Off-Day News (4/23/01)

On This Day in Basebawful History:

1971 - Siebert Shuts Down White Sox

1984 - Sox beat Angels in Rain

1991 - Clemens shuts out Jays, Sox win sixth straight

1993 - Langston, Angels shut down Sox

Tomorrow night the Sox are back in action against the Minnesota Twins when Paxton Crawford (1-0) takes on Mark Redman of the Twins at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Lowe Blows Another, Yanks Win 2 of 3 (4/22/01)

Something's wrong with Derek Lowe. Just a year ago he was one of the top rubber armed closers of the game and already he's blown more games this month than he has most of last season. Its a shame because the Boston Red Sox showed some life in extra innings only for Lowe to give the game away. The Sox fought the Yankees to a 2-2 deadlock after 9 innings only to take the lead in the top of the tenth. Lowe then served up nearly consecutive home runs to Paul O'Neill and David Justice to blow the game. The New York Yankees defeated the Red Sox 4-3 in 10 innings at Yankee Stadium.

                                             Derek Lowe makes little girls scream

Ted Lilly got the ball to start the top of the first and Jose Offerman swung and missed on a 2-2 pitch to begin. Dante Bichette chased a 1-2 pitch in the dirt for another strikeout. Carl Everett flied out to shallow center to end the inning. Tomo Ohka took the mound for the Sox in the bottom of the first. He started well with a high strikeout of Chuck Knoblauch. Derek Jeter grounded out to second but Paul O'Neil singled over the glove of Ohka into center. Bernie Williams flied out to right to end the inning.

Manny Ramirez led off the top of the second with a home run off the top of the centerfield wall to give the Sox the lead. Troy O'Leary whiffed badly and Bernie Williams made a diving catch to rob Jason Varitek of a hit. Shea Hillenbrand extended his torrid hit streak to 9 games with a double down the left field line. Brian Daubach looked at strike tbree to end the inning with the Sox up 1-0.

                                                              Ramirez with another home run

David Justice led off the bottom of the second waiving at a 1-2 pitch. Tino Martinez grounded out to second and Jorge Posada looked at strike three at the knees to end the inning.

The slumping Craig Grebeck was 1 for 26 going into the top of the third and he made it 1-27 looking at strike three to start. Offerman slapped one to Scott Brosius who threw wide to first, allowing Jose to reach on the error. Bichette whiffed badly again but Everett singled to center. Manny slapped a soft grounder to Brosius but was thrown out at first to end the inning. Alfonso Soriano singled to left but was thrown out at second trying to steal to begin the bottom of the third. Brosius popped up to right and Knoblauch grounded out to short to end the inning.

O'Leary popped up to start the top of the fourth but Varitek blooped a single to center. Hillenbrand grounded to third but Varitek moved to second. Daubach struck out swinging to end the inning. That's 7 K's for Lilly. Jeter began the bottom of the fourth with a single up the middle and moved to second on the ground out by O'Neill. Ohka hit Willliams but Justice swung at strike three in the dirt. Martinez barked at umpire Bill Miller after being rung up looking to end the inning.

Grebeck drew a leadoff walk to open the top of the fifth and advanced to second on the sacrifice bunt by Offerman, much to Sox analyist Jerry Remy's surprise. The Sox committed a booboo on a grounder by Bichette. Grebeck was caught in a rundown but Jeter dropped the ball, allowing Grebeck to reach third....but Bichette wandered too far off of first and he was thrown out at first. Had Bichette stayed at first it would have been 1st and 3rd with one out. Instead, Everett struck out swinging to end the inning. Ohka's 65th pitch of his outing was blasted out of the yard by Posada to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth. Soriano snuck a single by the mound but stupidly tried for second and was thrown out by a mile. Brosius grounded out to second but Knoblauch blooped a double down the right field line. Jeter grounded out to Hillenbrand to end the inning with the game tied 1-1.

                                                          Posada ties it up

Manny gave the Sox the lead back with a solo shot to left, his second of the day and 6th of the season to open the top of the sixth. O'Leary whiffed but Varitek singled over the glove of Soriano. A wild pitch by Lilly moved Varitek to second but Hillenbrand flied out to left. Daubach popped up to end the inning but the Sox had the lead back 2-1.

                                                       Ramirez hits another one out

O'Neil grounded back to the mound to open the bottom of the sixth but Williams singled to right. Just like that the bullpen began to warm with Rich Garces and Pete Schourek. Williams swiped second but Justice struck out swinging. That was it for Ohka after 94 pitches as he lifted Tomo for Pete Schourek. Three straight good starts by Ohka to begin 2001. Martinez struck out on a check swing to end the inning.

