Braves Stun Pedro Late, Defeat Sox (6/14/02)

The Boston Red Sox ongoing problems with elite National League teams followed them to Atlanta in tonight's game against the NL East leading Atlanta Braves. Pedro Martinez (7-2, 3.18 ERA) matched Braves pitcher Kevin Millwood for 7 innings to a 1-1 deadlock. Sox manager Grady Little send Pedro back out for the eighth inning and the Braves made him pay. Gary Sheffield hit a crucial sac fly to give the Braves the lead. John Smoltz slammed the door in the 9th inning and the Sox fell to 2-5 in interleague play by dropping a tough 2-1 decision at Turner Field.

                                                       Sox fans to Grady Little

Milwood took the mound in the top of the first and Johnny Damon grounded out to third to start. Jose Offerman walked but Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center. Brian Daubach popped up to short to end the inning. Pedro cruised in the bottom of the first as Rafael Furcal lined out to short to start. Matt Franco and Gary Sheffield both flied out to center to end the inning.

Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the second and Jason Varitek grounded out to second. Trot Nixon took strike three to end the inning. Pedro got in trouble in the bottom of the second although Chipper Jones grounded out to second to start. Andruw Jones flied out to right but Vinny Castilla and Javy Lopez stroked back to back singles but Keith Lockhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the third although Lou Merloni grounded out to second to start. Pedro himself struck out swinging but Damon doubled to left center. Offerman got a base hit to right to score Damon to put the Sox on top. Nomar walked but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                               Damon scores Boston's lone run

Pedro got Millwood swinging to start the bottom of the third and Furcal grounded out to short. Franco singled to left and Sheffield was rung up for strike three to end the inning much to his chagrin.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fourth as Hillenbrand went down hacking to start. Varitek popped up to third and Nixon popped up to short to end the inning. The Braves fought back in the bottom of the fourth as Chipper was robbed at the wall by Nixon to start. Andruw Jones doubled just inside the left field line and moved to third on the Castilla grounder to short. Lopez singled in the hole at short to score Jones to tie the game. Lockhart popped up to third to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                        Braves tie it

The Sox failed to add on to the lead in the top of the fifth as Merloni flied out to left to begin. Pedro grounded out to second and Damon grounded out to first to end the inning. Pedro stayed tough in the bottom of the fifth as Millwood grounded out to third to start. Furcal's bunt attempt was snuffed out by Pedro and Franco took strike three to end the inning.

The duel continued in the top of the sixth as Offerman grounded out to second to start. Nomar flied out to deep center but Daubach singled down the left field line. Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning. Sheffield started the bottom of the sixth with a base hit to center to start. Pedro blew away Chipper Jones with a high fastball and Andruw banged into a double play to end the inning.

Varitek flied out to right to begin the top of the seventh and Nixon grounded out to second. Merloni popped up to short to end the inning. Castilla grounded out to third to start the bottom of the seventh before Lopez grounded out to second. Lockhart lined out to Pedro to end the inning.

Chris Hammond came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Pedro whiffed to start. Damon went down swinging and Offerman grounded out to third to end the inning. The Braves took command in the bottom of the eighth as old pal Darren Bragg pinch hit for Hammond to begin. Bragg was called out on strikes but Furcal got a base hit to left. Franco singled Furcal to third and Jesse Garcia ran for Matt. Sheffield was robbed of a home run at the left field wall by Daubach but Furcal scored to put the Braves up. Chipper Jones was intentionally walked and Andruw grounded out to third to end the inning but the Braves were up 2-1. Pedro did the best he could by pitching 8 innings of 2 run ball but the Sox couldn't generate any offense.

                                                   Braves take the lead

Braves closer John Smoltz came out for the top of the ninth with Wes Helms now at first base. Nomar grounded out to first and Daubach popped up to third. Hillenbrand flied out to left to end the game. The Braves have beaten Pedro and the Sox 2-1.

                                                     Boooooo!


Jackass of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including making the final out of the game.

