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THE CURSE OF THE
BAMBINO, PART 11 ... April 15, 2003 ... While Shea Hillenbrand's bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning, his fourth hit of the game, gave the Red Sox some emotional rescue in a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park, Bobby Howry, was optioned to Pawtucket, even before the “Bullpen By Committee” blew another late lead. Howry’s numbers - 12.46 ERA, .478 opponents' batting average - should have made it less than a total surprise that the Sox felt they were better served without him, at least for the time being. They might soon reach the same conclusion about Ramiro Mendoza, who is redefining the Mendoza Line. There is no lead big enough that the ex-Yankee can't put in jeopardy. Mendoza was tagged for four runs on four hits without retiring a batter in the eighth inning, when the D-Rays came back from a 5-1 deficit to tie. The vaunted sinker that made Mendoza so valuable to the Bombers has not been seen since he came to the Sox, raising the question of whether his career path could soon follow that of Alan Embree, who lost his velocity and last Saturday was placed on the disabled list. Sox manager Grady Little said he is unaware of why Mendoza's bread-and-butter pitch is remaining at tabletop level for hitters, who have wasted little time feasting on his deliveries (the ERA is 16.71 and climbing). Wasted were seven strong innings by lefthander Casey Fossum, who gave up a second-inning home run to Terry Shumpert in going seven for the second time in his career (he pitched seven innings in relief last season against the Devil Rays). He left with a 5-1 lead, which should have been a cue to kick back and relax, but he was icing his arm in the clubhouse when the Devil Rays hurtled back against Mendoza with a rally that featured four consecutive singles, including one by the Rhode Island Wonderboy, Rocco Baldelli. The noise from Baldelli's cheering section was soon drowned out by the boos for Mendoza, the quiet Panamanian waiting with his head down as Little replaced him. Marlon Anderson's pinch single off Mike Timlin brought home the two runs (charged to Mendoza) that tied the score, but a 1-2-3 ninth made a winner of the 37-year-old right-hander for the second time this season. The Sox, who had jumped on Devil Rays starter Nick Bierbrodt for 10 hits and 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings as Johnny Damon, who doubled and homered, and Jeremy Giambi who had an RBI double before knocking in another run charged to Bierbrodt with a single off Mike Venafro, began the winning rally when Bill Mueller drew a walk off Al Levine, Nomar Garciaparra singled him to second, and Manny Ramirez's fly ball got him to third. Left-handed reliever Bobby Seay walked pinch hitter Todd Walker to load the bases, and Hillenbrand delivered with a ground ball up the middle off the sixth D-Ray pitcher, Travis Harper. Hillenbrand said he remained calm and went with what he called the Nomar-Manny approach, hitting the ball up the middle. And for one night, anyway, he kept the wolves away from the bullpen. |
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