                                                             Good work Ohka

Lilly returned for the top of the seventh and got Grebeck to ground out to short. Offerman walked and Bichette singled off the glove of Soriano, advancing Jose over to third. Darren Lewis came in to pinch run for Bichette. With a chance to give the Sox some insurance, Everett swung and missed at a 3-2 fastball. That was it for Lilly after 6 2/3 innings of 1 run ball with 10 strikeouts. Ramiro Mendoza came in and struck out Manny to end the inning. "El Guapo" Rich Garces was brought in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. Posada popped up to Offerman and Soriano grounded to Grebeck to begin the inning. With just 7 outs to go, Brosius blasted his first home run of the year to tie the game. Knoblauch singled and swiped second but Garces fanned Jeter to end the inning. Garces got tagged and the Yankees tied it 2-2.

                                                    Garces can't get it done

Mike Stanton was brought in to pitch the top of the eighth and O'Leary struck out swinging to start. Varitek lined out to second, but Hillenbrand singled past the diving Jeter. Shea then got himself picked off to end the inning, so much for that.

                                                                    Dammit Shea
 

Rod Beck took over in the bottom of the eighth and O'Neil blasted one deep out to right but Lewis ran it down. Williams popped up to short and Justice whiffed to end the inning.

Stanton returned for the top of the ninth and struck out Daubach. Lou Merloni pinch hit for Grebeck and grounded back to the mound. Offerman whiffed to end the inning. Beck returned for the bottom of the ninth with Merloni taking over at short. Martinez was 1 for 25 going into this at-bat and naturally doubled off the centerfield wall to begin the inning. Donzell McDonald pinch ran for Tino as Posada was intentionally walked to set up the double play. Beck then got two key outs as Soriano flied out to left and Brosius popped up to center. Things got dicey when Beck tripped throwing a pitch, leading to a balk, advancing the runners to second and third. Beck whiffed Knoblauch to end the inning and screamed at his accomplishment.

Mariano Rivera came on to pitch the top of the 10th with Luis Sojo taking over at first base. Rivera punched out Lewis and Everett flied out to center, but the Sox rallied. Ramirez singled up the middle and O'Leary singled up the middle as well. Trot Nixon pinch ran for Manny much to analyst Sean McDonough's chagrin. Varitek shocked the crowd and McDonough by blooping a single to center and Nixon scampered home to give the Sox the lead. Would Manny have scored on that? Possibly. Hillenbrand whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-2.

                                                           Nixon scores a run

Sox closer Derek Lowe (1-3, 6.48 ERA) took the mound to close it out. Lowe got Jeter to ground out to third...but O'Neil smashed a 1-2 sinker just over the right field wall to tie the game. Williams grounded out to first but Justice ended it by launching Lowe's first pitch just over the wall in right almost in the same spot as O'Neil's homer to win the game. Justice was 0-4 with a golden sombrero before the blast. A devastating 4-3 loss to the Yankees.

                                                                Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is easy. Once again its Derek Lowe. He served up the game tying and game winning homers in the bottom of the 10th to lose it.

                                                                Derek Lowe: Jackass



The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with two solo shots. 

Trot Nixon pinch ran for Ramirez and scored a run. 

Jason Varitek was 3 for 5 including the go-ahead rbi in the 10th. 

Shea Hillenbrand was 2 for 5.

Tomo Ohka was outstanding, tossing 5 2/3 innings of 1 run ball against the 3-peat champions. He gave up 7 hits but didn't walk anyone while striking out 6. 

Pete Schourek got the final out of the 6th inning. 

Rod Beck tossed two scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Darren Lewis was 0 for 1 at the plate after taking over in right. 

Brian Daubach was 0 for 4 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts. 

Lou Merloni was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter. 

Rich Garces gave up the solo homer to Brosius to tie the game in the seventh.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was 0 for 3 with but walked. 

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 before being lifted for Lewis. 

Carl Everett was just 1 for 5. 

Troy O'Leary was 1 for 5 with a hat trick of 3 strikeouts. 

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 2 but walked.

