Main page
« August 5, 2007
August 7, 2007 »

Kielty as Charged

About two hours ago, the Red Sox reached agreement on a minor league contract with Bobby Kielty. He's scheduled to join the Pawsox in Scranton in time for Wednesday's doubleheader.

The Sox were one of several teams in the running to land Kielty. He was designated for assignment by Oakland two weeks ago and released last week.

The contract gives Kielty an out that he can exercise if the Sox don't promote him to Boston by a predetermined date later this month.

A switch-hitting outfielder, Kielty has been effective against lefties in his career.

More later on Projo.com

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Angels in the Outfield -- And on the Schedule

First, the lineups:

Dustin Pedroia 2B
Kevin Youkilis 1B
David Ortiz DH
Manny Ramirez LF
J.D. Drew RF
Mike Lowell 3B
Jason Varitek C
Coco Crisp CF
Julio Lugo SS

Curt Schilling P

Los Angeles of Anaheim

Chone Figgins 3B
Orlando Cabrera SS
Vladimir Guerrero RF
Garret Anderson DH
Gary Matthews CF
Casey Kotchman 1B
Macier Izturis 2B
Jeff Mathis C
Reggie Willits LF

Jered Weaver RH

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:44 PM | Permalink

Rockies send Providence's Chris Iannetta to Triple-A

The Colorado Rockies optioned catcher Chris Iannetta to Triple-A Colorado Springs on Monday.

Iannetta was hitting .179 with two home runs and 15 RBIs in 51 games with the Rockies. He was backing up Yorvit Torrealba.

“We need to get him at-bats,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “It’s up to him get those at-bats, get into a comfort zone and re-establish his confidence.”

Colorado also purchased the contract of catcher Edwin Bellorin from Colorado Springs. Bellorin had nine homers and 45 RBIs and hit .326 in 59 games with the Rockies’ top farm club.

“Edwin has done everything we’ve asked of him at Triple-A,” Hurdle said. “He’s thrown well and been an offensive player for them and we’ll get him involved here.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 7:26 PM | Permalink

Pedro Martinez to make rehab start for Mets

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) - Pedro Martinez will make his first rehab start for New York on Tuesday as he attempts to return to the Mets' rotation after offseason shoulder surgery.

The 35-year-old Martinez had his rotator cuff repaired in October and has been working toward a return all season. The right-hander first threw to batters on June 26.

The three-time Cy Young winner was scheduled to make a rehab start last Wednesday, but it was rained out and he instead threw a 5 1-3 innings of a simulated game against minor leaguers the following day.

In the simulation, Martinez gave up two runs - one earned - and four hits against players from the St. Lucie Mets and the Gulf Coast League Mets. In 67 pitches, he struck out three, walked none and hit a batter.

"Really, I thought the encouraging part for me guys was the back of those innings," Mets general manager Omar Minaya said at the time. "The back of those innings when he was throwing the fastball down and away with the movement, that's Pedro."
Most of Martinez's fastballs were from 86-88 mph, Minaya said.

"Anything that we get from Pedro this year is extra," he said. "We feel that there is a chance ... for me the guys that we have right now, we have to plan on winning with these guys. We're not saying that he's going to come back and be this guy that's going to get us to the next level."

Said Martinez after the simulated game: "I'm still missing location badly ... Actually toward the end I felt better than starting the game, and that means I need work."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:57 PM | Permalink

Yanks promote replacement for Myers

TORONTO (AP) - The New York Yankees promoted pitcher Jim Brower from the minors before Monday's game against the Blue Jays and designated left-hander Mike Myers for assignment.

Brower, a 34-year-old right-hander, was 4-1 with a 1.65 ERA and 20 saves in 35 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"We're always looking to try to help our bullpen and Jim has been pitching very well at Scranton," manager Joe Torre said.

The Yankees have 10 days to trade Myers, release him or send him to the minor leagues. Myers was informed of the decision following Sunday's 8-5 victory over Kansas City and did not make the trip to Toronto. Brower joined the team in Toronto and was in the bullpen Monday.

