Main page
« May 20, 2007
May 22, 2007 »

Yankees 6, Red Sox 2

NEW YORK -- Even if there's no such thing as a crucial series in May, it's undeniable the three-game series that opened at Yankee Stadium tonight between the Red Sox and Yankees is far more crucial to the struggling Yanks than it is to the streaking Sox.

That being the case, the Yankees got off on the right foot.

Chien-Ming Wang worked his way out of trouble all night but managed to hold Boston to two runs over seven innings, and the Yankee offense touched Tim Wakefield for two homers -- including a two-run, first-inning shot by Alex Rodriguez (above) -- and six runs as New York posted a 6-2 victory.

The Yankees now trail the Sox by 9 1/2 games.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 10:07 PM | Permalink

Wakefield knuckling under

NEW YORK -- Tim Wakefield was all but unhittable over the first six weeks of the season.

Tonight he's been anything but.

The Yankees have touched him for a pair of home runs -- a two-run shot by Alex Rodriguez in the first and a solo blast by Jason Giambi in the second -- and added another run on a two-out, RBI single by Derek Jeter in the second as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead over the Red Sox after two innings tonight at Yankee Stadium.

The Sox, conversely, squandered scoring opportunities in each of their first two shots at Chien-Ming Wang. They stranded two runners in the first, and left the bases loaded in the second when Wang struck out Kevin Youkilis on a 3-and-2 pitch with two outs.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:55 PM | Permalink

Red Sox notes

NEW YORK -- Some pregame news nuggets . . ..

-- Mike Timlin threw from flat ground and is scheduled to throw off a mound today. ''This is a good step, getting him back on the mound,'' said Terry Francona. Timlin, suffering from tendinitis in his right shoulder, has been on the disabled list since May 3.

-- Francona was asked how it felt to be coming into Yankee Stadium with a 10 1/2-game lead. ''If this was September 29, I'd say awesome,'' said Francona. ''But it's May 21. They're not going to give us a ring, and I'm pretty sure they're not going to give us any money.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:52 PM | Permalink

Delcarmen joins Sox

NEW YORK -- Manny Delcarmen, called up from Pawtucket after Sunday night's game against Atlanta, is with the team at Yankee Stadium, though his role -- and the duration of his stay -- is still undefined.

''They told me it could be four days, it could be a week, it could be a month,'' Delcarmen said today. ''I just have to stay loose and be ready for anything.''

Manager Terry Francona said he wasn't sure how he'd use Delcarmen. ''It all depends on how the games go,'' he said when asked if Delcarmen would be pitching in long or short relief.

Delcarmen didn't pitch in his last four games with the PawSox and found the inactivity curious. Then, when manager Ron Johnson told him he was being called up to Boston, ''it all made sense.''

The Sox played three games in two days on Saturday and Sunday and have a need for fresh bullpen arms, particularly after the short start they received from Devern Hansack in the second game on Saturday.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Monday night's Yankee lineup

NEW YORK -- Here's the lineup the Yankees posted for tonight's game . . .

Johnny Damon cf
Derek Jeter ss
Hideki Matsui lf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Jorge Posada c
Bobby Abreu rf
Jason Giambi dh
Robinson Cano 2b
Doug Mientkiewicz 1b
---
Chien-Ming Wang p

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:45 PM | Permalink

Monday night's Red Sox lineup

NEW YORK -- The Red Sox lineup has been posted . . .

Julio Lugo ss
Kevin Youkilis 1b
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
J.D. Drew rf
Mike Lowell 3b
Coco Crisp cf
Doug Mirabelli c
Alex Cora 2b
---
Tim Wakefield p

Also, Daisuke Matsuzaka will meet with the media later this afternoon to discuss his being named American League Player of the Week.

More to come after Terry Francona's daily press briefing . . .

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:43 PM | Permalink

Matsuzaka named A.L. Player of the Week

Pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka has been named the Bank of America American League Player of the Week, according to the Red Sox official game notes for tonight.

Matsuzaka won both of his starts last week, pitching a complete game to defeat the Detroit Tigers on Monday, then beating the Atlanta Braves on Saturday.

All told, Matsuzaka went 17 innings last week, giving up four earned runs on 15 hits. He struck out 11 and walked no one. He improved his season record to 5-2, and lowered his E.R.A. from 4.80 entering the week to 4.06.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:35 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for May 21

From the team's official game notes:

Who's Hot
-Kevin Youkilis, 13-game hitting streak, going 25 for 56 (.446) with six doubles, four home runs, 14 RBIs and 10 runs
-Mike Lowell, 11-game hitting streak, going 18 for 41 (.439) with four home runs and 14 RBIs
-Hideki Okajima, 20.2 consecutive scoreless innings out of the bullpen, the longest streak by a Boston left-hander since Bruce Hurst pitched 21.2 scoreless innings in May 1987.