Final Thoughts:

What a disaster. The Sox had the game won but the Yankees proved why they are the defending 3 time champions. As usual the Yankees got that clutch hit and made that clutch pitch throughout the game. Justice was 0 for 4 with 4 k's before homering to end it. Tino Martinez was 1 for 25 but doubled off the wall. Garces hadn't given up a run all season but Brosius takes him deep. Ramirez did what he could to keep the Sox in the game but Garces giving up the rocket and Lowe's utter meltdown cost the Sox the game. Lowe claims to be uninjured so what the hell is his problem? There's nothing wrong with his velocity, he's locating like garbage. The Sox need to do something about him because of their 6 losses, he's been directly involved in four of them. This was a bad loss because a win would have really sent a message to the Yankees that they're for real. The Sox have an off-day to think about things before they come back on Tuesday night at home against the Minnesota Twins. Paxton Crawford (1-0) takes on Mark Redman of the Twins on Tuesday night at 7:05 PM at Fenway Park.

Sox Beat Mussina, Yankees (4/21/01)

In an eeirly similar game to last Sunday, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees played another ugly game with 3 errors and a lot of hits. Just like last Sunday, the Red Sox came out on top. Rookie Shea Hillenbrand and the red hot Manny Ramirez keyed a 9 hit Boston attack that pounded Mike Mussina for 6 runs in four innings. The Sox smacked around the Yankees JV bullpen for 2 more runs to put the game out of reach. Frank Castillo (2-1, 3.60 ERA) held the Yankees to 3 runs in 5 innings of work. The Sox bullpen shut down the Yankees the rest of the way and the Sox had beaten them 8-3 at Yankee Stadium.

                            New heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman approves of the win

Mussina dominated the top of the first inning as Trot Nixon took strike three to start. Jose Offerman struck out swinging and Carl Everett looked at strike three to end the inning. The Yankees wasted no time getting to Castillo in the bottom of the first as Chuck Knoblauch singled to center to start. Knoblauch took off for second and Sox catcher Scott Hatteberg threw the ball 75 feet to the left of second for an error to advance Chuck to third. Derek Jeter effortlessly hit a sac fly to score Knoblauch and Paul O'Neill hit a home run to Jupiter as Yankee fans thought the game was in the bag. Bernie Williams grounded out to second but David Justice singled to left. Tino Martinez popped up to first to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 2-0.

                                                         O'Neill goes yard

The Sox did nothing in the top of the second as Manny Ramirez grounded out to second to start. Troy O'Leary flied out to left and Scott Hatteberg took strike three to end the inning. All of a sudden Craig Grebeck keeled over in the dugout and had to be carried out on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and rushed to the local ICU. Lou Merloni took over at short for the bottom of the second and Jorge Posada flied out to right to start. Alfonso Soriano singled to right but was forced at second by Scott Brosius. Knoblauch grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

The Sox struck back in the top of the third as Shea Hillenbrand clobbered his second home run of the season to start. Brian Daubach struck out swinging but Lou Merloni singled to left. Merloni stole second but Nixon popped up to short. Offerman doubled to right to score Lou and tie the game but Everett grounded out to second to end the inning with the game tied 2-2.

                                                           Merloni steals second 

The Yankees struck back in the bottom of the third as Jeter singled to left to start. O'Neill walked and Hatteberg was so incompetent he allowed a double steal to Jeter and O'Neill. Williams effortlessly hit a sac fly to score Jeter and O'Neill moved to third on a grounder to first by Justice. Martinez flied out to center to end the inning but the Yankees led 3-2.

                                                             Jeter scores a run

The Sox took command in the top of the fourth as Ramirez worked a 12 pitch at bad that ended with a base hit to center. O'Leary also dumped a base hit to center and Hatteberg hit a routine grounder to Jeter...BOOTED FOR AN ERROR! The bases were loaded and Hillenbrand made Mussina pay with a double to right to score both Ramirez and O'Leary. Daubach flied out to the centerfield wall but that scored Hatteberg and moved Shea to third. Merloni hit a sac fly to score Hillenbrand and Nixon popped up to short to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-3.

                                                    Hillenbrand gives Boston the lead

Posada grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fourth and Soriano grounded out to short. Brosius singled to left but Knoblauch flied out to right to end the inning.

26 year old Adrian Hernandez made his ML debut for the Yankees in the top of the fifth and Offerman flied out to center to start. Everett flied out to left but Ramirez hit a nubber in front of the plate....thrown away by Hernandez. O'Leary grounded out to second to end the inning. Castillo returned for one final inning in the bottom of the fifth and Jeter flied out to right to start. O'Neill flied out to left and Williams flied out to center to end the inning.

Hatteberg walked to start the top of the sixth but Hillenbrand forced him at second. Daubach forced Shea at second and Merloni popped up to short to end the inning. Pete Schourek came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth and Justice took strike three to start. Martinez flied out to right and Posada grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

Nixon flied out to center to start the top of the seventh and Offerman flied out to left. Everett flied out to center to end the inning. Rolando Arrojo came in for the bottom of the seventh and Soriano flied out to left to start. Brosius flied out to right but Knoblauch singled to right and took second on a wild pitch. Jeter walked but O'Neill lined out to short to end the inning.

