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Final: Red Sox 4, Braves 0

The Sox win 4-0...sixth shutout of the season.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 11:21 PM | Permalink

PawSox drop third straight, 4-3 to Indianapolis in 10 innings

INDIANAPOLIS -- Backup catcher Einar Diaz singled home Brad Eldred from second with two out in the bottom of the tenth to give the Indianapolis Indians a 4-3 win over the visiting Pawtucket Red Sox.

Diaz, who entered the game in the sixth inning, slapped reliever Travis Hughes' second pitch into left field to end the three-hour, 20 minute contest.

Once again, the PawSox fizzled with runners on base. Pawtucket batters left 15 runners stranded, at least one in each inning. The PawSox (31-37) have now lost three in a row, including two straight to the I.L. West-leading Indians (42-28).

Pawtucket scored a run in the first inning off Indians starter Marty McLeary. Leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury singled, stole second, moved to third on an infield out and came home on a double by David Murphy. Eldred evened things in the bottom of the second with a 410-foot solo shot to center off PawSox starter David Pauley.

Indianapolis took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. Luis Ordaz opened the inning with a single and went to second on Matt Kata's base hit. Yurendell de Caster's single scored Ordaz and one out later, Pauley walked Russ Johnson to load the bases. The threat ended when Humberta Cota hit into a force at second.

The PawSox tied the score in the fourth when Bobby Scales singled to center and scored on a double by George Kottaras. The Indians went up 3-2 in the bottom of the inning. Michael Ryan walked and moved to second on a fielder's choice, then scored on Brian Bixler's single.

Mike Burns took over for Pauley in the fifth inning and blanked the Indians through the eighth. Meanwhile Jesse Chavez, who relieved McLeary, stifled the PawSox until the bottom of the eighth. Jeff Bailey led off the inning with a double and moved to second on a bunt single by Scales. Bailey breezed home to make it 3-all when Kottaras flew to right.

The PawSox squandered a couple of opportunities against Franquelis Osoria, the third Indians pitcher. In the ninth they left runners on first and second and in the tenth, they failed to score after loading the bases with less than two out. Scales led off the tenth with a hit and Kottaras followed with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt by Ed Rogers, Osoria intentionally walked Ellsbury. But the next two batters, Joe McEwing and Murphy, flied out to douse the rally.

Craig Breslow (1-1) entered the game in the eighth and pitched two scoreless innings. With one out in the tenth, Rogers' throwing error from short put Eldred on base. Russ Johnson flied out, and Hughes relieved Breslow. Diaz's single came on a 1-0 inside fastball.

Notes: With no replacement for right-hander Manny Delcarmen, promoted Sunday to Boston, the PawSox remain short a man.

Jon Lester (1-3) starts for Pawtucket Wednesday afternoon against Michael Tejera (3-1). Thursday night it'll be Kason Gabbard (6-2) versus Shane Youman (3-5) for Indianapolis. Youman was named I.L. Pitcher of the Week for June 11-17, when he went 2-0 with an 0.59 earned run average in two starts.

The current road trip continues with four games at Louisville, starting Friday.

--PETE CAVA, Special to the Providence Journal

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:42 PM to PawSox | Permalink

Pregame notes: It's raining

ATLANTA -- The rain is falling here at Turner Field, and tonight's game could be in jeopardy.

There are conflicting weather forecasts, with some saying the rain will continue all night. The teams have a mutual off-day Thursday, so they could play Thursday afternoon before the Sox fly out to San Diego for a weekend series with the Padres.

Not a permanent change
Alex Cora is in the lineup at shortstop tonight, but Terry Francona says it's only because Julio Lugo is 0-for-10 lifetime against the Braves' starter, Tim Hudson.

''We told [Lugo], 'We're not giving up on you. Don't panic. Let's let Cora take your at-bats tonight,' '' said Francona.

No definitive word
Francona and other team officials had very little information on Curt Schilling's return to Boston, other than to say he'll have an MRI. They said until they see the test results, it's unknown whether he'll have to go on the disabled list, or even miss his scheduled start Sunday in San Diego.

More later on projo.com and in tomorrow's Providence Journal . . .

