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Main page August 31, 2007
Scranton-WB 9, Pawtucket 3PAWTUCKET – Already out of the playoff picture, Pawtucket was playing for pride yesterday, and the opportunity to finish out the season with a .500 record. In order to finish the season 71-71, the PawSox needed to win their remaining five games. But the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Yankees didn’t take it easy on the PawSox last night, even though they had already locked up the International League North regular-season title. Scranton Wilkes/Barre defeated the PawSox, 9-3. “We made a couple of mistakes, had a few physical breakdowns, and they capitalized on every one,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “That’s probably why the won the division and are a playoff bound club. You got to tip your hat to them.” Pawtucket starter Mike Burns pitched well in four of his 5 1/3 innings outing, striking out six batters, but he gave up four runs on five hits in the momentum-shifting fourth inning and fell to 4-9 on the season with the loss. “I thought Burns did a pretty good job,” Johnson said. “When you look at it, it wasn’t like there was a lot of bullets hit all over the ballpark, but hey, that’s why that club is where they are. You can’t take anything away from them.” Facing Kei Igawa, who was a bust (2-3, 6.79 ERA) for the New York Yankees after they bid over $26 million dollars just to talk to him and then signed him to a five-year, 20 million dollar contract on Dec. 27, 2006, George Kottaras ripped a two-out RBI double down the left-field line that scored Jeff Bailey and gave Pawtucket a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Kottaras was 2-for-3 last night with two doubles and an RBI. He is hitting .320 (33-for-103) with six home runs, 11 doubles, and 21 RBI in his last 29 games. “He did a real nice job,” Johnson said of Kottaras. “George has finished up very strong here. He’s done a real nice job. There is a lot of life in his bat and it’s fun to watch him.” Scranton/Wilkes Barre scored four runs with two outs in the top of the fourth inning to take control of the game. Wil Nieves began the Yankees’ slugfest with an infield RBI single. Mike Kinkade scored from third base on the play and Eric Duncan advanced to second base. Juan Francia drove in Duncan with a single hit to right field and Nieves sprinted to third base on the hit. Both Francia and Nieves scored when Kevin Thompson blasted a double down the left-field line. Pawtucket didn’t go away quietly. Bobby Scales, who has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, crushed his 11th home run of the season – a two-run bomb sent over the fence in left field – to cut Scranton/Wilkes Barre’s lead to 4-3. In the top of the fifth, Scales tried to make what would have been an amazing diving catch in shallow right field on a Kinkade blooper, but the ball dropped in and bounced over his head. Instead of a single, Kinkade ended up with a triple. It appeared that Burns was going to get out of the inning unscathed when he struckout Bronson Sardinha for the second out, and then Alberto Gonzalez hit a routine grounder to second base. But Jed Lowrie misplayed the ball and Kinkade scored on the error to give the Yankees a 5-3 cushion. Edgar Martinez came on to pitch for Pawtucket in the sixth inning, but he didn’t fare much better. He allowed four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings. The Yankees padded their lead in the top of the eighth inning when Jose Cruz, Jr. hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Juan Francia. Then after Doug Mientkiewicz hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field, Bronson Sardinha hit a bases loaded RBI single to left field, scoring Thompson. Pawtucket inserted Craig Hansen to stop the bleeding but he couldn’t. Alberto Gonzalez belted a ground-rule double down the right field line that scored Cruz and Kinkade and extended Scranton Wilkes/Barre’s lead to 9-3. Igawa pitched seven innings and limited Pawtucket to just three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. Of his 101 pitches, 71 of them were strikes. “Igawa threw the ball really well,” Johnson said. “We only got five hits on the night. We got the most of it though. We got three runs on five hits.” NOTE: The PawSox will play a double-header today with the first game beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the second at 6:05 p.m. Fans will not be allowed to enter McCoy Stadium until 4:45 for the nightcap instead of the normal two hours prior to game time. The gates will open at 10:30 a.m. for the 12:30 p.m. first game. --ROB LEE
Posted by Chris Venditto Wakefield Scratched; Tavarez Moved Up
Julian Tavarez, who was scheduled to pitch tomorrow night, instead will replace Wakefield. Tomorrow's starter is listed as TBA, but right-hander Clay Buchholz is likely to be called up for the start. His last start was last Monday in Rochester, when he coughed up five runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings. He'd be pitching on a normal four days of rest. Wakefield first mentioned back woes after a superb seven-inning shutout performance on the road against Tampa Bay on Aug. 20. He threw only 77 pitches that night, but was taken out after seven innings with the team boasting a big lead for precautionary mesaures. The right-hander tossed seven shutout innings on the road against the White Sox last Saturday in his start after the outing against the Devil Rays. He has thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Pregame Notes, Aug. 31
Francona said he didn't think he was supposed to announce tomorrow's promotions until after tonight's game, but two of them are expected to be outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and veteran shortstop Royce Clayton from Pawtucket. Right-hander Clay Buchholz is a lock to be called up from the PawSox after Monday's finale, and it's possible another right-hander, Devern Hansack, could get the call, too. Left-hander Jon Lester, who was sent to Portland last week, also will rejoin Boston when the rosters expand. Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson will spend a little time at home before joining the Red Sox for the rest of the season. -- J.D. Drew, who went 5 for 30 (.167) on the 10-game road trip, said he is expecting a better performance in September. "I felt like I took some pretty good swings (on the trip). Hopefully it carries over into September. Everything's going to be fine," said Drew, who is batting .257 with a mere 7 homers and 46 RBI. -- Designated hitter David Ortiz said the absence of Manny Ramirez (oblique) in the lineup doesn't add to his load. "It's a tough situation, but I feel no pressure," said Ortiz. "I just try to do my best." -- Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard, who is 13-5 with a 3.16 earned-run average (fifth in the A.L.) and a league-leading 221 strikeouts, will be held out of his start in this series because of a muscle pull in his side. "You don't want to lose any young pitcher to injury. This kid's a rising star in our league. Am I sad we're not facing him? No. No. The kid's tough," said Francona. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Manny Has MRI
The Sox wanted to see just how much fluid has built up in the injured area, but manager Terry Francona just said in his daily press briefing that the results aren't in yet. Francona added that he does not know how long Ramirez will be out of action. Sometimes the injury can keep a player out a week or two weeks, he said. "The minute he can play, he will," said Francona. But Francona said the Sox will have to be careful with him. "It's the type of injury that if you try to rush and go too fast (with a return to action), you can lose somebody for a lot longer. That doesn't help. We'll manage it as best we can," he said. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups, Aug. 31BOSTON Pedroia 2b Wakefield p BALTIMORE Roberts 2b Liz p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: A depressing series; look out next timeJust back from New York, Sean McAdam joins us for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: the two big problems about this week; the Yankees' late-season dominance of the Red Sox; Joba Chamberlain vs. Kevin Youkilis; the reversed call on the double play in the seventh inning; the always disappointing J.D. Drew; and an encouraging start from Curt Schilling. Following are some excerpts from Sean's comments. On the sweep: "The Red Sox know that the Yankees would be pretty formidable in October, and that's half of the problem of what happened the last three days. Not only did the Red Sox not pull away and wrap up the division, but they had an opportunity to really damage the Yankees' playoff hopes ... and they failed to do that." On the Chamberlain incident: "I think there's definitealy some carryover effect there. ... A number of [Red Sox] players in the clubhouse were talking about, 'There's still three games left,' and 'This is to be continued,' and 'We'll revisit this.' And for whatever reason, Youkilis seems to be in the middle of this all the time. You remember that he got buzzed by Scott Proctor [earlier this season], and yesterday for reasons no one can quite figure out he was the target of Joba Chamberlain." On Drew's awful series: "You'd be hard-pressed to remember three games in which Drew had worse at-bats. I think there was one single in the first game that was hard hit from Drew, and that was about it. Everything else was the sort of rollover groundball to the right side, or in yesterday's case the groundball to the left side that started the infamous double play [involving Youkilis being called safe, then out]. ... For Drew not to be able to come through and not fill the void [left by Manny Ramirez's absence] is just one more series of disappointments in what has been an always disappointing first seaosn in Boston."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball today: Friday, August 31
HERE WE GO AGAIN: But, as the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy writes, it's never just baseball with these two teams. As an example may we present Joba Chamberlain getting ejected after throwing a pair of pitches over the head of Kevin Youkilis in the ninth inning. (projo.com) The Yankees, as expected, were righteously indignant, saying there was no logical reason why Chamberlain would be throwing at Youkilis and that the rookie was just nervous. (New York Daily News) The Daily News' John Harper agrees, saying the Red Sox are ''crazy'' if they think the pitches were intentional. In the Post, Mike Vaccaro says Chamberlain was an innocent victim of this rivalry's heated past. But the Red Sox, says the Boston Herald, aren't buying it. And the Globe's Nick Cafardo thinks Chamberlain ''knowingly or not, seemed to kick the Red Sox when they were down . . . [And] there will be reverberations that will spill over to the next series Sept. 14-16 at Fenway.'' I WONDER . . . Peter Abraham is one of the few New York media members not willing to parrot the Yankee party line on the incident. On the LoHud Yankees Blog he writes, ''I am not accusing Chamberlain of anything. But there’s plenty of evidence that suggests this may not have been an accident. Pitchers have been trying to make hitters think for 100 years.'' He also notes that Chamberlain lockers next to Roger Clemens and ''Roger is as old school as it gets in baseball. I have no idea if Roger told him to dust Youkilis. But would I bet my house against it? Would you?'' AMEN: Abraham concludes: ''This is why Yanks-Sox is what it is and the rest of baseball [can] only envy the passion. There is nothing like it in the sport.'' THE REAL NEWS: What the Yankees actually did over these last three days was take control of the wild-card race, writes Bill Madden of the Daily News. SILENT TYPE: Even though we're at a point in the season when people would be very interested in what he has to say -- like about yesterday's start in New York -- Curt Schilling has pretty much stopped posting to his Web site. (He's only made three entries in August.) He's still talking to the mainstream media, though, and the Herald's Steve Buckley reports Schilling was disappointed in his performance, even though he only allowed two runs in six innings. WHIPPING BOY: Not a day goes by without somebody, somewhere, trashing the disappointing, underachieving J.D. Drew. Today it's the Herald's Tony Massarotti. SEE YOU SOON: Royce Clayton has joined the PawSox in anticipation of a September callup to Boston and is looking forward to joining the Red Sox. (projo.com) MANNY'S REPLACEMENT . . . while he's recuperating from a strained oblique muscle may be Jacoby Ellsbury. He's played left field for the PawSox for the last couple of games -- concidence? -- and last night saved the team's 3-2 win over Buffalo with a diving catch in left-center field, after which he got up and threw out a runner at second base for the final out. (projo.com) BREAKING THE RULES: The Yankees have decided to amend the Joba Rules and won't be quite as strict about his usage patterns. (New York Daily News) YOUTH WILL BE SERVED: The Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees are paying the dividends of the 180-degree shift in organizational philosophy instituted by Brian Cashman in 2005. SO WILL EXPERIENCE: FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry lists 36-year-old Jorge Posada on his All-Underrated Team. HE SPEAKS! Mike Mussina ended his two-day media boycott and discussed being lifted from the Yankee rotation. (New York Daily News) He said the move caught him ''off-guard'' and that he needed a little time to ''simmer down'' before talking publicly. THE GODS ARE WITH US: The New York Times reports that the squirrel that was climbing the right-field foul pole at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night may be, according to Norse mythology, a bad sign for the Yankees. TO THE RESCUE: The Orioles come to town tonight and, as the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck details, there may not be a team performing as badly as Baltimore is right now. WHY THE YANKEES ARE THE SECOND STORY IN NEW YORK: The Mets are imploding with a suddenness that defies rational belief. The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Hagen says logic dictates the Phillies can't catch the Mets, but then asks ''[are] you going to believe what history and common sense and cold, hard logic tell you? Or are you going to believe your eyes?'' Eyes were popping all over Philly yesterday as the Phils scored three runs off Billy Wagner in the eighth and ninth innings and completed a four-game sweep, cutting New York's N.L. East lead to two. (Philadelphia Daily News) Rhode Island's Jim Salisbury, the Inquirer's main baseball writer, asks ''Do you believe yet?'', and adds that the Phillies do. As for the Mets, David Wright says they have to turn the page quickly . . . or else. (New York Daily News) The Post's Jay Greenberg, though, thinks there's plenty of time to right the ship. THE RACES -- A.L. CENTRAL: The Tigers won yesterday and Jim Leyland thinks there's plenty of time for his team to climb out of the hole its in. (Detroit News) But they didn't gain any ground on the Indians, who scored in the bottom of the ninth to beat the reeling Mariners. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) I'M WITH YOU: Seattle has lost six straight and is plummeting in both the A.L. West and wild-card races. But their former manager, Mike Hargrove -- who lives in Cleveland and spent years with the Indians as a player and manager -- says he feels ''more a Mariner'' than he does an Indian and still follows the team closely despite his abrupt resignation two months ago. (Both stories Seattle Post-Intelligencer) THE RACES -- N.L. CENTRAL: The Cubs beat the Brewers (Chicago Tribune) and the Astros beat the Cardinals (Houston Chronicle). WISH LIST: SI.com's John Donovan examines what each contender needs to have happen down the stretch. For the Red Sox, it's that J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis start hitting. OZZIE BEING OZZIE: Ozzie Guillen launched into quite the tirade against his players after they lost Wednesday night. (Chicago Sun-Times) LOCAL BOYS: The blog The Good Phight gives a little love to Davey Lopes. QUICKLY: Esteban Loiaza is shocked to be leaving the A's (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Oakland's Rich Harden says he's came back too soon from his arm woes and is going to be more cautious this time around (San Jose Mercury News) . . . Vernon Wells may need shoulder surgery (Toronto Globe and Mail) . . . The Tigers are mulling whether or not to bring back the declining Ivan Rodriguez (Detroit News) . . . The Rangers are happy with manager Ron Washington, and they proved it by picking up his 2009 contract option (Dallas Morning News). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 30, 2007
Game story: Yankees 5, Red Sox 0BY SEAN McADAM NEW YORK –- Like a storm whose full impact can’t be measured in the short-term, it was too soon for the Red Sox to assess how much damage the Yankees inflicted with their series sweep, capped by Thursday’s 5-0 shutout. If the Sox hold off the Yankees – their lead has been sheared to five with 28 to play – these three games will be viewed as merely demoralizing losses. If, on the other hand, the division title has been put back in play and the Yankees have been emboldened by their wins here, then the impact will obviously be much greater. But Thursday, as they trudged out of Yankee Stadium, this much was unmistakable: the Red Sox lost an opportunity here. ''Oh, no question,’’ agreed Curt Schilling, the losing pitcher. An opportunity to put the Yankees out of the running for first place in the division was squandered. So, too, was a chance to worsen their rivals’ wild-card chances and help ensure that they won’t have to meet them in the ALCS in October. ''We lost,’’ said Schilling. ''We lost and got out-pitched three days in a row.’’ Only three days ago, the Red Sox led by eight, and the Yankees were reeling from a poor road trip that ended with an embarrassing 16-0 loss in Detroit the night before this series began. But whatever edge the Sox had in momentum quickly dissipated. ''Both teams played exactly the opposite of how they had been playing before coming into the series,'' Schilling said. ''We didn’t play well (in the series) and they did.'' Schilling kept the Sox close, allowing only two solo homers, both to Robinson Cano – one in the third, another in the fifth. The first came on a fastball, the second on a hanging splitter. Chien-Ming Wang, meanwhile, held the Sox hitless through six innings before the Sox showed some life in the seventh. Kevin Youkilis reached first when Derek Jeter’s throw from short pulled Jason Giambi off the bag. With Giambi holding Youkilis on at first, Mike Lowell drove a pitch to right for the first hit of the afternoon for the Red Sox. J.D. Drew then hit a roller to third. Alex Rodriguez charged the ball and attempted to tag Youkilis, who eluded the third baseman’s glove and advanced to third as Drew was thrown out at first. The Sox thought they had runners at second and third with just one out. They were wrong. The umpiring crew gathered and overturned the call, ruling that Youkilis had gone out of the baseline – replays indicated he had stepped on the infield grass – and the Sox were reduced to one baserunner (Lowell at second) and two out. Terry Francona stormed from the dugout and got himself ejected for the fifth time this season. When Wang fanned Jason Varitek for the third out, both the inning and the afternoon were effectively over. . ''I know it’s a judgment call,'' Francona said. ''What upset me was it was (second-base umpire) Derryl Cousins’ call and it was overturned by (third-base umpire Mark Carlson) without as good a view. That was frustrating. I think they should have used the (opinion) of the umpire with the best view.'' Explained Cousins: ''On the play, we had a little lack of communication. I had a safe call for no tag. Carlson was making the call on (being) out of the baseline. We just had to get together to make sure we had it right.'' The Yankees piled on with three more off Hideki Okajima in the eighth and now head into the final four weeks with potential paths to October. Asked to assess how the race had changed in the last 72 hours, Francona said: ''I look at it that we lost today and we’re not very pleased about it …We need to show up and play the games and whatever our record is at the end of the season, that’s what it will be.'' That bit of Zen mastery may not do much to ease the angst felt by Red Sox fans who viewed this week as an opportunity to put the Yankees in the rear view mirror – permanently. But from where the Red Sox now sit, the Yankees are very much visible. ''We’ve spent all year playing it one at a time and turning the page,'' said Schilling. ''Now we’ll see how good we are at doing that.''
Posted by Art Martone Red Sox journal: Chamberlain reignites the rivalry with two high-and-tight pitches to YoukilisBY SEAN McADAM NEW YORK – The Red Sox and Yankees, it seems, can’t get through a series without some bad blood surfacing. In the ninth inning Thursday, Yankee rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain threw two consecutive fastballs over the head of Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, leading to Chamberlain’s immediate ejection by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez. ''If that young man was trying to get our attention,'' said Terry Francona, ''he did a very good job. I can’t read someone else’s mind – you’ll have to ask him (about his intent).'' ''It is what it is,'' said Youkilis after the game. ''Two balls over my head at 98 mph, I don’t know. Who knows? All I know is that this is the second time [he’s had an incident with the Yankees]. Scott Proctor threw up around my head (back in April). Coincidence? I don’t know. [Chamberlain’s] got a 0.00 ERA and control of the strike zone.'' Yankee manager Joe Torre was adamant Chamberlain wasn’t throwing at Youkilis, saying the youngster, pitching in the ninth inning against the Red Sox for the first time, was nervous. ''The umpires have be schooled somehow so they have a better sense of the game,'' said Torre. ''It’s sad that it happened,’’ said Chamberlain. ''There was no maliciousness behind it. I’m out there trying to win games. I have too much respect for the game.'' Crew chief Derryl Cousins came out and spoke to the media, explaining why Chamberlain was ejected. ''There’s more than a little bit of history between these clubs,'' he said. ''Those were two pretty nasty pitches the young man threw. Up here, you need to be a little better throwing strikes and we just had to put a lid on it before there was a problem.'' The teams, of course, meet three more times from Sept. 14-16 in Fenway. ''It will be interesting to see how that plays out,'' said Youkilis. Francona furious at MLB Francona has been given multiple warnings about wearing pullover tops instead of the standard-issue uniform top. He’s explained to MLB officials that he wears the pullovers to keep himself warm, since, even in the middle of summer, he often feels chills because of side effects of some blood-thinning medication he takes. MLB officials have suggested that he wear the uniform top underneath the pullover, which Francona has been doing. He showed that to MLB Vice President Bob Watson an hour before Wednesday night’s game. But in an apparent effort to make sure that he hadn’t discarded the uniform once the game started, MLB sent an RSA (resident security agent) into the dugout, who pulled Francona into the runway leading to the dugout and examined the uniform. ''That’s about as embarrassed as I’ve been for baseball in a long time,'' fumed Francona. ''When Derek Jeter is on second base and I’ve got someone asking to check my uniform, I was a little perturbed . . . I asked him, ‘Can this wait a second?’ He told me no. ''Unless this guy can put on a bunt play, he ought to stay out of the (expletive) dugout.’’ When asked if the Sox had any avenue to appeal the action, Francona said: ''I think all the cursing I did to the guy up in the tunnel was appeal enough.'' Ramirez expected to be sidelined for a week Kielty ready to return ''I took some swings and felt better,'' said Kielty after the game. ''I feel better.'' Kielty added that he expects to be available Friday night when the Sox host the Orioles. -- Lowell’s hit was the first off Chien-Ming Wang, who no-hit the Sox for the first six innings. -- Ironically, Francona had been asked why, with Ramirez out, he had Lowell hitting fifth instead of cleanup. “(Wang) has been tough on Mike,’’ said Francona. Before yesterday, Lowell was hitting only .158 (3-for-19) against Wang. -- Hideki Okajima was charged with three runs in the eighth as the game got away from the Sox. The three runs were the most against the lefty in an appearance this season. In fact, the three runs equaled the amount of runs that Okajima yielded in the first two months of the season. -- The Sox dropped to 29-13 in days games and saw their three-game winning streak in day games snapped. -- Thanks to a pulled oblique muscle, the Sox will miss Baltimore ace lefty Erik Bedard twice in the next 10 days. Going into yesterday, Bedard led the American League in strikeouts (221) and opponents batting average against (.212) and is tied for fourth in ERA (3.16).
Posted by Art Martone No-hitter over...fun just beginningA single to right by Mike Lowell has ended Chien-Ming Wang's no-hit bid. Kevin Youkilis reached on an error by Derek Jeter, and Lowell singled him to second. Then, J.D. Drew hit a roller to Alex Rodriguez, who missed a tag on Youkilis heading to third before throwing out Drew at first. Terry Francona emerged from the dugout like he was spring-loaded and in no time, was run, his fifth ejection of the season. NY 2 BOS 0, bot 7
Posted by Sean McAdam In This Afternoon's Performance, the Part of Dave Righetti....It's the bottom of the sixth in the Bronx and your Red Sox are hitless against Chien-Ming Wang. Like Roger Clemens the night before, Wang has had his problems with control, walking four. But he's yet to give up a hit. The closest so far: a sparkling play by Jason Giambi, who went diving to his right to take a hit away from Dustin Pedroia with two gone in the third. This marks the second time in as many games that the Sox have been held without a hit through five innings. Curt Schilling has pitched pretty well, escept where Robinson Cano is concerned. Cano has two solo homers to account for the only two runs of the game. NY 2 BOS 0, through 6
Posted by Sean McAdam Lineups for the finaleBoston Dustin Pedroia 2b Curt Schilling p NEW YORK Chien-Ming Wang p
Posted by Sean McAdam Sox Streakers for August 30Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. Chien-Ming Wang Yankees vs. Curt Schilling More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Back to the old anemic offenseSean McAdam joins us from Yankee Stadium for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Today's topics of conversation: can this team succeed without Manny Ramirez? Terry Francona's decision to stay with Beckett into the seventh last night; Curt Schilling's keys to success today; the Yankees' playoff hopes getting better and better; Julian Tavarez vs. Clay Buchholz; and who might get called up from the minors in the week ahead (aside from Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and Buchholz). Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: Life without Manny: "Certainly a six-game lead with 30 to go is fairly comfortable, but if Manny is out indeed for an extended stretch, it's going to be a little bit more difficult, there's no getting around that." On staying with Beckett: "I don't have any problem with him going out for the seventh. In fact, as angry as Beckett was for leaving that curveball out over the middle of the plate for A-Rod to hit out, he still said he felt strong and good and could have finished the inning." On potential call-ups: "Certainly [Royce] Clayton. That was the reason he was signed, to give them an experienced middle infielder down the stretch if anything were to happen to Cora, Lugo or Pedroia. Clayton is someone who could play either position and has done so for a long time in the big leagues. ... Kevin Cash. Doug Mirabelli is eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend, but Cash will stick around to give them the flexibility of a third catcher. Maybe one other pitcher ... but for a team in contention, they would not want to have too many people hanging around here who aren't going to be useful."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Thursday, August 30
WELL-PLACED ROCKET: He wasn't the Roger Clemens of old, not with five walks, a hit batter and only two strikeouts through six innings. But he wasn't old Roger Clemens, either, and he was good enough, writes Sean McAdam, to win the battle of Texas gunslingers with Josh Beckett as the Yankees made it two in a row over the Red Sox last night, 4-3. The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy was impressed, and the New York Daily News' John Harper said it showed Clemens (above, AP Photo) could still be an important cog going forward for the Yanks. The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro adds it's exactly what they need. A MUCH BIGGER LOSS: McAdam reports the Sox will be without Manny Ramirez indefinitely -- it could be ''weeks,'' according to a club source, though the same source also said it's more likely to be ''days'' -- because of a strained oblique muscle. That, coupled with Bobby Kielty's bad back, leaves the Sox shorthanded on the bench until Saturday, when rosters can be expanded to 40. (Putting either one on the disabled list immediately, in order to bring up reinforcements, would mean a minumum of 15 days on the shelf, and the Sox are hoping both will be back before then.) The notebook also contains items involving Saturday's starter (it'll be Julian Tavarez and not Clay Buchholz) THE FATAL FLAW: While it certainly wasn't helped by the absence of Ramirez, the Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti says last night's feeble offensive performance could be a sign of the weakness that will sink the Sox moving forward. DON'T ASK ME, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW: One of the weakest links in the offensive chain has -- to the front office's dismay -- proven to be J.D. Drew, who's been about a quarter of the hitter the Sox thought they were signing. And Drew himself doesn't know why that is, or what to do to fix it. (Boston Globe) COWBOY UP: Kevin Youkilis has also been struggling at the plate, which, FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports, has led the Red Sox to look into reacquiring Kevin Millar. Rosenthal, however, adds ''talks have cooled'' and also reports it's uncertain Millar, who is playing every day in Baltimore and will be a free agent at the end of the year, would be willing to come to Boston as a part-time player. A BREAK: The Sox won't be facing Oriole ace Erik Bedard this weekend (Washington Post), because Bedard is suffering from a strained muscle in his right side. THE IMPORTANT STUFF: Terry Francona has had plenty of issues with Bob Watson, a vice-president of MLB's on-field operations, in the past; one of them, earlier this season, came when Watson overruled the umpires' recommendation that an opposing pitcher be suspended for deliberately throwing at a Red Sox player. So when Watson went into the Red Sox dugout last night to talk to Francona about wearing a jersey top, instead of the pullover he's worn since taking over as manager in 2004, Tito threw him out. (New York Post) And, you may have noticed, he wore the pullover last night. OUT IN FRONT: Writing on ESPN.com, Howard Bryant says Francona has become the public face of the franchise as Theo Epstein and other front-office executives stay behind the scenes. THE GREATEST INSULT: ESPN.com's Jim Caple, who grew up rooting for the Red Sox, says the 2004 championship has Sox fans acting like Yankee fans and he has no use for his former compadres. (''As soon as the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, Boston fans took on a swaggering, entitled persona, acting as if they alone invented sports fandom and behaving as if nothing else in baseball mattered but them.'') DOWN ON THE FARM . . . The PawSox' season will end Monday -- no playoffs this year -- but it's ending on a good note for George Kotteras and Craig Hansen, who helped Pawtucket rally past Buffalo last night. (projo.com) Joe McDonald reports Hansen is still hoping for a September call to Boston even though he's struggled through a difficult, injury-filled season at Triple-A. (minorleaguebaseball.com) More likley to be summoned, writes Joe, are Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and Davern Hansack. CARTER COUNTRY? It's unknown whether or not the Sox will call for newly acquired Chris Carter, but if they do, they'll be adding a life-long Red Sox fan to their roster. McDonald sat down last night for an interview with Carter prior to his first game at McCoy Stadium. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW? The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant thinks the Rangers did well in the Eric Gagne trade as he sings the praises of the players Texas acquired from the Red Sox. WHO IS THIS GUY, AND WHAT HAS HE DONE WITH DICE-K? Kazuhiro Takeda, Japan's pitching coach in the World Baseball Classic, watched Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch against the Yankees on Tuesday and said ''it wasn’t even half of what'' Dick-K is capable of. (Boston Herald) Takeda spoke to Matsuzaka, who said he's ''quite tired'' -- the MLB season is longer than Japan's -- and is trying to conserve energy for the September stretch and the postseason. LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER The Herald's Steve Buckley writes that Curt Schilling needs to make a good start today to build on the momentum from last week's performance in Chicago and begin laying the groundwork for the postseason. FORGETTING WHAT HAPPENED IN APRIL: The Daily News' Mike Lupica says the Yanks are a different team than the one that struggled through the beginning of the year. YANKS ARE WILD: The victory lifted the Yankees into a virtual tie with the Mariners for the wild-card lead after the Angels completed a three-game sweep in Seattle. (Los Angeles Daily News) Orlando Cabrera says the M's should forget about catching LA of A in the A.L. West race and focus on the wild card (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), and the PI's Art Thiel says that what they'll have to do after a three-game series that can only be described as ''a teamwide choke''. CHANGING THE RULES: After watching the latest Kyle Farnsworth tightrope-walk -- a two-run eighth inning that nearly cost them the game -- the Yankees will amend the Joba Rules to allow Joba Chamberlain to pitch more often. (Both stories New York Post) KEEPING THE FAITH: Mike Mussina has refused to talk to the media since being taken out of the starting rotation, but he had a long sitdown with Joe Torre yesterday, who explained the move and says he still thinks Mussina will pitch, and pitch effectively, for the Yankees. (New York Daily News) DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR . . . SI.com's John Donovan thinks the Yankees' decision to replace Mussina in the rotation with rookie Ian Kennedy is a sign of desperation that many teams, and managers, feel this time of year. BACK OFF A BIT: In a reader mailbag, SI.com's Tom Verducci says he's beginning to think the Yankees' Phil Hughes ''may not be a knockout No. 1 starter the way some have anointed him''. Still, he believes Hughes has more potential than the Sox' Jon Lester. FORGET IT: While he may not return to the Yankees next year -- he wants to play center field, but the Yanks have given the position to Melby Cabrera -- Johnny Damon says flatly he won't come back to Boston. (Boston Herald) THE RACES -- N.L. EAST: The Phillies have pulled to within three games after winning their third straight from the Mets last night (Philadelphia Inquirer) in a game that ended when C.B. Bucknor -- there's that man again -- called interference on Marlon Anderson for his takeout slide into second with two outs in the ninth, negating the tying run from scoring and ending the game. The Mets, as you can imagine, were just thrilled with the call. (New York Post) THE RACES -- N.L. CENTRAL: Ben Sheets' return from the disabled list was everything the Brewers hoped as they beat the Cubs and moved back into second place. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Tony La Russa doesn't look so old or crazy anymore after getting the Cardinals back in the hunt, even though they lost last night and may be without Scott Rolen for a while. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark thinks Sheets' performance is exactly what the Brewers needed. DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING: But ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski still believes the Cubs are in the driver's seat in the N.L. Central. THE RACES -- N.L. WEST: The Diamondbacks and Padres are in a virtual tie after San Diego's 3-1 win over Arizona last night. (Arizona Republic) IF YOU CAN HANDLE HIM . . . Rosenthal thinks Milton Bradley would be a solid addition to anybody's lineup. QUICKLY: Esteban Loaiza was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers (Foxsports.com) . . . The Cubs are looking for help prior to tomorrow's waiver trade deadline but don't think what they're being offered is any better than what they have now (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Giants reliever Vinnie Chulk has a circulatory problem that doctors may be related to chewing tobacco. (San Francisco Chronicle) Chulk has vowed to give up his chaw . . . Ervin Santana's poor performance against the Mariners Tuesday may mean the end of his stay in the Angels' starting rotation, at least for this season (Riverside Press-Enterprise) . . . Cole Hamels threw without pain, which is good news for the Phillies (Philadelphia Inquirer). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 29, 2007
Game story: Sox fall short 4-3NEW YORK – This was a battle of Texas gunslingers – a past Red Sox ace matched against the present one – and on this night at least, old was better than new. -----SEAN McADAM
Posted by Thom Cahir Sox Journal NEW YORK – The news about Manny Ramirez’ injury became slightly more ominous yesterday when it was revealed that the outfielder is suffering from an oblique strain, and not, as the Red Sox first said, back spasms. ------SEAN McADAM
Posted by Thom Cahir Manny Back out of the LineupTo the surprise of no one, Manny Ramirez isn't in the lineup -- and probably won't play tomorrow, either, the result of a strained left oblique which flared up again Tuesday night. He was examined by Stuart Hershon after the game Tuesday, then re-examined earlier today. Dr. Larry Ronan, one of the team of Red Sox physicians, is on his way to New York to examine him further. Bobby Kielty, who also suffered from some back spasms and came out of the game after replacing Ramirez, had x-rays taken today, which revealed no structural problems. Kielty, too, is day-to-day. The injuries have left the Sox short of outfielders, with just Eric Hinske (starting in left), Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew. Francona indicated that Julio Lugo would be the emergecy outfielder. Lugo played some outfield with the Dodgers last season. Francona said the Sox will have replacements soon as rosters expand -- Brandon Moss and Jacoby Ellsbury are certain callups -- but the Sox would like the Pawtucket players to finish out there season first.
