A's Drop Sox Late (5/11/01)

In one of the most frustrating games of the season, the Boston Red Sox bullpen officially became a liability against the Oakland A's. The A's jumped out to a 4-0 lead and knocked Red Sox starter Paxton Crawford out after the second inning. Boston managed to cut it to 4-3 but Rolando and Pete Schourek allowed two runs to make it 6-3. A furious Sox rally in the bottom of the eighth tied the game at 6-6 but Mark Bellhorn singled home Miguel Tejada against Rod Beck in the top of the ninth. Then in one of the dumbest plays in memory, Carl Everett was thrown out trying to go to third on a fly ball by Troy O'Leary, negating the tying run scoring by Trot Nixon to end the game. The A's had won it 7-6 at Fenway Park.

                                                                        Dammit

The A's bushwhacked Crawford in the top of the first inning as Johnny Damon legged out a double through the hole at short to start. Both Jeremy and Jason Giambi walked to load the bases with nobody out and John Jaha walked home Damon to give the A's the lead. Terrance Long beat out a double play ball to score Jeremy but Miguel Tejada hit into a double play to end the inning with the A's up 2-0.

                                                           Damon starts the rally

Cory Lidle got the start for Oakland and Trot Nixon led off the bottom of the first with a fly out to right. Jose Offerman flied out to left and Carl Everett popped up to left to end the inning.

The A's struck again in the top of the second although Eric Chavez struck out swinging to start. Mark Bellhorn flied out to left but Ramon Hernandez hit a home run all the way to Jacksonville, Florida to increase the lead. Damon hit a swinging bunt to first and Brian Daubach threw the ball all the way to Maine for an error to move Damon to second. Jeremy Giambi singled to right to score Damon with another run. Jason Giambi got a base hit to left but Everett made a great catch rob Jaha of extra bases to end the inning with the A's ahead 4-0. Sox manager Jimy Williams pulled the plug on Crawford after just two innings and 4 runs allowed.

                                                        Crawford sucks again

Lidle dominated the bottom of the second as Manny Ramirez, Troy O'Leary and John Valentin all struck out swinging in short order.

Tim Wakefield came in to pitch the top of the third and Long lined out to third to start. Tejada singled to left and moved to second on the grounder to second by Chavez. Bellhorn grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the third as Daubach singled to center to start. Hillenbrand forced Daubach at second but Hatteberg doubled off the Monster to score Hillenbrand. Hatteberg moved to third on a grounder to second by Nixon but Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                     Hatteberg drives in a run

Hernandez singled to left to start the top of the fourth but Damon banged into a double play. Jeremy Giambi walked and Jason Giambi blooped a single to left, but Jaha took strike three to end the inning. Everett flied out to center to start the bottom of the fourth before Ramirez took strike three. O'Leary grounded out to third to end the inning.

Wakefield got Long to ground out to second to start the top of the fifth before Tejada flied out to left. Chavez doubled to right but Bellhorn flied out to right to end the inning. Valentin grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the fifth before Daubach flied out to left. Hillenbrand struck out swinging to end the inning.

Pete Schourek came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Hernandez flied out to left to start. Damon took strike three and Jeremy Giambi grounded out to short to start. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth although Hatteberg took strike three to start. Nixon walked, Offerman singled to center and Everett beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners. Ramirez cleared the bases with a triple to the centerfield triangle and O'Leary was plunked to put the go-ahead run on. Jim Mecir came in to pitch to Valentin and John lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox down 4-3.

                                                          Ramirez brings the Sox close

Just as soon as the Sox were back in the game, they gagged in the top of the sixth. Jason Giambi walked to start and that was it for Schourek. Rolando Arrojo came in and promptly walked Jaha. Long doubled to center to score Giambi and increase the lead. Somehow Tejada popped up to second and Chavez was intentionally walked to load the bases. Bellhorn struck out swinging and Hernandez grounded out to short to end the inning with the A's ahead 5-3.

                                                          Long drives in a run

Daubach struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Hillenbrand grounded out to third. Hatteberg singled to center but Nixon grounded out to third to end the inning.

