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Main page June 30, 2006
Friday's lineup: No PapiThe lineup has been posted and David Ortiz is getting the night off against Dontrelle Willis. So is Trot Nixon, as Gabe Kapler gets his second consecutive start. The lineup: Coco Crisp, CF
Posted by Art Press notes for FridayFriday's pregame press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department . . . DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION NO SWOON IN JUNE: Boston has a chance to lead the majors in batting average for the 2nd month in a row…the Red Sox paced the majors CLUB BATTING LEADERS, JUNE A DANDY DOZEN: With a 12-game winning streak, the Red Sox have matched their 3rd-longest run in club history…Boston’s current tear is its longest in nearly 11 years…with a win tonight, the Red Sox would boast their longest winning streak in nearly 58 years…here’s a look at the 8 winning streaks of 12 or more in franchise history: STREAK DATES ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Following a perfect 9-0 homestand with Washington (3-0), Philadelphia (3-0) and the New York Mets (3-0), the Red Sox and their 12-game winning streak tonight begin a 10-day, 10-game trip through Florida (3 games), Tampa Bay (4) and Chicago (3) that takes the club to the All-Star Break . . . By the All-Star Break, the Red Sox will have played 49 games on the road and just 37 at home, leaving 44 games at Fenway and only 32 games on the road for the Red Sox after the break . . . This is Boston’s 3rd trip of at least 10 days already this season…after the All-Star Break, the Red Sox have only 5 road trips, 4 of which are less than one week in length. ON THE RECORD: Owners of the 3rd-best record in baseball at 48-28 (.632) behind only the Tigers (54-25) and White Sox (51-27), the Red Sox boast their best record through 76 games in 20 years, when the 1986 club went 50-26 to start the season (with a loss in game 77) . . . In the last 60 seasons starting in 1947, the Red Sox have been 20 games above .500 after 76 games just twice: 1986 and 1978 (52-24 with a win in game 77) . . . The Red Sox enter the day with a season-high 4.0-game lead in the A.L. East, Boston’s largest margin since a 4.0-game edge September 10, 2005…the Red Sox were last more than 4.0 games up on August 17 (4.5) and August 13 (5.0) in 2005. HELLO MY NAME IS . . . Tonight’s Red Sox starter Jason Johnson will become the 22nd pitcher to appear for the Red Sox this season…in 2005, the Sox saw 26 pitchers make an appearance all season…this year, 15 different pitchers have already collected a win for the Sox, matching the club’s season-long total from 2005 . . . The Red Sox last had more than 15 pitchers win a game in an entire season in 2003, when 16 pitchers were victorious . . . Of the 25 players currently on Boston’s active roster, 10 were not in the organization at the end of 2005. DYNAMIC DUO: Curt Schilling and Josh Beckett each reached 10 wins this season in the last 2 games…, Schilling and Beckett are just the 3rd pair of Red Sox teammates in the last 60 years each with 10 or more wins by the end of July…the join Roger Clemens and Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd in 1986 and Clemens and Mike Boddicker in 1990 (research: Elias Sports Bureau). LORETTA ROLLS ON: Mark Loretta enters tonight with a 12-game hitting streak (.451, 23-for-51), trailing only Pittsburgh’s Freddy Sanchez (13) for the longest active run in baseball. IN 2006: The Red Sox and Marlins meet tonight for the first time since 2003, when the Sox won 2 of 3 games at Fenway Park...this 3-game weekend set is Boston’s first in Miami since 2000, when the Sox won 2 of 3 games. ALL-TIME: Boston holds an 11-7 edge in the all-time regular season series…the Red Sox are 7-5 at home and 4-2 in Florida…in 6 total series, Boston has won 2 of 3 games each of the last 5, dropping a series just once in their first meeting in 1997 (1-2). YOU LOOK FAMILIAR.: The Red Sox have 6 players on their 25-man roster or disabled list that have spent time in South Florida…Josh Beckett (2001-05), Mike Lowell (1999-2005) and Alex Gonzalez (1998-2005) won World Series rings with the Marlins in 2003…Matt Clement spent a season here in 2001, Julian Tavarez played for Florida in 2002 and Rudy Seanez spent part of 2004 with the Marlins . . . Additionally, Alex Cora batted .294 during 3 seasons with the University of Miami, earning a spot on the College World Series All-Tournament Team in 1995 and 1996…he went 3-for-5 with 3 RBI in the 9-8 World Series title game loss to LSU in 1996. DEFENSE RECORD: The Red Sox last night set the A.L. record and tied the major league mark by playing their 16th errorless game in a row . . . Boston has equaled the major league record set by the St. Louis Cardinals July 30-August 16, 1992…the Sox broke the A.L. mark of 15 previously held by the Rangers from August 4-19, 1996…Boston’s last error occurred June 11 vs. Texas (Kevin Youkilis in the first game of a doubleheader)…the Sox have handled 633 errorless chances since . . . Boston’s 23 errors through June 29 are the fewest by a major league team since research is first available in 1960. PREVIOUSLY ON 24: Jonathan Papelbon last night matched the Red Sox single-season rookie saves record with his 24th save…Dick Radatz earned 24 saves as a rookie in 1962. 200, 2000: David Ortiz last night connected for his 200th major league homer…142 of the home runs have come in 513 games as a Red Sox while 58 were hit in 455 games as a Twin . . . Manny Ramirez enters the day with 1,996 career hits, 4 shy of 2,000.
Posted by Art June 29, 2006
Thursday's lineupKevin Youkilis, 1B
Posted by Art Thursday's press notesThursday's pregame notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department . . . DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION WINNING WAYS STREAKING SOX: The Red Sox and Mets conclude this series and the homestand this evening…Boston is 8-0 on the homestand with Washington (3-0), Philadelphia (3-0), and New York (2-0) and has won 11 straight games overall since losing in Minnesota on June 15…Is the team’s longest winning streak since 12 straight victories, August 3-14, 1995…It is the longest winning streak in the majors since Houston win 12 in a row, August 27-September 8, 2004 and the longest in the A.L. since a 12-game win streak for Tampa Bay, June 9-22, 2004…Sox are 14-5 since June 8 and 17-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 47-28, Boston is a season best 19 games over .500…Is club’s best record after 75 games since 1986 (50-25/lost game 76) . . . The Sox have held a 3.5 game lead over New York in the A.L. East for the last 2 days, a season high and the team’s largest division lead since a 3.5-game margin on Sept. 12, 2005…Last larger division lead was 4 games on September 10, 2005…Club has been in the top spot the last 12 days and has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 75 of 86 days in 2006 . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 8 straight games since losing to Texas on June 11 (game 2), their longest home winning streak since 14 consecutive victories, July 19-August 26, 2005…At Fenway, club has captured 14 of 16 and 19 of the last 24 games, the longer streak beginning May 4…Boston’s 26-10 Fenway record is its best home mark after 36 games since 1979 (26-10/won game 37). INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 13-1 versus the National League this season, winning 11 straight since a loss in Philadelphia on May 21…This is Boston’s longest win streak ever in interleague play, one shy of the ML record, shared by Tampa Bay (June 9-26, 2004) and the Yankees (June 12, 2003-June 10, 2004)…Club has highest winning percentage (.929) in the majors in interleague play in 2006 and is tied for most wins…Highest winning percentage for a full season of interleague play is .917 (11-1) by St. Louis in 2004 . . . Boston’s 13 wins are its most ever versus the N.L. in one season, one more than in 2005…Team has won 18 of its last 19 and 22 of last 24 in interleague play, the longer span starting June 12, 2005…Has ML best .781 (25-7) interleague winning percentage since start of 2005 . . . Sox are 90-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 53-36 at Fenway Park…Sox are 15-2 at home against N.L. teams since start of 2005, winning 9 straight and 14 of the last 15…With wins the last 2 nights, club has won its last 11 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 26-6 at Fenway Park vs. the N.L. HOMESTAND SUCCESS: The Sox have won the 1st 8 games of this homestand…Are the Record Dates Teams RECORD ON DEFENSE: The Red Sox have gone 15 consecutive games without an error, tying the American League record for a season set by the Texas Rangers, August 4-19, 1996…Major league mark is 16 games by the St. Louis Cardinals, July 30- August 16, 1992…Team’s last error was committed by Kevin Youkilis in the 1st inning on June 11 (Game 1) vs. Texas…Sox have handled 599 errorless chances since that time . . . Club has 3 miscues in the last 23 games and 12 errors over last 51 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .992 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 11 fewer than any other major league club (Seattle)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team through June 28 since research is 1st available in 1960 . . . Sox have 4 players in top 3 in fielding percentage: SS Alex Gonzalez, 1st in ML at .996 (1 E/228 TC); 2B Mark Loretta, 2nd in AL at .991 (3 E/318 TC); 3B Mike Lowell, 2nd in AL at .982 (4 E/217 TC); RF Trot Nixon, 3rd in AL at .993 (1 E/134 TC). SERIES WIN: The Red Sox have won the 1st 2 games of this series by a combined 19-6 score…Ten runs on Wednesday matched Boston’s most ever vs. the Mets with 10-1 win on June 15, 1997…Sox have never won all games in a series vs. New York. TRENDS/ALL-TIME: Sox have an 8-6 advantage over the Mets since start of 2000…Boston has won 5 of last 6 meetings at Fenway beginning June 7, 1998…Sox lead, 9-8 all-time, 5-3 in Boston…Mets lead, 5-4 in New York. TAKING THE OFFENSIVE: Wednesday was the 8th time that Boston has scored in double figures this season, 4th in last 9 games…During 11-game winning streak, Sox have a .339 (138-407) team batting average with 16 homers and 87 runs scored…Team average with runners in scoring position in this span is .363 (49-135)…Club leads the major leagues with a .303 (263-868) average and a .376 on-base percentage in June…Season average of .289 ranks 2nd in the majors (Toronto-.295) and is its highest figure since April 11 (.290) . . . Sox are batting .339 (261-770) with 156 runs in the last 22 games at Fenway Park and lead major leagues with .312 (388-1243) home average . . . Boston also leads the majors with a .330 (170-515) BA in 2006 interleague play and rank 2nd with 105 runs. CLOSING THE DOOR: Jonathan Papelbon has allowed 2 runs in 39.1 IP this season for a 0.46 ERA, lowest in the majors among any pitcher who has worked more than 9 innings…Ranks 2nd in the A.L. with 23 saves, tying for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves. HELLO CY: Tom Glavine will be the 6th pitcher with a Cy Young Award on his resume to start versus Boston this season…The group of Roy Halladay, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Johan Santana, and John Smoltz is a combined 2-2, 4.17 (23 ER/49.2 IP) in 8 starts in 2006. THURSDAY MATCHUP: Curt Schilling and Tom Glavine are facing each other for the 6th time tonight, 1st since April 5, 1999…Schilling won that meeting and 3 of the 5 games overall with Glavine losing each of those…Both had no decisions in the other 2 matchups . . . Schilling has gone 45 starts since allowing his last unearned run on June 14, 2004 at Colorado, the longest streak in the majors since Schilling’s ML record 53 straight starts in 2001-02.
Posted by Art Weekly minor-league reportThe Red Sox' minor-league report, courtesy of the Boston P.R. department . . . RED SOX MINOR LEAGUE REPORT Highlights of the Week -- Moss is riding a 9-game hitting streak, batting .432 (16-for-37) with 12 runs scored and 11 RBI during the tear…Boston’s 8th-round pick in 2002 is batting .372 (29-for-78) with 7 doubles, a triple, 5 homers, 21 RBI and 22 runs scored in 22 games in June after batting .178 (16-for-90) in 22 games in April and .260 (26-for-100) in 26 games in May. 3B Andrew Pinckney, CF Jacoby Ellsbury and closer RHP Mike James represented Wilmington at the Carolina League vs. California League All-Star Game Tuesday in Salem, a 6-3 win by the Carolina League…Pinckney made the start and went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored…Ellsbury went 0-for-1 as a defensive replacement and James allowed one run on 2 hits and a walk in 1.0 inning, striking out one. -- Breslow has gone 5-1 with 5 saves and a 3.23 ERA (14 ER/39.0 IP) in 23 games out of the bullpen…the 25-year-old has 43 strikeouts in 39.0 innings, while limiting International League opponents to a .214 batting average…the Yale product and Trumbull, CT resident signed with the Red Sox as a minor league free agent in February. The rosters for the 2006 Eastern League All-Star Game were announced today…4 Portland Sea Dogs have been selected to participate in the mid-summer classic: OF Tyler Minges, RHP Chris Smith, 3B Chad Spann and 1B/DH Jeremy West…the All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 12 at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona, Pennsylvania…the Sea Dogs’ coaching staff consisting of manager Todd Claus, hitting coach Russ Morman, pitching coach Ace Adams and trainer Masai Takahashi will coach the Northern Division All-Star squad. STERN RETURNS: OF Adam Stern has gone 9-for-16 (.563) in his last 3 games to break out of a 1-for-12 (.083) slide in his previous 3 contests…the 26-year-old went 4-for-5 with 2 homers, 4 RBI and 3 runs scored on Tuesday vs. Ottawa (Orioles)…he is batting .254 with 13 doubles, 7 homers, 23 RBI, 38 runs and 13 stolen bases in 57 games overall. PEDROIA-LTY: 2B/SS Dustin Pedroia is riding a 10-game hitting streak, batting .386 (17-for-44) with 5 doubles, a homer, 7 RBI and 4 runs…during the streak, he has lifted his average from .269 to .290…rated by Baseball America as the “Best Hitter for Average” in the Red Sox farm system, the 22-year-old is batting .340 (34-for-100) in 24 June games. THE FILE ON KYLE: RHP Kyle Snyder made his first start for the PawSox on Monday vs. Ottawa, limiting the Lynx to one run on 5 hits in 6.0 innings (no-decision)…he is scheduled to make his next start on Saturday night at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Phillies)…claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals on June 16, Snyder made one start with Boston (June 19 vs. Washington) before being optioned to Pawtucket on July 20. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs MR. SMITH THRIVES IN PORTLAND: Chris Smith joined recently-promoted Sea Dog Kason Gabbard as the lone 9-game winners in the Eastern League with a 7-3 win at New Britain Tuesday…he improved to 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA (6 ER/31.0 IP) in 5 starts in June and now boasts a 2.27 ERA this season…the 25-year-old righthander now owns a 7-game winning streak and has 11 quality starts this season. GO WEST, YOUNG MAN: 1B/DH Jeremy West is batting .372 (29-for-78) with 10 doubles, 4 homers, 15 RBI and 16 runs scored in 23 games in June…he has hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games…the 24-year-old has seen action in 26 games at first base and 39 games at designated hitter this season. STILL THE ONE: Portland has won 6 of its last 8 games and is 18-6 (.750) in June…the Sea Dogs enter the day with a 6.0-game lead in the Eastern League’s Northern Division. THEY’RE MADE TO BE BROKEN: Last Thursday the Sea Dogs set a single-game attendance record with 7,368 fans at Hadlock Field to see Portland’s 5-4 win against Connecticut…the Sea Dogs are just a few games away from welcoming their 5 millionth fan in Hadlock Field history. Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks BACK AT IT: Fresh off their All-Star Break, the Blue Rocks tonight return to action for the first time since Sunday to start a 6-game homestand…tonight, Wilmington plays the first of 3 with Lynchburg…the Blue Rocks conclude their homestand with 3 games against Salem starting Sunday. A VARIED BUNCH OF LEADERS: At the All-Star Break, CF Jacoby Ellsbury leads the Blue Rocks with a .313 batting average and 18 stolen bases…1B Ian Bladergroen leads the club with 7 home runs while LF Jeff Corsaletti has 35 RBI and 19 doubles to lead the way…RF Mickey Hall leads the team with 7 triples while 2B/SS Iggy Suarez paces Wilmington with 32 runs scored. AND ON THE PITCHING SIDE…: LHP Tommy Hottovy leads Wilmington’s starting rotation with 7 wins and RHP Kyle Jackson paces the bullpen with 6 wins (a perfect 6-0 mark)…Jackson also leads all Blue Rocks pitcher with 63 strikeouts…closer RHP Mike James has 13 saves to lead the team…LHP Justin Sturge leads the team with 25 appearances, posting a 1.57 ERA. Single-A Greenville Drive YOUNG BUCH: RHP Clay Buchholz has allowed just one earned run in 20.0 innings over his last 4 starts for a 0.45 ERA…Boston’s 3rd pick (sandwich round) last year has gone 4-2 with a 2.74 ERA in 13 starts, striking out 73 batters in 62.1 innings of work. JAY WALKING: RF Jay Johnson set a Greenville single-game season high for hits on Tuesday vs. Lexington (Astros), going 5-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored…Boston’s 16th pick (13th round) last year ranks 7th in the league with 50 runs scored, while batting .275 with 8 homers and 35 RBI in 61 games for the Drive. FOLLOW THE LEADERS: There are several members of the Drive who currently rank among South Atlantic League leaders…LF Chris Turner is 2nd with 16 homers and tied for 5th with 49 RBI…CF Yahmed Yema is tied for 3rd with 6 triples…C Mark Wagner ranks 9th with a .315 batting average…RHP Blake Maxwell is tied for 3rd with 30 appearances and tied for 6th with 10 saves. Short-Season Single-A Lowell Spinners FIRST THINGS FIRST: 1B Aaron Bates has hit safely in 7 of his 8 games (including 7 in a row), batting .323 (10-for-31) with a double, homer, 2 RBI, 3 runs and 3 walks…the 22-year-old was Boston’s 6th pick (3rd round) in this year’s draft out of North Carolina State. PAPELBON CATCHING ON: RHP Joshua Papelbon has tossed 4.0 scoreless innings over his first 3 appearances…the University of North Florida product has 5 strikeouts and no walks in 4.0 innings, while allowing just one hit…the 23-year-old was selected by the Sox in the 48th round of this year’s draft. THE BUSINESS ON BEAZLEY: RHP Travis Beazley boasts a 2.45 ERA (3 ER/11.0 IP) through 2 starts (both no-decisions)…the 23-year-old allowed just 3 hits over 6.0 shutout innings last night vs. Tri-City (Astros).
Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox CATCHING ON: C Roberto Sosa is off to a strong start, batting .409 (9-for-22) with 3 doubles, a homer an RBI and 4 runs scored…2006 marks Sosa’s first season of pro ball in the United States…he played the last 3 years with Boston’s Dominican Summer League club. HOMER HAPPY: In addition to Sosa, both Carlos Fernandez and Michael Jones have hit a home run for the GCL Red Sox thus far…Jones is batting .267 (4-for-15) in early action while Fernandez is 5-for-22 (.227). GOOSE EGGS: LHP Jose Capellan has not allowed a run in 10.1 innings this season, including 6.0 scoreless frames Tuesday vs. the Pirates…he has 11 strikeouts in 10.1 innings…Capellan combined to go 5-4 with a 1.84 ERA in 25 appearances (9 starts) during the last 2 seasons with the Dominican Summer League Red Sox, earning the club’s Pitcher of the Year honor in 2004. IN HIS PLACE: Boston’s first pick of the 2006 Draft, OF Jason Place, made his pro debut this week and is 3-for-6 (.500) through his first 3 games.
Posted by Art June 28, 2006
Postgame reactionBOSTON -- What they were saying after tonight's 10-2 Red Sox win: TERRY FRANCONA: PEDRO MARTINEZ -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Make that 10-1BOSTON -- Two more runs for the Red Sox, this time off Darren Oliver in the sixth. Coco Crisp led off with an infield single and, after a lengthy at-bat, Alex Gonzalez drew a walk. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third, from where Crisp scored on a single by Kevin Youkilis and, one out later, Loretta came in on a sacrifice fly by David Ortiz. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Tough townBOSTON -- Lastings Milledge, the Mets' defensively challenged left fielder, received a sarcastic standing ovation from the fans in left field and near third base as he made his way back to the dugout after catching Mike Lowell's fly ball to end the fifth. Read below for Milledge's earlier trials and tributions. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Anatomy of a routBOSTON -- And now the details of a most unexpected evening at Fenway Park. After Josh Beckett had retired the Mets in order in the first, the Red Sox began running at Pedro Martinez immediately. Kevin Youkilis started things off with a single to center, and Mark Loretta followed with a single to right. The finger of defensive blame will be pointed at left fielder Lastings Milledge -- and deservedly so -- for his antics later in the inning, but Martinez poured gasoline on the kindling for the explosion that followed with his own mental miscue on the next play. David Ortiz hit a one-hopper back to the mound, starting what should have been a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play. But Martinez inexplicably turned to throw to third, to nail the lead runner, Youkilis. There was no play there because the Mets had their overshift on for Ortiz, and third baseman David Wright was stationed near shortstop and wasn't near the base. Martinez then looked to second, but Loretta, running hard, was almost there. That left only one option -- at first base -- and Martinez made it, retiring Ortiz. So instead of having a runner on third and two outs, the Sox had runners had second and third and one out. Thus, after a walk to Manny Ramirez, the fly ball to center by Trot Nixon was a sacrifice fly that gave Boston a 1-0 lead, instead of being the third out of the inning. The damage was compounded when Jason Varitek singled to center, scoring Loretta. And then it multiplied when Milledge -- who had misplayed a fly ball on Tuesday night -- twisted, turned, danced under, and eventually dropped, Mike Lowell's fly ball to the base of the wall in left, allowing two runs to score and giving the Sox a 4-0 lead. That put Pedro in a hole. The Sox put him out of his misery in the third. A double by Ramirez and a single by Nixon made it 5-0. Varitek moved Nixon to third with a single to right, and Nixon then scored when Lowell grounded into a double play. But Martinez extended the inning by walking Coco Crisp, and Alex Gonzalez made it 8-0 with a homer to left. Carlos Delgado's two-out homer in the fourth made the score 8-1, and that's where we stand at 8:40 p.m. as the Red Sox come to bat in the bottom of the fifth. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Pedro's outBOSTON -- As expected, Pedro Martinez didn't come out for the bottom of the fourth. He was replaced by another ex-Red Sox pitcher, left-hander Darren Oliver. The Mets had narrowed their deficit to 8-1 in the top of the fourth on a long home run, into the bleachers behind the Boston bullpen, by Carlos Delgado with two outs. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Red Sox 8, Mets 0BOSTON -- Make that EIGHT to nothing. They're warming up in the Mets' bullpen after a two-run homer by Alex Gonzalez, which followed a two-out walk to Coco Crisp. Martinez is winding up to throw his 75th pitch as I write this -- he used it to strike out Kevin Youkilis -- and it would be a stunner if he came out to pitch in the fourth. If he doesn't, his pitching line will read . . . 3 innings And, if what he said yesterday had any validity, 1 broken heart
Posted by Art Red Sox 6, Mets 0 in the 3rdBOSTON -- Remember all that pregame talk about a pitchers' duel between Pedro Martinez and Josh Beckett? Well, Beckett's holding up his part of the bargain. The same can't be said for Pedro, who, as we speak, is trailing the Red Sox, 6-0, with two outs in the third. The Sox scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning (thanks in no small part to the always entertaining Lastings Milledge, who is setting new comedy standards in left field during this series) and have added two more in the third. More details to come . . .
Posted by Art End of the Martinez/Boston love affair?BOSTON -- The affection level for Pedro Martinez dimmed considerably at Fenway Park tonight when he drilled second baseman Mark Loretta on the wrist with an 0-and-2 pitch in the second inning. It probably wasn't intentional -- it put a runner on base for David Ortiz with two outs -- but some boos wafted down nonetheless from the folks who watched Martinez hit batters at a league-leading pace during most of his years with the Red Sox. Sox starter Josh Beckett answered Martinez with a high (though not very tight) pitch that sailed past Ramon Castro with one out in the third. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Unkind cut for PedroBOSTON -- After the Red Sox had jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning tonight, a group of fans in the left-field area began chanting ''Who's your daddy?'' at the beleaguered Pedro Martinez. That, of course, had been the Yankee fans' insult of choice at Martinez in September and October 2004, after a frustrated Pedro had declared that the Yankees were his ''daddies'' after they beat him at Fenway Park on a Friday night in September. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art No boos for PedroBOSTON -- Boo Pedro Martinez, as some had been advocating prior to the Mets' visit here? Guess the sellout crowd in attendance tonight at Fenway Park missed the memo. Martinez was given a raucous standing ovation as he made his way to the Mets' dugout after warming up. The cheers started as soon as he left the New York bullpen, and continued as he walked across the field. He acknowledged the fans near second base, waving his left hand to the crowd. Then, with a right hand covered with a towel, he touched his heart several times. However, just so everyone knew where their loyalties lie, the Sox fans also gave a rousing ovation to Josh Beckett, the Red Sox' starter, as he left the bullpen. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art June 25, 2006
Red Sox and Phillies rained out. . . which can be of no surprise to anyone. The game will be made up at 1:05 p.m. Monday.
Posted by Art Sunday's press notesSunday's pregame press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department: DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION WALK-0FF WONDER: For the 2nd time this season, both in the last 7 home games, David Ortiz won a game with a walk-off home run Saturday. It was his 6th regular season walk-off homer since joining the Red Sox in 2003, tying Albert Pujols for the most in the majors in that span, and 7th career (regular season), tying for 4th best among active players: MLB Record for Game-Ending HRS is 12, shared by Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Frank Robinson, and Babe Ruth. ABOUT THE SOX: The Red Sox and Phillies conclude their series this afternoon…Sox have won 8 straight games since losing in Minnesota on June 15, the team’s longest winning streak since 8 victories in a row, July 26-August 4, 2005…Boston’s last win streak of more than 8 games was 10 straight victories, August 24-September 3, 2004…It is the 2nd longest current winning streak among major league teams (White Sox-9 straight)…Sox are 11-5 since June 8 and 14-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 44-28, Boston is a season best 16 games over .500 and has its best record after 72 games since 2002 (45-27/lost game 73)…Was 42-30 with half game lead after 72 contests year ago . . . With the Yankees’ rainout on Saturday, the Sox extended their A.L. East lead over New York to 2.5 games, matching the season high, 4th time, last on May 22…Last larger division lead for the Sox was 3.5 games on Sept. 12, 2005…Club has been in the top spot the last 8 days and has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 71 of 82 days in 2006 . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 5 straight games, matching the season best (May 25-June 9)…Last longer home streak was 14 consecutive victories, July 19-August 26, 2005…At Fenway, Sox have captured 11 of 13 and 16 of the last 21 games, the longer streak beginning May 4…Club’s .697 (23-10) home winning percentage is tied for 2nd in A.L. with Minnesota behind Chicago at .744 (29-10). WINNING IN A WALK: Saturday marked the 3rd time this season that Boston has won at home in the bottom of the 9th or later, all decided on home runs: April 17 vs. Seattle (Mark Loretta in 9th) and June 11 (Game 1) vs. Texas (David Ortiz in 9th)…Yesterday was Sox’s 1st extra inning home game of 2006 and improved team’s season mark in extra frames to 1-2…Boston has won last 5 extra inning decisions at Fenway since a loss on June 24, 2004 to Minnesota…Saturday was Boston’s 23rd comefrom- behind victory of 2006 and gave the squad an 8-4 record in 2-run games. INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 10-1 versus the National League this season, winning 8 straight since a loss in Philadelphia on May 21…This is Boston’s longest win streak ever in interleague play…Club is tied with the White Sox for most wins and highest winning percentage (.909) in the majors in interleague play in 2006…Boston has won 14 of its last 15 and 19 of last 21 in interleague play starting June 12, 2005…Sox have .759 (22-7) interleague winning percentage since start of 2005, matching White Sox for best in majors . . . This is just the 4th time in 10 seasons of interleague play that the Sox have won 10 games vs. the N.L.: 12-6 in 2005; 11-7 in 2003; and 10-8 in 2001 . . . Sox are 87-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 50-36 at Fenway Park…Sox are 12-2 at home against N.L. teams since start of 2005, winning 6 straight and 11 of the last 12…With 2-0 mark in this set with the Phillies, team has won its last 10 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 23-6 at Fenway Park vs. the N.L.. BATTING NOTES: The Sox had 9 hits Saturday to end streak of 6 games with 12 or more hits…Club is hitting .337 (111-for-329) over the last 9 games and has a .301 (354-for-1177) average over the last 33 contests improve season mark from .274 to .286, 3rd best in the league…Sox are batting .339 (222-654) with 129 runs in last 19 games at Fenway Park and lead the majors with a home batting average of .311 (340-1094) . . . Sox are batting .312 (324-1037) in interleague games since the start of 2005, the best average among major league clubs in that span. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 12 games without an error, a club record for consecutive errorless games…Team’s last error was committed by Kevin Youkilis on June 11 (Game 1) vs. Texas…Longest errorless streak in majors this season is 14, shared by the Angels (April 22-May 6) and Astros (June 5-20)…Club has 3 miscues in the last 20 games and 12 errors over last 47 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 10 fewer than any other major league club (Oakland)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team through June 24 since research is first available beginning in 1960. HE’S ALL EVEN: With Saturday’s win, Terry Francona has a career regular season record as a major league manager of 522-522…It marks the 1st time he has been at the .500 mark since he was 1-1 on April 2, 1997, two games into his managerial career with the Phillies…Only time over .500 was 1-0 after Curt Schilling blanked the Dodgers on April 1, 1997…Francona was 78 games under .500 when he took over the Red Sox in 2004. 2006: Sox are 4-1 vs. the Phillies this season, their most wins ever in a season against that club…Sox have won 8 of last 9 meetings with the Phils beginning June 27, 2004. AT FENWAY: Sox have won 3 in a row and 5 of last 6 here…Club has now won last 3 Fenway series vs. the Phillies since dropping 2 of 3 in 1999. ALL-TIME: Boston leads the all-time series, 17-13, 10-6 at Fenway and 7-7 in Philly…Are the Sox’ most overall wins and wins at home lifetime vs. a National League opponent. PUTTING UP GOOSE EGGS: Jonathan Papelbon worked 2.1 scoreless innings on Saturday to extend his streak without allowing a run to 21.1 innings over 19 games since issuing ONLY RUN in 2006 on May 3 vs. Toronto…That lowered his season ERA to 0.24 (1 R/38 IP), lowest in the majors among any pitcher who has worked more than 8 innings . . . According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Papelbon is just the 2nd pitcher in the last 40 years to allow no more than one run in his 1st 38 innings in a season…The Dodgers’ Fernando Valenzuela, also a rookie, issued just one run in his 1st 52 innings in 1981 . . . Leads the A.L. with 23 saves, tying for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves. PAPI PRODUCES: David Ortiz’ gamewinning MEET THE METS: Sox and Mets open 3-game series on Tuesday…Teams last met July 12-14 2001, when Mets won 2 of 3 at Shea…Last Fenway series was July 13-15, 2000 as Sox took 2 of 3…Mets lead, 8-7 all-time.
