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Reaction from the Red Sox clubhouse

Red Sox manager Terry Francona:

"Carmona was about as tough as Beckett. JB threw one pitch to Gutierrez over the plate and he whacked it and it held up just like (Tuesday night). It was a lot more fun to talk about it (Tuesday) night. Carmona had explosive stuff, it was impressive.”

Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek was impressed with his batterymate:

“To me it was one of the best outings Josh has ever had.”

Beckett said he was simply out pitched.

“It’s tough to compare a loss with wins,” he said following Varitek’s statement. “That’s obviously his opinion, and that’s a big compliment coming from somebody like that, but it’s tough to compare wins and losses.”

Alex Cora on the missed hit-and-run:

“I missed the sign and (expletive) up. I cost us the game. I’m doing a (expletive) job. People expect me to do [the little things] when I’m in the game and I haven’t done it the last few games. It’s a (expletive) job.”

Francona on Coco Crisp getting thrown out at the plate:

“Coco had a chance to score and in that type of game we take our chances. It didn’t work. He looked over his shoulder rounding third, like you’re supposed to, and he kept going. Victor (Martinez) did a good job blocking the plate. The way Carmona was throwing we need to take our chances.”

Jason Varitek on Cora's self-evaluation:

“We don’t blame anybody. Alex is such a huge part of this team. He makes some great plays defensively. That happens, but with the type of baseball player he is, that stuff never happens, so that’s why he’s taking it hard.”

Francona on Lugo getting thrown out at second in the eighth:

“We were putting him in motion, trying to make something happen. We tried everything tonight to get a run and nothing was working.”

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Game Story: Indians 1, Sox 0

CLEVELAND _ It was a night of missed opportunities for the Boston Red Sox.
text ignored It was also a what-you-can-do-I-can-do-better situation as the Cleveland Indians received a solid pitching performance from starter Fausto Carmona en route to a 1-0 victory to snap the Red Sox’ five-game winning streak last night at Jacobs Field.

The young right-hander worked eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts as the Indians responded from a 1-0 loss against Boston on Tuesday.
text ignoredAs effective as Carmona was, Red Sox starter Josh Beckett was equally impressive despite allowing a solo homer to the Indians’ Franklin Gutierrez in the third inning that proved to be the only run of the game.

Carmona “was about as tough as Beckett,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “JB threw one pitch to Gutierrez over the plate and he whacked it and it held up just like (Tuesday night). It was a lot more fun to talk about it (Tuesday) night. Carmona had explosive stuff, it was impressive.”

Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek was impressed with his batterymate.

“To me it was one of the best outings Josh has ever had,” he said.

Beckett said he was simply out pitched.

"It’s tough to compare to a loss with wins,” he said following Varitek’s statement. “That’s obviously his opinion, and that’s a big compliment coming from somebody like that, but it’s tough to compare wins and losses.”

The expletives were flying around the Red Sox clubhouse following the loss.

Besides the pair of solid pitching performances, the Red Sox were snakebitten on three plays.

First, Coco Crisp was thrown out at the plate attempting to tie the game in the sixth inning. Second, Alex Cora missed a hit-and-run sign at the plate that caused runner Jason Varitek to be tagged out in the eighth. Third, Julio Lugo was thrown out attempting to steal second as a pinch runner in the eighth.

Cora took his miscue very hard.

“I missed the sign and (expletive) up,” he said. “I cost us the game. I’m doing a (expletive) job. People expect me to do [the little things] when I’m in the game and I haven’t done it the last few games. It’s a (expletive) job.”

After Gutierrez absolutely crushed a solo homer to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, Beckett responded and retired the next 14 batters in a row before Trot Nixon singled in the eighth for Cleveland’s fourth hit of the game.

Meanwhile, Carmona kept the Sox’ bats at bay until Crisp snapped the 23-year-old’s bid for a no-hitter with an infield single in the sixth inning. Crisp hit a hard grounder up the middle that Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta ranged to his left and snared, but because of the Crisp’s speed Peralta had to rush the throw and didn’t get it there on time.