The A's looked to have iced the game in the top of the eighth as Damon walked to start. Jeremy Giambi singled Damon to third and Johnny scored on the force at second by Jason Giambi. Jaha flied out to right and Long flied out to center to end the inning with the A's up 6-3.

                                                           Giambi drives in a run

A's manager Art Howe brought in closer Jason Isringhausen for the six out save and the Sox roared back. Sal Fasano took over behind the plate as Offerman doubled to center to start. Everett doubled off the Monster to score Offerman and Ramirez doubled off the Monster to score Everett. O'Leary doubled in almost the exact same spot to tie the game and put the go-ahead runner at second with nobody out. Valentin made a huge out when he failed to move O'Leary over with a ground out to third. Daubach was intentionally walked but Sox manager Jimy Williams made the foolish decision to pinch hit Hillenbrand with Jason Varitek. Naturally Varitek struck out swinging and Hatteberg also struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox had tied it 6-6.

                                                     O'Leary ties the game

Lou Merloni took over at short with Rod Beck coming in to pitch the top of the ninth. Tejada doubled to center to start but Chavez took strike three. Bellhorn singled to right and Tejada came around to score, Mark taking second on the rbi. Fasano struck out swinging and Damon grounded out to short to end the inning but the A's took the lead 7-6.

                                                      Bellhorn puts the A's on top

Mario Valdez took over in left with Mike Magnante came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Nixon walked to start but Offerman flied out to right. Everett singled to right to chase Magnante from the game. Jeff Tam came in and hit Ramirez with a pitch to load the bases. O'Leary then lofted a fly ball to left. Nixon took off for home but Everett took off for third. Valdez fired to third and Everett was tagged out before Nixon scored to end the game. A dumb baserunning play by Everett ended the game and the A's had won it 7-6.

                                           "He scored first, dammit!" - Gene Lamont

Jackass of the Night is Carl Everett. Everett had a great game but getting thrown out at third with the tying run coming home is inexcusable.

                                                           Everett the Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis and a run scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Tim Wakefield tossed 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek struck out as a pinch hitter.

Paxton Crawford allowed 4 runs in just 2 innings of work.

Pete Schourek was charged with a run in an inning of work.

Rolando Arrojo allowed an inherited runner to score and one of his own in two innings of work.

Rod Beck allowed a run in the ninth inning.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and drove in a run.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Lou Merloni played short in the top of the ninth.

Final Thoughts:

That was a pretty disgusting loss considering how it happened. Even without the Everett blunder, the bullpen after Wakefield couldn't stop the A's. Schourek, Arrojo and Beck allowed 3 runs including the backbreaker in the ninth. With Rich Garces struggling lately, one of the strengths of the team has become a weakness in a hurry. What's more concerning is the erosion of Crawford and Tomo Ohka in the last few weeks. Just last week Crawford was outdueling Barry Zito in Oakland and he gets hammered at Fenway. Ironically, tomorrow David Cone starts his rehab with the Sarasota Red Red Sox tomorrow. They may need him sooner rather than later. The Sox have one game left against Oakland and the AL West in this stretch and it would be nice if they win it. The Sox have fallen out of first place thanks to their incompetence against Oakland and Seattle and that's not good moving forward. The loss drops the Sox to 20-15, 0.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to rebound tomorrow afternoon when Pedro Martinez (4-0) tries to stop the bleeding against Gil Heredia of the As. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Crawford Outduels Zito, Sox Beat A's (5/5/01)

In a battle of second year pitchers between 22 year old Barry Zito of the Oakland A's and 23 year old Paxton Crawford (3-0, 3.94 ERA) of the Boston Red Sox, it was Crawford and the Sox that came out on top. Crawford tossed 6 solid innings, allowing just 1 run to the powerful A's offense while the Red Sox bats took their frustrations out on Zito. Chris Stynes led the charge on offense with a home run and knocking in two total runs. Jose Offerman also hit a home run and the Sox as a team belted 14 hits, 4 of them from Manny Ramirez. After Crawford left, Tim Wakefield and Rolando Arrojo slammed the door as the Red Sox defeated the A's 7-1 at Oakland Coliseum.

