Sox Lose Pedro, Game 1 To Indians (10/6/99)

You couldn't have imagined a worse way to start the post-season than the Boston Red Sox. Facing their nemesis the Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox managed to lose not only Game 1 of the American League Division Series but their ace as well. Pedro lasted just four innings before leaving with a back problem with the Sox clinging to a 2-0 lead. The Indians tied the game in the bottom of the sixth with a Jim Thome bomb against Derek Lowe then rallied in the ninth inning. After Lowe hit Manny Ramirez, Rheal Cormier allowed a base hit to old friend Wil Cordero, then Rich Garces hit Richie Sexson then the game winning walkoff hit to Travis Fryman, The Indians took Game 1 and most likely the series 3-2 at Jacobs Field.

                                                                This sucks

Bartolo Colon took the mound in the top of the first inning and Jose Offerman grounded out to third to begin. John Valentin grounded out to short and Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Pedro Martinez took the mound in the bottom of the first as Kenny Lofton flied out to Darren Lewis to start. Omar Vizquel hit a broken bat grounder to second but Roberto Alomar grounded a single up the middle. Alomar stole second but Manny Ramirez struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second inning when Nomar Garciaparra launched a home run to dead center to put Boston on top. Troy O'Leary grounded out to first but Mike Stanley ripped a base hit to left. Brian Daubach struck out swinging before Darren Lewis lined out to second to end the inning with Boston ahead 1-0.

                                                        Nomar starts the Sox off

Jim Thome led off the bottom of the second with a ground out to second but Harold Baines singled off the glove of Nomar. David Justice forced Baines at second but Travis Fryman flied out to center to end the inning.

Trot Nixon led off the top of the third by striking out swinging but Offerman drew a walk. Valentin looked to have hit a double play ball but Alomar threw the relay to first away for an error. Varitek popped up to left to end the inning. Sandy Alomar Jr whiffed on a 95 mph fastball to start the bottom of the third but Lofton walked. Vizquel flied out to center but Roberto Alomar dumped a base hit to right to put runners at the corners. Ramirez forced Alomar at second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Garciaparra doubled off the left field wall to start but O'Leary struck out swinging. Stanley ripped a base hit to left and Nomar made a mad dash home, scoring and allowing Mike to reach second. Daubach struck out on a 100 mph fastball and Lewis grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 2-0.

                                                      Stanley drives in a run

Thome struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth before Baines popped up to second. All of a sudden Pedro started clutching at his back covering first base on the grounder to first by Justice to end the inning. Turns out Pedro pulled a muscle in his back and left the game after 4 dominant shut-out innings.

                                                      It was all downhill from here

Nixon struck out swinging to start the top of the fifth before Offerman drew a walk. Valentin banged into a double play to end the inning. Sure enough, Derek Lowe came in to pitch the bottom of the fifth and Fryman grounded out to second to start. Sandy Alomar grounded back to the mound and Lofton took strike three to end the inning.

Varitek struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before Garciaparra walked. O'Leary then hit a rocket but was snared at the left field wall but Nomar thought it was off the wall, getting doubled off first to end the inning. That mistake proved fatal in the bottom of the sixth as Vizquel grounded out to short to start. Roberto Alomar grounded back to the mound and Ramirez hit a routine grounder to Valentin.....who threw low to Stanley for an error. Sure enough, Thome hit a home run all the way to the moon to tie the game. The Indians were 1 for 33 against Lowe during the regular season and had done nothing against him up until this point. Baines grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                          Saw that coming

Stanley tried to start a rally with a base hit to center to start the top of the seventh but Daubach earned the hat trick with a swinging strikeout on a 98 mph fastball. Lewis took strike three on the outsider corner and Nixon grounded out to second to end the inning. A ticked off Lowe dominated the bottom of the seventh as Justice struck out swinging to start. Fryman struck out swinging and Sandy Alomar struck out swinging to end the inning.

Colon came back for the top of the eighth and Offerman popped up to Vizquel over his shoulder. Valentin and Varitek both struck out swinging to end the inning. Lowe returned for the bottom of the eighth and Lofton grounded out to second to start. Vizquel then hit a bullet but right to Valentin for the second out. Roberto Alomar popped up to Valentin in foul territory to end the inning.