Posted by Sean McAdam Tonight's lineups: No MannyNot surprisingly, Manny Ramirez is not in the Red Sox' lineup for tonight's game against the New York Yankees. Here are the lineups: Red Sox Yankees
Posted by Mike McDermott Kielty's x-rays negativeTerry Francona told WEEI radio today that x-rays on outfielder Bobby Kielty's back came back negative today. Kielty, who hurt his back crashing into the right-field wall at Fenway earlier this month, left last night's game with soreness shortly after he was put into the game in place of Manny Ramirez, who was reportedly suffering back spasms. Francona did not say if Ramirez would be available to play tonight.
Posted by Mike McDermott Sox Streakers for August 29Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. Roger Clemens Yankees vs. Josh Beckett More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: The Yankees win; how badly hurt is Manny?Sean McAdam joins us from New York for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics include: Daisuke Matsuzaka's inability to keep the game tied; Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch; Manny Ramirez's back injury; lineup options for the Red Sox should Ramirez be held out of tonight's game; Joba Chamberlain; and tonight's Josh Beckett-Roger Clemens matchup. Here are some excerpts from Sean's commments: On Matsuzaka: "Ironically one of the things that was included in the scouting report about Daisuke when he came over is that he was good in big-game situations and would bear down, and frankly we haven't seen that lately." On Ramirez: "It was a little ominous I guess -- or maybe not -- to see Dr. Stuart Hershon, who is the longtime Yankee team physician, leaving the Red Sox clubhouse emerging from the trainer's room. One supposes -- and that's all it is -- that he was examining Manny. ... Whether that was precautionary, or to administer x-rays, or what, we dont know. I think that it's a little up in the air whether we'll see him today or even tomorrow." Tonight's pitchers: "Two kind of Texas gunslingers, almost a generation apart. ... Josh Beckett grew up in Spring, Texas, idolizing Roger Clemens. He says he has a box full of baseball cards that are Roger Clemens' alone. It will be the first time that they've faced one another."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Wednesday, August 29
REVENGE OF THE IDIOT: This hasn't been the best of seasons for Johnny Damon (above right, AP Photo), and it may even be his last with the Yankees. (Boston Globe) But he's healthier now than he's been all year and Sean McAdam reports that he helped buy the Yankees ''more time — if nothing else — in the chase for first place in the American League East last night'' with a seventh-inning home run off Daisuke Matsuzaka that broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Yanks a 5-3 win. The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley found that the smile was back on Damon's face, at least for one night. Allan Wood, however, articulates what was on the mind of every Red Sox fan: ''Distance to the RF pole at Yankee Stadium? 314 feet. Distance of Johnny Damon's two-run, tie-breaking home-run in the seventh inning? 315 feet.'' (joyofsox.com) ALL IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER: The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy says this series is crucial only to the Yankees because the Red Sox have the division title wrapped up. Maybe so, counters the Herald's Tony Massarotti -- actually, he agrees because the wrote the same thing Monday -- but he adds the Sox would be wise to bury the Yankees now, while they have the chance. But the New York Daily News' Lisa Olson still thinks ''a pennant race lurks in the bushes,'' even though her colleague, Mike Lupica, thinks there's no race going on here. HOW WOULD I KNOW? Chad Finn says he's been wrong about so much this season that he won't venture an opinion on the division race. (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com) THERE'S ALWAYS OCTOBER: We're at the point now where the only way J.D. Drew can redeem himself in the eyes of Red Sox Nation is in the postseason. (Boston Herald) So I suppose it bears repeating: What's the facination, what's the fascination, what's the fascination with J.D. Drew? (weei.com) (Actually, any chance to relink to that is worth exploiting. This one, too (wcbs.com), with the hook being that Clemens pitches tonight. Oh my goodness gracious . . . ) OF ALL THE DRAMATIC THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN . . . : Dustin Pedroia thinks facing Clemens will be ''awesome.'' (Boston Herald) HERE AND THERE: McAdam's notebook, which starts by previewing tonight's Josh Beckett-Roger Clemens matchup, has plenty of newsy items, including the fact that Clay Buchholz will, indeed, start Saturday's game against the Orioles; the latest on the back spasms that forced Manny Ramirez out of the lineup in the seventh inning, and the fact that actress Cameron Diaz was among the celebrities spotted in the crowd. HE WHO HESITATES . . . Rangers owner Tom Hicks says the Marlins first approaced Texas with the Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell package in November 2005. But the Rangers wouldn't give them an immediate answer, the Red Sox got wind of the talks, and the rest -- Beckett and Lowell winding up in Boston -- is history. (Dallas Morning News) MYSTERY SOLVED (HOPEFULLY): After studying video, Eric Gagne thinks he's been tipping his pitches, which would explain his struggles since arriving in Boston. (Boston Herald) So he and pitching coach John Farrell have been working to solve the problem. CAN'T COMPARE TO CUB NATION: Bobby Howry says Cub fans are far better than Red Sox fans because they're there through thick and thin and Sox fans ''wouldn't show up if they were losing like we were last year.'' (Chicago Tribune) How Howry knows this -- he spent 1 1/2 seasons in Boston, seasons in which the Sox went 93-69 and 95-67 and attracted 5,375,027 fans combined -- isn't quite clear. JOBA RULES: We won't see him tonight no matter what, because the Yankees -- trying to protect his precious arm from the career-ravaging bullpen strategies of Joe Torre -- have expressly forbidden Torre from using him on consecutive days. But Joba Chamberlain got his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry last night and seemed unruffled by it all as he pitched a scoreless eighth. (New York Post) OUR HERO: Andy Pettitte got the victory last night and is now 69-33 when he pitches after Yankee losses. (New York Post) THE MOOSE IS LOOSE: The Yankees answered the prayers of their fans everywhere by announcing after last night's game that Mike Mussina is being lifted from the starting rotation and replaced by rookie Ian Kennedy, at least temporarily. (New York Daily News) That means the Yankees will be fighting for a playoff spot with two rookies (Kennedy and Phil Hughes) among their starting five, but the alternative -- continuing to start the looks-like-he's-completely-lost-it Mussina -- apparently wasn't an option. THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN': On the LoHud Yankees Blog, Peter Abraham reflects: ''I’m shocked that in a pennant race in September this team will have a pitching staff that includes Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Edwar Ramirez and Chris Britton. That tells you all you need to know about how much power Brian Cashman has. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way this season, he’s building a player development powerhouse that must scare the socks off the rest of baseball. If the Yankees can field a roster loaded with homegrown kids, they can spend whatever they want to retain A-Rod, chase Johan Santana or do whatever else they want.'' THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: Derek Jeter says that for the Yankees, the playoffs have begun. (New York Post) A GOOD NIGHT IN YANKEE UNIVERSE: The Yankees also picked up ground in the wild-card race as the Angels rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Mariners. (Los Angeles Daily News) The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has the Mariners' side of the story. OTHER RACES: The Cubs beat the Brewers in the first game of their N.L. Central showdown (Chicago Tribune) . . . The Cardinals moved into second place by beating the Astros (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . Are the Phillies actually going to make things interesting in the N.L. East? (Philadelphia Inquirer) DARK CLOUDS IN D.C.: The estimable Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post comments on the troubled state of baseball in the nation's capital and warns that the opening of the new stadium next year won't solve the problems. AND TAMPA: The Tampa Tribune's Martin Fennelly notes that the clock is ticking on the Devil Rays, because all their young talent will soon become expensive talent and if the team doesn't start winning they'll find themselves unable to afford players like Scott Kazmir and B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford. QUICKLY: The Dodgers are interested in the A's Esteban Loaiza (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Phillies plan to decide in the offseason whether or not to keep Brett Myers in the bullpen or move him back to the rotation (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen and team president David Samson had a clear-the-air meeting (Miami Herald) . . . The Tigers may seek a short-term replacement for the injured Gary Sheffield. (Detroit Free Press) OLD FRIENDS: Freddy Sanchez had quite a night as the Pirates swept the Reds. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 28, 2007
Game story: Damon the difference in 5-3 Yankee win.BY SEAN McADAM NEW YORK -- Embarrassed by their blowout loss the night before in Detroit and forced to contemplate the prospect of settling for the wild-card, the New York Yankees bought themselves more time – if nothing else – in the chase for first place in the American League East on Tuesday night. Johnny Damon, whose last home run here in a Red Sox uniform spelled the beginning of the end for the 2004 Yankees, kept his team’s fleeting hopes alive with a two-run homer in the seventh off Daisuke Matsuzaka, handing the desperate Yanks a 5-3 decision over the Red Sox. ''We had a tough day yesterday,’’ said Damon, ''so this is a good way to kick off a homestand. Granted, we’re still back of the Red Sox, but we need to worry about ourselves and win ballgames and that’s exactly what our club went out and did today.'' The Red Sox saw their four-game winning streak stopped in its tracks, while the Yankees sliced a game off the Red Sox’ lead in the American League East, which now stands at seven games. It was New York’s fourth win in the last five meetings between the two. ''We’re still approaching things the way we need to,'' said Jason Varitek, whose solo homer in the top of the seventh tied things at 3-3 before Damon helped the Yankees regain the lead. ''The only thing we’re worried about is playing good baseball.'' The Sox’ offensive support of Matsuzaka has been an issue for much of the season, with the team limited to two runs or fewer in 12 of his previous 16 starts. But another ominous trend – the pitcher’s own inability to protect leads or preserve ties – surfaced again last night. He surrendered a 1-0 lead in Tampa Bay last Wednesday in a 2-1 loss, then last night twice re-gifted the lead after the Sox had come from behind to tie the score. ''I think all responsibility for our losses belong to me,'' said Matsuzaka, who lost his fourth straight start to drop to 13-11. Matsuzaka attempted to ride a fastball in on Damon with pinch-runner Wilson Betemit on second, but didn’t get it far enough in and Damon pulled it down the line to the inviting right-field porch. ''He didn’t locate it,'' acknowledged Francona of the offending pitch. Down by two with two innings to go, the Sox got their first look at Yankee phenom Joba Chamberlain, who allowed a leadoff walk to Kevin Youkilis and a two-out single to Mike Lowell before overpowering J.D. Drew for third out. Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for the save. The Sox never led and spent the game playing from behind, a reversal of the season-long chase in the standings. Trailing 2-0 early, the Sox began their climb back with a leadoff opposite-field homer from Manny Ramirez, giving him at least 20 home runs for 13 consecutive seasons. The Sox pulled even in the third when Julio Lugo shot a triple into the left-center gap to open the inning, then trotted home when David Ortiz launched a sacrifice fly to deep left. In the fourth through the sixth innings, the Sox put the leadoff man on twice and got a one-out single once, but failed to advance any of the runners to second – much less home. Damon has led with a single to center and was joined on base one out later by Bobby Abreu, who drew a walk. Matsuzaka then buried a pitch into the small of Alex Rodriguez’ back, drawing a chorus of boos from the stands and filling the bases. He got countryman Hideki Matsui to hit into a fielder’s choice as Damon scored. But he failed to limit the damage there, as Jorge Posada laced a double down the left-field line, delivering Abreu. Matsuzaka retired 12 of the next 13 before Derek Jeter took him out the opposite way, snapping a long homerless streak for the Yankee captain.
Posted by Thom Cahir Final: Yankees 5, Red Sox 3NEW YORK -- Johnny Damon has had a pretty disappointing season for the Yankees -- and, in fact, may request a trade once it's over -- but tonight had to be the highlight of his year. With the score tied 3-3 in the seventh, Damon -- who lost the starting center-field job to Melby Cabrera and has been fighting for playing time as a left fielder and DH -- dropped a two-run homer over the short porch in right field against his former team, giving New York a 5-3 win over the Red Sox in the first game of a three-game series that the Yankees have to sweep to maintain any reasonable hope of catching Boston in the A.L. East. They now trail the Sox by seven games in the division race. The Red Sox never led in the game, but twice came back to tie. After falling behind when the Yankees scored twice against Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first inning, the Sox got a home run from Manny Ramirez in the second inning and a long sacrifice fly by David Ortiz in the third to tie the score at 2-2. Derek Jeter put the Yankees ahead with a solo homer in the fifth, but Jason Varitek tied it with a leadoff home run in the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Andy Phillips led off with a single to center and was replaced by Wilson Betemit at first base. Betemit was sacrificed to second by Cabrera, and Damon then popped a fly ball down the right-field line that fell into the first row of the right-field bleachers, just over the 314-foot mark, for a two-run homer. Yankee rookie phenom Joba Chamberlain pitched a scoreless eighth despite allowing a hit and a walk, and Mariano Rivera closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Posted by Art Martone The Bronx May be Burning...but not with news.NEW YORK -- A day off, following a day game...presto...not much to report here. -- The Sox are still being coy about Saturday's start, but it's widely assumed that assignment will go to Clay Buchholz, who will be added to the roster as they expand this weekend. Buchholz will be making his second major league start. -- J.D. Drew, who snapped a homerless streak Sunday in Chicago, is in right field, a bit of a surprise given the presence of Yankee lefty Andy Pettitte on the mound. Then again, Drew has had great success against Pettitte -- .429 (6-for-14) with two solo homers. -- Doug Mirabelli is here and is scheduled to take batting practice. He's eligible to come off the DL this weekend and manager Terry Francona said Mirabelli will be activated then. Kevin Cash will probably stay, since rosters will expand and he would have been promoted anyway to give the team the flexibility of a third catcher. -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Sean McAdam Tuesday's Red Sox-Yankee lineupsRED SOX YANKEES -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art Martone Sox Streakers for August 28Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. Andy Pettitte Yankees vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: What's still at stake in New YorkSean McAdam is on his way to New York for this week's Sox-Yanks series, and he stops on his way to talk to us for the latest edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: a role reversal in the old rivalry; the Red Sox motivation the rest of the way; how the Red Sox have kept their division lead; the Yankees' options in the starting rotation; and tonight's Pettitte-Matsuzaka matchup. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments. On the Yankees, apparently chasing the wild card: "The shoe's on the other foot here, I guess, as we get into the final month of the season, because for the last nine years it has been the Yankees finishing first and for most of those nine years the Red Sox finishing second, and getting in as the wild card on three or four different occasions. And now it is reversed, and it looks like the Red Sox are on their way to their first division title since 1995, and the Yankees are going to have to get in as a wild card for the first time since 1997." Motivators for the Red Sox: "I think that they are mostly motivated by trying to get this thing wrapped up as quickly as possible, and obviously that's going to take a few weeks. ... You remember the last time the Red Sox got into the postseason, in 2005 -- when they actually tied the Yankees but lost out on the tiebreaker and became the wild card -- because they had to work so hard right down to game 162, they didn't have time to get their pitching lined up, and that resulted in Matt Clement getting a game one assignment against he White Sox, and we all know what happened there." Matsuzaka going tonight: "I think it will be interesting, because he hasn't faced [the Yankees] for a couple of months now. Clearly the Yankees are expert at driving up pitch counts, because they can be so selective and patient at the plate, and this will be a good indication to see if Daisuke has learned to deal with that a little better."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Tuesday, August 28WHERE'S THE PARTY? A week ago, it seemed the next three nights at Yankee Stadium would be rollicking, indeed. Now, as Sean McAdam points out, the three-game Red Sox-Yankees series has lost much of its luster, with the Sox comfortably ahead and the Yankees needing a sweep to maintain as much as a sliver of hope in the A.L. East race. (Even one Boston victory in the next three days will send the Sox home for the weekend with a seven-game lead and 28 to play.) While making the playoffs, and not winning the division, is the paramount goal, the Sox admit breaking the Yankees' 10-year stranglehold on the A.L. East means something to them, especially since they've narrowed the gap between themselves and New York in so many ways since John Henry took over as owner. (Both stories Boston Herald) ODDS IN THEIR FAVOR: Coolstandings.com reports the Red Sox have a 98.8 percent chance of winning the division and a 99.9 percent chance of making the playoffs. The numbers of Baseball Prospectus are almost identical. Both systems list the Yankees' chances of winning the division as virtually nil (obviously, if the Sox are at 98.8 percent) and their chances of making the playoffs at around 48 percent. THE GREATEST GAME THERE IS: Baseball Musings' David Pinto marvels at how quickly things change in baseball -- the Yankees, after looking like an unbeatable monolith for weeks, have suddenly morphed back into the do-nothing-right crew that stumbled through much of April and May -- and concludes: ''As much as you watch it, as much as you think you know, teams keep coming up with surprises.'' Which probably heartens the Yankees and their followers, since things could turn again this week. IT'S NOT ALL BLUE SKIES: The news isn't rosy everywhere in Red Sox Nation. If you read this game story close enough you'll find that Clay Buchholz was shaky for the second straight time as the PawSox lost at Rochester (projo.com), throwing into question the Sox' apparent plans to have him start against Baltimore Saturday night. (Pawsox.com's short game account focuses more on Buchholz' poor performance.) With Julian Tavarez pitching as well as he has his last two times out, it may be the Sox will start him against the Orioles Friday night. GETTING HIS SEA LEGS: Jon Lester, on the other hand, allowed only four hits and one run over six innings in Portland (sunjournal.com) in a game televised by NESN and remains on track to start Sunday in Boston. Still, he said he wasn't quite satisfied with his performance: ''At times really good and at times back to the old deal with fastball command. I felt good at times mechanically. I felt like I'd figured a couple of things out out there and then a couple batters later I'd just go back to being all over the place.'' The Sun Journal's Kalle Oakes has more. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . . Over the weekend McAdam reported the Sox are haggling with MLB over the 2008 schedule. Specifically, most members of the organization -- though Larry Lucchino is for it -- are against the team opening the season in Japan, as MLB wants. Also, small-market teams are fighting a plan to have virtually every Red Sox-Yankee series played on a weekend, which would maximize exposure on FOX' Saturday Game of the Week and ESPN's Sunday night telecast. (The teams want the Sox and Yanks in their cities on weekends, to maximize attendance.) As it is, four of the six series the teams will play this year are on weekends, including all three in Boston. THE OLD MAN OF BASEBALL: The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes has a nice feature on Mike Timlin, who's closing in on his 1,000th major-league appearance. His very first appearance? For Toronto against the Red Sox on Opening Day, 1991. (baseball-reference.com) He faced Tom Brunansky (walk), Carlos Quintana (groundout), Tony Pena (lineout), Tim Naehring (groundout), Wade Boggs (walk) and Jody Reed (groundout) in his 1 1/3-inning stint during the Sox' 6-2 win over the Blue Jays. NO SUPRISES HERE: Considering they went 6-1 last week, it would have been a shocker if the Red Sox weren't still ranked No. 1 in SI.com's Power Rankings. The Yankees, however, slid to fifth. AND WHY'S THAT? Because the Yankees' week from hell culminated in a 16-0 loss at Detroit last night, with Mike Mussina getting rocked for the third straight outing. (New York Daily News) The calls to remove Mussina from the rotation come from the Daily News' John Harper and the New York Post's Joel Sherman and George King. Sherman answers the obvious question -- who do they have that's better than Mussina? -- by asking who could do worse. READY TO FIGHT: The Yankees say the three-game series with the Red Sox is still big for them (New York Post) because, even if they don't catch Boston, THANK YOU, ANGELS: Los Angeles of Anaheim -- yeccch, that name -- made sure the Yanks didn't lose ground in the wild card as John Lackey shut down the Mariners, 6-0. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) Seattle played most of the game without iits manager, as John McLaren was ejected by third-base umpire Jerry Meals for arguing a foul-tip call on Ichiro Suzuki in the first inning. (Post-Intelligencer) You'll be seeing the highlights all day today, as McLaren got his money's worth in his animated dressing-down of Meals, who tossed him after McLaren had already gotten back to the dugout. When reporters went to the umpires' room for an explanation, the door was closed in their face and voice from behind it said, ''Have a nice night.'' JUST SICK: Lackey pitched a complete-game shutout for his 16th win despite suffering from strep throat. (Los Angeles Daily News) CHANGING HIS TUNE: In 2004 Mike Scioscia kicked Jose Guillen off the Angels prior to the playoffs because of his attitude, and Guillen swore eternal enmity toward his former skipper. Now, however, Guillen -- whose Mariners are fighting Scioscia's Angels for the A.L. West title -- is singing the praises of the L.A. of A. manager. (Riverside Press-Enterprise) PAY ATTENTION, PLEASE: ESPN.com's Jim Caple thinks Angels-Mariners, and not Red Sox-Yankees, is the series to watch this week. IT'S CATCHING: No, not Lackey's strep throat; rather, problems with umpires. The Mets' David Wright was tossed by C.B. Bucknor in New York's loss at Philadelphia. (New York Daily News) IS IT JUST ME, OR IS IT C.B.? Pinto noted that almost every game he watches with Bucknor has an argument of some kind in it and wondered if others had noticed. Well, someone has started an online petition to fire Bucknor, calling him ''a disgrace to baseball . . . single handedly the worst umpire in Major League Baseball.'' (www.petitiononline.com/cbbuck/petition.html) MAYBE, JUST MAYBE . . . The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Hagen thinks the return of Chase Utley could spark a miracle finish by the Phillies. PLEASE STAND UP: Are the Diamondbacks contenders or pretenders? The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley says we're about to find out. DIFFERING OPINIONS: The Astros fired their manager and general manager yesterday (Houston Chronicle), and SI.com's John Donovan wonders why it took so long. But FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the real problem is owner Drayton McLane (video). NOTHING TO IT: White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski and hitting coach Greg Walker nearly came to blows in the dugout during Chicago's loss to the Red Sox Sunday, but Pierzynski says they argue all the time and it's no big deal. (Daily Southtown) Walker himself called it ''A.J. being A.J.'' -- where have we heard that before? -- and the White Sox seemed none the worse for wear as they beat the Devil Rays last night. (Chicago Sun-Times) QUICKLY: Hideki Matsui has an achy knee (New York Post) . . . It certainly appears Scott Proctor, worked harder than a government mule by Joe Torre, is worn out (Los Angeles Times) . . . Terry Pendleton's name is popping up involving the soon-to-be-vacant Kansas City managerial job (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . The Phillies are interested in Twins right-hander Carlos Silva (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) . . . The Cardinals won't say if they'll exercise their 2008 option on closer Jason Isringhausen (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . To no one's surprise, Gary Sheffield was placed on the DL by the Tigers (Detroit News) . . . The Phillies' Freddy Garcia may need shoulder surgery (Philadelphia Inquirer). OLD FRIENDS: David Wells says he doesn't look sexy, but he feels sexy. (New York Daily News) The Dodgers might agree after he won his debut with them. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 27, 2007
Red Sox vs. Yankees: The Showdown feels more like An AfterthoughtBY SEAN McADAM NEW YORK – A week ago, it seemed like The Showdown. Today, it feels more like An Afterthought. The Red Sox begin a three-game series with the Yankees Tuesday night in Yankee Stadium, but the meeting has lost much of its urgency. When the Red Sox began this 10-game road trip, their once roomy advantage in the American League East had been cut to a rather snug four-game lead. But while the Sox steamrolled the Devil Rays and White Sox, winning six of seven, the Yankees stumbled in Anaheim and Detroit, losing four of their first six prior to last night's series finale against the Tigers, putting some distance between the two. The Sox will carry a comfortable seven- or eight-game edge into Tuesday night, meaning the Yankees’ best chance lies with a sweep. Even that scenario would leave the Sox with a four- or five-game cushion and just over four weeks remaining in the regular season. A Red Sox sweep, however unlikely, would put an end to any hope the Yankees have of winning their 10th consecutive division title and cement the Sox’ first division championship since 1995. Since executing a neat turnaround to their season at the end of May, the Yankees have, by virtue of their explosive offense, inched closer to the Sox, who have sat in first place since the third week of April. When the Yankees emerged from the All-Star break as if fueled by jet propulsion and feasted on some of the American League’s weakest links, comparisons to 1978 were not inevitable, but perhaps appropriate. But invariably, the Yankees cooled and a more challenging patch of their schedule coincided with a more favorable stretch of sub-.500 opponents for the Red Sox. In winning 24-of-36 since July 20, the Red Sox have played at a .667 pace – less spectacular than the Yankees’ more torrid streak, to be sure, but impressive nonetheless. And because the Red Sox held the lead to begin with, they had more of a margin with which to proceed. The onus fell to the Yankees to continue playing .800 ball, a pace no team could sustain. When the Yankees fell some, the Red Sox responded by pulling away enough to turn this week into the Yankees’ last, best hope. ''I don’t think the Red Sox have gotten enough credit for being (in first) as long as they have,'' said one baseball executive. ''People kept waiting for the Yankees to get hot and catch them. Well, they got very hot. But the Red Sox never gave up the lead. That’s impressive. It’s not easy to be in first place for five straight months.'' Some cited 1978 as the historical precedent, but that was never entirely appropriate. For one thing, this edition of the Yankees lacked a dominant starter like Ron Guidry, who won 25 of 28 decisions in ’78 and whose presence on the mound virtually guaranteed a victory that summer. For another, the team’s aging rotation led to an overworked bullpen, necessitating a late-summer makeover by GM Brian Cashman. Gone are Mike Myers and Scott Proctor; here are Joba Chamberlain and Edwar Ramirez. Both have sparkled, but may have arrived too late to help facilitate a change in the standings. Others saw the 2006 season as the blueprint, when the Yankees overwhelmed an injury-plagued Red Sox club with a five-game sweep at Fenway and pulled away like Secretariat at the Belmont in 1973. But unlike last season, the Red Sox have been the beneficiaries of extraordinarily good health this year. No starting position player – unless one counts backup catcher Doug Mirabelli – has spent time on the disabled list. Even the seven-week absence of Curt Schilling didn’t crush the Sox; the team went 22-18 while he recovered from a weakened right shoulder. Once this series is finished, the Red Sox will have just 10 games remaining on the road; the Yankees, by contrast, will have 15, including three in Boston in the middle of next month. By then, postseason positioning should be that much clearer. Unless the Yankees can replicate their play from late July and the Red Sox correspondingly hurdle downhill at breakneck speed, the Yanks’ long division reign will be at an end and they – and not the Red Sox, as has been custom – will spend the final weeks extolling the virtues of the wild-card slot.
