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Game Story: Braves 9, Red Sox 4

ATLANTA -- Was it only two starts ago that Curt Schilling came within an out of a no-hitter? It sure seems like longer.

For the second straight start, Schilling was far from near-perfect last night, crushed for six runs on 10 hits in just 4 1/3 innings as the Red Sox began their most demanding trip of the season with a dispiriting 9-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Staked to a quick 1-0 lead by the first of two Coco Crisp homers, Schilling proceeded to allow six unanswered runs from the third through the sixth. He failed to record a single strikeout for the first time in a start since July 1, 1993, 348 starts ago.
In his last two starts following his gem in Oakland, Schilling is 0-2 with a 10.61 ERA. Hes allowed 19 hits in 9 1/3 innings.

``Its embarrassing, said Schilling, 6-4. ``I never gave us a chance. You want to walk around the clubhouse and apologize to your teammates and manager. Theres no excuse for the game to play out like it did.

Pressed to explain the cause for the back-to-back outings, Schilling shrugged.
``Its not any one thing, he said. ``But what Im doing is not working. Its a combination of things, but it comes down to execution. To pinpoint any one thing would be wrong.
Asked if he was bothered by physical issues, Schilling avoided a direct answer.
``Its not any one thing, he repeated. ``These last two outings have been just terrible. Im better than that.

The key sequence for Schilling came in the fourth when after hard-hit singles from Edgar Renteria and Chipper Jones, Brian McCann doubled to left-center, scoring Renteria and sending Jones to third.

Schilling next got Andruw Jones (flyout to right) and Jeff Francoeur (infield pop-up), and with pitcher Chuck James on deck and first base open, the Sox made the logical decision to intentionally walk Scott Thorman.

``If Thorman gets a hit with the pitcher on deck, said manager Terry Francona, ``Im kicking myself. I thought it was the right thing to do.

But James foiled the strategy when he dumped a single into shallow left, scoring Jones.

``I wanted to badly to step off and bring Manny (Ramirez in left) in about 15 or 20 feet, said Schilling. ``(James) has done that a few times this year. But thats how it goes.
In the fifth, a three-run blast to left by McCann broke the game open and spelled the end of Schillings outing.

``It was supposed to be a slider, down-and-in, said Schilling. ``But it just backed up, right over the middle (of the plate).

Not that the Sox offered much in the way of run support. After breaking out for 20 runs in their weekend series with the Giants, the Sox managed just four runs, the first three of which were produced by solo homers. The final Red Sox run came in the ninth, courtesy of a wild pitch from Macay McBride.

The homers by Crisp in the span of six innings exceeded his total for the season coming into last night and represented the first multi-homer game of his career.
Crisp sandwiched two singles around his homers, giving him a 4-for-4 night and boosting his average .233 to .247.

J.D. Drew, who played one season here, drilled his fifth homer of the year leading off the seventh, giving the outfielder three homers in his last three starts in National League ballpark.

Drew had two homers against Arizona on June 8.

But the middle of the Red Sox order fizzled against starter Chuck James and three Atlanta relievers. Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek the 3-4-5 hitters last night went a combined 2-for-11 with five strikeouts.

``If that happens, said Francona, ``most nights, youre going to have an uphill battle. When a pitcher shuts the middle of your order down, thats usually a pretty good formula for winning.

The Sox managed to load the bases against McBride, forcing the Braves to bring in closer Bob Wickman, who notched his 13th save by getting Mike Lowell to ground out to short.

Meanwhile, the Braves kept piling on after Schilling departed.

Kyle Snyder got the final two outs in the fifth, but an error by Dustin Pedroia to open the sixth paved the way for another Atlanta run.

Mike Timlin yielded a two-run homer to Thorman in the seventh.

--SEAN McADAM

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:00 PM | Permalink

Final: Braves 9, Red Sox 4

ATLANTA -- The Red Sox began their most challenging road trip of the season on a sour note tonight, as Curt Schilling was knocked out of the game after only 4 1/3 innings and the Braves coasted to a 9-4 win.

Schilling had been handed a 1-0 lead in the second on a home run by Coco Crisp -- Boston's only bright spot with a 4-for-4 night, lifting his average to .247 -- but Atlanta tied the game with a run in the third, went ahead with two in the fourth, and routed Schilling on a three-run homer by Brian McCann in the fifth.

Schilling allowed 10 hits and 6 runs, with 2 walks and 0 strikeouts, in his second straight subpar outing since his near no-hitter in Oakland.

