Main page
« April 2007
June 2007 »

Game Story - Timlin looks good but PawSox lose 5-2

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

PAWTUCKET – About the only thing that went right for the Pawtucket Red Sox last night was the most important of all.

Mike Timlin looked good in his best rehab performance yet but the PawSox struggled in a 5-2 loss to the Columbus Clippers. Timlin pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning and pronounced himself ready to return to the bullpen in Boston. No word on Timlin’s status for this weekend’s series against the New York Yankees is expected until today.

``I felt like I was ready a long time ago but obviously I wasn’t. That’s irrelevant, what I feel,’’ Timlin said. ``It was a good outing. I threw 80 percent strikes, which was good.’’

The night started off on a poor note when expected starting pitcher Runelvys Hernandez reported to work yesterday and decided to exercise an option to vacant his contract with the Red Sox organization. Hernandez had until today (June 1) to choose to stay in the system or become a free agent.

``It’s a reminder that this is a business,’’ said manager Ron Johnson. ``We weren’t caught off-guard, necessarily. We knew this was an option and this is a level where stuff like that happens.’’

Johnson tabbed Abe Alvarez to fill the open spot in the rotation and it wasn’t a good night for the lefty. Alvarez, who pitched two innings in relief on Sunday, was roughed up for five runs over 4.1 innings and dug a hole his weak-hitting teammates couldn’t battle out of. Felix Diaz, a veteran righty who’s pitched in the majors for the White Sox, stifled the Sox for seven innings and left the game with a 5-0 lead. He picked up the win and is now 4-4 on the year.

Alvarez, who fell to 3-4, allowed three singles, a double and a walk in a busy fourth inning. Brandon Harper hit a 2-run double to give Columbus a 2-0 lead and then a wild pitch allowed a third run to score. With the bases loaded and two out, Brandon Watson laid down a perfect bunt that let Harper breeze in with the Clipper’s fourth run.

Columbus added a fifth run in the fifth inning when Kory Castro hit a solo home run. That ended Alvarez’s night and brought Pawtucket’s relief corps into action. That was clearly the home team’s bright spot. First Manny Delcarmen didn’t allow a hit and struck out three of the five hitters he faced in relief of Alvarez. Timlin took over for the start of the seventh inning and also breezed. He threw just 12 pitches, eight for strikes, in setting the Clippers down in order. He retired Watson on a grounder to first base, got Bernie Castro to pop up to short left field and watched Darnell McDonald hit a lazy fly ball to center.

Craig Breslow replaced Timlin and also pitched well, allowing just one hit over an easy eighth and ninth innings.

The Pawtucket offense continues to struggle. The Sox are last in the International in runs scored (194) and came into last night hitting .246 as a team, tied for second-to-last. They managed only five hits last night and never mounted a rally off of Diaz.

The same couldn’t be said for the Clipp’s first reliever, Alex Morales. He opened the eighth inning by walking the first two hitters and allowing a Joe McEwing single to load the bases. David Murphy then hit a long, loud fly ball that wasn’t chased down until McDonald’s back was up against the right field fence.

``I thought it was gone off the bat. When he hit it, I thought that was a (grand) slam right there,’’ said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson.

The long out drove in Chad Spann with the Sox’ first run and another walk to Brandon Moss to load the bases again ended Morales’ ugly stint on the mound. Closer Chris Booker came in and walked Michael Tucker to force in Jacoby Ellsbury with the second run of the inning but Booker escaped further trouble in the eighth and pitched a perfect ninth to close out the Sox.

Timlin was happy with his one inning of work which came under the watchful eye of Boston manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell.

``Not too bad,’’ he said. ``It was time on the mound. That’s all it was. Just getting a feel of a release point.’’

Asked if he could throw for the Red Sox at Fenway this weekend, Timlin answered, ``I don’t expect things anymore. It’s not my decision.’’

kmcnamar@projo.com / (401) 277-7340

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:51 PM to PawSox | Permalink

FINAL: Columbus 5, Pawtucket 2

Columbus 5 Pawtucket 2
The Columbus Clippers hit Pawtucket starter Abe Alvarez up for five runs over four-plus innings and went on to win at McCoy Stadium Thursday night, 5-2.
Alvarez was a surprise starter after Runelvys Hernandez opted out of his contract earlier in the day. Hernandez had an option to become a free agent on June 1 and decided to exercise that clause a day early.
Alvarez pitched well for three innings but Columbus hit him for four runs in the fourth inning with a 2-run double by Brandon Harper and a wild pitch that allowed another run to score being the key plays. Kory Castro hit a solo home run in leading off the fifth inning to extend Columbus' lead to 5-0.
The Clippers' pitcher, Felix Diaz had his best outing of the season against Pawtucket. The veteran righty dominated the home team, limiting the Sox to no runs and four hits over seven innings to improve his record to 4-4 on the year.
The PawSox scored 2 runs in the eighth inning, thanks in large part to 4 walks.
Mike Timlin pitched a perfect seventh inning for the PawSox in relief. The veteran right-hander threw just 12 pitches, 8 for strikes, and pushed his fastball up into the low-90's on the McCoy Stadium radar gun. Red Sox manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell were both on hand to watch Timlin and the PawSox. No word on Timlin's status with Boston was revealed last night.
The PawSox hit the road and begin a weekend series in Norfolk Friday.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 9:16 PM | Permalink

Timlin Sharp; 1-2-3 inning

Mike Timlin's fourth appearance with the PawSox in the last week was his smoothest yet.
Timlin just pitched a perfect 1-2-3 inning against the Columbis Clippers with manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell watching from behind the plate.
Timlin threw his fastball in the low-90's and retired Brandon Watson on a ground ball to first base, Bernie Castro on a fly ball to short left and Darnell McDonald on a lazy fly to center.
It looks like that'll be it for Timlin. If he come sback out for the eighth, we'll let you know.
The PawSox trail the Clips, 5-0.

Posted by Kevin  at 9:03 PM | Permalink

Mike Timlin in for the P-Sox

Mike Timlin has entered tonight's Pawtucket Red Sox game against the Columbus Clippers. It is the top of the 7th inning and the Clips hold a commanding 5-0 lead.
Update to come....

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 8:55 PM | Permalink

Jason Giambi out three weeks

Jason Giambi will be sidelined at least three weeks because of torn tissue in the arch of his left foot, the latest setback in a tumultuous season for the New York Yankees designated hitter.

Giambi was examined in New York on Thursday by Dr. William Hamilton. Giambi will be placed on the disabled list before Friday's game at Boston, and his foot will be put in a walking boot.

“He will be re-evaluated in three weeks,” Yankees spokesman Jason Zillo said.

Giambi was shifted from first base to designated hitter this year and hit .322 with four homers and 17 RBIs in April. His foot began bothering him soon after he played the field for the first time on April 28, and he batted .117 in May with three homers and six RBIs.

He originally was diagnosed with a bone spur and switched to shoes with orthotics that he said relieved the pain. Giambi traveled to New York on Thursday's day off, intending to get a cortisone shot, but Hamilton said Giambi had plantar fasciitis, inflamed tissue near the heel, and a partially torn plantar fascia.

The 36-year-old Giambi, the 2000 AL MVP with the Oakland Athletics, is in the sixth season of a $120 million, seven-year contract with the Yankees and has been in the news this season for his role in baseball's steroids controversy.

In the May 18 editions of USA Today he was quoted as saying “I was wrong for doing that stuff,” which many interpreted as an admission of steroids use, and the Daily News reported five days later that he had failed an amphetamines test within the past year.

Giambi met last week with lawyers for Major League Baseball, and his case has been turned over to commissioner Bud Selig, who hasn't said whether he will attempt to discipline Giambi.

Melky Cabrera is likely to receive more playing time in the outfield while Giambi is sidelined, with Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui seeing spells at DH.

Giambi has been among the struggling hitters in New York's lineup. The Yankees are just 22-29, tied for last in the AL East and 131/2 games behind first-place Boston heading into a weekend series at Fenway Park.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 5:05 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Sean's spin on A-Rod

Sean McAdam is today's guest on Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone. Click here to listen to the audio file. Sean discusses Dice-K's tough outing last night (he feels Matsuzaka was probably feeling some effects from the illness he experienced over the weekend in Texas) and the state of the Yankees coming into Fenway for the weekend (he doesn't see them making up their 13 1/2-game deficit). He also has some interesting comments about Alex Rodriguez's latest adventure in Toronto, when he apparently tricked infielder Howie Clark into believing that he was being called off a popup.

Here's some of what Sean had to say about Rodriguez:

"Last night certainly brought back memories of 2004 in the ALCS, trying to swipe the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove on a play at first. It's really the kind of thing that is not looked upon well by fellow players, whether they be opponents or teammates. And the amazing thing is A-Rod does these kind of things, and then seems surprised that people take exception to it. You just dont see major league players attempting to distract an infielder from catching a ball by yelling at him and giving the impression that it's a teammate that's closing in and calling him off. There was universal condemnation from the Blue Jays and, as often is the case on this stuff, not a lot of support from his own teammates."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:28 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink | Comments 2

Meet the new All Stars, same as the old All Stars

It's been an interesting year in the American League so far, with the Red Sox soaring, the Yankees faltering, some big names struggling and some new stars (hello Kevin Youkilis) emerging.

And none of the folks voting for the American League All-Star team seems to notice. So far, there are two members of the Red Sox who stand to gain starting positions. Guess who? David Ortiz is far ahead among "first basemen" (he's a DH, of course, but to be on the ballot he had to be assigned a position), and Manny Ramirez with his .269 batting average is in line to get one of the outfield spots. The cellar-dwelling Yankees right now stand to get three starters: Robinson Cano at second, Derek Jeter (certainly deserving) at short and Stray-Rod (the leading vote-getter overall) at third. The other front-runners to start for the A.L. are a familiar lot: Ivan Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero and Ichiro Suzuki. You know something is wrong with the fan voting system, by the way, when Jason Giambi has more votes at first base than Justin Morneau. Click here to see the full voting results so far.

Getting back to Manny Ramirez, his outfield assist last night (thanks to a perfectly executed phantom tag by Dustin Pedroia) was clearly the highlight for Sox fans of a dreary sixth inning. You could see why Josh Barfield was angry. Not only was he actually safe on the play, but it's just amazing how much Manny can get on one of his throws without actually bending his knees.

Kevin Youkilis, who has a hit in 22 straight games, remains five games short of Ramirez's 27-game hit streak from last season.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:03 AM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Baseball Today: Thursday, May 31

FIRST DARK CLOUD ON THE HORIZON: In a season that's been remarkably worry-free, the Red Sox finally have something to fret about: Daisuke Matsuzaka (right). He was cuffed around pretty good by the Indians last night in an 8-4 loss -- his numbers destroyed, and the game lost, in no small part by Terry Francona's incredibly slow hook; Cleveland went double/410 foot out/double/single/single/home run in the sixth inning and turned a 2-2 game into a 6-2 game before Tito finally got around to lifting Dice-K -- and now has given up 13 runs in his last 11 innings. ''Overall, I had problems,'' said Matsuzaka, though he said that, unlike Friday's start in Texas, he felt fine. (For what it's worth, the blog Matsuzaka Watch predicted Dice-K would get lit up, a combination of last week's illness and the Indians' tough lineup.)

The Sox had one last chance to salvage something, when they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but it ended when Aaron Fultz retired David Ortiz in a classic confrontation, recounted pitch-by-pitch in Steven Krasner's Inside The Game. (All stories projo.com)

Still, says the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley, there's no reason to worry. (Seth Mnookin concurs.) And, he adds, there's certainly no reason to invoke memories of 1978, which is the next big ghost of the past waiting to be exorcised. (Maybe the Sox could beat the Mets in the World Series and make it a two-fer, erasing the stain of 1986, as well.)

NOW THIS REMINDS ME OF 1978: For whatever on-field links the contemporary Yankees have had to their storied predecessors in recent years, they've never come close to their '70s brethen when it comes to off-field shenanigans . . . until now. Alex Rodriguez' wife apparently has left him (New York Daily News) in light of the New York Post's Stray-Rod spread showing him squiring a ''mysterious, busty blonde'' around Toronto Sunday night (including a stop in ''a flashy strip club''). The Daily News story gets pretty salacious -- A-Rod is ''the king of the strip clubs," according to one source, and story adds he ''even shoots X-rated text messages to his favorite strippers across the country'' -- and, in best Woodward-and-Bernstein/Edward R. Murrow tradition, the Post has dug deeper and learned that A-Rod has been spotted with a similar-looking woman in other cities, as well.

Deadspin, as usual, had the best take on the whole thing: ''We know! We're as shocked as you! A Major League Baseball player, of all people. Well, now we've seen everything!''

AS DOES THIS: The Yankees broke their losing streak last night but A-Rod made even more enemies -- this time in the Toronto clubhouse -- by distracting Blue Jays third baseman Howie Clark on what should have been an inning-ending popup in the nintn, causing the ball to drop and leading to three more New York runs. (New York Daily News) The Blue Jays were furious. (Toronto Star) So were their fans, in somewhat saltier language than was used publicly by the Jays (Tao of Steib blog) The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro -- calling A-Rod ''a human lightning rod, always managing to find a way to become the middle of a story, even when it seems he has to go out of his way and make half a dozen U-turns to find [it]'' -- points out that if someone like Pete Rose had done it, ''men would write poems about grittiness, paeans to aggressiveness. But with A-Rod, it rubs opponents the wrong way.'' Probably true. But Vaccaro also adds: ''[The] next time the Yankees face the Blue Jays, the next time A-Rod steps in against A.J. Burnett or Roy Halladay, he may want to wear two batting helmets.'' Also true.

So just when the tabloids had turned A-Rod into a sympathetic figure (Toronto Star), he turned himself back into a villain by resurrecting his Slappy McBluelips/Little League persona. (Yelling "Mine!" at a fielder as he runs by? Really . . . ) The Daily News' Bill Madden thinks it's time for Rodriguez to ''wake up; everyone is watching you.''

LOST IN THE SHUFFLE . . . was the fact that Mariano Rivera actually recorded a save last night. (New York Post)

ALMOST FORGOT: Oh, yeah. The Yankees are coming to town this weekend. (New York Daily News)

A DAY WITHOUT CLEMENS IS LIKE A DAY WITHOUT SUNSHINE: Taking a break from its stakeout of A-Rod, the Post caught up with the elusive Roger Clemens.

IN OTHER NEWS: Ichiro says he doesn't usually do this, but admitted that he sent mental signals for the ball not to be hit to him the other night because the color of the sky made it difficult for him to see. (enjoytheenjoyment.blogspot.com) Blogger Seth Kolloen enjoyed the admission: ''I think what Ichiro's trying to say is that he couldn't see the ball at all, so he was, essentially, praying that it wouldn't be hit to him. As the Times' Geoff Baker points out, 'How many of us, at one point or another, stood out there in the outfield as kids just praying to some unseen force that the ball wouldn't be hit our way?' ''

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT YESTERDAY: Kevin Youkilis has joined Curt Schilling in the blogosphere. (kevinyoukilis.mlblogs.com/)

QUICKLY: Derek Lowe spun a beauty last night in Washington (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Guillermo Mota says he's sorry (New York Post) . . . Elijah Dukes must stay away from his wife (Tampa Tribune).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Game Story: Indians 8, Red Sox 4

BOSTON — For the first time this week, the Boston Red Sox didn’t receive a sterling effort from a starting pitcher. Yet, at this point of the season, that doesn’t seem to matter very much.

The Red Sox have the final day of May off to rest, play golf or pick up their children from school. They also have reason to celebrate with a whopping 11½-game lead in the American League East in their back pockets. The two months of work spent accumulating that advantage gives the Sox room to dismiss a very shaky outing like the one Daisuke Matsuzaka turned in last night in a 8-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

Dice-K didn’t resemble the rookie flash that’s baffled several opponents with a vast array of offerings so far this season. He was rocked for 12 hits and six runs over just 52/3 innings, easily his shakiest outing of the season. The Indians did most of their damage in the fifth and sixth innings when they hit up Matsuzaka for six runs on eight hits with several of his pitches being scalded.

Instead of keeping the Indians guessing as to which pitch he’d throw next, Matsuzaka seemed to rely on his fastball a bit too much and left too many off-speed pitches — like the fat slider Grady Sizemore crushed over the bullpen wall in right for a 2-run homer in the sixth — out over the plate.

Boston’s bullpen wasn’t much better. Cleveland pounded out a season-high 18 hits and showed why they’ll be a factor all season long in the A.L. Central.

Now the Red Sox have a chance to begin the third month of the season by supplying another deadly blow to their arch-enemies from New York. The Yankees come to town for a weekend series that some are billing as a potential burial for the boys from Gotham. Indeed, it could be.

The Yanks snapped a five-game nosedive with a 10-5 win last night in Toronto that cut their deficit in the A.L. East to 13½ games. A Red Sox sweep this weekend would bury the Yanks in a 16½-game hole. The flip side is a Yankee sweep would cut the lead to 10½ and give Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and the newest addition to the pitching staff, Roger Clemens, reason to hope over the next few months.

New York also has today off and will come to Fenway Park with their its three top pitchers — Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte — ready to throw. Boston counters with Tim Wakefield, Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett, who are a combined 18-7.

However the weekend ends up, the Red Sox clearly have reason to hold all the confidence in the world. Despite Matsuzaka’s shaky outing last night, the team’s starting pitching has been excellent. The deep and talented lineup has racked up the third-most runs in the American League, even with big bopper Manny Ramirez off to a less-than-stellar start. The bullpen has been better than solid, too, with Jonathan Papelbon throwing well and lefty setup man Hideki Okajima emerging as one of the biggest surprises in baseball.

Boston has dominated series against the three teams with the next-best records in the American League (Angels, Indians and Tigers) by a combined 8-2 record.
But lost amid all the glee over the fast start and the fat lead over the Yankees is the fact that the Red Sox’ goal is not to beat New York and win the A.L. East title for the first time since 1995. It’s to win the World Series.

Cruising to a 10-game division win over the Yankees would be a great achievement but it means nothing if the Sox lose to Cleveland in the A.L. Division Series. Boston is off to an historic start over the season’s first two months and the 14½ game lead over the Yankees was accumulated so quickly, and stunningly, that fans certainly have grown giddy.

Now it’s time to see if the next few months can come off just as sweet.

--KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:16 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Clippers 8, PawSox 4

PAWTUCKET -- Briefly climbing out of the IL North cellar with last week’s victories over Syracuse, only to have the Chiefs send them right back down with two wins in the second half of that series, the Pawtucket Red Sox haven’t done much to help their cause in their current series against Columbus either.

Seemingly flirting with a no-hitter through 3 2/3 innings, lefty Kason Gabbard watched a strong start fall apart, as the PawSox dropped its second straight to the Clippers with an 8-4 setback, last night at McCoy Stadium.

Pawtucket - which drops to 20-29 and has not been above .500 since an April 13 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre made them 5-4 - took a 1-0 lead in the second when Clippers right-hander Tim Redding gave up three straight singles to Bobby Scales, Michael Tucker and Ed Rogers, then a sacrifice fly to left to George Kottaras.

But that’s the only run Redding, the eventual winner, would allow over his 7.1-inning stint, and the PawSox’ slim lead soon evaporated when Gabbard ran into some control problems.

After retiring 11 of the first 12 batters he faced and starting off the fourth by fanning Bernie Castro and Darnell McDonald, the southpaw walked three of the next five Clippers and gave up his first two hits to the other two.

Walking Kory Casto and DAngelo Jimenez, Gabbard then gave up an infield single to Michael Restovich that loaded the bases.

Issuing another walk to Abraham Nunez that plated Casto, Gabbard then surrendered a two-run single to right to Brandon Harper that put Columbus up, 3-1.

Gabbard was lifted in the sixth after Restovich belted one of his offerings off the concession stand wall in center field for a solo home run.

``He got two outs, two strikes and then we’ve seen it in baseball before, he just got out of rhythm,’’ PawSox manager Ron Johnson said of Gabbard (4-2). ``His curveball and his changeup were really outstanding pitches for him tonight. Got a little bit off with the command of the fastball, but all in all, 5 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 4 runs. That was the one inning where he walked those guys. That was it. You can’t really look at that and go, `He struggled.’ Well, did he? Four hits. This was a pretty good hitting ball club, as we saw late in the game.’’

PawSox reliever Mike Burns, on the otherhand, did struggle mightily, lasting just 1 1/3 innings after giving up four more runs on five hits - including a three-run blast into the right-field picnic area to Casto and an RBI double to Nunez, both in the seventh inning. (It didn’t help that third baseman Chad Spann overthrew first on a sac bunt by Castro on the second play of that inning, which allowed Brandon Watson to advance to third and Castro to make it to second.)

Although the gap proved too large for Pawtucket to close, Johnson was pleased to see his team rally for three runs in the eighth, when the PawSox batted around the order and capitalized on back-to-back doubles by Kottaras and Spann, three walks and an error.

``These guys are playing hard,’’ said Johnson. ``They play hard every night. They hustle every night. They bust their butt. It’s a game of patience. It’s a game of discipline. We battled back. We scratched for some. I’m really proud of the club to get them on the board late. We’re just lacking that one little thing right there, and that’s the gapper. That’s what we’ve been missing, where somebody could get (a hit)into a gap. So back to the drawing board (tonight).’’

--CAROLYN THORNTON

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:54 PM to PawSox | Permalink

FINAL: CLEVELAND 8, BOSTON 4

BOSTON _ For one of the few times all season, Red Sox pitching was pounded last night, more than hard enough to put an end to the team’s winning streak.

Cleveland pounded Daisuke Matsuzaka for 12 hits, six for extra bases, in 5 2/3 innings on the way to a 8-4 triumph over the Sox.

The 12 hits mark the first time Matsuzaka has given up double-figures in that department. It also equals the most given up by any Red Sox pitcher all season. Curt Schilling also was tagged for 12 hits against the Yankees last week. In all Cleveland pounded 18 hits, equaling the most Boston has allowed.

The Sox led 2-0 after four, thanks for single runs in the second and fourth. Mike Lowell’s double set up an unearned run in the second off Cleveland starter Paul Byrd. It was the 22nd straight Fenway game in which Lowell has had a hit.

Kevin Youkilis extended his overall hitting streak to 22 games with a single in the third. Doubles by Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek accounted for the run that put Boston up 2-0 in the fourth.

After that, the Indians were the team with the doubles. They had five off Matsuzaka. The Tribe also received a two-run homer from Grady Sizemore into the Cleveland bullpen in the sixth, the blow that knocked Matsuzaka out of the game.

Boston loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh but did not score. David Ortiz lined out to end it, one pitch after pulling a potential grand slam about 10 feet foul in right. Lowell hit a two-run homer, his 10th, into the Monster seats in the eighth. Kelly Shoppach had four of Cleveland’s 18 hits, including his second home run of the season.

The result ended Boston’s winning streak at five games.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 10:35 PM | Permalink

Now, about the hot dogs. . .

So what does a Major League manager do when he gets a rare day off?

In Terry Francona’s case, he plans to sample the hot dogs at McCoy Stadium tonight.

The Red Sox manager said he and pitching coach John Farrell plan to head to Pawtucket tonight. It is not for purely for pleasure. They want to check on Mike Timlin, Jon Lester and the other Pawtucket players. Timlin is still in Pawtucket. He struggled in one inning of work Tuesday coming back from a battle with tendonitis in his pitching shoulder.

``Kind of the reason he was going back was to repeat his delivery and be a little more consistent,’’ Francona said. ``I think last night showed he’s not quite there. I think he feels healthy. He feels like he’s got pretty good arm strength, but as far as repeating his pitches in his delivery, that’s why he’s there doing it.
``I don’t want to speak for him. I think he’s frustrated, but I think he understands,’’
Francona said.

The report on Lester’s outing Tuesday was all positive. The manager said he exchanged text messages with Lester and that Lester will be allowed to throw more pitches in his next start than the 84 he threw Tuesday. Francona said he and Farrell plan to scout the food at McCoy, too.

`We’ll go down there and watch some of the guys, get a chance to watch a game from a different view,’’ he said. ``We’ll see if they have any good hot dogs.’’
`

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 5:30 PM | Permalink

They came to praise Farrell

When a team enjoys as much success as the Red Sox are this season, plenty of people deserve credit. In the past week, John Farrell has jumped high on that list.

The first-year pitching coach has had his name thrown around several days in a row now and all of it has been good. Manager Terry Francona was the latest to heap praise on Farrell. He did it this afternoon in his pre-game session with the media.

``He’s been phenomenal,’’ Francona said of Farrell. ``That’s why we hired him.’’

The 44-year-old Farrell pitched in the majors for eight years with Cleveland, California and Detroit, compiling a 36-46 record and 4.56 in 116 games 109 starts. He spent five years at Oklahoma State, his alma mater, as assistant coach/pitching coach/recruiting coordinator before becoming Cleveland’s director of player development in 2001.

Boston seemed to be taking a bit of a gamble in hiring him since he had no Major League experience as a pitching coach.

``I think we needed to have the ability, if everybody could, to look past maybe a lack of experience at this level because of how special a person he is,’’ Francona said. ``I think he’s proven that and will continue to. He’s developed relationships. The young guys, the veteran guys, they’re all running to him. Those relationships will do nothing but grow. There’s a big trust factor there that he’s already accomplished. I think it's phenomenal.’’

After his strong outing Monday night, Curt Schilling spoke about how Farrell recommended that Schiling move his fingers three inches on the grip for his splitter. Schilling then went out and had the best splitter he has had in some time, to the point where he threw the splitter more than 30 times.

Tuesday, Josh Beckett made a hugely successful return from the disabled list, then related how he had received much help in returning for the avulsion on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He singled out Farrell for spending so much time with him, including working with him at the park at 1:30 in the afternoon.

The Boston pitchers have a 3.62 ERA, second best in the league. They have walked only 154, third best in the AL and struck out 360, tied for third in that department. They have allowed only 38 home runs, second to Seattle’s 32.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 5:05 PM | Permalink

LUGO GETS SOME REST

In continuing with his familiar pattern, Terry Francona is giving another of his regulars some time off tonight. This time it is Julio Lugo.

The Red Sox lineup will feature Coco Crisp in Lugo’s usual leadoff spot and Alex Cora playing shortstop and hitting eighth.

``He’s fine,’’ Francona said of Lugo. The shortstop is being given the night off in part because of the schedule, which has a day off for the Sox tomorrow.

``Sometimes back-to-back we think is good, sometimes we don’t think it’s good,’’ Francona said. ``We think it will be really good for him.’’ Lugo has played in 48 of the 51 games thus far.

The Indians also have a regular on the bench, catcher Victor Martinez. That gives Red Sox product Kelly Shoppach chance to start in Fenway.

Here are the lineups:
CLEVELAND
Sizemore CF
Blake 3b
Hafner DH
Garko 1b
Nixon RF
Peralta ss
Dellucci lf
Barfield cf
Shoppach C
Byrd P

BOSTON
Crisp CF
Youkilis 1b
Ortiz DH
Ramirez lf
Drew rf
Lowell 3b
Varitek C
Cora ss
Pedroia 2b
Matsuzaka P

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 4:29 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 30

From the team's official game notes:

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 21-game hitting streak, going 41 for 93 (.441) during the stretch
-Mike Lowell, 21-game Fenway hitting streak, going 32 for 78 (.410) during last 21 home games
-Dustin Pedroia, nine-game hitting streak, going 13 for 29 (.448) during the stretch

Who's Not
-Alex Cora, 1 for his last 13 and 4 for his last 29 (.138)

Red Sox vs. Paul Byrd
-Coco Crisp, 5 for 9 (.556)
-Mike Lowell, 7 for 17 (.412), 1 HR
-Jason Varitek, 5 for 15 (.333), 1 HR
-Alex Cora, 2 for 6 (.333)
-David Ortiz, 7 for 23 (.304), 2 HR
-J.D. Drew, 2 for 7 (.286)
-Manny Ramirez, 1 for 11 (.091), 1 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 0 for 6

More Stuff
-At 36-15, the Red Sox have tied their second-best record in franchise history after 51 games. The best ever was 41-10 in 1946.
-The Red Sox have led the division for 45 straight days, the longest such streak for the club since 2002.
-Daisuke Matsuzaka's six-game winning streak is the longest by a Red Sox rookie pitcher since Aaron Sele won six straight in 1993.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:20 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Happy birthday Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez turns 35 today. Happy birthday Manny.

Of all players born in 1972, Ramirez has the most home runs in his career (478, 64 more than second-place Carlos Delgado), the most games played (1,867, one more than second-place Shawn Green), the most runs scored (1,284, 63 more than second-place Chipper Jones), the most hits (2,117, 11 more than second-place Garret Anderson), the most doubles (447, seven more than second-place Anderson), and the most RBI (1,547, 228 more than second-place Delgado).

Of all players in major league history born on May 30, only one other man -- Amos Rusie, "The Hoosier Thunderbolt," who pitched for the New York Giants in the late 19th century -- is in the Hall of Fame. Manny will make it two some day.

In today's notes column by Paul Kenyon and Kevin McNamara, Terry Francona describees the rationale for putting Manny Ramirez at designated hitter in David Ortiz's absence, while putting the defensively challenged Wily Mo Pena in left. Francona sees it as a way to rest Ramirez -- who has played in 49 games, more than any other Red Sox player -- while keeping his dangerous bat in the lineup at the same time.

"It's the perfect chance," Francona says. "We actually told him he could do that in Texas on Sunday, but he wanted to play left field. Anytime we can keep his bat, that can only help us in the long run. Anytime you can keep the bat and keep his legs refreshed, that's good."

Francona has gone with Ramirez at DH and Pena in left for both of the games in the Cleveland series so far. On Sunday in Texas, Ramirez stayed in left while Eric Hinske served as designated hitter. Ortiz is expected back in the lineup tonight.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:52 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo Sox Talk on the farm: Craig Hansen has forearm injury

Joe McDonald, who has been at McCoy Stadium covering the Pawtucket Red Sox, is today's guest on Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone. Click here to liste to the audio file. McDonald breaks a bit of news: that relief pitcher Craig Hansen, whom the Sox would like to bring back up to Boston at some point, left last night's game with soreness in his forearm. McDonald also has lots of praise for Jon Lester's effort last night, and some discouraging reports about Mike Timlin's attempts to get back to Fenway.

Following are some excerpts from the conversation.

On Hansen last night: "When Craig Hansen came in to pitch, he did not look good at all, and then all of a sudden [PawSox manager] Ron Johnson went out to the mound and took him out. And RJ said afterwards that [Hansen had] experienced cramping in his high forearm, near the elbow. So it's going to be interesting to see what happens with that today -- if Hansen's fine, or if he can pitch tonight."

On Lester: "Last night he threw 79 pitches -- he was scheduled for 80, but he threw 79 pitches -- he went five full innings, scoreless innings again, and once he's able to get up to 95-100 pitches, Boston should call this guy up. ...
Last night his curveball was probably the best I've ever seen, including when he was with Boston last year."

On Timlin's shaky appearance last night: "You could tell he struggled. He said that he felt good; he said that he felt that he had his legs under him. But it's been two appearances in a row where he hasn't looked that sharp. He's scheduled to pitch for Pawtucket again on Thursday, so we'll see what happens."

McDonald says an extended rehab might be in Timlin's future if the Red Sox don't see improvement.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Youkilis is the Sox' latest blogger

Kevin Youkilis, taking a cue from teammate Curt Schilling, yesterday unveiled his new blog on MLB's Web site. Youkilis started things off with a smackdown of all those people who said he didn't run well -- after all, he was posting on the day after a stand-up, inside-the-park home run. And yes, it did seem like Youk was running well. By the way, the name of the first baseman's blog: "Yooooouuuuukkkkk." At least for now; he's asking Red Sox fans to weigh in and help him pick a name.

"It’s a good time to be a player on the Red Sox right now," Youkilis wrote. "Winning makes everything a lot more fun as a player. Everybody gets along great when you’re winning. There are a lot of positive things happening with our club at this point."

So far, blogging has not slowed down the Sox' hottest player, who smacked a double and a home run to extend his hit streak to 21 games on the night after his first musing.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 30

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL: The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley notes ''there are teams and there are seasons when the games are endlessly joyful, one victory bleeding into the next, the good times rolling on.'' To this point, anyway, that team is the Red Sox and that season is 2007.

Any fears about Josh Beckett (right, Journal photo by Mary Murphy) and his ability to come back from the avulsion of his right middle finger disappeared pretty quickly last night, as did any drama about Kevin Youkilis extending his hitting streak to 21 games. Youkilis, showing an amazing ability to hit any pitch and hit it hard, even extended a secondary streak: Most consecutive multi-hit games (9, the largest such streak since Jim Rice did it in his MVP season of 1978). Last night's 4-2 victory didn't extend the Sox' first-place lead -- it remains at 11 1/2 games in lieu of Baltimore's win over Kansas City -- but, hey, no night's perfect. (All stories projo.com) But who's complaining? As Dan Shaughnessy says in the Globe: ''We suddenly have a San Diego weather mass over our region. The tunnels are open again and you can get where you are going in no time. The Patriots have a chance to go 16-0 and it feels like we all might win the lottery. Next thing you know, some dietician will discover that hot fudge sundaes cause you to lose weight. You'll be able to drink water from the Charles, all college tuition will be free, and the Celtics will experience good luck.''

Such is life in New England when the Red Sox are winning. And winning. And winning.

AND FURTHERMORE . . . The Herald's Rob Bradford points out that Mike Lowell has a 21-game hitting streak, too -- at Fenway Park. Bradford also had a conversation with Curt Schilling in which Schilling expanded on Monday's postgame comments about the work he did with pitching coach John Farrell that gave him a vastly improved splitter.

'RIGHT WHERE I NEED TO BE': Jon Lester's rehab took another forward step last night in Pawtucket. Jacoby Ellsbury, meanwhile, sat out last night's game because of back stiffness. (Both stories projo.com)

HELLO, THEO? HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU! The Dallas Morning News' Tim Cowlishaw thinks the Rangers should trade Mark Teixeira, and Boston is one of the places he proposes trading him to.

ONE MAN'S CEILING IS ANOTHER MAN'S FLOOR: Folks hereabouts would still be enjoying life even if the Yankees weren't unraveling like a cheap suit. But the fact that they are, well . . .

The Yanks may just have hit rock bottom last night. As the New York Post's George King reports, they took infield practice for the first time all season and then Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez made errors that led to runs; they were shut down offensively by Shaun Marcum, one night after being shut down offensively by Dustin McGowan; and Andy Pettitte fell asleep on the mound and allowed Aaron Hill to steal home in a 3-2 loss at Toronto. "It's tough to keep positive, to tell you the truth," Jorge Posada said as the Yanks fell 14 1/2 games back.

