RED HOT SOX KEEP PRESSURE ON
By Steve Marsi
The bandwagon is officially nearing capacity.
Red Sox Nation is reveling in Boston’s torrid play during the month of August, and with good reason. The team has gone 20-7 this month, taking a 1 game lead in the Wild Card race and making the A.L. East a race again, climbing within 4 games of New York. With six straight victories and 12 in their last 13 outings, the Sox are making winning look easier than Jennifer Lopez. Their terrific play can be attributed primarily to two factors, clutch hitting and starting pitching. Excelling in these areas can transform a team from average to dominant in a short time, which is what has happened with Boston (76-53).
Despite the absences of Trot Nixon, Pokey Reese, Jason Varitek, Kevin Youkilis, Mark Bellhorn, Bill Mueller, Keith Foulke, and even Manny Ramirez for all or part of this month, the Red Sox haven’t missed a beat on offense. Two-out rallies and clutch performances are now as common as the lineup changes Terry Francona is forced to make each night. From Doug Mirabelli’s decisive home run last Tuesday to Ricky Gutierrez’s three hits on Friday, everyone is playing a role and making the most of it.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Ramirez (34 HR, 104 RBI, 1.024 OPS) and David Ortiz (33 HR, 114 RBI, .980 OPS), the American League’s deadliest duo, have everyone’s back. Or that three other guys – Varitek (.426 average in August), Mueller (.355) and Bellhorn (.325) – are on fire of late.
Boston’s starting rotation has been hotter than the recent New England weather, and has played an even greater role in the team’s success. All five starters went seven innings or more in their last outings and earned victories. It doesn’t get better than that. Tim Wakefield (11-7) just won for the fifth time this month, while Bronson Arroyo (7-9) has become a viable dependable starter and Derek Lowe (12-10) is showing sporadic signs of life after his four-month warmup period.
This is all well and good, but keeping up the pace in the next two weeks will be a different matter. Boston will take on the three A.L. West powers, beginning with a three-game series against Anaheim (75-55) tonight at Fenway Park. The Sox will then face Texas (73-56) three times in Kenmore Square before traveling to Oakland (77-53). Only one of these clubs will win its division, leaving the other two to battle Boston for the Wild Card. The Sox have done a fine job positioning themselves for a playoff run, but these next nine games will make or break their 2004 campaign. Fasten your seat belts.
Curt Schilling (16-6) will take the hill tonight against John Lackey (11-10), followed by Arroyo against Ramon Ortiz (5-7), and Lowe taking on Aaron Sele (8-1). Combining power, speed and defense, Anaheim is one of the league’s most balanced and exciting squads. No one embodies all three elements into his game like right fielder Vladimir Guerrero, who has anchored this team all season. Garrett Anderson and Jose Guillen provide nice protection for Vlad, and the Angels may be further boosted by the return of 2002 World Series MVP Troy Glaus from shoulder surgery.
The Anaheim bullpen, in which closer Troy Percival (309 career saves) may actually be the weak link, is also one of the best in the business. Scott Shields, Brendan Donnelly and Francisco Rodriguez (remember him?) are a formidable trio should the team’s starters falter. Rodriguez, or "K-Rod," who emerged from nowhere to record five playoff wins en route to the 2002 World Series title, has become the Angels’ primary setup guy this season. Now an established veteran at age 22, K-Rod has fanned 102 batters in 68 innings, picked up 10 saves with Percival on the DL, and posted an ERA of 1.85.
Best Visiting Player Name to Appear at Fenway This Week: Chone Figgins. Apparently, the Anaheim third baseman’s first name rhymes with "John." How does that work? And what is a Chone anyway?
Best Former Sox Player to Appear at Fenway This Week: John Wasdin (1997-2000). Not the best in terms of talent (the Angels’ Aaron Sele would take that one), but potentially the most entertaining. Give Texas a lot of credit, because competing for a playoff spot on August 31 with this man pitching regularly is an impressive feat. The former Sox pitcher, a.k.a. "Way Back" Wasdin, a.k.a. the Blair Wasdin Project (slogan: Breaking Windows on Landsdowne Street since 1997!) has surfaced in Texas’ clubhouse, and one can only hope that the Red Sox get a shot at him and his 5.22 career ERA later this week.
Best New Mark Bellhorn Stat: This one courtesy of NESN’s Jerry Remy, and relayed to me via longtime fan Chuck Bourne of Boston’s North End. When Bellhorn, the walking statistical anomaly, puts the ball in play, his average is a Ted Williams-like .384. Of course, his 130 strikeouts this season bring it back down to .264. Interestingly, the most Williams ever fanned in two seasons combined was 118, during his first two years in the league (1939-1940).
