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Wednesday, May 24 7:05pm ET
Daubach's 11th-inning HR jolts Jays | |||||
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GAME LOG
BOSTON (AP) -- It took longer than they hoped, but Brian Daubach and Trot Nixon ended their hitting struggles and the Boston Red Sox stopped their three-game slide.
"You don't know how long it will last," Daubach said of the team's problems at the plate. "You always think it's the next at bat, but you have to have some luck, too." Nixon had gone 3-for-18 before hitting a single in the ninth. Daubach wasted chances in his previous two games, striking out with runners at second and third in the eighth with Detroit leading 7-5 on Sunday, then going 0-for-1 with Boston trailing Toronto 3-2 on Tuesday. "With a man at second, I was trying to get a hit" in the 11th on Wednesday, Daubach said. "Hitting it out was that much better." Daubach hit his ninth homer of the year on a 1-0 pitch into the left-field screen with two outs against John Frascatore (0-1). Rheal Cormier (2-0) pitched three shutout innings for the win. "He got a ball over the plate and (Daubach) hit it into the screen," Toronto manager Jim Fregosi said. "If you want to make it the Daubach story, we can make it the Daubach story." Daubach nearly ended the game in the ninth after Nixon's two-out single, Boston's first hit since the third. But Raul Mondesi made a one-handed catch of Daubach's drive to the right-field warning track. Then Daubach won the game as Boston maintained its one-game lead in the AL East over the New York Yankees, who beat the Chicago White Sox 12-4. "We got a clutch hit when we needed one," said Jeff Fassero, who pitched six shutout innings before allowing Toronto to tie the game 3-3 in the seventh. "We haven't been scoring a lot of runs the last couple of games. Hopefully, this will get us going." The game was delayed by rain for 45 minutes with the score tied at 3 after eight innings. Cormier replaced Derek Lowe to start the ninth and retired the first two batters. Brad Fullmer then walked and Jose Cruz Jr. singled before Alex Gonzalez fouled out to first baseman Daubach. "Our club has hit well most of the year," Fregosi said. "We just haven't hit well of late." The Blue Jays lead the AL with 78 homers but have just one in the first two games of the Boston series. Fassero was in control early, allowing only three runners in the first six innings -- none of them reached second. But he couldn't get an out in the seventh. He retired five consecutive batters on grounders before Craig Grebeck and Mondesi singled with no outs. Carlos Delgado doubled in Grebeck, and Rich Garces replaced Fassero with the score 3-1. Tony Batista followed with a sacrifice fly. Fullmer then popped out to left field for the second out before Jose Cruz Jr. singled in the tying run. The Red Sox had taken a 1-0 lead without a hit in the first inning when Kelvim Escobar issued consecutive walks to John Valentin, Nixon and Daubach. Carl Everett hit a grounder to first. Delgado threw to second for the forceout, but Everett beat the return throw and Valentin scored. Boston made it 3-0 in the third after Escobar struck out the first two batters, Nixon and Daubach. Then he walked Everett and Troy O'Leary. Jeff Frye singled in a run, ending Boston's 0-for-19 slump with runners in scoring position. Jason Varitek followed with one of his three singles, driving home O'Leary with the third run. Game notesThe top six hitters in Boston's lineup went 4-for-25. The last three went 5-for-14. ... Nixon dove over the low wall down the right-field line and into the stands in an attempt to catch Marty Cordova's fly ball in the fifth. It went foul and Nixon emerged holding his chest. He stayed in the game after being checked by trainer Jim Rowe. ... Offerman went 0-for-4, ending his hitting streak at 10 games, then left the game with a strained left groin after running on Nixon's foul ball in the 11th. Manny Alexander ran for him. ... Cruz's third-inning single broke an 0-for-14 slump. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Toronto Clubhouse Boston Clubhouse RECAPS Baltimore 4 Seattle 3
Boston 6
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