Jack Brady takes over in Boston

[progen]

Wow! Rough series with the Rangers! You're rebuild is going to be as challenging as me taking over the reins as GM of the expansion Montreal Expos in my Dynasty. Just finished the end of August, and never thought I be excited for a team to get to 60 wins (60-85), lol. This is the only way I play this game! Love the challenge of a rebuild, or taking on an expansion team.

Maybe things will change for the better for you after the All Star break!

[Swami077]

Thanks for following! I'm enjoying writing about this dynasty because it's helped me to slow down and really get a full picture of the MLB universe rather than rushing through sim.

[Swami077]

July 12, 1990 – Today we take a look back at this week’s All-Star festivities at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Sunday
The final fan votes were tallied and the starters for Tuesday’s All-Star Game were announced. Oakland’s Rickey Henderson was the top vote getter in the American League with nearly 2 million votes, while outfielder Lenny Dykstra of the Philadelphia Phillies received over 1.8 million votes to lead the National League. The top pitcher vote getters are voted onto the team, but it will be up to the manager of the squads to determine who gets the start. Given that the game will be played in a National League ballpark without a designated hitter, the same goes for the DH vote leader in the American League.

American League Starters
C – Carlton Fisk (CHW) - .267, 7 HR, 31 RBI
1B – George Brett (KC) - .343, 10 HR, 54 RBI
2B – Harold Reynolds (SEA) - .288, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 14 SB
3B – Kelly Gruber (TOR) - .257, 15 HR, 44 RBI, 7 SB
SS – Cal Ripken Jr (BAL) - .274, 10 HR, 38 RBI
LF – Rickey Henderson (OAK) - .322, 24 HR, 69 RBI, 31 SB
CF – Ken Griffey Jr (SEA) - .370, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 8 SB
RF – Jose Canseco (OAK) - .321, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 24 SB
DH – Fred McGriff (TOR) - .280, 29 HR, 72 RBI
SP – Roger Clemens (BOS) – 10-1, 1.93 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 8.6 K/9
RP – Dennis Eckersley (OAK) – 3-1, 23 saves, 0.91 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 9.7 K/9

National League Starters
C – Todd Zeile (STL) - .286, 6 HR, 36 RBI
1B – Dave Magadan (NYM) - .388, 6 HR, 48 RBI
2B – Ryne Sandberg (CHC) - .318, 10 HR, 44 RBI, 11 SB
3B – Chris Sabo (CIN) - .320, 28 HR, 65 RBI, 15 SB
SS – Ozzie Smith (STL) - .257, 0 HR, 22 RBI, 22 SB
LF – Barry Bonds (PIT) - .283, 20 HR, 57 RBI, 36 SB
CF – Lenny Dykstra (PHI) - .352, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 20 SB
RF – Darryl Strawberry (NYM) - .276, 21 HR, 58 RBI, 15 SB
SP – Bruce Hurst (SD) – 10-2, 1.99 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
RP – Danny Darwin (HOU) – 9-2, 2.17 ERA, 0.95 WHIP

After the announcement of the winners of the fan vote at each position, the managers announced their selections for the reserves for each roster. In the American League, Oakland’s Tony LaRussa selected the roster below. In an odd quirk, the Milwaukee Brewers will not be represented at the game. Pitcher Teddy Higuera was originally selected as an All-Star, but was traded to Cincinnati yesterday.

Pitchers
Tom Candiotti (CLE) – 5-11, 3.29 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
Chuck Finley (CAL) – 13-5, 2.01 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
Mark Guthrie (MIN) – 8-4, 1.88 ERA, 1.06 WHIP
Erik Hanson (SEA) – 10-4, 2.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 8.2 K/9
Jack McDowell (CHW) – 11-2, 1.80 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 7.6 K/9
Gregg Olson (BAL) – 5-2, 19 saves, 2.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
Kenny Rogers (TEX) – 2-1, 17 saves, 1.23 ERA, 0.86 WHIP
Bret Saberhagen (KC) – 8-5, 3.20 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
Bobby Thigpen (CHW) – 3-5, 15 saves, 2.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.0 K/9

Catchers
Pat Borders (TOR) - .261, 13 HR, 39 RBI
Jim Leyritz (NYY) - .267, 5 HR, 21 RBI
Infielders
Sam Horn (BAL) - .294, 18 HR, 68 RBI
Rafael Palmeiro (TEX) - .353, 9 HR, 66 RBI
Frank Thomas (CHW) - .327, 13 HR, 51 RBI
Alan Trammell (DET) - .341, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 7 SB
Outfielders
Dave Henderson (OAK) - .276, 15 HR, 48 RBI
Shane Mack (MIN) - .334, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 13 SB
Dan Pasqua (CHW) - .285, 19 HR, 57 RBI
Devon White (CAL) - .275, 16 HR, 53 RBI, 28 SB

In the National League, Giants manager Roger Craig selected the following as reserves for his squad:

Pitchers
Tim Burke (MON) – 3-1, 21 saves, 1.22 ERA, 1.00 WHIP
Tim Crews (LAD) – 4-5, 17 saves, 1.94 ERA, 0.88 WHIP
Jose DeLeon (STL) – 10-6, 2.78 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.5 K/9
Dwight Gooden (NYM) – 11-6, 2.42 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 8.2 K/9
Randy Myers (CIN) – 3-1, 29 saves, 0.22 ERA, 0.59 WHIP, 11.1 K/9
Don Robinson (SF) – 7-7, 3.13 ERA, 1.14 WHIP
Fernando Valenzuela (LAD) – 9-3, 2.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP
Frank Viola (NYM) – 8-6, 2.58 ERA, 1.03 WHIP

Catchers
Mike Scioscia (LAD) - .271, 11 HR, 47 RBI
Don Slaught (PIT) - .275, 6 HR, 46 RBI
Infielders
Bobby Bonilla (PIT) - .287, 17 HR, 71 RBI
Delino DeShields (MON) - .374, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 29 SB
Mark Grace (CHC) - .330, 5 HR, 53 RBI, 5 SB
Eddie Murray (LAD) - .335, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 5 SB
Bip Roberts (SD) - .315, 2 HR, 41 RBI, 27 SB
Tim Wallach (MON) - .296, 11 HR, 57 RBI
Outfielders
Ron Gant (ATL) - .300, 24 HR, 64 RBI, 16 SB
Von Hayes (PHI) - .299, 16 HR, 52 RBI, 11 SB
Larry Walker (MON) - .289, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 20 SB
Andy Van Slyke (PIT) - .300, 11 HR, 55 RBI, 11 SB

Monday
Milwaukee may not have an All-Star, but outfielder Rob Deer was selected to take part in the Home Run Derby. He took down AL home run leader Fred McGriff in the first round, before defeating Atlanta’s Ron Gant in the semi-finals, and Barry Bonds in the finals. Bonds had combined to hit 37 homers in his wins over Oakland’s Jose Canseco and Cincinnati’s Chris Sabo, but managed just 11 in the finals.



Both managers have announced their starting pitchers for tomorrow’s game. For the American League, Boston’s Roger Clemens will get the start, after posting a 10-1 record and 1.93 ERA in the first half. Clemens received the most fan votes for among starting pitchers. He will be opposed by Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets, who enters the break at 11-6 with a 2.42 ERA.

Tuesday
The American League defeated the National League in the 1990 MLB All-Star Game by a score of 4-1. Trailing 1-0 entering the 7th inning, Seattle’s Harold Reynolds hit a 3 run triple off of Houston Astros pitcher Danny Darwin. Reynolds was named the game’s MVP. It was a dominant pitching performance by the American League, as they allowed only 4 hits in the entire game. The NL scored their only run in the 4th inning when Barry Bonds took Tom Candiotti deep.


First pitch of the 1990 MLB All-Star Game at Wrigley Field

[Swami077]

July 16, 1990
The tear down is officially underway in Boston. On Friday, the Red Sox sent impending free agent pitchers Mike Boddicker and Lee Smith to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for 24 year old outfielder Moises Alou and 19 year old pitcher Hector Fajardo. Pittsburgh hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1979 and is clearly all-in on this season by acquiring another quality starting pitcher and an elite bullpen arm. Alou was not having a strong season with the AAA Buffalo Bison, hitting .227 with 10 home runs in 331 at bats. However, he is still a very highly regarded prospect, and was rated #19 in baseball on the mid-season list. He was assigned to AAA Pawtucket, and seems likely to be a September call up. With Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke holding down two of the three starting outfield starts, Pittsburgh management made the decision that Alou was expendable as they chase their first division title in over a decade.

