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Lineups for tonight's Sox-Tigers matchup

Tonight's lineups:
Detroit Tigers
Curtis Granderson, cf
Placido Polanco, 2b
Gary Sheffield, DH
Magglio Ordonez, rf
Carlos Guillen, ss
Sean Casey, 1b
Marcus Thames, lf
Mike Rabelo, c
Brandon Inge, 3b

Starting pitcher: Chad Durbin (3-1, 5.08)

Boston Red Sox J
Coco Crisp, cf
Alex Cora, ss
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Manny Ramirez, DH
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jason Varitek, c
Eric Hinske, rf
Wily Mo Pena, lf
Dustin Pedroia, 2b

Starting pitcher: Curt Schilling (4-1, 3.63)

Note: Although Francona said following the first game that J.D. Drew was going to try to play in the nightcap, he must not have liked what he saw when the outfielder went down to the cage to loosen up this afternoon.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 6:26 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Drew, Pena in; Ortiz out for nightcap with Tigers

Sox manager Terry Francona says outfielder J.D. Drew is going to try to play in tonight’s game. Francona did not play Drew in the opener to give him more time to recover after slamming into the wall in front of the Sox bullpen while tracking a ball on Tuesday.

``We’re going to try,'' Francona said. ``It’s not the perfect conditions with the weather, but he wants to try to play. We’re going to let him go down to the cage and loosen up and see. And I might go down there with him. I want to see how he’s doing, but he wants to play. So we’ll see.’’

Francona also said that Wily Mo Pena is going to play left field, so that Manny Ramirez can take David Ortiz' place in the DH spot.

``(Ortiz) probably shouldn’t have played today,'' Francona said. ``He was sick and he said, `I was this close to calling you this morning, but I know it’s a double header.’ So we’re going to let him kind of gather himself a little bit here later today.’’

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 5:29 PM to Thornton | Permalink

More highlights from today's opener

A few more tidbits about today's 2-1 win:

* With his sixth-inning single, Mike Lowell extended his hitting streak to eight games. He has gone 12-for-30 during that stretch with a double, three homers and nine RBI, five runs and four walks. Lowell has had at least one hit in 31 of his 37 games this season.

* More on Kevin Youkilis' career-high 10-game hitting streak: He has recorded at least two hits in 8 of those 10 games and is hitting .476 (20-for-42) during that stretch with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI, 8 runs and 2 walks.

* Including today's win, Boston is 7-3 in one-run games.

* Boston has played 42 day-night doubleheaders at Fenway since 1970, winning both games 14 times, losing both games 8 times and splitting the other 20.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 5:04 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Okajima, Papelbon provide welcome relief

The Red Sox' 2-1 win over Detroit in today's opener was clinched by two solid relief efforts.

Taking over for starter Julian Tavarez in the eighth, Hideki Okajima forced the Tigers' Placido Polanco to fly out to right, struck out Gary Sheffield and got clean-up hitter Magglio Ordonez to pop up to first.

In so doing, Okajima extended his scoreless streak to 18 2/3 innings over his last 18 outings. Recording nearly half of his 45 outs with strikeouts, he has retired 53 of the last 62 batters he has faced and boasts an ERA of 0.46.

Making his first save appearance since May 6 at Minnesota, Papelbon struck out Carlos Guillen and Ivan Rodriguez, then got Sean Casey to ground out to short en route to his 11th save. He has pitched four shutout innings with three saves in his last four appearances, blowing his only save on May 1 against Oakland.

``It's so nice to be able to get to the eighth and feel like regardless of what the score is, you're going to win,'' said Sox skipper Terry Francona. ``It doesn't necessarily always work out that way, but we should have a lot of confidence in the way those guys are throwing. I know our team does. I know they do. Okajima throws strikes and it doesn't matter if he's facing a lefty or righty, he's equally as tough.''

``No panic with Pap,'' added Tavarez.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 4:35 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Tavarez ready to deliver, 24-7

You can push his starts up or back. You can tell him he’s pitching at noon, 7 o’clock at night or in the wee hours of the morning. Julian Tavarez will assure you that he’s ready to go.