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 5:38 PM | Permalink

Tuesday night's Red Sox-Braves lineups

ATLANTA -- The lineups have been posted:

RED SOX
-------------
J.D. Drew rf
Dustin Pedroia 2b
David Ortiz 1b
Manny Ramirez lf
Kevin Youkilis 3b
Jason Varitek c
Coco Crisp cf
Alex Cora ss
Josh Beckett p

BRAVES
------------
Kelly Johnson 2b
Willie Harris lf
Edgar Renteria ss
Chipper Jones 3b
Brian McCann c
Andruw Jones cf
Jeff Francoeur rf
Scott Thorman 1b
Tim Hudson p

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:39 PM | Permalink

Schilling returns to Boston to have his shoulder examined

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

ATLANTA -- Speculation about Curt Schilling's health, which arose after he pitched poorly in his last two starts, apparently was well-founded.

Schilling has left the Red Sox and returned to Boston, where he will have his shoulder examined. The status of his next start, scheduled Sunday in San Diego, remains in question.

The veteran right-hander has allowed 19 hits and 11 runs in his last 9 1/3 innings, over his last two starts. His performance here last night -- in which he was lifted after 4 1/3 innings, trailing 6-1 -- was particularly worrisome, as he failed to reach 91 on the speed gun and didn't strike out a batter in a start for the first time in 14 years.

Posted by Art Martone  at 4:30 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for June 19

Who's Hot
-Coco Crisp, five-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 9 for 14, raising his batting average from .223 to .247
-J.D. Drew, four-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 6 for 16. Is 6 for 21 (.286) as Red Sox leadoff hitter.
-Dustin Pedroia, 7 for 16 over his last four games. Batting .351 in the month of June.
-Manny Ramirez, 31 for 77 (.403) over his last 23 games; batting .385 in the month of June.

Who's Not
-Mike Lowell, 1 for his last 16 and 9 for 54 (.167) over last 15 games, dropping his average from .337 to .299.
-Julio Lugo, 0 for his last 11, now hitting .119 in the month of June. Has third-lowest average (.205) of all American League qualifiers.
-Jason Varitek, 0 for his last 12, 7 for 39 (.179) over his last 11 games.

Red Sox vs. Tim Hudson
-Wily Mo Pena, 1 for 1
-Kevin Youkilis, 2 for 3, 1 HR
-Dustin Pedroia, 1 for 2
-Jason Varitek, 9 for 22 (.409), 1 HR
-J.D. Drew, 3 for 10
-David Ortiz, 9 for 31 (.290), 1 HR
-Eric Hinske, 6 for 21 (.286)
-Mike Lowell, 3 for 11 (.273)
-Manny Ramirez, 8 for 32 (.250)
-Coco Crisp, 3 for 12 (.250)
-Alex Cora, 2 for 8
-Julio Lugo, 0 for 10
-For his career, Hudson is 3-8 with a 6.22 E.R.A. against Boston.

Braves vs. Josh Beckett
-Matt Diaz, 1 for 1
-Pete Orr, 1 for 1
-Andruw Jones, 8 for 29 (.276)
-Brian McCann, 2 for 8
-Jeff Francoeur, 1 for 5
-Chipper Jones, 4 for 23 (.174), 2 HR
-Edgar Renteria, 1 for 10
-Kelly Johnson, 0 for 2
-Chris Woodward, 0 for 3
-For his career, Beckett is 5-7 with a 2.62 E.R.A. against Atlanta.

More Stuff
-All-time series: Atlanta 25, Boston 18.
-When Curt Schilling went without a strikeout last night, it ended a streak of at least 378 starts with at least one. That was the third longest streak of any pitcher in the last 51 years. The longest such streak was 411, by Tom Seaver from 1967 to 1978.
-Barry Bonds' home run Sunday off Tim Wakefield was the fifth time in the history of Fenway Park that a 40-year-old hitter homered off a 40-year old pitcher. The other instances: Ted Williams off Chicago's Early Wynn in 1960; California's Reggie Jackson off Tom Seaver, twice, in 1986; Baltimore's B.J. Surhoff off David Wells in 2005.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:26 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Today's Manny file: Ramirez in Clement's corner?

According to the Boston Herald's Jeff Horrigan, Manny Ramirez was spotted wearing a Matt Clement jersey yesterday during early batting practice in Atlanta. Later, manager Terry Francona addressed the status of Clement, who has not pitched for the Red Sox since Stuffy McInnis retired. OK, I'm just saying that since I saw Stuffy's name in Sean McAdam's notes column today; in actuality Clement has not pitched since June 14, 2006. Francona said the team was hopeful that Clement could return by September.

Curt Schilling told reporters after last night's game that he "wanted badly to step off and bring Manny in about 15 or 20 feet" before pitcher Chuck James hit a bloop, RBI single for the Braves last night. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette's Bill Ballou concludes: "There is no telling what Ramirez would have done — perhaps he would have thought Schilling wanted him to pitch, or that the inning was somehow over. Even if Ramirez had come closer and caught the ball, it would only have delayed the inevitable because where McCann’s home run landed, there was no waving anybody into position unless he had a ticket for a bleacher seat."

