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Trot playing right field tonight

Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon was originally slated to DH during his rehab with the PawSox tonight. Instead, he has been penciled in to play right field for at least seven innings.

He is not meeting with the media at all today, but he did say he felt good.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:06 PM | Permalink

Ortiz released from hospital

Slugger David Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General this morning, according to Red Sox spokesman John Blake.

Oriz returned to Boston from the team's West Coast trip for evaluation after he felt heart palpitations just before Monday night's game in Oakland. It was the second time in August that Ortiz was treated for the problem.

Blake had no additional information.

-- The Associated Press

Posted by Jack Perry  at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

Lester being treated for enlarged lymph nodes

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital for testing after enlarged lymph nodes were discovered during a medical exam, the team announced Thursday.

Lester was placed on the disabled list with a strained back Monday and was being tested to determine the cause of his back pain when the enlarged lymph nodes were identified, according to the statement from Dr. Thomas Gill, the team's medical director. The Boston Herald first reported the enlarged lymph nodes on its Web site Wednesday night, while also saying Lester was being checked for cancer. One possible cause of enlarged lymph nodes is cancer, thought the most common cause is an infection.

-- Associated Press

Lester is 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 81 and 1/3 innings. Gill said he was resting comfortably.

Lester's problems were the latest on a team that's been riddled with injuries.

Slugger David Ortiz returned to Boston from the team's West Coast trip for evaluation after he felt heart palpitations just before Monday night's game in Oakland. It was the second time in August that Ortiz was treated for the problem.

Ortiz was released from Massachusetts General on Thursday morning, according to Red Sox spokesman John Blake. He had no additional information.

Left fielder Manny Ramirez has missed several games with a knee injury, and center fielder Coco Crisp injured his shoulder making a diving catch Tuesday.

Catcher Jason Varitek, shortstop Alex Gonzalez and outfielders Trot Nixon and Wily Mo Pena are also out with injuries.

Varitek, Gonzalez and Nixon were scheduled to make rehab appearances Thursday night for Boston's Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket, R.I.

Posted by Art  at 11:30 AM | Permalink

For Sox fans, West Coast dream trip turns into nightmare

A first-person report by Michael McDermott, projo.com producer:

Our Red Sox dream trip is over. My wife and I traveled across the country, shuttled between two West Coast cities, and saw our favorite team lose five straight games. During those five games the Sox scored nine runs. Their opponents tallied 28.

We've seen bad pitching, bad fielding, but most of all bad hitting. We've been taunted by Seattle Mariners fans, Oakland Athletics fans, and, of course, every day we've been harrassed by a couple of trashy, drunken guys in Derek Jeter uniforms. Real tough guys.

At Safeco Field, we sat in front of two thoughtful young men who treated us to a noisy conversation about what they saw as the coming global warming-induced apocalypse; at least they left after three innings. At Oakland's McAfee Coliseum, we sat behind a teenage boy who gleefully screamed, "Red Sox suck," over and over and over and over again. He stayed till the last pitch.

And by the way, give us credit. We stayed for the last pitch at every one of these debacles. We're not Yankee fans, after all -- not the types to sit out the tough years only to resurface and irritate the rest of the baseball world when things are going good. No, we'll watch our team stumble with quiet dignity, and come away talking about how at least Manny Delcarmen pitched a solid seventh inning.

We're not disappointed we came out here, but things were certainly different then we expected months ago, when we purchased tickets for these five games. We weren't expecting to win all five, but how can you not look forward to traveling to see David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Jason Varitek? How could we have expected that we'd in fact be watching Kason Gabbard, Eric Hinske and Javy Lopez? And oh my God, how did Javy Lopez get this bad? Every time he comes to bat it's like you can flip a coin, is he going to strike out or pop the ball into the third baseman's mitt. Well, at least he calls a great game behind the plate. Right.

Just Saturday afternoon, we were walking around Pike Place Market in Seattle, and Boston's baseball faithful were out in full force, and in full swagger. That night, we had Manny and Ortiz in the lineup. We had David Wells pitch a great game. And we had the lead for most of the game. But then Mike Timlin came in, and before we knew it we were behind. And once we fell behind Seattle on Saturday, we were behind to stay, for days.

