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Game Story: PawSox score early and often in 10-4 win over Chiefs

PAWTUCKET -- They played nine innings, but the Pawtucket Red Sox needed only two.

The PawSox scored eight runs on nine hits in the first inning, and two runs on two hits in the second inning off Syracuse Chiefs starter Josh Banks en route to a 10-4 victory last night at McCoy Stadium.

In the bottom of the first, the PawSox batted around as Pawtucket’s No. 1 and No. 2 hitters – Jacoby Ellsbury and Joe McEwing – combined for 4 hits, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. The PawSox also collected five doubles in the first inning.

After the Chiefs scored two in the top of the second curiosity of a two-run blast by Chiefs’ Erik Kratz, Pawtucket added two more in the bottom half as Jeff Bailey and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back solo home runs to right field, the first time this season the PawSox hit consecutive roundtrippers.

On the mound, the PawSox’ Kason Gabbard earned the win after working 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with five strikeouts.

It was only five days ago when Gabbard made a spot-start for the Boston Red Sox and posted a victory over the Atlanta Braves. He was told afterwards he was being optioned back to Pawtucket in order to make his next scheduled start and he made the most of it last night.

“I felt good and felt that I had good stuff,” said Gabbard. “I made two bad pitches the whole game, and I was working out of jams pretty much the whole game. Overall I’m happy with the outcome and it’s a lot easier to pitch when we score 10 runs in the first inning.”

The southpaw improves to 4-1 this season for Pawtucket and manager Ron Johnson realizes what Gabbard’s week has been like.

“The guy has had a real emotional week,” said the skipper. “He went up and pitched good in Boston and got the win, so it was nice to see him have a good week.”

With the exception of Chad Spann, everyone in the PawSox’ lineup registered at least a hit. McEwing led the way with three hits and two RBI.

--JOE McDONALD

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:11 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Pawtucket 10, Syracuse 4

PAWTUCKET _ They played nine innings, but the Pawtucket Red Sox needed only two.

The PawSox scored eight runs on nine hits in the first inning, and two runs on two hits in the second inning off Syracuse Chiefs starter Josh Banks en route to a 10-4 victory last night at McCoy Stadium.

In the bottom of the first, the PawSox batted around as Pawtucket’s No. 1 and No. 2 hitters – Jacoby Ellsbury and Joe McEwing – combined for 4 hits, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored. The PawSox also collected five doubles in the first inning.

After the Chiefs scored two in the top of the second curiosity of a two-run blast by Chiefs’ Erik Kratz, Pawtucket added two more in the bottom half as Jeff Bailey and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back solo home runs to right field, the first time this season the PawSox hit consecutive roundtrippers.

On the mound, the PawSox’ Kason Gabbard earned the win after working 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with five strikeouts.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:51 PM | Permalink

Timlin in the seventh

Mike Timlin started the seventh inning for the PawSox and threw 16 pitches (seven strikes) He walked one and made an error.

Wayne Lydon led off the inning for Syracuse and hit a chopper down the first-base line. Timlin made the play, but hit Lydon in the back with the ball trying to throw to first. He was given an error on the play.

Timlin walked the next batter and got a little help from his defense on the following hitter, who hit a chopper up the middle that PawSox second baseman Joe McEwing grabbed and turned an unassisted double play.

Timlin got the next hitter to ground out to McEwing to end the inning.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:13 PM | Permalink

Mike Timlin pitches for the PawSox

Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin will work the seventh inning for the PawSox and is scheduled to throw 20 pitches. He's been on the disabled list with tendonitis in his right shoulder.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:09 PM | Permalink

Steinbrenner comments on Torre, Cashman and Giambi

With his New York Yankees struggling, George Steinbrenner says Joe Torre is safe for now, general manager Brian Cashman “is on a big hook” and Jason Giambi “should have kept his mouth shut.”

In a rare interview Thursday night from his office in Tampa, Fla., the Boss praised Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter and said he was encouraged by the Yankees' performance this week in taking two out of three games from AL East-leading Boston.

Cashman, given increased duties when he re-signed after the 2005 season, is apparently being held largely responsible for the team's play.

“He's on a big hook,” a spirited Steinbrenner said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “He wanted sole authority. He got it. Now he's got to deliver.”

New York entered Friday 21-24 and trailed the Red Sox by 91/2 games.

“The boss is the boss,” Cashman said before Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Angels. “There are no surprises here. He's said this to me privately.”
Cashman agreed with Steinbrenner's assessment.

“I'm on the hook. You can't describe it any better than that,” Cashman said. “It's my job to figure it out.

“So far, it's been a long, short season. We've got to fight through this,” he said, adding the results at this point are “not acceptable.”

