3-1, 2.40 ERA) was gunning for another no-hitter as he held the Twins hitless for 6 innings. Minnesota starter Eric Milton was almost as tough, surrendering just a Mike Lansing rbi single in the second inning to keep pace with Nomo. After Nomo and Milton were gone, Shea Hillenbrand doubled home Troy O'Leary for a big insurance run. The troubled Derek Lowe pulled himself together to toss two scoreless innings to nail down the save and a 2-0 win over the Twins at Fenway Park.

                                                                Big Red approves of the win

Nomo ran into trouble immediately in the top of the first when Matt Lawton walked to start. Jason Maxwell walked but Corey Koskie took strike three. Lawton moved to third on a David Ortiz fly ball to center but Doug Mientkiewicz also flied out to center to end the inning. Milton allowed a leadoff double to center to Chris Stynes to open the bottom of the first but Jose Offerman popped up to second. Carl Everett flied out to center and Manny Ramirez flied out to right to end the inning.

Torii Hunter grounded out to short to begin the top of the second and Jacque Jones struck out swinging. AJ Pierzynski flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second as Dante Bichette singled to center to start. Jason Varitek walked but Shea Hillenbrand flied out to left. Mike Lansing stepped up with a base hit to center to score Bichette with the first run. Darren Lewis flied out to center and Stynes hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                               Lansing puts the Sox on top

Luis Rivas walked to start the top of the third but Lawton popped up to short. Rivas stole second but Maxwell struck out swinging. Koskie flied out to left to end the inning. Offerman took strike three to start the bottom of the third and Everett flied out to right. Ramirez singled to left but Bichette grounded out to third to end the inning.

Ortiz grounded out to second to start the top of the fourth and Mientkiewicz flied out to right. Hunter also flied out to right to end the inning. Varitek singled to center to begin the bottom of the fourth although Hillenbrand flied out to right. Lansing flied out to left but Lewis dropped a base hit to left. Stynes grounded out to third to end the inning.

Jones struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth and Pierzynski flied out to right. Rivas popped up to second to end the inning. Nomo had not allowed a hit through five innings so far. Milton stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Offerman flied out to right to start. Everett struck out swinging but Ramirez walked. Bichette struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lawton walked to start the top of the sixth but Maxwell flied out to center. Lawton swiped second and third but Koskie struck out swinging. Ortiz walked to put runners at the corners but Mientkiewicz struck out swinging to end the inning with the no-hitter intact. Varitek doubled to center to start the bottom of the sixth but Hillenbrand popped up to short. Both Lansing and Lewis grounded out to third to end the inning,

Hunter led off the top of the seventh with a sinking liner to right and Lewis slid to catch it....but the ball bounced off his glove. The official scorer ruled it a hit to break up the no-no as Fenway Park exploded in boo's, not at Lewis but for the scoring rule. Brian Buchanan pinch hit for Jones and struck out swinging before Hunter stole second on the Pierzynski swinging strikeout. Rivas flied out to left to end the inning and Nomo settled on 7 innings of 1 hit shutout ball. Good work Nomo!

                                            Lewis makes this play 9 times out of 10

Milton did his part for the Twins as Stynes flied out to center to start the bottom of the seventh. Offerman flied out to center and Everett grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in for the six out save with Craig Grebeck in at short for Lansing to begin the top of the eighth. Lawton grounded out to second, Maxwell grounded out to short and Koskie grounded out to second to end the inning. Old pal Hector Carrasco came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Ramirez walked to start. Troy O'Leary pinch ran for Ramirez and took second on a wild pitch. Bichette grounded out to short and O'Leary moved to third on the grounder to third by Varitek. Hillenbrand doubled off the Monster to score O'Leary with the insurance run. Greneck flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                     Hillenbrand drives in a run

Lowe returned to close out the top of the ninth with Trot Nixon now in right for defense with Lewis taking over in left. Ortiz grounded out to second but Mientkiewicz singled to center to bring the tying run to the plate. Mientkiewicz moved to second on the grounder to short by Hunter and Buchanan struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 2-0.

Hero of the Night is Hideo Nomo. He tossed 7 shutout innings allowing 1 hit and 5 walks while striking out 8.