                                                            Luc Robitaille approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Zito in the top of the first inning and Chris Stynes struck out looking to start. Jose Offerman walked and Carl Everett singled to right, but Manny Ramirez popped up to short. Dante Bichette lashed a base hit to right to score Offerman to put the Sox on the board. Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                          Bichette drives in a run

Crawford showed some balls to get out of a first inning jam in the bottom of the first although Johnny Damon flied out to center to start. Frank Menechino singled to right and Jason Giambi doubled him to third. Terrance Long struck out swinging but Olmedo Saenz was plunked to load the bases. Crawford got a big out when he got Jeremy Giambi to strike out swinging to end the inning.

Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to second to start the top of the second before Mike Lansing grounded out to third. Darren Lewis popped up to short to end the inning. Miguel Tejada grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the second before Eric Chavez grounded out to second. Ramon Hernandez grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third when Stynes struck his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Offerman flied out to center and Everett struck out swinging but Ramirez got a single to center. Bichette lined out to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0. 

                                                            Home run Stynes

Damon flied out to left to begin the bottom of the third before Menechino lined out to left. Giambi flied out to center to end the inning.

The Sox broke the game open in the top of the fourth although Varitek hit one up the elevator shaft to start. Hillenbrand tripled into the right field corner but Lansing grounded out to third. Lewis doubled home Hillenbrand and Stynes doubled home Hillenbrand to increase the lead. Offerman got a base hit to left to score Stynes and Everett flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-0.

                                                                   Lewis drives in a run

Long grounded out to third to begin the bottom of the fourth and Saenz popped up to first in foul territory. Jeremy Giambi singled to right but Tejada flied out to center to end the inning.

The submarine pitcher Chad Bradford came in for Zito in the top of the fifth and Ramirez got a base hit to center to begin. Bradford then struck out Bichette, Varitek and Hillenbrand all swinging to end the inning. Crawford struck out Chavez swinging to start the bottom of the fifth and Hernandez flied out to center. Damon singled to left but Menechino grounded out to short to end the inning.

Lansing took strike three to start the top of the sixth and Lewis grounded out to third. Stynes went down hacking to end the inning. The A's finally got to Crawford in the bottom of the sixth although Jason Giambi grounded out to short to start. Long grounded out to second but Saenz walked. Jeremy Giambi singled to left and Tejada singled to center to score Saenz. Crawford managed to get Chavez to pop up to Hillenbrand in foul territory to end the inning. Crawford had allowed just 1 run on 105 pitches in 6 innings of work, leaving with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                               Crawford gets it done

The Sox added to the lead in the top of the seventh when Offerman drilled his second home run of the season to start. Everett grounded out to second but Ramirez singled to right. Bichette struck out swinging but Varitek walked to chase Bradford. TJ Mathews came in and Hillenbrand grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-1.

                                                             Offerman hits one out

Tim Wakefield came in for the bottom of the seventh with Trot Nixon in for defense for Bichette. Hernandez grounded out to short to start before Damon struck out swinging. Menechino also went down hacking to end the inning.

Lansing doubled to left to begin the top of the eighth and moved to third on the Lewis grounder to short. Stynes hit a routine grounder to short but Tejada threw the ball away, allowing Stynes to score. Old pal Mark Guthrie came in to pitch and struck out both Offerman and Everett swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                                Lansing scores a run

Jason Giambi flied out to center to start the bottom of the eighth and Long struck out swinging. Saenz took strike three to end the inning.

Ramirez singled to left to start the top of the ninth but was forced at second by Nixon. Varitek singled to right but Hillenbrand banged into a double play to end the inning. Rolando Arrojo came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Jeremy Giambi grounded out to first to start. Tejada flied out to right and Chavez struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 7-1.

Hero of the Night is Paxton Crawford. He outdueled Zito to toss 6 innings of 1 run ball to earn the win.

