Leiter, Mets Drop Sox (6/12/99)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Bret Saberhagen was placed on the Disabled List after cutting his foot on broken glass in his swimming pool....yes of course I'm serious. Kirk Bullinger was called up from Pawtucket to take his place. Get well soon.

                                                                         OUT

                                                                    IN

The June swoon continues for the Boston Red Sox as they have now lost six out of their last seven games. The bats have been silent lately and today they were almost shut down by Al Leiter and the New York Mets. Leiter held the Sox to just 2 runs in 7 strong innings while Boston starter Pat Rapp (2-4, 5.00 ERA) was tagged for 3 runs in 6 innings. Benny Agbayani hit a third inning home run and Edgardo Alfonzo drove in a run as well. Robin Ventura drove in a run in the sixth but the Sox rallied for a pair in the seventh. Troy O'Leary and Creighton Gubanich drove in runs and the Sox had the tying run at second, but Jason Varitek failed to deliver. John Olerud took Mark Guthrie deep in the bottom of the eighth and John Franco slammed the door in the ninth as the Mets won this one 4-2 at Shea Stadium.

Leiter got the ball in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman grounded out to third to start. John Valentin ate up Robin Ventura at third on a "single" but Nomar Garciaparra grounded into a double play to end the inning. Rapp got the ball in the bottom of the first and Roger Cedeno grounded out to short to start. Edgardo Alfonzo struck out swinging and John Olerud hit a broken bat grounder to first to end the inning.

Mike Stanley lined out to Benny Agbayani to start the top of the second and Damon Buford blooped a base hit to right. Troy O'Leary lined out to left and Creighton Gubanich popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. Mike Piazza got a base hit to center to start the bottom of the second but Ventura grounded into a double play. Brian McCrae popped up to third to end the inning.

Darren Lewis' bunt attempt was snuffed out by Leiter to start the top of the third and Rapp struck out swinging. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning. The Mets struck first in the bottom of the third as Agbayani hit a home run all the way to Yankee Stadium to start. Rey Ordonez singled to left past the diving Garciaparra and Leiter dropped down a bunt to move him to second. Cedeno dropped down a bunt to move Ordonez to third and Rey scored on the Alfonzo double to left. Olerud grounded out to short to end the inning with the Mets up 2-0.

                                                       Mets strike first

Valentin flied out to left to start the top of the fourth and Nomar grounded out to third. Stanley lined out to a diving Ventura to end the inning. Piazza flied out to the right fielding track to start the bottom of the fourth but Ventura got a base hit to right. McCrae was hit with a pitch but was thrown out trying to steal on the Agbayani swinging strikeout to end the inning.

Buford struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth and O'Leary took strike three. Gubanich flied out to center to end the inning. Odonez flied out to right to start the bottom of the fifth and Leiter grounded back to the mound. Cedeno got a base hit to center and promptly stole second. Alfonzo grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lewis beat out a roller to short to start the top of the sixth and Rapp dropped down a bunt. Leiter threw wide of second for an error, but Offerman grounded into a double play directly after Fox analyst Tim McCarver had said Jose had only done it twice all year. Valentin grounded out to short to end the inning. The Mets finished off Rapp in the bottom of the sixth as Olerud lined out to right to start. Piazza grounded out to second but Ventura hit a home run all the way to Albany to increase the lead. McRae walked but Lewis slid to catch a line drive by Agbayani to end the inning with the Mets up 3-0. That was it for Rapp as he allowed 3 runs in 6 innings off 7 hits and a walk.

                                                                 Rapp got no run support

The Sox rallied in the top of the seventh as Garciaparra struck out swinging to start. Stanley flied out to left but Buford got a base hit to center. Buford stole second and O'Leary doubled to left to score him. Gubanich got a base hit to center to score O'Leary and cut the lead. Jeff Frye ran for Gubanich and Lewis walked. Jason Varitek pinch hit for Rapp but popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox down 3-2.

                                                        Gubanich gets the Sox closer

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Ordonez walked to start. Matt Franco pinch hit for Leiter and forced Ordonez at second. Cedeno took strike three and Alfonzo grounded out to third to end the inning.

Armando Benitez came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Offerman walked to start. Valentin lined out to third but Offerman stole second on Nomar's swinging strike out. With the tying run at second....Stanley flied out to left to end the inning. Mark Guthrie came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Olerud greeted him with a home run all the way into the Long Island Sound to ice the game. Piazza grounded out to short, Ventura struck out swinging and McRae lined out to right to end the inning with the Mets up 4-2.