                                                             Hideo Hero

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 2 with 2 walks.

Troy O'Leary scored a run as a pinch runner.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 3 with a walk.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Derek Lowe earned his third save with 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Chris Stynes was just 1 for 4.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3 but dropped Hunter's fly ball to break up the no-hitter.

Honorable Mention:

Trot Nixon played right field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

As dominant as Pedro Martinez has been the last 3 years, not even he has had the buzz that Hideo Nomo gets when he pitches. Nomo fell just 9 outs short of another no-hitter and a lot of people say that Lewis should have been charged with an error. Lewis himself after the game says he should have had it and he feels bad he let Nomo down. Nomo to his credit shook off the dropped ball to still toss a 7 inning shutout. New York Yankee fans could be getting nervous because Pedro Martinez has been trying to strong arm the Red Sox to the playoffs almost by himself the last few years and now he has a bonafide number 2 to help. The offense didn't do much against Milton but Hillenbrand and Lansing drove in all the runs Nomo needed. If Nomo and Ramirez have been the two most important pieces of this year's team, Hillenbrand and Frank Castillo aren't too far behind. There's a long way to go in this season but so far Dan Duquette may be on to something here if the Sox can keep up this pace. Derek Lowe shook off his recent disasters to toss a six out save, hopefully he can leave his rocky start to the season behind. The Sox now welcome the Kansas City Royals to Fenway for a three game set to close out the month of April. Frank Castillo (2-1) gets the start for the Red Sox against Blake Stein of the Royals. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Bullpen Blows Another as Twins Defeat Sox (4/25/01)

With the stench of Derek Lowe's meltdown on Sunday against the Yankees fresh in the minds of Boston Red Sox fans, this time it was Rod Beck that blew a lead against the Minnesota Twins. The Sox bolted out to a 2-0 thanks to a Jose Offerman home run before the Twins came back to tie the game against Pedro Martinez. Troy O'Leary put the Sox on top and then came the top of the ninth. One strike away from victory, AJ Pierzynski doubled in the tying run and rattled Beck. Once again one out away from escaping the tenth inning, Beck allowed a bases clearing double to Torii Hunter. The Sox tried to rally in the bottom of the tenth but it wasn't enough as the Twins defeated the Red Sox 6-4 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                   James Caan doesn't like blown games

Pedro took the mound to begin the top of the first and Matt Lawton looked at strike three to start. Denny Hocking also took strike three as the crowd went wild. Pedro flipped the script and walked Corey Koskie on 4 pitches but David Ortiz whiffed on a 2-2 count to end the inning. Twins ace Brad Radke took the mound in the bottom of the first and the Sox rallied. Trot Nixon doubled into the left field gap and Jose Offerman jacked one just over the glove of Lawton into the Red Sox bullpen for his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Carl Everett flied out to left, Manny Ramirez struck out swinging and Troy O'Leary was robbed of a hit by Luis Rivas to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                  Jose gives Pedro a 2-0 cushion

The Twins struck back in the top of the second although Doug Mientkiewicz struck out swinging to begin. Torii Hunter worked a walk and moved to second on the Jacque Jones grounder to Pedro. AJ Pierzynski doubled down the 1st base line to score Hunter and cut the lead. Rivas whiffed to end the inning with the Twins down 2-1.

                                                               Hunter scores a run

Jason Varitek opened the bottom of the second with a single to right but Shea Hillenbrand popped up to short center. Brian Daubach doubled off the Monster to put runners at second and third....for Craig Grebeck. Sure enough Grebeck popped up to Mientkiewicz who made a diving catch in foul territory, got up and gunned down Varitek at home to end the inning. That missed chance was huge as the game went on.

                                                     Yerrrr out!

Lawton grounded to Daubach who nearly airmailed Pedro on the cover for the first out of the top of the third. Hocking grounded to short and Koskie struck out swinging to end the inning. Nixon got his uniform buzzed to earn a hit by pitch to begin the bottom of the second but was erased at second on a force by Everett. Everett then swiped second then advanced to third on the wild throw by Pierzynski. He was stranded as Manny flied out to center to end the inning.

