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Red Sox 6, Orioles 1

BALTIMORE -- Curt Schilling pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, David Ortiz drove in the tiebreaking with a bloop single in the seventh, and the Boston Red Sox exploited Baltimore's revamped bullpen in a 6-1 victory Wednesday night.

After losing two straight to Toronto by a combined 17-6 score, Boston scored five runs over the final three innings to avoid its first three-game skid of the season. Alex Cora hit his first homer for the Red Sox, who have won 16 of their last 19 games against the Orioles.

Schilling (3-1) gave up one run, struck out three and walked two. The 40-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Miguel Tejada but allowed only one other batter beyond second base.

Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera (1-2) pitched well but was victimized by the bullpen in Baltimore's third straight defeat. The right-hander left in the seventh after getting two outs and walking two batters with the score tied at 1.

Jamie Walker came in to face Ortiz, who worked the count to 3-2 before plopping an opposite-field single in front of charging left fielder Jay Payton. Manny Ramirez then stopped an 0-for-12 drought with an RBI single off Chad Bradford, who forced in a run by walking J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell.

Walker and Bradford are part of a $42 million makeover the Baltimore bullpen received during the offseason. Before facing the Red Sox, the duo had given up two runs in 17 1-3 innings.

Boston added two runs in the ninth off rookie Jim Johnson. Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly on a drive that center field Corey Patterson caught by leaping to the top of the wall, and Lowell hit an RBI single.

Cora gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead with his first homer since August and second since August 15, 2005. The drive landed in the front row of the right-field bleachers.

It was the first home run yielded by Cabrera in five starts this season. He had pitched 57 2-3 innings without surrendering a homer, dating back to Sept. 6.

Cora went 2-for-2 against Cabrera and is 11-for-18 (.611) in his career against the right-hander.

Aubrey Huff doubled off the glove of first baseman Kevin Youkilis with one out in the fourth and advanced on a groundout before former Boston favorite Kevin Millar struck out.

Cabrera walked two in the sixth but got out of trouble by striking out Jason Varitek with a rising 3-2 fastball. The 6-foot-9 pitcher hopped off the mound and pumped his fist before heading to the dugout.

Tejada homered in the bottom half to make it 1-all. It was Tejada's second of the season; the first came on opening day in Minnesota.

Notes:@ Sgt. Mark Ecker II, who lost parts of both his legs while serving in the war in Iraq, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Players from both teams stood and cheered during his introduction. ... Orioles 3B Melvin Mora was omitted from the starting lineup for the first time this season, in part because he's 3-for-25 lifetime against Schilling. ... Schilling is 4-0 in his last five starts against Baltimore.

-- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:28 PM | Permalink

Cora in, Pedroia out

Alex Cora is starting tonight at second base in place of rookie Dustin Pedroia, but even though the Orioles are starting a right-hander (Daniel Cabrera), it's not a case of the Red Sox beginning to platoon the duo.

Cora, a left-handed hitter, has had considerable success (9 for 16, .563) against Cabrera. Cora also is batting .333 overall. Pedroia, a right-handed hitter, is batting only .191 overall.

"Pedroia will get back in there, but this is too good a night to pass up having Cora in there," said Francona, pointing to Cora's track record against Cabrera.

Pedroia is expected to start tomorrow night.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 5:01 PM | Permalink

Manny Asks Into the Lineup

Boston manager Terry Francona was thinking about giving struggling Manny Ramirez a game off tonight.

But when he informed Ramirez of his idea, the Sox' left fielder wasn't receptive to it. So Ramirez is in left field, batting fourth.

Ramirez, one of only three members of the Sox to play in the first 19 games (J.D. Drew and David Ortiz are the others), is hitting only .197 with just one double, two homers and nine RBI.

"I was going to sit Manny but he talked me out of it," said Francona. "I keep thinking if he feels he wants to be in there, I'm hoping he'll get hot. I've got to believe he feels he's getting close. That's a good sign."

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:55 PM | Permalink

The New Jon Lester Plan

Jon Lester was rained out in his start for Pawtucket tonight in Rochester.

The PawSox have tomorrow off, so the plan now calls for the left-hander to pitch for Pawtucket Friday night against Buffalo at McCoy Stadium.

If Lester were to stay on a five-man-rotation schedule, he would work again at McCoy on Wednesday, May 2, against Indianapolis.

Lester, recovering from non-Hodgkins lymphome, is in the minors on a rehabilitation assignment. A pitcher can spend a maximum of 30 days on a minor-league rehab stint before his organization would have to either assign him to the big-league team or a minor-league team.

