UPCOMING PITCHING MATCHUPS
Thursday at Minnesota, 8:10 p.m. -- RHP Tim Wakefield (4-7, 3.93) vs. RHP Carlos Silva (2-8, 7.73), NESN
Friday at Atlanta, 7:35 p.m. -- LHP Jon Lester (0-0, 6.23) vs. RHP Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.79), NESN
Saturday at Atlanta, 1:25 p.m. -- RHP Josh Beckett (7-3, 5.26) vs. LHP Horacio Ramirez (2-2, 5.06), FOX 64
Sunday at Atlanta, 8:05 p.m. -- RHP Curt Schilling (9-2, 3.59) vs, RHP John Smoltz (4-5, 3.78), ESPN
All games broadcast on 103.7 WEEI-FM and the Red Sox radio network and the Red Sox Spanish-language radio network.
WALK-OFF SLAMS
Jason Kubel’s walk-off grand slam on Tuesday was the 1st against the Red Sox since 2004 and the 9th in the last 41 years since 1966…The 12th inning blast was the latest that Boston has ever been beaten on a walk-off slam. The 9 walk-off grand slams versus the Red Sox since 1966:
Date Player/Team Inn
6/13/06 Jason Kubel, MIN 12
7/19/04 Bret Boone, SEA 11
7/31/03 Alex Rodriguez, TEX 11
8/15/90 Mark McGwire, OAK 10
5/14/90 Rey Palacios, KC 10
7/17/86 Jim Presley, SEA 11
4/10/80 Sixto Lezcano, MIL 9
4/22/73 Ron Lolich, CLE 9
8/2/66 Jimmie Hall, MIN 9
ABOUT THE SOX
-- The Red Sox have lost 2 straight and 3 of the last 4 games after opening this 6-game roadtrip with a 5-2 12-inning loss on Tuesday . . . Team has won 10 of 18 and is 21-14 beginning May 4.
-- At 36-26, the Sox have dropped to 10 games above .500 for 1st time since June 6 (33- 23) . . . Have not been 9 over since May 25 (27-18) . . . Is Boston’s best record after 62 games since 2004 (37-25/lost game 63) . . . Club was 33-29 and 2nd, 3 GB, after 62 contests a year ago.
-- Red Sox fell into a 1st place tie with the Yankees on Tuesday, the 1st time teams have been tied for 1st since May 31 at 31-20 . . . Sox had held 1st for previous 6 days . . . Team has beenin sole possession of or in a statistical tie forfirst place in the division for 63 of 71 days in 2006.
-- Sox have lost 3 of last 4 away from home and are 4-7 on the road beginning May 21.
BONUS FRAMES
Tuesday was the Red Sox’ 2nd extra-inning game of 2006 and both have gone
12 innings, the other a 7-6 defeat in Toronto on April 21 . . . Boston won 6 of final 7 contests that went extra frames a year ago with its last extra-innings victory coming on September 16 versus Oakland in 10 innings . . . Sox are one of three major-league clubs without an extra-inning victory in 2006 . . . Boston’s 2 total extra-inning contests are tied with Texas (1-1) for end fewest in the A.L. behind Kansas City (1-0).
BATTING NOTES
Sox are batting .309 (69-for-223) in the last 6 games and have a .291 (238-818) average over the last 23 contests to improve season figure from .274 to
.280, 5th best in the A.L . . . Sox rank 2nd in the league with 269 walks and a .364 on-base percentage . . . Sox are batting .267 on the road, 9th in the A.L. and have the 2nd-most away homers at 50, 3 less than Detroit . . . Club’s 182 runs away from home are tied for 2nd most in the league.
WHIFFS ARE PLENTIFUL
Minnesota’s Johan Santana recorded 13 strikeouts on Tuesday, the most by an opposing pitcher versus the Red Sox since Toronto’s Ted Lilly recorded that same total on August 23, 2004 at SkyDome . . . Last opponent to fan more than 13 batters versus the Sox was Baltimore’s Mike Mussina with 15 on September 24,
2000 at Fenway Park.