Myers, 38, was 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 55 games for New York this season. He pitched one inning Sunday, allowing one run on two hits. He had been struggling against left-handed batters, who hit .312 against him this season.

"The inability to consistently get left-handers out was a big part in making this decision," Torre said.

Brower began the season in the Pittsburgh organization but was released in April and signed with the Yankees as a minor league free agent in early May. The Yankees purchased his contract from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"He can pitch multiple innings, he can pitch three days in a row," Torre said. "He gives us durability."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:39 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for August 6

Hot Streaks
-David Ortiz has a club-best six-game hitting streak, during which he is 11 for 23 (.478) with two doubles, three home runs, nine runs and seven RBI.
-For Los Angeles: Vladimir Guerrero is 10 for 20 with four home runs in his last five games.

Cold Streaks
-Alex Cora is 3 for his last 24.
-For Los Angeles: Jered Weaver is 1-0 with a 9.53 E.R.A. in his last two starts.

Red Sox vs. Jered Weaver
-David Ortiz, 4 for 5 (.800), 1 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 2 for 7 (.286)
-Julio Lugo, 1 for 3 (.333), 1 HR
-Jason Varitek, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Mike Lowell, 1 for 4 (.250)
-Manny Ramirez, 0 for 1
-Alex Cora, 0 for 2
-Doug Mirabelli, 0 for 2
-Wily Mo Pena, 0 for 2
-Dustin Pedroia, 0 for 3
-Coco Crisp, 0 for 6
-Weaver is 0-1 with a 2.84 E.R.A. in two career starts against Boston.

Angels vs. Curt Schilling
-Orlando Cabrera, 12 for 38 (.316), 1 HR
-Vladimir Guerrero, 15 for 57 (.263), 5 HR
-Casey Kotchman, 1 for 4 (.250)
-Chone Figgins, 2 for 11 (.182)
-Garret Anderson, 3 for 17 (.176), 1 HR
-Maicer Izturis, 1 for 6 (.167)
-Gary Matthews, 4 for 25 (.160)
-Schilling is 5-1 with a 2.79 E.R.A. in 10 career appearances, including five starts, against the Angels.

More Stuff
-All-time series: Boston 304, Los Angeles 260. In California: Los Angeles 147, Boston 134.
-The Red Sox' Dustin Pedroia (.321) and the Angels' Reggie Willits (.302) are the top two hitting rookies in the American League.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:34 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Today's Manny file: Base-running exploits

Manny Ramirez hurt the Red Sox with his awful base-running play on Friday, but he played the hustler on Saturday night, dashing from first to score on Jason Varitek's RBI double to left field off Jarrod Washburn. In a game that went down to the final out, the Ramirez effort was key.

That play, followed by Sunday's home run, provided a dandy ending to a weekend trip that did not begin well for Ramirez. Playing in the same stadium where Ramirez famously shut it down in 2006, Ramirez did his part to run the Red Sox out of a first-inning rally on Friday night, charging around second and going to third on a hit by Mike Lowell -- only problem, Kevin Youkilis had merely made a turn around third; he wasn't heading home. Youk did a good job of extending the play so that Lowell could go from first to second before Ramirez was tagged out. As it turned out, the gaffe probably was not costly, because Jason Varitek followed with a hard groundout that almost certainly would have been an inning-ending double play had Lowell still been standing at first. Later on Friday, Ramirez grounded into a double play to help kill a promising fifth inning, and struck out for the final out in the seventh with a man on.

Ramirez, who also grounded into a twin-killing on Sunday, is tied with Toronto's Aaron Hill for most grounded into double plays in the American League (both men have 17). The major-league leader is Orlando Hudson of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who has grounded into 20 double plays.

