Sox Sweep O's Behind Hillenbrand, Martinez (4/7/02)

After the Opening Day disaster many Boston Red Sox fans wondered if Pedro Martinez (1-0, 7.00 ERA) would ever be the same again. Well hopefully today's strong start against the Baltimore Orioles is the beginning of the comeback for Pedro. Martinez threw just 85 pitches in 6 innings but it was enough to hold the punchless Orioles to just an unearned run. Meanwhile Shea Hillenbrand was a one man wrecking crew with not one but two 2 run home runs to pace the offense. Nearly everyone in the lineup got on base at least once and the bullpen stepped up to finish Pedro's work. Ugueth Urbina notched his third save in a row as the Sox swept Baltimore out of their own stadium with a 4-1 victory at Camden Yards.

                                                    Tsianina Joelson approves of the win

Calvin Maduro got the start for Baltimore in the top of the first and Johnny Damon led off with a pop up to left. Carlos Baerga made his Red Sox debut by grounding out to first and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Pedro Martinez got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Hairston popped up to left to begin. Chris Singleton flied out to center and David Segui struck out swinging to start.

The Sox struck first in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez walked to start. Manny moved to second on the grounder to first by Clark and Trot Nixon struck out swinging. Shea Hillenbrand then smashed his first home run of the season to give the Sox the lead. Jason Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning but the Sox were ahead 2-0.

                                                              Hillenbrand hits one out

Jeff Conine popped up to first to start the bottom of the second and Tony Batista grounded out to third. Jay Gibbons smacked a ground rule double to center but Melvin Mora struck out swinging to end the inning. 

Lou Merloni made his season debut by slapping a base hit to left to open the top of the third. Damon popped up to left in foul territory and Baerga popped up to third. Nomar singled to center but Ramirez grounded out to second to end the inning. Geronimo Gil struck out swinging to start the bottom of the third before Mike Bordick flied out to right. Hairston walked but Singleton flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fourth as Clark doubled to center to start. Nixon lined out to second but Hillenbrand smacked his second two run homer of the day to ice the game early. Varitek flied out to left and Merloni popped up to second to end the inning but it was 4-0 Sox.

                                                     Hillenbrand does it again

The O's got a run back thanks to a blunder in the bottom of the fourth. Segui flied out to center to start but Conine doubled to left. Batistia hit one up the elevator shaft but Gibbons hit a little roller to third. Rather than just hold the ball and let Gibbons have his hit, Hillenbrand chucked the ball 100 feet over Tony Clark's head and Conine came around to score. Mora struck out swinging to end the inning but it was 4-1 Sox.

                                                        "Hillenbrand....."

Rodrigo Lopez came in to pitch the top of the fifth and Damon grounded back to the mound to begin. Baerga singled to left but Nomar flied out to right. Ramirez walked but Clark popped up to second to end the inning. Martinez cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Gil was retired on a squibber in front of the plate to start. Bordick popped up to second and Hairston struck out swinging to end the inning.

Lopez cruised in the top of the sixth as Nixon struck out swinging to start. Hillenbrand flied out to right and Varitek struck out swinging to end the inning. Singleton lined out to right to begin the bottom of the sixth and Segui popped up to second. Conine lined out to center to end the inning. That was it for Pedro who threw just 85 pitches but tossed 6 innings of 1 run ball. He allowed just 3 hits and a walk.

                                                            Pedro gets the job done

Merloni flied out to center to open the top of the seventh and Damon struck out swinging. Baerga got his first hit with a single to left but Nomar flied out to left to end the inning. Rolando Arrojo came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh and Batista walked to start. Gibbons banged into a double play and Mora took strike three to end the inning.

Ramirez led off the top of the eighth with a ground out to short. Clark flied out to center but Nixon ripped a base hit to center. Hillenbrand flied out to center to end the inning. The O's threatened in the bottom of the eighth as Gil popped up to Clark in foul territory to start. Bordick was hit with a pitch but Hairston popped up a bunt to Varitek. Singleton singled to left to bring the tying run to the plate but Segui flied out to right to end the inning.