More later tonight.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 10:21 PM | Permalink

Walk-off Walk Dooms PawSox

INDIANAPOLIS – Pawtucket opened an eight-game road trip Monday night with a 4-3 loss to the host Indianapolis Indians on a walk-off walk.

Reliever Travis Hughes issued a one-out, bases loaded base on balls to Carlos Maldonado that decided the three-hour contest. The loss negated another excellent start by Nicaraguan right-hander Devern Hansack.

The International West Division-leading Indians (41-28) wasted no time in taking a 1-0 lead. Brian Bixler drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the first and came around to score on a double to the gap in right-center by Yurendell de Caster.

The PawSox (31-36) answered with a pair of runs in the second. With one out, Brandon Moss doubled to center. The next batter, Jeff Bailey, hammered the first pitch he saw from Indianapolis starter Sean Burnett over the left field wall.

Matt Kata tied the game at 2-all with two out in the third, drilling a 92mph Hansack fastball over the wall in right for a solo homer.

Josh Sharpless replaced Burnett in the fourth. The right-hander promptly loaded the bases on a double to Moss and walks to Bailey and Michael Tucker. He got out of the fix by striking out Ed Rogers and Chad Spann and retiring Jacoby Ellsbury on a pop fly to third.

Sharpless dodged another bullet in the sixth. With one out, Bailey reached first on a throwing error and took third when Tucker singled off de Caster's glove at first. Rogers tried to squeeze the run home, but de Caster's scoop-and-throw to Maldonado nailed Bailey at home plate. The threat ended when Spann bounced out to second.

Hansack worked his way out of a jam in the bottom of the frame, getting Brad Eldred on an inning-ending pop fly with a runner on third.

In the seventh, Pawtucket went up 3-2. Ellsbury started the inning with base on balls off Mark Corey, the fourth Indianapolis pitcher of the night. Ellsbury promptly took off for second and, with no one covering, Maldonado's throw from home hit the base. As the ball rolled toward the outfield grass, Ellsbury scooted to third. One out later, David Murphy walked and stole second. After striking out Kevin Cash, Corey gave way to Juan Perez. Moss greeted Perez with a base hit up the middle that plated Ellsbury with the go-ahead run.

Hansack turned in his fourth consecutive quality start. Over six innings he struck out six batters, scattering four hits and a walk. Craig Hansen came on in the relief in the seventh and surrendered a game-tying run. Luis Matos stroked a one-out single and took third on a throwing error. Matos went to third on an infield out and scampered home on Hansen's wild pitch to make it 3-3.

After Bryan Corey pitched a scoreless eighth, Hughes started the ninth inning with a walk to Jose Hernandez. One out later, Michael Ryan's line single to right sent Chris Aguila, running for Hernandez, to third. Hughes intentionally walked Luis Ordaz to load the bases, then threw four straight balls to Maldonado to end the game.

Hughes (4-3) suffered the loss while Perez (1-1) earned the victory with two and one-third scoreless frames.

NOTES: No replacement yet for right-hander Manny Delcarmen, who was recalled Sunday by Boston. “We're a man short right now,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “We'll just have to see how it goes.”

Pitching matchups for the rest of the series are David Pauley (4-1) for the Sox against Marty McLeary (4-2) on Tuesday; Jon Lester (1-3) versus Michael Tejera (3-1) for the Indians on Wednesday, and Kason Gabbard (6-2) for Pawtucket against Shane Youman (3-5) Thursday. Wednesday's game is an afternoon contest. The current road trip continues with four games at Louisville, starting Friday.

--PETE CAVA, Special to the Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:19 PM to PawSox | Permalink

More pregame notes: Romero on way out, Clement on way back

ATLANTA --The Sox announced today that reliever J.C. Romero, designated for assignment on June 9, has been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of giving him his release.

Seventy-two hours must pass before Romero clears waivers. He then would be free to see with any team, which would be responsible for only the pro-rated minimum salary; the Red Sox will be on the hook for the remainder of the approximately $900,000 that's left on his $1.4 million contract.

The Sox had designated Romero for assignment in the hopes of trading him, but trade interest in the veteran left-hander was minimal.

Clement on the mend
Matt Clement, who underwent rotator-cuff surgery last September, has been throwing off a mound at the team's extended spring-training program in Fort Myers, Fla.

Clement will meet with manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell at the conclusion of the current road trip.

Francona said it was conceivable that Clement could be ready to pitch in games in September.

More later on projo.com and in tomorrow's Providence Journal . . .