Ortiz led off the top of the fourth by striking out swinging and Mientkiewicz grounded to Daubach. Hunter singled to center but was then thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning. O'Leary grounded to first to begin the bottom of the fourth and Varitek lined out to center. Hillenbrand was robbed of a hit by a diving Mientkiewicz to end the inning.

The Twins tied the game in the top of the fifth as Jones stroked a line drive to center that O'Leary fell down trying to catch and Jones hustled to second on the error. Pierzynski dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Rivas slammed a single up the middle to tie the game. Pedro uncorked a wild pitch that moved Rivas to second and he swiped third on the strikeout looking by Lawton. Hocking struck out swinging to end the inning with the game tied 2-2. 

                                                         Rivas ties it up

Daubach popped up to shallow center to begin the bottom of the fifth and Grebeck also lined out to center. Nixon flied out to right to end the inning to make it seven in a row retired by Radke.

Pedro ran into trouble in the top of the sixth as Koskie flied out to left to start. Ortiz whiffed to earn the hat trick but Mientkiewicz and Hunter hit back to back singles. Jones popped up in between home and third, Hillenbrand sliding under Varitek to make the catch to end the inning. Inspired by Shea's effort, the Sox took the lead in the bottom of the sixth. Offerman grounded out to third and Everett popped up to Koskie as well, but Ramirez broke thestring of nine in a row retired by Radke with a double off the centerfield wall. O'Leary singled home Manny but was fooled by the cutoff throw and was thrown out at first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                            What were you thinking?

Pedro returned for one more inning in the top of the seventh and Everett made a great diving catch to rob Pierzynski of a hit to start. Not to be outdone, Grebeck lunged and made a great throw to rob Rivas of a hit. Daubach then scooped a throw from Grebeck to rob Lawton of a hit to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who left after 7 innings allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10.

                                                       Pedro with 7 strong innings

The Sox missed a golden chance to put the game away in the bottom of the seventh as Varitek singled to right to begin. Hillenbrand flied out to center and Daubach singled to left, but Sox manager Jimy Williams decided to let Grebeck hit to keep his glove for the late inning defense. Right on cue he popped up to left amidst a chorus of boo's. Nixon whiffed to end the inning.

"El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the eighth and he flashed some leather of his own by snaring a line drive by Hocking to begin. Koskie popped up to left and Ortiz struck out swinging for the fourth time in the game to end the inning. Eddie Guardado replaced Radke for the bottom of the eighth and Offerman worked a leadoff walk. Everett struck out swinging, Ramirez flied out to left and O'Leary grounded out to short to end the inning.

With Derek Lowe scuffling, Jimy Williams turned to Rod Beck to close the game out. He was better off with Lowe although Mientkiewicz grounded to Daubach to begin. Hunter flied out to center and the Sox were one out away from victory. Jones then shot a fly ball deep out to left, O'Leary jumped....and missed the catch. It fell for a double and the inning continued. It should have been caught. Beck ran the count to 2-2, one strike away when Pierzynski doubled off the Monster to tie the game. Rivas flied out to left to end the inning with the game tied 3-3. 

                                                       Pierzynski ties it

Varitek grounded out to third begin the bottom of the ninth but Hillenbrand doubled to right to put the winning run at second. Twins manager Tom Kelly brought in Bob Wells but Jimy Williams countered by having Chris Stynes pinch hit for Daubach. Stynes grounded out to short but Shea moved to third. Finally Williams had the sense to pinch hit for Grebeck by sending up Scott Hatteberg to face Wells. With the winning run on third, Hatteberg flied out to right to end the inning.

Beck returned for the top of the tenth as Offerman moved from second to first, Stynes came in to play second and Mike Lansing took over at short. Lawton was 0 for 4 but stroked a single to right to begin. Hocking sacrifice bunted him to second and Koskie was intentionally walked to set up the double play. That was it for Beck as Williams brought in Pete Schourek to face the two lefties Ortiz and Mientkiewicz. Ortiz popped up to short but Doug walked to load the bases. Sox manager Jimy Williams lifted Schourek for Rolando Arrojo to pitch to Hunter. It was a bad move as Hunter cleared the bases with a double down the left field line out of the reach of Hillenbrand to give the Twins to lead. Two runs charged to Beck, one to Schourek. Jones flied out to center to end the inning with the Twins ahead 6-3, what a disaster.

