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Red Sox Post-Game Fun

The Red Sox enjoyed one of those walk-off, pulsating wins tonight that had to remind fans of the many close shaves in 2004. David Ortiz smacked his second home run of the game (31st of the season) in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 5-4.
The walk-off hit was the first of this season for Ortiz and 16th of his career with the Red Sox. Ten of the 16 hits have been home runs. Last night's barely settled into the first row of the right field bleachers.
``It was a good pitch by my boy Reyes but I put a good swing on it,'' Ortiz said. ``It worked out.''
In the Boston dugout, players rolled over the front rail and flooded the field. One of the leaders was Jonathan Papelbon, the closer who pitched a perfect ninth inning and earned his first win of the season.
``I thought as soon as he hit it that it had enough legs,'' Papelbon said. ``I knew it had enough room.''
The Sox easily could have lost the last two nights. Wednesday, the Rays built a 8-1 lead only to see their pitching collapse and lose, 16-10. Last night the Rays scored four times in the first inning off Jon Lester but a 3-run Ortiz homer in the third made it 4-3. The game stayed that score thanks to good pitching from both bullpens.
Then came Ortiz and some ninth inning drama.
``I had no angle. I was too busy blowing on it,'' said Terry Francona. ``I actually didn;t know it was a home run when it was a home run. I saw the ball but I thought maybe it hit the wall. You don;t see it. You just hope.''

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 11:53 PM | Permalink

Game Story: Papi comes through in clutch again

By Kevin McNamara
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON — There is a very distinct sound that is made when a batter makes perfect contact with a pitched ball. It’s a sound often heard at the major-league level, after all these are the best hitters in the world.

Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has the ability to make a lot of noise with his bat.

His two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Boston a dramatic 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last night at Fenway Park. It was his second home run of the night and Big Papi finished with five RBI.

As Ortiz smoked a 3-1 offering off Devil Rays closer Al Reyes, it ball barely made it over the right-field wall. It was Carlton Fisk waving the ball fair in the World Series, but Ortiz put a lot of body language into it.

“I had no angle and I was too busy blowing on it,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “Actually didn’t know it was a home run when it was a home run. I saw the ball bounce and I thought it hit the wall.”

It didn’t and the homer gave the Red Sox the win and the momentum as the New York Yankees come to town this weekend. For Ortiz, his offensive prowess of late has been very impressive, especially with the absence of Manny Ramirez (strained oblique) in the order. Ortiz has also battled injuries all season, so last night gave Boston just another boost.

“It’s that time of year and your guys know it,” said Francona. “He’s definitely one of those guys. He had good swings all night. He lined out a couple of times and he was seeing the ball very well.”

Even though Ortiz was the hero for the night with his big stick, he wasn’t alone.

That firecracker-type pop that Ortiz has shown, had been a dud with Red Sox’ J.D. Drew of late, but over the last few games the often booed right fielder for Boston has found a spark and it appears his bat is ready to explode. Heading into the stretch run, and a postseason berth within reach for the Red Sox, Drew’s offense needs to be consistent if Boston is to enjoy success.

He went 2-for-2 last night and has now hit safely in five straight games.
text ignored“He’s taking healthy swings,” said Francona. “He’s swinging at strikes and he’s getting the bounces when that ball [in his first at-bat] hit a rock and bounced over first. But, his base running was outstanding [turning a single into a double in his second at-bat].”

Francona has said all along that Drew would come around, now more than ever it appears to be true. His approach exudes more confidence and not only do his hits stand out, but the walks he’s been able to draw are just as important.
text ignoredWhile Drew is on the upswing, Red Sox starter Jon Lester didn’t have his best outing last night.

Entering his ninth start of the season for Boston, the left-hander lasted just 3 2/3 innings and allowed four runs on eight hits with four walks and five strikeouts.
text ignoredAlthough his outing was brief, it wasn’t all bad.

Lester struggled in the first inning, allowing four runs on four hits and threw a total of 32 pitches. Even though he was able to settle down the rest of the way, it was the first that did the most damage.

Fortunately for Lester, the Red Sox put a 3-spot on the board in the bottom of the third inning, thanks in part to Ortiz’s three-run homer. It was the slugger’s 30th roundtripper and 100, 101 and 101st RBI of the season as he’s reached the 30-100 plateau for the fifth consecutive year.