Fajardo seems to be more of a throw in at this stage. He posted strong surface numbers in rookie ball last year with a 3.61 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. However, low strikeout and high walk totals would figure to cap his potential if he is unable to improve on them. Pittsburgh elected to have him repeat a year in the Gulf Coast Rookie League, and he was off to a very rough start over his first 6 appearances. The Red Sox have assigned him to the Elmira Pioneers of the short season New York-Penn League.

In what would prove to be his final start for Boston, Boddicker took the ball in the first game after the break and earned a no decision from his 6 innings of work. He made 19 starts for Boston this season, going 4-11 and posting a 4.76 ERA. He certainly pitched better than his win-loss record would indicate. Lee Smith finished his Boston career with 67 saves in the last two and a half seasons. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Red Sox this year.

“We’d like to thank Mike Boddicker and Lee Smith for their contributions over the last three seasons, and we wish them nothing but the best in Pittsburgh the rest of this year. We are excited to add two young players to our organization and look forward to seeing both of them continue to develop into high level players,” said Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Jack Brady in a statement from the team.

To take Boddicker and Smith’s places on the Major League roster, the Red Sox promoted SP Steven Bast and RP Daryl Irvine from AAA. Bast made his Major League debut in a spot start earlier this season, and has been pitching very well for Pawtucket. In 17 appearances, he holds a 2.58 ERA in the International League this season. He turned some heads with a complete game shutout against the Rochester Red Wings earlier this month. Bast will start on Tuesday against Minnesota. After a dominant year at AA New Britain in 1989, Daryl Irvine had been serving as the primary closer for Pawtucket and had racked up 10 saves to go along with a 3.00 ERA in 28 appearances this season. He has yet to make his debut, as he did not get into any games over the weekend.

On the heels of that major trade, the Red Sox took three out of four games in a weekend series against the Royals at Fenway Park. Jeff Reardon and Jeff Gray each picked up saves for Boston. Roger Clemens pitched in the third game of the series and continued to add to his stellar season with 11 strikeouts in 6.1 innings. The entire country was able to witness Clemens’ greatness, as the starter of the All-Star Game for the American League last week. He threw 11 pitches in a scoreless inning of work, and allowed only a single to Philadelphia’s Lenny Dykstra.

In Pawtucket, outfielder Scott Wade was named the International League Player of the Week. He went 13-for-30 with 2 home runs and 30 RBIs this week.

Around the League
In a short week, Seattle’s Tino Martinez and Montreal’s Andres Galarraga were named Players of the Week for their respective leagues.

There were a few notable trades this week, as just a few days after winning the Home Run Derby, the Houston Astros acquired outfielder Rob Deer from the Milwaukee Brewers for 24 year old RHP Randy Hennis and two minor leaguers. Sitting at 14.5 games back of Cincinnati, Houston viewed this as a low risk opportunity to improve its roster. At the time of the trade, Deer was hitting .245 with 18 home runs for Milwaukee. In a separate trade, the Brewers also dealt RP Tony Fossas to the Chicago White Sox for minor league 1B Mark Chasey. Fossas has been a disaster in relief for Milwaukee this season with a 7.34 ERA and 2.06 WHIP. Chicago has assigned him to AAA to see if he can straighten out him mechanics enough to be able to help their team down the stretch.

In other news out of Milwaukee, word has leaked that veteran Robin Yount has requested a trade. The 34 year old has played his entire career with the Brewers, having made his Major League debut in 1974. He is signed through 1992, making $3.2 million per year. It will be interesting to see what the last place Brewers decide to do with their franchise icon.

Earlier today, the Royals send RP Steve Farr to San Diego for three minor leaguers headlined by 22 year old outfielder Matt Mieske. Mieske is thought to possess a high upside after quickly making it through the Padres’ organization for a brief stint in the Majors this year. The 33 year old Farr had posted 13 saves for the Royals and is expected to help fortify the bullpen in San Diego.

Updating a couple of injury notes, the Tigers announced that 2B Lou Whitaker suffered a strained ligament in his knee and would be out until likely September. Meanwhile, Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals fractured his finger when he was hit by a pitch from the Tigers’ Jack Morris, and he will miss about a month of action.

Week in Review

Carlos Quintana hit a walkoff three run home run against Steve Farr with two outs in the bottom of the 9th as the Red Sox opened the second half with a thrilling 6-4 come from behind win against the Royals. Trailing 4-1 after Kansas City jumped on Boston starter Mike Boddicker early, the Red Sox battled back in the 4th when Wade Boggs drove in two runs with a triple. The score remained 4-3 until the 9th. Farr had gotten two quick outs when back to back singles by Mike Greenwell and Ellis Burks gave Boston some life. Quintana followed with the big blow, his 4th home run of the season. After Roger Clemens threw 11 pitches in Tuesday's All-Star game, Boddicker got the start to open the second half. Despite not having his best stuff, he lasted 6 innings and kept the Red Sox in the game.


On the same day that Boston traded their closer, Lee Smith, the team's bullpen was unable to hold a late inning lead in a 9-6 loss to Kansas City in 11 innings tonight. The Red Sox led 5-2 in the 7th inning, when Rob Murphy surrendered a 2 run home run to George Brett to tighten the game. Nursing a 5-4 lead, new closer Jeff Reardon allowed the first 4 men he faced to reach in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game. He was able to get out of the jam without allowing the go ahead run to cross, but that was short lived. Jeff Plympton gave up an RBI double to Brett in the 11th, and proceeded to allow 3 more runs to take the loss. Brett went 5-for-6 and was just a triple short of the cycle.


Roger Clemens added to his outstanding season with 6.1 dominant innings in a 2-0 win against the Kansas City Royals. He came out for the 7th inning, but was removed following a 64 minute rain delay. Clemens allowed 5 hits and struck out 11 batters in the game. After struggling in his first game after assuming the closer role, Jeff Reardon slammed the door to earn his second save of the season. Royals starter Kevin Appier pitched well before he was forced from the game with a shoulder injury in the 6th inning. Boston's offense came on one swing of the bat when Ellis Burks wrapped a two run homer around the Pesky pole in the 4th inning.


The Boston Red Sox took 3 out of 4 from the Royals this weekend at Fenway Park. Dana Kiecker got the start for Boston and was very wild, walking 5 and throwing a wild pitch, but he was able to limit the damage to 3 runs in 6 innings of work. Kansas City built a 3-1 lead, but the Red Sox were able to get to Bret Saberhagen in the 6th inning. They pushed two runs across in the 6th to tie the game, and then scored the eventual winning run in the 7th on a wild pitch. The bullpen trio of Rob Murphy, Dennis Lamp and Jeff Gray threw 3 scoreless innings to preserve the win. Jeff Gray earned the save with closer Jeff Reardon unavailable after working back to back games.

[Swami077]

July 23, 1990
With just a week to go until the trade deadline, the Red Sox didn’t make any additional moves last week after the major deal a week ago. On the field, the team was swept in a three game series at home against the Twins, before heading out on a 10 game road trip to Kansas City, Milwaukee and Detroit. Boston got the trip off to a good start, winning 2 out of 3 against the Royals.

Roger Clemens continues to add to his incredible season. He ran his record to 12-1 with a dominant win in the first game of the series in Kansas City. With the Red Sox out of the playoff hunt, the Clemens watch seems likely to be the most intriguing storyline to follow for the rest of this season. At this point, he is the clear favorite for the Cy Young Award with his league leading 1.80 ERA.

Rookie infielder Tim Naehring has really found his footing the big leagues recently. He posted a .476 batting average last week with two home runs, giving him 9 for the season. Not wanting to overwhelm the promising rookie, Naehring has hit exclusively out of the nine spot in the lineup. It will be interesting to see if Joe Morgan elects to move him higher in the order based on this success.

On the injury front, the team’s training staff indicated that both 1B Mo Vaughn and RHP Wes Gardner are about a week away from being cleared to return. It seems likely that Gardner will require a couple of rehab starts before he returns to the Boston rotation. Vaughn may also receive some rehab at bats before returning as well.

In minor league news, New Britain outfielder Phil Plantier was suspended for 4 games for his part in a bench clearing brawl during a game against the Harrisburg Senators this week. After being hit by a pitch, Plantier charged the mound against pitcher Dave Watson. For his part, Watson received an 8 game suspension.

Around the League
Teams in the playoff hunt continued to bolster to rosters through the trade market last week. The Cleveland Indians sent LHP Jesse Orosco to the White Sox in exchange for minor league pitcher Brian Keyser and outfielder Kinnis Pledger. Orosco had been struggling for much of the season, but the 33 year old veteran possesses a long track record of success and will try to rebound in Chicago.

