Sox Take Down A's, Snap Losing Streak (4/20/84)

ITS A MIRACLE! The Boston Red Sox snapped their 7 game losing streak against the Oakland A's to get back on their winning ways. Bruce Hurst (2-2, 2.31 ERA) tossed 5 2/3 gutty innings while allowing just a single run. Bob Stanley slammed the door with 3 1/3 scoreless innings as the offense scratched out 3 runs. In front of a paltry crowd of 15,523 people the Red Sox beat the A's 3-1 at Fenway Park.

                                                        Sgt Hulka approve of the win

Hurst got the start in the top of the first and immediately ran into trouble. Rickey Henderson grounded out to short before Bill Almon struck out swinging, but Davey Lopes singled. Lopes swiped second before Carney Lansford flied out to right to end the inning. Tim Conroy got the start for the A's and Jerry Remy walked to start. Dwight Evans struck out and Wade Boggs forced Remy at second. Jim Rice walked but Mike Easler grounded out to second to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the second although Dave Kingman flied out to left to start. Jeff Burroughs blasted a home run into the Charles River to put the A's up first. Dwayne Murphy singled and Mike Heath walked but Donnie Hill popped up in foul territory. Boggs kamikazed himself making the catch and had to be hauled off in an ambulance headed to Mass General's ICU. Ed Jurak replaced Wade and Henderson struck out to end the inning with the A's up 1-0.

                                                                 Sox lose Boggs

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the second as Tony Armas grounded out to short to start. Reid Nichols flied out to left and Gary Allenson grounded out to third to end the inning.

Hurst recovered in the top of the third as Almon flied out to center to start. Lopes popped up to first and Lansford flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox mustered nothing in the bottom of the third as Glenn Hoffman grounded out to short to start. Remy grounded back to the mound and Evans flied out to right to end the inning.

Hurst got in a jam in the top of the fourth as Kingman walked to start. Burroughs struck out but Murphy and Heath stroked back to back singles to load the bases. Hurst got a big out when Hill popped up to second and Henderson grounded out to short to end the inning. Boston roared back in the bottom of the fourth and Wade's replacement Jurak got the party started with a double. Ed moved to third on the grounder by Rice and Easler motored around with a triple to tie the game. Armas doubled home Easler to give the Sox the lead but Nichols flied out to right. Allenson walked to chase Conroy. Ray Burris came in to pitch and Hoffman doubled home Armas. Allenson gunned it for home but was thrown out to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-1.

                                                       Jurak starts the rally

The A's tried to fight back when Almon doubled to open the top of the fifth but Lopes grounded out to short. The alert Hurst picked off Almon but Lansford singled. Kingman swung and missed to end the inning. The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fifth as Remy grounded out to short to start. Jurak whiffed and Rice grounded out to second to end the inning.

The A's chased Hurst in the top of the sixth although Burroughs whiffed to start. Murphy and Heath stroked back to back singles before Jim Essian pinch hit for Hill. Essian flied out to left and Sox manager Ralph Houk said that was it for Hurst. Bruce got himself out of jams for much of the game and left after allowing just the one run in 5 2/3 innings. Bob Stanley came in and Henderson grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                       Good work Hurst

Rice popped up to first to begin the bottom of the sixth but Easler singled. Easler was forced at second by Armas and Nichols flied out to center to end the inning.

Almon grounded back to the mound to begin the top of the seventh before Lopes whiffed. Lansford singled again but Kingman flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox threatened in the bottom of the seventh as Allenson popped up to third to start. Hoffman singled but Remy flied out to center. Evans walked but Jurak grounded out to short to end the inning.

Joe Morgan pinch hit for Burroughs to open the top of the eighth and he grounded out to first. Murphy and Heath both grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the eighth as Rice flied out to right to begin. Easler whiffed but Armas singled and Nichols walked. Allenson whiffed to end the inning.

Stanley came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth. Old pal Garry Hancock pinch hit for Essian and grounded out to short. Henderson grounded out to third and Bruce Bochte pinch hit for Almon only to fly out to center to end the game. The Sox had broken their losing streak and defeated the A's 3-1.

Hero of the Night is Ed Jurak. He came off the bench to start the rally and score the tying run.

The Good:

Mike Easler was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Tony Armas was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Glenn Hoffman was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Bruce Hurst got the win with 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed 9 hits and struck out 5.

Bob Stanley earned the save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just 1 hit.



The Bad:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 1 before leaving with injury.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 3 but walked.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts but walked.

Jim Rice was 0 for 3 but walked.

Reid Nichols was 0 for 3 but walked.

Gary Allenson was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.