The Yankees, with the highest payroll in the majors, haven't reached the World Series since 2003.

“We hope we have turned it around,” Steinbrenner said emphatically. “We just have to get out there and compete, compete hard, and win.”

Torre, Steinbrenner's manager since 1996, appears to be safe for now.

“We are not considering a change,” Steinbrenner said.

Torre, like Steinbrenner, is displeased with the Yankees' start.

“When he says something, you understand it's his team and he has the right to be unhappy,” Torre said. “He's stirred the pot here for a lot of years, and it's paid off.”

Steinbrenner was less generous toward Giambi, whose recent comments to USA Today that he was “wrong for doing that stuff” were interpreted by some as an admission of steroid use. Giambi told a federal grand jury that he used steroids from 2001-3 and human growth hormone in 2003, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Giambi was called into the commissioner's office Wednesday to discuss his remarks.
“He should have kept his mouth shut,” Steinbrenner said. “The matter is in the hands of the baseball commissioner.”

Said Giambi: “He has that right. He's the boss. I'm going to worry about playing baseball.”

This wasn't the first time, of course, that Steinbrenner's barbs hit one of his players.

“It's what goes on here, and I think Jason has been here long enough to understand that,” Torre said.

Commissioner Bud Selig likely will decide within two weeks whether to discipline Giambi.

On another topic, Steinbrenner said he was impressed with Torre's bench coach, ex-Yankees great Don Mattingly, and that he “could possibly” become manager someday.

“Mattingly is a good one,” Steinbrenner said. “He is very thorough guy. He understands what it is to be a Yankee.”

Steinbrenner is counting on Clemens to be a part of a Yankees' comeback. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner agreed to a $28 million, one-year contract with the Yankees on May 6 and will rejoin the team sometime in June. Steinbrenner says the 44-year-old right-hander brings “a winning attitude.”

“I think Roger is capable of sparking the team,” he said. “He is a veteran and will bring stability. I am happy he is coming back. I love him.”

Steinbrenner felt the Rocket needed at least one more minor league start to sharpen his stuff, and Clemens is set to start Monday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The owner also lavished praise on Pettitte, who left the Yankees after the 2003 season and pitched alongside Clemens in Houston before rejoining the Yankees this season.

“He's a real gutsy guy,” Steinbrenner said. “We are happy he is back with us.”
Steinbrenner also is pleased with Jeter, who this week passed Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio and moved into fifth place on the Yankees' career hits list.

“Jeter is a real Yankee,” he said.

Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973 and has presided over six world championships and 10 pennants while building the Yankees franchise into the most lucrative in sports.
He has been know to make generous donations through the team, most recently to Virginia Tech in the aftermath of last month's tragedy.

The Yankees contributed $1 million to the school's “Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund” to assist the victims' families, and honored the victims before the Red Sox game on Wednesday night. Virginia Tech's president threw out the first pitch and the Yankees wore VT logos on their caps.

“I feel very strongly about the young people,” Steinbrenner said. “I feel so strongly about the teachers and the school, all the people affected by this. We wanted to help in the healing process.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:56 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

The Rangers' lineup

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- The Texas lineup has been posted . . .

Kenny Lofton cf
Michael Young ss
Mark Texeira 1b
Sammy Sosa rf
Frank Catalanotto dh
Nelson Cruz lf
Ian Kinsler 2b
Gerald Laird c
Ramon Vazquez 3b
---
Brandon McCarthy p

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Pregame notes from Arlington

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Some quick pregame notes . . .

-- The weather here is overcast and muggy, and there's a threat of rain all weekend. Terry Francona was asked how Daisuke Matsuzaka, tonight's starting pitcher, would react if the game was delayed and he was forced to sit for a stretch of time.

''You use common sense,'' Francona said, ''but with all the throwing he does, he might [handle it] the best of anyone.''

-- Francona said reports on Jon Lester's performance in Pawtucket Thursday night were impressive.

-- Curt Schilling has struggled in his last three outings, but Francona said there were some good things to take out of his start in New York on Wednesday night.

''I hope he remembers that those last three or four innings were pretty good,'' said the manager. ''He had a couple of eight-pitch innings. He doesn't have to reinvent himself. He just has to locate his fastball better. When you do that, you open up the plate a lot.''
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-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:29 PM | Permalink

Red Sox lineup for Friday night

ARLINGTON, Tex. -- Nothing out of the ordinary . . .

Julio Lugo ss
Kevin Youkilis 1b
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
J.D. Drew rf
Mike Lowell 3b
Jason Varitek c
Coco Crisp cf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
--
Daisuke Matsuzaka p

More to come . . .

