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More Sox Workout Day Notes

-- Infielder Alex Cora is no stranger to the Sox' ALCS opponent, the Cleveland Indians.
Cora was a member of the 2005 Indians for three months in 2005, after signing with the Tribe as a free agent the previous winter. But the quick development of shortstop Jhonny Peralta sent Cora to the bench where he was viewed as too expensive for a reserve and in July, he was shipped to the Red Sox in exchange for utility infielder Ramon Vazquez.
It remains one of the best -- if under-appreciated -- deals made by general manager Theo Epstein.
``I'm proud of what they've done,'' said Cora yesterday. ``I saw all those young players -- Victor (Martinez), Grady (Sizemore), Travis (Hafner), Jhonny...they were all growing up when I was there. It's fun to see what they've become.''
Cora harbors no bitterness about the deal that sent him to Boston.
``I thought I was going to play more,'' he said. ``But it worked out fine (coming to the Red Sox). They're a great organization, from top to bottom.''
The development of Martinez, Sizemore and others reminds Cora of the Indians in the 1990s, who developed stars such as Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez and won two A.L. pennants.
``It seems like that's the trend -- homegrown talent,'' Cora said. ``They believe in what they're doing. When (GM) Mark Shapiro got the job, he had a plan. I don't know if he was shooting for (it all to come together in) 2007, but they're here.''

Reliever Javier Lopez, who got a key out in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Angels, might see more action in the ALCS, since the Indians' lineup boasts a number of tough lefties, including Sizemore, Hafner, Kenny Lofton and Trot Nixon.
The presence of Hafner, probably the Indians' most feared middle-of-the-order threat, could result in Lopez being brought in in the middle innings to face him in a tough spot.
``He's the kind of guy who you don't want to make too many mistakes with,'' said Lopez, ``because he's got such raw power.''
Lopez came to the Sox as a lefty specialist, but actually performed better against righthanders this season. Righties hit .176 against him, while lefties hit .293.
``Just one of those things,'' shrugged Lopez. ``It may be because of my changeup.''
The Indians also have two switch-hitters -- catcher Victor Martinez and rookie second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera -- who would, of course, hit righty against Lopez.
``If they turn them around,'' said Lopez, ``I'm totally comfortable with (facing them as righties). Obviously, the focus for me is still on lefthanders, but I'l try to prepare as best I can (for everybody).''

`

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Wakefield, Others Throw Simulated Games

Several members of the Red Sox pitching staff threw a simulated inning or two this afternoon after the team concluded its regular workout.

The "outing" of most note was turned in by Tim Wakefield, the knuckleballer who was kept off the ALDS roster because of soreness in the back of his right shoulder.

Wakefield threw five "innings," totaling 77 pitches, mixing in a few fastballs along with his trademark floater. Wakefield, who had been bothered by the shoulder troubles (which the Sox initially called back problems) as far back as Aug. 20, threw without apparent discomfort.

When asked how he felt as he walked off the field, Wakefield said "good enough."

Red Sox rookie Brandon Moss called Wakefield "dirty."

There were some hard-hit balls hit off him, including a homer by Royce Clayton that made it to the top of the wall near the light-tower toward center field. But it wasn't the results that were important. It was how Wakefield felt physically with an eye toward a Game 4 start in Cleveland on Tuesday.

"Unless something unforeseen happens, Wakefield will start Game Four," said Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. "He will be re-evaluated (on Wednesday). . . He went through these five innings with no problems getting loose between innings; that's always the key when you're getting up and down multiple times."

Mike Timlin, Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester also threw to hitters.

Timlin (15 pitches) and Papelbon (22) threw one "inning" apiece, while Lester (40) went two. Lester was tagged for a homer over everything in left by Doug Mirabelli, who still was wearing his shin guards from having caught Wakefield when he stepped in to hit against the left-hander.

Those taking some hacks were Kevin Cash, Eric Hinske, Jacoby Ellsbury, J.D. Drew, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Brandon Moss, Alex Cora, Coco Crisp, Clayton and Mirabelli.

-- Steven Krasner and Joe McDonald

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 3:33 PM | Permalink

Here and There

-- Josh Beckett, Eric Gagne, Kyle Snyder and Manny Delcarmen threw side sessions in tThe Sox are trying to make sure they don't develop any rust in the four-day layoff between the end of the ALDS and the beginning of the ALCS.

