April 29, 1991
It was an eventful week for the Boston Red Sox. After dropping 2 out of 3 at home to the Blue Jays, they went to Kansas City and took 2 out of 3 against the Royals. Their 8-11 record at this point has them in 5th place in the American League East division. They have had one of the strongest offenses in baseball to this point, leading the American League in runs scored, batting average and home runs. However, they have also had one of the poorest pitching staffs to negate the gains made by the offense. They are last in the league in runs allowed.
A brief lineup shakeup helped to jumpstart Mike Greenwell’s season. Hitting in his customary third spot in the lineup for the first two weeks of the season, Greenwell was off to a slow start with a .190 batting average and just 5 runs batted in. Manager Jim Fregosi dropped him to the 6 hole last weekend in Cleveland. After returning to the 3 spot early this week, Greenwell heated up going 13-for-22 over his next 5 games to raise his average to .311.
A surprising contributor to the offense has been backup catcher Matt Nokes. Acquired from the Tigers in the offseason, Nokes is off to a blistering start with 13 hits in his first 26 at bats after hitting just .196 last season in Detroit.
The pitching staff received a couple of shakeups last week as well. After allowing runs in 3 straight outings, Fregosi announced that veteran Jeff Reardon would be removed from the closer role at least temporarily. Steve Farr has been shifted into the 9th inning stopper role and earned his first save of the season over the weekend in Kansas City. Farr hasn’t allowed a run in his first 7 appearances with the Red Sox.
Chris Bosio’s struggles continued through the last week. He surrendered 20 runs in his first three starts of the season without making it through 4 innings in any of them. He was moved to the bullpen following a start against the Blue Jays last week. Serving in a mop up role in the bullpen this weekend in Kansas City, he allowed all 6 batters he faced to reach in his first appearance, before settling down and pitching three strong innings in yesterday’s blowout loss. Pat Hentgen seems likely to take Bosio’s next turn in the rotation, which likely won’t be until later next week due to a number of upcoming off days.
Around the League
The Red Sox got to see American League player of the week Brian McRae up close this past weekend. He homered in each game of the series, giving him 5 for the season. For the season, the 23 year old outfielder is hitting .379 with 5 homers and 13 RBI. In the National League, Houston 3B Bill Doran took home the award by going 12-for-16 last week.
Big news in Toronto last week with the Blue Jays promoting top prospect catcher Carlos Delgado. He made his Major League debut last week in Boston at just 18 years old. Delgado figures to be a mainstay in the Blue Jays’ lineup for years to come.
There were a couple of significant injuries suffered last week. Mets catcher Lance Parrish suffered a broken kneecap and will be out for the rest of the season. It is a big blow to the Mets who just acquired Parrish in a trade with California this past offseason. Darren Reed figures to reclaim the starting catcher role after serving as the team’s primary catcher last season.
Detroit outfielder Tom Brunansky has a bone spur in his elbow and will be out until June. He had gotten off to a strong start, hitting .290 in his first 9 games with the Tigers providing a bright spot for a team that has struggled and finds itself in last place in the AL East.
Week in Review
Pinch hitter Junior Felix hit a two run home run off Boston closer Jeff Reardon with two outs in the top of the 9th inning to steal a victory over the Red Sox tonight, 4-3. Ellis Burks hit a mammoth two run homer in the 5th inning to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead which they would take into the 9th inning. The home run for Burks was his 5th of the season, and traveled an estimated 496 feet to dead center field. Reardon's first blown save of the season wasted a strong outing from Bob Tewksbury, who pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits while striking out 3. Derek Bell went 3-for-4 to lead the Blue Jays. Ed Nunez earned the win, pitching two scoreless innings in relief of starter Don Robinson. Duane Ward pitched clean 9th for his 4th save.
The Red Sox blew a lead for the second straight day in losing to the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. After putting up 5 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning to take a 6-3 lead, the Red Sox gave it all back in the very next inning allowing Toronto to score 4 times to take a lead they would never relinquish. It was a third consecutive rough outing for Chris Bosio who did not make it out of the 4th inning. Bosio is expected to be removed from the rotation before his next scheduled start. Mike Greenwell and Matt Nokes each had 3 hits for Boston. Brett Butler and John Olerud had 3 hits apiece for the Blue Jays, while Fred McGriff added two hits including a two run home run.
Jeff Bagwell picked a perfect time for his first career home run, blasting a 3 run shot off Toronto starter Dave Stieb in the 8th inning to break a 2-2 tie and give the Red Sox the lead. Closer Jeff Reardon made things interesting in the 9th by allowing a run and was pulled with two outs and the base loaded. Jeff Gray got rookie catcher Carlos Delgado to pop out to end the game. In what was easily his best outing of the season so far, ace Roger Clemens pitched 6.2 innings and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and added 6 strikeouts. He took a shutout into the 7th inning and was ultimately removed after throwing 121 pitches. With the Red Sox holding onto a tenuous 2-1 lead, a passed ball by catcher Tony Pena allowed Manuel Lee to score from 3rd to tie the game. A red hot Mike Greenwell had 3 more hits for the Red Sox and finishes this three game series 8-for-12.