Red Sox Memoirs - Spiderman and The Rocket (1996 - )

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 15
Indians (21-15) @ Red Sox (22-14)
Indians 4 - Red Sox 9

Moyer gave us a solid start to help us win game #1 here! He went 6 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits. The offense came primarily from the 2-4 hitters of Rondell White, Nomar, and Bonds. White and Bonds homered, and each one of them drove in two runs.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-3, R, 2 RBI
WP - Jamie Moyer (5-4)
LP - Dennis Martinez (1-2)
SV - N/A
HR - Barry Bonds (11), Rondell White (10)

May 16
Indians (21-16) @ Red Sox (23-14)
Indians 2 - Red Sox 3

We take the first two in the series and go for the sweep tomorrow! Clemens pitched brilliantly, going 8 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs without walking anyone and striking out seven. Bonds homered again, while Larkin was 3-3 with a walk and two stolen bases.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 0-4, 2 K/8.1 IP, 5 BB, 0 BB, 2 ER, 7 K
WP - Roger Clemens (7-2)
LP - Bartolo Colon (3-3)
SV - Rich Garces (11)
HR - Barry Bonds (12)

May 17
Indians (21-17) @ Red Sox (24-14)
Indians 15 - Red Sox 4

Not the way I was hoping to end the series, but I can't complain about taking two of three from my main competition in the AL East. Radke got really roughed up, allowing five runs in four innings on nine hits. The rest of the staff didn't fare any better, as Stanton, Belinda, Shouse, and Maddux combined to give up 10 runs (eight earned) in 4 2/3 innings of work. Bonds had a big game, going 2-4 with two two-run home runs.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-4, R
WP - Jack McDowell (4-2)
LP - Brad Radke (7-2)
SV - N/A
HR - Barry Bonds 2 (14)

Thoughts: I definitely can't complain about where I am right now. 24-15, two games ahead of the Indians, second best record in the American League playing pretty solid baseball. We've got the draft in just a couple of weeks too, so it's time to start thinking about that and looking at who we might be taking.

Barry Bonds is playing like he wants his 4th MVP Award right now. In his last ten games he has six homers and 13 RBI's and a batting line of .289/.341/.841/1.183. His 14 homers rank him third in the AL (just three behind Juan Gonzalez's AL-leading 17), his 37 RBI's also put him third (13 behind Gonzalez's 50), and he's 4th in OPS at 1.105. And in the final game against the Indians he collected his 1000th career RBI!

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

Not anything interesting to report about so I'll just post the standings.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 18
Orioles (14-27) @ Red Sox (24-15)
Orioles 3 - Red Sox 5

Suppan beats David Wells and the Orioles two starts in a row. Suppan went seven innings and allowed just three runs. Garces then came in in the ninth and got save #12 of the season in a perfect inning, and lowered his ERA to 1.02. Jeff Cirillo homered in his first game back from injury, and Rondell White homered and drove in two runs.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4, R
WP - Jeff Suppan (3-5)
LP - David Wells (4-6)
SV - Rich Garces (12)
HR - Jeff Cirillo (3), Rondell White (11)

May 19
Orioles (14-28) @ Red Sox (25-15)
Orioles 9 - Red Sox 4

Not the best game Jamie Moyer has ever pitched. He allowed five runs in only three innings on four hits and four walks. Unfortunately Stan Belinda and Mike Stanton didn't help to keep it close either, as they pitched an inning a piece and allowed two runs a piece. Brad Ausmus provided us with our only big hit, a two run homer in the third inning.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4, K
WP - Scott Erickson (2-3)
LP - Jamie Moyer (5-5)
SV - John Parrish (1)
HR - Brad Ausmus (3)

May 20
Orioles (15-28) @ Red Sox (25-16)
Orioles 3 - Red Sox 6

Larkin homered to lead off our hitters, and we didn't look back from there. We also got homers out of Boone, a two-run shot, and from Bonds, a solo shot. Roger Clemens went seven innings and allowed only three runs on six hits and struck out five. Rondell White went hitless, but he did manage to hose Bobby Bonilla trying to tag up and score from third for his seventh outfield assist of the season, good for second in all of baseball.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4/7 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 5 K
WP - Roger Clemens (8-2)
LP - Garrett Stephenson (1-1)
SV - Rich Garces (13)
HR - Bret Boone (7), Barry Larkin (5), Barry Bonds (15)

Thoughts: We managed to put another game between us and the Indians to extend the lead to three games. We close out the month pretty easy, with four against the Brewers, three against the Pirates, and three against the Blue Jays.

In other fun news, Nomar recently had a huge rating spike. He went from an 86/95 with a contact rating of ~88 and a power rating of ~80 to a 90/98 with a contact rating of 94 and a power rating of 84.

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

Again nothing interesting to report, so I'll just show you some MLB leaders instead.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 21
Red Sox (26-16) @ Brewers (19-26)
Red Sox 3 - Brewers 1

One helluva game by Brad Radke. He held the Brewers hitless through 7 2/3 innings, and he might have actually thrown the no-hitter if an error by Bret Boone that would've been the third out of the inning hadn't extended the inning. Anyways, Kevin Seitzer was the one who broke it up with an RBI double. Radke went eight innings, allowed one unearned run on a hit and a walk, and struck out seven. Nomar, Cirillo, and Ausmus drove in our only three runs.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-4, RBI, SB
WP - Brad Radke (8-2)
LP - Cal Eldred (1-2)
SV - Rich Garces (14)
HR - Jeff Cirillo (4)

May 22
Red Sox (27-16) @ Brewers (19-27)
Red Sox 2 - Brewers 4

Well this time it was us getting the loss after being held hitless late into the game. Kevin Ritz held us hitless through 6+ innings until Larkin managed to hit a single to left-field to break it up. In spite of the near-no-hitter, we had opportunities to score and win this at the end (bases loaded in the 8th + Olerud at bat + two outs = pop out) but just couldn't get the one or two big hits we needed.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-3, BB, RBI, 3B
WP - Kevin Ritz (4-3)
LP - Jeff Suppan (3-6)
SV - Al Reyes (8)
HR - N/A