Final Thoughts:

Ding dong the witch is dead! The Red Sox finally won one and ironically it was the pitching that won the game. Bruce Hurst and Bob Stanley combined to allow just 1 run on a night when the Sox offense was limited to one inning of scoring. The Sox need to do something about their offense because their 1-5 is as good as anyone but 6-9 is a bonafide black hole most of the time. Still, a win is a win and this was the first one in a while, may as well enjoy it. The Sox look to make it two in a row over the A's tomorrow afternoon when they send Mike Brown (0-1) to the mound up against Mike Warren at 2:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Drop Seventh Straight on Late Rally (4/19/84)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in Game 2 of their first round NBA playoff series but the bad news was the Boston Red Sox lost their seventh straight game. Looks like the Boston Red Sox will never win a game again. No matter what they do they just can't get it done and today was no different. In front of a paltry crowd of 10,926 the Sox turned a 4-4 game into a defeat for their seventh straight loss, this game at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Oil Can Boyd (0-2, 3.94 ERA) was game but Mark Clear got bombed and the Rangers swept the Sox out of Fenway Park with a 7-4 defeat.

                      "Oh mighty idol will the Red Sox ever win again?" - IJ

Boyd got the start for the Sox in the top of the first and Billy Sample grounded out to third to start. Gary Ward flied out to right and George Wright flied out to center to end the inning. Charlie Hough took the mound in the bottom of the first and the Sox did nothing. Jerry Remy flied out to center and Dwight Evans struck out. Wade Boggs walked but Jim Rice popped up to second to end the inning.

Boyd got some help from his defense in the top of the second inning. Buddy Bell led off with a single but Larry Parrish banged into a double play. Pete O'Brien flied out to right to end the inning. Somehow the Sox scored first in the bottom of the second inning. Mike Easler grounded out to second but Tony Armas blasted a solo home run to put the Sox on top. Rich Gedman flied out to center but Reid Nichols doubled. A wild pitch moved Nichols to third and a passed ball scored him. The hazards of a knuckleball pitcher is you never know where the ball will land. Glenn Hoffman struck out to end the inning but it was 2-0 Boston.

                                                     Armas goes yard

Boyd kept the lead in the top of the third inning as Ned Yost flied out to right, Wayne Tolleson flied out to center and Curt Wilkerson grounded out to first to end the inning. 9 up, 9 down for Boyd. The Sox got another run in the bottom of the third inning. Remy grounded out to second but Evans doubled. Boggs scored Dwight with a double of his own and moved to third on a passed ball. The rally ended as Rice struck out and Easler grounded out to first to end the inning.

                                                     Boggs makes it a 3-0 game

Sample became the first baserunner for Texas when he walked to open the top of the fourth but Ward flied out to center. Wright banged into a double play to end the inning. The Sox wasted no time increasing the lead when he smashed his second solo home run of the game to start the bottom of the fourth. Gedman grounded out to first, Nichols grounded out to short and Hoffman struck out to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

Just when it seemed this would be an easy victory for the Sox, Boyd crapped his pants in the top of the fifth inning. Bell doubled and Parrish walked. O'Brien and Yost struck back to back rbi singles to cut the lead in half. Tolleson dropped down a bunt that Boyd fielded and ended up throwing it 500 feet completely out of Fenway for an error that scored O'Brien and moved the others into scoring position with nobody out. Wilkerson grounded out to score Yost with the tying run but Sample flied out to center. Ward flied out to right to end the inning but the Rangers had easily tied the game 4-4.

                                                  Nice going Boyd

The Sox offense never recovered and they were done for the night in the bottom of the fifth. Remy struck out but Evans walked. Boggs flied out to center and Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

Boyd came back for the top of the sixth and allowed a leadoff single to Wright, only for Bell to ground into a double play. Parrish doubled and O'Brien was intentionally walked only for both runners to advance on a passed ball by Gedman. Yost struck out to end the inning. Hough shut down the Sox in the bottom of the sixth as both Easler and Armas struck out. Gedman grounded out to first to end the inning.

Boyd cruised in the top of the seventh inning as Tolleson flied out to right, Wilkerson grounded back to the mound and Sample popped up to Boyd to end the inning. The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the seventh inning as Nichols and Hoffman grounded out to third before Remy grounded out to second to end the inning.

Boyd somehow returned for the top of the eighth inning and Ward popped up to second to start. Wright popped up to short but Bell doubled. Parrish flied out to left to end the inning. Odell Jones replaced Hough in the top of the eighth inning and Evans popped up to third to start. Boggs singled and Rice flied out to right. Easler walked to put the go-ahead run at second but Armas grounded out to short to end the inning.

Houk rolled the dice twice in the top of the ninth and crapped out both times. He sent Boyd out to go another inning but lasted just one batter when O'Brien singled. Houk quickly hooked him but settled on Mark Clear to limit the damage. Instead Clear poured gas on the fire as Mickey Rivers pinch hit for Yost and singled. Tolleson singled to load the bases and Bob Jones pinch hit for Wilkerson just to walk in the go-ahead run. The boo-birds rained down on clear and it got worse as Sample singled home Rivers for the insurance run. Ward struck out but Wright grounded out, scoring Tolleson with the dagger. Bell flied out to center to end the inning but it was now all over, 7-4 Rangers.

