Number 2 Starter Needed, Apply Within.

Pedro has now lost four games in a row. There was no bad luck involved, he has just plane sucked his last four outings. Two losses to the Yankees, and two losses to the Devil Rays of all teams. Pedro are the reports of your demise premature?

"I'm not concerned at all," Martinez said after the loss damaged Boston's slim chances of winning the AL East. "I would like the results to be better, but I'm healthy and I feel great. I just have to continue to pitch and work hard. Hopefully in the playoffs, it will be different."

Martinez who stated mater of fact-ly earlier in the year that he would test free agency after this season has now changed his tune with the Sox winning and Petey losing.

There's no need to go anywhere. I'm going to give them a chance," Martinez said.

"I'm actually positive. I'm thinking I'm going to sign with Boston again. I just hope they don't disrespect me or anything while we're negotiating. That would be my turning point."

Martinez has been a honey pot of quotes of late. Two weeks ago when he was slated to pitch the first game of the playoffs he stated that he would like to see any one tell him that he wasn't pitching the first game of the playoffs. Three losses later his story has changed once again.

"He was the No. 1 pitcher from the get-go. He deserves to be the No. 1 starter," Martinez said. "I actually should pitch like fifth, or maybe not even pitch in the playoffs, if I continue to pitch the way I have."

Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pedro Martinez (L,16-9)	5	10	6	5	1	5	0	3.90
Mike Myers	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	4.35
Byung-Hyun Kim	1.1	2	2	2	1	0	0	7.71
Alan Embree	0.1	1	1	1	0	0	1	4.26
Mike Timlin	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.10

Don't get too far ahead of yourself Mr Flip Flop.

2.5 Games Back

Millar, a dead fast ball hitter, came up in the tenth with two out facing Danys Baez throwing gas. It seemed like a good match up, Kapler on second poised to score on any base hit. Francona just pulled Ortiz off the base paths to play some small ball and have the fleet of foot Kapler stay in the game. Millar threw that strategy out the window with the go a head 2 run homer to break the 8-8 tie in the 10th.

This one was nice because we're right there in the East and it was a big game for us to keep winning," Millar said.

With the win and the Yankees rain out the Sox move to an impressive 2.5 out with 5 to play. It is still the longest of long shot for the Sox to win the AL east, but for now they are not taking themselves out of contention. The game it self was a testament of the Sox season. Having to battle back again and again just to get an ugly win.

We're a bunch of idiots, but we're grown-up idiots now. We celebrated the right way. We did it for a little bit and that was it." Damon said of their previous nights celebrations.

Lowe didn't do anything to solidify his third spot in the rotation but a lot of our brown bagger pitchers did step up and pitch shut out ball to allow Millar to take the lead.

Boston	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Lowe	2.1	8	5	5	2	0	0	5.43
Adams	2.2	4	3	3	0	1	1	4.91
Embree	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.11
Williamson	1.0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1.01
Astacio	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11.57
Mendoza (W, 2-1)	2.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	3.10
Foulke (S, 31)	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2.20

Pedro, who would normally be shutting it down right about now, Pitches to night against the mysterious TBA pitcher.

Do You Still Believe

Sox move to 2.5 games back with the Yankees rain out.

"It's huge. We knew the Yankees have a really tough series with Minnesota coming up," Damon said. "Everybody was making a deal about us celebrating about being in the playoffs. It's not like we were giving up the AL East. We're going out and trying to get wins. That's all we can do. All we can do is worry about ourselves."

Millar made Sox fans go to sleep happy with his two run homer in the 11th to break the 8-8 tie.

"This one was nice because we're there in the East," Millar said. "It was a big game for us to keep winning."

The Yankees face Cy Young candidate Johan Santana today as part of double header. In theory the at the end of Wednesday the Sox could be one game out. With Pedro on the mound tonight hopefully the Sox will do their part.

