Wasdin, Sox Whallop Twins (7/5/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Jeff Fassero was removed from the Disabled List to start tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins. Mike Stanley has been placed on the Disabled List with a strained right shoulder to make room for Fassero. Stanley was the odd man out with Bernard Gilkey and Morgan Burkhart getting it done recently.

                                                                      OUT

                                                                 IN

As for the game, thank goodness for the Minnesota Twins. After the Red Sox fell out of first place amidst a June swoon, the Red Sox laid waste to the bungholes of the Twins for 11 runs on Monday, 14 runs last night and another 11 runs tonight. Jeff Fassero got knocked out in the second inning in his first game back off the Disabled List after allowing 4 runs. John Wasdin (1-3, 5.26 ERA) pitched his best relief game of the season by holding the Twins scoreless with 4 1/3 clutch innings. The Sox bats pounced on Minnesota starter Mark Redman with all nine batters getting at least one hit. Jeff Frye and Scott Hatteberg hit long balls while the Sox pounded out 12 total hits. Things got hairy at the end when Rich Garces and Tim Young couldn't get it done, but Derek Lowe earned his 19th save by slamming the door in the ninth. The Sox scored 36 runs in the last 3 games and beat the Twins 11-8 tonight at the Metrodome.

                                                     Shannon Stewart approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Redman in the top of the first inning as Jose Offerman led off with a ground out to short. Jeff Frye singled to center and Carl Everett walked. Both runners moved over on the Nomar Garciaparra grounder to short and Morgan Burkhart came through with a base hit to center to score both of them. Troy O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                      Everett scores a run

Fassero got the ball in the bottom of the first and clearly didn't have it. Christian Guzman doubled to left to start before Denny Hocking walked. Matt Lawton singled home Guzman and Ron Comer singled home Hocking to tie the game. Fassero recovered to get Butch Huskey and Corey Koskie to look at strike three before Chad Moeller flied out to right to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                      Coomer ties it up

Bernard Gilkey walked to begin the top of the second but Ed Sprague Jr struck out swinging. Scott Hatteberg banged into a double play to end the inning. The Twins knocked out Fassero in the bottom of the second as Jay Canizaro singled to right to start. Jason Maxwell walked but Guzman struck out swinging. Hocking flied out to left but Lawton doubled home both men to chase Fassero. The lefty looked rusty in his first game off the Disabled List allowing 4 runs in 1 2/3 innings. John Wasdin came in and Coomer grounded out to third to end the inning with the Twins ahead 4-1.

                                                                Fassero doesn't last long

The Sox exploded in the top of the third as Offerman singled to right to start. Frye smashed his first home run of the season to cut the lead and Everett walked. Nomar doubled to left to score Everett and chase Redman from the game. LaTroy Hawkins poured gas on the fire as Burkhart walked, but O'Leary took strike three. Gilkey struck out swinging but Sprague singled home Nomar to give the Sox the lead. Hatteberg then clobbered his fourth home run of the season to ice the game. Offerman walked and took second on a wild pitch, but Frye grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-4.

                                             Hatteberg with the three run bomb

Wasdin cruised in the bottom of the third as Huskey flied out to left to start. Koskie grounded out to second and Moeller flied out to right to end the inning.

Everett flied out to left to begin the top of the fourth before Nomar grounded out to short. Burkhart was hit with a pitch but O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning. Canizaro struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth and Jacque Jones pinch hit for Maxwell. Jones popped up to short and Guzman flied out to left to end the inning.

Gilkey flied out to center to start the top of the fifth and Sprague grounded out to short. Hatteberg grounded out to first to end the inning. Wasdin cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Hocking took strike three to start. Lawton grounded back to the mound and Coomer flied out to right to end the inning.

Travis Miller came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Offerman grounded out to short to start. Frye also grounded out to short but Everett doubled to left. Nomar was intentionally walked but Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. Huskey doubled to right to begin the bottom of the sixth but Koskie popped up to short. Moeller grounded out to third and Canizaro also grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox tacked it on in the top of the seventh as O'Leary singled to right to start. Gilkey singled to left and Sprague doubled home both runners to increase the lead. Hatteberg grounded out to second to move Sprague to third but Offerman took strike three. Frye struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-4.