Ramirez crushed his fourth home run of the season to lead off the top of the eighth and chase Hernandez from the game. Randy Choate came in and O'Leary flied out to right. Hatteberg took strike three but Hillenbrand was plunked. Daubach singled to right and Todd Williams came in to pitch. Merloni struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-3.

                                                    Ramirez hits one to Monument Park

Williams doubled to left to start the bottom of the eighth but Justice flied out to right. Williams moved to third on the Martinez grounder to first but Posada flied out to right to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the ninth although Nixon grounded out to second to start. Offerman and Everett worked back to back walks but Ramirez could only move the runners over with a ground out to third. O'Leary walked to load the bases and Hatteberg walked home Offerman to wrap up the scoring. Hillenbrand popped up to second to end the inning but it was 8-3 Sox.

                                                   Hatteberg walks in a run

Rod Beck came in to close out the bottom of the ninth and Soriano flied out to to left to start. Brosius grounded out to third but Knoblauch singled to right. Jeter grounded out to second to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. He homered in the second inning and put the Sox on top for good in the fourth.

                                                            Hillenbrand Hero

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 runs scored.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with an rbi.

Lou Merloni was 1 for 3 with a stolen base, rbi and a run scored.

Frank Castillo got the win by going 5 innings and allowing 3 runs.

Pete Schourek tossed a scoreless 6th inning.

Rolando Arrojo tossed 2 scoreless innings.

Rod Beck pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

The Bad:

Trot Nixon was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with a strikeout but walked.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 3 with an error and 2 strikeouts but walked twice, drove in a run and scored a run.

Honorable Mention:

Craig Grebeck played shortstop in the bottom of the first inning.

Final Thoughts:

Its only April but this is the second time in a week that the scrap heap pickup Castillo kept pace with the 88 million dollar Mussina. Obviously Mussina will or should have the better year but right now its something to laugh at for Sox fans. The Sox have now beat the Yankees in 4 out of 6 games and once they get everyone back at full health, they should be able to compete with them for the AL East crown. Hillenbrand has been a much needed shot in the arm after the Wilton Veras struggle of last year and Ramirez has been worth every penny spent on him. The Sox bullpen outside of Derek Lowe has been virtually unhittable this season, matching the vaunted Yankees bullpen. I don't know why Lou Merloni isn't starting at short over Grebeck at this point, especially since Craig got hurt and can't hit the ball out of his hand. Bottom line is the Sox have the Yankees on the run and hopefully they can get to them again tomorrow in the series finale. Tomorrow afternoon Tomo Ohka (2-0) goes up against Ted Lilly of the Yankees at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Pettitte, Yankees Down Sox (4/20/01)

If the Boston Red Sox opened the salvo on the New York Yankees last week, the Yankees responded right back in tonight's game in New York. Andy Pettitte tossed a complete game 6 hitter, allowing just 1 run to the improved Red Sox offense. Hideo Nomo (2-1, 3.13 ERA) pitched his first stinker for the Sox by allowing 5 runs in just 2 innings including giving up a grand slam to Tino Martinez in the first inning. The Yankees got another run off Nomo in the second and one more off Tim Wakefield in the fourth. The Sox didn't show any signs of life until the ninth inning when Troy O'Leary knocked in Manny Ramirez. It was Andy Pettitte's day and the Yankees defeated the Sox 6-1 at Yankee Stadium.

                                                   "Its Andy Pettitte"

Pettitte got the ball in the top of the first inning and Darren Lewis struck out swinging to start. Jose Offerman singled to center but Carl Everett struck out swinging. Manny Ramirez walked but Troy O'Leary grounded out to second to end the inning. The Yankees pounded Nomo in the bottom of the first as Chuck Knoblauch struck out swinging to start. Derek Jeter walked but was forced at second by Paul O'Neill. One out away from a clean inning....Bernie Williams and David Justice both walked to load the bases. Tino Martinez then pulverized a grand slam all the way to Brooklyn to put the Yankees up for good. Alfonso Soriano flied out to left to end the inning with the Yankees up 4-0.