Posted by Art Martone Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Four blowouts in Chicago; a bad decision in DetroitSean McAdam joins us today for our latest edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics today: the Red Sox' weeklong offensive explosion; the return of David Ortiz's home-run power; the continued success of the pitching; the stunning decline of the White Sox; Manny Ramirez's health; and Friday night's late, late game in Detroit. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: The Red Sox lineup, hot from top to bottom at last: "It took a hundred and twenty something games or so, and it's difficult to perhaps isolate what they were able to accomplish from who they were facing -- they were up against arguably the two worst teams in the American League right now -- but I think that they strung together enough good at-bats, got some terrific performances from Mike Lowell and David Ortiz in particular in the last week, and who knows. This may be them finally kicking it into high offensive gear, it may have been an aberration, but in any event it was a stretch that saw them go 6-1 and add to the lead over the Yankees rather than have it shrink." On Ramirez's being held out of Sunday's game: "I think there was some soreness [in his back], and it was also the attraction of giving him consecutive days off prior to a big series here. He had sat out Wednesday, and this is a rare stretch where he missed two games in five." On the Detroit game Friday night: "I saw that Major League Baseball was not happy that the White Sox and the umpires on hand didn't wait longer on Thursday night, when the first Red Sox game of the series was rained out after a 2 1/2-hour rain delay, in a city that experienced significant damage because of the storms. There were hundreds of thousands of people without power overnight, there were thunder and lightning strikes well into the night. When I got back downtown into my hotel, there was lightning as late as midnight or 1 o'clock. There's no way that game could have or should have been played, and to think that they waited until 11 o'clock in Detroit the next night as part of a reaction to that is stunning. I do not understand the thinking there."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Monday, August 27
SMILES ALL AROUND: And why not? Coco Crisp, Dustin Pedroia and Bobby Kielty -- left to right in the above AP Photo -- weren't the only happy members of Red Sox Nation yesterday after an 11-1 pasting of the White Sox, recounted here by Sean McAdam, that increased their A.L. East lead over the Yankees to 7 1/2 games. McAdam reports that the weekend in Chicago was one for the books, as the four consecutive blowouts, by the combined score of 46-7, accomplished various feats that hadn't been accomplished since 1920, 1922, 1946 and 1950, among other years. The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti beat the field in becoming the first member of the local media to declare the division race over. The White Sox' Ozzie Guillen agrees, calling Boston ''the best team in the American League . . . I think Boston is the team to beat this year.'' (Chicago Sun-Times) AGREED: Well, maybe not with the Boston-is-the-best-team-in-the-A.L. sentiment -- he may, but he hasn't written it -- but the Journal-News' Peter Abraham also thinks the division race is probably over. PASSION PLAY: Our own Kevin McNamara's first-hand look at the devotion of Red Sox Nation reminds him of the deep, unconditional love many college football teams enjoy from their fans in other parts of the country. TRY SELLING THIS ONE TO RED SOX NATION: The blog MVN isn't convinced Jonathan Papelbon is the best reliever on the Red Sox, let alone in the American League. SO THAT EXPLAINS IT: SI.com's Jon Heyman has been watching Curt Schilling for years, and -- in light of his Tampa Bay comments last week -- has concluded: ''He's nuts. OK, maybe he's not insane in any clinical way. But insane nonetheless. Insane in his own way.'' Why? Because, according to Heyman, Schilling has no need to say anything about where he wants to play next year; he'll probably be the best available pitcher on the free-agent market this winter, and all he can do by saying things like he'd like to play for the Devil Rays or he'd never go the Yankees is lower his market value. In a related note, the blog phillyBurbs.com -- while admitting it would be intriguing -- doesn't think there's anything to the whispers that Schilling would return to Philadelphia to close out his career. WHY I LOVE THE SONS: A new thread on the Sons of Sam Horn bulletin board is examining the impact the new, spaced-out postseason schedule will have on postseason roster construction. I suppose there's a level of fandom that has no use for this kind of stuff, but if you're in the level that does . . . it's fascinating. DOWN MEMORY LANE: SOSH also found a link to a North Shore Sun story on Chuck Schilling, who played second base for the Red Sox from 1961-65 and was the closest friend Carl Yastrzemski ever had among all the teammates he played with. Now 69, Schilling's been playing softball ever since retiring from the major leagues in 1966, though he's thinking of hanging them up after this season. EXPOSED: It wasn't long ago -- just a week, to be exact -- that the Yankees were four games back and charging, and this week's Boston-New York series at Yankee Stadium looked like it would have serious A.L. East implications. But the New York Post's George King, in reporting on the Yanks' 5-4 loss in Detroit yesterday, says a week of playing elite teams (the Angels and Tigers) has proven the Yankees ''don’t have enough starting pitching to be a serious threat to the Red Sox in the AL East or catch the Mariners in the wild-card chase.'' One of the problems, writes his Post colleague, Joel Sherman, is that the Yankee rotation has both the oldest (Roger Clemens) and youngest (Phil Hughes) starters in the American League. REPEAT AFTER ME: HE'S A ROOKIE. HE'S A ROOKIE. HE'S A . . . The Daily News' John Harper says Hughes has great potential, no doubt, but he ''hasn't quite been the phenom this team needs.'' The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog does some research that shows the Yanks -- and their fans -- shouldn't expect too much from Hughes this season. THE ART OF HANDLING YOUNG PITCHERS: In Sunday's Post, Sherman had a fascinating column on why the Yankees have to be so careful with their youngsters -- Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang, Ian Kennedy -- especially since Joe Torre's history has been to use ''favored relievers until their arms resemble overripe bananas.'' (Incidentally, in his subscribers-only ESPN blog, Buster Olney makes the comment that ''some relievers who pitched for him will tell you privately that they were concerned that [Torre] would do -- or did do -- damage to their careers'' with his pattern of riding relief pitchers so hard that they eventually broke down; while not disclosing who said it, Olney specifically mentions how Torre overused Steve Karsay, Paul Quantrill, Tom Gordon, Tanyon Sturtze, Ron Villone and Scott Proctor.) Sherman looks at the case of Joe Girardi and the Marlins, noting that all of Florida's impressive young pitching from 2006 has been either injured or less effective this season and notes it may have been one of the reasons Girardi was fired. Almost on cue, the Yanks announced that pitcher Andrew Brackman, their top pick in the June draft, will undergo Tommy John surgery. (New York Post) And it they needed further proof, Tiger rookie Jair Jurrjens had to leave yesterday's game against the Yanks in the second inning because of shoulder pain and was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of rotator-cuff inflammation. LAST CHANCE? The Yankees need to win tonight in Detroit to avoid opening the series against the Red Sox with an eight-game deficit. Their starter? The struggling Mike Mussina, who may well be pitching to protect his spot in the rotation. (New York Post) THE REAL SHOWDOWN: While the Red Sox-Yankees series mave have lost a little of its luster, there's no denying that this week's Angels-Mariners matchup -- which will impact both the A.L. West and wild-card standings -- still has plenty of juice. It starts tonight in Seattle. (Los Angeles Daily News) IT COULD HAVE HAPPENED HERE: Starting Friday night's Yankees-Tigers game at 11 p.m. EDT certainly seemed ridiculous, but the New York Post reports the umpires were under strict orders from MLB to get the game in at all possible. MLB is trying desperately to avoid doubleheaders or makeups down the stretch, and, in fact, was very upset Thursday night's Red Sox-White Sox game was postponed. ''We got a notice from baseball after the game in Chicago was rained out that we were to make every effort to get every game in,'' said the umpiring crew chief, Rick Reed. BACK IN FORM: Johnny Damon may still want out of New York at season's end, but as for now he's playing like the Johnny Damon of old. (New York Post) BOOM TOWN: David Wells made a strong debut with the Dodgers, pitching them to a win over the Mets. (Los Angeles Daily News) The Los Angeles Times' Helene Elliott says the Dodgers were impressed with Boomer. NUMBERS GAME: The Reds retired Dave Concepcion's No. 13 before Saturday night's game. (Cincinnati Enquirer) The Astros did the same thing Sunday with Jeff Bagwell's No. 5. (Houston Chronicle) CAN YOU SPELL M-E-L-T-D-O-W-N? When Phillies closer Brett Myers called Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Sam Carchidi ''retarded'' -- after Carchidi reacted skeptically when Myers said the two home runs he allowed in the ninth inning of a 4-3 loss to the Padres were both ''pop-ups'' when they left the bat -- Carchidi asked Myers if he knew how to spell ''retarded''. The result was a shouting match that nearly escalated into blows, with the pitcher and the reporter having to be physically separated. Carchidi didn't mention it in his game story, but Matthew Cerone's Metsblog has the details. YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN: The Indians say they have no interest in bringing back Bob Wickman, who was designated for assignment by the Braves. (Cleveland Plain-Dealer) One of the reasons might be the way he alienated people in Atlanta with his behavior. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) COMING AROUND: One start after getting battered by the Red Sox, Scott Kazmir turned in a 13-strikeout performance for the Devil Rays. (St. Petersburg Times) LITTLE ANGER: Grady Little is upset with the Dodgers' offensive approach, and says they need to have more intelligent at-bats. (Los Angeles Daily News) TURNAROUND? Writing for the Kansas City Star, Joe Posnanski thinks the Royals might be on the verge of a giant improvement. HERE WE GO AGAIN: 88-year-old Andy Rooney has apologized for a column he wrote for Tribune Media Services in which he expressed sentiments that some interpreted as racist against Latins in baseball and have created something of a firestorm. (New York Times) TRADE TALK: To be eligible for the postseason, players must be on a team's roster by Aug. 31 . . . which means this could be a busy week for waiver deals. Among the rumors: The Tigers, hampered by the loss of Gary Sheffield, are looking for a bat (Detroit Free Press) . . . Sheffield, incidentally, has no idea when he'll be returning (Detroit News) . . . It looks as if the long-rumored Jack Wilson-to-Detroit deal is dead (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Even though the Phillies are still in the hunt in the N.L., they're sellers, and not buyers, as the deadline approaches (Delaware County Times) . . . So are the Giants, whose playoff hopes died long ago (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Scouts have been following the A's, apparently interested in Mike Piazza and Esteban Loaiza (San Francisco Chronicle) QUICKLY: It doesn't look as if Torii Hunter will be returning to Minnesota (Minneapolis Star-Tribune), and Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com thinks Hunter will get an $18 million-a-year deal on the open market . . . Nor Luis Gonzalez to the Dodgers, though, unlike Hunter, this will be the team's, and not the player's, choice (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Mark Prior thinks he'll be ready to pitch again by Opening Day and would like to do so in a Cubs uniform (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Freddy Garcia's rehab is going so slowly that the Phillies aren't counting on him for any down-the-stretch help (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . The Dodgers cut loose Brett Tomko (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Carlos Pena wants to stay in Tampa, but he may be too expensive for the Rays (St. Petersburg Times) . . . Alfonso Soriano will return to the Cubs' lineup tomorrow (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . The Mets' Billy Wagner says he's fine after complaining of a dead arm (New York Daily News) . . . Aaron Boone, now with the Marlins, will undergo knee surgery and miss the rest of the season (South Florida Sun-Sentinel). That knee, of course, is the one he injured after the 2003 season, setting in motion the wheels that landed Alex Rodriguez in New York. AND FINALLY . . . Happy anniversary, Joy of Sox! -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 26, 2007
Game story: Red Sox, getting hot at the right time, pound White Sox againBY SEAN McADAM CHICAGO – Surely the hapless Chicago White Sox can take some of the credit, but the inescapable fact remains: as the Red Sox head for the homestretch, they’re playing some of their best baseball of the season. Their timing couldn’t be better. As a prelude to their three-game showdown with the Yankees that begins Tuesday night, the Red Sox on Sunday capped a four-game sweep with an 11-1 shellacking of the White Sox, finishing a run that has seen them go 6-1 on this road trip and 11-5 in their last 16 games, creating a 7 1/2-game cushion over the second-place Yanks. ''This was a huge series for us,'' said second baseman Dustin Pedroia, whose two-out, two-run single in the fifth gave the Sox a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. ''We swung the bats well, pitched good and played good defense.'' In suggesting that the Sox ''swung the bats well,'' Pedroia was surely being diplomatic. The fact is they completely hammered White Sox pitching in the four-game set, scoring 46 runs and reaching double figures in runs in every game. For the second day in a row, they blasted three homers, including one from J.D. Drew, who hadn’t homered since June 20 and hadn’t homered against an American League team since April 22. Drew connected against White Sox starter Javier Vazquez in the second, ending a homerless drought that stretched over 51 games and 166 at-bats. ''I’ve been kind of sticking with what I’ve been doing the couple of weeks,'' said Drew. ''It felt good. In that situation, I was just trying to slow things down and get a good pitch to hit.'' ''This,'' said Drew of the weekend romp, ''was fun. You’re watching guys run around the bases and you never know when you’re going to get an at-bat.'' Every starter except Kevin Youkilis collected at least one hit. ''We have to stay focused,'' said catcher Jason Varitek. ''We’ve got a month and a few more days left and we have a job to do. We just have to play like we have been playing.'' Now that the White Sox are gone from the schedule, that might be difficult. But with a seven-game advantage in the loss column over the Yankees, the Sox could effectively clinch the division with a strong series this week. ''I don’t think anybody cares [about eliminating the Yankees now],'' said Pedroia. ''If we go in there and play well, we’ll be fine. If we keep playing the way we are now, we’re going to be fine.'' ''We can’t look forward,'' cautioned Varitek. On Sunday, propelled by the best week they’ve enjoyed in months, it was more fun to look back.
Posted by Art Martone Red Sox journal: Sox made history this weekend in ChicagoBY SEAN McADAM CHICAGO –— The Red Sox’ four-game sweep of the White Sox wasn’t just laughably one-sided –— it was downright historic. In recording wins with scores of 11-3, 10-1, 14-2, and 11-1, they outscored the White Sox 46-7. That marked the first time they had scored double-figures in runs in four consecutive games since June 2-5, 1950, when they did so against Cleveland and the White Sox. Moreover, the Sox became just the fourth team since 1900 to score 10 or more runs in each game of a four-game series. The St. Louis Browns did in 1920 and again in 1922, and the Colorado Rockies did it in 1996. The last time the Sox scored 46 runs in the span of four games was 2005 when they scored that many in a stretch that had them beating Minnesota once and Texas three times. The last time the Sox scored 46 runs in a four-game series was in 1946, when they amassed that total in a four-game set with St. Louis from June 23-26. Tavarez comes through On Aug. 19, the Sox needed a spot starter to get their rotation set for the Yankees series and to provide additional rest for their rotation. Tavarez went six innings and gave up two runs on two hits, though the Sox lost 3-1. On Sunday Tavarez again sparkled, temporarily taking Jon Lester’s spot in the rotation and giving the Sox another strong outing –— six innings pitched, one run allowed on two hits. ''Today was his best start of the year –— hands down,'' catcher Jason Varitek said of Tavarez. ''He located well and pitched to both sides of the plate. It was (much) needed.'' Tavarez hasn’t been a rotation regular since mid-July, but has the rare ability to deliver quality starts when called upon. ''That doesn’t happen very often,'' agreed Terry Francona. ''We’re obviously very proud of him. And he should be proud of himself.'' ''I don’t take much to get ready (to start),'' said Tavarez, 7-9. ''I just go out there and try to throw strikes and don’t think about too much.'' Manny’s day off Francona said Ramirez’ back has been an issue of late, and the prospect of having two days off in succession –— today is an off-day –— proved additional incentive. Ozzie’s words of wisdom Armed for New York Around the bases
Posted by Art Martone Final: Red Sox 11, White Sox 1CHICAGO -- J.D. Drew, David Ortiz and Bobby Kielty each homered as the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep -- rather, a four-game demolition -- of the White Sox with an 11-1 win this afternoon. The Sox -- Red, that is -- outscored Chicago 46-7 in the four games as they increased their seasonal record to 80-51 and upped their lead in the A.L. East over the Yankees to 7 1/2 games. (New York was beaten in Detroit today, 5-4.) The lead is their biggest since Aug. 2, when they were eight games ahead. Julian Tavarez, taking Jon Lester's turn in the rotation, was solid for the second straight time, allowing only two hits and one run over six innings with three walks and seven strikeouts. He is now 7-9 this year. With an off-day tomorrow and the bullpen needing work, Terry Francona used Manny Delcarmen, Eric Gagne and Jonathan Papelbon for an inning each. The Sox begin a three-game series in New York in Tuesday. The Yankees have another game in Detroit tomorrow night.
Posted by Art Martone The Hits (and homers) Keep On ComingBobby Kielty belted a two-run homer in the sixth and the Sox now lead 7-1. It was Kielty's first homer as a member of the Sox and first since last Sept. 26 against Cleveland, while with Oakland. Bottom 6 -- Bos 7, Chi 1 Yikes.
Posted by Sean McAdam Sox Pulling Away....AgainSame story as Saturday apparently....interesting game for a few innings, then the Red Sox start pouring it on.
Posted by Sean McAdam Dueling SolosThe Sox and Sox have traded solo homers. In the bottom of the inning, Jermaine Dye, the object of the Red Sox' affection at the trade deadline, evened the score with a homer to right off Julian Tavarez. Bottom 3 -- Bos 1, Chi 1.
Posted by Sean McAdam Sunday updateThis is game No. 131 and I don't think it's an exaggeration to suggest that this may be the nicest day of the season. Perfect weather -- about 80 -- with blue skies and a nice breeeze. Hard to believe that this is the same city so hard by storms only three days ago and that tens of thousands of people in the Chicago-area are still without power. Manny Ramirez has been given the day off by Terry Francona -- his second in the last five days. Francona suggested that Ramirez' back has been bothering him some, but added that the prospect of two days off in a row -- tomorrow is an off-day on the schedule -- was also a factor. The lineups: Julian Tavarez p WHITE SOX Javier Vazquez p
Posted by Sean McAdam Sox Streakers for August 26Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. Javier Vazquez White Sox vs. Julian Tavarez More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott August 25, 2007
Red Sox Score FirstRun-scoring singles by Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis have given the Sox a 2-0 lead in the sixth.
Posted by Sean McAdam Sox-Sox lineupsRed Sox Dustin Pedroia 2b CHICAGO
Posted by Sean McAdam August 24, 2007
Late Red Sox notesBY SEAN McADAM CHICAGO -- Curt Schilling's start Friday night -- six innings, one run allowed -- was the best he's had since coming back from the disabled list earlier this month. ''Better, definitely improved,'' said Schilling in assessment of his performance. ''We mixed up my pitches, stayed out of the middle of the plate -- other than the home run (to Josh Fields in the second).'' Schilling said his fastball command was ''better . . . there was more focus on that anything else. I commanded the ball to both sides of the plate.'' This was Schilling's first game with Kevin Cash behind the plate, but the two worked well together. ''I think we felt really good about what we were doing going in,'' said Schilling. Giving it to you straight ''Twelve hours of my life I wasted and I'm never going to get it back,'' said the colorful White Sox manager. ''Tough day for everyone. I think that's the one of the reasons they're in first place and we're in last place. They hit better than we did and they pitched better than we did.'' -- In the nightcap, David Ortiz enjoyed his third multihomer game of the season and 29th of his career. Of those, 27 have come with the Red Sox. He also tied his career high with four hits in the night game. He's done that 11 times, including twice this year. The last occasion was on Toronto on May 9.
Posted by Sean McAdam Game story: Red Sox score 21 runs in sweep of ChisoxBY SEAN McADAM CHICAGO – The forecast for the day was bleak. For the Red Sox, the reality was far sunnier. Expecting to dodge the rain the entire day, the Sox instead played under blue skies and shone themselves Friday, sweeping the White Sox in convincing fashion – 11-3 in the first game and 10-1 in the nightcap. The two victories meant they would lose no ground in the standings to the Yankees, who were playing the Tigers in Detroit late Friday/early Saturday after a 4-hour and 2-minute rain delay. When the Yankee game started, the Sox' lead was six games, five in the loss column. The 21-run surge for the Sox may signal an offensive awakening for the Red Sox, who in the last week have scored eight or more runs five times. In the night game, the Sox belted three homers – two from David Ortiz – for the first time in almost a month. According to Elias Sports Bureau, yesterday marked the first time since in a half-century that the Sox had scored 10 runs or more in two games on the same day. They last did it against the Kansas City Athletics on June 23, 1957. For the two games, the Sox pounded out 28 hits. Ortiz homered in the fourth to put the Sox ahead 2-1, then hit a second shot – this one solo -- an inning later. Later that same inning, Kevin Youkilis socked a 410-foot wallop to left, just his second homer in the last 22 games, a three-run drive that increased Boston's lead to 9-1. Curt Schilling went six innings in the second game to pick up his second straight win, allowing just one run on three hits in what was clearly his best effort since coming off the disabled list earlier this month. For the two games, the Red Sox bullpen pitched a combined 6 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. The sweep gave the Sox a 4-1 record to date on their last long road trip of the season. Accustomed to playing before sellout crowds, with their nomadic fans often outnumbering those of the home team, the Sox in the early game saw a U.S. Cellular Field that was almost silent, with perhaps a couple of thousand fans in the seats, the result of a makeup date from the night before. The energy level was almost non-existent. ''This,'' Mike Lowell would say later, ''was like a Thursday day game between the Marlins and Pirates . . . with the threat of rain.'' Lowell, of course, lived through more than a few of those in his seven seasons in Florida. So, too, did Josh Beckett, yesterday’s starting pitcher. Perhaps, then, it was no surprise that Lowell and Beckett were two of the principal contributors to the Red Sox’ first-game win. Lowell, now regularly installed as the Sox’ No. 5 hitter, produced three hits, two runs and two RBI while Beckett overcame a shaky first inning to become baseball’s first 16-game winner. Beckett gave up a two-out double in the first to A.J. Pierzynski, then walked three straight hitter, a temporary lapse in control that was hardly typical. In his previous 13 outings, Beckett hadn’t walked more than two hits in a game . ''His stuff was good,’’ said manager Terry Francona. ''He just made a few mistakes. A guy hit a double and then he lost the strike zone.’’ Beckett, however, rediscovered it in time, catching Juan Uribe on a called third strike and limiting the damage to one run. ''Three walks in an inning – I wasn’t too excited about that,’’ Beckett said. ''I was lucky to get out of it with just one run.'' He then held the White Sox scoreless until the fifth, while the Red Sox offense caught up against Chicago starter Jon Garland. Beckett wasn’t typically sharp, perhaps owing to the fact that he was pitching with seven days’ rest, the result of the spot start by Julian Tavarez Sunday and Thursday night’s rainout. ''It’s easy to be great when you have great stuff,’’ said Lowell. ''But what counts is what you do when you don’t have your best stuff. Josh was able to grind it out today.’’ There were plenty of offensive sparks. Six different hitters produced multihit games, led by Lowell with his three hits. Additionally, six different players chipped in with at least one RBI, including Bobby Kielty who didn’t get into the game until the eighth and produced two sacrifice flies in two plate appearances. Lowell, in particular, has taken to the No. 5 spot in the batting order. A notorious first-half player, Lowell has hit a sizzling .375 in August and has 15 RBI in 21 games. ''I love hitting fifth,’’ said Lowell, who has displaced J.D. Drew in most games in that spot. ''I think my mindset works better there. I like it. My production, my power, my mindset is right for that. And hitting right after Manny (Ramirez) and David (Ortiz), you’re going to have opportunities (to knock runs in).’’ And the miniscule crowd and early afternoon start? It didn’t impact the Red Sox, who generated their own energy. ''At this point in the season,’’ Lowell said, ''every game is important to us.’’
Posted by Corey Bourassa Game story: PawSox split doubleheaderBY DAN HICKLING BUFFALO -- When you’re locked into fourth place in the dying days of the season, you take the positives where you can find them. For the Pawtucket Red Sox that would be the hitting streak, now up to a franchise record 20 games, compiled by Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury hit safely in both ends of the PawSox’ double-header with the Buffalo Bisons, staged at Dunn Tire Park in Buffalo. The PawSox were blasted by Buffalo, 7-0 in the opener, but got even in the nightcap with a 7-4 win, their first over the Bisons in their last 11 tries. Ellsbury enjoyed a big night, going 4-for-7, and swiping a base (his 32nd) to regain the sole lead in the International League. After lacing a third inning single in Game 1 to tie the club mark that had been jointly held by Dave Stapleton and Dave Berg, Ellsbury knocked Jeff Harris’ first pitch of the nightcap into center field to establish the new standard. In the opener, PawSox starter David Pauley (6-6) was tagged for all seven Bison runs, including six in the bottom of the fifth. A fielding error by Jed Lowrie, who was making the first appearance at third base of his three year professional career, allowed two of those runs. Pauley then gave up a two-run double to Andy Marte, the last man he faced before departing. Pawtucket managed just five hits off Bison hurler John Koronka (3-3), who went the distance striking out six while walking one. In the nightcap, the PawSox scored four runs in the top of the fifth to take the lead, then held on from there. Starter Devern Hansack (9-7) while Travis Hughes picked up his 22nd save, extending his team record. Although the PawSox have long since been out of the IL playoff picture, the club has been a key link in what has been a very vibrant Red Sox player development chain. Having moved the likes of reliever Manny Delcarmen and starter Kason Gabbard (since traded) to the big leagues, skipper Ron Johnson and his staff were handed the likes of Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Dusty Brown, and Clay Buchholz, all of whom earned battlefield promotions from Double-A Portland during the year. And under Johnson, all of the above continue to develop nicely. ''To have guys move up through the system is the goal,'' said Mike Hazen, Boston‘s Director of Player Development, while making the rounds of the club‘s affiliates. ''To see them make progress and improve, to the point that they’ve earned a promotion, is definitely satisfying. Those guys who have moved up, the Ellsburys, the Lowries, they’ve earned those promotions. So it’s extremely satisfying.'' Another of the midseason arrivals is right-handed reliever Lincoln Holdzkom, who has become a valuable set up man in the PawSox pen since his Ju;y 27 promotion. Holdzkom, who was picked up by the Sox before the season after being waived by the Chicago Cubs, had allowed just one earned run in his previous eight outings, prior to last night. ''I just feel healthy now,'' said Holdzkom, who had never pitched above Double-A before arriving in Pawtucket.''It’s been a while since I’ve been on the DL. I‘d been out for the last two and half years with various (shoulder) injuries. It finally took until June for me to feel healthy. And health is of major importance. This is my first full season in about three years, and everything is finally paying off. If you’re not healthy, it’s hard to have confidence in your stuff. And if you have a lack of confidence, you’re going to pay the price.'' HERE AND THERE: Infielder Royce Clayton, who was signed Wednesday by Boston to a minor-league contract, made his PawSox’ debut in Game 1. If all goes well for Clayton, the 16-year big league veteran is a strong candidate for a September callup by the Bosox. Clayton takes the roster spot vacated when left-handed reliever Javy Lopez was called up by Boston …Meanwhile, LHP Jon Lester, who was optioned to Portland to make room for Lopez, will start for the Sea Dogs on Monday against Trenton. He would have been sent to Pawtucket, except that his next turn coincides with that of Clay Buchholz, who is scheduled to throw that day at Rochester.
Posted by Corey Bourassa Game 2 lineupsQuick turnaround here..as Game 2 is just 75 minutes or so away. Red Sox Julio Lugo ss Curt Schilling P CHICAGO John Danks P
Posted by Sean McAdam FinalRed Sox win the first one here, 11-3, making them 3-1 on the road trip so far.Jason Varitek was the hitting star (four RBI) and Josh Beckett became the major league's first 16-game winner. We'll have second-game lineups soon....
Posted by Sean McAdam Final: Red Sox 11, White Sox 3The Red Sox broke things open with six runs in the last two innings and coasted to a 11-3 win over the White Sox in the first game of a day-night doubleheader today. Get the box score here, and get the play-by-play here.
Posted by Art Martone Insurance runsRed Sox pinch-hitters provided two runs in the eighth to give the Sox a bigger cushion. Bobby Kielty, hitting for J.D. Drew, delivered a sacrifice fly to center, scoring David Ortiz. Kevin Youkilis, meanwhile, hit for Eric Hinske and chipped in with an RBI single. Mike TImlin is on for the eighth, with the Sox leading 7-3.
Posted by Sean McAdam Exit BeckettAfter allowing two two-out singles in the sixth, Josh Beckett has left the game, replaced by Javier Lopez, brought in to face lefthanded-hitting Jerry Owens.
Posted by Sean McAdam Lead narrowsA two-run homer by rookie Josh Fields has brought the White Sox to within two -- 5-3 through five innings.
Posted by Sean McAdam Not Quite the Texas Rangers, but......the Red Sox have scored five uanswered runs and now lead 5-1 as the game heads to the bottom of the fourth.
Posted by Sean McAdam First leadSingles by Coco Crisp, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell -- with some help from White Sox left fielder Andy Gonzalez -- led to a run for the Sox, who now lead 2-1 in the top of the fourth.
Posted by Sean McAdam (Red) Sox Tie It UpJulio Lugo singled home Alex Cora (two-out double) in the top of the third to tie the game at 1-1. Bottom 3: Bos 1, Chi 1
Posted by Sean McAdam Rocky First for BeckettJosh Beckett struggled with his control in the first. After getting the first two hitters, he gave up a double to A.J. Pierzynski, then walked three straight hitters -- Paul Konerko, Darin Erstad and Jermaine Dye -- to force in a run. After 1: Chi 1, Bos 0
Posted by Sean McAdam Lots of No-ShowsWe're underway here, with a light rain falling. The ``crowd'' -- and we use the word advisedly -- can't be more than a few hundred. With bad weather in the forecast and a short-notice turnaround, few people who held tickets to the originally scheduled game last night decided to make the matinee.
Posted by Sean McAdam Let's (Hopefully) Play Two!Skies are gray here, but the Red Sox and White Sox have a lot of baseball to get in today. Here are the lineups for the first game: RED SOX Julio Lugo ss Josh Beckett p WHITE SOX Jerry Owens cf Jon Garland p Eric Hinske has recovered from the calf muscle cramp that forced him from Wednesday's game, as 90 minutes before gametime, appears improved, though manager Terry Francona cautioned that Hinske would have to go out and ``test'' the calf before the Sox sign off on his return. Reserve catcher Kevin Cash will be behind the plate with Curt Schilling in the night game. Cash has only caught Schilling in spring training and in side sessions. Bobby Kielty has been taking some ground balls at first, and while he hasn't played there since his time with the Twins, Francona indicated he wouldn't hesitate putting him there if necessary. Mike Lowell seems to have taken over the fifth spot in the batting order from J.D. Drew -- even against righthanders. Drew's power production has been a huge disappointment (no homers in more than two months; .391 slugging percentage) while Lowell leads the team in RBI (86).
