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Today's medical report

Terry Francona sounds as much like a doctor as the Red Sox manager in his pre-game press conferences these days. Today was a perfect example.

``Doctor’’ Francona had mostly good news to report on his ``patients.’’

Jacoby Ellsbury is not yet ready to start, but he is out on the field doing some work as we speak. He has had a groin problem.

``He feels it getting better. We’ll know more when he runs around,’’ Francona said.

J.D. Drew also was on the field testing his ailing quad.

``He’s doing some shagging,’’ Franconca said. ``We’ll see where that leads.’’

And then there is David Ortiz’ knee.

``He’s on the elliptical right,’’ Francona related. ``He’s OK. I think he’s just sore. He knows he can't just come and play the game any more. He doesn't have that freedom. He knows that.’’

Ortiz is learning, the manager said, that he has to do pre-game work to get himself ready. At his age and size, he is simply going to have to deal with some aches and pains in his knee.

``He can’t come and just play the game,’’ Franconca said of Ortiz putting in work before the game.

Coco Crisp, who also had knee concerns, will play.

``He’s a little sore,’’ Francona said. ``He’s OK to play or we wouldn’t play him. We would do something different.’’

Two lineup moves tonight are not medically related. Since Tim Wakefield is pitching (he was working on a crossword puzzle just now) Kevin Cash will catch. Also, Julio Lugo is 3-for-17 in his career against A.J. Burnett the Toronto starter. Jed Lowrie needs work, so Lowrie will play short.

``It just seemed like a good day to do it,'' Francona said, for once sounding more like a manager than a doctor.''

Posted by Paul Kenyon  at 4:48 PM to Projo Sox Crawl | Permalink