-- The Indians were planning to work out at their Jacobs Field tomorrow afternoon around 5 o'clock before flying to Boston. They'll have a workout at Fenway Park at some point on Thursday.

-- The Sox hit on the field for about two hours today. Tomorrow and Thursday, weather permitting, Boston fielders will participate in some defensive drills, the type they do during spring training, in an effort to keep them sharp.

-- Tim Wakefield had trouble talking when the media first arrived in the clubhouse this morning. He wasn't trying to be evasive. His mouth was numb after an early morning visit to the dentist's office.

-- It didn't take long for MLB's postseason logo to be updated on the grass behind home plate. All it involved was reshaping one letter, changing "A-L-D-S" to "A-L-C-S." Basically, only one line had to be erased to turn the "D" into "C."

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 2:26 PM | Permalink

Some old faces returning to Fenway

If you watched the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees to clinch the ALDS on Monday night, you would have easily witnessed Trot Nixon and Kelly Shoppach celebrating the victory.

The former Red Sox players will return to Fenway on Friday when Boston and Cleveland play Game One of the ALCS. Nixon, who spent his entire career in the Red Sox organization before signing with the Indians last winter as a free agent, was an integral part of Boston's World Series Championship in 2004.

The right fielder has already made a return trip to Fenway as a member of the Indians this summer, but this time around will seem a bit different.

"We all have a special place in our hearts for Trot," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "But we don't want to have a seven-day Trot lovefest. We're here to win."

Former catching prospect Kelly Shoppach will also return as a member of the Indians. He was traded to Cleveland prior to the 2006 season as part of the deal for Coco Crisp. Shoppach has served as the backup for Victor Martinez and he's enjoyed some success. Shoppach started behind the plate for Cleveland in the clincher against New York.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 2:22 PM | Permalink

What, No Yankees To Beat?

In the back of their minds, the Red Sox were thinking that once again it would be Boston versus New York in the ALCS, reprising a confrontation that took place most recently in 2003 and 2004.

"Yeah, it is a little weird. Every year we seemed to be playing the Yankees," said the Sox' David Ortiz. "That's our rival.

"It's not that we wanted to play the Yankees. (Forget) that. They play really good against us," said Ortiz of the Yanks, who won the season series, 10-8.

"I'm not saying Cleveland won't (play well against the Sox), but we have a better record against Cleveland (5-2) than the Yankees. Cleveland has a really good team, really good pitching. That's the difference between them and the Yankees. Cleveland played better than the Yankees. That's why they got to this level."

So, is it weird not to have to go through New York to get to the World Series?

"I don't know," said a smiling Dustin Pedroia, Boston's rookie second baseman. "I've never gone through the Yankees."

And neither he nor the rest of the Red Sox will have to do so this year.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 2:19 PM | Permalink

So much for staying in the moment

The Red Sox do have the uncanny ability of taking one game at a time. Even though Terry Francona and the players would never deviate from the norm, at least not pubicly, David Ortiz is showing today that he's looking ahead.

During the club's workout, the Red Sox slugger and designated hitter is taking ground balls at first base. Obviously, Big Papi won't see action in the field during the upcoming ALCS against the Cleveland Indians, but he will need to sport a glove if Boston advances to the World Series.

It's a good sign he's being proactive. He looks pretty good over there.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 2:15 PM | Permalink

Regular-Season Meetings Meaningless

The Red Sox enjoyed a 5-2 edge in the season's series against Cleveland.

But that, say the Sox, shouldn't be used as a barometer for picking a winner in the best-of-seven ALCS, which begins Friday night at Fenway Park.

"The regular season doesn't mean anything," said second baseman Dustin Pedroia. "They won 96 games (tying the Sox for the league's best record). We've got to play well."

"It's a whole new thing," added Sox designated hitter David Ortiz. "They've got a one-two punch (C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona) for starting pitching that's really good. You've got two guys on the same team competing for the Cy Young (Award)."

"They're a good team playing well," said third baseman Mike Lowell. "We've got our hands full."