                                                   Outstanding incompetence by Clear

The deflated Red Sox went through the motions in the bottom of the ninth with Marv Foley behind the plate and Jim Anderson at short. Gedman flied out to center and Nichols struck out before Rick Miller was sent in to pinch hit for Hoffman. Miller flied out to center to end the game. The Sox had lost their seventh straight by a score of 7-4.

Jackass of the Night is Mark Clear. He allowed his inherited runner to score and two of his own to put the game out of reach.

                                               Its quite Clear who the Jackass is


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Wade Boggs was 2 for 3 with a walk and an rbi.

Tony Armas was 2 for 4 with both hits being solo home runs.



The Bad:

Jerry Remy was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Jim Rice was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4.

Glen Hoffman was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Mike Easler was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Reid Nichols was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Oil Can Boyd nearly went the distance but took the loss by allowing 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks.




Final Thoughts:

Can it get any worse? It doesn't appear to be possible after the Sox found a way to lose 7 straight games. Blowouts, close games, incompetent starters, bullpen failures, inconsistent offense....you name it, it happened. The Detroit Tigers are finding ways to win while the Sox are inventing new ways to lose. Tomorrow night Bruce Hurst (1-2) takes a beating as the Oakland A's come to town with Tim Conroy expected to pitch a 3 hit shut-out against the Sox at Fenway Park.

Rangers Edge Sox, Streak at 6 (4/18/84)

Quite simply the Boston Red Sox suck right now. They are inventing new ways to lose and have dropped their sixth straight game. In front of a paltry crowd of just over 12,000 people, Bob Ojeda (0-2, 5.40 ERA) got rocked and couldn't recover. The Texas Rangers held the Red Sox scoreless for the final 7 innings of the game and came away with a 4-3 victory at Fenway Park.

Ojeda took the mound in the top of the first inning and Billy Sample struck out to begin the ballgame. Gary Ward walked but was gunned down at the second trying to steal by the alert Rich Gedman. George Wright struck out to end the inning. Jerry Remy led off the bottom of the second with a base hit. Dwight Evans struck out but Remy swiped second. Wade Boggs flied out to left and Jim Rice grounded out to short to end the inning.

Ojeda got through the top of the second inning by getting Buddy Bell to fly out to right to begin. Larry Parrish walked but Dave Hostetler flied out to center. Ned Yost flied out to left to end the inning. Somehow the Sox scored first in the bottom of the second inning and it started with a Mike Easler single. Tony Armas singled Mike to third and Easler scored on the groundout by Gedman. Reid Nichols tripled home Armas and Glenn Hoffman singled home Reid. The rally ended cold turkey when Remy banged into a double play to end the inning but the Sox were up 3-0.

                                                      Nichols with the triple

As usual when the Sox get a lead, the pitcher tries to piss it away and the Rangers got on the board in the top of the third. Wayne Tolleson grounded out to second to start but Curt Wilkerson doubled. Wilkerson broke for third but the alert Gedman threw him out trying to steal. It was a good thing Gedman got him because Sample smashed a 7,000 foot home run to put the Rangers on the board. Ward grounded out to second to end the inning but it was now 3-1 Sox.

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the third as Evans struck out again to start. Boggs singled but Rangers starter Danny Darwin struck out both Rice and Easler to end the inning.

The Rangers knocked Ojeda out early in the top of the fourth although Wright grounded back to the mound to begin. Bell walked and Parrish singled him to third, taking second on the throw. Hostetler walked and Yost singled in two runners to tie the game. Sox manager Ralph Houk had seen enough of Ojeda and brought in Bob Stanley to stop the bleeding. Tolleson beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Wilkerson singled home Hostetler to give the Rangers the lead. Wilkerson tried for second and Gedman threw him out trying to steal. The Rangers would probably be up by 5 runs if they stopped running into outs but instead the Rangers were up 4-3.

                                                     Nice going Ojeda

The Sox offense couldn't do a damn thing against Darwin in the bottom of the fourth inning. Armas hit one up the elevator shaft, Gedman grounded out to first and Nichols struck out to end the inning.

Stanley shut down the Rangers in the top of the fifth as Sample flied out to right to start. Ward singled but Wright flied out to center. Bell singled but Parrish popped up to first to end the inning. Pete O'Brien replaced Hollister in the bottom of the fifth as Hoffman flied out to center to begin. Remy struck out and Evans flied out to center to end the inning.

Stanley matched Darwin in the top of the sixth by getting O'Brien on strikes to start the frame. Yost grounded out to short and Tolleson flied out to left to end the inning. Nothing doing for the Sox in the bottom of the sixth as Boggs popped up to short and Rice flied out to center. Easler singled but Armas grounded into a force to end the inning.

The Rangers did nothing in the top of the seventh as Wilkerson struck out, Sample grounded out to second and Ward grounded out to short to end the inning. Darwin matched Stanley in the bottom of the seventh as Gedman grounded out to third to begin. Nichols struck out and Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman...only to ground out to third to end the inning.