Paul Shuey came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Garciaparra struck out swinging to start. O'Leary popped up to center and Stanley popped up to left to end the inning. Mostly due to the Indians being completely inept all year against Lowe, he was brought back for the bottom of the ninth. He promptly hit Ramirez and was replaced by Rheal Cormier. Thome flied out to left and old friend Wil Cordero pinch hit for Baines. Naturally Cordero ripped a base hit to right to chase Cormier from the game. Rich Garces came in to pitch with Richie Sexson in to pinch hit for Justice. Sexson walked to load the bases and Fryman did the honors with a base hit to left to score Ramirez to end the game. The Indians had walked off the Sox 3-2.

                                                           Indians win

Jackass of the Night is Rich Garces. He allowed the walk and walkoff hit to Fryman to end the game.

                                                          Jackass Garces

The Good:

Jose Offerman walked twice in four plate appearances.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run and 2 runs scored.

Mike Stanley was 3 for 4 with an rbi.

Pedro Martinez tossed 4 scoreless innings before leaving with injury. He allowed 3 hits and a walk while striking out 3.

The Bad:

John Valentin was 0 for 4 with a strikeout and an error.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Darren Lewis was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Derek Lowe took the loss but was victimized by a big error and someone else allowed his inherited runner to score. He essentially tossed 4 innings and allowed one earned run.

Rheal Cormier faced two batters and retired just one of them.

Final Thoughts:

This is definitely worse case scenario for the Boston Red Sox. Not only did they lose a crucial game to the Indians but they lost Pedro Martinez as well. The preliminary report is Pedro should be able to make his next start but as we saw last year, that start may never come. The Sox bats were completely dominated by Bartolo Colon and they made too many mistakes against an offense this good. Apart from Stanley and Garciaparra, not a single Sox batter had a hit in the game. As mentioned earlier, the real story is the loss of Pedro because we saw last year that the Sox didn't win a single game after he won Game 1. If history repeats itself then this series is already over. The Indians pitching apart from Colon isn't lights out but Red Sox pitching outside of Pedro isn't exactly the New York Yankees. Still, this was only one game and there's at least two more to go. The Sox turn to Bret Saberhagen in Game 2 tomorrow afternoon to turn the tide when he faces Charles Nagy of Cleveland. The game begins at 5:00 PM Eastern time at Jacobs Field.

Daubach, Sox Walkoff A's (8/16/99)

For eight innings it looked like the Oakland A's were going to pull in to a tie for the American League Wild Card slot. Brian Rose got rocked for 4 runs in just 2 1/3 innings although the Sox got some runs back courtesy of Reggie Jefferson and John Valentin. The A's got a run off Rich Garces to take a 5-3 into the bottom of the ninth. Things looked bleak when John Valentin struck out for the second out but A's manager Art Howe made a boo-boo. He brought in Tim Worrell to face the AL Player of The Week Brian Daubach. Daubach continued his hot streak with a bases clearing double to win the game. The Sox had stunned the A's 6-5 at Fenway Park.

                                                   Shireen Crutchfield approves of the win

Rose got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ryan Christenson grounded out to third to start. Randy Velarde grounded out to first and Jason Giambi struck out swinging to end the inning. Omar Olivares got the ball to start the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman grounded a single up the middle. John Valentin grounded into a double play and Brian Daubach flied out to the left field wall  to end the inning.

John Jaha grounded out to short to start the top of the second before old friend Matt Stairs grounded out to second. Ben Grieve grounded out to second to end the inning. Nomar Garciaparra popped up to first in foul territory to start the bottom of the second. Reggie Jefferson singled to center but Jason Varitek forced Jefferson at second to end the inning.

The A's struck first in the top of the third as Miguel Tejada walked to start. Eric Chavez singled to right and AJ Hinch hit a home run all the way to Yellowstone to put the A's on top. Christenson walked and Velarde singled to center, but Giambi took strike three. Jaha ripped a base hit to center to score Christenson to chase the incompetent Rose. He allowed 4 runs in 2 2/3 innings on 4 hits and 2 walks. Mark Guthrie came in to pitch and Stairs moved the runners over with a grounder to first. Grieve flied out to left to end the inning with the A's up 4-0.

                                                              Rose gets hammered

Donnie Sadler grounded out to short to start the bottom of the third before Trot Nixon flied out to center. Offerman grounded out to short to end the inning.

Tejada walked to start the top of the fourth but Chavez struck out swinging. Hinch forced Tejada at second and promptly stole second. Christenson grounded out to short to end the inning. The Sox struck back in the bottom of the fourth as Valentin grounded out to short to start. Daubach walked and Nomar was hit with a pitch, but O'Leary lined out to third. Jefferson lined a ball off the Monster for a single to score Daubach. Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Sox down 4-1.