Jorge Julio came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Varitek grounded out to second to start. Merloni walked and Damon singled him to third, but Johnny could only move to second on the fly out to left by Damon. Nomar flied out to right to end the inning. Ugueth Urbina came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Conine led off with a base hit to center. Batista popped up to short but Conine walked to second on defensive indifference. Gibbons singled in the hole at short to put runners at the corners but Mora struck out swinging. Gary Matthews pinch hit for Gil as Gibbons also walked to second base on defensive indifference. Matthews grounded out to first to end the game. The Sox had swept the Orioles with a 4-1 victory.

                                                              Sox win

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. His two 2 run homers were the difference in the game.

                                                       Hero Hillenbrand

The Good:

Carlos Baerga was 2 for 5.

Manny Ramirez walked twice in four plate appearances and scored a run.

Lou Merloni was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Pedro Martinez allowed an unearned run in 6 innings to get the win. He struck out 5 batters.

Rolando Arrojo tossed two scoreless innings.

Ugueth Urbina earned his third save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 5.

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

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Final Thoughts:

I'd say the pitching has been spectacular the past three games but to be fair, the Orioles offense is as rancid as their bathroom facilities. The Sox allowed a total of 3 runs in 3 games and the run allowed in this one was on an error. Still, seeing Castillo, Lowe and Pedro pitch well is better than the alternative. Urbina has been used for three straight games but at least he's locked it down in all three. Hillenbrand carried the offense in this one the same as Nomar Garciaparra carried the offense in the previous game. Some days are going to be like that and other days its going to be a balanced attack. Still, the more wins they get from guys like Hillenbrand doing the damage is a bonus when Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Nomar heat up. All in all there wasn't much to complain about other than Hillenbrand's error but the home runs more than made up for that. After an off-day tomorrow, the Sox look to make it four wins in a row as they come home for a set with the Kansas City Royals beginning on Tuesday night. Dan Reichert goes for the Royals against Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox making his season debut. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Nomar Powers Sox Past Orioles (4/6/02)

If only the Boston Red Sox had Nomar Garciaparra for most of last year, they may have been a lot more successful. After missing all but 21 games last season, Nomar's power bat was instrumental in the Sox beating the Baltimore Orioles in today's game. Frank Castillo got the start for the Red Sox and held the O's to 1 run on 1 hit through 6 innings. The problem was O's starter Scott Erickson held the Sox scoreless through six as well. The only hit the O's had was a Jay Gibbons home run in the third. The Sox tied the game in the seventh when Shea Hillenbrand hit a sac fly to score Nomar which set the stage for the eighth. With two on and two out, Melvin Mora dropped a wind carried pop up into the stands and the very next pitch Nomar smashed a three run home run to put the Sox up big. Casey Fossum allowed a home run to Mike Bordick but Ugueth Urbina slammed the door in the ninth inning/ It all added up to a 4-2 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

                                                         Kimberly Liebe approves of the win

Erickson got the ball in the top of the first inning and the legendary Rickey Henderson led off by striking out swinging. Johnny Damon grounded back to the mound and Nomar Garciaparra flied out to center to end the inning. Castillo got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Hairston grounded out to third to start. Chris Singleton flied out to right and David Segui grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez grounded out to third to start. Brian Daubach made his season debut with a single to right but Shea Hillenbrand lined out to center. Trot Nixon beat out a roller to third but Doug Mirabelli made his season debut by grounding into a force to end the inning. Jeff Conine flied out to center to start the bottom of the second and Tony Batista grounded out to third. Melvin Mora flied out to left to end the inning.