In Lester's case, his 30th day is May 4. At that point the Sox will have to decide what to do with him.

If Boston feels he's ready to pitch in the big leagues, he'll likely replace Julian Tavarez in the rotation. Tavarez had a solid start last week in Toronto, but was tagged for six runs in 4 2/3 innings by the Jays at Fenway on Tuesday night.

The Sox, apparently, are not going to rush Lester into a start Sunday in New York. Tavarez still is listed as the starting pitcher for the series finale against the Yankees.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:46 PM | Permalink

Crisp Out Again -- DL?

Coco Crisp is out of the starting lineup again tonight, missing his fourth straight start because of tightness in his left oblique.

Manager Terry Francona had been hopeful that Crisp would be able to return tonight, but instead, Wily Mo Pena, who has had his share of defensive troubles, is starting again in center. Crisp could very well wind up on the disabled list this weekend if his health doesn't improve.

"Coco's not as good as we wanted him to be," said Francona during his daily press briefing.

"The plan of attack is to not play him tonight or tomorrow and then we'll try to make a decision when we get to New York (Friday, for the opener of a series against the Yankees), whether he needs to be on the DL or can he come back and play," said Francona.

Francona said the medical staff has to determine whether it's a bruise or a strain. Crisp did some work in the weight room on Tuesday and said yesterday he was sore. Francona said they weren't sure if he was sore because he had worked out, or because of the oblique problem.

Crisp was cryptic when asked how he was felling.

"I'm fine," said Crisp, walking away with trainer Paul Lessard.

Crisp last played in a game on Sunday. He was scratched from the starting lineup, but entered as a defensive replacement. If the Red Sox put Crisp on the 15-day DL, they can back-date it to this past Monday, April 23.

If Boston needs to call someone up, veteran Alex Ochoa is in Pawtucket. Prospect David Murphy, who had a good spring with the big club, is starting for the PawSox and likely would be another option.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:33 PM | Permalink

Red Sox-Orioles Starting Lineups

Boston

Lugo ss
Youkilis 1b
Ortiz DH
Ramirez lf
Drew lf
Lowell 3b
Varitek c
Pena cf
Cora 2b

Schilling p

BALTIMORE

Roberts 2b
Markakis rf
Tejada ss
Huff 1b
Payton lf
Millar DH
Patterson cf
Gomez 3b
Bako c

Caberra p

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:29 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for April 25

The weather forecast still doesn't look too good for Baltimore. But if they do play tonight, here's some stuff from the Sox Game Notes:

Who's Hot
-Mike Lowell has hit safely in 10 straight games. He's batting .395 during that stretch (15 for 38) with two doubles, four home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs scord.

Who's Not
-Wily Mo Pena is 1 for his last 11, with 6 strikeouts.
-Manny Ramirez is hitless in his last nine at-bats and is now batting .197 for the season. He's 8 for his last 46, a .174 average during that 12-game stretch.

Red Sox vs. Daniel Cabrera
-Mike Lowell, 3 for 4 (.750), 1 HR
-Alex Cora, 9 for 16 (.563), 0 HR
-J.D. Drew, 2 for 4 (.500), 0 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 2 for 6 (.333), 0 HR
-Coco Crisp, 3 for 10 (.300), 0 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 2 for 7 (.286), 0 HR
-Julio Lugo, 3 for 13 (.231), 0 HR
-David Ortiz, 3 for 13 (.231), 0 HR
-Jason Varitek, 1 for 10 (.100), 1 HR

Orioles vs. Curt Schilling
-Nick Markakis, 3 for 8 (.375), 0 HR
-Miguel Tejada, 7 for 20 (.350), 0 HR
-Chris Gomez, 10 for 33 (.303), 1 HR
-Aubrey Huff, 8 for 33 (.242), 1 HR
-Kevin Millar, 3 for 13 (.231), 1 HR
-Paul Bako, 2 for 10 (.200), 0 HR
-Jay Payton, 6 for 32 (.188), 1 HR
-Jay Gibbons, 3 for 17 (.176), 1 HR
-Brian Roberts, 2 for 15 (.133), 0 HR
-Melvin Mora, 3 for 25 (.120), 0 HR
-Corey Patterson, 1 for 9 (.111), 0 HR

More Stuff
-Since Sept. 3, 2005, the Red Sox are 20-3 against the Orioles. They beat the O's 15 times in 2006, which is the third-largest number of wins they've ever had in one season against the same team (they beat the Kansas City A's 16 times in 1957, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 16 times in 2002).
-The Red Sox are 48-20 at Camden Yards since 1999.
-With one RBI, Manny Ramirez will tie Bernie Williams for the most by an opposing player at Camden Yards. Williams' record is 66.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:11 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Wily being Manny