                                                    Hitless Jackass



The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Pedro Martinez was the hard luck loser tossing a complete game 8 hitter.



The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Lou Merloni was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.




Final Thoughts:

If the Sox end up missing the playoffs, they can point to their poor interleague record as the reason why. For some reason they can't beat National League teams. Kevin Millwood is no Tom Glavine or Greg Maddux but he still shut down the Boston bats in this game. If Millwood was this good, what is Maddux going to do tomorrow? The Sox need to find a way to get to these elite NL pitchers if they have a prayer of holding on to the AL East lead. Pedro did the best he could so it would be unfair to blame him for the loss. Manny Ramirez being out didn't help either but its only one game. The loss drops the Sox to 44-23, 0.5 games in front of the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to bounce back when they send John Burkett (7-1) to the mound up against ace Greg Maddux at 7:05 PM at Turner Field.

Burkett, Sox Crush Royals in Game 1 (4/21/02)

It was good news this afternoon all around for the city of Boston as the Boston Celtics won Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series with the Philadelphia Sixers and the Boston Red Sox beat the daylights out of the Kansas City Royals in Game 1 of their doubleheader. After spending the first three weeks of the season on the Disabled List, John Burkett (1-0, 3.60 ERA) made his Sox debut and showed why the Red Sox signed him to compete with the New York Yankees. Burkett tossed 5 gutty innings against the Royals and allowed just two runs to keep Boston in the game. On the other side of the ball, the Sox bats laid waste to the bungholes of the Royals pitchers. The offense pounded out 16 hits and 12 runs against the hapless Royals including five home runs. Johnny Damon hit one against his former team while Manny Ramirez hit two of his own. Jose Offerman and Brian Daubach also went yard to add to the carnage. Tim Wakefield earned his first save of the season by pitching four shutout innings as the Sox took Game 1 of today's doubleheader with a 12-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                      Walter McCarty approves of the win

Dan Reichart got the ball to start the game for the Royals in the top of the first and Johnny Damon led off with a grounder to short. Jose Offerman lined out to a running Raul Ibanez and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Burkett made his Sox debut in the bottom of the first and Chuck Knoblauch led off with a pop up to short to start. Michael Tucker doubled in front of Manny Ramirez but Carlos Beltran struck out swinging. Mike Sweeney popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second and Manny Ramirez slid into first to beat out an infield single to short. Brian Daubach lined a base hit to center but Shea Hillenbrand popped up to second but Trot Nixon doubled to right to score both runners to put Boston on top. Doug Mirabelli walked but the Sox failed a double steal as Nixon was thrown out at third. Mirabelli did take second but Sanchez took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                       Nixon drives in a pair

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the second as Ibanez doubled into the gap in right/center to start. Joe Randa popped up to right and Neifi Perez flied out to left, but Brent Mayne walked. Carlos Febles lined a base hit into centerfield to score Ibanez to cut the lead. Knoblauch popped up to first to end the inning with the Royals down 2-1.

                                                    Febles drives in a run

The Sox got another run in the top of the third as Damon tripled past Mike Sweeney down the first base line to start. All of a sudden Kansas City manager Tony Muser came out to yell at home plate umpire Tim Tschida for no reason and Offerman hit a sac fly to score Damon to increase the lead. Nomar grounded out to third and Manny struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                      Damon scores a run

Tucker got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the third and promptly stole second. Beltran struck out swinging on a changeup down and away but Tucker took third on a wild pitch. Sweeney popped up to first and Ibanez grounded out to short to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the fourth as Daubach clubbed his third home run of the season to add to the lead. Hillenbrand struck out swinging, Nixon grounded out to second and Mirabelli grounded out to short to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                   Daubach hits one out

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the fourth as Randa hit a home run all the way to the outer reaches of Mongolia to cut the lead. Perez and Mayne both grounded out to third but Febles tripled over the head of Damon. Knoblauch grounded out to first to end the inning with the Royals down 4-2.

