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THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
Smashing hits against Oakland
May 25, 2004 ... In
tonight's 12-2 Red Sox win over Oakland the home team had five RBIs and four runs by Mark Bellhorn; a double and a two-run homer by Manny Ramirez; four hits, including two doubles, by David Ortiz; three hits from leadoff man Johnny Damon; Jason Varitek getting on base five times; and rookie third baseman Kevin Youkilis,
reaching four times.
Sox starter Curt Schilling was on top, but Oakland righthander Tim Hudson failed. And the Sox got a team season-high 19 hits and 12 runs.
It was a significant win for the Sox, who hadn't played a team with a winning record since May 2nd. In fact, they have played fewer games against winning teams than any other team in the majors. They are now 7-4 against teams with winning records and 21-13 against teams
at or below .500. The Sox stayed ahead of the curve with a one-sided win that was essentially over when they scored four runs in the fifth to go ahead, 9-0.
On a night when the game-time temperature was 47 degrees, Schilling breezed through five innings before the A's got to him for solo runs in the sixth and seventh. When he struck out Eric Chavez with the bases loaded to end the seventh, Schilling's night was over.
He improved to 6-3 with a 2.82 ERA, after taking a pregame injection for soreness in his right ankle. Schilling was staked to a 5-0 lead after four innings, and that's always a plus.
Hudson was roughed up for three runs in his last inning, the fourth. Bellhorn accounted for two with a double to left-center, and Ortiz scored him with a double. In one stretch of the inning, 11 of the 13 pitches Hudson threw were balls. With Hudson out after four
innings, the Sox continued their onslaught against relievers. First out was lefthander Chris Hammond, who was trashed for four runs in the fifth. The crowning blow was a two-run homer to left by Ramirez, his 12th of the season.
Third baseman Bill Mueller joined the ranks of the inactive Red Sox yesterday when he was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 20. He will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday morning in Phoenix. The surgeon, David Zeman, has diagnosed
Mueller with mild degenerative arthritis, according to Red Sox physician Bill Morgan. The prognosis, according to Morgan, is for Mueller to miss about six weeks. Mueller joins Ellis Burks, Nomar Garciaparra, Ramiro Mendoza, Trot Nixon, and Scott Williamson as major players on the disabled
list, while Byung Hyun Kim, who started the year on the disabled list, is returning to his native Korea to see a back specialist.
The Sox were stunned by the enthusiastic reception Andy Dominique received from the Fenway crowd in his first trip to the plate in the majors. "I got shivers," Francona said, of the fans standing and chanting, "Andy, Andy." "That was one of the most incredible things
I've ever seen." Dominique, 28, who labored more than seven years in the minors before he made the bigs, said, "It was way unexpected and really appreciated, probably the best moment of my life." After placing third baseman Bill Mueller on the disabled list, the Sox recalled Dominique from
Triple A Pawtucket. |