"We're just going to try and keep putting W's up to make it tough." -- Kevin Millar

3 Back 6 to play

The Sox moved to 3 games back in the AL East Monday night. They play 6 more games, the Yankees play 6 games. You do the math... the sox have a chance to win the AL East. A small chance but a chance all the same. After the being doused in champagne Manny managed to say this.

We haven't accomplished [anything] yet," said star slugger Manny Ramirez, who helped pace the win by clocking home run No. 43. "We're going to take it to another level and see what happens."

Johny Damon what are your chances in the playoffs?

"We're solid," said Damon. "Top to bottom, our bullpen, our bench, this team is definitely better than last year."

Yeeh Yaah!

The Red Sox clinched the wild card playoff berth Monday night after the 7-3 win over over the Devil Dogs. Ortiz and folks give Manny a golden shower of sorts, but are they really having fun?

No one's going bananas. We still have a job to do," Damon said. "There's a lot more business to take care of. Right now, we're going to go celebrate a little bit."

Damon hit his 19th home run of the season sadly enough that is the most he has ever hit in his career.

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Boston	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	2	0	7	12	1
Tampa Bay	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	7	0

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A Very Important Unimportant Victory

Beating the Yankees for the final two home games of the season was huge. With the two wins the Sox take the season series 11-8 (the best since 1999), but it really won't change the out come of the season one bit. Baring a miracle the Sox will sill have to settle for the wild card as they did last year. What it does do however is give the Sox some much-needed confidence going into the playoffs. Take away the past two games and the Sox haven’t played the Yankees well since the beginning of the season. Now the Red Sox would most likely be the Vegas favorites if the teams met in the post season. We know now that other than Mike Mussina their pitching sucks, and we will be ready to face them in the ALCS, and thanks to Pedro blowing the lead in the 8th on Friday you'll be damn sure that Petey won't be out there again in the 8th to blow any more leads with or with out Grady Little.

Brown Bagged It

Yankee douche bag Kevin Brown Walks off the mound in the first inning after being pulled two outs into the game. In that brief period of time Brown gave up 6 hits, and four earned runs.

``The only way you're going to find out about Brownie is to put him out there,'' said Torre

And find out the sox did as they hosed him and his broken hand. This good news if the Sox face the Yankees in the ALCS.

Dead Man Walking

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NY Yankees	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	2	1	6	11	0
Boston	0	0	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	4	7	1

The Sox lost their long shot chances of winning the AL East last night, as Pedro may have pitched his last home game in Fenway ever. Thanks Pete. Where is Jimmy Williams to pull him out to early when you need him? But like last year it wasn't the manager that gave up the runs, it was Pedro. Pedro, whos' your daddty?

"What can I say -- just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy," Martinez said. "I can't find a way to beat them at this point. ... They're that good. They're that hot right now -- at least against me. I wish they would disappear and not come back."

No one wants to blame the person who use to be the best pitcher in baseball, they want to blame the manager for leaving fragile Pete in their in the 8th inning. Come on? The eight inning?

"If I run out there after two pitches ... it would make it look like I wasn't making a very good decision before the inning," Francona said. "We put a lot of thought into what we're doing. I was disappointed it was a tie game instead of having a one-run lead, but two pitches into the inning he's still, in my opinion, he's OK."

Boston Red Sox
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Pedro Martinez (L,16-8)	7.1	9	5	5	2	5	1	3.78

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IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS

The odds are stacked against Pedro and the Red Sox, but that Sox still have a chance to win the AL East in 2004. Going into a 3 game series the Sox and going to have to sweep the Yankees, and most likely sweep the Devil Rays as well to round out the season. With a 6 game lead with 6 games left to play the Sox have virtually clinched the wild card, but they want more than what last year brought.

We have a chance to play the Yankees at home for three games and lay everything on the line, that's the name of the game," said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar. "No statements, we just have to go out and play good baseball. But if we have a chance to come out here and do what we'd love to do, which is sweep them, you build on that."

