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Baseball Today: Thursday, June 28

LONG WAY TO GO FOR NOTHING: That's a pretty accurate description of yesterday afternoon's proceedings at Safeco Field from the Red Sox' point of view: Eleven innings, spaced over 3 hours and 46 minutes (it only seemed longer), for a 2-1 loss to the Mariners. It was yet another waste of a superb showing by Daisuke Matsuzaka (eight innings, three hits, one run) , for whom the Sox scored a grand total of five runs in five June starts. (Both stories projo.com.) Somehow he managed to win two of them: 1-0 over the Giants and 2-1 over the Padres. (AP Photo of Manny Ramirez) LONG WAY TO GO FOR SOMETHING: The road trip -- nine games in Atlanta, San Diego and Seattle -- ended on a downer, as the Sox were swept by the Mariners. Still, the day it began we wrote: ''We'll see if their lead [in the A.L. East], currently a healthy 8 1/2 games, is as robust when they return.''

It is: They return home with a nine-game edge. And, as Sean McAdam will note tomorrow, they are about to enter the easiest stretch of this year's schedule: 18 of the next 21 at home, many of which are against some of the worst teams in baseball. (The complete lineup of foes: Texas, Tampa Bay, at Detroit, Toronto, Kansas City and the White Sox.)

HIDDEN PROBLEMS: But SI.com's Jacob Luft says three games against the Royals might not be as soft an assignment as it seems.

THE BLAME GAME: Yesterday's ready-made controversy: Terry Francona's decision to let Julio Lugo hit with two on and two out in the eighth and the score tied, 1-1. (Boston Globe) Francona said lifting Lugo for either Eric Hinske or Alex Cora would have prompted Seattle manager Mike Hargrove to bring in left-hander Ryan Rowland-Smith, and he liked the Lugo-vs.-righty-Brandon Morrow matchup better. The point is debatable: While Hinske is a lifetime .227 hitter against left-handers, Cora actually has hit lefties better (.279) than righties (.240) in his career. And Lugo -- in the midst of a 0-for-31 slump that has dropped his average to .190 -- doesn't appear capable of hitting anybody right now. In any case, Lugo struck out, ending the inning.

NOT SO FAST: The Francona-bashers lost some of their ammunition in the 11th, when he actually lifted Lugo for Cora with a runner at first and one out and Cora grounded into an inning-ending double play. Many of the folks at Sons
of Sam Horn see no upgrade in a Cora-for-Lugo switch.

ADVANTAGE, BOSTON: There was a lot of talk last weekend about the Red Sox and Padres having two of the best bullpens in baseball. FoxSports' Dayn Perry says that the Pads' numbers are helped by the Petco Factor, and he gives the edge in the relief battle to Boston.

THEY'RE STILL EVIL: As the Red Sox have become more successful and raised more revenue, a general feeling has emerged that the Sox and Yankees are on more-or-less equal financial footing. Not so, Larry Lucchino told the San Diego Union-Tribune. ''We spend a lot of money because we have to, but we're nowhere near our despised rival in terms of revenue or salary,'' he said. ''The baseball universe is not 28 teams and the Red Sox and Yankees. It's 29 teams and the Yankees.''

IT AIN'T FISHER CAT NATION, BILL: Manchester Fisher Cats manager Bill Masse was upset when home fans gave a standing ovation to Portland's Clay Buchholz -- one of the Red Sox' top pitching prospects -- after he struck out 11 Cats batters Monday night. But Manchester Union-Leader readers, who generally are both Red Sox and Fisher Cats fans, basically told Masse to get a life.

AGE BEFORE BEAUTY: ESPN.com's Mark Simon looks at the results of the six 40-something starters who pitched Wednesday and notes they went 3-1 with two no-decisions.