Who's Not
-Alex Cora, 3 for his last 22 (.136)
-Doug Mirabelli, 1 for his last 20
-Brendan Donnelly, 9 hits and 5 runs allowed in last 3.1 innings

Red Sox vs. Chien-Ming Wang
-Manny Ramirez, 10 for 16 (.625), 2 HR
-Eric Hinske, 10 for 19 (.526), 2 HR
-David Ortiz, 9 for 20 (.450), 2 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 4 for 11 (.364)
-Alex Cora, 4 for 13 (.308), 1 HR
-Julio Lugo, 6 for 21 (.286)
-Coco Crisp, 3 for 12 (.250)
-Doug Mirabelli, 1 for 4 (.250)
-Mike Lowell, 3 for 15 (.200)
-Wily Mo Pena, 0 for 5
-J.D. Drew and Dustin Pedroia have no at-bats against Wang

Yankees vs. Tim Wakefield
-Melky Cabrera, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Derek Jeter, 27 for 84 (.321), 3 HR
-Josh Phelps, 8 for 25 (.320)
-Johnny Damon, 13 for 48 (.271), 2 HR
-Jorge Posada, 14 for 56 (.250), 3 HR
-Bobby Abreu, 4 for 16 (.250)
-Alex Rodriguez, 16 for 66 (.242), 5 HR
-Robinson Cano, 5 for 24 (.208), 1 HR
-Hideki Matsui, 7 for 40 (.175), 2 HR
-Jason Giambi, 14 for 81 (.173), 3 HR
-Doug Mientkiewicz, 1 for 16 (.063)

More Stuff
-Since the Yankees swept five games at Fenway Park in August 2006, the Red Sox are 8-2 against New York.
-In their last 100 meetings, including postseason, the Red Sox and the Yankees have each won 50 games.
-Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada have each batted safely in 15 straight games. That's tied for the longest streak in the American League; Kevin Youkilis' 13-game streak is tied for third.
-The Red Sox were also 30-13 in the 2002 season. They failed to make the playoffs that year.
-But, for all those who say that we've seen this before: This is only the fifth time in major league history that any team has been in first place by 10.5 or more games as early as 43 games into a season. Every other team to have such a lead -- the 2001 Seattle Mariners, the 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers, the 1912 New York Giants and the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates -- ended up finishing in first place.
-The Red Sox have won four straight on the road, and they're 14-5 against the American League East.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:02 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Not just another slow start

Here are Manny Ramirez's batting averages, on-base percentages and slugging percentages on this date in each of his Red Sox seasons. As the numbers indicate, this early-season slump has been longer and more severe than anything Ramirez has had in his career. He's had a lower batting average once (in 2005), but never has he come closee to having OBPs or slugging percentages as low this late in the season.

Year BA OBP Slg
2007 .245 .333 .390
2006 .292 .434 .489
2005 .230 .353 .511
2004 .357 .430 .611
2003 .306 .394 .482
2002 .372 .497 .673
2001 .406 .492 .764

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:03 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Red Sox go to bat for Mass. health care law

BOSTON (AP) — Going without health insurance is no day at the ballpark.

That’s the message from the Boston Red Sox and the state panel overseeing Massachusetts’ landmark health care insurance law.

The two are teaming up to launch a public education campaign, including television ads, to help Massachusetts residents understand the law ahead of a July 1 deadline by which virtually everyone in the state must be insured or face tax penalties.

The ads are set to be introduced Tuesday at a news conference at Fenway Park with top political leaders. The team and officials at the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, which oversees the law, declined to give additional details Monday.

Educating the public could prove daunting given the complexity of the law, which seeks to plug a series of holes in the state’s existing health care net.

Under the law, those making less than the federal poverty level of $10,210 for an individual are eligible to receive free care, while those making up to three times that level are eligible for discounted insurance.

Anyone with more than three times the federal poverty level can sign up for new, discounted health care plans offered through the connector authority.

Officials hope the new ads will support other public education efforts, including a hot line and new Web site.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:38 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: The stakes in New York

Sean McAdam is today's guest on Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Sean sets up this week's Red Sox-Yankees series, laying out the stakes for the New York team, and sums up yesterday's fine performance by Kason Gabbard.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

On Gabbard: "Gabbard's a guy that really caught their attention not only last year when he came up and made three starts, but also by how well he pitched in sprint training. So I don't think they were too surprised by how effective he was."