Posted by Art What a difference 50 miles makesIf you've been in Rhode Island this morning, the idea that anyone could play baseball within 50 miles of here is ludicrous. The rain has been coming down so steadily, and so hard, that there would seem to be no chance that the Red Sox and Phillies could play today. However, conditions are different in Boston. It's barely rained at Fenway, and fans have gathered for this afternoon's game. But there's another "however". The rain that's been here is allegedly headed up there. And if that's the case, the Sox and Phillies could be in trouble. Stay tuned. Keep track of the rainfall via local radar, courtesy of weatherunderground. com. And here are today's starting lineups: BOSTON: PHILADELPHIA:
Posted by Art June 24, 2006
Saturday's post-game notesThe postgame press notes, distriubuted after today's 5-3, 10-inning win over the Phillies . . . RED SOX POST-GAME NOTES OFF THE TOP: Curt Schilling today allowed a pair of runs in the first inning on Bobby Abreu’s 2-run double, the first time this season he has allowed more than one run in the first inning…in fact, Schilling allowed only 3 first-inning runs in his first 15 starts before today (one run each on May 5 vs. Baltimore, June 2 at Detroit and June 8 at Yankee Stadium)…Schilling last allowed 2 runs in the first inning September 15, 2005 vs. Oakland, 19 starts ago. START ME UP: Phillies starter Brett Myers allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks in 5.0 innings, fanning 5...last time out, defeated Randy Johnson and the Yankees 4-2 before today’s no-decision to Curt Schilling…is now 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA (11 ER/39.1 IP) in 6 starts during the day this season.
Posted by Art Game on?All signs point to today's game starting on time -- the first pitch is scheduled for 1:25 p.m. -- and here are the posted lineups: BOSTON PHILADELPHIA
Posted by Art Rain, rain . . .The weather forecast in Boston isn't promising, but it wasn't promising last night, either, and the Sox and Phillies got in the game (albeit after about a 45-minute delay at the start). The tarp is currently on the field at Fenway, and it's raining. More as it becomes available . . .
Posted by Art Saturday press notesSaturday's pregame media notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department . . . UPCOMING SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS 20 HOMERS--AGAIN MOST CONSECUTIVE SEASONS— ABOUT THE SOX: The Red Sox have won a season high 7 straight games since losing in Minnesota on June 15…It is the 2nd longest current winning streak among major league teams (White Sox-8 straight) and the team’s longest since 8 victories in a row, July 26-August 4, 2005…Sox are 10-5 since June 8 and 13-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 43-28, Boston is a season best 15 games over .500 and has its best record after 71 games since 2002 (45-26/lost game 72)…Club was 41-30 and 2nd, 1 GB, after 71 contests a year ago . . . The Sox have held a 2-game advantage in the A.L. East for the past 5 days, their biggest advantage since a 2-game margin on May 28…Club has been in the top spot the last 7 days and has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 70 of 81 days in 2006 . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 4 straight, 10 of 12 and 15 of the last 20 games, the longer streak beginning May 4…Club’s .688 (22-10) home winning percentage is tied for 2nd in A.L. with Minnesota behind Chicago at .737 (28-10)…Team was also 22-10 after 32 home games in 2005 (lost game 33) . . . During this 7-game winning streak, Boston has outscored the opponents, 55-22 with a 30-8 advantage in the last 3 games…Sox have outscored foes by 6 or more runs in 3 straight games, 2nd time that has happened in 2006, the other May 6-9. INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 9-1 versus the National League this season, winning 7 straight since a loss in Philadelphia on May 21…This is Boston’s longest win streak ever in interleague play, the previous best being 6 wins in a row from June 19, 2005-May 20, 2006…Boston is tied with the White Sox for most wins and highest winning percentage (.900) in the majors in interleague play in 2006…Boston has won 13 of its last 14 and 18 of last 20 in interleague play starting June 12, 2005…Sox have .750 (21-7) interleague win % since start of 2005, matching White Sox for best in majors . . . Sox are 86-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 49-36 at Fenway Park…Sox are 11-2 at home against N.L. teams since start of 2005, winning 5 straight and 10 of the last 11…Entering this series, team has won its last 9 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 22-6 at Fenway Park vs. the N.L.. BATTING NOTES: The Sox scored in double figures for the 7th time this season on Friday, the 3rd in the last 5 games…Club has produced 30 runs and 46 hits in the last 3 games…Boston is hitting .345 (102-for-296) over the last 8 games and has a .302 (345-for-1144) average over the last 32 contests improve season mark from .274 to .287, 3rd best in the league and the highest since April 11 (.290)…Sox are batting .343 (213-621) with 124 runs in last 18 games at Fenway Park and lead the majors with a home batting average of .311 (340-1094) . . . Sox are batting .314 (315-1004) in interleague games since the start of 2005, the best average among major league clubs in that span. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 11 games without an error, a new club record for consecutive errorless games…The old mark of 10 was accomplished from September 26-October 5, 1986…Team’s last error was committed by Kevin Youkilis on June 11 (Game 1) vs. Texas…Club has 3 miscues in the last 19 games and 12 errors over last 46 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 10 fewer than any other major league club (San Diego)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team through June 22 since research is first available beginning in 1960. MANNY’S NIGHT: Manny Ramirez was 3-for-4 with a pair of homers and 5 RBI on Friday…Notes from that performance: TUCKER SIGNED: Sox have signed LHP Rusty Tucker to a AA Portland contract…Started season at Birmingham in White Sox system…Is a native of Gloucester, MA and pitched at Univ. of Maine...Was drafted by the Padres in 2001 and was AA All-Star in 2003. THE RED SOX AND PHILLIES AT FENWAY: Sox have won 4 of last 5 here and have won last 2 Fenway series since dropping 2 of 3 in 1999 ALL-TIME: Boston leads the all-time series, 16-13, 9-6 at Fenway and 7-7 in Philly…The clubs also faced off in the 1915 World Series with Boston winning the final 4 games in a row to capture the series 4-1. CLIMBING FAST: Jonathan Papelbon has earned saves in his last 3 appearances and leads the A.L. with 23 saves, tying Doug Corbett (Minnesota- 1980) and Huston Street (Oakland- 2005) for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves…ML record is 37 by Seattle’s Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000…Has converted 23 of 24 save tries (95.8%), the best percentage in the majors among pitchers with at least 15 saves . . . Papelbon has pitched 19 scoreless innings in last 18 games since allowing only run this season on May 3 vs. Toronto…His 0.25 earned run average is the lowest in the majors among all pitchers who have worked at least 8 innings…Dennis Eckersley’s 0.61 era with Oakland in 1990 is the lowest earned run average in a season for a pitcher who has pitched at least 35 innings and at least 50 innings. ALL EARNED: Since joining the Red Sox, Curt Schilling has been charged with just two unearned runs in 421.1 innings, both on June 14, 2004 at Colorado…Has gone 44 starts since that time, the longest streak in the majors since Schilling’s major league record 53 consecutive starts in 2001 and 2002. BATTING FODDER: Boston’s clean-up spot produced 8 of the 10 RBI on Friday (Ramirez-5; Kapler-3) and has 60 RBI for the year, 3rd in the A.L. (Chicago-70; Cleveland-66)…The Sox shortstop tandem of Alex Gonzalez and Alex Cora are a combined 8-for-13 on the homestand, improving Boston’s 2006 batting average by shortstops from .253 to .272.
Posted by Art June 23, 2006
Fighting the rainBOSTON -- It's raining in Boston, and the forecast isn't promising, but the Red Sox think they'll be able to play tonight's game against the Phillies. Rumblings are that if they have to postpone it, the game will be pushed back to Monday, which is an off-day for both teams. Tonight's lineups: BOSTON: PHILADELPHIA:
Posted by Art 'This game is going to go on for eternity'
PROVIDENCE -- In the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, April 19, 1981, Joe Morgan knew that baseball history was going to be set. Morgan, the manager of the Pawtucket Red Sox at the time, had been thrown out of his team's game against the Rochester Red Wings in the 22nd inning with the score tied, 2-2, for arguing with the umpires. It was a windy, cold night, and Morgan retreated to a runway directly behind home plate at McCoy Stadium to watch the rest of the action. ''The players were coming back there [between innings],'' Morgan related today at the Providence Marriott Hotel on Oms Street, ''moanin' [about the cold] like you can't believe. I knew there was no way anyone was going to score. I said to myself, 'This game is going to go on for eternity.' "Was I right?" Well, almost. Morgan and 15 of his former players -- along with his pitching coach, Cranston's Mike Roarke, and eight members of the opposing Red Wings -- gathered today at noon for a luncheon hosted by the PawSox honoring the 25th anniversary of the end of longest game in professional baseball history. The game was suspended after 32 innings at 4:07 a.m. on April 19 and resumed on the evening of June 23. When it did, Dave Koza singled home Marty Barrett in the bottom of the 33rd inning, giving the PawSox a 3-2 victory. Morgan and Barrett were part of a discussion panel about the game, hosted by Red Sox television announcer Don Orsillo, that included Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and Bruce Hurst, two other members of the '81 PawSox. ''I'd been a baseball fan since I was a kid,'' said Barrett, the team's second baseman who played with the Boston Red Sox from 1983-90, ''and I knew the longest game before that was 26 innings. So when we got to the 27th, I told everybody, 'We're playing in the longest game ever.' '' They had gotten that far because Boggs had driven in the tying run in the bottom of the 21st, after Rochester had scored in the top of the inning to take the lead. ''I didn't know if the guys on the team wanted to hug me or slug me,'' said Boggs, a career .337 hitter with the Red Sox from 1982-93. Hurst, one of the best left-handed pitchers in Red Sox history, worked the 28th through 32nd innings, allowing only two hits and striking out seven. He recalls striking out Rochester's Cal Ripken, another Hall of Famer, at about 4 a.m. on a 3-and-2 curveball. ''A 3-and-2 curve at 4 in the morning is a hard pitch to hit,'' joked Hurst. The entire roundtable discussion was light and lively, drawing laughter and appluase from the capacity crowd estimated at about 400 people. When Morgan pointed that the PawSox made only one error in 33 innings, Boggs retorted: ''That's because nobody was making contact!'' Boggs also recalled a phone call he made to his father in Florida the next morning. ''I got four hits last night,'' he said. ''Hey, you had a good game!'' his father replied. ''Well, I did it in 12 at-bats,'' he admitted. Barrett recalled that the statistics for the game didn't become official until the game ended, and many of the hitters were dreading the resumption because their batting averages would plummet when the numbers were included. ''I wasn't looking forward to that 2-for-12'' -- his performance in the game -- ''getting into the stats,'' he said. ''The pitchers, though, couldn't wait to get those numbers into the books,'' he said, since most of them pitched multiple scoreless innings. Dallas Williams, a former Red Sox coach who played for Rochester that night, had the worst numbers of all; he went 0-for-13. Williams was in attendance today, along with former Red Wings Jim Umbarger, Tom Eaton, Ed Putman, John Valle, Steve Grilli (the losing pitcher), Keith Smith and Allan Ramirez. The PawSox players at the luncheon, in addition to Boggs, Hurst, Barrett and Koza, included Jim Dorsey, Keith MacWhorter, Russ Quetti, Roger LaFrancois, Sam Bowen, Mike Smithson, Chico Walker, Luis Aponte, Russ Laribee, Ed Jurak and Mike Ongorato. Also on hand were Roarke, first-base umpire Tony Maners, and official scorer Bill George (whose scoreboard is on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame). Weather permitting, the festivities will continue before tonight's PawSox game against the Columbus Clippers. The ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. -- Journal sports editor Art Martone
Posted by Art Friday press notesFriday's pregame press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. deparment . . . DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION DYNAMIC DUO: Since the start of 2004, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez rank 1-2 in the majors in RBI and each rank in the top 4 in home runs: ABOUT THE SOX: The Red Sox play the 1st of 3 games with Philadelphia tonight, the middle series of a 9-game homestand versus the National League East…Boston has won a season high 6 straight games since losing in Minnesota on June 15…It is the 2nd longest current winning streak among major league teams (White Sox-7 straight)…Last longer win streak for the Sox was 7 victories in a row, July 27-August 4, 2005…Sox are 9-5 since June 8 and 12-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 42-28, Boston is a season best 14 games over .500 and has its best record after 70 games since 2002 (45-25/lost game 71)…Club was 40-30 and 2nd, 2 GB, after 70 contests a year ago . . . The Sox have held a 2-game advantage in the A.L. East for the past 4 days, their biggest advantage since a 2-game margin on May 28…Club has been in the top spot the last 6 days and has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 69 of 80 days in 2006 . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 3 straight, 9 of 11 and 14 of the last 19 games, the longer streak beginning May 4…Club’s .677 (21-10) home winning percentage is tied for 2nd in A.L. with Minnesota behind Chicago at .730 (27-10). SERIES SWEEPS: Sox have won all games in consecutive series at Atlanta and versus Washington, the 1st time team has swept back-to-back series of at least 3 games since going 3-0 versus both Minnesota and Kansas City, July 29-August 4, 2005…Was the 1st time that the team has ever swept consecutive series in interleague play. INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 8-1 versus the National League this season, winning 6 straight since a loss in Philadelphia on May 21…This ties the team’s longest win streak ever in interleague play, 1st accomplished from June 19, 2005-May 20, 2006…That matches the White Sox, Devil Rays, and Mariners for the best winning percentage (.889) in the majors in interleague play in 2006…Boston has won 12 of its last 13 and 17 of last 19 in interleague play starting June 12, 2005…Sox have .741 (20-7) winning percentage since start of 2005 in interleague action, matching the White Sox for best in majors . . . Sox are 85-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 48-36 at Fenway Park…Sox are 10-2 at home against N.L. teams since start of 2005, winning 4 straight and 9 of the last 10…Team has won its last 9 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 21-6 at Fenway Park vs. the N.L. BATTING NOTES: The Sox produced 20 runs and 33 hits in the final 2 games of the Washington series…Are team’s most hits in 2-game span since 33, June 12-13, 2005 vs. the Cubs (17) and Reds (16)…Team is 89-for-258 (.345) in last 7 games and has a .300 (332-for-1106) average over the last 31 contests improve season mark from .274 to .286, 3rd best in the league and the highest since May 28 (.284)…Sox are batting .343 (200-583) with 114 runs in last 17 games at Fenway Park and lead the league with a home batting average of .310 (327-1056) . . . Sox are batting .313 (302-966) in interleague games since the start of 2005, the best average among major league clubs in that span. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 10 games without an error, tying the club record for consecutive errorless games 1st accomplished from September 26-October 5, 1986…Have 3 miscues in the last 18 games and 12 errors over last 45 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 10 fewer than any other major league club (San Diego)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team through June 22 since research is first available beginning in 1960…Sox last led A.L. in team fielding for a season in 1950. CLIMBING FAST: Jonathan Papelbon has earned saves in his last 3 appearances and leads the A.L. with 23 saves, tying Doug Corbett (Minnesota-1980) and Huston Street (Oakland-2005) for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves…ML record is 37 by Seattle’s Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000…Has converted 23 of 24 save tries (95.8%), the best percentage in the majors among pitchers with at least 15 saves . . . Papelbon has pitched 19 scoreless innings in last 18 games since allowing only run this season on May 3 vs. Toronto…His 0.25 earned run average is the lowest in the majors among all pitchers who have worked at least 8 innings…Dennis Eckersley’s 0.61 era with Oakland in 1990 is the lowest earned run average in a season for a pitcher who has pitched at least 35 innings and at least 50 innings. 2006: Boston won the 1st 2 in a 3-game series at Citizens Bank Park, May 19-21…Loss on May 21 ended a 6-game Sox winning streak in the series, the 1st defeat since a loss at Fenway Park on June 26, 2004...Red Sox and Phillies are meeting for 4th season in a row and the 9th time in 10 years of interleague play since its inception in 1997 (every season except 2002). AT FENWAY: Sox and Phils meet for 1st time since Boston took 2 of 3, June 25-27, 2004…Sox have won 3 of last 4 here and have won last 2 Fenway series since dropping 2 of 3 in 1999. ALL-TIME: Boston leads the all-time series, 15-13, 8-6 at Fenway and 7-7 in Philly…The clubs also faced off in the 1915 World Series with Boston winning the final 4 games in a row to capture the series 4-1. MANNY RAMIREZ ranks 3rd all-time with 114 interleague RBI behind Carlos Delgado (128) and Jim Thome (118)..His 39 homers in interleague games are 4th most, trailing Thome (49), Delgado (41), and Rafael Palmeiro (41).…His 453 career homers are tied with Gary Sheffield for 29th alltime, one behind Thome. DAVID ORTIZ connected for his 5th career grand slam on Wednesday…All 5 have come at Fenway Park (1 with Minnesota; 4 with Boston), only the 3rd player in history to own at least 5 career slams and have hit them all in the same ballpark: Cecil Cooper, 5 at County Stadium in Milwaukee and Ken Williams, 5 at Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis (research by David Vincent)…Ortiz leads the A.L. with 64 RBI, 13 in his last 11 games. LOWELL AND THE PHILLIES: Mike Lowell had a pair of homers and 4 rbi in 2 games versus the Phillies in May…Has 24 career homers against Philadelphia, 11 more than he has versus any other team (Braves and Mets—13 each). STELLAR AT SHORT: Alex Gonzalez leads A.L. shortstops with a .995 (1 E/209 TC) fielding percentage and has gone 50 games since his lone miscue on April 9 at Baltimore, both a single season and overall team mark for a shortstop…Previous overall record was 48 games by Rico Petrocelli, September. 25, 1968-May 30, 1969.