WE HAVE A DATE: Roger Clemens will return to the Yankees next Monday in Chicago. (New York Daily News) It means Clemens won't pitch against the Red Sox at Fenway Park this weekend, but, as Joe Torre said, ''I don't think that series needs any more hype than it gets every time we play it, whether it's at Fenway or at the Stadium.''

AREN'T YOU LISTENING??? For at least the third time this season -- or at least the third time I'm aware of -- Clemens' old foe Dave Stewart trashes the Rocket on his blog.

Dave: You don't like him. You never have. We get it. Okay?

MRS. ROCKET: Debbie Clemens talked to the New York Post about her husband. Nothing earth-shattering, but some interesting tidbits about Clemens' work habits and his ability to teach baseball to people at every age level.

STOP IT. STOP IT! The Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees can no longer go for ''instant gratification with no concern for the future, kind of like driving a Hummer today with no concern that will some day lead to your grandchildren clearing the polar icecaps from their back yards.''. In other words, stop trying to trade for Todd Helton or Richie Sexson, admit 2007 is a lost cause, retrench and regroup. ''That is the reason why they are in this horrible state: Their unquenchable habit of meeting every crisis by going to players who are famous, expensive and almost certainly have already played the best baseball of their careers.''

Hmm. Does the name Clemens ring a bell?

MYTH VS. REALITY: Peter Abraham tackles the topic, Yankee-style, on the LoHud Yankees Blog.

LUCK, THY NAME ISN'T YANKEES: Baseball Musing's David Pinto has studied the issue and concluded ''They're not a bad team, they've just gone through an unlucky stretch. It may be bad enough that they don't make the playoffs, but that happens. It may be tough for fans and Steinbrenner to accept, but sometimes a season like this isn't really anyone's fault.''.

AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: It certainly stinks to be Jason Giambi these days. (New York Post)

WATCH WHAT I DO, NOT WHAT I SAY: Despite George Steinbrenner's public statements that seemed to indicate Joe Torre's job was safe, SI.com's Jon Heyman thinks Torre is more likely to be fired than general manager Brian Cashman. Heyman also lists other managers on the hot seat (and, no, Terry Francona's not one of them).

I'M OKAY: John Smoltz had to leave last night's 5-4 loss in Milwaukee because of pain in his finger and his shoulder, says he won't have to miss a start. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

HERE'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERY DAY: The Giants had a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 12th, until Armando Benitez balked twice to allow the tying run to score, then surrendered a two-out, walkoff home run to Carlos Delgado in a 5-4 loss to the Mets. (New York Daily News)

NOW YOU START WORRYING ABOUT THIS? A.J. Pierzynski fears his toxic reputation could prompt the White Sox to get rid of him. (Chicago Sun-Times)

I'M SORRY: The Devil Rays' Elijah Dukes, accused of threatening to murder his wife, apolgized to his ''family, teammates, the fans and the organization for the distraction that this situation has caused.'' (Tampa Tribune)

OLD FRIENDS: Tom Gordon has been hurt far more than he's let on (Philadelphia Daily News) . . . Rocco Baldelli says he's getting better (Tampa Tribune).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:04 AM | Permalink

Game Story: Beckett returns, pitches Sox past Indians

With the way this season is going for the Red Sox, what else did you expect to happen when Josh Beckett made his return?

Even a potentially major problem somehow manages to come up roses for the Sox these days and it happened with Beckett, too.

After missing two starts while on the disabled list to care for an avulsion on the middle finger of his pitching hand, Beckett returned last night and picked up right where he left off. Which is to say, he threw another outstanding game.

He went seven innings, allowing only four base runners and two runs, as the Sox won their fifth straight, 4-2 over Cleveland.

``For him to not really skip a beat is pretty phenomenal,’’ said Sox manager Terry Francona. ``He came out right from the get go and established all three of his pitches, just like he’s been doing. Thats a team thats a pretty good hitting team and he pitched a heck of a game.’’

Beckett was thrilled with the way his situation was handled. That is, that he was held back longer than he might have been.

``I think we made the smart decision on that deal,’’ he said. ``I think the rainouts helped us make that decision. That might have been a blessing in disguise having me miss that second start not just one.’’

Beckett is now 8-0 on the season. He becomes the 10th pitcher in Red Sox history to win his first eight decisions. The last was reliever Rich Garces in 2000. The last starter to so it was Roger Clemens, who began 14-0 in 1986.

It is a sign of well well he has pitched all season that no one even attempted to say this was his best outing.

``He could have been a little sharper with some of his pitches,’’ said catcher Jason Varitek, ``but overall he was very good.’’

In one way, the physical setback turned into an example on how Beckett has matured. Francona spoke about how hard the pitcher worked while he was on the DL.

``It’s really a testament to his work ethic,’’ Francona said. ``He went down there the last two weeks and did a lot of things. . . You can work all you want but its not a game situation.

``He didn’t just go through the motions on any of those days. He did everything in his power to be the same pitcher as when he left two weeks ago. He and John (Farrell, the pitching coach) together, they did a great job of staying prepared and staying in sync. Being able to throw all his pitches and not being rusty or not being too strong.’’

Beckett spoke about how the team not only had its medical staff work with him but brought in specialists.

``This is a tribute to our training staff, the doctors, my pitching coach sticking with me,’’ Beckett said. ``John Farrell was here at 1:30 some days so I could go out and throw five innings. Our bullpen catcher. Everybody’s been real supportive.’’

Beckett has had a history of hand problems, which is why there were serious concerns when the avulsion problem cropped up May 14. In his return, he threw 91 pitches, 58 for strikes, and perhaps most importantly of all, used everything in his repertoire. That included his curve, the pitch that brings on the problems.

Beckett showed no reluctance going with his breaking ball. He used his curve often and effectively from the start. He struck out leadoff hitter Grady Sizemore on a 96 mile-an-hour fastball in the first, then whiffed Sizemore again on a nasty breaking ball in the fourth. He completed the hat trick on Sizemore in the sixth, this time getting him looking at a 93 mile-an-hour fastball on the outside corner.

The Indians got to Beckett in the seventh, after a long bottom of the sixth that included two Boston runs, the first on a Kevin Youkilis home run, a double by Mike Lowell and three straight walks by reliever Fernando Cabrera.

In the Cleveland seventh, Peralta got on again with a single to right. He scored on a triple to right by Hafner, a drive that bounced between J.D. Drew and the line and went all the way back to the stands near the visitors bullpen.

Hafner came home on a grounder to first by Victory Martinez. Beckett ended the inning, and his night, by striking out Trot Nixon, his sevength strikeout of the night.
Beckett knows he is not home free.

``It’s something were going to have to monitor all the time,’’ he said. ``It’s the same way weve always done it.’’

Down the road there might be problems. Right now, though, just about everything with Beckett and the Sox is positive.

--PAUL KENYON

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:55 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Lester sharp again but PawSox lose

Gary Allan is helping Jon Lester return to the majors.

No, Allan is not a pitching guru, a sports psychologist or a doctor. He’s a country artist.

As the young left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox made his fifth rehab start for the PawSox last night, Lester made his way to the mound to start the game against the Columbus Clippers with the song Right Where I Need to Be blasting from the sound system at McCoy Stadium.

Gary Allan sings the song and Jon Lester takes it to heart. So much so, he asked the PawSox staff to play the song during his outing.

It worked.

The southpaw worked five scoreless innings (79 pitches, 50 strikes) and allowed just four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. He had total command of the strike zone and located all of his pitches, especially his off-speed stuff that kept the Columbus hitters off balance during his outing.

Lester couldn’t have picked a better song to pump him up. The lyrics to the beginning of the song are as follows:

There’s a plane flyin’ outta here tonight Destination New Orleans Boss man says my big promotion’s on the line He says that’s right where I need to be

His return destination is Boston. His boss man is Theo Epstein. And, the promotion is well-deserved.

The song continues about being on the road, which Lester has gotten used to during his rehab this season. It began in spring training, continued on to Single-A Greenville (0-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three starts for the Drive) and he’s been outstanding every since he arrived here in late April.

Besides a brief setback with cramping in his left forearm on May 2, the 23-year-old hurler has allowed just one run in 132/3 innings during his last three outings for the PawSox.

Even though the final score was 5-4 in favor of Columbus, the main focus of last night’s game at McCoy Stadium was the pitching.

After Lester’s solid outing, relievers Craig Hansen, Craig Breslow, Mike Timlin, Manny Delcarmen, Travis Hughes and Bryan Corey took over.

Hansen struggled and allowed two runs on two hits with one walk in one-third of an inning before Breslow did his job in two-thirds of an inning with one hit and one strikeout.

Timlin, who is continuing his rehab from shoulder tendinitis, struggled a bit in the seventh, but got out of the inning relatively unscathed. He loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk. PawSox pitching coach Mike Griffin then made a trip to the mound after 12 pitches to talk with veteran reliever. On the next pitch the Clippers’ D’Angelo Jimenez line a shot to shallow right field for a base hit that scored a run.

Timlin retired the next three batters he faced, with some help of the defense behind him, and was finished after he threw 23 pitches (13 for strikes) and allowed one run on three hits. Delcarmen, just back from a brief stint in Boston, worked a scoreless eighth inning with and surrendered one hit with two walks and a strikeout.

The game entered the ninth inning with the PawSox holding a 4-3 advantage, but Hughes gave up back-to-back solo shots as Columbus posted the victory.
In the end, the most important aspect of last night’s game was Lester’s outing and he knows where he wants to be.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:49 PM to PawSox | Permalink

FINAL: Columbus 5, Pawtucket 4

PAWTUCKET -- The PawSox' Travis Hughes allowed back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the ninth inning as the Columbus Clippers beat Pawtucket tonight at McCoy Stadium, 5-4.

More to come . . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Red Sox 4, Indians 2

RED SOX 4
INDIANS 2

BOSTON - The streaking Red Sox rode seven strong innings from Josh Beckett and homers from Jason Varitek and Kevin Youkilis to register a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians tonight at Fenway Park. The first-place Sox have now won a season-high five games and six of their last seven.
Beckett came off the disabled list earlier today to make his first start since tearing skin off the tip of his right middle finger back on May 13. He gave up a first inning single but retired 16 of the next 17 hitters to cruise into the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead. The Indians scored two runs off Beckett in the seventh before he left the game after scattering three hits and striking out seven batters.
Relievers Brendan Donnelly and Javier Lopez worked the eighth inning and Japanese lefty Hideki Okajima picked up his fourth save of the season in the ninth. Beckett earned the win and remains the only unbeaten (8-0) starting pitcher in baseball.
The Red Sox scored a single run in the first inning off losing pitcher Jeremy Sowers (1-5) when Julio Lugo reached on a bunt single and the sizzling hot Youkilis laced an RBI double off the left field wall. The Sox didn’t hit Sowers again until the fifth inning when Varitek crushed his fifth home run of the season high over the Monster Seats in left.
Boston’s second homer of the game came an inning later when Youkilis hit a hot liner that cleared the wall in left. The Sox extended the lead to 4-0 when Mike Lowell doubled and Indian pitchers walked the next three hitters to force in a run.
Youkilis remained the hottest hitter in baseball. His two hits extended his hitting streak to 21 games and he’s had two or more hits in nine straight games. The last Red Sox to deliver two or more hits in nine straight games was Jim Rice back in his MVP season of 1978.
The Red Sox and Indians wrap up their three-game series Wednesday night at Fenway.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 9:54 PM | Permalink

Timlin in to work the seventh inning

Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin struggled a bit, but got out of the inning relatively unscathed. He loaded the bases on back-to-back singles and a walk.

PawSox pitching coach Mike Griffin then made a trip to the mound after 12 pitches to talk with Timlin. The next pitch the Clippers' D'Angelo Jimenez line a shot to shallow right field for a base hit that scored a run.

Timlin retired the next three batters he faced with some help of the defense behind him. Overall he threw 23 pitches (13 for strikes) and allowed one run on three hits.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:23 PM | Permalink

Lester in the fifth and done for the night

Lester threw 16 pitches (11 for strikes) and allowed a single with two strikeouts. He has reached 79 pitches (50 for strikes) and is done for the night. The left-hander had complete control of the strike zone tonight and his off-speed pitches were nasty.

Overall he worked five scoreless innings, and allowed just four hits. He struck out six and walked only two.

RECAP:
First inning: 18 pitches (10 strikes) and two hits.
Second inning: 14 pitches (seven strikes).
Third inning: 11 pitches (nine strikes).
Fourth inning: 20 pitches (13 strikes) and allowed a double.
Fifth inning: 16 pitches (11 strikes) and allowed a single.

Lester topped out at 95 MPH on the gun, and his breaking stuff fell off the table at 70.
It was another solid outing.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:16 PM | Permalink

Lester in the fourth

Lester is in the midst of a solid outing. He threw 20 pitches (13 for strikes) in the fourth inning and allowed a double to right field by Clippers' D'Angelo Jimenez. Lester struck out one and walked one. His curve is nasty tonight and he's totally commanding the inside of the plate.

He's up to 63 pitches.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:12 PM | Permalink

Lester in the third

Lester again retired the side in order with a pair of strikeouts. He threw 11 pitches (nine for strikes).

He's up to 43 pitches.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:44 PM | Permalink

Lester in the second

Lester threw 14 pitches (seven for strikes) and retired the side in order. He looked sharp in the inning and grabbed two hard choppers back to the mound.

Lester snared a chopper back to the mound for the first out of the inning. He followed that up with a fly ball to left field and closed out the inning with another grounder back to the mound.

He's up to 32 pitches (17 strikes). He's slated to throw 80 or six innings.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:22 PM | Permalink

Don Zimmer: Sox will be tough to catch

Don Zimmer isn't ready to give Boston the American League East Division title — at least not yet.

“I would say it's early to say that, but things better start happening awful quick because the Red Sox got an outstanding pitching staff and they've got a good team,” the Tampa Bay Devil Rays senior adviser and former Yankees bench coach said Tuesday. “I would say at this time, it's going to be very tough for anybody, not just the Yankees, to catch the Red Sox.”

The Yankees started Tuesday tied for last in the AL East with the Devil Rays, 131/2 games behind Boston. Second-place Baltimore was 111/2 games off the pace.

Zimmer, who has spent 59 years in baseball, was Yankees manager Joe Torre's bench coach when New York won four World Series championships. He also managed Boston in 1978 when the Red Sox held a large lead in August before losing a one-game playoff to the Yankees for the AL East title.

“Joe Torre right now is going through a stretch that I don't think he's ever had to face,” Zimmer said. “With the pitching staff, the way it's happened. They're waiting for (Roger) Clemens at 44 years old, you don't know how that's going to turn out. One thing about Joe, Joe knows how to handle situations.”

Zimmer believes Torre will not get too up or down as the Yankees try to move up in the playoff race.

“Joe's not going to get excited one way or another,” Zimmer said. “Whether they can put something together, there's a lot of teams that will have to put something together to catch the Red Sox. Joe Torre is not going to do anything different than he's done in the past 12 years. We'll just wait and see how it ends up.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:13 PM | Permalink

Lester in the first

Lester threw 18 pitches (10 for strikes) in the top of the first inning and allowed two hits with a walk. The left-hander allowed a bunt base hit to Columbus lead-off man Brandon Watson. Lester closed out the inning with a 93 MPH fastball on the inner half to get the Clippers' Michael Restovich.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:05 PM | Permalink

Live from Pawtucket

PawSox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has played 22 consecutive games since he was recalled from Double-A Portland on May 4, but he's out of the lineup tonight.

Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said Ellsbury has a little stiffness in his back, but it’s nothing to be concerned with. In fact, Johnson originally had Ellsbury in tonight’s lineup but felt it was better to give the young outfielder the night off.

As a result David Murphy, who has been playing left since Ellsbury arrival here, will be back in center and Bobby Scales with play left field.

Scales “is a very valuable guy because he gives everybody a chance to have a day off,” said Johnson. “The weather is getting a little bit warmer, and it’s really easy for me, as a manager, to fall in love with my outfield and run them out there every single day.”

Johnson said he was looking for a day to give Ellsbury a day off, but he can play tonight if needed.

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester will make fifth rehab start for the PawSox tonight. The left-hander is slated to work six innings or 80 pitches, which ever comes first.

Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin continues his rehab from right-shoulder tendinitis, and he's scheduled to work one inning without a pitch count.

I'll have live updates on both Lester and Timlin. . .

Joe McDonald

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 6:46 PM | Permalink

Clemens likely to start for Yankees on Monday

Roger Clemens is ready to return to the New York Yankees' rotation and is likely to start at the Chicago White Sox next Monday.

Clemens pitched six shutout innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday. Torre said before Tuesday's game against Toronto that he'll stay with Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte as his starters for this weekend's series at AL East-leading Boston.

“I'm not disappointed that he's not pitching at Fenway,” Torre said. “I don't think that series needs any more hype than it gets every time we play it, whether it's in Fenway or at the Stadium. You'd obviously be tempted if you had a kid pitching and you can replace him with Roger Clemens. When you have Wang, Moose and Andy, there's really not the temptation to do that.”

Torre wasn't ready to finalize his decision.

“Until I talk to him personally, it's tough to pick a particular day,” he said.

If Clemens is put on the major league roster Monday, he would receive $18,207,665 this season, a prorated share of his $28,000,022 salary.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:30 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 29

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 20-game hit streak, going 39 for 89 (.438) during the stretch
-Dustin Pedroia, 8-game hit streak, is 24 for 56 (.429) over last 18 games
-Manny Ramirez, 10 for his last 23 (.435) with three doubles, a triple and two home runs

Who's Not
-Julio Lugo, 3 for his last 23 (.130)
-Wily Mo Pena, 4 for his last 20 (.200)

Indians vs. Josh Beckett
-Travis Hafner, 3 for 3 (1.000), 1 HR
-Victor Martinez, 2 for 5 (.400), 1 HR
-Grady Sizemore, 2 for 6 (.333)
-Jhonny Peralta, 0 for 2
-David Dellucci, 0 for 6
-Trot Nixon, Josh Barfield, Ryan Garko and Mike Rouse have never faced Beckett

Red Sox vs. Jeremy Sowers
-Kevin Youkilis, 2 for 3 (.667)
-Coco Crisp, 0 for 1
-Mike Lowell, 0 for 2
-Wily Mo Pena, 0 for 2
-Manny Ramirez, 0 for 2
-J.D. Drew, Julio Lugo, Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek have never faced Sowers

More Stuff
-At 19-7, the Red Sox are on pace for their fifth-best May record in club history.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 5:10 PM | Permalink

Tuesday pre-Game notes & quotes

Pre-Game Red Sox notes for May 29.
Cleveland @ Boston; 7 p.m., NESN

-- David Ortiz is out of the lineup for the third straight game due to sore hamstrings. He says he can run fine but is sore and it’s uncomfortable when he’s in his hitting crouch.

Manager Terry Francona said he’s trying to be smart with Ortiz and not rush him back and risk any serious injury.

''He’s improving but not to the point where I felt comfortable playing him today,’’ he said. ''We sat around and talked about it last night for awhile. I kind of tried to tell him because he feels such a responsibility to be out there that I don’t want him to hurt himself. By trying to get this under control, we don’t have to fight it all year. I trust his judgment, too. I know he wants to be out there, I know he’ll be out there so we’re just going to keep an eye on him.’’

With Ortiz out, the Sox have chosen to shift Manny Ramirez to designated hitter and insert Wily Mo Pena in left. Francona sees this as a great opportunity to rest Ramirez, who leads the Sox with 49 games played.

''It’s the perfect chance,’’ he said. ''We actually told him he could do that in Texas on Sunday but he wanted to play left field. Anytime we can keep his bat, that can only help us in the long run. Anytime you can keep the bat and keep his legs refreshed, that’s good.’’

-- Kevin Youkilis is batting third in Ortiz’ absence. He’s riding a 20-game hit streak, leads the team with a .354 average and is playing as well as anyone on the team. His value is clearly on the rise.

''Wherever somebody sits, we put Youk to balance out our lineup,’’ said Francona. ''It’s been tremendous because he’s such a professional hitter that he can cover us if it’s the 3-hole, the 5-hole, the 4-hole, hitting second. You put him anywhere and he gives you a great at-bat and it seems to balance out that lineup.’’

Youkilis is hitting .438 (39-for-89) during his hit streak. He is batting .408 in May (42-for-103). His inside-the-park homer on Monday was the 48th by a Red Sox at Fenway Park.

-- Another player on the rise is second baseman Dustin Pedroia. He has hit safely in a career-best 8 straight games and has seen his average skyrocket from .182 to .298 over his last 18 games. He had three hits in Monday night’s win over the Indians.

Francona was asked if Pedroia is exceeding expectations.

''I think if you go back and look at all the questions and answers, I think we said, 'Young kid playing here in April, you might not see the player you’re gonna see.' I think now we’re seeing the player we hoped for. I actually think that he and (Alex) Cora (combined for) a real good second baseman. What they give us both together has been phenomenal.’’

Cora got off to a great start filling in for Pedroia and is still hitting .319 in eight fewer games than Pedroia. There were rumblings of elevating Cora back in April but Francona said the patience the club showed is paying off.

''I know there was some clamoring to give up on Pedroia early. I think that would’ve been a big, big mistake,’’ he said. ''He’s a pretty good player. He knows how to play the game.’’

Pedroia has recorded multiple hits in his last two games and 3 of his last 4. He has eight multiple-hit games in May.

-- All eyes will be on Josh Beckett tonight. He's making his first start in two weeks after slightly tearing the skin on the middle finger of his right hand.

-- KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 4:54 PM | Permalink

May 29: Indians-Red Sox lineups; no Ortiz

BOSTON -- David Ortiz is again out of the Red Sox lineup for tonight's game against Cleveland. He is nursing sore hamstrings and is listed at day-to-day.

It is another perfect night for baseball at Fenway Park. Here are tonight's lineups.

BOSTON
Julio Lugo SS
Coco Crisp CF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Manny Ramirez DH
JD Drew RF
Mike Lowell 3B
Jason Varitek C
Wily Mo Pena LF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Josh Beckett P

CLEVELAND
Grady Sizemore CF
Jhonny Peralta SS
Travis Hafner DH
Victor Martinez C
Trot Nixon RF
Ryan Garko 1B
David Dellucci LF
Josh Barfield 2B
Mike Rouse 3B
Jeremy Sowers P

Check back in about 20 minutes for further pre-game news.

-- KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 4:21 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone: Looking ahead to Beckett

Today on Projo SoxTalk, Art Martone looks at the highlights of last night's Red Sox win over Cleveland, including Curt Schilling's impressive outing, the questionable call that helped Boston out in the ninth, and Trot Nixon's nice reception. He also tells fans what they should look for from Josh Beckett tonight, and speculates about what might happen should Beckett struggle. Click here to listen to the audio file.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:41 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 29

OH, WHAT A NIGHT: It certainly was for Curt Schilling, who was about as dominant (7 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 10 strikeouts) as he's been all year. And for Kevin Youkilis (above, Journal photo), author of that rarest of Fenway Park rarities -- a standup, inside-the-park home run. And Jonathan Papelbon (right, Journal photo), who, aided by a . . . well, call it a controversial call, escaped a ninth-inning jam of his own making to nail down his 13th save. And especially for Trot Nixon, who came home to about the warmest welcome a visiting player will ever receive anywhere. (All stories projo.com)

And, in the end, it was quite a night for the Red Sox, who improved their record to 35-15 with a 5-3 win over fellow division leader Cleveland.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY? Curt Schilling gives his normally insightful game breakdown on 38pitches.com, but, in the midst of it all, creates a mystery. ''Pre game meeting went well,'' he writes, ''as Dave Jauss (our scout who’d been following the Indians) was in town and I asked him to sit in and give me his thoughts on approaching this lineup.'' Dave Jauss? The Dave Jauss I know, the one who'd been in the Red Sox organization in the 1990s and early 2000s, is Grady Little's bench coach in Los Angeles (and I just saw him the other night while watching the end of the Dodgers' extra-inning win over the Cubs). Or are there two Dave Jausses?

MEETING WITH DISASTER: The Yankees held a closed-door, 45-minute meeting prior to last night's game in Toronto, which, judging by the results, did no good whatsoever. (Both stories New York Daily News) For what it's worth, Derek Jeter thinks all the Yankees are as tired of losing as he is. (New York Daily News)

US TOO, DEREK: Yankee fans are also tired of losing, and the New York Daily News reports they're voting with their feet . . . and their pocketbooks.

THE CALVALRY IS COMING: After a disconcerting outing last week in Trenton, Roger Clemens looked like a $28 million man last night in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. And the New York Post's Kevin Kernan says the Rocket's overreaction to a misunderstood softball question ''is exactly the kind of passion the lifeless Yankees need.'' John Harper of the Daily News thinks so, too.

ON THE FIRING LINE: It's not looking good for Brian Cashman. (New York Post)

YOU THINK YOU WERE SICK OF HEARING '1918'? Yankee Universe is getting ready to adopt 1978 as its mantra of choice for the rest of this season. (New York Daily News)

NOT SO FAST: David Pinto, however, thinks a repeat of '78 is highly unlikely. (baseballmusings.com)

FROM DENIAL TO ACCEPTANCE: The Replacement Level Yankee Weblog says it has ''finally accepted the truth . . . The 2007 Yankees are not going to make the playoffs.''

JUST IN CASE YOU HAD ANY DOUBTS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THIS GUY WAS A POLITICIAN . . . New Mexico governor (and presidential candidate) Bill Richardson claims to be both a Red Sox and Yankee fan. (www.newsmax.com) Bill, Bill, Bill . . . let me put this in terms you can understand. That's like claiming to be both a Democrat and a Republican. Get it now?

LISTEN TO O-CAB, BILL: And if that's the case, Richardson probably lost Orlando Cabrera's vote. Cabrera calls Yankee fans ''bad losers . . . [They're] mean. And they're really mean to the other team . . . They don't appreciate good baseball: They just appreciate the Yankees beating up on everybody.'' (Los Angeles Times) The New York Post went out and got some Yankee fan reaction to Cabrera's charges. And there's no question our friend Bill Simmons would give Jen Prisco of Orange, Conn., high marks on his Unintenional Comedy scale when she dismissed Cabrera by saying, ''He's not a Yankee, so I don't care what he thinks.''

Uh, Jen? That's his point!

DON'T BE A HYPOCRITE: The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro says if Met fans want to boo Barry Bonds this week, then they'd better not welcome Guillermo Mota back with open arms. Mota is returning after a 50-game suspension for doing something Bonds never did: Fail a test for steroids.

BOTTOM LINE BUSINESS: But, sadly, the odds are that if Mota pitches well, he'll get the same reaction that Elijah Dukes -- who allegedly threatened to murder his wife -- is getting in Tampa. (St. Petersburg Times)

JUST IN CASE: The Baltimore Sun reports the Orioles have drawn up a list of potential replacements for Sam Perlozzo.

TROUBLE JUST SEEMS TO FIND ME: A.J. Pierzynski was in the middle of yet another controversy, this time in Minnesota. (Chicago Sun-Times)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Game Story: Schilling pitches Red Sox past Indians

So maybe Super Curt isn't that bad after all.

Answering his critics with one of his strongest outings of the season, Curt Schilling dominated the Cleveland Indians and pitched the Red Sox to a 5-3 win last night at Fenway Park.

The win is Boston's fourth in a row and fifth in its last six games.

Schilling was superb from his opening pitch, baffling the Indians with a sharp, diving split-fingered fastball, a 90-plus mile an hour fastball and a slick change-up. When he left the game with a 4-1 lead, the Fenway fans gave him a well-deserved standing ovation.

Boston's shaky middle relief corps (excepting Hideki Okajima, of course) made those fans and Schilling sweat once the big righty hit the showers. J.C. Romero walked the only two hitters he faced to open the eighth inning. Javier Lopez came on to get two big outs but one was a sacrifice fly by old friend Trot Nixon to center that plated a run and sliced Schilling's lead to 4-2. Brendan Donnelly retired the final batter in the eighth but the ninth didn't go smoothly either, even with Jonathan Papelbon taking the mound.

The Sox closer surrendered a painful leadoff walk and then a single and an RBI double that cut Boston's lead to 5-3 and brought Cleveland star Grady Sizemore to the plate with two runners in scoring position. But that's when Papelbon found his game.

First he got Sizemore to pop out to third base. Then Casey Blake swung at a two-strike pitch that clearly hit him on his hands. The umpire at first ruled that Blake was to take first base but he was over-ruled and Blake was called out.

``Originally they ruled it hit him, which it did,'' said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. ``Our contention was that he swung, which he did. That's what they checked and fortunately for us (the call was changed). That's big, big for us. We were in a bind.''

With the call going in his favor, Papelbon responded by blowing away Travis Hafner with first a 96 and then a 97-mile an hour fastball to end the game and secure his 13th save of the season.

The tense moments nearly over-shadowed an excellent performance by Schilling. He struck out a season-high 10 hitters, most with a sharp split-fingered fastball that fell from the strike zone at the last possible moment. The last time Schilling struck out 10 or more hitters was last June 24th.

``He really threw in my opinion, his best split of the year,'' said Francona. ``He really pitched. To put up zeroes right to the end against a team that good, that's a really good effort.''

Schilling was coming off his worst performance of the season last week at Yankee Stadium when the Yanks scored pounded out 12 hits and scored six runs over six innings to win easily, 6-1.

The Yankees jumped Schilling, with Hideki Matsui slamming a 2-run homer in the first inning and light-hitting Doug Mientkiewicz hitting a solo blast in the fourth inning.

The next day, Schilling was treated to some stark criticism during his weekly Boston radio appearance. Detractors pointed out that Schilling's most recent outings showed a disturbing trend where he wasn't striking hitters out (an average of five per start) and couldn't keep them from putting good wood (7.4 hits per start) on his pitches. A proud, or even cocky veteran, Schilling didn't take well to the criticism.

He admitted to not being happy with his performance but to bounce back with such a strong effort against a strout offensive team like the Indians is certainly a positive sign. He says some heavy work with pitching coach John Farrell in recent days led to a revitalized split-fingered fastball.

``I haven't had that split since probably 2001 or '02. Not even close,'' he said. Schilling said Farrell worked on several slight changes to his motion that he made sure to bring out to the mound. ``It's been a rough couple weeks for me from a performance standpoint. Anyone who knows me knows that it's 24-7 on my mind,'' he said. ``We made some adjustments over the last seven, eight, 10 days. Hopefully I can look back on the last four days as a turning point for me, physically and mentally.''

The Red Sox gave Schilling all the support he needed in the middle innings. They scored two in the fourth off the Indians' starter, Cliff Lee (2-2) when Kevin Youkilis, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell all doubled. Drew knocked in Youkilis and Lowell plated Drew to give Boston a 2-0 lead.

Manny Ramirez made it 3-0 in the fifth with a line drive rocket homer to left.

Cleveland's only uprising off Schilling came in the sixth inning when Blake doubled to left and Victor Martinez singled him in.

The Sox added a significant, and thrilling, insurance run in the seventh when Kevin Youkilis drove a Roberto Hernandez pitch to the triangle in center that bounded away from Sizemore. Youkilis flew around the bases and giddily ran through the windmill sign from third base coach De Marlo Hale and easily scored on an inside-the-park home run. That pushed the Sox' lead to 4-1 and allowed Schilling to leave with a comfortable lead.

The shaky bullpen nearly blew the lead but the Red Sox winning ways continued.

--KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 11:07 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Boston 5, Cleveland 3

Behind seven innings of one-run pitching from Curt Schilling and home runs by Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox won their series opener with Cleveland, 5-3.

Jonathan Paplebon had a rocky outing but picked up his 13th save of the season to seal the victory.

Schilling scattered six hits over his 117-pitch start, a nice recovery from his last start, when he gave up 12 hits in a loss to the Yankees.

J.D. Drew broke out of his slump with an RBI double in the fourth; Ramirez had a solo home run to the Monster seats in the fifth, and Youkilis had his first career inside-the-park homer in the seventh.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 10:21 PM | Permalink

Interesting bit of drama

We're not sure what just happened -- we're waiting for an explanation -- but we're not sure that the call made on Casey Blake just now was the right one.

Blake was just charged with a strikeout officially, but in live action and on replay it was clear that the Jonathan Paplebon's pitch hit off something, whether it was the end of Blake's bat or his hands.

Either way, it was not a strikeout.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 10:19 PM | Permalink

Game Story: PawSox 2, Chiefs 1

It’s all about being confident.

PawSox starter David Pauley knows that all too well, and he’s quickly learned how to harness it in order to control a game and have success at the same time. Last night was a perfect example.

The soon-to-be 24-year-old (June 17) worked 6 1/3 innings last night and allowed one unearned run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts to help Pawtucket to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Clippers at McCoy Stadium.

After allowing a lead-off single to Clippers Brandon Watson, followed by an error, Pauley retired the next 11 batters he faced.

With Pawtucket hanging on to a one-run lead, Pauley loaded the bases with one out. He collected his third strikeout of the game for the inning’s second out before making a fielding error on a chopper to the right side that allowed a run to score.

A year ago, the game would have spun out of control on him, but he didn’t allow that to happen last night. He composed himself and snared another come-backer and made the play to end the inning.

“He had a real nice outing,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. “I was really impressed with his pitch efficiency and the command of his stuff. I was very pleased with his mound presence and composure. I’m seeing a lot of maturity come out with all of our young pitchers, and you saw it again tonight.”

Pauley was able to throw his curveball for strikes, a pitch he says hasn’t been working for him as much as he would like. The right-hander was able to keep the ball down in the zone and controlled the game at his pace.

“I had good stuff tonight from my eyes,” said Pauley, who improves to 2-1. “It’s something I’ve taken on myself this year being able to control the game at my own pace and not let the situation dictate what’s going on. I’ve told myself to ‘take a breath and get this out.’ Slow the game back down and going after the hitters instead of worrying about what could happen.”

After he got out of a jam relatively unscathed in the fifth, he retired the next four batters he faced before he was given the hook after 90 pitches (57 strikes). The PawSox bullpen of Craig Breslow, Edgar Martinez and Travis Hughes (third save of the season) finished the job to help Pawtucket snap a two-game losing skid.

The necessary offense for the PawSox was provided by Joe McEwing and Ed Rogers, who accounted for a RBI each.

For Pauley, it was his most efficient outing of the season.

He’s based his success this year with the experiences from a season ago in the Red Sox organization as he pitched at three different levels, including Double-A, the majors and Triple-A in that order. Pauley made his major-league debut for the Red Sox in Toronto on May 31 and eventually made two others, including a stellar performance at Yankee Stadium before he was optioned to Pawtucket on June 11.

After a 1-3 record with a 5.54 ERA in nine starts with the PawSox in 2006, his season ended with a forearm strain on Aug. 2. Basically, it was a season of ups and downs for Pauley and when he looks back, he realizes it was an invaluable learning experience.