Well, there's one thing positive that we can say about Manny Ramirez's performance last night at Fenway: He wasn't the worst defensive outfielder in the game. Thank you Mr. Pena. But Manny's bizarre bouncing throw toward first, which came after he nicely barehanded a Lyle Overbay double that had caromed high off the scoreboard, got lots of laughs today on SportsCenter. Nick Cafardo, writing today in The Boston Globe, said Manny walked right past a reporter who asked him what happened, pretending not to hear.

Ramirez's average dropped down below .200 again last night, which means that we are talking about something quite a bit more severe than the slow starts he's had in recent seasons. At this time last year, after scuffling for a couple of weeks, he already had his average back up to .300. Going back to last year, he's hit 3 home runs in the last 31 games in which he's appeared. Still, no one seems too worried. Interesting.

What They're Saying: On Slate.com, Seth Stevenson says baseball biomechanics nerds are pushing baseball stats nerds aside. He describes a baseball conversation with a friend: "In the midst of marveling at Manny Ramirez's hitting genius, my friend suddenly got out of his chair and mimicked Manny's swing. 'He keeps his weight back,' my friend said, lifting his knee and cocking his elbow, 'so he has unbelievable balance right into his follow-through.' Here my friend swung his arms and watched an imaginary home run sail into the distance. Now I hopped up, too, holding my own invisible bat. Soon we were discussing hip rotation, and forearm pronation, and how to keep your head quiet through the swing." Hey, it's more fun than mimicking Ramirez taking strike three.

Lee Adams of the Itawamba County Times in Mississippi says this in a column bemoaning the fact that most players don't wear their socks high: "Recently some MLB players have been going back to the high socks style, but you still have players like Manny Ramirez who look unprofessional and sloppy." Itawamba County?

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:45 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Yankee stat of the day

This is a Sox blog, but there's an interesting Yankee note from the Elias Sports Bureau . . .

The Yankees, 8-11 and in last place in the A.L. East, have been alone in last place this many games into a season only once previously in Joe Torre's reign: On April 21, 1997, when they were also 8-11. That was the only season the Yankees did not finish in first place under Torre.

Posted by Art Martone  at 2:26 PM | Permalink

Lester: ''As far as I know, I’m throwing Friday."

BY DAN HICKLING
Special to the Journal

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Jon Lester has taken some impressive and important steps on his road back from cancer and to the Boston Red Sox.

However, the next one, the biggest one yet, will have to wait a few days.

Lester had been scheduled to make the first of two rehab starts with the Pawtucket Red Sox, this afternoon against the Rochester Red Wings. Instead, the prized young left-handed starter was forced to put those plans on hold, as rains washed out the contest before it ever got underway.

The game will be made up on July 6, as part of a doubleheader (first pitch 6:05 p.m.), during Pawtucket’s next visit to Frontier Field.

As for Lester, it is expected, but had yet to be decided, that he’ll make his next start on Friday against Buffalo, when the PawSox begin an eight-game stand at McCoy Stadium.

“Jonny’s program is set through our major-league people,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “But my guess would be for sure. I would think that that would happen, but I’m still waiting for a call from Mike Hazen (Boston’s director of player development).”

Lester, who had pitched effectively in three previous rehab starts with Class A Greenville, was non-plussed by the waylaying of his pitching plans.

“As far as I know, I’m throwing Friday,” he said. “That’s all I know. (From there) I’ll play it by ear.”

Lester, who received treatment after being diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma last August, was pronounced by his doctors to be cancer free in December. Since then, he’s undergone a series of checkups every three months, with the next one of those scheduled for today in Boston.

So far, all signs have been glowingly optimistic.

“I’m just trying to make it through the first year,” he said. “That’s the main thing.”

Lester’s progress on the mound has been just as heartening. He gave up just three earned runs in 13.0 innings with Greenville, and came away from those starts feeling very satisfied.

“The best thing was just getting that consistency back,” he said. “Getting to face hitters, and throw, and to feel stronger and better. Try to get built back up to where (I) need to be.”

If Lester doesn’t pitch tomorrow, RHP David Pauley (0-0, 1.00) will get the start against Buffalo LHP Rafael Perez (1-1, 2.87).

Posted by Art Martone  at 2:18 PM | Permalink

PawSox postponed

The Pawtucket Red Sox' matinee game today at Rochester has been postponed. The game will be made up as part of a double-header July 6.