                                                   Home run Randa

The Sox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Sanchez flied out to right to start. Damon grounded out to second and Offerman grounded out to first to end the inning. Burkett came back for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth as Tucker singled to right to start. Beltran forced Tucker at second and was doubled off first on a pop up to right to end the inning. Carlos forgot there were two outs and that was it for Burkett who tossed 5 solid innings in his Sox debut, allowing just 2 runs and putting the Sox in line for the win.

                                               Burkett gets the job done

Nomar singled in the hole at short to start the top of the sixth but Manny hit into a double play. Daubach singled to left but Hillenbrand flied out to right to end the inning. Tim Wakefield took the mound in the bottom of the sixth and Ibanez grounded out to first to start. Randa struck out swinging and Perez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox iced the game in the top of the seventh as Nixon singled to right to start. Mirabelli popped up to third in foul territory and a wild pitch moved Nixon to second. Sanchez grounded out to third to move Trot to third and Damon drew a walk to chase Reichert. Old pal Cory Bailey came in to pitch and Damon promptly stole second. Offerman then smashed his second home run of the season to put the game out of reach. Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-2.

                                                   Offerman with a 3 run jack

Wakefield cruised in the bottom of the seventh as Mayne grounded out to short to start. Febles grounded out to third and Knoblauch popped up to second to end the inning.

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth when Manny smashed a home run to dead center to add to the lead. Daubach singled to center but Hillenbrand forced him at second. Nixon got a base hit to left but Mirabelli hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-2.

                                                         Home run Manny

Carlos Baerga took over for Sanchez to start the bottom of the eighth and Tucker grounded out to third to start. Beltran hit one up the elevator shaft and Sweeney struck out swinging to end the inning.

Miguel Asencio came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Baerga doubled to right to start. Damon belted his second home run of the season to increase the lead and Offerman got a base hit to right. Nomar flied out to left but Ramirez hit his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Daubach flied out to right and Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-2.

                                                    Ramirez goes yard again

Wakefield returned to close out the bottom of the ninth as Ibanez grounded out to second to start. David McCarty pinch hit for Randa and lined out to third. Perez flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had taken Game 1 by a 12-2 score.

                                                              Wakefield closes it out

Hero of the Night is Jose Offerman. He outproduced Kansas City by himself with a three run homer and drove in 4 total runs.

                                                             Jose Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 4 with a two run home run, stolen base, a walk and 3 total runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 3 total rbis and 3 total runs scored.

Brian Daubach was 4 for 5 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Trot Nixon was 3 for 4 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Carlos Baerga was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

John Burkett earned his first win in Boston by allowing just 2 runs in 5 innings. He allowed 7 hits and struck out 2.

Tim Wakefield earned the save with 4 shutout innings.

The Bad:

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 5.

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Don't look now but the Sox have won 5 games in a row and they're doing it with their explosive offense. Damon has been worth every penny out of the leadoff spot while Jose Offerman and Rickey Henderson are having the good kind of competition over who hits second. Ramirez, Nomar, Daubach and Hillenbrand have gotten big hits this season as well. Today's game the bats were cooking with 5 home runs and its tough to beat them when everything is working. Burkett's velocity was down but that's to be expected in his first start after coming off the Disabled List. The best news of the day was that Wakefield sucked up the final four innings, leaving the bullpen rested for Game 2 later on. All in all it was a good offensive day and the hope is the momentum carries over to Game 2. The Sox have no time to celebrate the win because they're back at it later today against the Royals in Game 2. Derek Lowe (2-1) gets the start for Boston against former Tampa Bay punching bag Bryan Rekar. The game begins in a few minutes at Kauffman Stadium.

Rainout News (4/20/02)

Before tonight's scheduled game against the Kansas City Royals, John Burkett was scheduled to come off the Disabled List to make the start. To almost no one's surprise, Lou Merloni was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Burkett to come off the Disabled List. The Sox feel Rickey Henderson, Carlos Baerga, Brian Daubach and Doug Mirabelli will be more than enough bench strength so they can keep that extra starter. Burkett will join Derek Lowe and Pedro Martinez as the rotation's anchors while Frank Castillo, Tim Wakefield and Rolando Arrojo can battle each other for the final two spots.