“It was a big help,” he said. “When you get put into a situation like that, there are a lot of things you have to deal with up there. You have to learn over time and when you get out there consistently, you know what pitches to go to and you’re not stressed about what’s going to happen.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:52 PM to PawSox | Permalink

Youkilis goes yard...sort of

Kevin Youkilis just drilled an inside-the-park homerun to the triangle in centerfield. The ball bounced off the sidewall of the Sox' bullpen and rolled in front of the garage door before it was picked up.

Youkilis showed some giddy-up getting around the bases, and was at third before the ball was fielded. He came into home plate standing up.

It was the first inside-the-park homer for Boston since man-of-the-night Trot Nixon had one on July 15, 2005 against the Yankees at Fenway Park, and the first that Cleveland has allowed since Sept. 17, 2004 against Kansas City.

The last Red Sox player to have an inside-the-park homer against the Indians was John Kennedy, on July 5, 1970. Colleague Bob Ryan of the Globe tells us it was Kennedy's first at-bat with the Red Sox.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:27 PM | Permalink

Schilling out after seven innings

Curt Schilling's night has ended after seven innings, 117 pitches (77 strikes), and allowing just one run.

Schilling scattered six hits, and his 10 strikeouts were a season-high.

It appears that J.C. Romero will start the eighth inning.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:19 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Pawtucket 2, Columbus 1

PAWTUCKET -- The PawSox received a solid outing from starter David Pauley en route to a 2-1 victory over Columbus in the first game of a four-game set last night at McCoy Stadium.

Pauley worked 6 1/3 innings and allowed just one unearned run on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Joe McEwing and Ed Rogers provided the RBI for Pawtucket.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:35 PM | Permalink

Youkilis extends streak

Kevin Youkilis' ground-rule double to right field off Cliff Lee extended his career-best hitting streak to 20 games.

The first baseman (whom Trot Nixon joked earlier today "has the biggest chin in the world") is 38-for-86 (.442) with 12 doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI during the stretch, which began on May 5.

It is the 37th hitting streak of 20 or more games in Red Sox history; the last was by Manny Ramirez last season. Ramirez' 27-game streak went from July 15-August 12.

Youkilis is now tied with Seattle's Ichiro Suziki for the longest active hitting streak in baseball; the Mariners begin play against the Angels in about an hour.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 8:10 PM | Permalink

Clemens throws six shutout innings in Triple-A start

Roger Clemens pitched six shutout innings in Triple-A on Monday, leaving to a standing ovation from an overflow crowd in what the New York Yankees hope is his final start in the minors.

Clemens showed improved command from his last outing at Double-A, this time giving up two hits and two walks for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The 44-year-old ace struck out six against Toledo in his third tuneup.

New York began the day 121/2 games behind Boston in the AL East. On Sunday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team would evaluate Clemens' performance Monday before deciding when he would join them.

All told, the seven-time Cy Young winner threw 89 pitches, 58 for strikes. His two walks came on full-count pitches and he was primarily in the strike zone when he needed to be. He struck out Timo Perez to end the first, and fanned at least one batter in each inning except the sixth.
Clemens gave up a sharply hit single in the second and a ground single in the sixth, and never allowed more than one runner in an inning.

Clemens' control was a concern at Trenton last week when he walked four and allowed six hits and three runs over 5 1-3 innings.

In the opening inning against Toledo, Clemens got two weak grounders and struck out Perez on a split-finger fastball.

The second inning started with a 10-pitch at-bat by Ryan Raburn — Clemens had thrown a total of 12 pitches the entire first inning — before a popout. With two outs, Mike Hessman got the Mud Hens' first hit of the game, lining a 1-2 pitch into left field for a single. Ramon Santiago then struck out.

In the sixth, the Mud Hens got their second hit on a ground ball that first baseman Eric Duncan knocked down but couldn't turn into an out.

Raburn grounded out to end the inning, sending Clemens off the field to a loud ovation from the crowd of 11,310, a number that's 1,000 over capacity at PNC Field, where the team sold standing-room-only tickets for the first time this season.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:34 PM | Permalink

First at-bat for Nixon

Trot Nixon received another rousing standing ovation from the crowd here as he was introduced before his first at-bat, and it only got louder when he removed his batting helmet to acknowledge them.

Nixon singled to familiar territory, right field.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:27 PM | Permalink

Nixon honored with Jimmy Fund Award

Trot Nixon is on the field right now for a special pre-game ceremony in which he and wife Kathryn are receiving the 2007 Jimmy Fund Award from the Red Sox for their many years of service to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

Head of the Jimmy Fund, Mike Andrews, Sox principal owner John Henry and manager Terry Francona joined the Nixons on the field as they received their plaque, and a video retrospective of Nixon's work with the Jimmy Fund and from his days with Boston were shown. On the message board it says, "Welcome back and Welcome Always Kathryn and Trot Nixon."

Kathryn, who was crying during the presentation, threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch to Doug Mirabelli.

They received a very warm ovation from the Fenway crowd.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 6:59 PM | Permalink

Trot Nixon chats

Former Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon just held a lengthy chat with the media, though this was from the visitor's dugout at Fenway, as Nixon is back in Boston for the first time since signing with Cleveland in the offseason.

A member of the Red Sox organization for 13 years, Nixon said he had never been in the visitor's clubhouse until today. Actually, navigating the Indians' home clubhouse ("It's huge," he said) was one of the things that took some adjusting to for Nixon, along with learning everyone's names and jobs in the Cleveland organization.

The rightfielder, remembered for his pine-tar covered batting helmet and all-out hustle on the field, said he harbors no ill will toward the Red Sox for not signing him and instead signing the very expensive -- and seriously slumping -- J.D. Drew.

After undergoing back surgery and not being signed by Cleveland until Jan. 19, Nixon sort of fell in love with baseball all over again.

"What happened to me in the offseason, it opened my eyes to how special this game is, how fun it is," he said. "It opened my eyes to how much I love this game."

Nixon would have been open to starting the season in triple-A and then moving up to the big leagues if that is how things had turned out, but he is "very thankful" for the opportunity the Indians have given him and is glad that the team is having so much success early (their 31-17 record is second to Boston in the A.L.).

"It's a phenomenal group of guys, veterans, young guys, young guys that have been here for four or five years. There's a tremendous amount of talent in the organization," he said.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 5:18 PM | Permalink

Francona's pre-game chat

Terry Francona wrapped up his pre-game chat with the print media a few minutes ago.

Among the topics he touched on:

* David Ortiz is getting the day off again to rest his sore hamstrings.Francona said Ortiz's problems began about 10 days ago when he fell ill and also became dehydrated.

"It could be me being overly protective, but we want to make sure he's (fine) for the long run."

Francona is not sure if Ortiz will play tomorrow.

* Mike Timlin will throw one inning each with Pawtucket on Tuesday and Thursday.

"He needs to get his touch and feel back; he needs more repitition," Francona said.

* Jon Lester will start tomorrow for the PawSox and throw 80-85 pitches.

* When Josh Beckett returns tomorrow he won't have restrictions, but "we'll use our head," Francona said.

"He could have pitched last week, but we did this (stint on the 15-day DL) so there are no restrictions and he could be the pitcher he is."

* On Trot Nixon, who comes to Fenway as a visitor for the first time tonight:

"He'd play hurt, he'd play...anything. He's down and dirty, kind of a throwback. I'm sure he'll get a great ovation - as he should. Then I hope he rolls into a double play."

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 3:44 PM | Permalink

Sox-Indians lineups

For the Red Sox:

Lugo SS
Crisp CF
Youkilis 1B
Ramirez DH
Drew RF
Lowell 3B
Varitek C
Pena LF
Pedroia 2B

SP: Schilling

For the Indians:

Sizemore CF
Blake 3B
Hafner DH
Martinez C
Nixon RF
Peralta SS
Dellucci LF
Garko 1B
Barfield 2B

SP: Lee

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 3:39 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Chiefs rout PawSox

PawSox manager Ron Johnson is never critical of his team publicly. No matter the score, win or lose, he calls every game a developmental process and quickly looks ahead to the next game the next day.

Pawtucket, however, has lost two straight to the Syracuse Chiefs, including a 9-2 drubbing at McCoy Stadium Sunday night.

“We just got whooped pretty good,” said Johnson. “We'll turn the page because we've got a new club (Columbus) coming in and let's get Syracuse out of here because they're starting to heat up. We'll let them beat up on some other staffs around the league and see what we can do tomorrow.”

The Chiefs stuck it to the PawSox on Saturday night, too, and scored four runs in the top of the ninth for a come-from-behind 10-7 victory.

Last night Pawtucket was done in by Syracuse starter Michael MacDonald, who earned his first Triple-A win by throwing seven scoreless innings. He allowed just four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

“He did a real nice job,” said Johnson. “We didn't do much. We only had six (total) hits. We didn't square up a lot of balls. We didn't do too much tonight offensively.”

In his first appearance since his spot-start for the Red Sox last Saturday, Pawtucket starter Devern Hansack dropped to 1-5 after allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts

“He didn't pitch bad,” said Johnson. “He'll build on that next time he's back out there. He's been back for seven days (from Boston) and he was a tick off with his command. He really didn't establish his rhythm with all of his pitches. But that's the development of a young guy.”

Sometimes when players come back from a big-league stint, no matter how long or short, there's always a chance for a hangover. Johnson said he doesn't see that with Hansack.

“It doesn't appear to be,” said the manager. “He's upbeat. I always watch how guys interact with their teammates when they come back [and he's been fine].”

PawSox pitcher Abe Alvarez has been delegated to the bullpen of late due to Jon Lester's rehab presence in Pawtucket. Alvarez worked two innings and allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

After Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin made his second rehab appearance and allowed two runs on two hits in 2/3 of an inning in the seventh, PawSox reliever Mike Burns, who imploded on Saturday night against the Chiefs and allowed the four runs in the top of the ninth to blow his fifth save opportunity in eight chances, got some redemption last night. He worked a perfect ninth inning and recorded two strikeouts.

“I was fired up to see the way Burns came back and threw the ball tonight,” said Johnson.

The PawSox' Michael Tucker belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to account for Pawtucket's runs.

Even though the PawSox have lost two straight, Johnson and his boys aren't too concerned.

“We've really played well the last two weeks,” said the manager. “If you try to change stuff then it's just out of panic and you really can't do that here. We've got three months of baseball left and that's a lot of games. We're not going to do anything different.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:17 PM to PawSox | Permalink

FINAL: Syracuse 9, Pawtucket 2

PAWTUCKET -- The PawSox lost their second straight game to the Chiefs as Syracuse starter Michael MacDonald worked seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits with six strikeouts and one walk en route to victory.

PawSox' Michael Tucker hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth to account for Pawtucket's runs.

The PawSox split their four-game set with the Chiefs and Pawtucket will begin its four-game series with the Columbus Clippers tonight at 6:15.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:49 PM | Permalink

Timlin works for the PawSox

Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin made his second rehab appearance with the PawSox tonight and worked 2/3 of an inning in the seventh. The veteran right-hander, who is recovering from tendonitis in his throwing shoulder, threw 18 pitches (11 strikes) and allowed two runs on two hits. He walked one and threw a wild pitch. Timlin worked one scoreless inning on Friday at McCoy.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:23 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Sox hold on, sweep Rangers

It won't always be like this, because no team no matter how good can have this kind of run for an entire season.

But for now, the Red Sox can seemingly do no wrong and they're wisely making the most of it.

As the Sox finished up their sweep of the hapless Texas Rangers here yesterday with a 6-5 victory, a familiar plot played itself out. Trailing 4-3 after seven, the Sox scored two runs in the eighth and one more in the ninth.

In all three wins here, the Sox had to come from behind after the fifth inning.

Yesterday's win was their fifth this season in which the Sox trailed after seven innings.

Not much deters them. Yesterday, they were without their best hitter (David Ortiz) and their best reliever (Jonathan Papelbon), and it didn't matter.

Yesterday's win was started by their fifth starter and finished by the alternative closer. Still, it didn't matter.

``This was huge for us, said starter Julian Tavarez, ``but it doesn't surprise me.

Nor should it. Not the way the Red Sox are going.

The Sox now lead their closest pursuers the Baltimore Orioles by a gaudy 11 ½ games and have won 15 of their last 20 and 22 of their last 30. Not even a change of venue slows the Sox away from home, they've won eight of their last 10 and 10 of their last 14. Since dropping four of their first seven on the road, the Sox have cleanup, going 15-4.

The winning pitcher was Joel Pineiro, who picked up his first victory of the season with 1 2/3 innings of perfect relief, making his first appearance since Wednesday.

``We pick each other up in the bullpen and push each other," said Pineiro who retired all five hitters he faced, three by strikeout.

The tying run was produced by slumping outfielder J.D. Drew, who, only two at-bats earlier, had snapped an 0-for-17 skid. In the eighth, he slapped a single to right, scoring Kevin Youkilis.

``That's why we got him," said manager Terry Francona of Drew. ``I know he's been struggling, but he came through when we needed him. And we need him to hit."

The winning run came from Dustin Pedroia, who crunched his second homer of the season in an epic battle with Eric Gagne, finally rocketing a ball out to left on the 12th pitch.

``I knew it was going to be a fight," he said of the at-bat. ``I finally got a good pitch to hit and hit it well. I saw a lot of pitches, so that helped me out."

Finally, the save went to Hideki Okajima, who filled in for Jonathan Papelbon, who had pitched in the first two games of the series. Okajima had some anxious moment, yielding a run-scoring single to Mark Teixeira, which put the potential tying run on base.

But Okajima got Sammy Sosa to fly to center for the final out, capping the Sox first three-game sweep here since 1973.

Julian Tavarez cruised through the first five innings, allowing a leadoff single to Kenny Lofton, the first batter he faced, before retiring 15 of the next 17 hitters he faced.

But Tavarez unexpectedly came unglued in the sixth. He walked Lofton, yielded a single to Michael Young, then was tagged for a mammoth 450-foot homer into the upper deck by Mark Teixeira, wiping out the Sox 3-0 lead.

Tavarez had shaken off catcher Jason Varitek, but made the mistake of hanging a slider over the middle of the plate.

``You hang one and it cost me the game," said Tavarez. ``That was the difference. But the bullpen came through after I dropped the game.

Tavarez, who was so efficient through the first five, left a mess -- first-and-second, two outs -- for J.C. Romero. But Romero got Ramon Vazquez on an inning-ending groundout before slipping into his owm trouble in the seventh.

He yielded a leadoff double to Kenny Lofton and a one-out walk to Teixeira. Pineiro came on to face Sammy Sosa, hoping for either a double-play or a strikeout. He got the latter, catching Sosa looking at a called third strike.

Then came the defensive play of the game, with Coco Crisp turning in a brilliant, sprawling catch to save two runs.

``When I saw that ball hit, said Pinerio, ``nobody was close to the ball. That was just a great catch."

Varitek had staked the Sox to a 3-0 lead in the fourth with a three-run belt off starter Kameron Loe, his first homer since May 8.

--SEAN McADAM

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:45 PM | Permalink

Final: Red Sox 6, Rangers 5

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- The Red Sox have been winning games all sorts of way so far this season, and today they rolled out a new formula: Contributions from players who previously were struggling.

J.D. Drew, hitting only .161 (10-for-62) in the month of May going into today's game, contributed an RBI single in the two-run, eighth-inning rally that gave the Sox the lead, and Joel Piniero, he of the 9.35 ERA in his last six appearances, retired all five batters he faced and picked up the victory as Boston came from behind for a 6-5 win over the Rangers and a sweep of the three-game weekend series.

Mike Lowell broke a 4-4 tie with a run-scoring single in the eighth for the Sox, who also got a three-run homer from Jason Varitek (third inning) and a solo shot from Dustin Pedroia (in the ninth after a 12-pitch at-bat against Rangers closer Eric Gagne).

Hideki Okajima, called on to close things out because Jonathan Papelbon, who had worked two consecutive days, was unavailable, pitched the ninth and recorded his third save, despite allowing a run on an RBI single by Mark Teixeira (who had hit a three-run homer off starter Julian Tavarez in the sixth).

The Sox now lead the A.L. East by 12 games in the loss column over the Orioles, Blue Jays and Yankees, all of whom have 27 losses. Boston is 34-15.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 6:16 PM | Permalink

Crossing our fingers....

The tarp has been taken off the field here at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the plan is to start this one on time, though rain remains in the forecast throughout the afternoon.

David Ortiz is out of the starting lineup because of some tightness in his hamstrings. Ortiz has also been suffering from dehydration of late.

The lineups:
Lugo, ss
Crisp, cf
Youkilis 1b
Ramirez, lf
Drew, rf
Lowell, 3b
Varitek, c
Hinske, dh
Pedroia, 2b

TEXAS:
Kenny Lofton, cf
Michael Young, ss
Mark Teixeira, 1b
Sammy Sosa rf
Frank Catalanotto, dh
Marlon Byrd, lf
Ian Kinsler, 2b
Gerald Laird, c
Ramon Vazquez, 3b

More info later

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:31 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Red Sox 7, Rangers 4

In the first week of the season, Tim Wakefield pitched one of the best games of any Red Sox starter this year three hits and one earned run allowed in six innings but was still saddled with the loss, thanks to no run support.

It could be said, then, that he had last night coming.

Wakefield wasn't as sharp last night as he was back on April 6, but his backing was far better. The knuckleballer survived a three-run fifth and snapped a personal two-game losing steak as the Sox beat back the Texas Rangers, 7-4.

The win gave the surging Red Sox an 11-game bulge in the A.L. East, their largest to date. The Sox have won three of their last four and wrap up their six-game road trip this afternoon.

Wakefield pitched seven innings and gave up four earned runs, evening his record at 5-5.

Javy Lopez and Brendan Donnelly took care of the eighth before Jonathan Papelbon came in to notch his 12th save.

Manny Ramirez produced half of the Red Sox eight hits, falling a homer shy of the cycle with a triple, double and two singles for his first four-hit game of the season and his first since last Aug. 18.

``Seeing him swing the bat like that is gratifying, said manager Terry Francona. ``He took some good swings.

The Sox rebounded from a 4-2 deficit when they erupted for five runs in the sixth. The Rangers issued four walks that inning.

Like fellow starter Brandon McCarthy the night before, Texas righthander Vicente Padilla was done in partly by his lack of control.

Following a leadoff single by Kevin Youkilis, Ramirez drilled an opposite-field triple into the right field corner, plating Youkilis. A wild pitch from Padilla enabled Ramirez to trot home from third and tie the game.

A walk to J.D. Drew and a single by Mike Lowell kept the inning going and signaled the end of the night for Padilla, but his replacement, Joaquin Benoit, was no more effective.

He quickly yielded an RBI-single up the middle to Coco Crisp, then walked No. 8 hitter Doug Mirabelli to fill the bases.

A sacrifice fly to center from Alex Cora scored Lowell, and two more walks one to Julio Lugo and another to Kevin Youkilis forced in the fifth run of the inning.

``For me, the encouraging thing was that we came right back, said Francona. ``That's a good way to play the game. We didn't let them get comfortable (with the lead)."

Wakefield had retired 11 of the first 13 hitters of the night when the Rangers stirred in the fifth.

Gerald Laird doubled to left, scoring Frank Catalanotto (hit-by-pitch) and Marlon Byrd (single), giving Texas a 3-2 edge.

A sharp single to left from Ramon Vazquez gave Texas two runners in scoring position and Kenny Lofton delivered Laird from third on a sacrifice fly, Laird beating Ramirez's poor throw to the plate.

Wakefield righted himself after the fifth, getting five of the next six hitters he faced. In five of the seven innings he pitched, in fact, Wakefield faced the minimum number of hitters.

``I would have liked to have that fifth inning back, said Wakefield. ``I felt like I was still throwing the ball well, but they hit some balls that found holes. (The quick innings) are a barometer for me it tells me I'm in the strike zone, getting good movement and getting swings early in the count."

Youkilis, extending his hitting streak to 18 games, produced his first of two hits in the fourth, a double to left off Padilla.

Padilla then walked David Ortiz and Ramirez to fill the bases. The slumping J.D. Drew hit what appeared to be a tailor-made double play to first baseman Mark Teixeira. But after Teixeira's throw to second forced Ramirez, Michael Young's throw back to first went over Padilla's head. Youkilis had already scored and the error enabled Ortiz to score all the way from second.

Texas had taken a 1-0 lead in the second when Sammy Sosa stroked a leadoff double to left and rode home on Marlon Byrd's single.

--SEAN McADAM

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 11:47 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Chiefs get four in ninth, top PawSox

The Pawtucket Red Sox were well on their way to a fourth straight win, but the Syracuse Chiefs had other thoughts.

The Chiefs scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning off PawSox reliever Mike Burns en route to a 10-7 come-from-behind victory last night at McCoy Stadium.

Burns’ record drops to 2-4 with an 8.06 ERA and has blown five of eight save opportunities this season.

Former PawSox player and current Syracuse designated hitter Chad Mottola belted a three-run homer in the ninth to secure the victory.

Pawtucket had 7-2 lead after four innings, but the Chiefs chipped away and scored eight runs over the last five innings for the victory.

“You have to look at the game as a whole,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. PawSox starter “Runelvys (Hernandez) did a great job of battling and we’re facing a team that has a lot of guys who can hit. When they hit the ball it’ll account for something. It was just one of those things tonight where we couldn’t hold them down. They started pecking away late in the game and you really have to tip your hat to those guys.

“I don’t think Burns made bad pitches,” added Johnson. “We just got beat tonight. That club just came back and beat us tonight. Those types of games are hard to lose, but we did not beat ourselves tonight.”

The Pawtucket offense was solid and banged out 12 hits with outfielder Brandon Moss providing a 4-for-5 performance with three RBI.

“He was perfect,” said Johnson. “He had a lot of professional at-bats tonight. He’s done a great job and it’s good to see.”

It’s very possible Hernandez made his last start for the PawSox last night. A veteran of 78 big-league starts for the Kansas City Royals in parts of four seasons, Hernandez signed with the Red Sox as a minor-league free agent last December and has an out-clause in his contract, stating if the Red Sox don’t recall him to Boston by June 1 then he’s allowed to sign with another club.

If he does start another game for Pawtucket, it could be Thursday against Columbus.

“He’s done exactly what we thought he’d do,” said Johnson. “He’s a veteran guy with multiple years of experience in the big leagues. You look for guys like that to come down and stabilize your staff. You take away the win-lose record; we just haven’t scored any runs for the guy. He’s done a real nice job for us. . . With the way pitching is around baseball he’s a guy who can help a club, but we hope he can stay here.”

Hernandez, who would not speak with the local media after the game, entered last night’s start with a 0-3 record in six starts for the PawSox, and also spent some time on the disabled list (April 25 to May 7) with a strained left hamstring, which caused him to miss a few starts.

If he does decide to look elsewhere for employment, that could mean Red Sox pitching prospect Clay Buchholz could be promoted from Double-A Portland. The 22-year-old right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.97 E.R.A in eight starts for the Sea Dogs. He has struck out 61 and walked only seven.

For now Hernandez remains with Pawtucket and he battled at times last night, but he was able to control most of his outing.

The Chiefs’ Russ Adams and Kevin Barker each hit solo home runs in the top of the first off Hernandez, but Pawtucket’s offense answered in the bottom of the inning as Moss delivered a two-run double to tie the game at 2-2.

Following the two runs Hernandez surrendered in the first, he settled down and retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced before allowing a two-run triple to the Chiefs’ Russ Adams in the fifth inning. Fortunately, the PawSox scored one run in the third and four more in the fourth, so Hernandez and Pawtucket still held a 7-4 advantage.

Hernandez’s day on the job was over after he retired the side in order in the sixth. The veteran right-hander allowed four runs on five hits with three walks and one strikeout, throwing 112 pitches (60 for strikes) in his seventh start of the season for Pawtucket.
Syracuse scored a run in the top of the seventh inning as Adams provided an RBI-single, his fourth RBI of the game, off Pawtucket reliever Craig Hansen to cut the Chiefs’ deficit to two.

The Chiefs pushed across another run in the top of the eighth as John-Ford Griffin (cq) hit a solo homer off PawSox reliever Bryan Corey to cut Syracuse’s deficit to one, 7-6. Moss recorded his fourth hit of the game, a one-out triple to deep right field, but he was left stranded 90 feet away.

In the top of the ninth inning, the Chiefs finally knotted the game at 7-7. Syracuse lead-off man Wayne Lydon led off the inning with a double and later scored on Adams’s RBI-single off Burns. Adams finished the night 4-for-5, including a home run, triple, a pair of singles and five RBI.

The Chiefs, however, weren’t done.

Mottola crushed a three-run homer off Burns to take a 10-7 lead and Syracuse held on for the win.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:05 PM to PawSox | Permalink

FINAL: Syracuse 10, Pawtucket 7

PAWTUCKET -- PawSox reliever Mike Burns surrendered four runs in the top of the ninth inning as the Syracuse Chiefs came from behind to beat Pawtucket last night at McCoy Stadium, 10-7.

The loss snaps the PawSox' three-game winning streak. The Chiefs' Russ Adams went 4-for-5 with a home run, triple, two singles and five RBI to lead Syracuse.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:00 PM | Permalink

Lineups for Sat. night

Here are the lineups for tonight

Boston:
Julio Lugo, ss
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
David Ortiz, dh
Manny Ramirez, lf
J.D. Drew, rf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Coco Crisp, cf
Doug Mirabelli, c
Alex Cora, 2b

TEXAS RANGERS
Kenny Lofton, cf
Michael Young, ss
Mark Teixeira, 1b
Sammy Sosa, rf
Frank Catalanotto, lf
Marlon Byrd, lf
Ian Kinsler, 2b
Gerald Laird, c
Ramon Vazquez, 3b

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 6:12 PM | Permalink

Game story by Sean McAdam: Sox rout Rangers, 10-6

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas – Following a day off in the schedule, the Red Sox’ bats snapped back to life last night, though it was hard to tell what had revitalized them more – the rest or the sight of the Texas Rangers’ pitching staff.

As a staff, the Rangers came into last night 13th – next to last – in the American League and their rotation was dead last. Then, as if to demonstrate that their ranking was no statistical anomaly, the Rangers yielded 10 hits and seven walks as the Sox rolled to a rain-delayed 10-6 win.

The victory, coupled with the Yankees’ loss to the Angels, re-established the Sox’ 10 1/2 game lead in the American League East.

In a balanced attack, seven different Red Sox hitters produced at least one RBI. The Sox led 4-0 in the second, coughed up the lead, then scored six more to pull away from the Rangers, who lost for the eighth time in the last 11 tries.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who left after five innings complaining of nausea, picked up his sixth straight win to improve to 7-2.

''The fact that he got through five innings speaks to what kind of competitor he is,’’ said pitching coach John Farrell.

Several teammates said Matsuzaka could be heard getting sick in the runway to the dugout between innings.

''I felt very good coming out of my warmup in the bullpen,’’ said Matsuzaka in a statement provided to reporters. ''But of all a sudden, I didn’t feel too well. I tried my best to take the team as deep into the game to fulfill my responsibility to the team.’’

As was typical of Matsuzaka’s outings earlier this season, one bad inning resulted in most of the damage. After allowing just one over the first three innings, Matsuzaka was knocked around for five runs in the fourth.

The Rangers launched four extra-base hits, including two homers – one by noted Sox nemesis Frank Catalanotto, another by former Sox utilityman Ramon Vazquez.

Matsuzaka steadied himself with a scoreless fifth, then didn’t return, having thrown just 85 pitches, his lowest total of the season.

''The fact that he gutted it out,’’ said catcher Jason Varitek, ''says a lot.’’

The Sox believed that Matsuzaka was merely suffering from a 24-hour stomach bug, but as a precaution, he was given fluids – orally and intravenously – after the game.

They didn’t have to do much in the second against Texas starter Brandon McCarthy, who walked four in the span of five hitters. Jason Varitek had a sacrifice fly and Dustin Pedroia chipped in with a bases-loaded, opposite-field single. The Sox led, 4-0, after 1 1/2, and McCarthy was gone by the top of the third.

''Any time you can get into the bullpen early,’’ said Terry Francona, ''it’s really helpful – especially in the first game of a series.’’

Having lost the lead in the fourth, the Sox stormed back with two in the fifth and four more in the sixth. Ortiz drilled a run-scoring double down the right field line and Manny Ramirez followed with a single off the second-base bag, which kicked into left field.

Run-scoring hits from Jason Varitek (triple), Coco Crisp (double), Julio Lugo (single) and Youkilis (single) sparked the four-run sixth.

''We came right back (after falling behind),’’ said Francona, ''which was good. And one through nine, we had guys chipping in.’’

Indeed, every starter except slumping J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell contributed at least one hit and every starter except Pedroia scored at least one run.

With Matsuzaka gone from the game, the Sox got four innings of one-run relief from five relievers. The lone run against the relievers came on a wild pitch by Brendan Donnelly.

Otherwise, the pen was stellar, allowing just one hit and one walk while compiling three strikeouts.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:14 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Game Story: PawSox score early and often in 10-4 win over Chiefs

PAWTUCKET -- They played nine innings, but the Pawtucket Red Sox needed only two.

The PawSox scored eight runs on nine hits in the first inning, and two runs on two hits in the second inning off Syracuse Chiefs starter Josh Banks en route to a 10-4 victory last night at McCoy Stadium.

In the bottom of the first, the PawSox batted around as Pawtucket’s No. 1 and No. 2 hitters – Jacoby Ellsbury and Joe McEwing – combined for 4 hits, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. The PawSox also collected five doubles in the first inning.

After the Chiefs scored two in the top of the second curiosity of a two-run blast by Chiefs’ Erik Kratz, Pawtucket added two more in the bottom half as Jeff Bailey and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back solo home runs to right field, the first time this season the PawSox hit consecutive roundtrippers.

On the mound, the PawSox’ Kason Gabbard earned the win after working 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with five strikeouts.

It was only five days ago when Gabbard made a spot-start for the Boston Red Sox and posted a victory over the Atlanta Braves. He was told afterwards he was being optioned back to Pawtucket in order to make his next scheduled start and he made the most of it last night.

“I felt good and felt that I had good stuff,” said Gabbard. “I made two bad pitches the whole game, and I was working out of jams pretty much the whole game. Overall I’m happy with the outcome and it’s a lot easier to pitch when we score 10 runs in the first inning.”

The southpaw improves to 4-1 this season for Pawtucket and manager Ron Johnson realizes what Gabbard’s week has been like.

“The guy has had a real emotional week,” said the skipper. “He went up and pitched good in Boston and got the win, so it was nice to see him have a good week.”

With the exception of Chad Spann, everyone in the PawSox’ lineup registered at least a hit. McEwing led the way with three hits and two RBI.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:11 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Pawtucket 10, Syracuse 4

PAWTUCKET _ They played nine innings, but the Pawtucket Red Sox needed only two.

The PawSox scored eight runs on nine hits in the first inning, and two runs on two hits in the second inning off Syracuse Chiefs starter Josh Banks en route to a 10-4 victory last night at McCoy Stadium.

In the bottom of the first, the PawSox batted around as Pawtucket’s No. 1 and No. 2 hitters – Jacoby Ellsbury and Joe McEwing – combined for 4 hits, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. The PawSox also collected five doubles in the first inning.

After the Chiefs scored two in the top of the second curiosity of a two-run blast by Chiefs’ Erik Kratz, Pawtucket added two more in the bottom half as Jeff Bailey and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back solo home runs to right field, the first time this season the PawSox hit consecutive roundtrippers.

On the mound, the PawSox’ Kason Gabbard earned the win after working 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with five strikeouts.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:51 PM | Permalink

Timlin in the seventh

Mike Timlin started the seventh inning for the PawSox and threw 16 pitches (seven strikes) He walked one and made an error.

Wayne Lydon led off the inning for Syracuse and hit a chopper down the first-base line. Timlin made the play, but hit Lydon in the back with the ball trying to throw to first. He was given an error on the play.

Timlin walked the next batter and got a little help from his defense on the following hitter, who hit a chopper up the middle that PawSox second baseman Joe McEwing grabbed and turned an unassisted double play.

Timlin got the next hitter to ground out to McEwing to end the inning.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:13 PM | Permalink

Mike Timlin pitches for the PawSox

Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin will work the seventh inning for the PawSox and is scheduled to throw 20 pitches. He's been on the disabled list with tendonitis in his right shoulder.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:09 PM | Permalink

Steinbrenner comments on Torre, Cashman and Giambi

With his New York Yankees struggling, George Steinbrenner says Joe Torre is safe for now, general manager Brian Cashman “is on a big hook” and Jason Giambi “should have kept his mouth shut.”

In a rare interview Thursday night from his office in Tampa, Fla., the Boss praised Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter and said he was encouraged by the Yankees' performance this week in taking two out of three games from AL East-leading Boston.

Cashman, given increased duties when he re-signed after the 2005 season, is apparently being held largely responsible for the team's play.

“He's on a big hook,” a spirited Steinbrenner said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “He wanted sole authority. He got it. Now he's got to deliver.”

New York entered Friday 21-24 and trailed the Red Sox by 91/2 games.

“The boss is the boss,” Cashman said before Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels. “There are no surprises here. He's said this to me privately.”
Cashman agreed with Steinbrenner's assessment.

“I'm on the hook. You can't describe it any better than that,” Cashman said. “It's my job to figure it out.

“So far, it's been a long, short season. We've got to fight through this,” he said, adding the results at this point are “not acceptable.”

The Yankees, with the highest payroll in the majors, haven't reached the World Series since 2003.

“We hope we have turned it around,” Steinbrenner said emphatically. “We just have to get out there and compete, compete hard, and win.”

Torre, Steinbrenner's manager since 1996, appears to be safe for now.

“We are not considering a change,” Steinbrenner said.

Torre, like Steinbrenner, is displeased with the Yankees' start.

“When he says something, you understand it's his team and he has the right to be unhappy,” Torre said. “He's stirred the pot here for a lot of years, and it's paid off.”

Steinbrenner was less generous toward Giambi, whose recent comments to USA Today that he was “wrong for doing that stuff” were interpreted by some as an admission of steroid use. Giambi told a federal grand jury that he used steroids from 2001-3 and human growth hormone in 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Giambi was called into the commissioner's office Wednesday to discuss his remarks.
“He should have kept his mouth shut,” Steinbrenner said. “The matter is in the hands of the baseball commissioner.”

Said Giambi: “He has that right. He's the boss. I'm going to worry about playing baseball.”

This wasn't the first time, of course, that Steinbrenner's barbs hit one of his players.

“It's what goes on here, and I think Jason has been here long enough to understand that,” Torre said.

Commissioner Bud Selig likely will decide within two weeks whether to discipline Giambi.

On another topic, Steinbrenner said he was impressed with Torre's bench coach, ex-Yankees great Don Mattingly, and that he “could possibly” become manager someday.