With one out and Dustin Pedroia at the plate, Crisp took off for second and was able to stay out of the possible double play when Pedroia grounded out to third. Ortiz, who struck out his first two times up, hit a hard ground ball to the right side for a single. Cleveland had the shift on, so Crisp attempted to score from second for the would-be tying run, but Indians second baseman Josh Barfield got his throw to the plate in time for the third out of the inning.

“Coco had a chance to score and in that type of game we take our chances,” said Francona. “It didn’t work. He looked over his shoulder rounding third, like you’re supposed to, and he kept going. Victor (Martinez) did a good job blocking the plate. The way Carmona was throwing we need to take our chances.”

Things didn’t get any easier for the Red Sox.

Varitek led off the eighth with a single, Boston’s third hit of the game, before Eric Hinske lined out to center. Cora followed and appeared to have missed a hit-and-run sign as Varitek took off for second. When the batter didn’t swing, Varitek attempted to retreat to first but was caught 2-6-3.

Francona said the miscommunication on the play was his fault, and Varitek didn’t agree with Cora’s self-evaluation.

“We blame anybody,” said Varitek. “Alex is such a huge part of this team. He makes some great plays defensively. That happens, but with the type of baseball player he is, that stuff never happens, so that’s why he’s taking it hard.”

With two outs in the inning, Cora provided an infield single and was replaced with the speedy Lugo, who originally was given the night off. With Crisp at the plate, Lugo was thrown out attempting to steal second to end the inning.

“We were putting him in motion, trying to make something happen,” said Francona. “We tried everything tonight to get a run and nothing was working.”

The stage was set with two outs in the top of the ninth inning for Ortiz.

The Sox slugger had missed the previous four games with a sore shoulder and had an opportunity but popped out as the Indians’ Joe Borowski earned his 29th save of the season.

-----JOE McDONALD

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 11:05 PM to McDonald | Permalink

Game Story: Toledo 12, Pawtucket 2

TOLEDO, Ohio – Pawtucket’s 12-2 loss to the Mud Hens last night was as ugly as the final score would indicate.

Oh, it was a close, tight, winnable game for the first five innings or so. But the Red Sox wasted scoring opportunities in the middle innings, then saw Toledo blow the game open with four runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh.

“Not much to talk about on this one,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said afterwards.

David Murphy gave the PawSox an early lead when he slammed his ninth home run of the season, an opposite-field shot just under the scoreboard in left.

And starter Joel Pineiro, making his first appearance for Pawtucket since the parent club in Boston designated him for assignment July 22, was impressive in his three innings of work. The only baserunner he allowed was Chris Shelton, who walked with one out in the second but was thrown trying to steal second by Kevin Cash.

“Joel Pineiro did a really nice job,” Johnson said. “He got three innings, and his pitch efficiency was good.”

But Devern Hansack picked up for Pineiro and gave up a home run to Andres Torres on the third pitch he threw. Hansack got one out before walking Timo Perez, then throwing one pitch to Jack Hannahan and leaving with a stiff neck.

Edgar Martinez came on and walked Hannahan before giving up a run-scoring single to Shelton.

Pawtucket retied the game in the top of the fifth with an unearned run that scored on the second of Joe McEwing’s four singles on the night, but the Hens pulled away with a four run sixth-inning rally that was fueled by three walks, one by Martinez and two more by Barry Hertzler.

“When you’re in a situation like that in the sixth inning, you’re kind of hoping and holding on,” Johnson said. “You’re hoping to get some kind of break to stay in the game, and we didn’t get it.

“I turned the page on this one right there.”

Things got worse when the Mud Hens scored five more times off Hertzler in the seventh. Hertzler’s line included seven hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings, raising his ERA with the PawSox from 13.81 to 16.31.

Perez led the Mud Hens with five RBI, tying Toledo’s season high, while Torres had three. Thanks to 12 hits and eight walks allowed by Pawtucket pitching every Hen hitter reached base at least once.

