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Lester outstanding

It may only be a spring training game, but Jon Lester is pitching more like it's a meaningful regular-season game in September. The Sox’ lefty is completely dominating the Mets this afternoon at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie.

Lester was the last player off the team’s bus early yesterday morning and it was clear he was definitely in the zone. It translated into his third start this spring.

He completed four innings of work he has allowed just two hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He threw 66 pitches (42 strikes).

More to come. . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 2:25 PM | Permalink

Sneak peek

The Red Sox just faced Mets pitcher Johan Santana in the top of the first inning here in Port St. Lucie. The left-hander allowed a lead-off single to Jacoby Ellsbury before striking out Jed Lowrie. Jason Varitek reached on an error, Kevin Youkilis struck out and Brandon Moss popped out to left field. Santana threw 17 pitches and looked good.

Obviously, the Red Sox were top contenders in the Santana sweepstakes during the offseason before he was traded from Minnesota to the Mets.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 1:18 PM | Permalink

Lester: Survivor to savior?

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Jon Lester is already a key factor for the Red Sox’ starting rotation for the upcoming season, but his role could become a little more important with questions surrounding the ailing Josh Beckett.

Team physician Dr. Thomas Gill arrived in Florida on Sunday, probably to exam Beckett first-hand, and manager Terry Francona said this morning that the right-hander was pretty sore Sunday night and again today.

''He had a good day (Sunday) but a tough night," Francona said.

While the Red Sox are in Port St. Lucie to play the Mets, Beckett was back in Fort Myers getting treatment.

''He's resigned himself to do the right thing and not something silly," said Francona. ''We'll be ok, we just have to get [Beckett's back] calmed down.''

Beckett was scheduled to start against the Marlins on Saturday, but felt the spasms after throwing just one warmup pitch and let the field. Francona said the right-hander will not resume baseball activities until the spasms go away. Now that he's had a little bit of a setback, Beckett's availability for the Japan trip is in question.

''There's no reason to make that assessment today," said Francona. "It doesn't make sense. We just want to get him better.''

Facing a 19-hour flight to Japan in just nine days would be difficult for someone with a back issue. Francona said the team will use caution with this.

''We’re going to do what’s in the best interest of our ballclub – short term and long term,” Francona said. “We always do. I can’t imagine a 17-hour flight is good for anybody.”

By now everyone in the baseball world, and beyond, knows Lester’s story of successfully beating cancer and winning the clinching game of the World Series last October in Denver against the Rockies. With this latest situation with Beckett, it’s very possible Lester could be the Sox’ Opening Day starter.

''We viewed him as an innings eater for a lot of years,'' said Francona. ''He’s a big strong kid. He’s durable and he’s got a good delivery. If he pounds that strike zone those 100-pitch five-inning games will turn into the seventh inning because his stuff is plenty good. There are a lot of good things going in his favor.''

Today is just another interesting facet to Lester’s career as he's facing the pitcher he was almost traded for in the Mets’ Johan Santana. All throughout the offseason the Red Sox were a major player in the Santana sweepstakes, but in the end GM Theo Epstein decided the price was too high and didn’t want to sell the organization’s top prospects in order to acquire Santana.

During the winter Lester was asked time and again about the possibility of being traded, and time and again he would say he wanted to stay in Boston and if he was traded then he would show up to work for his new employer and give 100 percent.

After the Mets acquired Santana from the Twins, Lester was quite thrilled to remain in Boston. At this point, the Sox are fortunate, too.

Lester has learned to live with the stamp of ''cancer survivor'' and every time the Red Sox visited a new ballpark where the left-hander is pitching, he’s always asked about his successful battle against the disease.

The Red Sox do their very best to downplay the inspirational story, too. But it’s easy to get emotional when hearing just what the last two years have been like for Lester.

''It was an unbelievable story,'' said Francona. ''I think our guys like him already. They already cared about him, and what we’re looking for, and he had a good grasp of this, is once you get on the field you have to win. For a young kid, he grasps that really well. I’m sure it was emotional, and it was for me, but once you take the field you’ve got to try to win the game. The other hitters, their job is to beat you, regardless of what you’ve gone through. He did a really exceptional job of that.''

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:28 PM | Permalink

Today's lineup

BOSTON
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
Jed Lowrie, 2b
Jason Varitek, c
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Brandon Moss, rf
Kevin Cash, DH
Alex Cora, ss
Keith Ginter, 3b
Chris Carter, lf
Jon Lester, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:37 AM | Permalink

Report on Beckett not good

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona just said Josh Beckett (back) was pretty sore last night and again this morning.