                                                                   OUT

                                                                IN

Unfortunately tonight's game was rained out and it will be made up tomorrow as a part of a day-night doubleheader with the Royals.

On this day in Basebawful History:

1915 - Foster, Hooper lead Sox past Senators

1970 - Orioles beat Sox in rain shortened game

1971 - Peters, Sox beat Indians

1973 - Sox lose sixth straight game

1981 - Torrez, Sox win on Patriots Day

1982 - Ojeda, Sox beat Orioles

1983 - Red Sox walkoff Brewers

1984 - Sox snap losing streak, beat A's

1991 - Harris, Sox beat Indians

1992 - Blue Jays drop Sox in 13 innings

1993 - Clemens, Sox beat Mariners

1994 - Clemens shuts out A's

2001 - Pettitte, Yankees defeat Red Sox

The Sox are back in action tomorrow in a doubleheader against the Royals. John Burkett comes off the Disabled List in Game 1 to make his season debut opposite Dan Reichart. The game begins at 3:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Pedro, Sox Blank Royals (4/19/02)

It was vintage Pedro Martinez (2-0, 4.43 ERA) tonight for the Boston Red Sox as they shut out the Kansas City Royals. After coming off rotator cuff surgery and looking up and down his first few starts of the season, Pedro was Pedro tonight. He held the Royals to just two baserunners in the fourth through 8 amazing innings. Meanwhile Shea Hillenbrand got the party start with a bases clearing triple in the top of the sixth inning. Johnny Damon scored on a wild pitch in the top of the eighth and that was more than enough cushion for Pedro. Rich Garces slammed the door in the ninth inning and the Sox had won the game 4-0 at Kauffman Stadium.

                                                          Sax approves of the win

Chris George got the ball for the Royals in the top of the first and Rickey Henderson grounded out to third to start. Johnny Damon got booed as he stepped to the plate but those turned to cheers when he took strike three on a curveball. Nomar Garciaparra struck out swinging to end the inning. Pedro took the mound in the bottom of the first as old friend Donnie Sadler grounded out to short to start. Neifi Perez grounded out to first and Carlos Beltran flied out to the centerfield warning track to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez popped up to short to start. Tony Clark broke a 1 for 28 slump with a double into the left field corner and Shea Hillenbrand walked as the rain started to really come down. Jason Varitek grounded out to short to move the runners over but Trot Nixon walked to load the bases. Old friend and Royals pitching coach Al Nipper came out to tell George to pitch better and Rey Sanchez popped up to second to end the inning. Mike Sweeney popped up to second to start the bottom of the second before Michael Tucker struck out swinging. Raul Ibanez flied out to left to end the inning.

Henderson flied out to left to start the top of the third before Damon lined out to right. Nomar flied out to center to end the inning. Pedro struck out old pal Luis Alicea swinging on a changeup to start the bottom of the third before Brent Mayne flied out to left. Carlos Febles grounded out to second to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fourth but Clark slapped a base hit to right. Hillenbrand banged into a double play to end the inning. Pedro ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth although Sox analyst Jerry Remy brought up everything wrong with Sadler in his time in Boston. Sadler flied out to right and Perez flied out to left, but Beltran reached on an error when Pedro dropped a throw from Clark off a grounder. Sweeney singled to center to move Beltran to third but Tucker struck out swinging to end the inning. That was Pedro's 2,000th career strikeout.

                                                  Pedro drops the ball

Varitek popped up to Tucker to start the top of the fifth and Nixon took strike three. Sanchez grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Ibanez flied out to left to begin the bottom of the fifth before Alicea grounded out to second. Mayne struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the sixth as Henderson singled to right to start. Damon dropped down a bunt but managed to beat it out for a single....only for Henderson to get picked off. Nomar drilled a base hit to center and that was it for George. The crowd booed Royals manager and old pal Tony Muser for pulling him for Blake Stein and Ramirez lined out to right. Clark walked to load the bases and Hillenbrand cleared them with a triple to the right field wall. The crowd booed Muser loudly and Varitek lined out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                    Hillenbrand with a triple

Pedro cruised in the bottom of the sixth as Febles lined out to right to start. Sadler took a curveball down the middle for strike three and Perez grounded out to first to end the inning.