Rey Sanchez lined right back to Erickson to begin the top of the third before Henderson hit one up the elevator shaft. Damon grounded out to second to end the inning. The O's struck first in the bottom of the third when Jay Gibbons hit a home run all the way to Edina, Minnesota to put the O's on top. Geronimo Gill grounded out to short, Mike Bordick struck out swinging and Hairston flied out to left to end the inning but the O's led 1-0.

                                                                 Gibbons goes yard

The Sox couldn't crack Erickson in the top of the fourth as Nomar flied out to left to start. Ramirez took strike three and Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning. Singleton walked to start the bottom of the fourth and promptly stole second. Segui grounded out to first to move Singleton to third but Conine grounded out to short. Batista went down hacking to end the inning.

Hillenbrand grounded out to third to start the top of the fifth before Nixon flied out to left. Mirabelli grounded out to short to end the inning. Castillo cruised in the bottom of the fifth as Mora grounded out to short to start. Gibbons grounded back to the mound and Gil grounded out to first to end the inning.

Erickson dominated the top of the sixth as Sanchez watched strike three go by to begin. Henderson also took strike three and Damon grounded out to first to end the inning. Castillo had one last inning left in him and he got Bordick to strike out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth. Hairston lined out to center and Singleton popped up to third to end the inning. Castillo had allowed just the one hit to Gibbons for a home run but otherwise dominated for six innings of work.

                                                        Castillo gets the job done

The Sox did pick up Frank in the top of the seventh as Nomar singled to left to start. Ramirez followed with a base hit to move Nomar to third but Daubach went down hacking. Hillenbrand smacked a sac fly to center to tie the game and get Castillo off the hook. Nixon flied out to center to end the inning but the game was tied 1-1.

                                                           Hillenbrand ties it up

Casey Fossum took over for the bottom of the seventh inning and Segui struck out swinging to start. Conine flied out to center but Batista singled to center. Mora lined out to left to end the inning.

The Sox broke through in the top of the eighth although Mirabelli flied out to right to start. Sanchez grounded out to short but Henderson singled to left. Damon singled to right and Mora dropped a pop up by Garciaparra into the stands. That proved fatal as Nomar smashed a three run home run to put the Sox on top. Ramirez grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox up 4-1.

                                                      Nomar puts Boston on his back

Fossum returned for the bottom of the eighth but Gibbons popped up to Sanchez to start. Gil flied out to center but Bordick hit a home run all the way to the Giant in Alexandria, Virginia to cut the lead. Hairston flied out to center to end the inning with the O's down 4-2.

                                                        Bordick cuts the lead

B.J. Ryan came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Daubach popped up to second to start. Hillenbrand singled to center but Nixon took strike three. Willis Roberts came in to face Mirabelli and Doug struck out swinging to end the inning. Ugueth Urbina came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Singleton popped up to short to start. Segui hit one up the elevator shaft but Conine doubled to left to bring the tying run to the plate. Batista flied out to left to end the game. The Sox had won it 4-2.

Hero of the Night is Nomar Garciaparra. His three run blast was the difference in the game

                                                            Nomar The Hero

The Good:

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Frank Castillo allowed a run in 6 innings of work. He allowed just one hit and a walk.

Ugueth Urbina earned his second save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Doug Mirabelli was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Rey Sanchez was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Rickey Henderson was just 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts but scored a run.

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but scored a run.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Casey Fossum allowed a run in 2 innings of work.

Final Thoughts:

For the second straight game the offense accomplished almost nothing but the pitching got it done. Castillo was great for 6 innings and Nomar stepped up big with the home run. The offense will be there this season with Damon, Ramirez and Nomar at the top of the order with Nixon and Varitek at the bottom of it, the key will be the pitching. The Sox will be banking on John Burkett and Frank Castillo to pitch well with Derek Lowe as a wild card. For the past two games its been good but have to remember its the Orioles. The O's don't have a very formidable lineup so let's see what happens when the Sox play the New York Yankees or the Oakland A's. You still have to win the games in front of you and its been two in a row for the Sox. The Sox are back in action tomorrow afternoon looking for the series sweep against the Orioles. Pedro Martinez goes for Boston against Calvin Maduro of the Orioles. The game begins at 1:35 PM at Fenway Park.