The Boston Globe reports today that Ramirez was at a housewarming party Saturday night atop the Ritz-Carlton towers for Greg Agganis, the grandnephew of former Red Sox Harry Agganis, who apparently has a lot of money.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:02 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Is Schilling hurting?

Sean McAdam is back with Art Martone for today's edition of Projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Speaking from Atlanta after witnessing Curt Schilling's latest rough outing, Sean talks about the possibility that the Red Sox' pitching ace might be injured. He also speculates that this may be the beginning of the end for Mike Timlin, and talks about Coco Crisp, who shunned the media last night despite having a stellar performance at the plate.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

Is Schilling injured? "You start connecting the dots -- the velocity being off, not being able to get people to swing and miss, being hit hard, stuff being flat -- and when someone said [after last night's game], 'Are you hurting, is there anything physical here,' -- I mean, I'm trying not to read much into it and put words into people's mouths -- but on I think two occasoins when he was asked, he didn't say, I'm fine, there's no physical issues.' He kind of quickly changed the subject and said, 'It's not any one thing.' ... It's hard not to think that there might be something there, the way he kind of dodged the question."

Could Mike Timlin be nearing the end? "In a word, yes. I mean, there's a lot of miles on that shoulder and elbow from all the work the last few years. Until he went on the DL in the second half of last year, he had had four straight 70-appearance seasons, and would have had a fifth last year, and you can't do that in your late 30s and into your early 40s and not pay the price eventually."

On why Crisp wasn't talking to the media: "I'm completely mystified. He had a four-hit night, a two-home run night for the first time in his career, unquestionably his best night of the season, and when we came into the clubhouse he had already given word to John Blake, the Red Sox public relations official, that he wasn't going to be taking any questions or talking to anybody, and no one seems to understand why. He's done this a number of times over the last couple of weeks."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:27 AM to Martone , McAdam | Permalink | Comments 1

Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 19

THE MYSTERY: 38pitches.com is silent at the moment, its lead item still a rehash of last week's loss to Colorado. So, as I write this, Curt Schilling (AP Photo, right) hasn't yet used his blog to address the question -- what's wrong? -- that's on the lips of virtually everyone in Red Sox Nation this morning. The ominous undercurrent, hinted at but not provable, is that there's a physical problem. Sean McAdam writes that Schilling avoided giving a direct answer when specifically asked if he was hurting after his 4 1/3-inning/10-hit/6-run performance in last night's loss to the Braves. (projo.com)

The Globe's Gordon Edes wrote that both the Braves' Chipper Jones and an unnamed scout were stunned at how poorly Schilling threw -- he only hit 90 on the radar gun once, only hit 88 three times, and failed to record a strikeout for the first time in 14 years, spanning back 348 starts -- and Jones observed, ''Schill always had that innate ability to catch another gear when he needs it, and for me to only see 89 miles an hour tells me, you know, he might be hurt. I don't know.'' The Herald's Rob Bradford downplayed the injury angle but puts Schilling's struggles into the historical context of his career.

On the Sons of Sam Horn board, poster MidnightC details all of Schilling's starts since May 1; these are his numbers in the eight starts since May 12:

47.2 IP
64 H
27 ER
7 HR
10 BB
34 K
5.10 ERA

And that includes both the one-hitter against Oakland and a seven-inning/one-run start against Cleveland.

It's not likely Schilling will provide many new insights when he does update his blog -- chances are it'll be a more detailed version of what he told reporters last night, which basically was that it's a breakdown of many elements and not just one thing -- but, if you have access to a radio, it might be worth a listen to his weekly appearance on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan this morning, which usually happens sometime after 9 a.m. We'll have an update on the blog after he talks.

FAILED INVASION: Red Sox Nation took over Turner Field last night, and some of the Braves think it helped spark both them and their normally placid supporters. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) ''I didn't know there were that many Bostonians in Atlanta,'' said Braves manager Bobby Cox. ''But our fans outdid them, I think."

COMMON GROUND: In that same story, Chipper Jones said Sox fans and Braves fans seemed to agree on one thing. ''I heard a 'Yankees suck' chant,'' he said, ''and everybody was chiming in.''