                                                              O'Leary scores a run

Rich Garces came in for the bottom of the seventh and Jones grounded back to the mound to begin. Guzman grounded out to first and Hocking flied out to center to end the inning.

Mike Lincoln came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Everett grounded out to first to start. Nomar doubled to left but Burkhart struck out swinging. O'Leary was plunked but Gilkey grounded out to third to end the inning. Garces cruised in the bottom of the eighth as Lawton grounded out to short to begin. Coomer flied out to right and Huskey took strike three to end the inning.

Sprague grounded out to short to start the top of the ninth and Hatteberg grounded out to first. Offerman flied out to left to end the inning. For some reason Sox manager Jimy Williams sent Garces back out for the bottom of the ninth and he ran out of gas. Koskie walked and Moeller singled to left to set the stage for David Ortiz. Ortiz pinch hit for Canizaro and smashed a 3 run home run to Neptune to cut the lead. Lefty Tim Young was brought in to face Jones and Jacque hit a home run all the way to Wisconsin to cut the lead. Williams then brought in closer Derek Lowe who got Guzman to ground out to first. Hocking singled to right and took second on defensive indifference, but Lawton took strike three. Coomer watched strike three go by to end the game. The Sox had won it 11-8.

Hero of the Night is Ed Sprague Jr. His rbi base hit in the third put the Sox ahead and his 2 run double was much needed insurance later.

                                                           Hero Sprague

The Good:

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a 2 run homer and 2 total runs scored.

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a walk, rbi and a run scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 1 for 3 with a walk, hit by pitch, 2 rbis and a run scored.

John Wasdin tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Derek Lowe earned his 19th save with a scoreless ninth.

The Bad:

Jeff Fassero allowed 4 runs in just 1 2/3 innings.

Rich Garces allowed 3 runs in 2 plus innings.

Tim Young allowed a home run to the only man he faced.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

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

Bernard Gilkey was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Scott Hatteberg was just 1 for 5 but the one hit was a 3 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

So far so good for the new look Red Sox. After the June swoon, the Sox seem to be back in shape with the additions of Morgan Burkhart, Bernard Gilkey and the returning O'Leary. If Brian Daubach is your bat off the bench, you know you're in good shape. The Sox beat around the Twins but the key to the game was Wasdin. He's been batting practice much of the season but he and Garces combined for 6 1/3 shutout innings after Fassero got rocked. I don't know what Jimy Williams was thinking trying to stretch Garces for another inning when he had Tim Young and Rheal Cormier perfectly capable of mopping up the ninth. As it was, it turned into a save situation for Lowe and now they had to use all these guys before tomorrow night's game. The Sox will worry about tomorrow night when it happens. For now, its the role players like Sprague, Hatteberg, etc that deserve to enjoy the win. The win improved the Sox to 41-39, 1.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. The Sox look to sweep the Twins tomorrow evening when they send rookie Paxton Crawford (0-1, 3.38 ERA) against Brad Radke of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:05 PM at the Metrodome.

Sox Crush Twins on July 4 Showdown (7/4/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a bevy of roster moves. Rod Beck was placed on the Disabled List with a pain in the neck, Wilton Veras was sent down to Pawtucket and Curtis Pride was designated for assignment. In their places the Sox called up Tim Young and activated Bernard Gilkey. The Sox are putting all their faith behind Ed Sprague Jr at third by sending Veras down and hope Gilkey can give them something in the outfield that Pride, Darren Lewis and others can't.

                                                                            OUT

                                                                          IN

As for the game, the Boston Red Sox celebrated the Fourth of July by smacking around the Minnesota Twins for the second consecutive game. This time Tim Wakefield (4-5, 5.21 ERA) kept the Twins off the board with 6 solid innings of 3 run ball. Bernard Gilkey had a tremendous Red Sox debut by going 3 for 4 with a home run and four runs batted in. Manny Alexander, Troy O'Leary and Jose Offerman also went yard as the Sox pounded out 18 hits and 14 runs. Bryce Florie earned his first save of the season by pitching the final 3 innings of the season and the Sox enjoyed July 4th with a 14-4 victory over the Twins at the Metrodome.

                                                      Uncle Sam approves of the win

The Red Sox wasted no time getting to Minnesota starter Eric Milton in the top of the first inning. Jose Offerman doubled to left but Ed Sprague Jr took strike three. Carl Everett flied out to left but Nomar Garciaparra doubled to center to score Offerman to put the Sox on the board. Morgan Burkhart flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 1-0.