                                                           Hero Crawford

The Good:

Chris Stynes was 2 for 5 a home run, 2 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with a walk, solo home run, 2 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Manny Ramirez was 4 for 5.

Tim Wakefield tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rolando Arrojo pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts.

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Mike Lansing was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout with a run scored.

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

Final Thoughts:

That was one of the more impressive wins of the season considering who was pitching. Crawford and Zito are highly touted young pitchers and Crawford was the better man on this day. The Boston bats didn't particularly have a good day individually but they got the hits when they needed, especially with men on base. Stynes and Offerman stepped up with home runs and the A's couldn't get Ramirez out. There is trouble brewing as Everett and Sox manager Jimy Williams had another spat and still aren't getting along. I don't know what Everett's problem is since the Sox are winning and they've been hitting, unlike last year. This feud is overshadowing the fact the Sox are playing well without Nomar Garciaparra and can only get better when he comes back. Arrojo has been pitching well out of the bullpen and the Sox are gonna need that with Derek Lowe and Rod Beck struggling. All in all it was a good win against a good team even if the A's are scuffling right now. The win improved the Sox to 18-12, tied for first place in the AL East with the Toronto Blue Jays. Tomorrow night Pedro Martinez (3-0) looks to keep the momentum going against Cory Lidle of the A's. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at Oakland Coliseum.

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

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

                                                      Randy Quaid is angry again

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

                                                                Ramirez puts the Sox on top

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                             Manny hits another homer

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

                                                             Sweeney adds to the lead

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

                                                        Hatteberg puts the Sox on top

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

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

                                                     Dye ties it up

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

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

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

                                                           Randa ices the game

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

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

                                                                   Lowe is Jackass again

The Good:

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

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 4 for 5.

Rich Garces tossed 2 2/3 innings.

Pete Schourek tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rolando Arrojo tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 2.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 1 at the plate.

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

Rod Beck allowed a run in the seventh inning.

The Ugly:

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

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

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

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

Mike Lansing was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

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

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

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

                                                                         OUT

                                                               IN

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

                                                            Carver approves of the win

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

                                                                   Ortiz drives in a run

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

                                                            Welcome back Stynes

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

                                                              Grand slam Everett

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

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

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

                                                    Crawford gets it done

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

                                                                Bichette hits one out

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

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

                                                              Lawton hits one out

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

                                                       Offerman scores a run

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

                                                         Ramirez with another rbi

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

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

                                                                 Hero Everett

The Good:

Chris Stynes was 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.

Jose Offerman was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with an rbi.

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

Mike Lansing was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Craig Grebeck was 1 for 1 with a run scored.

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

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

The Bad:

Trot Nixon struck out in his only at-bat.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 4.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Rally Late, Crush Devil Rays (4/18/01)

If you looked at the final score of tonight's Boston Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, you'd think the Sox blew them out of the water and the game wasn't even close. You'd be dead wrong. In fact, the Rays were in command for almost the entire game. Paxton Crawford tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball but the Sox were getting shut out by Albie Lopez through 7 innings. All of a sudden the floodgates opened in the top of the eighth. Tanyon Sturtze induced a double play to put the Sox 4 outs away from defeat when the Sox roared back with a Scott Hatteberg base hit to tie the game. 2 batters later Brian Daubach stuck his middle finger to the Rays with a backbreaking three run home run. The Sox managed to score 5 more runs off Sturtze and reliever Ken Hill to somehow score 9 runs with two outs. Rolando Arrojo got the win and slammed the door in the final two innings to come away with a 9-1 victory at Tropicana Field.

                                                                 Isis approves of the win

Lopez got the ball in the top of the first and Trot Nixon grounded out to third to start. Jose Offerman singled to left and Carl Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford got the ball in the bottom of the first and Gerald Williams singled to left to start. Williams stole second and took third on a Russ Johnson grounder but Greg Vaughn popped up to third. Fred McGriff grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Dante Bichette walked to start the top of the second but Scott Hatteberg struck out swinging. Bichette moved to second on a Shea Hillenbrand grounder but Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. The Devil Rays struck first in the bottom of the second as Ben Grieve singled to right to begin. Jose Guillen singled to left and a wild pitch moved both runners over. Vinny Castilla struck out swinging but John Flaherty hit a sac fly to score Grieve to give the Rays the lead. Felix Martinez popped up to second to end the inning with the Rays up 1-0.

