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Scranton-WB 9, Pawtucket 3

PAWTUCKET – Already out of the playoff picture, Pawtucket was playing for pride yesterday, and the opportunity to finish out the season with a .500 record.

In order to finish the season 71-71, the PawSox needed to win their remaining five games.

But the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Yankees didn’t take it easy on the PawSox last night, even though they had already locked up the International League North regular-season title.

Scranton Wilkes/Barre defeated the PawSox, 9-3.

“We made a couple of mistakes, had a few physical breakdowns, and they capitalized on every one,” Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson said. “That’s probably why the won the division and are a playoff bound club. You got to tip your hat to them.”

Pawtucket starter Mike Burns pitched well in four of his 5 1/3 innings outing, striking out six batters, but he gave up four runs on five hits in the momentum-shifting fourth inning and fell to 4-9 on the season with the loss.

“I thought Burns did a pretty good job,” Johnson said. “When you look at it, it wasn’t like there was a lot of bullets hit all over the ballpark, but hey, that’s why that club is where they are. You can’t take anything away from them.”

Facing Kei Igawa, who was a bust (2-3, 6.79 ERA) for the New York Yankees after they bid over $26 million dollars just to talk to him and then signed him to a five-year, 20 million dollar contract on Dec. 27, 2006, George Kottaras ripped a two-out RBI double down the left-field line that scored Jeff Bailey and gave Pawtucket a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Kottaras was 2-for-3 last night with two doubles and an RBI. He is hitting .320 (33-for-103) with six home runs, 11 doubles, and 21 RBI in his last 29 games.

“He did a real nice job,” Johnson said of Kottaras. “George has finished up very strong here. He’s done a real nice job. There is a lot of life in his bat and it’s fun to watch him.”
Pawtucket’s lead was short-lived.

Scranton/Wilkes Barre scored four runs with two outs in the top of the fourth inning to take control of the game.

Wil Nieves began the Yankees’ slugfest with an infield RBI single. Mike Kinkade scored from third base on the play and Eric Duncan advanced to second base. Juan Francia drove in Duncan with a single hit to right field and Nieves sprinted to third base on the hit.

Both Francia and Nieves scored when Kevin Thompson blasted a double down the left-field line.

Pawtucket didn’t go away quietly. Bobby Scales, who has at least one hit in nine of his last 10 games, crushed his 11th home run of the season – a two-run bomb sent over the fence in left field – to cut Scranton/Wilkes Barre’s lead to 4-3.

In the top of the fifth, Scales tried to make what would have been an amazing diving catch in shallow right field on a Kinkade blooper, but the ball dropped in and bounced over his head. Instead of a single, Kinkade ended up with a triple.

It appeared that Burns was going to get out of the inning unscathed when he struckout Bronson Sardinha for the second out, and then Alberto Gonzalez hit a routine grounder to second base. But Jed Lowrie misplayed the ball and Kinkade scored on the error to give the Yankees a 5-3 cushion.

Edgar Martinez came on to pitch for Pawtucket in the sixth inning, but he didn’t fare much better. He allowed four runs on four hits in 2 1/3 innings.

The Yankees padded their lead in the top of the eighth inning when Jose Cruz, Jr. hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Juan Francia. Then after Doug Mientkiewicz hit a RBI sacrifice fly to right field, Bronson Sardinha hit a bases loaded RBI single to left field, scoring Thompson.

Pawtucket inserted Craig Hansen to stop the bleeding but he couldn’t. Alberto Gonzalez belted a ground-rule double down the right field line that scored Cruz and Kinkade and extended Scranton Wilkes/Barre’s lead to 9-3.

Igawa pitched seven innings and limited Pawtucket to just three runs on five hits with nine strikeouts. Of his 101 pitches, 71 of them were strikes.

“Igawa threw the ball really well,” Johnson said. “We only got five hits on the night. We got the most of it though. We got three runs on five hits.”

NOTE: The PawSox will play a double-header today with the first game beginning at 12:30 p.m. and the second at 6:05 p.m. Fans will not be allowed to enter McCoy Stadium until 4:45 for the nightcap instead of the normal two hours prior to game time. The gates will open at 10:30 a.m. for the 12:30 p.m. first game.

--ROB LEE

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 10:51 PM to PawSox | Permalink

Wakefield Scratched; Tavarez Moved Up

Less than two hours before tonight's scheduled first pitch, Red Sox' knuckleballer Tim Wakefield has been scratched from the start because of tightness in his back.

Julian Tavarez, who was scheduled to pitch tomorrow night, instead will replace Wakefield. Tomorrow's starter is listed as TBA, but right-hander Clay Buchholz is likely to be called up for the start. His last start was last Monday in Rochester, when he coughed up five runs (three earned) in 5 1/3 innings. He'd be pitching on a normal four days of rest.

Wakefield first mentioned back woes after a superb seven-inning shutout performance on the road against Tampa Bay on Aug. 20. He threw only 77 pitches that night, but was taken out after seven innings with the team boasting a big lead for precautionary mesaures.

The right-hander tossed seven shutout innings on the road against the White Sox last Saturday in his start after the outing against the Devil Rays. He has thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 5:17 PM | Permalink

Pregame Notes, Aug. 31

-- Manager Terry Francona said a short time ago that there will be a "couple, three callups" tomorrow when the teams can expand their rosters and maybe a few more when the Triple A season ends on Monday.

Francona said he didn't think he was supposed to announce tomorrow's promotions until after tonight's game, but two of them are expected to be outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury and veteran shortstop Royce Clayton from Pawtucket.

Right-hander Clay Buchholz is a lock to be called up from the PawSox after Monday's finale, and it's possible another right-hander, Devern Hansack, could get the call, too. Left-hander Jon Lester, who was sent to Portland last week, also will rejoin Boston when the rosters expand.

Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson will spend a little time at home before joining the Red Sox for the rest of the season.

-- J.D. Drew, who went 5 for 30 (.167) on the 10-game road trip, said he is expecting a better performance in September.

"I felt like I took some pretty good swings (on the trip). Hopefully it carries over into September. Everything's going to be fine," said Drew, who is batting .257 with a mere 7 homers and 46 RBI.

-- Designated hitter David Ortiz said the absence of Manny Ramirez (oblique) in the lineup doesn't add to his load.

"It's a tough situation, but I feel no pressure," said Ortiz. "I just try to do my best."

-- Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard, who is 13-5 with a 3.16 earned-run average (fifth in the A.L.) and a league-leading 221 strikeouts, will be held out of his start in this series because of a muscle pull in his side.

"You don't want to lose any young pitcher to injury. This kid's a rising star in our league. Am I sad we're not facing him? No. No. The kid's tough," said Francona.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:27 PM | Permalink

Manny Has MRI

Manny Ramirez, the Sox' slugging left fielder who had to be taken out of Tuesday night's game and missed the next two in Yankee Stadium because of a strained right oblique, had an MRI yesterday.

The Sox wanted to see just how much fluid has built up in the injured area, but manager Terry Francona just said in his daily press briefing that the results aren't in yet.

Francona added that he does not know how long Ramirez will be out of action. Sometimes the injury can keep a player out a week or two weeks, he said.

"The minute he can play, he will," said Francona.

But Francona said the Sox will have to be careful with him.

"It's the type of injury that if you try to rush and go too fast (with a return to action), you can lose somebody for a lot longer. That doesn't help. We'll manage it as best we can," he said.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:20 PM | Permalink

Starting Lineups, Aug. 31

BOSTON

Pedroia 2b
Youkilis 1b
Ortiz dh
Lowell 3b
Drew rf
Crisp cf
Hinske lf
Lugo ss
Cash c

Wakefield p

BALTIMORE

Roberts 2b
Patterson cf
Markakis rf
Tejada ss
Millar dh
Huff 1b
Mora 3b
R. Hernandez c
Payton lf

Liz p

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:17 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: A depressing series; look out next time

Just back from New York, Sean McAdam joins us for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: the two big problems about this week; the Yankees' late-season dominance of the Red Sox; Joba Chamberlain vs. Kevin Youkilis; the reversed call on the double play in the seventh inning; the always disappointing J.D. Drew; and an encouraging start from Curt Schilling.

Following are some excerpts from Sean's comments.

On the sweep: "The Red Sox know that the Yankees would be pretty formidable in October, and that's half of the problem of what happened the last three days. Not only did the Red Sox not pull away and wrap up the division, but they had an opportunity to really damage the Yankees' playoff hopes ... and they failed to do that."

On the Chamberlain incident: "I think there's definitealy some carryover effect there. ... A number of [Red Sox] players in the clubhouse were talking about, 'There's still three games left,' and 'This is to be continued,' and 'We'll revisit this.' And for whatever reason, Youkilis seems to be in the middle of this all the time. You remember that he got buzzed by Scott Proctor [earlier this season], and yesterday for reasons no one can quite figure out he was the target of Joba Chamberlain."