The last two games the Sox faced the Yankees the Sox were sodomized, managing only 5 runs versus the Bombers 25. But the Yankees can't take away the fact that the Sox have a better team on paper in nearly every category.
Team Comparison

Batting Average
	.271 .282

Runs
	861 877

Hits
	1419 1511

Earned Run Average
	4.65 4.15

Hits Allowed
	1448 1343

Opponent Batting Average
	.271 .255

Table Courtesy of CBS.sportline.com
Pedro has lost his last two consecutive starts, as he gears up for his free agency bid, all of this swells amid rumors that Pedro may not want to be second fiddle to Schilling next year.

I'm not a stopper, I'm not anything. I'm just a player trying to earn his living and do his job."

And Pedro's job tonight is winning one game, his last game of 2004 and possibly his last regular season game as a Red Sox. One game, tonight against the Yankees.

The Highs and South Korean Lows

Big Pappa Ortiz was the winning run at the dish and took the pitch deep. It was the improbable comeback late in the ninth with two outs, it felt like it shouldn't be able to be done but yet it was going to be done. The Sox were going to win after some Fenway faithful strolled out an inning earlier. It was unbelievable and it was also impossible. The drive was playable. Game over Sox lose 9-7.

Lowe only made it five innings and didn't helps his stats for the off season shopping. He avoided the loss via a 3 RBI hit from Millar in the fifth.

The highest paid sack of crap this team has seen since Jose Offerman closed out the game for the Red Sox.

Kwayngsan-Ku, Sougjung-dong, South Korea's finest waste of your money to date, figured out how to give up the 2 runs that basically lost the game that the sox were about to win. But you can't bitch about hypotheticals, so I will bitch on his sheer suckyness. In one inning of work this oriental express put the game out of reach with a three hit two run outing. The next inning the Sox scored two runs of their own which would have tied the game, but it didn't thanks to this 3.4 million dollar Asian Persuasion.

Boston Red Sox
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Derek Lowe	5.0	9	5	4	1	4	1	5.25
Terry Adams	2.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	4.62
Ramiro Mendoza (L,1-1)	0.1	2	1	2	0	0	0	3.46
Mike Myers	0.2	1	0	0	2	1	0	4.46
Byung-Hyun Kim	1.0	3	2	2	1	1	0	7.11

Sox Cab it Home in the 12th

Boston Red Sox's Orlando Cabrera, right, throws off his helmet as he is met at home plate by teammates Pedro Martinez, center, and Manny Ramirez (24) after his walk off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park in Boston, Wednesday Sept. 22, 2004. The Red Sox won 7-6.

Final(12) 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 R H E Baltimore 2 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 6 12 0 Boston « 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 7 13 1 Preview | Matchup | Lineup | Log | Wrap | Box W:C.Leskanic(3-5) L:R.Bauer(1-1) HR: BAL- D.Newhan (7), R.Palmeiro (21) BOS- O.Cabrera (5), D.Ortiz (40)

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Yankees Fail to Clinch Playoff Spot

Blue Jays 5 Yankees 4

The Yankees had the playoffs in their grasp. All they needed was a win or a Ranger loss to Oakland, and George Steinbrenner's millionaires would be guaranteed a wild-ard.

On the mound was Orlando Hernandez, the pitcher who had awed New Yorkers by coming back from arm surgery to win his first eight decisions.

The Yankees gave him a 3-0 lead. Manager Joe Torre gave the entire team a break by not telling them the importance of the game. And 49,560 had piled into the Stadium to give the home team a roaring advantage.

Wasted.

The lowly Blue Jays rallied to hand the Yankees a 5-4 loss and El Duque (8-1) his first defeat. Working behind in the count most of the night, Hernandez gave up all five runs on eight hits in 61/3 innings while the Rangers were beating Oakland, 5-3
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Yo Yo For Arroyo

Charles Bronson Arroyo gives up 4 earned runs over 6 innings.