May 23
Red Sox (27-17) @ Brewers (20-27)
Red Sox 4 - Brewers 0

Nomar and Bonds go hitless, but eight shutout innings by Jamie Moyer help us win in spite of that. Olerud had a two-run single in the fifth that proved to be the biggest hit either team would get all game.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 0-3, BB, R, 2 K
WP - Jamie Moyer (6-5)
LP - Ben McDonald (3-5)
SV - N/A
HR - N/A

May 24
Red Sox (28-17) @ Brewers (20-28)
Red Sox 8 - Brewers 5

The only game in this series that didn't feature a near-no-hitter or a great outing by one of the pitchers. Henry got the win after going six innings and allowing four runs. Bonds was our big stick, going 3-4 with a walk, three runs, a steal, and a triple, while Cirillo and Larkin drove in two runs a piece.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4, BB
WP - Butch Henry (2-0)
LP - Steve Avery (0-5)
SV - Rich Garces (15)
HR - N/A

Thoughts: We're looking great right now, and taking three of four from the Brewers helped us extend our lead over the Indians to five full games. We're clicking on all cylinders right now. We're hitting well, pitching well, closing out games the best we have all season, and (aside from Bret Boone) playing superb defense.

Unfortunately after our last game against the Brewers we discovered we'd be without #4 starter Jamie Moyer for a while. Moyer, coming off a start in which he threw eight shutout innings, will miss the next 18 days with a sprained finger, which should work out to about three or four starts. Not sure whose gonna get the call yet, but the most likely candidates are lefty Hideki Okajima or righty Brian Rose. Moyer better hope that whoever starts in his place doesn't pitch too well, because the way he's pitched this season I would have no second thoughts about pulling him from the rotation.

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

ANGELS FIRST BASEMAN CHILI DAVIS HITS #300

Chili Davis, in his 17th big league season, has hit his 300th career home run. No one will ever mistake Davis for a Hall-of-Famer, but nevertheless he has been a very solid, consistent player in the Major Leagues. Davis has hit 20 or more homeruns in 9 of his 17 major league seasons, and made the All-Star team in '84, '86, and '94.

LOFTON SWIPES #300

Star Indians center fielder Kenny Lofton is now the most recent player to reach the 300 steal plateau. Lofton is one of the most prolific base stealers in the game today, swiping 30+ steals in every one of his full five seasons prior to this season, and stealing 50 or more in all but one of them. He's well on his way to that mark again this season, as #300 for his career marked #11 on the season.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 25
Red Sox (29-17) @ Pirates (23-25)
Red Sox 1 - Pirates 4

The Pirates keep doing what they've done all season - make us look foolish. Clemens put in a really solid start, seven innings of three run ball, but Zane Smith was just untouchable, allowing just one run over eight innings without walking a batter and giving up seven hits. Our only scoring play was Barry's fourth inning homer.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4, SB/7 IP, 7 H, BB, 3 ER, 4 K
WP - Zane Smith (6-2)
LP - Roger Clemens (8-3)
SV - Ricardo Rincon (7)
HR - Barry Bonds (16)

May 26
Red Sox (29-18) @ Pirates (24-25)
Red Sox 5 - Pirates 6

Nomar gives us two homers and four RBI's, and Radke gives us 6 1/3 solid innings of four run ball, and we still find a way to lose. This time that way was letting Mike Maddux pitch. Up a run in the eighth Mike Maddux was on the mound with Rich Aude at the plate and a man on base, and Mike Maddux promptly serves up a meatball that turned into a Rich Aude two-run homer and the Pirates lead. We managed to put two in scoring position in the ninth to give Pirates fan indigestion, but Bonds couldn't bring them around.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 4-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SB
WP - Marc Wilkins (1-0)
LP - Mike Maddux (1-1)
SV - Ricardo Rincon (8)
HR - Nomar Garciaparra 2 (6)

May 27
Red Sox (29-19) @ Pirates (25-25)
Red Sox 4 - Pirates 5

We're destined to never beat the Pirates again I think. This time we were leading into the eighth inning but they tied it with a Jeff King RBI. And then they won it by putting a run on the board in the bottom of the ninth when former Red Sox first baseman Reggie Jefferson singled.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 0-4
WP - Marc Wilkins (2-0)
LP - Brian Shouse (0-1)
SV - N/A
HR - N/A

Thoughts: Why can't we beat the Pirates? Honestly. We should have won the last two games of that series, and we blew it late in the game both times. If we had won those last two games we'd be up by five or so games still, but instead the Indians made up two games on us and they're just three games back now. We don't play them again until the end of June, so hopefully by then we'll have built up a good, solid cushion in the division.

Rich Garces has been absolutely filthy as our closer lately. He leads all of baseball in saves with 15, and has yet to blow a save. in 21 innings he's struck out 24 batters and walked just seven, as well as giving up just 15 hits (BAA of .192). And best of all, in those 21 innings he has allowed just two runs to cross home plate, giving him a staggeringly low ERA of 0.86.

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

MILESTONES IN CHI-TOWN

On consecutive days we have iconic players in the city of Chicago hitting significant career milestones, for two different teams I might add! In Cubs land Ryne Sandberg collected RBI #1,000 of his career, and on the south side Harold Baines got career hit #2,500. Sandberg has built up quite the resume, playing his whole career with the Cubs, and looks like a borderline Hall-of-Famer, putting up superb offensive numbers at a traditionally defensive position.