“Mattingly is a good one,” Steinbrenner said. “He is very thorough guy. He understands what it is to be a Yankee.”

Steinbrenner is counting on Clemens to be a part of a Yankees' comeback. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner agreed to a $28 million, one-year contract with the Yankees on May 6 and will rejoin the team sometime in June. Steinbrenner says the 44-year-old right-hander brings “a winning attitude.”

“I think Roger is capable of sparking the team,” he said. “He is a veteran and will bring stability. I am happy he is coming back. I love him.”

Steinbrenner felt the Rocket needed at least one more minor league start to sharpen his stuff, and Clemens is set to start Monday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The owner also lavished praise on Pettitte, who left the Yankees after the 2003 season and pitched alongside Clemens in Houston before rejoining the Yankees this season.

“He's a real gutsy guy,” Steinbrenner said. “We are happy he is back with us.”
Steinbrenner also is pleased with Jeter, who this week passed Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio and moved into fifth place on the Yankees' career hits list.

“Jeter is a real Yankee,” he said.

Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973 and has presided over six world championships and 10 pennants while building the Yankees franchise into the most lucrative in sports.
He has been know to make generous donations through the team, most recently to Virginia Tech in the aftermath of last month's tragedy.

The Yankees contributed $1 million to the school's “Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund” to assist the victims' families, and honored the victims before the Red Sox game on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech's president threw out the first pitch and the Yankees wore VT logos on their caps.

“I feel very strongly about the young people,” Steinbrenner said. “I feel so strongly about the teachers and the school, all the people affected by this. We wanted to help in the healing process.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

The Rangers' lineup

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- The Texas lineup has been posted . . .

Kenny Lofton cf
Michael Young ss
Mark Texeira 1b
Sammy Sosa rf
Frank Catalanotto dh
Nelson Cruz lf
Ian Kinsler 2b
Gerald Laird c
Ramon Vazquez 3b
---
Brandon McCarthy p

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Pregame notes from Arlington

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Some quick pregame notes . . .

-- The weather here is overcast and muggy, and there's a threat of rain all weekend. Terry Francona was asked how Daisuke Matsuzaka, tonight's starting pitcher, would react if the game was delayed and he was forced to sit for a stretch of time.

''You use common sense,'' Francona said, ''but with all the throwing he does, he might [handle it] the best of anyone.''

-- Francona said reports on Jon Lester's performance in Pawtucket Thursday night were impressive.

-- Curt Schilling has struggled in his last three outings, but Francona said there were some good things to take out of his start in New York on Wednesday night.

''I hope he remembers that those last three or four innings were pretty good,'' said the manager. ''He had a couple of eight-pitch innings. He doesn't have to reinvent himself. He just has to locate his fastball better. When you do that, you open up the plate a lot.''
c
-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Red Sox lineup for Friday night

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Nothing out of the ordinary . . .

Julio Lugo ss
Kevin Youkilis 1b
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
J.D. Drew rf
Mike Lowell 3b
Jason Varitek c
Coco Crisp cf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
--
Daisuke Matsuzaka p

More to come . . .

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Projo SoxTalk: Joe McDonald on Lester's return to Pawtucket

Joe McDonald is Art Martone's guest on today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file.

McDonald says Jon Lester's seven-straight perfect innings was classified by one club official as the "most efficient" yet he's seen the pitcher. "He looked like the Jon Lester we saw last year," McDonald said.

The 23-year-old is working his way back to Boston after he was diagnosed with cancer last August. During his minor-league rehab stints in Single-A Greenville and with the PawSox, he’s been on target, but he recently suffered a setback when he experienced cramping in his throwing forearm in his previous start, on May 2.

Posted by Pam Cotter  at 11:33 AM to McDonald | Permalink

Baseball Today: Friday, May 25

ON TARGET: Jon Lester made his second start last night after sitting out 2 1/2 weeks because of pain in his forearm and the results were impressive: 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. (projo.com) ''I felt good,” said Lester. “The forearm felt good; everything felt good.'' An interesting note: He retired the first 11 batters he faced after retiring the last 10 he faced Saturday on Ottawa, giving him a string of 21 consecutive batters -- seven perfect innings.

HIM, TOO: The Boston Herald's Rob Bradford has an interesting profile of the next highly regarded pitcher coming down the Red Sox pipeline, Clay Buchholz. The Sox selected him with the compensatory draft pick they received for the Mets' signing of Pedro Martinez, but only after satisfying themselves that an early-in-his-life incident -- the theft of 29 laptops from a school by Buchholz and one of his friends -- was a youthful indiscretion and not a warning sign of further trouble.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE: The Red Sox may be cruising along with a 9 1/2-game lead, but not everything is clicking on all cylinders. Sean McAdam takes a look at potential problems the Sox could be facing, and what might have to be done to fix them. (projo.com)

SORRY ABOUT THAT: In case you missed it -- we had it on this very blog yesterday afternoon (that link also has an audio clip of Crisp's comments, courtesy of The Score) -- Coco Crisp, appearing on WSKO Radio's Sportsbeat with Scott Cordischi and Bryan Morry, says Alex Rodriguez apologized to Dustin Pedroia for his hard takeout slide Tuesday night. (projo.com)

MAN OF THE PEOPLE: Nomar Garciaparra, continuing in Los Angeles the charitable efforts he was known for in Boston, will host 'Carne Asada Sunday' after a game on June 10 at Dodger Stadium, where he will hang out with fans, share soft tacos and listen to mariachi music. (Los Angeles Times)

STORM CLOUDS BREWING: The New York Daily News reports that "hawks" in the commissioner's office are pushing for [commissoner Bud] Selig to punish [Jason] Giambi for essentially admitting to USA Today last week that he had used steroids in the past.

BUT THE SKIES ARE BLUE IN THE YES BROADCAST BOOTH: When YES play-by-play announcer Michael Kay began to talk about Giambi's steroid use, John Flaherty talked about Giambi retreating to the ''comfort zone'' of the batter's box and Paul O'Neill chose to rag on Dustin Pedroia. (New York Daily News)

NOT YET: It looks like Roger Clemens will make at least one more minor-league start. (New York Daily News) The New York Post's Kevin Kernan, however, thinks that's a bad idea.

AGE ISSUES: Why are 40-something pitchers always a gamble? Because they get injured. The latest is Randy Johnson. (Arizona Republic)

AND AN IDIOT SHALL LEAD THEM: The Yankees are seeing signs that Johnny Damon is getting hot . . . and if he does, they think the team will benefit. (New York Post)

WHISPERS: The Todd Helton-to-the-Yankees rumors are still circulating. (Denver Post) . . . On his ESPN blog, Buster Olney makes the case for a Wily Mo Pena-to-San Diego trade.

CHANGE IS GOOD: Baseball Musing's David Pinto, who once worked on the show, explains why ESPN's Baseball Tonight has evolved over the years and why, in spite of critics like this one on the blog The DiaTribe, it was necessary to change.

THE UNTHINAKBLE: The Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer thinks the Cubs may be preparing for life without Carlos Zambrano.

HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW: Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune says ''[it's] not pretty watching reality [about the Cubs] work its way into Lou Piniella's brain tissue.''

THE DEFINITIVE SIGN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS: A Web site commemorating the Phillies becoming the first professional sports franchise in history to lose 10,000 games, a milestone they should pass before the All-Star Break. (www.celebrate10000.com)

OLD FRIENDS: Wade Miller will make one more rehab start and then the Cubs will decide what to do with him (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Mike Gonzalez will undergo is third MRI of the season (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:59 AM | Permalink

Game story: Lester solid in PawSox' 3-2 victory

PAWTUCKET -- PawSox manager Ron Johnson said prior to Jon Lester’s start last night, the Red Sox organization was just looking for another solid outing from the young left-hander.

Lester delivered.

In his fourth rehab start for the PawSox this season, he worked five solid innings and allowed just one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. His scheduled allotment of work was originally set at 70-75 pitches or five innings, which ever came first. He finished with 65 pitches (39 strikes) and showed no ill effects. He’s expected to pitch again for the PawSox on Tuesday against Columbus at McCoy.

The 23-year-old pitcher is working his way back to Boston after he was diagnosed with cancer last August. During his minor-league rehab stint in Single-A Greenville and with the PawSox, he’s been on target, but recently suffered a setback when he experienced cramping in his throwing forearm in his previous start on May 2.

“I felt good,” said Lester after Pawtucket’s 3-2 victory over Syracuse last night. “The forearm felt good; everything felt good. My legs were under me after going five innings, so it’s getting betting. Now I just need to get up to 90-100 pitches and see where we’re at then and go from there.”

The southpaw was able to throw his fastball, curveball and change-up without any problems, but he stayed away from the cutter, the pitch that he thinks caused the tightness in his forearm.

“They said I could throw a couple in the first inning,” admitted Lester. “But we decided I didn’t want to mess around with it, so I just went out and pitched and didn’t worry about it. My mechanics felt good. Everything is starting to feel real good. Everything is clicking and it’s consistent.”

In his four rehab starts for the PawSox, Lester has allowed just three runs in 16 2/3 innings of work with a 1.62 E.R.A.

“I thought he did a great job,” said Johnson. “He was pitch-efficient for his five innings. The bottom line is he felt great before and he felt great afterwards. It’s really good to see.”

During his previous start on Saturday in Ottawa, he retired the final 10 batters he faced. Last night he retired the first 11 hitters for a total of 21straight. Also, he's only allowed six earned runs in 29 2/3 innings of work in his seven minor-league rehab starts this season.

“He really threw the ball well in Ottawa,” said Johnson. “He was free and easy with good velocity and a good breaking ball. I liked what I saw.”

Probably the most impressive aspect of his outing north of the border last weekend was the fact he took the bus with the rest of the team. He didn’t have to do that, he could have easily met the club in Ottawa after a flight, but acted as a true professional.

“I know he was very excited to be with us and he enjoyed the trip as much as anybody else,” said Johnson. “Jon enjoys his normalcy being around the club. He wants to be a part of the team.”

After his second rehab appearance with the PawSox on May 2, when he experienced cramping in his left forearm and suffered a set back, the Red Sox decided it would be best Lester join the parent club to continue his rehab until he was ready to start again.

During that start against Indianapolis where he experienced the tightness, everyone involved didn’t think too much of it.

“We didn’t know anything was wrong until he came out and said he had a cramp,” said Johnson. “To be honest, I didn’t think much of it. It’s different when a guy comes in and says ‘oh I felt something here.’ But he wasn’t that type.”

In the meantime, Lester threw his side sessions in Boston as he prepared for his seventh rehab start of the season last night.

“He’s a young valuable commodity for us,” said Johnson. “He deserves the opportunity to get himself back on track at his pace and we’re going to follow that.”

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:55 PM to PawSox | Permalink | Comments 1

Final: Pawtucket 3, Syracuse 2

The PawSox won thier second consecutive game as David Murphy provided the winning RBI-single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ed Rogers hit a solo home run for the PawSox.

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester was solid in his fourth rehab appearance for Pawtucket, allowing one run on three hits with one walk and one strikeout. He thew 65 pitches (39 strikes).

We'll have more in a bit . . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:33 PM | Permalink

Lester done after five innings

Jon Lester just completed his rehab start with the PawSox. He allowed one run -- an RBI-double -- on three hits with one strikeout and one walk. The left-hander threw 65 pitches (39 strikes) and was very efficient.

During his previous start in Ottawa on Saturday, he retired the final 10 batters he faced. Tonight he retired the first 11 hitters for a total of 21straight. Also, he's only allowed six earned runs in 29 2/3 innings of work for the PawSox this season.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:07 PM | Permalink

Lester in the fourth

Lester allowed a two-out single, but struck out the next batter to close out the fourth inning. He threw 14 pitches (nine strikes) and the left-hander is up to 44 pitches. He looks sharp.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:54 PM | Permalink

Lester in the third

Lester is still perfect after three innings. Again, he retires the side in order and he threw 13 pitches (eight strikes). He's up to 30 pitches.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:33 PM | Permalink

Lester in the second

Again, Lester retires the side in order, throwing six pitches (five strikes). He's up to 17 pitches and is scheduled to throw 70-75 or five innings.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:20 PM | Permalink

Lester in the first

Lester retires the side in order, throwing 11 pitches (seven strikes). The left-hander reached 92 on the gun and looks sharp. He wants to work on his cutter tonight, but is only allowed to use the pitch sparingly.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:04 PM | Permalink

Lester preparing for another rehab start in Pawtucket

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester will start for the PawSox tonight against Syracuse and the left-hander is slated to throw 70-75 pitches or five innings. We'll have inning-by-inning updates. . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 6:58 PM | Permalink

Coco Crisp on The Score: A-Rod apologized to Pedroia (audio clip available)

On his weekly appearance on Sportsbeat with Scott Cordischi and Bryan Morry, the Red Sox' Coco Crisp said today that Alex Rodriguez apologized to Dustin Pedroia for his hard slide into second base Tuesday night.

''I know we [saw] Alex Rodriguez coming out [of] the [batting] cage [on Wednesday night] and, you know, he kind of apoligized to Pedey for it.

''Sometimes things happen in the course of the game . . . [and afterwards] you're like, 'Dang, why the heck did I do that? That was stupid.' And I'm sure that he understood that, because he's been in the game a long time, you know, longer than me and Pedey put together. He probably understood that he shouldn't have done that. He's trying to play hard. He probably won't do it again. Hopefully. At least not against us.''

Listen to the clip here, and listen to Sportsbeat with Scott Cordischi and Bryan Morry today between 3 and 7 p.m. for the complete Coco Crisp interview.

Posted by Art Martone  at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Tough nights for Schilling and Roger

Once again, Sean McAdam is Art Martone's guest on today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. After a rough night in the Bronx, he discusses the concerns about Curt Schilling's recent ineffectiveness. On the flip side of the coin, he talks about Roger Clemens' unspectacular outing in Texas, and about what J.D. Drew might expect at Fenway if he doesn't start hitting soon. Here are some excerpts:

On whether Schilling is concerned about his performances: "I think he should be. For much of his career, he has succeeded by being able to locate his fastball with incredible precision. He just has pinpoint control, and not only does that get him ahead in the count and put hitters on the defensive and in pitcher's counts, but it also makes all his other pitches, particularly his split-finger, work much better. But when he isn't able to establish the fastball for strikes, he's really working at a disadvantage, as we've seen the last few times out."

On Clemens last night: "Anyone expecting that Roger Clemens is going to hop back in here and be throwing 94-95, I think they're in for sort of a rude awakening, because his velocity seemed to be pretty average, and obviously in that first inning when he walked in a run, his command was not what it should be."

On Drew: "We talked about Cleveland coming in next week, and that of course means the return of Trot Nixon. And if Drew doesn't start kicking it into gear over this weekend in Texas, and Nixon, who was always a very popular player, comes back in next weekend, it could start getting a little uncomfortable for Drew."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:47 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Julian Tavarez's Manny T-shirt

Apparently Julian Tavarez, that personification of "great teammate," has added a Manny Ramirez T-shirt to a wardrobe that already included David Ortiz loafers.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:15 AM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Baseball today: Thursday, May 24

TURNABOUT IS FAIR PLAY: Yesterday the talk was how the Red Sox have gotten the pitching this year and the Yankees haven't. Today -- at least regarding last night's game -- it's the opposite, as Curt Schilling (AP Photo, left) was outdone by Andy Pettitte in the Yankees' 8-3 win. (projo.com) On his blog, Schilling says he felt ''great during the day, even better after warmups,'' (38pitches.com) but none of it carried over into the game. ''24 base runners in the past 12 innings means there isn’t just one problem here,'' he wrote. ''From lack of command to horrible execution, the problems run the gamut. This game always is and always will be about making adjustments and right now there is a plethora of adjustments that need to be made.'' The folks at Sons of Sam Horn are getting a little nervous about Schilling, based on his last three starts (sonsofsamhorn.net); be interesting to see if he weighs in on the discussion, as he sometimes does.

DON'T YOU GET WHIPLASH FROM JERKING BACK AND FORTH LIKE THAT? In the manic-depressive world that is New York -- and Boston -- baseball, the Yanks' victory was heralded as "a statement'' by the Daily News' John Harper, one day after many pundits had declared the Yankees to be dead and buried following their Tuesday night defeat. The New York Post's George King says the victory probably saved some Yankee hides, because ''at 11 1/2 lengths back, George Steinbrenner would have been looking for a scapegoat or two.''

Imagine if there were only 100 games left in the season, instead of 116 . . .

PERSPECTIVE, PERSPECTIVE: The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says that ''even in losing two of the three games, the Red Sox look like the better team. '' And our own Bill Reynolds notes that what's happening with the Yankees can't be a surprise, as Buster Olney foresaw it all in his book 'The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty' years ago.

WHY AM I PAYING SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE? Take a look at Ben Fry's salary-vs.-performance chart. Notice that big red line going from low performance to high salary . . . (benfry.com)

SAME STORY, NEW CHAPTER: The A-Rod-as-Boston-villain storyline appeared to have blown over by 2005, but all it took was one slide into second base to reignite the embers. Dustin Pedroia was in the spotlight yesterday, talking about A-Rod's hard slide Tuesday night. (projo.com) The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy devoted a column to it. For his part, Rodriguez says he has no idea what the fuss is all about. (New York Daily News) The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti, meanwhile, defends A-Rod, calling the Pedroia/Rodriguez matchup "baseball’s answer to Godzilla and Bambi.''

WE'RE WITH YOU, DUSTIN: Both David Pinto (baseballmusings.com) and Seth Mnookin (sethmnookin.com) think Alex Rodriguez' takeout slide on Dustin Pedroia Tuesday night was wrong. Pinto stated his point calmly, Mnookin less so.

I DON'T SEE ALEX GONZALEZ ANYWHERE ON THIS LIST: Fielding expert John Dewan says Julio Lugo has been the fifth-best defensive shortstop in baseball so far this year (actasports.com)

DOWN ON THE FARM . . . Roger Clemens was less than overpowering last night in Trenton, raising questions about whether he's ready for prime time. (New York Daily News) The big guy declared himself to be ''a little bit further down the road'' to New York. (New York Post) ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, however, talked to a couple of scouts who don't think he's ready.

TOLD YA: Jim Kaat, writing for YESNetwork.com, says don't expect too much from Clemens. And he wrote that before last night.

ANOTHER COUNTY HEARD FROM: Frank Robinson is the latest to criticize Clemens' come-and-go contract. (cbs.sportsline.com) Is there anybody out there besides Brian Cashman and Joe Torre who thinks this is a good idea?

WHO CARES? Mike and The Mad Dog certainly don't, at least when it comes to Jason Giambi allegedly testing positive for amphetimines. The Daily News' Bob Raismann has a field day with what he calls the No Big Deal defense of the New York radio icons.

CARL, WE HARDLY KNEW YE: And so ends the star-crossed Yankee career of Carl Pavano. (New York Daily News) Remembering how hard the Red Sox pursued him in the 2004-05 offseason brings to mind the old saying: Be careful what you wish for. You might get it.

BE LIKE US: The Washington Post's William Arkin was at Fenway Park last weekend and was struck by the thought that ''if we could cover the military like sports, with transparency and intimate knowledge and a play-by-play that was both affectionate and unsparingly critical, we'd have a healthier debate. Interest and knowledge on the part of the typical American in foreign affairs and national security would actually increase.'' (blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning)

William also says he noticed ''five, six, seven tiers of desks'' in the press box. There are only four, though there are more in a workroom in the back.

I LIVE FOR THIS: One of the great things about the Internet is the video gems you sometimes find. The blog The Southpaw has remarkably clear video of the last inning of the Cubs' Don Cardwell's no-hitter against the Cardinals in 1960. (108mag.typepad.com/the_southpaw)

VOICE OF REASON: You don't normally associated that phrase with Denny McLain, but he has some very interesting thoughts on baseball's policy towards alcohol. McLain, whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver 15 years ago, was prompted to make a blog entry by Josh Hancock's recent death, and notes that when he played 40 years ago, ''[the] best place to get high on booze was a Major League clubhouse''. He also notes that three fellow members of the 1968 World Series champion Tigers -- manager Mayo Smith, first baseman Norm Cash and shortstop Ray Oyler -- were alcoholics, and all died premature deaths. (blogs.britannica.com/blog)

WE'RE BACK! You know the Milwaukee Brewers, who've been out of the spotlight since the True Blue Brew Crew days of the 1980s, have re-arrived when they make an appearance on a soap opera. (espn.go.com)

OLD FRIENDS: Looks like Alan Embree is Oakland's new closer (San Francisco Chronicle).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:22 PM | Permalink

Game story: Yankees 8, Red Sox 3

For the last five seasons, Red Sox-Yankee games have been marked by drama, late-inning lead changes and surprise finishes.

Not this series, however.

For the third time in as many nights, the team that scored first went on to win easily. The Yankees jumped to a 3-0 lead last night, tacked on additional runs in the second, third and fourth innings and cruised to a 8-3 thrashing of the Red Sox.

In the three games, there wasn’t a single lead change and the games were lopsided enough that neither team registered a save.

Andy Pettitte (seven innings, one run allowed) out-dueled Curt Schilling (six runs and 12 hits in six innings) as the Yanks took the series two games to one and succeeded in shaving a game off the Sox’ lead in the American League East. They now trail the Sox by 9 ½ games.

The series’ loss was the first for the Sox since they were swept in a two-game set by Toronto on April 23-24. It was the first road series defeat and first three-game series lost since the first weekend of the season when they dropped two-of-three in Texas.

Schilling, now winless in his last three starts, dug an early hole and never recovered. The 12 hits he allowed were the most in a start since yielding 13 in a start against Toronto on April 22, 2004.

Schilling has won just once in his last five outings and the three strikeouts he registered last night tied his season low, first set April 25 at Baltimore.

It took the Yankees just two batters to start building a lead. With Johnny Damon (double) in scoring position, Derek Jeter (three hits) slapped a single the opposite way, just beyond the dive of second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

Hideki Matsui then followed by lining a bullet down the right field line, just inside foul pole, scoring Jeter.

In the second, an error by shortstop Julio Lugo and three infield hits contributed to the fourth New York run, which was unearned. It was the first unearned run off Schilling since June of 2004, a stretch covering 69 starts.

A run-scoring single from Jorge Posada delivered Alex Rodriguez in the third and a solo homer off the upper-deck façade from Doug Mienkiewicz in the fourth kept adding to the Yanks’ cushion.

Pettitte came into last night as the Yanks’ most dependable starter, despite his 2-3 won-loss record. He was far sharper than the last time he started against the Sox, April 27, when he was charged with five runs in just 4 2/3 innings.

In the sixth, the Sox finally broke though when Manny Ramirez doubled to center and one out later, Mike Lowell followed with a double to the right-center gap, scoring Ramirez.

That’s as far as they got, however, as Jason Varitek flied to right with Lowell stranded in scoring position.

The Sox were punchless against Pettitte, blanked for the first five innings even though they had at least one baserunner in every inning and managed to put the leadoff man on base twice.

A one-out double by Kevin Youkilis in the second gave them a scoring opportunity, but Pettitte got Lowell to fly to right and retired Varitek on a foul pop-up to third.

Singles by Pedroia and Coco Crisp set the table in the third, but with the shift on, David Ortiz lined directly at Robinson Cano, stationed in shallow right, for the final out of the inning.

In the fifth, Wily Mo Pena beat out a slow roller to third and when Bobby Abreu, the subject of Yankee fans’ wrath, dropped a liner from Pedroia, the Sox had runners at first and second and no out.

But just as quickly, the Sox’ threat fizzled when Julio Lugo hit a broken-back liner to the mound which Pettitte gloved, then fired to second to double-up Pena.

The two teams exchanged meaningless runs late in the game.

Jeter’s leadoff triple and a single through the box by Matsui accounted for a seventh-inning run against Brendan Donnelly while Coco Crisp launched his first homer of the season – an upper-deck shot to right – against reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

The Sox added a second run in the eighth when Ortiz walked, was awarded second on a balk and trotted home on Youkilis’ single to right. The Yanks added their final run off Joel Pineiro in the eighth on a RBI single by Damon.

--SEAN McADAM

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:01 PM | Permalink

Clemens struggles in second start

Roger Clemens didn't look ready for the major leagues on Wednesday night.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner allowed three runs and six hits in 5 1-3 innings while pitching for the New York Yankees' Double-A Trenton farm team against Boston's Portland, Maine, affiliate.

In his second minor league start since signing with the Yankees, he threw 64 of 102 pitches for strikes, struggling at times with his control and what appeared to be heavy legs.

The 44-year-old, who may make his next start for the Yankees next week at Toronto, was given a standing ovation by the Thunder's record crowd of 9,134 at Waterfront Park.

He walked four, struck out five, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch. Clemens had planned to throw 70-75 pitches but he was at the number after four innings. He got through the fifth with only 10 pitches, but got into trouble in the sixth, giving up consecutive singles, hitting a batter and walking another as Portland tied the score 2-2.

Thunder manager Tony Franklin walked to the mound, talked to Clemens and summoned reliever Michael Gardner, who walked in the go-ahead run against the Sea Dogs.

Before the game, Clemens said his return would depend on how he pitched both in the game and in a bullpen session on Friday.

If all goes well, he could jump into New York's rotation Monday or Tuesday against the Blue Jays — one of his former teams.

If he wants more work, Clemens might choose to make another minor league start, perhaps for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, before returning to the big leagues June 2 or 3 at Boston, his original club.

Current Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein sat behind home plate and watched the game.

“I'm just here to watch my guys play,” Epstein said.

Clemens took the “Madden” bus from New York and arrived at Trenton about 1 p.m. Less than an hour later, he was holding court on the mound with members of the Thunder.

“It's exciting,” Clemens said. “I mean I am happy I get an opportunity to maybe perform in places where I normally would not have the opportunity to. I have gotten to see some neat towns. Coming here from New York it was a pretty neat drive. I am meeting some new guys and that's all part of it, I enjoy doing it.”

Clemens took the “Madden” bus from New York and arrived at Trenton about 1 p.m. Less than an hour later, he was holding court on the mound with members of the Thunder.

“It's exciting,” Clemens said around 2:30 p.m. “I mean I am happy I get an opportunity to maybe perform in places where I normally would not have the opportunity to. I have gotten to see some neat towns. Coming here from New York it was a pretty neat drive. I am meeting some new guys and that's all part of it, I enjoy doing it.”

A Yankees' season ticket holder, Kevin Carpenter of Norwalk, Conn., gave up his seats for Wednesday night's game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankees Stadium to see Clemens.

“He's been my Babe Ruth growing up. I even made the ultimate sacrifice switching from a Red Sox fan to a Yankees fan,” Carpenter said.

Clemens threw 58 pitches in four innings for Class-A Tampa on Friday night. He allowed one run on three hits — a solo homer — and struck out two against the Fort Myers Miracle, a Minnesota Twins affiliate.

Clemens struggled with his control in the first inning, when plate umpire Clory Blaser didn't give him the 13-time All Star any breaks.
Leadoff hitter Jeff Corsaletti led off the game with a fly out to deep drive to left center and the inning ended when Bryan Pritz's long fly was caught on the warning track with the bases loaded.

Clemens mixed in more sliders and breaking balls the rest of the way.

Iggy Suarez, the No. 9 hitter, hit a two-out triple down the third-base line in the second. It probably would have been a double but it took a weird bounce off the bullpen fence. Clemens got the next hitter on a weak liner to third.

Portland touched Clemens for a run in third. Jed Lowrie hit a lead-off double to right center on a hanging slider and scored on a pair of groundouts — on the first one, Clemens hustled to cover first base.

Clemens gave up a one-out double to Scott Youngbauer in the fourth, however Thunder third baseman Aarom Baldiris caught a hard line drive and made a nice stop on a ground for the next two outs.

Clemens agreed to a $28,000,022, one-year contract on May 6 and began working out at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla., last week.

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 9:39 PM | Permalink

The Pedroia/A-Rod controversy continues

NEW YORK -- Not surprisingly, the controversy surrounding Dustin Pedroia's postgame comments regarding Alex Rodriguez' hard slide into second base in the eighth inning on Tuesday night (AP Photo, above) continued this afternoon.

''I've been in the big leagues three months and he's probably the best player in baseball. I'm not going to tell him how to slide,'' Pedroia said, attempting to defuse things. But when reminded of his comment about lowering his arm angle on his throws to discourage future incidents, Pedroia said: ''It protects me. If you come in late and with a high elbow, I've got to do something.'' The Yankees are reportedly suggesting that A-Rod's slide was in retribution for a second-inning slide by Pedroia in which the rookie second baseman appeared to have taken out Derek Jeter (AP Photo, right) despite being significantly out of the baseline at the time. But Pedroia disagreed that he'd done anything wrong.

''I didn't think my slide was wrong,'' he said. ''I came in low and on the base. I might have been out of line. If I did, I apologize to Jeter.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

Pregame tidbits from New York

NEW YORK -- Some quick notes from Yankee Stadium:

-- J.D. Drew will sit out tonight's game while Wily Mo Pena plays right field. Manager Terry Francona said Drew had success against Yankee starter Andy Pettitte when both were in the National League -- Drew is 6-for-14, .429, with two home runs vs. Pettitte -- but feels the slumping right fielder, who has fallen to a .237 average, could benefit mentally from a couple of days off. (The Sox are off tomorrow and won't play again until Friday.)

"A day for Wily Mo to play is not bad, either,'' said Francona.

-- Mike Timlin is scheduled to throw another bullpen session this afternoon. Timlin will then return to Boston to be examined and could begin a rehab stint with Pawtucket either Friday or Saturday.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:26 PM | Permalink

Wednesday's Red Sox-Yankees lineups

NEW YORK -- Not surprisingly, no J.D. Drew for the Red Sox as they prepare for left-hander Andy Pettitte . . .

RED SOX
-------------
Julio Lugo ss
Coco Crisp cf
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
Kevin Youkilis 1b
Mike Lowell 3b
Jason Varitek c
Wily Mo Pena rf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
---
Curt Schilling p

YANKEES
--------------
Johnny Damon cf
Derek Jeter ss
Hideki Matsui lf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Jorge Posada c
Bobby Abreu rf
Jason Giambi dh
Robinson Cano 2b
Doug Mientkiewicz 1b
---
Andy Pettitte p

Back after Tito's press briefing . . .

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:38 PM | Permalink

Giambi meets with commissioner's lawyers

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Giambi met with lawyers for the commissioner’s office Wednesday to discuss recent comments that some interpreted as an admission of steroids use.

"The commissioner requested that Jason come in in response to the USA Today piece. Jason was interviewed this morning," union general counsel Michael Weiner said.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:04 PM | Permalink

Yanks' Hughes throws off a mound

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - New York Yankees rookie Phil Hughes threw 35 pitches off a mound Wednesday during his first bullpen session since straining his left hamstring earlier this month.

The 20-year-old, considered one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, is expected to have another mound session Friday or Saturday. Hughes was injured on May 1 in the midst of a no-hit bid against the Texas Rangers in his second major league start.

"The leg feels good," said Hughes, who also took part in fielding drills and his running program.

Left-hander Kei Igawa is scheduled to make his second minor league start Thursday for Class A Tampa at the Vero Beach Devil Rays. He allowed two unearned runs over four innings during his first start for Tampa last Saturday.

The former Japanese Central League star was sent to the minors on May 7 to work on pitching mechanics. Igawa, who signed a five-year, $20 million deal with New York in December, is 2-1 with a 7.63 ERA for the Yankees.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:02 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 23

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 15-game hitting streak, going 29 for 66 (.439) with 10 doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI and 13 runs
-Mike Lowell, hitting 20 for 49 (.408) over last 13 games, with five home runs and 15 RBI
-David Ortiz, 8 for his last 16 with four RBI; 15 for 41 (.366) over last 13 games with 12 RBI
-Dustin Pedroia, 16 for 42 (.381) in last 14 games with four doubles, a home run and five RBI
-Jason Varitek, 18 for 46 (.391) in last 14 games with three doubles, a triple and a home run

Who's Not
-J.D. Drew, 0 for his last 10 and 3 for his last 22. Hitting .161 over last 25 games

Red Sox vs. Andy Pettitte
-Kevin Youkilis, 3 for 4 (.750), 1 HR
-J.D. Drew, 6 for 14 (.429), 2 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 26 for 64 (.406), 3 HR
-Julio Lugo, 5 for 13 (.385)
-Wily Mo Pena, 3 for 8 (.375)
-Jason Varitek, 15 for 41 (.366), 1 HR
-David Ortiz, 10 for 28 (.357), 1 HR
-Coco Crisp, 2 for 9 (.222)
-Mike Lowell, 1 for 6 (.167)
-Eric Hinske, 1 for 7 (.143)
-Dustin Pedroia, 0 for 4
-Alex Cora, 0 for 2

Yankees vs. Curt Schilling
-Bobby Abreu, 11 for 31 (.355)
-Jorge Posada, 11 for 31 (.355), 1 HR
-Robinson Cano, 7 for 20 (.350), 1 HR
-Hideki Matsui, 7 for 21 (.333)
-Josh Phelps, 4 for 14 (.286)
-Jason Giambi, 8 for 30 (.267), 4 HR
-Derek Jeter, 10 for 42 (.238), 1 HR
-Alex Rodriguez, 8 for 34 (.235), 4 HR
-Johnny Damon, 5 for 22 (.227), 1 HR
-Melky Cabrera, 2 for 13 (.154)
-Doug Mientkiewicz, 0 for 5

More Stuff
-The Red Sox have gone nine straight series without losing one; the last series they lost was the two-game set against Toronto at Fenway Park on April 23-24.
-This is the fourth time in team history that Boston has won at least 31 of its first 45 games. The other three occasions were the World Series seasons of 1946 and 1986, and the 2002 season that ended without a postseason appearance.
-Youkilis' .400 batting average in the month of May is second only to that of the Yankees' Jorge Posada, who is hitting .435 for the month.
-The Red Sox have won their last 30 games when scoring 5 or more runs, the longest such streak in the major leagues.
-Roger Clemens pitches tonight for the Double A Trenton Thunder against the visiting Porland Sea Dogs. Portland goes with top Red Sox prospect Clay Buchholz.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:55 PM | Permalink

New York would like Manny to go away

Red Sox fans have to love Newsday's lead on today's story about Manny Ramirez's success against the Yankees: "With one powerful swing of his bat in the first inning, Manny Ramirez seemed to take the spirit right out of Yankee Stadium last night, injecting it into his own team instead."

All over the New York media world today, the talk was about how Ramirez's first-inning blast off Mike Mussina took the momentum from Monday night away from the Yankees right away. Here's Steve Willis in the New York Post: "Before Ramirez went deep, the Yankees thought they were onto something, having won two straight games after beating the Mets on Sunday and the Red Sox in Monday night's series opener."