In case you're interested in following in our footsteps some day, here's some helpful information. Seattle is a beautiful place with a terrific ballpark. Win or lose you will be happy to be there. Oakland is a nasty, horrible place with a sticky, smelly concrete hunk of a stadium, whose employees berate you for no reason. These people can't fill their own seats for a perennial playoff contender, and yet they treat visiting fans like they're truly appalled that you've come to spend money in their city. For awhile I was rooting for the Sox to do something just to spite these people. To no avail.

I'm going to bed now, because my computer time is about up. I predict that I'll have a nightmare that goes like this: It's second-and-third, one out, Dustin Pedroia is up, and Carlos Pena is on deck ....

Posted by Jack Perry  at 7:37 AM | Permalink

Schilling throws 3,000th strikeout

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Boston ace Curt Schilling became the 14th pitcher in major league history to reach 3,000 strikeouts when he fanned Oakland's Nick Swisher in the first inning today.

The 39-year-old Schilling allowed a leadoff double to Jason Kendall before getting Swisher swinging for the milestone strikeout. His accomplishment was announced, and Schilling received a lengthy ovation. He stepped off the mound and tipped his hat.

Schilling is the first pitcher to reach 3,000 strikeouts since Greg Maddux fanned San Francisco's Omar Vizquel for No. 3,000 on July 26, 2005.

Swisher has struck out six times against Schilling, who has fanned 858 different batters in his 19-year big league career. Only once previously has a 3,000th strikeout been recorded in August, by Bert Blyleven on Aug. 1, 1986. Schilling has 552 lifetime strikeouts in the month of August.

More ...

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 4:16 PM | Permalink

Ortiz to remain hospitalized

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston until Thursday as a precaution and for further tests on his heart.
Manager Terry Francona had not spoken with Ortiz as of this morning, but did speak with team internist Larry Ronan about the designated hitter's condition.
Ortiz felt heart palpitations earlier this month and again before Monday night's game in Oakland, where he was a late scratch from the lineup. He then returned to Boston for evaluation.
``Larry said he's had no more episodes. That's good,'' said Francona, who talked to his star player Tuesday. ``They're going to do more testing today and tomorrow. From my understanding, he's doing OK.''
Ortiz was admitted to a hospital on Aug. 19 for a full examination and tests. Based on the results of those findings, he was cleared to return when his condition had improved.

Posted by Rich Lee  at 1:52 PM | Permalink

Sox: We want to fully examine and test Ortiz

The Red Sox this afternoon released a statement regarding David Ortiz:

BOSTON, MA--"Prior to Monday night's game in Oakland, David Ortiz experienced palpitations and was removed from the lineup. At that time, it was determined that he would return to Boston to undergo further examination and testing to determine the cause of these recurring symptoms. The examination and testing will be done over the next few days led by Red Sox Team Internist Dr. Larry Ronan , with the support of a group of specialists."

"David had experienced similar symptoms approximately ten days ago. He was admitted to the hospital on August 19 where he was fully examined by specialists and a series of tests were performed. Based on the results of these tests, and David's symptomatic improvement, he was cleared to play. David had not experienced any additional episodes of palpitations until Monday evening."

"With the recurrence of these symptoms, we would like David to be fully examined and tested before he is allowed to return to the field."

More information will be released as it becomes available.

Posted by Art  at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Reports: Ortiz hospitalized last weekend with heart scare

David Ortiz looked like his familiar self last night, sending a monster home run off Jered Weaver into the right-field seats in Anaheim during the Red Sox' 2-1 win.

But according to Internet reports and an article in The Boston Herald, baseball's home run leader spent Saturday night at Massachusetts General Hospital after experiencing an irregular heartbeat on Friday and Saturday. The Herald reported that the matter did not prove to be a serious problem. Manager Terry Francona would not comment on the issue last night.

Ortiz was back in the starting lineup on Sunday night, blasting a homer during the Sox' loss to the Yankees. He has been heating up again at the plate since the weekend, despite losing the protection of number-four hitter Manny Ramirez for most of the series in Anaheim.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:22 AM | Permalink

Rock bottom. Yankees sweep.