Lowe Dazzles O's, Sox Win First (4/5/02)

After two off-days and a rainout, the Boston Red Sox finally got back to work in Baltimore and what a performance it was. Derek Lowe (1-0, 0.00 ERA) had no-hit the Baltimore Orioles for seven innings in his first start of the season as the bats were able to scratch out a few runs against O's starter Josh Towers. Johnny Damon led the game off with a solo home run and two batters later Nomar Garciaparra added his first home run of the season as well. Nomar drove in Damon in the top of the fifth but that would be more than enough for Lowe. After the no-no was broken up in the eighth, "El Guapo" Rich Garces and Ugueth Urbina slammed the door on the O's. It all added up to the first win of the season as the Sox blanked the Orioles 3-0 at Camden Yards.

                                                            Tina Jordan approves of the win

Towers got the ball in the top of the first inning and Johnny Damon immediately socked his first home run of the year to put the Sox up for good one batter into the game. Jose Offerman lined out to right but Nomar Garciaparra smashed his first home run of the season to increase the lead. Manny Ramirez flied out to left and Tony Clark took strike three to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                    Damon and Garciaparra hit homers

Lowe got the ball in the bottom of the first and Jerry Hairston struck out swinging to start. Chris Singleton flied out to left and David Segui grounded out to first to end the inning. 

Trot Nixon lined out to short to begin the top of the second but Shea Hillenbrand lined out to right. Jason Varitek grounded out to second to end the inning. Jeff Conine grounded out to short to start the bottom of the second before Jay Gibbons grounded out to second. Tony Batista flied out to left to end the inning.

Rey Sanchez led off the top of the third with a pop up to short but Damon singled to left. Offerman popped up to short and Nomar flied out to center to end the inning. The O's beat the ball in the dirt in the bottom of the third inning as Melvin Mora grounded out to third to start. Brook Fordyce also grounded out to third and Mike Bordick grounded out to short to end the inning. 

Ramirez grounded out to short to start the top of the fourth but Clark ripped a base hit to center. Nixon forced Clark at second and Hillenbrand grounded back to the mound to end the inning. The O's beat the ball in the dirt again in the bottom of the fourth as Jerry Hairston grounded out to short to start. Singleton and Segui both grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the fifth as Varitek flied out to center to begin. Sanchez popped up to Towers but Damon singled to left. Damon stole second, Offerman walked and Nomar lashed a base hit to center to score Damon. Offerman got picked off second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                               Dammit Jose

The O's got their first baserunner when Hillenbrand threw a ground ball by Conine all the way to the Everglades for an error to begin the bottom of the fifth. Lowe recovered to get Gibbons to bang into a double play and Batista to ground out to third to end the inning.

Ramirez grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth but Clark popped up to third in foul territory. Nixon stroked a single to left and Hillenbrand pounded a ground rule double down the left field line, but Varitek grounded out to short to end the inning. Lowe got in trouble for the first time all night when he walked Mora and Fordyce back to back to start the bottom of the sixth. Bordick hit one up the elevator shaft and Hairston grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Rick Bauer came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Sanchez grounded back to the mound to begin. Damon also grounded back to the mound and Offerman took strike three to end the inning. Lowe got Singleton to pop up to second to begin the bottom of the seventh. Segui popped up to short and Conine flied out to left to end the inning. Lowe was 6 outs away from repeating Hideo Nomo in the same venue a year later.

