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The numbers with and without Manny

Journal photo / Kris Craig
Manny Ramirez singles in his first at-bat on Tuesday night.

Yesterday we mentioned on the Web site the way the offense for the Red Sox basically held up in the absence of Manny Ramirez. After last night's return, Ramirez has now played in 128 of the team's 157 games. Below are a few of the team's numbers in the 128 games with Manny, and in the 29 games without him.

Batting average: .271 without Manny; .279 with Manny
Slugging percentage: .442 without Manny; .441 with Manny
Runs per game: 5.4 without Manny; 5.3 with Manny

But here's the big difference.

Winning percentage: .552 without Manny (16-13); .602 with Manny (77-51).

-Here's what a few quotes from Kevin Youkilis on Manny returning to bat second in the lineup, according to Mike Fine's account in The Patriot Ledger:

"He's hitting second, so I think he's going to move over runners, do the little things. He’s going to play small-ball. He might get a contract extension if he finishes well. He really has to show himself well because he's one of those September call-up type guys."

Right. And, finally, it should have surprised no one that the crowd went nuts for Ramirez last night, despite the not-too-subtle suggestions out there that there's something not on the up-and-up about the amount of time that Ramirez has missed. The fans have always been quick to forgive when it comes to their favorite left fielder.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:34 PM to Projo Mannybeingmanny | Permalink