                                                             Nomar gets the party started

The Twins answered against Wakefield in the bottom of the first as Christian Guzman walked and stole second immediately.  Guzman moved to third on the grounder by Denny Hocking and scored on the Matt Lawton grounder to second. Ron Coomer hit a routine grounder to Sprague who dove on the ball and swam on it for an error. Corey Koskie forced Coomer at second to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                               Guzman scores a run

The Sox exploded in the top of the second as Troy O'Leary singled to left to start. Jason Varitek doubled to left to score Troy and Bernard Gilkey made his Red Sox debut with an rbi base hit to right to score Jason. Manny Alexander belted his first home run of the season to put the icing on the cake. Offerman flied out to left and Sprague hit one up the elevator shaft, but Everett walked. Nomar grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                           Alexander hits a homer???

Butch Huskey popped up to second to start the bottom of the second before David Ortiz walked. Marcus Jensen struck out swinging before Ortiz took second on a passed ball. Jacque Jones grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox were relentless in the top of the third as Burkhart singled to center to begin. O'Leary struck out swinging but Varitek singled to center. Gilkey doubled home both runners to put himself halfway to the cycle and increase the lead. Gilkey moved to third on the fly ball by Alexander but Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-1.

                                                           Gilkey drives in more runs

Guzman doubled to right to start the bottom of the third but Hocking struck out swinging. Guzman moved to third on the grounder to short by Lawton but Coomer popped up to short to end the inning.

The Sox cracked new pitcher Jason Ryan in the top of the fourth as Sprague grounded out to third to start. Everett singled to right, Nomar doubled to left and Burkhart doubled them both home to add to the lead. O'Leary smashed his seventh home run of the season (100th career) but Varitek grounded out to second. Gilkey put himself a triple away from the cycle with a solo home run to increase the lead. Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 12-1 Red Sox.

                                                     O'Leary hits one out

The Twins answered in the bottom of the fourth as Koskie walked to begin. Huskey lined out to left but a passed ball moved Koskie to second. Ortiz ripped a double past the shift to score Koskie and moved to third on the Jensen grounder. Jones doubled home Ortiz and Guzman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins down 12-3.

                                                  Ortiz drives in a run

Johan Santana came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Offerman flied out to left to start. Sprague struck out swinging but Everett tore up Koskie at third with a grounder for a "single". Nomar flied out to right to end the inning. Hocking grounded out to third to open the bottom of the fifth but Burkhart threw a grounder by Lawton completely out of the Metrodome for an error. Coomer popped up to short and Koskie grounded out to second to end the inning.

Burkhart struck out swinging to begin the top of the sixth before O'Leary flied out to left. Varitek grounded out to third to end the inning. Wakefield came back for one final inning in the bottom of the sixth as Huskey flied out to center to start. Ortiz popped up to Sprague in foul territory and Jenson took strike three to end the inning. Wakefield was servicable, allowing 3 runs in 6 innings of work.

                                               Wakefield goes six strong

Midre Cummings came in to play left for Lawton, Jason Maxwell came in for Coomer and Latroy Hawkins came in to pitch the top of the seventh. With a chance for the cycle...Gilkey grounded out to short to start. Alexander popped up to first and Offerman flied out to left to end the inning. Bryce Florie came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Jones grounded out to second to start. Guzman grounded out to second but Hocking doubled to left. Cummings beat out a nubber to second to put runners at the corners but Maxwell struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the eighth against Bob Wells as Sprague lined out to short to start. Everett hit a routine pop up to left but Cummings overran it for a "triple". Maxwell made a great play to rob Nomar of a hit but Burkhart walked. O'Leary dropped a base hit to left to score Everett with another run but Varitek flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 13-3.

                                                   O'Leary drives in a run

Sox manager Jimy Williams made no friends in the Boston media by having Jeff Frye come in for Gilkey with the cycle still in play along with Brian Daubach in right replacing Everett for the bottom of the eighth. The Twins struck back although Koskie grounded out to first to start. Huskey grounded out to third but Ortiz doubled off the baggy in right. Jensen dumped a base hit to right to score Ortiz to cut the lead and Jones singled to left. Guzman beat out an infield chopper to Nomar to load the bases but Hocking flied out to left to end the inning with the Twins down 13-4.

