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Main page April 30, 2007
Projo SoxTalk: Krasner on the Torre "death watch"Today on Projo SoxTalk, Steve Krasner talks about the panic in the Bronx as the 9-14 Yankees wonder what's going to happen to their manager. Other topics of discussion: Why Alex Cora probably won't be the regular second baseman anytime soon, and encouraging signs from Manny Ramirez. Click here to listen to the audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Monday, April 30Some fun stuff and some not-so-fun stuff . . . FUN: The Red Sox sure had some the last two weekends, thanks to people like Hideki Okajima, Alex Cora and a host of others. If you're look for omens, having the best record in the American League at the end of April, as the Red Sox do now, is usually a good sign (Boston Globe). And if you don't want to go that far, you can at least agree with Mike Lowell when he says ''I'd rather win five of six than lose five of six.'' (Boston Herald) NOT-SO-FUN: The Yankees went from rescuing their manager (Bergen Record, Saturday) to putting his neck back in the noose (New York Post, Sunday) in the time it took for Chien-Ming Wang to lose to Julian Tavarez on a Sunday afternoon in the Bronx. Derek Jeter thinks it would be unfair for Torre to take the fall for this (New York Daily News), and Bill Madden points out that George Steinbrenner ''has to ask himself if firing Torre at this juncture is going to accomplish anything''. (ibid) But Madden also notes that, unlike last October (when Steinbrenner got out the sword after the Yanks' ALDS loss to the Tigers, then was convinced to put it back in its sheath), no one in the Yankee organization is going to step into the line of fire to defend Torre this time. So it looks like The Joe Torre Watch is officially on, even if The Post says nothing will happen today. A good place to keep track of unfolding events might be here, on Peter Abraham's excellent LoHud Yankees Blog. HARSH REALITY: Mark Feirsand concluded after Friday's loss that the Yankees ''may just not be very good'' on the Daily News Yankees blog. (www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees) He backtracked a bit after Saturday's victory, so it'll be interesting to see what he says in his next entry.
CLOSE TO HOME: The tragic death of Cardinals pitcher Josh Hancock (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) stunned many people at McCoy Stadium since Hancock, a former Red Sox farmhand, still had ties to people in the Boston organization. (projo.com) IT'S COMING: All along, I've felt the drug scandal -- steroids/amphetamines/performance-enhancing, etc. -- that's about to hit baseball would be uncovered not with a big crash, but with wave upon wave of disclosures like this one. (espn.com) The most telling comment? From ex-Mets GM Steve Phillips: ''I had suspicions about individual players here and there, but it was one of those situations that you didn't ask about [because] there was nothing you could do if they said no. My attitude as a GM was, I want a level playing field. If other teams were doing it, I wasn't going to go through my clubhouse and look in every shoebox. I wasn't proposing that my guys use it, but I also wasn't going to propose that the Mets be the only clean team in baseball. I couldn't go back to my owner and say, 'We tried to beat these teams full of big guys with our little skinny guys.' " Before you go off on Phillips, remember: That was probably -- no, we can say it was definitely -- the majority opinion in baseball's executive suite back then. 'THE WAGES OF WINS': Steve Walters says owning a major league baseball team is not a way of making a fortune; ''it's a way of enjoying a fortune''. (The Wages of Wins Journal) LIGHTEN UP: After the last three entries, we all need a laugh. Here's one, involving ex-Red Sox reliever Bobby Howry. (Chicago Tribune) DOWN UNDER: An on-site look at the Red Sox' Australian scouting operation. (theage.com.au) CHANNELING JOHN VALENTIN: Troy Tulowitzki joined a pretty exclusive club yesterday. (Denver Post)
Posted by Art Martone April 29, 2007
Gabbard sharp despite PawSox loss to BuffaloPAWTUCKET _ It’s been 10 days since Pawtucket Red Sox pitcher Kason Gabbard worked in a regulation game. With his performance Sunday you would never have guess the left-hander had that much time off. His last start was suspended with two outs in the bottom of the first inning with the PawSox holding a three-run lead at Buffalo on April 23. Yesterday, he worked six shutout innings, allowing just four hits with one walk and five strikeouts in his fifth start of the year. Because of his layoff, Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said he was keeping Gabbard to 90 pitches or six innings. He finished with 89 pitches (52 strikes) and left with a scoreless game. The Bisons scored four runs of Pawtucket reliever Bryan Corey in the top of the seventh and added two more off Mike Burns in the top of the ninth en route to a 6-0 victory at McCoy Stadium. Despite the team’s loss, Gabbard was sharp. “I’m just trying to go out there and get a feel for all my pitches and go from there,” said Gabbard. “I made the pitches when I needed to and the end result was good.” For the second game in a row, the PawSox had plenty of opportunity to score, but couldn’t drive in the timely runs. Pawtucket 11 base runners yesterday and left the bases loaded in the eighth inning. “I try not to get concerned with it,” said Johnson. “Because like I said earlier in the season, we’re a club that is going to get better. We’re going to have streaks and hot spurts. We’ve swung the bats very well the last couple of days and today we didn’t.” The PawSox have faced some impressive pitching the last couple of games against Buffalo, and the Bisons’ Brian Slocum, yesterday’s starter, was on his game. The right-hander improved to 2-1 after throwing a three-hit shutout in six innings of work with one walk and seven strikeouts. He was a much different pitcher than the last time Pawtucket faced when he allowed five runs on seven hits in five innings and suffered the loss last week in Buffalo. “That kid threw the ball really good today,” said Johnson. “We got to him pretty good in Buffalo, but today he pretty good.” The PawSox and Bisons close out this four-game set at 6:15 tomorrow night at McCoy. Pawtucket will send Devern Hansack (1-2, 3.22) to the mound against Buffalo’s Jeff Harris (1-1, 3.27). --JOE McDONALD
Posted by Chris Venditto Sunday final: Red Sox 7, Yankees 4After a one-day reprieve, the Yankees' run of substandard pitching resumed today. David Ortiz, Alex Cora and Manny Ramirez all homered as the Red Sox blasted their way to a 7-4 victory at Yankee Stadium. The Yanks -- who hoped they had stemmed the bleeding with a 3-1 win over Boston on Saturday afternoon -- have lost eight of their last nine and surrendered 62 runs over that span. The first-place Red Sox (16-8) lead the last-place Yankees (9-14) by 6 1/2 games. The Yankees were counting on Chien-Ming Wang, their No. 1 pitcher, to outduel Julian Tavarez, the Sox' No. 5 starter, today. But by the time both pitchers were gone at the end of the sixth, the Red Sox had a 4-3 lead. They then resumed their shelling of the Yankee bullpen, getting a run off Scott Proctor in the seventh and two more off Sean Henn in the eighth. Cora -- playing in place of Dustin Pedroia, who was given the day off -- was the big offensive gun with a homer and a triple, two runs scored and three RBI. Ramirez' two-run homer to right off Henn in the top of the eighth, following a single by David Ortiz, broke open a close game and gave the Sox a four-run lead. Cora drove in Boston's second run with an infield grounder in the third inning. He erased a 3-2 deficit with a two-run homer in the fifth. Then, in the seventh, he gave the Sox an insurance run when he tripled off the right-field fence with one out and scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Julio Lugo. Cora is now hitting .375 for the season. Tavarez gave the Sox five credible innings. He was lifted only after Jeter, the Yankee leadoff hitter in the sixth, reached on an error by Lugo. Hideki Okajima came on and struck out the gasping-for-air Bobby Abreu -- 0-for-19 and 1-for-29 after that strikeout -- gave up a single to Alex Rodriguez, struck out Jason Giambi and got Hideki Matsui on a grounder to the mound. Okajima pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with two strikeouts. Derek Jeter extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a one-out homer off Mike Timlin in the bottom of the eighth. Abreu broke his slump with a single after Jeter's homer and the Yankee Stadium crowd raised the noise level to airport-runway levels as Rodriguez came to the plate. But Timlin got A-Rod to ground into a 5-4-3 double play, ending the inning. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth. He surrendered a leadoff double to Giambi before striking out Matsui, retiring Jorge Posada on a grounder to second and Robinson Cano on a grounder to first, ending the game. He now has eight saves. The Sox jumped on Wang early. One pitch after Kevin Youkilis had driven Matsui to the left-field fence with a long drive to left field, Ortiz deposted a Wang offering into the third deck in right field at Yankee Stadium, giving the Red Sox a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Then, in the third inning, Coco Crisp led off with a triple up the gap in right-center field and scored on a grounder to short by Cora, giving the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. The Yankees scored three in the bottom of the third to move ahead, 3-2. But in the fifth, Wang hit Crisp in the left shin, leading off, and Cora then homered over the fence in right-center field, putting Boston back in front, 4-3. After retiring the first six batters he faced, Tavarez unraveled in the third. He got ahead of Posada 0-and-2, then threw four straight balls and walked him. Then he walked Cano on four pitches. Then, even though Doug Mientiekwicz was trying to bunt, Tavarez threw three straight balls to him . . . and the 1-and-0 pitch eluded catcher Jason Varitek, giving the Yankees runners on second and third. Tavarez came back with two strikes, but Mientkiewicz dropped the 3-and-2 pitch just over the fence of the short porch in right, a three-run homer that put the Yankees ahead, 3-2. The Yankees seemed poise to add to their lead in the fourth, when they opened the inning with back-to-back singles from Rodriguez and Giambi. But Tavarez regrouped and got out of the inning by inducing Matsui to ground into a double play and striking out Posada. The Sox had run themselves out of a chance to increase their 2-0 advantage in the top of the third. Lugo and Youkilis had followed Cora's grounder with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and third as Lugo challenged -- successfully -- the arm of Johnny Damon; Youkilis' single was fielded by Damon in shallow center field. The Yankees escaped further damage, however, because of some unsuccessful aggressiveness by Lugo. Ortiz hit a little chopper in front of the plate and was thrown out by Posada. Lugo broke for home when Posada released the ball, and was easily thrown out at the plate by Mientkiewicz, with Wang making the tag.
Posted by Art Martone PawSox stunned by death of former pitcherThe news this morning of the passing of Josh Hancock stunned Pawtucket Red Sox players and personnel. ESPN's Peter Gammons interupted the network's NFL Draft coverage to report the news. Gammons reported Hancock, a right-handed relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, died in a car crash just outside the city limits in St. Louis early this morning. He was 29. He was orginially selected by the Boston Red Sox as their fourth pick (fifth round) in the 1998 draft. Hancock spent four seasons in the organization, including here in Pawtucket in 2002, the same season he made his major-league debut in Boston. Current PawSox manager Ron Johnson and pitching coach Mike Griffin had Hancock in Double-A Trenton in 2001. Both were taken aback by the news this morning, especially Griffin who was very close with Hancock. "I'm stunned right now," said Griffin. "Oh, man. He was really talented, I'll tell you that right now. He had everything to be in the major leagues. Jeez, wow. He and I went through a lot. He was a tough kid. There are a lot of things I'm going to remember about him, but the toughness will stick out in my mind. He had all the stuff to pitch in the major leagues and I'm glad he got there, and he had some success there. For that I'm happy, but to hear this, wow!" Johnson also had Hancock at Class-A Sarasota before both made the jump to Double-A. "He had himself a nice career," said Johnson. "It's awful. He was one of the toughest guys I had ever seen. One month to the day after he broke his jaw he was back on the mound and pitched with no fear. I couldn't believe it. He didn't have any fear and it was amazing. It's just a shame. "You get such a sick feeling in your stomach," added Johnson. "It's such a reminder that we all think we're bullet proof and we're just humans. I hope Josh rests in peace." Boston traded Hancock to Philadelphia in exchange for Jeremy Giambi.
Posted by Joe McDonald Karstens Walking WoundedYankee pitcher Jeff Karstens suffered a non-displaced fracture of the right fibula when Julio Lugo lined his first pitch of Saturday's game off the right-hander's leg. But this morning, Karstens was walking around the Yankee clubhouse without any cast on his leg. He was walking haltingly, but he had iced the leg and looked amazingly mobile considering the force of the blow and the injury. Still, he will be out of action for quite a while. He was placed on the DL yesterday. Colter Bean was recalled to take his place. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Drew gets a restJ.D. Drew, who has been slumping after a hot start, is not in the starting lineup today against right-hander Chien-Ming Wang. Eric Hinske is starting in his place in right field. Part of the reason for that is that Hinske is batting .625 (10 for 16) with two homers, three doubles and three RBI against Wang. The other reason is that Drew is in a 4-for-31(.129) skid that has dropped his average from .375 to a season-low .278. In the first two games of the series in New York, Drew went 1 for 9 with two strikeouts. While Drew is available for pinch-hitting duties, the fact that he can have today off from the starting lineup, coupled with tomorrow's off day, will give the oft-injured outfielder extra time to keep his body healthy. "I asked J.D. how he felt about having two days (off) in a row, would it do him some good, and he said, 'They did that with the Dodgers a lot (last year) and it got my legs under me,' so it (Hinske for Drew) all made sense," said Francona. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups -- April 29BOSTON Lugo ss Tavarez p NEW YORK Damon cf Wang p -- Steven Krasner nlU
Posted by Steven Krasner April 28, 2007
PawSox lose in 11 innings, 10-7Luis Rivas bases-loaded walk with two out in the 11th snapped a 7-7 game and propelled the Bisons to a 10-7 victory, Saturday afternoon in Pawtucket. Ben Francisco added a two-run single to ensure the Herd their first extra-inning win of 2007. The victory was also Buffalo's first in four games against Pawtucket this season. After battling back from a 7-4 deficit to force extra frames, the Bisons looked like they were going to let a golden opportunity slip for a win slip away. Joe Inglett and Ryan Mulhern opened the 11th with singles and Trent Durrington also reached with a hit when he beat out his sacrifice bunt attempt. But Pawtucket reliever Travis Hughes responded by striking out Mike Rose and inducing Franklin Gutierrez to pop out on the infield. With two outs, Rivas turned the tides back in favor of the Bisons by drawing a five-pitch walk to force in the go-ahead run. Three pitches later, Francisco stung a pitch to left field to plate two more runs. Edward Mujica preserved the win by retiring the PawSox 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 11th inning for his sixth save of the season. It was a see-saw battle through the first nine innings of play. Buffalo struck first with home runs from Gutierrez and Hector Luna in a three-run first and added a fourth run on triple from Mulhern and an RBI-ground out from Durrington. The next seven runs, however, were scored by Pawtucket. Kevin Cash went deep and David Murphy doubled home a run to cut the Bisons advantage in half in the third inning. Brandon Moss' two-run homer in the sixth tied the game at four. Ed Roger's home run in the seventh capped a three-run rally that put the Paw Sox ahead, 7-4. Buffalo tied the game at seven with three runs in the eighth inning. Three consecutive singles by Gutierrez, Rivas and Francisco made it 7-5 Pawtucket. Luna then picked up his second big hit of the game with a two-out, two-run single to tie the game. The win for the Bisons went to Sean Smith (1-1). Smith came on in the bottom of the eighth inning a quieted the Pawtucket offense with three shutout innings. He allowed just two hits and struck out four to earn his first career Triple-A win. --BISONS.COM
Posted by Chris Venditto The Lester PlanBoston manager Terry Francona said he had gotten sterling reports about Jon Lester's rehabilitation start in Pawtucket Friday night. He said the left-hander, whose 2006 season was cut short by anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, pitched consistently at 91 miles an hour with great command. The plan calls for Lester to pitch again for the PawSox on Wednesday, at home against indianapolis. But Francona downplayed the media's suggestion this afternoon that Lester might jump from there to Boston's rotation for the start after that. "That might be getting a little ahead (of things), jumping the gun a little bit," said Francona. It seems more likely, from what Francona was inferring, that once Lester's rehab stint ends on May 4, he might be optioned to Pawtucket to continue getting stronger. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Damon HurtingJohnny Damon is in the Yankee starting lineup, but he is by no means close to 100 percent. In fact, his back is bothering him so much that New York is using him as its designated hitter this afternoon. That way he'll be able to get treatment between at-bats to keep his ailing back loose. Damon, who has played through considrable pain over his career, not to mention a concussion he suffered in the playoffs in 2003, is going to see a chiropractor near his home in Orlando on the Yanks' off day on Monday. Jason Giambi generally serves as New York's DH, but yesterday he startedat first base in place of slumping Doug Mientkiewicz (.140). -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Torre on the Hot SeatThe New York media has been abuzz the last couple of days about the prospect that should the Red Sox sweep this series, venerable and respected Yankee manager Joe Torre will be fired. Torre is on the final year of his contract. Owner George Steinbrenner, who, according to reports, would have fired Torre after the Yanks' Division Series wipeout to Detroit last year had it not been for general manager Brian Cashman's intervention, can't be happy with the seven-game losing streak. Torre, as is his custom, answered any and every question about his seemingly shaky job status with class and thoughtfulness a few minutes ago in his daily media conference. "Hey, I've got a job to do. I certainly don't go out there to manage just to try to keep my job. I manage to try to win ballgames. I've been doing that for 20 years," said Torre evenly. "I'm not comfortable with the fact we're losing. But I can't concern myself with what might happen. I have to concern myself with what goes on on the field. I talked to George about three or four days ago. He wasn't happy. He's got every right not to be happy. We're not happy either," he said. The injuries that have decimated the starting rotation this month are no excuse for the team's slide, said Torre. "This is my responsibility," he said. "I'm in charge. I'm not going to push this off that it's not my fault. We have to deal with this. We have to find a way to win. That's my responsibility. I do the best I can to please (George) and make him proud of the ballclub. I've got to continue to do what I do and hopefully it will satisfy everybody." The fact it has been the Red Sox that have started and contributed to this slide can't help but raise Steinbrenner's blood. Boston is 4-0 against New York this year. "That magnifies everything," said Torre. Torre reportedly had a brief closed-door meeting with his team after Friday night's loss, not as intense as some he has conducted over the years, but more of a meeting to say "enough is enough, let's get going," in so many words, according to reports. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups -- April 28BOSTON Lugo ss Wakefield p NEW YORK Damon DH Karstens p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner April 27, 2007
Final: Red Sox 11, Yankees 4The Yankee party line -- at least as put forth by their fans and media sympathizers -- is that last weekend's Red Sox sweep at Fenway Park was meaningless. The Yanks' starting rotation was depleted by injuries and many of their regulars were sidelined. Wait 'til we're healthy, they all said. Interesting to see what they'll be saying tomorrow. With their everyday lineup in place and their best starter, Andy Pettitte, on the mound, the Yankees seemed poised to snap their six-game losing streak tonight at Yankee Stadium. Instead, Pettitte was gone by the sixth inning, Mariano Rivera was again routed by the Red Sox in the late innings, and Boston coasted to an 11-4 victory tonight, handing New York its seventh straight loss. The fans and sympathizers were also crowing about how the Yanks weren't shut down by Daisuke Matsuzaka last weekend and that he wasn't as good as advertised. They may be saying the same thing again; after all, he almost imploded in a four-walk, three-hit fourth inning. But when the game was in the books, Matsuzaka had his second win in five days against the Yankees. Unlike all the Yankee pitchers, he was at his best when he got the lead; after falling behind 4-2, he retired the final seven batters in faced and turned the game over to his bullpen in the seventh with a 6-4 lead. Leading 2-0, Matsuzaka opened the fourth by walking three consecutive batters -- Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui -- loading the bases with no out. Jorge Posada blooped a single to left field with no out, and Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter delivered two-out RBI singles, putting the Yankees in front, 4-2. It had appeared Matsuzaka might escape with minimal damage when, after Posada's single, Robinson Cano struck out swinging for the first out and Doug Mientkiewicz popped out for the second out. But Damon took a defensive half-swing on a 3-and-2 pitch and dropped a soft liner into right field in front of a charging J.D. Drew, scoring two runs and making the score 3-2. Derek Jeter followed with a ground single to right, driving in Posada and making it 4-2. Thankfully for Matsuzaka and the Red Sox, the next batter was the struggling Bobby Abreu. He flied out to Manny Ramirez in left field on a 2-and-0 pitch, ending the inning. After making that out, Abreu was 1-for-his-last-21. Matsuzaka threw 41 pitches in the torturous 35-minute half-inning. The Sox came right back in the top of the fifth against Pettitte, though. Julio Lugo walked with one out and stole second. He moved to third on a single to left by Kevin Youkilis and scored on a single to center by David Ortiz. Ramirez then walked, loading the bases. Drew struck out for the second out, but Lowell walked on five pitches, tying the score at 4-4. Then, with Jason Varitek batting, a pitch by Pettitte in the dirt got past Posada, allowing Ortiz to score with the go-ahead run. Varitek eventually walked, re-loading the bases, and manager Joe Torre lifted Pettitte in favor of Scott Proctor. Proctor retired Coco Crisp on a fly to center for the final out. Matsuzaka had had a similarly rough inning recently in Toronto, walking three batters and allowing two runs in a 2-1 loss, but he had bounced back in that game with three final, dominant innings. And, similarly, he retired the side in order in both the fifth and sixth innings after his teammates had given him the lead. The Red Sox increased their lead to 6-4 when Lugo homered over the left-field fence with one out in the top of the sixth. Matsuzaka was lifted after the sixth, having thrown a season-high 117 pitches. He allowed five hits and four runs in his six innings, with four walks and seven strikeouts. He was replaced by Mike Timlin, who held the Yankees scoreless despite a one-out single by Jeter. The Sox added on against the fourth Yankee pitcher of the night, Jose Vizcaino, in the top of the eighth on back-to-back, one-out doubles by Dustin Pedroia and Lugo (third hit of the night), making the score 7-4. Hideki Okajima came on in the bottom of the eighth. He allowed a single by Giambi, then bobbled a potential double-play grounder back to the box by Matsui. He was able to get the out at first, as Giambi took second. Posada struck out on a sharp breaking pitch for the second out, and Cano flied out to end the inning. The Yankees turned to Rivera in the ninth and he was just as ineffective as he was last Friday night, when he blew a 6-3 lead as the Red Sox rallied to win the opener of the three-game weekend series. He was touched for three consecutive one-out singles, by Lowell and Varitek and Crisp, as the Sox added another run and made it 8-4, then walked Pedroia to load the bases. He was lifted after his 21-pitch performance in favor of lefty specialist Mike Myers, who was brought in even though the Sox had a right-handed hitter, Lugo, at the plate. Myers walked Lugo, making it 9-4. Another run scored on an infielder grounder by Youkilis, giving the Sox a 10-4 lead. Ortiz, whom Myers was acquired to retire, singled to left, driving in another run, making it 11-4. The few remaining Yankee fans at Yankee Stadium gave a large mock cheer when Myers retired Ramirez on a grounder to short, ending the inning. Youkilis had blasted a two-run home run to left field in the top of the third, giving the Red Sox a 2-0 lead. The homer followed a leadoff single to right by Lugo. The Red Sox put a pair of runners on base in the top of the first against Pettitte (one-out walk to Youkilis, two-out single by Ramirez) but failed to score. Matsuzaka sandwiched strikeouts of Damon and Abreu around a one-out single by Jeter in the bottom of the first, then retired Rodriguez on a dribbler to third for the final out. Crisp, returning to the lineup after five games off because of a strained oblique muscle, singled to left with two outs in the second in his first at-bat. Giambi singled to left leading off the second inning for the Yankees, but Matsuzaka stranded him there by retiring Matsui (fly to center), Posada (liner to center) and Cano (strikeout). The Yankees made a mini-run at Matsuzaka in the bottom of the third, putting runners on first and second after a one-out walk to Damon and an error by Lugo on a grounder by Jeter. But Abreu grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Posted by Art Martone Lester done after outstanding outingJon Lester just closed out the fifth inning where he threw 25 pitches (16 strikes). The left-handed reached 84 pitches (56 strikes) and allowed just three hits with six strikeouts and no walks. He was efficient and had command of the strike zone in only his fourth start this season. Lester is slated to start again for Pawtucket on Wednesday before the Red Sox make a decision whether he'll join Boston or continue with the PawSox. Because he's been so good, it's likely he'll join the Sox' rotation. His first and last pitch last night registered at 94 miles-per-hour.
Posted by Joe McDonald Lester's cruisingLester threw 10 pitches (6 strikes) in the top of the fourth inning. He allowed a two-out single, but quickly picked the runner off to end the inning. He's up to 59 pitches (40 strikes). The man looks sharp.
Posted by Joe McDonald Lester is strong again in the thirdIn the third inning, Lester faced four batters and threw 12 pitches (9 strikes). He recorded two strikeouts and the only base runner reached on an error by PawSox third baseman Chad Spann. Lester has thrown a total of 49 pitches.
Posted by Joe McDonald Lester's second inning just as strongLester faced four batters in the top of the second and threw 22 pitches (15 strikes). He surrendered a single up the middle to Buffalo's Joe Inglett.
Posted by Joe McDonald Lester sharp in first inningJon Lester retired the side in order and threw just 15 (10 strikes) pitches against the Bisons in the top of the first inning at McCoy. The young left-hander was given a standing ovation when he took the mound.
Posted by Joe McDonald Tonight's PawSox game is on!The Pawtucket Red Sox versus the Buffalo Bisons game tonight at McCoy Stadium will start at 7:30. The tarp is off and the grounds crew is cleaning up the field. Red Sox lefty Jon Lester will make his scheduled rehab start for Pawtucket. He's slated to throw six innings or 85 pitches, which ever comes first.
Posted by Joe McDonald Separation of DutiesBoston second baseman Dustin Pedroia is struggling at the plate. But it hasn't affected his defense. Thursday night, for instance, Pedroia made all the routine plays, gobbling up seven ground balls, including five in a row at one stretch. One of them was a tough play to his left, which he turned into an important forceout at second in the seventh with the Sox down by only one run. "That's expected (from Pedroia). That's part of what makes him a good player. He knows how to play the game," said Francona of Pedroia's ability to separate his offense (.184) from his defense. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Yankee Lineup at full strengthWhen the Red Sox swept the Yankees in a three-game series last weekend in Fenway Park, New York did not have its impressive lineup intact. Not that anyone was suggesting things would have been different, but the Yanks were missing several key cogs because of injury. And in losing to Toronto on Thursday night, while others had returned, New York was missing shortstop and captain Derek Jeter (sore leg). But tonight, the lineup has its relentless look to it. Hideki Matsui, who missed the entire series, returned earlier this week as did catcher Jorge Posada, who suffered a bruised thumb in the opener at Fenway and was limited to three innings and three plate appearances in the series. On paper, the only weak link would be the Yanks' number nine hitter, Doug Mientkiewicz. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Yankee Assessment?Manager Terry Francona was asked this afternoon if he was surprised to look at the standings and see the lordly New York Yankees in the basement in the American League East. "How can I answer that? No? That's tough for me to answer. They're a good team. How good are they going to be? That's why you play the games. It's so early. They haven't hit their stride yet, obviously. I hope they don't hit it for another three days," he said. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Cheat SheetRed Sox catcher Jason Varitek has been learning some Japanese phrases to help him communicate with Daisuke Matsuzaka. But in the heat of battle, Vartiek doesn't have to rely on his mental recall for vocabulary. Much like a football quarterback, Varitek is wearing a cheat sheet of phrases on his arm during games. Dice-K has been learning English, too, and on the field it's getting easier and easier for the communication to flow smoothly. "Dice-K knows baseball terminology," said manager Terry Francona. "He's a very bright kid. He's picking (English) up fast." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Grand Slam -- Seat on the BenchWily Mo Pena snapped out of his offensive funk on Thursday night with a ringing double and an abolutely crushed grand slam, giving the Sox a 5-2 win over Baltimore. And the Yankees are starting a left-hander tonight, Andy Pettitte. In his history, Pena has hit left-handers much better because their breaking balls are moving into him. It's the right-handers' breaking stuff, moving away from him, that especially gives him trouble. But manager Terry Francona still elected to go with Coco Crisp in center tonight because Pena isn't exactly known for his leather, either. "Yeah, I certainly thought about (playing Pena)," said Francona. "(But) it's a big outfield. We can always pinch-hit him, but when you've got a pitcher like Dice-K going, it's important to have defense." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner New York City radarHere's the radar image from New York, courtesy of our friends at Weather Underground. Sure looks like they're going to play, doesn't it?