After that the only excitement came when Jeff Bailey, who was hit by a Ron Chiavacci curve-ball in the sixth, was hit by a pitch from Eulogio De La Cruz to lead off the eighth. Both benches emptied, but no punches were thrown and order was quickly restored.

The PawSox had won eight of their last 11 games before last night, which Johnson said will allow his team to set aside the lopsided loss.

“You’ve got to push aside games like this anyway because there’s no alternative,” Johnson said. “If you’re going to carry this thing into the next day, what are you going to do?

“We’re going to come out and exchange lineup cards today, and we’re going to play regardless of how well feel about it. So let’s move on.”

NOTES: RHP Curt Schilling will start for the PawSox tonight in Toledo. Schilling is expected to throw approximately 65 pitches, which means he will cover roughly four to five innings.

--JOHN WAGNER (Special to the Journal)

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 10:43 PM to PawSox | Permalink

FINAL: Cleveland 1, Boston 0

CLEVELAND _ It was a night of missed opportunities for the Boston Red Sox.

It was also a what-you-can-do-I-can-do-better situation as the Cleveland Indians received a solid pitching performance from starter Fausto Carmona en route to a 1-0 victory to snap the Red Sox’ five-game winning streak last night at Jacobs Field.

The young right-hander worked eight scoreless innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts as the Indians responded from a 1-0 loss against Boston on Tuesday. As effective as Carmona was, Red Sox starter Josh Beckett was equally impressive despite allowing a solo homer to the Indians’ Franklin Gutierrez in the third inning that proved to be the game-winning run.

After Gutierrez absolutely crushed a solo homer to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, Beckett responded and retired the next 14 batters in a row before Trot Nixon singled in the eighth for Cleveland’s fourth hit of the game.

Meanwhile, Carmona kept the Sox’ bats at bay until Coco Crisp snapped the 23-year-old’s bid for a no-hitter with an infield single in the sixth inning. Crisp hit a hard grounder up the middle that Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta ranged to his left and snared, but because of the Crisp’s speed Peralta had to rush the throw and didn’t get it there on time.

With one out and Dustin Pedroia at the plate, Crisp took off for second and was able to stay out of the possible double play when Pedroia grounded out to third. Ortiz, who struck out his first two times up, hit a hard ground ball to the right side for a single. Cleveland had the shift on, so Crisp attempted to score from second for the would-be tying run, but Indians second baseman Josh Barfield got his throw to the plate in time for the third out of the inning.

Things didn’t get any easier for the Red Sox.

Jason Varitek led off the eighth with a single, Boston’s third hit of the game, before Eric Hinske lined out to center. Alex Cora followed and appeared to have missed a hit-and-run sign as Varitek took off for second. When the batter didn’t swing, Varitek attempted to retreat to first but was caught 2-6-3.

With two outs, Cora provided an infield single and was replaced with speedy pinch-runner Julio Lugo, who originally was given the night off. With Crisp at the plate, Lugo was thrown out attempting to steal second to end the inning.

The Indians' Joe Borowski earned the save.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:44 PM | Permalink

Schilling sounds off on steroids again

NEW YORK — Curt Schilling says that Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire's refusals to address accusations of steroids use are tantamount to admissions.

“If someone wrote that stuff about me and I didn't sue their (butt) off, am I not admitting that there's some legitimacy to it?” he said on HBO's “Costas Now.”

Schilling said “this will be the steroids era forever” and proposed that Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro should be punished for steroids use.

“Jose Canseco admitted he cheated his entire career,” Schilling said. “Everything he ever did should be wiped clean. I think his MVP should go back and should go to the runner-up.”

As for Palmeiro, Schilling said: “The year he tested positive, nothing he did that year should count, which I think would take away 3,000 hits for him.”