                                                             This one's over

John Franco came in to close out the top of the ninth and Buford took strike three to start. O'Leary got a base hit to center and Trot Nixon pinch hit for Guthrie. Nixon grounded out to short to move Troy to second but Lewis grounded out to short to end the game. The Mets had won it 4-2.

                                                            Mets win

Jackass of The Night is Mark Guthrie. His home run to John Olerud put the game out of reach.

                                                        Lefty on lefty Jackass

The Good:

Damon Buford was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Troy O'Leary was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Creighton Gubanich was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3 with a walk.

One of the rare times the losing pitcher ends up on the Good list but Pat Rapp tossed 6 solid innings allowing just 3 runs off 7 hits and a walk.

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 4.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 but walked and stole a base.

John Valentin was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Jeff Frye ran for Gubanich in the seventh.

Final Thoughts:

Once again the Sox can't get it done on national television. Very concerning how they couldn't do much against Al Leiter who came into the game with an ERA over 5. Pat Rapp didn't even pitch that bad but that Guthrie home run to Olerud was a killer. Had the Sox only trailed by one you could play small ball but not with a 2 run deficit. After last night's game, tying it up in the ninth might have broke the backs of the Mets. Worse yet, the rumor is Tom Gordon might be done for the year with elbow problems and Jin-Ho Cho might replace him. Tim Wakefield is interim closer and the idea makes everyone want to hurl. One of the reasons the Sox made the playoffs last year was Gordon was as automatic as it got. If he's gone that's a huge blow to a team already struggling in the month of June. The New York Yankees aren't going away and every win counts if the Sox hope to topple them. The loss dropped the Sox to 34-26, 1.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to take the series tomorrow afternoon when Mark Portugal (3-4) takes on Orel Hershiser of the Mets. The game begins at 1:30 PM at Shea Stadium.

Sox Rally Past Tigers (5/31/99)

What a Memorial Day comeback for the Boston Red Sox. The Sox were getting their brains beat in by the Detroit Tigers as they took a 6-1 lead, knocking starter Mark Portugal out of the game after 3 innings. Then Brian Daubach hit a two run bomb off Detroit starter Bryce Florie. Creighton Gubanich drove in a run in the sixth but the damage came in the seventh. Jason Varitek hit a pinch hit two run home run off Matt Anderson and Troy O'Leary hit a two run bomb two batters later to put the Sox on top. The Tigers got a Dean Palmer home run off Derek Lowe and had the tying & winning runs in the ninth, but Tom Gordon shut the door for Boston's fourth straight win. The Sox had won the game 8-7 at Fenway Park.

                                              "My fellow Americans, the Red Sox win" - BC

Portugal got hammered immediately to start the top of the first as Luis Polonia hit a routine pop up that Nomar dropped for a "double" to start. Brad Ausmus grounded out to second but Damion Easley was plunked. Bobby Higginson got a base hit to left to score Polonia and Palmer hit a sac fly to left to score Easley with another run. Higginson was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning with the Tigers up 2-0.

                                                            Tigers strike first

The Sox answered against Florie in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman got a base hit to left to start. John Valentin took strike three but Florie threw a pickoff throw away allowing Jose to reach second. Brian Daubach took strike three but Nomar Garciaparra drilled a base hit to center to score Jose. Nomar swiped second but Troy O'Leary grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                            Offerman scores a run

The Tigers exploded in the top of the second as Gape Kapler hit a home run all the way to Saturn to start. Juan Encarnacion flied out to left but Frank Catalanotto singled to right. Deivi Cruz singled in the hole at short and Polonia doubled to right to score Catalanotto. Ausmus forced Polonia but Cruz scored to increase the lead. Easley hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Tigers up 5-1.

                                                   Home run Kapler

Mike Stanley grounded out to third to start the bottom of the second and Creighton Gubanich did the same. Darren Lewis got a base hit to left, Trot Nixon walked and Offerman singled in the hole at short to load the bases. Valentin lined out to left to end the inning.

The Tigers finished off Portugal in the top of the third as Higginson hit a home run all the way to Cuba to start. Palmer grounded out to short but Kapler popped up to second. Encarnacion flied out to center to end the inning and that was it for Portugal. He was rocked for 6 runs in just 3 innings.

                                                         Portugal gets wrecked

Daubach grounded out to second to start the bottom of the third and Nomar grounded out to short. O'Leary flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox got a spark in the top of the fourth with Pat Rapp now on the mound. Catalanotto grounded out to second to start. Cruz grounded out to short and Offerman made an unbelievable play to rob Polonia of a hit to end the inning.