Posted by Art Boggs joins ex-mates at Longest Game celebrationPROVIDENCE -- Hall of Famer Wade Boggs has joined many of his former teammates today to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the longest game in professional baseball history. Joining Boggs at the Providence Marriott for today's event are 13 of his teammates from the 1981 Pawtucket Red Sox, including pitcher Bruce Hurst and infielder Marty Barrett. PawSox manager "Walpole" Joe Morgan, who went on to manage the Boston Red Sox to two American League East titles, is also there. There was a luncheon earlier this afternoon; a roundtable discussion is now taking place featuring Boggs, Barrett, Hurst and Morgan, with master of ceremonies Don Orsillo. Weather permitting, the festivities will continue before tonight's PawSox game against the Columbus Clippers. The game is now on, according to the team's Web site; there is currently no plan to reschedule the ceremonies in the event of a postponement. In a game that started April 18, 1981, at McCoy Stadium, the PawSox and the Rochester Red Wings played 33 innings; the game had to be suspended and resumed on June 23. Dave Koza, who finally won the game for the PawSox with a base hit to left, is at today's luncheon, too. -- With reports from Journal sports editor Art Martone
Posted by Mike McDermott Phillies pitcher charged with assaulting wife in BostonBOSTON -- Philadelphia Phillies ace pitcher Brett Myers was arrested today and charged with assaulting his wife on a downtown street. Myers, 25, who was scheduled to pitch tomorrow against the Red Sox, got in an argument with his wife at about 12:20 a.m. at the corner of Boylston and Dalton streets, according to David Procopio, a spokesman for the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Myers' wife, Kim Wickman, and two witnesses told police the pitcher hit her. One witness said Myers also pulled her hair. Police responded to a 911 call and found Myers' wife crying, with a swollen face. They found Myers nearby and arrested him. He cooperated with police, Procopio said. He pleaded not guilty to assault charges at his arraignment today in Boston Municipal Court, Procopio said. His next court date is Aug. 4. Myers was scheduled to pitch against the Sox' Curt Schilling tomorrow afternoon. The Phillies open up a three-game series against Boston tonight. -- Associated Press
Posted by Andrea Panciera June 22, 2006
Sox sign first-round draft choice (from press release)The Boston Red Sox today announced the signing of the team’s first selection in the 2006 draft, outfielder Jason Place of Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina. Director of Amateur Scouting Jason McLeod made the announcement. Place, the 27th overall pick in the first round, has reported to the Gulf Coast Red Sox in Fort Myers, Florida in the Rookie Gulf Coast League. The Red Sox also announced the signings of left-handed pitcher Kris Johnson of Wichita State University, who was the 40th overall selection as a sandwich pick between the first and second round; the second round pick, right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson of San Diego State University, and the fourth round selection, catcher Jon Still of North Carolina State University. ''Jason Place is an athletic, power-hitting outfielder,'' said McLeod. ''We’re really excited to bring his type of potential impact into the organization.'' Place, 18, who was recommended by Red Sox scout Rob English, hit .463 (165-for-356) with 36 home runs, 124 RBI, 174 runs scored and 90 stolen bases in 136 career games over five seasons for Wren High School, spending the majority of his time as a centerfielder. Prior to the draft, the Easley, S.C. native signed a letter of intent to attend the University of South Carolina. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder was honored as the 2006 Gatorade High School Player of the Year and South Carolina Region 1-4A Player of the Year after batting .544 with six doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI and 32 runs scored. The righthanded batter posted a .895 slugging percentage and .711 on-base percentage, while stealing 10 bases for the Golden Hurricanes. Place also earned Region 1-4A Player of the Year and South Carolina All-State honors in 2005 after batting .541 with 14 homers, 25 RBI, 50 runs and 22 steals in 28 games. Johnson, who was recommended by Red Sox scout Ernie Jacobs, went 16-2 with a 2.94 ERA (47 ER/143.2 IP) in 32 career games (all but two as a starter) over two-plus seasons for Wichita State. The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder made a career-high 15 starts for the Shockers in 2006, going 6-2 with a 4.86 ERA (29 ER/53.2 IP). Masterson was 6-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 17 games (all but one as a starter) as a junior in 2006 for San Diego State. He recorded 108 strikeouts in 116.0 innings pitched, an average of 8.4 strikeouts per 9 innings. Masterson was recommended by Red Sox scout Dan Madsen. In his first season with North Carolina State in 2006 after transferring from Stetson University, Still batted .350 with 15 doubles, eight home runs, 58 RBI and 58 runs in 61 games. He was recommended by Red Sox scout Jeff Zona. Johnson, Masterson, and Still have all been assigned to class A Lowell of the New York-Penn League. The Red Sox have 17 draft selections from the 2006 First-Year Player Draft under contract. Boston also announced the signings of a pair of undrafted free agents, LHP Jeff Farrell of Southern Connecticut State University and RHP Will Mann of Florida Atlantic University. Farrell was assigned to Lowell with Mann going to the Gulf Coast Red Sox. -- RED SOX PRESS RELEASE
Posted by Art Minor-league reportThe Red Sox P.R. department's weekly minor-league report . . . RED SOX MINOR LEAGUE REPORT Highlights of the Week -- RHP Chris Jones (3-1, 2.66 ERA, 10 starts) and C Mark Wagner (.316, 6 HR, 30 RBI, 51 G) on Tuesday represented the Greenville Drive on the South squad at the South Atlantic League All-Star Game at Classic Park in Eastlake, OH. -- The Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks were crowned Carolina League Northern Division first-half champions…with a 35-35 record, the Blue Rocks finished 1.0 game ahead of Lynchburg (Pirates)…it marked Wilmington’s 9th division title in the last 13 seasons…the Blue Rocks have clinched an automatic playoff berth with their first-half title. -- OF Bryan Pritz was named Carolina League Offensive Player of the Week for the week of June 12-18…his line for the week: .480 (12-for-25), 2 2B, 3B, 8 RBI, 8 R, 4 BB, 2 SB, .640 SLG. His performance earned him a promotion to Double-A Portland from Wilmington on Tuesday…the 24-year-old was signed by the Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent in June of 2004. -- The Short-Season Single-A Lowell Spinners and Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Red Sox both kicked off their 2006 seasons on Tuesday…Lowell and the GCL Sox have both gone 1-1 in their first 2 games. Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox DUSTIN HIMSELF OFF: 2B/SS Dustin Pedroia has hit safely in 5 straight games, batting .458 (11-for-24) with 2 doubles, a home run, 5 RBI, 3 runs and 3 walks…in the process, the 22-year-old has lifted his batting average from .269 to .290, its highest point since April 23 (.304). Boston’s first pick (2nd round, 65th overall) in 2004 is batting .350 (28-for-80) in 19 June games. SO MACHADO TO SAY: 2B/SS Alejandro Machado is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak that began on June 6…during the tear, the 24-year-old is batting .372 (16-for-43) with 7 RBI and 4 runs to raise his season average from .218 to .254. ZINKERBALL: Knuckleballer RHP Charlie Zink has gone 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) in his last 3 starts…in those 3 outings, the 26-year-old has lowered his ERA from 6.87 to 3.96…Zink signed with the Sox as a free agent in April of 2001. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs WEST ACES THE TEST: 1B/DH Jeremy West has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games, batting .412 (14-for-34) with 5 doubles, 3 homers, 5 RBI and 9 runs scored…in those 10 games, he has lifted his average from .285 to .306, 6th-best in the Eastern League…he ranks 5th in the league with .384 on-base percentage. Boston’s 9th pick (7th round) in 2003 is batting .382 (21-for-55) in 17 games in June. MÀS MOSS: RF Brandon Moss has multi-hits in each of his last 4 games, going 9-for-18 (.500) with 3 doubles, a triple, a home run, 5 RBI and 7 runs scored…the 22-year-old reached base safely in 18 straight games from May 26-June 16…Boston’s 8th-round pick in 2002 is batting .400 (30-for-75) with 21 RBI and 20 runs in his last 22 games. Moss ranks 2nd in the league with 21 doubles and is tied for 4th with 43 RBI. KASON CLOSED: LHP Kason Gabbard has won each of his last 5 starts, posting a 1.45 ERA (5 ER/31.0 IP) in that span…the 24-year-old has tossed 7.0 shutout innings in both of his last 2 starts, fanning 10 with only 2 walks.
EL JEFE: 2B Jeff Natale has reached base via a hit or walk in all 20 of his games with the Blue Rocks since being promoted from Greenville on June 1…he owns a .429 on-base percentage despite a .270 batting average, drawing 16 walks in 20 games…the Trinity College product was selected by the Sox in the 32nd round last year. ELLS BELLS: CF Jacoby Ellsbury has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games, going 10-for-32 (.313) with 5 RBI, 4 runs and 2 stolen bases…the 22-year-old is leading the league with a .330 average in 45 games overall, while going 17-for-24 in stolen base attempts…Ellsbury was Boston’s first pick (First round, 23rd overall) in 2005. ACTION JACKSON: RHP Kyle Jackson has earned the win in 3 of his last 4 appearances to improve to 6-0 this season…the 23-year-old Nashua native boasts a 1.67 ERA (8 ER/43.0 IP) in 22 games out of the bullpen…the Sox’ 32nd-rounder in 2001 has 62 strikeouts in 43.0 innings, an average of 13.0 K’s per 9 innings. Single-A Greenville Drive CHRIS CAN’T MISS: LF Chris Turner is batting .400 (18-for-45) with 2 homers, 10 RBI and 6 runs scored in his last 13 games…Boston’s 17th pick (15th round) in 2003 ranks 5th in the league with 13 homers overall. CLAY-NATION: RHP Clay Buchholz has allowed just one earned run in 10.0 innings (0.90 ERA) over his last 2 starts (both no-decisions)…the Sox’ 3rd pick last year has gone 3-2 with a 3.27 ERA in 11 starts overall…he has 63 strikeouts in 52.1 innings for an average of 10.8 punchouts per 9 innings. Short-Season Single-A Lowell Spinners GCL Red Sox
Posted by Art Wednesday's postgame press notesThe postgame press notes from Wednesday night, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department . . . WEDNESDAY NIGHT PITCHING PITCHES STRIKES NATIONALS BOSTON RED SOX (42-28) MORE INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: With tonight’s win, the Red Sox have now won 17 of their last 19 interleague games beginning June 12, 2005, a whopping .895 winning percentage…Boston’s 6 interleague wins in a row match the franchise’s best streak established June 19, 2005 – May 20, 2006. A GRAND TIME HAD BY ALL: David Ortiz slugged his 5th career grand slam to give the Red Sox a 4-0 lead in the 2nd inning…all 5 of his grand slams have come at Fenway Park, one as a Twin on September 7, 2000 and the other 4 as a Red Sox…David’s slam tonight was his first since July 15, 2005 off the Yankees’ Buddy Groom . . . According to home run czar David Vincent, Ortiz is one of only 3 major leaguers to own at least 5 career grand slams and have all 5 come in the same ballpark…the others: Cecil Cooper, with 5 career slams at Milwaukee’s County Stadium, and Ken Williams, with 5 career slams in Sportsman’s Park in St. Louis…Cooper played from 1971-87, his first 6 seasons with the Red Sox…Williams played from 1915-29, his last 2 seasons with the Red Sox. PICKING UP THE PACE: David Ortiz now leads the American League with 64 RBI this season…he is on pace for 148 RBI, which would match his career high set in 2005…through 70 team games in 2006, Ortiz has 21 homers with 64 RBI…through 70 team games in 2005, Ortiz had 18 homers and 62 RBI. HIT PARADE: With 17 hits last night and 16 tonight, the Red Sox now have at least 16 hits in back-to-back games for the first time since June 12 at the Cubs (17 hits) and June 13 vs. Cincinnati (16) in 2005 . . . Also, the Red Sox now have 12 or more hits in 5 games in a row for the first time since June 7-12, 2003 (5 straight games). STREAKING OFF THE TOP: Kevin Youkilis singled in his first at-bat tonight to extend his hitting streak to 7 games, batting .355 (11-for-31) with 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI, 6 runs scored and 4 walks during the run…it is his 2nd-longest hitting streak of the season, 2 games shy of his 9-game run from May 24-June 2. . . . Mark Loretta went 3-for-5 to extend his hitting streak to 6 games…he is batting .429 (12-for-28) with 2 doubles, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored during the tear…Mark’s best hitting streak this season is a 15-gamer from May 15-31, also the longest by a Sox this season. LESTER SHINES: Sox starter Jon Lester limited the Nationals to one run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 10 in 6.0 innings…the 10 strikeouts are the most by a Red Sox rookie since Casey Fossum struck out 10 on September 18, 2002 vs. Cleveland…the 10 strikeouts are also the most by a Red Sox pitcher this season. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT: Alex Gonzalez went 2-for-4 and is now batting .341 (15- for-44) in 12 games in June, continuing positive monthly progressions this season that saw him hit .186 (13-for-70) in 21 games in April and bat .270 (20-for-74) in 22 games in May. WASHINGTON NATIONALS (32-42) ON THE HILL: Nationals starter Shawn Hill allowed 8 runs on 12 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 innings…he had combined to allow 8 earned runs in his first 4 starts this season (covering 26.0 innings) before allowing 8 earned runs tonight. 1,800 AND COUNTING: Royce Clayton tonight collected his 1,800th career hit with a 7th-inning single.