Posted by Art Martone Crisp ReturnsCoco Crisp, who has missed the last five games because of tightness in his left oblique, is back in center field tonight. Crisp tested his side in Baltimore, taking batting practice on Wednesday and Thursday in the indoor cage, and he convinced manager Terry Francona that he was able to return to the lineup. Francona said he knew this morning the teams were going to be unable to take batting practice on the field because of the rain, so he told Crisp that if he had any apprehensions about playing to let him know so he wouldn't have to change his lineup once he got to the park in the afternoon. Crisp convinced him he was ready. While it was likely Crisp could show signs of rust at the plate, Francona preferred him playing in the spacious center field in Yankee Stadium rather than Wily Mo Pena. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Red Sox-Yankee Lineups, April 27BOSTON Lugo ss Matsuzaka p NEW YORK Damon cf Pettitte p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for April 27From the team's official game notes: Who's Hot Who's Not Red Sox vs. Andy Pettitte Yankees vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with Steve Krasner: Yanks, Wily Mo, BeckettSteve Krasner, who unfortunately was stuck in the airport in Baltimore, took five minutes to join Art Martone on today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the audio file. Today, Krasner and Martone discuss the Yankees' surprising decision to start 20-year-old Phil Hughes (are they panicking?), the Orioles' highly questionable decision to throw fastballs to Wily Mo Pena (Krasner doesn't think this means that the powerful outfielder has really turned a corner), and how Josh Beckett has made himself a 5-0 pitcher. We also speculate on whether they'll be a game tonight in the wet, wet Bronx.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Friday, April 27Thank heavens it's a new dawn in the baseball world . . . THAT'S A DAY OF OUR LIFE WE'LL NEVER GET BACK: Sock-gate was Topic First, Last and Everything Else around here yesterday. (projo.com) Hey, at least it got Sheryl Crow off the talk shows. A MILLION TIMES NO: Curt Schilling, whom Steven Krasner said "emphatically refused to discuss the latest controversy surrounding his bloody sock'' with reporters in the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday, finally weighed in on the topic on 38pitches.com. He goes off on the media -- to be fair, he limits it to what he calls ''an entire subset of media whose sole purpose in life is to actually be the news, instead of report it'' -- and then completely buries the lead by putting this in the last paragraph: ''[I'll] wager 1 million dollars to the charity of anyones choice, versus the same amount to ALS. If the blood on the sock is fake, I’ll donate a million dollars to that persons charity, if not they donate that amount to ALS. Any takers?'' This story's explosion yesterday actually was a very interesting lesson in modern communications, but there's no way I could adequately analyze it in the time and space I have here. The mystery, to me, was how Gordon Edes could have been aware of Thorne's comments -- generally, the sound of the TV broadcasts is muted in the press box, and if it wasn't, Edes wouldn't have been the only reporter to hear it -- but come to find out it was old friend Allan Wood who heard it first and sent the word out to Edes and several other sports writers. A global village, indeed. THE LAST WORD: Seth Mnookin thinks it was fitting that all this happened in Baltimore. (sethmnookin.com/blog) You'll have to click the link to find out why. OH, YES, THE GAME: Wily Mo Pena got Red Sox Nation off his back, at least for a night. (Yet another talk-show topic compromised; drat!) The most interesting part of Steven Krasner's story, however, is where he relates Pena saying he hit a slider but Orioles pitcher Chris Ray responding no, it was a fastball. "Pitch recognition,'' writes Krasner, ''may have something to do with Pena’s troubles.'' ARMAGEDDON II: At least that's how Yankee Universe is viewing this weekend, especially after Phil Hughes didn't live up to the role of savior last night. (New York Daily News) The always honest Johnny Damon cut through corporate Yankee-speak when he said, ''There's going to be panic soon, if the winning doesn't start.'' FAR EAST FLOP: Kei Igawa is now ''baseball's most expensive long reliever''. (New York Post) BELIEVE HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE, SON, AND NONE OF WHAT YOU HEAR: Jayson Stark isn't buying Alex Rodriguez' proclamations that he'll never leave New York. (espn.com) KREMLIN-WATCHING: George Steinbrenner has become so publicly elusive that reporters -- like SI.com's Jon Heyman -- are searching for clues the way the State Department would analyze Soviet politics by who stood where on the podium during May Day celebrations. (sportsillustated.cnn.com) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 26, 2007
PreparationCurt Schilling's next start isn't until Tuesday at home against Oakland. He'll even have an extra day of rest because Boston has Monday off. But this afternoon, Schilling already was preparing for the A's. He was sitting down in front of a video machine, intently watching himself pitch against Oakland in a game from last season, no doubt looking to pick up some pointers on how to handle the A's at Fenway Park next week. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Dice-K in The Big AppleDaisuke Matsuzaka will get his first look at Yankee Stadium tomorrow night when he pitches the opener of the three-game series. Dice-K, though, already has seen the vaunted Yankee lineup. And, while he got credit for the 7-6 win last Sunday night at Fenway Park, the right-hander was fairly ordinary, surrendering six runs on eight hits in seven-plus innings. Now, New York will be facing Matsuzaka for the second time. It will be interesting to see how batters fare against Dice-K and his funky delivery and arsenal of pitches the second time around, having seen his act once. Francona doesn't seem concerned. "Hitters are going to make adjustments. That's part of baseball," said Francona. "But Dice-K has a lot of different pitches and command of a lot of different pitches. Our hope is we get a game plan we can execute. He can pitch backwards sometimes (fastballs in breaking-ball counts, and vice versa). "He's a pretty good pitcher. There will be a lot of firsts. His first time on the mound at Yankee Stadium. In New York for the first time. But we didn't sign him to help us in the first three months of the year. We signed him to help us for a long time. And the more we find out about him, the more excited we get," said Francona. Dice-K got a head start to New York. He left the Sox' clubhouse before batting practice this afternoon after getting in a light workout. He was taking Amtrak's Acela to New York. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Coco UpdateCenter fielder Coco Crisp, who has been suffering from tightness of his left oblique, took some batting practice in the cage this afternoon, the second day in a row he participated in that activity. Manager Terry Francona said Crisp didn't feel any ill effects from yesterday's session and remained hopeful that he'd be able to start tomorrow night in the opener of the three-game series in Yankee Stadium. If he can't play, there's the possibility Crisp would have to be placed on the disabled list. Crisp wasn't in the best of moods this afternoon. "I'm fine," he said softly. "I'm just not a very talkative person right now. I feel the same. Play Friday? That's the plan." Crisp now has missed five straight games. Once again, Wily Mo Pena replaced him in center. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner The Sox on The SockCurt Schilling emphatically refused this afternoon to discuss the latest controversy surrounding his bloody sock, the one he wore during the second game of the 2004 World Series, which resides in a display in the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. Catcher Doug Mirabelli, though, who was thrown under the bus by Orioles TV announcer Gary Thorne Wednesday night for allegedly having admitted the blood was really red paint, did speak to the media. So did manager Terry Francona. And Thorne met with the media briefly yesterday as well. "It was miscommunication," said Thorne of the remark he said Mirabelli made that led him to believe the sock was painted and not bloody. "I was doing a (Red Sox) game. I don't remember when it was, but it was well after the (Sox' 2004 World Championship) fact. It (Mirabelli's remark) was joking or being sarcastic in the clubhouse that I took to be serious. We were talking about something else and my last question was about the sock really being bloody," said Thorne, standing around the batting cage, surrounded by TV cameras and other media members as the Orioles took BP. "I never really thought much about it at the time (of uttering the remark). It came up, a comment was made (Wednesday night). I didn't think it was a big deal. It's a non-issue. It (2004) was a great year (for the Sox). It was a tremendous playoffs. Schilling was outstanding. He did the warrior stuff. So, okay. I guess I don't get it. Obviously this is much bigger than I thought," said Thorne. Thorne called Mirabelli yesterday and the two of them hashed it out. Mirabelli said his main concern was that the "off-the-cuff" remark would affect his relationship with Schilling. "Any time you're associated with something like that it came damage relationships with friends and teammates," said Mirabelli, who said he didn't even know who Thorne was until seeing his face in the Orioles media guide. Schilling assured him there was no damage control that needed to be addressed. "(Thorne) said he assumed from what I said that (the sock was painted). By no means was that what I meant. He said I said to him, "We got a lot of publicity out of that." That's all he can recall," said Mirabelli. Mirabelli is known for his dead-pan style, which, in the context of what passes for clubhouse humor, makes it likely this is all a case of two plus two adding up to be eight. "This is a non-story, childish," said Mirabelli. "The media made it up and is running with it, keeping this stuff going. As far as I'm concerned, it's over." That's Francona's sentiment, too. "I'm disappointed this happened," said Francona, whose sleep was interrupted several times this morning from media members seeking comment. "That (Schilling's performances on a sutured ankle) was one of the most miraculous performances I've been around," he said. "I'm disappointed there are factions of people who want to believe (it was paint and not blood). That's a shame. It's not true. Gary's a great guy. I'm hopeful it was just wires getting crossed and we'll move on." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Tonight's lineup, with more to comeBALTIMORE -- The lineup for tonight . . . RED SOX ORIOLES We're in the clubhouse now, and we'll soon have . . . -- More reaction on sock-gate. We've talked to Doug Mirabelli and are waiting for Curt Schilling. -- News on Coco Crisp, who took hitting today. -- A look ahead to Daisuke Matsuzaka's first start at Yankee Stadium. And more. Come back soon. -- STEVEN KRASNER
Posted by Art Martone Sox Streakers for April 26Who's Hot Who's Not Red Sox vs. Adam Loewen Orioles vs. Josh Beckett More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Bloody Sock -- Sox' ResponseThe Red Sox' only official response to the latest questions about whether Curt Schilling had blood or paint on his sock in the 2004 postseason came from Boston President/CEO Larry Lucchino this afternoon. He said: "In regards to the remarks made on Wednesday by Baltimore Orioles announcer Gary Thorne, the Red Sox will not respond to or dignify these insinuations with extensive comment. Such gossip occurred in 2004 and we will not participate in further comment other than to remind everyone that we remain steadfastly proud of the courageous efforts by a seriously injured Curt Schilling -- efforts that helped lead the Red Sox to the 2004 World Series Championship." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Pitching Manny insideOn two notable occasions, Baltimore Orioles pitchers buzzed Manny Ramirez inside. Once it worked, the second time it didn't. In the first inning, flamethrowing starter Daniel Cabrera fired one high and tight. Ramirez dropped his bat and backpedaled out of the box. Cabrera ended up getting Ramirez on a called third strike to end the inning. Later, in a critical spot in the seventh inning, sidearming former Sox reliever Chad Bradford spun a pitch right in the direction of Manny's knees. Once again Ramirez scurried out of the way. But Bradford doesn't deliver the heat that Cabrera does, and in any case Ramirez was not intimidated. He ended up lining a pitch to right-center for an RBI single, ending Ramirez's 0-for-12 drought. Still later in the game, he hit one much harder, but Corey Patterson (who probably could have caught the seventh-inning single had he played it better) made a spectacular catch to possibly rob Ramirez of his third home run of the season. Interesting managing, by the way, by Baltimore skipper Sam Perlozzo, who brought in Jamie Walker to face David Ortiz, even though Ortiz was 5-for-9 for his career with 3 home runs off Walker. Ortiz had a terrific at-bat, facing 11 pitches despite falling behind 0-and-2 before placing a single into left field in front of Jay Payton, who was playing way deep. Then it was exit Walker, and enter Bradford, to face Ramirez, even though Manny was 7-for-12 with a home run in his career off of the pitcher. This is why the Sox are 21-3 against these guys since September 2005. In case you missed it, Ramirez talked manager Terry Francona out of resting him for last night's game. That makes Ramirez one of only three Red Sox players (along with Ortiz and J.D. Drew) to appear in all 20 games so far.
Posted by Mike McDermott Another sock update: Dr. Morgan also says it was bloodDr. Bill Morgan, the Red Sox team physician during the 2004 postseason who performed the surgical procedures that allowed Curt Schilling to pitch despite his injured ankle, said today there is no question that the red spots on Schilling's socks were, in fact, blood. ''Absolutely,'' he said on WEEI Radio's Dale and Holley Show. ''It was what it was,'' said Morgan. ''You can't stick a needle into a guy and don't expect him to bleed a little bit.'' Morgan explained why the procedure caused the bleeding. ''We used a pretty big needle to be able to stitch his skin down to the bone,'' he said. ''And in doing so, after putting in six to seven stitches, it's going to ooze a little bit even if he wasn't going out to play professional baseball. I expected a little bit of bleeding, and these cotton socks are like a sponge. They make a [small amount of bleeding] look like [a lot].'' He also dismissed the notion that Schilling would think of discoloring his sock. ''We were in a very, very intense game,'' Morgan said, ''and I think he had a little bit more on his mind than manicuring his sock.''
Posted by Art Martone Projo SoxTalk: Schilling reinvents himself on the moundToday on projo SoxTalk, Steve Krasner speaks to us from his hotel in Baltimore, where last night he saw Curt Schilling put on a vintage performance -- sort of. The results were vintage, but the method was not. As Schilling loses velocity on his fastball, he's forced to rely more on wits. Here's an excerpt from Steve's conversation with sports editor Art Martone: Krasner: "He's getting outs, as he says. He's certainly not throwing 96 miles an hour anymore, in fact his fastball is more in the 88-89 range, but he's managing to get outs. He's getting the opposition to swing early in the count, which keeps him in the game longer." Martone: Do you think eventually this changing style of pitching, the other teams will adopt to it, and that they'll be able to hit him a little bit easier, or do you think he's actually reinveting himself for the maybe third time in his career and is going to be able to continue pitching this way indefinitely? Krasner: Well he's definitely reinventing himself, and I think quality pitchers are able to learn and adjust to what they have and be able to survive because you're one step ahead of the hitter, or your able to put the ball where you want to. Location obviously is important. I think the opposition will catch up to what he's doing, and I think what that means is maybe they'll be looking more offspeed and not worried that he's going to blow the fastball by them, because at 88-89 they'll be able to react to it. So it's a constant battle of adjustments for everybody, and certainly for Schilling, but when you're a quality pitcher, somehow someway you find ways to get outs." Krasner and Martone also discuss last night's strange at-bat by Julio Lugo, and last night's great at-bat by David Ortiz. Click here to listen to the full audio.
Posted by Mike McDermott Sock update: Hall of Fame says it's real bloodAnd they know, according to the Associated Press, because the color of the sock that's displayed in the Hall of Fame, from Game 2 of the 2004 World Series, is now brown, a natural discoloration of blood over time. Hall of Fame spokesman Jeff Idelson said he has “no idea” where Schilling's bloody sock from the ALCS is being kept, but is confident that the second bloody sock, which Schilling delivered to Cooperstown himself, is authentic. “We have no reason to doubt Curt, who has a profound respect for the history of the game and is cognizant of his role as a history maker,” Idelson said. He added, “The stain on the sock is now brown, which is what happens to blood over time.”
Posted by Art Martone Baseball Today: Thursday, April 26Interesting day in baseball (though aren't they all?) . . . ONE AND DONE: It's rare that a 6-1 game is decided in one at-bat, but Steven Krasner says that's what happened last night in Baltimore. (projo.com) The fact that the at-bat was from David Ortiz wasn't so rare. Kraz gives a good breakdown of Ortiz' 11-pitch battle with Jamie Walker that ended with him dumping a run-scoring single to left-center with two outs in the seventh, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Sox the lead for good. HAVEN'T WE BEEN THROUGH THIS? Curt Schilling's bloody sock was front-and-center on the Orioles' television broadcast last night, as announcer Gary Thorne announced casually on the air that the blood seeping through Schilling's stitches as he pitched against the Yankees in Game 6 of the 2004 ALCS and the Cardinals in Game 2 of the World Series ''was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR.'' (The Boston Globe) When asked about it by Gordon Edes between innings last night, Thorne said he had been told this by Mirabelli ''a couple of years ago . . . Go ask him [Mirabelli].'' Edes did, along with others in the Red Sox clubhouse and in the organization. The reaction was swift and angry. Mirabelli: ''What? Are you kidding me? He's [expletive] lying. A straight lie. I never said that. I know it was blood. Everybody knows it was blood." Manager Terry Francona: ''What we're going through today as a nation, you hate to use a word like heroic on the field, but what Schill did that night on the sports field was one of the most incredible feats I ever witnessed. [Thorne's remarks] go so far past disappointing. Disrespectful to Schill, to his vocation. I'm stunned. I am just floored. Schill takes his share of shots, and this one is so far below the belt that I'm embarrassed and I wish somebody would have had the good conscience to ask me. I saw the leg. If that had been painted, I wouldn't have had my knuckles so white, and having so much anxiety.'' Team president Larry Lucchino, responding via e-mail: ''I have never heard any such thing internally, and I refuse to believe it now. It was a courageous moment for Curt Schilling and a glorious moment for the Red Sox, and it shouldn't be sullied with such speculation now." Schilling: ''It gets stupider. I got the 9-inch scar for you. You can see it. There are some bad people in your line of work, man." The only thing close to a non-denial denial came from GM Theo Epstein, who -- in I-refuse-to-dignify-this-with-a-comment mode -- refused to dignify it with a comment: ''You're kidding me, right? I'm the GM of the team, not Jerry Springer. I couldn't give two [expletives] about what was on his sock, I care that we won the game. The rest, and Gary Thorne, is just noise." From the Orioles' clubhouse, Kevin Millar chimed in: ''It was definitely blood. He had some stitches there. It was a hell of an injury at the time. So I think that was more [Mirabelli possibly] messing with Schilling. Like I said, I just saw blood and that was the bottom line and thank God we won that game. Blood or ink, it was a win. I mean, it was one of the single greatest performances I've ever been around. He couldn't walk and Dr. Morgan found a way to do something with his ankle and he manned up for us. It was a big performance at the time." Edes' story concluded by saying the Red Sox may seek a retraction from Thorne. And talk radio has ready-made programming for the day. THE TRANSCRIPT: Allan Wood relates the entire conversation between Thorne and fellow announcer Jim Palmer. (joyofsox.blogspot.com) I HAVE TO ADMIT, I SMILED AT THIS ONE: Old friend FelixMantilla on the Sons of Sam Horn board finds it ironic "that now it's G38 who is getting 'Swift-Boated.' '' (sonsofsamhorn.net) FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH: Schilling himself doesn't address the issue at all in his breakdown of the game, in which he calls the game-tying home run by Miguel Tejada "an inexcusable mistake" on his part ("I went to [the] curve ball, and threw what can only be described as a hanger. I knew when I let it go that I didn’t finish it, and was praying that it went to the backstop or something, but it didn’t.'') He also ruminates a bit on last weekend's Yankees series, and laughs at those who think Mariano Rivera is losing it. ''Check back in September when he’s sitting on 40+ saves and a 2 ERA,'' he writes. (38pitches.com) NEXT TIME, CALL TIME: Kraz' Inside The Game examines the strange episode in which plate umpire Angel Hernandez refused to grant Julio Lugo time when he stepped out of the box, resulting in a called strike, then instructed Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera to throw when Lugo wouldn't step back in, resulting in another called strike. (projo.com) Can't say I've ever seen that one before. LET'S TRY AGAIN: This is one of the entries that got wiped out in yesterday's computer crash. Joe Posnanski asked Bill James to come up with a list of players who could have made the Hall of Fame had the circumstances of their careers been just a little different. (thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com) James' list has a distinct Red Sox tinge to it, as it includes Fred Lynn (Hall killer: leaving Fenway Park), Elston Howard (Hall killer: playing behind Yogi Berra for so many years and spending 95 percent of his career in the Death Valley-for-righthanded-hitters known as the old Yankee Stadium) and Luis Tiant (Hall killer: playing two meaningless years at the end of his career, delaying his Hall eligibility past the time when pitchers with similar statistics to his, like Catfish Hunter, were being elected, and into a time when a wave of 300-game winners hit the ballot, crushing his chances). It's a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it. A LOOK BACK: Mention of Tiant prompted Posnanski to take a closer look at Looie's incredible 1968 season with the Indians . . . which is of particular interest to Joe, since he grew up in Cleveland as an Indians fan.
HOLD YOUR HORSES: FoxSports' Dayn Perry puts the pace in perspective. Though I don't know, why couldn't Josh Beckett go 36-0? -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone Was that paint on his sock?The TV play-by-play man for the Baltimore Orioles said during last night's broadcast that Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli told him that it was paint, not blood, on Curt Schilling's sock during Schilling's fabled Game 6 performance in Yankee Stadium during the 2004 American League Championship Series. Gary Thorne, a broadcaster with a national reputation, said this to broadcast partner Jim Palmer, according to today's Boston Globe: "The great story we were talking about the other night was that famous red stocking that he wore when they finally won, the blood on his stocking." "Nah," Thorne said. "It was painted. Doug Mirabelli confessed up to it after. It was all for PR." The Globe's Gordon Edes caught up with Mirabelli after last night's Red Sox win. Mirabelli said this when told of Thorne's remark: "What? Are you kidding me? He's [expletive] lying. A straight lie. I never said that. I know it was blood. Everybody knows it was blood." According to the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck, Mirabelli could be heard after the game saying he wouldn't know Thorne "if he walked in here." Schilling also denied the story, offering to show reporters a nine-inch scar and adding: "There are some bad people in your line of work, man," Edes reported. Former teammate Kevin Millar spoke up in Schilling's defense in the Baltimore clubhouse, while the Red Sox told Edes that they may seek a retraction. Thorne is a newcomer to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, which broadcasts Orioles games, but he has spent seven years broadcasting the NHL for ABC; covered the Nagano Olympics in Japan for CBS; and has been a radio broadcaster for the New York Mets and a TV broadcaster to the Chicago White Sox, among many other listings on his broadcast resume. It will be interesting to see if Schilling addresses this issue today on his 38Pitches blog.
Posted by Mike McDermott April 25, 2007
Red Sox 6, Orioles 1BALTIMORE -- Curt Schilling pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, David Ortiz drove in the tiebreaking with a bloop single in the seventh, and the Boston Red Sox exploited Baltimore's revamped bullpen in a 6-1 victory Wednesday night. After losing two straight to Toronto by a combined 17-6 score, Boston scored five runs over the final three innings to avoid its first three-game skid of the season. Alex Cora hit his first homer for the Red Sox, who have won 16 of their last 19 games against the Orioles. Schilling (3-1) gave up one run, struck out three and walked two. The 40-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Miguel Tejada but allowed only one other batter beyond second base. Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera (1-2) pitched well but was victimized by the bullpen in Baltimore's third straight defeat. The right-hander left in the seventh after getting two outs and walking two batters with the score tied at 1. Jamie Walker came in to face Ortiz, who worked the count to 3-2 before plopping an opposite-field single in front of charging left fielder Jay Payton. Manny Ramirez then stopped an 0-for-12 drought with an RBI single off Chad Bradford, who forced in a run by walking J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell. Walker and Bradford are part of a $42 million makeover the Baltimore bullpen received during the offseason. Before facing the Red Sox, the duo had given up two runs in 17 1-3 innings. Boston added two runs in the ninth off rookie Jim Johnson. Ramirez hit a sacrifice fly on a drive that center field Corey Patterson caught by leaping to the top of the wall, and Lowell hit an RBI single. Cora gave the Red Sox a 1-0 lead with his first homer since August and second since August 15, 2005. The drive landed in the front row of the right-field bleachers. It was the first home run yielded by Cabrera in five starts this season. He had pitched 57 2-3 innings without surrendering a homer, dating back to Sept. 6. Cora went 2-for-2 against Cabrera and is 11-for-18 (.611) in his career against the right-hander. Aubrey Huff doubled off the glove of first baseman Kevin Youkilis with one out in the fourth and advanced on a groundout before former Boston favorite Kevin Millar struck out. Cabrera walked two in the sixth but got out of trouble by striking out Jason Varitek with a rising 3-2 fastball. The 6-foot-9 pitcher hopped off the mound and pumped his fist before heading to the dugout. Tejada homered in the bottom half to make it 1-all. It was Tejada's second of the season; the first came on opening day in Minnesota. Notes:@ Sgt. Mark Ecker II, who lost parts of both his legs while serving in the war in Iraq, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Players from both teams stood and cheered during his introduction. ... Orioles 3B Melvin Mora was omitted from the starting lineup for the first time this season, in part because he's 3-for-25 lifetime against Schilling. ... Schilling is 4-0 in his last five starts against Baltimore. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS
Posted by Art Martone Cora in, Pedroia outAlex Cora is starting tonight at second base in place of rookie Dustin Pedroia, but even though the Orioles are starting a right-hander (Daniel Cabrera), it's not a case of the Red Sox beginning to platoon the duo. Cora, a left-handed hitter, has had considerable success (9 for 16, .563) against Cabrera. Cora also is batting .333 overall. Pedroia, a right-handed hitter, is batting only .191 overall. "Pedroia will get back in there, but this is too good a night to pass up having Cora in there," said Francona, pointing to Cora's track record against Cabrera. Pedroia is expected to start tomorrow night. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Manny Asks Into the LineupBoston manager Terry Francona was thinking about giving struggling Manny Ramirez a game off tonight. But when he informed Ramirez of his idea, the Sox' left fielder wasn't receptive to it. So Ramirez is in left field, batting fourth. Ramirez, one of only three members of the Sox to play in the first 19 games (J.D. Drew and David Ortiz are the others), is hitting only .197 with just one double, two homers and nine RBI. "I was going to sit Manny but he talked me out of it," said Francona. "I keep thinking if he feels he wants to be in there, I'm hoping he'll get hot. I've got to believe he feels he's getting close. That's a good sign." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner The New Jon Lester PlanJon Lester was rained out in his start for Pawtucket tonight in Rochester. The PawSox have tomorrow off, so the plan now calls for the left-hander to pitch for Pawtucket Friday night against Buffalo at McCoy Stadium. If Lester were to stay on a five-man-rotation schedule, he would work again at McCoy on Wednesday, May 2, against Indianapolis. Lester, recovering from non-Hodgkins lymphome, is in the minors on a rehabilitation assignment. A pitcher can spend a maximum of 30 days on a minor-league rehab stint before his organization would have to either assign him to the big-league team or a minor-league team. In Lester's case, his 30th day is May 4. At that point the Sox will have to decide what to do with him. If Boston feels he's ready to pitch in the big leagues, he'll likely replace Julian Tavarez in the rotation. Tavarez had a solid start last week in Toronto, but was tagged for six runs in 4 2/3 innings by the Jays at Fenway on Tuesday night. The Sox, apparently, are not going to rush Lester into a start Sunday in New York. Tavarez still is listed as the starting pitcher for the series finale against the Yankees. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Crisp Out Again -- DL?Coco Crisp is out of the starting lineup again tonight, missing his fourth straight start because of tightness in his left oblique. Manager Terry Francona had been hopeful that Crisp would be able to return tonight, but instead, Wily Mo Pena, who has had his share of defensive troubles, is starting again in center. Crisp could very well wind up on the disabled list this weekend if his health doesn't improve. "Coco's not as good as we wanted him to be," said Francona during his daily press briefing. "The plan of attack is to not play him tonight or tomorrow and then we'll try to make a decision when we get to New York (Friday, for the opener of a series against the Yankees), whether he needs to be on the DL or can he come back and play," said Francona. Francona said the medical staff has to determine whether it's a bruise or a strain. Crisp did some work in the weight room on Tuesday and said yesterday he was sore. Francona said they weren't sure if he was sore because he had worked out, or because of the oblique problem. Crisp was cryptic when asked how he was felling. "I'm fine," said Crisp, walking away with trainer Paul Lessard. Crisp last played in a game on Sunday. He was scratched from the starting lineup, but entered as a defensive replacement. If the Red Sox put Crisp on the 15-day DL, they can back-date it to this past Monday, April 23. If Boston needs to call someone up, veteran Alex Ochoa is in Pawtucket. Prospect David Murphy, who had a good spring with the big club, is starting for the PawSox and likely would be another option. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Red Sox-Orioles Starting LineupsBoston Lugo ss Schilling p BALTIMORE Roberts 2b Caberra p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for April 25The weather forecast still doesn't look too good for Baltimore. But if they do play tonight, here's some stuff from the Sox Game Notes: Who's Hot Who's Not Red Sox vs. Daniel Cabrera Orioles vs. Curt Schilling More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Wily being MannyWell, there's one thing positive that we can say about Manny Ramirez's performance last night at Fenway: He wasn't the worst defensive outfielder in the game. Thank you Mr. Pena. But Manny's bizarre bouncing throw toward first, which came after he nicely barehanded a Lyle Overbay double that had caromed high off the scoreboard, got lots of laughs today on SportsCenter. Nick Cafardo, writing today in The Boston Globe, said Manny walked right past a reporter who asked him what happened, pretending not to hear. Ramirez's average dropped down below .200 again last night, which means that we are talking about something quite a bit more severe than the slow starts he's had in recent seasons. At this time last year, after scuffling for a couple of weeks, he already had his average back up to .300. Going back to last year, he's hit 3 home runs in the last 31 games in which he's appeared. Still, no one seems too worried. Interesting. What They're Saying: On Slate.com, Seth Stevenson says baseball biomechanics nerds are pushing baseball stats nerds aside. He describes a baseball conversation with a friend: "In the midst of marveling at Manny Ramirez's hitting genius, my friend suddenly got out of his chair and mimicked Manny's swing. 'He keeps his weight back,' my friend said, lifting his knee and cocking his elbow, 'so he has unbelievable balance right into his follow-through.' Here my friend swung his arms and watched an imaginary home run sail into the distance. Now I hopped up, too, holding my own invisible bat. Soon we were discussing hip rotation, and forearm pronation, and how to keep your head quiet through the swing." Hey, it's more fun than mimicking Ramirez taking strike three. Lee Adams of the Itawamba County Times in Mississippi says this in a column bemoaning the fact that most players don't wear their socks high: "Recently some MLB players have been going back to the high socks style, but you still have players like Manny Ramirez who look unprofessional and sloppy." Itawamba County?
Posted by Mike McDermott Yankee stat of the dayThis is a Sox blog, but there's an interesting Yankee note from the Elias Sports Bureau . . . The Yankees, 8-11 and in last place in the A.L. East, have been alone in last place this many games into a season only once previously in Joe Torre's reign: On April 21, 1997, when they were also 8-11. That was the only season the Yankees did not finish in first place under Torre.
Posted by Art Martone Lester: ''As far as I know, I’m throwing Friday."BY DAN HICKLING ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Jon Lester has taken some impressive and important steps on his road back from cancer and to the Boston Red Sox. However, the next one, the biggest one yet, will have to wait a few days. Lester had been scheduled to make the first of two rehab starts with the Pawtucket Red Sox, this afternoon against the Rochester Red Wings. Instead, the prized young left-handed starter was forced to put those plans on hold, as rains washed out the contest before it ever got underway. The game will be made up on July 6, as part of a doubleheader (first pitch 6:05 p.m.), during Pawtucket’s next visit to Frontier Field. As for Lester, it is expected, but had yet to be decided, that he’ll make his next start on Friday against Buffalo, when the PawSox begin an eight-game stand at McCoy Stadium. “Jonny’s program is set through our major-league people,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “But my guess would be for sure. I would think that that would happen, but I’m still waiting for a call from Mike Hazen (Boston’s director of player development).” Lester, who had pitched effectively in three previous rehab starts with Class A Greenville, was non-plussed by the waylaying of his pitching plans. “As far as I know, I’m throwing Friday,” he said. “That’s all I know. (From there) I’ll play it by ear.” Lester, who received treatment after being diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma last August, was pronounced by his doctors to be cancer free in December. Since then, he’s undergone a series of checkups every three months, with the next one of those scheduled for today in Boston. So far, all signs have been glowingly optimistic. “I’m just trying to make it through the first year,” he said. “That’s the main thing.” Lester’s progress on the mound has been just as heartening. He gave up just three earned runs in 13.0 innings with Greenville, and came away from those starts feeling very satisfied. “The best thing was just getting that consistency back,” he said. “Getting to face hitters, and throw, and to feel stronger and better. Try to get built back up to where (I) need to be.” If Lester doesn’t pitch tomorrow, RHP David Pauley (0-0, 1.00) will get the start against Buffalo LHP Rafael Perez (1-1, 2.87).
Posted by Art Martone PawSox postponedThe Pawtucket Red Sox' matinee game today at Rochester has been postponed. The game will be made up as part of a double-header July 6. Left-hander Jon Lester was supposed to have made one of his two scheduled AAA rehab starts today. Pawtucket's next game is Friday night at McCoy Stadium against the Buffalo Bisons.
