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Postgame clubhouse reaction

*Despite the Red Sox’ loss tonight, the biggest news was the performance of Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima.

The Japanese left-hander has not worked since Sept. 14 due to fatigue and he showed no signs of being tired in his one inning of work in the top of the eighth. The southpaw threw just 14 pitches and allowed one hit with two strikeouts.

This afternoon Red Sox manager Terry Francona stated the importance of getting Okajima into last night’s game, and the club would like to see another performance like this one at least one more time before the postseason.

“He didn’t get extended and he didn’t give up runs,” said the manager. “It didn’t look like there was a ton of rust, so if we can get him out there again, that would really be good.”

Okajima has been a huge part of the club’s bullpen for much of the season until his latest bout of exhaustion.

*Francona on Josh Beckett:

“Josh left some fastballs over the plate and he paid the price for it. We gave ourselves a really good opportunity in the ninth, but (Minnesota closer Joe) Nathan made some really good pitches when he had to.”

Beckett on his losing performance:

“If you can’t locate your fastball hitters are going to get the best of you most of the time."

Beckett on his final regular-season outing and looking ahead:

He finishes his second season with the Red Sox with a 20-7 record, including a 3.27 ERA and reached the 200-inning plateau, which he said was a goal of his this year.

Still, he’s not about to talk about individual accomplishments, because there’s a higher purpose – a World Series championship.

“We still have some things we want to do for the rest of the regular season,” said Beckett. “Obviously I’m not going to be part of the rest of the regular season, so I’ll sit there with my pom-poms. We’ll worry about [the postseason] once we find out what day we’re playing. With the whole scheduling thing it kind of has everybody wondering what the heck is going on. We’re trying to finish strong and hopefully we can win a couple of games in the next three.”

“We’re riding pretty high right now,” added Beckett. “We’re hitting the ball real well, but obviously today wasn’t a great game. We’re still hitting the ball and playing great defense. We’ve pitched well, too. You don’t plan on winning every game in a season, and besides today, we’re doing pretty well.”

**The last thing the Red Sox need right now is an injury to outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury.

The rookie sparkplug left the game after the fourth inning with cramping in his right calf and did not return. He went 0-for-2 to snap his eight-game hitting streak, and Francona said he didn’t know if the pitches Ellsbury fouled off his leg during his first at-bat caused the problem.

“I don’t know if it’s related,” said Francona. “I can’t imagine it helped. The (cramping) happened for a couple of innings and one inning he was late going out because it wasn’t able to loosen up. He couldn’t get it to loosen up so we had to make a move.”

Francona inserted utility outfielder Bobby Kielty into right field and moved J.D. Drew to center as a result.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:12 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Minnesota 5, Boston 4

BOSTON _ The party has been put on hold.

Boston has the A.L. East title within its reach, but lthe Red Sox needed a few monkeys hanging on the limb tonight to grab hold of the division for the first time in 12 seasons. They’re coming oh so close, but the Minnesota Twins had other thoughts with their 5-4 margin of victory at Fenway Park.

Early yesterday afternoon a Red Sox clubby was seen gathering a cooler of ice and wheeling it into the home clubhouse, probably preparing for a possible celebration. Since the Sox lost, and the New York Yankees beat Tampa, Boston’s magic number remains at two.

The Red Sox sent ace, 20-game winner and Cy Young Award candidate Josh Beckett to the mound against the Twins, and right-hander allowed five runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts in six innings of work to suffer only his seventh loss of the season.

The biggest news of the night was the performance of Red Sox reliever Hideki Okajima. The Japanese left-hander has not worked since Sept. 14 due to fatigue and he showed no signs of being tired in his one inning of work in the top of the eighth. The southpaw threw just 14 pitches and allowed one hit with two strikeouts.
Yesterday afternoon Francona stated the importance of getting Okajima into last night’s game, and the club would like to see another performance like this one at least one more time before the postseason.

The Twins scored often and early on Beckett, pushing across one run in each of the first three innings, including a monster solo home run by Minnesota’s Michael Cuddyer in the second inning. The Twins scored one in the fifth before Garrett Jones launched a solo shot to center in the sixth inning.

Boston scoring came in the two-run first inning before Ortiz hit a solo homer in the fifth. With the Sox trailing by two runs in the bottom of the eighth, Varitek provided a one-out solo homer into the Monster seats to cut Boston’s deficit to one, 5-4.
The Red Sox weren’t done.
After Bobby Kielty struck out, Eric Hinske and Julio Lugo contributed back-to-back singles before Dustin Pedroia popped out to first to end the threat.