                                                          Grand slam Tino

The Sox blew a rally in the top of the second as Jason Varitek doubled to right to start. Shea Hillenbrand singled to left to put runners at the corners but Lou Merloni popped up to first. Mike Lansing struck out swinging and Lewis grounded out to second to end the inning. Nomo struck out Joe Oliver swinging to start the bottom of the second but Scott Brosius got a base hit to left. Knoblauch was plunked and Jeter lined a base hit to center to score Brosius. Knoblauch went to third on the hit and Jeter stole second, but O'Neill grounded out to first. Williams flied out to right to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 5-0. That was it for Nomo who didn't have it at all in his first bad start, allowing 5 runs in 2 innings.

                                                              Nomo couldn't get it done

Offerman reached on an error by Jeter to open the top of the third but Everett flied out to center and Ramirez banged into a double play to end the inning. Tim Wakefield took over for the bottom of the third and Justice singled to center to start. Martinez popped up to first, Soriano struck out swinging and Oliver grounded into a force to end the inning.

O'Leary flied out to center to open the top of the fourth but Varitek drew a walk. Hillenbrand banged into a double play to end the inning. The Yankees struck again in the bottom of the fourth although Brosius grounded out to short to start. Knoblauch singled to center and took second on a wild pitch before scoring on a Jeter base hit to left. Jeter swiped second as O'Neill struck out swinging but Williams popped up to second to end the inning with the Yankees ahead 6-0.

                                                          Knoblauch scores a run

Merloni flied out to center to start the top of the fifth inning and Lansing grounded out to third. Lewis also grounded out to third to end the inning. Justice grounded out to first to start the bottom of the fifth before Martinez popped up to short. Soriano doubled to left and Oliver singled him to third, but Brosius flied out to center to end the inning.

Pettitte cruised in the top of the sixth as Offerman flied out to right to start. Everett struck out swinging and Ramirez flied out to left to end the inning. Knoblauch popped up to first to start the bottom of the sixth and Jeter flied out to left. O'Neill grounded out to second to end the inning.

O'Leary grounded out to second to open the top of the seventh before Varitek struck out swinging. Hillenbrand grounded out to short to end the inning. Pete Schourek came in for the bottom of the seventh and Williams grounded out to third to start. Justice flied out to left but Martinez walked. Soriano grounded into a force to end the inning.

Merloni tried to start a rally with a double to left to start the top of the eighth and moved to third on a Lansing grounder. Lewis flied out to right and Merloni took off for home. Oliver threw the ball to Pettitte who tagged out Merloni to end the inning. "El Guapo" Rich Garces came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning and Oliver doubled to center to start. Brosius popped up to second but Donzell McDonald pinch hit for Knoblauch. McDonald struck out swinging and Jeter took strike three to end the inning.

Pettitte came back to finish the job in the top of the ninth and Offerman took strike three to start. Everett flied out to right but Ramirez lined a shot into the gap in right. O'Leary doubled to left to break up the shutout but Varitek struck out swinging to end the game. The Yankees had won it 6-1.

                                                     Yankees win

Jackass of the Night is Hideo Nomo. He was lit up for 5 runs in just 2 innings to take the loss.

                                              "Nomo, you Jackass!" - Kerrigan

The Good:

Manny Ramirez was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 1 for 3 with a walk.

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3.

Lou Merloni was 1 for 3.

Tim Wakefield allowed just 1 run in 4 innings of work.

Pete Schourek pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Rich Garces pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

The Bad:

Darren Lewis was 0 for 4 with a strikeout.

Carl Everett was 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts.

Mike Lansing was 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

The Ugly:

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout.

Troy O'Leary was just 1 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Not much you can do when Andy Pettitte is locked in but the Sox never even had a chance. Nomo giving up the grand slam ended the game before it even started and the Yankees cruised from there. That was Nomo's first stinker of the season and hopefully it doesn't become a regular occurrence. O'Leary drove in the only run and Manny Ramirez has yet to have a bad game this season. The Sox are in big trouble if he goes into a slump because he's been the straw that stirs the drink so far. Its only one game and Pettitte is a damn good pitcher but winning some of these games goes a long way as the season goes on. If the Sox want to see October again, they're going to have to match the vaunted Yankees rotation and starts like this isn't going to cut it for Nomo. Tomorrow afternoon is another day and Frank Castillo (1-1) looks to rebound the Sox against Mike Mussina of the Yankees. The game begins at 1:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.