                                                        Great play by Offerman

Stanley popped up to second to start the bottom of the fourth and Grubanich grounded out to short. Lewis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ausmus flied out to right to start the top of the fifth but Easley was hit with a pitch. Higginson lined out to second and Palmer flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the fifth as Nixon grounded out to first to start. Offerman doubled to right but Valentin grounded out to third. Daubach smashed his fourth home run of the season to cut the lead in half but Nomar grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 6-3.

                                                                   Daubach cuts the lead

Kapler flied out to right to start the top of the sixth but Encarnacion beat out a roller to third. Encarnacion was thrown out at second trying to steal and Catalanotto hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the sixth as O'Leary doubled to right to start. Stanley flied out to right to move Troy to third and O'Leary scored on a Gubanich single to right. Lewis dropped down a bunt to move Gubanich to second but Nixon grounded out to first to end the inning with the Sox down 6-4.

                                                                     Gubanich drives in a run

John Wasdin came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Cruz popped up to third to start. Polonia caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single down the third base line but Ausmus struck out swinging. Polonia stole second but Easley struck out swinging to end the inning. The Sox took command in the bottom of the seventh with CJ Nitkowski on the mound. Offerman walked but Valentin flied out to center. Tigers manager Larry Parrish brought in Matt Anderson to face Daubach. Sox manager Jimy Williams countered by bringing in Jason Varitek to pinch hit. The gamble worked as Varitek launched his 6th home run to tie the game. Nomar got a base hit to left and O'Leary belted his ninth home run of the season to suddenly give the Sox the lead.

                                                                  Sox take the lead

Tempers flared when Anderson then hit Stanley on a 3-2 pitch and was immediately ejected by home plate umpire Chuck Meriwether. Brad Ausmus shouted that it was a 3-2 count and he wasn't trying to hit him and he got tossed as well. Larry Parrish sprinted out and got in Meriwether's face, he too was ejected. Old pal Bill Haselman came in to catch and Masao Kida came in to pitch. Gubanich hit into a double play to end the inning with the Sox up 8-6.

                                                             Meriwether gets trigger happy

The Tigers countered in the top of the eighth although Mark Guthrie was brought in just to strike out Higginson swinging. Derek Lowe came in....and Palmer hit a home run all the way to Texas to cut the lead. Kapler grounded out to short but Encarnacion beat out a roller to third. Encarnacion stole second but Catalanotto grounded out to second to end the inning with the Tigers down 8-7.

                                                                Home run Palmer

Lewis got a base hit to right to start the top of the ninth but Nixon flied out to center. Offerman walked but Valentin grounded into a double play to end the inning. Tom Gordon came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Gregg Jefferies pinch hit for Cruz. Jefferies lined out to second but Polonia singled in the hole at second. Polonia stole second but Haselman struck out swinging. Easley got plunked but Higginson flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-7.

                                                                 Sox win

Hero of The Night is Troy O'Leary. His two run home run in the seventh inning put the Sox up for good.

                                                        Troy O'Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 3 with 2 walks and 3 runs scored.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with a 2 run home run.

Jason Varitek hit a pinch hit 2 run home run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 a stolen base, rbi and a run scored.

Darren Lewis was 2 for 4.

Pat Rapp tossed 3 scoreless innings.

Josh Wasdin got the win with a scoreless seventh inning.

Mark Guthrie struck out the only man he faced.

Tom Gordon earned his 11th save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 3.

Mark Portugal got hammered for 6 runs in just 3 innings off 7 hits.

Derek Lowe allowed a run in 2/3 of an inning.

The Ugly:

Creighton Gubanich was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

The Red Sox keep rolling and this was a hell of a comeback win. Down 6 to 1 most teams would have given up but they kept chipping away. Kudos to Jimy Williams for having a hunch Varitek was due and O'Leary getting the two run homer was the icing on the cake. Portugal sucks but give credit to the bullpen for surrendering one run in 6 innings of work. The bats have picked it up lately and they're in first place as long as the pitching holds up. Expecting Brian Rose and Juan Pena to carry the load is unfair but if they keep up this pace, the Sox might be AL East champs and headed to a rematch with Cleveland when all is said and done. Obviously there's four months left in the season but the Sox are in good shape. The longer the win streak, the better. The win improved the Sox to 31-19, 1.5 games in front of the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it five consecutive wins and two in a row against the Tigers tomorrow night when Bret Saberhagen takes on Jeff Weaver of Detroit. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.