``I grew up playing ball,’’ Tavarez, who hails from the Dominican Republic, said after pitching the Sox to a 2-1 win over the Detroit Tigers this afternoon. ``I never went to school in my life, not even one day. The only thing I did was play ball in the street, and that’s the only thing I know how to do. To me, everything is mental. My mind is always ready for anything. To me, nothing bothers me. I’m always like, ``I’m ready. I’m ready to play.’’ It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 in the morning. Let’s start the game. It’s the only thing I know how to do is play ball. I work really hard in the weight room and running and come early to the ballpark, but there’s only one thing that’s in my mind. If you think, `It’s only three days rest. I’m not strong enough to go out there,’’ just don’t go out and pitch because you’re not going to last long on the mound. To me, it’s like, `I’m ready.’ I’m fine, no pain in my body I’m fine. I’m going to go out there and give it my best.’’

Working a season-high seven innings, Tavarez gave up one run on four hits, walking four and striking out three.

After throwing fewer than 100 pitches in each of his previous 12 starts, he tossed 104 pitches today - his most since throwing 106 in a start on Aug. 30, 2002 against Pittsburgh when he was with Florida.

Sox manager Terry Francona on Tavarez' performance today: ``A couple of times, he pitched himself into a bind by getting ahead of the hitter and then walking. It's so nice to see him be able to dial up, making a pitch. After doing that, once to (Gary Sheffield), you see the way the inning is going so many times when you walk people to get to that situation and make a bad pitch and all of a sudden, it's a multi-run inning. Then he gathered himself and went out and was really good in six and seven.''

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 4:20 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Hansack, not Gabbard, may start Friday

According to a source, the Red Sox may call on Devern Hansack -- not Kason Gabbard, as has been widely speculated -- to start Friday night's game against the Braves.

Gabbard may start Sunday, a day for which the Sox also have no starting pitcher listed.

We'll have more details as they become available.

Posted by Art Martone  at 3:04 PM | Permalink

Tavarez hurls Boston to 2-1 win over Tigers

Buoyed by a solid performance by right-hander Julian Tavarez (right, AP Photo), Boston strengthened its hold on the A.L. East and took a 2-1 lead in its four-game series with Detroit, defeating the Tigers, 2-1, this afternoon, in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Tavarez improved to 2-4, scattering four hits over seven innings. The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Coco Crisp avoided the tag on Tigers short stop Carlos Guillen's attempt to turn a double play on a David Ortiz grounder. Seeing third base unattended because of the shift Detroit had on Ortiz, Crisp capitalized on the opportunity to take an extra base. The speedy outfielder then scored on a Manny Ramirez liner to center. Julio Lugo reached base in the third when Guillen misplayed his hard grounder, advanced on a walk to Ortiz and scored on Kevin Youkilis' RBI single to right to make it 2-0. Craig Monroe got one run back for the Tigers in the fifth when he walked and later scored on an RBI single by Placido Polanco. But Tavarez pitched two more scoreless innings and Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon took it from there with each pitching a scoreless inning of relief to secure the win for Boston.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 3:00 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Stellar start for Tavarez

Lefty Hideki Okajima has just relieved Julian Tavarez in the top of the eighth.

Tavarez leaves the game with a 2-1 lead having given up four hits over seven innings in a stellar start. The right-hander threw 104 pitches, 60 of them for strikes, recording three strikeouts and walking four.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 2:53 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Dustin and Kelli Pedroia to kick off skin cancer awareness campaign

Tomorrow, Red Sox infielder Dustin Pedroia and his wife Kelli will help the Sox and the American Academy of Dermatology kick off its 2007 Play Smart When It Comes To The Sun program, a public education campaign to raise awareness about skin cancer detection and prevention. (Kelli Pedroia is a survivor of melanoma.)

The campaign, being held in conjunction with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, aims to make people aware that skin cancer affects 1 in 5 Americans with more than 1 million new cases being diagnosed each year. More than 108, 230 of those cases turn out to be melanoma, a cancer that claims 8,110 lives each year.

It will also be pointed out through the program that the baseball community should be particularly mindful of the potentially life-threatening condition and ways to protect against it, given the countless hours that players and fans alike spend in the mid-day sun.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 2:39 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Sox kick off Interleague Play tomorrow against Braves

With the 11th season of Interleague Play between the American League and National League kicking off tomorrow, the Red Sox will close their 10-game homestand wit a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves.

American League East clubs will primarily play against the National League West, while the N.L. Central teams will face the A.L. West and N.L. East clubs will match up against the A.L. Central.

The Sox and Minnesota Twins boasted the best records in Interleague Play last season, with both posting 16-2 marks. They were followed by the Detroit Tigers (15-3), Chicago White Sox (14-4), Seattle Mariners (14-4) and Colorado Rockies (11-4).