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineup

ATLANTA -- The Sox' lineup has been posted:

J.D. Drew rf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
Kevin Youkilis 1b
Manny Ramirez lf
Jason Varitek c
Mike Lowell 3b
Coco Crisp cf
Julio Lugo ss
Curt Schilling p

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 5:09 PM | Permalink

Ortiz sits out tonight as Sox return to N.L. park

ATLANTA -- Now that the Red Sox are back on the road in National League parks and the DH is unavailable, the team must sit a regular player every night. Tonight it's
David Ortiz on the bench because Chuck James, the Braves' starter, is left-handed.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Ortiz will be at first base. Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis will split the two games at third base, with one playing and one sitting each night.

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 5:04 PM | Permalink

Today's Manny file: The fruits of hustling, or the lack thereof

Journal photo/Bob Breidenbach
In case you missed it in today's photo gallery, here's a picture by Bob Breidenbach of Manny Ramirez celebrating his home run with a pretty girl in the front row.

Ramirez's two home runs over the weekend provide some hope that the Red Sox may finally be about to get the power surge that they've been lacking lately from the middle of their lineup. The Saturday home run, which gave the Red Sox a 1-0 win, ended a stretch of 50 at-bats without a home run for Ramirez. But, as Steve Krasner writes today in his Inside the Game column, a failure by Ramirez to hustle on a third-inning play yesterday cost the Red Sox at least a run. Ramirez failed to run hard on his hard grounder to second baseman Ray Durham. That gave Durham, who had to hit the ground to field the ball, enough time to roll to a stop, collect himself and throw for the out from one knee.

On the other hand, Ramirez did have a nice hustle play on Friday night, getting quickly down the first-base line to prevent a double play on his bases-loaded, no-out groundball in the third inning. The effort led Jerry Remy to quip that Ramirez has pretty good speed, when he chooses to run hard. Unfortunately that play didn't make a whole lot of difference, as Kevin Youkilis did hit into a double play on the next at-bat to end the threat with only a run across.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:59 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone: Bonds appearance not so ugly after all

Click here to listen to today's edition of Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone. Today Art talks about the weekend sweep of the San Francisco Giants, including the not quite-so-toxic reception that Barry Bonds received this weekend at Fenway Park. He also looks ahead to the very tough road trip that the Red Sox now begin.

Here are some excerpts from Art's comments.

On yesterday's hero, Joel Pineiro: "It's funny the way Pinerio has worked this year. They did bring him in with the idea of perhaps making him a closer, but it's almost like that notion never materialized. Even in spring training they weren't going to give him the work you would expect for someone you were entrusting a big job to, because they may have had Papelbon in mind the whole time, and since then he really has become a guy who pitches in lost causes and mopup, and things of that nature. Right now, with Donnelly out and Timlin struggling, they're going to need a right-handed setup man, and if Pineiro can be it, that would be great, because he's always had good stuff, always had a good arm. so we'll see what happens over the next nine days or so."

On David Ortiz's and Manny Ramirez's lagging power numbers: "They both have track records, and history tells us that hitters of that caliber generally live up to their track records."

On Bonds: "The reception that he got this weekend was not quite as bad as I thought it was going to be, and as many people thought it was going to be. In fact, there were some cheers mixed in with the boos yesterday when he hit that home run. It's an indication I think that even though people don't necessarily respect him and think he cheated to get where he is, that they are seeing history, and I think just watching people fight for the ball that landed in the bullpen yesterday indicated that there is an appreciation for that, because the other thing to remember is that Bonds was a great player before the steroids ever came along. He may not have hit 755 home runs without them, but he certainly would have hit 550, 600, whatever it was."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:02 PM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Monday, June 18

SWEPT AWAY: The Giants' last trip to Fenway Park to play the Red Sox in games that actually meant something didn't go so well, but the contemporary version couldn't exact even a little bit of revenge. The Red Sox completed the sweep with a 9-5 victory yesterday, with Joel Piniero serving as the unlikely hero; he cleaned up Manny Delcarmen's two-walk mess by inducing a bases-loaded double play grounder out of Bengie Molina to end the seventh, killing San Francisco's final rally. It was closed out by Hideki Okajima (AP Photo above, exchaning postgame vows with catcher Doug Mirabelli, whom Steven Krasner says deserved the save Saturday for his strikeout of Barry Bonds. (All stories projo.com)

Now it's off for the longest, and perhaps most difficult, road trip of the season: Nine games in Atlanta, San Diego and Seattle. (FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry has already dubbed the weekend set between the Sox and Padres as baseball's Series of the Week.) We'll see if their lead, currently a healthy 8 1/2 games, is as robust when they return.