The Indians also obtained 30 year old shortstop Bill Pecota from the Kansas City Royals for two minor leaguers. Pecota is arbitration eligible at the end of the season and has two more years of team control. He was hitting .223 with 3 home runs for Kansas City this season.

Detroit outfielder Lloyd Moseby was named AL Player of the Week for hitting .652 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. Not to be outdone, Pittsburgh 3B Bobby Bonilla took home the award for the NL by hitting .630 with 3 home runs and 12 RBI.

The Mets received some tough injury news this week. Outfielder Daryl Strawberry strained an oblique and is expected to be out until September. Strawberry, an impending free agent, was expected to be traded in the coming week, but New York will now likely struggle to receive fair value for him. Strawberry was having a great season, hitting .284 with 24 home runs at the time of the injury. The Mets also found out that shortstop Kevin Elster would require surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and would miss the remainder of the season. He has been out of action since May, but the Mets had been hopeful he would return this season.

The only other injury of note this week came when Braves shortstop Jeff Blauser suffered a fractured finger when being hit by a pitch. He will be out for approximately a month.

Week in Review

In the opener of a 3 game series at Fenway Park, the Minnesota Twins defeated the Red Sox, 6-4. Mike Trombley earned the first win of his Major League career for the Twins, going 8 innings and allowing 4 runs. Boston starter Tom Bolton dropped to 2-11 on the season, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits and 4 walks in 6 innings of work. Gene Larkin and Gary Gaetti each homered and had 3 hits apiece for the Twins. Catcher Tony Pena went 2-4 for a home run for the Red Sox.


The Twins beat the Red Sox for the second straight day, winning 7-2 tonight. Kevin Tapani pitched a complete game for Minnesota to earn the win. The Red Sox did a good job of putting the ball in play in this game, as they did not strikeout once against Tapani. However, balls weren't finding holes as they managed just 5 hits. Boston starter Steven Bast was living dangerously early, allow a number of baserunners. It finally caught up to him in the 5th inning when Kent Hrbek hit a 3 run homer to give Minnesota a 4-1 lead that they would never surrender.


The Minnesota Twins finished off a 3 game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Twins starter Allan Anderson got the win and threw 7.2 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits. 42 year old catcher Bob Boone went 3-for-3 out of the 9 hole for Minnesota. Immediately after the Red Sox took a 2-0 lead, Bob Tewksbury allowed 3 runs in the top of the 6th, highlighted by Kent Hrbek's second homer in as many days. All of the Red Sox' damange came from the bottom of their order with 9 hitter Tim Naehring driving in all of their runs with an RBI double and two run homer. The Red Sox have tomorrow off before they head to Kansas City for a 3 game series against the Royals.

[Swami077]

The Red Sox broke a 3 game losing streak by beating the Royals 7-1 behind Roger Clemens tonight. Clemens allowed 1 run over 8 innings and struck out 6 to run his record to 12-1 on the season. He did not allow a hit until the 5th inning. Boston pounded out 15 hits against a trio of Royals' pitchers led by starter Bret Saberhagen. Carlos Quintana went 3-for-5 with his 5th home run of the season, and Jody Reed broke out of his recent slump with 3 hits of his own.


Rookie Tim Burcham pitched extremely well for the Royals tonight, leading them to an 8-3 win over the Red Sox. Burcham struck out 9 in 6.2 innings to earn the win. After having cut Kansas City's lead to 4-2, Tim Naehring was thrown out at home plate by CF Willie Wilson to end the 7th inning. The Royals then put the game out of reach with 4 runs in the bottom of the inning against reliever Rob Murphy. The big blow against Murphy in the 7th was a 3 run home run by catcher David Rolls. Dana Kiecker got the start for the Red Sox and was uneven in 6 innings of work. He took the loss, allowing 4 earned runs on 7 hits and 4 walks.


The Red Sox took the third and final game of the series in Kansas City by a score of 8-5. Starter Tom Bolton was outstanding for his 7 innings. In what was easily his best start of the season, Bolton allowed 1 run on just 4 hits and earned the win to improve to 3-11. An odd 8th inning for Royals reliever Luis Aquino broke the game open. Aquino hit 3 batters, walked 1 and threw a wild pitch all in the 8th inning. Carlos Quintana and Mike Greenwell each homered for the Red Sox in support of Bolton.

[Swami077]

July 30, 1990
This week sure felt like rock bottom for this Red Sox squad. They were swept in Milwaukee by the 37-69 Brewers, and then were largely uncompetitive in a 4 game series in Detroit, losing 3 out of the 4 games. Poor pitching, lazy at bats, and sloppy defense has characterized this road trip thus far. Despite the struggles for much of the season, it has appeared the team chemistry was strong and they were playing hard. That has not seemed to be the case on this road trip. There have begun to be calls for Joe Morgan’s job as manager. Thus far, the front office has been supportive of Morgan and has not indicated that they are considering a managerial change.

There are some reinforcements on the way, with pitcher Wes Gardner making a rehab start for AAA Pawtucket over the weekend. He is expected to make one more start this week before being activated. He’s been out a month with bone chips in his elbow. 1B Mo Vaughn began a rehab assignment yesterday as well, and homered for the Pawsox. He is expected to rejoin the Red Sox early this week.

Reliever Blaine Beatty suffered a season ending shoulder injury last week. The Red Sox placed him on the disabled list, and promoted pitcher John Trautwein to make his Major League debut in Detroit over the weekend. Trautwein faced six batters, didn’t retire any, and was designated for assignment after the game.

With the trade deadline coming up tomorrow, President of Baseball Operations Jack Brady has indicated that he doesn’t expect the team to make any major moves. They did make a trade of minor leaguers over the weekend, however. Pawtucket’s 27 year old catcher John Marzano was sent to Atlanta along with rookie ball shortstop Mike DeKneef in exchange for two AAA pitchers; 22 year old Pedro Borbon and 20 year old Nate Minchey. Marzano was hitting .295 with 10 home runs, but with a strong catching pipeline in the Boston organization, Boston was able to make the organization’s talent a bit more well rounded. Borbon, who was added to the Major League roster after Trautwein was designated for assignment over the weekend, had a 3.04 ERA across 23.2 innings pitched for the Richmond Braves of the International League. Minchey posted a 3.75 ERA over 36 innings pitched for Richmond, and was assigned to AAA Pawtucket.

The Red Sox organization cleaned up on the weekly awards this past week. In the Florida State League, 3B Lou Grant earned player of the week honors, hitting .500 with 3 home runs during the week. On the season, Grant is batting .293 with 13 homers and 59 RBI.

3B Ed Perozo earned the award in the Carolina League, going 13-25 with a homer last week. And in the Gulf Coast League, 2B John Malzone was the top player last week, going 12-21 with 4 home runs and an eye popping 15 RBI. He is hitting .384 with 6 home runs in just 73 at bats thus far this season.

Around the League
Yankees oufielder Jesse Barfield earned AL Player of the Week honors with 12 hits, including 3 home runs and 10 RBI. In the NL, Barry Bonds of the Pirates took home the award with 13 hits, 3 home runs, and 7 RBI. He now has 27 home runs on the season.

It was an active week of trades, leading up to tomorrow’s deadline. There was a blockbuster between the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles. Chicago sent 24 year old ace Greg Maddux and 25 year old reliever Mitch Williams to Baltimore in exchange for 25 year old catcher Chris Hoiles. The division leading Orioles bolstered its pitching staff with Maddux, who was a tough luck 6-11 with the Cubs but had pitched much better than the record would indicate. He won 18 and 19 games in the last two seasons. They also add a dependable lefty in Williams, who will slot into a late inning role in the bullpen.

In Hoiles, the Cubs think they have obtained their catcher of the future. He was ranked 20th on the mid-season prospect list, though he has been in the Majors for the entire season. He was hitting .239 with 11 home runs, while earning a reputation of a strong defensive backstop.

The Cubs dealt another starting pitcher when they sent Shawn Boskie to the Brewers in exchange for outfielder Greg Vaughn. With these moves, Chicago has clearly made an effort to bolster their lineup. The 25 year old Vaughn possesses huge power potential. He was hitting .228 with 11 home runs this season for Milwaukee. 23 year old Boskie had made 27 appearances, with 13 starts, and figures to slot into the Brewers’ rotation.

Another big name was on the move in somewhat of a head scratching deal. 43 year old pitcher Nolan Ryan was traded to the Houston Astros for minor league outfielders Tuffy Rhodes and Quentin Harley. Ryan, who is a free agent at the end of the season, has logged just 91 innings this season due to injury. The Astros are 16.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in their division, so it’s unclear what their plans are for Ryan.