Nixon flied out to right to start the top of the seventh and Sanchez flied out to center. Henderson lined out to center to end the inning. The Royals beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh as Beltran grounded out to first to start. Jerry Remy brought up last night's Boston Bruins Game 1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens as Sweeney grounded out to third. Tucker grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth with Nate Field on the mound. Damon lined a base hit to right and promptly stole second. Nomar grounded out to second to move Damon to third and Manny was intentionally walked to set up the double play. Instead Field uncorked a wild pitch to score Damon with another run. Ramirez moved to second on the wild pitch as well and he moved to third on the grounder to first by Clark. Hillenbrand grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                    Damon scored a run

Pedro returned for one final inning in the bottom of the eighth and Ibanez took strike three to start. Alicea grounded out to first and Mayne grounded out to second to end the inning. Pedro was outstanding, holding the Royals to just 1 run in 8 innings while striking out 6.

                                                               Pedro gets it done

Another old friend, Brian Shouse came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Varitek grounded out to third to start. Nixon took strike three and Sanchez grounded out to third to end the inning. "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Febles flied out to right to start. Sadler grounded out to third but Perez dumped a base hit to right. Beltran grounded out to first to end the game with the Sox winning 4-0.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of the Night is Pedro Martinez. He tossed 8 innings and allowed just 2 baserunners while striking out 6 batters.

                                                            Hero Pedro

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 4 with a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Tony Clark was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with a walk and 3 rbis.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Ricky Henderson was just 1 for 4.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 but walked.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Final Thoughts:

Great win by the Red Sox who have now won four games in a row and six out of their last seven. Pedro looked like himself for the first time all season and the defense stepped up big. The stat sheet will show grounders to second, third and short but the Royals are very speedy so the Sox defenders had to work quickly to get them out. Pedro only struck out six guys so the fact that he himself was the only one that made an error is a tip of the cap to the fielders. Offensively the Sox were relatively stymied by Chris George but Muser pulled him and the Sox capitalized on Blake Stein. Hillenbrand's triple proved to be the difference in the game and it was good to see Clark get a couple of hits. If he gets back on track this team could be deadly offensively. More good news is on the horizon as John Burkett is supposed to come off the Disabled List to start tomorrow night's game and the rumors are Darren Oliver will be going on the Disabled List after getting hit on the hand in his last start. Either that or someone like Lou Merloni will be sent packing down to Pawtucket. Either way the Sox look to make it five wins in a row tomorrow night when Burkett takes on Dan Reichart of the Royals at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Off-Day News: (4/18/02)

On this day in Basebawful History:

1970 - Lolich outduels Lee, Tigers Beat Sox

1971 - Sox blank Tigers in pitcher's duel

1972 - Sox beat Indians behind Siebert

1973 - Tigers rout Sox

1981 - White Sox edge Red Sox

1982 - Red Sox walkoff Blue Jays

1983 - Brewers crush Sox on Patriots Day

1984 - Sox drop sixth straight game

1990 - Red Sox beat White Sox

1992 - Blue Jays beat Red Sox

1993 - Viola, Sox dazzle White Sox

2000 - Schourek, Sox blank Tigers

2001 - Sox rally to beat Rays

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in Kansas City against the Royals. Pedro Martinez (2-0) goes up against Chris George of the Royals at 8:05 PM eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Bash Jays Again (4/17/02)

Make that 5 wins out of 6 for the Boston Red Sox. After the Sox plastered the Toronto Blue Jays by scoring 14 runs last night, the Sox almost matched their effort in tonight's game against Toronto. Darren Oliver (2-0, 3.14 ERA) tossed 6 gutty innings and held the Jays to just two runs in that time frame. Meanwhile the Sox bats stuck it to Scott Eyre and the Toronto bullpen for another 13 hits and 10 runs. The Sox used a team effort to blitz Eyre in the first inning for four runs and cruised from there. Manny Ramirez led the charge with 4 total rbis and a two run home run to outscore the Jays by himself. Everyone in the lineup drove in a run or got on base at least once in the thirteen hit attack. Sun-Woo Kim handled the Jays in the final two innings and the Sox had won their third game in a row 10-3 at the Skydome.