                                                     Ortiz scores a run

Eddie Guardado came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Frye popped up to second to start. Alexander popped up to Koskie in foul territory but Offerman swatted his fifth home run of the season to wrap up the scoring. Sprague popped up to first to end the inning with the Sox ahead 14-4.

                                               Offerman joins the homer parade

Florie returned to close out the bottom of the ninth and Cummings flied out to left to start. Maxwell grounded out to third but Koskie pounded a ground rule double into the left field stands. Huskey grounded out to short to end the game. The Sox had won it 14-4.

                                                                   Sox Win

Hero of the Night is Bernard Gilkey. He was 3 for 4 in his Sox debut with 4 runs batted in including a home run.

                                                   Gilkey Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 6 with a home run and two total runs scored.

Carl Everett was 3 for 4 with a walk and 2 runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 5 with an rbi and a run scored.

Morgan Burkhart was 2 for 4 with a walk, 2 rbis and 2 runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 5 with a 2 run homer, 3 total rbis and 2 runs scored.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 5 with an rbi and 2 runs scored.

Tim Wakefield got the win with 6 innings of 3 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks.

Bryce Florie got the save by allowing a run in 3 innings of work.

The Bad:

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 6 with 2 strikeouts.

Jeff Frye was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 5 with an error but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Honorable Mention:

Brian Daubach played right field in the final two innings.

Final Thoughts:

Happy fourth of July everyone. The Red Sox picked up where they left off yesterday by hitting another 4 home runs. The Sox are going to be sad to leave the Metrodome after their resurgence following the horrific June swoon they had. Gilkey made a nice first impression which is what the Sox needed considering the struggles of O'Leary and Darren Lewis. If Gilkey can give them a shot in the arm off the bench, they fixed part of their problems. They still need another starter to go with Pedro Martinez but solving the bench was a good start. Speaking of O'Leary, that's two good games in a row since he came off the Disabled List and hopefully he can get back to where he was last year. All in all, it was a good win and the Sox need to keep the momentum going of they want to rebound in the standings. The win improved the Sox to 40-39, 2.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox look for the series sweep against the Twins when they send Jeff Fassero (6-3, 4.35 ERA) out against Mark Redman of Minnesota. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.

Sox Outslug Twins (7/3/00)

Before the game the Boston Red Sox made a roster move. Troy O'Leary was removed from the Disabled List after taking a few weeks off to deal with his impending divorce. The Sox are reeling from a lack of offensive production and they need Troy to get back to where he was last season. If he sucks again, the Sox better hope Bernard Gilkey can be the answer.

                                                                  IN

As for the game, the struggling Red Sox offense found their tonic in the form of the Minnesota Twins. The Twins knocked Ramon Martinez out in the fourth inning but the Red Sox bats exploded for 9 runs in the top of the inning. The Sox hit four home runs in the fourth inning alone but the Twins kept fighting back. Hipolito Pichardo and Rheal Cormier both got tagged for runs but the Sox offense pounded out 15 hits and 11 runs to outslug the Twins 11-8 at the Metrodome.

                                                 Roberta Vazquez approves of the win

Mike Lincoln got the start for Minnesota in the top of the first and Jose Offerman singled to right to start. Jeff Frye also singled to right but Morgan Burkhart banged into a double play. Brian Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. The Twins struck first in the bottom of the first against Martinez as Jay Canizaro doubled to right to start. Canizaro moved to third on the fly out by Christian Guzman and Matt Lawton walked. Ron Coomer doubled home Canizaro and Corey Koskie walked to load the bases. Denny Hocking popped up to short but David Ortiz walked home Lawton to increase the lead. Chad Moeller popped up to first to end the inning with the Twins ahead 2-0.

                                                               Ortiz walks in a run

The Sox struck back in the top of the second as Carl Everett walked to start. Troy O'Leary singled in the hole at second but Ed Sprague Jr banged into a double play.  Jason Varitek hit a seeing eye single into left to score Everett and put the Sox on the board. Manny Alexander struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were down 2-1.

                                                          Varitek drives in a run

The Twins threatened again in the bottom of the second as Jacque Jones singled to center to start. Canizaro singled to left and Jones took third on a fly ball to center by Guzman. Lawton lined out to second and Coomer grounded out to third to end the inning.