On Drew's awful series: "You'd be hard-pressed to remember three games in which Drew had worse at-bats. I think there was one single in the first game that was hard hit from Drew, and that was about it. Everything else was the sort of rollover groundball to the right side, or in yesterday's case the groundball to the left side that started the infamous double play [involving Youkilis being called safe, then out]. ... For Drew not to be able to come through and not fill the void [left by Manny Ramirez's absence] is just one more series of disappointments in what has been an always disappointing first seaosn in Boston."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:14 AM to McAdam | Permalink | Comments 6

Baseball today: Friday, August 31

REALITY CHECK: They still have the best record in baseball, and the only lead bigger than theirs is the Angels' in the A.L. West. (And even at that, their edge is 5 and LA of A's is 5 1/2.) But things never feel rosy in Red Sox Nation after being swept by the Yankees, especially a sweep in which they managed only 13 hits and 3 runs in three games. It was all capped by a putrid offensive showing in a 5-0 loss yesterday. Sean McAdam thinks it's too early to tell if these were ''merely demoralizing losses. . . [or if] the division title has been put back in play.'' Fact is, the division title is the Sox' to lose; their remaining schedule is such that if they simply go out and take care of business it would take an unprecedented hot streak by the Yankees for them to be overtaken. But the New York Post's George King sums it up pretty well when he writes: ''The $200 million elephant dressed in Yankees pinstripes is in the room and the Red Sox can’t ignore it. The Yankees might not catch them, but the Red Sox know their blood rivals can beat them.'' The Sox get three chances -- Sept. 14, 15 and 16 at Fenway Park -- to prove the opposite.

Dustin Pedroia and hitting coach Dave Magadan watch the final inning of the Sox' final loss in New York from the top step of the dugout. AP Photo

HERE WE GO AGAIN: But, as the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy writes, it's never just baseball with these two teams. As an example may we present Joba Chamberlain getting ejected after throwing a pair of pitches over the head of Kevin Youkilis in the ninth inning. (projo.com) The Yankees, as expected, were righteously indignant, saying there was no logical reason why Chamberlain would be throwing at Youkilis and that the rookie was just nervous. (New York Daily News) The Daily News' John Harper agrees, saying the Red Sox are ''crazy'' if they think the pitches were intentional. In the Post, Mike Vaccaro says Chamberlain was an innocent victim of this rivalry's heated past. But the Red Sox, says the Boston Herald, aren't buying it. And the Globe's Nick Cafardo thinks Chamberlain ''knowingly or not, seemed to kick the Red Sox when they were down . . . [And] there will be reverberations that will spill over to the next series Sept. 14-16 at Fenway.''

I WONDER . . . Peter Abraham is one of the few New York media members not willing to parrot the Yankee party line on the incident. On the LoHud Yankees Blog he writes, ''I am not accusing Chamberlain of anything. But there’s plenty of evidence that suggests this may not have been an accident. Pitchers have been trying to make hitters think for 100 years.'' He also notes that Chamberlain lockers next to Roger Clemens and ''Roger is as old school as it gets in baseball. I have no idea if Roger told him to dust Youkilis. But would I bet my house against it? Would you?''

AMEN: Abraham concludes: ''This is why Yanks-Sox is what it is and the rest of baseball [can] only envy the passion. There is nothing like it in the sport.''

THE REAL NEWS: What the Yankees actually did over these last three days was take control of the wild-card race, writes Bill Madden of the Daily News.

SILENT TYPE: Even though we're at a point in the season when people would be very interested in what he has to say -- like about yesterday's start in New York -- Curt Schilling has pretty much stopped posting to his Web site. (He's only made three entries in August.) He's still talking to the mainstream media, though, and the Herald's Steve Buckley reports Schilling was disappointed in his performance, even though he only allowed two runs in six innings.

WHIPPING BOY: Not a day goes by without somebody, somewhere, trashing the disappointing, underachieving J.D. Drew. Today it's the Herald's Tony Massarotti.

SEE YOU SOON: Royce Clayton has joined the PawSox in anticipation of a September callup to Boston and is looking forward to joining the Red Sox. (projo.com)

MANNY'S REPLACEMENT . . . while he's recuperating from a strained oblique muscle may be Jacoby Ellsbury. He's played left field for the PawSox for the last couple of games -- concidence? -- and last night saved the team's 3-2 win over Buffalo with a diving catch in left-center field, after which he got up and threw out a runner at second base for the final out. (projo.com)

BREAKING THE RULES: The Yankees have decided to amend the Joba Rules and won't be quite as strict about his usage patterns. (New York Daily News)

YOUTH WILL BE SERVED: The Post's Joel Sherman says the Yankees are paying the dividends of the 180-degree shift in organizational philosophy instituted by Brian Cashman in 2005.

SO WILL EXPERIENCE: FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry lists 36-year-old Jorge Posada on his All-Underrated Team.

HE SPEAKS! Mike Mussina ended his two-day media boycott and discussed being lifted from the Yankee rotation. (New York Daily News) He said the move caught him ''off-guard'' and that he needed a little time to ''simmer down'' before talking publicly.

THE GODS ARE WITH US: The New York Times reports that the squirrel that was climbing the right-field foul pole at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night may be, according to Norse mythology, a bad sign for the Yankees.

TO THE RESCUE: The Orioles come to town tonight and, as the Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck details, there may not be a team performing as badly as Baltimore is right now.

WHY THE YANKEES ARE THE SECOND STORY IN NEW YORK: The Mets are imploding with a suddenness that defies rational belief. The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Hagen says logic dictates the Phillies can't catch the Mets, but then asks ''[are] you going to believe what history and common sense and cold, hard logic tell you? Or are you going to believe your eyes?'' Eyes were popping all over Philly yesterday as the Phils scored three runs off Billy Wagner in the eighth and ninth innings and completed a four-game sweep, cutting New York's N.L. East lead to two. (Philadelphia Daily News) Rhode Island's Jim Salisbury, the Inquirer's main baseball writer, asks ''Do you believe yet?'', and adds that the Phillies do. As for the Mets, David Wright says they have to turn the page quickly . . . or else. (New York Daily News) The Post's Jay Greenberg, though, thinks there's plenty of time to right the ship.

THE RACES -- A.L. CENTRAL: The Tigers won yesterday and Jim Leyland thinks there's plenty of time for his team to climb out of the hole its in. (Detroit News) But they didn't gain any ground on the Indians, who scored in the bottom of the ninth to beat the reeling Mariners. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

I'M WITH YOU: Seattle has lost six straight and is plummeting in both the A.L. West and wild-card races. But their former manager, Mike Hargrove -- who lives in Cleveland and spent years with the Indians as a player and manager -- says he feels ''more a Mariner'' than he does an Indian and still follows the team closely despite his abrupt resignation two months ago. (Both stories Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

THE RACES -- N.L. CENTRAL: The Cubs beat the Brewers (Chicago Tribune) and the Astros beat the Cardinals (Houston Chronicle).

WISH LIST: SI.com's John Donovan examines what each contender needs to have happen down the stretch. For the Red Sox, it's that J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis start hitting.

OZZIE BEING OZZIE: Ozzie Guillen launched into quite the tirade against his players after they lost Wednesday night. (Chicago Sun-Times)

LOCAL BOYS: The blog The Good Phight gives a little love to Davey Lopes.

QUICKLY: Esteban Loiaza is shocked to be leaving the A's (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Oakland's Rich Harden says he's came back too soon from his arm woes and is going to be more cautious this time around (San Jose Mercury News) . . . Vernon Wells may need shoulder surgery (Toronto Globe and Mail) . . . The Tigers are mulling whether or not to bring back the declining Ivan Rodriguez (Detroit News) . . . The Rangers are happy with manager Ron Washington, and they proved it by picking up his 2009 contract option (Dallas Morning News).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:52 AM | Permalink

Game story: Yankees 5, Red Sox 0

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

NEW YORK –- Like a storm whose full impact can’t be measured in the short-term, it was too soon for the Red Sox to assess how much damage the Yankees inflicted with their series sweep, capped by Thursday’s 5-0 shutout.

If the Sox hold off the Yankees – their lead has been sheared to five with 28 to play – these three games will be viewed as merely demoralizing losses. If, on the other hand, the division title has been put back in play and the Yankees have been emboldened by their wins here, then the impact will obviously be much greater.

But Thursday, as they trudged out of Yankee Stadium, this much was unmistakable: the Red Sox lost an opportunity here.

''Oh, no question,’’ agreed Curt Schilling, the losing pitcher.

An opportunity to put the Yankees out of the running for first place in the division was squandered. So, too, was a chance to worsen their rivals’ wild-card chances and help ensure that they won’t have to meet them in the ALCS in October.

''We lost,’’ said Schilling. ''We lost and got out-pitched three days in a row.’’

Only three days ago, the Red Sox led by eight, and the Yankees were reeling from a poor road trip that ended with an embarrassing 16-0 loss in Detroit the night before this series began.

But whatever edge the Sox had in momentum quickly dissipated.

''Both teams played exactly the opposite of how they had been playing before coming into the series,'' Schilling said. ''We didn’t play well (in the series) and they did.''

Schilling kept the Sox close, allowing only two solo homers, both to Robinson Cano – one in the third, another in the fifth. The first came on a fastball, the second on a hanging splitter.

Chien-Ming Wang, meanwhile, held the Sox hitless through six innings before the Sox showed some life in the seventh. Kevin Youkilis reached first when Derek Jeter’s throw from short pulled Jason Giambi off the bag.

With Giambi holding Youkilis on at first, Mike Lowell drove a pitch to right for the first hit of the afternoon for the Red Sox.

J.D. Drew then hit a roller to third. Alex Rodriguez charged the ball and attempted to tag Youkilis, who eluded the third baseman’s glove and advanced to third as Drew was thrown out at first.

The Sox thought they had runners at second and third with just one out. They were wrong.

The umpiring crew gathered and overturned the call, ruling that Youkilis had gone out of the baseline – replays indicated he had stepped on the infield grass – and the Sox were reduced to one baserunner (Lowell at second) and two out.

Terry Francona stormed from the dugout and got himself ejected for the fifth time this season. When Wang fanned Jason Varitek for the third out, both the inning and the afternoon were effectively over. .

