July 21, 2007
...
Kason Gabbard, who in an earlier era would have been called "Gabby"
because he's anything but, held the White Sox to three hits and a run
in seven innings in the Red Sox 11-2 route. That was a splendid
encore to the three-hit shutout Gabbard tossed at the Royals last
Monday night, and deserving of the standing ovation he received from
the crowd of 36,283 at Fenway Park after he'd warmed up at the start
of the eighth, before he was taken out.
Gabbard has
now won his first five career starts at home, only the third Sox pitcher to do
so. Dave "Boo" Ferriss did it in 1945, while George Winter did it in 1901.
Winter gave away nothing to Ferriss in the nickname category. He was known as
"Sassafras," and was also a participant in what historians have called the first
on-field fight (1903) between the Yankees and Sox (or the Highlanders and
Americans, as they were known).
Coco Crisp,
meanwhile, who had drawn pregame raves from Francona for his fielding, matched
his career high with five RBIs, two in a seven-run seventh, Boston's biggest
inning of the season. Crisp has become an RBI machine of late, driving in five
runs twice in 16 days (also against Tampa Bay July 5) and collecting 16 RBIs in
his last 14 games.
A Chicago
relief threesome of Wassermann, Logan, and Day collaborated to walk five
consecutive batters in the seventh, forcing home three runs. Crisp drove home
two more with his third single of game, and two more scored on a triple by Eric
Hinske, who had started the inning with a pinch single while batting for Wily Mo
Pena, whose afternoon didn't go much better than that of the Chicago bullpen.
Pena
misplayed Paul Konerko's sinking liner into a double in the second, Konerko
would score on Josh Fields' double, and hit into a first-pitch double play after
Crisp had singled home two runs off White Sox rookie John Danks in the second.
Eric Hinske, who jump-started a four-run rally Friday night with a bunt single,
led off the seventh with his pinch single to right off right-hander Ehren
Wassermann. He stole second as Julio Lugo struck out, and remained there when
Dustin Pedroia was called out on strikes. But Wassermann then walked Manny
Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis to load the bases, lefthander Boone Logan entered and
walked J.D. Drew to force in a run, and right-hander Dewon Day walked Mike
Lowell and Jason Varitek, the latter in a 12-pitch at-bat.
When Crisp
and Hinske followed with their hits, the Sox were in double digits for the
second straight game, even without David Ortiz. The DH underwent a pregame MRI,
is day to day with a strained left shoulder, and is not expected to play today.
The Sox are trying to finish this 11-game homestand, their longest of the
season, by taking three of four from Chicago. They've split the first 10 games
and are 7 1/2 games ahead of the Yankees in the American League East after New
York swept a day-night doubleheader from the Devil Rays last night in the Bronx.
Francona
was visited before the game by umpire Tim McClelland, who made the non-home run
call on Drew's first-inning drive Friday night, which later was acknowledged to
be wrong by umpiring supervisor Mike Port. Francona said one way to resolve such
disputes would be to install a fifth umpire in a TV booth for reviews.
Despite
Curt Schilling's strong showing last night in Pawtucket (three scoreless
innings, six strikeouts), the Sox are leaning toward giving him a third rehab
start. Schilling is scheduled to start Thursday in Toledo, and the PawSox are in
Columbus July 31. It's possible that if Schilling makes a third rehab start, he
could wait until Aug. 1, when the PawSox return home.