Nomar grounded out to second to start the top of the eighth but Ramirez singled to center. Clark hit into a double play to end the inning. There would be no repeat as Gibbons walked to start the bottom of the eighth and Batista beat out a roller to third to break up the no-hitter. Sox manager Grady Little came to get Lowe and that was a hell of an effort by Derek to hold the O's to just one hit and 3 walks in 7 plus innings. "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch and Mora lined out to center before Gary Matthews pinch hit for Fordyce. Matthews popped up to third but Bordick walked to load the bases. Hairston forced Bordick at second to end the inning.

Fernando Lunar took over behind the plate for the top of the ninth and Nixon grounded out to second to start. Hillenbrand grounded out to third but Varitek singled to center. Sanchez hit a seeing eye single into left but Damon forced Sanchez at second to end the inning. Ugueth Urbina took the mound to close out the bottom of the ninth and Singleton led off with a double to right. Segui flied out to right and Singleton took third on the fly out to center by Conine. Gibbons lined out to Nomar to end the game. The Sox had won it 3-0.

Hero of the Night is Derek Lowe. He was 6 outs from a no hitter and finished with 7 shutout innings where he allowed 1 hit and 3 walks.

Hero Lowe

The Good:

Johnny Damon was 3 for 5 with a home run, stolen base and 2 total runs scored.

Nomar Garciaparra was 2 for 4 with a home run and two total rbis.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Ugueth Urbina earned his first save with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4.

Tony Clark was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4.

Shea Hillenbrand was just 1 for 4 with an error.

Jason Varitek was just 1 for 4.

Rey Sanchez was just 1 for 4.

Final Thoughts:

That was a nice bounceback win considering Pedro Martinez' disaster on Opening Day. Its a shame they lost Dustin Hermanson on Wednesday night but Lowe looked great tonight. Obviously expecting Lowe to go from closer to starter may not work but it did for one night anyway. He had the O's in fits all night and only the walks came back to bite him. Nomar and Damon were a nice 1-2 punch and once Manny Ramirez and Tony Clark get cooking, this is going to be a tough lineup to beat. The big thing when it comes to Lowe is his defense. If Nomar, Hillenbrand and Sanchez can field ground balls, that's going to do wonders for Lowe. Urbina and Garces slammed the door pretty good and if Urbina can pitch as well as Lowe did in 2000, this could be a tough bullpen this year too. All in all it was a good win and hopefully more wins are on the way. Tomorrow afternoon Frank Castillo makes his first start of the year for Boston against Scott Erickson of the Orioles. The game begins at 2:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Off-Day News (4/4/02)

On this day in Basebawful History:

1984 - Easler's homer helps sox beat California

1988 - Tigers beat Sox on Opening Day

1994 - Sox pound Tigers on Opening Day

2000 - Pedro, Sox beat Mariners on Opening Day

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night in Baltimore. Derek Lowe makes his season debut as the starting pitcher against Josh Towers of the Orioles. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Hermanson Hurt, Game Rained Out (4/3/02)

After injuries derailed a promising season last year, the last thing the 2002 Red Sox needed was more injuries. In fact, they signed starting pitcher Dustin Hermanson because of his durability more than his 95 mph fastball. So guess what happened.....he got hurt. The worst part about it was the game that started an hour late due to rain was cancelled after the second inning. MLB has rescheduled the game for July 2nd to make that day a doubleheader.

Hermanson struck out two of the three batters he got out in the top of the first inning and the Sox did nothing in the home half against Toronto starter Luke Prokopec. Then as he was warming up in the rain, Hermanson slipped and pulled a groin muscle. He threw two pitches to Carlos Delgado and had to leave the game. Tim Wakefield replaced him and struck out both Delgado and Jose Cruz. Darrin Fletcher hit a ball all the way to the Grand Canyon to put the Jays on top, but Wakefield got the third out with no damage. Jason Varitek hit a home run off Prokopec to tie the game but after Johnny Damon flied out to end the inning, the game was called.

So not only does Hermanson's start not count, Varitek gets a home run taken away to boot. What a shame. We'll find out tomorrow who replaces Hermanson if he's out for any length of time.