After yesterday's home run off Miguel Batista, Ramirez is within 11 of reaching 500 for his career. As The Globe reports today, Ramirez (who started the season with 470 homers) has a pretty fair shot at reaching the milestone this year, based on his historic performances. Ramirez has hit 11 or more home runs from Aug. 5 on in five of the last seven seasons. Ramirez's season-long home run pace would leave him short of the mark, but his post-All Star game pace would put him over the hump before October comes around.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:46 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: No longer winless in Seattle

Sean McAdam is back for another edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics today: the Red Sox' consecutive wins at Safeco Field; the Mariner Moose mishap; Terry Francona's uniform dispute with major league baseball; the return of Curt Schilling; and tonight's opponent, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

On the Red Sox' pitching staff: "The Red Sox now have a balanced rotation, in which they have three 13-game winners -- including Josh Beckett, who is one of just two 14-game winners in the American League, just one of three in the game along with C.C. Sabathia and Carlos Zambrano (note: John Lackey also won his 14th yesterday) -- and Beckett was exactly what they needed yesterday, keeping the Mariners in check until the Red Sox got going offensively."

On the moose nearly hitting Coco Crisp with his ATV: "We watched that unfold from the press box, and that really could have been a very serious situation. ... [Crisp] was remarkably even-handed about it. I think most players would have been far more angry that they had just escaped what could have been a serious injury. The Red Sox were understandably livid about it. Bill Bavasi, the Seattle general manager, was concerned enough to call down within two minutes of it happening and apologize to the organization on behalf of the Mariners."

On Schilling's return: "I think just first time out he's probably going to be limited to somewhere [between] 85-90 [pitches]. ... The comments from [pitching coach John ]Farrell [click here to read them] I think can be viewed somewhat as a reminder to Schilling that he has to do the work to keep the shoulder strong, and I think sort of a softened indictment that he wasn't doing that earlier in the season. I think they had the luxury of shutting him down in mid-June because they didn't like what they saw, but they also had the comfort of a sizable lead at the time. How many teams can say to a pitcher who didn't have anything stucturally wrong, 'Go ahead and take six weeks and get stronger, and come back and help us in the final two months.'? But that's essentially what the Red Sox did."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:32 AM to McAdam | Permalink | Comments 1

Baseball Today: Monday, August 6

JINX-BUSTER: They say good pitching is the elixir for just about anything that ails you in baseball, and the Red Sox can certainly attest to that. After losing nine straight games at Safeco Field, the Sox rode the coattails of Daisuke Matsuzaka, Eric Gagne and Jonathan Papelbon to a 4-3 win over the Mariners Saturday night, then followed that up with a strong performance from Josh Beckett (above, AP Photo) in a 9-2 romp yesterday afternoon. (Both stories projo.com) About the only excitement yesterday was the Mariner Moose nearly wiping out Coco Crisp with his all-terrain vehicle in the fifth inning (Red Sox Journal, fourth item down), which brought back memories of the bad old days in Seattle. (Seattle Times)

WHAT GOES AROUND . . . The Seattle Times' Geoff Baker wonders why Ichiro was stealing second with the M's trailing 9-1 in the ninth, and notes it was the second time in less than a week that he's pulled such a stunt. The first time, the Angels' John Lackey responded by throwing a pitch at Jose Guillen's head; yesterday, Kyle Snyder also went up and in on Guillen after Ichiro's steal, though Baker wasn't sure Snyder did it intentionally. (He's fairly certain Lackey did.) ''I'm an Ichiro fan, but I just don't grasp the importance of that second run in a 9-1 game,'' writes Baker. ''Maybe it's just me. I don't know.''

HELLO GOODBYE: The Sox welcome back Curt Schilling tonight, exactly seven weeks after he last pitched. He appears healthy and raring to go, but his arrival means the departure of Javier Lopez (projo.com), who was sent back to Pawtucket to make room on the roster. It was strictly a numbers thing, says Terry Francona, and Lopez says he understands, but he seems very disappointed nonetheless. The Sox will also be without Eric Hinske for at least the next three days; Sean McAdam reports Hinske is returning to his Phoenix home to be with his wife, who is going through a difficult pregnancy. Hinske's grandmother also died recently, and that may be a factor in his leaving the team, as well. As extensively reported, here and elsewhere, Brandon Moss will be Hinske's replacement.