                                 Boston Bruins coach Robbie Ftorek approves of the win

The Sox bombed Eyre in the top of the first as Rickey Henderson led off with a double to left. Johnny Damon drew a walk but Nomar Garciaparra forced him at second. Manny Ramirez opened the salvo with a base hit to center to score Henderson. Shea Hillenbrand struck out swinging but Jose Offerman got a base hit to left to score Nomar. Doug Mirabelli lashed a base hit to right to score Manny and Trot Nixon lined a base hit to left to score Offerman. Rey Sanchez popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                        Ramirez starts the party

Oliver got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shannon Stewart flied out to left to start. Vernon Wells flied out to center and Raul Mondesi popped up to third in foul territory to end the inning. 

The Sox struck again in the top of the second as Henderson led off with a walk to begin. Damon forced Rickey at second but Nomar tripled to center to score Johnny and Ramirez crushed his fourth home run of the season to increase the lead. That was it for Eyre as Corey Thurman came in to pitch as Hillenbrand flied out to center. Offerman took strike three to end the inning with the Sox up 7-0.

                                                                  So much for Eyre

Carlos Delgado flied out to center to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz Jr flied out to left. Darrin Fletcher grounded out to second to end the inning. 

Mirabelli flied out to right to start the bottom of the third before Nixon flied out to center. Sanchez popped up to short to end the inning. Homer Bush grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Eric Hinske singled to right. Felipe Lopez struck out swinging and Stewart popped up to short to end the inning.

Henderson beat out a roller to third to start the top of the fourth but Damon banged into a double play. Nomar walked but Manny flied out to center to end the inning. The Jays struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Wells lined one off Oliver but Sanchez threw him out. Mondesi then hit a home run all the way to Jupiter to cut the lead but Delgado struck out swinging. Cruz then also hit a home run all the way to Vancouver before Fletcher singled to left. Bush struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 7-2.

                                                          Cruz hits one out

Hillenbrand walked to start the top of the fifth but Offerman lined out to center. Mirabelli lined out to left to end the day for Thurman. Pedro Borbon Jr came in and Hillenbrand stole second, but Nixon grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Hinske grounded back to the mound to start the bottom of the fifth but Lopez singled to center. Stewart hit into a double play to end the inning.

Sanchez popped up to first in foul territory to start the top of the sixth before Henderson grounded out to second. Damon walked to chase Borbon as Justin Miller came in to pitch. Damon swiped second but Nomar grounded out to third to end the inning. Wells singled to left to start the bottom of the sixth but Mondesi flied out to right. Delgado was plunked but Cruz banged into a double play to end the inning.

                                                        Damon helps Delgado up

The Sox struck again in the top of the seventh as Ramirez singled to center to start. Hillenbrand forced Manny at second but Offerman singled to right. Mirabelli walked to load the bases but Nixon popped up to third in foul territory. Sanchez was hit with a pitch to score Hillenbrand but Henderson flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 8-0.

                                                  Sanchez drives in a run by getting hit

Oliver came back for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh as Fletcher lined out to first to start. Bush singled to left and Hinske walked, but Lopez grounded into a double play to end the inning. Oliver was outstanding, allowing just the two home runs in 7 brilliant innings.

                                                         Oliver gets it done

Bob File got tagged in the top of the eighth as Damon doubled to right to start. Nomar flied out to right but Ramirez dropped a base hit to center to score Damon. Hillenbrand grounded out to third to move Manny to second and Ramirez scored on the Offerman base hit to center. Mirabelli took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-2.

