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THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The
Sox boot the game away in the 10th
June 24, 2004 ... The
Sox bowed to the Twins, 4-3, in 10 innings before the 100th straight sellout crowd at Fenway Park. In the microanalysis that inevitably follows every loss, the fault often falls on a particular player. When the Sox dropped the final two games last weekend in San Francisco, Alan Embree and Mike Timlin were blamed for misplaced
pitches in crucial situations. And the first inclination yesterday may have been to lay the loss at Nomar Garciaparra's doorstep since his error leading off the 10th inning cleared the way for Minnesota's winning run.
But when a team with postseason ambitions goes 11-14 late in the spring and early summer, as the Sox have, there's plenty of blame to go around. The Sox lost a third straight series for the first time since they dropped four straight from Sept. 21-Oct. 3, 2001. The Sox have averaged only
2.25 runs a game over their last four losses, which explains as much, if not more, than the individual lapses of Embree, Timlin, or Garciaparra. And all the runs they scored yesterday were produced by a single batter, David Ortiz, who launched a solo homer in the first inning off Brad Radke
and laced a two-sun single in the seventh off reliever Aaron Fultz.
But the Sox could do little else against the Minnesota pen, which made Garciaparra's error seem all the more glaring. He made the miscue when Cristian Guzman whistled a grounder up the middle off Keith Foulke leading off the 10th. Garciaparra ranged to his left to snare the ball, spun 360
degrees, and fired toward first in one of his signature defensive plays. This time, though, his throw veered wide to the right of first baseman Kevin Millar and skipped into the Sox dugout, allowing Guzman to reach second. Garciaparra needed to rush his throw because of Guzman's speed.
Foulke and Tim Wakefield each endured worse than they deserved. While Foulke allowed only one unearned run over two innings, Wakefield surrendered just three runs (only one earned) over 7 2/3 innings. (The Twins scored two unearned runs in the second inning after one of Wakefield's knucklers
bounced away from catcher Doug Mirabelli for a passed ball on a third strike to Michael Cuddyer.) The Sox have allowed 49 unearned runs, the most in the American League. They also have failed to pitch and hit consistently.
Pokey Reese, who wore a removable brace, said the medical team tentatively plans to tape the thumb tomorrow so he can test it swinging a bat. In the best scenario, Reese would play Sunday in the last of three games against the Phillies. |