Posted by Sean McAdam Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Greetings from rainy ChicagoSean McAdam is waiting, like the rest of us, to see whether the Red Sox play two games, one game or no games today out in Chicago. In the meantime, he joins us by phone for another edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: the weather forecast, the scheduling possibilities for the rest of the weekend, the pitching possibilities for the rest of the weekend, the promotion of Javy Lopez and the demotion of Jon Lester, and the health of Dustin Pedroia. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:
What might the schedule be if games are postponed today: "I'd say at this point that they're keeping all their options open. The tricky part is that Saturday is the Fox game of the week, with a 2:55 (3:55 Eastern time) start here on Saturday, which makes it impossible to do a separate-admissions doubleheader, because you need close to three hours in between the two games to do that, and of course you couldn't have a game scheduled to start at 9 o'clock local time. So the options would be to play a regularly scheduled, one-admission doubleheader, which would cost the White Sox a gate, on Saturday. There's talk that they can't do a day-night doubleheader [on Sunday] because of the collective-bargaining agreement, because Sunday is getaway day for the Red Sox. So they would have to do another single-admision doubleheader on Sunday, and then looking forward, there is a mutual off day on September 24, so the teams may have to resort to coming back here and playing one or number two." The roster moves: "With the Yankees, there's just a ton of left-handed hitters in that lineup, and Terry Francona didn't feel comfortable going into that series with only Hideki Okajima in the bullpen as a lefty to go to. So Lopez gives him that matchup lefty that they haven't had since Lopez was sent down earlier in the month, and as Terry Francona said yesterday, there has been some inconsistency with Jon Lester certainly -- as his E.R.A., which is nearly 6, attests -- but they understand that's part of the process ... This way, it gives them a lefty for both series [against Chicago and New York]. It only costs Lester one start, and then he's back on September 2 and presumably with the club and in the rotation the rest of the way."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Friday, August 24
WHEN IT RAINS . . . it has the chance to mess up the best-laid plans of mice, men and the Red Sox. Everything the Sox have done, pitching-wise, over the last week has been to line up Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling, their top three starters, for the three games at Yankee Stadium next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. (That's what the bringing-up-Clay Buchholz/giving-Julian Tavarez-a-start sequence of last weekend was all about.) Last night's rainout in Chicago (above, AP Photo) doesn't affect those plans just yet, even with Beckett and Schilling scheduled to pitch in today's day-night doubleheader. (The off-day Monday gives them a built-in cushion.) But the weather forecast for Chicago remains ominous (weatherunderground.com) and if today's games are affected by the weather, well . . . Sean McAdam reports the teams are looking into the possibilties of doubleheaders on Saturday or Sunday, or even for the Sox to make a return trip to Chicago on a mutual off-day Sept. 24. (projo.com) For Beckett to pitch Wednesday, he has to pitch today if he's going to stay on four days' rest; therefore, it's imperative for the Sox to get at least one of today's games in. (Schilling could still pitch Thursday if he pitches tomorrow.) What they do if both of today's games are postponed is anybody's guess. Mine is they skip Schilling entirely in this series, pitch Beckett tomorrow, then use Schilling on Tuesday, Matsuzaka on Wednesday and Beckett on Thursday in New York. But that's all it is: A guess. Stay tuned right on this blog; McAdam will be providing constant updates from Chicago. ALREADY WORKING ON IT: The Red Sox already had rejiggered their pitching staff in light of the left-leaning White Sox and Yankee linueps, as they brought back Javy Lopez for left-handed fortification in the bullpen and sent Jon Lester down to Double-A Portland. (projo.com) McAdam reports on the moves, saying Lester went to Portland and not Pawtucket because a) he can't be recalled to Boston until Sept. 2 because of the 10-day rule (players sent to the minors can't be brought back for 10 days), b) he'll pitch Sept. 2 for the Sox against the Orioles and c) to avoid him having a week's rest prior to that start -- his next scheduled start for Boston would have been this Sunday -- he'll pitch Monday, and Monday is Clay Buchholz' day to pitch in Pawtucket. And the reason they don't want to push back Buchholz is because he's probably going to start for the Red Sox on Sept. 1 against the Orioles. Whew. Got that? In more mundane matters, Sean's notebook has injury updates on Dustin Pedroia, Eric Hinske and Doug Mirabelli, and the Sox signing veteran roustabout shortstop Royce Clayton to a minor-league deal. A NEW MAN, FOR BETTER OR WORSE: Schilling, says the Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti, has lost some battles to Father Time and is in the process of remaking himself as a pitcher. Question is, can he complete the makeover fast enough to be effective down the stretch and in the postseason? COMING OUT OF IT: The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes thinks the mega-slumping Kevin Youkilis is showing signs of life at the plate. NOT COMING OUT OF IT: Discontent with J.D. Drew is rising throughout Red Sox Nation. The latest to weigh in: FoxSports.com's Kevin Hench. OH, PLEASE: Don't tell Seth Mnookin that Daisuke Matsuzaka has been a disappointment for the Red Sox, because Dice-K has pitched much better than his 13-10 record would indicate. (sethmnookin.com) 27 INTO 25: Massarotti reports the Sox will have flexibility on their playoff roster, flexibility enough to add a Lester or a Buchholz or a Jacoby Ellsbury even though they won't be with the team on Aug. 31, the day the postseason eligibility list is supposed to be set, thanks to the injured Matt Clement and Brendan Donnelly. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN: As most of you know by now, USA Today has anointed the Red Sox as the new America's Team, based on the fact that they draw more fans on the road than anyone else. Peter Abraham, however, wonders if the 896-person difference in the average road attendance between the Sox and Yankees isn't due to the fact that the Sox get 55,000 every time they visit New York while the Yankees only get 36,000 when they come to Boston. (LoHud Yankees Blog) The blog Strike Zones and End Zones does the math and calculates that, if you take Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park out of the equation, the Yanks average 38,040 per game while the Sox drop to 37,131. LET'S GET REAL, SHALL WE? The whole premise is silly anyway, says Abraham, because ''anybody with any common sense knows that the mighty New England Patriots are America’s team.'' I told you the other day, he's from New Bedford. LOOKING BACK, NOT AHEAD: SI.com's Tom Verducci thinks the Red Sox are peeking into the rear-view mirror these days. LOOKING AHEAD, NOT BACK: Next week's series at Yankee Stadium will mean something after all, writes the New York Post's Justin Terranova. And the Yanks have a new weapon to throw at Boston in Joba Chamberlain. (New York Daily News) BUT FIRST . . . The Yankees have a little matter of four games in Detroit, where their season came to an end last October. (New York Daily News) CATCHING THEM AT THE RIGHT TIME? The Tigers are coming off three losses in four games at Cleveland, which dropped them 2 1/2 games behind the Indians in the A.L. Central. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) DOMINO EFFECT: If this is Joe Torre's final year as Yankee manager, as many suspect, the Yanks may also lose free agents Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. (New York Post) GLORY OF THEIR TIMES: With all the research material available on the Web today, many stories of old ballplayers don't hold up to scrutiny. The latest: In a story on how wearing golf gloves became popular among major league players, mlb.com traces it back to Ken Harrelson, who said he first wore one as a rookie in 1963 and hit a home run off Whitey Ford of the Yankees. Only problem is, Harrelson didn't hit a home run off Ford -- and, indeed, didn't even hit one against the Yankees -- in 1963. (baseball-reference.com) The incident in question could have occured on Sept. 9, 1964. It had to if Ford was the pitcher, because that was the only home run Harrelson ever hit off him. TWO OF US: How often do Trevor Hoffman and Billy Wagner ever blow saves, let alone blow them in the same game? Yet that's what happened last night at Shea Stadium in a game the Padres wound up winning in 10 innings. (New York Daily News) Even so, the Daily News' Filip Bondy says the Mets have no worries, at least not when it comes to winning the N.L. East. SAME OLD SAME OLD: FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says Wednesday's 30-3 embarrassment is a continuation of the Orioles' sad recent history. CAPTAIN VIDEO: The blog Bugs & Cranks culled YouTube and came up with some of the best managerial blowups of all time. THE REAL ISSUES: The blog ShysterBall researches the favorite baseball team of the presidential candidates. Sox fans include Mitt Romney, Christopher Dodd and, in a strange way, Bill Richardson, who claims to be both a Sox and Yankee fan (the logic of which, ShysterBall points out, ''Abraham Lincoln identified the flaw with . . . 149 years ago''). Rudy Guiliani and, perhaps, Hillary Rodham Clinton are Yankee fans. NOTHING FROM THE MIDDLE: Don't expect the wild card to come out of the Central Division in either league, writes FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry. LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli was scratched from his rehab assignment Wednesday because of soreness in his legs. (St. Petersburg Times) QUICKLY: The Rangers' Michael Young is sick of losing (FoxSports.com) . . . The Padres are worried about Chris Young's sore back (San Diego Union-Tribune) . . . Ever see one of those ballpark marriage proposals? This one really backfired on some poor guy in Houston (FoxSports.com) . . . Mike Sweeney may stay with the Royals, after all. (Kansas City Star) OLD FRIENDS: David Wells is headed to the Dodgers (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Edgar Renteria is headed to the disabled list. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 23, 2007
CorrectionSpoke too soon....In the revamped Boston lineup, it will be Coco Crisp leading off, with Julio Lugo batting eighth and Alex Cora hitting ninth.
Posted by Sean McAdam Not so fast, Dustin...Dustin Pedroia, who came out of Wednesday night's game against Tampa Bay after being struck in the elbow, was originally in the lineup for tonight's game. But a while ago, the Sox called an audible and scratched Pedroia.
Posted by Sean McAdam Injury updateCHICAGO -- Dustin Pedroia, who had to leave Wednesday night's game in Tampa after being hit in the left elbow by a pitch, is in tonight's lineup. Eric Hinske, however, probably won't play after being lifted Wednesday because of a strained right calf. ''It looks like he'll need a couple of days,'' said Terry Francona. -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art Martone Correction: Lester sent to Portland, Javy Lopez recalledCHICAGO -- In a move that will give them a second left-hander in the bullpen for next week's series against the Yankees, the Red Sox have sent starting pitcher Jon Lester back to Double-A Portland and recalled left-handed reliever Javy Lopez. ''We wanted to figure out a way for Javy Lopez to get back and be part of our bullpen,'' said Terry Francona. ''It's helpful to have another left-hander other than [Hideki] Okajima.'' When asked if Lester's demotion was related to the poor performance in his last start in Tampa, Francona said: ''No, we didn't say we're disappointed with him. Like a lot of young pitchers, there's been some inconsistency. But this is just one start.'' Lester will start Sunday in the Sea Dogs' game at Manchester against New Hampshire. Because he needs, by rule, to spend 10 days in the minors after being sent down, he can't be recalled until Sunday, Sept. 2. He'll start at Fenway Park against the Orioles on that day. Julian Tavarez will make Lester's scheduled start here on Sunday, but the Sox have not yet announced who will start on Saturday, Sept. 1, when the rotation spot next comes up. It could be Tavarez or it could be Clay Buchholz, who is on schedule to pitch Sept. 1 in his regular rotation turn at Pawtucket. Rosters are expanded to 40 on Sept. 1, and Buchholz could be recalled without anyone being sent down. -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art Martone PawSox rained outThe Pawtucket Red Sox' game at Buffalo tonight has been rained out. The game will not be replayed.
Posted by Art Martone Red Sox-White Sox starting lineupsRED SOX WHITE SOX -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art Martone Sox Streakers for August 23Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. John Danks White Sox vs. Josh Beckett More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott PawSox rained out in BuffaloToday's afternoon game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Buffalo Bisons has been postponed, and will be replayed tomorrow as part of a doubleheader.
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: No support for MatsuzakaJust before boarding a plane for Chicago, where he will watch the Red Sox' four-game series with the White Sox, Sean McAdam spoke to us for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Today's topics: Daisuke Matsuzaka's chronic lack of run support (two runs or fewer scored by Boston in 12 of his last 16 starts); Jason Varitek's inability to get anyone home (stranded eight men on base); Dustin Pedroia's importance to the lineup; Curt Schilling's strange suggestion that he might join Tampa Bay; and the Baltimore Orioles' fine display of pitching yesterday at Camden Yards. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: On Matsuzaka: "The identity of the pticher on the mound should not impact the productivity of the lineup ... and yet 12 out of 16 is something of a trend, and you wonder if there's anything to that. I think it's probably just happenstance and bad fortune for Matsuzaka, but certainly with 13 wins, he could have at this point won conservatively another four or five if they had scored some runs for him." On Schilling: "The strange thing of course is that he would talk about Tampa Bay as a possible landing spot. For someone who is as competitive as he is, and someone who kind of forced his way out of both Philadelphia and Arizona because the team was no longer competitive, why he would want to go and pitch for a team that has never won more than 70 games in a season is a bit curious." What crazy games have you covered (similar to the 30-3 Rangers win yesterday): "What's the I'd say the closest that I came to that was a World Series game in 1993 between the Blue Jays and Phillies ... it involved more than 30 runs ... and it really kind of turned into a softball game, and I thought kind of made a mockery -- here's supposed to be the fall classic, and the best that baseball has to offer, and the pitchers just couldn't get anybody out, and it was one of those games that took 4 1/2 hours. This is a little different obviously, the stakes aren't as high, but I think on a night like that, no matter what side you're on -- if you're covering the Rangers or the Orioles, winners or losers, you try to find some of the quirks and some of the oddities that are going on in front of you and try to have a little fun with it."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Thursday, August 23
STRANDED: Hitting with runners in scoring position isn't exactly a little thing, but you don't need to succeed at it too often to score enough runs to win a game. Problem for the Red Sox last night was, they failed in almost every RISP position they had last night -- and the one they succeeded at, a single by J.D. Drew with a runner at second base, didn't even drive home a run -- and that 1-for-10 performance led to 14 men left on base and a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Devil Rays, which made a tough-luck loser out of Daisuke Matsuzaka (above, AP Photo). Steven Krasner breaks it down in detail (projo.com), and notes that Jason Varitek had a particularly bad night. Varitek not only went for 0-for-5, but in each of his last four at-bats he came to the plate with runners at first and second and two outs . . . and came up empty every time. The final one, with two outs in the ninth, ended the game. WHAT A WASTE: Baseball Musing's David Pinto takes a closer look at the Red Sox' offensive inefficiency last night. AND WHO'S BEEN THE BIGGEST WASTE? Seth Mnookin says Kevin Youkilis has been every bit as bad offensively in the second half of the season as Julio Lugo was in the first, but no one knows it because Youk's seasonal numbers are still good thanks to his superlative first three months. (sethmnookin.com) 'A BLIND SQUIRREL FINDS A NUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE': That was B.J. Upton's explanation of the two-run homer in the sixth inning that made a loser of Matsuzaka. (Tampa Tribune) The Sox are 9-3 against the Rays this year and Matsuzaka has all three losses. SIGN OF THINGS TO COME: Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times reports the Rays think they're close to being a good team and nights like last night show that the future may not be that far off in the distance. WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Curt Schilling takes to 38pitches.com on an off-day to clarify his comments about playing in Tampa Bay. IT WAS A PAINFUL NIGHT . . . in more ways than one. Krasner's journal chronicles injuries suffered by Dustin Pedroia (hit in the left elbow by a pitch) and Eric Hinske (strained calf), the long-term effects of which remain to be seen. Check back here later today, when Sean McAdam will update the blog pregame from Chicago. . . . ALL THE WAY AROUND: In his return to the minor leagues after his successful one-day stint with the Red Sox, Clay Buchholz was less than dazzling in the PawSox' loss to Buffalo. (projo.com) AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMIN': The Yankees got back to five games behind with an 8-2 win at Anaheim -- yes, I know they're officially called the gobbledegook Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but the stadium's in Anaheim so that's where they were -- powered by the pitching of Andy Pettitte. (New York Daily News) The victory also enabled Joe Torre to move past Casey Stengel into second place on the Yankees' list of managerial victories. (LoHud Yankees Blog) DON'T ASK ME WHY: The Angels have no idea why they've been so successful against the Yankees over the years, but they're not going to start questioning it. (Los Angeles Daily News) The New York Sun's Steven Goldman looks at it analytically and has no real answers, either. NO MORE MOOSE? Mike Mussina's recent struggles have been titanic, leading to questions about his future. (New York Daily News) A TRUE YANKEE: Salon.com reports on a New York Times story that Rudy Guiliani spent more time with the Yankees than he did at Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11. SEEING THE LIGHT: Don Zimmer says his daughter, Donna Mollica, and granddaughter, Whitney Mollica, both live in Windham, N.H., and ''had to be Yankee fans because I was a coach'' in New York from 1996-2003. But when he left the Yanks, they switched to rooting for the Red Sox. (Boston Herald)
ONE FOR THE BOOKS: The Rangers set a record for most runs in a game in the modern era, as well as the largest margin of victory in the modern era, with a 30-3 victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards. The Dallas Morning News provides the winners' perspective, while the Baltimore Sun gives us the losers' eye view. The blog Soccer Dad looks at some other historic Oriole blowouts. BAD TIMING: The funny things is, it happened on the same day the Orioles extended the contract of Dave Trembley (Baltimore Sun). Purely coincidentally -- it was written before the game -- the Sun's Rick Maese wonders if the decision to retain Trembley will look so good at season's end. GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: Jair Jurrjens provided the Tigers with a boost Tuesday night, but Jason Verlander couldn't maintain that momentum last night. As a result, the Indians still hold the A.L. Central lead. (Both stories, Detroit Free Press) FRUSTRATION'S BUILDING . . . in the Atlanta clubhouse, where the Braves can feel the N.L. East slipping away. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) GIVE IT UP: Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press says the Twins should succumb to the obvious and pull the plug on 2007. BUYERS' REMORSE: Writing on FoxSports.com, Tracy Ringolsby says the Cubs may live to regret the contract they gave Carlos Zambrano. MURDER IN HIS HEART: The blog Fanhouse is slightly incredulous as it relates the story that Rick Sutcliffe wanted to kill Reggie Jackson. EAT ALL YOU WANT! The Rangers are offering an all-you-can-eat ticket option for $29, hoping it will help sell some of their cheaper and less attractive seats. (Dallas Morning News) Other teams, including the Dodgers, have had success with similar programs. LOCAL BOYS: The endless rehab of Rocco Baldelli continues tonight at Vero Beach, where he's scheduled to play three or four innings in center field. (St. Petersburg Times) QUICKLY: Kenny Rogers says he'll only play for Detroit if he plays in 2008; otherwise, he'll retire (Detroit News) . . . The White Sox may be targeting Twins center fielder Torri Hunter as a free-agent priority (Chicago Tribune) . . . Cole Hamels doesn't think his elbow injury is all that bad (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . The Brewers are sending Chris Capuano to the bullpen (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Gary Sheffield has a bad shoulder and will probably miss the Tigers' series with the Yankees this weekend (Detroit News) . . . The Angels' Chone Figgins is day-to-day with a bad wrist (Riverside Press-Enterprise). OLD FRIENDS: Edgar Renteria's comeback last night lasted for only one pitch, as he reinjured his ankle and may have to go back on the DL (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Wily Mo Pena's arrival in Washington may mean less playing time for Ryan Church (Washington Post). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 22, 2007
Game Story: Buchholz ineffective in PawSox 7-6 loss
Buchholz knows September call-ups are coming and he has every intention of being on the Boston Red Sox shopping list when they pluck players from Pawtucket, so last nights outing couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment. Ryan Mulhern went 2-for-4 and Joe Inglett (3-for-4) had four RBI to the lead Buffalo Bisons to a 7-6 win over Pawtucket in front of 10,586 fans at Dunn Tire Park Wednesday night. A sandwich pick (42nd overall) in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft Buchholz is rated by Baseball America as the top pitching and No.2 overall prospect in the Boston chain. Promoted to Pawtucket on July 12, Buchholz didn’t have to wait long for his first taste Major League action as he made his Fenway Park debut on August 17 in the Red Sox 8-4 win over Los Angles Angels. Buchholz logged six innings, struck out five and yielded three earned runs on eight hits. But he wasn’t anywhere near as effective Wednesday night against the Bisons. Relying mostly on his curve and fastball, Buchholz struggled with his command all the night, especially in the first inning when he issued back-to-back walks to Keith Ginter and Andy Marte to load the bases. Buchholz did manage to work out of the jam when he induced a first-pitch fly out to Bisons catcher Mike Rose. The Bisons (69-61) did score one run in the first when Mulhern’s RBI double brought Inglett home. Reaching base on a hit-by-pitch Iglett advanced to second base when Buchholz (1-2) picked off attempt sailed beyond the reach of first baseman Jeff Bailey. A strikeout pitcher Buchholz never found his normal groove of attacking batters and his breaking pitches seemed to hang over the plate more frequently than usual. Something the Bisons took full advantage of. Buchholz (three strikeouts) lasted just three innings giving up three runs on four hits and a walk. Buchholz threw 63 pitches with 36 of them landing in the strike zone. Buchholz also had to do an emergency duck-and-tuck in the third when Andy Marte sent a screaming line drive up the middle that almost hit Buchholz. While lackluster offense early on didn’t help Pawtucket (62-68) the Bisons received timely hitting as they plated each of its first three runs with two-outs. Bisons starter Jeremy Sowers (4-5), who ironically enough was pitching on his own bobble-head night, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced, shortstop Jed Lowrie drew a walk in the first, before catcher George Kottaras broke up the no-hit bid with a single to left field. Junior Spivey drove Kottaras in when he sent a Sowers 2-0 offering over the left field wall for his first home run of the season, trimming the Bisons lead to 3-2. Inglett extended the Bisons lead to 6-2 in the sixth when he stroked a bases-clearing line-drive triple to right field off Craig Breslow. The PawSox kept it exciting as they mounted two late inning rallies, The first coming in the seventh when Sowers walked Kottaras to load the bases after back-to-back singles from Jeff Bailey and Bobby Scales, but they were unable to punch a run across the plate. Lowrie cracked a three-run shot off of Bisons reliever Jason Stanford in the ninth to trim the lead to 7-6, but the rally stalled there. “We had a really poor night situational (hitting). That’s why you play 27 outs because you never know. We got that big three-run homer…we had enough opportunities we had enough hits but if we put the ball in play (situational) its probably a different ball game,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. “Sowers stymied us for five innings Spivey had the homer so we put some pressure on them. But you’ve got to get them across.” --DAVE RICCI (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa Game Story: Dice-K gets little run support as Sox fall to D'RaysST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Well, two out of three isn’t bad. You can’t win ‘em all. Trot out whatever cliché you want, but the Boston Red Sox’ 2-1 loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field was a disappointment. The Sox failed to hit in the clutch (1 for 10 with runners in scoring position) and one bad pitch from Daisuke Matsuzaka – a two-run homer to B.J. Upton in the sixth – helped cost Boston a sweep of the three-game set. The script for Matsuzaka at the Trop didn’t change. And that wasn’t a good thing for the right-hander or the Red Sox. Matsuzaka, who had another schizophrenic outing (eight strikeouts, four walks) was locked in a pitcher’s duel, and once again he blinked. Dice-K, nursing a 1-0 lead in the sixth, issued a one-out walk to Carlos Pena and then was tagged for an opposite-field homer to right by Upton that gave the Devil Rays a 2-1 lead. The homer came on a high-and-away fastball, on Matsuzaka’s 99th pitch of the game. The blast, the 18th surrendered by Matsuzaka this season, was the second and final hit he coughed up last night. Matsuzaka was lifted after six innings, having thrown 111 pitches, only 67 of which were strikes. It was reminiscent of Dice-K’s first appearance at the Rays’ dome, on July 29. In that one, Tampa Bay and Boston were tied, 0-0, when Dioner Navarro took Matsuzaka deep in the bottom of the seventh. The solo shot sparked the Devil Rays to a 5-2 win, with two of the runs charged to Dice-K. Of course, with a little more offensive support last night, Matsuzaka wouldn’t have been done in by his one big mistake. Through the early innings the Red Sox squandered several glittering chances to pull away from the Rays. The wastefulness began in the third inning when Boston did manage to score a run, but failed to blow the game open right then and there against Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson, who had a 3-12 record and a dreadful earned-run average of 5.69 entering the game. The inning began with Dustin Pedroia getting hit on the left elbow by a fastball. He stayed in the game and raced to third when Kevin Youkilis lofted a double off the right-field fence. And after Jackson showed he wanted no part of David Ortiz, walking him for the second time in the game, the Red Sox had the bases filled with none out. That brought up Mike Lowell, hitting in the cleanup spot because Manny Ramirez had the night off from the starting lineup. Lowell has been a hot hitter lately, and has been especially productive against Tampa Bay this year. He was batting .488 (20 for 41). In this at-bat, Lowell was served up a 3-and-1 cookie from Jackson, and the Boston third baseman crushed it. But he hit it on a line directly at left fielder Carl Crawford. Pedroia scored on the sacrifice fly, putting Boston on top, 1-0, but that was all the Red Sox were able to manage in the inning because J.D. Drew hit a broken-bat popup to second and Jason Varitek bounced to first. Boston’s Eric Hinske made it to third base with one out in the fourth on a walk, a stolen base and a throwing error on the play by catcher Josh Paul. But he was stranded. Julio Lugo bounced out to shortstop Josh Wilson with the infield in and Alex Cora, who replaced Pedroia (bruised left elbow) flied to left. In the fifth, third-base coach DeMarlo Hale got a little giddy with Ortiz’s sudden burst of baserunning speed. Ortiz, who had legged out a triple and an infield single Tuesday night, doubled to left with one out. And when Lowell grounded a single up the middle, Hale waved home the lumbering Ortiz. But Ortiz took a peek back to the outfield as he was about one-third of the way home, and that cost him a step or two. The throw from B.J. Upton arrived in the air and Paul slapped the tag on the sliding Ortiz for the second out of the inning. Lowell moved up to second on the throw, but after a walk to Drew, Varitek fanned on a 98 mph fastball. --STEVE KRASNER
Posted by Corey Bourassa Final: Devil Rays 2, Red Sox 1ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- For the Red Sox, opportunity wasted meant a ballgame lost tonight. The Sox got just one run out of a bases-loaded, no-out opportunity in the third, had a runner thrown out at the plate in the fifth, and stranded 14 baserunners overall as they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Devil Rays in the finale of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. B.J. Upton's two-run homer off Daisuke Matsuzaka in the sixth -- one of only two hits allowed by the Sox right-hander, who fell to 13-10 for the season -- gave Tampa Bay its margin of victory. The only other threat by the Rays came off Mike Timlin in the seventh, but Timlin escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam. The Sox, meanwhile, scored only in the third despite having runners on base in every inning. Dustin Pedroia was hit on the elbow leading off the third -- he suffered a bruise that forced him to leave the game in the bottom of the inning -- and advanced to third base on a double by Kevin Youkilis. David Ortiz then walked, loading the bases, and Mike Lowell drove in the only Boston run with a sacrifice fly to left. In the bottom of the fifth, third-base coach Demarlo Hale sent home Ortiz, who had doubled, on a single to center by Lowell, but Ortiz was easily thrown out at the plate by Upton. Boston's litany of failure in crucial at-bats touched virtually every hitter in the lineup: -- In the first, Lowell flied out with Ortiz on first and two outs. -- In the second, Lugo grounded out with runners on first and second and two outs. -- In the third, after the run had scored, J.D. Drew popped out and Jason Varitek grounded out with runners on first and second. -- In the fourth, with a runner on third and one out, Lugo grounded out and Alex Cora was robbed of a hit on a running catch by Carl Crawford in left-center. -- In the fifth, after Ortiz was thrown out at the plate, Drew walked, putting runners on first and second, but Varitek struck out on three pitches. -- In the sixth, with a runner on first and one out, Lugo struck out and Cora grounded out. -- In the seventh, Lowell lined out with a runner on first and one out, and Varitek struck out with runners on first and second and two out. -- In the eighth, with a runner on second and two outs, Cora struck out. -- And finally, in the ninth, Varitek flied out with runners on first and second to end the game.