Baines spent his age 20-30 seasons with the White Sox, before defecting to Texas, Oakland, and Baltimore. He rejoined the White Sox last season and has been as good as ever, hitting 27 homers in his first season back with the team.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 28
Blue Jays (26-24) @ Red Sox (29-20)
Blue Jays 3 - Red Sox 10

Brian Rose put in a surprisingly good start in place of Moyer. He went seven innings and allowed only one run on five hits. If he gives us more starts like that while Moyer's on the DL he'll stand a good chance of keeping his spot in the rotation. We also managed to put up 10 runs, which is always good. The big inning was the eighth when Barry Bonds and John Olerud went back-to-back with home runs. Bonds' was a three run shot, while Olerud's was solo. We also found out that Barry Bonds will miss a few games due to shoulder bursitis after this game.

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
B. Larkin (SS)        5  1  0  0  0  0  1  0    .267
R. White (CF)         5  3  0  1  0  1  1  0    .291
N. Garciaparra (DH)   5  2  0  2  0  0  1  0    .344
B. Bonds (LF)         4  2  1  3  1  3  0  0    .303
J. Olerud (1B)        4  3  1  2  1  1  0  0    .315
B. Boone (2B)         5  3  0  1  0  3  0  1    .255
T. Nixon (RF)         4  0  1  0  0  0  0  0    .247
J. Cirillo (3B)       5  3  0  0  0  1  1  0    .268
B. Ausmus (C)         4  1  0  1  0  0  2  0    .216
TOTALS               41 18  3 10  2  9  6  1

   2B:  B. Ausmus (7), B. Boone (11), J. Cirillo (6), R. White (7)
   3B:  N. Garciaparra (4)
   HR:  J. Olerud (8), B. Bonds (17)

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         B. Rose  7.0  5  2  0  1  1  3 100   1.29
       B. Shouse  2.0  3  1  0  2  2  3  48   2.76
          TOTALS  9.0  8  3  0  3  3  6 148

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-5, 2 R, 3B
WP - Brian Rose (1-0)
LP - Roy Halladay (4-3)
SV - N/A
HR - Barry Bonds (17), John Olerud (8)

May 29
Blue Jays (26-25) @ Red Sox (30-20)
Blue Jays 3 - Red Sox 7

We managed to win this game in spite of Butch Henry not making it through the fifth inning. The top of the lineup performed admirably, as both Larkin and Cirillo went 3-4 with an RBI, with Larkin scoring three times and Cirillo once. Olerud also managed to drive in two runs without collecting a hit.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 0-2, 2 BB
WP - Heathcliff Slocumb (1-0)
LP - Jason Frasor (2-1)
SV - N/A
HR - N/A

May 30
Blue Jays (26-26) @ Red Sox (31-20)
Blue Jays 8 - Red Sox 9

We won in spite of a six earned runs allowed by Clemens in five innings. Belinda allowed the other two runs in the eighth and actually allowed them to tie the game before we got a run in the eighth as well to reclaim the lead. Nomar had a fantastic game at the plate, accounting for 2/3 of our runs by scoring three times and driving in three runs.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 3-3, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI/5 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 6 ER, 6 K
WP - Rich Garces (1-1)
LP - Mike Timlin (1-2)
SV - N/A
HR - Nomar Garciaparra (7)

Thoughts: A great month for us at 17-11. We're still four up on the Indians, and we actually have the second best record in the AL. We trail the Mariners by just 1/2 game in that department. Unfortunately we're starting to get hit with injuries. Bonds went down for three games with shoulder bursitis, Moyer's hurt, and we even just found out that Mike Stanton is gonna miss 10 days with shoulder separation. We also have some guys on our team getting, which is a problem since we don't have an off day until June 21st. Hopefully we can weather the storm and our bench can give us some good play when I have to rest guys.

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AROUND THE LEAGUE

Monthly update coming up next, no need for this this time.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

STANDINGS AND LEADERS
MAY

AMERICAN LEAGUE

DIVISIONAL

WILD CARD

BATTING LEADERS

PITCHING LEADERS

THOUGHTS ABOUT AL STANDINGS/LEADERS

Very surprised to see Texas doing so well. They've got a great offense, but I didn't think they had the pitching to hang around. I'm not so sure I believe that they're gonna stick around the rest of the season, but it's nice to see them doing well, even if it's just the first couple of months. It helps that they've still got Juan Gone hitting like a machine, though. It's also nice to see some Red Sox representing in the league leaders. And how 'bout the year Randy Johnson is having? 114 K's in 77 IP.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

DIVISIONAL

WILD CARD

BATTING LEADERS

PITCHING LEADERS

THOUGHTS ABOUT NL STANDINGS/LEADERS

The Braves put some ground between themselves and the Yankees, which is a little surprising to me. Although I suppose you can expect that level of dominance when four of your five starting pitchers are in the top 10 in ERA. I'm thinking they're easily the favorite for the World Series at this point, but who knows what happens the rest of the way. Los Angeles is handling the west a little too easily, however. Might do a little bit (more) realignment and/or relocation to fix that for next year.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

TEAM UPDATE
MAY

PITCHING

Pitching Stats                 GP      GS     REC      SV     ERA      IP       H       R      ER      HR      BB       K    DICE    WHIP     PIT  RUNSUP    QUAL