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk: Lester back in Boston next week?Today's guest on Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone is Steve Krasner, who is down in Baltimore for tonight's scheduled game with the Orioles. We say scheduled because the forecast is for steady rain tonight at Camden Yards, so this short two-game series might become even shorter. Barring an unlikely decision to call a double-header tomorrow, a rainout tonight would probably mean the Sox would throw Beckett, Matsuzaka and Wakefield this weekend in New York, rather than Matsuzaka, Wakefield and Tavarez. Speaking of Tavarez, Art and Steve spoke a little bit about his precarious position in the rotation following last night's rough start against Toronto. Here's what they said: Martone: I know you weren't at the game last night, but [Tavarez] didn't really pitch that well, and there's a lot of talk now that his spot in the rotation might be in jeopardy. Krasner: Yeah, I mean, I would think that talk would come up, because with Lester now pitching for Pawtucket -- 85 pitches I believe he's supposed to throw tonight and then one more start, and then his rehab is actually up, so they'd have to make a designation. They'd have to send him somewhere, so who knows, in a week or so Lester could be in the rotation in Boston. Martone: That's right. In fact, [the PawSox game will start shortly after noon from Rochester], we're going to have the game on the blog, so we'll be blogging that, but one of the interesting things about this was last night they switched [Lester] back to next Tuesday rather than Monday, which is his normal day, and one of the reasons they did that we believe was that it gets him into the Tavarez spot in the rotation. Krasner: Ah, well there you go. And what that would also do, though, is actually help out the bullpen, because I think Tavarez could be a more effective relief pitcher than some of the guys they have there. Krasner and Martone also discuss what's going on with Wily Mo Pena. Click here to listen to the full audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball today, abbreviated version: Wednesday, April 25Every so often you'll turn to a links blog and the author will sheepishly admit that, after 45 minutes, or an hour, or two hours of work, a computer glitch wiped out everything that's been done to that point and, thus, today's entry will be much shorter than usual. Stupid people, I'd always snort; that'll never happen to someone as computer-savvy as me. Guess again. So, in the 12 minutes remaining until this is due to be posted, let's see what I can salvage. And sorry that most of it centers on the Yankees, but those are the links that survived the crash . . . WHAT MORE IS THERE TO SAY? If you really need to read about last night's debacle at Fenway, it's all right here. (projo.com) But one man's floor is another man's ceiling, and the Blue Jays are proud of their character after reviving their sinking ship with two wins in Boston. (Toronto Star) HELP ON THE WAY? With Julian Tavarez' rotation spot clearly up for grabs, the lonely eyes of Red Sox Nation turn to Jon Lester. (projo.com) Come back to the blog this afternoon, because we'll post live updates of his start in Buffalo. IF THIS WERE 30 YEARS AGO, THE CARNAGE WOULD BE UNFATHOMABLE: George Steinbrenner was "not happy'' the Yankees were swept by the Red Sox. Imagine how feels now that they were swept by the Devil Rays. (New York Post) THE REAL BATTLE: Filip Bondy says Mariano's Rivera biggest opponent is Father Time. (New York Daily News) IT'S URGENCY, NOT PANIC: That's what the Yankees are telling Bob Klapisch. One major-league executive, however, is telling him: "I wouldn't say this is one of the better Yankee teams of the last few years." (espn.com) THIS SUPRISES YOU? Another reason for most Rhode Islanders to hate the Yankees in this bluest of blue states: Their fans tend to be Republican. (politico.com) WE WISH: John Sterlings says ''he's running out of words'' to describe Alex Rodriguez. (Newsday). I kid, though, because -- save for the absurd, forced home-run calls ("Robbie Cano, doncha know"??????) -- I like Sterling a lot. HUH? Sport Illustrated's Jon Heyman rates the managers. Terry Francona is 10th. Grady Little is seventh. (sportsillustrated. com) IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO EXCUSE: Torii Hunter was just trying to be nice, but the Kansas City Royals saved him from a three-year suspension by sending back his gift of champagne. (espn.com) Wonder how the Twins will express their gratitude? A case of bubbly, perhaps . . . ? And that's all we have time for. Believe me, there was a lot more than this; I'll revive some of it tomorrow. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 24, 2007
PawSox fall to Red WingsIn a rematch of starting pitchers Rochester’s Kevin Slowey once again bettered Pawtucket’s Devern Hansack as the Red Sox fell to the Red Wings 5-2 Tuesday at Frontier Field. ED GONSER (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa Final: Blue Jays 10, Red Sox 3 before 37,000 at FenwayBOSTON -- There were more people in Fenway Park tonight -- 37,161 -- than there've been at any time since World War II. Too bad they didn't get to see a better ballgame. The Blue Jays broke open a close game with a pair of runs in the top of fifth inning, then put it out of reach with four unearned runs in the sixth as they beat the Red Sox, 10-3, tonight and swept the two-game series. The new modern attendance record was the result of several areas of new seating, both standing room and in the aluminum-bleacher "Conigliaro's Corner" on the right-field roof, added this offseason. The Sox approached, but didn't quite reach, the 37,000 mark on Friday night against the Yankees. There is less seating for day games because two areas of the bleachers are cordoned off to help the hitters sight lines. The team drew crowds higher than 37,000 prior to the war, when fire laws were looser and fans were allowed to cram in virtually every corner of the field . . . including some allowed to stand on the field, in foul territory. The game was tied 1-1 in the third when the Jays scored three. The Sox had battled back to 4-3 by the top of the fifth, but the Blue Jays scored two more to make it 6-3. Then they ended the suspense with four unearned runs in the top of the sixth. Frank Thomas doubled off the base of the left-field wall, driving in Alex Rios and Adam Lind and giving Toronto a 3-1 lead. Lyle Overbay then hit a bouncer to the left side that second baseman Dustin Pedroia had lined up. But first baseman Eric Hinske cut in front of him and the ball caromed off his glove. The official scorer gave Overbay an RBI, ruling Wells would have scored even if the play had been made (he was running as the ball was hit). The error was one of four made by Boston, the most the Red Sox committed in a game since Sept. 9, 2005. In the bottom of the third, the Sox got a run back. Julio Lugo beat out an infield hit, stole second, and came home when Hinske singled to right, a line drive that Rios just barely missed as he dove for the ball. Mike Lowell homered with one out in the fourth, making it 4-3. But the Blue Jays made it 6-3 on a two-out, two-run double off the wall in left by Overbay, scoring Lind and Wells, both of whom had singled with one out. The Red Sox lifted starter Julian Tavarez after Overbay's double in favor of Kyle Snyder, Tavarez labored all night, throwing 85 pitches and surrendering seven hits and six runs in his 4 2/3 innings. In the top of the sixth, Wily Mo Pena flubbed a line drive by Lind with two runners on and two outs, dropping the ball and allowing the seventh Blue Jay run to score. Wells singled home two more as the Toronto lead went to 9-3. Toronto manager John Gibbons then had Wells steal with a six-run lead, and the move paid off in another run. Wells was not only safe but he went to third on an errant throw by catcher Jason Varitek. Thomas then singled him in, making it 10-3. Wells' four hits and four runs scored both matched his career highs. Toronto had opened the scoring with a two-out solo home run from Wells in the top of the first. In the bottom of the inning, David Ortiz singled home Lugo to tie the score. Lugo had singled, stolen second, and moved to third on an infield grounder by Hinske.
Posted by Art Martone A-Rod: I want to stay in New YorkAssociated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez's torrid start has reaffirmed his intentions for after this season: He wants to stay in pinstripes. Rodriguez, whose 14 homers are tied for the most ever in April, said Tuesday that he has no plans to leave the New York Yankees after the season, when the third baseman can opt of his contract. “I want to stay in New York, no matter what,” Rodriguez said in the Yankees' third-base dugout before Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay. “I love New York. It's the greatest place for me to play.” Rodriguez is entering the seventh season of his $252 million, 10-year contract, a deal he signed with the Texas Rangers. He can terminate the agreement after the season, forfeit the $81 million owed in the final three years and become a free agent. “Abilitywise, we certainly want him here,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “Sitting in the middle of our lineup and making the statement he is right now, we certainly don't want him to go anywhere. That's without question. I'd like to believe he's going to be here.” Rodriguez entered Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay hitting .400 with a league-leading 34 RBIs in 18 games, and he's already matched the record for April homers set by Albert Pujols last year. When asked if he could explain his start, Rodriguez said simply, “No.” “I know you guys are looking for some profound answers, but I don't have them,” Rodriguez said. “I'm having as much fun as I can. I'm trying to keep it simple. Just try to prolong it as long as possible and enjoy it.”
Posted by Art Martone Hall of Fame receives Varitek's batThe Red Sox announced last night that the bat used by Jason Varitek to hit the fourth consecutive home run in the third inning Sunday night has been donated to the Hall of Fame.
Posted by Art Martone Playing safe with CocoThe Red Sox are taking it slowly with Coco Crisp’s strained left oblique, which means Crisp is getting another night of rest. Wily Mo Pena will be in center tonight for the third straight game as Crisp sits. ``I said yesterday I thought he’d play today,’’ manager Terry Francona said, ``but I’m hopeful he’ll play tomorrow. The trainers keep saying we’re better off being cautious, which I understand. So we’ll wait another day.’’ ``They want to make sure nothing happens. That’s a touchy area,’’ Crisp said. He, too, felt he could go. He did his normal pre-game workout. It was simply decided not to push the issue. ``Every player tells you he’s fine. Then they take one swing or make one bad movement and they miss six weeks,’’ Francona said. ``I thought Coco could play. But if there is a chance he goes out there and gets hurt, to me that doesn’t make any sense. I’d rather err on the side of caution.’’ After a bad start, Crisp had gone 8-for-20 in his last five games being being hurt.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Timlin's defensive heroics saves faceMike Timlin saved his own life on Monday night. Toronto hitter Gregg Zaun smoked a line drive right back up the middle, that fortunately, Timlin was able to snare. If the Red Sox reliever wasn’t able to snare it, it possibly could have been a serious situation. “Lucky stab,” he said after Monday’s game. “Either I caught it or it caught me . . . You just hope it doesn’t catch flesh. Usually the flesh is from the neck up.” Timlin was able to joke about it, but the Red Sox have had some issue with their pitchers getting hit by line drives, some very serious. Case in point: Bryce Florie suffered serious facial injuries when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees’ Ryan Thompson on Sept. 8, 2000 at Fenway Park. Florie was never the same after that. Most recently, Matt Clement was drilled off the side of the head on July 26, 2005 in Tampa Bay. The Devil Rays’ Carl Crawford hit the ball that seemed to have changed Clement’s career, too. Former Red Sox farm hand Josh Hancock had his jaw shattered on June 3, 2002 while pitching for Double-A Trenton. Fortunately, Timlin doesn’t have to put himself in that same category due to his quick reaction. “I’m glad he got his glove up,” said Francona yesterday. “You certainly don’t want that run to score, but that can become very secondary in a hurry. His reaction was fantastic. Guys who end (their delivery) in an athletic position are going to have a chance, not only to defend themselves, but to make those plays. (Timlin) always lands with his feet square, and you would like to be able to teach that, but I don’t think you can.”
Posted by Joe McDonald No running into fences tonight for YoukilisThere were two pieces of news for Kevin Youkilis today and Youkilis was not overly thrilled with either one. One was that the Sox first baseman was being given a night off. ``It’s a good night. Youk ran into about every wall there is (Monday night),’’ manager Terry Francona said. Youkilis twice ran into fences chasing foul balls. That came on the heels of twice being hit by pitches. Youkilis admitted he was a bit shaken when he ran into the fence as he was racing back, toward the trap, chasing on foul ball in the first game against Toronto. ``I think they added a triangle pad or something,’’ he said. ``I thought I had about two feet of room, but it’s s at an angle. When you’re running you think you have more room. That thing just jumped out of nowhere.’’ ``He’s done such a good job staying prepared,’’ Francona said of Hinske. ``He’s not playing enough for our liking, but I don’t know what else to do.’’ The second issue with Youkilis was the All-Star ballot. Voting began this week. Youkilis is the only Sox regular not on the ballot. It is the second year in a row he is not on the ballot, but for good reason. Each team can only have one player at each position. David Ortiz is listed as Boston’s first baseman. ``I don’t worry about that,’’ he said. ``That’s out of my control.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon Clement's rehab moving slowlyRed Sox pitcher Matt Clement remains in Fort Myers as he continues to rehab his surgically repaired right shoulder. The veteran right-hander had a arthroscopic procedure performed last September, and according to Red Sox manager Terry Francona, Clement is still a long way off. "He's doing well," said the manager. "He's at the point where there's a lot of repetition. It's boring, but he's got to do it." The two have been in contact via text messages over the last few weeks and Clement is playing long toss at 105 feet. Prior to his injury-prone season last summer, Clement had made 30 or more starts in each of his first seven full seasons in the majors. He only made 12 starts for Boston in 2006 and posted a 5-5 record with a 6.61 E.R.A.
Posted by Joe McDonald Tonight's lineupToronto Alex Rios, 9 Boston
Posted by Joe McDonald Sox Streakers for April 24Culled from the team's official game notes: Who's Hot Who's Not Blue Jays vs. Julian Tavarez Red Sox vs. Roy Halladay More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Fire the announcer!Taking a pause from bashing their own manager after this weekend's three-game sweep at Fenway, members of the New York media are turning their wrath to ESPN broadcasters Joe Morgan and Jon Miller. Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News takes Morgan and Miller to task for allegedly concealing from the public the fact that Manny told Morgan before the game that this would be the night he ended his slump. Both of them mentioned Ramirez's prediction after the slugger's third-inning home run, the first of four straight homers for the Red Sox. I'm not sure what the big disservice is about not relaying a player's random hunch, but there's another problem with the premise: Miller actually made reference to Ramirez's comments before the game started. Richard Sandomir of The New York Times makes some good points, though, when he breaks down ESPN's confusing use of footage of Theo Epstein reacting to the home runs. Depending on when you were watching the replay, he might have been reacting to Drew's shot, or to Lowell's, or to Varitek's. There was also film of Ramirez celebrating one of the home runs from the dugout, and as the night went on it became perfectly unclear whom Ramirez was cheering. Sandomir also notes that Morgan and Miller failed to set the record straight when Terry Francona, in a dugout interview, said that Rocky Colavito was one of the Cleveland Indians who -- along with Francona's father, Tito -- hit four consecutive home runs in 1963. Meanwhile, the guy who gave up those home runs in '63 -- the immortal Paul Foytack -- asks Rob Bradford of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune this about Manny: "Why do they let [Ramirez] dress that way? I don't understand that." Fine way to thank a guy who has just (kind of) lessened a stigma that Foytack has carried for nearly 44 years. Then again I, for one, had never heard of Foytack until Sunday. So much for Ramirez breaking out of his slump. Last night was a particularly bad night for Manny, who twice struck out looking, failed to hit the ball out of the infield and misplayed Vernon Wells' third-inning double. But I am sympathetic toward players having a letdown after the New York sweep; I was falling asleep during that game last night myself.
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk: Pedroia coming around, Lester on deckIn today's edition of projo SoxTalk, baseball writer Joe McDonald looks ahead to tonight's Roy Halladay-Julian Tavarez matchup, and talks about two people he knows well: Dustin Pedroia and Jon Lester. While Pedroia appears to be breaking out of his slump in Boston, Lester is getting ready to start tomorrow afternoon in Rochester, N.Y., for the PawSox. Click here to listen to the full audio file. In the meantime, here are some excerpts of McDonald's conversation with sports editor Art Martone: On Pedroia: "He is one of the hardest workers that the Red Sox have, and Terry Francona continually talks about that work ethic. I got to the ballpark really early yesterday and I went down to the field, and he was taking some extra batting practice. And then he came over and just sat in the dugout and just talked with everybody around, whether it was media members or red sox personnel, and he was joking -- and you could just tell that he had his confidence back. And that's what I saw with him last year, when he was with the Pawtucket Red Sox. On how the Red Sox will handle Lester: "I think what they are going to do, at least what people in the organization are telling me, is that he will start on Wednesday, and then he'll start again next Tuesday at McCoy, and that is when his rehab will end. And then they'll have to make a decision. They'll have to either assign him to Pawtucket or keep him up in Boston, most likely in the bullpen for now. But I wouldn't be surprised if he stays a little longer in Pawtucket. After next week's start they'll probably assign him to Pawtucket and just kind of see how he fits into that rotation. I know his pitch count tomorrow -- Wednesday -- is supposed to be about 80-85, which is a good sign. It's up from the start of the season, when he was in Greenville. By the way, we'll have updates tomorrow on the blog from Lester's start in Rochester.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Tuesday, April 24A locally tinged look at baseball today . . . WE WERE TRYING, HONEST: The Red Sox insist they weren't suffering from an emotional letdown after sweeping the Yankees, but the atmosphere at the ballpark, on and off the field, sure was different during last night's loss to the Blue Jays. The good news is the Sox continue to get production from the previously lifeless lower part of the batting order. (projo.com) LOCAL BOY MAKES GOOD: Ex-Providence College infielder John McDonald has, against all odds, carved out a nice career for himself. (projo.com) THE MIDAS TOUCH: Can't say the Red Sox haven't done wonders for their neighbors' property values. (Boston Herald) BRONZE MEDAL: Forbes Magazine lists Theo Epstein as the third-best general manager in baseball, behind the A's Billy Beane and the Mets' Omar Minaya. THE FUTURE IS NOW: The pitching-starved Yankees have summoned uber prospect Phil Hughes. I've been reading baseball stories in newspapers for about 45 years, and the Post's George King today used a phrase I'd never, ever, ever seen when he wrote that if Hughes' promotion isn't ''enough to pebble your skin, you don't like baseball''. (New York Post) Pebble your skin?? Yeah, there's no pressure on this kid. IT HAS TO BE, BECAUSE THE PRESENT'S NOT MUCH: To quote our radio friends in Boston, how's the Kei Igawa signing working out for ya? (New York Post) WHERE HAVE YOU GONE, JOE . . . TORRE? The Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees need the old, calm Joe Torre at the helm, not the panicky version who often seemed to be making moves in desperation last weekend. (New York Post) WEEKEND REDUX: The Futility Infielder's Jay Jaffe puts forth the optimists' spin on the Yanks' sweep at the hands of the Red Sox, and -- judging by what I've heard on talk shows and from Yankee-fan friends -- this is pretty much the majority opinion in Yankee Universe. (futilityinfielder.com) (Note: My apologies for originally identifying Jay as "Jeff". It was a brain cramp, because I've been ready Jay for years and enjoy his work.) YEAH, BUT . . . Except that some of the Yankees themselves aren't buying it (Bergen Record) LOSERS STILL, BUT LOVABLE? Lou Piniella's Cubs may not be winning any more than the Cubs of the past, but you have to admit, they're more fiery about it. (Chicago Tribune) TAKE THIS JOB AND . . . Brad Halsey is furious at the A's. Trashing your team from a Triple-A clubhouse probably isn't a real good career move, though. (San Francisco Chronicle) 'IT'S ABOUT TEAM FIRST': Gary Sheffield, batting .119 at the time, had no problem with being benched Sunday. (Detroit News) He said during spring training that his first choice at the end of last season was to come to the Red Sox, but he knew the Yankees would never let that happen. An aside: Can you imagine if he had made it to Boston and was hitting .119 here? Does the phrase "Embedded Yankee'' ring a bell? OLD FRIENDS: No links because most of the stories are just one-line entries, but lots of injury news involving ex-Red Sox players: Wade Miller was placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Cubs because of back spasms. In this case, however, many suspect "back spasms" is a euphemism for "lousy pitching" . . . Johnny Damon's sore back and hamstring kept him out of the starting lineup last night, though he did pinch-hit in the eighth inning (he popped out with the bases loaded and one out and the Yankees trailing 10-6) . . . The Indians put Andy Marte on the 15-day disabled list because of a bad hamstring . . . Scott Williamson had to leave last night's Orioles game because of right triceps tightness . . . Mike Gonzalez, who missed a week because of a bad elbow, returned to action for the Braves last night and pitched against the Marlins . . . Lew Ford, recovering from knee surgery, has begun playing extended spring-training games for the Twins . . . Anibal Sanchez, who was forced out of Saturday's game because of cramping in his calf and hamstring, is feeling better and says he'll make his scheduled start on Friday for the Marlins. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 23, 2007
Pesky saddened by news of HalberstamRed Sox legend Johnny Pesky received some troubling news during tonight's game at Fenway Park. He was told that writer David Halberstam died in a car accident earlier today in San Francisco. He was 73. Halberstam, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, wrote the book “The Teammates” which chronicled the life of four friends – Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Bobby Doerr and Pesky – on and off the baseball field. “It was flattering,” Pesky said about the best-seller. “I am so sorry to hear about what has happened. He was a fine man, a great author and writer. He did everything possibly a good human being could do. He was just an outstanding man and I feel very badly about this.” During last night’s game, Pesky said he had not spoken with Doerr or DiMaggio about the accident, but planned on calling his friends when he got home. During the 2004 Triple-A All-Star game in Pawtucket, Pesky, Doerr and DiMaggio participated in a Q & A session about the real-life story of “The Teammates” mostly discussing Williams as a man, friend and teammate.
Posted by Joe McDonald PawSox rained outThe PawSox battled the weather again Monday night, and had their game against the Buffalo Bisons suspended after heavy rain halted the game after just 16 minutes. The game, in which Pawtucket has a 3-0 lead in the first inning, will be resumed on May 5 when the Red Sox return to Dunn Tire Park. That game will be a full nine-inning affair and will be followed by a seven-inning nightcap. Pawtucket, which had won its last two games, had three games postponed in a four-day span between April 15-18. As a result, the starting pitchers haven’t been able to establish a normal routine. The bullpen, though, has worked at least three innings in each of the last four games, so the rest may be beneficial. “It’ll be helpful,” said PawSox manager Ron Johnson. “We were big-time spent. This situation won’t hurt us at all.” The game began under cloudy conditions with stiff winds - gusting over 30 miles per hour - blowing out to left field. Brandon Moss hit a wind-assisted three-run homer in the top of the first, giving the Triple-A rookie a home run in three of his last five games. In the bottom of the first, PawSox starter Kason Gabbard retired the first two batters and had a 1-1 count on Ben Francisco when the rains intensified, forcing the delay. The grounds crew was able to get the tarp down with little difficulty, but high winds threatened to carry the sheet away once it was in place. Lawn care machinery was used to anchor the tarp. After the delay hit the 45-minute mark, the cover was lifted as the rains stopped. The howling winds, however, turned the managers’ attention to safety. “The concern (Buffalo skipper Torey Lovullo and I) had was hitters going to the plate and catching their breath and having trouble seeing against the wind,” Johnson said. “It’s a situation where someone could get hurt.” The PawSox then traveled to Rochester where they begin a two-game series tonight. Righthander Devern Hansack (1-1, 1.69) is scheduled to start the 6:35 pm contest, slated to face Red Wings’ righty Kevin Slowey (2-0, 0.00). --MIKE HAIM (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa Sox Streakers for April 23Who's Hot Who's Not Red Sox vs. Tomo Ohka Blue Jays vs. Tim Wakefield More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Bullpen to get a restBecause Red Sox relievers Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima have been taxed of late – albeit successfully – it’s likely both will have tonight off.
Posted by Joe McDonald Lester still on scheduleJon Lester will continue his rehab with the PawSox on Wednesday as the left-hander will start against the Rochester Red Wings. His slated to throw 80-85 pitches. Since Pawtucket has Thursday off, there was some discussion that Lester would start again for the PawSox on Monday, which would be his fifth day. But, Red Sox manager admitted today the organization thought it best to give him an extra day, so he will work again on Tuesday at McCoy against Indy. Lester began the season in Single-A Greenville as he continues to recover from anaplastic large-cell lympohoma, which he was diagnosed with last August.
Posted by Joe McDonald Pedroia's backRed Sox rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia was sitting in the dugout this afternoon with a little more confidence. He just finished taking an early session of batting practice and it was clear his recent slump is behind him due to his two-hit night on Sunday. More importantly, it was his glove that proved crucial as he made a tremendous two-out diving grab late in the game with runners in scoring position. “That play he made defensively was more important than any hit he got last night,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “Fortunately, he understands that. It was also nice to see him get hits because you want to see guys have success, for sure. Hopefully now he takes that and runs with it.” His double in the second inning Sunday night snapped an 0-for-13 skid.
Posted by Joe McDonald World Series ring up for saleA 2004 Boston Red Sox World Championship ring is on auction on eBay, and as of this morning the bidding was near $16,000. The Red Sox handed out an unprecedented 500 World Series rings the following spring, and not all were the same. There are four different levels of classification – A, B, C, D – and according to the posting on eBay, the ring is the same as the players received, which can’t be the case. The ring up for auction was given to Cucho Rodriguez, a former team scout based in Puerto Rico. A scout would not have received an ‘A’ ring as the executives, players, the manager and coaches were given. There are plenty of fans in Red Sox Nation who probably can’t fathom the idea of someone selling a World Series ring. “You don’t know their situation in life,” said Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, who was a rookie in 2004 and received a ring. “There could be a bad situation and if it’s for a good reason then that’s fine. If it was a player who had money and put it on eBay just to get a little more money, there would probably be a lot more of an issue with it.” Youkilis said there would be only one reason why he would ever sell the prestigious piece of jewelry. “If someone was ill and I didn’t have any money, would I?” he said. “I think I would try to find other ways to pay money. It would be a hard thing to get rid of. I would never do it unless it was a life or death situation.” Red Sox manager Terry Francona did not want to talk about the sale of the ring because he did not know the particulars of the situation. He did say he would check to see if his ring was where it was supposed to be. “I don’t know what to think about it,” he said. “It’s none of my business.”
Posted by Joe McDonald Crisp is off, againRed Sox outfielder Coco Crisp is not in the lineup again tonight for the second consecutive game. He had some tightness in his oblique muscle that forced manager Terry Francona to scratch the centerfielder from Sunday’s lineup against the New York Yankees. Crisp was inserted into the game late on Sunday, but Francona, and the team’s training staff, felt it was best to give Crisp another day off for precautionary reasons. Francona said Crisp is feeling better and the manager thought about playing him tonight, but decided against it. The injury has nothing to do with his back flip over the bullpen wall, attempting to rob Alex Rodriguez of a home run on Friday night. Francona also said Crisp will be back in the lineup tomorrow.
Posted by Joe McDonald Tonight's lineupToronto Alex Rios, 9 Boston
Posted by Joe McDonald The Manny comebackJudging by the results of our most active sports survey, fans are not convinced that this weekend's series has proven anything like the Red Sox' superiority against the Yankees. Boston, after all, has a history of beating up on New York in April, and the Yankees' pitching staff is a shambles. No one, including myself, would be surprised to see the patched up Yankees take two of three this coming weekend in the Bronx. But here's another way of seeing it: The Red Sox showed this weekend that their lineup can be pretty good -- and let's forget for a moment about the Yankees' rookie starters. After all, the Red Sox scored 10 runs in 16.2 innings this weekend against pitchers not named Jeff Karstens or Chase Wright. All told, they put up 21 runs on the weekend with Manny Ramirez in a horrendous hitting slump. Meanwhile, the Yankees will be getting Hideki Matsui back, but Alex Rodriguez will be hard-pressed to stay this hot. As far as Manny goes: for a guy who has hit exactly two home runs this season, his reaction to hitting the one in Toronto and the one at Fenway might trick you into believing that this is all routine. During the same four-game stretch in which Ramirez has hit home runs, he's also contributed to killing three early rallies by grounding into double plays twice (against Roy Halladay and Andy Pettitte) and popping up on another occasion (against Wright). What they're saying: The New York Daily News' Subway Squakers blog had this prediction heading into last night: "Manny Ramirez will do something wacky. Did you see the way he kind of skipped over the ball A-Rod hit Saturday? Wacky. Then there's the hair, with the red strands in it, covered by the Boston do-rag. Wacky. He looks like a pirate - all he needs is a jaunty eyepatch!" The Manchester Union-Leader wonders whether the slump is ending. MLB.com's Ian Browne says not to expect any changes to the middle of the batting order. New York Newsday's Jim Baumbach reports that the immortal Paul Foytack was actually watching last night's game when Wright tied his 44-year-old record by giving up home runs to four consecutive batters. But Foytack, who lives in Tennessee, tells Baumbach that he turned the channel after Manny hit the first of the four, so he never got to see his "feat" get matched. At least Wright will be able to say that he gave up his four home runs against four very good hitters. Foytack, while pitching for the Angels in 1963, gave up his against this rogues gallery of Cleveland Indians: Woodie Held, pitcher Pedro Ramos, Tito Francona (father of Terry, of course) and Larry Brown (not the basketball coach). These guys combined for 366 home runs in their careers, against 935 and counting for the Red Sox four. By the way, if you hear Manny's name called this weekend during the NFL Draft, chances are you've been watching too long. Also, keep in mind that this is not Manny the slugger, but Manny the offensive tackle out of Texas Tech. The writer at the Badger Herald over at the University of Wisconsin has Manny of the gridiron being taken by the Patriots in the first round -- I think he's joking. Is this region big enough for two Mannies?
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk: Looking back on the sweepJoe McDonald is today's guest on projo SoxTalk with Art Martone. Here are a few things McDonald has to say: On the Red Sox reactions last night: "Prior to the series, [it was] 'OK, this is just one game, they're just another team, and then Toronto comes into town.' But last night, every player that we talked to, you could tell they were fired up, because hey, 'We just swept the Yankees; we put a little distance between us and them.' You could tell, it was just different than if they had swept the Kansas City Royals." On next weekend's rematch in the Bronx: "I think it's going to be a lot different next weekend, just because it's in New York, and they're getting back Hideki Matsui, which is going to be huge. Damon has been banged up, so that maybe will give him some time to rest, having Matsui back in the mix. Certainly Jorge Posada being out, especially last night against Matsuzaka, that would have been a little different I think if Posada was in the lineup, but he's out with that bruised thumb. So I think next weekend is going to be a little bit different." On tonight's game against Tomo Ohka Toronto: "The biggest thing is in order to keep this thing rolling, they have to keep the bats rolling. So i think you could possibly see another offensive barrage." Click here to listen to the full audio.
