Sox 99 – Bats Explode

With bats booming, the Red Sox continued there streak in late June, taking 6 of 8 from the Orioles and White Sox.On Monday the 21st, they put down the hot O’s 5-4 in a seesaw contest. The Bosox broke out 2-0 in the second, but the Birds rallied with one in the fifth and three more in the sixth for a 4-2 advantage. But a Troy O’Leary homer tied it in the bottom half, and John Valentin plated Jose Offerman with the winning hit in the seventh. Starter Brian Rose left after six, but John Wasdin hurled 2 frames to pick up the win and run his record to an unlikely 7-0. Tim Wakefield finished up for his sixth save. The bullpen, however, failed the next night as Baltimore rallied with 4 in the eighth for a 5-3 win. Starter Pat Rapp pitched fairly well and left with a 3-1 lead. But this time the pen was ineffective, as Mark Guthrie and Wasdin allowed 4 hits and 4 runs, the big blow a three-run Albert Belle homer. Lou Merloni, subbing in the infield, had 3 safeties.

Injury-plagued Bret Saberhagen came up big in the next match, pitching a scoreless 5 1/3, allowing 7 hits and a walk in a 5-0 triumph. Derek Lowe and Wakefield contributed 3 2/3 scoreless innings, and Valentin and Reggie Jefferson contributed homers. Strong hurling continued the next night, as in-and-out Mark Portugal went 7 good ones in a 2-1 triumph. O’Leary and Belle traded homers, but the winning run crossed in the fifth on a Merloni single and Darren Lewis triple. Rheal Cormier and Wake finished up, with Tim notching save 7.

The Chisox then came to Fenway and were buried in  3 of 4 contests. First was a 6-1 defeat with Jin Ho Cho, in what would prove to be his last major league win, allowing 6 hits and a run in 6 frames. He then gave way to Guthrie, who hurled 3 for the save. Boston had a put-together infield including Merloni at short and catcher Curtis Gubanich at third, but got by. Rookie Jason Varitek was 3 for 4. The next one was over almost before it began, as the Sox hit Chicago’s shaky staff for 11 runs in the first in a 17-1 shellacking. The inning included 14 at bats, 2 homers, 4 doubles, 3 singles, and 2 walks. The torrid Nomar Garciaparra  had two round trippers and 5 rbi’s. Pedro Martinez was removed after an easy 5, with Wasdin finishing up.

Boston jumped out 5-0 the next day, but this time the White Sox bounced back with 4 in the fourth on homers by Frank Thomas, Greg Norton and Craig Wilson in a 7-6 win. Wakefield entered the ninth with a 6-4 lead, but failed this time, permitting 3 hits and 3 runs, including a two-run smash by Wilson. Boston bats powered up again in the final contest, this time piling up 21 hits in a 14-1 demolition. They led 4-0 after 5, and exploded for 10 in the final 3 frames. Offerman had 4 hits including 2 homers for 6 rbi’s, while Garciaparra, third in the AL with a .362 mark, had 4 safeties and Lewis 3. The White Sox staff had allowed 44 hits and 37 runs in four contests.

The Townies now stood at a season-best 45-31, and had taken 11 of 15. The Yanks still led by 1 1/2, but no other Eastern Division team was even close to .500. Their team average had risen to .282, with five players over .300. Though patchwork at times, the pitching staff had a fine 3.87 ERA, with Martinez, Saberhagen and Rose all far under 3.