HE'S THE ONE: The one loss belonged to Roger Clemens (AP Photo) as the free-falling Yankees were beaten again in Baltimore, 4-0. (New York Daily News) The Daily News' John Harper says the game serves as proof that Clemens will never live up to ''that ridiculous contract [the Yankees] were desperate enough to give him'' and the New York Post's Mike Puma thinks the Yanks must ''accept the fact that 'old' and 'Roger Clemens' belong in the same sentence, just not how they envisioned.''

REALITY CHECK: ''On the 28th of June, it is no longer rational, or reasonable, to laugh off the 11-game divisional deficit or the eight-game wild-card deficit and say, 'It's early.' It isn't early. The Yankees are now 36-39. They are a lot closer to the Orioles right now (three games from the AL East basement) than they are the Indians.'' So says the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro, who adds, ''that sound you hear is the rest of baseball rejoicing at the collapse.''

HELP IS ON THE WAY, PART ONE: Writing on ESPN.com, Bob Klapisch says Pedro Martinez' return to the Mets will ease the burden on Tom Glavine, who's struggling in his quest for his 300th career victory.

HELP IS ON THE WAY, PART TWO: Writing for the Bergen Record, Klapisch says Scott Boras has an idea to revive the profile of the World Series: Make it a best-of-nine series and play the first two games at a warm-weather neutral site.

IT'S ONLY NEWS IF WE SHOW IT: Some Pirates fans are planning a walkout in the third inning of Saturday's game in protest of the team's on- and off-field failures, but the team's television network has ordered its announcers not to mention it, will not show any part of it, and has deleted mention of it from the bulletin board on its Web site. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

WHERE'D YOU GET THAT IDEA?? When a reader during his Q-and-A matter-of-factly states that ''it's pretty obvious Francisco Rodriguez will go to the Yankees next year'' L.A. Times writer Mike DiGiovanni stops him in his tracks by saying the Angels' closer is under contract with the club at least through 2008.

DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH: Ozzie Guillen is amused by speculation that he's on his way out as White Sox manager. (Chicago Tribune)

BLOCKBUSTER AHEAD? The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant has the feeling that the Rangers and Dodgers are on the verge of a huge deal that would send all of Texas' attractive trade chips -- Mark Teixeira, Eric Gagne and Akinori Otsuka -- to Los Angeles, and lists a number of hints that make him think so.

MORE BUEHRLE: The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the White Sox and Mark Buehrle have set Friday as the deadline to complete talks on a contract extension. Buehrle himself was able to ignore the distractions and pitch Chicago past the Devil Rays. (Chicago Sun-Times)

WHISPERS: The Phillies are in the market for pitching, and may have interest in the Orioles' Steve Trachsel and the Reds' Kyle Lohse (delawareonline.com) . . . Jose Contreras says he wouldn't mind being traded by the White Sox (Chicago Sun-Times).

YOU BETTER NOT: The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley warns Diamondbacks GM (and ex-Theo Epstein assistant) Josh Byrnes not to get rid of Eric Byrnes.

JUST WHAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR: Barry Bonds' mistress is preparing a tell-all book on the soon-to-be home-run champ. (New York Daily News)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? ESPN.com's Keith Law, in an interview with the blog Lion in Oil, says the ''steroid 'scandal' is about 90% media sanctimony, and I guess the only good thing there is that it gives me another point on which to rail on the mainstream sports media.''

IF YOU LIKED LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN . . . Odds are you'll like two new baseball movies by director Penny Marshall, one about Effa Manley, the co-owner of the Newark Eagles who became the first woman to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the other a documentary on the Negro Leagues. (radaronline.com)

OLD FRIENDS: Derek Lowe was outdueled by Arizona's Brandon Webb in a terrific pitching matchup Wednesday night . . . The New York Sun's Steven Goldman says the success of Willie Harris in Atlanta is proof that you can find talent if you look hard enough . . . Shea Hillenbrand got his wish: The Angels designated him for assignment (Los Angeles Daily News).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:05 AM | Permalink