Cardiac Victory

(July 7)

Short Take:  Kip Wells is the Terminator!

If the Sox just won, why does it feel like they just lost?  There were bright spots in this victory, but there were plenty of dark linings to this silver cloud, too.  We Sox Fans live for finding the flaws.  The 2001 edition of the team gives us plenty to prod and probe.

But hey, it's a win!  4-1 Sox.  We own the Pittsburgh Pirates!  (Not really).

What a great team victory.  (Not really).  Hitting and running, getting down the bunt, moving runners along.  (Not really).  

All four of the Sox runs came on solo shot homeruns.  Somewhere Von Joshua is laughing.

Tellingly, three of the four came from hitters other than our middle of the order big boppers.  Chris Singleton (first inning), Mark Johnson (third inning), Aaron Rowand (fifth inning), and Paul Konerko (eighth inning) each punched themselves round-trip tickets.

When the time came for real team baseball, the Sox were as dead as ever.  Three consecutive base hits in the seventh inning loaded the bases with nobody out, a golden opportunity to break the game wide open

No chance.  A line out (Johnson) a flyout (Ray Durham, of course), and strikeout (Singleton) ended the inning without a single Sox scoring.

As bad as the offense was, starter Kip Wells was brilliant.  He went into the ninth inning pitching a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts.  A rough patch had Jerry Manuel reaching for his bullpen.  Keith Foulke got the save but not before hitting a batter and forcing in a run on a 1-2 pitch.  He struck out the last two batters after loading the bases with just one out.

Sox Fans' tickers can't take much more of this.

Sunday is the rubber game of the series and the last game before the all-star break.  Kids run the bases, and Kenny Williams will doubtlessly be scouting a few of them.  They'll cost less than Jose Canseco.