It's over. Red Sox fans can exhale, because the worst four days of baseball in recent memory have ended. The Yankees completed a five-game sweep with a 2-1 victory at Fenway Park today over the punchless Red Sox.

David Wells pitched 7.1 strong innings today, but the offense brought nothing to the table, going hitless with runners in scoring position. If not for Wily Mo Pena's two-out, eighth-inning home run, they would have been shutout by New York's combination of Cory Lidle, Mike Myers, Scott Proctor and Kyle Farnsworth.

In the ninth inning, Coco Crisp, who was atrocious in this series, swung and came nowhere near a third strike pitch from Farnsworth for the second out. Then Mark Loretta, one of the few who played well this weekend, lined out to Robinson Cano for the final out, leaving David Ortiz on deck. Not that it would have mattered; with Gabe Kapler on deck subbing for the nicked-up Manny Ramirez, Ortiz surely would have been intentionally walked for the 0-for-his-last-29 Kapler.

The final tally for this series: Yankees 49, Red Sox 26. More importantly, the Sox are just about buried in the A.L. East, 6 1/2 games out in the standings.

And we look to next month's four-game series in the Bronx with nothing approaching anticipation.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 6

Wells leaves to standing ovation

At least one member of the Red Sox has showed life today: pitcher David Wells. He was just removed from the game in the eigth inning, and walked off to a standing ovation.

Wells left the game with one out in the eigth and Nick Green standing on third base (Green doubled and reached third on a sacrifice). Keith Foulke entered the game and promptly threw a wild pitch to the first batter he faced, Derek Jeter, to let in the run. Wells just shook his head in the dugout. Somewhat ironically, Fouke went on to strike out Jeter and Bobby Abreu to end the inning.

The final line on Wells: 7.1 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 4 K, 1 BB. He stands to lose the game, through no fault of his own.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:50 PM | Permalink

Ramirez removed from lineup; hamstring problem cited

Manny Ramirez has been removed from today's ballgame against the Yankees; according to the radio broadcast, he has a hamstring cramp.

Ramirez, who has been red-hot as of late, walked in two plate appearances before leaving the game. Gabe Kapler entered the game and is batting in Ramirez's cleanup spot.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:07 PM | Permalink

Hansen sent to minors

The Red Sox today optioned right-handed reliever Craig Hansen to Triple-A Pawtucket and called up yet another righty reliever, Bryan Corey.

Hansen was the losing pitcher in last night's 10-inning, 8-5 Yankee win. Hansen, who has struggled mightily lately, is 1-1 with a 6.60 E.R.A. since being called up in the spring.

Corey, is 1-1 with a 2.95 E.R.A. with the PawSox.

The Red Sox today do not have Kevin Youkilis in the starting lineup; he hurt his hand trying to field a wild pickoff throw from Curt Schilling last night. Eric Hinske is playing first base in his place.

The Yankees, meanwhile, are keeping Johnny Damon, Jason Giambi and Jorge Posada. They'll have Bernie Williams in center, Craig Wilson at first and Sal Fasano catching. Derek Jeter is in at designated hitter, with Nick Green starting at shortstop.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments 3

Jason Johnson designated to make room for Foulke

The Red Sox have activated former closer Keith Foulke and designated starter Jason Johnson for assignment. Johnson got the loss today for the Sox against the Yankees, his eighth consecutive losing decision, stretching back to before he came to Boston. Johnson is now 3-12 on the season with the Red Sox and Cleveland.

Foulke has been disabled since June 13 with elbow problems. At his best, Foulke can be tough on left-handed hitters, which the Red Sox need, since they have no lefties currently in the bullpen.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 6:48 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

Game one: Yankees 12, Red Sox 4

Johnny Damon had three hits, including a two-run home run that broke a 1-1 fifth-inning tie, as the New York Yankees routed the Red Sox in the opener of today's double header at Fenway Park.

The Yankees offense totalled 17 hits, including four by Bobby Abreu and three by Derek Jeter (the top three hitters in the New York lineup were 10-for-17). The Red Sox' offense was led by Eric Hinske, who was appearing in his first game with the club and hit three doubles.