                                              "Well if that don't beat all" - Buck

Sun-Woo Kim came in to get tagged in the bottom of the eighth as Stewart singled to left to start. Wells beat out a roller to third and a wild pitch moved both runners along. Mondesi grounded back to the mound but Delgado grounded out to first to score Stewart. Cruz Jr grounded out to first to end the inning with the Jays down 10-3.

                                                             Kim allows a run

Kelvim Escobar came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Nixon walked to start. Sanchez struck out swinging, Henderson flied out to left and Damon struck out swinging to end the inning. Kim came back to start the bottom of the ninth as Fletcher flied out to right to start. Bush grounded out to third and Hinske grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-3.

Hero of the Night is Manny Ramirez. He was 4 for 5 with a 2 run home run, 4 total rbis, and 3 total runs scored.

The Good:

Rickey Henderson was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Jose Offerman was 3 for 5 with 2 rbis and a run scored.

Darren Oliver earned the win by tossing 7 innings of 2 run ball allowing 7 hits while striking out 3.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked twice, stole a base and scored 2 runs.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored two runs.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, stole a base and stole a run.

Doug Mirabelli was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and drove in a run.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but drove in a run.

Sun-Woo Kim allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win by the Sox and that's three in a row. The Sox have been doing it with pitching with Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez and now Darren Oliver pitching in. Frank Castillo pitched well yesterday so that gives the Sox four dependable starters with John Burkett due to come off the Disabled List soon. The bats continued to roll and the Sox are going to be tough to beat with Damon and Henderson at the top of the order with their speed. Just going from first to third on singles and stealing bases would set the stage for Nomar and Manny. Sox manager Grady Little seriously needs to take advantage of the team speed that they really hadn't had in a long time. All in all things are looking are up for the Sox and hopefully that momentum continues in the next series. After an off-day tomorrow the Sox are back in action Friday night in Kansas City against the Royals. Pedro Martinez (2-0) takes the hill against Chris George of the Royals. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Kauffman Stadium.

Sox Rout Jays Behind Hillenbrand (4/16/02)

Everything's going right for the Boston Red Sox as they continued to roll against the Toronto Blue Jays. After taking 3 out of 4 from the Yankees, the Sox made mincemeat out of the Jays pounding out 14 hits and 14 runs. Shea Hillenbrand led the charge with a 3 run home run in the third to give the Sox a commanding lead. Frank Castillo (1-0, 2.00 ERA) earned his first win of the season with 6 solid innings allowing just a home run to Vernon Wells. Manny Ramirez also homered and a hit parade put the game out of reach. Rolando Arrojo allowed two unearned runs in relief but still slammed the door as the Sox took the game 14-3 at the Skydome.

                                                       Robert Ulrich (RIP) approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Toronto starter Brandon Lyon in the top of the first inning as Johnny Damon took strike three to start. Hillenbrand doubled to left and took third on a wild pitch before scoring on the Nomar Garciaparra grounder to short to put Boston on top. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                           Nomar drives in a run

Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Shannon Stewart grounded out to third to start. Eric Hinske walked but Raul Mondesi banged into a double play to end the inning.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the second as Tony Clark grounded out to second to start. Brian Daubach and Jason Varitek both grounded out to first to end the inning. Carlos Delgado was rung up for strike three to start the bottom of the second before Jose Cruz Jr popped up to third in foul territory. Darrin Fletcher flied out to center to end the inning.

                                                             Castillo gets Delgado

The Sox struck again in the top of the third as Trot Nixon singled to left to start. Nixon swiped second and moved to third on the Rey Sanchez base hit to left. Damon ripped a base hit to left to score Nixon and Hillenbrand capped the rally with a three run home run. Garciaparra grounded out to second but Manny got a base hit to left. Ramirez was forced at second by Clark and Daubach popped up to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                 Hillenbrand goes yard

The Jays tagged Castillo in the bottom of the third as Vernon Wells pounded a home run all the way to Calgary to start. Homer Bush and Felipe Lopez both grounded out to first but Stewart singled in the hole at second. Hinske took strike three to end the inning with the Jays down 5-1.