At 103-73, the New York Yankees own the best record since the inception of Interleague Play in 1997. Among N.L. Clubs, the Florida Marlins have the best overall mark at 96-72.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 2:33 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Youkilis still hot at the plate

Kevin Youkilis just hit an RBI single to right that drove in Julio Lugo and gives the Sox a 2-0 lead over Baltimore in the third inning.

Now 2-for-2 today, he came into the game having hit safely in nine straight and 18 of his last 19 games. His .333 average coming in ranks him sixth in the American League. Youkilis leads A.L. first basemen in average, hits and on-base percentage.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 1:38 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Streaks and milestones

When Manny Ramirez lined a single to center, driving in Cocoa Crisp from third in the first inning, the Sox slugger brought his RBI total to 1,541, moving him past Willie Stargell for sole possession of 38th place on the all-time list.

With his single to center in the first inning, Kevin Youkilis extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 12:48 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Two nuns walk into a ballpark

Terry Francona found out earlier this week that divine intervention doesn't come cheap: Spotting two nuns sitting in the stands for Sunday's Boston-Baltimore game, the Sox manager threw a ball to one of them and said, ``We need a win tonight,'' to which she replied, ``There's another nun here.'' Francona tossed another ball over and asked, ``Is that two wins?'' Her answer: ``If you sign the balls.'' ``It turned into a 20-minute thing, but we won the game,'' Francona said of the Sox' 6-5 comeback over the Orioles.

(Note: The two nuns above, in a photo taken at Fenway Park by the Journal's Bob Breidenbach on May 2, weren't the nuns in question. But, hey, they could have been.)

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 12:37 PM to Thornton | Permalink

Sox switch up rotation

Sox skipper Terry Francona announced some changes to the pitching rotation.
This is how he plans to go:

This afternoon against the Tigers: Julian Tavarez

Tonight against the Tigers: Curt Schilling

Tomorrow against Atlanta Braves: TBA, although it is likely Boston will call up Kason Gabbard from Pawtucket to replace Josh Beckett who tore the skin off the top of the middle finger of his throwing hand.

Saturday against Atlanta Braves: Daisuke Matsuzaka

Sunday against Atlanta Braves: TBA, since Francona decided to give Tim Wakefield an extra day

Monday against New York Yankees: Tim Wakefield

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 11:35 AM to Thornton | Permalink

Notes and lineups for today's Sox-Tigers opener

Good morning!

Today's lineups:
Detroit Tigers
Curtis Granderson, cf
Placido Polanco, 2b
Gary Sheffield, DH
Magglio Ordonez, rf
Carlos Guillen, ss
Ivan Rodriguez, c
Sean Casey, 1b
Craig Monroe, lf
Brandon Inge, 3b
Starting pitcher: Zach Miner (first appearance)

Boston Red Sox J
Julio Lugo, ss
Coco Crisp, cf
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, lf
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
Mike Lowell, 3b
Eric Hinske, rf
Doug Mirabelli, c
Alex Cora, 2b
Starting pitcher: Julian Tavarez (1-4, 6.60)

Notes:
* Mike Maroth was orginally tabbed to pitch for Detroit, but was scratched because of illness.
* Wily Mo Pena was going to play right field last night in place of J.D. Drew, in part because Drew was still recovering from running into the wall in front of the Sox' bullpen and in part because Maroth is a lefty.
Sox manager Terry Francona still decided to give Drew the game off even though Zach Miner is a right-hander, but now Eric Hinske is playing right.
Francona did not say whether Drew will play the nightcap.
* Dustin Pedroia was slated to play second last night, but has been replaced in the lineup by Alex Cora.
* Doug Mirabelli is behind the plate for this one instead of Jason Varitek.

Posted by Carolyn Thornton  at 11:22 AM to Thornton | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Hello, Kason Gabbard

Sean McAdam is Art Martone's guest on today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. McAdam discusses what appears to be the imminent call-up of Kason Gabbard (below) to take Josh Beckett's scheduled start tomorrow against Atlanta. Click here to listen to the full audio file.

Here's some of what Sean had to say: "Certainly all signs point to Gabbard. He was limited to five innings in his last start [on Monday]. He'd be going on somewhat short rest, but I think all they'd be looking for tomorrow night given the circumstances would be five or six innings. And I would expect that the roster move to correspond to make room -- assuming that they don't decide to put Beckett on the DL, and I don't think they want to do that just yet because it would take him out of at least one more start -- is they would return Javy Lopez to Pawtucket. He's this year's yo-yo guy, because he is not out of optoins and can be moved back and forth at will. So my guess is that Lopez goes down for a couple of guys and Gabbard comes up, and then they flip flop them."