It should be noted that during the regular season, the Yankees went 6-0 against the Indians. In the postseason. Cleveland turned the tables on New York, winning three of four games and earning the right to face Boston in the ALCS with a World Series spot at stake.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 2:10 PM | Permalink

Where Were You . . .

While the Indians and the Yankees were battling it out in Game 4 of their playoff series last night, not every member of the Red Sox was paying rapt attention to each pitch to get in a little extra scouting on their ALCS opponent.

David Ortiz said he took his kids to the movies yesterday. They saw "Game Plan."

"It was an outstanding movie," said Ortiz of the football film that stars wrestling's The Rock.

But Ortiz said as he left the theater he received a quickie update on the Indians-Yankees game.

"Some lady screamed at me, 'Cleveland's whupping the Yankees' (butts)," said Ortiz. "When I got home, it was 6-1 (Cleveland). I watched the rest of the game."

Dustin Pedroia, meanwhile, said he was watching the TV show, "Prison Break" instead of the baseball game. Reliever Manny Delcarmen said he fell asleep but saw part of it.

Mike Lowell wasn't keeping a scorebook on the game, either.

"I'm not a big pitch-by-pitch guy watching baseball," admitted Lowell. "I like the condensed version. I watched the ninth inning. I do that with every playoff game."

Even manager Terry Francona wasn't glued to the baseball game on TV.

"I was going back and forth between the baseball game and the football (Dallas versus Buffalo) game," said Francona. "I just watched it as a fan."

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 1:57 PM | Permalink

Schilling chosen to start Game Two

Terry Francona announced today that Curt Schilling will start Game Two of the ALCS, flopping the veteran right-hander with Daisuke Matsuzaka in the playoff rotation.

The tentative rotation:

GAME ONE, Friday, October 12 -- Josh Beckett (7:10 p.m. at Boston)
GAME TWO, Saturday, October 13 -- Curt Schilling (8:21 p.m. at Boston)
GAME THREE, Monday, October 15 -- Daisuke Matsuzaka (7:10 p.m. at Cleveland)
GAME FOUR, Tuesday, October 16 -- TBA (Tim Wakefield if healthy) (8:21 p.m. at Cleveland)
GAME FIVE, Thursday, October 18 -- Josh Beckett (8:21 p.m. at Cleveland)
GAME SIX, Saturday, October 20 -- Curt Schilling (TBA at Boston)
GAME SEVEN, Sunday, October 21 -- Daisuke Matsuzaka (TBA at Boston)

Details to come.

Posted by Art Martone  at 1:32 PM | Permalink

Sox' ALCS Starting Rotation

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Boston manager Terry Francona just announced his starting rotation for the American League Championship Series against Cleveland, which begins Friday night at Fenway Park.

The fact that Josh Beckett is going to pitch the opener -- against Indians' power-pitching C.C. Sabathia -- comes as no surprise.

But Francona and pitching coach John Farrell have decided to flip-flop their numbers two and three starters from the recently completed three-game sweep of the Angels in the best-of-five ALDS.

Curt Schilling, who pitched seven shutout innings in ALDS Game 3 on Sunday, will be getting the ball for Game 2 of the ALCS. The veteran right-hander will be facing the other half of Cleveland's dynamite one-two starting-pitching punch, right-hander Fausto Carmona.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who struggled through 4 2/3 innings in his Game 2 ALDS start against the Angels at Fenway, will start Game 3 against the Indians. He will be opposing right-hander Jake Westbrook on Monday night in Cleveland.

The Sox had given Schilling as much time as they could to have him strong for a postseason start. He pitched on 11 days' rest in the ALDS, and was sharp. Matsuzaka, meanwhile, will wind up with 9 days' rest before facing the Indians.

"I think we tried to accomplish some things with Schill by giving him rest, which I think really helped. That was the biggest thing. The more he pitches with health, I think the better pitcher you're going to see," said Francona of pitching Dice-K before Schilling in the ALDS rotation.

"We just feel this is our best way to go forward," he added.

The alteration of Boston's starting rotation also will include a fourth starter in the best-of-seven ALCS. If he's healthy, Tim Wakefield will get the ball for Game 4 on Tuesday night in Cleveland, Francona said. The knuckleballer was kept off the ALDS roster because of soreness in the back of his right shoulder.