Offerman flied out to left to start the top of the third and Frye grounded out to short. Burkhart singled to right but Daubach grounded out to first to end the inning. The Twins added to the lead in the bottom of the third as Koskie walked and Hocking doubled him to third. Ortiz hit a sac fly to score Koskie and Hocking went to third on a grounder to short by Moeller. Jones lined out to right to end the inning with the Twins up 3-1.

                                                        Ortiz drives in another run

The Sox exploded in the top of the fourth as Everett clubbed his 24th home run of the season to right to start. O'Leary then smashed his sixth of the season to tie the game. Sprague walked and Varitek drilled his fifth home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Alexander walked to chase Lincoln as Jason Ryan came in to pitch. Offerman forced Alexander at second before moving to second on a wild pitch. Frye walked and Burkhart crushed his first career home run to put the Sox up big. Daubach walked and Everett doubled to right to chase Ryan. Hector Carrasco came in to pitch and O'Leary doubled home both runners to add to the carnage. Sprague grounded out to short and Varitek flied out to right to end the inning. The Sox hit 4 home runs and scored 9 runs to take a 10-3 lead.

                                                                 What a barrage

The Twins answered in the bottom of the fourth as Canizaro singled to center and Guzman singled to right to start. Lawton doubled home Canizaro and Sox manager Jimy Williams had seen enough of Ramon after 3 plus innings. Hipolito Pichardo came in and was just as bad as Coomer singled home Guzman and Koskie singled home Lawton. Both runners moved over on a swinging bunt by Hocking that was thrown out at first and Ortiz hit another sac fly to score Coomer. Moeller struck out swinging to end the inning with the Twins down 10-7.

                                                                     Ramon sucked again 

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the fifth as Alexander struck out swinging to start. Offerman flied out to right but Frye singled to right. Frye took second on a wild pitch, Burkhart walked and both runners moved over on another wild pitch. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. Jones grounded out to second to start the bottom of the fifth and Canizaro grounded out to short. Guzman walked and Lawton was hit with a pitch but Coomer grounded out to first to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to start the top of the sixth before O'Leary flied out to left. Sprague struck out swinging to end the inning.  Rheal Cormier came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Koskie singled to left to start. Koskie moved to second on the grounder to short by Hocking and old friend Butch Huskey pinch hit for Ortiz. Huskey grounded back to the mound to move Koskie to third and Moeller took strike three to end the inning.

Varitek walked to start the top of the seventh and Travis Miller came in to pitch. Somehow Alexander tripled into the left field gap to score Varitek with another run. Offerman grounded out to third, Frye struck out swinging and Burkhart went down hacking to end the inning with the Sox ahead 11-7.

                                                              A triple by Alexander

Jones struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the seventh and Canizaro popped up to third. Guzman flied out to center to end the inning.

Jason Maxwell came in to play second base to start the top of the eighth as Daubach singled to right. Everett popped up to first, O'Leary flied out to center and Sprague also popped up to center to end the inning. The Twins rallied in the bottom of the eighth although Lawton grounded out to second to start. Coomer grounded out to second but Koskie doubled to right. Hocking singled to right to chase Cormier and score Koskie to inch the Twins closer. Derek Lowe came in for the four out save and old pal Midre Cummings pinch hit for Huskey. Cummings grounded out to second to end the inning with the Twins down 11-8.

                                                            Hey look its Midre

Johan Santana came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Varitek struck out swinging to start. Alexander struck out swinging but Offerman singled to left. Frye struck out swinging to end the inning. Lowe returned for the bottom of the ninth and Marcus Jensen pinch hit for Moeller to begin. Jensen grounded out to second, Jones grounded out to first and Maxwell took strike three to end the game. The Sox had hit four home runs and won the game 11-8.

Hero of the Night is Morgan Burkhart. His first home run of the season was a 3 run bomb that iced the game.

                                                      Daubach salutes our Hero

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 2 for 6 with a run scored.

Jeff Frye was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

Carl Everett was 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk and 3 total runs scored.

Troy O'Leary was 3 for 5 with a home run and 3 total rbis.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4 with a 2 run home run, a walk, 3 total rbis and 2 total runs scored.

Derek Lowe tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his 18th save of the season.

The Bad:

Ramon Martinez got hammered for 6 runs in just 3 plus innings.