THE REAL RECORD CHASE: Forget Barry Bonds. ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says Bobby Cox is on the verge of breaking a record that will probably never be broken: Most ejections from a major-league game. He has 130 and is one away from tying John McGraw, who's held the mark for 74 years with 131. (To put in perspective: The active manager with second-most ejections is Tony La Russa, and he only has 73.) Stark, with the help of David Vincent and the late Doug Pappas of SABR, has a list of all the times Cox has been tossed.

THE QUIET MAN: The Sox had hoped Coco Crisp (AP Photo, left), who seemed so naturally ebullient and bubbly with a ready smile when they acquired him, would become one of the faces of the franchise. But his two-year struggles have soured him -- reporters privately describe him as one of the moodiest of all Red Sox players -- and last night, when he finally had the game (4-for-4, two home runs) people have been hoping for since the beginning of 2006, he wouldn't talk about it. (Boston Herald)

THE TALKATIVE MAN: Edgar Renteria, who wouldn't meet with the media when the Braves were in Boston last month, spoke yesterday. (Boston Herald) His belief: That he'd have played as well for the Red Sox as he's playing now for the Braves if the team had just been patient.

NO TAKERS: The Sox couldn't make a deal for J.C. Romero after they designated him for assignment, so they're cutting him loose. (projo.com) The state of pitching being what it is, he shouldn't be unemployed very long.

CALM DOWN: Terry Francona says stop worrying, he won't burn out Hideki Okajima. (Boston Herald)

SAME SAME: Remember how bad Anduw Jones looked when the Braves were in Boston? It's a month later, and he's not any better. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

PERSPECTIVE: FoxSports' Dayn Perry handicaps each team's playoff chances as we approach the midway point of the season and says the only question about the Red Sox is whether or not they'll win 100 games.

DANGER -- CHANCE OF EXPLOSION: Take the Yankees' nuclear offense and drop it in Coors Field for three games, and . . . well, who knows what to expect? (New York Daily News)

DOG BITES MAN: We'd been expecting it since their Mother's Day meltdown in Boston, and yesterday it finally happened: Sam Perlozzo was fired as manager of the Orioles. The Baltimore Sun reports the team would like to hire former Twins and Cubs executive Andy MacPhail as chief operating officer, and that Joe Girardi is their choice to replace Perlozzo. ESPN.com's Tim Kurkjian takes a detailed look at the Orioles' many problems.

THAT'S ALL WELL AND GOOD, BUT . . . SI.com's John Donovan says owner Peter Angelos is at the root of the Orioles' troubles. FoxSport's Ken Rosenthal agrees.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? It appears Jason Giambi will talk to the Mitchell investigation on doping in baseball. (New York Daily News)

FOR SALE -- ONE HOME-RUN CHAMP: It looks as if the Giants may actually put Barry Bonds on the trading block. (Costa Contra Times) Bruce Jenkins handicaps the potential trade field. (sfgate.com)

I LIKE IT HERE: Ken Griffey Jr. is desperate to win a World Series ring, but in spite of that he's not going to ask the Reds to trade him to a contender. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

MAYBE YOU DO, BUT . . . MLB Trade Rumors says there's a persistent Griffey-to-the-Cubs report circulating.

OTHER WHISPERS: The White Sox sound like they're ready to back up the truck (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . The Denver Post resurrects the Todd Helton-to-the-Yankees rumor . . . Gotham Baseball says a more likely first-base target for the Yanks is Carlos Pena.

I GOT YOUR CY YOUNG RIGHT HERE: Looking for a Cy Young candidate? Old friend Chad Finn says look no further than the Seattle bullpen, where J.J. Putz is having a year for the ages. (foxsports.com)

SHAPE UP! White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen minces no words -- not that he ever does -- in telling the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera to lose some weight. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

MORE WOES: Toronto's injury-ravaged season continues, as A.J. Burnett heads to the disabled list. (Toronto Sun)

GO FIGURE: The Indians' Joe Borowski still doesn't know why the Phillies, who certainly need relief help, backed out of their two-year, $9 million agreement last winter. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

LOCALLY: Rocco Baldelli reinjured his hamstring, making it doubtful he'll come off the disabled list Friday. (Tampa Tribune).

OLD FRIENDS: Rotoworld.com reports Kelly Shoppach is 16-for-29 with two homers, five doubles and 10 RBI in the eight games in which he's played since May 15 and notes ''To be that productive while playing so irregularly is very impressive.'' . . . Freddy Sanchez is feeling better after a bout with the flu (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Mark Loretta had a 4-for-5, 3-RBI night for the Astros in their 10-9 loss to the Angels (Houston Chronicle).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:47 AM | Permalink