Posted by Mike McDermott Red Sox World Series ring offered on eBayA 2004 Boston Red Sox World Championship ring is on auction on eBay, and as of this morning the bidding was near $16,000. According to the posting, the ring was given to Cucho Rodriguez, a former team scout based in Puerto Rico. The ring contains 45 diamonds with a total weight of 1.89 carats, according to the eBay posting, and is cast in 18-carat white gold. "The ring is the exact same ring that players such as Manny Ramirez, Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, Tim Wakefield, Jason Varitek, Pedro Martinez, and Johnny Damon received," reads the posting. "This particular ring was given to a Red Sox Scout. It comes with the elegant display box that is beautifully designed to house the ring. It also comes with the official certificate of appraisal detailing the qualities of the jewels that make up this wonderfully designed ring."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Monday, April 23It's the morning after . . . WHEW! Now that was a weekend series. (I know it's my department and all, but I have to admit, that headline -- Game, Set, Matchless -- is pretty good.) Friday night was one we'll all remember, but last night, what with history being made, it being Dice-K's first start against the Yankees, and the fact that the Yankees pulled out all the stops to win the game, well, it sure felt like more like October than it did April. The New York tabloids focused on the Red Sox' four-home-run outburst -- 4-Get It was the Daily News' offering, and the Post screamed 'Blasted!' -- and the Post's George King notes that ''[as] bad as your Monday is, [Yankee general manager Brian] Cashman's will be worse; apparently George Steinbrenner is already complaining about the holes in his team (and that was before they went to Boston and started Jeff Karstens and Chase Wright in two of the three games). King, though, also included some an ominous warning sign regarding manager Joe Torre: "And knowing how much Steinbrenner wanted to ax Joe Torre last October, that thought either has already entered The Boss' mind or is about to penetrate the skull because Torre's detractors in the organization are never far from The Boss when his club is going bad." That seed has already been planted in some corners of Yankee Universe, such as the blog River Ave. Blues. (Actually, they were calling for Torre's head on Friday night; that's when the post was written.) The main thrust of their argument, as articulated by Larry Mahnken, is that Torre, according to his detractors ''has no freaking idea how to use a bullpen''. (replacementlevel.com) Mahnken, I must note, is not singing the "Joe Must Go!" chorus here, but he articulates the anti-Torre argument succinctly. (For the less articulate side of the debate, head on over to the Joe Torre Discussion Thread on NYYFans.com, which is currently on its 46th page.) Even a dispassionate observer like David Pinto had questions about how Torre used his relievers The glass-is-half-full view of the weekend, at least from the Yankee side, is that the Yankees went to Boston decimated by injuries, faced the Sox' three best starting pitchers, and still could have won every game (and probably should have won Friday night) (riveraveblues.com) Seth Mnookin sort of agrees, at least a little. (sethmnookin.com) Here's my view: -- Everything they say is technically true. Had Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina started Saturday and Sunday instead of Karstens and Chase, the Yanks would have had an entirely different look. And the Yankee offense, even without Jorge Posada for most of the weekend and with Johnny Damon hobbling, did score runs off the Sox' three best pitchers. -- For all the talk of how the Yankees got to Boston's starters, though, each of them -- Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka -- pitched at least 6 2/3 innings, and Beckett and Matsuzaka were able to turn their games over to the bullpen with leads. And the Yanks didn't do much against the Sox relievers (though Dustin Pedroia's full-body snare of Josh Phelps' liner had a lot to do with that). -- The Yankee bullpen is healthy and set up exactly the way they wanted, and that bullpen blew a four-run lead in the eighth inning on Friday and a lead (granted, a one-run lead) in the seventh inning on Sunday. (New York Post) In any case, that was a lot of weekend. Joe McDonald and I will be discussing it today around noon on ProJo Sports Talk. COMING? The weekend may have heightened Waiting for Roger, at least in New York. (Newsday) GOING? Alex Rodriguez' white-hot start could lead him down some interesting roads -- like, to Boston -- this offseason. (projo.com) But the Chicago teams are interested, as well. (Chicago Sun-Times). BTW, when they say Sox, they mean White Sox. PROOF POSITIVE: Here's how big the weekend was: Joe Posnanski blogged last night's game from Kansas City (thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com), and had a running conversation with the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro as he did so. I'm beginning to think Posnanski could blog a traffic intersection and make it interesting, NIGHTMARE ON YAWKEY WAY: How different would life had been had the Sox actually signed Eric Gagne to be their closer? (Dallas Morning News) KEEP ON TRUCKIN': No matter how emotionally exhausting the weekend was, the season actually continues tonight. The free-falling Blue Jays are in town, and they're hoping a change of venue will change their luck. (Toronto Globe and Mail) WINNING WILL DO THAT FOR YOU: Check out the standings recently? See who's in second place? The Orioles, to their credit, are saying all the right things about it being early and all, but Chris Gomez admits ''[it's] a lot more fun in here''. (Baltimore Sun) IN OTHER NEWS . . . A professor of economics refutes Bill James' study that ballplayers peak physically at age 27 (dberri.wordpress.com) . . . The Worcester Telegram catches up with Bernie Carbo, who was in town to again tell his story of overcoming addiction. One thing I didn't know: Carbo's three daughters all went to jail for selling drugs (one is still there) and he's adopting his three grandchildren, ages 9, 6 and 4 . . . Old friend Bruce Chen is available again (yahoo.com) . . . It may also be the end of the line, at least in Chicago, for another old friend, Wade Miller (Chicago Sun Times). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 22, 2007
Final: Red Sox 7, Yankees 6BOSTON -- The calendar said April. But it sure felt like October. The Yankees certainly played it that way. They brought in the only reliable starting pitcher they currently have active, Andy Pettitte, in relief. They used a rash of pinch-hitters in the eighth, which forced them to use their emergency catcher in the bottom of the eighth. In the end, though, it was the Red Sox doing the celebrating. Mike Lowell blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning, his second home run of the night, helping the Red Sox to a 7-6 victory over the Yankees tonight at Fenway Park. The homer, which made the score 7-5, came after the Sox had set a franchise record by blasting four consecutive home runs, one by Lowell, in the fourth inning. After the Yankees had pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to re-take the lead, 5-4, manager Joe Torre -- in an unmistakable sign of how much importance he places on this game -- called on Friday's starter, Pettitte, to pitch the sixth and provide the bridge to the Yanks' normal corps of late-game relievers. Pettitte did his job, surrendering a one-out walk to Kevin Youkilis but retiring David Ortiz on an inning-ending double play. He then turned it over to normal set-up man Scott Proctor. But Proctor, pitching for the third straight game, got into immediate trouble, walking Manny Ramirez and allowing a wall double by J.D. Drew. Lowell followed with a hard line drive that hit just over the top of the wall in left, a three-run shot that made it 7-5. Derek Jeter had homered to left leading off the top of the fifth, tying the game at 4-4, and the Yanks pushed across a run in the top of the sixth to retake the lead, 5-4. Daisuke Matsuzaka struggled, not retiring the side in order through the first six innings. In the sixth, singles by Robinson Cano and Doug Mientkiewicz put runners at first and third with no out. Melky Cabrera grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Cano and giving the Yanks the lead. Matsuzaka finally had a 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. But Alex Rodriguez -- who had struck out twice earlier in the game -- opened the eighth with a single to right and Red Sox manager Terry Francona lifted Matsuzaka in favor of Hideki Okajima. Okajima, pitching for the third straight game in the series, retired Jason Giambi on a popup before surrendering a single to Robinson Cano, putting runners on first and second. Pinch-hitter Jorge Posada walked, loading the bases, and Francona called on Brendan Donnelly to face Melky Cabrera. Cabrera grounded into a fielder's choice, driving in Rodriguez and making it 7-6. Dustin Pedroia saved the lead by making a full-body dive and snaring a line drive by pinch-hitter Josh Phelps, ending the inning. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth and recorded his second straight save in the series. Up to then, the highlight of the night had been the Sox' third-inning onslaught off Yankee rookie Chase Hughes, only the fifth time in baseball history that a team has hit four straight home runs. Ramirez started things by homering over everything in left-center. Then Drew homered to right. Then Lowell followed with a moon shot out of the ballpark in left. And then Jason Varitek hit one of his own into the left-field seats. Drew had also been one of the players involved when the Dodgers hit four consecutive home runs last September. Giambi doubled home a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the first inning, then drove in another run with a bloop single just over the leap of Pedroia in the third, giving the Yankees an early 3-0 lead. Matsuzaka retired the first two batters he faced, then walked Bobby Abreu on a 3-and-2 pitch and hit Rodriguez on the hands with the first pitch he threw A-Rod. Giambi drove a double up the gap in left-center field, scoring both runners. In the third, Johnny Damon led off with a single and Matsuzaka hit Jeter in the back, putting runners at first and second with no outs. Abreu and Rodriguez were both called out on strikes, before Giambi lifted a soft pop into short right field. Pedroia just barely missed making an acrobatic catch, as the ball tipped off his glove. With runners at first and third, Matsuzaka struck out Cano to end the inning. The Red Sox seemed poised for a big inning in the bottom of the first when Hughes walked the first two batters he faced, Julio Lugo and Youkilis. But Chase retired Ortiz, Ramirez and Drew to snuff out the threat. In the second inning, they put together a two-out rally when Wily Mo Pena walked and Pedroia doubled, but Lugo grounded out. Matsuzaka's troubles continued even after he was given the lead. Mientkiewicz opened the Yankee fourth with a ground-rule double to right-center, and moved to third on a grounder to first by Cabrera. Wil Nieves lined to Pedroia for the second out, and Damon ended the inning by grounding to first. The Yankees lifted Hughes in favor of Colter Bean in the bottom of the fourth, and the Sox made a run at him. Lugo walked with one out, Youkilis reached on a fielder's-choice grounder to short, forcing Lugo, and Ortiz hit a ground-rule double to right, putting runners at second and third with two out. But Bean retired Ramirez on a check-swing grounder back to the mound, ending the inning. Walks to Drew and Varitek gave the Sox runners at first and second in the bottom of the fifth. Bean got out of the jam by striking out Pena and retiring Pedroia on a grounder to short.
Posted by Art Martone Sox Streakers for April 22Who's Hot Who's Not -No player on either team has faced the opposing starting pitcher: Chase Wright or Daisuke Matsuzaka. More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Crisp scratchedRed Sox outfielder Coco Crisp has been a last-minute scratch due to tightness in his oblique muscle. Wily Mo Pena will start in center and will bat eighth. Crisp has been on a tear at the plate of late, going 6 for his last 12.
Posted by Joe McDonald New York lineupJohnny Damon, 8
Posted by Joe McDonald PawSox roll over Bison, 6-1BUFFALO — Nothing like being the beneficiary of some long balls if you’re a struggling starting pitcher. Abe Alvarez won for just the second time in his last 13 Triple-A decisions, and David Murphy, Luis Jimenez and Brandon Moss each hit home runs to give the Pawtucket Red Sox a convincing 6-1 win over the Buffalo Bisons in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 8,184 at Dunn Tire Park yesterday afternoon. Alvarez (1-2) won for the first time in three starts this season, allowing just two hits over five innings of work while throwing 95 pitches. He also walked three and struck out three, as Pawtucket (8-8) won for the third time in the last four games after dropping five straight. “To get those runs up early it makes you feel more comfortable as a pitcher,” said Alvarez, who was staked to a 2-0 second-inning lead. “That made it easy for me to calm down.” Over the first two games of this three-game set, Pawtucket has mashed five home runs against the second-stingiest pitching staff in the International League. Coming into the series, the Bisons’ pitchers had allowed just three homers in their first 12 games. PawSox hitters, meanwhile, had gone deep eight times in their first 14 games before starting to blast away along the shores of Lake Erie. “We got the things we needed,” manager Ron Johnson said. “You can only go so long trying to manufacture a run here or there. It gets to the point where you need someone to hit the ball out of the ball park, and we got it today.” Murphy led off the second by crushing Buffalo starter Brian Slocum’s 1-1 pitch over the right-center field wall, and Jimenez followed three batters later with an opposite-field job that made it 2-0. The early lead helped Alvarez, who labored through the first two innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks before settling down. The southpaw retired the next nine hitters he faced before departing in favor of reliever Travis Hughes. Hughes continued the mound dominance by setting down five straight before Hector Luna’s single. Hughes gave up just that hit and struck out three in three innings, and has not allowed a run in his five appearances. “That was the momentum time of the game,” Johnson said about the middle innings. “Travis worked fast, he threw strikes and let the defense play.” After leaving the bases loaded in the third, Pawtucket extended its lead to 3-1 in the fourth on Kevin Cash’s run-scoring double that plated Jimenez. The PawSox broke it open in the fifth on Moss’ third homer of the young season, a two-run blast off Slocum that easily cleared the right-center field wall. They added to their lead in the seventh after Buffalo third baseman Keith Ginter’s throwing error allowed Murphy to score an unearned run. Murphy finished 2-for-4 with a walk, and has hit safely in five of his last six games. The 2003 first-round pick is hitting .400 over those half-dozen games. Slocum (1-1) lasted five innings for Buffalo, giving up five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out five. “That was one of those textbook kind of games,” Johnson said. Johnson also had good news to report on Runelvys Hernandez, who left Saturday’s start in the third inning after grabbing his left hamstring after a pitch. Johnson said Hernandez is sore, but there is no damage, and the righty shouldn’t miss any starts. The three-game series concludes tonight at 6. Lefty Kason Gabbard (2-1, 4.41 ERA) is scheduled to start for the PawSox, while right-hander Jeff Harris (1-0, 3.27) will counter for the Bisons. --BOB MATUSZAK, Special to the Journal
Posted by Chris Venditto Sox to honor Jackie Robinson tonightMajor League Baseball honored the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color with a league-wide celebration last Sunday. Unfortunately it rained last weekend in Boston and the Sox' game was postponed. So, the Red Sox will honor the baseball trailblazer in a pregame ceremony tonight. Members of the Red Sox will wear No. 42, including Coco Crisp, David Ortiz, and third-base coach DeMarlo Hale. Robinson's No. 42 was officially retired throughout the majors on April 15, 1997. The ceremonial first pitch will be thrown by Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., a Professor of Law and the Founder and Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School. Professor Ogletree has demonstrated a career-long commitment to diversity and equal justice. Professor Ogletree will be accompanied to the mound by former Red Sox pitcher Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd. The Can is always an interesting interview, so hopefully we'll be able to get a comment from him.
Posted by Joe McDonald Lester's in the houseRed Sox lefty Jon Lester threw a side session today at Fenway Park. Manager Terry Francona said he looked good and strong in the bullpen. Lester is scheduled to start for Pawtucket on Wednesday in Rochester. “Good. Strong,” said Francona of Lester's bullpen session. “Interestingly we haven’t seen the kid for a while and he looks strong. His legs look strong and the ball had good finish on it. He seems excited, as he should be.” The PawSox have Thursday off, so he'll start again on Tuesday at McCoy Stadium. At that point his rehab will conclude and the club will have to decide where to place him. It's likely he'll remain with the PawSox. The left-hander began the season in Single-A Greenville as he continues to recover from anaplastic large cell lympohoma, which he was diagnosed with last August.
Posted by Joe McDonald Tonight's lineupsThe Yankees have not officially posted their lineup, yet. Boston
Posted by Joe McDonald April 21, 2007
Online only: Inside The Game by Steven KrasnerBOSTON -- Bunting for a base hit. It’s a lost art. Very few hitters in the big leagues in this day and age try to bunt their way on base. Maybe it’s because it’s the type of hit that doesn’t wow anybody at the arbitration table. Or maybe it’s because, as the advertisement slogan said in a commercial a few years ago, "Chicks digs the long ball." But Coco Crisp, and to a lesser degree, Alex Cora, have been showing over the last few days that the bunt can be a major offensive weapon. They made the point clearly yesterday. Crisp racked up another bunt single yesterday, his third bunt single in his last three games. Crisp had a pair of them in Thursday’s come-from-beind victory in Toronto. All three of them have come from the left side of the plate for the switch hitter. Cora, meanwhile, used a bunt attempt to pull in the third baseman in Toronto and then lofted a bloop single over his head. Today, Crisp and Cora dropped down successful back-to-back bunt singles in the second inning, leading to a two-run uprising that enabled Boston to pull even, at 2-2. That’s right. The Red Sox. Back-to-back bunt singles. Sure, David Ortiz’s sixth homer of the year, a two-run blast inside the right-field foul pole, expanded the Red Sox’ advantage to 7-4 in the fourth and seemed to take the wind out of the Yankees’ sails. But those beautiful bunts by Crisp and Cora helped to inflict the same amount of damage on New York. Battle of the titans Such was the case between Boston starter Josh Beckett and red-hot Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez. In the first inning, Beckett threw a total of 12 pitches to the first three hitters. Of those pitches, 11 were fastballs. He changed his pattern when Rodriguez got to the plate. Beckett threw a changeup and two curves. But with a 1-and-2 count on A-Rod, he froze the Yankee third baseman with a 96-mile-an-hour inside-corner fastball for a called strike three. In their second matchup, two curves and a changeup produced a 2-and-1 count. Beckett again tried to slip a fastball past A-Rod. He wasn’t successful. Rodriguez turned on it and drilled a double over the head of left fielder Manny Ramirez. A fastball and a curve had A-Rod down, 0-and-2, in the fifth. And with catcher Jason Varitek calling for a high, hard one out of the zone for a waste pitch, Beckett delivered one at 97 miles an hour. Rodriguez swung at it, but couldn’t get on top of it. He popped it up to second base. But in the seventh, with runners at first and second and two outs, Beckett’s pitch count up 102, faced A-Rod one last time, holding a 7-4 advantage. He knew it would be his last hitter, a message imparted by pitching coach John Farrell. The radar-gun readings on his first three pitches of the at-bat were 98, 98 and 95. The count was 2-and-1. The next pitch, Beckett’s 106th, came in at 96 miles an hour, and Rodriguez took a smooth swing and zipped a liner over the head of first baseman Kevin Youkilis for an RBI single, trimming the Yanks’ deficit to 7-5. Slide, Papi, slide! On Friday night, crash-landing was a better way to describe how Ortiz "slid" into second base. He was safe, but how he didn’t get hurt was a miracle. Today, for the good of the team, Big Papi had to slide in the first inning. He tagged up on Manny Ramirez’s fly ball to right and rumbled from second to third, sliding in safely and looking this time as if he almost knew what he was doing as he got down. He then pushed his luck, trying to score from third on J.D. Drew’s grounder to second baseman Robinson Cano. Cano threw home and nailed Oritz, who again made a good slide, and might have been safe, though replays weren’t conclusive. That defensive alignment helped out rookie right-hander Jeff Karstens. Strange strategy Why would Torre have Wil Nieves bunt after Kevin Thompson’s leadoff double in a 2-2 game in the first? Granted, Nieves is a rookie, and it would be nice to move the go-ahead run to third with less than two outs. But did Torre think that Karstens, who had looked shaky in coughing up two runs in his first big-league inning of the year, was primed to blank Boston the rest of the way? Why give up an out? New York got a break when Nieves fouled off two bunt attempts and third basmean Mike Lowell threw away his weak grounder, trying to throw out Thompson retreating to second. Having Nieves bunt, though, didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. New York did get two runs in its half of the second, but the Yanks’ 4-2 lead after 1 1/2 innings turned into a 4-4 tie by the time Karstens escaped the bottom of the second.
Posted by Art Martone Terry Francona's commentsSome of what Terry Francona had to say in his postgame press conference: On Josh Beckett On the bunting the Sox did in the game, specifically the back-to-back bunt singles by Coco Crisp and Alex Cora in the second and the sacrifice bunt by Cora in the fourth On Crisp and Jason Varitek seemingly emerging from their slumps On Hideki Okajima -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone Final: Red Sox 7, Yankees 5BY ART MARTONE BOSTON -- David Ortiz hit a two-run double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the fourth, leading the Red Sox to a 7-5 victory over the Yankees today at Fenway Park. Ortiz' homer, into the lower right-field box seats with two outs, gave the Red Sox a 7-4 lead. It was Ortiz' 179th home run as a member of the Red Sox, moving him past Nomar Garciaparra into sole possession of 10th place on the franchise's all-time home-run list. The Sox had broken a 4-4 tie earlier in the inning. Coco Crisp singled to left for his second hit of the day, stole second, went to third on a bunt by Alex Cora and came home on a grounder to short by Julio Lugo. Kevin Youkilis then walked, setting the stage for Ortiz. Trailing 7-4, the Yankees put together a two-out rally in the top of the seventh that pushed across a run and knocked Josh Beckett out of the game. Derek Jeter singled, Bobby Abreu walked and Alex Rodriguez lined an RBI single into right. Hideki Okajima replaced Beckett to face the left-handed Jason Giambi. Beckett, who had struggled in the first two innings (four runs allowed), retired 14 of 15 batters from the top of the third until there were two outs in the seventh. He wound up pitching 6 2/3 innings and allowed 9 hits and 5 runs, 3 earned, with 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. The victory raised his record to 4-0. Okajima struck out Giambi to end the inning. Okajima retired Robinson Cano to begin the eighth, then was lifted in favor of Mike Timlin. Timlin retired Josh Phelps and Kevin Thompson on popups. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth and recorded his fifth save. He allowed a walk, with one strikeout. The Yankee starter, rookie Jeff Karstens (0-1), was lifted with one on and one out in the fifth. He worked 4 1/3 innings and allowed 9 hits and 7 runs, all earned. He walked 2 and struck out 1. The Sox, who came back from 2-0 and 4-2 deficits, had tied it 4-4 with two runs in the bottom of the second. With one out, Crisp and Cora beat out back-to-back bunt singles, moved up a base on a wild pitch, then came home to score on a grounder by Lugo and an RBI single by Youkilis. Melky Cabrera had broken a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the top of the second inning, and another run scored when Jeter grounded into a double play as the Yankees scored twice and moved ahead, 4-2. Thompson had opened the second with a double. Wil Nieves, after failing to bunt him to third, hit a grounder down the third-base line that Mike Lowell fielded near the bag. Sensing he had no chance to get Nieves at first, he threw to second in an attempt to nail Thompson. But the throw went into right field, putting runners at second and third. Cabrera's single to center scored Thompson, making it 3-2. When Jeter grounded into a double play, second to first, Nieves came home with New York's fourth run. In the bottom of the first, Ortiz blasted a two-run double over the head of Abreu in right field, scoring Lugo and Youkilis and lifting the Red Sox into a 2-2 tie. Two-out RBI singles by Giambi and Cano had given the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Jeter had singled with one out and moved to second on a walk to Abreu. Beckett struck out Rodriguez for the second out, then surrendered a bloop single to right by Giambi. Cano followed with an infield hit to second, driving in Abreu.
Posted by Art Martone A chat with MientkiewiczYankees’ first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz spent much of his time before the game today in a long discussion with reporters about two issues. One was about his positioning on Coco Crisp’s triple in the five-run Boston eighth-inning Friday night. Mientkiewitz did not guard the line and the bouncing ball got past him for a triple. That turned out to be the smaller part of the chat. More time was spent on Mientkiewicz’ experience with the Red Sox and, especially, the controversy he was involved in when he kept the ball he caught for the final out of the 2004 World Series. Mientkiewicz came under fire for keeping the ball for some time before donating it to the Hall of Fame. ``I wanted to give it to the Hall of Fame long before that, but I didn’t know the protocol,’’ he said. The articulate Mientkiewicz spoke at length about how the incident bothered him. It caused problems for him and his family and, for a time, colored his experience with the Red Sox. But he said he realized that focusing on the ball was not the right way to remember his time in Boston. ``My wife loved it here and I enjoy it,’’ he said. ``My only regret is not being able to come back for a full year.’’ Mientkiewcz detailed how got along so well with his teammates while he was in Boston and how much respect he has for John Henry and Theo Epstein. ``There are no ill feelings toward the Red Sox at all,’’ he said. ``My time here was phenomenal.’’ Mientkiewicz spoke about he gave the ball from the seventh game of the Yankees series to Derek Lowe; how, on the advice of Tino Martinez, he put away the glove he used in the World Series-clinching game and now has it in a case; and how he now enjoys being with the Yankees, although he does not enjoy looking at his batting average (.139). While fans might get uptight with the Sox-Yankees rivalry, it is not the same among the players, he insisted. ``The thing that gets lost in the shuffle is both sides respect each other immensely,’’ he said.
Posted by Paul Kenyon The managers agreeThere was no direct mention of Yankees’ manager Joe Torre in Terry Francona’s pre-game meeting with the media this afternoon, but Francona spent part of the time defending a key decision his counterpart made Friday night. The issue involved Coco Crisp’s triple in Boston’s five-run eighth inning. The Yankees, and Torre, have been questioned for not having first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz guard the line. Crisp’s hit bounced between Mientkiewicz and the bag and was the key blow in the rally. Francona was asked a general question about how he decides whether to have his first and/or third baseman move closer to the line in late innings. Francona began by saying he takes several factors into consideration, including the hitter, the man on deck and the score. But then he went into detail about how he does not like to do it. ``We probably guard the lines less than any team in baseball,’’ he said. ``Just getting over on the lines is something people used to do. If you don’t do it now, you open yourself up to criticism, but it may not necessarily be the best way to win.’’ By this point, Francona obviously was aware that the issue was brought up because of Crisp’s hit. He went into more detail about how he does not like to guard the lines. ``I’d rather play them where you normally play them. You spend a lot of time working on your defense,’’ he said. He asked if the discussion was about Mientkiewicz’ position on Crisp’s hit. He was told it was. ``I would have had him in the same place,’’ he said.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Dice-K versus the YanksThe Matsuzaka Media Mafia will be in its glory tomorrow night when Dice-K pitches against the New York Yankees for the first time. It’ll be a primetime showdown against the Yanks’ Chase Wright and everyone is interested how the Japanese import will handle the greatest rivalry in all of sports. “He’s certainly not lived through it,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “I know my first year I think I said all the right things, but I had no idea. I don’t think anybody does until you go through it. Saying that, he has pitched a lot of professional games and he’s been a big deal, the center of attention and a real good pitcher. This certainly won’t overwhelm him. From what I’ve seen of him, he enjoys immensely things like this. He’ll be just fine.” Matsuzaka has pitched extremely well in his three starts, but you would never know that by his 1-2 record. In his last two starts the right-hander has allowed just five runs in 13 innings of work. He just hasn’t received much offensive support. Tomorrow will be the first time he will face the type of potent lineup like the Yankees have, so it’ll be interesting to see the outcome.
Posted by Joe McDonald NO REST FOR VARITEKTelevision has helped insure that Jason Varitek will catch all three games of this series for the Sox, assuming he stays healthy. Many teams like to give their catcher a rest when a day game follows a night game. The Red Sox will do that with Varitek once the season heats up. However, manager Terry Francona said in his pre-game meeting today that this early in the season he had hoped to use Varitek in all three games against the Yankees, especially since Tim Wakefield is not scheduled to pitch. The fact that all three contests are being nationally televised has made it easier to do that, Francona said. Today’s game does not start until 3:55, giving Varitek more time to recover than a 1 or 2 p.m. start. Even better, the finale will be the Sunday night game on ESPN, again giving Varitek more time to rest between games. ``We’ve kind of established that we know we can win when he doesn’t hit. (We want him in) because of his catching abilities and running the game,’’ Francona said. ``But when he does hit, it certainly helps. He’s a switch hitter with power. He’s that bridge to the bottom of the order. It certainly did impact the game last night. We’ve been used to that a long time here.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Damon on the ShelfYankee center fielder Johnny Damon is out of the lineup today because of a sore back and a sore right hamstring. Damon said he felt his back tighten up when the team played on the turf in Minnesota two weeks ago, and part of that discomfort, he said, can be attiributed to his tight hamstrings. He said he felt more discomfort in his back Friday night after making a sliding catch on Kevin Youkilis's looping fly ball in left-center in the fifth inning. He caught his cleats in the turf while making the inning-ending catch. Damon, the former Red Sox rock star who now gets booed as a Yankee, did not have a good night at the plate, going 0 for 5. He whiffed twice and grounded out three times, taking weak hacks. "My back is sore. It's not in one spot. It's all over," said Damon. "So I'll get some treatment. We'll figure it out and get it right so I can play tomorrow." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Youkilis is ready to goFor all those in Red Sox Nation who adore Kevin Youkilis, and were concerned about his left hand after he was hit by Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte in the bottom of the first inning Friday night, there’s no need to worry because Youk is just fine. Even though it appeared there was a sniper in the stands when he was hit, Youkilis remained in the game and is in today’s lineup. “I bet he’s going to be pretty sore,” said Francona. When Youk was hit, the manager and team trainer immediately rushed to home plate to see if he was ok. But, as Francona got to the plate, Youk jumped up and sprinted to first. “You know what? I’m not even going to go out there anymore,” joked Francona. “I almost pulled a hamstring. I just got out there and had my momentum going in the right direction and he peels off to first. I’m not chasing him around the field.”
Posted by Joe McDonald Sox Streakers for April 21Information from the team's official pregame notes: Who's Hot: Who's Not: Yankees vs. Josh Beckett None of the Red Sox has faced Yankee starter Jeff Karstens. More Stuff:
Posted by Mike McDermott Francona's take on today's lineupRed Sox infielder Alex Cora has been playing well of late, especially in critical situations. As a result, Red Sox manager Terry Francona inserted Cora into the starting lineup today. It will also give rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia a chance to take a breather. Pedroia has been pressing a little too hard at the plate, so he took some extra BP this morning with hitting coach Dave Magadan. Francona said Pedroia will be back in the lineup tomorrow night against lefty Chase Wright. Francona called his lineup tweaking a chance to give guys some more at-bats in order to stay sharp, while giving other guys a much-needed day off. “It’s human nature to press,” said the Sox manager when asked about Pedroia’s mindset at the plate. “We all do, but when it starts hurting your at-bats, you have to try to find a way to channel that into a positive and it’s hard to do.
