As the calendar changed from April to May, the Sox encountered their first serious slump of the season. The main problem was hitting, especially with power, but pitching was becoming increasingly erratic.
On April 30, the team completed its first month in fine fashion, downing the disappointing Twins 8-3. It was a victory that seemed to feature everything- a good starting effort by Bruce Hurst, three innings of hitless relief from Wes Gardner, and a 12-hit attack led by three safeties from Rick Cerone, including his first homer. The Bosox jumped to a 6-1 advantage after 4 and coasted the rest of the way. Hurst allowed 12 hits but walked just one and fanned 7 before giving way to Gardner. Hot-hitting Marty Barrett contributed 3 rbi's.
The Sox were now 14-6 and had completed their best April in 36 years. Things, however, were soon going downhill, and it first appeared in a sudden hitting drought. Frank Viola, who would come to Boston a few years later, shut the Townies down in a complete game 2-0 effort, giving up only 5 hits and a walk. Jeff Sellers was the hard-luck loser, permitting only 6 safteties in 8 innings, one a homer by Sox nemesis Gary Gaetti. A serious power outage was beginning to take its toll, as Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, and Brady Anderson were still homerless, and no hitter had more than two. The following night saw the mediocre Kansas City Royals shut down the home squad 2-0 again. This time it was Floyd Bannister and three relievers twirling the shutout, with Gene Garber notching the save. KC got two in the first and held on. The Sox threatened often but came up with nothing, stranding 14 batters, one shy of the AL record for a shutout.
The saga of Oil Can Boyd took another down turn on May 3, as the righty was battered for the second straight time. Boyd lasted only 41/3, giving up 5 hits and 6 runs as the Royals jumped to a 6-1 lead on the way to a 9-3 triumph. This time it was another future Soxer, Bret Saberhagen, who got the win with 7 good innings. The losing streak was now 3, and the boo-birds were starting. Even the Rocket was not immune from the downer, falling 6-2 to the White Sox. Clemens took a 1-0 lead into the fourth, but was reached for three, plus two in the sixth, surrendering a pair of homers to the immortal Greg Walker.
Boston seemed to be on the recovery road with a 16-3 laugher the following night. They jumped out 9-0 after three against little-known Rick Horton and Jose Segura, and the Chisox never threatened. Hurst was the beneficiary, as the lefty went 7 innings, allowing 7 hits and running his record to 5-0. Evans and Todd Benzinger each contributed 4 safteties and 4 rbi's. But the breakout did not carry over, as they began a series in Minnesota with 5-0 and 5-2 defeats. At the same time, a worrisome piece by Dan Shaughnessy speculated on the career of Rice. It was entitled "Rice through? He wonders."
John McNamara had first dropped the former slugger to number 6 in the order, then benched him for the first time in his career. At that point, he was 2 for 23 with one rbi in 11 games. Since July, he had 3 homers. The booing, some of it racial, was so bad at Fenway that he enjoyed going on the road. Jim tried to be optimistic, saying "the most important thing is to get a base hit. If you get your base hit, the extra base hits will come." But for $4.5 million, a high amount for the time, the Sox did not want a .241 singles hitter. The Rice situation would become more controversial as the season wore on.
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