The division leading Pittsburgh Pirates continued to demonstrate that they are all in on this season, acquiring left handed reliever Bob Ojeda from the New York Mets in exchange for backup outfielder Steve Carter. Ojeda gives manager Jim Leyland another late inning option.

The Minnesota Twins added 25 year old starting pitcher John Burkett from the Giants in exchange for 26 year old prospect infielder Bernardo Brito. Burkett, who is currently out with an elbow injury, was 2-8 in 16 starts for the Giants.

Week in Review

Milwaukee got the win in the first game of a three game series against the Red Sox at County Stadium. Chris Bosio started for the Brewers and was terrific for 8.1 innings in a 6-2 win. Bosio has strated three games against Boston this season, and has been superb in each start. Milwaukee took a 3-0 lead into the 8th inning, with all runs coming against Boston starter Steven Bast. After the Red Sox scored two runs in the top of the 8th to make it a ballgame, the Brewers added 3 insurance runs off reliever Jeff Gray to put the game out of reach. Darryl Hamilton went 3-for-5 while Robin Yount and B.J. Surhoff drove in two runs apiece for Milwaukee. The Red Sox had 7 hits in the game, two of them for Tim Naehring who remains red hot for Boston.


The Brewers won their second straight over the Red Sox, 10-3 today. DH Gary Sheffield went 5-5 with a home run and 5 RBI to lead Milwaukee's attack. He was a triple short of the cycle, as Red Sox pitching just could not find a way to solve him. Jody Reed went 3-for-5 and drove in 2 runs in an otherwise forgettable game for Boston. Bob Tewksbury only made it through 4 innings, allowing 7 runs. Bob Skalski got the win, as he went 6 innings and he danced through trouble by allowing only 2 runs despite 5 hits and 4 walks in the game.


With a 4-0 deficit in the 6th inning with Roger Clemens on the hill, you'd forgive the Brewers if they allowed themselves to give up. Instead, a 3 run homer for catcher Tim McIntosh knocked Clemens out of the game in the 6th inning. Then pinch hitter Scott Bryant hit the first home run of his career, a two run shot off reliever Rob Murphy in the 7th to give Milwaukee the lead at 5-4, and they would hold on to win by that same score. Mike Greenwell was 3-for-4 with a 3 run homer for the Red Sox. Clemens allowed 8 hits, throwing 117 pitches in an inefficient 5.2 innings.

[Swami077]

The Red Sox wasted a great game from Dwight Evans, and lost for the 4th straight time on this road trip, 10-5 tonight in Detroit. Evans had a two run homer in the 2nd inning to give Boston a 2-0 lead. Then, after starter Dana Kiecker surrendered 5 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, another 2 run homer by Evans in the 4th tied the game at 5. Travis Fryman and Cecil Fielder each had 3 hits for the Tigers, while Mike Greenwell tripled in the 4th to extend his hitting streak to 17 games for Boston.


The Red Sox finally snapped their losing streak on this road trip with a 5-4 win at Tiger Stadium this evening. The Red Sox jumped out of the gate with 3 in the top of the 1st inning against Frank Tanana, but Detroit answered with 3 in the bottom of the inning highlighted by a Cecil Fielder home run. Tom Bolton settled down from there with 6 effective innings to earn the win. Down by a run, Detroit put runners on the corners with 1 out in the 9th, but closer Jeff Reardon induced Travis Fryman to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game. Ellis Burks went 4-5, and Dwight Evans added 3 hits as well. Evans is showing signs of life in the last two games after being mired in a season long slump. Mike Greenwell singled in his final at bat in the 9th inning to extend his hitting streak to 18.


The Red Sox were blown out this afternoon at Tiger Stadium, 15-3. After the Red Sox scored 2 in the 1st, they gave it right back in the bottom of the inning as Cecil Fielder homered off Red Sox starter Steven Bast, his 23rd of the season. Jack Morris got the win for Detroit, pitching 8.1 innings, and allowing 3 runs on 9 hits. Bast allowed 7 runs in 5+ innings for Boston, taking the loss. In his Major League debut, reliever John Trautwein faced 6 Tigers in the 7th inning, and retired none of them. He walked 3 and allowed 3 hits, including a grand slam to Phil Ouellette. Kevin Romine had 3 hits for the second straight day for Boston. Mike Greenwell went 0-3 to snap his 18 game hit streak.


Another day, another loss for the Red Sox. Detroit's Cecil Fielder homered for the third consecutive day as the Tigers beat the Red Sox 9-3 in the final game of this 4 game series. Boston starter Bob Tewksbury took the loss, allowing 5 runs in his 5 innings of work. Fielder did the majority of the damage, driving in 6 of Detroit's 9 runs in the game. The Red Sox will now head home as losers of six of their last seven games.

[progen]

Rough year for Tewk. Can he lose 20?

[Swami077]

August 6, 1990
After wrapping up a brief 6 game homestand against Chicago and Detroit at 3-3, the Red Sox enjoy an off day today before starting a 9 game west coast road trip tomorrow. The homestand got off to a tough start with a blown late lead in a game started by Roger Clemens. It was his first loss since May 1. With whispers growing that manager Joe Morgan could be on the hot seat, the team pulled together to win 3 in a row before a rain out on Saturday. The Red Sox and Tigers played a doubleheader on Sunday, which was swept by Detroit in dominant fashion.

The lineup received a jolt with the return of Mo Vaughn this week, who announced his return with a home run in his first game back. Vaughn had missed 4 weeks with a back injury. He got 9 at bats over two rehab games with AAA Pawtucket, and proved he was ready to rejoin the big club by going 6-for-9 with a home run. In a corresponding move, young 1B/3B Scott Cooper was sent back to AAA. Cooper struggled in his time with Boston, hitting just .146 with two extra base hits in his 50 at bats. He likely will benefit from some additional seasoning in the minors.

Wes Gardner has made two effective rehab starts for Pawtucket as he works his way back from an elbow injury that has caused him to miss the last 6 weeks. He is expected to take Steven Bast’s turn in the rotation, and get the start on Thursday against the Angels. Bast has struggled in 5 starts with the Red Sox, going 0-4 with a 6.84 ERA.

After reliever Jeff Plympton gave up 5 runs in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, he was sent back to Pawtucket in order to make room for a fresh bullpen arm. Left hander Mike Dalton was promoted to take his place. He made his Major League debut with a perfect inning in the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader. In another minor roster move, John Trautwein cleared waivers after being designated for assignment last weekend and was assigned to AAA Pawtucket.

In Winter Haven, 19 year old Alex Delgado hit for the cycle on Friday night in a game against the Vero Beach Dodgers. Delgado, who has been rated as a borderline top 10 prospect in the organization, has been having a disappointing season in Winter Haven, hitting just .244 with 5 home runs.

Around the League
After the flurry of trades leading up to the trade deadline, deadline day itself was quiet. Barring a waiver trade, the contending team’s rosters are now locked in for the stretch run. The National League division races remain competitive, while the AL West has tightened up in the last week. The Seattle Mariners are currently riding an 8 game winning streak and have cut the A’s lead to 7 games.

The Mariners run has been fueled by Ken Griffey Jr and Edgar Martinez. Griffey was named AL Player of the Month for July, hitting .392 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI. On the season, Griffey is batting .372 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI. The 20 year old Griffey possesses immense potential and this figures to be just the tip of the iceberg for his career. Earlier today, Martinez was named AL Player of the Week, going 11-26 with 2 home runs.

In the National League, Pittsburgh’s Barry Bonds was named July’s Player of the Month. Bonds hit .421 during the month, with a .525 on base percentage. He added 9 home runs, giving him 27 for the season. Jose DeLeon of the St. Louis Cardinals earned both Pitcher of the Month for July, and NL Player of the Week. In six starts during July, he went 5-1 with a 1.91 ERA. In this most recent week, he made two starts, earning the win in both. He struck out 12 batters in his 17.1 innings pitched this week.

In the American League, Orioles’ pitcher Pete Harnisch was named July’s Pitcher of the Month. He made five starts, going 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA.

Rookie of the Month Awards were handed out for July last week. Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox took home the award in the AL with a .333 average and 5 home runs. For the season, Thomas is hitting .324 with 15 home runs and 59 RBI. Montreal’s Delino DeShields earned the NL award. He posted a .375 average with 4 home runs and 22 RBI. The average has been consistently strong all year, but the power surge was somewhat unexpected. For the season, he has 7 homers in 364 at bats, with 4 of them coming during the month of July.

Montreal’s playoff hopes took a hit this week, losing second baseman Spike Owen for the rest of the season with a torn labrum. Owen was hitting .278 with 5 home runs at the time of his injury. Montreal sits 4.5 games behind the division leading Pirates. 22 year old Bret Barberie is expected to receive the bulk of playing time in Owen’s absence.