The offense on both sides went stale for the final six innings as Tampa held on for the victory. As the Red Sox prepare for a crucial three-game set with the New York Yankees, beginning tomorrow following an off-day for Boston, Drew’s contributions the rest of the way will be a significant component if he’s able to keep it going.

“We’ve said it time and again that if we get J.D. going we’re a different looking ballclub,” said Francona.

Posted by Chris Venditto  at 11:18 PM | Permalink

Big Papi Does It

BOSTON - The Red Sox tasted a little magic again last night, coming from behind to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park as David Ortiz slammed a 2-run homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 win. It was Ortiz' 10th walk-off homer of his Red Sox career.
Red Sox starter Jon Lester surrendered four runs in the very first inning. Red-hot Carlos Pena singled in one run and B.J. Upton cracked a 2-run homer. Lester threw 32 pitches in the frame.
The lefty settled down, but continued to struggle with walks (4) and ended up allowing 8 hits in his 3.2 innings. The good news is he also blanked Tampa for his remaining 2.2 innings and the Boston bullpen came on and shut out the visitors over the final five innings.
Ortiz also smacked a 3-run home run in the third inning to cut Tampa's lead to 4-3.

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 10:37 PM | Permalink

Photo: Red Sox, red sky

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Red Sox relief pitchers high-five Wally the Green Monster on their way out to the bullpen before the start of tonight's game.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:50 PM | Permalink

More Pre-Game Sox Fluff

**Mike Lowell and Manny Ramirez aren't the only Red Sox not in the lineup due to injury. Jacoby Ellsbury is nursing a mild tweak to his left wrist. He ran into the center field wall on Monday night. He played Tuesday and certainly could've played tonight but Terry Francona is taking things cooly with a Yankee Invasion on the horizon.
``A couple years ago he had something in the same wrist and it lingered. We don't want this to linger,'' said Francona.

**Clay Buchholz hasn't pitched since last Thursday in Baltimore. When will the rookie flash toe the rubber again? Francona cannot say.
``I'm fighting that right now on how and when to use him,'' said Francona.

**PawSox manager Ron Johnson was expected to join the Sox by this time and remain with the team for the remainder of the season. However, an injury to his daughter has delayed his arrival, likely until Friday's game against New York.

** The Red Sox are 108-57 (.654) all-time against the Rays and 10-4 in the series this season with four matchups remaining. The teams have both won a game in the 3-game set and Boston hasn't lost a series at home against Tampa since July of 1999.

**Boston's Single A team in Lancaster, Cal., was eliminated in the playoffs Tuesday night by Lake Elsinore.

Posted by Kevin  at 5:28 PM | Permalink

Manny the Pre-Game Sox Star

Manny Ramirez is taking batting practice as we write these words.
He's going through the normal rotation along with David Ortiz and Julio Lugo. While Ramirez is swinging comfortably and mostly spraying the ball around the field, he just lined one shot to the warning track in center field.
An hour ago, Terry Francona said he felt Ramirez is progressing. There is no timetable on the slugger's return from sore oblique muscle in his ribs.
``Until he's pain-free, they have to keep it controlled. he continues to increase his activity daily.''
It's 5:25 now. Manny is warming up. In 10 swings, he hit one ball deep in the Monster Seats, lined a shot into the triangle in center, hit another homer to the left-center seats and lined shots all over the park.
Now it's 5:29. Ramirez just ended the Red Sox batting practice with a Monster shot that went halfway up the wall behind the center-field bleachers.
Looks ready to me.

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 5:12 PM | Permalink

Clubhouse Confidential

*The last thing the Red Sox need right now is some kind of bug oozing its way around the clubhouse.

When third baseman Mike Lowell woke up this morning he knew something wasn’t right, so he sent a text message to manager Terry Francona to inform him about his illness. Francona this afternoon the team’s medical staff seems to think it could stem from something Lowell ate.

“He doesn’t know if it was something he ate,” said the manager. “But he’s got activity from both ends. He’s not feeling too well.”

Lowell is at Fenway Park and is being examined by the team’s medical staff, and according to Francona, the veteran would probably receive an IV.