                                                   Even Hogan is shocked to see the Sox blow it

Could the Sox rally in the bottom of the tenth against LaTroy Hawkins? Nixon grounded out to first but Offerman walked. Everett lofted a ball down the left field line that Jones misplayed, allowing Offerman to take third and Everett second. Unfortunately Ramirez could only get a run in on a ground out, moving Carl to third. O'Leary flied out to left to end the game. The Twins had won 6-4 after being down to their last strike in the ninth.

                                                        Twins win

Jackass of the Night is easy, Rod Beck. He not only gave up the lead in the 9th, he was charged with the go-ahead runs in the tenth too

                                                                   Scream louder Jackass



The Good:

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

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4

Brian Daubach was 2 for 3

Pedro Martinez tossed 7 innings of 2 run ball allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 10. 

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 8th inning.

The Bad:

Chris Stynes was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 3. 

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Pete Schourek walked Mientkiewicz in the ninth who came around to score. 

Rolando Arrojo gave up the 3 run double to Hunter.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but was hit by a pitch and scored a run. 

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5 but stole a base. 

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 5 but scored a run and drove in one. 

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 5 but drove in a run. 

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Mike Lansing played shortstop in the 10th.

Final Thoughts:

Talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The Sox had this game won and they let it slip away. Yet another bullpen loss is very concerning to a team that's supposed to be challenging for the AL East this season. The 3-peat New York Yankees are going to win a lot of games with their bullpen and the Sox need to prove that they can too. Wasting a Pedro start is even worse considering how well he pitched too. It sucks because the trio of Beck, Schourek and Arrojo have all had a good month heading in to tonight's game. Guess they were all due for a stinker but man, what a wasted opportunity against a team that's hot like the Twins. The offense fought hard to the bitter end and the mistakes they made during the game came back to haunt them big time. The Sox look to take the rubber game of the series tomorrow night when they send Hideo Nomo (2-1) to the mound up against Eric Milton of the Twins. the game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Everett, Sox Slam Twins (4/24/01)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Shockingly the Sox sent down Lou Merloni to Pawtucket to make room for the returning Chris Stynes coming off the Disabled List. Craig Grebeck can't hit for beans and Merloni was on a hot streak before today's game, this is one of the first head scratching moves of the 2001 season by the Sox who have done everything right so far

                                                                         OUT

                                                               IN

With all of the hype and publicity Manny Ramirez has been deservingly getting lately, Carl Everett reminded fans in tonight's game that he was their top slugger last year. Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the second inning to the Minnesota Twins, Everett clobbered a grand slam home run to put the Red Sox up for good. The 1-2 punch of Everett and Ramirez has been tough to beat for AL pitchers this year and Everett delivered in this one. Paxton Crawford (2-0, 2.55 ERA) tossed 5 innings of 3 run ball to earn the win, combining with Tomo Ohka to pick up where they left off last season. Dante Bichette also homered, Tim Wakefield tossed the final four innings to earn the save and the Sox beat the Twins 9-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                            Carver approves of the win

The Twins jumped all over Crawford in the top of the first inning as Denny Hocking flied out to center to start. Luis Rivas hit a home run all the way to Dublin, Ireland to give the Twins the lead. Matt Lawton walked, Corey Koskie got a base hit to center and David Ortiz got a base hit to right to score Lawton. Koskie moved to third on the Ortiz hit and he scored on a Torii Hunter grounder to third. Doug Mientkiewicz walked but Jacque Jones grounded into a force to end the inning with the Twins up 3-0.

                                                                   Ortiz drives in a run

The Sox struck back in the bottom of the first against Twins starter Mark Redman as Chris Stynes returned from the Disabled List to get a base hit to left. Jose Offerman singled to center but Carl Everett struck out swinging. Manny Ramirez singled to left to load the bases but Dante Bichette struck out swinging.....only for the ball to get away from the catcher and Stynes scored on a mad dash home. Scott Hatteberg grounded out to first to end the inning but the Sox were down 3-1.