FEELING FEISTY: That's describes the Angels, the Sox' next opponent, after yesterday's emotional win in Oakland. (Los Angeles Daily News)

DOWN ON THE FARM: The Red Sox continue to roll out the prospects, and the latest to reach Pawtucket is shortstop Jed Lowrie . He hit two home runs yesterday -- at right, he's being congratulated by teammate Jacoby Ellsbury after the second (Journal photo by Glenn Osmundson) -- as the PawSox defeated Rochester, 6-4. ''[We] don’t want to go crazy because we know he’ll have some ups and downs,'' cautioned PawSox manager Ron Johnson. ''Right now we’ll enjoy the feast.'' Joe McDonald also has an interesting feature on knuckleballers in the Boston system, one of whom -- Charlie Zink -- was the winning pitcher in Pawtucket yesterday.

SAYING IT WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING: Seth Mnookin says the Sox' trade-deadline deal for Eric Gagne indicates the front office thinks the Sox can win it all this year . . . just as the lack of any deadline deals last year indicated they didn't believe they had a shot in 2006. (sethmnookin.com)

FINALLY: Tom Glavine recorded his 300th victory at last. (New York Daily News)

THE GREAT DEBATE: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, Jim Caple and Rob Neyer are arguing over who's the greatest home-run hitter in history. But even though Barry Bonds is about to break Hank Aaron's record, only Caple is ready to call him king.

NO DEBATE AT ALL: Brian Johnson, a teammate of Bonds in 1997 and '98, says it's obvious Bonds used performance-enhancing drugs. (New York Daily News) ''Some people sold their soul to the devil,'' Johnson said in an interview on ESPN's Outside The Lines, ''and other people didn't."

NOT SO FAST: Most people now expect Alex Rodriguez to eventually break whatever record Bonds ends up setting. Stark, however, does a little research and points out it ain't necessarily so. (espn.com)

AND IF HE DOES, WHERE WILL HE BE? Newsday's Jim Baumbach says A-Rod has finally won over the Yankee fans. But will that be enough to keep him in New York?

WE HAVE A WINNER: The fan who caught Rodriguez' 500th home run thinks he's in for a $100,000 payday when he sells the coveted baseball . . . which, his brother says, trumps the Yankees' offer of a signed jersey for the ball. (New York Daily News)

THE BRONX IS WILD: The red-hot Yankees are closing in on the wild-card lead. (New York Post)

'GREAT TO SEE YA': According to the New York Post, that's George Steinbrenner's response to virtually anything anyone says to him these days.

I'D LIKE TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU: David Wells is tired of being fined by Bud Selig and wants to have a sit down with the commissioner to clear the air between them. (San Diego Union-Tribune) Selig ordered Wells to pay his latest fine -- $5,000 -- by personal check, but Wells counters: ''I don't do checks anymore. I hope he likes pennies.''

LET'S GET PHYSICAL, PART ONE: The Mets' Paul Lo Duca had an animated discussion with manager Willie Randolph about getting back into the lineup, so animated that Randolph told his injured catcher, ''Well, go ahead, punch me in the face, because I'm not going to play you.''

LET'S GET PHYSICAL, PART TWO: Milton Bradley says he was so angry at the way he was treated by Billy Beane during his last days in Oakland that ''the way he talked to me . . . was reason enough for him to get his teeth knocked out. So I told him and everybody else . . . 'You better get your paramedic on duty, because if he talks to me crazy again, we're going to have a problem.' I'm a man. Nobody's going to talk to me that kind of way." (InsideBayArea.com)

UH OH: The Cubs will be without Alfonso Soriano for two to four weeks after he strained his right quadricep last night. (Chicago Sun-Times)

READY TO GO: Last November, Jim Edmonds signed a two-year contract extension that he assumed would keep him in St. Louis for the rest of his career. Now he says he'd accept a trade from the Cardinals. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

IT'S LIKE BEING 10 AGAIN: The estimable Joe Posnanski channels the little kid in all of us.

OLD FRIENDS: Mike Myers has been cut loose by the Yankees (New York Post).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:07 AM | Permalink