“It is what it is,” added Francona with a smile stealing a line from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s interview repertoire. “Mikey wants to try to get in there, but that to me makes no sense. He’s a great player but we’ve got a day off [today] . . . Let it get out of his system and be ready for Friday.”

Lowell has been hitting in the clean-up spot of late with Manny Ramirez (strained oblique) out of the lineup. Lowell had an outstanding game on Tuesday night against Tampa, going 4-for-5. The important thing now is to make sure he’s healthy for the weekend series against New York, and no one else in the clubhouse gets sick.

“When that does happen you worry,” said Francona, “because it goes through the whole team; that never fails.”

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:11 PM | Permalink

Get Your Playoff Tickets Here!!

If you have a swift computer and plenty of cash, you just may land a seat at a Red Sox playoff game in October (assuming the crash of all crashes does not unfold over the next three weeks).
Registration for a random drawing for Red Sox playoff tickets began at Noon today. Drawing for the ALDS is next Monday.

Here is the bulk of the release posted on redsox.com

This registration process is used to create a more efficient and fair purchasing path as the number of tickets available for these games is extremely limited. The random drawing process has proven to be one of the most equitable programs developed allowing as many fans as possible the opportunity to enjoy postseason baseball at Fenway Park.

Applicants must fill out and submit the registration form below to participate in this opportunity to purchase. Registration begins at 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time ("EDT") on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 and will conclude prior to the World Series drawing. The Red Sox will then conduct a random selection of winners from the pool of registrants for each of the three postseason series. The winners will have the opportunity to purchase up to two (2) tickets to one (1) game of the 2007 postseason which may be played at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. Exact dates, times and instructions for ticket purchase will be communicated by email to each applicant selected. If a selected applicant does not follow these instructions, he or she will forfeit the opportunity to purchase tickets. There is no charge to register for this opportunity. There is no obligation to buy a ticket.

In order to be eligible for this opportunity, you must be eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. In addition, you must complete and submit the entry form located below during the Registration Period. Limit one entry per person. In the case of multiple entries for the same individual, only the first entry received will be considered. Only entries submitted to the Red Sox during the Registration Period will be entered in the random drawing. Entries generated by a script, macro, or other mechanical or automated means will not be valid. Please be sure to provide an accurate e-mail address. MLB.com and the Red Sox are not responsible for any e-mail notifications that are bounced back or misdirected.

For individuals who register by 11:59 a.m. EDT on Monday, September 17, 2007, a random drawing for the opportunity to purchase 2007 American League Division Series ("ALDS") tickets will be held. Each applicant selected will be notified on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 via the email address submitted on the registration form. Those applicants whose names are selected shall have an opportunity to purchase ALDS tickets on Thursday, September 20, 2007 from 12:00 noon EDT to 6:00 p.m. EDT. In the event that the winner does not respond to such notification by purchasing 2007 ALDS tickets by 6:00 p.m. Thursday, September 20, 2007, a disqualification will result.

Registrants not selected in the ALDS drawing or those who register after 12:00 noon EDT on Monday, September 17 will still be eligible for the American League Championship Series and World Series drawings.

POSTSEASON REGISTRATION PERIOD BEGINS: 12 noon EDT, Wednesday, 09/12/2007

ALDS REGISTRATION PERIOD ENDS: 12 noon EDT, Monday, 09/17/2007

ALDS RANDOM DRAWING: Monday, 09/17/2007

ALDS WINNERS NOTIFIED VIA E-MAIL: Wednesday, 09/19/2007

ALDS SALE FOR WINNERS: 12:00 noon - 6:00p.m. EDT, Thursday, 09/20/2007

ALCS REGISTRATION PERIOD ENDS: 12:00 noon EDT, Friday, 9/28/2007

ALCS RANDOM DRAWING: Friday, 9/28/2007

ALCS WINNERS NOTIFIED VIA E-MAIL: TBD

ALCS SALE FOR WINNERS: TBD

WS REGISTRATION PERIOD ENDS: 12:00 noon EDT, Monday, 10/8/2007

WS RANDOM DRAWING: Monday, 10/8/2007

WS WINNERS NOTIFIED VIA E-MAIL: TBD

WS SALE FOR WINNERS: TBD

Sale dates for potential 2007 American League Championship Series or 2007 World Series games played at Fenway Park will be announced at a later date. Such winners will be selected from the pool of remaining non-winning registrants and notified via email with instructions on the ticket purchase process including dates and times for these sales. All sales are final.