                                                            Daubach scores a run

Guthrie returned for the top of the fifth and the Sox broadcast team was chosen by their first round pick in the 1999 draft Rick Asadoorian. Hope he makes it some day. Velarde struck out swinging, Giambi flied out to left and Jaha struck out swinging to end the inning.

                                                            Asadoorian in the house

The Sox struck back with Olmedo Saenz in for Giambi to start the bottom of the fifth. Sadler grounded out to short but Nixon stroked a seeing eye single in to right. Offerman moved Nixon to second with a grounder to first and Valentin ripped a base hit to right. Nixon scored to cut the lead in half but Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox down 4-2.

                                                             Sox inch closer

Stairs struck out swinging to open the top of the sixth but Grieve lined out short. That was it for Guthrie as Rich Garces came in to pitch to Tejeda. Miguel lined out to third to end the inning. Garciaparra reached on an error to start the bottom of the sixth but O'Leary could only move Nomar to second with a fly ball to right. Jefferson grounded out to second to move Nomar to third but Varitek grounded out to second to end the inning.

The A's struck in the top of the seventh as Chavez lined out to center to start. Hinch struck out swinging but Christenson singled to right. Christenson stole second and Velarde singled to to center, the ball getting booted by Sadler for an error to score Christenson. Saenz lined out to center to end the inning with the A's ahead 5-2.

The Sox fought back in the bottom of the seventh as Sadler beat out a grounder to Tejeda to start. A passed ball moved Sadler to second and Nixon moved Donnie to third with a grounder to second. Offerman singled in the hole at short to score Sadler to cut the lead and chase Olivares. Greg McMichael came in to pitch and Valentin struck out swinging and Daubach flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox down 5-3.

                                                            Sadler scores a run

Jaha took strike three to start the top of the eighth before Stairs grounded out to second. Grieve got a base hit to right and Jason McDonald ran for him. Tejada struck out swinging to end the inning. Garciaparra grounded out to third to start the bottom of the eighth and Buddy Groom came in to pitch to O'Leary. Troy grounded back to the mound and that was it for Groom. Doug Jones came in to pitch and Mike Stanley pinch hit for Jefferson. Stanley grounded out to short to end the inning.

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Chavez struck out swinging to start. Hinch grounded out to short and Christenson took strike three to end the inning. The Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the ninth as Varitek dumped a base hit to right to start. Butch Huskey pinch hit for Sadler and hit a line drive base hit to center to put the tying run on. Darren Lewis pinch ran for Huskey but Nixon flied out to left. Offerman drilled a base hit to right to load the bases but Valentin struck out swinging. A's manager Art Howe brought in Tim Worrell to face Daubach and one strike away from defeat, Daubach launched a ball off the Monster. Varitek and Lewis scored easily and the throw came home to get Huskey....OFFLINE....RED SOX WIN!!!

                                                                   Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brian Daubach. He got the bases clearing doubled to win the game.

                                                     Nomar hugs our hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 3 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Reggie Jefferson was 2 for 3 with an rbi.

Darren Lewis scored a run as a pinch runner.

Donnie Sadler was 1 for 3 with a run scored.

Butch Huskey singled and scored as a pinch hitter.

Mark Guthrie tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe got the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 1 at the plate.

Brian Rose allowed 4 runs in just 2 1/3 innings.

The Ugly:

John Valentin was just 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts but drove in a run.

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 3 but was hit with a pitch.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4.

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

Rich Garces allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings.

Final Thoughts:

What a week for Daubach and what a come from behind win for the Red Sox. The Sox have a legitimate chance to repeat as Wild Card champions or overtake the Yankees if they can go on a run. Wins like this can launch a team with the proper momentum. Things are clicking and hopefully the Sox can keep this going. The only drawback is Brian Rose continues to pitch like trash. The Sox are going to need starting pitching if they're going to beat the Yankees and just Pedro Martinez and Bret Saberhagen isn't going to cut it. The win improved the Sox to 66-52, 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to make it two in a row against Oakland tomorrow night when Bret Saberhagen (9-4) takes on Gil Heredia of Oakland. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Saberhagen, Sox Drop Yankees (8/1/99)

