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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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THE "IDIOTS" REVERSE THE CURSE August 7, 2004 ... Pedro Martinez provided a source of possible inspiration by helping to stop a two-game skid as he humbled the Tigers for seven innings en route to a sorely needed 7-4 victory before 42,607 at Comerica Park. The victory lifted the Sox within one game of the wild-card lead and spared them the ignominy of falling 11 1/2 games behind the division-leading Yankees, the widest deficit in nearly three years. David Ortiz, dearly missed during his five-game suspension, tried to buoy the water-treading Sox as he picked up where he left off, driving in two runs as the newly installed cleanup hitter. Manny Ramirez's flu-like symptoms cleared the way for Kevin Millar to play. Millar responded by reaching base three times and driving in a run, while Dave Roberts knocked in two runs from the bottom of the order and Kevin Youkilis drove in another. Gabe Kapler scored the final run for the Sox with a daring dash to the plate while Ortiz was caught in a rundown in the seventh inning. But Martinez made it all possible as he scattered five hits and a pair of walks in surrendering two runs (one earned) as he improved to 12-4 with a 3.94 ERA. He also hit a batter and struck out 11 for his 69th game with at least 10 strikeouts, breaking the club record held by Roger Clemens. Before Mike Timlin and Keith Foulke pitched the final two innings, each surrendering a run, Martinez submitted his 16th quality start, tops this season for the Sox. He struck out six of the first seven batters he faced, setting the tone for the victory. Ortiz wasted little time regaining his RBI touch as he grounded out in his first plate appearance after his suspension to knock in Johnny Damon, who had singled leading off the game. And Roberts staked Martinez to a 3-0 lead by doubling home Bill Mueller in the second inning and driving in Orlando Cabrera with a two-out sacrifice fly in the fourth. But the Tigers clawed back as they capitalized on Mueller's throwing error in the bottom of the fourth to score one run and made it 3-2 on an RBI single by Alex Sanchez in the fifth. The Sox had suffered their last four losses by one run and had no appetite for another one-run game. So it was that five consecutive Sox batters reached base in the seventh inning, starting with Roberts and Damon drawing walks, and ending with three straight RBI singles by Youkilis, Millar, and Ortiz. When the Tigers caught Ortiz in a rundown between first and second, Kapler, running for Millar, sprinted home and dived across the plate to extend the lead to 7-2 before Ortiz was tagged out. |
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