Yankees Sweep Sox, Mussina Nearly Perfect (9/2/01)

If you were to tell me the Boston Red Sox starting pitching held the New York Yankees to 1 earned run in 3 games I would have said "Wow, what a sweep." Yeah, it was a sweep alright, sweep for the YANKEES. After Joe Kerrigan's awful pitch count rules spoiled Frank Castillo's shutout start Friday night andUgueth Urbina spoiled Pedro Martinez' start yesterday, Mike Mussina damn near pitched a perfect game tonight. After all that, the Sox were swept by the world champion Yankees. The 3-peat champs always seem to find a way to win no matter what. Tonight David Cone (8-4, 4.13 ERA) pitched his ass off but Mussina came one strike away from throwing a perfect game. It took a pinch hit effort by Carl Everett to spoil the perfecto but the Yankees still swept the Sox out of Fenway with a 1-0 win.

                                                                "I almost had it!"

Cone took the mound in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch whiffed to start. Derek Jeter hit a routine ground ball to Mike Lansing at short who turned around and threw the ball into the third base seats for an error. David Justice popped up to short but Jeter swiped second. Bernie Williams grounded out to second to end the inning. Mussina began his dominance in the bottom of the first as Trot Nixon whiffed to start. Lansing looked at strike three on the inside corner before Izzy Alcantara lined out to short to end the inning.

Tino Martinez began the top of the second inning with a single up the middle but Jorge Posada whiffed on a splitter down and away. Paul O'Neil banged into a double play to end the inning. Manny Ramirez looked at strike three to begin the bottom of the second before Dante Bichette whiffed. Brian Daubach thought he had ball four but he was rung up for strike three to end the inning.

Cone got no help from his defense in the top of the third inning although Randy Velarde popped up to second to start. Alfonso Soriano flied out to the warning track in front of the Monster before Knoblauch hit a routine grounder to Lansing who kicked the ball over to second, running in a circle screaming "GOALLLL!!" for another error. Jeter grounded into a force to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third as Shea Hillenbrand led off by grounding out to short to start. Lou Merloni also grounded out to short before Joe Oliver grounded out to second to end the inning.

Cone did what he could in the top of the fourth inning as Justice grounded out to first to start. Williams flied out to the warning track in center but Martinez walked. Posada whiffed to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the fourth as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Lansing was rung up for strike three on a high fastball before Alcantara was frozen by a curve at the knees to end the inning.

Cone continued his own good game in the top of the fifth as O'Neil froze on a back door curveball for strike three to begin. Velarde whiffed on a curveball before Soriano popped up to a running Lansing to end the inning. The Sox couldn't touch Mussina in the bottom of the fifth as Manny looked at strike three on the inside corner to start. Bichette grounded out to third before Daubach was frozen for strike three on the outside corner to end the inning.

Cone kept pace in the top of the sixth although Knoblauch singled in the hole at short. Cone recovered to get Jeter to hit into a double play before Justice whiffed badly to end the inning. Mussina remained perfect in the bottom of the sixth as Hillenbrand popped up to center to start. As sad as it sounds, that was the first ball out of the infield for the Sox. Merloni popped up to right and Oliver took strike three to end the inning.

Cone matched Mussina in the top of the seventh as Williams grounded out to first to start. Martinez lined out to short but Posada doubled down the right field line past the diving Daubach. O'Neil was intentionally walked and rookie Nick Johnson pinch hit for Velarde only for Cone to strike him out on a splitter to end the inning. The Sox still couldn't hit Mussina in the bottom of the seventh with Enrique Wilson now at third. Nixon grounded out to first before Lansing lined out to Soriano at second. Alcantara was frozen for strike three to end the inning.

Miraculously Cone kept the shut-out going in the top of the eighth although Soriano singled to right to begin. Knoblauch flied out to the centerfield warning track before Jeter whiffed. Soriano swiped second before Justice walked. Sox pitching coach John Cumberland went to the mound and informed Cone that Star Trek Voyager was on in the clubhouse and David responded by getting Williams to fly out to the centerfield wall to end the inning. Mussina kept the perfect game in the bottom of the eighth as Manny popped up to short to start. Bichette flied out to center and Daubach earned the hat trick with another strikeout to end the inning.