Schilling discussed accusations by Bonds' former mistress, Kimberly Bell, who testified before a grand jury that Bonds told her of his steroid use in 2000. She also said Bonds gave her $80,000 in cash to buy a house, the proceeds of which allegedly came from a paid autograph session that authorities also are investigating as going unreported to the Internal Revenue Service.

“If I wrote a book about Bob Costas and in that book I wrote about Bob Costas' girlfriend being on the road, and Bob Costas giving that girlfriend card show money and I outlined your daily steroid regimen, I've got to believe your first line of defense is to sue my (butt) off,” Schilling said.

“It goes to the Mark McGwire thing in Congress. I mean, I'm a huge Mark McGwire fan. But I just always thought it was very simple: If you did something and someone asks you if you did it and you didn't do it, you say no. Any other answer than no is some form of yes, isn't it?”

Bonds' lawyer, Michael Rains, in the past accused Bell of trying to extort money from his client and using the platform to promote a book that never was published, but Bonds has not filed suit against her. Rains did not immediately return a telephone message Wednesday.

During a March 2005 congressional hearing, McGwire repeatedly refused to answer questions about his alleged steroids use. Schilling also testified during the hearing and was more muted in his steroids comments.

“I think while I agree it's a problem, I think the issue was grossly overstated by some people, including myself,” he said then.

Schilling said the circumstances of testifying caused him to be reticent.

“When you're sitting in front of Congress and you're under oath, you'd better be damn sure if you're going to mention a name that you are 100 percent guaranteed sure somebody did something,” he said during the HBO interview.

Schilling said he thinks some players still are using performing-enhancing drugs.

“There were teams that had a subculture of it. Obviously, guys are still getting caught, which shows me that even with all of the safety nets in place, people are still doing it,” he said. “My understanding is that steroids and HGH, one of the main benefits of them is regeneration. If I can show up Sept. 1 and feel April fresh, I've got a huge advantage, not just that day but on everybody. And I think that's why a lot of pitchers have been caught.”

--AP

Posted by Corey Bourassa  at 6:25 PM | Permalink

Clubhouse Confidential

* Pitcher Joel Pineiro accepted his optional assignment and will start for the PawSox in Toledo tonight. The right-hander was officially designated for assignment on Monday to make room for Jon Lester. A starting pitcher by trade, Pineiro served as a reliever for Boston and manager Terry Francona admitted yesterday that a couple of times this season Pineiro said he would start if needed.

Now he’ll be able to stretch out his arm with Pawtucket for a chance to hook up with another team as a starter.

“I think starting is in his heart,” said Francona. “I understand that. We all do.”

Prior to the Red Sox signing him during the offseason, Pineiro said Boston was the one place he would play and switch to the bullpen.

* The Red Sox organization is loaded with young talented arms, and Double-A pitcher Justin Masterson has been showcasing his skills for the Sea Dogs. The 21-year-old right-hander improved to 4-0 yesterday, allowing just two runs on three hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

“Good for him,” said Francona. “I know he’s been real good since his call up. He’s an impressive young man. He’s a nice kid.”

Masterson has made four starts for Portland since his call up Single-A Lancaster and has worked 26 innings with a 1.04 ERA.

*Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell and shortstop Julio Lugo were given tonight off in order to keep guys fresh. . . Red Sox reliever Brendan Donnelly (forearm strain) has played catch at 90 feet the last couple of days. . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:11 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineups from Cleveland

BOSTON

Coco Crisp, 8
Dustin Pedroia, 4
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, 7
Kevin Youkilis, 5
J.D. Drew, 9
Jason Varitek, 2
Eric Hinske, 3
Alex Cora, 6
Josh Beckett, SP

CLEVELAND

Grady Sizemore, 8
Casey Blake, 5
Victor Martinez, 2
Travis Hafner, DH
Ryan Garko, 3
Jhonny Peralta, 6
Trot Nixon, 9
Franklin Gutierrez, 7
Josh Barfield, 4
Fausto Carmona, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 4:31 PM | Permalink

