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THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE
Tim Wakefield's gem give the Sox a split
July 22, 2004 ...
Five days after he absorbed a nasty line drive behind his pitching shoulder that put his start in jeopardy, Tim Wakefield reeled off one of his finest outings of the season, blanking the Birds for seven innings as he propelled the Sox toward a welcome 4-0 victory before 35,370 at Fenway Park. The triumph provided urgent relief
after the Sox dropped the opener, 8-3, in Double A lefthander Abe Alvarez's major league debut.
Wakefield was plenty good, allowing only one Oriole, Brian Roberts, to reach third base over seven innings. All told, Wakefield scattered eight hits and walked none as he provided a fine role model for Alvarez, who early last year was pitching for Long Beach State before the Sox selected him
in the second round of the June draft. The knuckleballer improved to 6-6 with a 4.17 ERA as he spared the weary relief corps while pitching through his own physical adversity.
Wakefield's toughest challenge came with Roberts at third and David Newhan at first with no outs in the first inning. In the most pivotal defensive play of the game, Roberts was gunned down on David McCarty's one-hop strike to the plate trying to score on a fly ball to left field by Melvin
Mora. It was McCarty's first start in left field since May 15. Mirabelli had no problem fielding the throw and cleanly tagging Roberts.
The Sox mustered all the runs they needed when Manny Ramirez drove in Mark Bellhorn on a fielder's choice in the first inning, moments before McCarty delivered a two-run single. Kevin Youkilis completed the scoring with a solo shot off Baltimore starter Dave Borkowski leading off the fourth
inning.
With Wakefield finished after delivering 108 pitches, Mike Timlin worked a scoreless eighth inning, and Alan Embree finished things off in the ninth as the Sox pulled within 8 1/2 games of the Yankees on the eve of their weekend tango.
After the opening loss, the Sox could hardly wait another day to start turning things around. The Sox opted to start Alvarez in the opener over Triple A righthander Frank Castillo, partly because the Orioles had fared significantly worse this season against lefthanders (entering the day with
a .245 average) than righthanders (.296). The Birds were 10-21 against lefty starters, but Alvarez, who had not walked more than three batters in a game over his first two pro seasons, lacked his signature command, putting himself in jeopardy. He walked five batters and allowed eight hits in
his five-inning debut. Two of the hits left the park as Miguel Tejada touched him for a two-run homer in the first inning and Mora scorched a solo homer in the third. Even though he failed to exceed expectations, Alvarez fared well enough to give the Sox a chance.
But the Sox faltered at the plate, as they went 4 for 17 with runners on base and 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Once again, they had no answer for Orioles starter Rodrigo Lopez, who improved to 3-0 with a 1.06 ERA against them this year.
But the victory in the nightcap soothed much of the sting.
Kevin Millar has endured it all: the boos, the sniping, the calls for his benching, the rumors about the Red Sox shopping for another first baseman. And he may have begun issuing a powerful response. After homering five times in his first 85 games, Millar homered for a second straight day,
belting a two-run shot into the Monster seats in the eighth inning of the opener.
The hammer dropped on David Ortiz, who was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for "his inappropriate actions directed at the umpires" last Friday in Anaheim, Calif. Ortiz, who shoved manager Terry Francona into plate umpire Matt Hollowell and
hurled two bats toward umpires Bill Hohn and Mark Carlson in protesting a third strike, immediately appealed the suspension, which was scheduled to start today.
The condition of Derek Lowe's right thumb remained a concern after a blister forced him out of his last start.
The Sox made room for Double A lefthander Abe Alvarez's major league debut in the opener by designating lefthander Jimmy Anderson for assignment. Anderson appeared in five games, logging a 6.00 ERA as he allowed opponents to bat .400. If he is not claimed off waivers, he could report to
Triple A Pawtucket. The Sox optioned Alvarez back to Portland after the game and activated infielder Ricky Gutierrez, who started at shortstop in the nightcap. To make room for Gutierrez on the 40-man roster, Ellis Burks was shifted from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. |