Posted by Art Martone Pregame Notes, Aug. 22
-- Tim Wakefield threw a side session this afternoon and reported there were no issues with his back. On Monday night, Wakefield's back stiffened up so he was pulled after only 77 pitches and seven shutout innings. He'll start again Saturday night in Chicago. -- Jonathan Papelbon unveiled a new pitch he said he invented called the "slutter" -- a combination of a slider and a cutter -- in notching his 30th save of the season on Tuesday night. Manager Terry Francona doesn't care what he calls the pitch "as long as he gets people out." -- Curt Schilling, a free agent after this season, intimated on a radio show in Boston yesterday that he wouldn't be averse to signing and pitching for the lowly Devil Rays. Francona's take on Schilling's comments? "As a blanket statement I'd much rather us win games and let free agency come when it's supposed to." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups, Aug. 22BOSTON Pedroia 2b Matsuzaka p TAMPA BAY Iwamura 3b Jackson p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for August 22Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. Edwin Jackson Devil Rays vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: In praise of PapelbonSean McAdam joins us again for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics today: last night's win at Tampa Bay; Jonathan Papelbon's consecutive 30-save seasons; Chris Carter's arrival and what it might (or might not) mean to the team in September; and Daisuke Matsuzaka's preference for longer rest. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: On last night's game: "The offense definitely was the story last night. Lester made a couple of mistakes, leaving hanging breaking balls that were hit for multi-run homers -- first it was Carlos Pena and then Iwamura later in the game -- and it was not the kind of start that he turned in last week against the same Tampa team. Then again, it's a reminder that this guy is not yet a finished product, as there's been some inconsistency here. But the offense once again produced runs in the early going, which is something that this team has not done a lot of in the last couple of weeks." On Papelbon's achievement: "It's a great testament to Papelbon, given how uncertain things were just about a year ago at this time. ... For Papelbon to come back and have the kind of season that he's had -- with some restrictions placed on him in terms of usage -- is quite a positive sign for the Red Sox." On Carter: "I'm not even sure, despite the fine season that he's had in Triple-A, that he'll be a guy they'll bring up. From people I've talked to, as good a hitter as he is, he's pretty suspect defensively and he needs some work at first base. He has played some outfield before in his career. He'd be a left-handed bat; I just don't know that they would necessarily want somebody who has not had a single big-league at-bat to be thrown into a pennant race and have him pinch hit or come off the bench."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Wednesday, August 22
JUST SLUPER: He calls it a ''slutter'' -- a cross between a slider and a cut fastball -- and Jonathan Papelbon (above, AP Photo) used it to finally subdue the Devil Rays on a night when the score was a lot closer than the game felt like. Steven Krasner has the details of Papelbon's new pitch and the Sox' 8-6 win, which Papelbon closed out by recording the final four outs . . . including three by strikeout. The save was his 30th, making him the first Red Sox reliever in history to have two 30-save seasons. (Worcester Telegram) He's also only the fourth pitcher in MLB history -- Billy Koch, Kaz Sasaki and Todd Worrell are the others -- to record 30 saves in each of their first two full seasons in the majors. WINNER IN NAME ONLY: Papelbon saved the victory for Jon Lester, but Krasner reports the young left-hander didn't feel like a winner after a 5 2/3-inning outing in which he surrendered five runs, all of which scored on two-out home runs (a two-run shot by Carlos Pena in the first, and a three-run blast by Akinori Iwamura in the fifth). SCOUTING REPORT: The Sox announced that Chris Carter is, indeed, the player coming to Boston in the Wily Mo Pena trade. (projo.com) As it happens, Pawtucket shortstop Jed Lowrie was a teammate of Carter's at Stanford and last night he told Joe McDonald what to expect from the Sox' newest acquisition. (projo.com) McDonald also notes that between Lowrie, Carter and Craig Breslow (who graduated from Yale with a degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry), the conversation in the McCoy Stadium clubhouse might be a bit more highbrow than it usually is. JOB HUNTING: With the season winding down and no new contract with the Red Sox in sight, Curt Schilling is beginning to weigh his options. (Boston Herald) One of those options, apparently, is Tampa Bay (Boston Globe), which intrigues the Devil Rays. (St. Petersburg Times) SI.com's Jon Heyman notes that with Carlos Zambrano off the market, Schilling might be the best free-agent starter available this offseason. ONE OF US: Eric Gagne has been struggling, but he's getting plenty of support from the tight-knit Red Sox bullpen. (Boston Herald) THE FORGOTTEN MAN: These are the final few months of Matt Clement's contract with the Red Sox, and the odds are miniscule that they'll offer him another. And he's still not quite ready to pitch after last year's shoulder surgery. Even so, he feels better than he's felt in years and is looking forward to getting back on the mound, somewhere. (Boston Globe) WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU? The game of musical catchers in the Boston organization that was started when Doug Mirabelli got hurt Friday has resulted in Dusty Brown landing in Pawtucket. (projo.com) McDonald reports on the performance last night of the guy Sox fans see quite a bit of in spring training -- he invariably catches the last few innings of almost every exhibition game televised back here -- and then disappears once the season starts. FOR SALE: For a mere $169,000, you can go on eBay and purchase David Ortiz' car. (Projo Sox Blog) Our old friend Steve Silva calls it a case Papi being Manny. (Boston Dirt Dogs) CHATTY: Theo Epstein participated in a chat on Boston.com yesterday afternoon, and when asked the inevitable question about the Yankees cutting into the Sox lead, he replied: ''We'd rather be up 14 games, of course, but we have to be somewhat satisfied with a five-game lead given how well the Yankees have played over the last 2 1/2 months. We're well enough positioned now so that we'll get what we deserve. If we play well down the stretch, we should get into October without concern. If we don't play well when it matters ... well, then we probably don't deserve to be playing into October. I am confident that these players have what it takes.'' UPDATE: The Sox' lead is now six games, not five, after the Yankees got hammered by the Angels, 18-9. (New York Daily News) Mike Mussina put the Yanks in a 7-1 hole after two innings (New York Post), and though they nearly climbed out with four runs in the third, the bullpen -- there's that word again -- blew things up by allowing five runs in the third and five runs again in the sixth. Mussina was so bad that the Journal-News' Peter Abraham wonders if he'd be on the postseason roster should the Yankees make it. RELAX: Abraham, on the LoHud Yankees Blog, is urging Yankee Universe to remain calm in light of New York's five-losses-in-eight-games stumble. He also makes some very sober points about Joba Chamberlain, warning that those who want to turn the Yankee 'pen into all Joba all the time run the risk of destroying his career. And if you don't believe him, he points to Cole Hamels. (Philadelphia Inquirer) PERFECT TEN: Garret Anderson led the charge for the Angels last night with 10 RBI. (Riverside Press-Enterprise) GOOD INVESTMENT: SI.com's Tom Verducci says Jorge Posada is defying the laws of aging with a career year at age 36 and would be worth a premium price in the free-agent market. CALM DOWN: The Mets officially pulled the plug on the notion of Pedro Martinez' imminent return to New York, as ''bullpen coach and longtime confidante'' Guy Conti told the New York Daily News that Petey ''definitely needs one or two more" rehab starts. WELCOME ABOARD: The Mets laid out the red carpet for the newly acquired Jeff Conine. (New York Daily News) AND WELCOME AT LAST: The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro says the Shea Stadium faithful are finally warming up to Carlos Beltran. Perhaps the Mets' thrilling win over the Padres softened their mood. (New York Post) NAMING NAMES: SI.com reports that George Mitchell has been given the list of players who allegedly bought steroids from Kirk Radomski, the former Mets clubhouse attendant. NOTHING LIKE A GOOD PIECE OF ALUMINUM: Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer is part of a group that is fighting the trend to replace metal bats with wooden ones. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) OOPS: The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Bud Shaw says it's time for the Indians to step up. Then they went out and got one-hit by the Tigers in a 2-1 loss that narrowed their A.L. Central lead to one-half game. (Detroit News) AIMING CY: Erik Bedard continues to build his credentials for the A.L. Cy Young Award by beating the Rangers, raising his record to 13-4 and tying the Orioles' record for strikeouts in a single season with 218. (Baltimore Sun) QUICKLY: The Orioles are expected to announce today that Dave Trembley's contract has been extended through 2008 (Baltimore Sun) . . . The Astros' Jason Jennings will undergo season-ending elbow surgery (Houston Chronicle) . . . Alfonso Soriano says he'll be ready this weekend, but the Cubs are sticking to Labor Day as his first day back. (Chicago Sun Times) OLD FRIENDS: Dan Duquette may become the Pirates' CEO (Beaver County Times) . . . Cliff Floyd came off the restricted list and led the Cubs over the Giants. (Chicago Sun Times) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 21, 2007
PawSox 9, Chiefs 7PAWTUCKET -- There’s been a lot of focus surrounding catchers in the Boston Red Sox organization this week. After Red Sox backup catcher Doug Mirabelli was placed on the disabled list last Friday with a strained right calf muscle, Boston summoned the services of Kevin Cash from Pawtucket to replace him. Cash started two games behind the plate for the Red Sox, including a solid job working as Tim Wakefield’s batterymate Monday in Tampa. PawSox catcher George Kottaras, who is considered a prospect by the Red Sox, rebounded from a recent knee injury suffered in a home-plate collision during the team’s last home stand earlier this month, and put on an offensive display with two homers in Monday’s loss. Now Dusty Brown put is in the mix. Called up from Double-A Portland on Saturday, the 25-year-old catcher made his Triple-A debut on Sunday and was behind the plate again last night and helped the PawSox to a 9-7 victory over Syracuse Chiefs at McCoy Stadium with a 1-for-4 performance, including two RBI. The Red Sox will need a solid backup catcher for Jason Varitek, and eventually someone who will replace the Boston legend. The Red Sox had the future catcher with Kelly Shoppach, but traded him to Cleveland as part of the Coco Crisp deal two seasons ago and now the Red Sox are looking elsewhere. Cash, Kottaras and now Brown all want to make an impact. “Even when I was in Portland I felt [like I was in the mix] because I was playing real well, especially behind the plate,” said Brown. “I kept hearing good things from rovers, but now that I’m up here I get to play against the other guys I’m in the mix with and see how I compare, and let other people see how I compare. It’s good to be here.” With the PawSox trailing by a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Brown provided a much-needed spark with a two-run single to tie the game at 7-7. “It’s great,” he said. “It’s awesome. I couldn’t have picked a better spot to get a hit.” Pawtucket’s Ed Rogers and Jacoby Ellsbury added a RBI each in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-6 lead before closer Travis Hughes allowed one run in the ninth, but still earned his 21st save of the season to become the club’s all-time leader in that category. “It wasn’t pretty but I got the job done,” said Hughes, who broke Cory Bailey’s mark of 20 set in 1993. “It’s been a good year. I just need to stay consistent because it doesn’t matter how you start the year, it’s how you finish. I’m glad I got [the record], but it just means I’ve been here all year.” It was an eclectic game for the PawSox as they close out the home stand and head out on the road. Ellsbury went 1-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Brandon Moss belted a pair of solo home runs, and Bobby Scales 2-for-4 with a home run. “There were a lot of good things that happened on the field tonight,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. Still, it seems like the catching position in the organization is answering some questions this week, and Brown has quickly made an impact. “This guy is a good receiver,” said Johnson. “He got rave reviews from Double-A.” Now that he’s that much closer to the big leagues, Brown can taste it. "You’re one step closer and only a phone call away,” he said. “Now it’s even a shorter phone call.” --JOE McDONALD
Posted by Chris Venditto Final: Red Sox 8, Devil Rays 6ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Sometimes they come easy. Sometimes they don't. And sometimes -- like tonight -- they come a lot harder than they should. Still, when all was said and done, the Red Sox did what they usually do against the Devil Rays: They won. Boston outhit Tampa Bay 11-4 but had to fight to the end to come up with an 8-6 victory, which improved their record against the Rays this year to 9-2. Jonathan Papelbon nailed it down with a four-out save, striking out three of the four batters he faced. The save, his 30th of the year, made a winner of Jon Lester. Papelbon is the first pitcher in Red Sox history to have back-to-back 30-save seasons. Lester struggled through 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits (including two homers), four walks and five runs. He was bit by the home-run ball, as Carlos Pena touched him for a two-run homer in the first inning, tying the game at 2-2, and Akinori Iwamura hit a three-run shot in the fifth, cutting Boston's lead to 7-5. Still, thanks to 3 1/3 innings of one-run relief from Manny Delcarmen, Hideki Okajima and Papelbon, he was able to record the victory, upping his record to 2-0. The game was decided when the Red Sox put up five runs in the fourth inning. With the score tied 2-2, David Ortiz led off with a soft grounder to the left of the mound and beat pitcher Andy Sonnanstine's throw to first for an infield single. After Manny Ramirez struck out, Mike Lowell was hit on the left hand by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. J.D. Drew followed with a hard single to left, loading the bases. Jason Varitek put the Red Sox ahead to stay with a soft single into left, driving in Ortiz and making it 3-2. Coco Crisp then ripped a hard grounder down the first-base line and into the right-field corner for a two-run double, giving the Sox a 5-2 lead. Julio Lugo made it 7-2 with his own two-run double, to center. Boston had taken a quick 2-0 lead in the first when Kevin Youkilis doubled, Ortiz tripled and Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly. A two-out, two-run homer by Pena tied the score in the bottom of the first. The teams traded unearned runs in the seventh, with the Sox scoring on an error by shortstop Josh Wilson and the Devil Rays scoring when Pedroia dropped a potential inning-ending liner by Carl Crawford.
Posted by Art Martone Pregame Notes, Aug. 21-- The Sox have acquired first baseman/outfielder Chris Carter from Washington via the Diamondbacks, completing last week's trade of Wily Mo Pena to the Nationals. -- Manny Ramirez is back in left field after serving as the designated hitter on Monday night. David Ortiz returns as the DH tonight after having had Monday night off. Ramirez will likely be given a day of rest tomorrow. -- Kevin Cash, who did a solid job catching Tim Wakefield's knuckleballs Monday night in his first game replacing catcher Doug Mirabelli, had a passed ball taken away from his log today. -- The Sox will have their fantasy football draft tonight, a source of good-natured fun and anticipation. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups, Aug. 21BOSTON Pedroia 2b Lester p TAMPA BAY Iwamura 3b Sonnanstine p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Ortiz selling a car on eBayTaking a cue from his grill-shilling partner in the middle of the batting order, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is offering up his red 2005 Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG for auction on eBay. According to the posting, Ortiz spent more than $205,000 to buy the car and another $35,000 in after-market accessories. The posting also says that Ortiz will personally deliver the car to the auction winner. Current bid: $169,000.
Posted by Mike McDermott Sox Streakers for August 21Red Sox vs. Andy Sonnanstine Devil Rays vs. Jon Lester
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam (updated with excerpts): Cash delivers; Lowell's red-hotSean McAdam is back for another edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Today's topics: Kevin Cash comes through; Tim Wakefield dominates, then leaves early; Mike Lowell stays red-hot, and how that affects the Sox' offseason plans at first; Wily Mo Pena's classy gesture; and Chris Carter, shipping up to Boston. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments. On Cash: "After that first inning, I think a lot of Red Sox fans watching were having Josh Bard flashbacks ... after a little bit of an adjustment period, Cash took to it pretty well. There were a couple of balls glancing off his glove, but for the most part he kept the pitch in control, and Wakefield was masterful for seven innings." On the chances of Lowell returning next year: "It will come down to, I think, the length of the commitment that Lowell is seeking, and of course how much money he wants. I think if he were to go to the Red Sox right now and say that ... let's use Jermaine Dye's contract as sort of a bookmark -- if he went to them and said he wanted a two-year, $22-million deal, I'm pretty certain they'd be happy to do that. If on the other hand as he hits 33 he is loking for his first real free-agent payoff, then I think it is going to be difficult for them to justify all that money. And of course the wild card in all that is the status of Alex Rodriguez, whom many people expect the Red sox will at least pursue somewhat if he opts out of his contract." On Carter: "He was an All-American at Stanford, a pretty high pick, and someone who was having a very good year at Triple-A Tucson ... and as we talk about this Mike Lowell situation, it does give the Red Sox one more option, which would be to move Youkilis over to third base next year -- and this is operating under the assumption that Lowell doesn't return and A-Rod doesn't sign here ... and have Carter be the first baseman. I think somebody who's having the kind of success that he's had in Triple-A sounds like he's ready to take a shot at the big leagues."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Tuesday, August 21
CLEAR PATH: Mindful of what happened with the Mariner Moose in Seattle, Coco Crisp (above, AP Photo) wanted to make sure Raymond -- the Devil Rays' rambunctious mascot -- steered clear with his ATV. (He did; the only problem last night was a mouse that was the talk of both the radio and television broadcast teams. [Boston Globe]) Things on the field went a whole lot smoother for the Red Sox, as Tim Wakefield continued his hard-to-fathom dominance of the Devil Rays with seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball and Boston rolled to a 6-0 win over traditional nemesis Scott Kazmir. Steven Krasner reports that Kevin Cash's first try at catching Wakefield's knuckler went well, despite some hairy moments at the beginning. (projo.com) Cash had experience catching knuckleballs at Pawtucket -- both John Barnes and Charlie Zink throw them -- but, as he said afterwards, ''No offense to [Barnes and Zink], but [Wakefield's knuckler is] no comparison.'' One other note: Wakefield is now tied with teammate Josh Beckett, the Angels' John Lackey and the Braves' Tim Hudson for the major-league lead in wins, with 15. (projo.com)
YOU GOT ME: The Devil Rays themselves have no idea why they have so much trouble with Wakefield, who is now 9-0 lifetime at Tropicana Field and 19-2 in his career against Tampa Bay. (St. Petersburg Times) STAYING THE COURSE: The reason Kazmir was lifted in the sixth inning? The Devil Rays are determined not to blow out any of their young pitchers now, when the games are meaningless (to them), so they'll be healthy when the team is ready to contend. (St. Petersburg Times) BECKETT'S MY PICK: SI.com's Jon Heyman has Josh Beckett at the top of his Cy Young ballot. CARTER COUNTRY: The Washington Post has confirmed that the Red Sox will be receiving Diamondbacks minor-league first baseman Chris Carter as payment from the Nationals for Wily Mo Pena. The nugget was first reported in the Boston Globe over the weekend. No report on how Carter will get from Arizona to Washington, but however it's done it probably won't happen until after the season. There's no room for Carter with the Diamondbacks, but he's hitting .328 for Triple-A Tucson with a .385 on-base percentage and a .531 slugging percentage. 'TIL WE MEET AGAIN: Wily Mo Pena released a gracious statement wishing the Red Sox and their fans well after his trade to Washington. (Boston Herald) He hit his second home run for the Nationals last night and his new teammates are excited by what they see. (Washington Post) HOLDING STEADY: The Red Sox, Angels and Yankees remain 1-2-3 in FoxSports.com's Power Rankings. WHICH PEN IS MIGHTIER? Baseball Musing's David Pinto notes that the Yankee bullpen has outperformed the Red Sox bullpen since August 1. BACK TO FIVE: The Sox' lead in the A.L. East went up by a game somewhere around 2 a.m. Eastern time, when the Angels pushed across a run in the bottom of the 10th and beat the Yankees, 7-6. (New York Daily News) The only New York-area newspaper with postgame quotes is the Journal-American -- whose beat writer, Peter Abraham, hails from nearby New Bedford -- and you can get the L.A. of Anaheim view from the Los Angeles Daily News and our sister publication, the Riverside Press-Enterprise. THEY'RE BAAAACK: The Press-Enterprise's Gregg Patton says people who buried the Yankees in June or July were foolish because ''the Yankees don't go away in June or July. The Yankees don't go away at all.'' QUITE THE EXPENSE: The Yankees are paying Jason Giambi $17.14 million and Johnny Damon $13 million to share the DH job. (New York Daily News) That gives the Yankees' designated-hitter position a higher payroll than the entire Devil Rays team, and nearly as high a payroll as the Marlins. (USA Today) SNEAK PREVIEW? The New York Post's George King says Alex Rodriguez could be paying a visit to the place he'll soon be calling home. FAMOUS? FOR WHAT? CBSSportsline.com columnist Gregg Doyel says George Steinbrenner doesn't belong in the Hall of Fame because all he's done as Yankee owner is spend money and thus has given nothing back to baseball. COMEBACK KID: Pedro Martinez had his best rehab performance so far -- five innings, two unearned runs -- and says feels ''healthy enough to say . . . 'Hey, take me to New York.' '' (New York Daily News) Apparently there's been some talk in the Mets front office of bringing him up, though the Post's Mike Vaccaro says that would be a mistake. TO THE RESCUE: Joel Zumaya is back with the Tigers, who are hoping his return from a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger will stop their slide. (Detroit Free Press) HERE THEY COME: The hard-charging Cardinals are only three games out in the N.L. Central. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) PASSAGES: Wild Bill Hagy, who was well-known in the 1970s and '80s for leading the cheers at old Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, has died at age 68. (Baltimore Sun) ALMOST, BUT NOT QUITE: Bobby Jenks' streak of consecutive batters retired ended at 41, which enabled him to tie (with San Francisco's Jim Barr) but not break the major-league record, but he still got the save as the White Sox beat the Royals. (Chicago Tribune) QUICKLY: The Twins want Boof Bonser to lose some weight (Minneapolis Star Tribune) . . . From the same newspaper, Johan Santana was back at work the day after his 17-strikeout performance . . . The Marlins benched Miguel Cabrera for showing up late (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) . . . Mark Grudzielanek will be back with the Royals next season. (Kansas City Star) OLD FRIENDS: Mike Myers' deal with the White Sox includes a contract for 2008 (Chicago Sun Times) . . . Freddy Sanchez got the game-winning single for the Pirates last night (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) and is hitting .375 in August . . . Phil Dumatrait was hammered again in Cincinnati, and Reds interim manager Pete Mackanin says he's not sure the ex-Sox farmhand is ''ready for this level'' (Cincinnati Post) . . . No one's willing to pick up all the incentives in his contract, so David Wells may not pitch again this year (rotoworld.com) . . . The Cubs will probably activated Cliff Floyd today. (Chicago Sun Times) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 20, 2007
Final: Red Sox 6, Devil Rays 0ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Tim Wakefield pitched seven shutout innings, scattering four hits and striking out five, and improved his lifetime record against Tampa Bay to 19-2 as he led the Red Sox to a 6-0 victory over the Devil Rays tonight. The Sox decided the game early against traditional nemesis Scott Kazmir, taking advantage of shoddy Tampa Bay defense to score five runs in the first two innings. Mike Lowell drove in the first two runs in the first inning with a two-out, two-run double, a hard but playable grounder down the third-base line that should have been handled by third baseman Akinori Iwamura. Coco Crisp started a three-run rally in the second with a catchable fly ball down the right-field line that Delmon Young got a glove on but couldn't hold, letting it drop into the stands for a ground-rule double. The Sox would score that inning on an RBI single by Dustin Pedroia and a two-run single by Manny Ramirez. Lowell closed out the scoring with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Wakefield's only jam came in the first, when Iwamura walked, stole second and went to third with one out on a passed ball during a strikeout by Kevin Cash. But Wakefield stranded him there, and cruised the rest of the way. Wakefield (15-10) is now tied with teammate Josh Beckett and the Angels' John Lackey for the league lead in wins, with 15. Manny Delcarmen pitched a scoreless eighth, and Mike Timlin retired the Rays in order in the ninth.
Posted by Art Martone Sox Streakers for Aug. 20Red Sox vs. Scott Kazmir Devil Rays vs. Tim Wakefield
Posted by Mike McDermott Pregame Notes, Aug. 20
-- Rhode Island's Rocco Baldelli, who hasn't played since May 15, when he suffered a strained left hamstring while running out a grounder, is making his first rehabilitation start today for Class A Vero Beach. He's expected to have only two at-bats. -- Red Sox pitcher Matt Clement, who had major shoulder surgery last fall, threw a 50-pitch side session here earlier today. He'll likely be ready to appear in a game by the middle of September, but where he'll be able to do that is problematic at this point, said Francona, because the minor league seasons will be over. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups, Aug. 20BOSTON Pedroia 2b Wakefield p TAMPA BAY Iwamura 3b Kazmir p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Missed opportunities; a big week aheadSean McAdam joins us as usual for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics today: troubling signs from a weekend series split; sticking with Eric Gagne; Kevin Youkilis slumping down the stretch again; one last chance to build some distance with the Yankees; and Johan Santana leaving after eight with 17 strikeouts. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: On the Sox' weekend performance: "They do seem to be showing a little bit more of that ability to come back late in the game. We saw them do it Saturday night -- not terribly late, in the sixth inning -- and score 10 unanswered runs against the Angels; and of course the second game of the day-night doubleheader on Friday, when they came back and took the lead for the first time late in the eighth inning only to have Eric Gagne blow up and lose it in the ninth. It seems like for every one posititive that you can take out of this weekend you could find some disturbing signs as well." On Gagne: "There seems to be pretty good velocity on the fastball ... but [hitters] do seem to be laying off that. And even in his heyday with the Dodgers, it was the change-up that proved to be his out pitch coming out of the bullpen. Some people thought he threw more yesterday in striking out three in a scoreless inning that did include a couple of hits, although neither of them were hit hard. He was working on the side on some mechanical adjustments, whether that had something to do with the change-up grip or something that was making his off-speed pitches not as effective. But perhaps he found something yesterday and maybe started to turn a corner." On Youkilis: "Maybe he's showing himself to be a guy who tapers off, or perhaps even runs out of gas, in the second half. I think that because he is so emotional, that he is a guy you have to watch pretty carefuly in terms of his energy level, because he leaves so much out on the field. We saw him taper off pretty badly in the second half of last year, his first full season, and a lot of people -- myself included -- thought that maybe that was attributable to a number of injuries. ... This year he's seemingly healthy, other than some bumps and bruises, and the same pattern is emerging, where in August he just seems to hit the wall."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Monday, August 20
LACK OF ATTACK: They pitched fine, and they played defense well enough to land two spots on ESPN's top five Web gems for the day (the home-run saving catch by Bobby Kielty in the first inning, and the second-inning grounder in which both Mike Lowell at the start and Kevin Youkilis at the end made superb plays). But their offense continues to lurch and sputter and Joe McDonald reports that yesterday it cost them a game as the Red Sox fell to the Angels, 3-1. The Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti points specifically to the maddening at-bat of J.D. Drew in the eighth inning -- when, with two on, two out, and Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez still in the bullpen, Drew looked at six straight pitches and was called out on strikes without ever taking the bat off his shoulder (above, Journal photo by Bob Breidenbach), ending the Sox' last chance to win the game -- and says it was a sympton of their baffling inconsistency since the end of May, inconsistency that, coupled with the Yankee surge, has once again shaved their A.L. East lead to four games. THE LONG ROAD BACK: There isn't a Red Sox fan anywhere who won't point out that the lead would still be a healthy seven games were it not for Eric Gagne -- who was the main culprit in the Sox' blowing a 5-1 eighth-inning lead in Baltimore a week ago Friday, a 3-1 eighth-inning lead in Baltimore a week ago Sunday and a 5-4 ninth-inning lead against the Angels last Friday night -- and he was greeted accordingly when he entered the game in the ninth inning yesterday. But Sean McAdam notes that yesterday was a good day for Gagne, one he hopes he can build on. HE WHO LAUGHS LAST . . . Gagne's struggles haven't gone unnoticed 160 miles to the south. The New York Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees, who were beaten by the Sox in the bid to acquire Gagne, may have won the battle, after all. BITS AND PIECES: The McAdam/McDonald/Paul Kenyon notebook has items on the bad blood between Julian Tavarez and Orlando Cabrera, Kielty's Boston debut, and Youkilis' mind-bending slump. Kenyon also profiles new catcher Kevin Cash, who made his Boston debut yesterday and will begin his real job -- taking over as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher from the injured Doug Mirabelli -- tonight in Tampa. IF WE DO SAY SO OURSELVES: The Angels were proud of themselves for coming up big in the finale of what had been a tough weekend for them. (Los Angeles Daily News) LOST IDENTITY: Curt Schilling says he's ''nowhere near as consistent as I can be, or should be, and I continue to change as much as I can to adjust to the new stuff I have, or don’t have.'' (38pitches.com) Writing for FoxSports.com, Chad Finn worries that Schilling is ''just as likely to be a liability as he is an asset to Boston's championship aspirations.'' NO REPEAT: Because of the wild card, FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry says the current A.L. East race bears no resemblance to the epic Red Sox-Yankee struggle of 1978. NOTHING PERSONAL: Joe Posnanski insists he doesn't hate Jim Rice; he just doesn't think Rice belongs in the Hall of Fame. He says Rice fans fail to make the distinction, and they probably won't now, either, after Joe writes that Rice's best season (1978) doesn't compare to Rocky Colavito's best season (1961). (thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com) ROLLING A SEVEN: In a Sports Illustrated poll of major league players, Fenway Park was listed as the seventh-best venue in which to hit. (SI.com) ALL TOGETHER NOW: The Nationals got the whole Wily Mo Pena package -- a home run, two strikeouts and some shaky defense in right field -- in Sunday's loss to the Mets. (Washington Times) IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . . Joe McDonald talked to Bronson Arroyo after the Pena trade, and Arroyo says he appreciates Theo Epstein's comment that the Pena-for-Arroyo trade was a mistake. He also reiterated that he'd love to return to the Red Sox. YIN AND YANG: Johnny Damon sounds like he wants out of the Bronx if he can't play every game (New York Times) Even so, he says he still enjoys being a Yankee, especially after days like yesterday. (New York Daily News) VINDICATION: The calls for Brian Cashman's head were overwhelming earlier this year, when the Yankees were struggling. But he stuck to his plan, and the Daily News' Bill Madden says it's paying off. SO LONG, PAL: On the LoHud Yankees Blog, Peter Abraham writes that Chien-Ming Wang may be bothered by the release of Mike Myers, who was his best friend on the team and who tried to break Wang out of his quiet, introverted shell. Yesterday Wang wasn't as good as he's been all season, but he was a lot better than he'd been in his last two starts and it was enough to get him the victory. (New York Daily News) HIP HIP JORGE! Writing for the Journal-American's print edition, Abraham says Jorge Posada could very well be a Met next year. I'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE . . . Joba Chamberlain reminds the Tigers of their own Joel Zumaya. (New York Post) WRONG MONTH: The calendar says August, but the Detroit Free Press' Mitch Albom says the slumping Tigers need to begin playing like it's September. RECORD? I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' RECORD: Johan Santana had 17 strikeouts through eight innings and could have tied the Roger Clemens/Kerry Wood mark for strikeouts in a single game by fanning the side in the ninth, but basically decided that eight (innings) was enough and turned things over Joe Nathan in the ninth. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) HELLO GOODBYE: SI.com's Jacob Luft lists the Padres' Jake Peavy as the favorite to win the N.L. Cy Young Award. (His A.L. pick: The Orioles' Erik Bedard.) Even so, Peavy doesn't expect to be in San Diego beyond the end of his contract in 2009, and even thinks he may be traded before then. (San Diego Union-Tribune) GOOD DEAL . . . MAYBE: The Daily Southtown's Phil Arvia says the Carlos Zambrano contract extension will work for the Cubs if it gets them that elusive World Series championship. NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Jermaine Dye, whom the Red Sox tried hard to acquire at the trading deadline, gave the White Sox a bit of a hometown discount in agreeing to a two-year, $22 million contract extension over the weekend. (Chicago Tribune) QUICKLY: Roy Oswalt (strained oblique muscle) will probably miss his next start for the Astros (Houston Chronicle) . . . The Blue Jays -- or at least some members of the Toronto media -- have buyer's remorse regarding Vernon Wells (Toronto Sun) . . . It's not imminent, but the Mets' Billy Wagner is thinking retirement (New York Times). LOCAL BOYS: Ex-Providence College star John McDonald played a big role in the Blue Jays' win over the Orioles yesterday (Toronto Sun). OLD FRIENDS: Mike Myers, released by the Yankees earlier this month, has resurfaced in Chicago with the White Sox (Chicago Tribune) . . . Lenny DiNardo is emerging as the ace of the A's starting rotation (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Cubs aren't sure when Cliff Floyd, mourning the death of his father, will come off the bereavement list (Chicago Sun-Times). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 19, 2007
Game Story: Bats quiet in Red Sox' 3-1 lossBOSTON -- It’s not always pitching. It’s not always hitting. Sometimes it’s a club’s defense that proves crucial. If all three entities are in sync for a consistent amount of time it’s a bonus. The Boston Red Sox are trying to string every aspect of their game together for the stretch run, but fell a bit short yesterday as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim squeaked out a 3-1 victory at Fenway Park. The Red Sox received a sufficient spot-start from Julian Tavarez, while the club’s defense was outstanding. Unfortunately the offense, which has shown signs of life of late, was stagnant. Boston closed out its recent home stand with a 4-3 record, mostly due to one aspect taking control of game. Against Tampa earlier in the week it was solid pitching, then when the Angels came to town the Sox’ offense was rejuvenated. Yesterday it was the defense that stood out. “We actually played a very inspiring game defensively,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “We didn’t have much to show offensively.” Now that the Red Sox embark on a three-city, 10-game road trip to Tampa, Chicago and New York, plus with Boston’s lead in the A.L. East holding at four games, it needs some overall stability. “Day in and day out it’s difficult,” said Crisp. “One part of your game isn’t going to be on all the time, and today it was hitting. (Angels starter Joe Saunders) did a good job pitching.” Saunders improved to 7-1 and kept Boston’s offense at bay through 7 2/3 innings and allowed just one run on six hits with seven strikeouts. For Tavarez, it was only his second start since Aug. 1, and he suffered the loss despite a solid outing yesterday. The right-hander allowed just two runs on two hits in six innings of work, and at one point retired 10 consecutive batters. Anaheim’s margin of victory could have been a lot worse if it were not for Boston’s stellar defense, mainly second baseman Dustin Pedroia, third baseman Mike Lowell, center fielder Coco Crisp and newcomer Bobby Kielty in right field. With two runs already across in the top of the first inning, the Angels’ Casey Kotchman crushed a high fly ball to deep right field. Kielty, making his Red Sox debut, sprinted back to warning track and leaped to rob Kotchman of a possible home run before slamming into the wall in front of the visitor’s bullpen. If Kielty doesn’t make that play to end the inning, then Angels would have had a four-run advantage. Pedroia was outstanding in the field. He recorded five assists and three put-outs, none of which were routine. “Our team (defense) has been playing great,” said Pedroia. “Mike Lowell has been playing awesome and he’s been taking hits away. With Coco, he’s in another world out there. Anytime the ball goes out there it’s an out. Everybody has been playing well.” No matter how well the defense played, you need offense to win games. “It’s been solid,” said Crisp of the defense. “It’s been one of the things that has kept us in games, and it kept us close today. It’s a key part of winning games and playing solid defense goes slightly overlooked some times, as well as base running.” The only offense the Red Sox were able to generate yesterday was an RBI-single by Lowell in the bottom of the eighth inning. Boston had an opportunity in that inning to cut its deficit even more, but pinch-hitter J.D. Drew struck out looking with two runners on to end the inning. Francona has routinely said his team plays one game at a time, and said yesterday it’s only Aug. 19. Pedroia told a group of local media after the game “to take the finger off the panic button.” Finding a way to incorporate pitching, defense and offense into one package can be difficult at this point of the season, but if the Red Sox are able to create a hot streak, all three will have to be in unison. “It’s tough,” said Pedroia. “Guys get tired because we play a lot of games, but this team is focused. We’re playing well.” -- JOE McDONALD
Posted by Chris Venditto PawSox keep momentum going with 2-1 win over ChiefsPAWTUCKET -- The Syracuse Chiefs witnessed the explosiveness of Jacoby Ellsbury first-hand yesterday. With the Chiefs and Pawtucket Red Sox locked in a 1-1 tie and Ellsbury on first base via a walk, Junior Spivey dumped a weak flare into short right field. Ellsbury took off on the hit and easily cruised into third base. As right fielder Michael Vento bobbled the ball, Ellsbury quickly picked up speed again and sailed home without even sliding. Ellsbury’s race from first to home proved to be the winning run in the PawSox’ 2-1 victory over Syracuse. The Sox have now won eight of their last nine games and six in a row over the Chiefs over the last week. Syracuse has lost 10 straight and face Pawtucket two more times this week. While Ellsbury’s run in the eighth provided the winning margin, the key to the victory was pitching. Starter Devern Hansack dominated the Chiefs over seven impressive innings, limiting Syracuse to three hits and one unearned run. Hansack didn’t get the win but he’s thrown well for over two months and has just one loss in his last 13 starts (7-1, 5 no decisions). Craig Breslow and Travis Hughes (6-6) combined to escape a little trouble in the eighth and Hughes survived an eventful ninth to pick up the win. ``When you win a few, there’s a momentum and an atmosphere that’s created,’’ said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. ``When things are going well, you can feel the players expect to win. In the ninth, there was the feeling that (Hughes) is going to get out of that one.’’ Hansack struck out a season-high 11 batters, the most by a Pawtucket pitcher in two years. The 29-year old righty was in complete control through his first six innings. The Chiefs scored a scratch run in the second inning when Chad Mottola singled to center and then raced to third when Dusty Brown’s throw on a steal attempt of second base bounced into center field. Mottola scored the game’s first run when Hector Luna grounded out to third. Hansack wasn’t threatened much from then on. He threw 103 pitches over seven innings and registered strikeouts with his fastball in the low-90’s, a biting slider and a knee-freezing change-up. ``I had everything working today,’’ he said. ``I was just going out there trying to keep their score down and give us a chance.’’ Johnson was impressed by Hansack’s ability to throw all of his pitches for K’s under pressure. ``The thing I liked is the use and command of his secondary pitches,’’ Johnson said. ``His change was really good. He had some big swing-and-miss pitches.’’ The PawSox tied the game at 1-1 when Jed Lowrie lined a two-out home run to right. The Sox didn’t do much with Syracuse starter Justin James or reliever Matt Roney. But when Jordan DeJong entered in the eighth, they pounced. Ellsbury drew the one-out walk and then Spivey dumped his single into right. That sent the speedy outfielder on his race around the bases. ``I couldn’t see the ball and when RJ held me up, I slowed up and looked at the ball,’’ Ellsbury said. ``I saw the right fielder bobble it and I made the call (to go).’’ --KEVIN McNAMARA
Posted by Chris Venditto Baseball bench-clearing scrums are a jokeHave you ever seen anything more ridiculous than a bench-clearing "brawl" in baseball? Red Sox starter Julian Tavarez just hit the Angels' Orlando Cabrera, barely grazing him across the letters. He didn't like it too much, so he started to take a few steps towards the mound and was clearly upset. Both benches cleared and, my favorite, the pitchers in the bullpen run all the way in to join the scrum on the diamond. If anything, don't you think they would get into it in the outfield instead of running all the way in? To stop such silly behavior, and to have baseball players stop thinking they're hockey players, here's a simple solution to stop such events in baseball. If a pitcher hits a batter and then decides to charge the mound, let them battle it out. If anyone leaves their position, including the catcher, or leaves the dugout and bullpen then it's an automatic suspension. This way the pitcher knows he'll have to protect himself if he decides to intentionally hit a batter. And, if the dugouts do empty, then please make it worth it -- old-school hockey. I can picture it now. Francona walking through the clubhouse one day and he spots Dustin Pedroia putting on the foil.