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Foulking it Up... AGAIN

Pictured is Keith Foulke giving up a home run to Melvin Mora Monday night, not pictured is Keith Foulke blowing Schilling's 21st win of the season a win that would make him an Iron Clad Lock Box for the Cy Young award. Foulke's Fuck Up was easily forgotten by Mark Bellhorn's game winning hit of all people and Foulke was awarded with the win (that just doesn't seem right). Too bad he can't give Schilling back his win to certify his Cy Yound Award, and now if he doesn't get it, it is all Foulke's fault. How does that make you Foulking feel?

Who Died and Made You Mark Bellhorn

Boston Red Sox Mark Bellhorn, center, is mobbed by teammates Kevin Youkilis, left, and Johnny Damon (18) after his game-winning single drove in two runs in the ninth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park in Boston Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004. The Red Sox came from behind to win, 3-2.
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Sox Pour A Bowl of Love for Pedro

In the largest deviation from Fenway Park tradition, the new owners okayed a Wheaties promotion celebrating their newest pitch man Pedro Martinez.

My New Favorite Red Sox Player

Gabe Kapler. Oh, and this is his wife.

Now I know why he is so content to be totally mediocre as a baseball player." Peter Freeland 9-21-04

Full Name: Gabe Stefan Kapler

Born: 07/31/1975

Birthplace: Hollywood, CA

Height: 6'2" Weight: 200

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

College: Moorpark CC, CA

MLB Debut: 09/20/1998

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	AVG
2004	123	270	47	75	14	1	6	31	109	13	44	5	4	.314	.404	.278
Career	729	2178	322	594	126	13	61	279	929	197	343	66	25	.333	.427	.273

Hello Wild Card

The Yankees lost Monday night, and every time that happens it should be big news as an opportunity to gain some ground prior to this weekend series. Opportunity lost. The Wakefield and the Sox got shelled, not as bad as the yanks 11-1 loss, but does 9-6 feel any better?

Its' beginning to feel a lot like last year, remember last year the was a tiny mild push for the AL East, then the team sputtered out about a month to go and Fenway faithful were pumped just to secure the wild card? No different, maybe the amount of time left until we default to the wild card was about a week later this year, but no difference.

``Starting this series, I know how important it was for me,'' said Wakefield (11-10). ``I'm disappointed that I let us down, very disappointed.''

The last time Wakefield won more than 11 games in a year was 1998, this year when he reached 11 wins on August 29th, nearly everyone felt certain he would eclipse that mark this year. Maybe not. Wakefield will probably get another start this year, but the way he has been pitching and the Sox have been playing, a 12 victory is far from certain.
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Pedro Loses It

Pedro and the Sox got bombed Sunday in the Bronx as the Yankees won 11-1. Pedro had another horible outing giving up 8 runs in just five plus innings, his last start against Tampa was a loss giving up 3 runs.
-------------
By taking two of three in the series, the first-place Yankees moved 4½ games ahead of Boston, their largest margin since before games of Aug. 31.

The teams play another three-game set next weekend at Fenway Park. By then, the Red Sox might be too far back to catch New York, though they still have a comfortable lead in the wild-card race.

Boston dropped to 25-7 in its last 32 games and lost its first series since dropping two of three Aug. 13-15 against the White Sox. The Red Sox lost consecutive games for only the second time since Aug. 7.

SportsLine.com wire reports
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Pedro The Stopper... ER Starter

Pedro has been a stopper a few times in his life. In 1999 he stopped losing streaks faster than a fat person driving by a chili fest. Unfortunately this year the only stopping he has done has been stopping winning streaks. Fortunately that can't happen today, so with any luck he will become a "starter"?

I'm not a stopper, I'm not anything. I'm just a player trying to earn his living and do his job."

Tough living it is getting a million dollars a win. Hey Johnny Damon can Pedro win today?

"Petey has been throwing the ball great. Hopefully the bats show up and show up early and we score a couple of runs, and hopefully we can keep on scoring. I think that's the key. Whoever scores, they need to keep on scoring. We have a team that can do that and it starts with me [Sunday]."