In The Boston Herald, Steve Buckley goes over the familiar stats: Ramirez has hit more home runs against the Bombers (51) than all but four players in major league history (Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski). One more ties him with Yaz; two more tie him with Greenberg. Over the last five seasons, Ramirez has hit more homers against New York (25) than any other player, with teammate David Ortiz close behind.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:53 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Tavarez wishes Lester nothing but the best

Today's guest on Projo SoxTalk is Sean McAdam. Click here to listen to the full audio file. He reviews last night's Red Sox win in the Bronx, and talks about how Julian Tavarez is handling the possibility of going back to the bullpen. Answer: Graciously. Here's some of what Sean had to say.

On Tavarez: "He really said some remarkable stuff after the game last night, because, people were sort of reminding him that [Jon] Lester was on his way, and that he'd be here in a couple of weeks, and given how well Tavarez has pitched on a number of starts, would that be tough for him to accept. And he really sort of went off on this soliloquy about how the most important thing to him was that Jon Lester was well again and healthy, and that if he's going to be here, he's going to be one of the top young pitchers in the league, and he deserves to start, and I'll be happy to give my place over to him. It really was almost heartwarming to hear one major league player speak about another like that."

On Dustin Pedroia's postgame comments about A-Rod: "I'll be interested to see how much play this gets today, because it was sort of one of those minor after-the-game things, but because some people wrote about it, because that clip of Pedroia will no doubt be on ESPN, I suspect it will take off a little bit today, and there will be a horde of New York reporters descending on Dustin Pedroia in the clubhouse today wondering if he thinks Alex Rodriguez is a cheap-shot artist. There's a little bit of blood in the water here, so we'll see how it plays out."

On why tonight is almost a must-win for the Yanks: "In a perfect world for the Yankees, they needed to sweep to really make any headway here. Even if they win tonight, there's a net gain of just one game in the standings, and for a team that started and is now once again 10 1/2 out, that's not a lot of forward progress."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:23 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Daily News: Giambi failed amphetamine test

NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last year, the Daily News reported Wednesday.

The newspaper reported that after the failed amphetamines test, Giambi is subjected to six additional tests for one year. The newspaper did not cite any sources in its report.

Giambi declined comment to the newspaper before the New York Yankees' 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.

The Yankees slugger recently said in a USA Today interview that he was "probably tested more than anybody else."

On Tuesday, lawyers for the commissioner's office and the players' association held more conversations about a possible meeting with Giambi but it remained uncertain when or if such a gathering would take place.

Lawyers for Major League Baseball would like to talk to Giambi about comments in last Friday's editions of USA Today.

"I was wrong for doing that stuff," the New York Yankees designated hitter was quoted as saying, remarks some have interpreted as an admission of steroids use.
Management lawyers would like to hold the meeting as soon as is practicable. The failed amphetamines test most likely wouldn't be discussed at a meeting since MLB policy is to keep a first positive test secret.

Hall of Famer Frank Robinson took issue with one of Giambi's comments.

"What we should have done a long time ago was stand up - players, ownership, everybody - and said: 'We made a mistake,'" Giambi was quoted as saying. "We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. ... Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it."

Robinson said Giambi should speak for himself.

"If Jason wants to confess, then he should come out and say: 'I'm guilty. I apologize. I apologize to baseball. I apologize to all the fans that have supported me and supported baseball over the years. And I will clean up my act and promise you I will not do anything like this again,'" Robinson said during an interview on ESPN. "He should not drag others into (it), because when he says baseball, that includes everybody in baseball."

Before the Yankees played Boston on Tuesday night, Giambi was asked about a report in the New York Post that said the Los Angeles Angels had an interest in acquiring him. Giambi has a full no-trade clause.

"This is all news to me. I'm a Yankee," he said. "It's kind of fun to read. I never asked for it."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:21 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 23

CUT TO THE CHASE: You can analyze the Red Sox' hot start and the Yankees' slow one eight ways to Sunday, but, in the end, it all boils down to pitching. So far this season the Sox have had it, and so far the Yankees haven't.

Last night was a microcosm of the first two months. “It comes down to getting quality starts,” catcher Jason Varitek told Sean McAdam, and last night the Sox got one from Julian Tavarez (AP Photo, right) while the Yanks didn't from Mike Mussina and Boston cruised to a 7-3 win. (projo.com) (The Sox also got a decent night's work from their bullpen [Boston Herald], despite the late-game wildness of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon.) The New York Post's Jay Greenberg says ''never mind Boston, [the Yankees] are not going to make up seven games on wild-card leader Detroit without starting pitching that consistently gives them a chance to win.''. Mussina certainly hasn't; as the headline on the Globe's Nick Cafardo's story notes, Moose has been a mess so far this year.

THE SAVIOR: So, naturally, all eyes in Yankee Universe turn to a certain 44-year-old who'll be pitching tonight in Trenton. (New York Post)

TONIGHT, TONIGHT: Peter Abraham, writing on the excellent LoHud Yankees Blog, says tonight is a must-win game for the Yankees because if they ''can’t win a series with Wang, Mussina and Pettitte on the mound, perhaps they just aren’t all that good." (yankees.lohudblogs.com) There's also some Johnny Damon audio in this post.

MAKING MORE FRIENDS IN THE BOSTON CLUBHOUSE: Dustin Pedroia wasn't around for the goings-on in 2004 -- the fight with Jason Varitek, the slap of Bronson Arroyo -- but, after last night, he's no fan of Alex Rodriguez, either. (projo.com)

GUESS AGAIN: The New York Daily News' Bill Madden says Joe Torre ''truly believed the turning point of this miserable season was at hand'' before the game. Maybe it was, just not in the way Joe hoped.

TRIPLE FIGURES? Our friend on the Sons of Sam Horn board are chewing on the conclusion by Baseball Prospectus' Mark Silver that the Sox will wind up winning 103-105 games. (sonsofsamhorn.net)

'DRUNKEN, ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR': They're also sharing horror stories of attending Red Sox games at Yankee Stadium.

UNDER THE RADAR: According to the blog Fire Brand of the American League, which quotes another blogger citing a report from a San Francisco radio station, the Red Sox ''continue to show ‘persistent interest’ in Rich Harden. The A’s have said that he is not available at this time, but the Red Sox are expected to attempt to acquire him at the deadline, possibly along with an outfielder, in a deal that would also include either Coco Crisp or Wily Mo Pena heading to Oakland.”

BIGGER PROBLEMS: The New York Daily News has an exclusive report that Jason Giambi failed a drug test for amphetamines last year.

ENOUGH! Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus, writing for SI.com, says baseball ''has the toughest [performance-enhancing drug] policy in sports, and no longer has anything to be ashamed of in how it handles the issue". Therefore it should stop George Mitchell's probe into past drug use because ''MLB isn't going to get anywhere by trying to figure out who was doing what five to 10 years ago; there's nothing that can be done, and no credible way of sorting out the impact of PEDs on gameplay, wins and losses, or statistics.''

LET HIM SPEAK: FoxSports' Mark Kriegel says baseball is trying to silence Giambi on the topic of his past steroid use, and that's wrong.

I'M NO ANGEL: Speaking of Giambi, he laughs off trade rumors that have him headed West. (New York Daily News)

BRING IT ON: The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley isn't angered or threatened by Curt Schilling's blog. In fact, he thinks athletes talking directly to fans can be a good thing

MEET THE NEW BOSS: Used to be that players wanted to become managers after they retired. Derek Jeter wants to become an owner. (espn.com)

YOU MUST NOT BE A MARLINS PITCHER . . . if you're raving about Hanley Ramirez and Miguel Cabrera on the left side of the infield. As offensively prodigious as they may be, they're also, ah, defensively challenged.

WHERE DO I SIGN? Some folks have put together an online petition to end interleague play. (www.petitiononline.com/mlb2007)

IN CONCERT: If you happen to be in Cincinnati Sunday night, Bronson Arroyo would love you to stop by. (lodgebarcincy.com)

MORE TROUBLES IN TAMPA BAY: The Devil Rays have had their share of problems with their young players, the latest being Elijah Dukes. (St. Petersburg Times)

OLD FRIENDS: Byung-Hyun Kim is with the Marlins, his fourth team since leaving Arizona, but his October/November meltdowns in Yankee Stadium during the 2001 World Series are still fresh on people's minds (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) . . . Ex-Sox farmhand Matt Murton may be on the trading block in Chicago (Baseball Prospectus) . . . As is Tomo Ohka in Toronto (Toronto Sun) . . . Tom Gordon has begun a conditioning program in Clearwater, Fla. (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Chris Reitsma is headed for the disabled list in Seattle (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) . . . Dave Roberts is working his way back from elbow surgery (San Francisco Chronicle).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Game Notes

NEW YORK – Right fielder J.D. Drew remained in the lineup last night, but also remained in a dreadful slump.

Drew went into last night hitting only .169 (14-for-83) in his last 24 games, dropping his batting average from .375 to a season-low .244, and things didn’t go any better in his first couple of trips to the plate as Drew began the night 0-for-2.

Last night also marked the one-month anniversary since Drew’s last homer. He has just two so far.

``He’s kind of scuffling right now,’’ acknowledged manager Terry Francona. ``I’d say it’s a mixture of bad luck and not being consistent with his swing. But from where I sit, he’s got a track record and he’s going to hit. We just have to be patient. Sometimes, you just have to ride it out.’’

Drew said he had tried ``a little of everything’’ to bust out of the slump, but hasn’t hit on the right combination.

``It hasn’t been a very good month,’’ admitted Drew. ``I feel like I’ve hit some balls good and have nothing to show for them. It’s just a matter of keeping composed and doing the things you’ve always done to be successful.’’

Drew, who opted out his contract with the Dodgers to sign a five-year, $70 million deal with the Sox, has been guilty of trying too hard at times.

``Obviously,’’ he said, ``you can easily outthink yourself at times like this. That’s the tendency when things are going bad. There are enough people out there trying to get you out; you don’t need to add one more person to that list.’’

He’s studied video and taken extra batting practice in an effort to break out.

``You’ve still got go out there and battle and make adjustments,’’ Drew said. ``We’ve got more than four months to go.’’

Manny Ramirez’s first-inning homer – a three-run belt to left – enabled him to continue to climb the charts for Yankee killers.

Ramirez ranks fifth, just one homer behind Carl Yastrzemski, for most career homers against the Yankees with 51. Jimmie Foxx is first with 70, followed by Ted Williams (62), Hank Greenberg (53) and Yaz (52).

He’s also fifth in RBI (150) against the Yankees since 1957, trailing Yaz (163), Al Kaline (157), Brooks Robinson (154) and Harmon Killebrew (153).

Ramirez has 26 homers at Yankee Stadium, the most of any player over the last 51 years. Rafael Palmeiro (23), Boog Powell and Jim Rice (22 each) are next.

Josh Beckett, who has been sidelined for the last 10 days because of an avulsion on his right middle finger, is on pace to make his scheduled start Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians.

Beckett plans to throw a five-inning simulated game in the bullpen this afternoon and will do without a bandage on his finger. Beckett will throw all of his pitches to make sure that he can throw his curve without incident.

Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a first-inning single. That’s the second-longest current hitting streak in the big leagues, behind only Derek Jeter (16 games before last night)…Mike Lowell’s fourth-inning solo homer, off the foul pole in left, was his fifth in the last 12 games…Matt Clement, who underwent rotator cuff surgery late last fall, is in Fort Myers tasking part in extended spring training. Eventually, he’ll rejoin the major league club to continue his rehab program…Mike Timlin (shoulder) played catch yesterday and will have another mound session today…Yankee legend and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra visited the Red Sox clubhouse briefly and signed balls for Coco Crisp and Javier Lopez…General manager Theo Epstein is here, but peeled off yesterday to do some scouting for the upcoming draft, which takes place June 7…When Coco Crisp fanned in the fourth, Yankee starter Mike Mussina passed Warren Spahn to move into 23rd place on the all-time strikeout list with 2,584.

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:53 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Final: Red Sox 7, Yankees 3

NEW YORK -- Before the Yankees could get any traction from their win in the series opener Monday, the Red Sox brought their momentum to a quick halt last night, jumping to a quick lead, then adding on as the night progressed.

When it was over, the Red Sox had squared the series with an authoritative 7-3 victory and re-established their double-digit lead in the American League standings. The Sox lead by 10 ½ games.

Julian Tavarez, pitching on his 34th birthday, checked the Yanks on three hits through 5 2/3 innings and won his second straight start. Tavarez 10 of the first 11 hitters he faced before faltering some in the fourth and fifth.

He turned the game over to the bullpen in the sixth. Lefty Javier Lopez retired the four hitters he faced through the seventh.

Leading 4-2 in the seventh, the Red Sox broke the game wide open against Mike Mussina and the New York bullpen.

Julio Lugo’s two-out single to center scored Coco Crisp (fielder’s choice, stolen base) and Kevin Youkilis chased Mussina from the mound with a ringing run-scoring double to right-center.

Joe Torre opted for lefty specialist Mike Myers, but David Ortiz foiled the strategy with a double to deep right center, playing Youkilis.

The Yankees squeaked out a run in the eighth when Hideki Okajima walked Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez to fill the bases and Jorge Posada beat the relay to first, avoiding an inning-ending double-play.

The run, meaningless as it was in the big picture, was the first scored off Okajima since Opening Day when Kansas City’s John Buck hit a 400-foot homer on the lefty’s first major league pitch. Okajima had come into the game with a scoreless streak of 20 2/3 innings, the longest for a Sox lefthander since Bruce Hurst in 1987.

Jonathan Papelbon, in a non-save situation, worked the ninth as the Sox’ record against AL East teams improved to 15-6.

The win was the Sox’ sixth in eight meetings with the Yankees this year and their 12th win overall in the last 16 games. It also improved the Sox to 15-7 away from home this season.

Mussina was not sharp from the beginning – his velocity was down sharply -- and the Sox took immediate advantage in the first inning.

Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a one-out single and moved into scoring position when Ortiz slapped a single into left-center. Manny Ramirez, who hadn’t homered since May 9, crushed a pitch from Mussina deep into the seats in left, staking the Sox to a quick 3-0 edge just four batters into the game.

The Sox threatened with more when Mike Lowell doubled one out later and took third on a single to right by Jason Varitek. With runners at the corners, Mussina kept the damage to a minimum when he got Coco Crisp to pop out to first.

A leadoff homer from Lowell which struck the left field foul pole opened the fourth and pushed the Sox’ lead to 4-0.

The Yankees, meanwhile, couldn’t get anything going against Tavarez, who didn’t allow a hit until Hideki Matsui lined a one-out single up the middle in the fourth.

New York put a hit-and-run on and saw it executed to perfection when Posada singled to right and Matsui, off with the pitch, scampered to third.

Tavarez then tossed a wild pitch past Varitek, allowing Matsui to scored from third and Posada to move into scoring position. But he got out of the inning by getting Bobby Abreu to fly to center.

Poor command , perhaps resulting from fatigue as his pitch count inched higher, caught up with Tavarez in the fifth. Robinson Cano, who had two extra-base hits Monday night, added another when he roped a double to right with one out.

Consecutive walks to No. 9 hitter Doug Mienkiewicz and Johnny Damon loaded the bases gave the Yanks hope for a big inning. But Tavarez got Derek Jeter to hit into a fielder’s choice as Cano scored and another forceout – this one on a grounder by Matsui –ended the inning.

--SEAN McADAM

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 10:30 PM | Permalink

Okajima allows a run

NEW YORK -- The Red Sox brought in Hideki Okajima to pitch the eighth and Okajima was as wild as he's been all season, leading to a Yankee run that cut Boston's lead to 7-3.

After getting Johnny Damon to fly out, Okajima surrendered a single to Derek Jeter and walked Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez, loading the bases. He settled in after that, although a run scored on a fielder's-choice grounder by Jorge Posada. (Rodriguez appeared to interfere with second baseman Dustin Pedroia on Posada's grounder, sliding hard into the Sox' second baseman and elbowing him in the side, but there was no call from second-base umpire Joe West). A grounder by Bobby Abreu ended the inning with minimal damage and sent the Sox into the ninth with a 7-3 lead.

It was the first run allowed by Okajima since he gave up a home run to the Royals' John Buck on his first major-league pitch in the season opener.

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:04 PM | Permalink

Sox pull out to 7-2 lead

NEW YORK -- The Red Sox strung together three consecutive run-scoring hits with two outs in the top of the seventh and have broken open their game against the Yankees tonight, building a 7-2 lead.

Julio Lugo, mired in a 2-for-24 slump, singled home Coco Crisp and Kevin Youkilis followed with an RBI double up the gap in right-center field, ending Mike Mussina's night and enabling the Red Sox to increase their lead to 6-2. Mike Myers, signed by the Yankees specifically to retire David Ortiz, failed yet again at the task. Ortiz touched his ex-teammate for a single to right-center that drove in Youkilis, making it 7-2. Jason Varitek opened the inning with a walk, breaking a string of nine in a row retired by Mussina (AP Photo, right). He was forced at second on a grounder by Crisp, and Dustin Pedroia flied out for the second out.

Crisp then stole second, sliding in ahead of a quick tag by Yankee second baseman Robinson Cano. Lugo slapped a single to right, and Crisp rode home ahead of the throw by Yankee right fielder Bobby Abreu.

Youkilis was next, and he rapped a long double to the wall in right-center field. Lugo scored easily, making it 6-2.

Posted by Art Martone  at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Yanks inching closer, but barely

NEW YORK -- Put it this way: It could have been a lot worse. A one-out double by Robinson Cano and back-to-back walks to Doug Mientkiewicz and Johnny Damon loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth. The Yankees only got one run out of it, though, and it took a lot of hustle from Derek Jeter to get even that. He hit a potential double-play grounder to short, but hustled down the line and beat the throw, allowing Cano to score. Julian Tavarez (AP Photo, left) retired Hideki Matsui to end the inning and wasn't lifted until there were two outs in the sixth, with the Sox still leading, 4-2. Javy Lopez came on with no one on and two outs to face the left-handed hitting Bobby Abreu. Lopez fanned Abreu on four pitches, sending the Sox into the seventh with a 4-2 lead.

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:55 PM | Permalink

Yankees on the board . . .

NEW YORK . . . thanks to a little Julian Tavarez wildness.

A one-out single by Hideki Matsui -- the Yankees' first hit of the game -- and a two-out single by Jorge Posada put New York runners at first and third. Tavarez then threw a wild pitch, allowing Matsui to score from third and cutting the Red Sox' lead to 4-1.

Bobby Abreu flied out, ending the inning.

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:27 PM | Permalink

Another Red Sox home run

NEW YORK -- This one by Mike Lowell (AP Photo, right), who clanked it off the foul pole down the left-field line leading off the top of the fourth to give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead. The Sox had potential rallies squashed by the double-play ball in both the second and third innings. Julio Lugo grounded into the DP in the second, Manny Ramirez in the third. Julian Tavarez, meanwhile, has allowed only one Yankee baserunner, via a walk, over the first three innings.

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:07 PM | Permalink

Celebrity watch at Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK -- For the second straight night, Billy Crystal is in the seat directly next to the Yankee dugout. Haven't yet spotted Chazz Palmentieri, who was in a front-row seat behind the Red Sox' on-deck circle last night.

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:29 PM | Permalink

Sox get off on the right foot

NEW YORK -- Unlike Monday night, when they wasted numerous opportunities against Chien-Ming Wang, the Red Sox capitalized on a first-inning chance tonight. After back-to-back singles by Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez clubbed a long home run to left field off Mike Mussina -- his 51st career home run against the Yankees -- and gave the Sox a quick 3-0 lead.

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:17 PM | Permalink

Another Sox-Yankee matchup coming Wednesday: Clemens vs. Buchholz

NEW YORK -- The attention will all be focused on Roger Clemens, but Clay Buchholz (left) -- the Red Sox' 2006 Minor League Pitcher of the Year -- will be the other guy on the mound tomorrow when Clemens makes his second minor-league start as he works his way back to the Yankees. Clemens will be pitching for the Yanks' Double-A affiliate in Trenton at home against Buchholz and the Portland Sea Dogs, the Sox' Double-A team.

"I'm sure that will be a very exciting game for [Buchholz],'' said Red Sox manager Terry Francona today at Yankee Stadium. ''Knowing him, he'll treat it with the proper respect.

''And I hope he pitches better than the other guy.''

Buchholz, 22, is 1-1 with a 1.82 ERA in seven starts so far this year. He had a combined record of 11-4 last season, which he split between Greenville and Wilmington.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:57 PM | Permalink

Pregame tidbits from Yankee Stadium

NEW YORK -- Some quick news bites from Yankee Stadium . . .

-- Josh Beckett will throw a five-inning simulated game in the bullpen tomorrow and fully expects to make his next start Tuesday against the Indians at Fenway Park.

-- Yogi Berra visited the Red Sox clubhouse and signed balls for Coco Crisp and Javy Lopez. ''He always makes a point of coming in to say hello,'' said Terry Francona. ''That's pretty awesome for me.''

-- Mike Timlin played catch on the side and is scheduled for another mound session later this week. He threw off a mound yesterday for the first time since going on the disabled list May 3 because of shoulder tendinitis.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:55 PM | Permalink

Sox rate with MLB players

According to a poll that will be released in this week's Sports Illustrated, the Red Sox are the fourth most-popular team among major-league players.

The press release:

Sports Illustrated asked 464 MLB Players: “If you could play for any major league team other than your own, which one would it be?”

San Diego Padres: 10%
New York Yankees: 10%
Atlanta Braves: 10%
Boston Red Sox: 8%
St. Louis Cardinals: 7%

FAST FACTS: The poll was taken just before the start of the season . . . Every team received a vote except for the Washington Nationals . . . The Detroit Tigers, last year’s AL representative in the World Series, received just one vote, the same as the Kansas City Royals and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays . . . The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (seventh, 5.5%) edged the L.A. Dodgers (eighth, 5.2%) . . . More than 18% of players 27 years old or younger voted for the Braves.

For more details, click here.

Posted by Art Martone  at 4:52 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 22

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 14-game hitting streak, going 27 for 61 (.443) with eight doubles, four homers, 14 RBI and 11 runs scored.
-David Ortiz, 14 for his last 130 (.338) with seven homers, 32 RBI
-Dustin Pedroia, 15 for his last 38 (.395) with four doubles, a home run and five RBI
-Jason Varitek, 17 for his last 44 (.362) with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBI

Who's Not
-Alex Cora, 4 for his last 26 (.154)
-J.D. Drew, 14 for his last 83 (.169)
-Julio Lugo, 2 for his last 21
-Manny Ramirez, 12-game home run drought

Red Sox vs. Mike Mussina
-Mike Lowell, 7 for 14 (.500), 1 HR
-Coco Crisp, 8 for 20 (.400)
-Julio Lugo, 6 for 23 (.261), 1 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 22 for 90 (.244), 5 HR
-David Ortiz, 11 for 49 (.224), 3 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 2 for 9 (.222)
-Jason Varitek, 6 for 55 (.109)
-Alex Cora, 0 for 2
-Dustin Pedroia, 0 for 2
-J.D. Drew, 0 for 4

Yankees vs. Julian Tavarez
-Jorge Posada, 4 for 6 (.667), 1 HR
-Doug Mientkiewicz, 3 for 6 (.500), 1 HR
-Alex Rodriguez, 6 for 17 (.353)
-Bobby Abreu, 9 for 26 (.346), 3 HR
-Jason Giambi, 4 for 12 (.333)
-Johnny Damon, 3 for 11 (.273)
-Hideki Matsui, 1 for 4 (.250)
-Derek Jeter, 3 for 14 (.214)
-Robinson Cano, 0 for 6

More Stuff
-Three of the top home-run and RBI men in the major leagues since 2004 are playing in this game. David Ortiz has hit more homers (151) and knocked in more runs (460) than any other big leaguer since the start of '04. Manny Ramirez is second in RBI (401) and fifth in home runs (129); Alex Rodriguez is tied for third in RBI (400) and tied for third in home runs (137).
-Since 2003, the top four home run hitters against the Yankees are Ramirez (24), Ortiz (22), Jason Varitek (12) and Vernon Wells (12).
-Ramirez is fifth all time in home runs hit against the Yankees, with 50, and fifth in RBI against the Yankees, with 147.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:52 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Tuesday night's lineups

NEW YORK -- Not many changes (other than the Boston catcher and second baseman) in the two lineups for tonight's Red Sox-Yankees game:

RED SOX
-------------
Julio Lugo ss
Kevin Youkilis 1b
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
J.D. Drew rf
Mike Lowell 3b
Jason Varitek c
Coco Crisp cf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
--
Julian Tavarez p

YANKEES
-------------
Johnny Damon cf
Derek Jeter ss
Hideki Matsui lf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Jorge Posada c
Bobby Abreu rf
Jason Giambi dh
Robinson Cano 2b
Doug Mientkiewicz 1b
---
Mike Mussina p

More to come . . .

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:47 PM | Permalink

PawSox beat Ottawa, 7-3

By Dan Hickling
Special to The Journal
OTTAWA -- It began just after breakfast this morning, and lingered through a long lunch. Even so, the top of the Pawtucket Red Sox batting order kept the table set all day.

The top three PawSox hitters -- Jacoby Ellsbury, Bobby Scales and David Murphy -- combined for nine of the club’s 14 hits, fueling a 7-3 “Getaway Day” matinee win over the Ottawa Lynx.

Scales led the way, going 4-for-5 and driving in three runs.

“It makes that [nine-hour] bus ride a little bit better,” said Scales, who raised his batting average to a team-leading .323.

Pawtucket, which is now on its best tear of the season (6-3 since May 13), bolted to a 4-0 first inning lead.

“Today was a good effort,” said Scales, “because everybody had good at bats. That’s all you’re trying to do.”

Ellsbury got things started with a single that was misplayed into a two-base error by Ottawa center fielder Chris Roberson.

Run-scoring hits by Scales (single) and Jeff Bailey (double) followed before Brandon Moss capped the outburst by slamming a fastball from Lynx starter Heath Totten (1-2) over the right-field wall.

It was Moss’ team-high eighth homer of the season.

“That’s a nice little scripted situation,” said PawSox bench boss Ron Johnson. “You get those guys on. The pig gets fat and the hog gets greedy.”

Pawtucket starter Abe Alvarez (3-3) rolled easily through the first five frames, leaving the Lynx stymied with his off-speed selections.

“That was vintage Abe Alvarez,” said Johnson. “He changed speeds. He filled up the [strike] zone. He got a lot of front foot swings.”

Said Alvarez, “Once I started getting into a groove, I started to speed things up. I got them to hit ground balls.”

Alvarez was on his way to a scoreless outing after retiring the first two Lynx in the bottom of the sixth.

But while covering first on a routine grounder by Dustin Wathan, Alvarez dropped Bailey’s throw, which opened the door to a three-run Ottawa rally, slicing the Pawtucket lead to 4-3.

“Jeff made a great play over there,” said Alvarez, “and I just kind of took my eye off the ball for a second, found the base [with my foot] and it hit off my glove.”

But that proved to be just a small speed bump for the PawSox.

The PawSox immediately replied with a three-spot of their own, with Scales singling in two runs to put the game away.

“I think we’re starting to break out of it,” said Scales of the PawSox effort to escape the North Division cellar. “We had some really tough luck early in the year, but I think things are starting to go our way.”

AROUND THE BASES: One PawSox who is angling for a return to “the Show” is newly signed OF Michael Tucker. Tucker, who has logged 12 major league seasons with seven different clubs, was signed by Boston as a minor league free agent last week, after working out at the Red Sox minor league complex at Fort Myers, Fla. “That’s what we’re working toward,“ said Tucker. “That’s what we talked about before I even signed a contract. I’m trying to acclimate (myself) as quickly as possible. These guys have been playing, and I’m trying to catch up with them. Get back into a groove.”… It may be one of the great anomalies of the season to date. The Lynx, who own the fourth best team batting average in the IL (.268 heading into yesterday), have hit just six home runs all year. Pawtucket batters, next to last in the league (.240) have now blasted 30 round trippers… The PawSox are off tomorrow, but begin an eight-game home stand Thursday, with Syracuse coming in for a four-game set. Rehabbing lefty Jon Lester (2-3, 5.58) will get the series-opening start against Chiefs RHP Josh Thompson (1-0, 1.69).

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:06 PM to PawSox | Permalink

YouTube video: Roger Clemens coaches first base at his nephew's game

Wonder what Roger Clemens will be off doing when he's away from the Yankees per terms of his flex contract? At least part of the time he might be coaching first base at his nephew's youth-league game in Texas, as he's doing here (and is captured on this YouTube video):

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:41 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Yankee fans mellowing? Steinbrenner mellowing?

From New York, Sean McAdam joins Art Martone for today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. He talks about last night's frustrating Red Sox loss, and also about the changed atmosphere in New York (at least temporarily changed) now that the team has been struggling. Click here to listen to the full, seven-and-a-half-minute audio file. In the meantime, here are a few of Sean's comments.

On Wakefield's performance: "[It was] just one of those nights where he was unable to throw the pitch for strikes consistenly -- he walked five -- and then when he did throw the ball in the strike zone, too often it was up in the zone and pretty inviting to hitters like Rodriguez and Giambi."

On chastened Yankee fans: "There wasn't that sort of cockiness that you get, where Yankee fans are taunting Red Sox players before the game and sort of walking in there with their chests stuck out. They were a little bit less ferocious than they usually are, given the way their team is playing."

On whether Steinbrenner's in firing mode: "It's now entirely impossible to predict what George Steinbrenner is going to do. And that used to be the case on another level: He was so volatile, so explosive, so unpredictable, that they could lose three in a row to Kansas City sometime and he'd fire the pitching coach just for the pleasure of doing it. Now he's unpredictable in another way, in that he's kind of lost his bite, and he doesn't overreact the way he used to."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:24 AM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 22

MORE THAN JUST A GAME . . . TO ONE OF THEM: The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti puts it best: In this three-game series in the Bronx, the Red Sox want to win, but the Yankees (above, AP Photo) have to win. Thus, the Sox dismiss their 6-2 loss as a night when Tim Wakefield (right, AP Photo) just didn't have it (projo.com), and the Yanks see bigger themes in their victory. Sports Illustrated, though, wasn't all that impressed. The Yanks dropped to 19th in their weekly power rankings, while the Red Sox remained No. 1. We'll see what happens if the last two games of the series unfold the same as the first. FAMILIAR FACE: Manny Delcarmen is back with the Sox, at least for a little while. (projo.com) TWO FAMILIAR FACES, AND A FAMILIAR VEHICLE: Roger Clemens will ride John Madden's bus to his minor-league start in Trenton tomorrow. (New York Post)

'HE'S DEFINITELY LOST SOMETHING': So says an unnamed scout regarding Johnny Damon (New York Daily News), but whatever he lost, he may have begun to get back last night (3-for-4, two stolen bases). It came after he was held out of a game last week in Chicago, which may have been Joe Torre's way of sending Damon a message to pick up his game. In any case, Torre was pleased with the results last night. (New York Post)

IS HE THE ONLY ONE? Speaking of scouts, another one says Bobby Abreu ''looks old [and is] playing old.'' (Foxsports.com)

HIM, TOO?? And the one who signed Manny Ramirez says the scuffling Ramirez is looking like a bit of a different hitter these days. (Boston Globe)

IF YOU CAN KEEP YOUR HEAD WHILE ALL AROUND YOU ARE LOSING THEIRS . . . then you're probably Joe Torre. (New York Post)

GOOD START, IF THAT'S THE CASE: The New York Sun's Steven Goldman said before last night's game that the Yankees need to sweep the Red Sox ''or face a very long road to October, when they'll likely go home.''

WOMAN BITES DOG: The second item of Bob Raismann's media column gives the details of the much-talked-about Suzyn Waldman-Chris Russo confrontation at Shea Stadium last weekend. If Suzyn's going to go after everyone who ridiculed her for this, she'll be confronting people from now until about 2017. (My turn probably comes up in 2011 or so.)

BRONX ZOO REDUX: Jay Mariotti thinks that's what we're seeing in Chicago with the White Sox. (Chicago Sun-Times)

AH, RELIEF: Jon Rauch to the Red Sox is one of seven trades that SI.com's Jon Heyman needs to happen.

DAILY CUP OF JOE: Even Joe Posnanski is wondering why he puts so much effort -- and quality -- into a free blog. But I'm certainly glad he does, and this newest entry is fascinating: In the midst of a long Hall of Fame discussion, he looks at the best five-year pitching spans in baseball history. Two contemporary Red Sox make the top 10: Pedro Martinez, 1997-2001 (he's No. 1), and Roger Clemens 1988-92 (No. 8).

STRANGER THAN FICTION: Sometimes the stories are so bizarre all you can do is link to them with no comment. (Palm Beach Post)

In a nutshell: Marlins reliever Justin Miller has tattoos on virtually every inch of his body from the neck down. One of them, on his butt, reads "I (heart) Billy Koch." (Koch, you may recall, is the off-center closer who lit up the American League skies for a bit in the late 1990s and early 2000s, mostly with Toronto, before flaming out at age 29 in 2004.) Koch, it turns out, paid Miller $1,000 -- plus the $80 bill to the tattooist -- to a) get the tattoo and b) place it on his derrierre. Then, because he felt bad that Miller's wife had to see it, he paid her $500.

Like I said: You can't make this stuff up.

MAKING A GOOD THING BETTER: Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City is one of my favorite ballparks, so I'm happy to hear the Royals are planning, in conjunction with Jackson County, Mo., a $250 million upgrade. You can see a gallery of drawings here. (Both stories, Kansas City Star)

TRADE TALK: The Angels apparently are interested in Jason Giambi (New York Post).

NOT CANCELLATION TALK: Peter Abraham says the chances of the Yankees' voiding Giambi's contract are nil. (yankees.lohudblogs.com)

LOCAL BOYS: The Rocky Mountain News' Dave Krieger thinks that continuing to play Chris Iannetta is inconsistent with the notion of the Rockies putting players on the field that give them the best chance to win.

OLD FRIENDS: Bronson Arroyo had a particularly bad night in Cincinnati, but it all worked out in the end for the Reds . . . The good news in Houston: Mark Loretta is playing shortstop. The bad news in Houston: He replaced Adam Everett -- at least temporarily -- to do so (Houston Chronicle) . . . Anibal Sanchez is playing catch as he attempts to come back from arm problems (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:39 AM | Permalink

Yankees 6, Red Sox 2

NEW YORK -- Even if there's no such thing as a crucial series in May, it's undeniable the three-game series that opened at Yankee Stadium tonight between the Red Sox and Yankees is far more crucial to the struggling Yanks than it is to the streaking Sox.

That being the case, the Yankees got off on the right foot.

Chien-Ming Wang worked his way out of trouble all night but managed to hold Boston to two runs over seven innings, and the Yankee offense touched Tim Wakefield for two homers -- including a two-run, first-inning shot by Alex Rodriguez (above) -- and six runs as New York posted a 6-2 victory.