Red Sox rookie Brandon Moss made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth with his lead-off double. Ortiz was issued a free pass before Lowell grounded out to first, moving the runners into scoring position. With first base open, the Twins elected to intentionally walk J.D. Drew to face Varitek, who struck out swinging.

Kevin Youkilis, who was not in the starting lineup, served as a pinch-hitter for Kielty and Youk struck out to end the threat and game.

The party may be on ice, for now, but the Red Sox and their fans can taste it. They might just have to wait until another day to celebrate.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:47 PM | Permalink

Ellsbury update

Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was pulled from the game after four innings with cramping in his right calf. We'll have an update after the game. . .

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:53 PM | Permalink

Pregame Notes, Sept. 27

-- Center fielder Coco Crisp still isn't feeling well enough to start, though inner ear issues have been ruled out as the cause of his dizziness and nausea, said manager Terry Francona a few minutes ago.

Crisp was exmained today and was in the clubhouse before the game. Francona said his illness was described as "strictly viral." The manager didn't know when Crisp, who will miss his third straight start tonight, will be back in the lineup. Once again Jacoby Ellsbury is starting in center in place of Crisp.

-- First baseman Kevin Youkilis, who started Wednesday night for the first time since being hit on the right wrist by a pitch on Sept. 15, is out of the starting lineup again tonight.

Francona said Youkilis felt "fatigue in the wrist" late in Wednesday's game. The manager said Youkilis's wrist wasn't sore, but Francona thought it best to hold him out of tonight's starting lineup. Youkilis, who is being replaced in the lineup by Eric Hinske, is available off the bench, said Francona.

-- Manny Ramirez starts in left field for the third straight game, again batting second so it's possible for him to get an extra at-bat and possibly save an inning in the field defensively. Francona said he'll likely play six innings again tonight. He's hoping to have Ramirez play a full game this weekend with the playoffs looming next week, but that would depend on how Manny was feeling, he said.

--Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:38 PM | Permalink

Starting Lineups, Sept. 27

BOSTON

Pedroia 2b
Ramirez lf
Ortiz dh
Lowell 3b
Drew rf
Varitek c
Ellsbury cf
Hinske 1b
Lugo ss

Beckett p

MINNESOTA

Bartlett ss
Kubel lf
Hunter cf
Morneau dh
Cuddyer rf
Jones 1b
LeCroy c
Buscher 3b
Punto 2b

Bonser p

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:35 PM | Permalink

Reactions to Manny's return

Here's a quick sampling of what they're saying about Manny Ramirez's startling 4-for-5 start since returning from a 24-game hiatus:

"The highest compliment that that can be paid a hitter is to say he could roll out of bed and hit .300. Manny Ramirez has proven over the last two days he might actually be able to do it," writes Jerry Beach, in DieHard Magazine.com.

"Manny could rip IV tubes out of his arm, vault out of the ICU, and crack a single up the middle on the first pitch he's seen in six months. Manny could stand alongside a 4-foot snowbank in White River Junction, Vt., on Feb. 10 and hit the first 90-mile-per-hour fastball thrown his way. He could skip part of spring training (and has), then show up rested and ready to go 4 for 4 against C.C. Sabathia," writes Dan Shaughnessy, in The Boston Globe.

"Calling someone a 'Christmas Day hitter,' an expression used in the Red Sox clubhouse, is supposed to signify that a particular player can roll out of bed on the holiday, or any other day, and knock out a slew of hits without even thinking about it. Christmas has come early for Manny Ramirez [stats] and the Sox," writes Rob Bradford in the Boston Herald.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 3:02 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink | Comments 2

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Good stuff from Manny and Lowell

Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam. Today's topics: Manny Ramirez's strong return; Mike Lowell as team MVP; time will do Jon Lester good; which pitcher will get the 25th playoff roster spot; and why the Red Sox are better off facing the Angels.

Following are some excerpts from Sean's comments.

On Manny's return: "I think one of the most encouraging things is Manny's ability to hit the ball to center and right field, which as most people who follow the Red Sox know is kind of when you can tell that Manny is locked in at the plate -- when he's hitting the ball either up the middle or just to the right of right-center. That's where almost every ball he's hit in the last two games has gone, and that tells me he's locked in pretty good."

On Lowell: "I don't think there's any question he's been their MVP. ... For the past month or so he has been the cleanup hiter in the absence of Manny Ramirez, and he also has been a guy that helped carry the team when Ortiz really wasn't producing and driving the ball."