The Yankees finally got to Cone in the top of the ninth but not without some help. Martinez blooped a single to center but Posada popped up to left. O'Neil hit a routine double play ball to Merloni but he dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error that allowed Martinez to go to third. Clay Bellinger pinch ran for Martinez as Sox manager Joe Kerrigan went to the mound. Rather than take Cone out he told him to go get Wilson before leaving. Leaving David in backfired as Wilson doubled down the right field line to score Bellinger and give the Yankees the lead. That was it for Cone who was outstanding, going 8 1/3 inning allowing just the unearned run.

                                                      Cone deserved better

Derek Lowe came in to stop the bleeding and he struck out Soriano to get a key out. Knoblauch hit a grounder to third that Hillenbrand damn near threw away. Daubach scooped it but almost got cleaned out by Knoblauch to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

Mussina came out to finish the perfect game in the bottom of the ninth as Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Hillenbrand. O'Leary hit a bullet but Bellinger made a great diving stop and flip to Mussina for the out. Merloni whiffed on a curve in the dirt before Carl Everett pinch hit for Oliver. Mussina was one strike away from perfection when Everett lined a base hit to left to break up the perfecto. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett and now after all of that, one swing of the bat would either tie or win the game. Nixon took Roger Clemens yard to win a game in the ninth last season but this time Mussina got Trot to ground out to second to end the game. The Yankees had swept the Red Sox out of Fenway with 3 straight late inning rallies and effectively ended the AL East race.

Jackass of the Night is a tough one since 10 out of 11 guys failed to put the ball in play just once but I'll go with Lou Merloni. Not only did he go 0 for 4 but his error in the ninth led to the only run scoring for the Yankees.

                                                         Merloni you Jackass!



The Good:

Carl Everett got the only hit of the game for the Sox pinch hitting in the ninth.

David Cone was the hard luck loser but he was hardly a loser. He tossed 8 1/3 innings and gave up no earned runs, just the unearned in the ninth while striking out 8.

Derek Lowe retired the only two men he faced.



The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts and 2 errors.

Izzy Alcantara was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Manny Ramirez was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Dante Bichette was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 2.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Joe Oliver was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.



The Ugly:

None



Honorable Mention:

Darren Lewis pinch ran for Everett in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

As the season goes down the crapper this series was a microcosm of exactly why. The Sox had 3 straight outstanding starting pitching performances against the Yankees but the champs still found ways to win. Nothing is going right for the Red Sox and it feels like the titanic is sinking. They did their best to hold on waiting for Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez to return but Nomar's wrist just couldn't get healthy and Pedro's shoulder is definitely not right. That extra inning marathon loss seemed to sap the life of this team and it doesn't look like they are a playoff contender. How do you come back from this? You hold the best team in baseball to 2 runs in 3 games by your starters and lose all three of them, how are you going to beat anyone else? The loss dropped the Sox to 71-64, 9 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East with just 27 games to play. After an off-day the Sox return to action Tuesday night with the Cleveland Indian coming to town. Indians ace Bartolo Colon goes for the Indians against Hideo Nomo (11-6) of the Sox at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Everett Goes Berserk, Sox Beat Mets (7/15/00)

Woah....what the hell was that about? In one of the most baffling displays of aggression since Ty Cobb, Carl Everett let his rage get to him as he attacked home plate umpire Ron Kulpa and was ejected from the game. After Dennis Cook whined that he was over the batter's box last night, Kulpa enforced the rule in the bottom of the second. Everett headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by a bevy of people from doing any further damage. His insanity overshadowed what turned out to be a good win against a good team. Ramon Martinez (7-5, 5.60 ERA) allowed two first inning runs but pitched shutout ball afterwards for five more innings. Brian Daubach came in for Everett and he hit a 3 run home run to break the tie in the sixth inning. The Sox got another run in the seventh inning and survived a Rich Garces meltdown in the top of the ninth. With the tying run at the plate, Derek Lowe got Melvin Mora to ground out to end the game. The Sox had won the game despite Everett's antics 6-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                         Calm down Carl!

Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and the Mets wasted no time getting to him. Melvin Mora was frozen for strike three and Derek Bell grounded out to third, but Edgardo Alfonzo walked to start. Alfonzo swiped second but Mike Piazza walked as well. Todd Zeile doubled to the centerfield wall to score both runners but Matt Franco flied out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 1-0.