Offense Rolls, Sox Sweep Devil Rays (4/19/01)

Who would have thought before this three game set with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays started that the technically the worst starting pitching performance from the Boston Red Sox would come from Pedro Martinez (2-0, 1.61 ERA). After Tomo Ohka shut the Rays out on Tuesday and Paxton Crawford held them to 1 run last night, Pedro was charged with 3 runs in 6 innings of tonight's game. Not the worst but not his usual dominant self either. It didn't matter as the Sox offense kept rolling. The red hot Brian Daubach hit yet another home run, Shea Hillenbrand and Manny Ramirez both drove in two runs apiece and the Sox swept the Rays out of Tampa with a 8-3 win at Tropicana Field.

                                                        Courtney approves of the win

The Sox pounced on Rays starter Paul Wilson immediately in the top of the first inning as Darren Lewis singled to left to start. Jose Offerman walked and Carl Everett was plunked to load the bases with nobody out. Manny Ramirez lashed a base hit to center to score Lewis and Offerman but Troy O'Leary struck out looking. Jason Varitek beat out a double play ball to put runners at the corners but Felix Martinez threw a grounder by Shea Hillenbrand away to score Ramirez with another run. Brian Daubach flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 3-0.

                                                              Ramirez gets the party started

The Rays fought back against Pedro in the bottom of the first as Shea Hillenbrand booted a grounder by Gerald Williams to start. Russ Johnson singled to right to move Williams to third and Gerald scored when Greg Vaughn beat out a double play ball. Fred McGriff doubled home Vaughn to cut the lead and Ben Grieve singled Fred to third. Jose Guillen struck out swinging and Vinny Castilla grounded into a force to end the inning with the Rays down 3-2.

                                                      McGriff brings the Rays close

Craig Grebeck flied out to right to start the top of the second before Lewis flied out to center. Offerman also flied out to left to end the inning. John Flaherty struck out swinging to start the bottom of the second before Felix Martinez also went down swinging. Williams grounded out to third to end the inning.

The Sox struck again in the top of the third although Everett flied out to left to start. Ramirez and O'Leary drew back to back walks before Varitek doubled home Ramirez. Hillenbrand iced the game with a double to left to clear the bases. Daubach popped up to short and Grebeck flied out to left to end the inning with the Sox ahead 6-2.

                                                               Varitek drives in a run

Martinez cruised in the bottom of the third as Johnson took strike three to start. Vaughn whiffed and McGriff took strike three to end the inning.

Dan Wheeler came in to pitch the top of the fourth and Lewis whiffed to start. Offerman flied out to center but Everett singled to left. Ramirez took strike three to end the inning. Pedro caught Grieve looking to start the bottom of the fifth before Guillen singled to right. Castilla struck out swinging and Flaherty took strike three to end the inning.

O'Leary lined out to first to start the top of the fifth and Varitek singled to left. Jason was doubled off first on a bullet hit by Hillenbrand to Wheeler to end the inning. Martinez whiffed to start the bottom of the fifth and Williams grounded out to short. Johnson singled to left and Vaughn doubled to left. Johnson tried for home and the throw came in....YER OUTTA THERE! Johnson was out and the inning was over.

Travis Phelps came in to pitch the top of the sixth and Daubach grounded out to first to start. Grebeck grounded out to third and Lewis flied out to left to end the inning. McGriff struck out swinging to start the bottom of the sixth and Grieve took strike three. Guillen singled to center but Castilla whiffed to end the inning.

Offerman grounded out to second to start the top of the seventh but Everett was plunked again. A passed ball moved Carl to second but Ramirez flied out to center. O'Leary also flied out to center to end the inning. Pedro came back for the bottom of the seventh but was chased quickly as Flaherty doubled and Martinez singled him home. Pedro was finished after 6 innings and 2 earned runs. Derek Lowe came in and Williams was plunked, but Johnson popped up to left. Vaughn forced Martinez at third and McGriff grounded back to the mound to end the inning with the Rays down 6-3.

                                                        Pedro gets it done

Doug Creek came in to pitch the top of the eighth and Varitek whiffed to start. Hillenbrand singled to left and Daubach smashed a 2 run bomb to wrap up the scoring. Grebeck grounded out to first and Lewis flied out to right to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-3.

                                                     Daubach hits another home run this month

Lowe returned for the bottom of the eighth and Grieve popped up to left to start. Guillen grounded back to the mound and Castilla struck out swinging to end the inning.

Esteban Yan came in to pitch the top of the ninth and Offerman grounded out to short to start. Everett grounded out to third and Manny lined out to right to end the inning. Lowe came back to close out the bottom of the ninth and Flaherty grounded out to third to start. Martinez singled to right but Williams struck out swinging. Johnson flied out to right to end the game. The Sox had won it 8-3 for their 5th straight win.

Hero of the Night is Shea Hillenbrand. The rookie drove in 2 big runs that ended up putting the game out of reach for the Rays.