The Yankees now trail the Sox by 9 1/2 games.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Wakefield knuckling under

NEW YORK -- Tim Wakefield was all but unhittable over the first six weeks of the season.

Tonight he's been anything but.

The Yankees have touched him for a pair of home runs -- a two-run shot by Alex Rodriguez in the first and a solo blast by Jason Giambi in the second -- and added another run on a two-out, RBI single by Derek Jeter in the second as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Red Sox after two innings tonight at Yankee Stadium.

The Sox, conversely, squandered scoring opportunities in each of their first two shots at Chien-Ming Wang. They stranded two runners in the first, and left the bases loaded in the second when Wang struck out Kevin Youkilis on a 3-and-2 pitch with two outs.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:55 PM | Permalink

Red Sox notes

NEW YORK -- Some pregame news nuggets . . ..

-- Mike Timlin threw from flat ground and is scheduled to throw off a mound today. ''This is a good step, getting him back on the mound,'' said Terry Francona. Timlin, suffering from tendinitis in his right shoulder, has been on the disabled list since May 3.

-- Francona was asked how it felt to be coming into Yankee Stadium with a 10 1/2-game lead. ''If this was September 29, I'd say awesome,'' said Francona. ''But it's May 21. They're not going to give us a ring, and I'm pretty sure they're not going to give us any money.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:52 PM | Permalink

Delcarmen joins Sox

NEW YORK -- Manny Delcarmen, called up from Pawtucket after Sunday night's game against Atlanta, is with the team at Yankee Stadium, though his role -- and the duration of his stay -- is still undefined.

''They told me it could be four days, it could be a week, it could be a month,'' Delcarmen said today. ''I just have to stay loose and be ready for anything.''

Manager Terry Francona said he wasn't sure how he'd use Delcarmen. ''It all depends on how the games go,'' he said when asked if Delcarmen would be pitching in long or short relief.

Delcarmen didn't pitch in his last four games with the PawSox and found the inactivity curious. Then, when manager Ron Johnson told him he was being called up to Boston, ''it all made sense.''

The Sox played three games in two days on Saturday and Sunday and have a need for fresh bullpen arms, particularly after the short start they received from Devern Hansack in the second game on Saturday.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Monday night's Yankee lineup

NEW YORK -- Here's the lineup the Yankees posted for tonight's game . . .

Johnny Damon cf
Derek Jeter ss
Hideki Matsui lf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Jorge Posada c
Bobby Abreu rf
Jason Giambi dh
Robinson Cano 2b
Doug Mientkiewicz 1b
---
Chien-Ming Wang p

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:45 PM | Permalink

Monday night's Red Sox lineup

NEW YORK -- The Red Sox lineup has been posted . . .

Julio Lugo ss
Kevin Youkilis 1b
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
J.D. Drew rf
Mike Lowell 3b
Coco Crisp cf
Doug Mirabelli c
Alex Cora 2b
---
Tim Wakefield p

Also, Daisuke Matsuzaka will meet with the media later this afternoon to discuss his being named American League Player of the Week.

More to come after Terry Francona's daily press briefing . . .

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:43 PM | Permalink

Matsuzaka named A.L. Player of the Week

Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has been named the Bank of America American League Player of the Week, according to the Red Sox official game notes for tonight.

Matsuzaka won both of his starts last week, pitching a complete game to defeat the Detroit Tigers on Monday, then beating the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

All told, Matsuzaka went 17 innings last week, giving up four earned runs on 15 hits. He struck out 11 and walked no one. He improved his season record to 5-2, and lowered his E.R.A. from 4.80 entering the week to 4.06.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:35 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 21

From the team's official game notes:

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 13-game hitting streak, going 25 for 56 (.446) with six doubles, four home runs, 14 RBIs and 10 runs
-Mike Lowell, 11-game hitting streak, going 18 for 41 (.439) with four home runs and 14 RBIs
-Hideki Okajima, 20.2 consecutive scoreless innings out of the bullpen, the longest streak by a Boston left-hander since Bruce Hurst pitched 21.2 scoreless innings in May 1987.

Who's Not
-Alex Cora, 3 for his last 22 (.136)
-Doug Mirabelli, 1 for his last 20
-Brendan Donnelly, 9 hits and 5 runs allowed in last 3.1 innings

Red Sox vs. Chien-Ming Wang
-Manny Ramirez, 10 for 16 (.625), 2 HR
-Eric Hinske, 10 for 19 (.526), 2 HR
-David Ortiz, 9 for 20 (.450), 2 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 4 for 11 (.364)
-Alex Cora, 4 for 13 (.308), 1 HR
-Julio Lugo, 6 for 21 (.286)
-Coco Crisp, 3 for 12 (.250)
-Doug Mirabelli, 1 for 4 (.250)
-Mike Lowell, 3 for 15 (.200)
-Wily Mo Pena, 0 for 5
-J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia have no at-bats against Wang

Yankees vs. Tim Wakefield
-Melky Cabrera, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Derek Jeter, 27 for 84 (.321), 3 HR
-Josh Phelps, 8 for 25 (.320)
-Johnny Damon, 13 for 48 (.271), 2 HR
-Jorge Posada, 14 for 56 (.250), 3 HR
-Bobby Abreu, 4 for 16 (.250)
-Alex Rodriguez, 16 for 66 (.242), 5 HR
-Robinson Cano, 5 for 24 (.208), 1 HR
-Hideki Matsui, 7 for 40 (.175), 2 HR
-Jason Giambi, 14 for 81 (.173), 3 HR
-Doug Mientkiewicz, 1 for 16 (.063)

More Stuff
-Since the Yankees swept five games at Fenway Park in August 2006, the Red Sox are 8-2 against New York.
-In their last 100 meetings, including postseason, the Red Sox and the Yankees have each won 50 games.
-Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada have each batted safely in 15 straight games. That's tied for the longest streak in the American League; Kevin Youkilis' 13-game streak is tied for third.
-The Red Sox were also 30-13 in the 2002 season. They failed to make the playoffs that year.
-But, for all those who say that we've seen this before: This is only the fifth time in major league history that any team has been in first place by 10.5 or more games as early as 43 games into a season. Every other team to have such a lead -- the 2001 Seattle Mariners, the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers, the 1912 New York Giants and the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates -- ended up finishing in first place.
-The Red Sox have won four straight on the road, and they're 14-5 against the American League East.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:02 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Not just another slow start

Here are Manny Ramirez's batting averages, on-base percentages and slugging percentages on this date in each of his Red Sox seasons. As the numbers indicate, this early-season slump has been longer and more severe than anything Ramirez has had in his career. He's had a lower batting average once (in 2005), but never has he come closee to having OBPs or slugging percentages as low this late in the season.

Year BA OBP Slg
2007 .245 .333 .390
2006 .292 .434 .489
2005 .230 .353 .511
2004 .357 .430 .611
2003 .306 .394 .482
2002 .372 .497 .673
2001 .406 .492 .764

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:03 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Red Sox go to bat for Mass. health care law

BOSTON (AP) — Going without health insurance is no day at the ballpark.

That’s the message from the Boston Red Sox and the state panel overseeing Massachusetts’ landmark health care insurance law.

The two are teaming up to launch a public education campaign, including television ads, to help Massachusetts residents understand the law ahead of a July 1 deadline by which virtually everyone in the state must be insured or face tax penalties.

The ads are set to be introduced Tuesday at a news conference at Fenway Park with top political leaders. The team and officials at the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, which oversees the law, declined to give additional details Monday.

Educating the public could prove daunting given the complexity of the law, which seeks to plug a series of holes in the state’s existing health care net.

Under the law, those making less than the federal poverty level of $10,210 for an individual are eligible to receive free care, while those making up to three times that level are eligible for discounted insurance.

Anyone with more than three times the federal poverty level can sign up for new, discounted health care plans offered through the connector authority.

Officials hope the new ads will support other public education efforts, including a hot line and new Web site.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:38 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: The stakes in New York

Sean McAdam is today's guest on Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Sean sets up this week's Red Sox-Yankees series, laying out the stakes for the New York team, and sums up yesterday's fine performance by Kason Gabbard.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

On Gabbard: "Gabbard's a guy that really caught their attention not only last year when he came up and made three starts, but also by how well he pitched in sprint training. So I don't think they were too surprised by how effective he was."

On the Yankees: "I think for their own confidence and well-being, and sort of chipping away at this lead, that they reallly need to get two out of three. Even that will only net them a game in the standings, but to get it down from double digits where it is now, 10 1/2 and 10 in the loss column, would at least get them pointed in the right direction, and then they tell themselves Clemens is not far behind, and then of course they get another crack at the Red Sox coming up in two weekends back at Fenway. But as much as people say there are four plus months left in this season, after Wednesday night the season series between these teams will be half over, and the opportunities for the Yankees to make up ground head to head against the Red Sox will start to slip away. So I think they've got to make some inroads in the next three nights."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:10 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Monday, May 21

BYE, NOW: Kason Gabbard (right, Journal photo by Gretchen Ertl) dispatched the Braves with ease yesterday, then found himself dispatched back to Pawtucket moments after the game ended. (Both stories projo.com) Such is life in the big city, especially when you've played three games in two days, your bullpen's a little worn, and you're heading to New York for a three-game series with the Yankees; the Sox, with an off-day Thursday and a chance to skip over the No. 5 spot in the rotation, opted for another relief arm, Manny Delcarmen, in Gabbard's spot. Gabbard was apparently disappointed enough that he declined to speak to the media after the game, but he shouldn't be disheartened. He pitched well enough (projo.com) to warrant another call when the need for another starter inevitably rises -- certainly better than Devern Hansack pitched Saturday (projo.com) -- and he impressed everyone . . . even his old high school teammate, the Braves' Jarrod Saltalamacchia. (Boston Herald)

HERE'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERY DAY: If a poll had been taken to choose a player in this weekend series would go 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in a game, the consensus choice probably would have been Wily Mo Pena. But, no, the honor -- such as it is -- went to the Braves' All-Everything center fielder, Andruw Jones. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

NOT THE SAME: There's no question that the A.L. East standings have removed some of the luster from the upcoming Sox-Yankees series. (projo.com) The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says the matchup has '''all the magic of that pinch-me-I’m-dreaming Colorado Rockies-Kansas City Royals interleague showdown of this past weekend'', and with reason; as Sean McAdam noted Sunday, the Sox ''may be in the process of disproving'' the theory that titles can't be won or lost in April or May. (projo.com) Conversely, the Globe's Nick Cafardo points out these are desperate times in the Bronx, though last night's improbable win at Shea -- Tyler Clippard outdueling John Maine? -- has raised pinstripe hopes that the tide may finally be turning at just the right time. (New York Daily News) It better be, says the New York Post's Larry Brooks, because he thinks the Yanks need to make their move now.

AND WHY SHOULD IT BE? The Post's Joel Sherman says there are ''eerie undertones of 1965'' -- the year the Yankee Dynasty crumbled -- ''for the 2007 Yankees.''

A-ROD, SCHMAY-ROD, WE GOT LOWELL! There's an old baseball saying: You're never as good as you look when you're winning, and you're never as bad as you look when you're losing. That's probably true in both the Red Sox' and Yankees' cases, which is something to keep in mind when listening to the Boston Herald's Gerry Callahan argument that the Sox should forget about pursuing Alex Rodriguez and instead re-sign Mike Lowell to an extension.

NEVER STOP TRYING: The Denver Post's Troy Renck thinks the Red Sox may attempt to involve themselves in trade talks for the Rockies' Todd Helton -- yes, again -- and the Devil Rays' Rocco Baldelli.

BET YOU THOUGHT I WAS CALLING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE: Safe to say that 15 or 20 years ago, George Steinbrenner's Saturday night phone call to Joe Torre would have unfolded differently than this. (New York Daily News)

ANOTHER YANKEE ERROR: But espn.com's Jeff Pearlman thinks George should have pulled the trigger.

BIGGER ISSUES: Jason Giambi's tacit admission that he took steroids could lead the Yankees to void his contract, though general manager Brian Cashman's lip is zipped on the subject at this point. (New York Daily News)

HEAVY LIES THE HEAD . . . Not very surprisingly, Cashman calls this his most challenging time as Yankee general manager. (Newsday)

LAST TO KNOW: Bernie Williams apparently still thinks he can play. (New York Post)

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY: Ozzie Guillen's profanity-laced performance on a Chicago radio station last week opened the door for his old nemesis, Jay Mariotti, to begin greasing the skids for his dismissal. (Chicago Sun-Times)

THE CENTER OF ATTENTION: Guillen's radio rant was prompted by his unhappiness over comments made by controversial catcher A.J. Pierzynski, whose act apparently is growing old with his White Sox teammates. (Chicago Tribune)

THE KIDS AREN'T ALL RIGHT: The Red Sox' Class A team in Lancaster got beat 30-0 Friday night. (yahoo.com)

OOPS: Chad Finn wonders if Jordan's Furniture in Boston will wind up regretting its your-furniture-is-free-if-the-Sox-win-the-World-Series offer of last month. (touchingallthebases.com)

GIMME SOME STEEL, BABY: Writing for Boston Metro, Finn chooses his all-worst Red Sox defensive team.

OLD FRIENDS: Andy Marte is back, but as a platoon player for the Indians (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . Tony Clark is still playing, and still making contributions in Arizona. (Arizona Republic)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:45 AM | Permalink

The tarp is coming off

Members of the Fenway grounds crew were loudly cheered as they ran on the field at 3:39 p.m. and began moving the tarp.

The fans had been getting edgy for the previous 15 minutes as the rain stopped and skies brightened. As became obvious when the crew pulled the tarp back to the outfield, the rain was significant. There are now big puddles 15 feet into the outfield. That is planned, though. That's where the drains are.

The final stage of removing the tarp drew more reaction as three members of the grounds crew fell as the tarp was hualed back toward the infield. Movement does not stop once it begins so the three workers briefly disappeared then crawled out the edge of the tarp, to the cheers of the fans.

The Sox just announced that the goal is to begin the game at 4:30. However, weather reports indicate more rain could be on the way which could jeopardize those plans.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 3:41 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

The game will be delayed

The Red Sox, putting their trust in their weather service, just announced that the start of today’s game will be delayed.

As we sit here 45 minutes before game time, skies are cloudy and the crowd is gathering. It does not seem unpleasant. However, the tarp will remain on the field and the game against the Braves will be delayed.

``The current forecast in the vicinity of Fenway Park calls for moderate to heavy rain showers to move through the area over the course of the next hour and for intermittent light rain showers this afternoon,’’ the statement reads. The Sox have a private weather service, Meterologix, which they rely on.

``Based on this information the start of today’s game will be delayed,’’ the statement reads. ``The Red Sox will do everything possible to make certain today’s game with the Braves will be played,’’ it went on. ``However, the Red Sox want to alert our fans to the current forecast and the possibility of further delays for this afternoon.

``This forecast is, of course, subject to change as the day progresses and weather updates will be provided as necessary.’’’

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 1:36 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Everyone's gabbing around Gabbard

Kason Gabbard is going through a little different preparation for his first Boston start.

The pitcher promoted from Pawtucket to take the mound for the Red Sox today has been assigned the locker just inside the front door to the clulbhouse. It is a spot that goes to one of the new guys since it is traffic heavy area.

Most pitchers prefer to be left alone on days when they are starting, so they can concentrate. Gabbard is trying to do that but it's not easy.

First of all, he has people _ players, club officials and reporters _ constantly going past as they enter and leave the clubhouse. Beyond that, a number of players are coming up to welcome him to the team. Alex Cora just did so.

Pitching coach John Farrell did, too, but that’s one person Gabbard obviously wants to speak with. Farrell gave Gabbard some notes to study and the two spoke briefly before Darrell departed, saying the two would get together again closer to game time.

For what it’s worth, we just had a pretty good shower move through. The sun had come out briefly around 11 a.m. But then a fairly heavy shower arrived and stayed for about 15 minutes. It is overcast now but the rain has stopped.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 11:54 AM | Permalink

Some Changes Today

Good morning.

Everyone is off to a bit of a late start today, a concession to the long day and night r Saturday.
The lineups show both managers acknowledging the need for some rest. Both the Sox and Braves have different looks. Here they are:

Atlanta
Prado 2b
Renteria ss
C. Jones DH
Francoeur rf
Diaz lf
McCann C
Woodward 3b
Thorman 1b
Harris cf

Hudson P

Boston
Crisp Cf
Youkilis 3b
Ortiz DH
Ramirez lf
Drew rf
Varitek C
Hinske 1b
Cora ss
Pedroia 2b

Gabbard P

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 11:44 AM | Permalink

Jon Lester update

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester just concluded his rehab start for the Pawtucket against the Ottawa Lynx.

The left-hander worked 3 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit with one walk and two strikeouts. He threw 48 pitches (29 strikes) and retired the last 10 batters he faced.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:16 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineup

ATLANTA
Kelly Johnson, 4
Edgar Renteria, 6
Chipper Jones, 5
Brian McCann, 2
Jeff Francoeur, 9
Andruw Jones, 8
Scott Thorman, 3
Matthew Diaz, 7
Willie Harris, DH
John Smotlz, SP

BOSTON
Julio Lugo, 6
Coco Crisp, 8
Manny Ramirez, 7
Eric Hinske, 3
Mike Lowell, 5
Alex Cora, 4
Wily Mo Pena, 9
Doug Mirabelli, 2
Devern Hansack, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:09 PM | Permalink

What they're saying . . .

On Dice-K:

“He did a great job,” said Mike Lowell. “He was very efficient, especially through the first six innings and then he was sitting on the bench for a while because we scored (five) runs [in the bottom of sixth inning]. It’s not that easy to pitch when you have such a big lead because you don’t want to have that fine line between nit-picking and going after (hitters). He did a great job. All of our pitchers are doing a phenomenal job for us, keeping us games when we’re not hitting and keeping the other team at by when we are.”

On his grand slam:
“I didn’t want to get too riled up with the bases loaded,” said Lowell. “I wanted to just concentrate on a normal good at-bat and look for a pitch to hit. He left the pitch over the plate and I hit it pretty good.”

Dice-K on the disappointed of not being able to record a complete game:
"Given my pitch count (104) at the end of the eighth inning, I was expecting to go back out there in the ninth. I think given my pace up to that point, it would have been normal to go back for the ninth inning, but the manager came in and spoke to me and said 'given our big lead, go and get some rest.' "

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:21 PM | Permalink

Get that man a triple

Mike Lowell just collected his fourth hit of the game, a single to left, to record his sixth four-hit game of his career. He's 4-for-5 with two singles, a grand slam and a double.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:39 PM | Permalink

Take that, Joe

Pena made me eat my words on the previous post. Even though he made two questionable defensive plays in the top of the seventh, the big man just crushed a monster of a solo home run that landed somewhere in New Hamsphire. His roundtripper gives Boston a 13-3 lead and a season-high 16 hits. Wow! Pena's shot got out of here in a hurry. So much for a comeback.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:35 PM | Permalink

Oh no, Wily Mo

With the Red Sox leading 12-0 in the top of the seventh inning, manager Terry Francona replaced Manny Ramirez with Wily Mo Pena in left field. With Boston playing three games in a 24-hour period, the lineup change makes sense. Here's hoping the Braves don't mount an historic comeback.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:23 PM | Permalink

Tomahawk chop Fenway style

The Red Sox have scored five runs in the sixth inning en route to a 12-0 thrashing of the Braves, and the fans just started doing the tomahawk chop, mimicking the longstanding tradition in Atlanta.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:18 PM | Permalink

Would you like salami on that?

Red Sox' Mike Lowell just crushed a grand slam off Atlanta pitcher Mark Redman in the bottom of the fifth for a 7-0 Boston lead. It was Lowell's sixth salami of his career, and the ball cleared everything over the Monster.

So far today, Boston's third baseman is 2-for-3, including a double in the third that extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Can you say cycle?

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 2:39 PM | Permalink

Youkilis extends hitting streak

Kevin Youkilis just smoked a two-run homer to center field to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 12 games. The roundtripper, Youk's fifth of the season, gives Boston a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Youk is clearly dialed in right now.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 1:39 PM | Permalink

Lugo homers to lead off

Red Sox lead-off man, Julio Lugo, hit a home run in his first at-bat. He drove a 1-1 offering off Braves starter Anthony Lerew into the Monster seats. It was the first lead-off homer of the season for the Red Sox and the eighth of Lugo's career.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 1:18 PM | Permalink

Today's lineup

ATLANTA

Johnson, 4
Renteria, 6
Jones, C, 5
Jones, A, 8
McCann, 2
Francoeur, 9
Thorman, 3
Diaz, DH
Harris, 7
Lerew, SP

BOSTON
Lugo, 6
Youkilis, 3
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 7
Drew, 9
Lowell, 5
Varitek, 2
Crisp, 8
Pedroia, 4
Matsuzaka, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Weather update from Fenway Park

This advisory just came from the Red Sox:

The current weather forecast (provided by the Red Sox private weather service, Meteorlogix) in the vicinity of Fenway Park calls for intermittent light rain showers this afternoon.

The Fenway Park gates will open at the regularly scheduled time of 11:05 a.m. for today’s 1:05 p.m. game, and the Red Sox will do everything possible to make certain this afternoon’s game will be played. However, the Red Sox want to alert our fans to the current forecast and the possibility of delays for this afternoon.

This forecast is of course subject to change as the day progresses. There will be another weather update at approximately 11:00 a.m.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Braves players and the Green Monster

Numerous Atlanta Braves players just made their way from the clubhouse to the Green Monsters. With Interleague play beginning today at Fenway Park -- last night's game was postponed due to inclement weather -- this is the first trip to the storied ballpark for some National League players.

Players entered through the door in the scoreboard and they're getting an up-close-and-personal look inside the Monster. Some are even standing on the top step of the visitor's dugout taking pictures of the wall and the field.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 10:00 AM | Permalink

The tarp is on the field

Good morning baseball fans,

I arrived at Fenway about 30 minutes ago and the tarp was off and the grounds crew was working on the field. The crew just put the tarp back on its being anchored into the ground, which is not a good sign for the first game of today's scheduled day-night doubleheader. It's misting at Fenway, but there's no word yet on any delay.

As soon as more info becomes available I'll pass it along. . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:48 AM | Permalink

PawSox cancel their game, too; no makeup

PAWTUCKET -- Tonight's Pawtucket Red Sox game against Durham Bulls at McCoy Stadium has been canceled, the PawSox announced on their Web site.

It's the last meeting between the teams, so the game will not be made up, according to the announcement.

It's the fourth rain-out at home for the PawSox this season and the sixth overall this season.

Fans holding box-seat tickets or general admission tickets for tonight’s game can trade those in for any remaining regular-season game at McCoy, based on availabilty.

For fans holding B101 Radio and Bubel Aiken Fundraiser tickets, the raindate will be the 7:05 p.m. game on May 24 against the Syracuse Chiefs.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 6:37 PM | Permalink

Red Sox Notes

The Red Sox and Braves will try to play two Saturday at Fenway. Game 1 is set for 1:05. The nightcap is scheduled for 7:35. Rain is expected to threaten the start of the day game, at a minimum.
The two teams thought about playing one game Saturday and one Sunday and finding a spot in the schedule to make up the rain out. Player's Association rules that insist on a certain number of off days limited that option, however.
The Red Sox will start Diasuke Matsuzaka in the day game and he'll be opposed by Anthony Lerew. Dice K was slated to face Hall of Famer in waiting John Smoltz but the Braves will hold Smoltz back until the night game when he'll face fill-in starter Devern Hansack.
The extra day off will help the Sox heal a few bruises (like JD Drew's back) and get some time for the players who went 18 innings on Thursday (like Manny Ramirez). Ramirez wasn't in the lineup for Friday's game because he played two on Thursday. The plan now is for Drew to play once Saturday and try to come back on Sunday.
Terry Francona spoke about how much more comfortable he is with the pool of pitchers at Pawtucket who the Sox can call up at a moment's notice. That wasn't the case late last year when the Sox were searching the waiver wire for pitching help (Jason Johnson anyone?) in the heat of the summer.
The Sox are still expected to call up Kasson Gabbard for Sunday's series finale but no official word will come until Saturday, if not Sunday. The Braves have former Oakland ace Tim Hudson ready to throw Sunday.
That's it until tomorrow. Let's play two.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 4:33 PM | Permalink

Rain puts off game against Braves until tomorrow

The Red Sox game against the Atlanta Braves has been postponed.

The game will be made up tomorrow, weather-permitting, as part of a day-night double-header at 1:05 and 7:35 p.m.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 3:53 PM | Permalink

It's Pouring at Fenway; Game Still On

Welcome to beautiful Fenway Park for the start of inter-league baseball tonigth when the Red Sox entertain the Atlanta Braves.
Scratch that.
It's pouring here at Fenway - like it was in Providence an hour ago when Steve Krasner and myself left town. The Red Sox have NOT cancelled the game. Yet. It would be the shock of shocks if this one gets in but if you have tickets and can't wait to pay $40 to park, buy a few $7 beers and a $4 hot dog or three, the Sox would love to see you drive north this afternoon.
The weather geeks are predicting a 100% chance of rain from now until 2 a.m. But this Red Sox ownership regularly hangs in as long as possible before cancelling a game. As soon as it happens, we'll bring it to you on the blog.
Time to head for the clubhouse and count puddles along the way.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 3:22 PM | Permalink

Manny too discerning?

It was a mixed day yesterday for Manny Ramirez. In the opener, he collected two hits, driving in the Red Sox' first-inning run with a single and then adding a somewhat controversial single later in the game on a ball that a fan interfered with. In the second game, Ramirez went 0 for 4, striking out in his first 3 at-bats. The first two strikeouts were called third strikes from Chad Durbin. Ramirez, uncharacteristically, barked at home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman on the second called third strike.

According to The Boston Globe, Ramirez has been called out on strikes 18 times this season, after being called out 23 times all of last season. Certainly, Ramirez's struggles have nothing to do with his swinging at bad pitches. He ranks 12th in the American League in percentage of pitches taken, at 62.6 percent. That puts him right behind the famously patient Jason Giambi. Teammate Kevin Youkilis is ninth.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:51 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Video: Jerry Remy's air guitar bit

The Remdawg proves to be multi-talented in this pregame performance that NESN's cameras captured. (mlb.com)

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Projo SoxBlog with McAdam: Giambi not a good one to lecture

Sean McAdam is Art Martone's guest for today's version of Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file.

McAdam says that the Red Sox' remarkable double-header sweep shows how they are getting contributions from everyone -- even the Julian Tavarezes and Eric Hinskes on the roster. He's not too concerned about J.D. Drew missing time, and he thinks the indications on Josh Beckett coming back in a couple of weeks are good.

He also sounded off on Jason Giambi's comments in USA Today. Giambi more or less admitted to being a past user of steroids, and said the players and the owners should have apologized to fans long ago for widespread drug use.

Sean says the steroid era will be a dark chapter in the game's history, but he finds Giambi's statements hard to swallow. Here is, in part, what Sean had to say:

"I'm of mixed mind about it. Giambi has nuanced this thing to death ever since his testimony in the Balco case first became public record, issuing that vaguest of apologies a couple of years ago without quite clarifying what it was that he was apologizing about. And it's clear that the reason he was so careful in how he worded things was that he didn't want to have his contract voided, as was being threatened by the Yankees if he had ever used the 's' word, which could have been grounds for termination of his contract. Well, it seems to me that a guy who's so worried about whether his contract is going to be ratified, or invalidated, shouldn't be telling others what they should and should not be apologizing for."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:32 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Friday, May 18

IT'S ALL GOOD: Webster's definition of "You're going good": You win one game when your No. 5 starter pitches seven innings of four-hit, one-run ball against the defending league champions. You win another when your No. 1 starter somehow gives up only two runs despite allowing seven doubles, a home run, and four walks in six innings, and your third-string right fielder (right, Journal photo by Kris Craig) a) makes a catch for the ages and b) breaks a month-long slump with a game-winning home run.

Yes, Mr. Webster, the Red Sox are going good.

Eric Hinske was the star of the nightcap, as he first saved Curt Schilling's bacon with what Steven Krasner described as a ''sensational, face-first, head-banging diving catch on the hard-packed dirt of the warning track in the right-field corner,'' and then hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Sox a 4-2 win over the Tigers. Julian Tavarez took the No. 1 star in the opener as he stifled Detroit and, with late help from Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon, nailed down a 2-1 victory. (All stories projo.com)

The result? A 9 1/2-game lead in the American League East. Yankee fans like our good friend Lou DiLullo will tell you they're not worried (yankeetradition.com), and at this time of year -- mid-May, more than 120 games left -- I'd usually agree with them. But there comes a point where this stops being a hot streak and starts being a sign of the way things are. (On the Joy of Sox blog, Allan Wood has a message for the Yankees.) I don't know if we're there yet . . . but I don't know if we're not, either.

BREAKS OF THE GAME: You need things to go your way in baseball, and Steven Krasner points out in Inside The Game that the wind was Curt Schilling's friend last night. (projo.com) Schilling needed all the friends he could get, calling last night ''as weird and as frustrating as any game I’ve thrown in the last four years'' in his detailed breakdown on 38pitches.com.

SCHILLING'S NOT THE ONLY ONE: The Tigers' Curtis Granderson also has his own blog, and in his latest entry he talks about the difficulty in trying to hit Tim Wakefield and why some fans -- in Boston, but also elsewhere -- confuse him. (espn.com)

LOOKING AHEAD: The Sox placed Josh Beckett on the disabled list after last night's game, and -- as we reported in mid-afternoon yesterday on this very blog -- recalled Devern Hansack to pitch tonight against Atlanta. Beckett was placed on the DL retroactive to last Monday so he'll be eligible to be reactivated on Tuesday, May 29, and Terry Francona said last night that Beckett will pitch that night against the Indians. If all goes according to plan, Beckett will only miss two starts: tonight, and Wednesday in New York against the Yankees. The Sox also need a starter for this Sunday, and, as Kevin McNamara reported in his PawSox game story, all signs point to Kason Gabbard. (This, of course, is contrary to the conventional wisdom of yesterday morning, when it was thought Gabbard would start tonight.) If it all sounds convoluted, it's because Wednesday's rainout forced a juggling of the rotation; the Sox pushed Tim Wakefield back a day and will start him Monday in New York to avoid having to use Hansack and Gabbard in two of the three games at Yankee Stadium next week. Of course, more rain is on the way this weekend and that may force even more changes, so stay tuned.

LOOKING WAY AHEAD: Bud Selig was in Boston yesterday and laid out his vision for the future of major league baseball. (projo.com) He didn't lay out his plans for honoring Barry Bonds when Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home-run record; he has steadfastly refused to address the subject, and he steadfastly refused -- though in a polite way -- again last night.

I'M SORRY, SO SORRY: Another subject Selig has skirted over the years is steroid use. But in an interview with USA Today, Jason Giambi says baseball should have apologized years ago for its widespread drug problem, and -- for the first time, I believe -- admitted publicly that he was a user, saying, ''I was wrong for doing that stuff.'' The New York Daily News has more.

YOU LIKE ME! YOU REALLY LIKE ME! Seth Mnookin reports that lots of people liked the 2004 Red Sox. (sethmnookin.com)

YOU DON'T LIKE ME! YOU REALLY DON'T LIKE ME! Oh, ESPN's Scoop Jackson says he likes Roger Clemens. But in the same piece he also calls The Rocket a self-absorbed, beyond-arrogant, bigger-than-the-game, I-have-no-respect-or-honor-for-the-concept-of-team, I-only-pitch-when-I-feel-like-it, any-team-should-feel-blessed-to-have-me, Randy-Johnson-will-never-be-on-my-level, the-world-revolves-around-me, kiss-the-ground-I walk-on, worship-who-I-am-because-I-am-the-me-myself-and-I-in-MLB pimp.

Whew.

WORTH THE MONEY: Slate's Jordan Ellenberg says Clemens might be worth every penny the Yankees are spending on him.

OR NOT: The Village Voice's Allan Barra says it doesn't matter whether or not signing Clemens for $28 million makes economic sense, because, when push comes to shove, George Steinbrenner's ''aim doesn't fit into any economic model: All he cares about is winning.''

THE DEBATE CONTINUES: But this time, it's a Yankee player -- Kyle Farnsworth -- admitting publicly that he's not crazy about the Yanks allowing Clemens to come and go as he pleases. (New York Daily News)

MEANWHILE . . . The Yankees are floundering and now face six straight games with the Mets and Red Sox. Some of them think that might be the way out of their funk. (New York Post)

ANY YANKEE FAN WILL TELL YOU . . . that God roots for the boys from the Bronx. (Except, maybe, in 2004.) The blog ShysterBall offers up proof.

NEW LINE OF DEFENSE: WFAN's Sweeny Murti uses Derek Jeter's considerable offensive skills to justify his defensive ones. (wfan.com)

WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY UP HERE: When the Yankees were struggling, they fired their strength-and-conditioning coach. When the Blue Jays were struggling, they extended the contract of theirs. (yahoo.com)

GOOD RIDDANCE: Cubs broadcaster (and ex-third baseman) Ron Santo won't be shedding any tears when the wrecking ball takes down Shea Stadium. (Chicago Tribune)

GET READY: The Baseball Network is on its way. (Washington Post)

TIME TO MOVE ON? If the St. Petersburg Times' Gary Shelton is any indication, the locals in Tampa are ready to part with the oft-injured Rocco Baldelli.

OLD FRIENDS: Angels manager Mike Scioscia isn't giving up on Shea Hillenbrand despite Hillenbrand's offensive struggles (Riverside Press-Enterprise) . . . Ramon Vazquez is in . . . Todd Walker is out . . . So is Donnie Sadler (Arizona Republic) . . . Justin Duchscherer is hurting (mlb.com) . . . Tom Gordon is recovering (Philadelphia Inquirer).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:53 AM | Permalink

Lineups for tonight's Sox-Tigers matchup

Tonight's lineups:
Detroit Tigers
Curtis Granderson, cf
Placido Polanco, 2b
Gary Sheffield, DH
Magglio Ordonez, rf
Carlos Guillen, ss
Sean Casey, 1b
Marcus Thames, lf
Mike Rabelo, c
Brandon Inge, 3b

Starting pitcher: Chad Durbin (3-1, 5.08)

Boston Red Sox J
Coco Crisp, cf
Alex Cora, ss
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Manny Ramirez, DH
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jason Varitek, c
Eric Hinske, rf
Wily Mo Pena, lf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b

Starting pitcher: Curt Schilling (4-1, 3.63)

Note: Although Francona said following the first game that J.D. Drew was going to try to play in the nightcap, he must not have liked what he saw when the outfielder went down to the cage to loosen up this afternoon.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 6:26 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Drew, Pena in; Ortiz out for nightcap with Tigers

Sox manager Terry Francona says outfielder J.D. Drew is going to try to play in tonight’s game. Francona did not play Drew in the opener to give him more time to recover after slamming into the wall in front of the Sox bullpen while tracking a ball on Tuesday.

