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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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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.
|  | | Brian Daubach ended the game with one big swing Wednesday. |
Daubach's three-run homer in the 11th inning after a walk to
Jose Offerman and a single by Nixon, gave Boston a 6-3 win
Wednesday night over the Toronto Blue Jays.
"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 notes
The 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.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Boston Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 4
Seattle 3
Boston 6
Toronto 3
Detroit 10
Cleveland 9
Oakland 9
Tampa Bay 2
NY Yankees 12
Chi. White Sox 4
Kansas City 3
Texas 0
Anaheim 6
Minnesota 5
Philadelphia 9
Houston 7
Atlanta 11
Milwaukee 2
St. Louis 5
Florida 1
Colorado 9
Chicago Cubs 4
Arizona 6
Pittsburgh 5
Cincinnati 10
Los Angeles 3
San Diego 5
NY Mets 4
San Francisco 18
Montreal 0
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