The good news is that every time the sox have gotten beaten up, shelled, and shut out or nearly shut out, they come back the next day and put a whopin on somebody. Pedro say something profound.

Every game is a challenge," said Martinez. "People want to beat you, you try and beat them."

Thanks Petey, see you at 1.
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Terry's Nightmare

We need a touch down and a field goal.

The Yankees scored nine runs in the first two innings and did not have 1 extra base hit. That is bad pitching and bad defense which usually means its the managers fault.
Terry tossed in the white towel in the forth as he brought in "Mr Mop Up" Mendoza to relieve Terry Adams.

Apocalypse Lowe

Worst Case Scenario for Derek Lowe and gives up the game in the first inning. If Lowe threw to first instead of third in all likelihood he would have only given up three runs and changed the whole complexion of the game. That did not happen, as Lowe was knocked out of the game quite literally as his leg was hit with a line drive ball that caused more damage than pain. Terry Adams came on to relief in the second inning and by the time he left the mound the game was 8-0.

2.5 Games

The Sox move to a mere 2.5 games out of the AL East lead last night as the local nine came back in the ninth to ruin a long rainy night for Yankee fans in the Bronx last night.

I didn't do my job,"

Said Rivera after he took the loss. Rivera has lost only two games this year, both of them to the Boston Red Sox.

We know how good he is. We'd rather not get to him, because when you get to him, you know you're probably not winning," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "There's something to be said for perseverance. I know when you're losing going into the ninth inning against Rivera, you don't win very often. But we managed to find a way tonight."

Lowe faces Lieber Saturday afternoon, weather permitting, with a chance for the Sox to move to 1.5 games back.

Velcro Suit Man

Super Manny Ramirez pulls off what can only be describe as a miraculous catch to rob Miguel Cairo of an apparent home run int the fifth. Cairo trotted the bases like he had gone yard only to find out one his way back to the dug out that the ball was in fact caught by Ramirez . The play by Ramirez was big when it happened but when the game ended in a 3-2 come from behind victory for the sox everyone realized just how big it really was.

When you make a catch like that, man, it's better than when you hit a grand slam," Ramirez said. "You get so excited, it's unbelievable."

Ramirez called the catch the best of his career and you won't hear any arguments from many people today. Manny who is known for his outfield and base running gaffs always atones himself with a great play sooner or later, but none greater than Friday nights. Plays like that have will bring Ramirez, usually only known as a DH type outfield, into consideration for a MVP award this year. Manny is having a career year as he leads the league in home runs and is third in runs batted in.

"It would mean a lot because I already put up some awesome numbers for like six years. But it's up to you [writers]. I'm going to keep going and doing some damage and having fun."

Who's House?

Curt Schilling, a spectator Friday night, taunts the Yankee fans behind the Red Sox dug out after Orlando Cabrera knocks in pinch runner Dave Roberts in the top of the ninth to shock Yankee fans the world over. The transient Fenway Faithful made a lot of noise in the Bronx after Cabrera's clutch hit, and Schilling was basking in it.

"Cabrera told me when I was in the hole, when Trot was up, 'Just to get on base for me.' This guy put his money where his mouth was and got the big hit for us," said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Millar.

Are You Kidding Me!?

Mariano Rivera looks on in discust as a bloop single from Johnny Damon drops in front of Kenny Lofton as the go-ahead run crosses the plate behind him.

"'We're facing the best closer in the history of the game, don't get too down on yourselves.' Against a guy like that, if you can pull off a victory, you've done something special," said Damon.

Damon was 2-4 with 2 RBI but none bigger than his RBI single in the top of the 9th scoring Gabe Kappler.

Trot Nixon getting that walk was a key. Orlando getting that hit, it's a lot easier to hit when the score is tied," said Damon. "It's never easy when you go up against Mo."

36% or all of Mo's blown saves are against the Red Sox. Think about that.