On the Yankees: "I think for their own confidence and well-being, and sort of chipping away at this lead, that they reallly need to get two out of three. Even that will only net them a game in the standings, but to get it down from double digits where it is now, 10 1/2 and 10 in the loss column, would at least get them pointed in the right direction, and then they tell themselves Clemens is not far behind, and then of course they get another crack at the Red Sox coming up in two weekends back at Fenway. But as much as people say there are four plus months left in this season, after Wednesday night the season series between these teams will be half over, and the opportunities for the Yankees to make up ground head to head against the Red Sox will start to slip away. So I think they've got to make some inroads in the next three nights."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:10 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Monday, May 21

BYE, NOW: Kason Gabbard (right, Journal photo by Gretchen Ertl) dispatched the Braves with ease yesterday, then found himself dispatched back to Pawtucket moments after the game ended. (Both stories projo.com) Such is life in the big city, especially when you've played three games in two days, your bullpen's a little worn, and you're heading to New York for a three-game series with the Yankees; the Sox, with an off-day Thursday and a chance to skip over the No. 5 spot in the rotation, opted for another relief arm, Manny Delcarmen, in Gabbard's spot. Gabbard was apparently disappointed enough that he declined to speak to the media after the game, but he shouldn't be disheartened. He pitched well enough (projo.com) to warrant another call when the need for another starter inevitably rises -- certainly better than Devern Hansack pitched Saturday (projo.com) -- and he impressed everyone . . . even his old high school teammate, the Braves' Jarrod Saltalamacchia. (Boston Herald)

HERE'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERY DAY: If a poll had been taken to choose a player in this weekend series would go 0-for-5 with five strikeouts in a game, the consensus choice probably would have been Wily Mo Pena. But, no, the honor -- such as it is -- went to the Braves' All-Everything center fielder, Andruw Jones. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

NOT THE SAME: There's no question that the A.L. East standings have removed some of the luster from the upcoming Sox-Yankees series. (projo.com) The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says the matchup has '''all the magic of that pinch-me-I’m-dreaming Colorado Rockies-Kansas City Royals interleague showdown of this past weekend'', and with reason; as Sean McAdam noted Sunday, the Sox ''may be in the process of disproving'' the theory that titles can't be won or lost in April or May. (projo.com) Conversely, the Globe's Nick Cafardo points out these are desperate times in the Bronx, though last night's improbable win at Shea -- Tyler Clippard outdueling John Maine? -- has raised pinstripe hopes that the tide may finally be turning at just the right time. (New York Daily News) It better be, says the New York Post's Larry Brooks, because he thinks the Yanks need to make their move now.

AND WHY SHOULD IT BE? The Post's Joel Sherman says there are ''eerie undertones of 1965'' -- the year the Yankee Dynasty crumbled -- ''for the 2007 Yankees.''

A-ROD, SCHMAY-ROD, WE GOT LOWELL! There's an old baseball saying: You're never as good as you look when you're winning, and you're never as bad as you look when you're losing. That's probably true in both the Red Sox' and Yankees' cases, which is something to keep in mind when listening to the Boston Herald's Gerry Callahan argument that the Sox should forget about pursuing Alex Rodriguez and instead re-sign Mike Lowell to an extension.

NEVER STOP TRYING: The Denver Post's Troy Renck thinks the Red Sox may attempt to involve themselves in trade talks for the Rockies' Todd Helton -- yes, again -- and the Devil Rays' Rocco Baldelli.

BET YOU THOUGHT I WAS CALLING ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE: Safe to say that 15 or 20 years ago, George Steinbrenner's Saturday night phone call to Joe Torre would have unfolded differently than this. (New York Daily News)

ANOTHER YANKEE ERROR: But espn.com's Jeff Pearlman thinks George should have pulled the trigger.

BIGGER ISSUES: Jason Giambi's tacit admission that he took steroids could lead the Yankees to void his contract, though general manager Brian Cashman's lip is zipped on the subject at this point. (New York Daily News)

HEAVY LIES THE HEAD . . . Not very surprisingly, Cashman calls this his most challenging time as Yankee general manager. (Newsday)

LAST TO KNOW: Bernie Williams apparently still thinks he can play. (New York Post)

THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY: Ozzie Guillen's profanity-laced performance on a Chicago radio station last week opened the door for his old nemesis, Jay Mariotti, to begin greasing the skids for his dismissal. (Chicago Sun-Times)

THE CENTER OF ATTENTION: Guillen's radio rant was prompted by his unhappiness over comments made by controversial catcher A.J. Pierzynski, whose act apparently is growing old with his White Sox teammates. (Chicago Tribune)

THE KIDS AREN'T ALL RIGHT: The Red Sox' Class A team in Lancaster got beat 30-0 Friday night. (yahoo.com)

OOPS: Chad Finn wonders if Jordan's Furniture in Boston will wind up regretting its your-furniture-is-free-if-the-Sox-win-the-World-Series offer of last month. (touchingallthebases.com)

GIMME SOME STEEL, BABY: Writing for Boston Metro, Finn chooses his all-worst Red Sox defensive team.

OLD FRIENDS: Andy Marte is back, but as a platoon player for the Indians (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . Tony Clark is still playing, and still making contributions in Arizona. (Arizona Republic)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:45 AM | Permalink