                                                     So much for Hermanson

Tomorrow is another off-day and the Sox are back in action Friday night in Baltimore. Derek Lowe will make his season debut as a starter up against Josh Towers of the Orioles. The game begins at 7:05 PM at Camden Yards.

Off-Day News (4/2/02)

On this day in Basebawful History:

1984 - Errors doom Sox on Opening Day

1997 - Sox rally past Angels on Opening Day

1998 - Sox win late

2001 - O's walkoff Sox in 11 on Opening Day

The Sox are back in action tomorrow night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Dustin Hermanson makes his Red Sox debut against Luke Prokopec of the Blue Jays. The game begins at 6:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Blue Jays Spoil Opening Day Slugfest (4/1/02)

Happy 2002 Season Boston Red Sox fans....it sucks already! In what was a memorable Opening Day the Sox engaged in a surprise slugfest with the Toronto Blue Jays. Jays ace Chris Carpenter and Sox ace Pedro Martinez both laid eggs as the two teams teed off with a lot of offense. The Sox trailed 8-3 before rallying to take an 11-8 lead only to give it up. Closer Ugueth Urbina couldn't keep it tied and after all of that it was the Jays that took Opening Day 12-11 at Fenway Park. Not a good start to the year.

Pedro took the mound in the top of the first and wasn't himself. Shannon Stewart drew a full count walk before rookie Eric Hinske popped up to a running Manny Ramirez in left. Raul Mondesi flied out to right but Carlos Delgado was plunked. Jose Cruz Jr stroked a double in front of the Monster to score Stewart and advance Delgado to third. Darrin Fletcher doubled into the gap to score both runners as Sox analyst Jerry Remy remarked not only was Pedro's velocity down but his changeup was out of sorts. Vernon Wells grounded out to second to end the inning but it was 3-0 Jays.

                                                         Pedro gets hammered

The Sox fought back against Blue Jays starter Chris Carpenter although new centerfielder Johnny Damon grounded out to third to begin. Jose Offerman struck the Sox' first home run into the season beyond the bullpen to cut into the lead. Nomar Garciaparra grounded out to short before Manny Ramirez walked. New first basemen Tony Clark grounded out to first to end the inning but it was 3-1 Toronto.

                                                       Opening day homer for Offerman

Pedro returned for another beating in the top of the second as Homer Bush hit a blooping double down the right field line to start. Felipe Lopez dropped down a bunt and Pedro dropped it for an error. Stewart blooped a single to center to load the bases before Hinske blooped a single down the right field line to score both Bush and Lopez. Mondesi hit a roller up the middle that crossed up Nomar and Rey Sanchez to score Stewart. Delgado blooped a single to center to score Hinske. Pedro froze Mondesi for strike three on the outside corner before blowing away Fletcher. Pedro turned up the heat to blow away Wells to end the inning with the score now 7-1 Toronto.

                                                   Pedro couldn't find his groove

The Sox tried to fight back in the bottom of the second as Trot Nixon launched a solo shot to dead center to cut into the lead. Shea Hillenbrand popped up to center but Jason Varitek in his first at-bat since June of last year launched a home run of his own to right. Sanchez looked at strike three on the outside corner but Damon grounded one up the middle for a base hit. Offerman was rung up on a check swing for strike three to end the inning but it was now 7-3 Jays.

                                                 Nixon and Varitek go yard

The Blue Jays pounced again in the top of the third although Pedro got Bush to ground out to short to begin. Lopez motored around for a triple into the gap before Stewart was plunked. Hinske hit a warning track fly out to center but Stewart advanced to second and Lopez scored to increase the lead.

                                                            The score says it all

The Sox refused to go quietly in the bottom of the third as Nomar led off with a double off the top of the centerfield wall. Ramirez walked and Clark lit up the crowd with a 3 run home run to center to put the Sox back in it. Welcome to Boston Clark! Nixon whiffed but Hillenbrand walked to chase Carpenter. Scott Eyre replaced Chris and Varitek greeted him with a single. Sanchez walked to load the bases but Damon made a huge out by popping up to Hinske in foul territory. Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox down 8-6.