                                                          Flaherty gives the Rays the lead

Mike Lansing flied out to right to start the top of the third and Nixon grounded out to short. Offerman lined a base hit to left but Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Crawford recovered in the bottom of the third as Williams singled to center to start but Johnson struck out swinging. Williams swiped second but Vaughn struck out swinging. McGriff popped up to short to end the inning.

Ramirez walked to start the top of the fourth but Bichette popped up to right in foul territory. Hatteberg struck out swinging but Hillenbrand singled to right. Daubach flied out to center to end the inning. Grieve whiffed to open the bottom of the fourth and Guillen grounded out to third. Castilla flied out to center to end the inning.

Lansing struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth but McGriff booted a grounder by Nixon for an error. Offerman took strike three but Everett singled to left. Ramirez flied out to left to end the inning. Flaherty popped up to first to start the bottom of the fifth but Martinez grounded out to second. Williams grounded out to first to end the inning.

Bichette doubled to left to start the top of the sixth and moved to third on the Hatteberg grounder to second. Hillenbrand hit a fly ball to right and Bichette made a mad dash home.....OUT! The tag beat Bichette to end the inning. Johnson lined a base hit to center to start the bottom of the sixth then swiped second. Vaughn struck out swinging but McGriff moved Johnson to third with a grounder back to the mound. Grieve was hit with a pitch but was forced at second by Guillen to end the inning.

Daubach took strike three to begin the top of the seventh and Lansing grounded back to the mound. Nixon singled to left but Offerman flied out to center to end the inning. Crawford came back for the bottom of the seventh and Castilla struck out swinging to start. Flaherty grounded back to the mound but Martinez walked. All of Boston groaned when Sox manager Jimy Williams came out to get Paxton after just 94 pitches. Still, Crawford pitched very well, allowing just 1 run in 6 2/3 innings. Rolando Arrojo came in and Martinez was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the inning.

                                                             Good effort

Suddenly everything changed in the top of the eighth inning. Everett and Ramirez worked back to back walks to chase Lopez from the game. Darren Lewis came in to run for Ramirez and Tanyon Sturtze was brought in to face Bichette. Dante banged into a double play but Hatteberg tied the game with a base hit to center. Hillenbrand singled to right and Daubach silenced the Tampa fans with a 3 run blast to ice the game. Lansing and Nixon stroked back to back singles and a wild pitch moved both runners over. Offerman doubled to left to score both runners and chase Sturtze from the game. Ken Hill came in to pitch and Everett tripled to center to score Offerman and Lewis put the exclamation point on the inning with a 2 run home run. Bichette lined out to center to end the inning but it was now 9-1 Red Sox. They scored 9 runs with 2 outs in the inning.

                                                     From punch runner to 2 run home run

Troy O'Leary came in for Bichette with Craig Grebeck taking over at short for the bottom of the eighth. Williams flied out to left to start before Johnson popped up to first. Vaughn took strike three to end the inning.

Dan Wheeler came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Hatteberg took strike three to start. Hillenbrand singled to center but Daubach popped up to short. Lansing popped up to first in foul territory to end the inning. Arrojo came back to finish the job in the bottom of the ninth as McGriff grounded out to first to start. Grieve doubled to left but Guillen struck out swinging. Castilla grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 9-1.

Hero of the Night is Brian Daubach. His 3 run home run put the Sox up for good in the eighth inning.

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

Carl Everett was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and 2 runs scored.

Manny Ramirez walked twice in four plate appearances.

Darren Lewis hit a 2 run home run in his only plate appearance.

Shea Hillenbrand was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

Paxton Crawford tossed 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 5 hits and a walk.

Rolando Arrojo got the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 but walked.

Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but drove in the tying run and scored a run.

Mike Lansing was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Craig Grebeck played shortstop in the final two innings.