Posted by Art June 21, 2006
Paxton Crawford admits using performance-enhancing drugs
Baseball's steroids/human-growth-hormone/amphetamines controversy hit home today, as ex-Red Sox pitcher Paxton Crawford admitted in an article in ESPN The Magazine (subscription required) that he used all those performance-enhancing drugs while in the Boston system. Crawford pitched briefly the Red Sox in 2000 and 2001, and also pitched for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2000, '01 and '02. In an interview with Amy K. Nelson -- a freelance writer who has worked for The Providence Journal in the past -- Crawford said he first began using steroids during spring training in 1999. He said the drug was recommended to him by minor-league teammates as a means of reducing pain. ''They told me that if I took this stuff, it would make the pain go away and cut my recovery time in half,'' he told Nelson. ''Shoot, why not? I'm just a country boy; I didn't even think twice. It seemed like everybody else was doing it, so it wasn't a big deal, right?'' Crawford said his fastball immediately improved from the 92-93 mph range to 95-96 mph. ''But the biggest change for me was consistency,'' he told Nelson. ''My breaking pitches had more velocity and sharper break.'' Crawford pitched a no-hitter for the PawSox in 2000 -- a seven-inning effort at Ottawa in the first game of a doubleheader -- and made it to the majors later that year, pitching in seven games for the Red Sox with a 2-1 record and a 3.41 earned-run average. He earned a spot in the Sox' starting rotation in spring training 2001 . . . which is also when he began using human growth hormone. ''I was probably using the most back in 2001,'' he told Nelson. ''About that time I was getting pretty big, and another player introduced me to human growth hormone, which had started to make the rounds in the majors. ''I got a kit with two bottles: One was filled with some kind of water, and the other was filled with these tiny crystals. I put a few drops into the crystals and -- poof! -- it became liquid. I thought, 'Boy, what the hell are you putting into your body?' But I did it anyway.'' Crawford said he didn't like HGH and eventually stopped taking it ''because it cut me up. It was a fat burner, and it made my muscles really lean and tight.'' Because he also afraid of ''roid rage,'' he began reducing the amount of steroids he took, but then took amphetamines -- ''greenies'' -- to regain the adrenaline he lost by cutting back on steroids. ''That's why I think steroids are a gateway drug,'' said Crawford, referring to a drug that leads a person to other drugs. Crawford started quickly for the Sox in '01. He had a 1-0 record and 2.55 ERA in his first four starts. ''Back in 2001, I thought I was the man,'' he told Nelson. ''I had no shame, and I thought nobody could touch me.'' But it didn't last long. He began pitching erratically and was farmed out to Pawtucket in mid-May. By mid-June, he was on the disabled list because of a stress fracture in his lower back that he now thinks was related to steroid use. (Crawford also was sidelined by an injury he says happened when he fell out of bed and onto some glass, but asserts the serious back problems were unrelated to that incident.) Despite having surgery the back injuries never truly went away, and he never made it back to the big leagues. He is now out of baseball at age 28 after pitching the last two years in independent leagues. Crawford is the second Red Sox player to be linked to performance-enhancing drugs; in 2000, steroids were found in the glove compartment of the car of utility infielder Manny Alexander. And if what Crawford says is any indication, he probably won't be the last. ''I'll never name names,'' he told Nelson, ''but I know it wasn't just me. Steroids had a hold on the game. Guys were walking around like zombies.'' He told one story of pitchers who were on steroids. ''A lot of guys on juice would shave their chests and arms and walk around looking oily,'' he said. ''One time I remember a coach telling some of us, 'We don't want guys who look good on the beach. We want guys who can pitch!' '' For all the physical advantages he received from the drugs, Crawford says they also did damage to him emotionally. ''Baseball is mostly mental,'' he told Nelson, ''and all these things you're putting into your body are going to affect how you think. In 2001, that started happening to me. I was taking way too much stuff, and I'd get rattled. You can't get rattled in the big leagues. ''And then I messed up my back. I think the steroids had something to do with that, too.'' Nelson's interview with Crawford is online in the Insider portion of espn.com. It will also be available on newsstands this week. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Wednesday night lineupNo surprises in Wednesday night's Red Sox lineup; the only news is that Alex Gonzalez is back at shortstop and Alex Cora is back on the bench: BOSTON
Posted by Art Wednesday press notesWednesday's press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department . . . PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION
PCT W-L Team Since start of 2005, Boston is hitting an MLB best .309 (286-926) in interleague play and have outscored its N.L. foes, 159-104. Team ERA in this span is 3.89. ABOUT THE SOX: The Red Sox have won 5 straight games since losing in Minnesota on June 15…That matches the team’s longest winning streak of the season, accomplished twice previously, April 5-11 and May 4-9…Last longer win streak was 6 victories in a row, August 7-13, 2005…Sox are 8-5 since June 8 and 11-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 41-28, Boston is a season best 13 games over .500 and has its best record after 69 games since 2002 (45-24/lost game 70)…Club was 39-30 and 2nd, 2 GB, after 69 contests a year ago . . . The Sox have held a 2-game advantage in the A.L. East for the past 2 days, their biggest advantage since a 2-game margin on May 28…Club has been in the top spot the last 4 days and has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 67 of 78 days in 2006 . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 8 of 10 and 13 of the last 18 games, the longer streak beginning May 4…Club’s .667 (20-10) home winning percentage ranks 3rd in the A.L. behind Chicago at .714 (25-10) and Minnesota at .677 (21-10). INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 7-1 versus the National League this season, winning 5 straight since a loss in Philadelphia on May 21…That matches Detroit the for 2nd best winning percentage (.875) for A.L. team in 2006 interleague play behind Seattle at 7-0…Boston has won 11 of its last 12 and 16 of last 18 in interleague play starting June 12, 2005…Sox are 84-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 47-36 at Fenway Park…Sox are 9-2 at home against N.L. teams since start of 2005, winning 8 of the last 9…With wins in the 1st 2 games of this series, team has won its last 9 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 20- 6 at Fenway Park against the National League. BATTING NOTES: The Sox had 17 hits on Tuesday, team’s most in a game since having 21 on September 20, 2005 at Tampa Bay…Boston’s 11 runs last night were its most in a game since May 15 at Baltimore (11) and the 6th time this season club has scored at least 10 runs…Sox are 73-for-218 (.343) in last 6 games and have a .296 (316-for-1066) average over the last 30 contests improve season mark from .274 to .284, 5th best in the league and the highest since May 28 (.284)…Sox are batting .339 (184-543) with 105 runs in last 16 games at Fenway Park and lead the league with a home batting average of .306 (311-1016) . . . Sox scored 6 runs in the 2nd inning on Wednesday, their 2nd most productive frame of the season to a 7-run 3rd on April 19 against Tampa Bay…The 6 hits by Boston in that inning were a season best for any frame. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 9 games without an error, the team’s longest errorless streak since 9 games from July 30-August 8, 1993…The last time the team had an errorless streak of longer than 9 games was a 10-game span from September 26-October 5, 1986…Have 3 miscues in the last 17 games and 12 errors over last 44 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 8 fewer than any other major league club (San Diego)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team in a non-strike season through June 17 since research is first available beginning in 1960…Sox last led A.L. in team fielding for a season in 1950. CLIMBING FAST: Jonathan Papelbon has earned saves in his last 3 appearances and leads the A.L. with 23 saves, tying Doug Corbett (Minnesota-1980) and Huston Street (Oakland-2005) for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves…ML record is 37 by Seattle’s Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000…Has converted 23 of 24 save tries (95.8%), the 2nd best percentage in the majors among pitchers with at least 15 saves to Baltimore’s Chris Ray (18-18) . . . Papelbon has pitched 19 scoreless innings in last 18 games since allowing only run this season on May 3 vs. Toronto…His 0.25 earned run average is the lowest in the majors among all pitchers who have worked at least 7 innings . . . As a point of reference, Dennis Eckersley’s 0.61 era with Oakland in 1990 is the lowest earned run average in a season for a pitcher who has pitched at least 35 innings and at least 50 innings…The Red Sox club record for a season at those minimums is 1.00 by Dutch Leonard in 224 innings in 1914…ERA became an official statistic in 1912. MANNY RAMIREZ is 5-for-13 with a pair of doubles, 2 homers, and 3 RBI in this last 3 games…Manny’s 113 interleague RBI are the 3rd highest total ever behind Carlos Delgado (128) and Jim Thome (115) and his 39 homers ranks as 4th most…His 453 career homers are tied with Gary Sheffield for 28th all-time, tied for 4th among active players behind Barry Bonds (718), Ken Griffey (548), and Frank Thomas (464). FENWAY PERFECTION: The Red Sox have won all 8 games at home against the Expos/Nationals, sweeping 3-game series in 1998 and 2000 in addition to 2 victories in this series…Are the most wins without a regular season loss lifetime for the Sox at Fenway Park…Club is 3-0 all-time versus the Astros and Reds…Is the longest current home winning streak versus one team and longest since 8 consecutive Fenway wins versus Tampa Bay, July 19, 2005- April 19, 2006. STELLAR AT SHORT: Alex Gonzalez leads A.L. shortstops with a .995 (1 E/209 TC) fielding percentage and has gone 49 games since his lone miscue on April 9 at Baltimore, both a single season and overall team mark for a shortstop…Previous overall record was 48 games by Rico Petrocelli, September. 25, 1968-May 30, 1969. TIME CHANGE: The Red Sox-Orioles game on Saturday, August 12 at Fenway Park has been moved back from 7:05 to a 1:25 p.m. start to accommodate a FOX Saturday telecast…That game had been moved from day to night last month, but FOX once again picked up the contest after losing the Sox-Rangers game on June 10 due to the delayed start by rain. ROSTER MOVES: The Red Sox today acquired RHP Jason Johnson and a cash consideration from the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later or cash…To make room on the active roster, RHP Kyle Snyder was optioned to Pawtucket…In addition, OF Dustin Mohr, who was designated for assignment on June 16 while on option to Pawtucket, has elected free agency instead of accepting outright assignment to Pawtucket. MARTINEZ SELECTED TO FUTURES GAME ROSTER: Portland Sea Dogs RHP Edgar Martinez (1-3, 3.82) today was selected to play for the World Team at the 2006 XM Satellite Radio All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 9 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh…Sea Dogs manager Todd Claus will serve as a coach for the World team, the 2nd straight year he has participated in the event.
Posted by Art Sox acquire Indians' Johnson
The quote from the Cleveland Plain Dealer was prescient: "The surprising thing about the Indians dumping Jason Johnson on Tuesday isn't that they waited so long to do it. It's that GM Mark Shapiro feels he can trade him." The quote from Shapiro was surprising: "There are more than a few teams who have had interest," Shapiro said. "And they're contenders." The comment from Plain Dealer reporter Paul Hoynes was dismissive: "That a contender would want Johnson offers chilling evidence of the state of pitching in the big leagues. After winning his first two decisions this year, Johnson went 1-8. His career record is 55-94." And the end result, from the point of view of a Red Sox fan, was stunning: The Sox were that contender. They acquired Jason Johnson from the Indians this afternoon for cash or a player to be named later. Johnson, 32, is in his 10th year in the major leagues and his first with the Indians; he signed with Cleveland as a free agent last winter after posting back-to-back eight-win seasons with the Tigers. He spent most of his career with the Orioles (1999-2003), never winning more than 10 games in any season. He will replace Kyle Snyder on the Red Sox roster. Snyder, who was the winning pitcher in Monday night's win over the Nationals three days after being claimed on waivers from the Kansas City Royals, was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for Johnson. Johnson -- a diabetic who has managed to control his disease well enough to pitch in the major leagues -- is a back-end-of-the-rotation starter who depends more on guile and finesse than power. He started this season well, going 2-1 with a 3.41 ERA in his first four starts, but his downward spiral began when he allowed seven runs in two innings in a loss at Oakland on May 4. He's only won one game since then, on May 28, In his last four starts, he was 0-4 with a 6.35 ERA. The Indians have had an extremely disappointing season -- they expected to contend for the Central Division championship but are currently 15 games out of first place -- and struggling veteran free agents are frequently made the scapegoats when such a team stumbles. The Sox, seeking replacement for injured veterans David Wells and Matt Clement, are hoping Johnson can stablize the lower portion of their rotation. They're not looking for a Cy Young-type performance -- and good thing, too, because Johnson can't provide it -- but they're hoping he can be the type of six-inning/three- or four-run pitcher he's been for most his career. We'll have more when it becomes available. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Tuesday night's postgame notesThese are the postgame notes distributed by the Red Sox after Tuesday's game, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department . . . Tuesday, June 20, 2006 ● Fenway Park BOSTON RED SOX (41-28) STREAKING: The Red Sox have won a season-high 5 straight games for the 3rd time (also April 5-11 and May 4-9) to move to a season-best 13 games over .500 (have been 12 games over .500 6 times) . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 8 of 10 and 13 of their last 18 games. INTERLEAGUE IGNITION: The Red Sox improved to 7-1 vs. the National League this season, including wins in 5 straight games…Boston has won 11 of 12 and 16 of its last 18 in interleague play beginning June 12, 2005…with wins in the first 2 games of this series, the Sox have now won their last 9 home interleague series since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis from June 10-12, 2003. A-WAKE: Tim Wakefield won for the first time in his last 4 starts, limiting the Nationals to one run on 4 hits in 6.0 innings…he walked one and struck out 4 . . . Wakefield now owns a 2.38 ERA (9 ER/34.0 IP) in his last 5 starts…he is 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA (6 ER/33.2 IP) in 5 starts vs. the N.L. over the last 2 seasons…however, last night marked his first interleague win at Fenway since July 16, 2000 vs. Montreal. GETTING A BIT OFFENSIVE: The Red Sox last night set a single-game season high with 17 hits…they recorded at least 10 hits for the 4th straight game and for the 12th time in their last 16 contests…the club is batting .304 (175-for-576) in those 16 games . . . At Fenway Park, Boston now has 10 or more hits in 7 straight, 12 of 13 and 18 of their last 20 games…the Sox are batting .337 (155-for-460) in their last 13 home games beginning May 22. SECONDS, PLEASE: The Red Sox set a season high for hits in an inning with 6 in their 6-run 2nd inning…it marked the Sox’ 3rd inning this season with 6 or more runs (season high for runs in an inning is 7 in the 3rd inning on April 19 vs. Tampa Bay)…the Sox batted around in an inning for the 14th time in 2006. MARK IT DOWN: Mark Loretta drove in 3 runs last night after going without an RBI in his previous 16 games…before last night, his last RBI came on May 31 at Toronto . . . Loretta has hit safely in 5 straight games, going 9-for-23 (.391) to break out of a 1-for-10 slide in his previous 3 games. HOT TO TROT: Trot Nixon has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games, going 19-for-43 (.442)…he also has at least one hit in 14 of his last 16 contests, batting .436 (24-for-55) with 7 doubles, a home run, 9 RBI, 13 runs and 10 walks...in those 16 games, he has lifted his average from .288 to .327…last night marked his 4th game of 3 or more hits this season. HARD CORA: Alex Cora last night tied his career high with 3 runs scored (also June 7, 2000 with Los Angeles at Texas)…including 3 hits last night, he is now 5-for-6 (.833) with 4 RBI and 4 runs scored in his last 3 games…he is batting .380 (19-for-50) in his last 17 games with an at-bat beginning May 22 vs. New York…he has started 4 of the last 6 games. COCO’S CRISP: Coco Crisp’s 7th-inning homer was the first of his career at Fenway Park. DOUG IN DEEP: Doug Mirabelli snapped an 0-for-12 drought with his RBI double off the Monster in the 2nd. WASHINGTON NATIONALS (32-41) 20 IN 20 ALMOST DONE: The Nationals tonight close out a stretch of 20 games in 20 days that began on June 2 at Milwaukee…Washington has gone 10-9 in the first 19 games. NOT LIVAN LARGE: Livan Hernandez lasted just 1.2 innings, tied for the shortest start of his career (also July 3, 2002 with San Francisco at Colorado)…last night he was touched for 6 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks…he has lost each of his last 3 starts.
