March 22, 2004

Los Angeles 3, Boston 2. Monday afternoon.
Red Sox  000 000 002 -  2  7  1

Dodgers 010 000 20x - 3 8 0
Curt Schilling pitched 5.2 innings this afternoon, allowing four hits and one run. That run came in the second inning when Jolbert Cabrera bunted for a one-out single. Luis Garcia followed with a single to center and Cabrera beat Johnny Damon's throw to third, allowing Garcia to advance to second. Cabrera scored on Jose Hernandez's groundout to shortstop. Bubba Trammell and Koyie Hill each knocked in a run in the seventh off Frank Castillo. ... Odalis Perez pitched five innings, allowing three hits and striking out five. Boston rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth off non-roster pitcher Rick White, driven in by Mark Bellhorn and Michael Hernandez. ... Ramiro Mendoza was scheduled to pitch in the game, but he cut his finger on the seam of the ball in a game of catch.

Schilling hoped to pitch seven innings, but after his 87th pitch -- strike three to Paul Lo Duca for the second out in the sixth -- he was pulled; he walked one and struck out four. "Command-wise early, I didn't feel like I was hitting one of my corners consistently, but I felt like it came as the game went on. ... That's what I'm going to try and do, my next start, hopefully stretch it out, get it to 100, 105 pitches in and then tune it up for the season." Schilling also said he would continue working on his changeup. "The one thing that the changeup is going to do is allow me to throw fewer pitches. In counts where I might get a swing and a miss, I can throw a changeup and get an out."

Also: Projo: "Boston has three spots open -- two in the bullpen and one on the bench -- and just a few short weeks to decide who will fill them." More info from the Herald and Globe. ... LHP Nick Bierbrodt has decided to become a free agent rather than report to Pawtucket. The Red Sox then traded Tony Womack to St. Louis for RHP Matt Duff, who was 4-2, 2.62 last year in Memphis (AAA). ... The pitching matchups for the first series at Fenway Park (against Toronto): Arroyo/Pat Hentgen, Pedro/Roy Halladay and Schilling/Miguel Batista.

No comments: