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September 15, 2007
-- Coco Crisp, who was scratched from the starting lineup on Friday night because of soreness in his left hip, is penciled into today's starting lineup. But manager Terry Francona said this morning if the hip was acting up on Crisp, he might have to be scratched again.
Crisp, said Francona, told his manager during batting practice on Friday that he felt the hip "grab" him a bit but didn't think it was anything serious. He had his hip worked on by the trainers but was unable to start. He did loosen up enough to enter Friday night's game as a pinch runner, but he was thrown out attempting to steal second and looked to be walking gingerly back to the dugout.
-- Francona said the Yanks' familiarity with Hideki Okajima may have something to do with New York's recent success against the left-hander.
Okajima has pitched in 10 of the first 16 games this season between the teams. Over his first five games against New York, Okajima pitched five scoreless innings. Since then, though, he has allowed at least one run in four of his last five outings versus the Yanks, including four runs in only one-third of an inning Friday night as Boston let a 7-2 eighth-inning lead melt away into an 8-7 loss.
Over his last three appearances against New York, Okajima has coughed up eight earned runs on eight hits in only 2 1/3 innings, an E.R.A. of 30.90.
It's not just the Yanks, though, who seemed to have figured out Okajima. He has been raked for 12 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings, an E.R.A. of 7.05 over his last 17 games, inflating his overall E.R.A. from 0.87 to 2.28. So call it fatigue or familiarity, but Okajima, the early season surprise because of his devastating changeup, is not getting it done lately.
-- Eric Hinske is in the starting lineup in left field instead of Jacoby Ellsbury because of his history of success against New York's starter, Chien-Ming Wang. Hinske is 10 for 22 (.455) in his career against Wang with four doubles, two homers and a slugging percentage of .909.
Hinske, though, is 0 for 6 against Wang this season.
-- Nothing new on Manny Ramirez (strained left oblique), but he is not in the starting lineup.
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 1:29 PM | Permalink
