DAVID ORTIZ

THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
The Red Sox boot away another game

June 30, 2004 ...  In another startling example of why they could use immediate assistance from the gloved gods of defense, the Sox committed two more costly errors as they blew a 2-0 lead in the seventh inning and bowed to the Yankees, 4-2, before 55,023 in the Bronx. The jarring loss dropped the Sox 7 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the division, the largest deficit since Grady Little's gang dropped out of contention in late August.

In a cruel twist for Ortiz, who began the game with yet another MVP-like performance as he singled and homered to stake the Sox to a 2-0 lead, he squandered the advantage when he booted a bases-loaded grounder by Tony Clark with two outs in the seventh inning, forcing a 2-2 tie. Ortiz was a late replacement at first base as Kevin Millar shifted to right field because Trot Nixon's left quadriceps bothered him.

Ortiz also factored in an error by Nomar Garciaparra that contributed to the Yankees scoring the decisive run. Ortiz was unable to handle the shortstop's throw on a ground single by Kenny Lofton leading off the bottom of the eighth inning. Garciaparra's miscue, his third in the series, allowed Lofton to reach second. Lofton advanced to third base on Derek Jeter's sacrifice bunt and scored the winning run on Gary Sheffield's double down the left-field line. Sheffield delivered the death blow in capping a 10-pitch showdown with Mike Timlin.

With super-closer Mariano Rivera waiting in the wings, the Yankees scored an insurance run when Hideki Matsui singled off Alan Embree to knock in Sheffield. Rivera then swiftly dispatched the Sox in the ninth to complete the dispiriting defeat.

The latest calamity did nothing to dash the nasty aftertaste of an 11-3 stinker the night before in which the Sox committed three errors and allowed four unearned runs. The Sox have made 67 errors and allowed a major league-leading 60 unearned runs while their opponents have surrendered only 20 earned runs. And in another measure of how badly the defense has struggled, the Sox are on pace to far surpass the 80 unearned runs they allowed all of last year.

If the 4-2 loss wasn't bad enough, the Sox ended the night with concerns about Trot Nixon, whose left quadriceps continues to nag him, and Scott Williamson, who has developed a problem with his right forearm.

Four rehab games with Pawtucket was enough for third baseman Bill Mueller, who is poised to rejoin the Sox and be activated from the disabled list in Atlanta. But one rehab outing was enough to set back Ellis Burks yet again. Burks returned to Boston for an MRI on his surgically repaired left knee amid his arduous struggle to prolong his career at least three more months. Mueller played his final game yesterday for the PawSox, going 0 for 3 against Norfolk to finish his rehab stint batting .308 (4 for 13).