There were also a pair of milestones reached this week. Kansas City outfielder Willie Wilson and San Diego shortstop Garry Templeton each recorded their 2000th hit this week.

Week in Review

Roger Clemens took his first loss since May 1st, and it was certainly of the tough luck variety. After Boston took a 2-1 lead with a run in the bottom of the 8th, Clemens lobbied the staff to finish the game. He got a quick out, but then walked back to back hitters and was removed from the game with 121 pitches. Jeff Reardon came on and immediately gave up a two run double to Denny Gonzalez, with both runs being charged to Clemens. It was Reardon's 5th blown save of the season. Carlos Quintana had 3 of Boston's 8 hits on the day, and drove in both runs. Clemens allowed just 4 hits and struck out 10 in his 8.1 innings of work.


The Red Sox rebounded from a tough loss yesterday with a 9-2 win over the White Sox tonight at Fenway Park. Mo Vaughn made his return to the lineup and provided a jolt to the team with a solo home run in the 6th inning. Ellis Burks got the scoring started for Boston with a two run homer off Alex Fernandez in the 1st inning. Dana Kiecker pitched 8 strong innings for the Red Sox to earn his second win of the season, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits to go along with 6 strikeouts.


The Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 7-2 tonight to take two out of three in this series at Fenway Park. Tony Pena's 6th home run of the season, a 3 run shot in the 8th inning, broke the game open for Boston. Outfielder Kevin Romine continues to be a catalyst for the Red Sox, with a game tying RBI double in the 5th. He also scored the go ahead run in the 7th after walking and stealing second base. The Red Sox were patient in their approach at the plate and they took advantage of lack of command by Chicago pitchers, earning 10 walks in the game. Both starters, Tom Bolton and Melido Perez, both pitched well into the 7th inning, but neither factored in the decision.

[Swami077]

Boston took their third straight game tonight with a win over the Detroit Tigers, 6-4. Starter Steven Bast pitched one of his best games as a Major Leaguer, but he didn't factor in the decision. He lasted 5.1 innings, and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 4 batters and walking just one Tiger in the game. With the game tied a 3 in the 7th, Boston put up 3 runs highlighted by a Jody Reed home run, his second of the season. Reed went 3-for-5 and drove in 3 runs in all. Wade Boggs and Carlos Quintana each had 3 hits apiece for Boston as well.


After yesterday's rain out, the Red Sox and Tigers are playing a doubleheader today at Fenway Park. The Tigers crushed the Red Sox by a score of 14-3 in the first game. Alan Trammell went 4-for-5 as part of Detroit's 16 hit attack. Roger Clemens had his worst start of the season for Boston, lasting 6 innings and allowing 6 runs, but only 4 earned. Detroit jumped out to a 2-0 lead with 2 runs in the second inning, aided by two Boston errors in the inning. Jody Reed had 3 hits for the second straight game for the Red Sox. They will try to salvage the second game of the doubleheader behind Bob Tewksbury tonight.


In the second game of the doubleheader, the Tigers scored 7 runs off Red Sox starter Bob Tewksbury in the 2nd inning, en route to a dominant 11-1 win to sweep both of today's games. To his credit, Tewksbury saved the bullpen by gutting out 5 innings and allowing just 1 additional run. Catcher Mike Heath went 4-for-5 with 3 RBI, and Torey Lovullo had the big blow in the 2nd inning with a 3 run home run. Detroit starter John DeSilva pitched a complete game, and allowed just 1 run while scattering 9 hits. Tim Naehring went 3-for-4 for Boston in the losing effort.

[Swami077]

August 13, 1990
Another tough week for the Red Sox, who have begun this west coast road trip by going 1-5 in stops through California and Seattle. Roger Clemens broke a personal two game losing streak by earning the only team win this week, a 2-1 victory over former Red Sox pitcher Greg Harris and the Mariners. The offense really hit the skids this past week, scoring just 6 runs in the last 5 games. The face of the team’s struggles was rookie Mo Vaughn, who went 2-for-16 with 9 strikeouts. Wade Boggs provided the lone bright spot, hitting .375 in the last week.

Infielder Jody Reed was placed on the disabled list this week after suffering a separated shoulder while trying to turn a double play in the final game of the series against the Angels. Reed is expected to miss about 3 weeks with the injury. In his place, newly acquired Brian Turang was promoted from AAA Pawtucket. He made his Major League debut against the Mariners this past weekend. In other roster news, reliever Todd Worrell was activated off the disabled list this week. Reliever Mike Dalton was optioned to AAA in a corresponding move.

Outfielder Blane Fox of the Winter Haven Red Sox was named Florida State League player of the week. Fox went 9-for-16 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. On the season, he is hitting .262 with 9 home runs and 24 RBI.

With the Red Sox falling out of the race and very little to be excited about for the remainder of the year, we will profile a player in the organization each week for the rest of the year. This week, we will focus on rookie infielder Tim Naehring. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Naehring stayed home and attended college at Miami-Ohio. After a strong career with Miami, Naehring was drafted in the 8th round by the Red Sox in the 1988 amateur draft. Naehring split the 1988 season with Elmira and Winter Haven, before starting the 1989 season at High A Lynchburg. A .301 average across 209 at bats earned him a promotion straight to AAA Pawtucket, where he finished the season. He earned an invite to spring training this year and impressed the coaching staff in his time there. He never cracked the top 100 prospects in the league, but was ranked as a borderline top 5 prospect in the Red Sox organization entering the 1990 season.

After just 7 games at the AAA level to start this season, he earned the call to Boston when 2B Marty Barrett suffered an injury. It was only expected to be a cup of coffee until Barrett was eligible to return off the DL, but Naehring got off to such a strong start with a .333 average and .800 OPS in the month of April. He remained on the roster even when Barrett returned and has posted a very solid rookie season. He is hitting .275 with 9 home runs while earning regular playing time. His .747 OPS puts him third on the team.

Around the League
The pennant races are shaping up across the league. The Orioles maintain a commanding 12.5 game lead in the AL East. However, all of the other divisions remain up for grabs.




Ivan Calderon of the Chicago White Sox was named AL Player of the Week, going 11-for-19 with 3 home runs. In the NL, Giants outfielder Kevin Bass hit .500 with 2 home runs to earn the honor. While they took home the awards, the most notable performance of the past week came from 23 year old pitcher Mike Harkey of the Chicago Cubs. Harkey in 9-11 with an ERA of 5.00 over 26 starts this season. However, in a dominant outing yesterday, Harkey no hit the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. He hit two batters and allowed one other to reach on an error by 2B Ryne Sandberg. Those were the only three batters to reach against the Harkey in the afternoon. He got Gregg Jefferies to ground out to end the 113 pitch day in the 2-0 win.

Week in Review

The Angels won a back and forth affair against the Red Sox in the opening game of a 3 game series at Anaheim Stadium. Nine hole hitter Luis Aguayo hit two 2 run homers for California in the 6-5 win. After Boston jumped out to a 4-1 early lead, Aguayo went deep in the 4th off Red Sox starter Dana Kiecker to cut into the lead. Then, he hit his second of the game off reliever Dennis Lamp in 6th. Although the Red Sox tied the game at 5, Devon White provided the game winner with a two out RBI double off Jeff Gray in the 8th to give the Angels a 6-5 victory. Angels' starter Mark Langston walked 7 and hit a batter over the first 3 innings, but settled down to pitch into the 7th. Wade Boggs had 3 hits for the Red Sox in the losing effort.


Jim Abbott outdueled Tom Bolton, as the Angels beat the Red Sox by a score of 4-2 tonight. Abbott went 8 innings, allowing 2 runs on 9 hits. Bolton allowed just 6 hits over 7 innings, but timely hits for the Angels turned that into 3 runs to saddle Bolton with a tough luck loss. The ultimate winning run came around in the 6th inning on a Bobby Rose groundout. Wade Boggs remained hot for Boston, with two hits. He is now 9 for his last 17 over the last 4 games.

[Swami077]

Chuck Finley pitched 6.1 innings, and allowed just 1 run on 4 hits to earn his 16th win of the season. Wes Gardner made his return from an elbow injury and was ineffective, lasting only 2 innings. He allowed 7 earned runs and took the loss. Wally Joyner had 3 hits and Lance Parrish drove in 4 runs in the 10-1 win. Red Sox shortstop Jody Reed separated his shoulder when Dick Schofield slid into him during a play at second base. He is expected to be placed on the disabled list tomorrow.