Posted by Joe McDonald It's a great day for the gameToday's lineups New York Boston
Posted by Joe McDonald April 20, 2007
Sox win in dramatic fashion BOSTON _ Red Sox manager Terry Francona called it a marquee pitching matchup for baseball fans. Joe McDonald
Posted by Joe McDonald Final: Red Sox 7, Yankees 6Alex Cora, playing the hero for the second straight day, singled home Coco Crisp from third with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Red Sox rallied from a 6-2 deficit with five runs and defeated the Yankees, tonight at Fenway Park. Crisp had tied the game with a two-run triple. Trailing 6-2, David Ortiz led off the bottom of the eighth against Mike Myers with a double to left-center. The Yankees replaced Myers with Jose Vizcaino, who walked Manny Ramirez. J.D. Drew moved the runners to second and third with a grounder to second. Mike Lowell then singled through the hole into left field, driving in Ortiz to make it 6-3 and sending Ramirez to third. The Yankees called on Mariano Rivera for a five-out save. But Rivera, in his first appearance since surrendering a walkoff home run to Marco Scutaro in Oakland last Sunday, was no mystery to the Sox. Jason Varitek greeted him with a single to right-center, making it 6-4. Crisp then lined a triple down the first-base line and into the right-field corner, tying the score. And Cora put the Sox ahead with Boston's fourth straight hit, and third off Rivera, with a single to center. Cora, however, was thrown out stealing and Rivera -- after firing a pitch over the head of the next batter, Julio Lugo -- struck out Lugo to end the inning. Jonathan Papelbon, having pitched in back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday in Toronto, was not available. Hideki Okajima recorded the save with a scoreless ninth. Prior to the eighth inning, Alex Rodriguez was the unquestioned hero of the game. Coming off his game-winning homer Thursday, he homered twice, doubled, scored three runs and drove in four. His first homer, a solo shot in the fourth, gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead. (Johnny Damon had put New York on top with a sacrifice fly in the third.) Then, after Varitek had tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, A-Rod hit a three-run shot into the Red Sox bullpen with two outs in the top of the fifth, putting the Yanks in front 5-2. His leadoff double in the eighth led to the sixth New York run, which he scored when Jason Giambi singled to right.
Posted by Art Martone Yanks lead Sox in fourth, 1-0The Yankees pushed across a run on a sacrifice fly by Johnny Damon in the top of the fourth and lead the Red Sox, 1-0, as they bat in the top of the fourth. The Sox had a scoring chance in the first inning, but Manny Ramirez grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and second. David Ortiz ended the third by grounding out with two men on.
Posted by Art Martone DiSarcina named Lowell managerThe Red Sox named Gary DiSarcina manager of Single-A Lowell yesterday. The Massachusetts native spent 12 seasons in the majors for the California Angels. He played one season for the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2002 before retiring. He's done some work for NESN the last few seasons before the Red Sox hired him as a baseball operations consultant in November. The Sox originally announced last January that Jon Deeble, the organization's Pacific Rim Scouting Coordinator, would be manager of the Spinners. But, he will remain in his previous role and DiSarcina will take over the managerial job. A native of Billerica, DiSarcina had a career .258 batting average in 1,086 games with the California/Anaheim Angels from 1989-2000. He was a two-time team MVP and a 1995 American League All-Star. DiSarcina will continue in his baseball operations role until the Spinners open their 76-game New York Penn League season in June.
Posted by Joe McDonald Scenes from the clubhouseNumerous Red Sox players are honoring Virginia Tech by wearing the school’s baseball hats around the clubhouse and during BP, including Kevin Youkilis, Coco Crisp and Jonathan Papelbon. In fact, Sox captain Jason Varitek came up with the idea of wearing a patch on the uniform sleeve to honor Virginia Tech. Major League Baseball gave the OK and the Red Sox were sporting a black VT patch on the left sleeve of their green jerseys. Boston wore the green tops to honor Red Auerbach.
Fox Baseball broadcaster, and former major-leaguer, Tim McCarver was having an interesting conversation with Red Sox legend Johnny Pesky. Pesky, who always holds court in front of his locker stall in the corner of the clubhouse pulled McCarver aside when the walked into the room and asked where his locker was when he played in Boston (1974-75). “Right next to Yaz,” responded McCarver. Red Sox utility infielder Alex Cora said his right knee is just fine after he was belted by the Jays’ Lyle Overbay during a double play on Thursday in Toronto. Cora made a tremendous play and while in the air Overbay slid into him. Cora took exception to the take-out slide and just to make sure he was fine, he worked out at Fenway yesterday morning.
Posted by Joe McDonald Francona on SchillingRed Sox starter Curt Schilling will attempt to string together his third consecutive solid outing when he faces the New York Yankees tonight. The veteran right-hander has certainly been a different pitcher in his last two starts compared to Opening Day against the Royals in Kansas City. “He’s getting outs,” said Boston manager Terry Francona. “He’s repeating his pitches. He just had a bad start in Kansas City. He came out of spring training throwing the ball well, but when he got to Kansas City he wasn’t very crisp; he didn’t repeat his delivery too much and paid for some mistakes.” Schilling has been outstanding in his last two starts, compiling a 2-0 mark with a 0.60 E.R.A.
Posted by Joe McDonald Coming out the bullpen?The big question surrounding tonight’s game is does Jonathan Papelbon pitch? Heading to this series with the Yankees, Boston manager Terry Francona feels his bullpen is in pretty good shape. Papelbon recorded his fourth save of the season Thursday in Toronto. He retired all 11 batters he had faced until allowing a single on Wednesday in Toronto, and has struck out 11 of the 16 batters he’s faced. Because of his shoulder troubles late last season, the Red Sox did not want to overwork him this time around. So, with the work load the hard-throwing right-hander has been dealt already, it would be to Boston’s best interest to have a late-inning lead and allow Papelbon to rest tonight. When asked about his closer, Francona would not discuss Papelbon specifically, just saying the bullpen is where it needs to be. “Our bullpen is actually in good shape,” said the manager. “We’re in good shape to go into a series right now, but that could change in a couple of days. . . Our starters, to this point, have done a very good job getting us into the game where we haven’t had to overexpose our relievers.”
Posted by Joe McDonald Francona on the YankeesTime and again players from both the Red Sox and Yankees attempt to downplay this series. It doesn’t matter if the teams play in April or the in the heat of a pennant race, to the players, managers and coaches it’s just another series. Francona admitted yesterday afternoon during his daily gathering with the media this is the type of series that can take a lot of you, so you can’t lose perspective. “You only get credited with one win,” said the Sox skipper. “I would really be happy if they said you get two wins if you beat them, but it doesn’t work that way. The games are a lot of fun. The games are intense and there’s a lot of attention. The fans get into it, and so do we.” Case in point: The pitching matchup for tonight’s game is an impressive one. The Sox’ Curt Schilling (2-1, 2.84) and the Yankees’ Andy Pettitte (1-0, 1.50) toe the rubber. “What I care about is that we’re better at the end of the game,” said Francona. “That’s kind of why we should up and I’m sure (New York) is feeling the same way. If I’m a fan, it’s a neat marquee matchup. As coaches, players and managers, you want to win. I’m not sure I care if it lives up to its billing as long as we win.” Bring it on, baby.
Posted by Joe McDonald A-Rod brings his big stick to BostonYankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is playing like a man possessed. He enters tonight’s game at Fenway with 10 home runs and 26 RBI in 14 games for New York. The Red Sox are well aware of A-Rod’s hot stick. Boston manager Terry Francona was a bench coach for Texas in 2002 when Rodriguez was the Rangers’ shortstop. “I’m sure I saw him go through some pretty hot streaks,” said Francona. “It’s different when they’re in the same uniform. When they have a different uniform on, the pulling is a little different. He’s a great player and he’s on a great streak. Hopefully our pitching can slow that down a little bit because he’s hitting with a lot of guys on base, also.” It's not like you can pitch around the A-Rod because the Yankees lineup is loaded with offensive weapons.
Posted by Joe McDonald Tonight's starting lineupsNo surprises. Here they are: New York Boston
Posted by Mike McDermott Sox Streakers for April 20Who's Hot: Who's Not: Yankees vs. Schilling: Red Sox vs. Pettitte More Stuff
Posted by Mike McDermott Beautiful day at Fenway ParkThe sun is shining. The Yankees are in town. What is better than this? Just walking into the ballpark and someone asked me if I needed tickets. For a goof I figured I'd ask how much, and wasn't surprised by the answer. The price was $800 for four tickets. We'll be back in about 30 minutes with tonight's starting lineups.
Posted by Joe McDonald Projo SoxTalk: Yankees-Red Sox specialToday, Steve Krasner discusses the coming Yankees-Red Sox series, and what moves you may see over the weekend. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Here are some excerpts of Krasner's comments: On whether Papelbon will be available tonight: "My guess is no ... he's thrown 46 pitches in less than 24 hours, while it was a day game (yesterday), which gives him a little resting time for tonight. I don't know that they're going to tip their hand and say whether he will be able to or not -- but if he is pitching tonight it could be for a very limited number of pitches if they can work it that way." On who would close in Papelbon's absence: "I have no clue whatsoever. I don't think there's anybody out there that you can really look at and say, 'Wow, this is the guy we want out there.' Okajima actually has pitched the best out of anybody. ... I think it would fall stricktly to a matchup thing. You could see four pitchers in the ninth inning if they have to." On whether Alex Cora might play for Dustin Pedroia: "It's possible. Pedroia certainly is struggling offensively, but otherwise the lineup will be intact. (Terry Francona) rested enough people in Toronto so that everyone will be ready to go." On whether Francona will play Wily Mo Pena against Andy Pettitte, in place of J.D. Drew: "I would think he'd want Drew out there. I think he'd want his defense and I think Tito's gone out of his way to say, 'Listen, it's not like this guy can't hit left-handed pitchers.' Tito might be tempted to use Pena; he did have some good swings certainly in Toronto, including this home run, but I would think you go with your best lineup, and I think the best lineup is J.D. Drew behind Manny Ramirez."
Posted by Mike McDermott Manny against the YanksIt was great to see Manny Ramirez finally go deep, and in a clutch situation. Interestingly, this is the second consecutive season that Manny chose Toronto to break an early-season home run drought. Ramirez is a hated character among many baseball fans in his onetime home city. Maybe that's because he's been a great investment for the Red Sox when it comes to evening the playing field with the Bombers. Against New York, Ramirez is hitting .310 for his career (just off his .313 lifetime batting average). He has 48 home runs against the Yankees, which is more than he has against any opponent other than the Blue Jays, and 144 RBIs, which is more than he has against any other opponent period. Against tonight's pitcher, Andy Pettitte, Ramirez is a career .424 hitter (25 for 59) with 3 home runs. Of course, Ramirez for some reason does not hit lefties the way he once did. What they're saying: The New Yorker's Ben McGrath took questions from readers about his extensive Ramirez profile in the magazine. Among other things, he says he thinks the Red Sox are committed to keeping Ramirez at least until his contract ends after the 2008 season. Gordon Edes, in The Globe, says Manny's game-tying homer had the Red Sox almost as excited as A-Rod's game-winner had the Yankees. The Harford Courant has a cool new nickname: Mister Rogers.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Friday, April 20Getting ready for Armageddon . . . NOT BAD: Normally, the way the Red Sox won yesterday's game in Toronto, rife as it was with comebacks and mangerial strategems galore to chew on, would be the talk of the day heading into this weekend's series with the Yankees. (All stories projo.com) BETTER: But they were trumped yesterday by the Yanks, who pulled out one for the ages by rallying for six runs with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth. (New York Post) If John Sterling didn't stroke out yesterday, he never will; I think he had to get out his checklist as he rattled off his signature calls, one by one: -- ''IT IS HIGH!!! IT IS FAR!!! IT IS . . . GAAAAAAAHHHHNNNNNN!!!!!'' -- ''AN A-BOMB!! FROM A-ROD!!!'' -- "ALEXANDER THE GREAT!!!!!'' And, then, of course: -- "BALLGAME OVER!!! YANKEES WIN!!!! TH-UHHH-UHHH-UHHHH-UHHH-UHHH . . . YANKEES!!!!!! WIN!!!!!!!" (Honestly, I don't think he's gotten that rabid since Game 5 of the 2001 World Series. I say that because Charlie Steiner, and not Sterling, was behind the mike for Aaron Boone.) A-GAME: Bill Madden thinks we're seeing a new, more confident, less burdened Alex Rodriguez. (New York Daily News) Others are less restrained. Joel Sherman says A-Rod is the new David Ortiz (New York Post), and Mike Vaccaro thinks the sky might not even be the limit anymore. (New York Post) And as far as Larry Mahnken is concerned, Alex Rodriguez is the heavenly father. (replacementlevel.com) MUCH NEEDED BOOST: Mike Lupica thinks A-Rod's heroics have breathed new life into the tired Red Sox-Yankees rivalry (New York Daily News) REALITY CHECK: The last word comes from Joe Torre, who, as always, keeps it all in perspective: ''It certainly makes you feel good going into Boston, but if you remember, last year, we played one of the ugliest games of the year (a 12-2 loss to Baltimore) before we went up there and won five games." (New York Daily News) Curt Schilling vs. Andy Pettitte, tonight at 7:05. See you there. NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Judging from the cheering we heard, Red Sox Nation outnumbered the Blue Jay faithful at the Rogers Centre this week. The Tao of Stieb blog wasn't impressed. (taoofstieb.blogspot.com) WE'RE NUMBER THREE: Forbes lists the Red Sox as the third-most valuable franchise in the major leagues, behind the Yankees and Mets. Each team has an in-depth breakdown, and Forbes says the new ownership team ''has transformed the Red Sox from a sleepy asset into a cutting-edge organization.'' WHAT IF: Jim Kaat gives a White Sox-centric interview to White Sox Interactive (duh), but it includes a little snippet of 1967 -- ''Whenever I run into Carl Yastrzemski or Hawk Harrelson, they’ll say the same thing, that [the Red Sox] would never have won the pennant if I hadn’t gotten hurt in that Saturday game.”. (Kaat had to leave Saturday's game, the first of the two-game weekend series, because of a bad elbow, and the Sox came back for a 6-4 win that set up Sunday's heroics.) (whitesoxinteractive.com) PLANET CHARLIE: Let's see: Charlie Manuel casually announces at the end of a press briefing, without prompting, that he's moving his No. 1 starter, Brett Myers, to the bullpen. The assembled media are stunned into five seconds (timed) of silence. Then they burst out laughing. They insist Manuel is joking, and one of them offers to bet the manager $100 that it was all a gag. When he convinces them it isn't, they try to get Myers' reaction. Myers sticks his arm in one of the reporter's face and tells him to direct his question there. Oh, yeah. The Washington Post's Dan Steinberg has absolutely found the perfect team to follow on the D.C. Sports Bog. (And, yes, that's 'Bog' and not 'Blog'. Something about Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen; you can read the explanation here. (washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog) YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG: Phil Sheridan, though, says ''the public perception about [Manuel] is comically wrong -- and a lot of conclusions are jumped to from that wrong foundation''. (Philadelphia Inquirer) SILVER LINING: The good news for Manuel is that Ryan Howard may not be hurt as badly as first feared. (Philadelphia Inquirer) They're saying the same thing in Seattle about Felix Hernandez. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGIVE: Judging by these comments, don't be expecting Jose Guillen to kiss and make up with Brendan Donnelly anytime soon. (mlb.com) IN THE AREA: According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, suspended Braves infielder Willie Aybar -- reportedly dealing with substance-abuse issues -- is with his brother in Boston, 'trying to get his life and baseball career back in order'. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) NEW ONE ON ME: Miguel Cabrera has . . . a what?? (Fox Sports) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 19, 2007
UPDATED: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 3TORONTO -- He was only in the lineup because Terry Francona wanted to rest Julio Lugo's legs on the turf of the Rogers Centre. And he went from fill-in to hero. Alex Cora kept the game tied when he turned an outstanding double play with runners on first and third and one out in the eighth, and then he won it with an RBI triple in the top of the ninth as the Red Sox rallied from a 3-1, eighth-inning deficit -- against Roy Halladay, no less -- and defeated the Blue Jays, 5-3, in the rubber game of their three-game series today. Eric Hinske had opened the ninth with a walk. Dustin Pedroia forced him at second when he failed to successfully bunt, and Lugo then went in to run for Pedroia. And Lugo came all the way around from first when Cora belted a triple up the gap in left-center field, giving the Sox a 4-3 lead. They made it 5-3 moments later on a sacrifice fly by Coco Crisp. Jonathan Papelbon pitched the bottom of the ninth, the first time he's pitched in back-to-back games this year, and recorded the save. The Sox were trailing, 3-1, and looking doomed when they came to bat against Jays ace Roy Halladay in the top of the eighth. They had been held to five hits over the first seven innings and, with a makeshift lineup that had Mike Lowell on the bench, in addition to Lugo. But Crisp opened the eighth with his second bunt single of the game. After Kevin Youkilis popped out, manager John Gibbons lifted Halladay -- whose pitch count was only at 95 -- in favor of left-handed reliever Scott Downs. The controversial move seemed to work out when Downs struck out David Ortiz. Gibbons then called on right-hander Shaun Marcum to face Manny Ramirez. That move didn't work nearly as well. Ramirez blasted a monstrous home run to dead center field, tying the game at 3-3. The Jays ran at Mike Timlin, who came in to start the eighth, right away as Vernon Wells opened the inning with a double. Wells moved to third on a grounder by Frank Thomas and Timlin intentionally walked Lyle Overbay, setting up a double play. It seemed they were going to get one when Aaron Hill grounded back to the mound. Timlin, however, bobbled the ball momentarily, then made a slightly wild throw to second that pulled Cora, who was covering from shortstop, to the first-base side of the bag. He was able to catch it, tag the base, and still get off a throw -- despite a very hard takeout slide by Overbay, who appeared to go out of the baseline to hit him -- that doubled up Hill at first, ending the inning. The Sox had taken a 1-0 lead off Halladay in the second on a walk to Ramirez, a single by J.D. Drew, a fielder's-choice grounder by Jason Varitek that left runners at first and third, and a sacrifice fly by Hinske. A solo home run by Thomas leading off the bottom of the second tied the score, and the Sox squandered a golden opportunity (bases loaded, one out) in the third when Ramirez grounded into an inning-ending double play. Still, Julian Tavarez -- making his first appearance since April 7 -- matched Halladay pitch for pitch through the first five innings. He faltered in the sixth, however, allowing a one-out homer to Alex Rios that gave Toronto its first lead. Adam Lind then singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a double by Wells, making it 3-1.
Posted by Art Martone PawSox split doubleheaderThe Pawtucket Red Sox defeated Rochester, 4-0, in the second game of their seven-inning doubleheader today at McCoy Stadium and earned a split of the twinbill. Pawtucket fell, 3-0, in the opener. Starter Davern Hansack took the loss, giving up all three Rochester runs in 5.1 innings. Second baseman Matt Tolman homered for Rochester. Craig Hansen pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for Pawtucket. The PawSox are now 1-4 at McCoy Stadium.
Posted by Mike McDermott They Got The DP AnywayThe feed wasn't very good. And second-base umpire Ed Montague could have called an automatic double play because the Jays' baserunner, Lyle Overbay, seemed to be out of the baseline when he tried to take out shortstop Alex Cora. But with the game tied at 3-3, one out and runners at first and third in the bottom of the eighth, the Sox still managed to get out of the inning on a double play because of Cora's terrific turn. Cora, starting in place of Julio Lugo, reached high and to his left for the feed from pitcher Mike Timlin. Cora managed to tap his right foot on the bag as he came down and his momentum carried him toward the second-base side of the base. Overbay slid into Cora as he was releasing the ball to first. The throw nailed the batter, Aaron Hill, by a whisker, at least in the eyes of first-base umpire Brian Knight, keeping it a tie game. Montague could have called it an automatic DP because from where Overbay slid to get a piece of Cora, he wouldn't have been able to reach out and touch the base. Montague didn't see it that way, but it didn't matter. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Great Baserunning InstinctsIt isn't often you see a baserunner move from second to third on a groundout to third base. But some outstanding recognition and baseurnning skills by the Blue Jays' Vernon Wells in a crucial part of today's game made that happen. Frank Thomas hit a hard hopper to third baseman Kevin Youkilis, who had to be playing back of the base to respect Thomas's power and also because of speed of ground balls on the turf. Wells took off as the ball neared Youkilis, who had no play on the Jays' runner. Youkilis threw to first for the out. So Toronto had a runner at third with one out in a 3-3 game. But after an intentional walk to Lyle Overbay, Aaron Hill bounced into an inning-ending double play back to pitcher Mike Timlin, with shortstop Alex Cora making a great turn. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Rios Owns TavarezThere are times when the batter-versus-pitcher matchups can be overstated. But apparently, it's safe to say that the Jays' Alex Rios owns Boston pitcher Julian Tavarez. Prior to today's game, Rios was 5 for 6 in his career against the right-hander. Tavarez retired Rios on a groundout in the first inning. In his next two at-bats, though, Rios tagged a double and tie-breaking solo homer, so he's now batting a sizzling .777 (7 for 9) against Tavarez. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Big Papi, The Stolen Base King?David Ortiz has only six stolen bases in his career. But today, with runners at first and second and two outs in the sixth, Ortiz, who, naturally, was not the object of much attention from the Jays' middle infielders, took off for third on a 2-and-0 pitch to Jason Varitek. Ortiz had a good jump and likely would have been safe with a surprise stolen base, but Varitek flied out to left on the pitch. As Ortiz walked into the dugout, Manny Ramirez waited for him, a smile on his face, no doubt joking with Big Papi about his baserunning move. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner No Respect for The CaptainIt isn't only Red Sox fans who have noticed Jason Varitek's declining skills at the plate. In the sixth inning today, Boston had David Ortiz at second base and two outs with J.D. Drew coming to the plate. The score was tied, 1-1. And the Jays had their ace, Roy Halladay, on the mound. But in the on-deck circle, batting sixth in manager Terry Francona's mix-and-match lineup, was Varitek, the Sox' captain and starting catcher. He already was 0 for 2 in the game, dropping his average to .200. So Toronto manager John Gibbons had Halladay intentionallty walk Drew to get to Varitek with runners now at first and second with two outs. Halladay missed with his first two pitches, but Varitek was late on a fastball and lofted a high fly down the left-field line that Adam Lind hauled in near the line with Varitek, thinking (hoping?) the ball would go foul into the seats, barely having gotten one-quarter of the way down the first-base line. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Ouch!Julian Tavarez isn't the only pitcher with a good sinker today. The Jays' Roy Halladay has a good sinker, too, as two members of the Sox became painfully aware. David Ortiz and J.D. Drew each fouled a down-and-in sinker off his right foot. Each of them walked gingerly out of the batter's box and walked around home plate before resuming their respective at-bats. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner The Helpful BuntThe Red Sox tried two bunts in third, and got two hits out of that, even if one of them did go foul. Alex Cora, leading off the inning, tried to bunt the first pitch he saw and fouled it off. But that brought third baseman Jason Smith in a step or two on the turf, protecting against the bunt. So when Cora hit a soft looper toward the shortstop hole on the next pitch, Smith wasn't able to get back in time, the ball falling inside the line that indicates on turf the separation between the infield and the outfield. Coco Crisp was next. He dropped down a beautifully deadened bunt in front of the plate and beat the throw from catcher Gregg Zaun for a base hit. Cora faked a bunt on the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning, but had to back away from the inside fastball, taking it for a ball. He wound up grounding out to shortstop in the at-bat. Crisp, though, opted to bunt again on the first pitch of the eighth inning, and again, he dropped a beauty in front of the plate and reached first safely. Crisp's two hits, put end to end, probably totaled about 47 feet. In the ninth, Crisp crushed a ball about 398 feet and made an out to deep center, but at least it was a productive out, a sacrifice fly that gave the Sox a two-run cushion. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Manny -- Finally, A Homer!Manny Ramirez has been in a season-long slump. The hits haven't been coming, let alone any extra-base power. But as his second-inning at-bat today showed, it isn't as if he's coming out of his shoes, swinging at everything and anything. Ramirez fell behind, 0 and 2, against Roy Halladay, one of the game's top pitchers. But Ramirez didn't give in. He took a couple of close pitches, fouled one off, worked the count full and then watched ball four, earning a leadoff walk. And he wound up scoring the game's first run, on a deep sacrifice fly to left by Eric Hinske. Maybe he should have been more patient in his next at-bat. Ramirez came to the plate with the bases full and one out in the third and swung at Halladay's first pitch, bouncing one to third baseman Jason Smith, who started an inning-ending double play, croaking a very promising rally. But Ramirez loves to hit at the Rogers Centre. He entered today's game with 25 homers here, the second-most of any opponent lifetime (Alex Rodriguez has 30) at this ballpark. Now, he has 26. He worked the count to 2 and 0 against Shaun Marcum with two outs and one on in the eighth and the Sox down by two runs, and then crushed a game-tying two-run homer to center. It was Ramirez's first homer of the year. Last season Ramirez was homerless until a visit to Toronto, when he bashed two homers in an April 21 game, the Sox' 17th game. Today's game is Boston;s 14th of the year. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner The Sinker Worked, MostlyThe concern with a sinkerball pitcher when he hasn't pitched for a while is that he will be "too strong," throwing a bit harder than normal, which leaves the ball up in the zone, taking away the sinking action because of the extra velocity. That was one reason the Sox had Julian Tavarez, pitching today for the first time since April 7, throw a side session on Sunday in Boston and face a few hitters during early batting practice in Toronto on Tuesday. Tavarez retired the first two hitters on harmless bouncers, thanks to his sinker, and he fanned Vernon Wells with a nasty, well located slider for the third out. But, when a sinkerball pitcher gets one up to a powerful hitter, the ball may not be coming back. That's what happened in the second inning, when designated hitter Frank Thomas crushed a thigh-high 2-and-1 fastball over the fence in left-center, tying the game at 1-1. Overall, though, Tavarez gave Francona more than the manager could have expected, even if he did walk off the mound trailing, 3-1, with one out in the sixth. Tavarez got 10 of his 16 outs on ground balls and also fanned four. There were only two flyouts. In the sixth, though, fatigue may have set in. Alex Rios launched a tie-breaking homer and before Francona could get a right-hander ready to replace Tavarez, the Jays had added another run on a single by Adam Lind, a wild pitch and a double by Vernon Wells. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Shift ChangeIn the first two games of the series, when the Blue Jays put the shift on David Ortiz, they moved the third baseman (Jason Smith on Tuesday night; John McDonald on Wednesday night) over to the second-base side of the second-base bag while pushing the second baseman, Aaron Hill, into shallow right in the "hole." They left the shortstop, Royce Clayton, at short, albeit shaded closer to the bag at second. The reason they did that was because Clayton isn't used to playing on the right side of the bag, while Smith and McDonald are more comfortable over there. Today, with McDonald replacing Clayton at short in the starting lineup, the Jays shifted in a more traditional way, with the shortstop sliding over to the other side of the bag and the third baseman, Smith, playing "shortstop," near the base. That alignment resulted in the rare 1-5-3 double play. With a runner at first and one out, Ortiz hit a one-hopper back to pitch Roy Halladay. Halladay turned and threw to second for the force. Smith took the throw for the out at second and his relay to first easily beat Ortiz for the double play, 1-5-3 in the scorebook. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone and Steve KrasnerToday, Steve Krasner calls us from Rogers Centre, where the Red Sox are ready to conclude their series with the Blue Jays. He goes over the unusual starting lineup and touches on Tim Wakefield, David Ortiz, Doug Mirabelli and Dustin Pedroia. Click here to listen to the audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott The Yankees Are ComingManager Terry Francona does not like to look ahead. So when he was asked this morning about this weekend's series against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park, he gave a typical response. "To be a good team you have to stay in the moment," said Francona. "We have to worry about finding a way to beat Toronto today. Roy Halladay (the Jays' pitcher today) doesn't care about the Yankees. So for me to talk about them doesn't make sense." When pressed, though, he did address the experience factor in big games on the mound that the Sox would seem to have over the Yankees. Boston's starting trio will be Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka while New York, which has an injury-ravaged rotation, will counter with Andy Pettitte and rookies Jeff Karstens and Chase Wright. Francona, while acknowledging the Sox' edge in experience on the big stage, also said it doesn't necessarily make any difference. "Look at Wright," said Francona of the left-hander, who was bumped up from Double A for his first big-league start on Tuesday night, a win over Cleveland. "He has no experience. But if he throws 94 with a (good) breaking ball, he can (beat us)," said Francona. "That's what's so cool about this game. You don't know. You don't have to have 10 years (of experience) to compete." Francona alluded to the fact the Sox had experience on the mound for the pivotal five-game series against the Yankees last summer and Boston was swept. Yet that doesn't mean those same pitchers won't pitch well against New York this year just because of their inability to rise to the occasion in that series, Francona intimated. The experience, he noted, is necessarily the only indicator of potential success in the present. "That's like saying that sweep fiasco inthe series will scar us. No, it won't. That (sweep) didn't help us last year, but it doesn't affect us this year," said Francona. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner More Playing Time for Mirabelli?If Doug Mirabelli thinks that the fact he has slugged a home run and driven in two runs in each of his last two starts as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher will give him an opportunity to play more often than once every five days he would be mistaken. Manager Terry Francona fairly bristled at the notion that he would insert Mirabelli more often and sit Jason Varitek more, even though Mirabelli's offensive contributions in far fewer at-bats is superior to what Varitek has been offering the offense. "Jason's our captain. He's our catcher. Playing Mirabelli two days in a row is not like playing Wily Mo (Pena) two days in a row to get his at-bats. (Sitting) back-to-back for Tek doesn't help him. He'll go down to the bullpen and catch everyone anyway so he doesn't get sluggish," said Francona. "When we get hits from Mirabelli, that's good. But Jason's our catcher," he said. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Wholesale Lineup ChangesManager Terry Francona has juggled his starting lineup for today's series finale in Toronto. Mindful of the fact that the Sox have played this series on turf, which takes its toll on the players' legs, and also mindful that today's game begins roughly only 10 hours after last night's game was completed, Francona is mixing and matching while, he said a few minutes ago, putting out a lineup he thinks can beat Toronto ace Roy Halladay. So Kevin Youkilis is making the move across the diamond from first base to third base, with Eric Hinske getting the start at first. That gives Mike Lowell a day off, and shortstop Julio Lugo gets his first day off, replaced at short by Alex Cora. Lugo's absence from the lineup has prompted Francona to push Coco Crisp up to the leadoff spot for today's game. Of course, the changes haven't exactly fueled the lineup with hot hitters. Crisp, at the top of the order, enters the game batting .136. Catcher Jason Varitek moves up to sixth in the order, and he is batting .212. Hinske is holding up his end, at .800, but after him are Dustin Pedroia (.188) and Cora (.143). And that doesn't even account for a cleanup hitter (Manny Ramirez) batting .191 without a home run. Ramirez has started slowly before, but usually he breaks out when the Sox visit Toronto, one of his favorite parks to hit in. A year ago his first two homers of the season came in a game at the Rogers Centre. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting Lineups -- April 19Boston Crisp cf Tavarez p Toronto Rios rf Halladay p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for April 19Who's Hot: David Ortiz (8 for his last 20 with 2 doubles and three home runs), Eric Hinske (17 for his last 34 dating back to last season, 4 for 5 so far this season) Who's Not: Coco Crisp (2 for his last 19, batting .136), J.D. Drew (1 for his last 11), Dustin Pedroia (0 for his last 7 and 1 for his lats 22, now batting .188), Manny Ramirez (4 for his last 28, now batting .191 with no home runs), Jason Varitek (2 for his last 13, now batting .212), Kevin Youkilis (0 for his last 10, now batting.239). Key Matchups: Against Julian Tavarez, Royce Clayton is 4 for 20 (.200) with a home run; Alex Rios is 5 for 6 (.833). Against Roy Halladay, David Ortiz is 16 for 58 (.276) with 5 home runs. -Boston has held opponents to a .200 batting average this season, tops in the majors. -The Red Sox have held opponents to three or fewer runs for eight straight games. The last time the opposition scored more than three was in Julian Tavarez's last start, April 7 at Texas. -Red Sox starting pitchers have had decisions in all 13 games of the 2007 season. The last time that happened: 1918, when starters had decisions in the first 39 games. -Red Sox starters lead the majors, giving up just three home runs this season. -The Blue Jays have won six of their last eight meetings against the Red Sox.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Thursday, April 19Lots of interesting stuff going on in the world of the baseball; just not a whole lot of it involves the Red Sox: BACK ON TOP: Tim Wakefield was superb as the Red Sox again took over possession of first place in the A.L. East . . . Jonathan Papelbon wasn't as superb, but if a hit and a walk and three strikeouts constitute a subpar outing from your closer, I'll take it . . . Steven Krasner, the author of the two previous stories, goes Inside The Game. COME ON BACK: We'll be talking to Steve on Projo Sports Talk today at noon. And Steve will be blogging before, during and after this afternoon's game in Toronto. YOU ARE THERE: The blog "A Red Sox Fan In Pinstripe Territory" posts some pictures from the Rogers Centre. FIRST OF THE YEAR: Congratulations, Mark Buerhle! (Chicago Sun-Times) LOST EVENING: Two no-hitters on the same date? Well, the Padres say David Wells had no-hit stuff last night. But he didn't get a no-hitter, he didn't get a decision, and he didn't even get to stay around until the end of the game; he was ejected for arguing a call from the dugout in the 12th inning in the Padres' loss to the Diamondbacks. Wells has always had a penchant for shifting the blame to the umpires -- I remember him claiming he blew up in a game against the Red Sox in 1998 because the plate umpire blew a 1-and-1 call to John Valentin, causing him to lose his concentration -- and last night was no different. ("I had to get six outs in the seventh, which is very, very tough to do.") But he also said first-base umpire Doug Eddings rubbed his belly in a "you're fat" gesture, something Eddings denies, which Wells called "stepping over the line. When the umpire makes a gesture, I think that's personal." Ah, Boomer. Life's never dull, is it? (San Diego Union-Tribune) INTO THE FIRE: The Yankees finally have their weekend rotation set: Andy Pettitte on Friday, Jeff Karstens on Saturday and Chase Wright on Sunday. (Newsday) CRUEL FATE: One start after looking absolutely unhittable against the Red Sox -- and, really, looking as if he were at the very beginning of a Hall of Fame career -- Felix Hernandez had to leave last night's start in the first inning because of elbow tightness. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) NOT MY CONCERN: Bill James gives David Pinto a couple of theories on why so many long-term contracts were handed out last winter (baseballmusings.com), and one of them -- "The GMs who made the deals probably won't last until the end of the deal, so it's going to be someone else's problem'' -- is a little scary if you're worried about the long-term health of an organization. DREAM SEQUENCE: It's the radio-personality version of hitting the lottery -- get into a fight with the manager and become a national story. (Philadelphia Inquirer) But Howard Eskin says that was never his intent, no, no. NIGHTMARE SEQUENCE: Howard Eskin is the least of Charlie Manuel's problems; he just got the dreaded vote of confidence from his boss. And, oh, just to make life a little more interesting for Charlie, Ryan Howard may have a serious knee injury. (Both stories, Philadelphia Inquirer). Excuse me, Jimmy Rollins? You may want to rethink your preseason prediction. LET'S GO TO THE TAPE: Ozzie Guillen proves he never said he was going to order his pitchers to hit Sammy Sosa. Wouldn't have been out of charcter, though, would it? (Daily Southtown) OLD FRIENDS: Mike Gonzalez, a member of the Red Sox system for a couple of weeks in 2003 (and someone they attempted to trade for last winter), has come down with a bad elbow (mlb.com) . . . Bill Simmons used to call his hang-dog look "the Derek Lowe Face." Apparently, that's what the Dodgers saw a lot of last night in Colorado (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Dave Roberts has a mild cause of food poisoning (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Adam Stern is back in the minors after spending two days with the Orioles (Baltimore Sun) . . . Josh Bard is recovering from his groin injury (San Diego Union-Tribune) . . . Jay Payton may return to the Orioles' lineup this weekend (Washington Post). AND FINALLY . . . It's tough to link to PawSox stories when they keep getting rained out. But today we had a nice feature on Bobby Scales, to go with yesterday's look at Davern Hansack. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 18, 2007
Wakefield, Mirabelli lead Red Sox past JaysDavid Ortiz homered and Tim Wakefield allowed four hits in seven innings, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Mike Lowell and Doug Mirabelli also homered for the Red Sox. Wakefield (2-1) struck out four, walked three and lowered his ERA to 1.35. The 40-year-old knuckleballer has allowed only three earned runs in 20 innings. Brendan Donnelly worked a perfect eighth and Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth for his third save, striking out pinch-hitter Adam Lind with two on to end it. Toronto starter Tomo Ohka didn't allow a hit until Lowell homered to left with two outs in the fifth, his first of the season. Mirabelli led off the sixth with his second home run, and Ortiz opened the seventh with his fifth. One out later, J.D. Drew chased Ohka with a single. Victor Zambrano came on and gave up a single to Lowell, a fielder's-choice grounder to Coco Crisp and an RBI single to Mirabelli. Ohka (0-2) allowed four runs and four hits in 6 1-3 innings. He walked one and struck out three. Matt Stairs singled off Wakefield in the first, but the knuckleballer responded by retiring 10 straight batters before stumbling in the fourth. With two outs, he loaded the bases with consecutive walks to Frank Thomas, Lyle Overbay and Aaron Hill. Wakefield escaped by striking out Jason Phillips on four pitches. The Blue Jays finally broke through against Wakefield in the seventh when Royce Clayton doubled and scored on John McDonald's bloop single to left. Notes: Ortiz appeared to have a single in the fourth when he hit a ball between first and second into short right field. But 2B Hill, playing deep with the shift on, fielded the ball and threw out Ortiz by a step. ... The Red Sox hit only eight home runs over the first 12 games of the season. --AP
Posted by Corey Bourassa Yankees to start two rookies this weekend against Red SoxChase Wright looked at his cell phone Wednesday. “There's quite a few new numbers that I haven't seen,” he said. That's what happens when you win your major league debut for the New York Yankees. After beating Cleveland at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, Wright faces an even tougher task Sunday: He's scheduled to start at Fenway Park in a nationally televised game against the Boston Red Sox and Daisuke Matsuzaka. “All right,” he said after reporters informed him of the news. “This is the first I heard of it.” Manager Joe Torre assumed that pitching coach Ron Guidry had told Wright, but word hadn't filtered down to the 24-year-old left-hander, who allowed three runs and five hits in five innings in the 10-3 victory over Cleveland. Wright has never even been to Fenway. “It's going to be pretty intense,” he said. “Down at the minor league levels, we know we're playing the Red Sox and stuff, but it's a whole different level up here.” With Chien-Ming Wang, Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano on the disabled list, New York will start Andy Pettitte against Curt Schilling on Friday in the first meeting between the teams this season. The Yankees follow with a pair of rookies, Jeff Karstens and Wright, while Boston goes with Josh Beckett and Dice-K. New York currently has four rookies in its rotation: Kei Igawa started Wednesday against the Indians and Darrell Rasner was slated for Thursday. It will be the first time prior to September that the Yankees started three straight rookies since Scott Kamieniecki, Jeff Johnson and Wade Taylor at Oakland from July 18-20, 1991, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Torre's first preference wasn't to go with youthful starters in Boston, but his depleted staff leaves him no choice. “If you can give me an alternative, I'll use it,” he said. “Spring training we had too many. Now we hope we have enough.” Wright, who hadn't pitched above Double-A prior to this week, said he didn't hear much razzing in the minors — the biggest crowd he pitched in front of before Tuesday was during a spring training game this year at Lakeland, Fla. He said heckling at high school games inspired him to pitch better. Fenway figures to be a wee bit more hostile. “I don't think anybody knows what that is up there until you get up there,” Torre said. “We just feel emotionally he can handle it. I'm not saying he's not going to have some butterflies. You hope he will, because that's the excitement part.” Karstens will rejoin the Yankees on Thursday and be activated Saturday. He felt stiffness in his right elbow during a spring training start March 25 and made a minor league rehab start Monday. Hideki Matsui, recovering from a strained left hamstring, is to start a rehab assignment Friday in Tampa, Fla., and Torre expects the left fielder to be available for Monday's series opener at Tampa Bay. Mussina, who strained a hamstring April 11, likely will have a rehab start before he is activated. Pavano, sidelined by a sore forearm, probably will start throwing in a few days. --AP
Posted by Corey Bourassa PawSox postponed againPAWTUCKET -- The Pawtucket Red Sox were rained out again tonight, the third straight game (counting the second game of Monday's doubleheader) they have lost to the weather. The PawSox and Rochester will make up tonight's game when the Red Wings return to McCoy Stadium in August. The teams are already scheduled to play a doubleheader tomorrow.
Posted by Art Martone Here and ThereRight-hander Matt Clement (shoulder surgery) continues his slow progress. He has been playing catch from 120 feet . . . The weather hasn't been kind to a lot of teams this spring, but the Sox' Portland team has been hit hard. The Sea Dogs have had postponements in 9 of 14 dates this spring. They have lost 7 of their first 10 scheduled games at home . . . At least one matchup for the Yankee series this weekend has been solidified. Curt Schilling and Andy Pettitte will square off in the opener, Friday night. The injury-depleted Yanks have not yet listed their pitcher for the games Saturday and Sunday night. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Two Hits, Take a SeatWily Mo Pena finally got his first hits of the year. The brawny outfielder crushed a solo homer and also singled in his three at-bats Tuesday night against the Blue Jays, starting in right field in place of J.D. Drew. But tonight, Pena is back on the bench. Manager Terry Francona has Drew back in the lineup after a day off. Pena's not complaining, though. "That's all right. I just have to be ready when they put me out there again," said Pena. "But now I feel more comfortable at the plate." Pena escaped injury when he turned his right ankle slightly on the turf while making a catch of a fly ball in shallow right after calling off second baseman Dustin Pedroia in the sixth inning Tuesday night. Pena said he could feel his ankle turning, but was able to take the weight off it at the last minute, falling back on his rear end as he made the catch. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Tavarez Finally Takes the MoundTomorrow afternoon (12:30), Julian Tavarez finally will make his second start of the season. Postponements because of rain have kept Tavarez from working since April 7, when he lasted only four innings (four runs, six hits) in Texas against the Rangers. While Tavarez has been throwing on the side and doing his running, it's probably not fair to expect him to throw 90-100 pitches against the Blue Jays on Thursday, said manager Terry Francona. The Sox will have Kyle Snyder backing up Tavarez in the event the veteran right-hander is rusty and runs up his pitch count early in the game. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner The Other Japanese PitcherLost a bit in the aftermath of Daisuke Matsuzaka's outing in Toronto on Tuesday night was the performance of his Japanese countryman, Hideki Okajima. The left-hander whiffed all three batters he faced in the eighth inning, showing an effective use of his changeup in punching out Gregg Zaun, Royce Clayton and Jason Smith. The most important part of that outing was the fact that all three batters were right-handed (Zaun, a switch hitter, was batting right-handed). It showed manager Terry Francona something. Most left-handed relievers tend to be one-batter, lefty-on-lefty specialists. "With Okajima being left-handed and being able to get right-handers out has been a big plus for our bullpen," said Francona this afternoon. "That has a chance to really impact our bullpen." Francona was just as glowing in his praise of Okajima after the game Tuesday night. "That changeup of his is a real weapon," said Francona. "It's a very good changeup, and if he can locate his fastball to go along with that changeup, he can be tough on right-handers." This season, Okajima has appeared in six games, totaling 6 2/3 innings. He has fanned eight, and has an earned-run average of 1.35, giving Francona more confidence in calling for him in any set-up situation. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Jon Lester UpdateJon Lester, who is rounding into shape, will make one more start for Greenville (Class A) before moving up to Pawtucket for a start, likely next Wednesday in Rochester. Boston manager Terry Francona said at his daily press briefing a short time ago that Lester, the promising left-hander whose 2006 season was cut short in August when he was diagnosed with acute anaplastic large cell lymphoma, would start for Greenville Friday night. His pitch count will be raised to 85. After that outing, Lester will rejoin the Red Sox in Boston, where he will throw a side session on Sunday and will talk with Francona and general manager Theo Epstein about the next phase of his development, which is expected to include a jump to the PawSox. Talk of when Lester might be able to reclaim a spot in Boston's rotation still is premature. Francona said the Sox want him to get to the point to where a pitch-count limit isn't imposed on him, as it is now as he gets his body back into pitching shape. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Starting lineups -- April 18Boston Lugo ss Wakefield p Toronto Rios rf Ohka p -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for April 18Who's Hot: Tim Wakefield (2 ER in 13.0 IP so far this year), Hideki Okajima (14 straight batters retired), Mike Lowell (5 for his last 16), Julio Lugo (8 for his last 23), David Ortiz (6 for his last 16), Kevin Youkilis (8 for his last 26). Who's Not: Dustin Pedroia (1 for his last 19), Manny Ramirez (4 for his last 25), J.D. Drew (0 for his last 7). Key Matchups: Against Wakefield, Alex Rios is 5 for 13 (.385), Royce Clayton is 10 for 33 (.303), Frank Thomas is 7 for 36 (.194) with three home runs. -The Red Sox have allowed three or fewer runs in seven straight games. -The Blue Jays have won four straight over the Red Sox.
Posted by Mike McDermott Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone and Steve KrasnerThis morning from Toronto, Steve looks back on Daisuke Matsuzaka's surprising fourth-inning meltdown. Click here to listen to the audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott Another frustrating night for RamirezIt seems like every night we have a reason to suspect that maybe Manny will emerge from his early-season slump, and every night he doesn't do it. He had great career numbers against John Lackey and Hector Carrasco, but failed to make a dent against those two Angels starters over the weekend, even as his teammates pounded them. Then last night, he entered Toronto's Rogers Centre (the building formerly known as SkyDome), where he has slugged more home runs than any visiting player. But all we got was a second-inning single as the Red Sox failed Daisuke Matsuzaka again. Ramirez was 6 for 14 lifetime against temporary Toronto closer Jason Frasor, but he lined out to Vernon Wells in the ninth inning with a chance to start a Red Sox rally. On the bright side, Ramirez's batting average went up, from .200 to .205. Today, the Seattle Times' Jerry Faull advises fantasy owners against pushing the panic button on Ramirez: "There's no doubt that a serious hot streak is on the way." The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant says this about Rangers minor leaguer Victor Diaz: "Some folks think this guy could hit like Manny Ramirez if only he'd stop acting like Manny Ramirez."
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Wednesday, April 18What's happening around baseball . . . THE NIGHT BEFORE: Who was that guy pitching for the Red Sox in the fourth inning last night, and what did he do with Daisuke Matsuzaka? Unlike last week's shutdown at the hands of Felix Hernandez, the Sox had their chances, but a combination of bad luck, plays not made, and a surprising fourth-inning meltdown by Matsuzaka -- made even more surprising by his absolute dominance in the other five innings he pitched -- doomed them. At least it was a record-setting night for Dice-K in one regard. (All stories from projo.com) EYEWITNESS: Old friend Allan Wood files a first-person account. (joyofsox.blogspot.com) 180 DEGREES AWAY . . . David Pinto thinks last night's Yankees-Indians game demonstrates why the Yanks will be so tough this season. (baseballmusings.com) I agree with him completely. NOT YET, NOT YET: Phil Hughes isn't in the Yankees' immediate future. (New York Daily News) WELCOME BACK, LARRY: A few years back, I made a delightful discovery: The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog, the work of a very good writer named Larry Mahnken. He wrote entertainingly and insightfully on the Yankees, and the RLYW was a daily stop for me. Over the course of the last few years, life interferred -- among other things, he lost most of his possessions in an apartment fire -- and Larry began writing less and less; the bulk of the blog work was being done by other people. I missed him, and found myself becoming a less frequent visitor. So imagine my surprise -- and delight -- when the season began and Larry was back in the forefront of RLYW, on the new and improved Replacement Level Yankees Weblog. And entries like today's remind me of why I like Larry so much. He's able to put the Yankees in perspective better than anyone I know, including those in the mainstream media. He's a Yankee fan through and through, and it shows, but he's not a blind Yankee fan; he acknowledges their faults and pokes fun at the absurdity that can sometimes surround New York baseball. (I wish I did as well at the absurdity that can sometimes surround Boston baseball.) It's a wonderful place, a combination of the serious (like the bullpen counter in the left rail, which projects usage for Yankee relievers over the season), the funny (the second-by-second counter across the top listing how long it's been since the Yankees last won the World Series) and the absurd (a list of all the newspaper covers featuring A-Rod this year). It's a great place to visit, for Yankee fans and non-Yankee fans alike. This isn't meant as a knock at anyone doing the work there while Larry was away; they did a fine job. But I missed Larry's voice, and what he brought to the site. And I, for one, am glad he's back. NEXT TARGET: 'YOU JUST CAN'T PITCH ANY BETTER THAN THAT': Tim Marchman gives the New York take on the baseball cliche "that's a good piece of hitting". (New York Sun) Locally, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis get credited with that quite often. Coco Crisp and Wily Mo Pena never do. THE DOCTORS SAY, HE'LL BE OKAY: Vladimir Guerrero could be back in the lineup by Friday. (Los Angeles Daily News) Sure didn't look that way when he was being led off the field Monday. HERE'S HOW IT'S DONE: The Tigers' Todd Jones, who's been writing his own stuff for years (first in newspapers, then online), has a primer for managers on how to handle closers. (sportingnews.com) It has local interest because a) it was the Dan Wheeler/Brad Lidge controversy in Houston that apparently moved him to comment on this issue, and b) I still can't my arms around the fact that Todd Jones, the guy banging around the back of the Red Sox bullpen in 2003 on what we all thought was his last legs, is not only still around but has saved 84 games since the beginning of the 2005 season. Stranger than fiction, I'm telling you. YOU WANT IT, YOU GOT IT: Let me get this straight: The radio guy wanted Charlie Manuel to blow? (Philadelphia Inquirer) YOU'RE MY IDOLS, DODGER FANS: I never thought I'd ever type his name, but the fact that Sanjaya got booed at Dodger Stadium makes me think there's hope for the republic yet. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) OLD FRIENDS: Casey Fossum is feeling better and pitching better in Tampa Bay (Tampa Tribune) . . . This is getting ridiculous: J.D. Durbin was designated for assignment again (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Now Freddy Sanchez has a bad wrist (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Andy Marte is struggling in Cleveland, though the Indians say they see progress (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . IN OTHER NEWS, TIM STUNNED AS SUN RISES IN EAST: A day late but worth the wait: Tim Gorman -- a Red Sox fan who said he did it as an experiment -- was shocked, shocked I tell you, at the hostility he encountered while running the Boston Marathon in a Yankee cap and shirt. (Boston Globe) GOOD NEWS: Alex Gonzalez has returned to the Reds. (Dayton Daily News) LET'S CALL THE PIZZA MAN! I added this to yesterday's post at about 11 a.m. yesterday, and you have to see it in case you missed it. And if you didn't click through to John Tomase's story yesterday, do it now. This is one we'll be talking about for a long, long time. -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 17, 2007
One shaky inning sends Dice-K to second straight lossDaisuke Matsuzaka's lack of control in a key situation cost him against the Toronto Blue Jays. Dice-K struck out 10 over six innings but forced in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk to Gregg Zaun in the fourth, and Toronto beat the Boston Red Sox 2-1 Tuesday night despite getting just three hits. Matsuzaka (1-2) retired his first eight batters and Wily Mo Pena's third-inning homer gave him a lead, but Lyle Overbay's single tied the score in the two-run fourth. Jason Frasor, taking over as closer while B.J. Ryan is sidelined by a sprained elbow, got four outs for his first save since Sept. 20, 2005, against Seattle. He retired David Ortiz on a groundout to end the eighth with a runner on, then pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. Manny Ramirez lined out, and Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell grounded out. Matsuzaka allowed just three hits and three walks in six innings as his ERA rose from 2.57 to 2.70. He struck out 10 for the second time in three starts — the previous pitcher to reach double-digit strikeouts twice in his first three major league starts was the Los Angeles Dodgers' Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. Gustavo Chacin (2-0) allowed one run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings, and Casey Janssen got three outs before Frasor came in. Matsuzaka's Toronto debut, combined with a $2 Canadian ticket promotion, helped draw a crowd of 42,162, Toronto's biggest since opening day. Pena, starting in right as J.D. Drew got a night off from the starting lineup, was 0-for-7 this season before his homer, which bounced off the center-field restaurant. Vernon Wells started Toronto's fourth-inning rally with a one-out single, Thomas walked on four pitches and Overbay singled under the glove of shortstop Julio Lugo. Aaron Hill fell behind on an 0-2 count, then worked out a nine-pitch walk, and Zaun walked on five pitches. Matsuzaka threw two balls to Jason Smith, got a swinging strike, then retired Smith on a flyout to the warning track in center. Matsuzaka struck out four in a row at one stretch, getting Alex Rios, Adam Lind and Wells in the fifth, then Thomas leading off the sixth. Drew pinch hit and walked leading off the eighth, but was doubled up when he broke for second on Lugo's liner to third. Coco Crisp followed with a single before Frasor relieved. Hideki Okajima relieved Matsuzaka in the seventh and struck out the side in his only inning. Notes: Toronto's past three wins have all been by 2-1 scores. ... Toronto OF Reed Johnson underwent surgery on a herniated disk in his lower back on Tuesday. He's not expected back until July. ... A moment of silence before the game honored the victim's of Monday's shooting spree at Virginia Tech. --AP
Posted by Corey Bourassa Batting Order SwitchManager Terry Francona wanted Wily Mo Pena to play two days in a row, so the burly outfielder is in the lineup again tonight, this time replacing J.D. Drew in right field. The fact that the three games here will be played on turf was one reason Francona elected to give Drew the night off from the starting lineup, saving some wear and tear on his legs. So was the fact that the Jays are starting a left-hander -- Gustavo Chacin. Not that Drew can't hit lefties, said Francona, but Pena, a right-handed slugger, has shown in the past he can tattoo lefties. But Francona wasn't comfortable enough just to insert Pena in Drew's number five slot. Instead, he elevated struggling Coco Crisp (.111) to the second spot in the order and dropped Kevin Youkilis into the fifth hole. Youkilis batted all around the order last year, including fourth. Pena is hitting eighth. Pena had started in center for Crisp on Monday at home, but Francona said he wasn't benching Crisp, that he was just trying to find some playing time for Pena, who is 0 for 7 this season heading into tonight's game. Francona said he acknowledges the fact the fans and media might be calling for a more prolonged benching of the slumping Crisp, but that he can't panic as a manager. "What do they say, if you manage like a fan you'll end up a fan," said Francona. "He has scuffled. But if we take him out of the lineup and he has the ability to get hot, we're not going to see it and that would be a mistake on my part." -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Financial Japanese CustomThere was a story in the New York Times talking about how there are times in Japan when the manager of a team will reward a star of the game with a little extra money in an envelope. Boston manager Terry Francona was unaware of that, he said today during his usual pregame chat with the media. And don't expect him to fill a white envelope with some crisp $100 bills for Daisuke Matsuzaka should the right-hander pitch a gem this season. "He's got enough (money)," joked Francona of Dice-K, for whom the Sox have committed $103 million for posting fees and salary. "It should be the other way around. If I manage a good game, he should be putting something in my pocket," cracked Francona. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Dice-K ManiaCanada doesn't seem to be caught up in the same Daisuke Matsuzaka Mania that has swept the Red Sox' world in the United States. Dice-K, who will be opposing Toronto's Gustavo Chacin tonight at the Rogers Centre in his third start of the season, has not been a focal point in the local and national media here that he was in his first two outings, in Kansas City and Boston. The right-hander's name wasn't even mentioned on the sports pages in some of the Toronto newspapers. That isn't to say that there isn't interest in Matsuzaka's performance from the Japanese media. In the main press box, the accredited Japanese media has been given 31 seats. There are only seven writers from New England papers covering the game. The football press box has been opened for tonight's game to handle the rest of the Japanese media on hand for the game. The last time the Jays had to do that was in 2003, when Hideki Matsui and the Yankees visited Toronto. It's not likely the football press box will be utilized tomorrow night, even though another Japanese pitcher will be starting. Tomo Ohka, who authored a perfect game for the Pawtucket Red Sox and pitched for Boston, will start for the Blue Jays against Tim Wakefield. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Julian Tavarez faces hittersJulian Tavarez, who hasn't pitched since April 7 in Texas because of postponements caused by rain, threw to hitters early today at the Rogers Centre. The right-hander, who tossed a side session indoors on Sunday after the Sox' game against the Angels was postponed, said he threw for about 13-15 minutes today, getting a feel for his start here on Thursday against the Blue Jays. "It will help a lot," said Tavarez of the benefit of the session. "Facing hitters you get to use all your pitches. It helps keep my arm loose and in shape." In his second outing of the season, Tavarez will be facing Toronto's ace, Roy Halladay on Thursday in a 12:30 p.m. start. -- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner Sox Streakers for April 17From the team's official game notes: -Who's Hot: Julio Lugo (8 for his last 19), Kevin Youkilis (8 for his last 22), David Ortiz (6 for his last 12 with 2 home runs) -Who's Not: Coco Crisp (0 for his last 15), J.D. Drew (0 for his last 7), Dustin Pedroia (1 for his last 17). -Manny Ramirez has hit more home runs against the Blue Jays (51) than any other player. -Boston's 2.72 team E.R.A. remains first in the American League, second in the major leagues. -Red Sox pitchers have walked just 6 batters in the last 45 innings. -Boston starters have a 1.50 E.R.A. over the last 6 games. -The Blue Jays have won three in a row and five of the last six meetings against the Red Sox. Boston's 7-12 record against Toronto in 2006 was its worst ever. The Red Sox were 7-11 against the Blue Jays in 2005. -Manny Ramirez is 2 for 11 lifetime against Blue Jays starter Gustavo Chacin. Ortiz's numbers are much better: 5 for 16 with two home runs.
Posted by Mike McDermott Red Sox-Blue Jays lineupsThe Sox' lineup will have a little different look, with Wily Mo Pena being given a second straight start, this time taking over for J.D. Drew in right field, causing a change in the batting order. The injury-ravaged Blue Jays, meanwhile, are filling holes. Boston Lugo ss Toronto Rios rf
Posted by Steven Krasner Postponed at McCoy StadiumTonight's Pawtucket Red Sox game has been postponed due to inclement weather (there's a big shock). Tomorrow's game against Rochester will begin at the scheduled time of 6:15, and tonight's game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, beginning at 12:05. Both games will be seven-inning games.