Sean also discusses why he thinks it is unlikely that Wily Mo Pena becomes the regular right fielder, even if J.D. Drew ends up being out longer than expected.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:17 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink

Maroth scratched from start

The Detroit Tigers have changed their starter for the first game of today's double-header at Fenway Park. With Mike Maroth reportedly suffering from the flu, Zach Miner will make his first start of the season. The Sox will still go with Julian Tavarez.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:08 AM | Permalink

Manny the cat

ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski today takes snippets of major-league scouting reports written about current stars back when they were in high school or college, and asks readers to match the quote with the player it was intended to describe. At the risk of ruining the quiz, three of them are about Ramirez:

"Looks lackadaisical at times, but don't let it fool you -- he can play! I don't feel he realizes his baseball potential. He works hard. Only player between games taking ground balls. A good one!"

"This boy may be best free-agent hitter I've seen. Compact swing, super bat speed, drives every ball."

and, most surprisingly:

"Cat-like in outfield."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:47 AM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Red Sox sign Michael Tucker

The Red Sox have signed 35-year-old journeyman outfielder Michael Tucker to a minor-league contract, and assigned him to Pawtucket.

Tucker fills the roster spot vacated by Alex Ochoa, who was released after yesterday's PawSox win.

Tucker was in the Mets organization last year, spending most of his time at Triple A Norfolk. In addition to the Mets, he has played in the big leagues with the Royals, the Braves, the Reds, the Cubs, the Giants and the Phillies over a 12-year big league career.

He is a .256 career hitter; his best season came with Atlanta in 1997, when he hit .283 with 14 home runs and 12 stolen bases.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:04 AM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 17

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, nine-game hitting streak, going 18 for 38 (.474) with five doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, eight runs and two walks
-Mike Lowell, seven-game hitting streak, going 11 for 27 (.407) with a double, three home runs, nine RBI, five runs and four walks
-Jason Varitek, 14 for his last 35 (.400) with three doubles, a home run, seven RBI, 11 runs and eight walks
-Alex Cora, 20 for his last 47 (.426); Red Sox are 11-1 in games he starts

Who's Not
-Coco Crisp, 9 for his last 45 (.200)
-Manny Ramirez, 2 for his last 12
-Doug Mirabelli, 1 for his last 14 (.071)

Tigers vs. Julian Tavarez
-Ivan Rodriguez, 7 for 15 (.467)
-Sean Casey, 6 for 17 (.353), 1 HR
-Gary Sheffield, 7 for 21 (.333)
-Placido Polanco, 4 for 12 (.333)
-Magglio Ordonez, 1 for 7 (.143), 1 HR
-Carlos Guillen, 0 for 1
-Neifi Perez, 0 for 5

Red Sox vs. Mike Maroth
-Jason Varitek, 10 for 16 (.625), 3 HR
-Manny Ramirez, 8 for 18 (.444)
-Julio Lugo, 4 for 11 (.364)
-Doug Mirabelli, 2 for 7 (.286), 2 HR
-Eric Hinske, 4 for 17 (.235), 1 HR
-Coco Crisp, 5 for 25 (.200)
-David Ortiz, 1 for 9 (.111)
-Kevin Youkilis, 0 for 2
-J.D. Drew, 0 for 3

Tigers vs. Curt Schilling
-Sean Casey, 6 for 16 (.375)
-Carlos Guillen, 2 for 6 (.333)
-Craig Monroe, 2 for 6 (.333)
-Omar Infante, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Ivan Rodriguez, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Marcus Thames, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Placido Polanco, 7 for 24 (.292)
-Magglio Ordonez, 2 for 7 (.286)
-Gary Sheffield, 14 for 66 (.212), 2 HR
-Neifi Perez, 5 for 25 (.200)
-Curtis Granderson, 1 for 8 (.125)
-Brandon Inge, 1 for 9 (.111)

Red Sox vs. Chad Durbin
-Julio Lugo, 1 for 1 (1.000)
-J.D. Drew, 2 for 4 (.500)
-Manny Ramirez, 1 for 2 (.500), 1 HR
-Jason Varitek, 1 for 3 (.333)
-David Ortiz, 0 for 3
-Eric Hinske, 0 for 6

More Stuff
-The Tigers have the major leagues' best record this month, at 10-3. The Red Sox are second at 10-4.
-This is the fifth time in Red Sox team history that they have won at least 26 of their first 38 games.
-Since 1970, the Red Sox have played 42 day-night double-headers at Fenway Park. They have swept 14 of them, split 20 of them, and have been swept on 8 occasions.
-The Red Sox' 3.17 E.R.A. is second-best in the American League (after Oakland) and the team's best after 37 games since 2001.
-The Sox are batting .321 as a team over the last eight games. Their team batting average for the season (.280) is second only to the Mets' in the major leagues.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:45 AM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Baseball Today: Thursday, May 17

No lack of rainy-night material . . .