``We’re going to try,'' Francona said. ``It’s not the perfect conditions with the weather, but he wants to try to play. We’re going to let him go down to the cage and loosen up and see. And I might go down there with him. I want to see how he’s doing, but he wants to play. So we’ll see.’’

Francona also said that Wily Mo Pena is going to play left field, so that Manny Ramirez can take David Ortiz' place in the DH spot.

``(Ortiz) probably shouldn’t have played today,'' Francona said. ``He was sick and he said, `I was this close to calling you this morning, but I know it’s a double header.’ So we’re going to let him kind of gather himself a little bit here later today.’’

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 5:29 PM to Thornton | Permalink

More highlights from today's opener

A few more tidbits about today's 2-1 win:

* With his sixth-inning single, Mike Lowell extended his hitting streak to eight games. He has gone 12-for-30 during that stretch with a double, three homers and nine RBI, five runs and four walks. Lowell has had at least one hit in 31 of his 37 games this season.

* More on Kevin Youkilis' career-high 10-game hitting streak: He has recorded at least two hits in 8 of those 10 games and is hitting .476 (20-for-42) during that stretch with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 8 runs and 2 walks.

* Including today's win, Boston is 7-3 in one-run games.

* Boston has played 42 day-night doubleheaders at Fenway since 1970, winning both games 14 times, losing both games 8 times and splitting the other 20.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 5:04 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Okajima, Papelbon provide welcome relief

The Red Sox' 2-1 win over Detroit in today's opener was clinched by two solid relief efforts.

Taking over for starter Julian Tavarez in the eighth, Hideki Okajima forced the Tigers' Placido Polanco to fly out to right, struck out Gary Sheffield and got clean-up hitter Magglio Ordonez to pop up to first.

In so doing, Okajima extended his scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings over his last 18 outings. Recording nearly half of his 45 outs with strikeouts, he has retired 53 of the last 62 batters he has faced and boasts an ERA of 0.46.

Making his first save appearance since May 6 at Minnesota, Papelbon struck out Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez, then got Sean Casey to ground out to short en route to his 11th save. He has pitched four shutout innings with three saves in his last four appearances, blowing his only save on May 1 against Oakland.

``It's so nice to be able to get to the eighth and feel like regardless of what the score is, you're going to win,'' said Sox skipper Terry Francona. ``It doesn't necessarily always work out that way, but we should have a lot of confidence in the way those guys are throwing. I know our team does. I know they do. Okajima throws strikes and it doesn't matter if he's facing a lefty or righty, he's equally as tough.''

``No panic with Pap,'' added Tavarez.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 4:35 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Tavarez ready to deliver, 24-7

You can push his starts up or back. You can tell him he’s pitching at noon, 7 o’clock at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Julian Tavarez will assure you that he’s ready to go.

``I grew up playing ball,’’ Tavarez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, said after pitching the Sox to a 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers this afternoon. ``I never went to school in my life, not even one day. The only thing I did was play ball in the street, and that’s the only thing I know how to do. To me, everything is mental. My mind is always ready for anything. To me, nothing bothers me. I’m always like, ``I’m ready. I’m ready to play.’’ It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 in the morning. Let’s start the game. It’s the only thing I know how to do is play ball. I work really hard in the weight room and running and come early to the ballpark, but there’s only one thing that’s in my mind. If you think, `It’s only three days rest. I’m not strong enough to go out there,’’ just don’t go out and pitch because you’re not going to last long on the mound. To me, it’s like, `I’m ready.’ I’m fine, no pain in my body I’m fine. I’m going to go out there and give it my best.’’

Working a season-high seven innings, Tavarez gave up one run on four hits, walking four and striking out three.

After throwing fewer than 100 pitches in each of his previous 12 starts, he tossed 104 pitches today - his most since throwing 106 in a start on Aug. 30, 2002 against Pittsburgh when he was with Florida.

Sox manager Terry Francona on Tavarez' performance today: ``A couple of times, he pitched himself into a bind by getting ahead of the hitter and then walking. It's so nice to see him be able to dial up, making a pitch. After doing that, once to (Gary Sheffield), you see the way the inning is going so many times when you walk people to get to that situation and make a bad pitch and all of a sudden, it's a multi-run inning. Then he gathered himself and went out and was really good in six and seven.''

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 4:20 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Hansack, not Gabbard, may start Friday

According to a source, the Red Sox may call on Devern Hansack -- not Kason Gabbard, as has been widely speculated -- to start Friday night's game against the Braves.

Gabbard may start Sunday, a day for which the Sox also have no starting pitcher listed.

We'll have more details as they become available.

Posted by Art Martone  at 3:04 PM | Permalink

Tavarez hurls Boston to 2-1 win over Tigers

Buoyed by a solid performance by right-hander Julian Tavarez (right, AP Photo), Boston strengthened its hold on the A.L. East and took a 2-1 lead in its four-game series with Detroit, defeating the Tigers, 2-1, this afternoon, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Tavarez improved to 2-4, scattering four hits over seven innings. The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Coco Crisp avoided the tag on Tigers short stop Carlos Guillen's attempt to turn a double play on a David Ortiz grounder. Seeing third base unattended because of the shift Detroit had on Ortiz, Crisp capitalized on the opportunity to take an extra base. The speedy outfielder then scored on a Manny Ramirez liner to center. Julio Lugo reached base in the third when Guillen misplayed his hard grounder, advanced on a walk to Ortiz and scored on Kevin Youkilis' RBI single to right to make it 2-0. Craig Monroe got one run back for the Tigers in the fifth when he walked and later scored on an RBI single by Placido Polanco. But Tavarez pitched two more scoreless innings and Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon took it from there with each pitching a scoreless inning of relief to secure the win for Boston.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 3:00 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Stellar start for Tavarez

Lefty Hideki Okajima has just relieved Julian Tavarez in the top of the eighth.

Tavarez leaves the game with a 2-1 lead having given up four hits over seven innings in a stellar start. The right-hander threw 104 pitches, 60 of them for strikes, recording three strikeouts and walking four.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 2:53 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Dustin and Kelli Pedroia to kick off skin cancer awareness campaign

Tomorrow, Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia and his wife Kelli will help the Sox and the American Academy of Dermatology kick off its 2007 Play Smart When It Comes To The Sun program, a public education campaign to raise awareness about skin cancer detection and prevention. (Kelli Pedroia is a survivor of melanoma.)

The campaign, being held in conjunction with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, aims to make people aware that skin cancer affects 1 in 5 Americans with more than 1 million new cases being diagnosed each year. More than 108, 230 of those cases turn out to be melanoma, a cancer that claims 8,110 lives each year.

It will also be pointed out through the program that the baseball community should be particularly mindful of the potentially life-threatening condition and ways to protect against it, given the countless hours that players and fans alike spend in the mid-day sun.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 2:39 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Sox kick off Interleague Play tomorrow against Braves

With the 11th season of Interleague Play between the American League and National League kicking off tomorrow, the Red Sox will close their 10-game homestand wit a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves.

American League East clubs will primarily play against the National League West, while the N.L. Central teams will face the A.L. West and N.L. East clubs will match up against the A.L. Central.

The Sox and Minnesota Twins boasted the best records in Interleague Play last season, with both posting 16-2 marks. They were followed by the Detroit Tigers (15-3), Chicago White Sox (14-4), Seattle Mariners (14-4) and Colorado Rockies (11-4).

At 103-73, the New York Yankees own the best record since the inception of Interleague Play in 1997. Among N.L. Clubs, the Florida Marlins have the best overall mark at 96-72.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 2:33 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Youkilis still hot at the plate

Kevin Youkilis just hit an RBI single to right that drove in Julio Lugo and gives the Sox a 2-0 lead over Baltimore in the third inning.

Now 2-for-2 today, he came into the game having hit safely in nine straight and 18 of his last 19 games. His .333 average coming in ranks him sixth in the American League. Youkilis leads A.L. first basemen in average, hits and on-base percentage.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 1:38 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Streaks and milestones

When Manny Ramirez lined a single to center, driving in Cocoa Crisp from third in the first inning, the Sox slugger brought his RBI total to 1,541, moving him past Willie Stargell for sole possession of 38th place on the all-time list.

With his single to center in the first inning, Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 12:48 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Two nuns walk into a ballpark

Terry Francona found out earlier this week that divine intervention doesn't come cheap: Spotting two nuns sitting in the stands for Sunday's Boston-Baltimore game, the Sox manager threw a ball to one of them and said, ``We need a win tonight,'' to which she replied, ``There's another nun here.'' Francona tossed another ball over and asked, ``Is that two wins?'' Her answer: ``If you sign the balls.'' ``It turned into a 20-minute thing, but we won the game,'' Francona said of the Sox' 6-5 comeback over the Orioles.

(Note: The two nuns above, in a photo taken at Fenway Park by the Journal's Bob Breidenbach on May 2, weren't the nuns in question. But, hey, they could have been.)

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 12:37 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Sox switch up rotation

Sox skipper Terry Francona announced some changes to the pitching rotation.
This is how he plans to go:

This afternoon against the Tigers: Julian Tavarez

Tonight against the Tigers: Curt Schilling

Tomorrow against Atlanta Braves: TBA, although it is likely Boston will call up Kason Gabbard from Pawtucket to replace Josh Beckett who tore the skin off the top of the middle finger of his throwing hand.

Saturday against Atlanta Braves: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Sunday against Atlanta Braves: TBA, since Francona decided to give Tim Wakefield an extra day

Monday against New York Yankees: Tim Wakefield

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 11:35 AM to Thornton | Permalink

Notes and lineups for today's Sox-Tigers opener

Good morning!

Today's lineups:
Detroit Tigers
Curtis Granderson, cf
Placido Polanco, 2b
Gary Sheffield, DH
Magglio Ordonez, rf
Carlos Guillen, ss
Ivan Rodriguez, c
Sean Casey, 1b
Craig Monroe, lf
Brandon Inge, 3b
Starting pitcher: Zach Miner (first appearance)

Boston Red Sox J
Julio Lugo, ss
Coco Crisp, cf
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, lf
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Mike Lowell, 3b
Eric Hinske, rf
Doug Mirabelli, c
Alex Cora, 2b
Starting pitcher: Julian Tavarez (1-4, 6.60)

Notes:
* Mike Maroth was orginally tabbed to pitch for Detroit, but was scratched because of illness.
* Wily Mo Pena was going to play right field last night in place of J.D. Drew, in part because Drew was still recovering from running into the wall in front of the Sox' bullpen and in part because Maroth is a lefty.
Sox manager Terry Francona still decided to give Drew the game off even though Zach Miner is a right-hander, but now Eric Hinske is playing right.
Francona did not say whether Drew will play the nightcap.
* Dustin Pedroia was slated to play second last night, but has been replaced in the lineup by Alex Cora.
* Doug Mirabelli is behind the plate for this one instead of Jason Varitek.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 11:22 AM to Thornton | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Hello, Kason Gabbard

Sean McAdam is Art Martone's guest on today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. McAdam discusses what appears to be the imminent call-up of Kason Gabbard (below) to take Josh Beckett's scheduled start tomorrow against Atlanta. Click here to listen to the full audio file.

Here's some of what Sean had to say: "Certainly all signs point to Gabbard. He was limited to five innings in his last start [on Monday]. He'd be going on somewhat short rest, but I think all they'd be looking for tomorrow night given the circumstances would be five or six innings. And I would expect that the roster move to correspond to make room -- assuming that they don't decide to put Beckett on the DL, and I don't think they want to do that just yet because it would take him out of at least one more start -- is they would return Javy Lopez to Pawtucket. He's this year's yo-yo guy, because he is not out of optoins and can be moved back and forth at will. So my guess is that Lopez goes down for a couple of guys and Gabbard comes up, and then they flip flop them."

Sean also discusses why he thinks it is unlikely that Wily Mo Pena becomes the regular right fielder, even if J.D. Drew ends up being out longer than expected.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:17 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Maroth scratched from start

The Detroit Tigers have changed their starter for the first game of today's double-header at Fenway Park. With Mike Maroth reportedly suffering from the flu, Zach Miner will make his first start of the season. The Sox will still go with Julian Tavarez.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:08 AM | Permalink

Manny the cat

ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski today takes snippets of major-league scouting reports written about current stars back when they were in high school or college, and asks readers to match the quote with the player it was intended to describe. At the risk of ruining the quiz, three of them are about Ramirez:

"Looks lackadaisical at times, but don't let it fool you -- he can play! I don't feel he realizes his baseball potential. He works hard. Only player between games taking ground balls. A good one!"

"This boy may be best free-agent hitter I've seen. Compact swing, super bat speed, drives every ball."

and, most surprisingly:

"Cat-like in outfield."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:47 AM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Red Sox sign Michael Tucker

The Red Sox have signed 35-year-old journeyman outfielder Michael Tucker to a minor-league contract, and assigned him to Pawtucket.

Tucker fills the roster spot vacated by Alex Ochoa, who was released after yesterday's PawSox win.

Tucker was in the Mets organization last year, spending most of his time at Triple A Norfolk. In addition to the Mets, he has played in the big leagues with the Royals, the Braves, the Reds, the Cubs, the Giants and the Phillies over a 12-year big league career.

He is a .256 career hitter; his best season came with Atlanta in 1997, when he hit .283 with 14 home runs and 12 stolen bases.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:04 AM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 17

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, nine-game hitting streak, going 18 for 38 (.474) with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, eight runs and two walks
-Mike Lowell, seven-game hitting streak, going 11 for 27 (.407) with a double, three home runs, nine RBI, five runs and four walks
-Jason Varitek, 14 for his last 35 (.400) with three doubles, a home run, seven RBI, 11 runs and eight walks
-Alex Cora, 20 for his last 47 (.426); Red Sox are 11-1 in games he starts

Who's Not
-Coco Crisp, 9 for his last 45 (.200)
-Manny Ramirez, 2 for his last 12
-Doug Mirabelli, 1 for his last 14 (.071)

Tigers vs. Julian Tavarez
-Ivan Rodriguez, 7 for 15 (.467)
-Sean Casey, 6 for 17 (.353), 1 HR
-Gary Sheffield, 7 for 21 (.333)
-Placido Polanco, 4 for 12 (.333)
-Magglio Ordonez, 1 for 7 (.143), 1 HR
-Carlos Guillen, 0 for 1
-Neifi Perez, 0 for 5

Red Sox vs. Mike Maroth
-Jason Varitek, 10 for 16 (.625), 3 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 8 for 18 (.444)
-Julio Lugo, 4 for 11 (.364)
-Doug Mirabelli, 2 for 7 (.286), 2 HR
-Eric Hinske, 4 for 17 (.235), 1 HR
-Coco Crisp, 5 for 25 (.200)
-David Ortiz, 1 for 9 (.111)
-Kevin Youkilis, 0 for 2
-J.D. Drew, 0 for 3

Tigers vs. Curt Schilling
-Sean Casey, 6 for 16 (.375)
-Carlos Guillen, 2 for 6 (.333)
-Craig Monroe, 2 for 6 (.333)
-Omar Infante, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Ivan Rodriguez, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Marcus Thames, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Placido Polanco, 7 for 24 (.292)
-Magglio Ordonez, 2 for 7 (.286)
-Gary Sheffield, 14 for 66 (.212), 2 HR
-Neifi Perez, 5 for 25 (.200)
-Curtis Granderson, 1 for 8 (.125)
-Brandon Inge, 1 for 9 (.111)

Red Sox vs. Chad Durbin
-Julio Lugo, 1 for 1 (1.000)
-J.D. Drew, 2 for 4 (.500)
-Manny Ramirez, 1 for 2 (.500), 1 HR
-Jason Varitek, 1 for 3 (.333)
-David Ortiz, 0 for 3
-Eric Hinske, 0 for 6

More Stuff
-The Tigers have the major leagues' best record this month, at 10-3. The Red Sox are second at 10-4.
-This is the fifth time in Red Sox team history that they have won at least 26 of their first 38 games.
-Since 1970, the Red Sox have played 42 day-night double-headers at Fenway Park. They have swept 14 of them, split 20 of them, and have been swept on 8 occasions.
-The Red Sox' 3.17 E.R.A. is second-best in the American League (after Oakland) and the team's best after 37 games since 2001.
-The Sox are batting .321 as a team over the last eight games. Their team batting average for the season (.280) is second only to the Mets' in the major leagues.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:45 AM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Baseball Today: Thursday, May 17

No lack of rainy-night material . . .

PUT ME IN, COACH: On a night when rain -- Journal photo, above, by Kris Craig -- prevented anyone from playing, the stories were about two guys who can't wait to get back on the field. Jon Lester is chomping at the bit to pitch, and he'll get his chance Saturday at Ottawa in a 50- to 55-pitch outing for the PawSox. In his own way, Jonathan Papelbon is also chomping at the bit to pitch, but his relative inactivity is purely circumstantial. (All stories projo.com)

TAKE ME OUT, COACH: J.D. Drew wouldn't have played last night, anyway, and we'll see if he's in the lineup in this afternoon's first game against left-hander Mike Maroth. (projo.com) Terry Francona, however, says he doesn't think Drew's back bruise, suffered when he lost a battle to the right-field wall, is serious.

WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE A BALLGAME EARLY? Because you'll miss the Mother of All Comebacks and spoil your family's Mother Day present to you. (projo.com)

LIST NUMBER ONE: Don't know whether this is good or bad, but the Red Sox have two players -- Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield -- in Jon Heyman's list of Top 10 players who are 40 or older in major league baseball. (si.com)

LIST NUMBER TWO: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Daisuke Matsuzaka was the fourth-best free-agent pitching signing of the offseason. Among those ahead of him: Gil Meche and Jeff Suppan.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: Imagine what life would have been like around here had the Sox completed one of those rumored Manny Ramirez-to-the-Mets trades that included Lastings Milledge. (New York Daily News) But Milledge might not be the Mets' biggest problem, not with what appears to be evidence of widespread steroid use in their organization. (New York Daily News)

SPEAKING OF STEROIDS . . . In a wide-ranging USA Today feature on Ichiro Suzuki, a very interesting quote from Ichiro was buried near the end of the story, with no followup: ''When you take steroids, it's not as if wings grow out of your back, and you start flying all over the place and stealing home runs (from hitters). The word 'cheating' doesn't apply for me regarding steroids."

It doesn't?

Hmm.

ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE . . . Pedro Martinez plans to be on hand when the Mets play the Yankees this weekend. (New York Daily News)

WHERE'D YOU HEAR THAT? The Chicago Tribune's Dave van Dyck writes that Joe Torre is on his way out as Yankee manager, to be replaced by Joe Girardi.

ONE OF US: Rick Morrissey sounds like a true New Englander, doesn't he? (Chicago Tribune)

ENOUGH OF THIS: If the Yankees were cruising along, Wil Nieves' offensive ineptitude would be a source of amusement, especially since Jorge Posada is hitting like he never hit before. But they're not, so the Yankees apparently are trying to get Jose Molina from the Angels. (New York Daily News)

UH OH: When asked by announcer Gary Thorne to comment on manager Sam Perlozzo, Orioles executive vice-president Mike Flanagan said he didn't think it was appropriate to comment on Perlozzo's day-to-day status. (Baltimore Sun)

EIGHT POINT PLAN: A week ago, the Tao of Steib blog listed eight ways for the Blue Jays to salvage their season. (Sorry, you can't have Ken Macha. He's been a great analyst for NESN.) But now the Tao has decided that the blog is going to be a happy place.

LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli is likley headed to the disabled list. (Tampa Tribune)

OLD FRIENDS: It's time for the Indians to make a decision on Andy Marte (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . David Riske got the save last night in Kansas City, and is doing what he can to keep the closer's job until Octovio Dotel returns (Kansas City Star) . . . Bronson Arroyo's pitching as well as he did last year, but the results haven't been the same (Cincinnati Post) . . . Casey Fossum, on the other hand, is stinking it up in Tampa Bay, yet the Rays were able to pull out a victory in spite of him (Tampa Tribune) . . . Trot Nixon drove in three more runs last night for the Indians (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . Kevin Millar is hitting again, though that's one of the few good things happening right now in Baltimore (Baltimore Sun) . . . Tomo Ohka is headed to the bullpen in Toronto (Toronto Sun).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:57 AM | Permalink

Game officially postponed

It was just announced that tonight's game between the Red Sox and Tigers has been postponed because of the heavy rains and inclement weather.

The game will be made up tomorrow as part of a day-night doubleheader. The first game will begin at 12:35 p.m., and tickets for tonight's game will be honored for the game. Gates will open at 10:35 a.m. at Fenway Park.

The pitching matchup for tomorrow's matinee remains the same as it was supposed to be tonight: Boston's Julian Tavarez will oppose Detroit's Mike Maroth.

The evening game, which remains at 7:05 p.m., will also feature the same pitching matchup as scheduled, with Curt Schilling opposing the Tigers' Chad Durbin.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

The rain has returned

A heavy rain has set in at Fenway Park, and things aren't looking good for tonight's game.

Though there was an earlier storm and the skies did brighten, apparently there was a second, stronger wave of clouds behind the first and that's what we're looking at now. And now there's the added bonus of thunder and lightning.

Glancing at the radar map on weather.com, the rain is covering nearly all of Massachusetts right now, and there's even heavier stuff near Worcester that's headed this way.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 6:29 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineups

BOSTON (26-12)

Lugo, SS
Crisp, CF
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Youkilis, 1B
Lowell, 3B
Varitek, C
Pena, RF
Pedroia, 2B

SP: Tavarez

DETROIT (24-14)
Granderson, CF
Polanco, 2B
Sheffield, DH
Ordonez, RF
Guillen, SS
Rodriguez, C
Casey, 1B
Monroe, LF
Inge, 3B

SP: Maroth

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:49 PM | Permalink

Beckett to miss Friday start

Terry Francona just announced that Josh Beckett will indeed miss his next scheduled start, on Friday, because of the avulsion on his right middle finger.

But there is no roster move to report, so at this point the team is not placing the ace on the disabled list.

Who the starter will be is unknown at this point -- Francona said it will not be Kyle Snyder, since he is both not stretched out enough and "we like him in his role." An as-yet-unnamed player will be called up from Pawtucket to make the start.

"Josh is doing very well, it's just not a mistake we want to make" by sending him out too early, Francona said. "Missing him for a start is not that nice, so to multiply" the number of starts he'd potentially miss would be worse.

When asked if Beckett would be back on the mound the next time his spot in the rotation came up, next Wednesday, Francona said, "We're 'til Friday. That's where we're stopping the media information."

Also from Francona's pre-game chat:

* Jon Lester threw a side session today and faced three hitters in a simulated situation. He will go to Ottawa to meet up with the PawSox this weekend and throw 50 to 55 pitches. "And he must be feeling good because he really fought us on that. He wanted to throw 100," Francona said.

Lester was close to making his return after being diagnosed with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma last August, but he experienced tightness in his left forearm during his second rehab start with Pawtucket on May 2.

* J.D. Drew will not start tonight, with Wily Mo Pena getting the nod in right field instead. When he woke up this morning, Francona said, Drew didn't feel like he had hit a wall -- which he did, last night trying to catch a Brandon Inge home run -- and when he arrived at the ballpark, he didn't feel any worse than he did last night when he left the game after the seventh inning.

* Mike Timlin, recovering from tendinitis, played catch today and did fine. He will have a down day as far as the team's throwing program for him tomorrow, though Francona said he can play catch again if he'd like.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:34 PM | Permalink

The sky, it has brightened

Though the tarp is still on the field, it has stopped raining and it looks like there will be baseball game played here tonight at Fenway.

Whether or not it starts at 7:05 p.m. is another story.

But the sky is definitely brighter -- the Citgo sign has turned off; it had come on when it got so dark -- and it looks more like it should at 4:30 on a May afternoon.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 4:31 PM | Permalink

The tarp is on the field

The grounds crew here at Fenway Park just pulled the tarp onto the field, and the sky here in Boston has quickly turned an ominous black.

In the words of a member of the park's security staff: "This does not look good."

Despite the major threat of storms -- on our way here, WBZ said there is a line of storms coming in quickly across Massachusetts -- Curt Schilling and a player we think is Josh Beckett (but we can't be sure from this distance, even with binoculars) are on the field playing catch.

The rain has started, though there are is no thunder or lightning just yet.

We'll be back with an update soon.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 3:28 PM | Permalink

PawSox win, 7-4

The PawSox beat Durham, 7-4, today at mcCoy Stadium. It was their fourth win in a row and fifth in the last six tries.
The PawSox fell behind 4-0 after three innings but battled back behind the home run ball and solid relief pitching by Manny Delcarmen, Bryan Corey and Mike Burns. Kevin Cash hit a 2-run homer in the fifth inning and a 2-run single by Brandon Moss gave the Sox a 6-4 lead. A Chad Spann solo homer made it 7-4 in the sixth inning. Perfect relief pitching over the final four innings preserved the win.
The Sox and Bulls play again Thursday night at McCoy.

Posted by Kevin  at 2:55 PM | Permalink

PawSox tack on another

The PawSox extended their lead to 7-4 on a Chad Spann home run in the sixth inning. The homer was Pawtucket's second of the day (Kevin Cash).

Posted by Kevin  at 2:14 PM | Permalink

PawSox Alive and Kickin'

The PawSox just scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead over the Durham Bulls, 6-4.
Kevin Cash hit a 2-run homer and Brandon Moss singled in two more runs to help the Sox rally from a 4-0 deficit.
It's 6-4 PawSox in the sixth. Manny Delcarmen is on the mound.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 1:52 PM | Permalink

PawSox on the board

The PawSox scored their first run in the fourth inning on a RBI single by David Murphy. They trail Durham after 4 innings, 4-1.

Posted by Kevin  at 1:28 PM | Permalink

PawSox trailing early

The PawSox are hosting the Durham Bulls on a beautiful spring day at McCoy Stadium. Abe Alvarez is on the mound and trailing, 1-0, after his second pitch of the game was knocked over the left field wall by Ben Zorbrist.
Things turned uglier in the third inning when the Bulls got two men on base and Shawn Riggans hit a fly ball to left that carried over the fence for a homer and a 4-0 lead.
So it's 4-0 after two and a half innings..

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 12:40 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk: Alvarez pitching for his future

Today's guest on Projo SoxTalk is Kevin McNamara, who has been at Fenway the past two nights, and is now at McCoy Stadium to watch the Pawtucket Red Sox. Click here to listen to the full audio file. McNamara discusses the Red Sox-Tigers series and looks ahead to today's PawSox matinee with the Durham Bulls, which you can follow on this blog.

Here's what he had to say about the topics of the day.

On today's Pawtucket starter, Abe Alvarez (above, Journal photo by Gretchen Ertl): "He has really struggled for the last year and a half -- most of the heat of the summer last year he struggled as well. I think three years ago he had made that spot start, as I'm sure you remember, up at Fenway, and it hasn't really clicked for Abe. I can see this as a really important year for him. I don't know if he has many more years in Triple A, with this organization anyway, if he doesn't start to turn things around."

On last night's Verlander-Wakefield matchup: "[Verlander] had everything working. He was easily above 95 with the majority of his fastballs. He even hit 100 on the Fenway gun a few times, and you don't see that every day. Wakefield -- you know, I think it was a typical Tim Wakefield performance. It's not usual that he's going to go 7-8 innings without one choppy spot, and he did have that last night. And when Brendan Donnelly came in, he didn't help him at all. He certainly could have limited the damage a little bit, but that didnt happen."

On Josh Beckett: "I'd be surprised if they don't say something tonight, only because you can only keep these things hidden for so long. Either Beckett is going to continue his preparation to make his start, which I think is doubtful -- it doesn't make much sense to me for him not to miss at least one start, I mean, what's the big deal. Obviously things are going very well for the ballclub, and they play a team they're very unfamiliar with in the Atlanta Braves, so what's the hurry. And it's funny, Kyle Snyder came in and pitched last night, looked good, and if they're not going to make a move, he certainly looms as the chief candidate to make that start [on Friday]."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:45 AM to Martone | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 16

Around the baseball world in 10 minutes . . .

RETURNING THE FAVOR: Jim Leyland calls the Red Sox ''one of the best teams in baseball,'' but adds, ''hopefully, they're feeling the same way about us.'' They probably are after Justin Verlander (above left) shut them down and the Tiger offense scored seven runs on Tim Wakefield and the Sox bullpen in a 7-2 victory last night. (projo.com) Verlander was just what the doctor ordered for the Tigers (Detroit News), as was Magglio Ordonez (above right), who had the big blow, a three-run homer in the third inning that broke a 1-1 tie. Not that that's anything new; Steven Krasner points out in Inside The Game that Mags owns Wakefield.

UH OH: The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says ''The only thing that can hurt the 2007 Red Sox, we all agree, is injuries. And now guys are starting to get injured.'' J.D. Drew, who hurt his lower back crashing into the bullpen wall while trying to catch Brandon Inge's home run (right) is the latest.

GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME: So the Sox say about one of their walking wounded, Josh Beckett (projo.com). But it's still not clear whether he'll be able to make his scheduled start on Friday.

IBID: John Smoltz, scheduled to start Saturday for the Braves against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, is also feeling better, but he, too, doesn't know if he'll be able to saddle up. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution blog)

THANK YOU: Gary Sheffield is getting booed by the Fenway crowds, but considers it a badge of honor. ''They know their sports here,'' he said. (Detroit Free Press)

GET OUT YOUR POM-POMS, BOYS: Allan Wood is disgusted by the juvenile cheerleading coming out of the Tigers' television booth. (joyofsox.blogspot.com) Still, I can't believe they're any worse than the Hawk . . . who, hard as it may be for anyone under the age of 40 to believe, was one of the best, most objective and analytical announcers I've ever heard when he worked for the Red Sox.

I'M NOT GETTING IN YOUR SANDBOX: Barry Bonds says he doesn't have time to engage in ''childish activities,'' so therefore he has no response to Curt Schilling's recent a) criticisms of, and b) apology to, Bonds. (San Francisco Chronicle)

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THIS . . . The Astros' Lance Berkman damns Bonds with some very faint praise in an attempt to defend him. (Houston Chronicle)

THE SPEED OF ROCKET: Roger Clemens' comeback is progressing so quickly that he may make his Yankee debut as early as May 28. (New York Post) If you want to see for yourself just how well it's going, you'll get the chance; ESPN will broadcast his start for Class A Tampa on Friday night. (New York Post) Clemens, meanwhile has cut ties with his controversial trainer. (New York Daily News)

CH-CH-CHANGES: On a rainy night in Chicago, Joe Torre tinkered with his lineup. (New York Daily News)

GARBO SPEAKS! After a winter and spring of silence, ex-Yankee Bernie Williams will emerge in public this weekend to deliver the commencement address for Iona College's graduation ceremony at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. (Newsday) Williams also will receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters.

IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK . . . The slump-ridden Rocco Baldelli now has a bad hamstring to worry about, as well. (St. Petersburg Times)

OLD FRIENDS: Alan Embree flubbed his first shot at replacing Huston Street as Oakland's closer (San Francisco Chronicle), though the A's came back to win the game. (Note to Rotoworld.com: Don't blame Ken Macha for bad game management last night. He was fired at the end of last season and is currently a NESN analyst) . . . David Wells pitched a season-high eight innings for the Padres but wasn't involved in the decision as Cincinnati beat San Diego in 12 (projo.com) . . . Edgar Renteria had a two-homer night for the Braves in Washington (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Hanley Ramirez helped carry the Marlins on a night when Miguel Cabrera didn't play (Miami Herald) . . . Ron Mahay is on the disabled list in Texas.

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:00 AM | Permalink

Detroit 7, Boston 2

Tigers' hotshot pitcher Justin Verlander was able to cool off the Red Sox last night, allowing just two runs on six hits over 7 2/3 innings as Detroit took game two of its four-game series at Fenway Park, 7-2.

Verlander, the AL Rookie of the Year last season, threw a season-high 120 pitches, 79 of them for strikes. He used a fastball that topped out at 99 MPH with a variety of off-speed pitches that kept Boston hitters honest. In all, Verlander struck out seven and walked none.

He sat down the leadoff man in every inning, which Red Sox manager Terry Francona noted, adding that Verlander was ready to go from the start of every inning.

Boston starter Tim Wakefield went seven innings, but was done in by his nemesis, Magglio Ordonez, who is now 15-for-33 with two homeruns and 8 RBI off the knuckleballer.

Wakefield came into the game with an AL-best ERA of 1.79, but saw that mark rise to 2.41 with the five runs he gave up tonight. Reliever Brendan Donnelley gave up two more runs in 2/3 of an inning in the eighth. Kyle Snyder pitched the final 1 1/3 innings, with three strikeouts and a walk.

Boston remains atop the AL East is now 26-12 on the season, while the Tigers, who lead the AL Central, are 24-14. The Yankees' game with the White Sox was postponed, so the Red Sox' lead is eight games over New York.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 10:26 PM | Permalink

Drew leaves game

J.D. Drew has left the game with what was announced as a lower back contusion suffered when he hit the wall in front of the bullpen in the third inning.

Drew tried to stay in the game, but seeing the replay of that collision, he deserves a great deal of credit for sticking it out as long as he did.

We will get details on how long he might be out after the game.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 9:08 PM | Permalink

Not Wake's night?

The two home runs Tim Wakefield gave up in the third inning got out of Fenway Park in a hurry. Brandon Inge's solo shot to right was followed by a three-run shot to the Monster seats that was absolutely crushed by Magglio Ordonez.

Ordonez is now 14-for-32 (.438) against Wakefield in his career, with two home runs.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:45 PM | Permalink

Scoreless innings stretch ends

That solo home run by Detroit's Brandon Inge ended a 16-inning stretch of stinginess from Tim Wakefield. The last time Wakefield surrendered a run was April 28 against the Yankees, when he allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings.

Wakefield's last two starts were both seven-shutout inning appearances, against the Twins and Blue Jays.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:38 PM | Permalink

J.D. Drew rewards Francona early

In his pre-game meeting with the media, Red Sox manager Terry Francona talked about the struggles of outfielder J.D. Drew, who was just 8-for-57 (.140) in his last 17 games. But Francona, who has showed a willingness to stay with struggling players before (i.e. Kevin Millar), was rewarded for his dedication to Drew early tonight.

Drew's low liner to left field that dropped right in front of the glove of Craig Monroe plated Kevin Youkilis and gave the Red Sox an early 1-0 lead against Tigers' young star Justin Verlander.

