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July 21, 2007
David Ortiz, who suffered a strained left shoulder Friday night, is out of the starting lineup today.
An MRI taken today at Massachusetts General Hospital before the game did not show any structural damage to the shoulder and Ortiz is listed as day-to-day.
Ortiz suffered the injury while trying to stretch a single into a double. His headfirst slide not only wasn't successful -- he was tagged out -- he also landed hard on the shoulder.
This afternoon, it was clear that Ortiz's shoulder was sore. He yanked his T-shirt off with his right hand while his left arm hung limp at his side, and Ortiz winced as he performed that task.
Manager Terry Francona said that Ortiz would have additional tests on his shoulder, but that he already had passed a strength test in the bruised area.
"He's like we expected. He's stiff and sore. No surprises," said Francona after chatting in his office with Ortiz for about 10 minutes after the Sox' designated hitter arrived in the cloubhouse.
Francona was in his office, having been thrown out of last night's game, when Ortiz made his ill-fated dash to second base.
"I almost fell off the couch. It was like an earthquake," joked Francona.
Francona turned serious when asked how he feels whenever he sees his mammoth DH sliding.
"That's a big body. There's a lot of force when he hits the ground, but you have to play the game," said Francona of Ortiz, who is 6-foot-4 and charitably (unbelievably?) listed at 230 pounds.
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 1:36 PM | Permalink