B. Radke                       12      12     8-2       0    3.21    87.0      81      32      31       8      13      59    3.29    1.08    1090     6.1       6
R. Clemens                     13      13     8-3       0    4.26    80.1      81      40      38       8      17      69    3.21    1.22    1406     5.4       9
J. Suppan                      12      12     3-6       0    6.09    65.0      78      52      44       7      22      41    4.15    1.54    1041     4.8       3
J. Moyer                       11      11     6-5       0    5.49    62.1      69      38      38       7      25      48    4.12    1.51    1036     5.4       5
M. Stanton                     23       0     1-1       1    5.74    26.2      31      17      17       5       8      17    5.06    1.46     451                  
S. Belinda                     17       0     0-0       1    3.91    25.1      22      13      11       1       9      23    2.76    1.22     467                  
R. Garces                      21       0     1-1      15    0.76    23.2      19       2       2       0       7      27    1.61    1.10     407                  
H. Slocumb                     23       0     1-0       0    5.73    22.0      30      16      14       2      15      19    4.50    2.05     471                  
M. Maddux                      16       0     1-1       0    7.06    21.2      31      22      17       5       8      15    5.72    1.80     413                  
B. Henry                        3       3     2-0       0    3.86    18.2      21       9       8       2       4      10    3.96    1.34     279     6.7       1
B. Shouse                      14       0     0-1       0    2.76    16.1      18       5       5       2       9      10    5.02    1.65     296                  
B. Rose                         1       1     1-0       0    1.29     7.0       5       1       1       0       2       3    3.00    1.00     100    10.0       1
Pitching Totals:               52      52   32-20      17    4.46   456.0     486     247     226      47     139     341    3.76    1.37    7457     5.6      25

Clemens and Radke have been the only two in the starting rotation worth their salt, and even Clemens has been having a down year (by his standards). Radke's been great, and although he's slotted at #2 he's really been the ace of the staff. As you can see, he ties for the team lead in wins, leads in ERA, places second in K's, and has the fewest walks in the starting rotation. Radke's looking like a really good candidate for Cy Young right now, assuming Randy Johnson ever stops striking people out.

Similar situation in the bullpen. Garces has been fantastic, and Shouse and Belinda have been solid, but the rest of the 'pen stinks to high heaven. Every time Maddux, Slocumb, or Stanton enters the game I just want to look away. And unfortunately I don't currently have great depth in the bullpen, so there's not really anyone I think would do any better if I called them up. Hopefully they'll start pitching like Major Leaguers (and stop pitching like little leagues) soon, so I don't have to make any moves.

BATTING

Batting Stats               AVG/OBP/SLG    GP    GS    AB     R     H    2B    3B    HR   RBI    BB     K    SB    CS  wOBA  GIDP RC/27   HBP

B. Larkin                .276/.343/.435    51    51   214    41    59    13     3     5    26    22    28     9     4  .341     2  1.18     0
R. White                 .290/.327/.495    50    50   214    39    62     7     2    11    37    10    39     3     0  .353     6  1.27     2
N. Garciaparra           .350/.393/.514    52    52   214    33    75     6     4     7    30    11    17     4     0  .395     6  1.56     4
B. Boone                 .258/.332/.453    51    51   190    23    49    12     2     7    33    16    45     1     1  .342     3  0.97     5
J. Olerud                .308/.418/.503    52    52   185    33    57    10     1     8    40    31    25     0     0  .405     7  1.38     4
B. Bonds                 .303/.421/.674    50    50   178    50    54    11     2    17    43    36    29     4     1  .455     8  1.88     0
T. Nixon                 .243/.323/.362    49    49   177    25    43     7     1     4    21    21    23     1     0  .308     8  0.77     0
B. Ausmus                .217/.274/.337    48    48   166    23    36     7     2     3    17    12    23     0     1  .272     5  0.54     1
J. Cirillo               .279/.350/.394    47    47   165    18    46     7     0     4    21    17    20     0     1  .333     5  0.82     1
J. Frye                  .364/.417/.409     6     6    22     2     8     1     0     0     4     2     4     2     0  .374     1  0.16     0
P. Clark                 .100/.100/.100     5     5    20     0     2     0     0     0     1     0     5     0     1  .090     0  0.00     0
J. Oliver                .200/.200/.200     4     4    15     1     3     0     0     0     0     0     2     1     0  .180     0  0.03     0
D. Hosey                 .300/.364/.400     3     3    10     2     3     1     0     0     0     1     2     0     0  .342     0  0.05     0
Batting Totals:          .281/.352/.458    52    52  1770   290   497    82    17    66   273   179   262    25     9  .355    51          17

We've got some real, real bright spots on offense. Most notably, Nomar, Bonds, and White. Nomar started a little slow, but really tore it up by hitting .373 in the month of May. Similar story with Bonds as 12 of his homers came in May. White actually faltered in May, hitting about .239, but I can't complain about 11 homers. Bonds has also been walking like he has a laser eye for the strike zone. But unfortunately, for every bright spot there's another dark spot. Ausmus has been epically bad (.609 OPS), as has Nixon (.685 OPS).

Although I have noticed that we've been offensively deficient on the road, which has led to a poor road W-L record. We're a .239/.309/.366 team on the road, as opposed to .306/.362/.535 at home. The aforementioned Ausmus, for example, is a .308/.341/.513 hitter in Fenway Park, as opposed to being a .163/.196/.245 on the road. Even Bonds falls from .353/.463/1.029 at home to .281/.397/.614 on the road. The startling difference in offense on the road has led to us having a 22-5 record at home and being 10-15 away from home.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

SPIDERMAN AND ROCKET UPDATE
MAY

DH/SS NOMAR GARCIAPARRA (90/98), #3 BATTER, 23 YEARS OLD

Season expectations: I'm hoping that with a full-season under his belt he'll be able to crack 200 hits, 100 RBI's (again), 30 homers, and a .900-1.000 OPS. I'm also hoping to see him finish in the top 5-10 in hits and batting average.

Nomar TORE SHIZ UP in May. He hit at a .373/.410/.564 clip in May, as well as belting four long-balls and driving in fifteen runners. He collected a team leading 41 hits in the month and stealing four bases. His play in the month of May brought him to 75 hits, seven homers, 30 RBI's, and a line of .350/.391/.514/.905 for the season. A big reason for the step up in his play, in my opinion, is the ratings spike he saw about half way through the month, going from 86/95 to 90/98.