The Red Sox, though, aren't 100 percent certain that Wakefield will be available to make that start. So to begin testing those waters, Wakefield is going to be throwing a simulated game in a short time during the Sox' workout on a sunny but cool afternoon at Fenway.

Wakefield isn't the only pitcher scheduled to throw a simulated inning or two. Given the fact that Boston has four days off between securing the ALDS and beginning the ALCS, the challenge for the Red Sox is to keep everyone fresh for the next round. To that end, from a pitching point of view, Jon Lester and Dice-K are expected to throw to hitters this afternoon.

That plan actually has been moved up a day because of weather reports that indicate heavy rain for most of the day tomorrow, when the Red Sox once again will work out. Francona said the Sox gave some thought to flying Wakefield and Lester to the organization's spring training site in Fort Myers, Fla., for throwing sessions, but they all decided as much could be accomplished by having them throw at Fenway today.

"It is our hope that Wakefield will be our Game 4 starter," said Francona.

But, while the Red Sox' brain trust will meet tomorrow night to finalize the roster for the coming series, there are options to their Game 4 starting-pitching plan, partly because of the extra day of rest that has been built into the ALCS this year. There will be an off day between Games 4 and 5 at Jacobs Field.

Normally, the three middle games of the ALCS are played on consecutive days, with a day off between Game 5 and Game 6, when the series returns to the other team's park. This year the teams will play -- if necessary -- Game 3 (next Monday), Game 4 (Tuesday) and Game 5 (Thursday), and then, after an off day on Friday, Game 6 (Saturday) and Game 7 (Sunday).

That format could allow the Red Sox to use Beckett, who was dominant in a shutout of the Angels last Thursday, three times in the series. Should Wakefield not be healthy enough to take his turn, Beckett could take over that spot and pitch on three days' rest (instead of the normal four days of rest) and then he'd be in line to pitch in a decisive Game 7 on four days' rest.

"There are some ramifications if you do that, with everybody else on their normal day, which is okay. But we'd prefer to give them an extra day. So the best thing I think that could happen is Wake goes out, feels good and throws the ball real well," said Francona.

Lester could be a fall-back plan to replace Wakefield for Game 4, but Francona said not to etch that possibility in stone because the left-hander is available to be used in long relief or if one of the first three games should go into extra innings.

There could be a difference in Francona's thinking depending on the Sox' status is the series. If Boston is up, 3-0, then going with Wakefield or someone else would be a no-brainer. If the Sox are up, 2-1, or down, 2-1, the decision becomes murkier.

Francona and Farrell, meanwhile, will protect themselves in the arms' race by adding a pitcher to the roster for this round. Boston went with 10 pitchers in the first round because it was only a five-game (maximum) series, so the Sox didn't feel the necessity to carry the extra pitcher, giving them more position-player flexibility, notably the opportunity to use Jacoby Ellsbury off the bench in a variety of roles.

But for this round, which could go a maximum seven games, the Red Sox are going to carry 11 pitchers.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 1:08 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Indians moving on; Yankees going home

Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam. The topics: why the Indians will be a tougher foe than the Angels; Cleveland's ability to drive up pitch counts, and what that means for Dice-K; why Schilling should get the start in Game 2; why the Red Sox' 5-2 record against Cleveland this year means little to nothing; the extra rest for both teams and how that might affect things; and who will stay with the Yankees, and who will go.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

Why the Indians will be tougher: "In boxing they say style makes a fight, and in baseball there's a little bit of that matchup issue that goes into making a good series. For some reason the Angels can beat the Yankees in the postseason, but they can't seem to beat the Red Sox, and it's kind of a weird thing to try to figure out. But the Red Sox have the Angels number -- they've swept them twice in the last four years now -- and in terms of the Indians, I think that their starting pitching is more dominant, with Sabathia and Carmona. I think their lineup is certainly more formidable. The Angels have kind of an agressive, pesky offense, where the Indians are a little bit more like the Red Sox -- maybe not in name recognition or marquee value -- but there's some guys, from Hafner to Martinez and others, that can really do a lot of damage, and drive the ball and produce runs, and that's something the Red Sox didn't have to worry about in the last series."