''I know it’s a judgment call,'' Francona said. ''What upset me was it was (second-base umpire) Derryl Cousins’ call and it was overturned by (third-base umpire Mark Carlson) without as good a view. That was frustrating. I think they should have used the (opinion) of the umpire with the best view.''

Explained Cousins: ''On the play, we had a little lack of communication. I had a safe call for no tag. Carlson was making the call on (being) out of the baseline. We just had to get together to make sure we had it right.''

The Yankees piled on with three more off Hideki Okajima in the eighth and now head into the final four weeks with potential paths to October.

Asked to assess how the race had changed in the last 72 hours, Francona said: ''I look at it that we lost today and we’re not very pleased about it …We need to show up and play the games and whatever our record is at the end of the season, that’s what it will be.''

That bit of Zen mastery may not do much to ease the angst felt by Red Sox fans who viewed this week as an opportunity to put the Yankees in the rear view mirror – permanently. But from where the Red Sox now sit, the Yankees are very much visible.

''We’ve spent all year playing it one at a time and turning the page,'' said Schilling. ''Now we’ll see how good we are at doing that.''

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:33 PM | Permalink

Red Sox journal: Chamberlain reignites the rivalry with two high-and-tight pitches to Youkilis

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

NEW YORK – The Red Sox and Yankees, it seems, can’t get through a series without some bad blood surfacing.

In the ninth inning Thursday, Yankee rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain threw two consecutive fastballs over the head of Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis, leading to Chamberlain’s immediate ejection by home plate umpire Angel Hernandez.

''If that young man was trying to get our attention,'' said Terry Francona, ''he did a very good job. I can’t read someone else’s mind – you’ll have to ask him (about his intent).''

''It is what it is,'' said Youkilis after the game. ''Two balls over my head at 98 mph, I don’t know. Who knows? All I know is that this is the second time [he’s had an incident with the Yankees]. Scott Proctor threw up around my head (back in April). Coincidence? I don’t know. [Chamberlain’s] got a 0.00 ERA and control of the strike zone.''

Yankee manager Joe Torre was adamant Chamberlain wasn’t throwing at Youkilis, saying the youngster, pitching in the ninth inning against the Red Sox for the first time, was nervous. ''The umpires have be schooled somehow so they have a better sense of the game,'' said Torre.

''It’s sad that it happened,’’ said Chamberlain. ''There was no maliciousness behind it. I’m out there trying to win games. I have too much respect for the game.''

Crew chief Derryl Cousins came out and spoke to the media, explaining why Chamberlain was ejected.

''There’s more than a little bit of history between these clubs,'' he said. ''Those were two pretty nasty pitches the young man threw. Up here, you need to be a little better throwing strikes and we just had to put a lid on it before there was a problem.''

The teams, of course, meet three more times from Sept. 14-16 in Fenway.

''It will be interesting to see how that plays out,'' said Youkilis.

Francona furious at MLB
Francona was livid that Major League Baseball sent a security agent into the dugout in the bottom of the second inning Wednesday night to check on his uniform.

Francona has been given multiple warnings about wearing pullover tops instead of the standard-issue uniform top. He’s explained to MLB officials that he wears the pullovers to keep himself warm, since, even in the middle of summer, he often feels chills because of side effects of some blood-thinning medication he takes.

MLB officials have suggested that he wear the uniform top underneath the pullover, which Francona has been doing. He showed that to MLB Vice President Bob Watson an hour before Wednesday night’s game.

But in an apparent effort to make sure that he hadn’t discarded the uniform once the game started, MLB sent an RSA (resident security agent) into the dugout, who pulled Francona into the runway leading to the dugout and examined the uniform.

''That’s about as embarrassed as I’ve been for baseball in a long time,'' fumed Francona. ''When Derek Jeter is on second base and I’ve got someone asking to check my uniform, I was a little perturbed . . . I asked him, ‘Can this wait a second?’ He told me no.

''Unless this guy can put on a bunt play, he ought to stay out of the (expletive) dugout.’’

When asked if the Sox had any avenue to appeal the action, Francona said: ''I think all the cursing I did to the guy up in the tunnel was appeal enough.''

Ramirez expected to be sidelined for a week
Manny Ramirez is scheduled to be examined again Friday by Red Sox physicians. Privately, the Sox are expecting that Ramirez will be out another week.

Kielty ready to return
Meanwhile, Bobby Kielty took some swings in the cage yesterday morning to test his back and reported improvement. Kielty came out of Tuesday night’s game because of back spasms, then was sent back to the team’s hotel in Manhattan Wednesday so his back wouldn’t stiffen while sitting in the dugout.

''I took some swings and felt better,'' said Kielty after the game. ''I feel better.''

Kielty added that he expects to be available Friday night when the Sox host the Orioles.

Here and there
-- Mike Lowell extended his hitting streak to 11 games with his single to right in the seventh. Lowell has three hitting streaks of 10 games or more this season

-- Lowell’s hit was the first off Chien-Ming Wang, who no-hit the Sox for the first six innings.

-- Ironically, Francona had been asked why, with Ramirez out, he had Lowell hitting fifth instead of cleanup. “(Wang) has been tough on Mike,’’ said Francona. Before yesterday, Lowell was hitting only .158 (3-for-19) against Wang.

-- Hideki Okajima was charged with three runs in the eighth as the game got away from the Sox. The three runs were the most against the lefty in an appearance this season. In fact, the three runs equaled the amount of runs that Okajima yielded in the first two months of the season.

-- The Sox dropped to 29-13 in days games and saw their three-game winning streak in day games snapped.

-- Thanks to a pulled oblique muscle, the Sox will miss Baltimore ace lefty Erik Bedard twice in the next 10 days. Going into yesterday, Bedard led the American League in strikeouts (221) and opponents batting average against (.212) and is tied for fourth in ERA (3.16).

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:48 PM | Permalink

No-hitter over...fun just beginning

A single to right by Mike Lowell has ended Chien-Ming Wang's no-hit bid. Kevin Youkilis reached on an error by Derek Jeter, and Lowell singled him to second.

Then, J.D. Drew hit a roller to Alex Rodriguez, who missed a tag on Youkilis heading to third before throwing out Drew at first.
But....upon further review...the umpires huddled and decided -- correcntly, it seems -- that Youkilis has run out of the basepaths, and he was ruled out.

Terry Francona emerged from the dugout like he was spring-loaded and in no time, was run, his fifth ejection of the season.

NY 2 BOS 0, bot 7

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments 2

In This Afternoon's Performance, the Part of Dave Righetti....

It's the bottom of the sixth in the Bronx and your Red Sox are hitless against Chien-Ming Wang.

Like Roger Clemens the night before, Wang has had his problems with control, walking four. But he's yet to give up a hit.

The closest so far: a sparkling play by Jason Giambi, who went diving to his right to take a hit away from Dustin Pedroia with two gone in the third.

This marks the second time in as many games that the Sox have been held without a hit through five innings.

Curt Schilling has pitched pretty well, escept where Robinson Cano is concerned. Cano has two solo homers to account for the only two runs of the game.

NY 2 BOS 0, through 6

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:56 PM | Permalink

Lineups for the finale

Boston

Dustin Pedroia 2b
Coco Crisp cf
David Ortiz dh
Kevin Youkilis 1b
Mike Lowell 3b
J.D. Drew rf
Jason Varitek c
Eric Hinske lf
Alex Cora ss

Curt Schilling p

NEW YORK
Johnny Damon lf
Derek Jeter ss
Bobby Abreu rf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Hideki Matsui dh
Jorge Posada c
Jason Giambi 1b
Robinson Cano 2b
Melky Cabrera cf

Chien-Ming Wang p

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 12:50 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for August 30

Hot Streaks
-Mike Lowell has a team-high 11-game hitting streak, during which he is 19 for 40 (.475).
-Mike Timlin has surrendered just two runs in 20.2 innings since the All-Star Break.

Cold Streaks
-Julio Lugo is 2 for his last 18.

Red Sox vs. Chien-Ming Wang
-Dustin Pedroia, 3 for 3 (1.000), 2 2B
-Manny Ramirez, 13 for 22 (.591), 2 HR, 4 BB
-Eric Hinske, 10 for 20 (.500), 4 2B, 2 HR, BB
-David Ortiz, 12 for 24 (.500), 3 2B, 2 HR, 5 BB
-Kevin Youkilis, 7 for 18 (.389), 3 2B, 6 BB
-Alex Cora, 5 for 16 (.313), HR
-Coco Crisp, 5 for 17 (.294), 3B, BB
-Julio Lugo, 6 for 28 (.214), 2B, 5 BB
-Mike Lowell, 3 for 19 (.158), 2B, 3 BB
-Jason Varitek, 1 for 12 (.083), HR
-Bobby Kielty, 0 for 3
-J.D. Drew, 0 for 6
-Wang is 4-4 with a 4.78 E.R.A. in 10 career appearances (nine starts) against Boston. This season, he is 2-1 with a 4.50 E.R.A. in three starts.

Yankees vs. Curt Schilling
-Wilson Betemit, 1 for 2 (.500), BB
-Bobby Abreu, 14 for 37 (.378), 4 2B, BB
-Jorge Posada, 14 for 37 (.378), 4 2B, 2 HR, 4 BB
-Robinson Cano, 9 for 25 (.360), HR, BB
-Hideki Matsui, 9 for 27 (.333), 2 2B, HR, 3 BB
-Derek Jeter, 13 for 48 (.271), 2B, HR, 2 BB
-Johnny Damon, 7 for 26 (.269), 3 2B, HR, BB
-Melky Cabrera, 4 for 15 (.267), 2B, HR, BB
-Jason Giambi, 8 for 33 (.242), 2B, 4 HR, 2 BB
-Alex Rodriguez, 9 for 39 (.231), 2B, 4 HR, 2 BB
-Jose Molina, 0 for 3
-Schilling is 7-6 with a 4.84 E.R.A. in 22 career appearances (17 starts) against New York. This season, he is 0-1 with a 7.00 E.R.A. in three starts against the Yanks.