                                                         Mets take the lead

Mike Hampton got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman led off with a grounder to the mound to start. Jeff Frye doubled off the Monster but Jason Varitek flied out to center. Nomar Garciaparra check-swinged grounded out to third to end the inning. Jay Payton popped up to Carl Everett before Mark Johnson flied out to left. Benny Agbayani grounded a base hit up the middle but Ramon buzzed Mora up and in. Agbayani was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning. Carl Everett stepped to the plate to start the bottom of the second and took a first pitch before Ron Kulpa told him he couldn't stand where he was standing. Sox manager Jimy Williams came out but Everett said he's got this. Everett took a step back and took another pitch. After swinging and missing at strike one and fouling another pitch off, Kulpa again crossed the line off and told Carl not to stand there. This time Carl lost his head and was thrown out by Kulpa. Everett actually headbutted Kulpa and had to be restrained by Darren Lewis, first base coach Tommy Harper and third base coach Wendell Kim. Jimy Williams apologized to Kulpa as Everett was escorted out. He continued his tirade in the dugout and Bret Saberhagen tried to talk some sense into him. Brian Daubach took his place and struck out swinging to complete the at-bat. Troy O'Leary grounded back to Hampton and Izzy Alcantara got booed by the Fenway crowd before he struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                                  Everett loses it

Mora grounded out to second to start the top of the third before Bell took strike three on the outside corner. Alfonzo doubled into the left field corner but Piazza struck out swinging to end the inning. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Zeile made a great play to rob Lewis of a base hit. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Alexander booted a grounder by Zeile to start the top of the fourth but Franco banged into a double play. Payton dumped a base hit to right and Johnson struck out swinging on a good changeup to end the inning. Frye flied out to left to start the bottom of the fourth before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar popped up to short to end the inning.

The Mets beat the ball in the dirt in the top of the fifth as Agbayani grounded back to the mound to start. Mora grounded out to short and Bell grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Daubach was drilled to start. Payton fell down catching a fly ball from O'Leary but Alcantara dumped a base hit to center. Alexander blooped a base hit to center to score Daubach and Lewis hit a routine grounder to Franco. Franco fired to first but it went under the glove of Zeile to score Alcantara to tie the game. Offerman hit a bullet....right to Alfonzo who doubled off Lewis at second to end the inning. Replays showed Lewis was actually safe but the Sox still tied the game 2-2.

                                                      Big break for the Red Sox

Martinez returned for the top of the sixth and Alfonzo grounded out to third to start. Piazza doubled into the left field corner but Zeile grounded out to third. Franco flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the sixth as Frye slashed a base hit to center to start. Varitek grounded out to first to move Frye to second and Nomar was intentionally walked. Daubach made the Mets pay for such treachery with a 3 run blast to put the Sox ahead. O'Leary grounded out to short and Alcantara grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was 5-2 Sox.

                                                           Daubach puts the Sox on top

Before the top of the seventh inning started Fox cameras caught Sox pitching coach Joe Kerrigan telling Ramon Martinez that he had "protection" in case something went wrong the following inning. Joe stuck to his word as Payton singled to right to immediately chase Ramon to start. Martinez pitched 6 plus innings and allowed just two runs. Rheal Cormier came in to pitch and Todd Pratt pinch hit for Johnson only to strike out swinging. Agbayani grounded into a double play to end the inning.

                                        Ramon goes six plus and keeps the Sox ahead

The Sox got another run in the bottom of the seventh as Alexander hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Lewis drew a walk, Offerman singled in the hole at second and Frye blooped a single down the right field line. Lewis scored on the sac fly to center by Varitek but Nomar flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                                 Varitek drives in a run

Cormier returned for the top of the eighth and Mora flied out to left to start. Bell popped up to third and Alfonzo flied out to center to end the inning. Richie Rodriguez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Daubach flied out to left to begin. O'Leary flied out to right but Alcantara doubled down the left field line. Alcantara moved to third on a balk but Alexander popped up to first to end the inning.

Rich Garces came in to crap his pants in the top of the ninth as Piazza drilled a home run into the Red Sox bullpen to start. Zeile flied out to left and Franco grounded back to the mound, but Payton stuck his bat out and singled in the hole at short. That was it for Garces as Sox manager Jimy Williams called upon Derek Lowe to get the save. Payton took second on defensive indifference and scored on the base hit to center by Pratt. Agbayani singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Daubach made a great pick on a bad throw by Lowe on a grounder by Mora to end the game. The Sox had won it 6-4.

                                                     Mora is out to end the game

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 3 run homer in the sixth put the Sox up for good and he made the game ending play at first while not even supposed to be playing today.

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored.

Rheal Cormier tossed two scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe earned his 20th save by getting the final out of the ninth inning.