Pineiro to Pawtucket

In today's official game notes, the Red Sox announced that Joel Pineiro has accepted an optional assignment to Pawtucket. Pineiro, who was designated for assignment on Monday to make room for Jon Lester, will start for the PawSox tonight against Toledo.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:07 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for July 25

Hot Streaks
-Boston's five-game winning streak is tied for its longest of the year. A six-game winning strek would be the team's largest since June 2006.
-The Sox have not committed an error in six games.
-Julio Lugo has a 14-game hitting streak, during which he is 23 for 54 (.426).
-Manny Ramirez is 19 for 47 (.404) since the All-Star break.
-For Cleveland: Ryan Garko has a 17-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors, during which he is 26 for 57 (.456).

Cold Streaks
-Jason Varitek is 5 for 33 (.152) over his last 10 games.
-J.D. Drew is 8 for 48 (.167) over his last 14 games.

Red Sox vs. Fausto Carmona
-Alex Cora, 1 for 1 (1.000)
-David Ortiz, 1 for 1 (1.000), 1 HR
-Kevin Youkilis, 0 for 0, two walks
-Doug Mirabelli, 0 for 0, hit by pitch
-Coco Crisp, 0 for 1
-Wily Mo Pena, 0 for 1
-Carmona made two relief appearances last year against Boston. He was the losing pitcher in both games, giving up a total of five runs in a single inning of work (45.00 E.R.A.).

Indians vs. Josh Beckett
-Travis Hafner, 4 for 6 (.667), 1 HR
-Jhonny Peralta, 2 for 4 (.500)
-Casey Blake, 2 for 5 (.400)
-Jason Michaels, 4 for 10 (.400), 1 HR
-Victor Martinez, 2 for 8 (.250), 1 HR
-Grady Sizemore, 2 for 9 (.222)
-Josh Barfield, 0 for 2
-Ryan Garko, 0 for 2
-Mike Rouse, 0 for 2
-Trot Nixon, 0 for 3
-Beckett is 1-2 with a 9.18 E.R.A. in three career starts against Cleveland.

More Stuff
-The Red Sox now have the American League's lowest team E.R.A.: 3.72.
-All-time series: Cleveland 1,007, Boston 937.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 4:07 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Ortiz killing the ball

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said last night David Ortiz (shoulder) will likely be in the lineup tonight. Boston is 5-0 without Big Papi. The Red Sox just concluded early BP at Jacobs Field and Ortiz was crushing the ball, showing no ill effects. Should be an interesting night.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 2:35 PM | Permalink

Today's Manny file: He's got C.C.'s number

Manny continued to post amazing numbers against Cleveland ace C.C. Sabathia, going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles off him last night to improve his lifetime stats against Sabathia to 12-for-21, a .571 average. Tonight, the Red Sox hope Ramirez will once again be batting behind David Ortiz. Terry Francona hopes the opportunity Ramirez has had to be a designated hitter the last few games has given Manny some rest, and that that will pay off later in the season.

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe looks back today on Manny Ramirez's tremendous 1999 season with the Cleveland Indians. Batting cleanup in a stacked Indians lineup, Ramirez had 108 RBI by the end of July, and completed the season with 165 RBI, 131 runs scored, 44 home runs and a .333 batting average. Alex Rodriguez recently became the first player to reach 100 RBI in fewer than 100 games since Ramirez in 1999.

Former Red Sox outfielder Dave Roberts was with Cleveland that season, and he sums it up: "I've been around him for a long time, including in 2004 with Boston, but that year in '99, man oh man. You couldn't wait for Manny to come to the plate."

As Red Sox fans will remember, Ramirez's fantastic season fizzled out big time in the playoffs. He went 1-for-18 with a double and one RBI as the Red Sox came back from a two-game deficit to beat the Indians in the best-of-five American League Divisional Playoff Series.