Chien-Ming Wang pitched six innings for the victory. Jason Johnson struggled again for the Red Sox, taking the loss and failing to get out of the fifth inning.

The Yankees now lead the Red Sox by 2 1/2 games in the American League East.

Tonight's matchup features Jon Lester for the Sox and Sidney Ponson for the Yankees. It will begin around 8 p.m.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 5:18 PM | Permalink

Yankees pounded by Baltimore; White Sox win

The New York Yankees took one on the chin today, losing 12-2 at home to the Baltimore Orioles. The O's, who were swept over the weekend at Fenway Park, took two of three games at Yankee Stadium. New York's loss means that the Red Sox will enter the teams' five-game series this weekend at Fenway trailing the Yankees by a game and a half.

Starter Jaret Wright lasted just 3 innings for the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez committed a costly error in the sixth inning, when Baltimore scored five runs to blow the game wide open.

Rodrigo Lopez pitched 7 innings, striking out eight, to earn the win for the Orioles. Baltimore got home runs from Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis and Fernando Tatis. Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano homered for the Yanks.

Meanwhile, the Chicago White Sox survived a ninth-inning scare to defeat the Kansas City Royals, 5-4. And the Minnesota Twins lost today, 3-2, to the Cleveland Indians. The Red Sox are two and a half games behind Chicago for the Wild Card, and a half-game behind Minnesota.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 5:07 PM | Permalink

Remember 2004? Apparently some of us don't

Harvard University researchers have found that Red Sox fans have fuzzier memories of the magical night in 2004 when their team beat the New York Yankees to clinch the American League pennant after trailing 3 games to none. Yankee fans have clearer recall of their night of agony.

I seem to remember a certain Red Sox center fielder having a pretty good game that night -- two home runs in fact. What was his name?

Click here to read the AP's story.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:06 PM | Permalink

Sox trade for Hinske official

The Boston Red Sox' trade for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Eric Hinske became official today. Hinske, the 2002 American League Rookie of the Year, is hitting .264 this year with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs. The Red Sox will send the Blue Jays a player to be named later.

The 29-year-old Hinske also can play first and third base. He will give the Red Sox a valuable left-handed batting option going into this weekend's five-game series with the New York Yankees.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:30 PM | Permalink

Look on the bright side?

This story is a little bit dated now -- it was written before last night's loss to Detroit. But CBS Sportsline columnist Mike Freeman has some soothing words for the fretful masses of Red Sox fandom: "If the Sox, your Sox, do get into the postseason, they might be the most dangerous team behind the powerful Mets. The Sox possess a stubborn spunkiness that is impossible not to appreciate."

Click here to read Freeman's full column.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:00 PM | Permalink

Red Sox recall Breslow; designate Miller for assignment

The Boston Red Sox today recalled lefty Craig Breslow from the Pawtucket Red Sox and designated catcher Corky Miller for assignment.
Breslow will be in uniform for tonight's game at Fenway against Detroit. The 26-year-old Breslow is 5-1 with a 3.00 E.R.A. and seven saves in 35 relief appearances with Pawtucket. He leads the PawSox in appearances and has held opposing batters to a .205 average.
Breslow made one appearance in a Boston uniform last month, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts as the team lost to Oakland.
Miller was called up from Pawtucket on Aug. 5 as a stopgap after the Red Sox suffered injuries to catchers Jason Varitek and Doug Mirabelli. He appeared in one game as starting catcher Aug. 6 against Tampa Bay, going 0-for-4 as the Sox lost in extra innings.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:51 PM | Permalink

Hatin' on John Sterling

New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick sums up his opinion of Yanks play-by-play man John Sterling: "John Sterling, 'The Voice of the New York Yankees,' is not merely a self-promoting clown, he's a dishonest self-promoting clown."

Mushnick was a little upset this weekend after hearing what he said was Sterling's inaccurate call of a "great" catch by Melky Cabrera.

Click here to read Mushnick's anti-Sterling rant.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

Philadelphia newspaper gets Brett Myers 911 tapes

The Philadelphia Inquirer today is reporting the full transcripts of the 911 calls made by witnesses to the alleged assault by Phillies pitcher Brett Myers against his wife in Boston's Back Bay area in June.