                                                         Hero Hillenbrand

The Good:

Carl Everett was 1 for 3 with 2 hit by pitches and a run scored.

Jason Varitek was 2 for 4 with an rbi and a run scored.

Pedro Martinez tossed 6 solid innings where he allowed 3 runs (2 earned) while striking out 13.

Derek Lowe earned his second save with 3 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 4.

The Ugly:

Darren Lewis was just 1 for 5 with a strikeout but scored a run.

Jose Offerman was 0 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Manny Ramirez was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in 2 runs and scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 3 with a strikeout but walked and scored a run.

Brian Daubach was just 1 for 4 but the one hit was a 2 run home run.

Final Thoughts:

Kind of funny how Pedro performed the worst out of him, Paxton Crawford and Tomo Ohka but a win is a win. Pedro didn't dominate as he had in the past but he definitely did enough to win with 13 strikeouts. The bats continue to stay hot and the addition of Manny is opening up Everett and Daubach to see more pitches they usually wouldn't. Daubach has been a wrecking machine this month and hopefully he can keep this up for a full season. The Rays are no competition but beating them still has to be done. The Sox can only play them and the Baltimore Orioles so many times so they have to take advantage. The Sox now travel to the Bronx in a rematch with the New York Yankees. Hideo Nomo (2-0) goes up against Andy Pettite  tomorrow night at 7:05 PM at Yankee Stadium.,

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

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

                                                                 Isis approves of the win

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

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

                                                          Flaherty gives the Rays the lead

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

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

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

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

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

                                                             Good effort

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

                                                     From punch runner to 2 run home run

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

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

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

                                                                Hero Daubach

The Good:

Trot Nixon was 2 for 5 with a run scored.

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

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

Manny Ramirez walked twice in four plate appearances.

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

Shea Hillenbrand was 3 for 5 with a run scored.

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

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

The Bad:

None

The Ugly:

Dante Bichette was just 1 for 4 but walked.

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

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

Honorable Mention:

Craig Grebeck played shortstop in the final two innings.

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

Final Thoughts:

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

Sox Crush, Shut Out Devil Rays (4/17/01)

If the New York Yankees vaunted pinching staff couldn't stop the Boston Red Sox over their weekend series, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays had even less of a chance. Sure enough, the Boston bats feasted on the inferior Rays pitching for 11 hits and 10 runs. Manny Ramirez struck two home runs while Brian Daubach and Carl Everett also went yard for the Red Sox. On the pitching side of the ball, Tomo Ohka (2-0, 2.65 ERA) pitched arguably is best game as a member of the Red Sox as he shutout the Rays through seven innings. Rich Garces slammed the door in the final two frames and the Sox enjoyed one of their easiest victories of the season with a 10-0 romp over the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field.

                                                   Molly Holly approves of the win

The Sox wasted no time getting to Rays starter Travis Harper in the top of the first inning as Trot Nixon flied out to center to start. Jose Offerman walked but was forced at second by Carl Everett. Everett swiped second and took third on a wild pitch before Manny Ramirez launched his second home run of the season to put the Sox on top. Troy O'Leary hit one up the elevator shaft to end the inning with the Sox ahead 2-0.

                                                          Ramirez hits one out

Ohka got the ball in the bottom of the first and Gerald Williams led off with a pop up to short. Steve Cox doubled to left and moved to third on the Greg Vaughn fly ball to center, but Fred McGriff grounded out to first to end the inning.

The Sox put the game away early in the top of the second although Jason Varitek grounded out to second to start. Shea Hillenbrand walked and Vaughn dropped a routine pop up by Brian Daubach in foul territory. Daubach made Vaughn pay with a 2 run blast to right to increase the lead. Lou Merloni popped up to second but Nixon walked. Offerman doubled to right and Everett cleared the bases with a 3 run shot to ice the game. Ramirez struck out swinging to end the inning with the Sox ahead 7-0.

                                                        Everett helps end it early

Ohka cruised in the bottom of the second as Jose Guillen flied out to right to start. Aubrey Huff grounded out to second and Russ Johnson took strike three to end the inning.

Mike Judd came in to pitch the top of the third and O'Leary flied out to left to start. Varitek grounded out to first but Hillenbrand got a base hit to center. Daubach grounded out to second to end the inning. Old friend John Flaherty flied out to right to open the bottom of the third but Felix Martinez got a base hit in the hole at short. Williams popped up to second and Cox grounded out to second to end the inning.