Have the Sox given an indication of who starts after Beckett? "No, but you'd find it hard to believe, having watched the two of them pitch in the first round, that you wouldn't now put Schilling ahead of Dice-K in the rotation."

The Yankees' future: "I think they will do everything in their power, and that's considerable given the Yankees' resources, to keep Posada and Rivera both. Those guys are irreplaceable. There's no way you can go out and get a catcher who is familiar with the staff and is as good offensively as Posada. ... I think he has made it clear that, all things being equal, he would like to stay with the Yankees. And the same is true with Rivera, who may not be what he once was, but is still in the elite school of closers. ... Pettitte's a little hard to figure out; he has an option [and] can come back at, I think, $16 million and pitch another year. Clemens -- I've given up trying to forecast what he's going to do. ... As far as Joe Torre goes, I think this is probably the end."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:31 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, October 9

TWO DOWN, TWO TO GO? Since we last spoke on Friday, the Red Sox enjoyed their second champagne celebration of the year (above, Riverside Press-Enterprise photo) by completing a three-game sweep of the Angels that, writes Sean McAdam, was easier than you'd expect it to be in the playoffs. The only problem now, says McAdam, is the long wait until the ALCS begins. But, as Mike Lowell noted, ''I don’t think we wanted [the series against the Angels] to go five games, just to have less days off.''

VIEW FROM THE INSIDE: Kevin Youkilis says ''it's a great feeling to sweep the Angels'' and praises Curt Schilling for his seven shutout innings Sunday. (kevinyoukilis.mlblogs.com) Schilling himself gives one of his fascinating, detailed breakdowns of the game on 38pitches.com.

VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE: Baseball Musing's David Pinto says the Red Sox ''are as close to a flawless team as you'll find in the playoffs . . . All the arrows are pointing up for the Red Sox right now.''

HE WAS RIGHT: The day after Roger Clemens signed with the Yankees, the Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy took Schilling to task for saying ''we don't need'' Clemens; Dan called it ''a comment of stupefying arrogance that is sure to come up a couple of million times between now and the 2007 postseason.''. (It prompted Schilling to fire back the next day in one of the more interesting sideshows of the 2007 season.) But it turned out Schilling was right. FoxSports.com's Mark Kriegel compares Schilling with Clemens -- Schilling's sterling performance came on the same day Clemens' career may have come to an end -- and wonders, ''Which aging pitcher would you rather have in October?''

THE PERSONAL SIDE: The Globe's Jackie MacMullen has an interesting feature on Jonathan Papelbon, who reveals for the first time that he suffers from migraines and that one may have contributed to his Sept. 14 meltdown against the Yankees.

THE REAL MR. MAY: Vladimir Guerrero has a .183 lifetime postseason average after going 2-for-10 against the Red Sox. (Los Angeles Daily News)

UP NEXT: The Indians, who finished off the Evil Empire (much more on them in a moment) last night at Yankee Stadium. (Akron Beacon Journal) The Indians were the pictures of satisfaction in their locker room afterwards. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Meanwhile . . .

IT'S OVER: What's over, you ask? Virtually everything in the Bronx, it appears. The season, for sure. Joe Torre's reign as manager, almost certainly. Alex Rodriguez' days in pinstripes, perhaps. But what's really over is this moment in Yankee history, the run of glory that began with such a delightful surprise -- to those of the Yankee persuasion -- in 1996. Because no matter what, it's going to be very different next year. Maybe it'll still be good. Maybe it'll be better. But there's an excellent chance Derek Jeter will be the only remaining link to that past when the team reassembles in Tampa next February.

COMING APART: The team is disassembling as we speak in light of a a 6-4 loss to the Indians last night (New York Post) that eliminated them from the playoffs. Considering that George Steinbrenner had already told Ian O'Connor of the Bergen Record ''I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series,'' the odds are overwhelming it was Torre's last game as manager. (New York Daily News) The well-connected Bill Madden ''believes'' Steinbrenner will be "reaching out" to Tony La Russa to replace Torre, and it's reasonable to think this isn't baseless speculation on Madden's part. Torre has his defenders, from journalists (the New York Post's Jay Greenberg) to politicians (New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg) to his coaches (Don Mattingly) to his players (Derek Jeter). He has his detractors, too; there's the cabal that the Journal American's Peter Abraham refers to as the jackals in Tampa, and the Daily News reports there were ''moans of consternation, even outrage, in the owner's box'' Sunday over the way Torre used Joba Chamberlain. But the Yankees' postseason recent postseason failures -- they haven't won a series since the 2004 ALDS and are 4-13 in their last 17 playoff games -- shows starkly that the magic is gone for Torre and the Yanks (New York Daily News), and Steinbrenner obviously believes it's time for a change.