The Bad:

Carl Everett technically struck out in his only at-bat.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Rich Garces was charged with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but walked and drove in a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout and an error but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

The Sox are in big trouble when they lose Everett to a suspension for this. They're already underperforming offensively and losing their second best hitter isn't going to help. Its his own fault and there's no defending that by any means. If the umpire says you can't stand in that spot, don't headbutt the guy! We all thought Izzy Alcantara dogging it two weeks ago was bad but this was far worse. Speaking of Izzy, he had a couple of hits in this game in his first start after being benched and hopefully he's learned his lesson. The Sox are gonna need his bat now that Everett will be out a while. Then again, the suspension could be appealed and Bud Selig may have an air conditioner fall on his head and he forgets this ever happened. While that's preposterously unlikely, the fact is Everett can still play until the suspension is verified. As for the game, that was a good win against a good team and Ramon Martinez pitched well today. Nomar couldn't keep his average above .400 but the rest of the team scratched out runs and got on base with some timely hits. Frye, Lewis and Alcantara got it done and so did Daubach. The Sox have a lot of work to do to fix their offense that caused them to relinquish first place in June so we'll see what happens. The win improved the Sox to 45-42, 2 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. Interleague play continues tomorrow afternoon against the visiting Montreal Expos. Tim Wakefield (5-5) gets the start for the Sox against Mike Johnson of Montreal. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Lazy Sox Dropped By Chicago (7/1/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. 22 year old Paxton Crawford was brought up from Pawtucket to make his major league debut in today's game. Sang-Hoon Lee was sent down to Pawtucket to make room for Paxton. With Jeff Fassero suffering a dead arm and Pedro Martinez resting an aching shoulder, the Sox rotation is in big trouble. Hopefully Crawford can give the team a lift until the Sox can get more help.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                    IN

As for the game, its a new month but the same old Red Sox. In fact, these guys look worse than they did before. New addition Ed Sprague Jr failed to impress and 22 year old rookie Paxton Crawford got knocked out in the sixth inning. The biggest sin is Izzy Alcantara put on an embarrassing display of a lack of interest. He let two routine fly balls fall in for hits, committed an error and got himself thrown out in a run-down. For a guy who can hit the ball really well, looking that lazy helped cost the Sox the game against the Chicago White Sox. Jose Valentin drove in 4 runs by himself and Mike Sirotka held the Sox to just 2 runs and 6 hits in the game. The BoSox are fading fast and dropped to .500 on the season with a 7-2 defeat at the hands of the White Sox at Commiskey Park.

                                     Walter Mattheau (RIP) needs a drink to watch this game

Sirotka got the ball in the top of the first and made the BoSox beat the ball in the dirt. Jose Offerman grounded out to short, Jeff Frye grounded out to third and Nomar Garciaparra grounded out to third to end the inning. Paxton Crawford made his ML debut in the bottom of the first and Ray Durham lined out to short to start. Jose Valentin went down hacking and Frank Thomas grounded out second to end the inning.

Sirotka cruised in the top of the second as Ed Sprague Jr made his Red Sox debut by striking out swinging to begin. Carl Everett flied out to left and Morgan Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. Crawford matched Sirotka in the bottom of the second as Paul Konerko popped up to first to start. Chris Singleton struck out swinging and Carlos Lee flied out to right to end the inning.

Brian Daubach flied out to left to open the top of the third and Jason Varitek lined back to Sirotka. Izzy Alcantara walked but Offerman forced him at second to end the inning. The White Sox struck first in the bottom of the third although Herbert Perry flied out to left to start. Tony Graffanino grounded out to short but Mark Johnson walked. Durham hit a routine pop up to Alcantara WHO LET IT JUST DROP! Not only did Johnson score all the way from first but Alcantara barely threw the ball back to allow Durham to reach second. The loafing by Alcantara bit the Sox as Valentin doubled over the heads of everyone to score Durham with another run. Thomas was intentionally walked but Konerko grounded into a force to end the inning with Chicago up 2-0.

                      "How am I supposed to pitch with that idiot in right?" - Crawford

The BoSox did try to fight back in the top of the fourth as Frye walked to start. Nomar singled to center but Sprague popped up to left. Everett moved both runners over with grounder to first and Burkhart walked to load the bases. Daubach dropped a base hit to center to score Frye but Nomar was thrown out at home to kill the rally and end the inning with the BoSox down 2-1.

                                                Ren's message to Nomar

The White Sox got another run in the bottom of the fourth as Singleton walked to start. Varitek tried to pick off Chris at first and airmailed Daubach with the throw, allowing Singleton to reach third. Lee grounded out to short but Perry scored Singleton with a sac fly to increase the lead. Graffanino singled but Johnson flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago ahead 3-1.