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 4:52 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Projo SoxTalk: Joe McDonald on Lester's return to Pawtucket

Joe McDonald is Art Martone's guest on today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file.

McDonald says Jon Lester's seven-straight perfect innings was classified by one club official as the "most efficient" yet he's seen the pitcher. "He looked like the Jon Lester we saw last year," McDonald said.

The 23-year-old is working his way back to Boston after he was diagnosed with cancer last August. During his minor-league rehab stints in Single-A Greenville and with the PawSox, he’s been on target, but he recently suffered a setback when he experienced cramping in his throwing forearm in his previous start, on May 2.

Posted by Pam Cotter  at 11:33 AM to McDonald | Permalink

Baseball Today: Friday, May 25

ON TARGET: Jon Lester made his second start last night after sitting out 2 1/2 weeks because of pain in his forearm and the results were impressive: 5 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strikeout. (projo.com) ''I felt good,” said Lester. “The forearm felt good; everything felt good.'' An interesting note: He retired the first 11 batters he faced after retiring the last 10 he faced Saturday on Ottawa, giving him a string of 21 consecutive batters -- seven perfect innings.

HIM, TOO: The Boston Herald's Rob Bradford has an interesting profile of the next highly regarded pitcher coming down the Red Sox pipeline, Clay Buchholz. The Sox selected him with the compensatory draft pick they received for the Mets' signing of Pedro Martinez, but only after satisfying themselves that an early-in-his-life incident -- the theft of 29 laptops from a school by Buchholz and one of his friends -- was a youthful indiscretion and not a warning sign of further trouble.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE: The Red Sox may be cruising along with a 9 1/2-game lead, but not everything is clicking on all cylinders. Sean McAdam takes a look at potential problems the Sox could be facing, and what might have to be done to fix them. (projo.com)

SORRY ABOUT THAT: In case you missed it -- we had it on this very blog yesterday afternoon (that link also has an audio clip of Crisp's comments, courtesy of The Score) -- Coco Crisp, appearing on WSKO Radio's Sportsbeat with Scott Cordischi and Bryan Morry, says Alex Rodriguez apologized to Dustin Pedroia for his hard takeout slide Tuesday night. (projo.com)

MAN OF THE PEOPLE: Nomar Garciaparra, continuing in Los Angeles the charitable efforts he was known for in Boston, will host 'Carne Asada Sunday' after a game on June 10 at Dodger Stadium, where he will hang out with fans, share soft tacos and listen to mariachi music. (Los Angeles Times)

STORM CLOUDS BREWING: The New York Daily News reports that "hawks" in the commissioner's office are pushing for [commissoner Bud] Selig to punish [Jason] Giambi for essentially admitting to USA Today last week that he had used steroids in the past.

BUT THE SKIES ARE BLUE IN THE YES BROADCAST BOOTH: When YES play-by-play announcer Michael Kay began to talk about Giambi's steroid use, John Flaherty talked about Giambi retreating to the ''comfort zone'' of the batter's box and Paul O'Neill chose to rag on Dustin Pedroia. (New York Daily News)

NOT YET: It looks like Roger Clemens will make at least one more minor-league start. (New York Daily News) The New York Post's Kevin Kernan, however, thinks that's a bad idea.

AGE ISSUES: Why are 40-something pitchers always a gamble? Because they get injured. The latest is Randy Johnson. (Arizona Republic)

AND AN IDIOT SHALL LEAD THEM: The Yankees are seeing signs that Johnny Damon is getting hot . . . and if he does, they think the team will benefit. (New York Post)

WHISPERS: The Todd Helton-to-the-Yankees rumors are still circulating. (Denver Post) . . . On his ESPN blog, Buster Olney makes the case for a Wily Mo Pena-to-San Diego trade.

CHANGE IS GOOD: Baseball Musing's David Pinto, who once worked on the show, explains why ESPN's Baseball Tonight has evolved over the years and why, in spite of critics like this one on the blog The DiaTribe, it was necessary to change.

THE UNTHINAKBLE: The Chicago Sun-Times' Gordon Wittenmyer thinks the Cubs may be preparing for life without Carlos Zambrano.

HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE DIDN'T KNOW: Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune says ''[it's] not pretty watching reality [about the Cubs] work its way into Lou Piniella's brain tissue.''

THE DEFINITIVE SIGN YOU HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS: A Web site commemorating the Phillies becoming the first professional sports franchise in history to lose 10,000 games, a milestone they should pass before the All-Star Break. (www.celebrate10000.com)

OLD FRIENDS: Wade Miller will make one more rehab start and then the Cubs will decide what to do with him (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Mike Gonzalez will undergo is third MRI of the season (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:59 AM | Permalink