                                                               Wells hits one out

Varitek flied out to right to start the top of the fourth and Nixon watched strike three go by. Sanchez lined out to center to end the inning. Mondesi grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fourth before Delgado grounded out to short. Cruz Jr singled to right but Fletcher popped up to third to end the inning.

Damon flied out to right to start the top of the fifth before Hillenbrand grounded out to short. Nomar popped up to second to end the inning. Wells flied out to center to start the bottom of the fifth before Bush lined out to center. Lopez grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the sixth as Ramirez hit his third home run of the season to increase the lead. Clark popped up to third in foul territory before Daubach and Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                                  Ramirez drives in a run

Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske struck out swinging and Mondesi grounded out to third to end the inning. Castillo tossed 6 innings and allowed just 1 run on the home run to Wells. He was pretty good.

                                                              Great effort by Frank

The Sox exploded in the top of the seventh with Justin Miller on the mound. Nixon walk and Sanchez singled to left before both runners moved over on the grounder to third by Damon. Hillenbrand hit a routine grounder to Hinske who booted it for an error to score both runners. Nomar doubled to left to score Shea and took third on a wild pitch. Ramirez walked to put runners at the corners and Clark beat out a double play ball to score Hillenbrand with another run. Daubach flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-1.

                                                               Rookie mistake by Hinske

Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Delgado took strike three to start. Cruz singled in the hole at short and Fletcher walked but Wells struck out swinging. Bush grounded back to the mound but Arrojo threw the ball away allowing Cruz to score. Lopez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Jays down 10-2.

                                                                Cruz scores a run

Feliz Heredia came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Varitek got a base hit to left to start. Nixon struck out swinging and Sanchez banged into a double play to end the inning. Lou Merloni came in for Nomar and Carlos Baerga came in for Hillenbrand to start the bottom of the eighth and Stewart grounded out to short to start. Hinske grounded out to first and Mondesi flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox poured it on in the top of the ninth against Bob File as Damon got a base hit to center to start. Baerga singled to right and Merloni singled to left to load the bases. Ramirez pounded a ground rule double down the left field line to score Damon and Baerga and Clark grounded out to second to score Merloni. Manny moved to third on the play and he scored on the grounder to third by Daubach. Varitek flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-2.

                                                                 Damon starts a rally

Arrojo came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Delgado was hit with a pitch to start. Cruz hit a grounder to the mound but Rolando's throw to second was off-line for an error to move Delgado to third. Fletcher grounded into a double play to score Delgado but Wells lined out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-3.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. His 3 run home run gave the Sox a commanding lead they wouldn't relinquish.

                                                                Shea Hero

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Carlos Baerga singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Lou Merloni singled and scored in his only at-bat.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 4 with a walk, 3 total rbis, two total runs scored and a home run.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Rey Sanchez was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

Frank Castillo got the win by tossing 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 3 hits and walked 1

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 but drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Tony Clark was 0 for 5 but drove in 2 runs.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 5 but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5.

Rolando Arrojo got the save by tossing 3 innings but allowed 2 unearned runs on his two errors.

Final Thoughts:

Another good win and the Sox definitely avoided a hangover after beating the Yankees three out of four games. Castillo stepped up and pitched a hell of a game and the Sox bats turned it on. Hillenbrand and Ramirez drove in some key runs when it was still a game and it became a laugher in later innings. Not much you can say about a blowout like this other than its always fun to see the team win easy and not have to worry about the game. Arrojo threw the ball all over the field but he saved the rest of the bullpen tomorrow and beyond. If only Tony Clark could get going this offense would be deadly with Baerga and Rickey Henderson coming off the bench. Beating the Jays in a blowout was great but hopefully they can save some of that offense for tomorrow's game. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the Jays tomorrow night when Darren Oliver (2-0, 3.14 ERA) gets the start for Boston against Scott Eyre of Toronto. The game begins at 7:05 PM at the Skydome.