Troy O'Leary played left field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Its only April but these are the kind of wins you need to have a successful season. The Sox trailed 1-0 with 2 outs in the eighth and won it 9-1. That's just complete incompetence by the Devil Rays and a lot of heart by the Red Sox. Crawford and Arrojo pitched a hell of a game and if the tag team of Crawford and Tomo Ohka continue the run they've had going back to last year, they could be a modern day Al Nipper and Oil Can Boyd complimentary pieces to Pedro Martinez and Hideo Nomo. If either one of them falters, there's always David Cone or Bret Saberhagen coming back to take their places. The offense woke up in the eighth inning and it was a good thing too because they sleptwalked most of the game. It'll be interesting to see how the rest of the month plays out. If you're the Devil Rays, you're dreading tomorrow night's game. If Tomo Ohka and Paxton Crawford can hold you to 1 run in 13 2/3 innings, what are they going to do tomorrow when Pedro Martinez (1-0) goes for the Sox up against Paul Wilson of the Devil Rays? The game begins at 7:15 PM at Tropicana Field.

Sox Walkoff Yankees in 10 Innings (4/13/01)

If Manny Ramirez sent a big hello to Boston Red Sox fans with his home opener home run, his performance in today's extra inning win over the world champion New York Yankees may have fans in the Bronx ready to crap their pants. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead over the Red Sox in a game pitched brilliantly by Orlando Hernandez of New York and Paxton Crawford of Boston when Manny stepped to the plate against Mariano Rivera. Manny hit a bullet to score two runs and win the game for the Red Sox. If Manny can beat the best closer in the game, the Yankees stranglehold on the AL East the past three years could come to an end if the Sox can show they have enough talent to compete. The Sox survived Hernandez, beat Rivera and won the game 3-2 in 10 innings at Fenway Park.

                                                             Amber approves of the win

Crawford got the ball in the top of the first inning and Chuck Knoblauch grounded out to third to start. Derek Jeter also grounded out to third but Paul O'Neill walked. David Justice grounded out to first to end the inning. Hernandez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Trot Nixon flied out to left to start. Jose Offerman was rung up on a full count strike three but Carl Everett walked. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning.

Crawford cruised in the top of the second inning as Jorge Posada flied out to right to start. Tino Martinez flied out to center and old friend Michael Coleman struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees TV broadcast tried to paint the Red Sox as the bad guys by putting a graphic saying Coleman was mistreated by Sox manager Jimy Williams.

                                                          Those dastardly Red Sox

Troy O'Leary led off the bottom of the second by lining out to short but Scott Hatteberg singled up the middle. Shea Hillenbrand forced Hatteberg at second and Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees struck first in the top of the third inning as Alfonso Soriano dumped a base hit to right to start. Scott Brosius walked but Knoblauch popped up to right. Jeter lashed a base hit to center and Soriano came chugging around third. Everett's throw came to the plate...SAFE! Both runners moved over but O'Neill hit one up the elevator shaft. Justice grounded out to first to end the inning with the Yankees head 1-0.

                                                      Jeter puts the Yankees on top

The Sox blew a rally in the bottom of the third as Mike Lansing flied out to right to begin. Nixon walked and Offerman dropped a base hit to left, but Everett lined out to second. Ramirez struck out swinging again to end the inning.

Daubach made a great stab to rob Posada of a hit to start the top of the fourth and Martinez flied out to the left field wall and Coleman grounded out to short to end the inning. For some reason Clay Bellinger took over for Coleman to start the bottom of the fourth and O'Leary singled to left to start. Hatteberg flied out to center and Hillenbrand flied out to right, but Daubach singled to right. Lansing flied out to right to end the inning.

Soriano flied out to right to start the top of the fifth but Brosius hit a bullet off the Monster for a single that would have been gone in Yankee Stadium. Knoblauch singled off the glove of Lansing and Offerman bobbled a double play at second hit by Jeter to put runners at the corners. O'Neill grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fifth as Nixon grounded out to second to start. Offerman struck out swinging but Everett was plunked in the hand. Just as New York Yankee fans were gloating the game was in the bag, Ramirez doubled off the centerfield wall to score Everett to tie the game.

