THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The Sox bring the lumber to Coors Field

June 17, 2004 ...  The Red Sox laughed again. Thanks to a second straight sensational start from Derek Lowe and an offensive explosion.  The Sox dashed the despair of two straight miserable losses.

Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez provided the comedy after the Sox circled the bases so often that Kevin Millar tripped over third base in the eighth inning and belly-flopped onto the rain-soaked turf.

Millar could do little more than laugh. But that's what the Sox needed most, a great big smile as they prepared to board a jet for San Francisco after their 11-0 laugher over the Rockies before 40,088 at Coors Field. The victory marked only the second time in 400 games over five years that the Rockies were blanked at hitter-happy Coors.

Things went so well that the long-struggling Lowe stopped a Sox losing streak for the first time this season. Better yet, Lowe gave every indication he has regained his excellence as he extended his run of scoreless innings to 14 in dominating the Rockies. Lowe, who improved to 6-5 and lowered his ERA to 5.25, scattered four singles and four walks over seven innings. The sinkerballer, who held the Rockies hitless all five times they batted with runners in scoring position, recorded 17 of his 21 outs on grounders and three others on strikeouts. He appeared even sharper than he did in holding the Dodgers scoreless for seven innings last Friday at Fenway Park.

Lowe was smart enough to know breaking balls lose much of their effectiveness in the thin air at Coors, as Curt Schilling was reminded the night before. So he threw only five breaking balls among his 94 pitches, and in the process gained even greater confidence in his signature sinker.

Sox hitters also needed to do something positive after they stranded 24 runners and went 0 for 7 with the bases loaded over the previous two losses. And Pokey Reese got them started when he singled home two runs with the bases loaded in the second inning. Reese said he was aware of the team's woeful average with the bases loaded (.188 entering the game) as he stepped in against Colorado starter Aaron Cook.

Ortiz went to work in the fifth inning, when he singled home Johnny Damon, who had walked leading off. Ortiz followed Mark Bellhorn's leadoff walk in the seventh with his 14th homer, and he cracked his two-run double after Bellhorn walked in the eighth. Ortiz sensed something positive when the Sox rallied for two runs in the ninth inning in the 7-6 loss the night before. Change they did, at least for a day. David McCarty contributed in the eighth with a sacrifice fly and Bellhorn completed the rout with a two-run double in the ninth. In addition to Ortiz, Nomar Garciaparra finished with three hits, including a triple. Damon, Reese, and Trot Nixon each had two hits, and the Sox struck for six more doubles, increasing their league lead to 153.

Everything went so well that Francona was able to give righthander Scott Williamson an inning of quasi-rehab work in the eighth as he comes back from elbow tendonitis and use Rule V lefty Lenny DiNardo in the ninth.

More than seven weeks after surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee, Ellis Burks received an injection of Synvisc, a fluid containing a compound made from chicken combs, to try to relieve recurring swelling in the knee. Morgan opted for the injection rather than draining the knee.  Burks said he hoped to test the knee by running this weekend in San Francisco, though Francona indicated Burks may need to wait until the Sox return to Fenway Tuesday. Burks has missed 47 games.