The four-way battle for the final roster spot: "I was a bit surprised when someone with some reason to be familiar with this told me to not leave Bryan Corey off that list. I hadn't really thought of him as being much of a factor here, but he certainly has pitched well enough in September and gotten their eye. But this is a guy who, remember, didn't make the team out of spring training and was in Pawtucket all year until the rosters expanded, and to think that he might now be one of 11 pitchers on the postseason roster is a bit of a surprise to me -- that's something I hadn't even factored in. ... The Buchholz thing is so strange, because he's only pitched three times since the first of the month, and you don't know what to expect out of him or where he is physically. ... My guess is -- just because of experience, his bounce-back ability and versatility -- maybe its Tavarez, but I'm really throwing a dart against a wall."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:52 AM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Thursday, September 27

END IN SIGHT: Almost there. The Red Sox' magic number for clinching the A.L. East is down to two after last night's 11-6 win over the A's (projo.com), a victory fueled by three-hit performances from Dustin Pedroia (above right, Journal photo by Kris Craig), Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Mike Lowell, not to mention a five-RBI contribution from Lowell. And suddenly, the postseason picture is falling into place, as well. Sean McAdam notes that, thanks to Los Angeles of Anaheim's three straight losses to the Rangers, the Red Sox are all but assured of playing the Angels in the first round, with the series opening at Fenway Park next Wednesday or Thursday, followed by Game Two on Friday. (The teams will play on the West Coast on Sunday, Oct. 7 and, if necessary, Monday, Oct. 8, with a fifth game, if needed, in Boston on Wednesday, Oct. 10.) The only unanswered question is whether or not the Sox or Indians will finish with the best record in the A.L. and thus earn home-field advantage throughout the postseason. That race, at the moment, is tied; details to come.

ALSO DECIDED . . . is which series -- the seven-day or eight-day -- the Sox will choose if they finish first overall. (The top seed gets to pick which series it wants to play.) But Terry Francona isn't telling the Sox' choice, at least not yet. (Boston Herald)

ALSO DECIDED AS WELL . . . is the postseason roster, or just about. Today's projo.com journal, written by McAdam, Steven Krasner and Joe McDonald, notes that 24 of the 25 roster spots are solidifed (and, yes, Jacoby Ellsbury is on it). With Javier Lopez apparently assured of a position, the only decision is who to pick for the last pitching slot: Julian Tavarez, Kyle Snyder, Clay Buchholz or Bryan Corey. Someone who won't have a slot, at least in the opening round: Jon Lester. (Boston Globe)

ONE FOR THE BOOKS: For 30 years, no Red Sox third baseman ever had more RBI in a single season than Butch Hobson, 1977. No one, that is, until Mike Lowell, 2007. Steven Krasner has the details in Inside The Game. The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan says you can't put a value on what Lowell has done this year.

AND ONE FOR THE ROAD: Rotoworld.com put together its list of projected 2008 American League rosters, and it has Eric Chavez at third base for the Red Sox. Lowell is nowhere to be found, which must mean Rotoworld thinks he's National League-bound. As for Alex Rodriguez, Rotoworld says he's returning to the Yankees.

MANNY BEING MANNY: He missed a month because of the strained oblique, but Manny Ramirez is 4-for-5 with two walks in his first two games back in the lineup. (Boston Herald)

HERE'S THE FASCINATION, HERE'S THE FASCINATION, HERE'S THE FASCINATION WITH J.D. DREW: Seth Mnookin chronicles J.D. Drew's continuing offensive resurgence. (sethmnookin.com)

'MORE WOLF THAN SHEEP': That's how SI.com's Tom Verducci describes Jonathan Papelbon in his fascinating profile of the Red Sox closer.

AND MANY MORE: Happy birthday, Johnny Pesky; he turns 88 today. (Boston Globe)

WE'LL GO: While many of the Red Sox aren't enthusiastic about opening the 2008 season in Japan with two games against Oakland -- no decision's been made, but the option is still on the table -- the A's players are more receptive. (Boston Herald)

WAY TO GO, ROOK(S): FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal hands out his postseason awards and Dustin Pedroia is his Rookie of the Year, with Daisuke Matsuzaka third. David Ortiz is third and Mike Lowell ninth on his MVP ballot, and Josh Beckett is second to C.C. Sabathia in the Cy Young race. Terry Francona didn't make the top three on his Manager of the Year list.

THEY MADE IT: The Yankees completed their rise from the grave by clobbering Tampa Bay last night and clinching a playoff position. (New York Daily News) Most pundits are saying they overcame the 14 1/2-game deficit they faced on May 29 (New York Post), but that's only true if they win the division; if things stay the way they are, the deficit they erased was the one they faced in the wild-card race, which peaked at 9 1/2. Even so, it's an impressive accomplishment . . . and now it's on to the postseason, where Alex Rodriguez -- sounding very much like a man in his last days in pinstripes, according to the New York Post's Kevin Kernan -- says it's World Series championship or bust.