                                                    Everett scores the tying run

Crawford came back for one more inning in the top of the sixth and Justice walked to start. Posada singled to right but Martinez banged into a double play. Bellinger hit a grounder to third and Daubach scooped a bad throw by Hillenbrand to end the inning. That was it for Crawford who threw 6 innings and held the Yankees to just 1 run.

                                            Crawford holds the Yankees down for 6 innings

Ramiro Mendoza replaced Hernandez for the bottom of the sixth and Hatteberg grounded out to second to start. Hillenbrand struck out swinging and Daubach grounded out to third to end the inning.

"El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Everett ran down a Soriano line drive on the centerfield warning track to begin. Brosius lined out to second and Knoblauch flied out to right to end the inning. Lansing grounded out to second to begin the bottom of the seventh and Nixon popped up to center. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning.

Rod Beck came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Jeter flied out to right to start. O'Neill grounded out to second and Justice grounded out to first to end the inning. Everett struck out swinging to start the bottom of the eighth before Ramirez grounded out to short. O'Leary lined out to second to end the inning.

Beck returned for the top of the ninth and Posada struck out swinging to start. Martinez also went down hacking but Bellinger hit a line drive off the Monster for a hit. Bellinger was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.

                                                           Beck gets it done

Mike Stanton came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and Jason Varitek pinch hit for Hatteberg to start. Varitek popped up to first, Hillenbrand grounded out to first and Daubach flied out to center to end the inning to send the game to extras. The Yankee pitchers had retired 12 batters in a row.

Derek Lowe came in to crap his pants in the top of the tenth as Soriano doubled to right to start. Brosius hit a grounder to third but Soriano was in the way and Hillenbrand couldn't make the play. Soriano scored on the hit and Knoblauch dropped down a bunt to move Brosius to second. Jeter walked but O'Neill struck out swinging. Justice popped up to second to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-1.

                                                Soriano scores to give the Yankees the lead

Mariano Rivera came in to close out the bottom of the tenth and Lansing grounded back to the mound. Nixon hit a grounder up the middle for a hit but Offerman struck out swinging. Down to their last strike, Everett singled to left to bring up Ramirez. Manny was 0 for 12 against Rivera coming into the at-bat and the Yankees chose to pitch to him rather than walk him to get to O'Leary. A passed ball moved the runners over and Manny lashed a base hit through the legs of Rivera to score Nixon and Everett to win the game. The Sox had won it 3-2 in 10 innings.

                                                                     RED SOX WIN!

Hero of the Night is Manny Ramirez. His 2 run single won the game in the bottom of the 10th.

                                                             Hatteberg hugs our Hero

The Good:

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch and 2 runs scored.

Scott Hatteberg was 1 for 3.

Paxton Crawford tossed 6 solid innings of 1 run ball.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Rod Beck tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 4.

Derek Lowe vultured the win by allowing a run in the top of the tenth.

The Ugly:

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

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of three strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Its only the first game of 19 between the two teams but the addition of Manny Ramirez may pay dividends going forward. Having an all-star slugger that can hit the Yankees best pitchers is the ingredient the Sox have been missing the last few years. Nomar Garciaparra and Carl Everett could barely be counted on to hit Ramiro Mendoza, Mike Stanton and Rivera but Manny can. How big was Crawford's 6 innings to get them to Beck, Garces and Lowe.....and what is with Lowe this season? He blew 2 of the first 3 games in Baltimore and he would have been the loser tonight if it wasn't for Manny's heroics. The Sox are missing Nomar big time as they're not getting much out of the shortstop position but if the Sox can hang on until he comes back, this could be a damn good team when he does. Hopefully Hillenbrand can be a good third basemen because John Valentin may not come back and Wilton Veras proved to be a disappointment. All in all it was a good win and tomorrow is another monster match between Roger Clemens of the Yankees and Pedro Martinez (1-0, 0.68 ERA) of the Red Sox. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.