After May he ranks the following on the team:

• 1st in Batting Average
• T-2nd in Steals
• T-4th in Homers
• 5th in RBI's
• T-3rd in Runs
• 3rd in On-base Percentage
• 2nd in Slugging Percentage
• 3rd in OPS

Additionally he ranks at the following in the American League:

• 5th in Batting Average
• 3rd in Hits

And he's not too far off the leader board in slugging percentage and OPS. He's well on his way to hitting most of the expectations I have for him. As of now it looks like he'll fall a little short on the homers and RBI's, but he's looking like he'll nail the other ones.

Nomar's Game of the Month

May 26th vs. Pirates

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
N. Garciaparra (DH)   5  4  0  2  2  4  1  1    .350

SP ROGER CLEMENS (93), #1 STARTING PITCHER, 34 YEARS OLD
[/URL]

Season expectations: I'm not expecting another twenty win, high 2.00's or low 3.00's ERA from Clemens again. However I do think it would be reasonable to expect 14+ wins, an ERA around 3.50 to 4.00, and 200 innings pitched.

Clemens has taken a step back since last year. Unlike Nomar, Clemens is getting old and a small decline is expected in his case. He's still pitched at a very good level, however. May was a little rough on Clemens, though. His ERA for May was 4.95. He did lead the team in innings pitched and strikeouts for the month, with 43 2/3 and 38, though.

Ranks on the team for the season:

• T-1st in Wins
• 2nd in ERA
• 2nd in IP
• 1st in K's
• 2nd in BAA
• 2nd in WHIP

Ranks in AL this season:

• 3rd in IP
• 3rd in K's

Again he comes in second to Brad Radke in all those categories. Though he is looking good for hitting my expectations for him. His ERA might be a little high, but I would expect that to come down by the end of the season.

CLEMENS GAME OF THE MONTH

May 16th vs. Blue Jays

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
      R. Clemens  8.1  5  0  1  2  2  7 129   3.82

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

May 31
Red Sox (32-20) @ Angels (23-31)
Red Sox 6 - Angels 8

We kinda blew this one. Going into the bottom of the fourth we led 5-0, but the first of two Jim Edmonds homers in the game changed that quickly. After that we didn't score again until the top of the ninth on Nomar's solo homer. Edmonds and Anderson really killed us. They combined to hit three homers and drive in seven runs in the game.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-5, HR, 2 RBI
WP - Lou Pote (3-0)
LP - Mike Maddux (1-2)
SV - Troy Percival (9)
HR - Trot Nixon (5), Nomar Garciaparra (8)

====================================================================

June 1
Red Sox (32-21) @ Angels (24-31)
Red Sox 12 - Angels 4

Wowza. Bonds doubles and drives in three runs in his return from injury, Olerud also doubles and drives in three runs, everyone but Nixon gets a hit, and the list goes on.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 4-6, 3 R, 2 RBI
WP - Jeff Suppan (4-6)
LP - Mark Langston (2-7)
SV - Brian Shouse (1)
HR - N/A

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
B. Larkin (SS)        6  1  0  2  0  0  0  0    .276
R. White (CF)         5  3  1  3  0  1  1  0    .290
N. Garciaparra (DH)   6  4  0  3  0  2  0  0    .360
B. Bonds (LF)         4  2  1  2  0  3  0  1    .308
J. Olerud (1B)        4  2  2  0  0  3  0  0    .314
B. Boone (2B)         4  1  2  0  0  2  1  0    .254
T. Nixon (RF)         4  0  0  0  0  1  1  0    .245
J. Cirillo (3B)       5  1  0  1  0  0  0  0    .280
B. Ausmus (C)         3  1  1  1  0  0  0  0    .221
TOTALS               41 15  7 12  0 12  3  1

   2B:  J. Olerud (12), B. Bonds (12)
   3B:  B. Larkin (4)
   HBP:  B. Ausmus, B. Bonds
   GIDP:  J. Cirillo

====================================================================

June 2
Red Sox (33-21) @ Angels (24-32)
Red Sox 8 - Angels 2

Another fantastic game out of the offense. Larkin led off the game with a homer, and then Bret Boone whacked a three run bomb in the same inning. Brian Rose also gave us another great start, allowing just two earned runs over seven innings and striking out four.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 4-5, HR, RBI
WP - Brian Rose (2-0)
LP - Chuck Finley (2-5)
SV - N/A
HR - Bret Boone (8), Barry Larkin (6), Rondell White (12), Nomar Garciaparra (9)

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
B. Larkin (SS)        4  3  1  2  1  2  0  0    .284
R. White (CF)         5  3  0  2  1  2  1  0    .297
N. Garciaparra (DH)   5  4  0  1  1  1  0  0    .370
B. Bonds (LF)         3  1  2  1  0  0  0  0    .308
J. Olerud (1B)        5  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .307
B. Boone (2B)         5  1  0  1  1  3  0  0    .252
T. Nixon (RF)         4  2  1  1  0  0  1  0    .250
J. Cirillo (3B)       5  1  0  0  0  0  0  0    .278
B. Ausmus (C)         5  0  0  0  0  0  2  0    .215
TOTALS               41 15  4  8  4  8  6  0

   2B:  T. Nixon 2 (9)
   3B:  B. Larkin (5)
   HR:  B. Boone (8), B. Larkin (6), R. White (12), N. Garciaparra (9)
   GIDP:  R. White

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         B. Rose  7.0  6  1  2  2  2  4 103   1.93
       B. Shouse  2.0  1  0  0  0  0  3  25   2.78
          TOTALS  9.0  7  1  2  2  2  7 128

====================================================================

June 3
Red Sox (34-21) @ Angels (24-33)
Red Sox 8 - Angels 6 (10 innings)

Fantastic game. We got a run in the ninth to tie it, follow a Joe Oliver single after John Olerud was bunted into scoring position, and then Rondell White came off the bench and hit a pinch-hit-bases-loaded double for three runs as the game-winning hit. Olerud homered in the first for three runs to give him nine homers for the season, as well.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4, K/7 IP, 8 H, BB, 4 ER, 3 K
WP - Heathcliff Slocumb (2-0)
LP - Troy Percival (0-1)
SV - N/A
HR - John Olerud (9)

====================================================================

Thoughts: Can't complain about taking three of four from anyone . This puts us 5.5 up on the Indians and keeps us 1/2 game back of the best record in the AL.