Posted by Kevin  at 4:22 PM | Permalink

Sox Lineups are In

Red Sox-Devils Rays wrap up their series tonight. Sox and Rays still have three to play next week in Tampa.
It's an odd lineuo for Boston with Jacoby Ellsbury nursing a minor wrist twinge, Mike Lowell fighting flu bug and Manny being Manny.

BOSTON
Julio Lugo SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
David Ortiz DH
Kevin Youkilis 3B
JD Drew RF
Jason Varitek C
Brandon Moss LF
Coco Crisp CF
Eric Hinske 1B
Jon Lester P

TAMPA BAY
Akinori Iwamura, 5
Carl Crawford, 7
Carlos Pena, 3
B.J. Upton, 8
Delmon Young, 9
Brendan Harris, 4
Jonny Gomes, DH
Dioner Navarro, 2
Josh Wilson, 6
Edwin Jackson P

Kevin McNamara

Posted by Kevin  at 4:15 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: The importance of finishing first

Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam. Today's topics: An offensive explosion at Fenway; pressure from New York, Cleveland and Los Angeles; the importance of earning the top playoff spot in the American League; Tim Wakefield's struggles; and the likelihood of the Sox opening 2008 in Japan.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments.

Importance of getting the top playoff seed: "In the event that they play the Cleveland Indians, as they would if the season ended today, and say the Angels were to knock off the Yankees in the other Division Series, having homefield against the Angels would save them a trip to the West Coast, to say nothing of the fact that they have played the Angels far better at Fenway than they have out at Anaheim. ... It's a lot easier to go out once to Anaheim for games three, four and five than it is to go out there to start the series for games one and two, and know that if it gets extended you have to go back for games six and seven."

Wakefield's second poor start: "That has to be at least somewhat ominous, because Wakefield's history is one of being either very good or cooling off, and as you're heading down the stretch here, it's not a good sign that he's had two pretty rough starts in a row. So they'll see if they can maybe correct some of that on the side and get him headed in the right direction as October approaches."

To go to Japan, or not?

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:51 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, September 12

WOW: The scoreboard-watchers in Toronto (where the Yankees, who still have hopes of overtaking the Red Sox for the A.L. East title, were playing), Baltimore (where the Angels, who are chasing Boston for the best overall record in the league, were playing) and Chicago (where the Indians, who are also in the hunt for the best record, were playing) had to be heartened by the early returns from Boston last night. But happiness turned to shock and then disappointment as the Sox, who trailed 8-1 in the fourth inning, came back for a 16-10 win that kept their pursuers at bay, at least for another night. (projo.com) (Above, Julio Lugo congratulates David Ortiz after Ortiz' seventh-inning home run. Journal photo by Bob Breidenbach.) It was an important victory for the Sox, one Sean McAdam thinks may prove to be the most important of the season. One of the catalysts for the comeback was birthday boy Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Herald); another was the little-used Kevin Cash. (Boston Globe) As for the Devil Rays, it seemed like old times (St. Petersburg Times), which was disheartening coming as it did on the heels of a 1-0 win Monday that they were touting as a playoff-like victory.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? The NFL apparently is going to come down hard on the Patriots for stealing signs (projo.com), but such subterfuge is part of the game in baseball. Joe McDonald talks to some players who explain why.

LET'S GO! McAdam has the latest on the Sox possibly opening the 2008 season in Japan farther down in the notebook. Julio Lugo went to Japan at the start of the 2004 season with the Devil Rays and he'd love to go back. (Boston Herald)

SWEEPING THE POLLS: The Sox, who ranked No. 1 with SI.com yesterday, are still No. 1 in FoxSports.com's Power Rankings, as well.

THE BIGGEST NIGHTMARE IN YANKEE UNIVERSE: The New York Sun's Tim Marchman points out that, with the salaries of Curt Schilling, Matt Clement, Mike Lowell and Eric Hinske coming off the books, the Red Sox will have a ton of money to spend this offseason and ''there isn't a better fit for [Alex] Rodriguez'' in free agency than Boston.