                                               Varitek looking like Garo Yepremian out here

Varitek grounded out to short to open the top of the fifth and Alcantara grounded out to second. Offerman singled to left but Frye whiffed to end the inning. Crawford kept pace in the bottom of the fifth as Durham grounded out to third to start. Valentin popped up to second and Thomas walked to load the bases. Konerko popped up to second to end the inning.

The BoSox did nothing in the top of the sixth as Nomar flied out to left to start. Sprague also flied out to left and Everett grounded out to third to end the inning. Alcantara did it again in the bottom of the sixth as he lollygagged after a routine pop up by Singleton that dropped and got behind him for a single and an error. Lee then hit a routine grounder to Sprague who booted it for another error. Perry was intentionally walked to load the bases and Alcantara did manage to catch a pop up from Graffanino, but his throw home was so bad that Singleton could have ran home backwards for another run. That was it for Crawford who pitched a hell of a game but got no help from his defense. He lasted 5 1/3 innings and would be charged with 6 runs (just two earned). Rich Garces came in and got Johnson to strike out looking, but walked Durham to reload the bases. Valentin cleared the bases with a triple to center to ice the game. Thomas whiffed to end the inning but the White Sox had blown it open due to more bad defense to lead 7-1.

                                                   Crawford deserved better

The Sox went quietly in the top of the seventh as Burkhart popped up to first to start. Daubach grounded out to second and Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning. Bryce Florie came on for the bottom of the seventh and Konerko grounded out to third to start. Singleton walked but Lee banged into a double play to end the inning.

Alcantara continued to give everyone a headache in the top of the eighth as he did manage to get a base hit to left to start. Offerman whiffed but Frye walked. Nomar whiffed and with a 1-1 count on Sprague, Alcantara just walked toward third base and was thrown out to end the inning. What the hell was he thinking?

                                                   Beavis' assessment of Alcantara

Perry grounded out to first to start the bottom of the eighth and Graffanino flied out to center. Johnson flied out to left to end the inning. The BoSox did try to rally in the top of the ninth against Keith Foulke. Sprague Jr popped up to first before Everett popped up to second. Burkhart walked and Daubach singled to left. Varitek atoned for his earlier error by hitting a double to right to score Burkhart. Sox manager Jimy Williams had enough of Alcantara and sent in Scott Hatteberg to pinch hit for him. Hatteberg flied out to left to end the game. The White Sox had defeated the incompetent Red Sox 7-2.

Jackass of the Night is an easy one. Izzy Alcantara cost the Red Sox more runs on both sides of the ball than humanly possible. He let a ball drop in that he should have had, dropped another and managed to get thrown out on the basepaths. Talk about the definition of "Jackass"

                                                             Izzy the Jackass

The Good:

Jeff Frye walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Morgan Burkhart walked twice and scored a run in four plate appearances.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1.

Rich Garces allowed 2 inherited runners to score and one of his own in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with an error but drove in a run.

Paxton Crawford took the loss in his ML Debut but pitched reasonably well. He was charged with 6 runs in 5 1/3 innings but only 2 were earned. He allowed 4 hits and walked 5.

Final Thoughts:

Its one thing to lose a game to a better team, its another thing to lose like THIS. The Red Sox are in big trouble as now they can't do anything right. They finally get a good start by a kid making his MLB debut and they still managed to screw it up. The worst part is Alcantara is no "rookie", he's 27 years old and should know better than to loaf in the field. How many kids with half his talent would kill to be in right field for the Boston Red Sox? After the game Jimy Williams said the game was "Ugly with a capital U-G-L-Y" and Jeff Frye said they looked like the Bad News Bears out there. Ironic considering Walter Matthau died today, but the BoSox did look like garbage in this game. If it wasn't for the New York Yankees going through a rough patch, the BoSox would be so far out of first place they wouldn't be able to climb out. As it is, the loss drops the Sox to 38-38 on the season, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the BoSox look to rebound when they send Pete Schourek (2-6) out against White Sox ace James Baldwin. The game begins at 2:05 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.

White Sox Bash Red Sox (6/30/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a few roster moves. The Sox sent pitching prospect Dennis Tankersley and infielding prospect Cesar Saba to the San Diego Padres for aging slugger Ed Sprague Jr. The Sox are desperate for offense so hopefully Ed has some home runs left in the tank. Also Darren Lewis was placed on the 15 day Disabled List with a bad hamstring. The Sox are gonna need Bernard Gilkey soon if Darren is gone for a long period of time.

