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Baseball Today: Thursday, June 14

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? If you were told before last night's game that a matchup between Curt Schilling (right, AP Photo) and Josh Fogg would result in a 12-2 score, you probably wouldn't have been surprised. But the fact that Colorado would be on the long end of that score . . . well, that would have raised a few eyebrows. And so it has, as Schilling was rocked -- his effort hindered by some shaky defense -- and the Rockies rolled. (Both stories projo.com) SURPRISE, SURPRISE: The game turned on the two-out, three-run homer by Brad Hawpe in the fifth inning, turning a 3-2 Rockies lead into a 6-2 advantage. In his breakdown of the game, Schilling writes ''To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I’ve given up more than my share of home runs, but not that many come as total shocks to me, this one was. Not because of the hitter or anything but a home run wasn’t even in the deepest recesses of my sub conscious right there. I was sure I was making the right pitch to the right hitter in the right spot.'' (38pitches.com)

RARITIES: Allan Wood points out that a clunker from a Red Sox starting pitcher is something we haven't seen very much of this year. (joyofsox.blogspot.com)

GLASS IS HALF FULL: Manny Ramirez is stuck on eight home runs, but Kevin Youkilis thinks that's a good thing ''because that means the second half is going to be unbelievable. You know what you’re going to get every year. He’s going to hit .300. He’s going to hit 30 jacks. It’s better that he’s not doing it now. That just means it’s coming down the road.” (Boston Herald)

IT SURE IS: The New York Sun's Tim Marchman says that rather than playing over their heads -- which is what many in Yankee Universe think they've done over the first part of the season -- the Red Sox are actually underachieving and ''are probably more likely to play better than they have over the rest of the season than they are to suddenly collapse.''

HEY, NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR (I HOPE): David Ortiz is asking Major League Baseball to replace him with Youkilis on the All-Star ballot. (projo.com) ''[What] it comes down to is David being a really good guy and a great teammate. He’s trying to help Youk out,'' said Terry Francona.

GIMME SOME STEEL, BABY: Three ex-Red Sox -- Dick Stuart, Jose Offerman and Jose Canseco -- earn spots on Bugs & Cranks' list of all-time worst fielders.

MORE HONORS: Curt Schilling and Manny Ramirez have spots on FoxSports' Randy Hill's Gall-Star Team, with old pal Kevin Millar earning honorable mention. If it's any consolation to Red Sox fans, the Yankees outpace the Sox -- Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Roger Clemens also make Hill's list of ''baseball players whose exaggerated importance demonstrates an excess of nerve and ego.'' And I suppose both the Yankees and Sox can claim David Wells if they so choose; he's there, too.

MY BUDDY: Barry Bonds may not have many friends when he arrives in Boston with the Giants this week, but PawSox minor-league field coordinator Rob Leary, a childhood pal and high school teammate of the Giants' slugger, is one of them. (projo.com)

I WANNA BE FREE: Jorge Posada says he's headed for free agency and when he arrives, the Yankees will get no special treatment. "I'll treat every team the same. That's what free agency is. It's my first time as a free agent.'' (Bergen Record) Derek Jeter, however, insists: ''He ain't going nowhere. He'll be back.''

CONNECT THE DOTS: FoxSports' Kevin Hench is the latest to put 'Roger Clemens' and 'steroids' in the same sentence.

IS THE END NEAR? Jason Giambi has had 'steroids' put in many sentences involving his name, and USA Today reports he may be suspended if he doesn't cooperate with former senator George Mitchell's investigation on steroid use.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH: But the Yankees hope that's not the case after recording their eighth straight victory last night, 7-2 over the Diamondbacks. (New York Post) Credit last night goes to Mike Mussina. (New York Daily News)

I WANT TO BE A PART OF IT: Alex Rodriguez is pricing a $16 million penthouse on New York's East Side. (New York Daily News) And why not? FoxSports' Tracy Ringolsby says there are 27 million reasons why A-Rod won't opt out of his contract and will stay with the Yankees.

BATTING PRACTICE FASTBALL: Much as you can expect Mike Lupica to tee off on anything negative regarding the Yankees, the White Sox' recent interaction with Patti LaBelle gives Jay Mariotti the opportunity to hack at his favorite target, Ozzie Guillen. But this time he fires away at Jerry Reinsdorf and Ken Williams, too . . . and he may have a point. (Chicago Sun-Times)

THEY'RE NUMBER ONE: More and more people think the Angels are the best team in baseball. (mlb.com)

PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING: And they looked it last night in beating Cincinnati. (Los Angeles Daily News)

BOY, YOU HAVE ONE BAD DAY . . . That's what the Pirates' Jack Wilson thinks cost him his starting job, at least temporarily. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

TAKE TWO: Cubs catcher Michael Barrett had another altercation with one of his pitchers. (Chicago Sun-Times)

AND THREE: Warwick's Dan Wheeler shoved teammate Chris Sampson in the dugout when Sampson came over to console him after Wheeler had surrendered four runs in Houston's 7-3 loss to Oakland last night, but Wheeler quickly apologized. ''There's nothing going on between Chris and I. I love Chris. That was just frustration on my part. That's all it was. That's really all. I'm a professional, and I should be better than that. I take full responsibility'' (Houston Chronicle)

DO YOUR FIGHTING WITH THE UMPIRES: That's what the Marlins did in their loss to the Indians. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS: Rich Harden felt good and Huston Street didn't as they attempted their comebacks with the A's. (San Jose Mercury News)

JUST GOOD NEWS (THEY HOPE): The Blue Jays don't think A.J. Burnett's shoulder problem is very serious. (mlb.com)

IF THIS IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM, YOU'RE IN GREAT SHAPE: The Tigers can't figure out what to do with the seagulls at Comerica Park. (Detroit Free Press)

OLD FRIENDS: Pedro Martinez has his pitch count up to 50 as he rehabs from rotator-cuff surgery (New York Daily News) . . . Anibal Sanchez is still hurting (Miami Herald).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:04 AM | Permalink