Jackie Gutierrez took over at short for the top of the eighth and Wright grounded out to second to begin. Bell grounded out to third but Parrish doubled. O'Brien was intentionally walked and Yost grounded out to first to end the inning.  Darwin returned for the bottom of the eighth and Remy grounded back to the mound to start. Evans and Boggs stroked back to back singles to put the tying run in scoring position...but Rice banged into a double play to end the inning.

Stanley returned for the top of the ninth and Tolleson grounded out to second to start. Wilkerson and Sample stroked back to back singles but Ward banged into a double play to end the inning. Stanley had tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings to keep the Sox in the game.

                                                        Stanley with the yeoman's effort

The Sox had one last chance to rally in the bottom of the ninth with Dave Tobik now on the mound and Easler got it started with a walk. Armas grounded out but Easler moved to second, causing Sox manager Ralph Houk to pinch run Marty Barrett for Mike. Gedman grounded out as well but Easler moved to third. Rangers manager Bobby Cox took no chances and walked Nichols to get to the rookie Gutierrez. Naturally Jackie grounded out to end the game, the Sox had lost 6 in a row and this game 4-3.

Jackass of the Night is Jim Rice. He was 0 for 4 with a strikeout including a crucial double play in the eigth inning.

                                                       Jim the Jackass


The Good:

Wade Boggs was 2 for 4.

Mike Easler was 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Reid Nichols was 1 for 3 with a walk, run scored and rbi.

Glenn Hoffman was 1 for 2 with an rbi.

Bob Stanley tossed 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.



The Bad:

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jackie Gutierrez was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Bob Ojeda took the loss, giving up 4 runs in just 3 1/3 innings, falling apart in the 2nd.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 4 but stole a base.

Dwight Evans was just 1 for 4.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 4 but nailed 3 guys trying to steal and drove in a run.



Honorable Mention:

Marty Barrett pinch ran for Easler in the 9th.




Final Thoughts:

Is this team ever going to win again? Nothing they do seems to go right these days. They scored 3 runs in the first two innings and then absolutely nothing the rest of the game. Stanley pitches his ass off but the Sox couldn't score for him. I hate to say it but something's wrong with the bottom of the order. It gets pretty light after the 6th spot and other teams are starting to take notice. Cox had Nichols walked to get to Gutierrez and it worked for the Rangers. As sad as it sounds, maybe the Sox need another bat in the lineup to generate some offense. As for now the Sox have lost their 6th straight. Tomorrow afternoon the Sox look to salvage the series against the Rangers when Oil Can Boyd (0-1) goes for the Sox opposite Charlie Hough at 2:00 PM at Fenway Park.

Eckersley Hammered, Streak Reaches 5 (4/17/84)

The good news was the Boston Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series. The bad news was...yikes! The Boston Red Sox can't do anything right these days. Even after getting 3 days off they still can't pitch or hit which is why they have lost 5 straight games. This time it was the Texas Rangers who beat the daylights out of Dennis Eckersley (0-2, 6.75 ERA). Old buddy Frank Tanana held off the Sox and the Rangers had won it 8-4 at Fenway Park.

                                          "Those Red Sox sure do stink" - Lamar

Once again the Sox threw up on themselves to open the top of the first game. Mickey Rivers hit a routine ground ball to Jerry Remy at second who inexplicably tried to swat the ball over to first with his glove. It didn't come close and Rivers reached first on the error. Pete O'Brien hit a routine grounder to Mike Easler at firs t, who was laughing so hard at Remy that the ball went right through his legs. Rivers ended up on third and O'Brien was standing on second. Eckersley did manage to get George Wright to pop up to first, but Buddy Bell grounded out to short to score Rivers, causing Eckersley to throw up his hands in disgust at his infield. Larry Parrish struck out to end the inning but the Rangers led 1-0 without a single hit.

                                                        "I suck" - Remy

The Sox failed to respond in the bottom of the first as Remy flied out to center to start. Dwight Evans walked but Wade Boggs struck out. Jim Rice singled to put the tying run on second....but Easler flied out to left to end the inning.

Eckersley did what he could in the top of the second, striking out both Billy Sample and Ned Yost to start. Wayne Tolleson doubled but Curt Wilkerson flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the second when Tony Armas singled to start. Reid Nichols was hit with a pitch but Glenn Hoffman hit a little squibber in front of the plate, getting Armas thrown out at third. Gary Allenson flied out to left but Remy made up for his earlier error with a 2 run double to give the Sox the lead. Evans struck out to end the inning but the Sox led 2-1.

                                                  "I don't suck" - Remy

It took about 30 seconds for Eckersley to cough up the lead in the top of the third inning. Rivers flied out to right but O'Brien crushed a 583,000 foot home run halfway to Vermont to tie the game. Wright grounded out to second and Bell flied out to center to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                         "No no Jerry, I suck" - Eckersley

The Sox blew a chance in the top of the third inning to take the lead. Boggs singled but was erased on the Rice force. Rice swiped second but Easler whiffed. Armas flied out to right to end the inning.

