Michael Gee Bemoans Sloppy Series



Red Sox fans might not give a hoot this afternoon, but the Boston Herald's Michael Gee is quick to remind that this 2004 World Series is no oil painting.

After last night's 6-2 win, the Boston Alphoneses lead the St. Louis Gastons two games to nil. Each club has presented many game-winning gifts, but the Cards have been politer guests than the Sox were hosts, returning every one.

For a team to make eight errors in 18 innings and never trail their opponent, especially a World Series opponent, is in a way more of a defiance of the odds than coming back from a 3-0 hole. For once in franchise history, the Sox have both enough ability and momentum to overcome what ought to be fatal blunders.

     ``Maybe four's our lucky number,'' Sox manager Terry Francona said. ``I'd rather not see it again.''

     Francona was able to joke about the Sox' fielding woes because his pitchers prevented errors from becoming multi-run rallies.

     ``It's frustrating,'' Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. ``I thought we did enough offensively to score more than two runs tonight.''

     If Phil Garner heard that sentence, he's already gone postal back home in Galveston. The Cardinals and Astros brought their best against each other for seven games. Now the guys who killed his club are killing their own.

      Every run the Astros scored, they earned. The Cardinals allowed 14 homers but only walked 25 Houston batters in seven games.

     In two games, a variety of beleaguered Cardinals hurlers have issued 14 walks to the Sox and hit three batters. Seven of those free baserunners went on to score. The combined score of the Series is Boston 17, St. Louis 11. The Cardinals staff walked its team to two losses.

     Garner could've used a walk or two in the extra innings of NLCS Game 6. Most of all, however, the Astros manager must wonder why he didn't get to face the body doubles of the Cardinals lineup that appeared at Fenway Park this weekend.

     The Astros lost Game 6 on a Jim Edmonds walkoff homer. They lost Game 7 when Scott Rolen took Roger Clemens deep to break a seventh-inning tie. St. Louis' 4-5 hitters had five homers in the series.

     Here's how a team can make eight errors in two games and win both. In the Series, Rolen and Edmonds are 1-for-16. The hit was a bunt single by Edmonds in Game 1. They have one RBI, a sacrifice fly by Rolen in the eighth last night to cut the Sox' lead to 6-2.

     Perhaps both the Sox and Cardinals will clean up their acts in St. Louis. Perhaps the Cards will get the benefit of the last ``oh, no, after you'' in their home park.

     There's no perhaps about this. Joe Torre's and Garner's friends should take them moose hunting in Manitoba until Nov. 1.

Posted: Mon - October 25, 2004 at 04:33 PM      

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