Hipolito Pichardo allowed 2 inherited runners to score and 1 of his own in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but walked and scored a run.

Ed Sprague Jr was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Manny Alexander was just 1 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts but walked and tripled home a run.

Rheal Cormier allowed a run in 2 2/3 innings pitched.

Final Thoughts:

The bad news was Ramon Martinez sucked again and could be on his way out when his brother comes back. He looks all washed up and how many times are the Sox going to run him out there to get knocked out in the 3rd or 4th inning? Pichardo and Cormier also allowed runs and this bullpen is starting to look tired after the bad starts anyone other than Pedro Martinez has had this season. Thank goodness for Derek Lowe to slam the door. The good news was the offense clicked big time today and Burkhart led the charge with a 3 run bomb after the homers by Everett, O'Leary and Varitek. The Sox are hoping Sprague and Burkhart can deliver where Wilton Veras, Gary Gaetti and Donnie Sadler failed. The win improved the Sox to 39-39, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow night the Sox look to make it two in a row against the Twins when Tim Wakefield (3-5, 5.27 ERA) goes up against Eric Milton of the Twins. The game begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.

White Sox Sweep Red Sox (7/2/00)

It just seems to be getting worse for the Boston Red Sox. Before the season, Sports Illustrated picked them to win the World Series. Tonight they just dropped a game under .500 after getting swept by the Chicago White Sox. White Sox ace James Baldwin once again blinded the Red Sox into the eighth inning. BoSox starter Pete Schourek (2-7, 4.25 ERA) lasted just 5 innings and allowed 5 runs to put the BoSox in a hole they couldn't climb out of. Magglio Ordonez hit two home runs and drove in 5 runs while Frank Thomas homered as well. Jose Offerman hit a home run for the BoSox but it wasn't nearly enough as the White Sox swept the Red Sox out of Chicago with an 8-2 victory at Commiskey Park.

                                                      "THEY'RE UNDER .500!!!" - RK

Things went bad right from the start for the Red Sox in the top of the first inning when Jose Offerman drew a walk to start....only to get thrown out at second trying to steal. Jeff Frye struck out swinging and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to left to end the inning. The White Sox blasted Pete Schourek in the bottom of the first inning although Ray Durham struck out swinging to start. Tony Graffanino doubled to right and Frank Thomas walked before Graffanino swiped third. Magglio Ordonez hit a home run all the way to Lake Michigan to put the White Sox up for good four batters into the game. Paul Konerko flied out to center and Carlos Lee grounded out to short to end the inning with the White Sox up 3-0.

                                                           3 run bomb for Ordonez

The BoSox failed to answer in the top of the second although Brian Daubach singled to right to start. Carl Everett lined out to left, Morgan Burkhart went down hacking and Scott Hatteberg flied out to center to end the inning. Chris Singleton popped up to left to start the bottom of the second but Herbert Perry was plunked. Perry was thrown out trying to steal by Hatteberg and Brook Fordyce popped up to first to end the inning.

The BoSox blew their only chance to get back in the game in the top of the third as Ed Sprague Jr and Curtis Pride stroked back to back singles to begin. Offerman's ground out moved both runners over and Frye walked to load the bases. Unfortunately all Nomar could do was score Sprague with a sac fly. Daubach lined out to second to end the inning with the BoSox down 3-1.

                                                           Nomar drives in a run

Things fell apart in the bottom of the third inning although Durham flied out to left to start. Graffanino flied out to left but Thomas clobbered a home run all the way to Saturn to increase the lead. Ordonez then belted his second home run of the game to turn this into a laughter. Konerko singled to left but Lee popped up to third to end the inning with the White Sox ahead 5-1.

                                                        Ordonez hits another one out

Everett tried to start a rally in the top of the fourth when he lined a base hit to left to start. Burkhart flied out to left and Hatteberg popped up to left but Sprague worked a walk. Pride whiffed to end the inning. Schourek came back for the bottom of the fourth and Singleton walked to start. Perry forced Singleton at second, Fordyce struck out swinging and Durham forced Perry at second to end the inning.

The BoSox did nothing in the top of the fifth as Offerman flied out to left to start. Frye grounded out to short and Nomar lined out to left to end the inning. Schourek came back for the bottom of the fifth and Graffanino grounded out to short to start. Thomas singled to left but Ordonez flied out to right. Konerko popped up to second to end the inning. That was it four Schourek who's trouble with the longball doomed him to allowing 5 runs in 5 innings.