Roger Clemens pitched a complete game gem in a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. He surrendered 1 run in the 1st inning, and nothing else. In all, Clemens allowed 4 hits and struck out 9 in the 131 pitch effort. On the other side, Greg Harris took his first Mariner loss, allowing 2 runs on 7 hits over 5 innings. This was Harris's first appearance against the Red Sox since he was traded to Seattle in June. Both of the Boston's runs came on an RBI double from Marty Barrett in the 4th inning.


Bob Tewksbury took his 13th loss in a 9-0 defeat at the Kingdome in Seattle. Ken Griffey Jr hit a 2 run homer in the 1st inning to set the tone in the blowout win for the Mariners. In all, Tewksbury allowed 7 runs on 11 hits in 4.2 innings. Mark Gardiner got the start and the win for Seattle, pitching 7.1 shutout innings and allowing 4 hits. Outfielder Felix Jose had 3 hits in the game for Seattle. One bright spot for the Red Sox was 2 hitless innings pitched by rookie Pedro Borbon in relief. The young lefty has been impressive through his first 4 appearances with Boston.


Boston managed just 4 hits in the game against Brian Holman, who earned a complete game 6-1 win. The Red Sox finished the series by scoring just 3 total runs. Their lone run today came on a solo home run for Ellis Burks, his 7th of the season. Dana Kiecker took the loss for Boston by allowing 5 runs over 5 innings. It could have been significantly worse for Kiecker who allowed 9 hits and walked 6, as he worked in out of trouble in all 5 of his innings.

[Swami077]

August 20, 1990
After going 1-5 for the second consecutive week to drop them to 2-12 in their last 14 games, it appears likely that the Red Sox will end up being a 100+ loss team. Tensions boiled over during a game in Oakland last week. Reliever Rob Murphy had surrendered home runs to 3 out of 4 batters. Murphy then hit 30 year old 3B Al Pedrique in the back with a fastball. Pedrique charged the mound, and the benches cleared. Order was restored, and Murphy and Pedrique were both ejected from the game. As a result of the skirmish, they were both suspended for 4 games. Afterward, Murphy denied that hitting Pedrique was intentional, but there is little doubt in the court of public opinion.

President of Baseball Operations Jack Brady commented over the weekend that the end of the season will likely feature a much different looking Boston lineup. With rosters due to expand on September 1, Red Sox fans should be excited to see a glimpse into their future. Specifically, elite prospect Jeff Bagwell can be expected to be in Boston once rosters expand. 21 year old Phil Plantier who is having a spectacular season with AA New Britain and impressed during Spring Training may get the call as well despite his young age.

Plantier was just named Eastern League Player of the Week after a week in which he went 10-for-28 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI. On the season, Plantier is hitting .347 with 20 home runs in 193 at bats, and his OPS sits at an eye popping 1.179. Plantier was drafted in 1987 by Boston in the 11th round as an 18 year old out of Manchester, NH. He was a lightly regarded prospect through his first two minor league seasons, but turned heads last year at Lynchburg when he hit 27 home runs and drove in 105. His stellar spring and the season he has put together seems to have fast tracked him to the majors.

The Red Sox had another notable performance in the minors this past week when 1B David Alvarez of the Elmira Pioneers hit 3 home runs in a game against the Oneonta Yankees. The 21 year old Alvarez has had a quality season for the short season Pioneers, hitting .256 with 11 home runs.

In other news, the Red Sox rookie ball team in the Gulf Coast League has clinched the North Division title with a 40-15 record. They will wrap up their regular season next week before taking on the winner of the South division (likely the Mets) for the Gulf Coast League championship.

Around the League
A red hot month for Seattle has trimmed Oakland’s lead in the AL West to just 3 games. The lead was 11 games as recently as July 26th. The Mariners are 17-3 in their last 20 games, which includes a 3 game sweep of the A’s in Oakland. The teams will rematch in mid-September at the Kingdome.

Elsewhere in the American League, Kansas City’s George Brett earned Player of the Week honors, going 12-for-24 with a home run during the week. San Diego’s Jack Clark took home the award in the National League, hitting .478 with 3 homers and 7 RBI.

There was major injury news out of San Diego as well. 23 year old starting pitcher Andy Benes tore the flexor tendor in his elbow and will miss the remainder of the season. As this is typically a 10 month injury, Benes figures to miss a sizeable chunk of next season as well. San Diego sits 2.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds in the NL West.

Week in Review

The Red Sox were thoroughly beaten by the Oakland A's 14-7 tonight at Oakland Coliseum. Oakland led 14-1 entered the 9th when the Red Sox put up 6 runs to make the score more respectable. The rally was highlighted by a Mo Vaughn grand slam. The game was marred by an 8th inning brawl that was sparked when Oakland's Al Pedrique charged the mound after being hit by a Rob Murphy pitch. Murphy had just given up back to back home runs running Oakland's lead to 14-1. Tom Bolton started for Boston and worked 4 innings, allowing 7 runs on 10 hits and 8 walks in a truly abominable performance. Mike Moore earned the win to snap his personal losing streak. He had been 16-2 before losing 4 straight decisions.


It was another quiet day for Boston's offense tonight in Oakland. A's starter Bob Welch did not allow a hit until the 6th inning, and the Red Sox only managed 5 hits in all. Two of those hits left the yard, as rookies Tim Naehring and Mo Vaughn each hit two run homers in the game. After yesterday's fireworks, there were no signs of tension in today's game. Jose Canseco was the offensive star for Oakland, going 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.


Another strong outing from Roger Clemens today led the Red Sox to a 4-0 win this afternoon. Clemens held the best team in baseball to 5 hits over 8 innings. Oakland did not have a baserunner until Mark McGwire singled to lead off the 5th inning. Ellis Burks and Mo Vaughn each had 3 hits in the game. One of Vaughn's hits left the yard, to give him 3 straight games with a home run. Boston will have an off day tomorrow before returning home for series against the Angels and Orioles at Fenway Park.

[Swami077]

The homestand got started on a disappointing note for the Red Sox in a 6-1 loss to the California Angels. Angels starter Mark Langston shut the struggling Boston offense down. He came within 1 out of a complete game shutout, but a 9th inning walk to Carlos Quintana with 2 outs ended his night. He lasted 8.2 innings and allowed 1 run of 5 hits while striking out 8. Outfielder Brian Downing was the offensive star for the Angels, going 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Bob Tewksbury took the loss in another poor outing. He allowed 4 earned runs on 11 hits and struck out just 2 in 6 innings of work.


In a back and forth affair, the Angels took down the Red Sox in 10 innings today at Fenway Park. Lance Parrish's RBI single in the 10th gave the Angels the lead and what proved to be the winning run. The game had been well pitched until Boston closer Jeff Reardon entered the game in the 10th with the game tied at 3. He allowed 3 runs in the inning to take the loss. California starter Jim Abbott was cruising along and had just 89 pitches through 7 innings, but we was removed from the game following a 49 minute rain delay. Tony Pena went 2-for-4 with a 2 run homer in support of Dana Kiecker. Kiecker went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 9 hits and struck out 6.


Chuck Finley was outstanding today in a 3-0 shutout of the Boston Red Sox, giving the Angels a 3 game series sweep at Fenway Park. Finley allowed 6 hits, while striking out 11 and walking none. The Red Sox left the bases loaded in the 3rd and runners on 2nd and 3rd in the 4th, which were their only real chances in the game. Wally Joyner had 3 hits to lead the Angels' attack. Boston starter Tom Bolton struggled early, allowing 2 runs in the 2nd and another in the 3rd. But he settled down from there and made it through 7 innings without allowing any further damage. However, the 3 runs were more than enough for Finley on this day.

[Swami077]

August 21, 1990
Breaking news out of Boston this morning, as the Red Sox announced that they have parted ways with manager Joe Morgan. With the team sitting at 42-83 on the season, there is immense disappointment surrounding the organization. When Jack Brady took over the baseball operations department at the start of the season, there were almost immediate rumors about Morgan’s future given the change at the top of the organization. Those were downplayed by everyone involved, with Brady noting multiple times about the respect that Morgan had earned in the organization. However, the poor results this season simply became too much to accept.

“This wasn’t a decision that was made lightly, but with the play on the field this season, we just felt like a change was in the best interest of the organization,” said Brady.

“We continue to have the utmost respect for Joe and the Boston Red Sox appreciate all of his contributions to the organization as the team’s manager over these past three seasons,” the team said in a statement.

Morgan took over from John McNamara midway through the 1988 season when a talented Boston roster was underachieving. He helped to turn the season around and led the Red Sox to an AL East crown. That earned him a contract through the 1992 season. The organization will be committed to paying him for the next two seasons.

