 |
|
KEVIN MILLAR |
THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The Angels come from behind and
beat the Red Sox in Anaheim
June 1, 2004 ... The
Angels, who held a 2-game lead over the Texas Rangers in the AL West, have played just one game with their projected starting lineup - which is still one more than the Red Sox, who were a half-game behind the Yankees in the AL East when the night began.
Through six innings, the Angels were on top of the Sox, 6-4. The Sox, coming off a 7-3 homestand, were attempting to carry over their strong play on the road in the first game of this short five-game excursion to Anaheim and Kansas City. The Angels, staggering back from a 1-5 trip to Toronto and Chicago,
were attempting to regain their equilibrium at home with a new center fielder, Raul Mondesi and their porcine ace, Bartolo Colon. Colon was matched against Boston's No. 5 starter, Bronson Arroyo, which on paper tilted the game in Anaheim's favor. But Colon has been laboring in Derek Lowe-like fashion this season. And last night
was no exception. Colon, who hasn't won since May 8th and had pitched as many as seven innings only once in his last seven starts, was gone by the end of the fourth inning, having delivered an astonishing 109 pitches to register 12 outs.
The Sox took a 4-1 lead with Manny Ramirez delivering two two-out RBI doubles against his former Indians teammate, while Kevin Millar hit his second home run in two games. Jason Varitek accounted for the fourth Sox run by following Ramirez's double, which had scored Mark Bellhorn, with a double of his own
into the right-field corner. But the Sox left eight men on base against Colon, including the bases loaded in the fourth, when Brian Daubach went down swinging. Their inability to turn this one into an early laugher caught up with Arroyo in the bottom of the fourth, when the Angels drew within a run with the aid of just one hit.
Arroyo was coming off his worst outing of the season, one in which he gave up nine runs in 3 innings in a 15-2 loss to the A's in Fenway Park last Thursday. In his previous six starts, the righthander had gone at least six innings, and was headed toward the sixth last night after holding the Angels to a
two-out single by Jeff DaVanon in the fifth.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said he spoke with Garciaparra on the phone yesterday morning and reported that the shortstop was "upbeat, feeling good." According to Francona, Garciaparra will go to Toledo today and play there for Pawtucket tomorrow. |