                                                                       OUT

                                                                   IN

As for the game, the June Swoon finally came to an end with another beating at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. With Pedro Martinez on the disabled list, the White Sox feasted on spot starter Hipolito Pichardo (2-1, 3.38 ERA) and anyone that came out of the bullpen. The White Sox pounded out 10 runs on 13 hits to slam home the fact they're contenders in the AL Central. The BoSox offense could only muster four runs as the dismal month came to an end with a 10-4 loss to Chicago at Commiskey Park.

                                                      "We lost again?"

Jim Parque got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman flied out to center to start. Jason Varitek singled to right but Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center. Carl Everett singled to right but Morgan Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning. Pichardo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Ray Durham flied out to left to start. Jose Valentin also flied out to left but Frank Thomas singled to center. Magglio Ordonez walked but Chris Singleton grounded into a force to end the inning.

Brian Daubach grounded out to third to start the top of the second before Mike Stanley struck out swinging. Izzy Alcantara walked but Manny Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning. Pichardo cruised in the bottom of the second as Carlos Lee took strike three to start. Greg Norton struck out swinging and Herbert Perry grounded out to second to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to center to start the top of the third before Varitek grounded out to third. Nomar drew a walk but Everett whiffed to end the inning. The ChiSox struck first in the bottom of the third as Brook Fordyce singled to right to start. Durham flied out to left but Valentin doubled to right. Thomas was intentionally walked to load the bases and Ordonez beat out a double play ball to score Fordyce with the first run. Singleton doubled to left to clear the bases but Lee grounded out to short to end the inning with the ChiSox ahead 3-0.

                                                           Singleton drives in two

The BoSox looked to fight back when Burkhart singled to center to start the top of the fourth but Daubach banged into a double play. Stanley took strike three to end the inning, so much for that rally.

                                                     Double play.....

The White Sox added to their lead in the bottom of the fourth although Norton flied out to left to start. Perry grounded out to first but Fordyce hit a home run all the way to Belgium to increase the lead. Durham tripled into the right field corner but Valentin grounded out to first to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 4-0.

                                                     Fordyce hits a homer

The BoSox struck back in the top of the fifth as Alcantara bashed his first career home run to start. Alexander grounded out to short and Offerman flied out to center, but Varitek reached on an error by Valentin to continue the inning. Nomar singled to left and Everett was plunked to load the bases before Burkhart singled home Varitek and Nomar to cut the lead. Daubach flied out to left to end the inning but the BoSox were down 4-3.

                                                      New guys getting it done

Pichardo was done after 4 innings and his replacement Bryce Florie wasn't much better in the bottom of the fifth. Thomas crushed a home run all the way to Sweden to increase the lead. Ordonez doubled to left and moved to third on the Singleton grounder. Lee then chased Florie with a home run all the way to Finland to ice the game. Rheal Cormier came in and got Norton swinging but Perry singled to left. Perry swiped second but Fordyce watched strike three go by to end the inning with Chicago ahead 7-3.

                                               Lee watches it go

Jeff Abbott came in for Ordonez to start the top of the sixth and Stanley flied out to center to start. Alcantara singled to left but Alexander popped up to short. Offerman singled to left and Bill Simas came in to pitch to Varitek. Jason grounded out to second to end the inning. The ChiSox tagged Cormier in the bottom of the sixth although Durham flied out to right to start. Valentin grounded out to third but Thomas bashed a home run all the way to Norway to add to the lead. That was it for Cormier as John Wasdin came in to get Abbott to ground out to short to end the inning with Chiago ahead 8-3.

                                                                  Thomas hits another homer

Nomar doubled to left to start the top of the seventh but Everett struck out swinging. Burkhart popped up to left in foul territory and Daubach flied out to left to end the inning. Wasdin got Singleton to hit one up the elevator shaft to start the bottom of the seventh before Lee popped up to third in foul territory. Norton struck out swinging to end the inning.

Jeff Frye pinch hit for Stanley to start the top of the eighth and struck out swinging. Alcantara flied out to left but Scott Hatteberg pinch hit for Alexander and swatted his third home run of the season to cut the lead in half. Offerman flied out to left to end the inning but it was 8-4 Chicago.

                                                      THAT'S how you pinch hit

Wilton Veras took over at third with Offerman going to first and Frye to second to start the bottom of the eighth. Perry singled to left but Fordyce crushed yet another home run to wrap up the scoring. Durham whiffed, Valentin grounded out to second and Thomas flied out to center to end the inning with Chiago ahead 10-4.