                                                        Clark with a three run homer

Pedro came out for the top of the fourth and Delgado blooped a single to right center to start. Cruz Jr drew a walk and that was it for Pedro. In one of his worst starts in memory, Pedro lasted just 3 innings while giving up a career high 7 earned runs (8 total). Guess he was rusty as hell.

                                                     Not Pedro's best work

Lefty Darren Oliver, who was supposed to be the fifth starter with John Burkett on the DL, came in to relieve Pedro as Fletcher bunted both men into scoring position. Some yahoo ran out onto the field and went to shake Nomar's hand before alert Fenway security seized the intruder and wrestled him to the ground. When action resumed Oliver got a key out when Wells hit one up the elevator shaft that Varitek snared in an eerily similar play to last June when he broke his elbow. Oliver whiffed Bush to end the inning.

The Sox exploded in the bottom of the fourth although Nomar was rung up for strike three to start. Ramirez walked and Clark batting from the right side this time lined a base hit to center. Nixon walked on four pitched to load the bases and Hillenbrand lined a base hit up the middle to score Manny and reload the bases. Varitek blooped a single into right to score Clark, tie the game and once again reload the bases. Sanchez worked the count full and stroked a base hit to right center to score Nixon and Hillenbrand to give the Sox their first lead of the game. Jays manager Buck Martinez brought in rookie Scott Cassidy making his MLB debut to pitch to Damon only to uncork a wild pitch to advance Sanchez to second. A strange play occured when Wells made a diving catch to rob Damon and Varitek tagged up and scored. Damon didn't think the ball was caught and ran hard to second, confusing Sanchez into running back to the bag. The Jays thought that Sanchez was called out at second and ran off the field. The umpires got together and ruled it was a sac fly to score Varitek and Sanchez was safe at second although the irony was the replays showed Wells didn't actually catch the ball. Things suddenly got hot as the Jays appealled at third that Varitek left early and he clearly didn't. Jays bench coach Cookie Rojas stormed out of the dugout and shouted invectives at third base umpire Andy Fletcher. Fletcher told him to sit down and shut up which caused Cookie to run at him screaming, fists flying. First base umpire Derryl Cousins said that's enough of that and gave Cookie the heave ho. Buck Martinez then flew out of the dugout screaming like a banshee to home plate umpire Joe Brinkman that the first base umpire shouldn't be trying to interject himself while trying to hold back Rojas who had now torn his clothes off in frustration. Martinez hauled Rojas off the field and finally play resumed. Offerman walked to reload the bases but Nomar popped up to center to end the inning After all of that the Sox had scored 5 runs to take an 11-8 lead.

                                                     Mayhem at Fenway

Give the Jays credit for coming right back in the top of the fifth inning although Lopez grounded out to short to start. Stewart hit a routine grounder to Nomar who threw the ball straight in the air and caught it in his hat for an error to advance Shannon to second before Hinske singled off the leg of Oliver to put runners at the corners. Mondesi lined out to a running Damon to score Stewart to cut the lead. Delgado was plunked and Cruz Jr singled in Hinske. Fletcher blooped a single to center to tie game and chase Oliver. Rolando Arrojo made his season debut by getting Wells to ground out to short to end the inning with the game tied 11-11.

The offense was done for a while in the bottom of the fifth although Manny walked to begin. Clark walked before Nixon popped up to center. Hillenbrand popped up to second before Varitek walked to load the bases. Sanchez whiffed on a 3-2 fastball to end the inning, what a waste.