                                                            Welcome back Stynes

AJ Pierzynski grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Hocking flied out to left. Rivas struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox exploded in the bottom of the second as Shea Hillembrand grounded out to second to start. Mike Lansing singled to center but Darren Lewis flied out to center. Stynes got a base hit to center and Lansing took third on a wild pitch. Offerman walked to load the bases and Everett pounded a grand slam into the screen to give the Sox the lead. Ramirez singled to left to chase Redman and JC Romero came in to pitch. Bichette grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-3.

                                                              Grand slam Everett

Lawton grounded out to first to start the top of the third and Koskie grounded out to second. Ortiz struck out swinging to end the inning. Hatteberg grounded out to first to start the bottom of the third before Hillenbrand struck out swinging. Lansing grounded out to second to end the inning.

Hunter flied out to center to start the top of the fourth before Mientkiewicz doubled to right. Jones singled Doug to third but Pierzynski struck out swinging. Hocking grounded into a force to end the inning. Lewis and Stynes both lined out to third to begin the bottom of the fourth and Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Rivas popped up to second to start the top of the fifth but Lawton singled to right. Koskie flied out to right and Ortiz grounded out to first to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who allowed 3 runs in 5 innings to set himself up for the win.

                                                    Crawford gets it done

The Sox got a run back in the bottom of the fifth as Everett grounded out to short to start. Ramirez flied out to center but Bichette plastered his first home run of the season to left but Hatteberg grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                                Bichette hits one out

Tim Wakefield took over for the top of the sixth and Hunter singled to left to start. Hunter stole second on the Mientkiewicz swinging strikeout and took third on the Jones grounder to first. Pierzynski grounded out to third to end the inning. Hillenbrand grounded out to first to start the bottom of the sixth and Lansing also grounded out to first. Lewis took strike three to end the inning.

Wakefield got tagged in the top of the seventh inning although Hocking flied out to center to start. Rivas popped up to second but Lawton hit a home run all the way to Lisbon, Portugal to cut the lead. Koskie struck out swinging to end the inning but the Twins were down 6-4.

                                                              Lawton hits one out

The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the seventh as Stynes singled to right to start. Offerman doubled Stynes to third and Everett singled home Jose to increase the lead. Everett moved to second on the Ramirez grounder and Bichette was intentionally walked to load the bases. Eddie Guardado came in to pitch to Hatteberg and Trot Nixon pinch ran for Bichette. Hatteberg flied out to left and Lansing lined out to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-4.

                                                       Offerman scores a run

Craig Grebeck came in to play short with Lewis moving to left and Nixon moving to right to begin the top of the eighth inning. Ortiz flied out to right,  Hunter struck out swinging and Mientkiewicz grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the eighth with Travis Miller now on the mound. Grebeck doubled to right and Lewis doubled him home before Stynes moved Lewis to third on a grounder to first. Offerman grounded out to third but Everett walked. Ramirez lined a base hit to left to score Lewis to wrap up the scoring. Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                                         Ramirez with another rbi

Wakefield came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Jones popped up to second to start. Pierzynski and Hocking both struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-4.

Hero of the Night is Carl Everett. He outscored the Twins by himself by hitting a grand slam and knocking in 5 runs.

                                                                 Hero Everett

The Good:

Chris Stynes was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

Dante Bichette was 1 for 3 with a walk including a solo home run.

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Craig Grebeck was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

Paxton Crawford earned the win with 5 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks.

Tim Wakefield earned his second save by tossing 4 innings and allowing just 1 run.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon struck out in his only at-bat.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Darren Lewis was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run and scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Twins are currently leading the AL Central and the Sox smacked them around pretty good. Everett served notice that he's still a dangerous hitter and can pick up the slack if Manny Ramirez has an off-day. The thing is Manny hasn't had an off-day yet and the Sox are rolling because of it. Crawford didn't pitch that great today but he did just enough to earn the win. The rubber armed Wakefield saved the bullpen for the next day with his serviceable performance. Its a wonder why the Sox sent Merloni to Pawtucket instead of Grebeck but Craig responded with a hit once he came into the game. If Stynes can give the Sox a shot in the arm, obviously his return won't be a bad thing. All in all it was a good win against a good team and the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins tomorrow night. Pedro Martinez goes for the Sox up against Brad Radke of the Twins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.