                                                      Schourek gets lit up for 5 runs

Baldwin cruised in the top of the sixth inning as Daubach flied out to center to start. Everett grounded out to second and Burkhart took strike three to end the inning. John Wasdin came on for the bottom of the sixth and crapped his pants. Lee grounded out to second but Singleton got a base hit to right. Singleton went to steal second and Hatteberg fired the ball to first base instead for an error that sent Chris to third. Perry singled home Singleton to increase the lead but Everett made a great diving catch and throw to first to double off Perry to end the inning with Chicago ahead 6-1.

                                               Yerrrrrr out!

Baldwin dominated the top of the seventh as Hatteberg grounded out to second to start. Sprague watched strike three go by and Pride grounded out to second to end the inning. The White Sox lit up Wasdin in the bottom of the seventh as Durham doubled to right to start. Graffanino singled Ray to third and Thomas walked to load the bases. Ordonez hit a ball to the wall to score Durham with a sac fly and move Graffanino to third. Konerko hit a sac fly to score Graffanino to wrap up the scoring for Chicago. Lee whiffed to end the inning but it was 8-1 White Sox.

                                                          Nice relief Wasdin

The BoSox finally showed some life in the top of the eighth inning when Offerman blasted his fourth home run of the season to inch the Sox closer. Frye walked but Nomar flied out to center to chase Baldwin. Kelly Wunsch came in to pitch and Mike Stanley pinch hit for Daubach. Stanley singled to center but Everett whiffed. Burkhart grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the BoSox down 8-2.

                                                         Offerman homers

Derek Lowe came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Singleton singled to right to begin. Perry banged into a double play and Fordyce flied out to left to end the inning. 

Manny Alexander pinch hit for Hatteberg to start the top of the ninth and grounded out to first. Sprague flied out to left and Jason Varitek pinch hit for Pride. Varitek whiffed to end the game. The White Sox had won the game 8-2.

Jackass of the Night is Pete Schourek. He got lit up for 3 home runs and 5 runs in just 5 innings of work to put the Sox in a hole they couldn't climb out of.

                                                              Schourek the Jackass

The Good:

Jose Offerman was 1 for 3 with a walk including a home run.

Jeff Frye walked twice in four plate appearances.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3.

Mike Stanley singled as a pinch hitter.

Ed Sprague Jr was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Curtis Pride was 1 for 3.

Derek Lowe tossed a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Morgan Burkhart was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 3.

Manny Alexander was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Jason Varitek struck out as a pinch hitter.

John Wasdin allowed 3 runs in 2 innings of work.

The Ugly:

Nomar was 0 for 3 but drove in a run.

Carl Everett was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Final Thoughts:

Sad to see a season that had so much promise fall off a cliff like this. With the exception of Nomar, not a single player from 99 is coming close to duplicating their production. Troy O'Leary, Offerman, Stanley and Varitek all regressed and losing John Valentin for the season hurt too. The offensive black hole and the lack of a rotation behind Pedro Martinez is the reason the Sox are a game under .500 right now. There's still time to turn things around but it doesn't look good right now. Again, if it wasn't for the slow start by the New York Yankees and the mediocre play of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Sox would be a mile behind in the standings. Schourek just isn't good enough to hang with the likes of Baldwin and for the love of god can someone send John Wasdin on a plane to Siberia? The good news is Troy O'Leary comes off the DL tomorrow and hopefully his head is cleared enough to be the hitter he was last season. As for this game, the less said of the disaster the better. The loss dropped the Sox to 38-39, 3.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the AL East. Tomorrow the Sox head to Minnesota with a four game set with the Twins. Ramon Martinez goes for the Sox tomorrow against Mike Lincoln of the Twins. The game begins at 8:05 PM Eastern time at the Metrodome.

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

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

                                                                       OUT

                                                                    IN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

                                                Ren's message to Nomar

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

                                               Varitek looking like Garo Yepremian out here

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

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

                                                   Crawford deserved better

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

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

                                                   Beavis' assessment of Alcantara

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

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

                                                             Izzy the Jackass

The Good:

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

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

Brian Daubach was 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Bryce Florie tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

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

Carl Everett was 0 for 4.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 1.

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

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

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

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

Final Thoughts:

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