The top two of Barry Larkin and Rondell White are really getting the job done right now. In his last ten, White is hitting .341/.372/.512 with a homer and nine RBI's, and in Larkin's last ten he's hitting .341/.396/.964 with a homer, eight RBI's, and three steals.

====================================================================

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Draft post comin' up.....

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

TOP TEN PICKS, FIRST ROUND,
AND OTHER NOTABLE PICKS

#1 - OAKLAND A'S
2B Akinori Iwamura (73/96)

#2 - MINNESOTA TWINS
SP Johan Santana (78/90)

#3 - KANSAS CITY ROYALS
SP Brandon Webb (79/87)

#4 - SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
CF Norris Hopper (78/86)

#5 - DETROIT TIGERS
SP Bud Smith (65/98)

#6 - MILWAUKEE BREWERS
1B Ryan Shealy (77/85)

#7 - NEW YORK METS
1B Lance Niekro (67/93)

#8 - TEXAS RANGERS
RF Jorge Piedra (77/85)

#9 - TORONTO BLUE JAYS
C Eliezer Alfonzo (76/84)

#10 - MONTREAL EXPOS
CF Tim Raines (75/83)

  10. Pirates         Koyie Hill                (C)
  11. Phillies        Chris Aguila              (RF)
  12. Reds            Terry Tiffee              (3B)
  13. Braves          Chris Roberson            (RF)
  14. Cubs            Tommy Murphy              (CF)
  15. Padres          Alay Soler                (P)
  16. White Sox       Chip Ambres               (CF)
  17. Marlins         Garrett Atkins            (3B)
  18. Cardinals       Carlos Maldonado          (C)
  19. Orioles         Humberto Quintero         (C)
  20. Rockies         Jason Dubois              (LF)
  21. Astros          Sean Green                (P)
  22. Angels          Clay Hensley              (P)
  23. Red Sox         EDITED OUT FOR SECRECY                 (XX)
  24. Mariners        Humberto Cota             (C)
  25. Indians         Juan Brito                (C)
  26. Dodgers         Kevin Cameron             (P)
  27. Yankees         Juan Uribe                (SS)

1B Kevin Youkilis (65/87) - Round #2, 46 overall, Florida Marlins
SP Erik Bedard (69/84) - Round #2, 50 overall, Houston Astros
SP Mark Buehrle (67/84) - Round #3, 68 overall, Philadelphia Phillies
1B Ryan Howard (64/81) - Round #4, 87 overall, Kansas City Royals
CF Rick Ankiel (67/79) - Round #4, 89 overall, Detroit Tigers

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

RED SOX DRAFT REVIEW

1ST ROUND, #24 OVERALL
RF Adam Dunn (67/90)

There really wasn't a whole lot left that I was interested in when it came to my pick in the first round. The guy I was really hoping for was Garrett Atkins, and he went six or so picks before mine. Regardless of the fact that Dunn wasn't really who I originally wanted, I still consider this a good pick. I drafted him as a left fielder but immediately converted him to right. I figure Bonds is entrenched at left for the foreseeable future, and Nixon not so much so in right due to his struggles this season. Anyways, Dunn already has a great eye for the strikezone and prolific power, plus he's healthy as an ox. His fielding and contact may not be up to par, but I mostly drafted him for his power anyways. I'm hoping he can turn out to be a .260 hitters with 40+ home runs.

2ND ROUND, #52 OVERALL
SS KHALIL GREENE (54/90)

Again wasn't much there that I was all that interested in, but this is who I went with in the end. Looks like Greene can turn out to be a really good defender with some good pop. He's not very fast, and he lacks plate discipline and contact, but short stop is a position I always look for defense first, and if he develops as expected he could very well be a future Gold Glove winner in the Major Leagues.

3RD ROUND, #80 OVERALL
3B ADRIAN BELTRE (64/83)

I reached for Beltre a little bit with this pick. There were some guys with higher peaks available, but I like Beltre a lot, and I figured he probably wouldn't make it to me in the next round, so I snatched him up while I could. The thing that really sold me about Beltre is his glove. If he can make it to the majors, his glove will win him some awards and get him a lot of recognition. Although his bat isn't as good as his glove, he still looks like he'll be a very strong hitter, probably good for .280 and 20 homers. I'll take that with Gold Glove defense at the hot corner any day.

REMAINDER OF MY PICKS

4TH ROUND, #108 OVERALL
C SERGIO LARRINAGA (63/79)

5TH ROUND, #136 OVERALL
CL Justin Wayne (52/75)

6TH ROUND, #164 OVERALL
SP Ian Ayson (47/71)

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June 4
Rockies (27-29) @ Red Sox (35-21)
Rockies 2 - Red Sox 4

If not for an error this would've been a complete game shutout for Radke. But as it was, Radke still got the complete, allowed two unearned runs on eight hits, and struck out six, dropping his season ERA to 3.21. The offense was pretty spread throughout the lineup. However, Barry Larkin did go 3-4 with a double, a run, and his tenth stolen base of the season.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-3, BB, R
WP - Brad Radke (9-2)
LP - John Thomson (0-2)
SV - N/A
HR - Brad Ausmus (4)