Posted by Shalise Manza Young  at 7:29 PM | Permalink

JD Drew Still Batting 5th

JD Drew is 8 for his last 57 (.140) and has looked poor at the plate in the last few games. But he's still batting fifth behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. The Sox are hoping he's close to breaking out any day now.
``It's probably nothing different than the normal combination that we always talk about,'' said Francona. ``It seems like we go through cycles where every call seems to go against him. And he's not been consistent with hsi swing. That combination adds up to going through a couple tough weeks.''
Francona says Drew isn't showing any signs of his struggles.
``Never. You can't tell,'' he said. ``He's not a helmet thrower. he goes and sits in the same spot on the bench regardless of whether he gets a hit or not.''

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 5:03 PM | Permalink

Beckett, Timlin get work in

In a good sign for both pitchers, Josh Beckett and Mike Timlin threw this afternoon at Fenway Park.
Beckett is recovering from a cut on the middle finger of his throwing hand but the Red Sox are reporting that the skin is `regenerating,' well, according to manager Terry Francona. Beckett played catch and threw lightly off the mound. ``It was very encouraging how good he felt,'' Francona said.
Beckett was scheduled to see a skin specialist today, as well.
Still no word on if Beckett will be ready to make his next start Friday against Atlanta. What looks like a safe bet is Beckett missing only one start, if any at all. The clear candidate to fill in if needed is righty Kyle Snyder.
Timlin received a positive medical exam on Monday in his bout with tendonitis. He was cleared to throw today. The plan is for him to play catch today and tomorrow and then take a day off. He'll then throw again on Thursday and Friday and be evaluated.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 4:37 PM | Permalink

Tuesday night lineups

Here are the starting lineups for tonight's Red Sox-Tigers game....Hello Cora & Mirabelli. When is JD Drew going to fall in the order?
Red Sox
Lugo, SS
Youkilis, 1B
Ortiz, DH
MRamirez, LF
JD Drew, RF
Lowell, 3B
Crisp, CF
Mirabelli, C
Cora, 2B
Tim Wakefield, P

TIGERS
Granderson, CF
Polanco, 2B
Sheffield, DH
Ordonez, RF
Guillen, SS
Rodriguez, C
Monroe, LF
Thames, 1B
Inge, 3B
Justin Verlander, P

Back with more soon....

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 4:30 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 15

From the team's official game notes:

Who's Hot
-Tim Wakefield, 14 straight scoreless innings, second in American League in E.R.A.
-Mike Lowell, six-game hitting streak, 10 for his last 23 (.435) with a double, three home runs, nine RBI, five runs and four walks
-Julio Lugo, seven-game hitting streak, 14 for his last 34 (.412) with three doubles, a triple, a home run, 10 RBI, four runs, three stolen bases and a walk
-Kevin Youkilis, eight-game hitting streak, 16 for his last 34 (.471) with five doubles, a home run, eight RBI, six runs and two walks

Who's Not
-Coco Crisp, 8 for his last 41 (.195)
-J.D. Drew, 8 for his last 57 (.140)

Tigers vs. Tim Wakefield
-Curtis Granderson, 2 for 4 (.500), 1 HR
-Magglio Ordonez, 13 for 30 (.433), 1 HR
-Craig Monroe, 6 for 16 (.375), 2 HR
-Ivan Rodriguez, 11 for 41 (.268), 2 HR
-Gary Sheffield, 8 for 31 (.258), 2 HR
-Carlos Guillen, 4 for 16 (.250), 1 HR
-Brandon Inge, 4 for 19 (.211), 1 HR
-Neifi Perez, 1 for 8 (.125)

Red Sox vs. Justin Verlander
-David Ortiz, 1 for 1, 1 HR
-Coco Crisp, 3 for 6 (.500)
-Julio Lugo, 1 for 2 (.500)
-Kevin Youkilis, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Alex Cora, 0 for 3
-Mike Lowell, 0 for 1
-Manny Ramirez, 0 for 3

More Stuff
-The Red Sox now lead the major leagues in most runs scored (205) and fewest runs allowed (126).
-Boston has won 27 consecutive games when scoring five runs oor more. The team is 21-0 in such games this season.
-The Red Sox have won 14 of their last 17 games against Detroit at Fenway.
-David Ortiz's book Big Papi, My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits, is number eight on The New York Times Best Seller list for nonfiction books.
-Josh Beckett may be hurting, but hopefully he gets a chance to celebrate too; it's his 27th birthday today.
-Julio Lugo is tied with the Mets' Jose Reyes for most RBI by a leadoff hitter (23).

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:26 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Manny bounces back

Despite whispers that Manny Ramirez's early exit from the Sunday game against Baltimore might have been more about managerial discipline than a bad hamstring, Manny Ramirez was apparently an early arrival at Fenway Park on Monday: "He came in this morning, to his credit, he was here at 10 o'clock to ride the bike and get the blood flow through it. It's appreciated," Francona said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Ramirez's RBI double past third base moved him past Harry Heilmann into a tie with Willie Stargell for 38th place on the all-time list.

Ramirez's batting average dropped, however, thanks to a 1-for-5 performance.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:40 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk: Not optimistic on Beckett

Today on Projo SoxTalk, Steven Krasner joins Art Martone to talk about the Red Sox' nice victory last night over the Detroit Tigers. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Krasner was impressed by Daisuke Matsuzaka, he's still unimpressed by Coco Crisp, and he's not overly optimistic about a quick return from Josh Beckett. Here are some excerpts from the conversation.

On Daisuke Matsuzaka: "He looked very good. He looked like the Daisuke that the Red Sox thought they'd be getting, and maybe even sooner than they thought he might adjust to this country and to big league batting orders."

On Coco Crisp's inconsistency: "From what I see, he's a .250 hitter, you know, and he's got some speed. Once he gets on the bases he can cause some havoc, but I'm not convinced he's more than a .250 or a .270 hitter."

On Josh Beckett: "I don't think he'll make that start Friday [his next scheduled appearance] and I wouldnt be surprised if he missed at least two starts and has to go on the DL because he has to miss three. You can't make it heal faster, and even if it heals you still have to give it time beyond that, because he's not going to be able to throw a curveball, let's face it."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:21 AM to Krasner , Martone | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 15

Around the baseball world . . .

ALL ACES SO FAR: ''If this week is going to be the biggest test yet for the Red Sox, the team passed its first exam with flying colors last night.'' That was Paul Kenyon's lead on his story about the Sox' 7-1 win over Detroit in the first of seven straight games against one of the best teams in the American League, the Tigers, and one of the best in the National League, the Braves. Also getting all A's last night was Daisuke Matsuzaka, who pitched his first major league complete game. Steven Krasner breaks down Dice-K's performance in Inside The Game.

HE WAS OKAY, BUT . . . Tigers manager Jim Leyland was ''very impressed'' with Matsuzaka (Detroit Free Press), but Brandon Inge wasn't (Detroit News). "[Matsuzaka's] stuff isn't what everyone makes it out to be,'' he said. ''Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad, but it's his motion more than the movement on his pitches."

'A LITTLE LETHARGIC': They wouldn't use it as a excuse, but, after playing the Twins Sunday night and having to fly all night into Boston, the Tigers didn't get to bed until 5:30 yesterday morning. (Detroit Free Press)

MEDICAL UPDATE: The Sox really didn't have one on Josh Beckett, and it's unknown whether he'll be able to make his scheduled start Friday. (projo.com) On yesterday's edition of Projo Sox Talk, however, Joe McDonald relates a conversation he had with someone in sports medicine who thinks Beckett definitely will be sidelined, at least for a little while.

MAYBE JOHN HARRINGTON WAS RIGHT AFTER ALL: Joe Posnanski does some research based on the most recent Nielsen rankings for television, Arbitron rankings for radio, and metro populations, and concludes that the Red Sox are only in the 14th-biggest market in baseball, stuck between Washington and Atlanta. (thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com) Makes their revenue numbers all the more staggering, don't you think?

NOT ONE OF THE BEST, BUT CLOSE: J.D. Drew earns an honorable mention in Jerry Crasnick's list of baseball's biggest lies. (espn.com)

THE MELTDOWN CONTINUES: Things look like they're going from bad to worse in Baltimore, where Jay Payton and Melvin Mora nearly came to blows after last night's 5-3 loss in Toronto. (Baltimore Sun). (Seth Mnookin, for one, probably isn't surprised that Payton is involved.) It comes in the wake of Sunday's impossible-to-believe, ninth-inning implosion at Fenway Park, which still has manager Sam Perlozzo on the defensive and, according to columnist Peter Schmuck, may have put his job on the line. (All stories Baltimore Sun)

WE'RE WITH YOU, CHIPPER: Finally, a player comes out with the complaint we've had from Day One with interleague play: Because of the disparity in strength of schedules, it can have a huge affect on the divisional races. (msn.foxsports.com) Funny though; it used to be Red Sox fans complaining about having to play six games against the Braves. Now it's Jones complaining that the Braves have to play six games against the Red Sox.

GOOD BREAK: For a while last night, it looked like John Smoltz would miss Saturday's scheduled start against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. But, as it turns out, the dislocated finger joint probably won't be bad enough to sideline him. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

DON'T JUST STAND THERE, DO SOMETHING! Lou Piniella's Cubs have the same record as the Yankees (17-19), but the New York Daily News' Filip Bondy says Piniella has a ''sense of urgency, of outspoken, manic concern, that has been missing in the Bronx this season''.

OUR KINDA GUY: Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times hopes that Alex Rodriguez, a visitor in Chicago over the next three days as the Yankees play the White Sox, will make his home there next year. The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers thinks it could happen. But ESPN's Buster Olney says the Yankees need A-Rod now more than ever. (ESPN The Magazine)

LOVE, SIDNEY: Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune will miss Sidney Ponson. I'm not sure Twins fans will, though.

HAUNTED: Cliff Floyd is in Chicago now, but he'll never forget his last inning as a Met. (New York Daily News)

PLANTING THE SEED: Roger Clemens' comeback has Nolan Ryan thinking . . . (The Rocky Mountain News)

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The official postseason schedule from mlb.com, which includes -- as you all know by now -- the possibility of November baseball.

LOCAL BOYS: The blog U.S.S. Mariner is proposing a series of trades, one of which would send Rocco Baldelli to Atlanta (ussmariner.com). The Devil Rays will be selling low if that happens, because Baldelli is in a terrible slump at the moment. (St. Petersburg Times)

OLD FRIENDS: Tony Armas Jr. looks like he's about to lose his spot in the Pirates' rotation (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Byung-Hyun Kim finally got traded. Destination: Florida (The Palm Beach Post) . . . At the end of Peter Gammons' most recent blog entry, which mostly focuses on the Blue Jays, Dave Roberts says ''I have not had one day since [stealing the base in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS] when someone hasn't come up and thanked me. Not one day.'' (espn.com)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

RAMIREZ READY TO GO

There is no need for Red Sox fans to worry about Manny Ramirez.

The Red Sox slugger, who was removed from Sunday’s game with tightness in his hamstring, is in the lineup tonight in his usual clean-up spot. More than that, he is putting in a long day’s work.

``He’s OK,’’ manager Terry Francona reported. ``He was here this morning. He was here at 10 a.m., riding the bike, getting the blood flooding and getting through it, which is appreciated.’’

Ramirez is not often seen in the Sox clubhouse, but he was today.

He came through, returning from the field, before Francona’s 4 p.m. meeting with reporters. He obviously went back out for more work because when reporters were still in the clubhouse after the session with Francona, Ramirez walked through once again.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 4:42 PM | Permalink

Too Early to Make Call on Beckett

The Red Sox say it's premature to make an definitive call on Josh Beckett's status. Beckett was in the clubhouse with a Band-Aid on the middle finger on his right (throwing) hand. He went out for batting practice but was not seen throwing the ball and harder than a light toss back to the pitcher.
The Sox apparently will wait and see how Beckett's responds to a few days of rest before determining whether he can make his next start, on Friday against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park.
``We won't know a heck of a lot more. We'll give him the next couple of days but the next event is his start. We have four days to determine that. We'll give him some time to see how he reacts to it,'' said manager Terry Francona.
The Sox will proceed slowly with Beckett, perhaps the best pitcher in the American League (7-0, 2.66 ERA) over the first six weeks of the season.
``We'll obviously use a lot of common sense but we'll also not rush into anything. We'll see how he does,'' Francona said.
In short, the Sox can't say how long Beckett may be out. Check in tomorrow or Wednesday for a more realistic time frame.
``We'll kind of let the healing process begin and see what pace it's going. The only thing you can really do is wait a couple days and see,'' said Francona.

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 4:38 PM | Permalink

May 14 lineups; Red Sox-Tigers

Tonight's lineup; Red Sox vs. Tigers, 7:05 1st pitch
BOSTON
Lugo, SS
Youkilis, 1B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Drew, RF
Lowell, 3B
Varitek, C
Crisp, CF
Pedroia, 2B
Matsuzaka, P

TIGERS
Granderson, CF
Monroe, LF
Sheffield, DH
Ordonez, RF
Guillen, SS
Rodriguez, C
Casey, 1B
Perez, 2B
Inge, 3B
Robertson, P

KEVIN McNAMARA

Posted by Kevin  at 4:32 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 14

Who's Hot
-Hideki Okajima has pitched 17.2 consecutive scoreless innings
-Alex Cora, 20 for his last 44 (.455) with two doubles, three triples, two home runs, 11 RBI and eight runs scored
-Mike Lowell, 8 for his last 19 (.421) with a double, three home runs, nine RBI, five runs scored and four walks
-David Ortiz, 23 for his last 66 (.348) with 15 RBI, 12 runs and 19 walks
-Jason Varitek, 12 for his last 32 (.372) with two doubles, a home run, seven RBI, nine runs scored and seven walks
-Kevin Youkilis, seven-game hitting streak; 14 for his last 29 (.483) with four doubles, a home run, seven RBI, five runs scored and two walks

Who's Not
-Coco Crisp, 6 for his last 37 (.162)
-Eric Hinske, 2 for his last 28 (.071)

Red Sox vs. Nate Robertson
-Kevin Youkilis, 4 for 10 (400), 2 HR
-Jason Varitek, 2 for 6 (.333), 1 HR
-Julio Lugo, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Coco Crisp, 7 for 25 (.280), 2 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 1 for 9 (.222)
-David Ortiz, 1 for 14 (.071)
-Mike Lowell, 0 for 5

More Stuff
-This is the sixth season in Red Sox history that the team has won at least 25 of its first 36 games. The others: 2002, 1971, 1946, 1917 and 1904.
-Boston's eight-game division lead is its largest since Sept. 26, 1995.
-Yesterday was the second time in Red Sox history that the club has trailed by 5 or more runs in the ninth inning, after being shut out through the first eight, and still come back to win. The other occasion was May 30, 1931, when the Red Sox rallied to beat the Philadelphia Athletics at Fenway Park.
-Yesterday was the first time that any major league club has trailed by 5 or more runs in the ninth inning, after being shut out through the first eight, and still come back to win without first going to extra innings, since April 29, 1979, when the Chicago Cubs came back to beat the Atlanta Braves.
-Yesterday was the first time the Red Sox have come back to win a game after trailing by at least 5 runs in the ninth inning since April 10, 1998, in the home opener against Seattle. The losing pitcher: Mike Timlin.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:00 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk: Why Beckett's injury may be worse than you think

Today on Projo SoxTalk, sports editor Art Martone and baseball writer Joe McDonald discuss yesterday's amazing game at Fenway Park. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Joe spoke today to a professional athletic trainer who had an alarming assessment about the type of injury that Josh Beckett apparently has. Of course, the Red Sox are not yet saying how long Beckett will be sidelined, or even if he will miss his next scheduled start on Friday against Atlanta. Here's what Joe had to say on Beckett today:

"Beckett was quite disappointed. ... He admitted that he's had this problem before, when he was with Florida. It's not necessarily a blister; the skin on the finger just tears. Both Beckett and Terry Francona said yesterday that in the big picture, that's a good thing, because a blister could be worse. But I actually spoke with a professional athletic trainer today, and asked him if he's ever seen something like that. And he said that he has, and a lot of times football players get it. ... and he admitted that it actually takes longer for something that beckett has now to heal than a blister would. And I asked him if he thought a pitcher would be able to make his next start in five days with something like this, and he said no, there's no way that he's going to be able to start his next game. In football players sometimes it can be up to a month where something has actually healed where that skin was torn off."

We'll have to see.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:33 PM to Martone , McDonald | Permalink

Sox fans still outnumbered in Connecticut

HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) - Despite a weak start, the New York Yankees still rule among fans in Connecticut.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Monday found that Connecticut fans prefer the Yankees to the Boston Red Sox 43-37 percent. Another 10 percent say they are New York Mets fans.

"The Red Sox may be first in the division but they are second in the hearts of Connecticut fans. These Yankees supporters show they are not fair-weather friends as they stick with the Bombers through tough times," said Quinnipiac University Poll Director Douglas Schwartz. (PROJO.COM EDITOR'S NOTE: Tough times? A slightly below-.500 record through mid-May?)

The Red Sox are 25-11 heading into Monday's games, with an eight-game lead over the 17-19 Yankees.

The university's poll results are similar to last year, when a Quinnipiac poll found that 42 percent of those surveyed were Yankees fans, 35 percent Red Sox fans and 12 percent support the Mets.

In a breakdown by county, the Yankees are still the big favorite in Fairfield County while the Red Sox rule in Hartford, Tolland, Windham and New London counties.
The survey of 1,653 adults was conducted May 2-7. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:16 PM | Permalink

Ramirez's tough day in Baltimore

Lost in the euphoria over yesterday's improbable win over Baltimore, and the concern about Josh Beckett's finger injury, was the fact that it was not a very good day for Manny Ramirez.

Ramirez was booed after failing to make a play on Kevin Millar's pop up in the eighth inning; he misplayed a base hit by Jay Payton in the sixth and he did not run hard on a fourth-inning double play. Ramirez came out of the game due to hamstring tightness and was not a part of Boston's winning rally. We'll s

What They're Saying: Jerome Preisler, YesNetwork Web columnist, author and semiprofessional Red Sox hater, tells The New York Times why Manny is bad for baseball. My comment: Blaming Yankee hatred on a "Calivinistic New England outlook" in the year 2007 is pretty disingenuous. I'd say that most people in this most liberal, not to mention most Catholic region of the country don't take many cues from that icon of the Protestant Reformation, John Calvin. But they'll probably still be saying that about New England 200 years from now.

Angels pitcher John Lackey calls Manny the toughest hitter he has ever faced.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:59 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Baseball Today: Monday, May 14

What a day, what a day . . .

DEJA VU: It ended with a three-game, first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Indians and proved not to be a jumping-off point for greater glories; thus, 1995 is rarely mentioned in the pantheon of great Red Sox seasons. But statistically, it was. No Red Sox team in history ever dominated the standings like that one. At one point in late August, the Sox had a 16-game lead over second-place Baltimore, and they clinched the division with more than a week-and-a-half left in the season.

What's the point, you ask?

Because this is starting to look a lot like that.

Yesterday's mind-blowing comeback over the Orioles increased the Sox' record to 25-11, and their A.L. East lead to eight games . . . which, if you click the ''that'' link above, you'll note is the same lead they had after 36 games in '95. (Their 25-11 record is one game better than it was in '95.) It was hardly a concern-free day -- they certainly can't afford to lose Josh Beckett for any length of time, and right now no one seems to know what, exactly, will happen with his finger -- and, truth be told, that ninth-inning comeback was aided and abetted by some pretty poor playing/decision-making on the part of the Orioles. There's a long way to go, in other words, and just because the '95 Sox blew things open doesn't mean their '07 counterparts will do the same.

But right now, as they say in the business, it's all good.

DON'T THINK IT'S GONE UNNOTICED: Johnny Damon was doing some scoreboard-watching in Seattle, and says he ''couldn't really believe'' the Sox' comeback . . . which hurt even more when the Yanks lost to the Mariners. (New York Daily News) And Damon, always the most honest of souls, issued his own warning: "If the Red Sox keep playing the way they are, nobody is going to catch them."

A DIFFERENT TAKE: Derek Jeter says the Yankees' eight-game deficit is better than being nine games out. (New York Post)

A REALLY DIFFERENT TAKE: Yesterday's proceedings have an entirely different look from the other side (Baltimore Sun). "That's a game we should've won, period," said Kevin Millar. "There's no rhyme or reason why we should've lost that game." Sun blogger Roch Kubatko agrees, calling the loss ''inexcusable.'' No argument here.

BEANTOWN BLABBERMOUTH: That's what the New York Daily News' Bill Madden calls Curt Schilling as he runs down the latest series of incidents involving Schilling. Nothing new here, but it's interesting to see the out-of-town take.

NOT THIS TIME, THOUGH: Schilling says nothing controversial -- even about plate umpire Chris Guccione, whose call on that 2-and-2 pitch in the sixth inning changed the afternoon for Schilling and the Sox -- as he breaks down Saturday's no-decision against the Orioles on 38pitches.com.

START COUNTING THE DAYS: All signs point to Roger Clemens making his 2007 debut at Fenway Park on June 2. (New York Daily News)

YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE HIM, THOUGH: A scout tells the New York Post's Joel Sherman that the Yankees won't be getting the Roger Clemens of old when he finally arrives in the Bronx.

TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS: Those of you old enough to remember Clemens' Red Sox battles with the A's Dave Stewart will recall that Stewart had very little use for the Rocket back then. Guess what? He still doesn't. (blog.nbx.com) And, just in case you didn't quite get the message, he'll tell you again.

Clemens vs. Stewart: A beautiful, beautiful thing. Who do you root for in that one?

SWITCHING SIDES: The Mets' resurgence and the Yankees' decline has led to the Mets "taking substantial bites out of the Yankee fan base'' in Westchester County. (New York Times)

TWO SIDES TO THE STORY: The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin says the Blue Jays' season is over, and he blames it on injuries. Baseball Musing's David Pinto, though, thinks J.P. Ricciardi should shoulder some of the blame.

SLOWING DOWN: Pinto posts research that shows offense in 2007 lagging behind 2006. (baseballmusings.com)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:03 AM | Permalink

Beckett done for the day

Red Sox starter Josh Beckett left the game after four innings due to a irritation of the skin on the middle finger of his right hand. It's being described as "not a blister" by Sox PR guy John Blake. The right-hander completed four innings, allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.

We'll have more after the game. . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:14 PM | Permalink

Forced rest

Mike Lowell, usually one of the pleasant personalities in the Sox clubhouse, is a bit grumpy today. The reason? Because he is not in the starting lineup.

It is part of manager Terry Francona’s practice to keep everyone fresh. Not only is Lowell off, but Dustin Pedroia, as well.

``We’ve got every lefty we have in there today,’’ Francona said. The statistics, he noted, show that Baltimore starter Jeremy Guthrie has more trouble with lefties than righties. Lefties are hitting over .400 against him.

Getting Cora in for Pedroia is easy compared with telling Lowell he was going to have the day off. Lowell does not like time off. And right now he is on a great run. Francona was asked if Lowell rolls his eyes when he is told he wil not play.

``That would be an understament,’’ he responded. ``But that’s pretty close.’’

Lowell acknowledged that he understood Francona’s reasoning. But that did not mean he had to be happy about it.

``I don’t mind it once in a while,’’ the third baseman said. ``I just know that we have inter-league games coming up in National League parks where I’ll have some time off. I know we have to do that to get David (Ortiz) in the lineups.’’ For those games, Kevin Youkilis will shift to third.

``I treat it as a day off,’’ Lowell said. ``I’m not taking any hitting on the field. In the fifth inning or so I’ll go to the cage and starting getting some swings in. If they need me, I’ll be ready.’’

Francona understands why Lowell wants to play.

``Mentally he’s great. He feels good about himself. I understand that,’’ he said. Still, the big picture is more important.

``We have a good team. (Eric) Hinske (who will play in Lowell’s place) will be just fine. It will be good for him. If they want to bring in a lefthander later, Lowell’s sitting there.
``I think it pays dividends not getting greedy,’’ Francona went on. ``It’s not always the easiest thing to do. Here you’ve got a guy who doesn’t want to sit. He’s swinging the bat really well. But I think you have to use good judgment.’’

Francona told Lowell a day ahead of time, as he tries to do in all such instances, about the day off.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 1:35 PM | Permalink

Jon Lester update

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester threw a 40-pitch bullpen session this morning at Fenway, and according to manager Terry Francona, it went well. The left-hander mostly worked on his off-speed stuff. He's scheduled to throw another bullpen on Wednesday.

Lester's left forearm tightened up on him during his second rehab start for the PawSox last week.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:17 PM | Permalink

The Pink Sox

Pink is the color of the day today at Fenway as the Red Sox participate in national Mother’s Day activities.

All over the clubhouse, Sox players were taking out and sampling deliveries of pink bats, all made as part of a Major League baseball program to help raise Breast Cancer awareness on Mother’s Day. Next month, on Father’s Day, a similar program will be held to help with the battle against prostate cancer.

For today, all players have been given shipments of pink bats that includes a breast cancer logo on the barrel. Some players also are wearing pink wristbands. Alex Cora was just out in the cage using one of the pink bats for batting practice. There is a note on the bulletin board in the clubhouse for players to hand in some of the pink bats so they can be sold at raffles to raise money for breast cancer research.

Also, workers in souvenir stands are setting up displays for sale of tiny pink bats.

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 12:08 PM | Permalink

It's a development process

Red Sox manager Terry Francona has no problem pinch-hitting for Dustin Pedroia late in the game. The skipper has done it often this season and even though it must bother the rookie second baseman, Francona said Pedroia understands the situation.

"He's actually been swinging the bat pretty well," said Francona. "We have a guy (Alex Cora) right now who is hitting .430. In certain situations, like yesterday, (Baltimore pitcher Todd) Williams is much tougher on right-handers so it made sense.

"Pedroia has done a good job, especially lately," added the manager. "What he is now, is a part of our team. He's not trying to prove anything to me or anybody else. He's part of our team and he understands it."

Francona was quick to mention the total package the Sox have at second base.

"You put their numbers together we're probably near the top of the league," he said. "So, we're going to use both of them. The good side, Pedroia understands that. I don't think he likes getting pinch-hit for; I don't anybody that does. The competitor's part in you says 'I can succeed.' And, I'm glad he feels that way."

Earlier today, Pedroia was sitting at his locker stall and looked like a zombie. When asked what was up, he admitted he's feeling a little under the weather.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:02 PM | Permalink

Today's lineups updated

BALTIMORE
Brian Roberts, 4
Nick Markakis, 9
Miguel Tejada, 6
Ramon Hernandez, 2
Aubrey Huff, 5
Kevin Millar, 3
Jay Gibbons, DH
Jay Payton, 9
Corey Patterson, 8

BOSTON
Julio Lugo, 6
Coco Crisp, 8
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, 7
J.D. Drew, 9
Kevin Youkilis, 5
Jason Varitek, 2
Eric Hinske, 3
Alex Cora, 4
Josh Beckett, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:56 AM | Permalink

Toledo 3, Pawtucket 2

PAWTUCKET — A pitcher coming back from the big leagues squared off against another moving up from Double-A last night at McCoy and the match turned out to be a good one.

The bad news for the home team was that the youngster on the way up, Dallas Trahern, was the victor as he pitched Toledo to a 3-2 decision over Pawtucket.
It was the type of game Pawtucket has played far too often already, one which could have gone either way. The teams combined for a total of only 12 hits, six for each. Pawtucket had the tying run on third base with one out in the bottom of the ninth.
But, in keeping with the script as it has played out so far, the Pawsox, now 11-22, were the team coming up short once again before a crowd of 7,526.

``I thought it was a really good game,’’ said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. ``The guys we used tonight, (Devern) Hansack, (Craig) Hansen, (Bryan) Corey and (Mike) Burns all threw the ball very well.’’

Hansack, making his return after spending eight days with Boston (in which time he pitched only two-thirds of an inning) took the loss because of one bad inning. He was sharp early, allowing only one base runner in the first three innings.

With one out in the fourth, he walked Timo Perez. Ryan Raburn, who leads the International League in RBI, followed with a blast to the back of the berm in left for a two-run homer. It was his eighth of the season.

``Raburn’s been a good hitter for a few years now. He’s got some pop. I’ve seen him since he was in Double-A,’’ Johnson said. ``He can turn on the ball.’’

``That might have been the only pitch Hanny got up all night. . . He just left it up a little bit. He’s a four-hole hitter and he did what a hitter like that is supposed to do,’’ Johnson said.

``But I don’t think that takes anything away from his performance,’’ Johnson said of Hansack. ``That’s a quality start.’’

The home run for Raburn was made a bit sweeter because he had been robbed of a two-run homer on a great leaping catch at the fence in center in Friday night’s game by Jacoby Ellsbury.

It was the final run of the fourth that turned out to be the killer. Jack Hanrahan blooped a double to left and came around on a single by Mike Hessman and a ground ball Henry Mateo.

Trahern was outstanding in getting the victory in his International League debut. The 21-year-old right-hander was 5-1 with a 1.88 ERA for Erie, in Double-A.
David Murphy continued his strong play for Pawtucket, scoring each of his team’s runs. He walked leading off the fourth, moved up on two ground ball outs and scored on a triple by Bobby Scales.

That cut the Toledo lead to 3-1. He sliced it to 3-2 in the sixth when he singled with one out and then raced home on Jeff Bailey’s double.

Pawtucket had a chance to tie it in the ninth. Ed Rogers led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Kevin Cash. Alex Ochoa was sent up to pinch-hit for Alex Prieto. On a 1-2 pitch, reliever Jason Karnuth fired the ball wide and to the backstop, allowing Rogers to get to third. However, Ochoa took a called third strike. Ellsbury then grounded to short to end it.

Even with his team in last place, Johnson remains optimistic.

``It will get better. We’ve played a lot of games like this,’’ he said. ``I’m real proud of this team. They hustle. They fight. We’ll get there. We’ll get a few guys who will be able to put things together. It will happen.

``If you don’t have pitching it really gets frustrating. You always wonder how you’re going to finish things up,’’ Johnson said. ``We’ve got pitching here.’’

--PAUL KENYON

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:04 PM to PawSox | Permalink

Today's lineups

BALTIMORE

Brian Roberts, 4
Nick Markakis, 9
Miguel Tejada, 6
Ramon Hernandez, 2
Aubrey Huff, 3
Melvin Mora, 5
Jay Gibbons, DH
Jay Payton, 7
Corey Patterson, 8
Steve Trachsel, SP

BOSTON

Julio Lugo, 6
Kevin Youkilis, 3
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, 7
J.D. Drew, 9
Mike Lowell, 5
Jason Varitek, 2
Coco Crisp, 8
Dustin Pedroia, 4
Curt Schilling, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:30 AM | Permalink

Jon Lester update

Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester played long toss at 120 feet this afternoon before simulating mound work on flat ground and worked on his off-speed pitches. He’s scheduled to just play catch tomorrow and will throw a side session on Sunday.

When asked how Lester looked, Red Sox manager Terry Francona said "very good."

The southpaw pitcher suffered a forearm cramp during his second rehab outing for the PawSox last week.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:09 PM | Permalink

Clubhouse Confidential

The first day back from a road trip is usually a quiet one. So far it feels more like Sunday mass than a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, and that can mean only one thing. Something strange must be brewing so stay close and we'll keep you updated.

Anyway, here are a couple of notes from the clubhouse.

*J.D. Drew has been given tonight off and Wily Mo Pena will play right field.

*Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin, who has been on the DL since May3 with tendinitis in his right shoulder, will be examined by the team’s medical staff tonight.

*Pitcher Devern Hansack was optioned back to Pawtucket today and Javier Lopez has been recalled.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineups

BALTIMORE

Roberts, 4
Markakis, 9
Tejada, 6
Hernandez, 2
Huff, 3
Mora, 5
Gibbons, 7
Millar, DH
Patterson, 8
Buress, SP

BOSTON
Lugo, 6
Crisp, 8
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, 7
Youkilis, 3
Lowell, 5
Varitek, 2
Pena, 9
Pedroia, 4
Tavarez, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 4:18 PM | Permalink

SoxTalk: Putting a great start into perspective

Today on Projo SoxTalk, Sean McAdam joins Art Martone to talk about the Red Sox' blazing-hot start, and to talk about what challenges might lie ahead. Click here to listen to the full audio file. One thing that could change is the Red Sox' luck. Here's what Sean has to say on the subject of injuries:

"The one thing I would caution people, is to remind them that this team has basically been untouched by injuries so far. They have not had Mike Timlin, but given the emergence of Hideki Okajima as their primary setup guy, they haven't needed Timlin as badly. There've been nagging injuries to Coco Crisp and players here and there, but 33 games in, they've been remarkably healthy, in direct contrast to both the Blue Jays and Yankees -- their prime competitors."

But on the other hand, when it comes to the batting order...

"Lowell and Ortiz are really the only two guys who have put it together yet, which makes you think that in addition to the good pitching they've gotten, if they start getting the lineup firing on all cylinders, then maybe they win some of those low-scoring games they've lost, like that 2-1 game against (the Twins' Johan) Santana on Saturday."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:52 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Friday May 11

ANOTHER LUCKY SEVEN: Two days ago it was Josh Beckett improving his record to 7-0. Today it's the Red Sox increasing their lead in the A.L. East to seven games after their third straight rout of the hapless Blue Jays (projo.com), which completed their first three-game sweep in Toronto in nearly five years. The Globe's Nick Cafardo asks ''how far-fetched is it to say the Red Sox are well on their way to winning this in a landslide?'' Maybe a little; after all, it is only May 11. But there's no denying what Mike Lowell told Sean McAdam: '' “We’re just playing good baseball right now.'' As is Lowell; after his monster series at the Rogers Centre, he's now hitting .303 with a .360 on-base percentage, a .549 slugging percentage, 7 home runs and 28 RBI. (His numbers against the Jays this year are staggering: .407/.448/1.000 with 5 homers and 9 RBI.) Tim Wakefield's numbers against everyone are staggering. After his seven shutout innings last night, he has a league-leading 1.79 ERA.

The tone for the night was set very early (projo.com), and the Toronto Sun's Ken Fidlin says the tone for the rest of the Blue Jays' season has been set, as well. Hard to argue; they're already 10 1/2 games out and found out yesterday that closer B.J. Ryan is out for the season (Toronto Sun).

Now the Red Sox are coming home for a 10-game homestand. Hard to find any dark clouds around all these silver linings.

OR ANY SILVER LININGS AROUND THESE DARK CLOUDS: You know the Daily News' Mike Lupica will always zero in on the negatives in Yankee Universe, and he didn't have to search very hard to find them after yesterday's 14-2 loss to Texas. Neither did his colleague, Bill Madden, who says the Yanks look old and tired.

HEY, WE'RE COMING HOME TOO: Of course, life looks a little different for the PawSox, who start their own homestand tonight after losing 12 of their last 13. (projo.com)

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK INTO THE BLOGSOPHERE: Jose Canseco weighs in on Curt Schilling, calling him a liar and a hypocrite. (See the video