Merloni got a base hit to right to start the top of the fourth but Nixon banged into a double play. Offerman popped up to second to end the inning. Vaughn struck out swinging to begin the bottom of the fourth and McGriff grounded out to second. Guillen hit a routine grounder to Offerman who dove on the ball and wrestled with it for an error. Huff grounded out to short to end the inning.

Everett struck out swinging to open the top of the fifth but Ramirez ripped a base hit to left. O'Leary forced Ramirez at second and Varitek grounded out to second to end the inning. Johnson singled to center to start the bottom of the fifth but Flaherty hit one up the elevator shaft. Martinez singled to right but Williams banged into a double play to end the inning.

Hillenbrand grounded out to short to start the top of the sixth and Daubach struck out swinging. Merloni singled to center but Nixon struck out swinging to end the inning. Craig Grebeck took over for Merloni to start the bottom of the sixth and Cox grounded out to second to start. Vaughn and McGriff stroked back to back singles but Guillen popped up to right. Huff took strike three to end the inning.

Rusty Meachem came in to pitch the top of the seventh and Offerman flied out to right to start. Everett singled to center and Huff booted a grounder by Ramirez for an error to put runners at the corners. O'Leary scored Everett with a sac fly to increase the lead and Varitek whiffed to end the inning with the Sox ahead 8-0.

                                                          Rookie mistake by Huff

Ohka returned for one final inning in the bottom of the seventh and Johnson singled to left to start. Flaherty popped up to short and Johnson was doubled off first on a bullet hit to Ohka to end the inning. Tomo was outstanding, tossing 7 shutout innings and allowing just 7 hits.

                                                         Good work Ohka

The Sox got another run in the top of the eighth as Hillenbrand flied out to right to start. Daubach was plunked for old times sake and Grebeck popped up to second. Nixon doubled home Daubach to stick it to the Rays and Offerman grounded out to second to end the inning with the Sox ahead 9-0.

                                                           Nixon drives in a run

"El Guapo" Rich Garces came in for the bottom of the eighth and Williams grounded out to short to start. Cox flied out to center and Vaughn struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Sox wrapped up the scoring in the top of the ninth as Everett struck out swinging to start. Ramirez hit his second homer of the game to add to the lead. O'Leary flied out to right and Varitek popped up to Martinez in foul territory to end the inning with the Sox ahead 10-0.

                Ramirez goes yard again 

Garces came back to finish off the bottom of the ninth and McGriff flied out to right to start. Guillen took strike three and Huff struck out swinging to end the game. The Sox had won it 10-0.

Hero of the Night is Tomo Ohka. He tossed 7 shutout innings while allowing just 7 hits to earn the win.

                                                         Ohka The Hero

The Good:

Carl Everett was 2 for 5 with a 3 run homer, stolen base and 3 runs scored.

Manny Ramirez went 3 for 5 with 2 home runs, 2 total runs scored and 3 total rbis.

Brian Daubach was 1 for 3 with a hit by pitch, 2 run home run and 2 runs scored.

Shea Hillenbrand was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored.

Lou Merloni was 2 for 3.

Rich Garces tossed 2 scoreless innings.

The Bad:

Jason Varitek was 0 for 5 with a strikeout.

Craig Grebeck was 0 for 1 at the plate.

The Ugly:

Trot Nixon was just 1 for 4 with a strikeout but walked, drove in a run and scored a run.

Jose Offerman was just 1 for 4 but walked and scored a run.

Troy O'Leary was 0 for 4 but drove in a run.

Final Thoughts:

Its only 14 games into the season but things are looking bright for the Boston Red Sox. Tomo Ohka looks to have taken the next step in his development and Manny Ramirez has been worth every penny spent on him so far. The addition of him in the lineup makes Carl Everett even more dangerous because they won't be able to walk him with Manny behind him. Just think of how deadly this offense will be when Nomar Garciaparra comes back. Grebeck can't even hit the ball out of his hand right now which makes it a wonder why he's even on the team at this point. Chris Stynes will be coming off the Disabled List soon and it would make more sense to cut Grebeck than it would to send down Lou Merloni. At least Merloni can hit the ball even if he's not a natural shortstop. Still, if the only thing worth complaining about is the shortstop situation, you know things are going good. Ohka was outstanding and Garces hasn't missed a beat from last year. If Derek Lowe can turn things around the pitching will be where it was last year with a new anchor on offense in Ramirez, that's bad news for the AL East. The Sox look to make it four straight wins tomorrow night when Paxton Crawford (1-1) takes on Albie Lopez of the Devil Rays. The game begins at 7:15 PM at Tropicana Field.