Posted by Joe McDonald Projo SoxTalk with Art MartoneToday, we call Steve Krasner in Toronto to talk about the coming series with the second-place Blue Jays, and to review the Red Sox' offensive explosion against the Angels. Click here to listen to the audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott More on Manny's slow startManny Ramirez is off to his worst start through 11 games since he's been with the Red Sox, but it's not for lack of hustling. The left-fielder, who is frequently criticized for an allegedly lackadaisical approach, has been consistently running out ground balls and has made a number of good plays in left field. As for the numbers, this would be the third straight year that they are unimpressive out of the gate. Here is a breakdown of Manny's stats through 11 games since he came to Boston in 2001: 2007: 40 AB, 8 H, 4 R, 6 RBI, 0 HR, .200 BA, .304 OBP Of course, Ramirez's less than stellar history starting seasons (2001 and 2004 excepted) doesn't stop some from suggesting that he's trying to play his way out of Boston. Again, I just don't see it. The Honululu Advertiser's Boston Marathon story contained this lead: "In weather unfit for man, beast or Manny Ramirez, a hardy contingent of runners from sunny Hawai'i braved wind and rain to complete yesterday's 111th Boston Marathon." Hey, Manny played ... just a little later than planned. Writing on the San Diego Padres Web site, Corey Brock discourages a fan's entusiasm about a possible Manny-for Scott Linebrink and Jose Cruz Jr. trade. Jose Cruz Jr.? Ramirez has more home runs (25), RBI (77) and runs scored (61) at Toronto's Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome) than at any park other than his past and current home stadium, Jacobs Field and Fenway Park. Toronto is the place where Manny ended his season-opening home run drought last year with a two-homer performance in the 17th game of the season.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Tuesday, April 17 (updated with YouTube clip at 10:52 a.m.)Interesting day in baseball . . . THE CONTROVERSY CONTINUES: In the blog Bugs and Cranks, Dan Tobin -- a Red Sox fan, by the way -- says the Red Sox still don't get it when it comes to race, not when they choose not to use their only black player, Coco Crisp, on Jackie Robinson Day. (bugsandcranks.com) I received a similar -- in tone, if not content -- e-mail yesterday regarding the story I wrote about Red Sox racial history; the writer (my apologies, but I don't have the e-mail in front of me and I don't remember his name) said the Sox have again regressed regarding their racial practices since they have only one black player on their roster. This was a hole in the story I actually wish I could have addressed when I wrote it, but I didn't have the space. The Red Sox may have only one black player, but that's at least partially due to the fact that the number of black players throughout baseball is significantly down. Their overall diversity, on the other hand -- the number of non-American whites on the roster -- has never been higher. As of this monent, 44 percent of the roster (11 of 25) is comprised of what are classified as minority players. (Coco Crisp, Alex Cora, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Wily Mo Pena, Julio Lugo, Manny Ramirez, J.C. Romero, David Ortiz, Joel Piniero, Hideki Okajima and Julian Tavarez). If you count Mike Lowell, which I believe MLB does, that percentage is 48 percent. The roster is not lily-white, as it was for too long in franchise history and was not so long ago. (In 1990, for instance, when Ellis Burks was the Sox' only black player, the only other non-American whites on the roster for the entire season were Tony Pena, Carlos Quintana and Luis Rivera.) But get beyond the mathematics. Two of the three biggest Red Sox stars in the mid to late 1990s were Mo Vaughn and Pedro Martinez, and the organization promoted them as such. (Say what you will about John Harrington and Dan Duquette, but this effort to diversify started with them.) David Ortiz is the current face of the franchise, and Matsuzaka isn't far behind. Read the quotes from Tommy Harper in the story I wrote, about feeling the difference between what it's like now and what it was like then. These are not your father's Red Sox, the Tom Yawkey/Pinky Higgins/Joe Cronin Red Sox -- or even the Haywood Sullivan Red Sox, for that matter -- and I think that's obvious regardless of what the percentages might be. Dan Tobin makes a good point about the symbolic message of sitting Coco Crisp on Jackie Robinson Day, but a better message might be that we've now reached the point where we no longer pay attention to things like that . . . and it's obvious Terry Francona never gave it a thought when he decided to rest Crisp and get Pena into the lineup. I'm not saying we've reached racial nirvahna in this country or in this region; far from it. I am saying we've come a long way in the last 15 years or so in Boston as far as the Red Sox are concerned, and I don't think that point is debatable. BACK TO BASEBALL: As far as most fans are concerned, the main controversy surrounding Crisp centers on why he's not the player we were told he was when the Sox traded for him. (Boston Herald) SAY THAT AGAIN? Doing analyses on whether the difference in American and Japanese baseballs is affecting Daisuke Matsuzaka's slider is God's way of saying you've got too much time on your hands. (matsuzaka.blogspot.com) THE RICH GET RICHER: Ken Rosenthal puts forth the theory that the Yankees' and Astros' struggles may actually lead Roger Clemens back to Boston. (Fox Sports) RELIEF! Especially since the Yankee bullpen may soon disintegrate from overuse. (New York Sun) CALLING DR. HOWARD, DR. FINE, DR. HOWARD: The daily Yankee medical report. (New York Post) YOU THINK YOU'VE GOT TROUBLES? The Yankees injury woes, though, pale in comparison to the Blue Jays'. At least that's what they'll tell you north of the border. (Toronto Sun) TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH, BUT WELCOME TO THE PARTY: The puncturing of the Derek Jeter-is-a-great-fielder myth is officially complete. (New York Daily News) HALF-FULL, BABY: The Angels may have lost three straight in Boston and been outscored 25-3, but Gary Matthews Jr. thinks ''a few key hits here and there and a few plays on defense and maybe it's a different story.''. Yeah, maybe . . . (Los Angeles Daily News) LOCAL BOY MADE REAL GOOD: All hail Paul Konerko! More stuff you'd never know if you didn't read Joe Posnanski's blog. (thesoulofbaseball.blogspot.com) GENTLEMAN JIM . . . AND RICO: Bruce Markusen's Cooperstown Confidential relates a lesser-known tribute to the 1967 Red Sox, held last weekend at Cooperstown, and has nothing but kind words for Jim Lonborg. (And Rico Petrocelli, too.) (bruce.mlblogs.com) AND FINALLY . . . The Boston Herald gets to the bottom of one of the strangest -- and funniest -- moments you'll ever see at Fenway Park: One fan throwing a pizza at another fan who was trying to catch a foul ball, which had Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy in absolute stitches yesterday. We all thought the guy was throwing the pizza at Garret Anderson, but it turns out he actually hit his intended target; this was the culmination of some trash-talking that had gone back and forth. Kudos to old friend John Tomase for an entertaining read. And if you missed it, here's the inevitable YouTube clip: -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 16, 2007
Sox set date for makeup game with AngelsThe Red Sox announced after today's game that yesterday's postponement against the Angels will be made up on Friday, Aug. 17 at 1:05 p.m. as part of a day-night, separate-admission doubleheader. There is a regularly scheduled game that night at 7:05 p.m. People holding tickets for April 15 can use them for the Aug. 17 day game. The Sox' rainout against the Mariners last Thursday has already been rescheduled for May 3. The Sox also announced the team’s celebration of the Jackie Robinson Day activities, which had been scheduled for Sunday, will take place this Sunday, April 22, when Boston hosts the New York Yankees at 8:05 p.m.
Posted by Art Martone Official postgame notesRED SOX (7-4) FIRST THING’S FIRST: The Red Sox scored 6 runs in the first inning, including 5 before the first out was recorded, matching the 2007 season high for runs in an inning set in the 8th on April 13 vs. LAA . . . The 6 runs are the most the Red Sox have scored in the first inning this season . . . The 4 consecutive hits by Julio Lugo (2B), Kevin Youkilis (1B), David Ortiz (2B) and Manny Ramirez (1B) to lead off the first are the most by the club in an inning this season. The Red JOSH SPICE: Josh Beckett became the first Red Sox pitcher to reach 3 wins this season after going 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 5 . . . He has held opponents to one run in each of his first 3 starts this season and has combined to post a 1.35 ERA (3 ER/20.0 IP) with 18 strikeouts . . . In the last 6 games, Sox starters have posted a 1.50 ERA (7 ER/42.0 IP . . . Orlando Cabrera’s first inning long ball snapped a string of 14.0 straight scoreless frames by Red Sox hurlers. DAVID DRIVES ‘EM IN: David Ortiz hit his 4th home run of the season and went 2-for-3 with a double, 2 runs scored and an RBI . . . He now has 11 RBI in his last 6 contests and 8 in this series (3 games), after driving in just one run in his first 5 games of 2007. LUGO LOOMS LARGE: With a 2-for-4 showing, Julio Lugo has now collected multiple hits in 5 of his last 9 games, batting .343 (12-for-35) over that stretch…He has scored 7 runs in his last 5 contests. DOUBLE THE FUN: Mike Lowell went 1-for4 and stroked his 6th double of the season in the first inning, driving in his 4th run in his last 2 games after a 3-RBI performance on Friday night vs. LAA . . . The third baseman has hit safely in 9 of his last 11 games . . . Lowell legged out 11 2-baggers in April, 2006. THE CENTURY MARK: Alex Cora went 1-for-3 with an RBI and hit the 100th double of his career in the first inning. BOSTON PATRIOTS: With today’s 7-2 win over the Angels, the Red Sox improved to 64-48 all-time on Patriots Day. ANGELS (6-7) HOME SICK: Ervin Santana fell to 1-2 after giving up 7 runs (5 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks while fanning 4 over 4.0 innings, his shortest outing since August 10, 2006 at Cleveland when he went 0.1 inning . . . He is now 9-13 with a 6.78 ERA (107 ER/142.0 IP) in 27 career games (27 starts) on the road. BACK TO HAUNT: Orlando Cabrera hit his first home run of the season, a solo shot off Josh Beckett in the first inning . . . The roundtripper INJURY REPORT: Vladimir Guerrero left the game in the first inning after being hit on the right wrist by a Josh Beckett pitch. Precautionary x-rays were negative and he was diagnosed with a soft tissue contusion.
Posted by Art Martone Josh Beckett's commentsHighlights of Josh Beckett's postgame press conference: On the warning he received from the umpires after hitting Vladimir Guerrero in the first inning: ''The way [umpire] Rick Reed explained it to me was, anytime you give up a home run and then hit somebody . . . I'm not saying I agree with it, but I'm not saying I disagree with it. They're just trying to control the game.'' On the benefits of the warning: ''I started focusing a little more on getting the ball down. It's easy to get out of sorts [because of the rain delay].'' On the plays made by Julio Lugo today: ''I've had [Alex Gonzalez] playing behind me for so long I think a lot of times I take [good defense at shortstop] for granted, but I can't complain right now. Lugo made maybe one of the best plays I've ever had made behind me with that sliding catch in center field. He's such a great athlete . . . He's awesome. He made two great plays today, and he can hit.''
Posted by Art Martone Terry Francona's commentsHighlights of Terry Francona's press conference: On the game: ''We came out swinging very well, got a little help and took advantage of it, and then made it stand up . . . I'm pleased. We still came out and, especially early, swung the bat effectively.'' On Josh Beckett: ''He pitched very, very well and got some defense behind him, too.'' On Beckett's hitting Vladimir Guerrero: ''I know it hit him good. It got him square. [But] there's no intent at all, except trying to get [inside] on a real good hitter.'' On how important it was to get the game in: ''We were getting into a situation where we [would have] had to back [starting pitchers] up another day . . . It was good to play.'' On the injury to Blue Jays relief ace BJ Ryan: ''He's good. He's one of the best in baseball. It certainly can't help. How they handle it will be seen down the road, but he's certainly one of the best in baseball. I acknowledge that.'' On going to Toronto, where the Blue Jays play in a dome: ''It's nice to know that we're going to play, and we're going to play on time.'' On the incident late in the game when one fan threw a pizza at another fan, an incident caught in great detail by NESN: ''Whatever turns 'em on. As long as we have the lead.''
Posted by Art Martone Red Sox 7, Angels 2Clouds? Wind? Rain? As far as the Red Sox were concerned, this homestand was nothing but blue skies. After a two-hour delay beyond the original starting time of 10:05 a.m., the Sox took it to the Angels for the third straight game today at Fenway Park. They hit Los Angeles with a six-spot in the first inning and never looked back as they coasted to a 7-2 victory and a sweep of the weather-abbreviated three-game series. (Sunday's game was postponed because of rain.) Boston outscored Los Angeles 25-3 in the three games, and had a 39-9 advantage overall in the five-game homestand. The Sox went 4-1 overall, beating Seattle 14-3 on Opening Day before losing 3-0 to Felix Hernandez last Wednesday. One of the games against the Mariners was also rained out. The Sox actually fell behind in the first inning today when Orlando Cabrera homered off Josh Beckett. But that slim deficit melted away as they rocked Angels starter Ervin Santana in the bottom of the first. Julio Lugo started things off with a double to center, and he came home to score on a single by Kevin Youkilis. A double to left by David Ortiz moved Youkilis to third, and they both scored on a single to right by Manny Ramirez, making it 3-1. J.D. Drew followed with a potential double-play grounder to second, but Howie Kendrick threw the ball into left field. Ramirez came all the way around for a 4-1 lead and Drew wound up on second. Mike Lowell continued the hit parade with an RBI double to left. After Jason Varitek flied out and Wily Mo Pena popped out, Alex Cora doubled to right and Lowell came home, making it 6-1. Beckett was never in trouble, scattering six hits over six innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Hideki Okajima and J.C. Romero each tossed a shutout inning in relief, and Kyle Snyder allowed a home run to Kendrick in the ninth. Ortiz had accounted for the seventh Boston run with a home run in the fourth. Click here for the box score. The Sox, now 7-4 this season, head off to Toronto for games tomorrow night, Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon before returning home for a weekend series with the Yankees.
Posted by Art Martone What they're sayingJulio Lugo on his defensive performance: “We played good all the way around. Fortunately I came out with some good plays, and I feel like I made a difference. . .I take a lot of pride in my defense. A lot of people say I’m a better offensive player than defensive player, but we’re just going to have to see.”
“He was phenomenal in the field today and he had some good at-bats, too,." Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett on Lugo: “He made two unbelievable plays behind me. On one of them he saved me a run, and on the other he saved me from throwing more pitches." Beckett on his 3-0 start this season compared to last year: “I’m not worried about last year. I’m worried about this year. I’m worried about keeping my team in games and trying to help them win this year. There’s nothing I can do about last year. I just need to continue to make pitches when I need to because that’s been the key to my success.” Varitek on Beckett: Varitek on team's offense: “It helps to put eight or nine runs on the board. But when push comes to shove, we’re going to have to rely on this pitching staff to get it done.” Terry Francona on Beckett:
Posted by Joe McDonald Beckett done for the dayRed Sox starter Josh Beckett is finished for the day. Lefty reliever Hideki Okajima has entered the game. Beckett worked six innings, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He threw 99 pitches (67 strikes). f the Sox can hold on to their six-run lead, Beckett will be 3-0 on the season.
Posted by Joe McDonald Santana done for the dayHeading to the bottom of the fifth inning, the Angels' Ervin Santana is done for the day. Reliever Dustin Mosley is in. Santana finished four innings, allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts. He threw 78 pitches (44 strikes).
Posted by Joe McDonald Santana strugglingAngels starter Ervin Santana is having a tough day on the mound. He surrendered six runs in the first inning, and has now issued back-to-back walks to start the second inning.
Posted by Joe McDonald Guerrero x-rays negativeAngels slugger Vlad Guerrero, who was hit by a pitch in the first inning by Sox starter Josh Beckett, just had x-rays taken at Fenway Park and results were negative. He has a soft-tissue contusion on his right wrist.
Posted by Joe McDonald Angels' Cabrera homers as game startsOrlando Cabrera just hit his first homer of the season for the Angels, the team's first in eight games. The first-inning run also snaps Boston's 14-inning scoreless streak. Red Sox starter Josh Beckett then hit the Angels' Vlad Guerrero, who had to leave the game favoring his right wrist. The home-plate umpire was quick to issue warnings to both teams.
Posted by Joe McDonald Projo SoxTalk with Art MartoneToday, Sean McAdam, at soggy Fenway Park, discusses the Red Sox' strong offensivve performances against Los Angeles, and examines Jonathan Papelbon's changed role. Click here to listen to the audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott Sox Streakers for April 16From the team's official game notes: -The Red Sox are 63-48 all-time on Patriots Day (they played 26 holiday double-headers between 1903 and 1966). This will be their first Patriots Day meeting with the Angels. By far, the opponent they have played most often is the New York Yankees -- and the Red Sox have won 22 of the 33 meetings. The Red Sox have a three-game winning streak on Patriots Day. -Boston's 18 runs Friday and Saturday is the team's largest output on consecutive games since August 12 and 13, 2006, against Baltimore. -The Red Sox have a four-game winning streak against the Angels. -Boston's 2.79 team E.R.A. is tops in the American League and second only to the Mets in major league baseball. -David Ortiz has seven RBI over the last two games. -Eric Hinske has batted safely in the last 13 games in which he has appeared, dating back to last year. He's hitting .500 (17 for 34) over this period. -Vladimir Guerrero is batting just .200 (4 for 20 with a home run) lifetime against Josh Beckett. -Coco Crisp is 0 for his last 11. -Dustin Pedroia has drawn at least one walk in five straight games. His on-base percentage is .382. -Manny Ramirez is 1 for his last 11. -Jason Varitek is batting .130 left-handed. -Kevin Youkilis is 7 for 19 (.368) in his last five games.
Posted by Mike McDermott Guess who was at Fenway last week?Our friend Peter King tells us that Peyton Manning was there on Opening Day . . . and he loved it. Manning said he "didn't catch too much flack from Patriots fans.''
Posted by Art Martone Tarp coming off? / Photo
Check the latest weather for the Boston area ...
Posted by Joe McDonald Today's lineupsAngels Red Sox
Posted by Joe McDonald Francona confident Sox will play todayRed Sox manager Terry Francona just concluded his daily meeting with the local media and he said there's a legitimate chance today's game will be played. It's still raining at Fenway, but the skipper thinks the game should be able to begin somewhere around 1 p.m. Francona also said if today's game is postponed, it appears it will be made up on June 11 but nothing is official, yet. Lineups to follow . . .
Posted by Joe McDonald PawSox plan to go ahead with twin bill todayPawtucket Red Sox president Mike Tamburro says the team plans on playing today's double-header as scheduled. The PawSox expect to begin play against the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees just after noon today. The plan is to play two, seven-inning games with a short break in between. -Report from Sports Writer Kevin McNamara
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Monday, April 16Dodging the rain and the wind as travel through the baseball world . . . 'SOMETIMES I THINK IT'S MANNY'S WORLD, AND WE ALL JUST EXIST IN IT': So says minor-league catcher Greg Brown in a comprehensive profile of Manny Ramirez in the latest edition of The New Yorker. It may be the most revealing look we've ever gotten -- and the most revealing look we'll ever get -- at Ramirez, whom David Ortiz describes (in the piece) as being "in his own world, on his own planet. Totally different human being than everyone else.” Seth Mnookin has a mini-review on his blog. GOOD POINT: The Red Sox racial history was back under the microscope this weekend as baseball in general, and the team in particular, remembered and honored Jackie Robinson. (Providence Journal) In that light, the Herald's Steve Buckley questions why former Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey is in the Hall of Fame. (Boston Herald) YOU SEE, THIS IS WHY 2004 WAS SO IMPORTANT: Because prior to then, Bucky would have put a Red Sox cap on Satchel. (comics.com) Although, now that I think of it, maybe not; Darby Conley is, after all, a Massachusetts native and a Red Sox fan. But, having lived through it, I think it's all the more reason not to rag on another team's misfortune. WELL, ALL RIGHT, JUST THIS ONCE: Except, of course, for a certain team that blows a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth when -- after getting the first two men out -- Mariano Rivera surrenders a three-run, walkoff home run to an .050 hitter. (New York Daily News) BACK TO THE CUBS: Ignoring the franchise's history would be a lot easier if the manager didn't refer to it after an aggravating loss. (Chicago Sun Times) AND BACK TO THE YANKEES: Since Yankee fans were uniformly unsympathetic last year when the Red Sox lost, in no particular order, Jason Varitek and Trot Nixon and David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez and Curt Schilling and Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester down the stretch -- after having already lost Matt Clement and David Wells, and missing Wily Mo Pena and Coco Crisp for extended stretches -- you'll forgive us if we're not crying a river over the state of their pitching these days. (New York Post) YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH: Johnny Damon is annoyed that A's rookie Travis Buck was impolite enough to mention Damon's arm. (San Francisco Chronicle) UH OH: The Blue Jays see themselves as the A.L. East darkhorse, but not if the injury to BJ Ryan is serious (The Chronicle Herald) G38: Curt Schilling breaks down Saturday's eight shutout innings. Even if you're not into the pitch-by-pitch descriptions, he always provides some interesting tidbits for more casual fans. On this day, he 1) talks frankly about the work of home-plate umpire Tim Timmons, and how one call probably cost him a chance for a complete game, in the midst of a frank and fascinating discussion about umpires, and 2) well, in his own words: "The fans in NY and Boston are always very in tune with the starting pitchers and pitch counts. Walking off the mound -- when the fans know you've probably pitched your last inning -- as the home guy with those fans on their feet is a rush you just can’t understand . . . April 14th in Fenway and 35,000+ people are on their feet, and LOUD. It’s a rush, an incredible rush. I know it will absolutely be one of the things I’ll miss when I am done but man it’s pretty frickin’ unreal to experience." Pretty good stuff (38pitches.com) ENDING ON A SAD NOTE: The seven-month old son of former Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez reportedly is critically ill. (Dayton Daily News) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 12:05 startThe Red Sox have announced that this morning's original start time of 10:05 has been pushed back to 12:05. I just arrived in the press box at Fenway Park and I can't believe that the Sox are going to try to play at some point today. The forecast looks pretty much the same for the rest of today. Even if there is this so-called "window" around noon, the field is soaked and the grounds crew is currently fixing puddles along the warning track. On the drive up from Providence, the river along the Parkway on Jamicaway has flooded over. Branches are down all over the place, but there were a few runners warming up for today's 111th running of the Boston Marathon. Believe me, I'm all for playing baseball in the rain. But, if conditions remain the way they are now, this game has to get banged. Case in point: The grounds crew is working on the warning track and just soaked up a huge puddle in front of the Monster. The crew is now working in front of the bullpens, and the Monster area is already flooded, again. I'll keep you up to date . . . Joe McDonald
Posted by Joe McDonald April 15, 2007
PawSox postponed, tooToday’s scheduled game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at McCoy Stadium has been postponed because of rain. The PawSox and Yankees will play a doubleheader Monday at 12:05 pm at McCoy. It will be a single-admission doubleheader (both games will be seven innings).
Posted by Art Martone The Batting OrderLook for Wily Mo Pena and Alex Cora to start for the Red Sox if the team is able to play on Patriots’ Day. That was the report today from manager Terry Francona. Francona already had posted his lineup for today’s game when the postponement was announced shortly before 10 a.m. It included Pena in center for the slumping Coco Crisp and Cora at second base for Dustin Pedroia. Pena was eighth in the order, Cora ninth. Assuming Anaheim stays with its scheduled starter for today, Ervin Santana, Francona said he likely will go with the lineup as he had it posted this morning. Playing Pena in center was not because Crisp (a .111 batting average) is slumping so badly, but rather because of the desire to give all his players some work, Francona said. Francona also did that Saturday when he let Pena pinch-hit for J.D. Drew in the eighth inning with Boston leading the Angels, 8-0. Drew had his hitting streak at stake _ he had a hit in every Sox game to that point, but was 0-for-3 on the day. ``I don’t think J.D. cared about that,’’ Francona said. ``I didn’t think about that until you just said it.’’ It was simply a case of giving Pena a chance to hit, the manager said.
Posted by Paul Kenyon The Pitching PlanAbout 10:15 this morning, as reporters were waiting for a scheduled 10:30 meeting with Sox manager Terry Francona, Julian Tavarez was called into the manager’s office. As is usually the case in those situations, the news was not good for Tavarez. He was told he was going to be the primary victim of today’s postponement. For the second time in less than a week, he was going to be pushed back in the Boston rotation. Francona reported that he had decided to have Josh Beckett, today’s scheduled starter, pitch tomorrow's Patriots Day game. Tavarez, who was scheduled to work tomorrow, now will not take the mound until Thursday on Toronto. Daisuke Matsuzaka will go Tuesday, as planned, for the opener in Toronto. Tim Wakefield will get the start Wednesday and Tavarez Thursday. Because of the weather problems, the Sox asked Tavarez to stay today. He was to go to the batting cage where he will throw against some live hitting. Alex Cora, for one, headed down to the cage to hit against him. Tavarez also will do some light throwing Tuesday to some work in, Francona said. It is not expected that he will be made available to do any work in relief. With the starters pitching so well, the bullpen is extremely well rested.
Posted by Paul Kenyon NO GO TODAY
Posted by Paul Kenyon April 14, 2007
The tarp is on the fieldWith rain expected to hit Fenway Park just around 1 p.m. tomorrow, the grounds crew here just finished putting the tarp on the field. Josh Beckett (2-0, 1.50) faces Ervin Santana (1-1, 6.35)
Posted by Joe McDonald What they're saying from the clubhouseEric Hinske on his performance: Hinske on Curt Schilling:
Varitek on Ortiz: Schilling on Schilling: Francona on offense heating up: Francona on Schilling: "Good pitchers smell wins and Schill has been like that for a long time. That's why you have guys like that on the ballclub. They know how to win games. Sometimes with real good stuff, sometimes with not real good stuff, sometimes in between. He certainly knows how to make adjustments."
Posted by Joe McDonald Red Sox 8, Angels 0BOSTON -- With each passing day, Felix Hernandez' handcuffing of the Red Sox Wednesday night gets more and more impressive. The Sox routed the Angels, 8-0, today, their second straight one-sided win. Curt Schilling led the way with eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits -- the first time he'd shut out a team over eight innings since September 2004 -- and David Ortiz' three-run homer highlighted an eight-hit attack. The Sox are now 3-1 on the homestand and have outscored the opposition 32-4 in the three victories. That they could have been one-hit by Hernandez in the game they did lose only drives home how dominant the Seattle right-hander was on that night. Click here for the box score. Joe McDonald, Paul Kenyon and Steven Krasner will be back momentarily with postgame reaction.
Posted by Art Martone More from the clubhouseTomorrow Major League Baseball will honor the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. Selective players around the league will wear the retired No. 42 as a tribute, including Boston's David Ortiz, Coco Crisp and third-base coach DeMarlo Hale. Crisp, Alex Cora and Terry Francona spoke about Robinson legacy and what he means, not only for baseball, but to society. "We’re trying to be respectful of everybody," said Francona. "I get a little torn because I want to make sure we're respectful and the players are respectful. I don't want it to get lost in all the celebration of Jackie Robinson, which he deserves. It’s somewhat of an embarrassment day also. It’s a little bit of a shame that we have to have this day because 60 years ago the color of somebody skin, they weren't treated the same. To me, that’s humiliating and I hope that message doesn’t get lost either.” Tito said he can't even imagine what it must have been like for Robinson and other African-American atheltes 60 years ago. " I can't (imagine) and I'm thankful for my parents," said Francona. “Until I got out of the house did I realize that wasn’t really how the world worked completely. I don’t ever remember thinking twice, because it wasn’t part of my growing up. Then you get out in the real world and you see how it is different, so I’m grateful for my parents I was raised that way." In tomorrow's Sunday Journal we'll have a centerpiece focusing on Jackie Robinson.
Posted by Joe McDonald Scenes from the clubhouseYou may have noticed that Kevin Youkilis is not in the lineup today. According to manager Terry Francona it has nothing to do with the fact Youk was hit by a pitch on Friday. The Red Sox skipper planned on getting Eric Hinske into the lineup and give Youkilis the day off. "There's never a perfect day," said Francona of giving guys an off-day. "It comes and goes with weather and Hinske is swinging the bat pretty well and we want to keep that going. We can’t play 10 guys." Francona explained one of these days Youkilis will play third to give Mike Lowell a day off, which would allow Hinske to play first a little more. Plus, Wily Mo Pena needs to play, too. "You don’t want to do it all in the same day," said Francona.
"First game I thought he had the normal jitters," said Francona. "In a perfect world we would want to get him a couple of games just like we were fortunate to have. We want to get him into that routine where we can pitch him in the seventh and eighth. But, I don’t think that's fair to expect that until a guy gets his legs under him, which he seems to be doing."
Posted by Joe McDonald Lineups from FenwayAngels Red Sox
Posted by Joe McDonald Sox Streakers for April 14From the Red Sox official game notes: -Boston has scored 24 runs on 29 hits in the last 3 games -- despite being one-hit by Felix Hernandez on Wednesday. -The Red Sox' 3.12 team E.R.A. is second in the American League. It is the team's lowest E.R.A. through nine games since 2001. -J.D. Drew has hit safely in all nine games, and is one of only seven major leaguers to hit safely in every one his team's games so far. The others: Ray Durham (San Francisco), Delmon Young (Tampa Bay), Alex Rios (Toronto), David Wright (N.Y. Mets), Derrek Lee (Chicago Cubs) and Alex Rodriguez (N.Y. Yankees). The last Red Sox player to hit safely in the first 10 games of a season was Shea Hillenbrand, who is now with the Angels, in 2002. Drew's batting average (.419) is second in the major leagues to Florida's Miguel Cabrera. -Mike Lowell already has five doubles and four errors. -Curt Schilling is 25-8 all-time at Fenway Park, the best winning percentage for any pitcher who has pitched at least 300 innings at Fenway over the past 51 years (he edges out Pedro Martinez for the distinction). Schilling's 4-1 lifetime with a 3.44 E.R.A. against the Angels. -The Red Sox have a three-game winning streak against the Angels. -Jonathan Papelbon is a perfect 12-for-12 lifetime in save opportunities in April. -Manny Ramirez is 7-for-14 lifetime with a home run against Angels starter Hector Carrasco. But Ramirez is only hitting .118 over the last five games. -Gary Matthews Jr. is 4-for-21 lifetime against Schilling. -Coco Crisp is 0 for his last 8. -Julio Lugo is hitting .333 over the last seven games.
Posted by Mike McDermott April 13, 2007
PawSox lose home openerThe Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees scored five unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning off PawSox starter Runelvys Hernandez, and pushed across another run in the seventh inning en route to a 6-2 victory at McCoy Stadium. Until the five-run fourth, Hernandez worked three perfect innings. The teams will play the second of this four-game set at 1:05 today with lefty Abe Alvarez starting for Pawtucket and righty Matt DeSalvo going for the Yankees. Despite the cold weather, 10,756 attended tonight's game.
Posted by Joe McDonald SOX MAKE ANGELS KNUCKLE UNDERPitching, catching and a big eighth inning carried the Red Sox to a 10-1 victory over Anaheim last night, although the catcher did his best work with his bat. Doug Mirabelli, getting the start to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, homered and singled in another run to provide two of the game’s biggest hits. Wakefield’s knuckler did the rest, with a huge assist from Jonathan Papelbon. Wakefield went seven innings, allowing only five hits. With the score 4-1, he was lifted after giving up a single to Maicer Izturis to lead off the eighth. Brendan Donnelly came on and got one out before hitting Orlando Cabrera. With the tying run at the plate and Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson scheduled up, Boston manager Terry Francona brought in Papelbon for what looked as if it would be an attempt at a five-out save. Papelbon was outstanding again. He struck out Guerrero on a 97 mile-an-hour fastball, then Anderson on a liner to left. As it turned out, Papelbon did not have to do any more work. The Sox broke it open with six in the bottom of the eighth. Two came on a bases-loaded double by Ortiz that one-hopped into the stands in right, two more on a single by J.D Drew and the final two on a Mike Lowell double down the line in left. Mike TImlin came in to pitch the ninth. Before the eighth, Mirabelli had been the star. He ripped his first home run since last August in the fifth, tying the game at 1-1. The Sox had the lead before the inning was over, thanks to a Julio Lugo double and a single by Ortiz. Mirabelli was there again in the sixth, lining a single up the middle to make it 3-1. It scored J.D. Drew who had walked. The Sox sent Drew with Lowell at the plate. It not only prevented a potential double play as Lowell grounded to third, it led to a run on Mirabelli’s hit. The Boston lead went to 4-1 in the seventh, again helped by a hit-and-run play that killed any chance of a double play. This time Kevin Youkilis was at first after being hit by a pitch. He ran on what would have been a perfect double play ball by Ortiz. An intentional walk to Manny Ramirez, then an unintentional walk to Drew loaded the bases with one out. Youkilis scored on a sacrifice fly by Lowell, a play on which leftfielder Anderson made a sliding catch. The Angels had taken the lead in the fourth. Cabrera walked to open the fourth. He stole second without a throw when one of Wakefield’s knucklers got away from Mirabelli. He scored on Vladimir Guerrero’s single to right. Drew kept his hitting streak alive with a line single to left in the fourth. He has hit in all nine games.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Timlin's Towel Mike Timlin just made his first catch of the season in the Red Sox bullpen, which is good news for the Sox.