43 year old bench coach Al Bumbry will take over as interim manager for the rest of the season. Bumbry has no managerial experience, and has served as bench coach for the Red Sox since 1988.

“We plan to conduct a thorough managerial search, and will not rush the process,” Brady committed.

[Swami077]

August 27, 1990
The Al Bumbry (interim) era has begun with the same results that the Joe Morgan era ended with. The Red Sox have gone 0-6 since Morgan was dismissed on Tuesday and their losing streak has reached 10 consecutive games. Perhaps even more telling, the team has not won a game started by anyone other than Roger Clemens since August 3rd, going 2-19 overall in that time. It appears that the team has lost all of its competitive will, and Boston has already been eliminated from playoff contention before the calendar turns to September.

September 1st can’t come soon enough for the club, as hopefully an influx of youthful talent will help to revive the team over the season’s final month. Jack Brady has not committed to the promotion of any specific players, but he has said that some of the team’s prospects will receive a call up once rosters expand.

Roger Clemens, who had once been 12-1 this season, may be losing his grip on the Cy Young award. Already at a disadvantage due to his team’s poor season, he is now 2-4 over his last 6 starts. His ERA still sits at a sparkling 2.01, but that his slipped behind Chicago’s Jack McDowell for the American League lead. At 14-5, Clemens is tied for 7th in the AL in wins, with Mike Moore of Oakland leading the league with 19 wins.

Bob Tewksbury’s season came to a merciful end this week. He left his last start with shoulder soreness, and the team announced that he would be shut down for the remainder of the season. John Dopson has been promoted from Pawtucket to take Tewksbury’s next turn in the rotation. Tewksbury has been one of the worst pitchers in the league this season with 15 losses and an ERA over 7. The Red Sox traded highly regarded pitching prospect Paul Quantrill to St. Louis for Tewksbury before the season in a trade that has been widely criticized.

Infielder Jody Reed bounced back from a shoulder injury suffered earlier in the month, and returned to the lineup yesterday taking Brian Turang’s spot on the roster. In the same game that Reed returned, outfielder Mike Greenwell was forced to leave due to an arm injury. The Red Sox announced after the game that it wasn’t serious and he was just experiencing symptoms of a dead arm. With rosters set to expand this week, that Red Sox aren’t expected to place Greenwell on the disabled list, but he is expected to miss a few games.

After finishing the season 42-18 and winning their division, the Red Sox will start a best of 7 series for the Gulf Coast League championship tonight against the GCL Mets. It was a good week for individual honors in the minor leagues for the Red Sox organization. In the International League, 34 year old outfielder Rick Lancellotti earned Player of the Week honors, hitting .560 with 3 home runs during the week. Lancellotti is second in the IL in home runs this season with 25. Winter Haven outfielder Sean Moore hit .471 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI to earn the Florida State League award. Finally, infielder Scott Powers took home the Carolina League award with a week that saw him bat .375 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI.

Around the League
After Seattle had trimmed Oakland’s AL West lead to just two games during this past week, Oakland’s 3 game weekend sweep in Detroit has pushed their lead back to 4.5 games. In the National League, Pittsburgh maintains a 4.5 game lead over the Montreal Expos in the East, while Cincinnati holds a 2 game advantage over San Diego in the West. Outfielder Eric Davis has been leading Cincinnati for weeks now, as he is currently riding a 25 game winning streak.

White Sox rookie Frank Thomas was named AL Player of the Week by going 12-for-25 with 2 home runs and 8 RBI. He is a rookie of the year candidate, with a .305 average and 17 home runs to go along with 72 RBI. In the NL, Lenny Dykstra of Philadelphia earned the honor by also going 12-for-25, and he added 3 home runs last week. On the season, Dykstra is hitting .351, good for third in the National League.

Tom Gordon of the Kansas City Royals threw a no hitter against the Minnesota Twins at Royals Stadium. It was a 1-0 win for the Royals, so any mistakes could have resulted in not just losing the no hitter, but also the game, which created a high intensity atmosphere. Gordon issued a walk to Chuck Knoblauch leading off the 4th inning, and that was the only baserunner for Minnesota in the game. Knoblauch was erased on a double play, and Gordon faced the minimum 27 batters in the game.


Kansas City’s Tom Gordon records the final out of a no hitter against Minnesota.

Elsewhere in the league, 36 year old infielder Willie Randolph of the Dodgers reached a career milestone this week, as he tallied his 2,000th career hit against Philadelphia pitcher Pat Combs.

Week in Review

Tough loss for the Red Sox tonight in the opener of a 3 game series against Baltimore. Immediately after Boston scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 7th to take a 4-3, the Orioles regained the lead when Joe Orsulak ripped a two run double in the 8th off Jeff Gray. Gray took the loss to drop to 2-3 on the season. Although Mike Greenwell snapped a 0-26 slump with an 8th inning single, he flew out with the tying run on third base against Joe Price to end the game. Orioles starter Curt Schilling took a no hitter into the 7th inning until Ellis Burks singled to break up the bid. Joe Orsulak and Billy Ripken had 3 hits apiece for Baltimore, while Wade Boggs and Marty Barrett led Boston's attacked with two hits each.


Al Bumbry's managerial debut for the Red Sox ended in the same way most games have for the club recently; in a loss. Ben McDonald was masterful for the Orioles, as he outdueled Red Sox starter Roger Clemens in the 3-1 Orioles victory. For the second straight day, a critical error opened the door for Baltimore. With the score tied at 1, a Wade Boggs throwing error in the 5th inning resulted in two unearned runs against Clemens, which proved to be the difference. Clemens went 8 innings, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) and striking out 9.


The Red Sox were officially eliminated from postseason play with today's 6-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Orioles starter Pete Harnisch sent the Red Sox to their sixth straight defeat today. Harnisch pitched well, allowing 3 earned runs in 7.1 innings. Sam Horn hit a two run homer in the first inning off Red Sox starter Bob Tewksbury, and Baltimore never looked back from there. Tewksbury was forced to leave the game after 3 innings with shoulder soreness, and the Red Sox did not immediately update his condition. Mike Devereaux hit a 3 run homer in the 6th inning, which extended the Orioles' lead at the time to 6-0. Mo Vaughn hit his 16th homer of the season to get Boston within striking distance, but the rally ultimately came up short.

[Swami077]

The Blue Jays prevailed in a back and forth slugfest at Skydome tonight, 13-9, over the Boston Red Sox. For Boston, it was their 7th loss in a row. Dana Kiecker got the start and was opposed by David Wells for Toronto, but neither starter made it through 4 innings in this one. Kelly Gruber's 3 run homer in the 4th gave Toronto an 8-7 lead and knocked Kiecker out of the game. Carlos Quintana had 2 home runs and 4 RBI for Boston, while Mike Greenwell chipped in 3 hits of his own.


Boston fell 9-4 in Toronto tonight in a game that wasn't even as close as the lopsided score would indicate. Fred McGriff hit his 40th home run of the season and George Bell added 3 hits and 2 RBI in the Blue Jays' 14 hit attack. They pounded out 8 extra base hits in the game agains Tom Bolton and company. Bolton allowed 3 runs through 5 innings, but was left in to start the 6th and allowed the first two batters to reach. Toronto pushed across 4 runs in the frame to break the game open. Bud Black pitched into the 9th inning to earn the win for the Blue Jays. Carlos Quintana went 2-for-4 for Boston and had a second consecutive strong game in Toronto.


The losing streak hit 9 tonight as the Red Sox fell to the Blue Jays 7-2 at Skydome. Wes Gardner started for Boston and lasted 4.1 innings, allowing 5 runs on 3 hits, but walked 5 batters. In all, Red Sox pitchers walked 10 Blue Jays in the game. Todd Stottlemyre got the win for Toronto, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing 1 run on 8 hits. Catcher Rich Gedman went 3-for-4 for the Red Sox in the losing effort. Boston will try to snap their losing streak and salvage the final game of the 4 game series against the Blue Jays behind Roger Clemens tomorrow.


The Red Sox lost for the 10th time in a row today as Roger Clemens dropped to 14-5 on the season with a 7-4 Boston loss at Skydome. Clemens did not have his best stuff, allowing 9 hits and striking out just 2 in 7 innings. He was able to limit the damage to 3 runs. However, Jeff Reardon came on for the 8th and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits while retiring just 1 batter. Trailing 7-0 entering the 9th, the Red Sox scored 4 runs and had the bases loaded for Mo Vaughn who struck out against Jim Acker to end the game. Toronto starter Jimmy Key went 7.1 shutout innings, allowing just 4 hits. Toronto had 15 hits in the game, led by Brett Butler who had 3 hits atop the Blue Jays lineup.