The Rangers took command in the top of the fourth inning although Parrish flied out to center to start. Sample singled and Yost singled him to third. Tolleson hit a sac fly to score Sample to give Texas the lead. Wilkerson grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was now 3-2 Texas.

The Sox went quietly in the bottom of the fourth inning as Nichols struck out to start. Hoffman popped up to second and Allenson popped up to first to end the inning.

The Rangers struck again in the top of the fifth inning although Rivers grounded out to second to start. O'Brien singled and Wright doubled him to third. Bell was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up the double play but it backfired as Parrish singled to score two runners, advancing Bell to third. Sample hit a sac fly to score Bell and Yost grounded back to the mound to end the inning but it was now 6-2 Rangers and getting worse.

The Sox beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the fifth inning as Remy grounded out back to the mound, Evans grounded out to short and Boggs grounded out to second in short order.

Tolleson singled to lead off the top of the sixth and was sacrificed to second by Wilkerson. Rivers flied out to right but Tolleson moved to third. O'Brien popped up to third to end the inning. Rice walked to lead off the bottom of the sixth but Easler flied out to right and Armas popped up to third. Nichols singled but Hoffman flied out to left to end the inning.

The Rangers delivered the knockout blow in the top of the seventh inning. Wright doubled and Bell singled him home to finally chase Eckersley. Rookie Al Nipper took the mound and walked Parrish but Sample grounded into a double play. Yost doubled home Bell to close the book on Eck, he had surrendered EIGHT runs in 6 innings. Tolleson flied out to right to end the inning but it was now 8-2 Rangers.

                                                         Eck not looking good anymore

The Sox went quietly against Tanana in the bottom of the seventh as Allenson grounded back to the mound, Remy struck out and Evans grounded out to short to end the inning.

Nipper returned for the top of the eighth and Wilkerson flied out to center to start. Rivers flied out to left but O'Brien singled. Wright flied out to left to end the inning. The Sox somehow rallied in the bottom of the eighth against Tom Henke. Boggs walked but Rice popped up to second. A wild pitch moved Boggs to second and a balk moved him to third. Easler walked as Rangers manager Bobby Cox brought in Odell Jones to pitch to Armas. Tony popped up to second but Nichols singled in Boggs. Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman and flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox down 8-3.

                                                 Nichols drives in a run

Nipper came back for the top of the ninth with Jackie Gutierrez now at short. Bell popped up to short, Parrish struck out and Sample grounded out to third to end the inning. The Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the ninth as Rich Gedman pinch hit for Allenson but flied out to center. Remy struck out but Evans walked. Boggs hit a routine grounder to Bell but he booted it for an error, allowing the inning to continue. Rice singled home Evans but Easler struck out to end the game. The Rangers had won it 8-4.

Jackass of the Night is Dennis Eckersley. He allowed EIGHT runs in just 6 innings to take the loss.

                                                      Eck the Jackass


The Good:

Jim Rice was 2 for 4 with a walk, stolen base and an rbi.

Reid Nichols was 2 for 3 with a run scored and an rbi.

Al Nipper tossed 3 scoreless innings.



The Bad:

Rick Miller was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Gary Allenson was 0 for 3.

Rich Gedman was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 5 with an error but knocked in two runs.

Dwight Evans was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Wade Boggs was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Mike Easler was 0 for 4 with an error but walked.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4.

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3 but scored a run.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played short in the top of the ninth




Final Thoughts:

Is this team ever going to win again? It sure doesn't seem like it as they have no ace and can't seem to field at all. Bruce Hurst can't pitch every game so someone else has to step up on the mound. The offense will hit their stride but it won't mean anything if Dennis Eckersley, Mike Brown, Bob Ojeda, etc get pounded more often than not. The Sox also look like fools for letting Frank Tanana slip away but oh well. Speaking of Ojeda, he goes tomorrow night against the Rangers opposite Danny Darwin at Fenway Park.

Rainout News (4/16/84)

Once again tonight's game against the Detroit Tigers has been rained out and postponed until August. The Sox will now play four games in two days with the Tigers on August 6 and 7th.

On this day in Basebawful history:

1915 - Red Sox tie A's

1970 - Sox sweep Yankees

1971 - Sox edge Tigers

1973 - Sox rally falls short against Detroit

1974 - Stottlemyre, Yankees beat Sox

1982 - White Sox hand Red Sox fourth straight loss

1983 - Hurst, Sox drop Rangers

The Sox look to hopefully play tomorrow night against the Texas Rangers. Dennis Eckersley goes for the Sox against old friend Frank Tanana. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Tigers Outslug Sox, Streak at 4 (4/12/84)

Well the good news was the Boston Red Sox offense finally woke up to knock around the red hot Detroit Tigers for 9 runs off 14 hits. The bad news was the Tigers offense knocked the Sox pitching staff six ways from Sunday for 13 runs off 16 hits along with 3 errors committed by the Sox defense. When all was said and done the Tigers stomped the Red Sox 13-9 at Fenway Park in front of a capacity crowd for the fourth straight loss by the Sox.