Posted by Paul Kenyon KIDS WEEKENDKids never want to see it rain at the ball park. That is especially true this weekend at Fenway. The Red Sox plan all kinds of activities for the weekend. Here is the team release on what will be happening: BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox will have a number of special activities planned for this weekend’s games with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Rice at McCoyRed Sox legend Jim Rice is at McCoy tonight and was part of the pregame ceremonies. He threw out the first pitch and was wearing a 50th Anniversary Jackie Robinson leather jacket. Only 250 were made and he owns No. 14 for the jersey number he wore for the Red Sox. His good friend Mo Vaughn gave him the jacket as a gift for Robinson's 50th Anniversary of breaking the color barrier in 1947. As always the PawSox put on a tremendous Opening Night spectacular, honoring everyone in the armed services. "When you think about the people we've lost and to come out and see an Opening Night like that, it sent chills up your body," said Rice. "Even though it's cold, it sent chills up your body." PawSox owner Ben Mondor takes it as a personal insult that Rice is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, so he's dedicated this season to convince those who vote on the HOF to induct the former Sox slugger. The PawSox unveiled the world's largest Red Sox jersey with the No. 14 and Mondor wants fans to sign it, so it can be sent to Cooperstown. "It means a lot," said Rice. "It means (Mondor) cares."
Posted by Joe McDonald Flagging the wind at FenwayThe flags, the one in center as well as the ones behind home plate, came under considerable study over the last couple hours. It not only is another cold night at Fenway, it is windy. Very windy. That is more important than usual because TIm Wakefield is working, meaning there will be lots of knuckle balls floating in the wind. It will be interesting to see how the wind affects the knuckler. There were times, before the game, when the flags were blowing straight out. There were other times, perhaps more often, when the flags were blowing from left to right. Wakefield has said he does not mind wind, as long as it is not at his back.
Posted by Paul Kenyon Lineups from McCoy StadiumScranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees Kevin Reese, 8 Pawtucket Red Sox
Posted by Joe McDonald Don't Mess With Dice-KDice-K Mania keeps making its presence felt, sometimes more often than Terry Francona would prefer. The latest example was brought on by Thursday's rainout. Because of the postponement, the Sox shifted their rotation a bit, skipping Julian Tavares and moving Daisuke Matsuzaka back a day, from Monday to Tuesday. It seemed like a reasonable move, all the more so since many Japanese teams use six-man rotations, meaning starters get five days rest between starts. But anything involving Dice-K creates news in Japan. In the middle of his pre-game media briefing this afternoon, one of the two dozen or so Japanese reporters asked Francona if he was aware that pushing back Matsuzaka back a day had created a stir in Japan. Francona tried to explain how he felt he was helping both his team and Matsuzaka by making the move, one that includes keeping Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling in their normal rotation. One of the Boston writers joked that no one from the area would ever question a move like that.
Posted by Paul Kenyon SORRY WILYWednesday's postponement has cost Wily Mo Pena a chance to get his first start of the season. Since J.D. Drew was able to get his day of rest, as is the plan to do every 10 days or so this season, manager has Drew back in right for tonight's game against the Angels. That puts Pena back on the bench. ``I'll continue to look at it,'' said manager Terry Francona of getting Pena some action. It is not likely Pena will start any of the remaining games on the homestand. Pena is 0-for-3 on the season, all as a pinch-hitter. With Drew playing, the plan to drop Kevin Youlikis to the five hole, to protect MAnny Ramirez, and move Coco Crisp up to the two spot is put aside for tonight. Here are the lineups as posted: BOSTON
Posted by Paul Kenyon Are you surprised?First things first before we head down for Terry Francona's pre-game conference. This has nothing to do with the game itself. Parking, which as all Sox fans know was scarce to begin with, is even harder to find this year because of construction around the park. Not surpisingly, the cost has gone up, especially for the lots nearest the park. Two years ago, most charged $20. Last year, it went to $25 and $30. This year, it is up to $35 and $40 (I got one of the last in the $35 lot just now). That's for night games. Some of the lots have signs explaining how they have been given approval to charge $60 for day games on weekdays. Now, off to see the manager. -Paul Kenyon
Posted by Mike McDermott Sox Streakers for April 13From the Red Sox official game notes: -Felix Hernandez became the first pitcher since the Yankees' Mike Mussina (on Sept. 2, 2001, in the midst of a horrific Sox swoon) to one-hit Boston at Fenway. He was also the first since Mussina to no-hit the Sox through seven at Fenway. Remember who broke up that Mussina no-hitter with two outs in the ninth? Carl Everett, of course -- probably the biggest ovation he ever got at Fenway. -J.D. Drew has hit safely in all eight games. The other American League players to hit safely in every game so far: Akinori Iwamura (Tampa Bay), Delmon Young (Tampa Bay), Alex Rios (Toronto) and Alex Rodriguez (New York). Drew is fourth in the league in batting average for the young season (.393), and he's hit in 12 straight games dating back to last season. -The Red Sox have had a .500 or better record against the Angels in five straight seasons, including 2006 (3-3). -The Red Sox have sold out 309 consecutive regular season home games, 146 short of the Cleveland Indians' record (1995-2001). -The Red Sox' numbers against Angels starter John Lackey are not real good, with the exception of big thumpers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Ortiz is 7 for 20 (.350) with a home run; Ramirez is 9 for 18 (.500) with four home runs. At the other extreme are Julio Lugo, who is 2 for 15 (.133) and Coco Crisp, who is 4 for 17 (.235), but does have two home runs. -Dustin Pedroia is 0 for his last 12.
Posted by Mike McDermott Live from McCoy StadiumThe grounds crew here at McCoy are putting the finishing touches on the field in preparation for tonight's home opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. If you're coming to the game make sure to bring some extra outerwear because it's cold. The PawSox have some special events planned that fans won't want to miss. The field is in great shape and there's a fresh coat of paint all around the stadium. The game will be televised on Cox Sports TV and the crew is all set to go. I'm heading down to the clubhouse right now to talk with PawSox manager Ron Johnson, so we'll have some more news in a little bit.
Posted by Joe McDonald Projo SoxTalk with Art MartoneToday, Joe McDonald looks back on Bill Russell's moving comments Thursday at Fenway Park, and previews tonight's Pawtucket Red Sox home opener. Click here to listen to the audio.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Friday, April 13Stops of local interest in the world of baseball . . . THE NIGHTMARE LIVES: It's not on the site as I write this, but the folks at ESPN say it will at some point today. So make sure you click here a bit later and watch the latest This Is SportsCenter promo. All I'll tell you is it features David Ortiz, Jorge Posada and Wally The Green Monster . . . and gives life to our worst fears. I showed it to a bunch of Red Sox fans yesterday, and they all got a good laugh out of it, certainly more than they got from the "Hip, Hip, Jorge!" clip. (Personally, I think Wally steals the show.) LET IT POUR: A rainy day at the ballpark can lead to some amusing rainy-day stories (projo.com). And some historically interesting ones, as well. HEY, THAT'S OURS! Even the Met fans think Sweet Caroline is a Fenway Park tradition that shouldn't be copied at Shea Stadium (metsblog.com) STILL CRAZY -- SOMETIMES -- AFTER ALL THESE YEARS: In an Q-and-A with the Vermont Guardian, Bill Lee says the Red Sox popularity may stem from the landing of the Mayflower. But he offers some pretty cogent baseball observations, as well. 'YOU WANT HIM ON YOUR TEAM. YOU KNOW YOU DO': Eric Wilbur is fanatasizing about a Red Sox Nation with Alex Rodriguez in it. (Boston.com) WHATEVER HAPPENED TO . . . Denny McLain -- Denny McLain?? -- has a blog, and he puts the A-Rod/Jeter nonsense into perspective. These are actually some pretty interesting insights from baseball's last 30-game winner, as he points out that fans respond mostly to winning and cites the booing of Al Kaline in Detroit prior to the Tigers' World Series championship in 1968 as proof. IF YOU GUYS WERE DOING YOUR JOB BETTER, WE WOULDN'T BE GETTING HURT: Some of the Yankees think the training staff is to blame for the team's recent rash of injuries (Courier News). DEAR MICHAEL: Yankee broadcaster Michael Kay has an entertaining mailbag, which includes a pithy response to a woman who chides him for using his standard home-run call -- "See ya!" -- when a non-Yankee homers. (yesnetwork.com) Think she's mad when John Sterling launches his "It is high! It is far! It is . . . GAAAAHHHN!!" when an opposing player homers? (Speaking of that, Sterling has so many stock home-run phrases that they sometimes bleed into the next batter before he finishes them all. That happened the other night in Minnesota, where it took him so long to finish the "High/far/gone!"/''An A-Bomb! From A-Rod!"/"Alexander The Great!" troika that the game had actually resumed before he finished.) YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE MOVES YOU DON'T MAKE . . . Remember when the Sox were mulling Octavio Dotel as a potential closer? (mlb.com) DOWNS AND UPS: Craig Hansen's troubles continue in Pawtucket (projo.com). What the story doesn't say is that Davern Hansack was in double figures in strikeouts (10) for the second straight start, even though he only pitched five innings. His ERA this season is 0.84. (Speaking of the PawSox, don't forget their home opener is tonight. Joe McDonald will be doing some on-site blogging from McCoy, so check back this evening.) GOOD NEWS: It appears Jeff Reardon is on the road to recovery (Palm Beach Post). OLD FRIENDS: Josh Bard is on the disabled list in San Diego (San Diego Union-Leader) . . . Alex Gonzalez is on bereavement leave in Cincinnati (Cincinnati Post) . . . Shea Hillenbrand is still hobbled by a balky hamstring (mlb.com) . . . Kelly Shoppach is getting to play a little with the Indians because of Victor Martinez' injury, and he loved the way Tuesday's game ended (Cleveland Plain Dealer). -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 12, 2007
PawSox close out eight-game road trip with 3-2 lossThe Pawtucket Red Sox had to settle for a split in the series with the Durham Bulls, but still head back to Rhode Island for their 2007 home opener with a 5-3 record after an eight-game swing through the Carolinas. “I’m excited to get back home because it almost feels like we’ve been on a two month road trip,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said after Thursday night’s 3-2 loss to the Bulls. He pointed out that the Pawsox had just one day at home between spring training and their opening eight-game road swing through the Carolinas. “If somebody told me at the beginning that we’d be going back 5-3 after playing the games we’ve played … I’m real pleased with what’s been going on,” Johnson said. “Every game has been close.” The veteran manager wasn’t even upset by his team’s close loss to the Bulls in the finale. The Pawsox were within one pitch of a 2-0 defeat, when Johnson’s team staged a dramatic rally to tie the game. The Bulls appeared to have the victory wrapped up in the top of the ninth after shutting out the visitors for eight and two-third innings. Catcher George Kottaras, who had doubled, was at second base with two outs and two strikes on third-baseman Chad Spann. The partisan crowd was standing, anticipating the game-ending third strike, when Spann rocketed Scott Dohmann’s pitch high off the wall in left-center for an RBI double. Moments later, pitch hitter Bobby Scales dumped a single into left, driving in Spann with the tying run. “We battled back really well,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to look at their pitching staff -- they pretty much dominated us for eight innings. That’s what you want to see out of your club. You want to see situations where guys battle back in the end.” Unfortunately for the Pawsox, the Durtham Bulls did the same in the bottom of the ninth. Reliever Craig Hansen (0-1), who had already worked two scoreless innings, walked Justin Ruggiano to lead off the last inning. Ruggiano then stole second and went to third on Kottaras’ overthrow to second. “They came right back and they executed a nice play on us,” Johnson said. “The guy did a nice job with his jump and the ball went to center-field. In the bottom of the ninth on the road, you’ve got a guy on third with no outs and you’re in big trouble.” It didn’t take Durham’s Elliott Johnson long to put the Pawsox out of their misery. He bounced a single through the drawn-in infield to plate the game-winning run. The Pawsox squandered several early chances against Durham starter Jeff Niemann, leaving five runners on in the first four innings. The Bulls also had trouble converting base runners into runs against Pawktucket starter David Pauley. But left-fielder Chris Richard, who blasted his first homer of the season Tuesday, led off the fourth inning with a shot deep into the right-field bleachers. Designated hitter Jorge Cantu followed with a double high off the wall in left-center, then came home two outs later, when catcher Raul Casanova doubled into the right-centerfield gap. Those two runs were all that either team could manage until the ninth-inning drama. The Pawsox return home for their home opener Friday night when the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees visit McCoy Stadium. --AL FEATHERSTON (Special to the Journal)
Posted by Corey Bourassa New rotationDue to tonight's postponement, Terry Francona has tweaked his starting rotation a bit. Tim Wakefield will pitch tomorrow against the Los Angeles. Curt Schilling will work Saturday, Josh Beckett on Sunday and Julian Tavarez is scheduled to pitch on Monday. Daisuke Matsuzaka will be pushed back a day and throw on Tuesday in Toronto. Because this weather could last through the weekend, the rotation could change again.
Posted by Joe McDonald Sox game postponed until May 3
Tonight's game has been postponed and has been rescheduled for May 3 at 7:05. Tickets for tonight's game will be honored. -- JOE McDONALD
Posted by Joe McDonald Sox game is still onDespite the weather, today's game between the Red Sox and Mariners has not yet been postponed. Because this is Seattle's only trip to Boston this year, and because the Mariners have three snowed-out games in Cleveland to make up, every effort is being made to get today's game in. The decision is in the hands of the umpires and Major League Baseball, and they may wait several hours to see if the weather will break.
Posted by Art Martone Scenes from the clubhouseThe Red Sox will wear green jerserys today to honor the Boston Celtics and Red Auerbach. Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon was having some fun with a few Japanese reporters who were interviewing Dice-K. Whatever J-Pap was trying to say, the pair of reporters ,and the newest Red Sox pitcher, got a laugh from it. Dice-K is already a rock star in Boston. In fact, he was trying on some new shades in the clubhouse to fit the description. The Red Sox just announced that Noah will be today's starting pitcher. Wow! I'm sitting in the press box and it is absolutely pouring out. The players who were working out on the field have gone to the clubhouse. Terry Francona and Jerry Remy just had an interesting conversation during the manager's pregame scrum with the local media about Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. Someone asked the manager to compare Seattle pitcher Felix Hernandez, who shut out the Sox last night, to Ryan. Tito and Remy had some funny first-hand accounts about facing Ryan.
Posted by Joe McDonald News from the manager's officeFrancona just met with the media and said "maybe it’s going to be a long day." As the post below explains, the weather conditions here are bad. It’s windy, cold and rainy and the tarp is on the field. “I haven’t been here my whole life but I’ve been here long enough to know (the weather) can change in a hurry,” said Francona. “It doesn’t look real good, but for obvious reasons we need to try to play this game.” There are a few pitchers from both teams on the field playing long toss. Both teams will take BP inside. Francona also explained that the decision to play, delay or bang the game is solely in the hands of the umpiring crew because this is Seattle's last trip to Boston.
Posted by Joe McDonald Today's lineupsSeattle Ichiro Suzuki, 8 Boston You may notice a few changes in the Red Sox lineup. J.D. Drew has been given the day off and Pena will play left field. Boston manager Terry Francona said he wanted to get Pena into the lineup, and give Drew day off, which will be a common occurance throughout the season. The manager explained Drew will be given a day off --if the schedule and matchups permit -- every 10 days in order to keep the outfielder fresh and healthy. You may also notice Coco Crisp, who has been hitting in the bottom end of the lineup, is hitting second. As a result, Youkilis has been inserted into the fifth spot. Francona said he thought of keeping the lineup the same it's been since the start of the season, but he tweaked it a little bit. "I had it that way first," he said. "But the more I looked at it, Coco has such good success against (Washburn) and it just gives us a little better balance. If you're taking somebody out, the idea is to create the same production, while giving somebody a rest." Youkilis is accustomed to hitting at the top of the lineup, but he’s versatile enough to hit anywhere. "I thought today's lineup looked better doing it this way," said Francona.
Posted by Joe McDonald Red Sox: Rainy weather could affect today's gameIt looks like they're going to wait, and wait, and wait some more . . . "The current weather forecast (provided by the Red Sox private weather service, Meteorlogix) in the vicinity of Fenway Park calls for moderate to heavy rain showers throughout the afternoon today. "The Fenway Park gates will open at the regularly scheduled time of 2:05 p.m., and the Red Sox will make every effort to play this afternoon’s game with the Seattle Mariners. However, the Red Sox want to alert our fans to the current forecast for the Fenway area and that the possibility of delays does exist. "This forecast is of course subject to change as the day progresses. Further updates will be provided periodically. "Since this is Seattle’s only scheduled trip to Boston in 2007, the decision whether to play the game is in the hands of Major League Baseball and the umpire crew chief."
Posted by Art Martone Projo SoxTalk with Art Martone: Felix's upstaging of Dice-KToday, Steve Krasner explains how Seattle's young Felix Hernandez shut down the Red Sox and upstaged the debut of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Click here to listen to the audio file.
Posted by Mike McDermott Baseball Today: Thursday, April 12Still basked in the glow of a great individual performance . . . TIP YOUR HAT: Now, that was pitching. (projo.com) The fact that it was Felix Hernandez, and not Daisuke Matsuzaka, shouldn't prevent us from appreciating it. For his part, Matsuzaka pitched well, but he'd have had to have been perfect. (projo.com) (Interesting sidenote: We all saw the flash bulbs popping when Matsuzaka delivered his pitch to Ichiro and didn't think a thing of it. But Dice-K said ''it wasn’t easy to throw with all the flash bulbs going off,'' and Terry Francona added: "It’s got to be hard to hit like that.") The Mariners were certainly happy with the win, and new Boston villain Jose Guillen, for one, delighted in rubbing it in (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). For the most part, though, the M's were suitably impressed with Dice-K (ibid). The Mariners were certainly aware of the no-hit bid, but it was impressive Hernandez kept his focus after J.D. Drew singled in the eighth. (Seattle Times) For what it's worth, Matsuzaka did win his personal battle with Ichiro. (Post-Intelligencer) The hype surrounding last night was unfathomable -- it was April 11, the eighth game of the season -- but, somehow, it lived up to its billing. Just because the dominant guy wore the wrong uniform didn't make it any less worthy. ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING: Bill Nye The Science Guy weighs in on the gyroball. (msn.com) HOLD YOUR HORSES: Seth Mnookin wants to wait a bit before signing off on the notion that Josh Beckett is on the road to stardom. (sethmnook.com/blog) As he points out, "Beckett’s moments of brilliance have come against less than prodigious lineups." JACKIE: The Twins' Torii Hunter is among those who think the growing number of players who will wear No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson on Sunday is "killing the meaning" of the gesture (USA Today). But one contemporary player who understands Robinson's impact on the game is the Padres' Chris Young (espn.com). ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Mike Mussina has joined the Yankees' list of walking wounded (New York Daily News) It could be worse; they could still have Jaret Wright (Washington Post). GET YOUR CHECKBOOKS OUT: But the Yanks, and all other big-league teams, could find a more-than-able replacement on the market next winter. (si.com) CAN'T GET ENOUGH 1967? There's a blog that will take you through that great pennant race, day by day. (www.1967alpennant.com) THE NUMBERS GUY: Lou Piniella, sabermetrician. (Chicago Sun Times) OF LOCAL INTEREST: Rocco Baldelli is back in the leadoff spot for the Devil Rays (Tampa Tribune) . . . But for how long? There are whispers he could be headed to Houston for Brad Lidge (St. Petersburg Times) . . . Byung-Hyun Kim said he's gotten over his anger about being sent back to the bullpen, but would welcome a trade (Denver Post). They're trying, B.K., they're trying . . . Jorge de la Rosa was once a Sox farmhand. He's now on the Royals, and Joe Posnanski's not happy about it (soulofbaseball.blogspot.com) . . . In that same post, Joe also goes over the all-time defensive teams for each A.L. East franchise. No real quibble with his Sox choices, except that I'd take George Scott at first base -- I know his defensive metrics aren't much, but it flies in the face of what we saw back when he was in his physical prime in the 1960s -- and, if we're looking at single seasons rather than careers, Alex Gonzalez at shortstop. If not, Rick Burleson is the pick. IT'S NOT BASEBALL, BUT . . . If Imus is indeed fired, would WFAN replace him with either Mike, the Mad Dog, or both? (New York Daily News) -- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone April 11, 2007
Varitek: Hernandez's performance "electric"Sox catcher Jason Varitek on Mariners' pitcher Felix Hernandez's one-hitter: "He was able to keep doing different things. He had an exploding slider, and he was able to mix in his curveball. And the second time around, he started showing that change-up. It was one heck of a performance.''
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Varitek on Dice-K's second Major League outingSox catcher Jason Varitek on Dice-K's outing: "Probably in his eyes, it probably wasn't his best, but he made some real good pitches. He pitched well enough to keep us in that game. The other guy just pitched a little better today." ``I understand (Matsuzaka) didn't have the same feel on the baseball that he has had, but he was still able to battle through different pitches to get through it and keep the game close. . . . At different times, he was lights out tonight.'' "He's definitely a competitor, no question. And he's going to win a lot of ballgames for this team.''
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Mariners even series on Hernandez' one-hitterAfter getting pounded, 14-3, by the Sox on Tuesday, the Seattle Mariners rebounded with a 3-0 victory tonight behind the one-hit pitching of Felix Hernandez. Jose Guillen gave Seattle a lead it would not relinquish in the second inning when he singled off the Green Monster and went on to score on Yuniesky Betancourt’s sac fly to left. The Mariners went ahead, 3-0, in the fifth when Adrian Beltre doubled home Jose Lopez, went to third on a throwing error by Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia and then scored himself on a Jose Vidro liner to center. Dice-K Matsuzaka could not secure a victory in his Fenway debut. The righthander scattered eight hits over seven innings, giving up three runs – all of them earned. He threw 64 of his 103 pitches for strikes, recording four strikeouts and walking one batter.
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Drew spoils Hernandez's no-hitterJ.D. Drew spoiled Felix Hernandez's no-hitter with his leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth. The Sox rightfielder has now hit safely in all eight games this season.
Posted by Carolyn Thornton No victory for Dice-K tonightDice-K Matsuzaka's Fenway debut will not go down as a victory. Seattle tagged the Sox righthander for three runs - all of the earned - before he was relieved by J.C. Romero in the eighth. Matsuzaka gave up eight hits over his seven-inning stint. He threw 64 of his 103 pitches for strikes, recording four strikeouts and walking one batter.
Posted by Carolyn Thornton He's here!Dice-K walked out to the bullpen to warm up at 6:29 p.m. He was greeted by a loud round of cheers.
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Sox Streakers for April 11The following is from the Red Sox game notes: -Josh Beckett yesterday won the Fenway opener for the second year in a row, making him the first pitcher to do so since Dennis Eckersley (1979-'80).
Posted by Mike McDermott iiyo or iiyo????Today's pre-game press conference briefly turned into a Laurel-and-Hardy routine when Sox manager Terry Francona attempted to pronounce the Japanese word for "good.'' Sitting just a few feet away from Francona, Japanese reporter Takashi Settai - who writes for the Nikkei, a daily newspaper in Toronto - couldn't help but burst into laughter when Francona stressed the wrong syllable while trying to say "iiyo.'' The journalist quickly apologized when Francona shot him a glance. "You've got to remember, I grew up in Beaver Falls, Pa.,'' Francona said. ``You can barely understand English there sometimes." "Say it again?'' Francona said to Settai. "EE-yoh." "That's what I said." "No, you said, ee-YOH." "No wonder he looked at me like I'm a (dummy) when I said it." "We try,'' Francona added. "I think most people probably appreciate the attempt, as bad as it might be."
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Can hopes for Dice-K get any higher?Does Sox manager Terry Francona think the expectations for Dice-K will continue to mount? "If they do, that means he's pitching well. I don't think that's going to bother him. . . . The expectations are going to be off the charts, but part of that's because this guy's supposed to be good."
Posted by Carolyn Thornton PawSox 5, Bulls 3 -- the storyBy AL FEATHERSTON DURHAM, N.C. -- Ron Johnson wasn’t quite sure he was in the right place for Wednesday afternoon’s International League game against the Durham Bulls. Isn’t Durham in the South -- the land of sunny climes? How come the gray, overcast sky, the misting rain and the temperatures hovering around 50 were so much like what the Pawtucket manager would normally see at home in early April? “I was kind of hoping the Southern start for us was not going to be like our Northern start, but it’s kind of turned out to be the same thing,” Johnson said. “It’s never easy to play in poor conditions. Anybody who thinks you play a game in snow, rain, cold and it’s the same … it’s not very much fun at all.” Still, Johnson’s Pawsox overcame both the elements and the Bulls, twice erasing one-run deficits to pull out a 5-3 victory in the third game of a four-game series. Pawtucket, which took three out of four from the Charlotte Knights to open the season, will try to duplicate that feat Thursday night at 7 in the final game of the series with the Bulls. Johnson can’t complain about his team’s 5-2 start so far this season, a record compiled in the face of some unseasonably cold weather in the Carolinas. “It’s the summer classic, right?” Johnson said. “It’s supposed to be played in warm weather. But we’ve got to get used to it. They’re professionals and know they have to do it, so you go out there and battle the conditions. I thought the guys did a fantastic job.” The Pawsox got an overpowering starting performance from Devern Hansack, who struck out 10 Bulls in his five innings of work. The righthander, who threw a five-inning no-hitter for the Boston Red Sox last fall, allowed Durham just two hits and an unearned run before he was pulled after throwing 89 pitches in his five inning stint. It’s the second straight start in which Hansack has registered 10 strikeouts. He had 10 in five and two-thirds innings at Charlotte last week. He didn’t get the win because reliever Mike Burns gave up two runs and the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. But Manny Delcarmen (1-0) and Craig Breslow shut down the Bulls in the final three innings and that gave the Pawsox a chance to batter the Bulls’ bullpen. The Pawtucket batters, stifled by the Bulls’ staff in the first two games of the series, pounded four Durham pitchers for 15 hits. Joe McEwing singled in a run in the fifth and Chad Spann got an RBI when he followed Bobby Scales’ triple with a single in the sixth. But the blow came in the top of the eighth, when Kerry Robinson drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a double that he sliced into the left-field corner. “The pitch before that, I thought I had an opportunity to hit,” Robinson said. “So I just concentrated on staying back and trust my hands.” The veteran infielder was making his first start of the series and just his second this year. “I played off the bench in the big leagues for three years,” Robinson said. “You learn to btrust in your abilities and be ready when they call on you.” Johnson was pleased to see that his bullpen was ready when he called. “Our pitching has been very, very strong,” Johnson said. “I have faith in every guy [in the bullpen]. We’re trying to make sure certain guys get multiple innings to make sure they’re prepared to pitch in Boston when they’re called upon. I thought Burns threw the ball good. He had a couple of close pitches that could have gone either way. “If you look at it, we’ve already got [three] different guys with saves? That does matter. Our key is to get people prepared in case the Boston Red Sox need them. It’s a good situation.”
Posted by Art Martone Is he here yet?Asked during his pre-game press conference if Dice-K had arrived at the ballpark, Sox manager Terry Francona quipped: "I don't know. I figure . . . . . I've had Pedro (Martinez). As long as he's good for the first pitch, that's good enough.''
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Birthday wishes to VaritekSox catcher Jason Varitek celebrates his 35th birthday today.
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Cool as a cucumberSox manager Terry Francona doesn't envision the added hype surrounding tonight's game affecting Dice-K: "This won't bother him. I've watched him enough now for 2 months, where he goes about his business, and part of what's made this sometimes tolerable, most of the time not even bothering us is because of the way he handles it. He handles his responsibilities with the media and it doesn't seem to get in the way of his work and it doesn't seem to irritate him. Once he steps on that field, he knows what he's supposed to do, and his preparation for getting on the field, it's been flawless. So the way he has handled his responsibilities has made it a heck of a lot easier on us.''
Posted by Carolyn Thornton No spills and a win, pleaseAsked about the impact of tonight's game and the much-anticipated Fenway debut of Sox pitcher Diasuke Matsuzaka on the game of baseball, Sox manager Terry Francona had this to say during today's pre-game press conference: "I came to the ballpark today not feeling any different. My biggest project coming in was not trying to spill the coffee while I was driving because of these people, the way they drive. And then you kind of get in here and you start hearing people talk about what a huge day this is, and I guess for fans of different countries it is. I want us to be 5-3 when it's over, not 4-4. That's kind of how I've been viewing it. I know that he's going to face Ichiro (Suzuki) and the flashbulbs are going to be going off. I just don't want Ichiro to get off first because he screws up the game. So maybe I'm missing out on some of it, but I really want the impact of this game (to be) for us to win. I'll leave the significance up to you guys (the media) or whoever's watching, and however it impacts them, good.''
Posted by Carolyn Thornton Tonight's lineupThe lineup for tonight's Sox-Mariners' game: BOSTON RED SOX SP - Matsuzaka SEATTLE MARINERS SP - Hernandez
Posted by Carolyn Thornton PawSox 5, Durham 3Here's the box, with story to come.
Posted by Art Martone Mannybeingmanny: Manny versus A-RodAlex Rodriguez continued his hot start last night, hitting a home run off Minnesota starter Boof Bonser. It was Rodriguez's 6th home run of the year, and the 470th of his career. That ties him for 27th all-time, with the man he was once almost traded to Boston for: your own Manny Ramirez. Rodriguez is, whatever else you want to say about him, a player who will go down as one of the best ever. He is only 31 years old -- Manny is 34 (both are very young to be talking about hitting 500 home runs for their careers). That said, Ramirez has reached 470 homers in fewer at-bats. He has 6,600 career at-bats, which means he has homered once every 14 at-bats. Rodriguez has 6,795 at-bats, for a rate of one home run every 14 1/2 at-bats. Both guys finished last season with 35 home runs; the year before Ramirez had 45 against Rodriguez's 48. And in 2004 Ramirez had 43 home runs against 36 for A-Rod. Click |
