BILL MUELLER

THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
David Ortiz and Bill Mueller
break the Sox skid

May 5, 2004 ... The Sox avenged a bunch of slights, most of them self-inflicted. Nothing rankled the Sox more than a five-game losing streak that cost them sole possession of first place in the American League East. But there also were some individual issues, such as David Ortiz batting .125 (3 for 24) since late April and Bill Mueller committing two errors he considered the cause of an ugly loss the night before.

So it was that Ortiz and Mueller played the roles of avengers in chief as they unshackled the Sox from their winless May by powering them past the Indians, 9-5, before 17,370 at Jacobs Field.

Ortiz, responding to public relations director Glenn Geffner's pregame prophesy that the Dominican basher would go deep twice, did just that, slugging a solo shot and a three-run blast to start the recovery. And Mueller, snapping a 5-5 deadlock in the sixth inning, muscled a three-run homer to send the Sox toward their sorely needed victory. They added a run in the ninth when Manny Ramirez doubled and scored on Jason Varitek's single.

No one beats himself up more than Mueller, who made a point of waiting stoically for reporters to face him when he believed he threw a game away the night before. Just don't expect to hear it from Mueller. He has gone 4 for 7 since Francona moved him from second to eighth in the order to try to relieve the pressure of a 1-for-21 slump. He capped it by slugging a slider from Dave Riske for the game-breaking homer.

DAVID ORTIZ

Just six days after he threw five scoreless innings against the Devil Rays in his season debut, Byung-Yun Kim failed to pitch a scoreless inning before he was ushered away with one out in the fourth. The Indians tagged him for all five runs (four earned) on six hits, a walk, and a hit batsman before the Sox pen restored order. With Kim's lapse, the Sox pen seized another chance to step up. Though Mark Malaska allowed the only runner he inherited in the fourth inning from Kim to score, he helped four bullpen mates - Bronson Arroyo, Alan Embree, Scott Williamson, and Keith Foulke - muzzle the Indians the rest of the way. In pitching 5 2/3 scoreless innings, the Sox pen improved its ERA to 2.17, the best in the majors.

Arroyo, who pitched the fifth and sixth innings, picked up the win, improving to 1-1. The victory was his first since Aug. 29, 2002, with the Pirates against the Braves. It came in Arroyo's first appearance this season as a regular member of the bullpen. But he needed Mueller and Ortiz to make the win possible. For Ortiz, who often takes personal futility as hard as Mueller, it helps sometimes to take the long view.

Bronson Arroyo, who effectively began his stint this season as a regular member of the bullpen by picking up the win, paid his first visit before the game to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. An amateur musician, Arroyo was so impressed he may return today.

Jason Varitek (2 for 4) is batting .462 (12 for 26) with a double, three homers, and nine RBIs over his last eight games.