WITH THE GLOVE
-- The Red Sox have 3 errors in the last 10 games and lead the majors with a .990 fielding percentage . . . Club has just 12 miscues in 37 games beginning
May 1 . . . Boston’s 23 total errors are 5 fewer than any other major league club (San
Francisco).
-- Since research is 1st available beginning in 1960, Boston’s 23 errors are the 2nd fewest of any major-league club through games of June 13 . . . In 1995, Toronto had 21 errors through June 13 . . . However, the Blue Jays had played just 42 games as the regular season did not begin until April 26 due to the work stoppage.
MANNY AND RADKE
-- Manny Ramirez has enjoyed success over the years versus tonight’s Twins starter Brad Radke . . . Manny has a career .368 (25-68) average with 6
homers and 20 RBI against the Minnesota righthander . . . Are his most RBI versus an
individual pitcher (18 vs. Jamie Moyer and Andy Petiitte) and matches his most hits
against one team (Pettitte) while his average ranks as 2nd highest versus a pitcher (50 or more AB) behind his .424 (25-59) mark against Pettitte . . . Ramirez has just one career walk versus Radke.
-- Ramirez has 451 home runs, tying Jim Thome for 30th on the all-time list, one behind Carl Yastrzemski and 2 back of Gary Sheffield . . . Manny has a .338 (144-426) career average versus Minnesota with 27 homers and 105 rbi.
JASON VARITEK
-- Has homered in 2 of his last 4 and 3 of his last 9 games
-- Ranks 5th among A.L. catchers with 7 homers and 4th with 30 RBI
-- His 23 walks are 2nd-best among league backstops behind the Yankees’ Jorge Posada (31)
-- He has homered in his last 2 road games (June 8 at New York) and each of his last 5 long balls have come on the road.
-- Jason has appeared in 966 games behind the plate for the Red Sox, one shy of tying
Sammy White for 2nd on the all-time club list. Carlton Fisk is the leader at 990.
TO THE BULLPEN GOES THE DECISIONS
The Sox bullpen has earned the decision in 4 of team’s last 5 games, going 2-2 in that span . . . Relievers own 4 of team’s last 6 wins beginning May 31 and 10 total relief wins are tied for 2nd in the A.L. behind Texas (11).
THE RED SOX AND TWINS
-- 2006 SEASON: The Twins won the series opener on Tuesday, the 1st extra inning game between the team since a 6-4 Minnesota win on April 25, 2001 in Boston . . . This is Sox’ lone visit to the Metrodome in 2006 . . . The only other time the 2 clubs play this season is a 3-game set at Fenway Park, September 19-21.
-- RECENTLY: Sox have loss 3 of 4 to the Twins, all in Minnesota, beginning August 5, 2005 . . . Boston is 4-3 against Minnesota since start of 2005 but 14-17 in the series beginning 2001 . . . In that longer span, club is 5-11 at the Metrodome, going 1-2 in each year from 2001-05.
-- ALL-TIME: The Twins lead the all-time series 274-265…The Sox enjoy a 154-115 advantage at Fenway Park but are 111-159 on the road, including a 53-72 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 opportunity on Friday vs. Texas . . . Was the 2nd blown save of his career, the other on August 27, 2005 vs. Detroit . . . Is tied for the major league lead with 20 saves, 4 shy of the team rookie record by Dick Radatz in 1962.
-- Papelbon has worked 16 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 13 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/194 TC),
trailing only San Francisco’s Omar Vizquel (.996) in the majors . . . Has gone
45 games since committing his lone error on April 9 at Baltimore . . . That ties
the 2nd longest single season errorless streak by a Boston shortstop:
46—Glenn Hoffman, 7/31-9/26/82
45—Vern Stephens, 6/5-7/27/50
The overall Sox mark is 48 games by Petrocelli over 2 years, 9/25/68-5/30/69.
CURT SCHILLING
-- Became the 126th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 career innings last night.
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.