====================================================================

June 5
Rockies (27-30) @ Red Sox (36-21)
Rockies 7 - Red Sox 3

Oyve. Somehow a guy with an ERA near 8.00 managed to shut us down for seven innings in this game. Roger Bailey held us to just two runs on eight hits over the first seven innings. We got guys on base against him, we just couldn't bring them around. Jeff Suppan also lost his 7th game in 14 starts this season (he only lost 6 in 26 all of last season), after allowing four runs in 4+ innings.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 0-4, K
WP - Roger Bailey (3-2)
LP - Jeff Suppan (4-7)
SV - N/A
HR - Barry Bonds (18)

====================================================================

June 6
Rockies (28-30) @ Red Sox (36-22)
Rockies 1 - Red Sox 16

Talk about offense! We scored in every inning we batted in except the 7th and 8th (we didn't bat in the ninth), including 13 runs between the 3rd, 4th, and 5th innings! Barry Bonds homered and drove in five runs, to help him cross the 20 homer and 50 RBI threshhold for the season, and Larkin drove in four as well. Everyone got at least one hit, and everyone but B-Lark scored.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-5, 2 R
WP - Brian Rose (3-0)
LP - Bryan Rekar (1-2)
SV - Brian Shouse (2)
HR - Barry Bonds 2 (20), Rondell White (13)

BOSTON               ab  h bb  r hr bi  k sb     avg
B. Larkin (SS)        5  2  0  0  0  4  0  0    .298
R. White (CF)         6  2  0  2  1  2  0  1    .292
N. Garciaparra (DH)   5  2  0  2  0  0  0  0    .362
B. Bonds (LF)         5  4  0  3  2  5  0  1    .315
J. Olerud (1B)        4  3  1  2  0  0  1  0    .316
B. Boone (2B)         2  2  1  3  0  1  0  0    .263
T. Nixon (RF)         4  1  1  2  0  1  1  0    .254
J. Cirillo (3B)       4  1  0  1  0  1  0  0    .286
B. Ausmus (C)         5  2  0  1  0  2  1  0    .216
TOTALS               40 19  3 16  3 16  3  2

   2B:  J. Olerud 2 (14), T. Nixon (10)
   3B:  B. Ausmus (3)
   HR:  B. Bonds 2 (20), R. White (13)
   HBP:  B. Boone, J. Cirillo
   GIDP:  T. Nixon

          BOSTON   ip  h bb hr  r er  k pit    ERA
         B. Rose  6.0  9  2  0  1  1  4  99   1.80
       B. Shouse  3.0  2  2  0  0  0  3  46   3.29
          TOTALS  9.0 11  4  0  1  1  7 145

====================================================================

Date
Rockies (28-31) @ Red Sox (37-22)
Rockies 0 - Red Sox 3

What a splendid start by our #5 starter, Butch Henry. Henry went eight innings without allowing a run. He allowed just two hits, walked four, and struck out four. Rich Garces came in and got the save by pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts. Nomar fell just a home run short of hitting for the cycle for the second time in his career (and the second time in as many seasons). Gubicza also pitched well on the other side, allowing just three runs over seven innings, but it wasn't enough to beat Henry on this day.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 3-4, 2B, 3B, R, RBI
WP - Butch Henry (3-0)
LP - Mark Gubicza (8-3)
SV - Rich Garces (16)
HR - N/A

====================================================================

Thoughts: Apparently the Indians are starting to heat up. Even after taking three of four from the Rockies, we still remain 5.5 games up. Nevertheless, we continue to play well at home, winning 25 and losing just 6 in the confines of Fenway Park, which is why it's so important that we not only win the division, but finish with the best record in the American League. Currently we hold a 1/2 game lead in that department.

Juan Gonzalez is the clear runaway MVP award winner right now, but should he ever return to planet Earth, Barry Bonds will be right there waiting for him. Gonzalez's .362/.428/.742/1.170 with 27 homers and 67 RBI's dwarfs Bonds numbers. But Bonds .314/.428/.686/1.114 with 20 homers and 54 RBI's dwarfs everyone elses. I personally think there's no way in hell Gonzalez keeps up the pace he's on, and if that happens I think there's a really good chance Bonds will win his fourth MVP award, and first in the American League.

====================================================================

AROUND THE LEAGUE

DRABEK INKS ON THE DOTTED LINE

Astros starter Doug Drabek, coming off a 20 win season, recently agreed to a new deal with the team. Drabek's deal takes him through the 2000 season, and is worth 3,000,000 a year over that time frame.

TALKS OF RELOCATION AND EXPANSION TRICKLING DOWN FROM COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE

Recent rumblings from the Commishes office suggest that the league will be expanding following the completion of either this season or next season. The two sites that are reportedly to be agreed upon are Tampa Bay and Arizona. Not only that, but there is also talk of relocating the Florida Marlins. The most likely site at this point appears to be Salt Lake City, Utah. If such a thing were to happen, the Marlins would then become a member of the NL west, and would give the Dodgers some serious competition in that division.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June 8
Pirates (31-29) @ Red Sox (38-22)
Pirates 0 - Red Sox 3

Fantastic start by Clemens to help us win our first game of the season against the Pirates. Clemens pitched the complete game shutout, allowing only three hits, and striking out two. Bret Boone gave us our big hit in the fifth with his two-run homer.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-3 BB, R/9 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K
WP - Roger Clemens (9-3)
LP - Denny Neagle (5-3)
SV - N/A
HR - Bret Boone (9)

====================================================================

June 9
Pirates (31-30) @ Red Sox (39-22)
Pirates 3 - Red Sox 4

Awwwww yeahhhh, two in a row over the team that has been my bane so far this season! Radke gives us his second complete game in a row, allowing three runs on nine hits and striking out five this time. The game did come down to the ninth inning, however. With two men on, Jeff Cirillo came to the plate and ripped the walk-off double into left-center field.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-4, R, 2 2B
WP - Brad Radke (10-2)
LP - Dan Miceli (0-1)
SV - N/A
HR - Barry Larkin (7), Barry Bonds (21)