The Boston Red Sox sent a statement that this year is much different to the New York Yankees. After splitting the first two games of this series, the Sox sent the Yankees out of Boston with 2 losses in 3 games. Bret Saberhagen (7-4, 3.21 ERA) tossed a gutty game to hold the Yankees to just 2 runs in 7 strong innings. Trailing 2-1, Brian Daubach hit a home run off Yankees starter Orlando Hernandez to tie the game in the fourth. In the sixth, Nomar Garciaparra drove in the go-ahead run and Troy O'Leary hit a two run bomb off "El Duque". The Yankees rallied for two runs against Tim Wakefield in the top of the eighth, but Tim stranded the tying run at third when he slammed the door in the ninth. The Sox had taken 2 out of 3 from New York with a 5-4 victory at Fenway Park.

                                                   Jennifer Rovero approves of the win

The Yankees wasted no time getting to Saberhagen in the top of the first as Chuck Knoblauch grounded out to first to start. Derek Jeter was frozen for strike three but Paul O'Neill doubled to left. Bernie Williams tripled to the centerfield wall to put the Yankees on top. Tino Martinez popped up to second to end the inning with the Yankees up 1-0.

                                                              Triple for Williams

Hernandez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jose Offerman walked to start. John Valentin struck out swinging but Brian Daubach flied out to center. Nomar Garciaparra was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to end the inning.

Chili Davis struck out swinging to start the top of the second before Jorge Posada hit a comebacker back to Saberhagen. Shane Spencer flied out to center to end the inning. Troy O'Leary walked to start the bottom of the second but Reggie Jefferson grounded into a double play. Jason Varitek hit a broken bat grounder to Knoblauch to end the inning.

The Yankees struck again in the top of the third as Scott Brosius ripped a base hit to right to start. Knoblauch singled to left but Jeter popped up to short. O'Neill got a base hit to left to load the bases and Williams hit a sac fly to center to score Brosius. Martinez popped up to third to end the inning with the Yankees up 2-0.

                                                             Yankees get another run

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Damon Buford doubled down the third base line and Trot Nixon ripped a base hit to left to score him to cut the lead. Offerman grounded into a double play and Valentin popped up to center to end the inning with the Sox down 2-1.

                                                              Buford scores a run

Davis was frozen for strike three to start the top of the fourth before Posada popped up to third in foul territory. Spencer flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox struck again in the bottom of the fourth as Daubach clobbered his 13th home run of the season to tie the game. Nomar popped up to center and O'Leary flied out to right but Jefferson drew a walk. Williams robbed Varitek with a hell of a catch to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                       Daubach ties it up

Saberhagen cruised in the top of the fifth as Brosius flied out to right to start. Knoblauch grounded out to second and Jeter flied out to right to start. The Monster robbed Buford of a home run high off the wall so he had to settle for a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth. Nixon popped up to Jeter and Offerman grounded out to second to move Buford to third. Valentin lined out to left to end the inning.

O'Neill grounded out to first to start the top of the sixth and Williams popped up to O'Leary. Martinez popped up to second to end the inning. The Sox rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Daubach doubled into the right field corner to start. Nomar singled into centerfield to score Daubach and O'Leary crushed his 20th home run of the season to put Boston on top. Jefferson singled to right and that was it for Hernandez. Allen Watson came in to pitch and Varitek grounded out to second to move Jefferson to second. Buford grounded out to third and Nixon popped up to Posada to end the inning with the Sox up 5-2.

                                                        Home run O'Leary

Saberhagen returned for one last inning in the top of the seventh and Davis grounded out to first to start. Posada grounded out to first as well and Spencer grounded out to short to end the inning. Saberhagen retired 14 in a row in 7 strong innings allowing just 5 hits.

                                                            Saberhagen was outstanding

Offerman walked to start the bottom of the seventh to chase Watson. Ramiro Mendoza came in to pitch and Valentin singled to right to move Offerman to third. Daubach struck out swinging and Garciaparra grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Tim Wakefield came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Brosius struck out swinging to start. Knoblauch walked, stole second and stole third on the Jeter swinging strikeout. O'Neill singled to right to score Knoblauch and Williams tripled off the centerfield door to score Paul. Martinez flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees down 5-4.