Posted by Joe McDonald Tavarez will work as long as possibleThe Red Sox maintain a tight hold on many of their pitchers as far as pitch-counts are concerned. Julian Tavarez is not in that category. The veteran makes his first start in 18 days today, his second in 32 days. He has not gone more than five innings since June 20th. But it would be fine with the Sox if he spends as much time as possible on the hill today. Terry Francona was asked this morning if Tavarez will be given much leeway. ``It could be all over the map,’’ the manager responded. ``If he’s struggling, it could be not very high. If he’s good, he’s probably one of the guys that I think you could throw that (pitch count) out the window, if not completely at least a little bit. He has the rare ability to go and again, if he’s locating, to stay out there for a while, which would be great.’’ On another front, Francona spoke about how happy he is with Mike Timlin. Timlin has been scored on in just one of his last 18 appearances and has his ERA down to 3.15. ``When he gets it going, it’s fun to watch,’’ Francona said. ``I think the work he’s pout in has really paid off. He’s worked hard. He has to. When you get to be that age you have o work hard to maintain your level of excellence, there’s no getting around it. And he has really excelled at that. We’re proud of him.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon Tavares will work as long as possibleThe Red Sox maintain a tight hold on many of their pitchers as far as pitch-counts are concerned. Julian Tavares is not in that category. The veteran makes his first start in 18 days today, his second in 32 days. He has not gone more than five innings since June 20th. But it would be fine with the Sox if he spends as much time as possible on the hill today. Terry Francona was asked this morning if Tavares will be given much leeway. ``It could be all over the map,’’ the manager responded. ``If he’s struggling, it could be not very high. If he’s good, he’s probably one of the guys that I think you could throw that (pitch count) out the window, if not completely, at least a little bit. He has the rare ability to go and again, if he’s locating, to stay out there for a while, which would be great.’’ On another front, Francona spoke about how happy he is with Mike Timlin. Timlin has been scored on in just one of his last 18 appearances and has his ERA down to 3.15. ``When he gets it going, it’s fun to watch,’’ Francona said. ``I think the work he’s put in has really paid off. He’s worked hard. He has to. When you get to be that age, you have to work hard to maintain your level of excellence, there’s no getting around it. And he has really excelled at that. We’re proud of him.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon Now, about the two new guys. . .Red Sox fans occasionally _ no make that frequently _ like to debate why manager Terry Francona gives one of his players a day off. However, it would be difficult for any fan to question why the manager has opted to go with not one, but two guys, to make Boston debuts today. In his pre-game meeting with the media just now, Francona laid out the reasons for his decision to get both Kevin Cash and Bobby Kielty into his starting lineup today. His explanation seems easy to understand. Cash, who was brought up Friday to replace the injured Doug Mirabelli (strained calf) was hitting only .176 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 59 games at Pawtucket. But he is a veteran with previous experience with Toronto (2002-04) and Tampa Bay (2005). He is excellent defensively, having thrown out 46 percent of the runners (23-50) trying to steal against him in Pawtucket. Kielty, a right-handed hitter is playing in place of J.D. Drew in right because the Angels are starting lefty Joe Saunders. ``Bobby Kielty was brought in as a right-handed bat against left-handed pitching. There’s a lefthander today,’’ Francona said. ``J.D. has played three in a row. Again, it just seems to make common sense. There are days when you balance things out. Today’s it’s just trying to win the game.’’ If Sox fans really want to debate the issue, maybe they should wait a day. It is expected both Cash and Kielty will start tomorrow night in Tampa, too, when Boston faces southpaw Scott Kazmir. Cash will catch because Tim Wakefield will start for the Sox. Cash has experience catching knucklers John Barnes and Charlie Zink in the Sox system.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Two debuts todayGood morning from sunny but cool Fenway. Sox talk begins this Sunday morning with the focus on Kevin Cash and Bobby Kielty. Both newcomers will make the Boston debuts today, Kielty batting sixth and playing right field, Cash catching and hitting ninth. Before we get into introductions of the new guys we will provide the lineup for today. At least we will for the Sox. The Angels have yet to post theirs. Here is the Sox lineup against lefty Joe Saunders: Dustin Pedroia 2b
Posted by Paul Kenyon August 18, 2007
Ortiz delivers, Red Sox come from behind to beat AngelsBOSTON -- It’s alive! Red Sox slugger David Ortiz once again has life in his bat. And, when that happens it usually means good things for Boston as it did last night. With the Sox trailing by five runs heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, Boston put up a 6-spot thanks in part to a grand slam by Ortiz en route to a 10-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Fenway Park. “That was well struck,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “The timing wasn’t bad, either. . . That one swing changed the complexion of the ballgame.” Fellow Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez, who entered the eighth inning 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, provided a much needed two-run double for insurance. For Ortiz, who has been a walking ice pack for much of the season as he’s battled aches and pains on both his upper and lower body, it’s been a good couple of days. He’s proven he won’t let the injuries hinder his ability to compete. “I’m just trying to hang tight and help this ballclub,” said Ortiz. “I know they count on me and I don’t think it’s fair to shut things down when other people would like to. It would only get worse if I’m out of the lineup, so I’m just trying to do what the trainers tell me through the season and I fight back [the pain] when I go out there to play.” Ironically, Francona was asked prior to last night’s game if he thought Ortiz had been taking better swings of late, and the manager said he noticed Ortiz was taking more aggressive swings where his legs and hands were involved, especially during his 4-for-9 performance with a home run and four RBI during Friday’s doubleheader. Last night the slugger’s body served as medieval catapult as he launched a ball out of Fenway Park with the strength of 100 men. It’s been awhile since Ortiz connected as well as he did in the six-run fifth inning as he drove the offering from Angels starter Jered Weaver and seemed like it was going to hit the Prudential Building downtown. Before Friday’s twin bill, Ortiz had gone through a 10-game stretch without a home run, and with his granny last night now has two in three games to reach 21 on the season. Both Ortiz and Ramirez have seen a drop in power numbers this season as both have combined for just 40 roundtrippers. It’s a much different story from a year ago when Ortiz finished 2006 with 54, while Ramirez collected 35. With a month and a half remaining in the regular season this year, it’s highly unlikely they’ll even come close to those numbers. No matter because it’s important that Ortiz seems to be getting comfortable at the plate at the right time. He needed to be last night to help out his starting pitcher. Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, making his 18th start of the season, struggled to find his groove in the first two innings as the Angels climbed out to a 4-0 lead. With one out in the first inning, Orlando Cabrera doubled to left and later scored on a fielder’s choice for a 1-0 Anaheim advantage. Schilling surrendered three more runs in the second as Reggie Willits provided a two-out RBI-single before Chone Figgins snuck a two-run homer around Pesky’s Pole for a four-run lead. Schilling settled in and retired seven of the next eight batters he faced – only allowing a double to Jeff Mathis – until Vladimir Guerrero belted a solo home run into the Monster seats for a 5-0 Angels lead in the fifth inning. Weaver cruised through his first four innings of work, retiring 12 of the first 15 batters he faced until Boston made a huge dent in the fifth. The Sox’ Eric Hinske (single), Coco Crisp (double) and Alex Cora (hit-by-pitch) all reached before Julio Lugo provided a two-run single. With no outs, Boston continued it rally as Ortiz crushed his seventh-career grand slam, and the team’s fifth in 2007, as he deposited it half way up the right-field seats for a 6-5 advantage. And, the Sox weren’t done in their comeback. Schilling took his first lead of the game and retired the side in order in the top of the sixth inning to close out his outing. Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin took over in the seventh and retired the side before lefty Hideki Okajima worked a perfect eighth thanks to three terrific defensive plays by Crisp in center field. Boston pushed across four in the bottom half of the inning as Ramirez collected a two-run double, Jason Varitek provided a RBI-single and J.D. Drew scored on a wild pitch to give closer Jonathan Papelbon a five-run cushion in the ninth. When it was over, it was Ortiz’s much-sought after grand slam that proved crucial. “I don’t get to see many pitches like that,” he said. There’s a reason for that, just ask Weaver. --JOE McDONALD
Posted by Chris Venditto Postgame clubhouse reactionManager Terry Francona on David Ortiz's grand slam: "That was well struck, and the timing wasn't bad, either. That one swing changed the complexion of the ballgame." Ortiz on his grand slam: “I don’t like to talk about my homersm, but that was a pretty good one.” Ortiz on playing through aches and pains: “I’m just trying to hang tight and help this ballclub. I know they count on me and I don’t think it’s fair to shut things down when other people would like to. It would only get worse if I’m out of the lineup, so I’m just trying to do what the trainers tell me through the season and I fight back [the pain] when I go out there to play.”
Posted by Joe McDonald PawSox score in ninth to beat Chiefs, 5-4PAWTUCKET – Home cooking hasn’t tasted very well for the Pawtucket Red Sox this season. They hope that changes the rest of the way. The PawSox play 11 of their last 17 games at McCoy Stadium and hope they all end like last night’s 5-4 thriller. The Sox scratched out a ninth inning run on two walks, a hit batsman and a game-winning single by Joe McEwing to knock off the Syracuse Chiefs in the first game of a four-game set. ``It’s a grind this time of year. At the start of the season you see that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s very true,’’ said McEwing, a 34-year old veteran who’s played in the majors for nine years with four different teams. ``It seems like we’ve been on the road forever but we’re hoping to finish the year playing good baseball.’’ Starting pitcher David Pauley didn’t throw like someone who was crumpled in a bus for most of the night. He no-hit the Chiefs for the first 4.2 innings as Pawtucket built a 4-0 lead after five innings. All four runs came in the bottom of the fifth. After a Brandon Moss double and walk to Bobby Scales, a sacrifice bunt and another walk loaded the bases. Then Alex Prieto delivered the big hit, lining a hard single up the middle that scored two runs. Jacoby Ellsbury followed with an opposite-field liner into the left field corner that scored two more runs. Prieto made a great slide over Syracuse catcher Sal Fasano for the fourth run. Pauley tired a bit and let up two runs in the sixth, the second of which came after a mental mistake when he failed to look Wayne Lydon all the way back to third base on a grounder back to the mound. Ryan Roberts led off the seventh with a solo homer to make it 4-3 and end Pauley’s outing. Edgar Martinez came on and allowed an unearned run after a single, a two-base throwing error by Scales and a fielder’s choice plated the tying run. Martinez settled down and combined with Javy Lopez to pitch a shutout eighth inning. Bryan Corey did the same in the ninth and ended up picking up the win (he’s now 5-8) as Pawtucket rallied off Jaime Vermilyea. Junior Spivey worked his way to a one-out walk and then Vermilyea hit the ninth batter in the order, Alex Prieto, in the leg. Ellsbury walked to load the bases and that brought up McEwing, who’s hit safely in 13 of his last 16 games at a .340 clip. Sensing that Vermilyea was struggling with his control, McEwing sat on the first pitch and lined a fastball that sunk into center in front of Lydon for the game-winning hit. ``I tried to be aggressive in that situation,’’ McEwing said. `` --KEVIN McNAMARA
Posted by Chris Venditto Clubhouse ConfidentialBobby Kielty is in the house. He said he wanted to play for a team that had an opportunity to play in meaningful games in September and October. Welcome to Boston! As expected the Red Sox purchased his contract from Pawtucket today and the veteran outfielder is in the dugout tonight. Kielty, 31, has 579 games of major-league experience with Minnesota, Toronto and Oakland. He was designated for assignment by the A’s on July 21 and released on July 31. The Red Sox signed him to a minor-league deal on Aug. 6. There were numerous reasons why he wanted to play here, especially since he said the Red Sox showed interest even before he was designated. But one thing stood out. Red Sox manager Terry Francona and Kielty talked about what the newcomer’s role off the bench is going to be, and when the meeting concluded everyone understand the situation. He’ll be used basically as a utility outfielder, mainly playing the corner spots and will an added left-handed bat off the bench against left-handed pitchers. “I know my role,” he said. “I’m a pretty laid-back kind of guy and when I go out and perform I like to play hard. I’m totally happy with it.” Because he has family from Massachusetts, he grew up watching the Red Sox and admitted he was a huge Roger Clemens fan. Kielty knows how rabid Red Sox Nation can be, and he said he’s ready for the challenge. “There’s pressure with coming to any team,” he said. “Being a new player you want to perform well, and make a good impression right away. Boston is a big market with a lot of fans and they have a lot of passion. I just want to play my game and if I can do that everything will be fine.” Kielty will not be in the lineup against the Angels tonight, but Francona said he’ll play tomorrow.
“But they’re not Tim Wakefield,” said Francona. “Wakey has been through [catching changes] and he will not alter the way he pitches. We hope it goes great.” Francona said Doug Mirabelli, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday night with a strained right calf muscle, was still sore yesterday. Just in case Cash couldn’t get here in time on Friday – he was with the PawSox in Ottawa – and if a catcher was needed Francona said he had about six volunteers for the job, including Alex Cora, Eric Hinske and Mike Lowell. “Everybody but Ortiz was volunteering,” joked Francona. *It was less than 24 hours after Red Sox reliever Eric Gagne blew a save opportunity on Friday night and it was still being discussed yesterday afternoon. The newly acquired right-hander surrendered a one-run lead and allowed the Angels to score three runs in the top of the ninth inning en route to a 7-6 victory. By the time the local media was allowed in the clubhouse Gagne was already gone. It was the second time in a week that Gagne imploded on the mound, causing the Red Sox to lose. But, Francona said he’s sticking with him. It was Gagne’s third blown save of the season, and since arriving in Boston at the trade deadline, he has allowed 10 runs on 14 hits in seven appearances. “You try to put the players in the best position where they can succeed,” added Francona. “If you run away from that, it’s not going to work. . . We need to work hard to get this guy locked in opposed to running away from him.”
Posted by Joe McDonald Tonight's lineupsANAHEIM BOSTON
Posted by Joe McDonald Epstein admits mistake; Arroyo reactsRed Sox general manager Theo Epstein admitted he made a mistake. After the Red Sox traded utility outfielder Wily Mo Pena, and cash considerations, to the Washington Nationals in exchange for a player to be named later yesterday afternoon, Epstein said he was wrong. Pena was acquired by Boston from Cincinnati in exchange for pitcher and fan favorite Bronson Arroyo on March 20, 2006. Epstein was criticized publicly for the deal, and he said yesterday he made a mistake. “It didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to,” he said. “Certainly wasn’t a good trade in retrospect. From a pure talent standpoint in a vacuum, that can still be debated because Wily Mo certainly has the talent and in the right situation he can hit a lot of home runs. There’s still a good chance he blossoms as a hitter. Here the fit never materialized. “Certainly there have been times in the last 18 months where we could have used a very legitimate pitcher, which Bronson Arroyo is. We have to look back and say that (trade) is probably one we would want back.” Arroyo returned a phone call made by the Journal late last night in response Epstein's comments. "I have a lot of respect for Theo," said Arroyo. "He's always been a straight shooter, and I appreciate that. To admit he made a mistake must have been tough to do. He has always treated me good." When asked if he would want to play again in Boston someday, Arroyo said: "Of course. I hope I have10 years left and at some point maybe I can get back there." Because of complexity of the rules at this time of the season, Epstein said he couldn’t reveal at this point who that player to be named is, but said the bench will be more functional going forward this season. “We’re pleased with the way things turned out [yesterday],” said Epstein. “We ended up getting a player who we really like. We’re fairly happy with the resolution given the circumstances.”
Posted by Joe McDonald August 17, 2007
Clubhouse reaction after losing nightcapRed Sox reliever Eric Gagne, who blew a save opportunity after he allowed three runs in the top of the ninth inning, was no where to be found in the clubhouse after the game. In fact, it was a very quiet clubhouse. Manager Terry Francona on the eighth and ninth innings: “It ended up being a frustrating inning all the way around." Francona on the eighth-inning rally only to loss in the end: “The place is electric and the same things that will make you laugh will make you cry. They turned right around and did it to us.”
Posted by Joe McDonald Mirabelli placed on DLBOSTON -- General manager Theo Epstein cleared up the roster mess moments ago: -- Doug Mirabelli has been placed on the 15-day disabled list because of the strained right calf suffered in today's first game -- Catcher Kevin Cash has been purchased from Pawtucket and is scheduled to arrive at Fenway Park at about 7:50 p.m. (''No police escort this time.'') He will be eligible to play when he arrives. -- Clay Buchholz has been optioned back to Pawtucket, and Jacoby Ellsbury is recalled. -- JOE McDONALD
Posted by Art Martone Clubhouse reaction to BuchholzRed Sox catcher Jason Varitek when asked if Buchholz is a major-league pitcher? "No question. No question at all." Manager Terry Francona: "I thought he kept his poise really well. . . . I thought that was about what we were expecting." Angels manager Mike Scioscia: "Oh, you can see that he has got great stuff. With a little refining this guy looks like he's gonna be good for a long time. I was very impressed." Clay Buchholz on Buchholz: "It's something that I have been working for since I joined the Red Sox. No words can really descibe it. That's what I have wanted to do for the past three years in pro ball, and today was the day and I had a great time with it. . . I will remember this forever."
Posted by Joe McDonald Friday night lineup: Ellsbury playing center field and batting leadoff, Epstein to meet media at 6 p.m.BOSTON -- Jacoby Ellsbury, as he said moments ago, is in the starting lineup for the second game of tonight's day-night doubleheader: Jacoby Ellsbury cf The Red Sox still have made no roster announcements. General manager Theo Epstein is scheduled to meet with the media at 6 p.m. to provide information. We will post the info on the blog immediately.
Posted by Art Martone Update: Kielty also summoned to Boston; Ellsbury to play tonightBOSTON -- It appears Kevin Cash isn't the only PawSox player heading to Boston. Bobby Kielty is also on his way from Ottawa. When he will be activated, however, is unclear. Jacoby Ellsbury said moments ago that he will play in tonight's game against the Angels. (The lineup has yet to be posted.) That being the case, it seems likely Clay Buchholz will be sent back to Pawtucket before the game starts, which was the original plan. Doug Mirabelli, who suffered a calf injury in the first game that necessitated the recall of Cash, was in a walking cast in the clubhouse. Cash is leaving Ottawa on a 6:20 p.m. flight and is not expected to arrive in Boston until after 8 p.m. It is not known if Cash will be activated prior to tonight's game, making him eligible to play once he arrives at Fenway Park. For him to be activated, the only option -- it would seem -- would be placing Mirabelli on the disabled list. Buchholz' roster spot apparently is being taken by Ellsbury. The original plan was for Ellsbury to be with the Red Sox until Sunday, when he would be sent back down and Kielty activated. It remains to be seen if that plan is still in place, since Kielty is on his way to Boston now. Brendan Donnelly, who is sidelined for the remainder of the season because of Tommy John elbow surgery, was moved from the 15- to the 60-day disabled list to make room on the 40-man roster for Cash. Players on the 60-day DL do not count against the 40.
Posted by Joe McDonald Game story: Red Sox 8, Angels 4BOSTON -- If Clay Buchholz' stay in the major leagues really does last only one day -- at least for now -- it'll be one he remembers. The rookie right-hander surrendered four runs, only three of which were earned, over six innings and -- thanks to a six-run outburst by his teammates in the bottom of the first inning -- coasted to an 8-4 win today in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. David Ortiz gave the Red Sox the lead for good with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, his 20th homer of the season, and Dustin Pedroia added his sixth home run, a solo shot, in the eighth. J.D. led the Sox' 14-hit attack with three hits, lifting his average for the season to .263, and Ortiz, Pedroia and Manny Ramirez had two hits each. Buchholz gave up eight hits, with three walks and five strikeouts, in his 91-pitch debut. Hideki Okajima recorded five outs before giving way to Jonathan Papelbon with two outs in the eighth. Papelbon closed it out for his 29th save.
Posted by Art Martone Mirabelli injury update: PawSox catcher Kevin Cash summoned to BostonIt appears Mirabelli's strained right calf is worse than first thought as PawSox catcher Kevin Cash is leaving Ottawa and is on his way to Boston for tonight's game. Cash, 29, signed with the Red Sox as a minor-league free agent last January and has 114 games of major-league experience. He spent parts of three seasons (2002-2004) with Toronto and played 13 games for Tampa Bay in 2005. He spent all of last season with Triple-A Durham in 2006 and is hitting .176 with seven homers and 25 RBI in 59 games for the PawSox this season. Fellow PawSox catcher George Kottaras has been banged up of late and has not played that much on the club's current road trip (2-for-10).
Posted by Joe McDonald Mirabelli updateRed Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli left the game after the first inning with a strained right calf. He suffered the injury running the bases. With Boston's backup catcher now hurt, maybe the Red Sox will have to call up a catcher from Pawtucket instead of inserting outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury after today's afternoon game. The only problem is the PawSox are playing in Ottawa and it would be a close call to get Kevin Cash to Boston on time for tonight's game. Another solution, the Sea Dogs are at home, so getting Dusty Brown here would be more logical. This scenario, of course, is only speculation.
Posted by Joe McDonald Mirabelli pulled from gameRed Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli, who was limping noticeably after rounding third base and heading home while scoring one of Boston's six runs in the bottom of the first inning, has been pulled from the game and replaced by Jason Varitek. Because of today's doubleheader, manager Terry Francona said this morning he would spilt the battery duties between the two catchers. Mirabelli was running hard until he reached third, but then began limping as soon as he turned the bag. There's no word on the extent of Mirabelli's injured.
Posted by Joe McDonald Hitting for the cycleThe Red Sox hit for the cycle in their first five batters. Dustin Pedroia led off with a double, Kevin Youkilis struck out swinging, David Ortiz belted a two-run homer, Manny Ramirez singled and J.D. Drew collected the triple.
Posted by Joe McDonald Pena tradedThe Red Sox just announced they traded outfielder Wily Mo Pena and cash considerations to the Washington Nationals for a player to be named later. With Clay Buchholz added to the roster to make a spot-start today, the club needed to make a roster move, so Pena has been shipped to the Nats. Buchholz will be optioned back to Pawtucket after today's game, and it's expected Jacoby Ellsbury will be called up from the PawSox. Pena was hitting .218 with five homers and 17 RBI in 73 games for the Red Sox this season.
Posted by Joe McDonald Sox Streakers for August 17, game oneHot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. John Lackey More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Doubleheader day; remembering Tony C.Sean McAdam joins us for another version of projo SoxTalk today, as the Red Sox prepare to begin a big four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels. Click here to listen to the audio file. The topics of conversation: today's pitching matchups, Dustin Pedroia's Rookie of the Year candidacy, MLB's decision to forgive Jason Giambi, and the 40th anniversary of Tony Conigliaro's gruesome injury at Fenway Park. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments. By the way, I want to correct something that I said to Sean -- the anniversary of the Conigliaro play is tomorrow, not today: On the Rookie of the Year competition: "The number of rookies who have an impact on teams every year seems to grow exponentially. You used to kind of get used to guys getting a lot of playing time for second-division teams ... because they were not in contention and they could afford to run some young players out there. But now, I think in part because of the economics of the game, where even a team with a big payroll like the Red Sox at $135 or $140 million or so sees the value in having one of their starters be a 380,000 a year player. ... I think it's going to be a very close balloting between the pitchers on the Red Sox [Okajima and Matsuzaka], [the Angels' Reggie] Willits and [the Devil Rays' Delmon] Young and Pedroia, and I'm sure one or two others as the season plays out. But it's a pretty crowded and competitve field." MLB's decision not to suspend Giambi: "I think it's probably the smart thing to do for Bud Selig, because otherwise you'd be sending the message that if you have information to give us that would help us to sort through this mess, we're going to take it and then we are going to turn around and discipline you and punish you for your past involvement in steroids or other enhancements. I think some of these guys need to have the signal that there's a statute of limitations in place here, and that they're not going to be putting themselves in any sort of professional or legal liability or risk by coming clean when they're asked the question." On Conigliaro: "Everyone remembers that grotesque picture of Conigliaro in the hospital with his eye totally black, and the seams of the baseball visible still a couple of days after. It was as sickening a feeling as you can get. ... Of course the thought that we continue to have some 40 years later is, what sort of career might Tony C. have had? There are people, including Jim Palmer, who believe that Conigliaro -- given his power, the ballpark in which he played and his youth -- was going to be a 500-plus home-run hitter by the time his career was over, and maybe even someone who would threaten the all-time home run record."
Posted by Mike McDermott Clubhouse Confidential*To make room for today’s starting pitcher, Clay Buchholz, the Red Sox must make a roster move. We just met with manager Terry Francona and he said the club has not made one yet, but something will be announced before the Game 1 of today’s doubleheader. It is expected Wily Mo Pena will be designated for assignment. The utility outfielder was not seen in the clubhouse this morning.
