Projo Sox Blog

Journal photo / Mary Murphy

THE WORK OF AN ACE: John Lackey was cruising, throwing strike one after strike one, and the Red Sox seemed no threat to do anything against him. Until Dustin Pedroia's scratch single foiled Lackey's chance of becoming the first pitcher since Chris Bosio in 1993 to no-hit Boston. Kevin Youkilis followed with a home run to end the shutout threat, but all in all, it was another lost night at Fenway, leaving the Red Sox 1-4 on their current road trip, and 6-12 against winning teams over the last month of baseball. (projo) As Steve Krasner notes, the game showed what a good pitcher Lackey is, at a venue where he has been unusually ineffective over his career. It also overshadowed a generally positive outing by Clay Buchholz, who is still searching for his first win since coming off the disabled list. (projo)

A HUGE DAY FOR THE HALOS: Before the game, the Angels addressed their biggest weakness -- a lineup that needed to add some muscle (projo) -- by acquiring Mark Teixeira in a trade with Atlanta. ESPN's Keith Law says Teixeira is "exactly what [the Angels] need ... an impact bat who'll add power, patience and a legitimate threat against the super pitching they'll face in October.

ALL'S QUIET ON THE EASTERN FRONT: Meanwhile, Sean McAdam doesn't see much chance that the trade activity by the Yankees and the Angels will force the Red Sox into a hasty move, and he sees no evidence that any move is imminent.

AND THAT INCLUDES YOU KNOW WHO: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com reports that there is very little chance the Red Sox will move Manny Ramirez. The Mets are the best possibility for a trade, but officials with that team insist they are not interested, Rosenthal reports. "They won't move Manny," Rosenthal quotes one major-league executive as saying. "No one is going to give them anything for him. And they know they can't win without him." Ken Davidoff says the Teixeira deal makes a Ramirez trade less likely, because it is one less bat that the Red Sox can potentially find to replace Manny's. (Newsday) Jayson Stark says the Phillies deny having anything going with Manny. (ESPN)

NOT A LEADER: Jim Rice, a guest of Kevin Kennedy and Rob Dibble on XM Radio, had some not-very-complimentary things to say about Ramirez. (Boston.com)

PLENTY OF BLAME: The Yankees lost their third straight game last night, and it was kind of an ugly one. Daniel Cabrera became the first Baltimore pitcher in nearly 30 years to beat the Yankees three times in one season, but not before he was ejected in the eighth inning for drilling Alex Rodriguez with a pitch. (N.Y. Daily News) Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte faltered and, as Peter Abraham writes, there is just plenty of blame to go around. (LoHud Yankees blog)

AND THE BENEFICIARIES ARE... The Rays capitalized on the Boston and New York losses by beating Toronto, as Matt Garza outdueled Roy Halladay. (St. Petersburg Times)

THE NO FAN CLUB: Add Joe Girardi to the group of players and managers (some of them from Boston) who don't feel comfortable about the way Cabrera pitches.

WANG DUE BACK? Chien-Ming Wang's cast was removed from his right foot, and there's a chance he may be back at the top of the Yankee rotation by September. (Newsday)

RIVAL MOVES: John Harper thinks the Yankees may still have a trade up their sleeves. But something will have to change if Jarrod Washburn is to be the new guy in pinstripes. (Newsday) Rays fans are impatient for the team to make a move, but Tampa Bay has to be careful, Joe Henderson writes in the Tampa Tribune.

NO CONCERNS THERE: While the Red Sox worried about the overall state of their bullpen, The Herald's Rob Bradford reports that they have no worries right now about closer Jonathan Papelbon -- and that would include any issues about his health.

NO SURPRISE THERE: A day after reports surfaced that the Red Sox and the Astros were involved in trade talk involving Miguel Tejada, Houston GM Ed Wade told Tejada he wouldn't be traded anywhere. (MLB.com)

TED BEING TED: That's the term Bleacher Report blogger Michael Lemaire uses to describe Ted Williams' less than fan-friendly ways, in a post that compares Williams to Manny Ramirez (not a comparison often made).

HE SAID, HE SAID: Jose Guillen is not on speaking terms with his manager and wants out of Kansas City, according to ESPNdeportes. But hours after that report came out, the temperamental outfielder denied it entirely (Kansas City Star).

A FITTING TRIBUTE: A little less than two years ago, former knuckleball pitcher Joe Niekro suffered a brain aneurysm and died, just after being fitted for a tuxedo to wear to his daughter's wedding. Later this year, the daughter, Natalie Niekro, will honor her father's memory and raise money for the foundation that carries his name by holding the Knuckle Ball, a cleverly named fundraiser. Proceeds will go to the Methodist Neurological Institute in Houston. (Arizona Republic)

IN TROUBLE AGAIN: Former major leaguer Julio Mateo, whom we last heard from when he was arrested on spousal abuse charges, has been arrested on suspicion of forgery after police in New Mexico found counterfeit $100 bills in his hotel room. (AP)

NO LOVE FOR THE CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE: The Phillies need pitching, and the Padres want to move Greg Maddux, but the future Hall of Famer has told the team that he's not interested in making that move. Which means he's probably not going anywhere. (CBS Sportsline)

WHERE WILL HE GO NEXT: Both Minnesota and Detroit are potential landing spots for LaTroy Hawkins, who was ousted from the Yankees' bullpen to make way for Damaso Marte. (Star-Tribune)

OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra appears to be heading to the disabled list for the third time this season. (L.A. Times) That has the Dodgers looking for short-term fixes at shortstop, possibly Marco Scutaro. (ESPN) ... Ken Rosenthal wonders if the St. Louis Cardinals might be interested in reacquiring Edgar Renteria, who has been a bust in Detroit. (Fox Sports) ... In his first big-league start since being a part of the disastrous 2006 Red Sox, Jason Johnson outdueled Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants to pick up a win for the Dodgers. (projo) The Padres designated former PawSox Chip Ambres for assignment. ... The Twins designated Adam Everett for assignment, then brought him right back when Alexi Casilla injured his thumb. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) ... The Mets reinstated Pedro Martinez from the bereavement list. (ESPN) ... Ramon Vazquez, now the Rangers' everyday third baseman with Hank Blalock injured, had a four-hit night against Seattle.

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