Ryan Garko, one of the Indians young hitting stars, introduced himself to Ramirez before Tuesday night's game at the Jake, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Here's an excerpt from the story: "At one point, Ramirez, the Red Sox's designated hitter Tuesday night, flapped his arms repeatedly while laughing and pointing toward the outfield. 'He was telling me about a ball he hit [Monday],' Garko said. 'I told Manny how much I enjoy watching him play. One of the things he told me was how much he likes playing in Cleveland.'

From the who knew? department: Manny Ramirez's home run earlier this season against Seattle's Horacio Ramirez was the first-ever Ramirez-off-Ramirez home run in baseball history. You can find out this and other interesting facts in USA Today's story about home run historian David Vincent.

An observation from the blog Sedition in Red Sox Nation, inspired by the ESPN series The Bronx is Burning: "Reggie Jackson was a lot like Manny Ramirez back in the day. If only Reggie didn't talk to the press, he might have been Reggie being Reggie long before Manny started being Manny.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:04 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Brilliant Dice-K; Barry and Bud

Sean McAdam joins us once again for projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. He talks about last night's winning performance by Daisuke Matsuzaka, Bud Selig's surprise decision to visit San Francisco, the possibility of trading Kason Gabbard, and tonight's Josh Beckett-Fausto Carmona matchup.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

What Matsuzaka did right: "The ability to get ahead and not get caught up in a high pitch count early, and command so that he wasn't walking people. He had the one walk and the one hit batsman in the first inning, but after that he was pretty efficient and able to get ahead in the count and sort of dictate the game."

On Selig's decision: "I think all the signals that he has sent ... it was certainly logical to conclude that he was not interested in being there for these games. ... When the [Braves-Giants] series got under way Monday and he wasn't there, that reinforced that notion. And it seems like -- and I'm guessing here, because I don't know this to be the case -- it's almost as if somebody he respected, whether it was some other owners or some Hall of Fame players, or somebody, got to him and said, 'Look, as much as you don't want to do this, I think you have to.' And so, with great reluctance and issuing that sort of proviso about innocent until proven guilty, it does seem like he's trying to play this a little too far down the middle."

On Gabbard: "I don't think he's a guy that projects to be a real front-line starter in the big leagues. ... The smart thing might be for the Red Sox to look around, acknowledge that teams are absolutely desperate for any kind of pitching they can get. Here's a guy who's only 25, and is left-handed, and has value, but whose value will probably never exceed what it is right now. So if you can trick someone into believing that Kason Gabbard is destined to be some All-Star left-hander, then I think that might be the wise move."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:23 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, July 25

AP photo / Ron Schwane

DUELING ACES: In a game that turned on a single play, the Red Sox picked up their fifth consecutive victory last night, beating the Cleveland Indians, 1-0, despite a dominant performance by Indians starter C.C. Sabathia. Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka wasn't as much in control of Sabathia, but he had enough to keep the Indians off the scoreboard through seven innings, stranding eight baserunners along the way. Then it was the usual excellent relief work by Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon. The goat of the evening was Cleveland's Ben Francisco, who misjudged Mike Lowell's lazy fly ball, allowing what should have been the third out of the fourth inning to drop for an RBI single. Francisco failed to atone for his mistake in the ninth inning, when he struck out to end the game.

BACK FROM THE DEAD: That might seem like a good description for Manny Delcarmen's season. Delcarmen, who struggled mightily as the Red Sox fell out of contention last season, started poorly in Pawtucket. Then came a tongue-lashing from PawSox manager Ron Johnson, which Joe McDonald describes in detail today, and it has all turned around. The other pitcher on the receiving end of that talking-to from Johnson, fellow reliever Craig Hansen, continues to search for consistency, although he has been better in the past month -- a period in which Hansen has struck out 20 batters in 15 innings pitched.

TWICE THE HERO: Speaking of the PawSox, Brandon Moss was the hero for the second night in a row. Monday night at McCoy, Moss hit an RBI single in the 10th inning to score Joe McEwing with the game-winner against Louisville. Then last night, in Toledo, he hit an RBI triple in the ninth, breaking a tie as Pawtucket won, 3-2. Moss is hitting .343 over his last 10 games.