Left-hander Jon Lester was supposed to have made one of his two scheduled AAA rehab starts today. Pawtucket's next game is Friday night at McCoy Stadium against the Buffalo Bisons.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:34 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk: Lester back in Boston next week?

Today's guest on Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone is Steve Krasner, who is down in Baltimore for tonight's scheduled game with the Orioles. We say scheduled because the forecast is for steady rain tonight at Camden Yards, so this short two-game series might become even shorter. Barring an unlikely decision to call a double-header tomorrow, a rainout tonight would probably mean the Sox would throw Beckett, Matsuzaka and Wakefield this weekend in New York, rather than Matsuzaka, Wakefield and Tavarez.

Speaking of Tavarez, Art and Steve spoke a little bit about his precarious position in the rotation following last night's rough start against Toronto. Here's what they said:

Martone: I know you weren't at the game last night, but [Tavarez] didn't really pitch that well, and there's a lot of talk now that his spot in the rotation might be in jeopardy.

Krasner: Yeah, I mean, I would think that talk would come up, because with Lester now pitching for Pawtucket -- 85 pitches I believe he's supposed to throw tonight and then one more start, and then his rehab is actually up, so they'd have to make a designation. They'd have to send him somewhere, so who knows, in a week or so Lester could be in the rotation in Boston.

Martone: That's right. In fact, [the PawSox game will start shortly after noon from Rochester], we're going to have the game on the blog, so we'll be blogging that, but one of the interesting things about this was last night they switched [Lester] back to next Tuesday rather than Monday, which is his normal day, and one of the reasons they did that we believe was that it gets him into the Tavarez spot in the rotation.

Krasner: Ah, well there you go. And what that would also do, though, is actually help out the bullpen, because I think Tavarez could be a more effective relief pitcher than some of the guys they have there.

Krasner and Martone also discuss what's going on with Wily Mo Pena. Click here to listen to the full audio file.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:18 AM to Krasner , Martone | Permalink

Baseball today, abbreviated version: Wednesday, April 25

Every so often you'll turn to a links blog and the author will sheepishly admit that, after 45 minutes, or an hour, or two hours of work, a computer glitch wiped out everything that's been done to that point and, thus, today's entry will be much shorter than usual. Stupid people, I'd always snort; that'll never happen to someone as computer-savvy as me.

Guess again.

So, in the 12 minutes remaining until this is due to be posted, let's see what I can salvage. And sorry that most of it centers on the Yankees, but those are the links that survived the crash . . .

WHAT MORE IS THERE TO SAY? If you really need to read about last night's debacle at Fenway, it's all right here. (projo.com) But one man's floor is another man's ceiling, and the Blue Jays are proud of their character after reviving their sinking ship with two wins in Boston. (Toronto Star)

HELP ON THE WAY? With Julian Tavarez' rotation spot clearly up for grabs, the lonely eyes of Red Sox Nation turn to Jon Lester. (projo.com) Come back to the blog this afternoon, because we'll post live updates of his start in Buffalo.

IF THIS WERE 30 YEARS AGO, THE CARNAGE WOULD BE UNFATHOMABLE: George Steinbrenner was "not happy'' the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox. Imagine how feels now that they were swept by the Devil Rays. (New York Post)

THE REAL BATTLE: Filip Bondy says Mariano's Rivera biggest opponent is Father Time. (New York Daily News)

IT'S URGENCY, NOT PANIC: That's what the Yankees are telling Bob Klapisch. One major-league executive, however, is telling him: "I wouldn't say this is one of the better Yankee teams of the last few years." (espn.com)

THIS SUPRISES YOU? Another reason for most Rhode Islanders to hate the Yankees in this bluest of blue states: Their fans tend to be Republican. (politico.com)

WE WISH: John Sterlings says ''he's running out of words'' to describe Alex Rodriguez. (Newsday). I kid, though, because -- save for the absurd, forced home-run calls ("Robbie Cano, doncha know"??????) -- I like Sterling a lot.

HUH? Sport Illustrated's Jon Heyman rates the managers. Terry Francona is 10th. Grady Little is seventh. (sportsillustrated. com)

IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE: Torii Hunter was just trying to be nice, but the Kansas City Royals saved him from a three-year suspension by sending back his gift of champagne. (espn.com) Wonder how the Twins will express their gratitude? A case of bubbly, perhaps . . . ?

And that's all we have time for. Believe me, there was a lot more than this; I'll revive some of it tomorrow.

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:07 AM | Permalink