[Swami077]

September 3, 1990
This past week started out on a high note for the Red Sox, as they finally snapped their 10 game losing streak by taking 3 out of 4 in Cleveland against the equally hapless Indians. However, the weekend wasn’t nearly as positive, with the Yankees sweeping a 3 game series at Fenway Park. Outfielder Mike Greenwell missed the majority of the week with the dead arm he began to experience in Toronto last weekend, but made his return to the lineup over the weekend against the Yankees.

With rosters expanding to 40 over the weekend, the Red Sox promoted 5 players to their Major League club. Outfielder Rick Lancellotti was added to the roster on the same day that he was named the International League Player of the Month for August. In the month, he hit .357 with 9 home runs and 23 RBI. For the season, Lancellotti is second in the league with 26 home runs.

The Red Sox also added three pitchers to their bullpen; Jeff Plympton, Kevin Ritz and Steve Howe. Ritz struggled mightily with his control while with Boston early in the season, but has recently pitched much better for Pawtucket. Plympton also struggled with the Major League club to the tune of a 6.65 ERA over 16 appearances. The lefty Howe was signed by the Red Sox in July after being out of baseball for the last two seasons. He has not pitched well while at either Elmira or New Britain since being signed by the organization, but will be given an opportunity to prove himself in Boston over the next month.

Infielder Luis Rivera, who opened the season with Boston before being optioned AAA, has battled a sprained thumb for most of the second half of the season. He hit .231 with 9 home runs for Pawtucket, and figures to add some depth to the Red Sox infield.

Jack Brady indicated that the team would likely make some additional roster moves as the various minor leagues wrap up their seasons. They would prefer to have some of their top prospects continue to get regular at bats in the minors for as long as possible. Once New Britain finishes up on September 10th, all eyes will be on Jeff Bagwell and Phil Plantier who have each had outstanding seasons and figure to be major pieces of the team’s future. It is widely anticipated that they will both make their debuts this month. Plantier was just named the Eastern League Player of the Month for August, hitting .387 with 12 home runs and 35 RBI, which has him at .355 with 22 home runs for the season.

In minor league playoff action, the Red Sox of the Gulf Coast League are squaring off against the Mets in a best of 7 series for the league crown. After building a 2-0 lead with road wins in games 1 and 2, the Red Sox lost 3 straight at home and now face elimination in tonight’s game 6.

In the Single A Carolina League, the Lynchburg Red Sox finished at 81-59 and won the North division. They will take on the Peninsula Pilots of the Mariners organization for the league championship in a best of 7 series beginning on Wednesday.

Around the League
Rickey Henderson of the Oakland Athletics was named AL Player of the Month with an August performance that saw him hit .406 with 7 home runs and 24 RBI. He may have established himself as a clear cut front runner for the MVP award this season, as he’s hitting .332 with 38 home runs, 113 RBI, and 41 stolen bases. Unfortunately, it wasn’t all good news out of Oakland this week, as they had yet another starting pitcher go down with a major injury. Bob Welch suffered a torn UCL and will require Tommy John surgery. Welch was 15-9 with a 3.31 ERA at the time of the injury. He will miss the rest of this season, and likely all of next season as well.

In the NL, Pittsburgh’s Bobby Bonilla hit .340 with 6 home runs and 29 RBI in the month of August to earn Player of the Month honors.

On the pitching side, Jose DeLeon of the St. Louis Cardinals was the Pitcher of the Month in August for the second consecutive month. He went 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA over 6 starts. He struck out 49 batters in 47.2 innings. DeLeon is now 19-6 with a 2.19 ERA and 205 strikeouts to lead the National League. Seattle’s Brian Holman was named AL Pitcher of the Month, going 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA during August. He is now 17-8 on the season.

Milwaukee’s Shawn Boskie was the AL Rookie of the Month, going 4-0 in 5 starts. Frank Castillo of the Chicago Cubs earned the award in the NL by going 3-2 and holding opponents to a .191 batting average with 40 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched.

Earlier today, Detroit’s Jack Morris was named AL Player of the Week, after winning both of his starts last week without allowing a run and just 5 hits over 17.1 innings. In the National League, Atlanta outfielder Ron Gant earned the award after going .440 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI.

Elsewhere in the league, Cincinnati outfielder Eric Davis had his 30 game hitting streak snapped yesterday in Chicago against Mike Harkey. It was the longest streak in the majors this season. Cincinnati is now 4-6 in its last 10 games, and San Diego sits just a game back in the NL West. Those teams will play each other in 6 of their last 9 games this season.

Week in Review

The Red Sox finally broke their losing streak in a wild 9-8 win tonight at Cleveland Stadium against the Indians. Both starters pitched well with John Dopson firing 6 strong innings for the Red Sox, and Charles Nagy lasting 7 for Cleveland. With the score tied at 3, all hell broke loose in a wild 8th inning. The Red Sox scored 6 runs against Indians reliever Neal Heaton in the top of the 8th. Cleveland answered back with 5 in the bottom of the inning against Pedro Borbon, who did not retire a batter. With the tying run at 3rd base, Todd Worrell struck out Jeff Manto to end the threat. A 1-2-3 9th inning earned Jeff Reardon his 6th save. Kevin Romine hit his second home run of the season, and Carlos Quintana added 3 hits as part of Boston's 16 hit attack.


Boston won back to back games with a 5-4 win tonight against the Indians. With the score tied at 4 entering the 9th, the Red Sox mounted a rally that was kickstarted by an error at third base by Jim Thome. With two outs and the Red Sox yet to push a run across, a Tim Naehring single drove in Marty Barrett with the go ahead run. Jeff Reardon was unavailable after working in consecutive games, so it was up to Jeff Gray who made quick work of the Indians to earn the save. Red Sox starter Dana Kiecker pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 runs on 5 hits, but he walked 5. The Red Sox jumped out to an early lead with a 3 run homer by Mo Vaughn off Willie Blair in the 1st inning. Jody Reed and Wade Boggs each had 3 hits for the Red Sox, who now have 30 hits in the last two games.


Tom Candiotti tossed a complete game and the Indians beat the Red Sox by a score of 11-1. Tom Bolton started for the Red Sox and was hung out to dry in an effort for him to eat innings. He was left in to surrendered 10 earned runs in 3+ innings. He allowed 7 hits and walked 4. Outfielder Alan Cockrell went 3-for-4 and drove in 3 runs for Cleveland, while Candy Maldonado drove in 4 runs in the blowout win. Cleveland will now look for a split of the 4 game series tomorrow.


The Red Sox put up 5 runs in the 12th inning to earn an 8-3 win over the Cleveland Indians and take 3 out of 4 in this series at Cleveland Stadium. The bullpen pitched very well for Boston in this game, allowing 1 run on 5 hits over 7 innings in relief of Wes Gardner. Gardner, who started for the Red Sox, allowed 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings of work. Pinch hitter Marty Barrett had a two run single to give Boston a 5-3 lead, and Tim Naehring followed with a 3 run home run to break the game open. Mo Vaughn hit his 18th home run of the season earlier in the game off Indians starter Rick Reed. Reed lasted 7.1 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits while striking out 3.

[Swami077]

In a pitcher's duel between New York's Sterling Hitchcock and Boston's Roger Clemens, it was Hitchcock that came out on top, 2-1. Hitchcock allowed 1 run on 3 hits over 7.2 innings, while Clemens lasted 8 innings while allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. Both runs scored in the 6th for the Yankees, as a sacrifice fly by Luis Polonia and an RBI single for Dave Winfield provided all the offense that New York would need. Winfield was 3-for-4 on the day. The Red Sox could manage just 3 hits in the game, two of them for Tim Naehring.


The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 7-2 today at Fenway Park. 2B Jim Walewander continued to terrorize the Red Sox on the basepaths. Though he is hitting just .158 on the season, he has stolen 58 bases, 9 of which have come against Boston. John Dopson started and went 5.2 innings, allowing 6 runs on 11 hits while striking out 5. The Yankees pounded out 14 hits, including home runs by Jesse Barfield and Randy Velarde. The Red Sox managed 7 hits in the game against New York pitchers Dave LaPoint and Eric Plunk.


New York finished off a 3 game sweep of their rival Red Sox with a 3-2 win tonight. New York scored two unearned runs in the first inning against Dana Kiecker, and Yankees' starter Tim Leary was simply outstanding tonight. He went 8 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits. Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the 9th, Boston led off with back to back doubles of closer Lee Guetterman by Ellis Burks and Mo Vaughn, but they would strand the tying run in scoring position. Kiecker was a tough luck loser, as he went 7 excellent innings and allowed 2 runs (both unearned) on just 3 hits and 2 walks.