THANK YOU JON: Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated says the Jon Lester story is just what sports fans need in this week of lurid news about Michael Vick, Barry Bonds and Tim Donaghy.

GAUGING THE MARKET: Sean McAdam says it's likely that Wily Mo Pena will be wearing someone else's uniform by this time next week. He also thinks that now may be the time to trade Kason Gabbard, while the young lefty's stock is high. Nick Cafardo of The Globe says that if you took a poll of the players, they would prefer that the Red Sox do nothing before the trade deadline. Rob Bradford's account of the postgame scene last night in the Red Sox clubhouse would suggest the same thing (Boston Herald).

TRADING IN SECRETS: Bradford also quotes Jonathan Papelbon today as saying that displaying the radar-gun readings at games gives hitters an unfair advantage.

NOW, THE REAL NEWS: The Globe has a profile today of LMontro (born Angel Lucas Pena), the unofficial Red Sox team barber. You may remember him from Tina Cervasio's hotel-room interview on NESN with Manny Ramirez earlier this year. "Each of these guys is like a character, and each one has their thing -- Papi's beard, [Dustin] Pedroia's sideburns, [Mike] Lowell's little mustache," LMontro tells The Globe. "The Yankees are all shaved and boring."

SPEAKING OF WHICH: This has been a good time for the Red Sox to get hot, because the Yankees continue to pound away at the plate and roll up wins. Last night, they jumped out to a 7-0 lead off Kansas City starter Scott Elarton (who now sports a 10.46 E.R.A.) and kept it in cruise control for a 9-4 win over Kansas City. Johnny Damon said after the game that if the Yanks keep hitting this way, they're playoff-bound (N.Y. Post). New York is certainly in a win-win situation right now, because even if they have failed to gain any ground the last two nights on the Red Sox, they have managed to trim Cleveland's wild-card lead to four and a half games.

STANDING PAT? After a meeting of the brass in Tampa, the Yanks appear in no hurry to rock the boat before the trade deadline. But one new face you might see is Joba Chamberlain's. The 21-year-old pitcher has just been promoted to Scranton/Wilkes Barre, and indications are he might be Bronx-bound before the end of the year (both N.Y. Daily News).

FROM A-ROD, WITH LOVE: Alex Rodriguez credits his mother for his work ethic and accomplishments (N.Y. Post).

THE RIGHT THING? Bud Selig isn't winning too many plaudits with his decision to attempt to be there when Barry Bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home-run record, but Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports believes Selig made the right decision. Rosenthal adds that Selig's public statement announcing his decision struck the correct balance: "By appearing to adopt the stance favored by Bonds supporters — he never tested positive, never was proven to have used performance-enhancing drugs — Selig achieved his true intended purpose, which was to point out that we might be looking at, well, a fraud."

THE DRUMBEAT GOES ON: A chemist who worked for Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative tells HBO that Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield both used drugs given to them by BALCO (N.Y. Times). The chemist, Patrick Arnold, is credited with creating "the clear," a previously undetectable steroid that BALCO supplied to athletes.

SPREADING THE PAIN: It's been tough for the Angels to watch Ervin Santana's struggles this season (the promising pitcher was recently demoted to AAA), and now, according to one account, Santana's failure to right himself may have cost the Angels the chance of acquiring Mark Teixeira (L.A. Times).

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The night after he announced plans to retire, Craig Biggio hit a grand-slam home run to lead the Astros past the Dodgers (projo stats).

A SAFETY MOVE: Colorado Rockies first-base coach Glenallen Hill has decided to wear a batting helmet on the job, a reaction to the death of minor-league coach Mike Coolbaugh after Coolbaugh was hit by a foul ball (projo stats).

END OF THE UNIT? Randy Johnson last night acknowledged the possibility that his career may be over. (projo stats)

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:04 AM to Projo Sox Crawl | Permalink