"He had a good day (Sunday) but a tough night," said the manager.

While the Red Sox are in Port St. Lucie, Beckett was back in Fort Myers getting treatment.

"He's resigned himself to do the right thing and not something silly," said Francona. "We'll be ok, we just have to get [Beckett's back] calmed down."

Beckett was scheduled to start against the Marlins on Saturday, but felt the spasms after throwing just one warmup pitch and let the field.

Francona said the right-hander will not resume baseball activities until the spasms go away. Now that he's had a little bit of a setback, Beckett's availability for the Japan trip is in question.

"There's no reason to make that assesment today," said Francona. "It doesn't make sense. We just want to get him better."

Facing a 19-hour flight to Japan in just nine days would be difficult for someone with a back issue. Francona said the team will use caution with this.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:27 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Monday, March 10

AP Photo

TROUBLE'S BACK: After a blissfully quiet offseason and opening of training camp, the inevitable storm clouds appeared on the Red Sox' horizon when Josh Beckett was unable to make his scheduled start Saturday because of back spasms. Sean McAdam has the Saturday report. Yesterday the Sox said things were looking better but, as Joe McDonald -- who has taken over for Sean down in Fort Myers -- notes, there's still no word as to whether or not he'll be healthy enough to make the trip to Japan in two weeks. And making it even more problematic is that Daisuke Matsuzaka, after a couple of weeks of pitching like Good Daisuke, morphed back into Bad Daisuke yesterday at Vero Beach. McDonald has the details of his torturous 72-pitch, three-plus innings, three-run performance yesterday.

BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS . . . Bartolo Colon continues to impress and, reports McDonald, will pitch his first game Thursday against Tampa Bay.

STAYING PUT? Third baseman Eric Chavez of the A's, the Sox' Far East opponent, may not make the trip to Japan, either, because of inflammation in his lower back. (AP via projo.com)

RUMOR MILL: Apparently there's a radio station in Chicago reporting the Red Sox and Cubs are discussing a Coco Crisp-for-Jason Marquis-and-Sam Fuld trade, a swap that makes zero sense in this corner and seems highly unlikely. (It was also quickly shot down by the Globe's Nick Cafardo.) That hasn't stopped a number of people, including the very well-regarded David Pinto, from analyzing what it all means.

IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF HE CAN'T SWING: Or run. And at the moment, Coco can't . . . run, that is. (projo.com) Which would seem to put any trade talk on hold.

MORE FALL BALL: J.D. Drew closed a disappointing 2007 season with a strong showing in September and October and tells McDonald he hopes to build on that this season.

LOOKING GOOD: Jon Lester is one of eight players who have caught Peter Gammons' eye in spring training. (espn.com)

TICKET TALK: We noted last week that the Red Sox had opted out of MLB's agreement with StubHub. The reason: The Boston Globe reports they've signed an agreement to make Ace Tickets the official offline ticket resale agency for season ticket holders.

WE KNOW WHAT IT ISN'T, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS: Rocco Baldelli's three-years-and-counting string of injuries have led to a spate of rumors of serious illness flying about Rhode Island, rumors that anyone with the slightest connection to the local sporting scene has heard. In a long interview with Joe McDonald Saturday morning, Baldelli shot down the most-often-heard reports, but was vague as to what's actually wrong, saying that after months of tests doctors still don't really know. In the meantime, the St. Petersburg Times reports the Rays have until April 1 to pick up Baldelli's contract option for 2009 and they're not sure at the moment what they'll do.

THE REAL TAMPA CABAL: The Rays, who've had their share of dustups with the Red Sox over the years, now are feuding with the Yankees. Tampa Bay's Elliot Johnson crashed into Yankees catching prospect Francisco Cervelli on a hard play at the plate Saturday, and Cervelli fractured his right wrist in the collision. The Yanks were furious that Johnson would hit Cervelli that way in an exhibition game and manager Joe Girardi had some nasty things to say afterward. (New York Daily News) Nor did he back down very much yesterday, after having had a day to think about it. (New York Post) The Post's Kevin Kernan was impressed by Girardi's fire, saying, "Joe has really shown me something.''

QWITCHER BELLYACHIN': He didn't show too much to the Rays, however, who sniffed that they "never heard the rule' that you show less determination in the spring than you do at other times. "We try to play the game the same way on March 8 as we do on June 8,'' said manager Joe Maddon, who later added, "We play it hard and we play it right every day." (St. Petersburg Times) The Rays weren't feeling any more remorseful yesterday, either. (Tampa Tribune)

The teams play three more games this spring, including one on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

WEIGHING IN: Don Zimmer has always liked Girardi -- the Yankees acquired him from the Cubs on his recommendation in 1996 -- but he has no use for the new Yankee manager's complaints. (New York Daily News) ''Joe's my friend,'' said Zimmer, now a senior advisor to the Rays, ''but he's his own man, and I'm my own man. I think he was out of line, whether he likes it or not."

WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS: The St. Petersburg Times has a photo gallery of the play.

THE REAL DEAL: Everyone's fixated on Joba Chamberlain, but Phil Hughes is showing why he was long considered the Yankees' No. 1 pitching prospect. (New York Post)

SKATING OUT IN STYLE: It looks like the New York Rangers -- yes, the hockey team -- and not the Yankees will stage the last athletic event ever held at the current Yankee Stadium. (New York Daily News)

OH, PLEASE: The Mets laughed off the notion that they have any interest in Barry Bonds. (New York Daily News)

SOME MISTAKES YOU NEVER STOP PAYING FOR: A Texas Rangers pitching prospect may never get a chance to play in the big leagues because of his role in a marriage fraud scandal in 2004 that involved approximately 30 Dominican minor leaguers. (Dallas Morning News)

ME, TOO: Joe Posnanski shares my skepticism about the wisdom of Trey Hillman's lecture-the-team-in-front-of-the-world stunt from last week. (joeposnanski.com)

GET A HORSE! The Cincinanti Enquirer's Paul Daugherty isn't buying any of that new-fangled stats hooey. Luckily for him, the team he covers has a manager who feels exactly the way he does . . . and he drives home his point by crowing that that very manager, Dusty Baker, has won 1,162 games as a major-league skipper while Bill James hasn't won any.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal's Don Williams thinks the Rangers' Michael Young is building a Hall of Fame resume.

CAN'T BLAME PEDs FOR THESE: Voros McCracken compiles a list of the 20 greatest fluke home-run seasons in history and less than half occured in the steroids era. (Baseball Digest)

SPEAKING OF PEDs . . . Jose Canseco has agreed to meet with the IRS about Roger Clemens.

NO, REALLY: Although his arrival would seem to spell a cut in, or even an end to, his playing time, Gary Matthews Jr. claims he's delighted the Angels signed Torii Hunter. (Orange County Register)

VOICE OF THE TRUTH: Steve Stone has joined the White Sox' radio broadcast team and the Chicago Sun-Times' Jay Mariotti isn't sure how Stone's unvarnished accounts will go over with a team that traditionally employs fawning yes-men as announcers.

HERE AND THERE: Sidney Ponson finally found a landing spot: The Rangers (Dallas Morning News) . . . Phillies closer Brad Lidge will throw off a mound today, two weeks after undergoing knee surgery (Philadephia Inquirer) . . . White Sox GM Ken Williams says the team is in no rush to trade Joe Crede (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Tigers reliever Jordan Tata broke his finger in a pique of anger after a bad outing and isn't sure when he'll be able to pitch again (Detroit Free Press) . . . Leo Mazzone, fired as Orioles pitching coach last year, doesn't know what to do with himself as he sits at home (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Randy Johnson will make his spring debut today (AP via projo.com) . . . Phillies pitcher Adam Eaton has been diagnosed with a small herniated disk and slight arthritis in his back, but is confident he'll be ready for Opening Day (AP via projo.com) . . . Jay Gibbons' job with the Orioles may be in jeopardy (Baltimore Sun) . . . With Andy LaRoche injured and Nomar Garciaparra unlikely to stand up to the rigors of everyday play, the Dodgers are in the market for a third baseman. (Los Angeles Daily News) Some names that have popped up: Ron Belliard and Esteban German. (FoxSports.com)

OLD FRIENDS: The Orioles are said to be interested in Mark Loretta, which may finally lead to the end game of the interminable Brian Roberts-to-the-Cubs trade negotiations (Baltimore Sun) . . . Doug Mientkiewicz may be a Gold Glove first baseman, but no one seems to need a first baseman. So he's with the Pirates, but they want him to play third base and the outfield and only a little bit of first (yahoo.com) . . . Javy Lopez -- the catcher, not the left-handed reliever -- is vying for a backup job with the Braves (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The New York Daily News' Christian Red has a nice feature about the charity work done by Pedro Martinez and his wife Carolina -- who met while he was playing with the Red Sox and she was a student at Boston College -- in the Dominican Republic . . . The Pirates' Freddy Sanchez may soon be ready to return from minor shoulder surgery (mlb.com) . . . Kason Gabbard is struggling in Texas, but the Rangers say they're not worried. (Dallas Morning News)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:28 AM | Permalink