“This kid is still on the fast track of development, but it’s a great opportunity today to watch him pitch,” said Francona. “He’s going to pitch and go back down; he knows that. . . His development is not over. That’s not to say he can’t get people out, but he’s still a young kid learning the game. It’s exciting and it’ll be fun to see how he reacts today, but there’s still a lot of development still left.” *Looking at the previous post with today's lineups, you'll notice Doug Mirabelli will be Buchholz's batterymate today. The simple reason is because today is a doubleheader it does not make sense for Jason Varitek to catch two games, especially at this point of the season. Mirabelli and Buchholz met at Fenway Park yesterday, the club's off-day, to formulate game plan and play catch. The rookie even threw a couple of pitches off the mound, according to Francona. Buchholz arrived at the park about an hour ago and looked very comfortable in the clubhouse. *The Sox still have not named their starter for Sunday, but it's likely it will be Julian Tavarez as Tim Wakefield will be given an extra day off. Francona was asked why Buchholz today, while Sunday remains TBA. “When you add a pitcher who is not on your roster, like a Buchholz, whatever he gives you is free innings. We have 18 innings minimum to account for today, and you go with Tavarez and say he goes five, which would be great because it eliminated five our of your bullpen, this gives you an extra pitcher. Plus, it’s a starter to boot going into a doubleheader.” *Francona was asked this morning how important it is for a rookie to feel accepted by the players, manager and coaches, and how long does that process take? “Not in an hour,” he said. “I spoke with him yesterday and he understands he’s here for one start.” The manager explained the importance of meeting all the players, especially all the highly-touted prospects, during the spring training. Yesterday “I didn’t have to introduce myself,” Francona said. “We were getting reacquainted. This is his first major-league start. He’ll have a ton of butterflies, but he has the best chance possible to show what he can do. He may not, but this is better than him coming in cold, not knowing anybody and feeling like a rental player. This is one start and he’s going back to Triple-A, but we’ve done everything in our power to make him feel comfortable.” *When Red Sox ace Curt Schilling decides to call it quits, he has the ability to become a NASCAR driver. On my way up to Fenway this morning, Schilling was behind me in his black BMW and when he hit a little bit of traffic on the parkway, he moved to the inside lane and blew by me. I caught every traffic light and he was no where to be seen. I asked him about his driving when I got to the clubhouse, and wasn't surprised when, again, he blew me off.
Posted by Joe McDonald Today's lineups for Game 1LOS ANGELES
Posted by Joe McDonald Baseball Today: Friday, August 17
AWARD-WINNING DEBUT? Steven Krasner takes advantage of the off-day to look at the rookie season of Dustin Pedroia (above, Journal photo by Kris Craig), who could have a trophy with the engraving ''Rookie of the Year'' sitting on his mantle when it's over. (projo.com) IMPRESSIVE COMPANY: If he wins it, he'll join a few pretty big names -- and one Hall of Famer -- who won the Rookie of the Year award as members of the Red Sox. (en.wikipedia.org) IT WAS FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY . . . that Tony Conigliaro was hit in the eye by a pitch from the Angels' Jack Hamilton, derailing what could have been a Hall of Fame career. Conigliaro, of course, has passed away, but the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley talks to Hamilton, who now runs a restaurant in Bramson, Missouri. Hamilton says the pitch to Tony C. simply got away from him -- he wasn't throwing at Conigliaro -- and that he's sorry it happened. His wife asks Buck to ''please tell those people in Boston that what happened in 1967 was an accident, and that he’s a good guy.” MIND GAMES: The Boston Herald's Rob Bradford talks to the Cleveland Indians' sports psychologist, who says Manny Ramirez ''is at an elite level in terms of being able to focus and go pitch to pitch. What he is able to do that separates him from other players is his ability to keep his mind in the moment . . He doesn’t get caught up in what is happening around him.” SACRIFICIAL LAMB? Ervin Santana, who never pitches well at Fenway Park, will be the Angels' starter tonight against Josh Beckett. (Los Angeles Daily News) They'll throw their ace, John Lackey, against Clay Buchholz. WE KNOW, JOE, WE KNOW: Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon always used the quirky 3-4 defense when David Ortiz was at the plate, but not anymore. ''He's just a different hitter," Maddon said. "It is just an entirely different chart than last year.'' (St. Petersburg Times) FLAW IN THE ARGUMENT: Joe Posnanski says a ''brilliant reader and [Jim] Rice lobbyist [named] Paul White'' (who I believe was a regular on projo.com's old Off The Wall site years ago) has ''softened'' Posnanski's views on Rice's Hall of Fame candidacy, though he still doesn't think Rice belongs in. However, Posnanski says White's basic point -- that there are 20 left fielders in the Hall, Rice compares favorably to all of them, and therefore the writers are flaunting the standards that they've established by not electing Rice -- is incorrect, because 9 of the 20 were not voted in by the writers but put in by the Veterans Committee. ''If we as writers use our own standards set through the years,'' says Joe, ''we absolutely would not vote for Jim Rice.'' (thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com) PROBABLY NOT: The blog One More Dying Quail notes that Sporting News Radio's Dave Smith says the Red Sox' first-round playoff opponent will be either the Detroit Tigers or the Milwaukee Brewers. THAT'S JUST SICK: The Yankees posted a sign in their clubhouse prior to last night's game: ''Do not interact with the Detroit Tigers players at any time. They are experiencing medical issues.'' But in the end it was the Yankees feeling ill as Detroit jumped out to a 4-0 lead off Mike Mussina in the first inning and cruised to an 8-3 win. (Detroit News) BASEBALL'S A HUMBLING GAME: And the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro says the previously scorching Yankees have indeed been humbled these last five days, which include three straight losses and two other games they very easily could have lost. IF YOU GO, YOU'RE GONE: Brian Cashman reiterated yesterday that the Yankees won't pursue Alex Rodriguez if he opts out of his contract at the end of the year. (Newark Star-Ledger) TAKE YOUR PICK: SI.com's John Donovan lists five reasons why the Yankees will make the playoffs, and five reasons why they won't. PILING ON: Gary Sheffield just can't stop talking about Joe Torre; now he's calling the Yankee manager a phony. (New York Post) DANGER, DANGER! Seth Mnookin says Torre is abusing the now-fragile Mariano Rivera with the way he uses him and wonders why no one in the mainstream media has mentioned it. (sethmnookin.com) Purely coincidentally, I'm sure -- I seriously doubt Joe reads Seth's blog -- Torre said he's giving Rivera a couple of days off. (New York Post) OFF THE HOOK: Jason Giambi won't face punishment from Bud Selig over his admission of steroid usage, thanks to both his cooperation with former Sen. George Mitchell's investigation and ''his public-service work.'' (New York Daily News) WHAT'S THE DEAL? In a chat with readers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bob Smizik says Roger Clemens' accomplishments after the age of 40 are just as impressive as Barry Bonds', making him wonder why Clemens has escaped steroids scrutiny. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) GET OVER IT: The brilliant Roger Angell defends Bonds -- ''the Lord Voldemort of baseball'' -- in a New Yorker essay: ''[Home]-run totals are determined not just by the batters but by different pitchers, in very different eras, and, most of all, by the outer dimensions of the major-league parks, which have always varied widely and have been deliberately reconfigured in the sixteen ballparks built since 1992, thus satisfying the owners’ financial interest in more and still more home runs. Bonds has been called a cheater, but the word should hardly come up in a sport whose proprietors, if they were in charge of the classic Olympic hundred-metre dash, would stage it variously at a hundred and six metres, ninety-four, a hundred and three, and so forth, and engrave the resulting times on a tablet.'' (newyorker.com) THE REAL REASON: On his blog, Tim Kawakami says the A's don't need Barry Bonds because Jack Cust is better, and he tells you why. (www.mercextra.com/blogs/kawakami) JUST A BALLPLAYER: Rick Ankiel says he's looking forward to the day when he's not such a big story for his transformation from pitcher to outfielder. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) NOT ON SPEAKING TERMS: The agent for troubled pitcher Scott Olsen says he'll never again talk to Marlins owner David Samson after Samson said Olsen would not be welcome on the team if he is convicted on July 21 charges of driving under the influence, resisting an officer with violence and fleeing and eluding a police officer. The agent, Matt Sosnick (who represents seven Marlins total), added that Samson was an "absolute joke" and a "totally hated guy." (Palm Beach Post) ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Willie Randolph ripped into the Mets after they blew a 5-0 lead and lost to the Pirates. (New York Daily News) QUICKLY: The Angels are hoping Bartolo Colon can rejoin them for the stretch run (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Alfonso Soriano insists he'll be back playing for the Cubs before the Sept. 1 target date (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Carlos Zambrano showed no signs of injury during his Thursday throw day (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Nick Johnson, who's still recuperating from a broken leg suffered last September, won't be back this year (Washington Post) . . . Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson has cleared waivers, leaving open the possibility of a trade to Detroit (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . The Rangers have placed Brandon McCarthy on the disabled list because of a fractured shoulder (mlb.com). OLD FRIENDS: Derek Lowe pitched ''seven dazzing, shutout innings'' as the Dodgers beat the Astros (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Tony Armas Jr. was nowhere near as dazzling for the Pirates, but, as noted, they still beat the Mets (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . ESPN.com reports the Dodgers and Rockies are interested in David Wells . . . Pedro Martinez will make his third rehab start Monday (New York Daily News) . . . Edgar Renteria is recovering nicely from his high ankle sprain (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 16, 2007
Report: We'll see Buchholz, then Ellsbury, in Boston tomorrowThe Boston Globe reports that Clay Buchholz will start the day portion of tomorrow's day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park, and the Red Sox will then send Buccholz back to Pawtucket and recall outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. It is expected to be another short-term assignment for Ellsbury, who made his Red Sox debut on June 30. A left-hander, Ellsbury would help the Sox against right-hander John Lackey in Friday night's game, and then probably against righty Jered Weaver on Saturday. The Angels start lefty Joe Saunders on Sunday. Regardless, Wily Mo Pena is expected to lose his roster spot to make way for Buchholz on Friday.
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Ninth-inning struggles; a Buchholz previewSean McAdam joins us once again for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio. The topics: the Red Sox' struggles against pitchers they see for the first time; the Red Sox' struggles in the ninth inning; what to watch for in Clay Buchholz's debut; big weekend series in both Boston and New York; and the party-spoiling Baltimore Orioles. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: Struggling against pitchers they face for the first time: "It's kind of a pattern that we see all the time. ... Terry Francona said that maybe we're making too much of it; if you look at it league-wide that most teams struggle against pitchers they're seeing for the first time. The edge always seems to go to the pitcher in those matchups. But beyond anecdotally, it's almost like the Red Sox are more susceptible than others, and yesterday was a prime example." On the ninth-inning struggles: "I think that so much of their comeback aura was associated with Ortiz that with his declining production, whether it be from the shoulder, the knee, or how teams are pitching him, it just seems like a lot of that magic revolved around him, and it's no longer there this year." Welcome, Clay Buchholz: "You get a guy who is not your classic power pitcher build, a little more on the wiry side. He has a plus fastball that he can throw in the mid 90s and up, he has a plus curveball that is his second best pitch, but he's got command of three or four pitches. He has showed the ability to make people swing and miss at every level, including Triple A. ... Red Sox fans have been hearing about this guy for the last year-plus, and now they'll get to see him up close and on a major-league mound."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Thursday, August 16
SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? That's what the good folks at Sons of Sam Horn are trying to figure out, with opinions ranging from "The offense will sink them" to "Well, it's not as good as the Yankees' or the Tigers' offenses, but it's still good enough to win." Manny Ramirez is a sub-topic, and old friend Smiling Joe Hesketh trots out some sobering statistics: ''According to [Baseball-Reference.com's] close and late stat, Manny is hitting .151/.274/.283 for an OPS of .557 in those situations this year. That's in 62 plate appearances. He's got 2 HR and only FOUR RBIs in those plate appearances.'' (Ramirez, incidentally, struck out to end the game.) His conclusion is just as sobering: ''I have been a Manny defender for years, but as we see him obvious in his decline phase it becomes increasingly difficult to ignore the atrocious fielding (particularly on the road), the mental errors, the egregious baserunning mistakes, and the lack of hitting in big situations. His sideshows were cute when he was routinely putting up 35 HR/125 RBI seasons; they're not so cute when he's currently at 19 and 75.'' I CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT: The Devil Rays built a 6-0 lead off Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Joe McDonald reports Dice-K calls himself ''disappointed, even sorry, that I put a stop to [the] momentum'' (the team had built with its walkoff win Tuesday night). (projo.com) SO CAN I: Kevin Youkilis is struggling, too. (Boston Herald) PRICE-K: If you want Matsuzaka's autograph, incidentally, be prepared to pony up. (aol.com) ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, PART ONE: The resurgence of Julio Lugo continues, as Steven Krasner chronicles in Inside The Game. THE BRIGHT SIDE, PART TWO: Seth Mnookin was looking forward to a nice, quiet September, but it doesn't look like the Red Sox will be having one of those. So, to make himself feel better, he looks for positive things to take out of the weekend debacle in Baltimore. (sethmnookin.com) TWIN SURPRISE: It looks like the Red Sox' starting pitchers in Friday's day-night doubleheader against the Angels will be Clay Buchholz and Julian Tavarez. (projo.com) BEYOND BASEBALL: Mike Lowell's game-tying home run Tuesday night was another gift to the Butcher family, whom Lowell has been helping deal with the pain of their daughter's death. (Boston Herald) EVEN STEVEN: Tim Marchman of the New York Sun says the Red Sox-Marlins trade of November 2005, in which the Sox received Josh Beckett but gave up Hanley Ramirez, has been a wash. O BOY! The Orioles, who haven't won a season series from the Yankees in 10 years, improved to 8-4 against New York in 2007 with an improbable 6-3, 10-inning win (Baltimore Sun), scoring three runs off Mariano Rivera in the 10th after Shelley Duncan had tied it with a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. (New York Daily News) The Orioles also said their hitting of Derek Jeter in the first wasn't in retaliation for two of their players being hit Tuesday night. (Baltimore Sun) GOTTA WORRY ABOUT MO: Rivera says there's nothing wrong with his arm even though he's pitched poorly the last three times out (LoHud Yankees blog). But Bill Madden of the Daily News worries about what will happen to the Yankees when Mo isn't Mo anymore, and the Post's Joel Sherman says Joe Torre has to decrease Rivera's workload. BE CAREFUL: Howard Megdal of the New York Observer says the Yankees are taking a risk by putting Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT WHEN I SAID IT EARLIER. . . On the eve of the Tigers' visit to Yankee Stadium, Gary Sheffield repeats his charge that Joe Torre treats black players differently than he treats white players (New York Times). TOGETHER AGAIN: The Tigers and Indians are once more tied for the A.L. Central lead after Cleveland's win last night (Akron Beacon Journal). SIMPLE ENOUGH: The reason the Blue Jays didn't trade Troy Glaus to a contender? Nobody asked about him, says Toronto GM J.P. Ricciardi (Los Angeles Times). SIDETRACKED: Dave Veres' goal of becoming the first player to pitch in the major leagues with an artificial hip won't be achieved with the Rockies; they've released him. (Denver Post) QUICKLY: Bob Brenly says he'd be interested in the Reds' managing job (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . The Tigers may move Carlos Guillen to first base permanently (Detroit Free Press) . . . The Rockies' Willy Tavares may be headed back to the disabled list (Rocky Mountain News) . . . The struggling Horacio Ramirez may be removed from the Mariners' starting rotation (Seattle Times) . . . The Cubs are saying, publicly and privately, that there's nothing physically wrong with Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Sun-Times). OLD FRIENDS: The Red Sox are stunned that ex-teammate Jose Offerman attacked two players with a bat (Boston Herald) . . . Derek Lowe doesn't think the Dodgers should begin a youth movement (Los Angeles Times). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 15, 2007
Photo: Rays got it going early
Posted by Mike McDermott Sox Streakers for August 15Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Devil Rays vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka Red Sox vs. Andy Sonnanstine More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Starting Lineups, Aug. 15BOSTON Pedroia 2b Matsuzaka p TAMPA BAY Iwamura 3b Sonnanstine p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Comeback win; remembering RizzutoSean McAdam joins us today from Fenway Park for the latest edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: last night's come-from-behind win, Jon Lester, Mike Timlin, Wily Mo Pena, Barry Bonds' threat to sue Curt Schilling, and Phil Rizzuto. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments: On Lester's economical outing: "That has been a problem for him throughout his brief major-league career. It seems like he gets his pitch count up early, goes deep into counts, walks too many hitters, falls behind. All those things he corrected last night. ... He seemed to get ahead with his fastball, was aggressive, mixed all his pitches in pretty nicely. That's the Jon Lester that the Red Sox hope they see far more of in the coming years." On moving Wily Mo Pena: "Technically they don't have to do anything until Friday, at which point we expect that they will bring Clay Buchholz up to make his major-league debut. The turning point here timewise: They need to clear a roster spot for Buchholz, and then Buchholz's spot will be given, presumably, to Bobby Kielty. I think they are trying in the last two days here to see if they can find anybody who will take Wily Mo Pena and give them something, anything, in return. But ... they might have to designate him." On Phil Rizzuto: "He'll be remembered as sort of a link to the Yankees past, in much the same way that Johnny Pesky serves that role for the Red Sox. ... In Rizzuto's case it was a glorious era for the Yankees, with all those world championships that he was a part of. ... He was exactly who he came across as on TV: kind of a little eccentric, kind of goofy, not always paying close attention to the game as a broadcaster; but someone who became synonymous with those great Yankee teams and certainly a terrific goodwill ambassador, not only for the franchise but for the sport itself."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Wednesday, August 15
WORTH THE WAIT: Only once before -- on this sunny, Mother's Day afternoon -- had the 2007 Red Sox accomplished what seemed to come so easily to their predecessors: A ninth-inning comeback. But in the time it took for Mike Lowell to homer, Jason Varitek to double and Coco Crisp to single, the Sox had another one last night: A 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay, chronicled here by Carolyn Thornton, that enabled them to push their A.L. East lead back to five games. (projo.com) Any game that tight is going to have plenty of key moments to look back upon, and Steven Krasner touches them all in Inside The Game, including the decision not to pinch-run for Varitek with two outs in the ninth, a debatable call that paid off nonetheless when Varitek was able to motor home from second on Crisp's single to right. (Above, Journal photo by Gretchen Ertl) It was a great return for Crisp, who had missed three of the last four games as he battled a flu bug. (projo.com)
RELIEF AT LAST: Also lost in the shuffle was Eric Gagne's first scoreless inning as a member of the Sox bullpen, which earned him the victory. (Boston Herald) The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy writes that Gagne ''lived the entire Boston experience in one short inning. He was the goat, the piñata, and the object of scorn. And then he was the greatest thing since sliced Yaz Bread.'' PUT ME IN, COACH: If the Red Sox summon Bobby Kielty to take Wily Mo Pena's roster spot, as they're expected to do in the next few days, he's ready. (projo.com) POLL NUMBERS REMAIN STRONG: The Sox remain No. 1 in SI.com's Power Rankings, with the Angels second and the Yankees third. SEE YOU IN COURT, SONNY: It appears Barry Bonds may sue Curt Schilling over comments Schilling made about Bonds on the HBO show Costas Now. (Boston Herald) SPEAKING OF BONDS . . . He wants to play in 2008, but there are those in the Giants front office -- including GM Brian Sabean, apparently -- who don't want him (foxsports.com). Their objections have nothing to do with off-the-field concerns but focus solely on the team's need to rebuild and get younger, and to free up salary in order to start the process. BIG O'S: The Yankees paid the price for Roger Clemens' drilling of Vernon Wells last week, as Jeff Karstens started in place of the suspended Rocket and was routed in a 12-0 loss to the Orioles. (New York Daily News) The New York Post version is here. RIP, SCOOTER: The big news in New York yesterday was, of course, the death of Phil Rizzuto. All the New York media outlets have comprehensive reports, including the Daily News, the Post, Newsday and the Journal-News. SI.com has a nice Rizzuto tribute from Cliff Corcoran, the co-author of the Web site Bronx Banter. SYMBOL OF SUCCESS Writing for foxsports.com, Mark Kriegel says Joba Chamberlain -- even though he's only pitched three games -- ''embodies [the Yankees'] sudden resurgence''. Even so, Joe Torre has no plans to use him in the closer's role. (New York Post) TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: The New York Sun's Tim Marchman says the Yankees ''have the toughest schedule [of all the playoff contenders] over the rest of the season . . . Every other team shooting for a playoff spot has it easier than the Yankees will.'' A PROUD MOMENT: Bobby Cox finally broke John McGraw's record for career ejections. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) SHOWDOWN: The Tigers beat the Indians in extra innings in the battle for the A.L. Central lead, with Gary Sheffield calling it ''one of the biggest wins'' for Detroit this year. (Detroit News) BREWING UP A WINNER: Members of the 1982 Brewers, the only team in franchise history to win a pennant, like what they see with the current team. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) LISTING THE ODDS: The blog BaseballEvolution.com looks at a dozen active candidates to crack the 300-win circle. It thinks Roy Oswalt, C.C. Sabathia and Johan Santana will make it, but Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson won't. MYSTERY: Foxsports.com's Kevin Hench says the success of the Mariners is a puzzlement to sabermetricians since the M's have bad starting pitching, little power and don't get many men on base. The key, he says, is their bullpen. QUICKLY: The Rockies need pitching and are interested in the Orioles' Steve Trachsel and the Blue Jays' Josh Towers (Denver Post) . . . Jose Contreras will start Friday as the White Sox showcase him for a possible trade (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Willy Aybar's tumultuous season is over because of hand surgery (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Brewers are 0-15 in the last 15 games started by Chris Capuano, so he may be removed from the starting rotation (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). OLD FRIENDS: Jose Offerman was arrested after hitting both the pitcher and the catcher with his bat in retaliation for being hit by a pitch in an Atlantic League game in Bridgeport, Conn., last night (AP via projo.com) . . . Pedro Martinez still allowed three runs on three hits over four innings against Rookie League competition, but says yesterday's second rehab start was ''a great improvement'' over the first, especially since he opened with three perfect innings (New York Daily News) . . . Nomar Garciaparra is headed to the disabled list (Los Angeles Daily News). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 14, 2007
Game Story: Sox get two in ninth, edge D'RaysBOSTON – Heading into last night, the Boston Red Sox were just 1-41 when trailing after eight innings. Now make that 2-42. Back in the lineup after missing three out of the last four games with a virus, Coco Crisp followed up a Mike Lowell homer and a two-out double by Jason Varitek with the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth, as the Sox edged Tampa Bay, 2-1, last night at Fenway. The only other time they have celebrated a walk-off win was way back on Mother's Day when Boston scored all of its runs in the ninth inning of a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on May 13. ``Especially with knowing the Yankees lost, this is just a good win,'' said Sox reliever Eric Gagne, who secured the win after pitching a scoreless ninth. ``Momentum changes with something like this. We didn't swing the bats great, so to win is real good.'' The focus of Boston's excitement began on the mound, where Jon Lester was making his first start at Fenway since facing the Yankees here on Aug. 18 of last year. After lasting just 3.1 innings last Wednesday at Anaheim, an outing in which he received a no decision after giving up 5 runs on 8 hits and 3 walks, the young lefty produced a solid effort last night – and at eight innings, his longest since going that long in a combined one-hitter with Jonathan Papelbon against Kansas City on July 18, 2006. ``He was aggressive with his fastball, commanded it,'' Francona said. ``(He) threw his cutter, change up and curve ball. And from the first pitch – even though he threw three balls – he was aggressive, down with a good angle on his fastball. Even his demeanor on the mound looked different. He looked like he was in charge of the game.'' After giving up a leadoff walk to the Rays' Akinori Iwamura, Lester then retired the next nine batters. It wasn't until the fourth that Carl Crawford ended his bid for a no-hitter with a leadoff double off the left-field wall. A B.J. Upton liner just managed to elude the glove of second baseman Dustin Pedroia for a single that moved Crawford to third. Carlos Pena then drove Crawford in with a sacrifice fly to center to put Tampa Bay up, 1-0. That's the way the score would stay until the bottom of the ninth, as Boston continued to have difficulty against the Rays' Scott Kazmir. Coming into last night's game, the only Sox in the lineup that had ever had much success against the southpaw were Dustin Pedroia (.500) and Julio Lugo (.400). That very much remained the case in this outing, as well, as Kazmir gave up just four hits – two of them to Pedroia, the first being a double high off the left-field wall – over six innings. ``He's a young lefthander with exceptional stuff,'' Sox manager Terry Francona said of Kazmir.``He had all his pitches working tonight. He pretty much had his way with us.'' Boston also couldn't get anything going against right-handed relievers Gary Glover (in the seventh) or Warwick native Dan Wheeler (in the eighth), but gave itself a chance by keeping Tampa Bay from pushing any more runs across. Relieving Lester in the eighth, Manny Delcarmen gave up a leadoff single to Jonny Gomes, then walked Josh Wilson. Josh Paul sacrificed them both over with a bunt down the third-base line. After getting Iwamura to hit a fly-out to left that was too shallow for Gomes to try to tag, Delcarmen intentionally walked Crawford to load the bases. Mike Timlin took over for Delcarmen at that point and got B.J. Upton to strike out swinging to end that threat. Francona then handed Gagne the ball in the ninth. Though he drew some boos when he threw three straight balls to start his outing, Gagne, who blew two leads in Boston's weekend series at Baltimore, had the Sox fans quickly cheering him on again, as the right-hander proceeded to strike out Carlos Pena and Delmon Young. He surrendered a two-out double to right to Brendan Harris, but had the sell-out crowd roaring again when he fanned Jonny Gomes for the final out of the inning. Those cheers would continue in the bottom half of the frame. After Manny Ramirez started off Boston's final at-bat looking at a called third strike, Lowell came through with the Red Sox' first home run in a week, blasting a 2-and-0 pitch from Al Reyes onto Lansdowne Street. Kevin Youkilis also struck out looking, but Varitek then bounced a ground-rule double over the right-field wall, which Crisp followed with a line drive to right to drive him home. ``We had obviously a pretty quiet night offensively, and then Mike Lowell jumps on a pitch and the whole complexion of the game changes,'' Francona said. ``All of a sudden, the tide (turned). We have (Hideki) Okajima in the bullpen, we're at home and our inning's not over. Jason has a great at-bat. I think from the dugout, we all didn't think it was going out, but we were blowing on it and pushing it, hoping it would go. And then Coco has a real good at-bat and stays on it enough. And then you're just hoping the ball short hops like it did because you know (Tampa Bay outfielder Delmon Young has) got a good arm out there. It's nice to see our guys jumping on each other. We haven't seen that a lot.'' --CAROLYN THORNTON
Posted by Corey Bourassa Game Story: PawSox win fifth straightOTTAWA — It may be a modest one, as high-water marks go, but the Pawtucket Red Sox last night hit a standard that had eluded them the whole season. They won their fifth game in a row, something they failed to do on four previous occasions. That achievement came their way by taking a 5-3 count from the Ottawa Lynx, before 1,786 at Lynx Stadium. “We’re just playing good right now,” said Ed Rogers, a former Lynx, who scored what proved to be the winning run in the sixth inning. “Everything is working together, right now. We’re playing as a team.” The Pawsox fell behind 2-0 in the third, when starter Devern Hansack (8-7) allowed two of his seven hits in his 62/3 inning stint. Pawtucket was held scoreless for five innings by Lynx starter J.A. Happ. But in the sixth, Happ, who had fanned 10 PawSox, issued a walk to Jed Lowrie. Then, with two away, Brandon Moss singled to left, which set the stage for Bobby Scales’ three run shot over the left field wall, putting Pawtucket up 3-2. It was his eighth homer of the season, and second in as many nights. “I’m really pleased for Bobby Scales,” said PawSox skipper Ron Johnson. “The last time up, he struck out with the bases loaded. Then he comes back and hits a three run homer to give us the lead.” Ottawa replied with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but next inning, Pawtucket regained the lead for good, when Rogers led off with a single, worked his way to third, then was singled home by Jacoby Ellsbury. Joe McEwing added some breathing room in the ninth, by clubbing a solo homer on an 0-2 pitch.Closer Travis Hughes nailed down the last two outs to pick up his 19th save. “It’s great that everybody is picking up their game toward the end of the season,” Hughes said. “It shows that everybody still has energy to play.” AROUND THE BASES: Although his first day on the job in that Aug. 8 doubleheader in Scranton is one he’d rather forget, outfielder Bobby Kielty is showing that he’s just about ready for a promotion to Boston. Kielty, of course, was signed as outfield insurance by Boston after Oakland let him go in July, then was assigned to Pawtucket for a tune up. “I’m starting to feel pretty good,” said the 29-year-old Californian. “I just needed to get my timing down.” After going a combined 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in his PawSox debut, Kielty hit safely in the next five games, going 7-for-20, with two homers and four RBI. “Those first couple of games were pretty bad,” he said. “But I should be ready to go.” “Nothing’s really going on right now,” he said. “I’ll wait and see what happens. I think if I’m performing well, I’ll get a shot.” The baseball trail is a long and sometimes twisted one, and as it happens, Kielty was a teammate of PawSox knuckleballer John Barnes back in 2000, when both were Minnesota Twins farmhands and Barnes was a promising slugger who would go on to compile a .301 lifetime average. Kielty said he wasn’t taken completely by surprise when he found out that Barnes had made the mound conversion. “It’s definitely funny,” Kielty said. “because he was a great hitter. But he always wanted to try pitching. I knew he had a good knuckleball back then, because he liked to throw it, and it was hard to catch. It wasn’t a huge surprise. I think it’s pretty cool.” The teams will continue their series tonight (7 p.m.), when RHP Mike Burns (4-7, 4.25) will start against Lynx RHP John Ennis (4-4, 3.73). --DAN HICKLING (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa Donnelly out of surgeryEarlier this afternoon, Sox manager Terry Francona received a text message from pitcher Brendan Donnelly after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in California. ``His text said he came through it great and he was just going to go rest,’’ Francona said. ``I think he was a little groggy, but he sent a real quick message that said, `Hey, I made it,’ and he’s okay, which I really appreciate a lot.’’