NICE PLACE: Barry Bonds may never return to Boston, unless he surfaces as a designated hitter in the American League next year, but -- surprisingly -- he enjoyed his stay this time around. (Boston Globe) It probably didn't hurt that he added Fenway Park to the list of venues in which he's homered, a sixth-inning shot yesterday that the Sox felt was aided by some favorable atmospheric conditions. (projo.com) ''[When] it left the bat I thought it was a popup,'' said Bonds' victim, Tim Wakefield.

LOVE ME, HATE ME: Sean McAdam noted the fans' schizophrenic reaction to Bonds -- booing vociferously, but also having their cameras ready as he came to bat -- from the very beginning of the series (projo.com), and said Bonds' chase of baseball's most hallowed milestone is a case of baseball getting what it deserves. ''As punishment for looking the other way while both bodies and home run totals grew wildly out of proportion, baseball now has to watch helplessly as Bonds, ahem, injects himself permanently into the record books.''

COMING UP SHORT: David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have combined for fewer home runs so far (21) than Alex Rodriguez (27) and Prince Fielder (25) -- and are just barely beating out Justin Morneau (20) -- and Ortiz talked at length to Steven Krasner about just why that is. (projo.com) Ramirez is showing signs of life, power-wise, with home runs in consecutive games -- Saturday's provided the only run in a 1-0 win (projo.com) -- but Ortiz, homerless in eight games (33 at-bats), is showing signs of frustration, as was evidenced Friday night. (projo.com)

THE RICH GET RICHER: Alex Rodriguez is on pace for 65 homers and 176 RBI . . . and now he gets three games at Coors Field. (New York Daily News) And with each swing of the bat, says the New York Post's Joel Sherman, he continues his march towards baseball's first $30-million-a-season contract.

DON'T DO IT: But the Star-Ledger's Dan Graziano says the Yankees shouldn't pay that kind of money for A-Rod. Among the replacements he suggests pursuing: Mike Lowell.

BIG MISTAKE: Graziano also advocates a trade for the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera, but the Miami Herald's Israel Gutierrez notes that Cabrera is gaining weight at such a rapid pace ''the only way he stays at third base past the next decade is if he's allowed to park there in a reclining chair with a fishing net as his ball retriever.''

PUT ME IN COACH: Johnny Damon wants his own shot at that Rocky Mountain goodness. (New York Daily News)

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Miguel Cairo has become a cult hero for the Yankees as he fills in at first base, but that hasn't stopped New York from inquiring about old friend Shea Hillenbrand, who's lost his job in Anaheim. (Both stories New York Post)

YOU REMIND ME OF SOMEONE . . . Ron Guidry sees similarities between Jorge Posada and Thurman Munson. (The Journal News)

THE WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: The New York Post's Kevin Kernan says Derek Jeter won the original battle of the shortstops with Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra, and now he's beating Jose Reyes, as well.

LOOKING FOR GOOD NEWS, YANKEE-HATERS? Kei Igawa is back in their starting rotation. (New York Daily News)

NOT SO AMAZIN': The Mets are now in the 'worry season', says the Daily News' Lisa Olson. Among those worries: Whether Carlos Delgado's prolonged slow start is just a slump, or a sign that he's losing his skills. (North Jersey Media)

TALKIN' TRADE: SI.com's John Donovan thinks the right trade(s) could put the Reds back in contention in the N.L. Central. Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the players who could be put on the block, but Newsday says don't expect the Yankees to make a run at him.

WHISPERS: The Phillies may be interested in Brad Lidge (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Mike Sweeney thinks his time in Kansas City is coming to an end (Kansas City Star) . . . Marc Topkin of the Tampa Tribune wonders if Elijah Dukes is being shopped by the Devil Rays . . . The Arizona Republic reports the Angels are making a run at Miguel Tejada . . . The New York Daily News' Bill Madden thinks Lou Piniella will urge the Cubs to acquire Eric Gagne.

NOT SO FAST: Most everyone expects the slumping Orioles to fire Sam Perlozzo, but the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck gives some reasons as to why it hasn't happened yet. Among them: Owner Peter Angelos likes him. Still, something may happen soon; at least one fan is now coming to Camden Yards with a bag on his head. (Baltimore Sun)

ALL BURNED UP: The Pirates' Ian Snell will miss his next start because he slightly burned his index finger while preparing chicken. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

KEITH WINS AGAIN: One night after MSNBC's Keith Olbermann visited the Mets in their clubhouse, his direct competition, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly, was escorted out. (New York Daily News) The reason: He didn't have the proper credentials.

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:51 AM | Permalink