Posted by Art June 20, 2006
The kids are all rightAt least the Red Sox think so, judging by their latest move. Prior to tonight's game, manager Terry Francona told his corps of young relievers -- Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen (who was called up from Pawtucket immediately after last night's game) and Javy Lopez -- that they'll be shouldering more of the relief burden, starting immediately. Which means that, in concrete terms, we'll be seeing less Rudy Seanez and Julian Tavarez and more Delcarmen, Hansen and Lopez in the sixth and seventh innings, when, frequently, games are decided. There is not expected to be any change in the Timlin-in-the-eighth / Papelbon-in-the-ninth recipe for success that so far as worked very well for the Sox this season. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Tuesday night's lineupTuesday night's starting lineups have been posted: BOSTON: WASHINGTON:
Posted by Art Sox to honor 1986 A.L. champsThe Red Sox today announced that the club will honor Boston’s 1986 American League Championship team on Tuesday, June 27, when the Sox host the New York Mets at 7:05 p.m. at Fenway Park. Players and coaches from the 1986 squad will be honored in a pregame ceremony prior to the Red Sox-Mets game that night. Many of the members of that team will arrive in Boston on Monday and will participate in several other activities as part of the celebration of the 1986 A.L. champs. Invitations have been sent to all players and coaches that were members of the 1986 team at any point during the regular and/or post-season. Among those who have indicated they will tentatively participate are pitchers Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, Steve Crawford, Bruce Hurst, Tim Lollar, Al Nipper, and Joe Sambito; catcher Marc Sullivan, infielders Marty Barrett, Wade Boggs, Pat Dodson, Spike Owen, Ed Romero, and Dave Stapleton; outfielders Dwight Evans, Jim Rice, Mike Stenhouse, and LaSchelle Tarver; and coaches Walt Hriniak and Joe Morgan. Additions to this list will be announced as they are received. The 1986 Red Sox won the American League East Division with a 96-66 record. Boston then rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win an exciting seven-game American League Championship Series from the California Angels. The World Series also went seven games with the Mets winning the final two games at Shea Stadium to capture their second title. Barrett, Boggs, and Hurst will also be among the participants in the Pawtucket Red Sox’ 25th Anniversary Celebration of the longest game in major league history, which will take place this Friday, June 23 at McCoy Stadium. On June 23, 1981, the PawSox and Rochester Red Wings completed a 33-inning game that began on April 18 and was suspended after 32 innings tied at 2-2. Pawtucket would win the game, 3-2. -- RED SOX PRESS RELEASE
Posted by Art Tuesday's press notesThe highlights of Tuesday's Red Sox press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox P.R. department ABOUT THE SOX: The Red Sox opened this 9-game homestand with their 4th consecutive victory on Monday, the team’s longest winning streak since 4 straight victories, May 25-28…Season high is 5 straight wins on 2 occasions, April 5-11 and May 4-9…Sox are 10-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 40-28, Boston has moved a season best 12 games over .500 for the 6th time, the 1st since June 11 (36-24 after game 1)…Is best record after 68 games since 2002 (44-24/won game 69)…Club was 38-30 and 2nd, 3 GB, after 67 contests a year ago . . . The Sox extended their lead in the A.L. East to 2 games last night, their biggest advantage since a 2-game margin on May 28…Club has been in the top spot the last 3 days and has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 66 of 77 days in 2006 . . . Monday was Boston’s 22nd come-from-behind victory in 2006 with the last 2 victories coming in that fashion . . . At Fenway Park, the Sox have won 7 of 9 and 12 of the last 17 games, the longer streak beginning May 4 INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 6-1 versus the National League this season, winning 4 straight since a loss in Philadelphia on May 21…That matches Detroit the for 2nd best winning percentage for A.L. team in 2006 interleague play behind Seattle at 6-0…Boston has won 10 of its last 11 and 15 of last 17 in interleague play starting June 12, 2005…Sox are 83-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 46-36 at Fenway Park…Sox are 8-2 at home against N.L. teams sine start of 2005, winning 7 of the last 8…Entering the Nationals series, team has won its last 8 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 19-6 at Fenway Park against the National League. BATTING NOTES: The Sox are 56-for-179 (.313) in last 5 games and have a .291 (299-for-1027) average over the last 29 contests…Team is 5th in the A.L. in hitting at .281…Sox are batting .331 (167-504) with 94 runs in last 15 games at Fenway Park. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 8 games without an error, matching their longest errorless streak of season (May 9-19)…The last time the team had an errorless streak of longer than 8 games was a 9-game span from July 30-August 8, 1993…Have 3 miscues in the last 16 games and 12 errors over last 43 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 7 fewer than any other major league club (San Diego)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team in a non-strike season through June 17 since research is first available beginning in 1960…Sox last led A.L. in team fielding for a season in 1950. CLIMBING FAST: Jonathan Papelbon has earned saves in his last 3 appearances and leads the A.L. with 23 saves, tying Doug Corbett (Minnesota-1980) and Huston Street (Oakland-2005) for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves…ML record is 37 by Seattle’s Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000…Has converted 23 of 24 save tries (95.8%), the 2nd best percentage in the majors among pitchers with at least 15 saves to Baltimore’s Chris Ray (18-18) . . . Papelbon has pitched 19 scoreless innings in last 18 games since allowing only run this season on May 3 vs. Toronto…His 0.25 earned run average is the lowest in the majors among all pitchers who have worked at least 7 innings . . . As a point of reference, Dennis Eckersley’s 0.61 era with Oakland in 1990 is the lowest earned run average in a season for a pitcher who has pitched at least 35 innings and at least 50 innings…The Red Sox club record for a season at those minimums is 1.00 by Dutch Leonard in 224 innings in 1914…ERA became an official statistic in 1912. MANNY RAMIREZ has homered in consecutive game…His blast on Monday was the 453rd of his career, tying Gary Sheffield for 28th on the all-time list…Jose Canseco is next at 462…Manny passed Jim Thome and Carl Yastrzemski last night…It was Ramirez’ 39th home run lifetime in interleague play, passing Barry Bonds to move into 4th most alltime behind Thome (47), Carlos Delgado (41), and Rafael Palmeiro (41)…Manny’s 112 interleague RBI are the 3rd highest total ever . . . Ramirez is 5-for-32 (.156) in his last 9 games with 4 of the hits being home runs. SOX SIGN FOUR DRAFT PICKS: The Red Sox have signed 4 more selections from the 2006 1st Year Player Draft. Team has signed 13 players from the June draft. NATS NOTES: The Sox won the opener of the season’s series on Monday and are 9-7 lifetime versus the Expos/Nationals franchise…Teams had not played since Sox won 2 of 3 in Montreal, July 15-17, 2001 and have not met at Fenway Park since Sox swept a 3-game set, July 16-18, 2000. FENWAY PERFECTION: The Red Sox have won all 7 games at home against the Expos/Nationals, sweeping 3-game series in 1998 and 2000 in addition to Monday’s victory…Are the most wins without a regular season loss lifetime for the Sox at Fenway Park…Club is 3-0 all-time versus the Astros and Reds. WASHINGTON TRADITION: The Sox are facing a team based in the Nation’s Capitol for the 3rd time in its history…Sox and original Washington Senators played from 1901-60 with Boston holding a 664-610-11 advantage from 1903-60…Sox were 110-87 versus the expansion Senators from 1961-71 before team moved to Texas. STELLAR AT SHORT: Alex Gonzalez leads A.L. shortstops with a .995 (1 E/209 TC) fielding percentage and has gone 49 games since his lone miscue on April 9 at Baltimore, both a single season and overall team mark for a shortstop…Previous overall record was 48 games by Rico Petrocelli, September. 25, 1968-May 30, 1969. KYLE SNYDER became the 2nd Red Sox pitcher to win in his pitching debut with the club in 2006 with his victory over the Nationals on Monday…Josh Beckett accomplished that feat in his maiden outing with the Sox on April 5 at Texas…Snyder is the 14th different pitcher to win a game for the Red Sox this season…A total of 15 different pitchers won at least one game for Boston in 2005…He was the 9th different pitcher to start a game for the Red Sox in 2006, compared to 10 in all of 2005 and was the 21st pitcher to take the mound for Boston this season…Sox used 26 hurlers in 2005. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY: Billy Werber celebrates his 98th birthday today, the oldest living player who has appeared in a Red Sox uniform…Werber, born June, 20, 1908 in Berwyn, MD was an infielder for the Sox from 1933-36. LEADING OFF: Kevin Youkilis has a .436 on-base percentage as a leadoff hitter this season, 2nd best among all
Posted by Art June 19, 2006
No Papelbon tonightIn his pregame meeting with the media, manager Terry Francona announced that closer Jonathan Papelbon will not be available for tonight's game. Papelbon pitched three nights in a row in Atlanta, including a four-out save Sunday night, and Francona said he'll be getting a rest tonight. Francona stressed there's nothing physically wrong with Papelbon. But, just as the Yankees did with Mariano Rivera Sunday, they're not going to succumb to the pressure of overusing him . . . and risking injury. The Yankees' decision cost them a game Sunday, when Ryan Zimmerman hit a two-run, walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth off starter Chien-Ming Wang.
Posted by Art Farewell to J.T. SnowThe Red Sox cut their ties to first baseman J.T. Snow today, designating the veteran first baseman for assignment in order to make room on the roster for tonight's starting pitcher, Kyle Snyder. The Sox now have 10 days to trade or waive Snow. Snow, 38, was signed as a free agent in the offseason and it was anticipated he would, in a best-case scenario, share the first-base job with Kevin Youkilis. At the very least, it was felt he would serve as a late-inning defensive replacement for Youkilis, who had spent most of his career at third base. But Youkilis grabbed hold of the job by hitting well, and proved to be better defensively than anyone thought. Snow saw very little playing time, and didn't perform well when he did get on the field. His defensive skills, once of Gold Glove-caliber, had deteriorated, and he was only 9-for-44 (.205) at the plate. He and his agent asked for a trade last month, but the Red Sox couldn't find a taker. It's unlikely they'll find one now; the probable scenario is that the Sox will release Snow when the 10 days are up and he'll hook on with someone else. In that case, the Red Sox will be responsible for all but the minimum-salary portion of his $2 million salary. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Monday's starting lineupsMonday night's starting lineups have been posted: BOSTON:
Posted by Art Monday press notesHere are the highlights of Monday's press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox' P.R. department: DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION TWENTY HOMERS AGAIN: David Ortiz hit his 20th home run of HOME FOR A WHILE: The Red Sox begin a 9-game homestand this evening that includes 3 contests each with Washington, Philadelphia, and New York of the National League East…Boston was 3-3 on this roadtrip, opening with 3 losses in Minnesota before winning 3 in a row at Atlanta over the weekend…This is the team’s longest winning streak since 4 straight victories, May 25-28…Sox are 9-8 beginning May 31 . . . At 39-28, Boston has moved 11 games over .500 for the 1st time since June 11 (36-25)…Is best record after 67 games since 2004 (39-28/lost game 68)…Club was 37-30 and 2nd, 3 GB, after 67 contests a year ago . . . The Sox moved back into sole possession of 1st place on Sunday for the 1st time since June 12…Team has been in sole possession of or in a statistical tie for first place in the division for 65 of 76 days in 2006 . . . Sunday marked the 4th time this season that the Sox have won when trailing after 7 innings…It was Boston’s 21st come-from-behind victory in 2006. AT FENWAY PARK, the Sox have won 6 of 8 and 11 of the last 16 games, the longer streak beginning May 4…Boston returns home for 9 games after playing 15 of the last 19 and 24 of its last 36 games on the road, the longer span beginning May 9…Tonight is just the 2nd time in the last 7 weeks that the Sox have played a weekday (excluding Friday) home game…Team was also home the week of May 22-25. INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox are 5-1 versus the National League this season, all on the road (2-1 at Philadelphia, May 19-21 and 3-0 at Atlanta)…Matches Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, and Tampa Bay for 2nd best mark for A.L. team in 2006 interleague play behind Seattle at 6-0…Boston has won 9 of its last 10 and 14 of last 16 in interleague play starting June 12, 2005…Sox are 82-81 lifetime vs. N.L. in regular season, 45-36 at Fenway Park…Sox were 7-2 at home against N.L. teams in 2005, winning 6 of the last 7…Team has won its last 8 home series in interleague play since dropping 2 of 3 to St. Louis, June 10-12, 2003…Since that time, Boston is 18-6 at Fenway Park against the National League. BATTING NOTES: The 10 runs scored by the Red Sox on Sunday were the team’s most since an 11-1 win at Baltimore on May 15…Was the 5th time this season Sox have scored at least 10 runs…Club matched its season best for hits in an inning with 5 in the 8th inning last night with 6 runs in that frame one shy of 2006 high…Sox are 43-for-145 (.297) in last 4 games and have a .288 (286-for-993) average over the last 28 contests…Team is 6th in the A.L. in hitting at .280…Boston’s 3 homers on Sunday were team’s most since 4 on June 4 at Detroit…Sox are batting .328 (154-470) with 88 runs in last 14 games at Fenway Park. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 7 games without an error, 2nd longest streak of season (8 GMS, May 9-19)…Have 3 miscues in the last 15 games and 12 errors over last 42 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .991 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 7 fewer than any other major league club (San Diego)…Are the fewest errors for any major league team in a non-strike season through June 17 since research is first available beginning in 1960…Sox have not led A.L. in team fielding for a season since 1950. CLIMBING FAST: Jonathan Papelbon saved all 3 wins in Atlanta, the 3rd time this season he has earned save in 3 consecutive games (April 8-9-11; May 25-26-27)…Leads the A.L. with 23 saves, tying Doug Corbett (Minnesota-1980) and Huston Street (Oakland-2005) for 12th most ever by a rookie…Next on list is Dick Radatz (1962), who holds team rookie mark with 24 saves…ML record is 37 by Seattle’s Kazuhiro Sasaki in 2000…Has converted 23 of 24 save tries (95.8%), the 2nd best percentage in the majors among pitchers with at least 15 saves to Baltimore’s Chris Ray (18-18) . . . Papelbon has pitched 19 scoreless innings in last 18 games since allowing only run this season on May 3 vs. Toronto…His 0.25 earned run average is the lowest in the majors among all pitchers who have worked at least 7 innings. MANNY RAMIREZ snapped an 0-for-18 drought with his 452nd home run in the 4th inning on Sunday…That ties him with Jim Thome and Carl Yastrzemski for 29th on the alltime list, one behind Gary Sheffield…It was Ramirez’ 38th home run lifetime in interleague play, matching Barry Bonds for 4th most all-time…Manny’s 111 interleague RBI are the 3rd highest total ever . . . The 0-for-18 drought by Ramirez matched the 2nd longest hitless span of his major league career and was his longest since a career high 0-for-21 in 1998. WILMINGTON WINS: The Wilmington Blue Rocks won the Carolina League’s Northern Division 1st Half Title Sunday with a 4-3 victory over Winston-Salem. NATS NOTES: Sox are 8-7 lifetime versus the Expos/Nationals franchise…Teams have not played since Sox won 2 of 3 in Montreal, July 15-17, 2001 and have not met at Fenway Park since Sox swept a 3-game set, July 16- 18, 2000…Boston is 8-7 lifetime vs. Expos/Nationals franchise, winning all 6 games at home. WASHINGTON TRADITION: The Sox will face a team based in the Nation’s Capitol for the 3rd time in its history…Sox and original Washington Senators played from 1901-60 with Boston holding a 664-610-11 advantage from 1903-60…Sox were 110-87 versus the expansion Senators from 1961-71 before team moved to Texas…The last game at Fenway Park versus a team from Washington was played on September 26, 1971, when Jim Lonborg beat Dick Bosman, 8-1. STELLAR AT SHORT: Alex Gonzalez leads A.L. shortstops with a .995 (1 E/209 TC) fielding percentage and has gone 49 games since his lone miscue on April 9 at Baltimore, both a single season and overall team mark for a shortstop…Previous overall record was 48 games by Rico Petrocelli, September. 25, 1968-May 30, 1969. DYNAMIC DUO: David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez homered in the same game Sunday for the 6th time in 2006 and the 36th time overall…Sox are 32-4 in those games…Only active duos with more homers are Atlanta’s Andruw and Chipper Jones (51) and St. Louis’ Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols (43). KYLE SNYDER becomes the 9th different pitcher to start a game for the Red Sox in 2006, compared to 10 in all of 2005…He will be the 21st pitcher to take the mound for Boston as Sox used 26 hurlers in 2005 . . . At 6-feet-8, Snyder is believed to join a group of pitchers as the tallest Red Sox players to ever appear in a regular season game…The others: Gene Conley (1961-63), Steve Ellsworth 1988), and Mike Smithson (1988-89)…Any other contributions are welcome. HE’S BEEN EVERYWHERE: Kevin Youkilis has batted in 7 different slots with a .318 average this season…The only other ML qualifier currently batting .300 who has hit in as many spots in the order is Cleveland’s Casey Blake, who has started in 7 slots, hitting .304. FIRST PITCH TONIGHT: Two-time A.L. batting champ (1946-53) with the Washington Senators Mickey Vernon will throw out the ceremonial 1st pitch on Monday night…Vernon also played with the Red Sox in 1956-57.