WHAT A RUN IT WAS: SI.com's Alex Belth chronicles Torre's amazing record as Yankee manager.

WAIT FOR IT: SI.com's Jon Heyman reports Steinbrenner ''was quite upset'' during last night's game but he had nothing to say as he left Yankee Stadium, looking extremely frail as he was helped out by his daughter. (New York Post) Still, I'm sure we'll be hearing something from him -- or his spokespeople -- very soon.

KEEP THE ENGINE RUNNING: Torre isn't the only one who may not be back. Mariano Rivera's contract is up (New York Daily News), and he has no idea if he'll be returning. Ditto Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte. (New York Post) Not to mention Roger Clemens (The Journal News). FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal gives the outsider's view of it all.

And, of course, there's the saga of . . .

YOU KNOW WHO: Alex Rodriguez appeared red-eyed, according to both the Post and the Daily News, as he met with the media after the game. His postseason wasn't the disaster that others have been -- he hit .267 against the Indians, and broke a streak of 57 straight postseason at-bats without an RBI by hitting a late solo home run last night -- but it's going to end without a ring, as have all four of his postseasons in pinstripes. And now we wait to see if he and agent Scott Boras will exercise the opt-out clause in his contract within the 10-day window they have at the conclusion of the World Series. He, of course, gave no clues as he spoke with reporters. But as we've seen in this postseason, there are plenty of talented and well-heeled teams -- the one the Red Sox just played leaps to mind (there's already A-Rod-to-Anaheim speculation from the Daily News' John Harper); so does the one that lost to the Diamondbacks -- that desperately need a hitter of Rodriguez' caliber. Scott Boras' dream scenario is to create a market where rich and talented teams that believe they're one player from the promised land are bidding against one another for one of his clients. His dream may come true next month.

HOW TO FIGURE IT? SI.com's Tom Verducci says that if he goes, A-Rod will leave behind a baffling legacy.

ROLL OF DISHONOR: The New York papers spread the blame around for the Yanks' loss, starting with Chien Ming-Wang (he caught it from both the the Daily News and the Post) to Hideki Matsui to -- gasp! -- Derek Jeter. But playing the Blame Game in the wake of defeat is the natural progression to a fan base and a franchise that considers anything less that a World Series championship to be a failed season.

THE TOTAL CHANGE: Who knows? Maybe Mark Cuban is just what the Cubs need to end their 100-year World Series drought. (Daily Southtown)

WRAPPING IT UP: The Philadelphia Inquirer's Phil Sheridan looks back on a thrilling but ultimately unsuccesful season for the Phillies.

GEARING UP: The Chicago Sun-Times examines what's looming on the Cubs' horizon.

WHAT'S THERE TO SAY? Jim Tracy didn't say a whole lot after being fired by the Pirates. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) Meanwhile, the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that Indians coach Joel Skinner is a candidate to replace Tracy.

WHISPERS: The Cubs may be shopping third baseman Aramis Ramirez (Daily Herald) . . . The Tigers may be interested in Seattle's Raul Ibanez (Detroit Free Press) . . . If Johan Santana doesn't finish in the top three in the Cy Young voting this year, he will have a partial no-trade clause that will allow him to pick 12 teams he can't be traded to. If he finishes in the top three -- though he most likely won't -- he'll have a complete no-trade clause (St. Paul Pioneer Press) . . . The Brewers' Chris Capuano needs surgery, but on his right (non-throwing) arm (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

OLD FRIENDS: Anibal Sanchez is upset because he thinks the Marlins are questioning his integrity in a dispute over whether he was injured before or after he was sent to the minors on May 4 (Miami Herald).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:43 AM | Permalink