HAPPIER THOUGHTS: YU can fixate on the present, where the Yanks made it six in a row by beating the Blue Jays. (New York Daily News) The news that Roger Clemens will probably start Sunday in Boston (New York Daily News) has got to make them happier than the knowledge that Mike Mussina will start tonight. (New York Post)

POSSIBLE, BUT NOT LIKELY: That's Larry Manhken's assessment of the Yankees' chances of overtaking the Red Sox in the A.L. East. (Replacement Level Yankees Weblog)

UNDECIDED: Despite being healthy and having a good season, Andy Pettitte is mulling retirement. (New York Daily News)

Q AND A WITH THE REAL BOSS: Brian Cashman sits down for an interview with Phil Allard of the The 10th Inning Journal. (wcbas880.com)

WHO'S THE IDIOT? People who say Johnny Damon stinks, that's who. Peter Abraham tells us why. (LoHud Yankees Blog)

A.L. RACES: The Tigers' 4-1 victory over the Rangers in the night game showed why they're still contenders for the A.L. wild card. Their 13-6 loss to Texas in the opener showed why they're long shots (Detroit Free-Press) . . . The Mariners' death rattle continues: They lost for the 15th time in the last 17 games, 7-4 to Oakland, and are only mentioned here because they're tied with the Tigers in the loss column (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) . . . They're important to the Red Sox only in that the Sox inch closer to a playoff spot with each of their losses; the magic number for Boston securing a postseason berth is now eight (magicnumbers.org) . . . As for the race for the A.L.'s best record, the status quo was maintained as the Angels beat the Orioles (Los Angeles Times) and the Indians beat the White Sox (Cleveland Plain-Dealer). Los Angeles of Anaheim's victory came at a price, however, as Gary Matthews Jr. suffered an ankle sprain and will miss at least five games (AP via projo,com).

N.L. RACES: Every game but one had playoff implications, as the Astros beat the Cubs (Chicago Sun-Times), the Braves beat the Mets (New York Post), the Brewers beat the Pirates (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), the Padres beat the Dodgers (San Diego Union-Tribune), the Giants beat the Diamondbacks (Arizona Republic), the Reds beat the Cardinals (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) and the Rockies beat the Phillies (Philadelphia Inquirer).

To see how all those games affected the races, check out the divisional standings and wild-card standings. (Projo Stats)

ADVANTAGE, SAN DIEGO: SI.com's Tom Verducci thinks the Padres will benefit most from MLB's new, elongated postseason schedule.

WEIGHING HIS OPTIONS: When questioned by the local media to clarify his remarks in Tuesday's USA Today, when he said he might step down as Cardinals manager at the end of the year, Tony La Russa explained what would go into his decision to leave St. Louis. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

STAYING PUT: The White Sox last night extended Ozzie Guillen's contract through 2012. (Chicago Sun-Times)

GET READY FOR MORE: The New York Times reports that the names of 10 additional major league players may surface in the investigation that already has tied Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus and Jay Gibbons to performance-enhancing drugs.

JAY WHO? The Orioles didn't have much to say in support of, or condemnation of, Gibbons. In fact, they didn't say much of anything on the whole subject. (Baltimore Sun)

ON THE WAY OUT? Meanwhile, the Baltimore Examiner reports the Orioles may attempt to void the remainder of Gibbons' contract.

UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT: David Segui, who was linked to earlier steroids investigations, says HGH is not a performance-enhancing drug: ''It's completely separate from the steroid issue. It's a separate entity. Before people want to hang somebody by the toes, they need to know the facts.'' (Baltimore Sun)

DOUBLE STANDARD: SI.com's Jon Heyman wants to know why the baseball players implicated in the HGH scandal are catching such flak while Rodney Harrison, who admitted and was suspended for the same crime, is getting off far more lightly. My opinion: In baseball, the players refuse to admit using performance-enhancing drugs, or even to address the issue in any meaningful way, and MLB is perceived to be doing nothing save for random 50-game suspensions slapped on lower-minor-league unknowns. In the Harrison case, he was caught and punished. And then he apologized. I have no illusions that this problem is any less serious in football than it is in baseball -- I think quite the opposite is true, in fact -- but the perception, rightly or wrongly, is that the NFL has a stricter policy in place and is better policing its players. And American society will forgive almost anything if it's followed by an "I'm sorry.'' Baseball does itself absolutely no favors in the public eye with this shuck-and-duck, admit-nothing, pretend-it-doesn't-exist behavior, particularly on the part of the players. So when someone does get caught, or allegedly caught, a lot of pent-up wrath from frustrated media members/fans is going to fall on their head.