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Starting lineups, Aug. 14TONIGHT'S LINEUPS: BOSTON RED SOX TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Sox Streakers for August 14Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Devil Rays vs. Jon Lester Red Sox vs. Scott Kazmir More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Wakefield's Tampa dominance; what to do with GagneSean McAdam rejoins us today for the latest edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: Tim Wakefield's amazing 18-2 record against the Devil Rays; Eric Gagne; Bobby Kielty; Wily Mo Pena; and Clay Buchholz. Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments. On Wakefield's 18-2 record against Tampa Bay: "Even [Rays manager] Joe Maddon, who has been there for a handful of these over the last couple of years, was stunned by that statistic after the game. I don't know if there's any plausible explanation, maybe the fact that the Devil Rays have certainly the last few years been comprised of very young and inexperienced hitters who don't have the patience for the knuckleball. I suppose you could factor in that Wakefield loves to pitch in domes and infield stadiums, where the action on the knuckleball is better, and of course in theory half his starts would come at Tropicana Field -- a domed stadium in St. Petersburg. But it may not be anything more complicated than the Devil Rays aren't very good, and when Wakefield's knuckleball is on, it's tough for any team to hit." Will Gagne's role change? "They seem content on using him exactly as they had envisioned. Terry Francona said the worst decision I could make would be to do the easy thing, and that is, not pitch him in those [key] spots. But they know that Eric Gagne's much better than he looked in those two games in Baltimore, and they think it's important to stay behind him and show confidence in him, and know that he's going to come out of it pretty soon." Why no one seems to want Wily Mo Pena: "It's one thing to take a gamble on Pena and not have to give up too much, because the Red Sox' asking price is obviously pretty modest here. but the problem becomes -- thanks to his service time and his arbitration eligibility -- he becomes a $4-million player next year. ... And people are saying, 'Do I really want to pay Wily Mo Pena $4-plus million in 2008,' and that is what scares a lot of teams off."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Tuesday, August 14
ACES: Tim Wakefield, stopper? You don't normally think of him as such, but, as Sean McAdam reports, that's exactly what he was last night, limiting the Devil Rays to two hits and no runs over eight innings as the Red Sox erased some of the bad taste of their frustrating weekend in Baltimore with a 3-0 victory. In Inside The Game, Steven Krasner says Wakefield's knuckler was dancing so well that approximately 92 of his 100 pitches were knuckleballs, in contrast to most nights when he mixes in some fastballs and curves ''to surprise the opposition or battle back in the count.'' It didn't hurt that he was facing Tampa Bay; Joe McDonald writes the Rays were ''shaking their heads'' in wonder as Wakefield (above, AP Photo) raised his lifetime record against them to 18-2. (All stories projo.com) YOU KNEW THIS WAS COMING: With the Sox' A.L. East lead down to four, the Boston Globe writes that ''the demons of history, exorcized in 2004, are rising again'' and finds fans who are ''grim, edgy, and defensive.'' On The Joy of Sox blog, Allan Wood -- quoting an SOSH poster named Lucen, who (warning! warning!) uses a bit of NSFW language -- shows why such talk is nonsense. To wit: Lucen, in the pieces I can use here, writes: ''[The Red Sox] played .692 ball the first two months of the season. They've played .587 since. They are not collapsing, the Yankees are simply insanely hot . . . The only two teams in the AL with better records than us since June 1st are Seattle and the Yankees. And Seattle hasn't been much better than us.'' To which Allan responds: ''Amen, brother.'' As do I. ALLOW ME TO VENT: Chad Finn, though, voices the inner fears of Red Sox Nation, while admitting ''it's largely the frustration from [Sunday's] loss that's making me think this way.'' (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com) SUPPORT FROM A STRANGE SOURCE: But Jay Payton, who burned just about every bridge there is when he left Boston in 2005, says the Red Sox won't fold. (New York Daily News) THEY STILL RANK: SI.com still lists the Sox ahead of the Yankees in their Power Rankings, though the Angels have taken over the No. 1 spot and dropped Boston to No. 2. THEN I MET A MAN WHO HAD NO FEET: Things could be worse, Sox fans. You could be rooting for the Tigers. (Detroit News) DESPERATE FOR RELIEF: The Globe's Nick Cafardo tries to unravel the mystery of Eric Gagne's struggles since arriving in Boston. In his Fantasy Blog on SI.com, James Quintong notes that the league is hitting .455 against Gagne since he joined the Red Sox. FoxSports.com's Kevin Hench gives the Sox an 'F' for the Gagne deal in a trade-deadline report card. WELCOME BACK: Tonight Jon Lester makes his first start at Fenway Park since being diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma almost exactly one year ago. (Boston Herald) All the appearances he's made since being recalled to the Sox have been on the road. THE FUTURE IS NOW: Clay Buchholz has only been in Pawtucket a few weeks, but the Sox are debating whether to summon him to Boston to start one of the games in Friday's day-night doubleheader against the Angels. (projo.com) DID NOT, DID NOT: The Orioles' Melvin Mora denies accusations that he was stealing the Red Sox' signs over the weekend. (Baltimore Sun) Jason Varitek, though, says it's all part of the game and that the Blue Jays and Yankees are renowned for their sign-stealing. THE SURGE CONTINUES: Even with Chien-Ming Wang serving up another clunker and Mariano Rivera blowing a save, the Yankees still managed to pull one out against Baltimore last night. Thrill of the night for Yankee fans: The Yankee Stadium debut of Joba Chamberlain, which was an unqualified success. (All stories New York Daily News) AIMING HIGH: Playoffs, schmayoffs. Jorge Posada wants to win the A.L. East. (New York Post) ALL IS NOT WELL: Peter Abraham says the Yanks have to keep an eye on Mariano Rivera, who, as noted, blew the save last night and came within an eyelash of blowing a three-run lead on Sunday. (LoHud Yankees blog) WHO SAYS HE'S LEAVING? Scott Boras tells the Journal News it's not a given that Alex Rodriguez will opt out of his Yankee contract at the end of the season, as so many seem to believe. RACIAL OVERTONES: Time.com releases a study in which it says umpires ''tend to call more strikes when the pitcher is of their same race.'' The study adds it only happens in about 1 percent of all pitches thrown. FORGET IT: If clubhouse reaction is any indication, Barry Bonds won't be playing in Oakland next year. (San Francisco Chronicle) AGAINST HIS RELIGION: The Pirates' Salomon Torres has dropped his grievance against the club for what he claims was deception during 2006 contract negotiations because he's a Jehovah's Witness. QUICKLY: SI.com's Jon Heyman reports the White Sox' Jose Contreras has cleared waivers and could be traded before the Aug. 31 deadline . . . Juan Encarnacion and Tony La Russa are feuding in St. Louis and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz, a sometimes critic of the manager, applauds La Russa for taking a tough stand with the non-hustling outfielder . . . The free-agent season is months away but the Mets already have Jorge Posada and Ivan Rodriguez on their radar screen (New York Daily News) . . . The Miami Herald says the Marlins may place Dontrelle Willis on the trading block this winter . . . The Denver Post reports David Wells doesn't interest the Rockies . . . Kenny Rogers' ailing elbow is feeling better (Detroit News). OLD FRIENDS: Johnny Damon is now a part-time player in New York, but he says that's okay (New York Post) . . . Shea Hillenbrand has joined the Dodgers (Los Angeles Daily News). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone August 13, 2007
Game Story: Syracuse hands PawSox 8-6 winSYRACUSE, N.Y. — When an opponent tries to hand you the game, or even begs you to take it, you might as well go ahead and take them up on their offer. Last night, the Pawtucket Red Sox, who were the beneficiaries of five Syracuse errors, did just that, in taking a messy extra-inning 8-6 triumph before 7,809 at Alliance Bank Stadium. Junior Spivey’s two-run double in the top of the 10th inning proved to be the difference in what was a truly bizarre affair. “It was a good game,” said Spivey, “I was just fortunate to come up with a hit right there. I’d been scuffling at the plate, so that’s a start.” Spivey’s hit came with one out and the bases loaded off Syracuse reliever Blaine Neal (5-7) and came after the second error of the game by Chiefs first baseman Kevin Barker. Both errors, including one in the fifth inning, opened the gates for six unearned PawSox runs, helping them to a four-game sweep of their set with the Chiefs. “It was one of those nights,” said left fielder Bobby Scales. “How many times are you going to see a team make five of them? You’ve got to take advantage of them. When a team gives you that many extra outs, you’ll be disappointed if you didn’t win the game.” The first frame itself was a matter of get and give back. Syracuse committed three errors in that inning which the PawSox parlayed into a 2-0 lead. In the fourth, Syracuse plated three more runs to expand their lead to 6-2. It was Barker’s bobble of a throw from shortstop Sergio Santos that allowed lead off man Jacoby Ellsbury to reach safely. Two outs later, Ellsbury scored ahead of Bobby Kielty, who slugged a towering home run off Chiefs starter Mike MacDonald, to make it 6-4. Brandon Moss followed with a single, before Scales deposited a line drive into the left field bullpen. “There’s no substitute for the two run homer,” said Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson, “to get you back into the ballgame.” A quartet of relievers held Syracuse scoreless for five innings, which bought the PawSox enough time to put together the winning rally. “I just didn’t want to get too jumpy, right there,” said Spivey. “I didn’t want to hit the ball on the ground. I wanted to get it in the air, and I was able to do that.” Reliever Lincoln Holdzkom (1-0) earned his first Triple-A win while Travis Hughes closed out the Chiefs in the 10th to pick up his 18th save. --DAN HICKLING (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa Game Story: Wakefield stops the bleeding as Sox win 3-0BOSTON – On Saturday, a day after the Red Sox had coughed up a four-run lead with six outs to go, the Red Sox turned to Josh Beckett in the hopes that the presumptive Cy Young Award favorite would make sure that the crushing defeat from the night before wouldn’t carry forward. When the same kind of late-inning loss stung the Sox Sunday afternoon, the Sox had a less obvious stopper on the mound. But Tim Wakefield, who recently turned 41, was no less dependable than Beckett. Holding the Tampa Bay Devil Rays hitless for the first six innings, Wakefield tossed eight shutout innings and steered the Red Sox back on course with a 3-0 victory, his 14th of the season. ``Unfortunately, we had some games won there (in Baltimore),’’ Wakefield said. ``That’s baseball sometimes. That’s why you play 162 games. And I think it was very important to come back home and get some momentum going our way on this homestand.’’ It helped, of course, that the opponents were the Devil Rays, who came into last night with the worst record in baseball, having lost five of their first six games with the Red Sox this season. It helped, too, that Wakefield was 17-2 lifetime against the Rays. Wakefield and catcher Doug Mirabelli had the suspicion that Wakefield’s knuckleball, as unpredictable as any pitch in the game, might be particularly good in his bullpen session prior to the game. Just how good wasn’t clear until the game began, however. ``He came out of the bullpen with a good one,’’ said manager Terry Francona, ``and took it right into the game. It was pretty obvious that he had a good feel early on.’’ Indeed, Wakefield retired the first nine Rays in succession before walking Akinori Iwamura to start the fourth. After the free pass, Wakefield began another streak, getting the next seven in a row. After six, the Rays were still hitless. Wakefield said he became aware of the no-hitter after five. ``It’s such a close ballgame,’’ he said, ``you’re just trying to keep runners off base, especially the top three guys in the (Tampa) lineup that can run really, really well. Dougie and I were on the same page together, mixing some good pitches in when we needed to.’’ The no-hit bid didn’t last much longer. Carl Crawford singled through the hole between first and second to lead off the seventh and quickly stole second base. When Crawford advanced to third following a flyout to center by Carlos Pena, the shutout bid and the Sox’ lead were both soon at stake, with the Sox clinging to a 1-0 advantage. But Wakefield got Delmon Young to swing at strike three, stranding Crawford and preserving the slim margin, a strikeout that the normally placid Wakefield called ``huge…probably one of the biggest of my career.’’ The Rays managed just one more hit – a harmless one-out single from Jonny Gomes in the eighth – before Wakefield gave way to closer Jonathan Papelbon, who recorded his 28th save and fifth in his last five scoreless appearances. For six innings, the one run the Sox managed off Tampa Bay’s James Shields stood up. Julio Lugo (three hits) led off with a single and scored all the way from first on David Ortiz’ booming double to the triangle in center. In the seventh, two-out walks to Mirablelli and Hinske set the table for Lugo, who singled up the middle, scoring Mirabelli. ``He swung the bat well,’ said Francona of Lugo, who has boosted his batting average to .238. ``I think he probably gets a little excited to play these guys (Lugo played for the Devil Rays from 2003 through the middle of last season). I think most players do against their former friends and teammates. I think that’s usually the case.’’ A run-scoring single from Mike Lowell in the eighth extended the lead to 3-0. ``Our offense did a great job scoring enough runs to bring in Pap to close it out,’’ said Wakefield. --SEAN McADAM
Posted by Corey Bourassa Bruins in the houseThe Boston Bruins' Bobby Allen, Marc Savard and Mark Mowers took BP at Fenway this afternoon. Allen, a Massachusetts native and former Boston College standout, displayed a sweet swing and put two into the Monster seats. Mowers hit the left-field wall a couple of times, and Savard should stick with hockey. After the BP session was over, Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling came over and introduced himself to the threesome.
Posted by Joe McDonald Pregame Notes, Aug. 13-- Coco Crisp is out of the lineup for the second game in a row. Manager Terry Francona said that Crisp underwent some blood tests this afternoon to make sure that his problem is viral. Crisp also has been having issues with his legs. Francona hopes to have him available tonight. -- Dustin Pedroia also is out of the starting lineup. Francona wants to give his diminutive second baseman a day off to keep him strong for the stretch and sitting Pedroia also allows Francona to give utilityman Alex Cora a start. Cora had only one start on the recent nine-game road trip, on Aug. 5 in Seattle. -- Francona said that, despite Eric Gagne's recent struggles -- the newly acquired right-hander's poor performances led to two blown games in Baltimore over the weekend -- he still "is going to put him into situations he's supposed to pitch in." -- Warwick native Dan Wheeler is a member of the Devil Rays bullpen, having been acquired from Houston around the non-waiver trading deadline. Wheeler said he went to 10-12 games at Fenway Park as a kid, still remembering "how awesome" it was his first time walking through the concourse and seeing the Green Monster, but he hasn't yet pitched here, something he is looking forward to very much. more to come later on projo.com -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups, Aug. 13BOSTON Lugo ss Wakfield p TAMPA BAY Iwamura 3b Shields p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for August 13Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Devil Rays vs. Tim Wakefield Red Sox vs. James Shields More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott August 12, 2007
Buchholz proves his worth in PawSox 6-3 victorySYRACUSE, N.Y. -- When he’s at his best, Clay Buchholz is all but unhittable. And even when he’s not, he’s pretty darn good. Last night against the Syracuse Chiefs, Buchholz displayed a bit of both, which was good enough to help the Pawtucket Red Sox notch a 6-3 win before 6,621 at Alliance Bank Stadium. Joe McEwing (3-for-5) and Jed Lowrie (2-for-4) paced the Pawtucket attack each knocking in two runs as the PawSox won their third straight. Buchholz (1-1) issued just two walks in his five-inning stint, one of whom eventually scored. He also allowed just three hits, but two of those were solo shots over the right field fence. “I think he’ll (admit),” said PawSox catcher Kevin Cash, “that he wasn’t as sharp as he would have like to have been. Stuff wise, he probably had bits and pieces of it. But that shows how talented he is.” Indeed. The young phenom, making just his sixth Triple-A start, was often overpowering. He struck out nine hitters (for the third straight outing), and earned his first win since his July 11 promotion from Double-A Portland. “It’s really refreshing,” said McEwing, the gray haired veteran of the youthful Buchholz, “to see a guy who can dominate a game. To see the maturity and adjustments that he makes, game to game. Today, he might not have had his best stuff, but they still only had three hits.” Run scoring singles in the second by Alex Prieto and Ed Rogers off Syracuse starter Josh Banks (10-9) put Pawtucket ahead, 2-1. Next inning, McEwing cracked a lead off double, then was singled home by Lowrie. “If you have quality at bats,” said McEwing, “and you play to win, everything else takes care of itself.” It may have taken him a while, but Buchholz slowly hit his stride. In the third, he gave up a lead off homer to Sal Fasano followed by a single to Ryan Roberts before striking out the side. Buchholz retired the first two batters in the fourth before allowing a lead off shot by former Red Sox prospect John Hattig. He struck out Fasano, but the ball bounded away allowing Fasano to reach safely. But closed out the inning by freezing Roberts with a 94 m.p.h. fastball. “The outcome was great,” said Buchholz. “But in the same sense, I didn’t have everything I had in the last couple of starts. But by the time the fourth inning rolled around, I knew what I had in my pocket, and I went after them with that.” Buchholz closed out his 80 pitch performance by retiring the Chiefs in order, striking out the last two he faced. A trio of PawSox relievers, Craig Breslow, Javier Lopez, and Bryan Corey, took it from there, allowing just runner over the final four frames. AROUND THE BASES: McEwing has pretty much owned Banks this season, going 7-for-8 against him, with four doubles and a homer to go with two singles. “It‘s just one of those things,” said McEwing. “You have success against one guy, while another guy could own you. It‘s a very humbling game.”…Only once before in his young professional career had Buchholz given up two homers in one game. That came last year while he was pitching for Low-A Greenville…Syracuse manager Doug Davis was tossed out in the fourth inning by umpire Kevin Causey after Davis argued a close play at first base…The PawSox will wrap up their stay, here, tonight (7:00 p.m.), when RHP David Pauley (6-5, 3.94) will draw the start against Syracuse RHP Mike MacDonald (4-8, 4.93). --DAN HICKLING
Posted by Chris Venditto Game Story: Gagne victim of another tough lossBALTIMORE — It wasn’t supposed to be this way, of course. When the Red Sox obtained Eric Gagne in a trading-deadline move on July 31, the plan was to make every game a six-inning contest. Have Boston’s excellent starters go six innings, have the offense get a lead and then turn it over to Hideki Okajima for an inning, Gagne for an inning and Jonathan Papelbon to close it out over the final inning. Game over. Well, this plan hasn’t quite worked as it was drawn up. It has been game over — but it’s the other team that’s winning at the expense of the Red Sox bullpen as Boston’s once seemingly insurmountable lead over the New York Yankees in the American League East has shrunk to a scary four games. That, at least, is what happened again yesterday when Boston relievers torched a win for Curt Schilling in falling to the Baltimore Orioles, 6-3, on a three-run homer by none other than ex-Cowboy-Up Soxer Kevin Millar with one out in the 10th inning. Millar’s blast came off Kyle Snyder, but the culprits yesterday were Okajima and, more chiefly, Gagne, who was tagged for a tying two-run homer by Miguel Tejada with one out in the eighth on the seventh straight fastball he threw to the Baltimore shortstop in the at-bat. It was the second time in three games here that Okajima (who issued a leadoff walk in the eighth) and Gagne conspired to blow a lead. The duo, again chiefly Gagne, wasted a four-run advantage in the eighth in a game the Orioles won, 6-5, on Friday night. That scenario failed to materialize in both games, so Okajima surrendered the game-losing run Friday night and Snyder, who is on the bottom rung on the Sox’ relief-corps ladder, was victimized on a bunch of hanging breaking balls. “It’s a situation where, obviously, you want to be in there. There’s no doubt about that,” said Papelbon, who notched a three-pitch save in Saturday’s game as the Sox wound up 4-5 on the three-city road trip. “But you have to trust the program and what we’re trying to do as a team and what Tito wants to do,” he said. “It’s not an easy thing to sit, but we’re a unit in the bullpen. We thrive off each other. We root for each other. The team asks a lot of us and we ask a lot of ourselves. [What happened in Baltimore] is unexpected. But it’s baseball. You have to deal with the bad and the ugly. If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you better. That’s my philosophy.” Gagne, meanwhile, doesn’t have to be reminded that his performances — he has allowed seven earned runs in four innings spread over his five Boston appearances for a 15.75 earned-run average and one blown save — have been killing the Red Sox. Gagne inherited a runner at first and one out when he entered the game. Boston had a 3-1 lead. Okajima had issued a leadoff walk and Nick Markakis had beaten out the back end of a double-play attempt, bringing Tejada to the plate, representing the tying run. And seven pitches later, Tejada was the tying run. Gagne fell behind, 2-and-0, and just kept pumping in fastballs. The last three came in at 94, 95 and 96 mph, the last of which ended up in the seats in left-center, tying the game at 3-3. “He fell behind in the count,” said Francona, trying to explain away the fact that Gagne didn’t go to any of his other pitches. “He’s a very dangerous hitter and he caught up with one.” Gagne, who made some mechanical adjustments after an hour of studying video on Saturday, wasn’t impressed by the speed of the pitch. “I don’t care if the (radar) gun says it was 120 mph. I’m not making my pitches. I’m messing it up for everybody,” said Gagne, who threw only curveballs and changeups in getting the next two hitters after Tejada’s blast. Hanging curveballs proved to be Snyder’s undoing, too. Speedy Corey Patterson almost had to jump out of his shoes for a high hanger in lining a leadoff single to center in the 10th. Snyder went to the slide step to keep the speedy Patterson (32 stolen bases) close, and left a fastball up for Markakis, who drilled it to center, sending Patterson to third. Snyder retired Tejada on a foulout to first but, after Markakis swiped second, the right-hander, who had Millar flailing at a curveball on the previous pitch for a strike, left another up and Millar lofted it for the game-winning homer. “I put my myself in a situation where I had to get a strikeout there and had to go to a strikeout pitch for me, but I hung it,” said Snyder softly of the 2-and-2 pitch. “I tried to be careful, but I ended up hanging it.” And thus it was that Boston’s long road trip came to a somber end, but, Sox fans, don’t panic, says reliever Manny Delcarmen, who gave up a hit but fanned three in the ninth inning. “Just relax,” said Delcarmen, a Boston native. “We’ll be fine.” --STEVEN KRASNER
Posted by Chris Venditto Starting Lineups, Aug. 12BOSTON Pedroia 2b Schilling p BALTIMORE Roberts 2b Trachsel p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner August 11, 2007
PawSox 6, Chiefs 5Syracuse, N.Y.--The Pawtucket Red Sox took advantage of the opportunities that the Syracuse Chiefs gave them in a 6-5 win last night at Alliance Bank Stadium. Travis Hughes pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save of the season. Spivey was hit by a Lee Gronkiewicz fastball on his upper left arm in the eighth after Syracuse catcher Robinson Diaz was hit by Zink in the sixth. --ED GONSER, Special to the Journal
Posted by Chris Venditto Beckett dominant in Red Sox' 6-2 victoryBALTIMORE – Manager Terry Francona may not know it, but there’s a guy on his team who might be able to come off the bench and give the Red Sox some speed on the basepaths in a pinch-running role. Josh Beckett. The Red Sox right-hander raced off the mound when Francona lifted him with two outs in the ninth inning of what became a nice bounce-back 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Most pitchers stroll to the dugout. Some jog. Beckett sprinted, flying the distance between the mound and the Boston dugout in roughly 2.3 seconds. “I didn’t even notice,” said Francona. “I was talking to (catcher) Jason (Varitek), awaiting (reliever Manny) Delcarmen. As long as he didn’t pull a hamstring I don’t care.” It wasn’t that Beckett was upset with his manager for being taken out of the game one out shy of what would have been his second complete game of the year. Nor, he said, was he irritated he had lost his shutout with two outs when Miguel Tejada singled past third baseman Mike Lowell on his 110th pitch of the game, an 0-and-2 curveball. Beckett, who was yanked when Kevin Millar followed Tejada’s hit with an RBI double into the left-field corner, was more upset that he wasn’t able to give the bullpen a complete day of rest. “I was just mad at myself when I came out,” said Beckett. “I just couldn’t get that final out. It’s nice to have complete games and some numbers, but to me, I wanted to save the guys in the bullpen. We’re going to need them down the stretch. And to have to have two guys come in after me is frustrating.” But even the perfectionist in Beckett couldn’t let that frustration weigh him down after a marvelously dominating effort. Beckett, who was backed up by Delcarmen (12-pitch walk to Aubrey Huff) and Jonathan Papelbon (popup, 27th save on three pitches), earned his 15th win of the year, tops in the major leagues, though the Angels’ John Lackey also was shooting for victory number 15 later last night. He allowed eight hits, three of them in the final inning – a leadoff opposite-field double by Brian Roberts and the two-out hits by Tejada and Millar. Beckett also fanned eight, keeping his pitch count manageable so he was able to try for what would have been his third career shutout. “It’s hard to find anything wrong with that game,” conceded Beckett. “They didn’t exactly crush the ball in the ninth inning.” He certainly looked sharp from where Varitek sat. “He was in a little ‘feel’ mode for the early innings (trying to get a feel for his pitches) but then he settled in,” said Varitek. In general, Beckett, now 15-5, played the role of stopper, giving the Sox exactly what they needed after having blown a four-run lead in the eighth inning in suffering a disheartening 6-5 loss Friday night. “That’s very reassuring. It allows us to put (Friday) in the past in a hurry and that’s a big compliment to Beckett,” said Francona of having Beckett on the mound yesterday. He was eighth in earned-run average at 3.31, and yesterday’s effort lowered his E.R.A. to 3.24. Beckett also was eighth in strikeouts with 132, and he raised that total to 140. There are other numbers that stand out. On the road, he’s now 8-1 with a 1.65 E.R.A. (12 earned runs, 65 1/3 innings). And in 17 of his 22 starts he has allowed three or fewer earned runs, a model of consistency. One reason for his vast improvement over last year (16-11 but with a 5.01 E.R.A.) is his willingness to utilize all of his pitches. A year ago, Beckett tried to blow hitters away, relying mostly on his fastball. Yesterday, Beckett had his good zip, touching 97 on the radar gun numerous times, even in the ninth inning. Indeed, Millar’s hit came on a 97-mile-an-hour heater on Beckett’s 115th and final pitch. Of Beckett’s eight strikeouts, five came on fastballs and three on curveballs. “He was pretty dominant against a good-hitting team,” said Varitek. And he gave the Red Sox just what the doctor ordered. --STEVEN KRASNER
Posted by Chris Venditto Sox Streakers for August 11Hot Streaks Cold Streaks Red Sox vs. Garrett Olson Orioles vs. Josh Beckett More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Starting Lineups, Aug. 11BOSTON Pedroia 2b Beckett p BALTIMORE Roberts 2b Olson p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner August 10, 2007
Game Story: Orioles 6, Red Sox 5BALTIMORE – The seeds were sown for a stirring come-from-behind victory for the Boston Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. But the Red Sox’ generally air-tight bullpen was gashed for five runs over the final two innings as the Orioles wound up overtaking Boston, 6-5. Eric Gagne melted down in the eighth, charged with four runs that turned a 5-1 advantage into a 5-5 tie. Hideki Okajima blew the save in the eighth, allowing a tying single by Melvin Mora, and then lost the game in the ninth on a leadoff ground-rule double to center by Brian Roberts, a sacrifice bunt by Corey Patterson and a sacrifice fly to center by Nick Markakis. The stunning setback cut the Sox’ American League East lead to five games over the New York Yankees. In some respects, this was a case of two games in one. In the “opener,” Baltimore’s Erik Bedard dueled Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka. Through seven innings, the Orioles were ahead, 1-0, on a walk, a stolen base and Miguel Tejada’s two-out RBI single in the first inning. Then came the eighth, when the teams combined for nine runs, sending a total of six pitchers to mound and heading to the ninth with the game tied at 5-5. Boston scored five, assuming a 5-1 advantage. The Sox got a clutch game-tying single from Wily Mo Pena on Bedard’s 114th pitch — after he could have been punched out twice by the umpires — and then Julio Lugo’s daring perfectly placed bunt single on the first pitch from reliever Chad Bradford opened the floodgates. While the implosion of the Sox’ bullpen was a surprise, Lugo’s bunt qualified as the biggest surprise of the game. Lugo pushed the bunt expertly between the mound and first base, past Bradford into no-man’s land on the infield grass. All Baltimore second baseman Brian Roberts could do was pick it up and take a bite out of it. It was a clean base hit, an RBI single that snapped a 1-1 tie. By the time the inning was over, Boston had thrilled the pro-Red Sox crowd of 48,993 by scoring three more times. The rally produced a stunning turn of events. The pivotal inning began with the Red Sox down 1-0. Boston had only two hits, back-to-back singles by Lugo and Dustin Pedroia in the fourth. And the momentum shift was delivered by an unlikely hero — Pena — with side drama provided by Baltimore manager Dave Trembley and the umpiring tandem of C.B. Bucknor behind the plate and Joe West at first base. Also playing an unwitting supporting role was Baltimore shortstop Miguel Tejada, who kicked what might have been an inning-ending double-play ball, though he was able to bat the bobbled ball to third baseman Melvin Mora for a force out, accounting for the second out of the inning. So with runners at first and second and two outs, Trembley elected to stick with Bedard, who had thrown 109 pitches to that point on a night when where the weather temperature for the first pitch was 93 degrees and humid. Trembley, no doubt, was mindful of the fact that his predecessor, the first Sam Perlozzo, had pulled Jeremy Guthrie with aone out in the ninth while he was working on a shutout in Fenway Park, opening the gates to a five-run Red Sox rally and victory. The first pitch was a strike. Pena thought he checked his swing on the next pitch, but West ruled he had gone around, making it an 0-and-2 count. Pena reacted angrily, spinning out of the batter’s box and walking taking a walk away from the plate. But Bucknor, inconsistent all night, frustrating both teams (notably on a tough strike-three call on Ortiz with runners at first and second and none out in the fourth), called it a ball. And Pena then dunked a game-tying single to center, ending the night for Bedard. The hits just kept on coming, four in a row for the Sox, before the final out was recorded by the fourth Baltimore pitcher of the inning. Gagne and Okajima, though, couldn’t stem the Orioles’ tide in the bottom of the inning. --STEVEN KRASNER
Posted by Chris Venditto Burns goes the distance, PawSox rout Chiefs, 11-3
Syracuse, N.Y.--Mike Burns gave an overworked Pawtucket Red Sox bullpen a much needed night off. The PawSox offense did its part too in an 11-3 pasting of the Syracuse Chiefs yesterday at Alliance Bank Stadium. |