                                                           Yankees inch closer

O'Leary grounded out to second to start the bottom of the eighth and Jefferson lined out to left. Varitek grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Wakefield returned to finish off the stop of the ninth and Davis doubled to center to put the tying run on to start. Chad Curtis pinch ran for Davis but Posada grounded back to the mound. Spencer flied out to the left field warning track but Brosius walked. Knoblauch singled in the hole at short but Davis remained at third to load the bases. With the game on the line, Jeter forced Knoblauch at second to end the game. The Sox had won it 5-4.

                                                             Sox win

Hero of The Night is Bret Saberhagen. He held the Yankees to just two runs in 7 strong innings to earn the win. He gave up 5 hits while striking out 3.

                                                        Hero Saberhagen

The Good:

Jose Offerman walked twice in four plate appearances.

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run and 2 runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 3 with a walk and a 2 run home run.

Reggie Jefferson was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Damon Buford was 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Trot Nixon was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

John Valentin was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

Tim Wakefield got the save but allowed 2 runs in 2 innings.

Final Thoughts:

Nothing like starting the stretch by taking 2 out of 3 from the Yankees. Saberhagen is the key to the season because last year proved you need more than just Pedro Martinez to win in the playoffs. Saberhagen dominated the Yankees after the third inning and that's the kind of start the Sox need from Bret moving forward. Daubach just may be one of the greatest scrap heap pickups of all time if he keeps up this pace for the rest of the season. If he hits 10-12 home runs he might put himself in the AL MVP race let alone AL Rookie of The Year. Still, as long as Pedro and Bret stay healthy the Sox have a chance down the stretch. The win improved the Sox to 57-47, 5.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox now have to face the AL Central leading Cleveland Indians coming to town. Pat Rapp goes for the Sox against Dwight Gooden for Cleveland. The game begins tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Martinez, Sox Crush White Sox (6/26/99)

Ace pitchers usually can win you games if you only score 2 or 3 runs in them, but Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez (14-2, 2.08 ERA) had nothing to worry about in today's game against the Chicago White Sox. The Sox bats put up ELEVEN runs in the bottom of the first inning against James Baldwin and Scott Eyre to put the game away early. Brian Daubach hit a three run bomb, Jason Varitek hit a two run double, Lou Merloni hit a bases clearing double, Daubach had another rbi and Nomar Garciaparra capped off the rally with a two run home run. After Chris Singleton drove in a run for Chicago, Nomar hit a three run bomb in the bottom of the third. To save Pedro's bullets, he was pulled after 5 innings and John Wasdin shut the door the rest of the way. Mike Stanley and Jason Varitek went back to back in the bottom of the fourth and the Sox cruised to an easy victory 17-1 at Fenway Park

                                                           The Rock approves of the win

Martinez got the ball in the top of the first inning and Ray Durham singled to center to start. Mike Caruso struck out swinging and Durham was thrown out at second trying to steal. Frank Thomas took strike three to end the inning. The Sox exploded against Baldwin in the bottom of the first as Jose Offerman doubled to left to start. Lou Merloni got a base hit to center and Brian Daubach smashed his ninth home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Nomar Garciaparra struck out swinging but Troy O'Leary got a base hit to center. Mike Stanley doubled to the Monster and Jason Varitek doubled off the top of the Monster to score both runners. Darren Lewis grounded back to the mound to move Jason to third and Trot Nixon walked to chase Baldwin. Scott Eyre came in pitch and Offerman walked to load the bases. Merloni missed a grand slam by eight feet off the top of the Monster but all three runs scored on the double. A passed ball moved Merloni to third and Daubach drilled a base hit to right to score Lou. Nomar capped it off with a 2 run bomb to dead center and O'Leary lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-0.

                                                        Eleven runs in one inning

The White Sox got a run back in the top of the second as Magglio Ordonez grounded out to third to start. Carlos Lee grounded out to short but Chris Singleton hit a home run to the moon to cut the lead. Greg Norton flied out to right to end the inning with Chicago down 11-1.

                                                         Singleton goes yard

Liu Rodriguez came in for Durham to start the bottom of the second and Stanley flied out to right to start. Varitek struck out swinging and Lewis lined out to left to end the inning.

Paul Konerko grounded out to short to start the top of the third but Brook Fordyce walked. Rodriguez flied out to left and Caruso grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox poured it on in the bottom of the third as Nixon walked to start. Offerman took strike three but Merloni was hit with a pitch. Daubach grounded out to second to move the runners over but Garciaparra hit a 3 run blast over everything in left to increase the lead. O'Leary flied out to center to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-1.

