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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