Posted by Art June 16, 2006
Friday lineupThe lineup for Friday night's game: Coco Crisp CF Kevin Youkilis is getting the night -- or at least the start of it -- off, and Coco Crisp returns to the top of the order. -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art Sox recall Kapler, place Clement on DLATLANTA -- The Red Sox made a dizzying series of roster moves this afternoon, but the result at the major-league level was a one-for-one swap -- one player moving to the disabled list and another being promoted back from Pawtucket. The player placed on the disabled list was, as expected, starting pitcher Matt Clement. He was removed from Wednesday night's start at Minnesota after 4 2/3 innings because of shoulder pain, and was placed on the 15-day DL because of what was described as ''shoulder weakness''. Clement was scheduled to start Monday night's game at Fenway Park against the Washington Nationals. As of late this afternoon, they have yet to announce a replacement starter. The player recalled was outfielder Gabe Kapler. Kapler, recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered late last season, was batting .200 (3-for-15) in four rehab games with the PawSox. The Sox also claimed pitcher Kyle Snyder off waivers from Kansas City, but have yet to assign him to a roster in the organization. They have 72 hours to do so. Snyder has spent most of the season at Triple-A Omaha, posting an 0-4 record but with a 3.88 ERA in 10 games, 9 of them starts. In his one appearance with the Royals in 2006 he allowed 10 hits and 9 runs, 5 of them earned, in 2 innings. His career record in the major leagues is 2-9 with a 5.64 ERA. The Sox had to purchase Kapler's contract to add him to the 40-man roster. To make room for Kapler and Snyder on the 40, the Sox designated relief pitcher Mike Holtz (who had started a rehab assignment at Pawtucket) and outfielder Dustan Mohr (who had been demoted to the PawSox last month) for assignment. The Sox have 10 days to trade or waive the two players; otherwise, they will automatically become free agents. -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art FRIDAY: Red Sox press notesPregame Red Sox press notes, courtesy of the Red Sox P.R. department . . . DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION THE LEADOFF GUY: Kevin Youkilis returned to the leadoff spot in the Boston order the last 2 nights for the 1stt time since May 29 . . . Among major leaguers with at least 100 at bats in the leadoff, Youkilis has the 2nd-best on-base percentage: Player, Team OBP Youkilis is 2nd among major league ABOUT THE SOX: The Red Sox open a 3-game in Atlanta tonight, the 2nd and final stop on this 6-game roadtrip…Boston lost all 3 games in Minnesota to open the trip and has dropped a season high 4 straight overall since defeating Texas in the opener of Sunday’s split doubleheader at Fenway Park…Is the team’s longest losing streak since 4 consecutive defeats, May 24-27, 2005…Last longer streak was 5 losses in a row, May 1-4, 2004…Is also the longest current losing streak among A.L. teams…Sox have lost 5 of 6 and are 6-10 beginning May 29 . . . At 36-28, the Sox have dropped to 8 games SWEPT AWAY: The 3 losses in Minnesota marked the 1st time that the Sox have lost all games of a series that lasted more than one contest since going 0-3 in Toronto, May 24-26, 2005…The only other time Boston has been swept since the start of 2005 was 2 losses to Baltimore, April 25-26, 2005 at Fenway Park…In the last 2 years, the club has also lost a pair of single game series, both in Boston, Sept. 5, 2005 to Chicago and May 13, 2006 to Texas…Was the 1st time that the Sox had been swept by the Twins since 3 defeats, August 8-10, 1994 at the Metrodome. INTERLEAGUE PLAY: The Red Sox won the 1st 2 of a 3-game series in Philadelphia, PITCHERS PRODUCTIVE AT PLATE: Boston pitchers were 3-for-9 with a homer and two RBI in the 3 games at Philadelphia in May…As a comparison, all other A.L. pitchers are a combined 4-for-36 with two RBI versus the N.L. in 2006… Josh Beckett’s homer on May 20 against the Phillies was the 1st long ball by a Red Sox pitcher since Marty Pattin went deep on Sept. 26, 1972 versus Milwaukee and the 1st by an A.L. pitcher since Kansas City’s Zack Greinke, June 10, 2005 at Arizona…Red Sox starting pitchers have hit safely in 3 of 4 and 6 of the team’s last 8 road interleague games beginning June 11, 2005…Since start of 2005, Sox pitchers have a .258 (8-31) batting average. BATTING NOTES: Sox were 26-for-112 (.232) with just 6 runs scored in the 3 games in Minnesota and went 5-for-24 with runners in scoring position…Club has a .288 (255-for-886) average over the last 25 contests to improve season figure from .274 to .279, 5th-best in the A.L….Sox did not earn a walk on Thursday for 1st time this season and 1st since August 18, 2005 at Los Angeles Angels, yet lead the league with 275 walks and rank 3rd with a .362 on-base percentage…Sox are batting .266 on the road, 9th in the A.L. and rank 2nd in the A.L. with 186 runs and 51 homers away from home. STARTING SLOW: Johan Santana, Brad Radke, and Carlos Silva limited the Red Sox to 2 runs in 20.0 innings in the 3 games at the Metrodome…in the last 7 games, opposing starters have gone 3-0 with 4 no-decisions and a 2.64 ERA (13 ER/44.1 IP)…Last opposing starter to lose to Sox was New York’s Jaret Wright, June 8 at Yankee Stadium. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have gone 4 games without an error and have 3 miscues in the last 12 games and 12 errors over last 39 contests beginning May 1…Boston leads the majors with a .990 fielding percentage with 23 total errors being 6 fewer than any other major league club (San Francisco)…Is the fewest errors for any major league team in a non-strike season through June 15 since research is first available beginning in 1960 . . . Alex Gonzalez leads A.L. shortstops with a .995 (1 E/206 TC) fielding percentage and has gone 47 games since his lone miscue on April 9 at Baltimore, a single season Sox record for a shortstop, one more than Glenn Hoffman, July 31-Sept. 26, 1982.…Overall team mark is 48 games by Rico Petrocelli, Sept. 25, 1968-May 30, 1969. 2005 AND TRENDS: The Red Sox won 2 of 3 in the lone 2005 series, May 20-22 at Fenway Park, Boston’s 1st winning season vs. the Braves since 1998…Sox won just 2 of 9 meetings in 2002 and 2004…Club’s last visit to Turner Field was July 2-4, 2004, when Sox were 1-2. ALL-TIME: The Red Sox trail in the all-time series, 23-13…Boston is 5-13 at Fenway Park and 8-10 at Turner Field . . . The Sox are 2-5-1 in the 8 season series with Atlanta, winning in 1998 and 2005 by 2-1 counts…Sox and Braves split 6 games in 2001. IT’S BEEN A RELIEF: Jonathan Papelbon had his string of 20 consecutive save conversions to start the season snapped in his last save opportunity on June 9 vs. Texas…Was the 2nd blown save of his career, the other on August 27, 2005 vs. Detroit…Is leading the A.L. with 20 saves, 4 shy of the team rookie record by Dick Radatz in 1962 . . . Papelbon has worked a Red Sox season-high 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings in 15 games since issuing his only run of the season on May 3 versus Toronto…His 0.28 earned run average is the lowest among all major league pitchers who have worked at least 8 innings and is the lowest by a big league hurler (20 or more IP) through June 15 since Anaheim’s Brendan Donnelly had a 0.26 ERA (2 R/1 ER/34.2 IP) in 2003. NATIONAL GAMES: The Red Sox and Braves will play a pair of National TV games this weekend…Saturday’s game will go to approximately 55% of the USA as the FOX Game of the Week…Sunday the clubs close the series as the ESPN National Night Game…NESN will have carried all 65 Sox games in 2006 to that point…Last Saturday versus Texas was supposed to be on FOX but with late start, the game was shifted to NESN. MANNY RAMIREZ: has 37 homers in interleague play, tied with Sammy Sosa for 4th-most all-time, and 110 RBI, 3rd-most in history.
Posted by Art June 15, 2006
More on Javier LopezMINNEAPOLIS -- Javier Lopez will be here tonight and available to pitch in tonight's game against the Twins. He will wear No. 48. General manager Theo Epstein, in a conference call discussing the Lopez-for-David Riske trade, admits that building a bullpen is ''not something we’ve been particularly good at lately''. But he thinks Lopez will help, because he describes the left-hander as ''a guy who's a very uncomfortable at-bat for lefties, but he's not a guy you have to always yank out of there after a third of an inning. The way our bullpen's evolved, there's certainly a role for somebody like that.'' He said Riske was expendable because ''he was certainly behind other right-handers in a similar role.'' ''In the long run,'' added Epstein, ''clearing up a bit of that logjam will help us get a look at some younger guys that we want to see pitch in the big leagues.'' It is known the Sox have been after Lopez for a while, and those efforts to acquire him intensified when Keith Foulke went on the disabled list. Peter Gammons said today on WEEI that the White Sox originally wanted Rudy Seanez, but the Red Sox refused to trade him. Epstein also said the team is actively seeking to acquire another starting pitcher, either from within or outside the organization, and ''we are exploring all options.''
Posted by Art Red Sox Thursday press notesRed Sox press notes for Thursday: DATE OPP. BOS TIME RED SOX STARTER OPPOSING STARTER TELEVISION YOUK MOVEMENT: Kevin Youkilis last night batted in the leadoff spot for the first time since May 29, going 2-for-4 with a double. . . he has a .442 on-base percentage (53 hits, 32 walks, 2 HBP in 197 plate appearances) in 41 games as Boston’s leadoff hitter, the 2nd-best mark among major league leadoff hitters (Toronto’s Reed Johnson leads with a .455 OBP). Youkilis ranks among the top 5 in the A.L. this season in on-base percentage and walks: Walks DAVID'S DAMAGE: Last night marked David Ortiz’s 500th game with the Red Sox. . . since joining the Sox in 2003, Ortiz ranks at or near the top of many key offensive categories: MAJOR LEAGUE LEADERS
BATTING NOTES: Sox are batting .292 (74- for-253) in the last 7 games and have a .287 (243-for-848) average over the last 24 contests to improve season figure from .274 to .279, 5th-best in the A.L. . . .Sox lead the league with 275 walks and rank 3rd with a .363 on-base percentage. . . Sox are batting .264 on the road, 9th in the A.L. and have the 2nd-most away homers at 51, 2 less than Detroit. . . Club’s 183 runs away from home are 2nd-most in the league. STARTING SLOW: Twins starting pitchers Johan Santana (8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 13 K) and Brad Radke (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER) have limited the Red Sox to 2 runs in 14.0 innings (1.29 ERA) over the last 2 night. . . in the last 6 games, opposing starters have gone 2-0 with 4 no-decisions and a 3.05 ERA (13 ER/38.1 IP). . . the last opposing starter to take the loss was New York’s Jaret Wright one week ago, June 8 at Yankee Stadium. WITH THE GLOVE: The Red Sox have 3 errors in the last 11 games and lead the majors with a .990 fielding percentage. . . Club has just 12 miscues in 38 games beginning May 1. . . Boston’s 23 total errors are 6 fewer than any other major league club (San Francisco and Oakland). INTERLEAGUE INTRIGUE: Beginning this weekend in Atlanta, the Red Sox play their next 5 series against National League opponents. . . Boston has won 6 of 7 and 11 of its last 13 interleague games starting June 12, 2005. . . the Sox are 79-81 vs. the N.L. in the regular season since interleague play began in 1997, 35-45 on the road. . . Boston had won a club-record 6 straight road interleague contests before dropping the finale of the 3-game series in Philadelphia on May 21 . . . The Sox have gone 13-23 (.361) in 36 interleague games against the Braves, including an 8-10 (.444) mark at Turner Field. . . the 2 clubs met most recently from May 20-22 of last season at Fenway Park, with the Red Sox winning 2 of 3. DID YOU KNOW? The Twins have connected for a grand slam in both of the first 2 games of the series (Jason Kubel on Tuesday and Justin Morneau last night). . . it marks the first time the Red Sox have given up a grand slam in consecutive games since 2000 (July 30 at Oakland and July 31 at Seattle). . . the Athletics’ Sal Fasano and the Mariners’ Jay Buhner victimized the Sox in those contests. RECENTLY: Sox have lost 4 of 5 to the Twins, all in Minnesota, beginning August 5, 2005. . . Boston is 4-4 against Minnesota since start of 2005 but 14-18 in the series beginning 2001. . . In that longer span, club is 5-12 at the Metrodome, going 1-2 in each year from 2001-05. ALL-TIME: The Twins lead the all-time series 275-265. . . The Sox enjoy a 154-115 advantage at Fenway Park but are 111-160 on the road, including a 53-73 record at the Metrodome since 1982. IT’S BEEN A RELIEF: Jonathan Papelbon had his string of 20 consecutive save conversions to start the season snapped in his last save opportunity on Friday vs. Texas. . . Was the 2nd blown save of his career, the other on August 27, 2005 vs. Detroit. . . Is leading the A.L. with 20 saves, 4 shy of the team rookie record by Dick Radatz in 1962 . . . Papelbon has worked a Red Sox season-high 16.0 consecutive scoreless innings in 15 games since issuing his only run of the season on May 3 versus Toronto. . . His 0.28 earned run average is the lowest among all major league pitchers who have worked at least 8 innings and is the lowest by a big league hurler (20 or more IP) through June 14 since Anaheim’s Brendan Donnelly had a 0.26 ERA (2 R/1 ER/34.2 IP) in 2003. GONZALEZ STREAK: Alex Gonzalez leads all A.L. shortstops with a .995 fielding percentage (1 E/203 TC), trailing only San Francisco’s Omar Vizquel (.996) in the majors. . . Has gone 46 games since committing his lone error on April 9 at Baltimore. . . That is tied for the longest single-season errorless streak by a Boston shortstop: 46—Glenn Hoffman, 7/31-9/26/82 The overall Sox mark is 48 games by Petrocelli over 2 years, 9/25/68-5/30/69. STRIKING OUT: Red Sox pitchers last night did not record a strikeout in a
Posted by Art Red Sox swap relief pitchersThe Boston Red Sox, following three straight implosions by their bullpen, have traded reliever David Riske to the Chicago White Sox for another reliever, 28-year-old left-hander Javier Lopez. It has been known that the Red Sox were interested in acquiring Lopez. The team actually selected Lopez in the 2002 Rule V player draft, but he was traded to the Colorado Rockies before ever playing in a Red Sox uniform. Lopez has appeared in 171 major league games with the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks, posting a 6.09 E.R.A. He has pitched with this season with the White Sox' Triple A team in Charlotte, going 2-1 with 12 saves and a 0.55 E.R.A. The Associated press reports that Lopez is likely to be in uniform when the Red Sox play the Minnesota Twins tonight. He will be the only left-hander in the Boston bullpen. Riske, a 29-year-old right-hander, joined the Red Sox this past offseason and has seen limited time because of injury problems. He came from Cleveland as part of the trade that also brought Coco Crisp and Josh Bard to town. Bard has since departed in yet another trade.