More Stuff
-Mike Timlin's next appearance will be the 1,000th of his career, making him one of only 13 pitchers to reach that milestone.
-The Red Sox are 5-12 in one-run games since June 26.
-The Red Sox are 29-12 in day games, the best record in the majors.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:55 AM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Back to the old anemic offense

Sean McAdam joins us from Yankee Stadium for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. Today's topics of conversation: can this team succeed without Manny Ramirez? Terry Francona's decision to stay with Beckett into the seventh last night; Curt Schilling's keys to success today; the Yankees' playoff hopes getting better and better; Julian Tavarez vs. Clay Buchholz; and who might get called up from the minors in the week ahead (aside from Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and Buchholz).

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

Life without Manny: "Certainly a six-game lead with 30 to go is fairly comfortable, but if Manny is out indeed for an extended stretch, it's going to be a little bit more difficult, there's no getting around that."

On staying with Beckett: "I don't have any problem with him going out for the seventh. In fact, as angry as Beckett was for leaving that curveball out over the middle of the plate for A-Rod to hit out, he still said he felt strong and good and could have finished the inning."

On potential call-ups: "Certainly [Royce] Clayton. That was the reason he was signed, to give them an experienced middle infielder down the stretch if anything were to happen to Cora, Lugo or Pedroia. Clayton is someone who could play either position and has done so for a long time in the big leagues. ... Kevin Cash. Doug Mirabelli is eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend, but Cash will stick around to give them the flexibility of a third catcher. Maybe one other pitcher ... but for a team in contention, they would not want to have too many people hanging around here who aren't going to be useful."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 11:25 AM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Thursday, August 30

WELL-PLACED ROCKET: He wasn't the Roger Clemens of old, not with five walks, a hit batter and only two strikeouts through six innings. But he wasn't old Roger Clemens, either, and he was good enough, writes Sean McAdam, to win the battle of Texas gunslingers with Josh Beckett as the Yankees made it two in a row over the Red Sox last night, 4-3. The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy was impressed, and the New York Daily News' John Harper said it showed Clemens (above, AP Photo) could still be an important cog going forward for the Yanks. The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro adds it's exactly what they need.

A MUCH BIGGER LOSS: McAdam reports the Sox will be without Manny Ramirez indefinitely -- it could be ''weeks,'' according to a club source, though the same source also said it's more likely to be ''days'' -- because of a strained oblique muscle. That, coupled with Bobby Kielty's bad back, leaves the Sox shorthanded on the bench until Saturday, when rosters can be expanded to 40. (Putting either one on the disabled list immediately, in order to bring up reinforcements, would mean a minumum of 15 days on the shelf, and the Sox are hoping both will be back before then.) The notebook also contains items involving Saturday's starter (it'll be Julian Tavarez and not Clay Buchholz)

THE FATAL FLAW: While it certainly wasn't helped by the absence of Ramirez, the Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti says last night's feeble offensive performance could be a sign of the weakness that will sink the Sox moving forward.

DON'T ASK ME, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW: One of the weakest links in the offensive chain has -- to the front office's dismay -- proven to be J.D. Drew, who's been about a quarter of the hitter the Sox thought they were signing. And Drew himself doesn't know why that is, or what to do to fix it. (Boston Globe)

COWBOY UP: Kevin Youkilis has also been struggling at the plate, which, FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports, has led the Red Sox to look into reacquiring Kevin Millar. Rosenthal, however, adds ''talks have cooled'' and also reports it's uncertain Millar, who is playing every day in Baltimore and will be a free agent at the end of the year, would be willing to come to Boston as a part-time player.

A BREAK: The Sox won't be facing Oriole ace Erik Bedard this weekend (Washington Post), because Bedard is suffering from a strained muscle in his right side.

THE IMPORTANT STUFF: Terry Francona has had plenty of issues with Bob Watson, a vice-president of MLB's on-field operations, in the past; one of them, earlier this season, came when Watson overruled the umpires' recommendation that an opposing pitcher be suspended for deliberately throwing at a Red Sox player. So when Watson went into the Red Sox dugout last night to talk to Francona about wearing a jersey top, instead of the pullover he's worn since taking over as manager in 2004, Tito threw him out. (New York Post) And, you may have noticed, he wore the pullover last night.

OUT IN FRONT: Writing on ESPN.com, Howard Bryant says Francona has become the public face of the franchise as Theo Epstein and other front-office executives stay behind the scenes.

THE GREATEST INSULT: ESPN.com's Jim Caple, who grew up rooting for the Red Sox, says the 2004 championship has Sox fans acting like Yankee fans and he has no use for his former compadres. (''As soon as the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, Boston fans took on a swaggering, entitled persona, acting as if they alone invented sports fandom and behaving as if nothing else in baseball mattered but them.'')

DOWN ON THE FARM . . . The PawSox' season will end Monday -- no playoffs this year -- but it's ending on a good note for George Kotteras and Craig Hansen, who helped Pawtucket rally past Buffalo last night. (projo.com) Joe McDonald reports Hansen is still hoping for a September call to Boston even though he's struggled through a difficult, injury-filled season at Triple-A. (minorleaguebaseball.com) More likley to be summoned, writes Joe, are Buchholz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and Davern Hansack.

CARTER COUNTRY? It's unknown whether or not the Sox will call for newly acquired Chris Carter, but if they do, they'll be adding a life-long Red Sox fan to their roster. McDonald sat down last night for an interview with Carter prior to his first game at McCoy Stadium.

WHO'S LAUGHING NOW? The Dallas Morning News' Evan Grant thinks the Rangers did well in the Eric Gagne trade as he sings the praises of the players Texas acquired from the Red Sox.

WHO IS THIS GUY, AND WHAT HAS HE DONE WITH DICE-K? Kazuhiro Takeda, Japan's pitching coach in the World Baseball Classic, watched Daisuke Matsuzaka pitch against the Yankees on Tuesday and said ''it wasn’t even half of what'' Dick-K is capable of. (Boston Herald) Takeda spoke to Matsuzaka, who said he's ''quite tired'' -- the MLB season is longer than Japan's -- and is trying to conserve energy for the September stretch and the postseason.

LOOKING AHEAD TO OCTOBER The Herald's Steve Buckley writes that Curt Schilling needs to make a good start today to build on the momentum from last week's performance in Chicago and begin laying the groundwork for the postseason.

FORGETTING WHAT HAPPENED IN APRIL: The Daily News' Mike Lupica says the Yanks are a different team than the one that struggled through the beginning of the year.

YANKS ARE WILD: The victory lifted the Yankees into a virtual tie with the Mariners for the wild-card lead after the Angels completed a three-game sweep in Seattle. (Los Angeles Daily News) Orlando Cabrera says the M's should forget about catching LA of A in the A.L. West race and focus on the wild card (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), and the PI's Art Thiel says that what they'll have to do after a three-game series that can only be described as ''a teamwide choke''.

CHANGING THE RULES: After watching the latest Kyle Farnsworth tightrope-walk -- a two-run eighth inning that nearly cost them the game -- the Yankees will amend the Joba Rules to allow Joba Chamberlain to pitch more often. (Both stories New York Post)

KEEPING THE FAITH: Mike Mussina has refused to talk to the media since being taken out of the starting rotation, but he had a long sitdown with Joe Torre yesterday, who explained the move and says he still thinks Mussina will pitch, and pitch effectively, for the Yankees. (New York Daily News)

DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR . . . SI.com's John Donovan thinks the Yankees' decision to replace Mussina in the rotation with rookie Ian Kennedy is a sign of desperation that many teams, and managers, feel this time of year.

BACK OFF A BIT: In a reader mailbag, SI.com's Tom Verducci says he's beginning to think the Yankees' Phil Hughes ''may not be a knockout No. 1 starter the way some have anointed him''. Still, he believes Hughes has more potential than the Sox' Jon Lester.

FORGET IT: While he may not return to the Yankees next year -- he wants to play center field, but the Yanks have given the position to Melby Cabrera -- Johnny Damon says flatly he won't come back to Boston. (Boston Herald)

THE RACES -- N.L. EAST: The Phillies have pulled to within three games after winning their third straight from the Mets last night (Philadelphia Inquirer) in a game that ended when C.B. Bucknor -- there's that man again -- called interference on Marlon Anderson for his takeout slide into second with two outs in the ninth, negating the tying run from scoring and ending the game. The Mets, as you can imagine, were just thrilled with the call. (New York Post)

THE RACES -- N.L. CENTRAL: Ben Sheets' return from the disabled list was everything the Brewers hoped as they beat the Cubs and moved back into second place. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) Bryan Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Tony La Russa doesn't look so old or crazy anymore after getting the Cardinals back in the hunt, even though they lost last night and may be without Scott Rolen for a while. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark thinks Sheets' performance is exactly what the Brewers needed.

DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING: But ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski still believes the Cubs are in the driver's seat in the N.L. Central.

THE RACES -- N.L. WEST: The Diamondbacks and Padres are in a virtual tie after San Diego's 3-1 win over Arizona last night. (Arizona Republic)

IF YOU CAN HANDLE HIM . . . Rosenthal thinks Milton Bradley would be a solid addition to anybody's lineup.

QUICKLY: Esteban Loaiza was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers (Foxsports.com) . . . The Cubs are looking for help prior to tomorrow's waiver trade deadline but don't think what they're being offered is any better than what they have now (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Giants reliever Vinnie Chulk has a circulatory problem that doctors may be related to chewing tobacco. (San Francisco Chronicle) Chulk has vowed to give up his chaw . . . Ervin Santana's poor performance against the Mariners Tuesday may mean the end of his stay in the Angels' starting rotation, at least for this season (Riverside Press-Enterprise) . . . Cole Hamels threw without pain, which is good news for the Phillies (Philadelphia Inquirer).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments 1

Game story: Sox fall short 4-3

NEW YORK – This was a battle of Texas gunslingers – a past Red Sox ace matched against the present one – and on this night at least, old was better than new.
Roger Clemens, 45 years old and a dozen years after the Red Sox presumed his best days were behind him, limited the Sox to a single run over six innings while Josh Beckett, stalled in his attempt to become baseball’s first 17-game winner was knocked around for a career-high 13 hits as the Yankees grabbed a 4-3 victory.
Gaining momentum in their late-season pursuit of the front-running Red Sox, the Yankees carvied another game off the Sox’ lead. The Red Sox hold a six-game edge in the American League East heading into this afternoon’s series finale and must still face the Yankees’ best pitcher – Chien-Ming Wang.
The Sox gave themselves a late-inning chance when Kevin Youkilis hammered a homer into the seats in left off Kyle Farnsworth. The homer was the 14th of the season for Youkilis – establishing a personal best – and the fifth in a row away from home.
But the Sox fell short in their comeback, repelled by ageless Mariano Rivera, who recorded a four-out save. Rivera
Beckett, who suffered his first loss since July 31, yielded 13 hits, a career-high and the most number of hits allowed by a Red Sox starter since Curt Schilling gave up 13 on April 22, 2004 against Toronto.
Though the Yankees only scored in two of the seven innings in which Beckett pitched, the start was a game-long battle for him. Beckett didn’t have a single inning in which he retired every hitter he faced and only twice – the fourth and the fifth innings – did he face the minimum number of hitters.
When Alex Rodriguez hit a looping liner to left that got out in a hurry with two down in the seventh, Beckett’s night was through. He trudged off the mound to the derision of the partisan crowd and for an inning on so, stood at the far end of the dugout, his hands on his hips in apparent disbelief.
The Red Sox were held hitless by Clemens through the first five innings. But with one out in the sixth, the Sox snapped to no-hit bid and spoiled the shutout with a mighty swing from the bat of David Ortiz.
Ortiz drove a pitch from Clemens into the upper deck in right for his 25th homer of the season and fourth in his last five games.
The Sox hinted at a bigger inning when, with Clemens tiring, a two-out walk to Kevin Youkilis and a sharply-hit single to right by J.D. Drew gave the Sox baserunners at the corners.
But Clemens got Jason Varitek to hit an inning-ending roller to second, and was then finished for the night.
Beckett gave up a career-high 13 hits, four of them in the third when the Yankees bunched together three runs.
With Jorge Posada (single) aboard, Beckett was nearly out of the inning after Jason Giambi fouled out to first for the second out. But the inning was extended with a walk to Robinson Cano.
A single to center from No. 9 hitter Melky Cabrera produced the first run of the night and Cabrera then moved into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Beckett and Johnny Damon then engaged in an epic at-bat, with Damon expertly fouling off pitched before slicing a groundball through the shortstop hole, delivering both baserunners.
The Sox’ starter then didn’t help himself in fielding a topper to the left of the mound from Derek Jeter. A wild throw to first got past Youkilis at first base, enabling Damon to take third and Jeter to move to second.
Beckett then ended the inning by getting Bobby Abreu to ground to second.
Clemens was wild early, but the Sox couldn’t take advantage.
He walked Drew and Varitek in succession with two out in the second, but Coco Crisp ended the threat with a groundout to first.
In the third, Clemens walked Eric Hinske to lead the inning, but after a groundout by Julio Lugo and a bunt try by Pedroia advanced Hinske to second, then third, Ortiz stranded him there by flying out to the warning track in left.
Varitek drew a second walk leading off the fifth, but never moved from first as Crisp struck out swinging, Hinske flied to center and Lugo grounded to third.
Through the fifth, the Sox had managed to four baserunners – without benefit of a hit.

-----SEAN McADAM

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 10:35 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Sox Journal

NEW YORK – The news about Manny Ramirez’ injury became slightly more ominous yesterday when it was revealed that the outfielder is suffering from an oblique strain, and not, as the Red Sox first said, back spasms.
Ramirez was examined yesterday by both Dr. Stuart Hershon, the Yankees team physician, and Dr. Larry Ronan, one of a team of doctors employed by the Red Sox. They found that Ramirez was suffering from a slight strain of the left oblique muscle.
Ramirez first felt soreness in the area last week, sitting out the final game of the Red Sox series in Tampa. After playing the first three games of the four-game series in Chicago, Ramirez also sat out Sunday.
He was taken out of the game after the seventh inning Tuesday night.
A club source estimated that Ramirez could miss anywhere from ``days to weeks’’ with the injury, though the former is more likely than the latter. Ramirez told the Associated Press yesterday afternoon that he could be out of the lineup ``(M)aybe a week.’’
Oblique strains have been known to sideline players for weeks and, on rare occasions, months.
Manager Terry Francona said only that Ramirez was ``day-to-day’’ and acknowledged that he almost certainly wouldn’t play today, the series finale.
Ramirez is expected to be further examined tomorrow when the team returns home from its three-city road trip.
With reserve outfielder Bobby Kielty also temporarily sidelined with back spasms, stemming from a collision with the bullpen wall in Fenway two weeks ago, the Sox were short of players last night.
Eric Hinske was the starting left fielder last night, but the Sox had only three available outfielders last night, with shortstop Julio Lugo available in a pinch.
Rosters expand Saturday, and while the Red Sox would like to have their call-ups finish the International League season – which concludes Monday – the team doesn’t want to be caught shorthanded, either.
Jacoby Ellsbury will probably join the Sox Saturday, with Brandon Moss due Tuesday.
The Sox have changed their minds about Saturday’s starter.
The plan had been to give Clay Buchholz his second major league start. But because Buchholz has struggled in his last two outings and, correspondingly, Julian Tavarez has sparkled in his last two spot starts, the Sox are now giving the ball to Tavarez to face Baltimore.
There was also some concern about fatigue with Buchholz. He’s pitched 125 1/3 innings at Portland and Pawtucket and another six in Boston in his major league debut two weeks ago, easily the most he’s thrown in a single season.
Buchholz will still be added to the major league roster when it expands and could draw another start later in the month should the Sox clinch and want to rest some of their rotation regulars.

With Roger Clemens (353 career wins) as the opposing starter, last night marked the 25th time since Walter Johnson retired in 1927 that the Sox had faced a 300-game winner. The last two times it’s happened, Greg Maddux was the opponent: June 10, 2005 with the Cubs and this past June 22 with San Diego…Going into last night, the Sox’ bullpen had a scoreless streak of 5 2/3 innings and had allowed just three earned ruins in its last 26 2/3 innings, leading to a 1.01 ERA in that span…Seen in the crowd last night: actors Kevin Bacon, Penny Marshall, Alec Baldwin and lefthander Paul McCartney.

------SEAN McADAM

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 9:32 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Manny Back out of the Lineup

To the surprise of no one, Manny Ramirez isn't in the lineup -- and probably won't play tomorrow, either, the result of a strained left oblique which flared up again Tuesday night.
Ramirez came out of the game after the seventh inning, complaining of back spasms. This afternoon, however, the Sox clarified the diagnosis, saying that it's more of an oblique (side of the back) issue. It's a condition the Sox have been monitoring for about a week. Ramirez also missed Sunday's game in Chicago.

He was examined by Stuart Hershon after the game Tuesday, then re-examined earlier today. Dr. Larry Ronan, one of the team of Red Sox physicians, is on his way to New York to examine him further.
Given that tomorrow is a day game, with not much time for turnaround, it's highly unlikely Ramirez will play in the series finale.
``That's fairly realistic (he won't play),'' acknowledged Terry Francona.

Bobby Kielty, who also suffered from some back spasms and came out of the game after replacing Ramirez, had x-rays taken today, which revealed no structural problems. Kielty, too, is day-to-day.

The injuries have left the Sox short of outfielders, with just Eric Hinske (starting in left), Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew. Francona indicated that Julio Lugo would be the emergecy outfielder. Lugo played some outfield with the Dodgers last season.

Francona said the Sox will have replacements soon as rosters expand -- Brandon Moss and Jacoby Ellsbury are certain callups -- but the Sox would like the Pawtucket players to finish out there season first.
``If we need somebody here (before that),'' said Francona, ``we'll get them. We don't think it's necessary for them to be (here ahead of the end of the International League season), but at the same time, we don't want to be caught short.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:39 PM | Permalink

Tonight's lineups: No Manny

Not surprisingly, Manny Ramirez is not in the Red Sox' lineup for tonight's game against the New York Yankees. Here are the lineups:

Red Sox
1. Julio Lugo, ss
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2b
3. David Ortiz, dh
4. Mike Lowell, 3b
5. Kevin Youkilis, 1b
6. J.D. Drew, rf
7. Jason Varitek, c
8. Coco Crisp, cf
9. Eric Hinske, lf
P. Josh Beckett

Yankees
1. Johnny Damon, lf
2. Derek Jeter, ss
3. Bobby Abreu, rf
4. Alex Rodriguez, 3b
5. Hideki Matsui, dh
6. Jorge Posada, c
7. Jason Giambi, 1b
8. Robinson Cano, 2b
9. Melky Cabrera, cf
P. Roger Clemens

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:41 PM | Permalink

Kielty's x-rays negative

Terry Francona told WEEI radio today that x-rays on outfielder Bobby Kielty's back came back negative today. Kielty, who hurt his back crashing into the right-field wall at Fenway earlier this month, left last night's game with soreness shortly after he was put into the game in place of Manny Ramirez, who was reportedly suffering back spasms. Francona did not say if Ramirez would be available to play tonight.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:12 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for August 29

Hot Streaks
-Mike Lowell has a team-high 10-game hitting streak, during which he is 18 for 36 (.500).
-Josh Beckett has not given up more than three runs in any of his 10 starts this season away from Fenway Park. He's 9-1 on the road.
-For New York: Joba Chamberlain has pitched 10 consecutive scoreless innings over eight appearances since making his major-league debut.

Cold Streaks
-Kevin Youkilis is 0 for his last 7.
-For New York: Wilson Betemit is 0 for his last 14.

Red Sox vs. Roger Clemens
-Coco Crisp, 2 for 7 (.286)
-David Ortiz, 4 for 19 (.211), HR, 2 BB
-Mike Lowell, 2 for 11 (.182), BB
-Manny Ramirez, 9 for 50 (.180), 2B, 3 HR, 10 BB
-Jason Varitek, 3 for 19 (.158), 2B, 2 BB
-Eric Hinske, 2 for 13 (.154), 2B, BB
-Julio Lugo, 1 for 9 (.111), 2B
-J.D. Drew, 0 for 2, BB
-Alex Cora, 0 for 3
-Bobby Kielty, 0 for 5, BB
-Clemens is 8-5 with a 3.85 E.R.A. in 19 regular-season starts against Boston. He last faced them during in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series, when he picked up a no decision while giving up four runs (three earned) in three innings pitched. We all know how that one ended.

Yankees vs. Josh Beckett
-Andy Phillips, 1 for 1 (1.000), HR
-Robinson Cano, 6 for 13 (.462), 2 2B, HR, 3 BB
-Jason Giambi, 4 for 10 (.400), 2 HR, 5 BB
-Jorge Posada, 4 for 10 (.400), 2B
-Johnny Damon, 4 for 14 (.286), 3 2B, 2 BB
-Melky Cabrera, 4 for 16 (.250), 2B, BB
-Derek Jeter, 4 for 16 (.250), BB
-Hideki Matsui, 2 for 8 (.250), BB
-Alex Rodriguez, 4 for 16 (.250), 2 2B, 3 BB
-Bobby Abreu, 7 for 43 (.163), 2 2B, 2 HR, 18 BB
-Jose Molina, 0 for 3
-Wilson Betemit, 0 for 5, BB
-Beckett is 3-2 with a 7.91 E.R.A. in six career regular-season starts against New York. This season, he is 1-0 with a 5.54 E.R.A. in two starts against the Yanks.

More Stuff
-All-time series: New York 1,082, Boston 889. In Yankee Stadium: New York 583, Boston 398. This season: Boston 7, New York 6.
-Manny Ramirez, who might not play tonight, last night tied Carl Yastrzemski for fourth on the all-time list by hitting his 52nd career home run against the Yankees. Since the start of last season, Ramirez is 45 for 94 (.479) against the Yanks.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 2:22 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: The Yankees win; how badly hurt is Manny?

Sean McAdam joins us from New York for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics include: Daisuke Matsuzaka's inability to keep the game tied; Yankee Stadium's short right-field porch; Manny Ramirez's back injury; lineup options for the Red Sox should Ramirez be held out of tonight's game; Joba Chamberlain; and tonight's Josh Beckett-Roger Clemens matchup.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's commments:

On Matsuzaka: "Ironically one of the things that was included in the scouting report about Daisuke when he came over is that he was good in big-game situations and would bear down, and frankly we haven't seen that lately."

On Ramirez: "It was a little ominous I guess -- or maybe not -- to see Dr. Stuart Hershon, who is the longtime Yankee team physician, leaving the Red Sox clubhouse emerging from the trainer's room. One supposes -- and that's all it is -- that he was examining Manny. ... Whether that was precautionary, or to administer x-rays, or what, we dont know. I think that it's a little up in the air whether we'll see him today or even tomorrow."

Tonight's pitchers: "Two kind of Texas gunslingers, almost a generation apart. ... Josh Beckett grew up in Spring, Texas, idolizing Roger Clemens. He says he has a box full of baseball cards that are Roger Clemens' alone. It will be the first time that they've faced one another."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:25 AM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, August 29

REVENGE OF THE IDIOT: This hasn't been the best of seasons for Johnny Damon (above right, AP Photo), and it may even be his last with the Yankees. (Boston Globe) But he's healthier now than he's been all year and Sean McAdam reports that he helped buy the Yankees ''more time — if nothing else — in the chase for first place in the American League East last night'' with a seventh-inning home run off Daisuke Matsuzaka that broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Yanks a 5-3 win. The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley found that the smile was back on Damon's face, at least for one night. Allan Wood, however, articulates what was on the mind of every Red Sox fan: ''Distance to the RF pole at Yankee Stadium? 314 feet. Distance of Johnny Damon's two-run, tie-breaking home-run in the seventh inning? 315 feet.'' (joyofsox.com)

ALL IN THE EYES OF THE BEHOLDER: The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy says this series is crucial only to the Yankees because the Red Sox have the division title wrapped up. Maybe so, counters the Herald's Tony Massarotti -- actually, he agrees because the wrote the same thing Monday -- but he adds the Sox would be wise to bury the Yankees now, while they have the chance. But the New York Daily News' Lisa Olson still thinks ''a pennant race lurks in the bushes,'' even though her colleague, Mike Lupica, thinks there's no race going on here.

HOW WOULD I KNOW? Chad Finn says he's been wrong about so much this season that he won't venture an opinion on the division race. (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com)

THERE'S ALWAYS OCTOBER: We're at the point now where the only way J.D. Drew can redeem himself in the eyes of Red Sox Nation is in the postseason. (Boston Herald) So I suppose it bears repeating: What's the facination, what's the fascination, what's the fascination with J.D. Drew? (weei.com)

(Actually, any chance to relink to that is worth exploiting. This one, too (wcbs.com), with the hook being that Clemens pitches tonight. Oh my goodness gracious . . . )

OF ALL THE DRAMATIC THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN . . . : Dustin Pedroia thinks facing Clemens will be ''awesome.'' (Boston Herald)

HERE AND THERE: McAdam's notebook, which starts by previewing tonight's Josh Beckett-Roger Clemens matchup, has plenty of newsy items, including the fact that Clay Buchholz will, indeed, start Saturday's game against the Orioles; the latest on the back spasms that forced Manny Ramirez out of the lineup in the seventh inning, and the fact that actress Cameron Diaz was among the celebrities spotted in the crowd.

HE WHO HESITATES . . . Rangers owner Tom Hicks says the Marlins first approaced Texas with the Josh Beckett/Mike Lowell package in November 2005. But the Rangers wouldn't give them an immediate answer, the Red Sox got wind of the talks, and the rest -- Beckett and Lowell winding up in Boston -- is history. (Dallas Morning News)

MYSTERY SOLVED (HOPEFULLY): After studying video, Eric Gagne thinks he's been tipping his pitches, which would explain his struggles since arriving in Boston. (Boston Herald) So he and pitching coach John Farrell have been working to solve the problem.

CAN'T COMPARE TO CUB NATION: Bobby Howry says Cub fans are far better than Red Sox fans because they're there through thick and thin and Sox fans ''wouldn't show up if they were losing like we were last year.'' (Chicago Tribune) How Howry knows this -- he spent 1 1/2 seasons in Boston, seasons in which the Sox went 93-69 and 95-67 and attracted 5,375,027 fans combined -- isn't quite clear.

JOBA RULES: We won't see him tonight no matter what, because the Yankees -- trying to protect his precious arm from the career-ravaging bullpen strategies of Joe Torre -- have expressly forbidden Torre from using him on consecutive days. But Joba Chamberlain got his first taste of the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry last night and seemed unruffled by it all as he pitched a scoreless eighth. (New York Post)

OUR HERO: Andy Pettitte got the victory last night and is now 69-33 when he pitches after Yankee losses. (New York Post)

THE MOOSE IS LOOSE: The Yankees answered the prayers of their fans everywhere by announcing after last night's game that Mike Mussina is being lifted from the starting rotation and replaced by rookie Ian Kennedy, at least temporarily. (New York Daily News) That means the Yankees will be fighting for a playoff spot with two rookies (Kennedy and Phil Hughes) among their starting five, but the alternative -- continuing to start the looks-like-he's-completely-lost-it Mussina -- apparently wasn't an option.

THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN': On the LoHud Yankees Blog, Peter Abraham reflects: ''I’m shocked that in a pennant race in September this team will have a pitching staff that includes Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Edwar Ramirez and Chris Britton. That tells you all you need to know about how much power Brian Cashman has. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way this season, he’s building a player development powerhouse that must scare the socks off the rest of baseball. If the Yankees can field a roster loaded with homegrown kids, they can spend whatever they want to retain A-Rod, chase Johan Santana or do whatever else they want.''

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR: Derek Jeter says that for the Yankees, the playoffs have begun. (New York Post)

A GOOD NIGHT IN YANKEE UNIVERSE: The Yankees also picked up ground in the wild-card race as the Angels rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat the Mariners. (Los Angeles Daily News) The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has the Mariners' side of the story.

OTHER RACES: The Cubs beat the Brewers in the first game of their N.L. Central showdown (Chicago Tribune) . . . The Cardinals moved into second place by beating the Astros (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . Are the Phillies actually going to make things interesting in the N.L. East? (Philadelphia Inquirer)

DARK CLOUDS IN D.C.: The estimable Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post comments on the troubled state of baseball in the nation's capital and warns that the opening of the new stadium next year won't solve the problems.

AND TAMPA: The Tampa Tribune's Martin Fennelly notes that the clock is ticking on the Devil Rays, because all their young talent will soon become expensive talent and if the team doesn't start winning they'll find themselves unable to afford players like Scott Kazmir and B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford.

QUICKLY: The Dodgers are interested in the A's Esteban Loaiza (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Phillies plan to decide in the offseason whether or not to keep Brett Myers in the bullpen or move him back to the rotation (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Marlins pitcher Scott Olsen and team president David Samson had a clear-the-air meeting (Miami Herald) . . . The Tigers may seek a short-term replacement for the injured Gary Sheffield. (Detroit Free Press)

OLD FRIENDS: Freddy Sanchez had quite a night as the Pirates swept the Reds. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:47 AM | Permalink

Game story: Damon the difference in 5-3 Yankee win.

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

NEW YORK -- Embarrassed by their blowout loss the night before in Detroit and forced to contemplate the prospect of settling for the wild-card, the New York Yankees bought themselves more time – if nothing else – in the chase for first place in the American League East on Tuesday night.

Johnny Damon, whose last home run here in a Red Sox uniform spelled the beginning of the end for the 2004 Yankees, kept his team’s fleeting hopes alive with a two-run homer in the seventh off Daisuke Matsuzaka, handing the desperate Yanks a 5-3 decision over the Red Sox.

''We had a tough day yesterday,’’ said Damon, ''so this is a good way to kick off a homestand. Granted, we’re still back of the Red Sox, but we need to worry about ourselves and win ballgames and that’s exactly what our club went out and did today.''

The Red Sox saw their four-game winning streak stopped in its tracks, while the Yankees sliced a game off the Red Sox’ lead in the American League East, which now stands at seven games. It was New York’s fourth win in the last five meetings between the two.

''We’re still approaching things the way we need to,'' said Jason Varitek, whose solo homer in the top of the seventh tied things at 3-3 before Damon helped the Yankees regain the lead. ''The only thing we’re worried about is playing good baseball.''

The Sox’ offensive support of Matsuzaka has been an issue for much of the season, with the team limited to two runs or fewer in 12 of his previous 16 starts. But another ominous trend – the pitcher’s own inability to protect leads or preserve ties – surfaced again last night.

He surrendered a 1-0 lead in Tampa Bay last Wednesday in a 2-1 loss, then last night twice re-gifted the lead after the Sox had come from behind to tie the score.

''I think all responsibility for our losses belong to me,'' said Matsuzaka, who lost his fourth straight start to drop to 13-11.

Matsuzaka attempted to ride a fastball in on Damon with pinch-runner Wilson Betemit on second, but didn’t get it far enough in and Damon pulled it down the line to the inviting right-field porch.

''He didn’t locate it,'' acknowledged Francona of the offending pitch.

Down by two with two innings to go, the Sox got their first look at Yankee phenom Joba Chamberlain, who allowed a leadoff walk to Kevin Youkilis and a two-out single to Mike Lowell before overpowering J.D. Drew for third out.

Mariano Rivera struck out the side in the ninth for the save.

The Sox never led and spent the game playing from behind, a reversal of the season-long chase in the standings.

Trailing 2-0 early, the Sox began their climb back with a leadoff opposite-field homer from Manny Ramirez, giving him at least 20 home runs for 13 consecutive seasons.

The Sox pulled even in the third when Julio Lugo shot a triple into the left-center gap to open the inning, then trotted home when David Ortiz launched a sacrifice fly to deep left.

In the fourth through the sixth innings, the Sox put the leadoff man on twice and got a one-out single once, but failed to advance any of the runners to second – much less home.
More times than not, Matsuzaka has an inning in which he struggles with his command in his strarts, and last night, it came right away.

Damon has led with a single to center and was joined on base one out later by Bobby Abreu, who drew a walk. Matsuzaka then buried a pitch into the small of Alex Rodriguez’ back, drawing a chorus of boos from the stands and filling the bases.

He got countryman Hideki Matsui to hit into a fielder’s choice as Damon scored. But he failed to limit the damage there, as Jorge Posada laced a double down the left-field line, delivering Abreu.

Matsuzaka retired 12 of the next 13 before Derek Jeter took him out the opposite way, snapping a long homerless streak for the Yankee captain.

Posted by Thom Cahir  at 11:07 PM to McAdam | Permalink | Comments 1

Final: Yankees 5, Red Sox 3

NEW YORK -- Johnny Damon has had a pretty disappointing season for the Yankees -- and, in fact, may request a trade once it's over -- but tonight had to be the highlight of his year.

With the score tied 3-3 in the seventh, Damon -- who lost the starting center-field job to Melby Cabrera and has been fighting for playing time as a left fielder and DH -- dropped a two-run homer over the short porch in right field against his former team, giving New York a 5-3 win over the Red Sox in the first game of a three-game series that the Yankees have to sweep to maintain any reasonable hope of catching Boston in the A.L. East.

They now trail the Sox by seven games in the division race.

The Red Sox never led in the game, but twice came back to tie. After falling behind when the Yankees scored twice against Daisuke Matsuzaka in the first inning, the Sox got a home run from Manny Ramirez in the second inning and a long sacrifice fly by David Ortiz in the third to tie the score at 2-2. Derek Jeter put the Yankees ahead with a solo homer in the fifth, but Jason Varitek tied it with a leadoff home run in the seventh.

In the bottom of the seventh, Andy Phillips led off with a single to center and was replaced by Wilson Betemit at first base. Betemit was sacrificed to second by Cabrera, and Damon then popped a fly ball down the right-field line that fell into the first row of the right-field bleachers, just over the 314-foot mark, for a two-run homer.

Yankee rookie phenom Joba Chamberlain pitched a scoreless eighth despite allowing a hit and a walk, and Mariano Rivera closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:19 PM | Permalink

The Bronx May be Burning...but not with news.

NEW YORK -- A day off, following a day game...presto...not much to report here.

-- The Sox are still being coy about Saturday's start, but it's widely assumed that assignment will go to Clay Buchholz, who will be added to the roster as they expand this weekend. Buchholz will be making his second major league start.

-- J.D. Drew, who snapped a homerless streak Sunday in Chicago, is in right field, a bit of a surprise given the presence of Yankee lefty Andy Pettitte on the mound. Then again, Drew has had great success against Pettitte -- .429 (6-for-14) with two solo homers.

-- Doug Mirabelli is here and is scheduled to take batting practice. He's eligible to come off the DL this weekend and manager Terry Francona said Mirabelli will be activated then. Kevin Cash will probably stay, since rosters will expand and he would have been promoted anyway to give the team the flexibility of a third catcher.

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 5:34 PM | Permalink

Tuesday's Red Sox-Yankee lineups

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

YANKEES
-------------
Johnny Damon lf
Derek Jeter ss
Bobby Abreu rf
Alex Rodriguez 3b
Hideki Matsui dh
Jorge Posada c
Robinson Cano 2b
Andy Phillips 1b
Melky Cabrera cf
--
Andy Pettitte p

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Art Martone  at 3:55 PM | Permalink

Sox Streakers for August 28

Hot Streaks
-Mike Lowell, team-high nine-game hitting streak, during which he is 16 for 32 (three doubles, a home run, six walks and 12 RBI).
-Kevin Youkilis has played 168 consecutive games at first base without committing an error, just 10 games short of Mike Hegan's American League record, set from 1970 to 1973.
-For New York: In his last five starts, Andy Pettitte is 5-0 with a 2.06 E.R.A.

Cold Streaks
-For New York, Derek Jeter is 0 for his last 12.

Red Sox vs. Andy Pettitte
-Kevin Youkilis, 5 for 9 (.556), 2B, HR, 2 BB
-J.D. Drew, 6 for 14 (.429), 2B, 2 HR, BB
-Manny Ramirez, 29 for 69 (.420), 8 2B, 3 HR, 6 BB
-Jason Varitek, 16 for 46 (.348), 2B, 3B, HR, 4 BB
-David Ortiz, 11 for 34 (.324), 3 2B, HR, 4 BB
-Coco Crisp, 4 for 13 (.308), BB
-Dustin Pedroia, 3 for 10 (.300), 2B
-Mike Lowell, 3 for 11 (.273), 2B, BB
-Julio Lugo, 5 for 19 (.263), 3 BB
-Bobby Kielty, 1 for 5 (.200), 2B
-Eric Hinske, 1 for 7 (.143), 2B, BB
-Alex Cora, 0 for 2
-Pettitte is 14-6 with a 3.29 E.R.A. in 27 career appearances (25 starts) against Boston. This season, he has made five appearances (four starts) against the Red Sox, and has gone 1-1 with a 5.01 E.R.A.