====================================================================

Date
Pirates (31-31) @ Red Sox (40-22)
Pirates 4 - Red Sox 2

We managed to mount a late rally, but we didn't get quite enough for the win. We had the winning run at the plate with one out in the ninth inning, but Bret Boone grounded in to a double play to end the game. Still can't complain about taking two of three from a team that I hadn't beaten once in six or nine games prior to this series though.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-4, 2B
WP - Francicso Cordova (4-3)
LP - Jeff Suppan (4-8)
SV - Ricardo Rincon (10)
HR - N/A

====================================================================

Thoughts: The Indians picked up a game on us, but we're still sitting in the driver seat at 4.5 ahead. Next up we've got games on the road against the Cardinals and Rockies, before we come home and play the Angels and Mets. Fortunately we've only got 10 more days until our off-day on the 21st. We really need it because we've got a lot of guys who are tired and sore. And they're guys we need in the line-up too, like Larkin and White. I've also got a tough decision on my hands. Jamie Moyer is due to return to us in our next game, but Brian Rose has been studly since his call-up. In three starts he's 3-0 with an ERA of 1.80. I'm thinking about pulling Suppan from the rotation, sticking him in the bullpen, and Moyer can take his spot.

Nomar's just going on a tear in every way possible right now. Five of his 11 doubles for the season have come in the last ten games, as well as a home run, a triple, and four RBI's. Over those ten games he's hitting a staggering .476/.511/.714/1.225 to raise his season line to .372/.411/.556/.967! His .372 batting average is also good for first in the American League!

However, he's not the only shortstop on the roster that's tearing the cover off the ball right now. In Larkin's last ten games he's hitting .378/.404/.711/1.115 with two homers, 10 RBI's, and three steals! His play of late has brought his season numbers to .293/.351/.483/.834 with seven homers, 36 RBI's, and 12 steals.

====================================================================

AROUND THE LEAGUE

YANKEES TAKE MAJOR BLOW

The New York Yankees suffered a serious blow to their line-up. All-Star center fielder Bernie Williams went down with a fractured foot for two weeks. At the time of the injury Bernie was looking like a good candidate for NL MVP, hitting .349/.410/.606 with 14 home runs and an NL-leading 71 RBI's.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

SOX CLOSE DEAL WITH GARCES

The American League East leading Boston Red Sox came to an agreement with their closer, Rich "El Guapo" Garces. The deal will keep Garces with the team through the 1999 season and will pay him 2.3 million dollars per season.

Garces has been excellent since being inserted into the closers role mid-way through last season. Last season he logged 28 saves in 32 chances and an ERA of 3.31 in 50 games, and this season he's been even better. In 23 games Garces has pitched 25 2/3 innings, logged 16 saves, just one blown save, and an ERA of 0.70. He has also struck out 31, walked only seven, and held opposing batters to a .198 batting average. Additionally, he hasn't allowed a run in his last ten appearances, while collecting six saves and a win in that time frame.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June 11
Red Sox (40-23) @ Cardinals (34-29)
Red Sox 8 - Cardinals 2

Well, with this start Brian Rose has cemented himself in the rotation, for the time being anyways. Over seven innings he allowed just two runs on four runs with four K's. Cirillo and Ausmus had big games at the plate, with Cirillo homering and driving in three, and Ausmus doubling twice and driving in three as well.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-4, BB, 2 R, HR, RBI
WP - Brian Rose (4-0)
LP - Matt Morris (1-5)
SV - N/A
HR - Jeff Cirillo (5), Nomar Garciaparra (10)

====================================================================

June 12
Red Sox (41-23) @ Cardinals (34-30)
Red Sox 5 - Cardinals 3

Nixon actually managed to do something with the bat for once in his life, homering and driving in two runs. Butch Henry put in a good six innings, allowing just two runs on a walk and nine hits. El Guapo also notched his 17th save, striking out four in 1 1/3 innings and walking one.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 1-3, BB, R, RBI
WP - Butch Henry (4-0)
LP - Danny Jackson (4-6)
SV - Rich Garces (17)
HR - Trot Nixon (6)

====================================================================

June 13
Red Sox (42-23) @ Cardinals (34-31)
Red Sox 3 - Cardinals 1

Another strong start by Clemens means we'll be going for the four-game sweep with Radke on the mound in the next game. Clemens went seven innings, allowed just one earned run, gave up six hits, walked three, and struck out four. Larkin continued his hot-hitting, going 2-4 with a homer.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 2-4/7 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, ER, 4 K
WP - Roger Clemens (10-3)
LP - Danny Osborne (4-4)
SV - Rich Garces (18)
HR - Barry Larkin (8)

====================================================================

June 14
Red Sox (43-23) @ Cardinals (34-32)
Red Sox 4 - Cardinals 2

Three complete games in a row for Brad Radke gives us a four game sweep over the Card's! He allowed only two runs in spite of ten hits, and struck out nine without walking a batter. Nixon and Joe Oliver both drove in runs without getting hits, and Bonds hit home run #22 of the season.

NOMAR/CLEMENS - 0-3, BB, R
WP - Brad Radke (11-2)
LP - Andy Benes (4-1)
SV - N/A
HR - Barry Bonds (22)

====================================================================

Thoughts: The sweep helps us put another game between ourselves and the Indians. We currently sit at 5 1/2 games back, and we play the Indians again at the end of the month. If we can keep up this pace through that series we could put the East away very, very early.

You remember that MVP race I was talking about a couple posts ago? Due to Juan Gone hitting just .220/.256/.463/.719 in his last ten games, and Bonds still hitting like a maniac at .361/.439/.833/1.272 with five homers and 10 RBI's in his last ten he's made up some considerable ground! He now trails Gonzo by just five homers, 11 RBI's, and 2 points in OPS.

====================================================================

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Nothing too interesting to report about, so I'll hit you with some updated league standings: