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THE CURSE OF THE
BAMBINO, PART 11 ...
IT'S TIME TO "COWBOY UP"
Shea Hillenbrand saves the Sox bullpen
April 15, 2003
...
While Shea Hillenbrand's bases-loaded single in the bottom of the
ninth inning, his fourth hit of the game, gave the Red Sox some
emotional rescue in a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park, Bobby Howry, was optioned to Pawtucket, even
before the “Bullpen By Committee” blew another late lead.
Howry’s
numbers - 12.46 ERA, .478 opponents' batting average - should have made it less
than a total surprise that the Sox felt they were better served without him, at
least for the time being. They might soon reach the same conclusion about Ramiro
Mendoza, who is redefining the Mendoza Line. There is no lead big enough that
the ex-Yankee can't put in jeopardy. Mendoza was tagged for four runs on four
hits without retiring a batter in the eighth inning, when the D-Rays came back
from a 5-1 deficit to tie. The vaunted sinker that made Mendoza so valuable to
the Bombers has not been seen since he came to the Sox, raising the question of
whether his career path could soon follow that of Alan Embree, who lost his
velocity and last Saturday was placed on the disabled list. Sox manager Grady
Little said he is unaware of why Mendoza's bread-and-butter pitch is remaining
at tabletop level for hitters, who have wasted little time feasting on his
deliveries (the ERA is 16.71 and climbing).
Wasted were
seven strong innings by lefthander Casey Fossum, who gave up a second-inning
home run to Terry Shumpert in going seven for the second time in his career (he
pitched seven innings in relief last season against the Devil Rays). He left
with a 5-1 lead, which should have been a cue to kick back and relax, but he was
icing his arm in the clubhouse when the Devil Rays hurtled back against Mendoza
with a rally that featured four consecutive singles, including one by the Rhode
Island Wonderboy, Rocco Baldelli. The noise from Baldelli's cheering section was
soon drowned out by the boos for Mendoza, the quiet Panamanian waiting with his
head down as Little replaced him. Marlon Anderson's pinch single off Mike Timlin
brought home the two runs (charged to Mendoza) that tied the score, but a 1-2-3
ninth made a winner of the 37-year-old right-hander for the second time this
season.
The Sox, who
had jumped on Devil Rays starter Nick Bierbrodt for 10 hits and 5 runs in 4 2/3
innings as Johnny Damon, who doubled and homered, and Jeremy Giambi who had an
RBI double before knocking in another run charged to Bierbrodt with a single off
Mike Venafro, began the winning rally when Bill Mueller drew a walk off Al
Levine, Nomar Garciaparra singled him to second, and Manny Ramirez's fly ball
got him to third. Left-handed reliever Bobby Seay walked pinch hitter Todd
Walker to load the bases, and Hillenbrand delivered with a ground ball up the
middle off the sixth D-Ray pitcher, Travis Harper. Hillenbrand said he remained
calm and went with what he called the Nomar-Manny approach, hitting the ball up
the middle.
And for one
night, anyway, he kept the wolves away from the bullpen. |