The taped reports depict a vicious assault by the 6-foot-4, 240-pound starting pitcher against his wife, who is a foot shorter and more than 100 pounds lighter.

Click here to read the full Inquirer story.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Pedroia playing third

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

PAWTUCKET _ PawSox manager Ron Johnson received a phone call from Boston late Friday night and the Red Sox brass requested that shortstop/second baseman Dustin Pedroia get a little taste of the hot corner.
Obviously, the Pawtucket skipper obliged and the 22-year-old infield prospect started at third base last night. Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell is sidelined with a sore foot, so Boston wants Pedroia to get comfortable just in case.
“He’s proved he can play second and short,” said Red Sox vice president of player personnel Ben Cherington. Playing third “is more or less a security blanket just in case something happened, and it gives him another feather in his cap. We believe he’s going to be an everyday player in the big leagues at one position, so by him playing third base is not a matter of trying to turn him into a utility player.”
Pedroia, who has played 28 games at second and 69 at shortstop this season, took ground balls at third prior to last night’s game and looked smooth doing so. When asked how he felt on the corner he said he felt comfortable.
“I’ve played that side of the infield my whole life,” he said. “It’s just another 10 feet.”
The last time he played third was during his freshman year at Arizona State in 2002 when he played 10 games. It was probably tougher then because collegiate players use aluminum bats.
“At this point if I do get called up I’ll do anything I can to help (Boston) win,” he said. “You look at the Yankees and they’ve had guys step up [due to injuries] and help the team win, so if I can do anything like that to help the Red Sox win that’s my main focus.”
He’s been through this process before and last season thought he was getting the call to the majors when former Red Sox second baseman Mark Bellhorn was designated for assignment. A call-up for Pedroia didn’t happen and he admitted he couldn’t sleep just thinking about the possibility, so this time he is remaining even-keeled.
One-time Red Sox middle-infield prospect Freddy Sanchez, who is now with Pittsburgh, was called up from Pawtucket to play third in June of 2003, he recorded 10 assists, one shy of a major-league record for third basemen.
“Probably nothing will happen,” said Pedroia. “But, if it does I’m ready. I’m real close.”

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 6:31 PM | Permalink

What they're saying in Tampa

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

TAMPA, Fla. -- What new acquisition Javier Lopez, assistant general manager Jed Hoyer, manager Terry Francona, and Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli said before tonight's game in Tampa:

Jed Hoyer, assistant general manager
-- ''It's never a good time to lose Jason Varitek, the heart of the ballclub, but losing him on July 31, the trading deadline makes a trade difficult. We're excited we were able to find a good solution like Javy Lopez so quickly.''
-- ''Every report indicates his catching skills are what they have been. He's a good defensive catcher, a guy we're confident can run the pitching staff.''
-- ''When Javy became available to us we were excited. We weren't going to miss out on that opportunity. He's excited to be here, excited for the opportunity. He puts us in solid catching position. We have two great options behind the plate until Jason gets back.''

Manager Terry Francona
-- ''He [Lopez] hasn't caught that much. I told him he's going to have to let me know how he feels physically.''
-- On the fact that Lopez doesn't know the Sox pitchers: ''There's not going to be a big learning curve. He's an experienced catcher. He hasn't caught much [this season], but he has caught a lot [in his career]. He's caught some pretty good pitchers [with the Braves]. If our guys throw the ball over the plate like they're supposed to, he can catch. The more familiarity [a catcher has with a staff] the better, but we don't have that luxury right now. ''

Doug Mirabelli
-- ''He's played a long time. He knows what to do behind the plate. It's not like bringing up some young kid who has been here before. He has knowledge. The guy's been in many meaningful games in his career. The pressure won't bother him. He's been a very good hitter for years.''
-- ''You would assume he would definitely get serious playing time with his ability to catch.''

