Early May was a rough time for the Sox pitching staff as they headed to the West Coast to face the A’s. Not only was star closer Tom Gordon still on the DL, but no. 2 starter Bret Saberhagen was on the sidelines with a sore shoulder.
The 10-15 A’s had beaten Boston only twice in 11 meetings in 98, but they hit Sox pitching hard in winning 3 of 4. Jimy Williams started journeyman righty Kip Gross to replace Saberhagen in game 1, and the team blew a 7-5 lead before finally falling 13-9. Reliever (and Newton native) Jim Corsi walked three batters in the seventh and hit another, and Derek Lowe was no better. Lowe was touched for 5 runs on 4 hits, including a homer by career minor leaguer Olmedo Saenz.
The Bosox got a respite the following night, with superhurler Pedro Martinez running his record to 5-1 in a 7-2 victory. Pedro fanned 13 and allowed 5 hits and a run in 7 innings. The Sox went out 5-0 with a 4-run fourth on doubles by Mike Stanley, Trot Nixon and John Valentin to knock out starter Gil Heredia. The team pounded out 15 hits, including 3 each from Stanley and Valentin. Martinez lowered his ERA to 2.06.
The problems returned the next night, however, as Oakland took a seesaw game 7-5. Tim Wakefield was again ineffective, leaving after three innings after permitting 6 hits and 4 runs while walking 5. Tim Harikkala and Corsi were little better, as the home squad wiped out a 5-4 Sox advantage with 3 runs on 3 hits in the seventh. Boston outhit the A’s 12-9, as Jeff Frye went 3-for-4, but left 9 stranded. Wakefield had now allowed 18 runs in 15 innings in four starts for a 10.80 ERA. Doug Jones got the win with 3 shoutout innings in relief of Tom Candiotti.
Things were no better in the series Monday night, as both starter and relievers again failed in a 12-11 defeat in 10 innings. Mark Portugal was staked to a 7-0 lead after two, with Creighton Gubanich, another career minor leaguer, made his first (and only) major league homer a grand slam in the first inning. The Sox added 2 in the second, but Portugal could not hold the advantage. He left after four, having allowed 5 hits and 6 runs on three-run homers by John Jaha and Tony Phillips. Boston held an 11-6 lead after eight, but relievers Lowe and Mark Guthrie failed again. The home squad tallied 4 in the eighth and Matt Stairs’ homer off Gross tied it in the ninth. The winner came across in the tenth on a bases-loaded walk from Harikkala. Since April 18, the Boston bullpen was 1-5 with 6 blown saves. “We’re a regular Murderers Row out there, aren’t we?, Lowe remarked sarcastically.
As of May 3, the Sox stood fourth with a 12-13 mark, 4 1/2 behind the Yankees. The team average was .275, led by Jose Offerman’s .340 and Stanley’s .328. The team ERA, however, had ballooned to 4.51 with 9 hurlers giving away 4-plus earned runs.
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