That's why, Jon.

THE NEW BALL FOUR: Indians pitcher Paul Byrd is a man of faith. And now he's writing what is being touted as ''a candid and graphic [book that looks] at how he has managed to remain true to his faith despite the pitfalls associated with a ballplayer's daily lifestyle.'' (Fanhouse)

SOLIDARITY: Actor Danny Glover went to last night's Yankees-Blue Jays game to lend his support to an effort to unionize concession workers at the Rogers Centre. (Toronto Star)

WHO KNEW? It turns out Devil Rays catcher Josh Paul's mustache really is a tribute to 1970s porn star John Holmes. (St. Petersburg Times)

QUICKLY: The Tigers' Joel Zumaya is fine after getting a scare with an injured fingernail. (mlb.com)

OLD FRIENDS: David Murphy is doing well in Texas. (Baseball Musings)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:47 AM | Permalink

Late game story

BOSTON _ From implosion to explosion the Boston Red Sox did it all last night.
First, Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield was attempting to earn his 17th victory of the season, a mark that would have matched a career-high. It was the second time in as many starts the veteran knuckleballer was standing one win shy of the mark, and it was the second time in as many games he faltered.
Fortunately for Wakefield he quickly became an afterthought.
Boston erased a seven-run deficit en route to a dramatic and entertaining 16-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Fenway Park.
The Red Sox received a plethora of production from everyone in the lineup for the come-from-behind win. In fact, Boston emptied the chamber in the middle innings to steamroll the lowly Devil Rays, who only the night before beat the Red Sox, 1-0.
It was the cast of usual suspects who helped Boston pummel its opponent last night, including solid performances from Dustin Pedroia, Mike Lowell, Coco Crisp, Julio Lugo, David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis as the Sox banged out a season-high 16 runs to go along with their 20 hits. Again, rookie Jacoby Ellsbury continues to shine as he extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz and J.D. Drew all hit solo home runs, while Lowell went 4-for-5 in the clean-up spot. Youkilis provided a base-clearing triple and a double.
Performances like these are expected as the norm for the Red Sox.
Throw in a good night for the struggling Drew and backup catcher Kevin Cash, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI, then you know it was a good all-around performance.
“It was exciting,” said Cash of the comeback. “It was fun to be a part of. Not that this was a must-win game, but it was a big game for us to win. We got down early, and it was good it was early, because it gave us a chance to gain some momentum to come back.”
Drew has been pelted with boos around these parts and Cash has quietly handled his role as Wakefield’s batterymate with care since Doug Mirabelli has been injured. Drew and Cash both contributed in a big way last night, a good sign, especially for Drew.
He went 3-for-4 with a walk and his solo homer in the seventh inning was his first at Fenway Park since April 22nd against the Yankees. By the time the media was allowed into the clubhouse following the game, Drew had already left the park.
“J.D. is big for us,” said Cash, who also played collegiate ball with Drew at Florida State. “I know what J.D. can do offensively. His career numbers are pretty impressive and hopefully [last night] was big for him.”
Cash, an eight-year pro, signed with the Red Sox as a minor-league free agent in January with 114 games of major-league experience with Toronto and Tampa Bay. He was sent to Pawtucket as an insurance policy and the Red Sox cashed it in when Mirabelli was injured late last month.
Cash’s offensive numbers may not be earth shattering, but he’s proved that his defensive play, especially his ability to catch the knuckleball, gives Boston another option behind the plate.
“It was a real big hit,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona describing Cash’s two-run single in the fourth inning that cut Boston’s deficit to three. “He gives us so much energy doing what he’s doing. It’s not easy doing what he’s doing and he does such a good job back there. He’s real excited to be here in the midst of us trying to win.”
With the regular season quickly coming to an end, an all-out team effort the Sox gave last night might just be the kind of jump start for the stretch run. For Drew, it might just be the game he’s desperately been searching for.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:02 AM | Permalink