                                                        All Sox today

Thomas struck out swinging to start the top of the fourth but Ordonez singled to center. Lee popped up to Offerman and Singleton popped up to short to end the inning. Jeff Liefer came in for Ordonez to start the bottom of the fourth and Stanley led off with his 8th home run of the year over the bullpen to increase the lead. Varitek then went back to back with his home run of the year into the screen. Lewis grounded out to first but Nixon singled to right. Norton threw the ball away allowing Offerman to reach first but Merloni struck out swinging. Reggie Jefferson pinch hit for Daubach and took strike three to end the inning with the Red Sox up 16-1.

                                                                 Back to back jacks

Martinez returned for one final inning in the top of the fifth and Norton struck out swinging to start. Konerko grounded out to third and Fordyce did the same to end the inning. Short and sweet for Pedro who allowed just 1 run in 5 innings off 3 hits and a walk.

                                                        Pedro was dominant

Craig Wilson took over for Thomas with Sean Lowe now on the mound for the bottom of the fifth. Nomar grounded out to short, O'Leary grounded out to first and Stanley popped up to first to end the inning.

John Wasdin came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Rodriguez grounded out to second to start. Caruso popped up to short and Wilson grounded out to second to end the inning. The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the bottom of the sixth as Varitek doubled off the glove of Wilson into right field to start. Lewis flied out to right to move Varitek to third and Nixon flied out to center to score Jason. Offerman walked but Merloni lined out to center to end the inning with the Sox up 17-1.

                                                            Nixon drives in the final run

Liefer struck out swinging to start the top of the seventh and Lee flied out to center. Singleton walked but Norton grounded out to second to end the inning. Jefferson lined out to short to start the bottom of the seventh and Garciaparra flied out to center. O'Leary lined out to center to end the inning. 

Konerko popped up to short to start the top of the eighth and Fordyce grounded out to third. Rodriguez grounded out to first to end the inning. Stanley took strike three to start the bottom of the eighth and Varitek popped up to short. Lewis grounded out to short to end the inning.

Wasdin returned to close out the top of the ninth and Caruso grounded out to short to start. Wilson took strike three and Liefer grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had won it 17-1.

                                                          Sox win

Hero of The Night is Brian Daubach. His three run home run put the Sox up for good and later added another rbi.

                                                            Hero Daubach

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Lou Merloni was 2 for 4 with 3 rbis, a hit by pitch and 3 runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 5 with 5 rbis coming off 2 home runs.

Mike Stanley was 2 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Trot Nixon singled, walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jason Varitek was 3 for 5 with a home run, 3 total rbis and 3 runs scored.

Pedro Martinez got the win allowing 1 run in 5 innings off 3 hits and a walk.

John Wasdin earned his second save by tossing 4 shutout innings.

The Bad:

Reggie Jefferson was 0 for 2 with a strikeout.

Darren Lewis was 0 for 5.

The Ugly:

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 5 but scored a run.

Final Thoughts:

That was one of the worst beat downs of the season and even the Red Sox broadcasters felt sorry for the White Sox by the end of the game. Scoring 11 runs in the first inning tied a team record and the game was never in doubt. Martinez getting lifted after five was a good idea and Wasdin saved the bullpen for tomorrow. The more bullets you can save for games that matter, the better. The Sox needed to win to keep pace with the New York Yankees and they did. The Sox have a legit chance to hang with them this year and if they stay healthy, they'll be right in the thick of things moving forward. Not much to complain about in this one and this was their fourth win in a row. The Sox need to keep rolling to take back first place come July. The win improved the Sox to 44-30, 1 game behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to win their fifth game in a row tomorrow afternoon against the White Sox when Brian Rose of Boston takes on Jim Parque of Chicago. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Fenway Park.

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

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

                                                                         OUT

                                                                    IN

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

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

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

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

                                                       Mets strike first

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

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

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

                                                                 Rapp got no run support

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

                                                        Gubanich gets the Sox closer

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

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

                                                             This one's over

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

                                                            Mets win

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

                                                        Lefty on lefty Jackass

The Good:

Damon Buford was 2 for 4 with a run scored.

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

Creighton Gubanich was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Darren Lewis was 1 for 3 with a walk.

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

Derek Lowe pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bad:

Nomar Garciaparra was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Stanley was 0 for 4.

Trot Nixon was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

The Ugly:

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

John Valentin was just 1 for 4.

Honorable Mention:

Jeff Frye ran for Gubanich in the seventh.

Final Thoughts:

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