                                                                Another home run

Mercifully the game ended in the top of the ninth with Bob Howry on the mound. Varitek whiffed but Nomar extended the agony with a base hit to left. Everett earned a hat trick with a swinging strikeout and Burkhart went down hacking to end the game. The White Sox had won it 10-4.

Jackass of the Night is Bryce Florie. The BoSox had clawed back into the game but Florie served up two home runs to put the game out of reach.

                                                              Jackass Florie

The Good:

Nomar Garciaparra was 3 for 4 with a run scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 5 with 2 rbis.

Izzy Alcantara was 2 for 3 with a walk and first career home run.

Scott Hatteberg belted a pinch hit home run.

The Bad:

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Jeff Frye struck out as a pinch hitter.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Hipolito Pichardo took the loss by allowing 4 runs in 4 innings of work.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings.

John Wasdin allowed 2 runs in 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 5 with a run scored.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but was hit with a pitch.

Honorable Mention:

Wilton Veras played third base in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Final Thoughts:

That month made the Sox go from World Series contenders at the start to belonging in last place at the end. Its very easy to see why, their pitching has been horrendous and their offense way too streaky. Losing Pedro Martinez to the disabled list didn't help but when the rest of your rotation is what appears to be a washed up Ramon Martinez, Pete Schourek and Tim Wakefield.....that's certainly not World Series material. There's still room to make some trades or see what the kids in Pawtucket have to offer but right now these guys couldn't beat a high school team. The Sox will be bringing up one of the kids to start tomorrow so there ya go. The only saving grace is the New York Yankees aren't off to a good start either so the Sox are beyond lucky to be this bad but still close enough to get back in first. The bullpen was downright offensive in this one and the sooner some of those bums are gone, the better. The Sox ended the month at 38-37, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Red Sox look to rebound tomorrow against the White Sox when 22 year old Paxton Crawford makes his major league debut against Mike Sirotka of Chicago. The game begins at 1:00 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.

Sox Beat Orioles, Lose Pedro (6/29/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made some roster moves, one good and one bad. The bad news is Pedro Martinez was placed on the 15 day Disabled List with a bad shoulder. Reportedly Pedro fought like hell against this move, even getting in manager Jimy Williams' face about it. The bottom line is it was the right move to make. The Sox are slumping badly and an injured Pedro isn't going to help them. They need him healthy and refocused for the second half of the season especially if the Toronto Blue Jays are for real, let alone the New York Yankees. Sox GM Dan Duquette's Korean import Sang-Hoon Lee was called up from Pawtucket to replace Pedro on the roster. In a much more positive move, the Sox signed free agent outfielder Bernard Gilkey to give them some much needed depth. The 33 year old veteran was hitting just .110 in Arizona for the Diamondbacks so a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered. He hit .294 last year off the bench and if Troy O'Leary can't get hit his head out of his ass, the Sox are going to need Gilkey for the stretch run.

                                                                      OUT

                                                             IN

As for the game, the Sox temporarily stopped their slide against the Baltimore Orioles. After being embarrassed the previous two games, this time the Sox left no doubt and no hope for a comeback. The Sox offense pounded Orioles starter Scott Erickson and reliever Darren Holmes for 12 runs and 14 hits. Tim Wakefield (3-5, 5.27 ERA) stepped up big by pitching into the eighth inning to give the bullpen a rest. Korean import Sang-Hoon Lee made his major league debut and the Sox pounded out 16 total hits to beat the Orioles 12-4 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Bobbie Brown approves of the win

Wakefield took the ball in the top of the first inning and Brady Anderson flied out to center to start. Mike Bordick singled to right but Will Clark hit one up the elevator shaft. Albert Belle singled to left but BJ Surhoff flied out to center to end the inning. Erickson got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman greeted him with a base hit to left. Jeff Frye banged into a double play and Carl Everett went down hacking to end the inning.

Wakefield cruised in the top of the second as Harold Baines flied out to left to start. Ryan Minor flied out to center and Mark Lewis grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck first in the bottom of the second although Nomar Garciaparra popped up to second to start. Morgan Burkhart singled to right, Scott Hatteberg walked and Jason Varitek beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Brian Daubach pummeled his 12th home run of the year to put the Sox on top before Wilton Veras grounded out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 3-0.