Posted by Mike McDermott THURSDAY: Quick thoughts from McAdamMINNEAPOLIS -- Quick thoughts prior to heading to the ballpark: -- Matt Clement will have an MRI in Boston today to see what's wrong with his right shoulder, which forced him out of last night's game after 4 2/3 innings (and was the second time in three starts that he had to leave a game because of arm discomfort). Both Clement and Terry Francona tried to be optimistic after last night's game, but odds are very strong Clement will have to at least skip a start or, in all probability, spend some time on the disabled list. -- Clement has failed to strike out any hitters in two of his last three starts, which is another warning sign about his diminishing effectiveness. -- Now short of pitching, the Sox are monitoring what's out there. But mid-June is a time when teams aren't quite ready to make moves, and what little pitching out there is ridiculously overpriced. It's possible that later in the trading season such pitchers as Livan Hernandez (Washington), Barry Zito (Oakland) and Dontrelle Willis (Florida) will become available, but you can imagine what the price is going to be. -- Most people in the organization think David Wells will attempt a comeback, but it's hard to know if he'll be able to contribute anything. -- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art THURSDAY: Red Sox' minor-league report (from Sox' PR department)The weekly Red Sox minor-league report, courtesy of the Red Sox' public-relations department: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Outfielder David Murphy (Triple-A Pawtucket) earned International League Player of the Week honors for the period ending June 11. . . the 24-year-old batted .400 (10-for-25) with 3 doubles, 2 triples and 2 homers in 7 games last week, posting a .920 slugging percentage thanks to the 7 extra-base hits. . . last Sunday, Murphy’s 8th-inning, 3-run homer brought the PawSox back from a 2-1 deficit and led the club to a 5-2 win vs. Richmond . . . Since his promotion to Triple-A last month, Murphy has hit .338 with 3 home runs and 13 RBI in 18 games, and he enters tonight riding an 11-game hitting streak (.381, 16-for-42). . . Boston’s first-round selection in the 2003 Draft (17th overall), Murphy was Boston’s 2005 Minor League Defensive Player of the Year after committing only 4 errors in 135 games for Double-A Portland . . .Outfielder Gabe Kapler was promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket and made his season debut Monday vs. Richmond. . . in 3 Triple-A games, Kapler is 2-for-9 with a double and 2 RBI. . . he played last weekend for Double-A Portland, batting .400 (4-for-10) with 3 doubles, a triple and 2 RBI in 3 games for the Sea Dogs. . . Kapler ruptured his left Achilles’ tendon last September 14 in Toronto.
International League North Division 32-32, 3rd Place, 8.0 Games Back HOLTZ ON: LHP Mike Holtz, on Boston’s 15-day disabled list recovering from a left elbow strain, is on rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket. . . in 2 appearances this week with Pawtucket, the southpaw has allowed one run on 2 hits and a walk with 4 strikeouts in 1.2 innings. . . Holtz posted no record with a 16.20 ERA (3 ER/1.2 IP) in 3 relief appearances with the Red Sox before going on the disabled list May 19 (retroactive to May 17). GINTER’S TOUGH LUCK: RHP Matt Ginter Tuesday night dropped to 3-8 following a tough 1-0 setback at Norfolk. . . Ginter boasts a 3.52 ERA (30 ER/76.2 IP) in his 13 starts this season and has walked 16 batters in 76.2 innings, an average of only 1.9 walks per 9 innings. . . in his last 6 losses, the PawSox have scored a total of 9 runs, including a 4-0 complete-game loss June 3 at Louisville and Tuesday’s 1-0 loss. SEE YOU, SERRANO: RHP Jimmy Serrano was granted his release this week so that he could sign with a professional team in Korea. . . in his last 7 starts, Serrano had allowed one earned run in 39.2 innings, good for a 0.23 ERA in that span. . . overall this season, Serrano went 4-5 with a 2.50 ERA (20 ER/72.0 IP) in 13 games, 11 as a starter. WALKS GALORE: The PawSox lead the International League with 266 walks, 26 more than their next closest competitors (Columbus and Buffalo have 240 walks this season apiece). TIME TO CELEBRATE: On June 23, Pawtucket celebrates the 25th Anniversary of The Longest Game ever played in professional baseball with a reunion luncheon at the Providence Marriott at Noon. . . attending the luncheon are former PawSox 3B and Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs (who celebrates a birthday today), Red Sox Hall of Famers Bruce Hurst and Joe Morgan, and several other team members from both the 1981 PawSox and Rochester Red Wings who participated in the famous 33-inning game at McCoy Stadium. . . Red Sox NESN broadcaster and former PawSox radio broadcaster Don Orsillo will serve as Master of Ceremonies. . . tickets for the luncheon are available by calling (401) 724-7300 to reserve a table. . . tables of 10 are priced at $1,000 and all proceeds benefit the PawSox Charitable Foundation. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Eastern League Northern Division 37-23, First Place, 7.0 Games Ahead .303 FOR SPANN: Chad Spann is batting .429 (18-for-42) with 4 doubles, a triple, a homer and 8 RBI in his last 11 games to lift his batting average to .303, its highest point of the season. . . Spann was selected in the 5th round of the 2002 Draft. STREAK SNAPPED AT 10. . . : Portland last night saw its 10-game winning streak come to a close with an 8-4 loss at Bowie. . . the 10-game run matched their longest in franchise history. . . the Sea Dogs previously won 10 in a row to start the 2005 campaign. . . thanks to the streak, Portland has extended its lead in the Eastern League’s Northern Division to 7.0 games. AND TYLER’S, TOO: Outfielder Tyler Minges went 0-for-4 last night to his season-best hitting streak at 10 games. . . he batted .474 (18-for-38) with 5 doubles, 2 homers, 7 RBI and 13 runs scored during the run. . . thanks to a walk, however, Minges has now reached base safely in 13 straight games. . . overall this season with Portland, Minges is batting .336 with 9 doubles, 3 homers and 17 RBI in 30 games. HE DOES GOOD WORK: RHP Matt Goodson won his Double-A debut Tuesday at Bowie, limiting the Bay Sox to one run on 3 hits and a walk in 6.0 innings, fanning 4 in Portland’s 9-3 win. . . he retired 13 of his final 14 batters faced en route to victory. . . Goodson, 23, was Boston’s 23rd round pick in the 2004 Draft. . . he is 0-3 despite a 3.83 ERA in 8 starts for Single-A Wilmington this season. AN A.J. SIGHTING: Former Sea Dogs pitcher A.J. Burnett is scheduled to make a rehab start against the Sea Dogs Saturday in New Hampshire. Single-A Wilmington Blue Rocks Carolina League Northern Division 31-35, Tied for 2nd Place, 2.0 Games Back SPECIAL K: RHP Kyle Jackson, a 23-year-old native of Nashua, NH, is 4-0 with one save and a 1.93 ERA (8 ER/37.1 IP) in 19 relief appearances. . . he has struck out 54 in 37.1 innings, an average of 13.0 strikeouts per 9 innings. . . Jackson has allowed just one home run in 37.1 innings and is limiting foes to a .147 batting average. DON’T WALK: LHP Justin Sturge, 25, is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA (6 ER/38.0 IP). . . Boston’s 12th round draft pick in 2003 has walked only 9 batters in 38.0 innings, an average of 2.4 walks per 9 innings. . . he has yet to allow a home run in 38.0 innings pitched this season. BEAU KNOWS BEAU: RHP Beau Vaughan tossed 2.1 scoreless relief innings last night to help the Blue Rocks to a 5-4, 12-inning win at Potomac. . . Vaughan has not allowed a run in his last 5 outings, covering 10.2 innings, and has a pair of wins in that span (including last night). . . in the last 5 appearances, Vaughan has struck out 11 and walked only one in the 10.2 frames. ALL NATALE: Since his promotion from Single-A Greenville last month, INF Jeff Natale has reached base safely in all 14 games with Wilmington. . . selected by the Red Sox in the 32nd round of the 2005 Draft out of Trinity College, the 23-year-old is a native of New Haven, CT and resides in Hamden. WHAT A GUY! RHP Kevin Guyette made his Wilmington debut last night and allowed just 2 runs on 3 hits (2 solo homers) and one walk in 5.0 innings, fanning 5. . . he left in line for the win but Potomac came back to tie the game off Wilmington’s bullpen. . . the Blue Rocks won 5-4 in 12.0 innings. . . he was promoted from Greenville, where he went 5-2 with a 3.88 ERA (22 ER/51.0 IP) in 13 appearances, 8 as a starter to begin the year. . . with the Drive, Guyette allowed just one home run in 51.0 innings. Single-A Greenville Drive South Atlantic League Southern Division 33-31, 5th Place, 7.0 Games Back START ME UP: Greenville’s starting rotation currently features 4 pitchers who boast an ERA below 4.00. . . RHP Michael Bowden is 4-3 with a 3.98 ERA in 12 starts, RHP Clay Buchholz is 3-2 with a 3.61 ERA in 10 starts, RHP Chris Jones is 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 10 starts and LHP Mike Rozier is 4-2 with a 3.98 ERA in 11 starts. A GREAT CATCH: Mark Wagner, recently named to the 2006 South Atlantic All-Star team as the Southern Division’s catcher, is batting .307 with 6 homers and 30 RBI in 45 games this season. TIM TERRIFIC: LHP Tim Cox is 2-3 with a 2.85 ERA (15 ER/47.1 IP) in 16 relief appearances this season. . . the Sydney, Australia native has walked only 7 batters in 47.1 innings, an average of 1.3 walks per 9 innings. . . he has pitched 3.0 innings or more 12 of his 16 outings this season, including each of his last 3 with a 2.00 ERA (2 ER/9.0 IP). A STRONG DEBUT: LHP Ryan Phillips made his 2006 debut for the Drive Sunday at Charleston after missing the season’s first 62 games with a right intercostals strain. . . despite taking the loss, Phillips allowed only 2 runs (one earned) on 3 hits and 3 walks in 3.2 innings, fanning 4 in Greenville’s 2-1 setback. . . the Red Sox selected Phillips, 22, in the 11th round of the 2004 Draft. THIS IS ZOO!PER! For those in Greenville, the “Zoo!perstars” will appear at West End Field this Saturday to help celebrate Father’s Day Weekend as the Drive host Asheville. . . the Zoo!perstars are “a crazy combination of animalistic superstars” who together form a “zany, lovable act that has been wowing fans since 1998”. . . Zoo!perstars scheduled to appear include Harry Canary, LeBronco James, Shark McGwire, Clammy Sosa and Tiger Woodschuck.
Posted by Art June 14, 2006
Wednesday, June 14: LineupThe lineup for Wednesday night's game: Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Posted by Art Wednesday, June 14: Pregame notesSome of the highlights of tonight's pregame press notes: UPCOMING PITCHING MATCHUPS WALK-OFF SLAMS ABOUT THE SOX BONUS FRAMES BATTING NOTES WHIFFS ARE PLENTIFUL WITH THE GLOVE MANNY AND RADKE JASON VARITEK TO THE BULLPEN GOES THE DECISIONS THE RED SOX AND TWINS IT’S BEEN A RELIEF GONZALEZ STREAK CURT SCHILLING ALSO: Clickhere for the latest version of the Pawtucket Red Sox press notes. The PawSox were rained out in Norfolk Wednesday night and will play a doubleheader Thursday, beginning at 6:15 p.m.
Posted by Art June 13, 2006
Foulke placed on DL, Van Buren recalledWell, it turns out there was a reason Keith Foulke was lit up like a Christmas tree over the weekend. And it had nothing to do with a bad back. The Red Sox placed the veteran reliever on the 15-day disabled list this afternoon because of elbow tendinitis. Jermaine Van Buren was recalled from Pawtucket to replace him. Foulke, who was inactive for nearly a week because of what the Red Sox described as back spasms, returned to action Saturday night against the Rangers. In one inning, he gave up a walk and a two-run homer. He was worse on Sunday, surrendering seven hits and four runs in two innings. He didn't mention any arm pain after either game, nor did the Sox indicate his arm was hurting. Van Buren, who has had two earlier stints in Boston this year, was sent back to Pawtucket late last week. Normally he couldn't be recalled for two weeks, but that rule is waived when a roster move is made because of injury. Van Buren is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in five relief appearances over two stints with the Red Sox in 2006. With the PawSox, he was 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA and a team-leading seven saves in 13 games. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art June 9, 2006
Red Sox vs. Rangers, Friday nightWill the Red Sox and the Rangers get to play tonight? The forecast isn't promising, but with rain in the forecast all weekend -- and a day-night, separate-admission doubleheader looming on Saturday -- odds are the Sox will make every effort to get tonight's game in. (Of course, the last time they did that -- against the Rangers, no less -- they wound up on the wrong end of a very soggy 6-0 score, called after 5 1/2 innings on a Friday night in May. The next two games of that series were rained out, and one of them is being made up as part of tomorrow's doubleheader.) The good news for the Sox: Kevin Youkilis, hit by a pitch in the right arm Thursday night for the second time in less than a week, is playing tonight. Tonight's lineup: -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art June 7, 2006
Sox-Yanks tilt rained outTonight's scheduled game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees has been postponed due to rain. No makeup date has been announced, but there will not be a doubleheader tomorrow, when the Red Sox and Yanks are scheduled to meet again in the Bronx at 7.
Posted by Mike McDermott June 6, 2006
Hansen in, Van Buren outNEW YORK -- The Red Sox made a roster move to bolster their pitching staff tonight, but it didn't involve Keith Foulke. The Sox recalled Craig Hansen from Pawtucket and sent Jermaine Van Buren back to the PawSox. Hansen will be available to pitch tonight.
Posted by Art Foulke may be headed to disabled listNEW YORK -- Keith Foulke, who hasn't pitched in five days because of back pain, may be placed on the disabled list by the Red Sox prior to tonight's game against the Yankees. Manager Terry Francona said the veteran relief pitcher is still not 100 percent recovered and ''we have may have to make a roster move'' before the start of tonight's game. With Josh Beckett lasting only 1 1/3 innings last night and rookie David Pauley scheduled to pitch tonight -- and with a doubleheader against Texas looming later in the week -- the Sox may need more relief arms for the next several days. Tonight's lineup: Coco Crisp, cf
Posted by Art Update: Sox make additional draft picksThe Boston Red Sox used their first pick in today's MLB Draft to take Jason Place, an 18-year-old, right-handed hitting center fielder from Wren High School in South Carolina. The Sox took Place with the 27th overall pick in the draft. The team also had the 28th pick, which it used to take right-handed pitcher Daniel Bard, 20, from the University of North Carolina. In the second round, Boston used the 40th overall pick to take Kristofer Johnson, 21, a left-handed pitcher from Wichita State University. With the 44th overall pick, the Red Sox took right-handed pitcher Caleb Clay, another 18-year-old, from Cullman High School in Alabama. According to MLB.com, Place has power, speed and arm strength, and could be moved to a corner outfield position in the pros. The MLB analysis describes Bard as an inconsistent pitcher who nonetheless has one of the best arms in the draft. His fastball reaches 97 miles an hour. Johnson had Tommy John elbow surgery a year ago and has seen limited action since. MLB says he can throw three pitchers for strikes. Clay is described as relatively new to pitching, with a fastball clocking in the low 90s and room to grow. With the 71st pick in the draft, the Red Sox chose Justin Masterson, a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher from San Diego State University. Masterson is 6 feet 6 inches tall and 235 pounds, with a sinking fastball clocked in the low 90s. He was dominant in the Cape Cod League and could transition to a relief role, MLB reports. With the 83rd pick, Boston took Aaron Bates, a 22-year-old first baseman from North Carolina State. Bates is a Cape Cod League All-Star who could potentially transition to catcher. The Red Sox used the 103rd pick to select Bryson Cox, 21, a right-handed pitcher from Rice University.
Posted by Mike McDermott |
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