                                          Dr Hook McCracken can't stand Sox pitching

Bruce Hurst (1-2, 2.55 ERA) never got out of the box as he was ambushed by the angry Tigers. Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell worked back to back walks before Barbaro Garbey hit a routine double play ball to Glenn Hoffman at short. Hoffman fielded the ball and threw it straight up in the air before catching it in his hat much to the chagrin of the irate crowd. Glenn was charged with an error but the bases were loaded with nobody out. Hurst somehow managed to strike out Lance Parrish but Larry Herndon walked to drive in the game's first run. Chet Lemon singled home Trammell and Garbey to increase the lead before Rod Allen singled in Herndon. Rusty Kuntz singled home Lemon and that was it for Hurst. He lasted just 1/3 of an inning although the insane error by Hoffman didn't help and was on the hook for 5 runs with two runners still on base.

                                                   "I sucked today!" - Hurst

Mike Brown came in and poured gas on the fire by allowing a double to Tom Brookens. Whitaker hit a routine tapper in front of Rich Gedman who was so angry at Hoffman that he wrestled with the ball instead of throwing it to a base, allowing Kuntz and Brookens to both score, causing half the crowd to get up and leave. Trammell doubled and for some reason Tigers manager Sparky Anderson pinch hit Dave Bergman for Garbey. Bergman was intentionally walked to re-load the bases but Brown got Parrish to bang into a double play to end the inning. The Tigers put up 8 runs on 5 hits and 2 errors to take an 8-0 lead.

                                           Major Burns prays for the Sox pitchers

Somehow the Sox came roaring back in the bottom of the first inning against Milt Wilcox. Remy singled and Dwight Evans was hit with a pitch. Wade Boggs walked to load the bases and Jim Rice singled home Remy and Evans. Mike Easler singled home Boggs but Tony Armas banged into a double play, still managing to score Rice but it cleared the bases. This was huge because Gedman belted a solo home run to chase Wilcox and put the Sox back in striking distance. Doug Bair replaced Wilcox and got Dave Stapleton to strike out to end the inning but the Sox put up a five spot to trail 8-5.

                                                 "WE'RE NOT DEAD YET!!" - Gedman

Brown trudged back to the mound for the top of the second inning and Herndon doubled to lead off. Lemon struck out then Darrell Evans pinch hit for Rod Allen only to strike out. Herndon took third on a wild pitch but Kuntz flied out to center to end the inning. The Sox inched closer in the bottom of the second inning although Hoffman struck out to start. Remy popped up to first but Evans launched a solo home run to cut the lead to just two. Boggs struck out to end the inning but the Sox were back in it, 8-6.

                                                           Evans gets a run back

All Brown had to do was hold the fort until the offense kept clawing back in the top of the third and somehow he did. Brookens grounded out to first before Whitaker hit a routine ground ball to Hoffman at short. This time Hoffman picked the ball up, threw it over his head like a grenade and stuck his fingers in his ears waiting for the explosion that never came. The only reason Whitaker didn't take second was he was too busy laughing at Glenn. Whitaker was forced at second by Trammell and Alan was thrown at second trying to steal by Gedman to end the inning. The Sox didn't do much in the bottom of the third although Rice led off with a single. Mike Easler struck out and Tony Armas forced Rice at second. Gedman struck out to end the inning.

Brown couldn't tame the Tigers in the top of the fourth inning although he got Bergman to ground out to begin. Parrish then launched a 1,000 foot home run to give the Tigers their 3 run lead back. Herndon flied out to left and Lemon grounded out to third to end the inning with the Tigers up 9-6.

The Sox failed to answer in the bottom of the fourth as Stapleton singled but Hoffman banged into a double play. Remy popped up to short to end the inning.

Brown recovered in the top of the fifth to get Evans to fly out to right. Kuntz struck out but Brookens singled. Whitaker popped up to third to end the inning. The Sox failed to score in the bottom of the fifth although Evans walked to begin. Boggs flied out to left but Rice banged into a double play to end the inning.

Brown finally ran out of gas in the top of the sixth inning although Trammell hit one up the elevator shaft to begin. Bergman singled but Parrish popped up to first. Herndon doubled and Sox manager Ralph Houk made the change to bring in Bob Stanley. Brown had allowed 2 runs in nearly 6 innings pitched, it could have been a lot worse. Stanley got Lemon to fly out to right to end the inning. Glenn Abbott came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Easler greeted him with a single. Armas got hit with a pitch to put the tying run at the plate. Gedman grounded out to first but both runners moved into scoring position. Stapleton walked to load the bases and Houk pinch hit Rick Miller for Hoffman hoping for a spark. The opposite happened as Miller banged into a double play to end the inning. What a waste.