Arrojo came back for the top of the 6th and plunked Bush to start. Lopez advanced him to second on a bang bang play at first before Arrojo froze Stewart on a check swing strike three. Hinske walked and Sox pitching coach Tony Cloninger went to the mound to inform Rolando a new episode of Friends was on that night. Arrojo got so excited he got Mondesi to ground into a force to end the inning. Felix Heredia was brought in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Damon flied out to right to start. Offerman grounded out to first and Nomar lined out to third to end the inning.

Casey Fossum was brought in to pitch the top of the seventh and he walked Delgado to start. Cruz Jr flied out to left before Fletcher flied out to deep right. Wells grounded out to third to end the inning. Ramirez led off the bottom of the seventh by striking out swinging before Clark was robbed of extra bases by Cruz making a diving catch. Nixon walked and Hillenbrand blooped a single to no man's land in left before a wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position. Varitek walked to load the bases and Cruz made an even better diving catch to rob Sanchez of a bloop single to end the inning.

                                                           Cruz saves the day for the Jays

"El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the top of the eighth inning and got Bush to line out to right to start. Lopez flied out to left before Stewart grounded back to the agile Garces to end the inning. Dan Plesac came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth and Damon took ball four to start. The boo's rained down when Offerman popped up the bunt to first. That was it for Plesac as Buck Martinez brought in closer Kelvim Escobar. Damon was thrown out at second trying to steal and Nomar whiffed to end the inning.

Sox closer Ugueth Urbina took the mound in the top of the ninth and got Hinske to fly out to right to begin. Mondesi walked and Delgado singled to right before they executed a double steal. Cruz Jr was intentionally walked to set up the double play but Fletcher scored Mondesi with a sac fly to give the Jays the lead. Wells whiffed to end the inning but the Jays took the lead 12-11.

                                                     Fletcher gives the sox the lead

The Sox had one last chance to rally in the bottom of the ninth but Ramirez whiffed to start. Clark singled to right and the legendary Rickey Henderson pinch ran for Tony. Nixon popped up to Lopez in foul territory and Hillenbrand grounded into a force to end the game. The Jays had survived the slugfest and had won it 12-11.

Jackass of the Night is Ugueth Urbina. Yes Pedro Martinez stunk the joint out and Darren Oliver gave up the lead but it was Urbina who blew the game in the top of the ninth.

                                            Why are you pumping your fist, Jackass?



The Good:

Manny Ramirez walked 4 times and scored 2 runs.

Tony Clark was 3 for 5 with a walk, 2 total runs scored and a 3 run home run.

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 5 with a walk, rbi and run scored.

Jason Varitek was 3 for 3 with 2 walks, 2 total rbis, 2 total runs scored including a home run.

Rolando Arrojo pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings

Casey Fossum pitched a scoreless 7th inning.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless 8th inning.



The Bad:

Pedro Martinez was terrible in 3 plus innings of work allowing 8 runs, 7 earned.

Darren Oliver was trusted with a 3 run lead and gave all 3 runs back.



The Ugly:

Johnny Damon was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in a run.

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 5 with a walk but the one hit was a solo home run.

Nomar Garciaparra was just 1 for 6.

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 but walked twice, scored two total runs including a home run.

Rey Sanchez was just 1 for 4 but walked and drove in 2 runs.



Honorable Mention:

Ricky Henderson pinch ran for Clark in the bottom of the ninth.




Final Thoughts:

Well that was a very interesting opening day even if the Sox didn't win. The offense looked damn good and they can build on a lot of what happened today. Pedro Martinez was rusty and he probably won't give up 8 runs in a start the rest of the year. A normal Pedro start and the Sox would have won this game in a rout. Urbina is supposed to be their answer to Mariano Rivera and he sure didn't look it today. Still if Clark can be the hitter he was in Detroit then this will be the offense they invisioned last year with Nomar healthy. Still, a loss at home sucks and this one hurt. After an off-day the Sox are back in action Wednesday night against the Blue Jays as Dustin Hermanson makes his Red Sox debut opposite Luke Prokopec. The game starts at 6 PM at Fenway Park.