Javy Lopez
-- ''This is the opportunity I was pretty much looking for from Day 1 this year, to be on a contending team. [To be on] the Boston Red Sox makes it even better. It is a good feeling, but I haven't even played a game yet.''
-- ''I'm excited. It's a change in atmosphere I can feel right now. I can get back on track. I haven't been in the playoffs for a while.
-- ''I'll just catch as many games as they want me to. He [Francona] knows what I've been through, that I haven't played much for the Orioles as a catcher.
-- (On learning the staff) ''There is some challenge in it. Here I'll have some veteran pitchers so that will make it easier behind the plate than catching rookies.''
-- (On feeling pressure) ''It is pressure, no doubt about it. I just have to erase it from my head. It doesn't do any good putting pressure on yourself. I just have to focus on playing. It's a big responsibility behind the plate, calling the game. I'm responsible for the pitcher. I know my position here. Based on my experience, I have to do the best I can.''
-- ''I was pretty frustrated with the Orioles. They signed Ramon Hernandez and I knew I wasn't going to catch a lot, and that was frustrating, especially in the last year of my contract. None of the things they told me ever happened from Day 1. They talked about me playing first base after they signed Ramon, they talked about an extension and told me I'd catch some. I never played first base after spring training.. I'm not ready to be a fulltime DH. It's not a position for me after catching for 13 years. It was all frustrating. I had back, shoulder, neck [troubles], and that came from not catching. Basically I'm not in the shape I was in when I caught every day.''

Posted by Art  at 5:33 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

Adam Stern heading to Orioles for Javy Lopez

By SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Adam Stern will be the player sent to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for Javier Lopez, but -- even though the Lopez-to-Boston deal has been finalized and the veteran catcher is in Tampa with the team for tonight's game -- there exists a good chance Stern will not join the Orioles until after the regular season.

The Sox and Orioles agreed on the Lopez-for-Stern swap on Thursday evening, but the deal required the approval of commissioner Bud Selig, who must okay any deal in which one club transfers more than $1 million to the other, and for Stern to clear major-league waivers.

Selig signed off on the cash transfer yesterday, but the waivers on Stern will not expire until Monday, an industry source familiar with the situation said today.

It's unlikely Stern will clear waivers since the Tampa Bay Devil Rays have made clear they intend to block the deal by claiming Stern in retaliation for what they view to be tampering on the part of the Red Sox earlier this week.

The Devil Rays believe the Red Sox contacted Dan Lozano, the agent who represents shortstop Julio Lugo, prior to the 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline on Monday in an effort to determine whether Lugo would be willing to play second base in the event the Sox obtained him, and discover whether Lugo would be interested in signing a long-term contact extension with the Sox immediately. Lugo, who is eligible for free agency aftter this season, was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Red Sox acknowledge they engaged in trade tralk with the Devil Rays for Lugo, but steadfastly maintain that Lozano contacted them regarding Lugo, and not, as the Devil Rays charge, the other way around.

If, as expected, the Rays claim Stern, the Sox will be forced to withdraw him from waivers. They can't risk placing him on waivers again, since the waivers are irrevocable the second time a player goes through the process. Any team claiming Stern in that case would immediately take possession of his contract.

An industry source said the Orioles, though disappointed, would be willing to wait until the end of the season if the Devil Rays claim Stern and the Sox withdraw waivers. The two teams did not discuss sending another player in Stern's place, but have a contigency plan if Stern is injured between now and the end of the regular season.

Posted by Art  at 2:28 PM | Permalink

Yanks win again; Sox down a half-game

The Red Sox once again got no help from the Toronto Blue Jays, who continued playing their way right out of playoff contention in the Bronx.

The Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Jays with an 8-1 thumping this afternoon. New York took the lead in the first on a three-run home run by Jason Giambi, and Cory Lidle went six strong innings in his Yankee debut.

Bobby Abreu had three hits and scored two runs in his third game with New York. The win put the Yankees a half-game in front of the Red Sox, who complete their four-game series with the Cleveland Indians tonight. Toronto has now fallen 8 1/2 games out of first place.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:24 PM | Permalink

Varitek to undergo surgery, will miss one month

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox will be without their captain, catcher Jason Varitek, for approximately one month because of a torn miniscus in his left knee. He will undergo surgery on Thursday.

Varitek injured his knee when he slipped over the second-base bag in the second inning of Monday night's game.

More information will be available in tomorrow's Providence Journal and on projo.com.

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art  at 6:16 PM | Permalink