                                                    Sox go up early

Wakefield cruised in the top of the third as Greg Myers went down swinging to start. Anderson whiffed and Bordick grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox blew a chance to ice the game early in the bottom of the third as Offerman doubled to center before taking third on a wild pitch. Frye popped up to first and Everett grounded out to second, but Nomar walked. Nomar stole second and Burkhart walked to load the bases....only for Hatteberg to ground out to first to end the inning.

Clark grounded back to the mound to start the top of the fourth before Belle flied out to right. Surhoff flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Varitek grounded a base hit in the hole at second to start. Daubach was plunked for hitting a home run but Veras dropped down a bunt to advance the runners over. Offerman scored Varitek with a sac fly before Frye struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox up 4-0.

                                                    A random ticket to this game

The O's threatened in the top of the fifth although Baines popped up to second to start. Minor and Lewis stroked back to back singles but Myers flied out to center. Anderson grounded out to first to end the inning. The Sox iced the game in the bottom of the fifth as Everett singled to center to start. Nomar forced Carl at second but Burkhart singled and Hatteberg clubbed his second home run of the season to put the Sox up big. Varitek flied out to center but Daubach and Veras stroked back to back singles only for Offerman to strike out swinging to end the inning. The Sox were in total control with a 7-0 lead.

                                                          That ball is outta here

Wakefield got Bordick to fly out to left to start the top of the sixth but Clark got a base hit. Belle flied out to center and Surhoff grounded out to second to end the inning. Chuck McElroy came in for the bottom of the sixth and Frye grounded out to short to start. Everett flied out to left but Nomar singled to center. Burkhart walked and Hatteberg singled to load the bases, but Varitek popped up to first to end the inning.

Wakefield continued his dominance in the top of the seventh as Baines grounded out to second to start. Minor grounded out to short but Lewis singled to left. Myers lined out to second to end the inning. Wakefield had tossed 7 shut-out innings, he was outstanding. Darren Holmes came in to take a beating in the bottom of the seventh as Daubach clobbered his second home run of the game to increase the lead. Veras grounded out to short and Offerman popped up to third, but Frye walked. Everett struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                         Daubach goes yard again

For no other reason than to eat up innings, Sox manager Jimy Williams sent Wakefield out to keep going in the top of the eighth. Things looked good when Anderson grounded out to first but the wheels fell off. Bordick singled to left, Clark doubled off the Monster and Belle crushed a home run into the Atlantic Ocean to chase Wakefield after 7 1/3 gutty innings. Sang-Hoon Lee made his major league debut and got Surhoff to line out to right. Jeff Conine pinch hit for Baines and bashed a home run into the Charles River to cut the lead. Minor singled to left but Lewis lined out to right to end the inning. The O's cut the lead in half but still trailed 8-4.

                                                     Wakefield gets it done

The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the eighth as Nomar got the party started with a double to center. Burkhart drew another walk and Hatteberg singled to left to load the bases. Varitek walked home Nomar and Daubach doubled home Burkhart and Hatteberg. Jose Mercedes came in to pitch and Veras grounded out to short, but Offerman scored Varitek with a sac fly. Frye flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 12-4.

John Wasdin came in to pitch the top of the ninth with Izzy Alcantara now in right. Myers flied out to left but Anderson singled to center. Anderson swiped second but Bordick flied out to left. Clark grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 12-4.

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. He was 4 for 4 with a hit by pitch, 2 home runs and 6 total rbis.

                                               Burkhart salutes our Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with 2 rbis.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a walk, a stolen base and 2 runs scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 2 with 3 walks and 3 runs scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 3 for 4 with a walk, a three run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Tim Wakefield earned the win by tossing 7 1/3 innings of 3 run ball.

John Wasdin pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Sang-Hoon Lee allowed a run in his ML debut.

The Ugly:

Jeff Frye was 0 for 5 but drew a walk.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 but walked, drove in a run and scored 3 times.

Wilton Veras was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Izzy Alcantara played right field in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

Finally the Sox looked like themselves again. Morgan Burkhart seemed to have breathed life into this group because they hit the ball all over the place tonight. A strong pitching performance by Wakefield helped and they're gonna need more like that with Pedro Martinez gone for a few weeks. Not much else can be said other than the Sox beat a team they were supposed to. If they have any hope of getting back in the race they're going to need good starting pitching. The win improved the Sox to 38-36 on the season, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox travel to Chicago for a set with the White Sox. Hipolito Pichardo (2-0) gets the spot start for the BoSox with Jim Parque going for the ChiSox. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Commiskey Park.