Jackie Gutierrez took over at short as Stanley returned for the top of the seventh. Evans grounded out to short, Kuntz struck out and Brookens grounded out back to Stanley to end the inning. The Sox hit into ANOTHER double play as Evans bounced into one after Remy singled. Boggs flied out to center to end the inning but that was 5 double plays in 7 innings...that ain't funny.

The Tigers finally iced the game in the top of the eighth inning. Whitaker, Trammell, Bergman and Parrish all singled to score two runs and put runners at the corners. Herndon beat out a double play ball to score another run and Lemon singled Parrish to third. Evans beat out a double play ball to score yet another run although Kuntz struck out to end the inning with the Tigers up 13-6. Game over.

                                           "Awww man I crapped mah pants!" - Stanley

Willie Hernandez came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth with Dwight Lowry taking over behimd the dish in the bottom of the eighth. Rice struck out but Easler and Armas struck back to back singles. Gedman walked to load the bases for some hope but Stapleton hit one up the elevator shaft. Reid Nichols pinch hit for Gutierrez and came through with a double to score Easler and Armas. Remy followed through with a single to score Gedman but Evans struck out to end the inning. The Sox did manage to get closer but was still too far out of reach 13-9.

                                                    Nichols brings the Sox closer.

Mark Clear came in to pitch with Ed Jurak taking over at short for the top of the ninth inning. Brookens struck out but Whitaker doubled. Trammell walked but Bergman flied out to right. Lowry grounded out to second to end the inning. The end finally came in the bottom of the ninth although Boggs walked to begin. Naturally Rice grounded into the SIXTH double play of the game. Easler doubled but Armas grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox lost their fourth straight 13-9.

Jackass of the Night is Bob Stanley. Had he held the fort after Mike Brown left, the Sox could have taken the game or at least had a solid chance. Instead he allowed 4 runs in 2 1/3 innings that ended up being the difference in the game.

                                                         Jackass of the Night: Bob Stanley


The Good:

Jerry Remy was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dwight Evans was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, solo home run and 2 total runs scored.

Jim Rice was 2 for 5 with 2 rbi's and a run scored.

Mike Easler was 4 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Dave Stapleton was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Reid Nichols doubled in 2 runs as a pinch hitter.

Mike Brown tossed 5 1/3 innings of relief allowing just 2 runs to keep the Sox in the game.

Mark Clear pitched a scoreless ninth.



The Bad:

Glen Hoffman was 0 for 2 with a strikeout and 2 errors committed in the field.

Rick Miller hit into a double play as a pinch hitter.

Bruce Hurst sucked, allowing 7 runs (5 earned) in just 1/3 of an inning.



The Ugly:

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked twice and scored a run.

Tony Armas was just 1 for 4 but was hit with a pitch and scored.

Rich Gedman was 1 for 3 with a walk, solo home run and 2 total runs scored but his error in the first allowed 2 runs to score which ended up being crucial.



Honorable Mention:

Jackie Gutierrez played shortstop in the top of the eighth.

Ed Jurak played shortstop in the top of the ninth.



Final Thoughts:

It was nice for the offense to finally wake up but the pitching picked a fine time to take the day off. The Sox couldn't get anyone out whether it was Hurst, Brown or Stanley. The good news is THIS is the offense the front office expected going into the season and its unlikely Hurst is going to suck like that too often. If they can keep this kind of offense going, they have a chance to catch Baltimore in the AL East race, even if they have no ace. Tomorrow night the Texas Rangers are in town as the Sox look to snap their four game losing streak. Old buddy Frank Tanana matches up with Dennis Eckersley (0-1) in the first game of the series at Fenway Park.

Late Rally Falls Short, Drop Third Straight (4/11/84)

For eight innings it seemed the Seattle Mariners were cruising toward an easy 5-1 win. Then all of a sudden the Boston Red Sox exploded but it just wasn't enough. Dennis Eckersley (0-1, 5.28 ERA) was game but all 5 of his runs allowed counted and the 5th one proved to be a difference maker as the Mariners sent the Sox to their third straight loss with a 5-4 squeaker at the Kingdome.

                                           Luke can't stand 3 straight losses

Jerry Remy led off the top of the first by striking out. Dwight Evans drew a walk and stole second on the strikeout from Wade Boggs. Jim Rice grounded out to short to end the inning. Eckersley began the bottom of the first by getting Jack Perconte to fly out to center. Barry Bonnell struck out and Gorman Thomas flied out to left to end the inning.

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second inning as Mike Easler flied out to center, Tony Armas whiffed and Dave Stapleton grounded out to short to end the inning. Eckersley began the bottom of the second by striking out Pete Putnam before getting Al Cowens to fly out to left. Alvin Davis also flied out to left to end the inning.

The miserable Sox offense failed to mount anything in the top of the third inning as Glenn Hoffman grounded out to third to start. Gary Allenson flied out to center and Remy struck out to end the inning. Eck allowed a leadoff double to Bob Kearney and Phil Bradley caught the Sox asleep with a bunt single. Eck recovered to get Spike Owen to pop up to second and Perconte to fly out to left. Kearney broke for home and Rice heaved the ball to the plate....YER OUTTA THERE! Rice's throw nailed him and the inning was over.