I WAS WRONG: Give the Daily News' John Harper credit. Most people try to bury their mistakes. Instead, today he's owning up to it. Don't feel badly, John; you weren't the only one who declared the Yankees dead. In fact, you weren't even the only one that day.

HE WAS RIGHT: My friend Lou DiLullo (projo.com) is a pariah -- with reason, I have to admit -- in some corners of Red Sox Nation; he's a consumptive Yankee fan who views the world, indeed life itself, through a rosy, the Yankees-can-do-no-wrong pinstripe prism. (If he doesn't actually feel that way, he hides it beautifully in his writings.) But when he was saying throughout the summer that it was too early to bury the Yanks, he was absolutely correct. It's a long, long season, and the notion that a team -- any team with talent -- is out of it with four months to go, or three months to go, or even a month to go, is foolish. That much of Lou's Yankee optimism goes hand-in-hand with blind, irrational hatred of the Red Sox is the reason no one pays much attention to him around here; his magic-numbers screed was just the latest in a series of anti-Boston fatwas that he issues from time to time. But if he was off the mark in declaring the Yankees would conjure up a repeat of 1978 just because the 2007 deficit happened to hit the same 14 1/2-game benchmark it hit in '78, he was on target when he declared, over and over, that the Yankees weren't done. I would imagine no one in Yankee Universe is happier, or more satisfied, this morning than Lou DiLullo; it's a wonderful feeling to know that you are right and the world is wrong. Congratulations.

And I can only imagine what's coming next in Louie's Lines.

THE GREAT UNKNOWN: The Yankees have no idea if Roger Clemens will be able to pitch in the postseason. (New York Daily News)

PRETTY LAME: Despite having lunch with George Steinbrenner, Joe Torre is still a lame-duck manager heading into the playoffs. (New York Post)

A.L. RACES: It's all for positioning now, and the Angels lost a game, maybe a shot at finishing with the A.L.'s best record, and perhaps center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. yesterday at Texas. (Los Angeles Daily News) The Indians, meanwhile, split a doubleheader at Seattle and now are tied for the top spot with the Red Sox. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) More worrisome for the Indians: Closer Joe Borowski blew his second save chance in as many nights.

N.L. RACES: The Mets' lead in the N.L. East is down to one as they blew yet another multirun lead and lost to the Nationals (New York Daily News) at the same time the Phillies were beating the Braves (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . In other games with playoff implications, the Cubs lost to the Marlins (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . the Brewers lost to the Cardinals (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . the red-hot Rockies won their 10th in a row, beating the Dodgers (Denver Post) . . . the Diamondbacks lost to the Pirates (Arizona Republic) . . . and the Padres beat the Giants (San Diego Union-Tribune).

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

DUQUE TO THE RESCUE: The New York Observer's Howard Megdal says the Mets need a save from Orlando Hernandez.

THE MASSIVE TIE SCENARIO: As of yesterday morning, Baseball Musing's David Pinto noted there was a chance for a six-way playoff tie in the National League, which would have resulted in two days of single-elimination play-in games. As of today, Pinto reports it can still be a five-way tie.

THE VOICES OF NEW YORK: ESPN.com's Jeff Pearlman says that, in stark contrast to the pap you hear on the Yankee television and radio broadcasts, the Mets' television team, which includes Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez (with ex-voice of the PawSox Gary Cohen), is the best in baseball.

GO ALL THE WAY: MLB has suspended umpire Mike Winters for his role in the Milton Bradley fiasco of last weekend, but Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal says that's not enough: ''Mike Winters should never umpire another major-league game.''

END OF THE LINE: The Giants and Barry Bonds are preparing for their farewell weekend. (USA Today)

NOW THIS IS A GRUDGE: Bruce Froemming's 37-year umpiring career will end this weekend, but Milt Pappas is still bitter about not getting a 2-and-2 call from Froemming during a perfect-game bid in 1972; he wound up walking the batter and lost the perfect game, though he did finish the no-hitter. (ESPN.com) ''I still feel in my own heart that he robbed me of a perfect game,'' said Pappas. ''I wish him nothing but the best. I just wish he had retired 37 years ago."

QUICKLY: Skip Caray won't be part of WTBS' baseball playoff broadcast team and he's not happy about it (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . A Johan Santana-for-Matt Kemp-and-others trade rumor is floating around cyberspace (cbs2.com).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments 1