Yankees vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka
-Jason Giambi, 3 for 5 (.600), 2B, BB
-Derek Jeter, 3 for 6 (.500), HR
-Johnny Damon, 2 for 6 (.333), BB
-Jorge Posada, 1 for 3 (.333)
-Alex Rodriguez, 1 for 5 (.200), BB
-Robinson Cano, 1 for 6 (.167)
-Hideki Matsui, 0 for 2, BB
-Melky Cabrera, 0 for 3
-Bobby Abreu, 0 for 6, BB
-Matsuzaka has made two starts against New York this year; he is 2-0 with a 6.92 E.R.A. in those games.

More Stuff
-All-time series: New York 1,081, Boston 889. At Yankee Stadium: New York 582, Boston 398. This season: Boston 7, New York 5.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:56 PM to Projo Sox Streakers | Permalink | Comments 1

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: What's still at stake in New York

Sean McAdam is on his way to New York for this week's Sox-Yanks series, and he stops on his way to talk to us for the latest edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio file. The topics: a role reversal in the old rivalry; the Red Sox motivation the rest of the way; how the Red Sox have kept their division lead; the Yankees' options in the starting rotation; and tonight's Pettitte-Matsuzaka matchup.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments.

On the Yankees, apparently chasing the wild card: "The shoe's on the other foot here, I guess, as we get into the final month of the season, because for the last nine years it has been the Yankees finishing first and for most of those nine years the Red Sox finishing second, and getting in as the wild card on three or four different occasions. And now it is reversed, and it looks like the Red Sox are on their way to their first division title since 1995, and the Yankees are going to have to get in as a wild card for the first time since 1997."

Motivators for the Red Sox: "I think that they are mostly motivated by trying to get this thing wrapped up as quickly as possible, and obviously that's going to take a few weeks. ... You remember the last time the Red Sox got into the postseason, in 2005 -- when they actually tied the Yankees but lost out on the tiebreaker and became the wild card -- because they had to work so hard right down to game 162, they didn't have time to get their pitching lined up, and that resulted in Matt Clement getting a game one assignment against he White Sox, and we all know what happened there."

Matsuzaka going tonight: "I think it will be interesting, because he hasn't faced [the Yankees] for a couple of months now. Clearly the Yankees are expert at driving up pitch counts, because they can be so selective and patient at the plate, and this will be a good indication to see if Daisuke has learned to deal with that a little better."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 9:33 AM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, August 28

WHERE'S THE PARTY? A week ago, it seemed the next three nights at Yankee Stadium would be rollicking, indeed. Now, as Sean McAdam points out, the three-game Red Sox-Yankees series has lost much of its luster, with the Sox comfortably ahead and the Yankees needing a sweep to maintain as much as a sliver of hope in the A.L. East race. (Even one Boston victory in the next three days will send the Sox home for the weekend with a seven-game lead and 28 to play.) While making the playoffs, and not winning the division, is the paramount goal, the Sox admit breaking the Yankees' 10-year stranglehold on the A.L. East means something to them, especially since they've narrowed the gap between themselves and New York in so many ways since John Henry took over as owner. (Both stories Boston Herald)

ODDS IN THEIR FAVOR: Coolstandings.com reports the Red Sox have a 98.8 percent chance of winning the division and a 99.9 percent chance of making the playoffs. The numbers of Baseball Prospectus are almost identical. Both systems list the Yankees' chances of winning the division as virtually nil (obviously, if the Sox are at 98.8 percent) and their chances of making the playoffs at around 48 percent.

THE GREATEST GAME THERE IS: Baseball Musings' David Pinto marvels at how quickly things change in baseball -- the Yankees, after looking like an unbeatable monolith for weeks, have suddenly morphed back into the do-nothing-right crew that stumbled through much of April and May -- and concludes: ''As much as you watch it, as much as you think you know, teams keep coming up with surprises.'' Which probably heartens the Yankees and their followers, since things could turn again this week.

IT'S NOT ALL BLUE SKIES: The news isn't rosy everywhere in Red Sox Nation. If you read this game story close enough you'll find that Clay Buchholz was shaky for the second straight time as the PawSox lost at Rochester (projo.com), throwing into question the Sox' apparent plans to have him start against Baltimore Saturday night. (Pawsox.com's short game account focuses more on Buchholz' poor performance.) With Julian Tavarez pitching as well as he has his last two times out, it may be the Sox will start him against the Orioles Friday night.

GETTING HIS SEA LEGS: Jon Lester, on the other hand, allowed only four hits and one run over six innings in Portland (sunjournal.com) in a game televised by NESN and remains on track to start Sunday in Boston. Still, he said he wasn't quite satisfied with his performance: ''At times really good and at times back to the old deal with fastball command. I felt good at times mechanically. I felt like I'd figured a couple of things out out there and then a couple batters later I'd just go back to being all over the place.'' The Sun Journal's Kalle Oakes has more.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . . Over the weekend McAdam reported the Sox are haggling with MLB over the 2008 schedule. Specifically, most members of the organization -- though Larry Lucchino is for it -- are against the team opening the season in Japan, as MLB wants. Also, small-market teams are fighting a plan to have virtually every Red Sox-Yankee series played on a weekend, which would maximize exposure on FOX' Saturday Game of the Week and ESPN's Sunday night telecast. (The teams want the Sox and Yanks in their cities on weekends, to maximize attendance.) As it is, four of the six series the teams will play this year are on weekends, including all three in Boston.

THE OLD MAN OF BASEBALL: The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes has a nice feature on Mike Timlin, who's closing in on his 1,000th major-league appearance. His very first appearance? For Toronto against the Red Sox on Opening Day, 1991. (baseball-reference.com) He faced Tom Brunansky (walk), Carlos Quintana (groundout), Tony Pena (lineout), Tim Naehring (groundout), Wade Boggs (walk) and Jody Reed (groundout) in his 1 1/3-inning stint during the Sox' 6-2 win over the Blue Jays.

NO SUPRISES HERE: Considering they went 6-1 last week, it would have been a shocker if the Red Sox weren't still ranked No. 1 in SI.com's Power Rankings. The Yankees, however, slid to fifth.

AND WHY'S THAT? Because the Yankees' week from hell culminated in a 16-0 loss at Detroit last night, with Mike Mussina getting rocked for the third straight outing. (New York Daily News) The calls to remove Mussina from the rotation come from the Daily News' John Harper and the New York Post's Joel Sherman and George King. Sherman answers the obvious question -- who do they have that's better than Mussina? -- by asking who could do worse.

READY TO FIGHT: The Yankees say the three-game series with the Red Sox is still big for them (New York Post) because, even if they don't catch Boston,
there's still the wild card and they only trail Seattle by two games (three in the loss column) in that race. But one of the veterans of the 1978 comeback, Goose Gossage, isn't ready to run up the white flag just yet. (New York Post) The '78 Yanks, he said, ''are living proof that anything can happen.''

THANK YOU, ANGELS: Los Angeles of Anaheim -- yeccch, that name -- made sure the Yanks didn't lose ground in the wild card as John Lackey shut down the Mariners, 6-0. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) Seattle played most of the game without iits manager, as John McLaren was ejected by third-base umpire Jerry Meals for arguing a foul-tip call on Ichiro Suzuki in the first inning. (Post-Intelligencer) You'll be seeing the highlights all day today, as McLaren got his money's worth in his animated dressing-down of Meals, who tossed him after McLaren had already gotten back to the dugout. When reporters went to the umpires' room for an explanation, the door was closed in their face and voice from behind it said, ''Have a nice night.''

JUST SICK: Lackey pitched a complete-game shutout for his 16th win despite suffering from strep throat. (Los Angeles Daily News)

CHANGING HIS TUNE: In 2004 Mike Scioscia kicked Jose Guillen off the Angels prior to the playoffs because of his attitude, and Guillen swore eternal enmity toward his former skipper. Now, however, Guillen -- whose Mariners are fighting Scioscia's Angels for the A.L. West title -- is singing the praises of the L.A. of A. manager. (Riverside Press-Enterprise)

PAY ATTENTION, PLEASE: ESPN.com's Jim Caple thinks Angels-Mariners, and not Red Sox-Yankees, is the series to watch this week.

IT'S CATCHING: No, not Lackey's strep throat; rather, problems with umpires. The Mets' David Wright was tossed by C.B. Bucknor in New York's loss at Philadelphia. (New York Daily News)

IS IT JUST ME, OR IS IT C.B.? Pinto noted that almost every game he watches with Bucknor has an argument of some kind in it and wondered if others had noticed. Well, someone has started an online petition to fire Bucknor, calling him ''a disgrace to baseball . . . single handedly the worst umpire in Major League Baseball.'' (www.petitiononline.com/cbbuck/petition.html)

MAYBE, JUST MAYBE . . . The Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Hagen thinks the return of Chase Utley could spark a miracle finish by the Phillies.

PLEASE STAND UP: Are the Diamondbacks contenders or pretenders? The Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley says we're about to find out.

DIFFERING OPINIONS: The Astros fired their manager and general manager yesterday (Houston Chronicle), and SI.com's John Donovan wonders why it took so long. But FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the real problem is owner Drayton McLane (video).

NOTHING TO IT: White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski and hitting coach Greg Walker nearly came to blows in the dugout during Chicago's loss to the Red Sox Sunday, but Pierzynski says they argue all the time and it's no big deal. (Daily Southtown) Walker himself called it ''A.J. being A.J.'' -- where have we heard that before? -- and the White Sox seemed none the worse for wear as they beat the Devil Rays last night. (Chicago Sun-Times)

QUICKLY: Hideki Matsui has an achy knee (New York Post) . . . It certainly appears Scott Proctor, worked harder than a government mule by Joe Torre,