                                                    "Hey Bob...where you goin?" - Rice

Still no offense in the top of the fourth as Evans flied out to center to start. Boggs hit a comebacker to the mound and Rice grounded out to third to end the inning. The Mariners struck first in the bottom of the fourth as Bonnell singled to start. Thomas flied out to left but Putnam singled. Cowens beat out a double play and that proved huge as Davis blasted a three run home run to give the Mariners a commanding 3-0 lead. Kearney walked but Bradley grounded out to second to end the inning.

                                                      "Dadgummit Avin Davis!!!"

Easler singled to start the top of the fifth inning but Armas struck out. Stapleton banged into a double play to end the inning. Eck settled down in the bottom of the fifth as Owen was thrown out on a squibber in front of the plate. Perconte and Bonnell both grounded out to short to end the inning.

Young kept on dominating in the top of the sixth inning as Hoffman flied out to center to start. Allenson struck out but Remy singled. Evans hit a comebacker to the mound to end the inning. The Mariners struck again in the bottom of the sixth although Thomas grounded out to short to start. Putnam grounded out to first but Cowens launched a 70,000 foot home run halfway to British Columbia to increase the lead. Davis walked and Kearney flied out to center to end the inning with the Mariners leading 4-0.

                                                   "I own Eckersley" - Cowens

Young kept the Sox down in the top of the seventh inning as Boggs grounded out to second to start. Rice singled but both Easler and Armas struck out to end the inning. Eck got three ground ball outs in the bottom of the seventh, retiring Bradley on a comebacker to start. Owen grounded out to second and Perconte grounded out to third to end the inning.

Somehow the Sox scored in the top of the eighth inning with Domingo Ramos now in the game at third with Bonnell taking over for Thomas in left. Stapleton doubled and moved to third on the Hoffman ground out. Allenson singled home Stapleton to put the Sox on the board. Rice struck out but Evans singled. Boggs walked to load the bases to chase Young from the game. With a chance to take the lead with one swing....Dave Beard struck out Rice to end the inning. Still, the Sox got one back to trail 4-1.

                                                     Allenson's single puts the Sox on the board

Just as soon as the Sox scored a run, the Mariners got it back in the bottom of the eighth. Bonnell grounded out to first to start before Ramos struck out. Putnam doubled and Larry Milbourne pinch ran for him. Cowens doubled home Milbourne for another Seattle run and Davis was intentionally walked. That was it for Dennis Eckersley as Sox manager Ralph Houk pulled him before he could register a complete game. Mark Clear induced a ground out by Kearney to end the inning with the Mariners up 5-1.

The game looked to be all over but the Sox sprang to life in the top of the ninth. Easler doubled and Armas walked but Stapleton popped up to short. Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman and beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners with one down. Rich Gedman pinch hit for Allenson and Beard tried to pick Miller off at first...only the ball went under Davis' glove, scoring Easler and sending Miller to third. Gedman walked to put runners at the corners and bring the tying run to the plate. Mariners manager Dell Crandall brought in Mike Stanton and Stanton looked to have the game over when Remy hit a routine grounder to short. Owen somehow threw the ball away to allow Miller to score. Evans hit a ground ball up the middle for a base hit to score Gedman and somehow put the tying run on second. That was it for the incompetent Stanton as Crandall brought in Ed Vande Berg to finish the job. Instead Boggs walked to load the bases to put the tying run at third. Roy Thomas replaced Vande Berg and finally Rice flied out to left to end the game. A furious rally fell short and the Mariners had won 5-4.

Jackass of the Night is Dennis Eckersley. Sure the bats didn't wake up until the end but still, Eck allowed 5 runs in 7 2/3 innings when 4 or even 3 would have given the Sox a chance to win.

                                                         Eck the Jackass


The Good:

Dwight Evans was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and stolen base.

Mike Easler was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

Mark Clear retired the only man he faced.

Rick Miller pinch hit for Hoffman and scored a run.

Gary Allenson was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Rich Gedman walked and scored a run as a pinch hitter.



The Bad:

Glenn Hoffman was 0 for 3.



The Ugly:

Jerry Remy was just 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Wade Boggs was 0 for 3 but walked twice.

Jim Rice was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Tony Armas was 0 for 3 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked.

Dave Stapleton was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.




Final Thoughts:

Close but no cigar for the Sox in this one. After going lifeless for most of the game, at least it was nice to see them spring to life in the ninth inning...albeit with the help of two errors. Still, at least they made it interesting at the end despite another dud pitched by Eckersley. He needs to get his head out of his ass because the Sox need him with everyone not named Bruce Hurst struggling. Speaking of Hurst (1-0), he goes Friday night against the red hot Detroit Tigers who haven't lost a game yet. Milt Wilcox will be Bruce's opponent when the Sox return home to Fenway Park.