PUT ME IN, COACH: On a night when rain -- Journal photo, above, by Kris Craig -- prevented anyone from playing, the stories were about two guys who can't wait to get back on the field. Jon Lester is chomping at the bit to pitch, and he'll get his chance Saturday at Ottawa in a 50- to 55-pitch outing for the PawSox. In his own way, Jonathan Papelbon is also chomping at the bit to pitch, but his relative inactivity is purely circumstantial. (All stories projo.com)

TAKE ME OUT, COACH: J.D. Drew wouldn't have played last night, anyway, and we'll see if he's in the lineup in this afternoon's first game against left-hander Mike Maroth. (projo.com) Terry Francona, however, says he doesn't think Drew's back bruise, suffered when he lost a battle to the right-field wall, is serious.

WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE A BALLGAME EARLY? Because you'll miss the Mother of All Comebacks and spoil your family's Mother Day present to you. (projo.com)

LIST NUMBER ONE: Don't know whether this is good or bad, but the Red Sox have two players -- Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield -- in Jon Heyman's list of Top 10 players who are 40 or older in major league baseball. (si.com)

LIST NUMBER TWO: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Daisuke Matsuzaka was the fourth-best free-agent pitching signing of the offseason. Among those ahead of him: Gil Meche and Jeff Suppan.

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN: Imagine what life would have been like around here had the Sox completed one of those rumored Manny Ramirez-to-the-Mets trades that included Lastings Milledge. (New York Daily News) But Milledge might not be the Mets' biggest problem, not with what appears to be evidence of widespread steroid use in their organization. (New York Daily News)

SPEAKING OF STEROIDS . . . In a wide-ranging USA Today feature on Ichiro Suzuki, a very interesting quote from Ichiro was buried near the end of the story, with no followup: ''When you take steroids, it's not as if wings grow out of your back, and you start flying all over the place and stealing home runs (from hitters). The word 'cheating' doesn't apply for me regarding steroids."

It doesn't?

Hmm.

ON THE BRIGHTER SIDE . . . Pedro Martinez plans to be on hand when the Mets play the Yankees this weekend. (New York Daily News)

WHERE'D YOU HEAR THAT? The Chicago Tribune's Dave van Dyck writes that Joe Torre is on his way out as Yankee manager, to be replaced by Joe Girardi.

ONE OF US: Rick Morrissey sounds like a true New Englander, doesn't he? (Chicago Tribune)

ENOUGH OF THIS: If the Yankees were cruising along, Wil Nieves' offensive ineptitude would be a source of amusement, especially since Jorge Posada is hitting like he never hit before. But they're not, so the Yankees apparently are trying to get Jose Molina from the Angels. (New York Daily News)

UH OH: When asked by announcer Gary Thorne to comment on manager Sam Perlozzo, Orioles executive vice-president Mike Flanagan said he didn't think it was appropriate to comment on Perlozzo's day-to-day status. (Baltimore Sun)

EIGHT POINT PLAN: A week ago, the Tao of Steib blog listed eight ways for the Blue Jays to salvage their season. (Sorry, you can't have Ken Macha. He's been a great analyst for NESN.) But now the Tao has decided that the blog is going to be a happy place.

LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli is likley headed to the disabled list. (Tampa Tribune)

OLD FRIENDS: It's time for the Indians to make a decision on Andy Marte (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . David Riske got the save last night in Kansas City, and is doing what he can to keep the closer's job until Octovio Dotel returns (Kansas City Star) . . . Bronson Arroyo's pitching as well as he did last year, but the results haven't been the same (Cincinnati Post) . . . Casey Fossum, on the other hand, is stinking it up in Tampa Bay, yet the Rays were able to pull out a victory in spite of him (Tampa Tribune) . . . Trot Nixon drove in three more runs last night for the Indians (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . Kevin Millar is hitting again, though that's one of the few good things happening right now in Baltimore (Baltimore Sun) . . . Tomo Ohka is headed to the bullpen in Toronto (Toronto Sun).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:57 AM | Permalink