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FINAL: Indians 7, Red Sox 3

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- At the tail end of the regular season, and during the first round of the playoffs, the Boston Red Sox were clearly locked in offensively. The bats were electrified, charged up and producing.

What happened?

Ever since Boston’s three-run fifth inning, including back-to-back homers by Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell, in Game Two of the ALCS at Fenway, the Red Sox’ explosive barrage quickly became a dud when the club arrived at Jacobs Field.

In Game Three, a 4-2 loss to Cleveland, Boston produced two runs on seven hits, and it didn’t get much better in Game Four early on last night as the Indians pummeled the Red Sox into submission en route to a 7-3 victory. Cleveland leads the best-of-seven series, 3-1.

The Indians’ pitchers have made some adjustments, plus their bullpen has been tremendous. Red Sox manager Terry Francona even said Tuesday afternoon that the Tribe’s relievers have stuck it to the Boston batters pretty good.

The focus in the ALDS against the Angels, and in the first two games of this series, was the fact Ramirez and David Ortiz were reaching base in record numbers. The 3-4 hitters in the order for Boston entered last night’s game by reaching base in 37 of 54 plate appearances. And, the hitters around them were producing to equal a pretty potent lineup.

It fizzled.

The Red Sox could not maintain that momentum in Cleveland as the Indians are now the ones who are producing offensively.

Just ask Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield.

The knuckleballer, who was left off the ALDS roster due to a sore shoulder, was solid through four innings last night. His knuckler was dancing uncontrollably against the Indian batters, so much so that he didn’t allow a hit until Jhonny Peralta’s two-out double in the fourth.

It was the fifth inning, however, when the veteran faltered.

He allowed a lead-off solo homer to the Indians’ Casey Blake, followed by a Franklin Gutierrez single. Then Wakefield hit Kelly Shoppach before Grady Sizemore reached on a fielder’s choice. Asdrubal Cabrera singled before Travis Hafner struck out. With two outs, Wakefield allowed a RBI-single to Victor Martinez and that ended his outing.

Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen didn’t fair too well.

The right-hander surrendered a three-run homer to Peralta, a single to Kenny Lofton before Blake posted his second RBI of the inning as Cleveland climbed out to a 7-0 lead.

As quickly as it appeared the Red Sox had lost their offensive prowess, they regrouped, made some adjustments and fired it back up.

For the first time in LCS history, a club hit back-to-back-to-back home runs as Kevin Youkilis, Ortiz and Ramirez crushed solo homers to cut the Sox’ deficit to four, 7-3.

It was the second time in postseason history that a team belted three consecutive blasts. The Yankees’ Tim Raines, Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neil accomplished the feat in the 1997 ALDS against the Indians.

That sign of life was brief for the Red Sox and they couldn't keep it going as Boston lost its third straight game. If the Red Sox can't find what's missing in Game Five on Thursday, their season will be over.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:09 PM | Permalink

Photo: One up, one down

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo retrieves a ball hit by Indian Kenny Lofton that eluded centerfielder Coco Crisp in the 5th inning.

Posted by Rich Lee  at 10:51 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME UPDATE: Record set with homers

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
David Ortiz greets Manny Ramirez after they both homered, following a home run by Kevin Youkilis, in the sixth inning tonight.

For the first time in LCS history, a club hit back-to-back-to-back home runs as the Sox' Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez crushed solo homers in the top of the sixth inning. It was the second time in postseason history, however, that a team belted three consecutive blasts. The Yankees’ Tim Raines, Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neil accomplished the feat in the 1997 ALDS against the Indians.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 10:47 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME NOTE: Back-to-Back-to-Back

The three consecutive homers by the Red Sox in the top of the sixth is something that has never been done in the almost 40-year history of the LCS. In fact, it's been done just one other time in the history of post-season baseball.
Coincidentally, that also happened against Cleveland. In Game 1 of the 1997 ALDS, the Yankees hit three in a row, from the bats of Tim Raines, Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neil.
For what it's worth, the Yankees went on to lose that post-season series.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 10:46 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME NOTE: Back to back to back

When Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth, it marked the second time in the series and the sixth time in franchise history the Sox had gone back-to-back in the postseason.

When Manny Ramirez added another one batter later, it marked the second time they’d ever hit three straight homers in the postseason. Reggie Smith, Rico Petrocelli and Carl Yastrzemski did it in the fourth inning of Game Six of the 1967 World Series.

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

IN-GAME UPDATE: Someone the Sox don't want to see

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- Spotted in the hallway of Jacobs Field this evening was Jackie Autry, the widow of former Angels owner -- and singing cowboy -- Gene Autry.

What's the significance of her appearance? Mrs. Autry is the honorary American League President, a post that is no longer officially occupied.

Her chief duty? To award the William Harridge trophy to the American League champions. (Those watching the Rockies-Diamondbacks NLCS game late Monday saw that Bill Giles performed the same function, awarding the Rockies the Warren Giles trophy named after his late father, the former president of the N.L.)

Since the Indians went into Game Four leading two games to one, they're the only team that can win the pennant in five games here, before it (possibly) shifts back to Boston.

The Sox would love for Mrs. Autry to come to Boston, presuming, of course, that she's there to crown the Sox as champs -- and not the Indians.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 10:11 PM | Permalink

Photo: Big Papi not in good form

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
David Ortiz strikes out swinging to end the first inning

Posted by Rich Lee  at 10:05 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME NOTES: Sox starter fails again

Starting pitching has been one of the Red Sox' strengths all season, but tonight their third straight starter -- in this case, Tim Wakefield -- was knocked out of the game after 4 2/3 innings. He follows Daisuke Matsuzaka and Curt Schilling, who also were taken out with two outs in the fifth of Games Three and Two, respectively.

Posted by Art Martone  at 9:59 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME NOTES: Statistical bits

-- Manny Ramirez extended his LCS hitting streak to 14 games with a second-inning single, one shy of Pete Rose's LCS record of 15 straight.

-- The Indians, who broke on top on Casey Blake's home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, have scored first in each of the four games in the series.

Posted by Art Martone  at 9:55 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME STORY: Matsuzaka revisted

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- The image of Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka sitting in corner of the clubhouse in complete disarray, following Monday night’s loss in Game Three of the ALCS, was still very real Tuesday afternoon.

It was the second time this postseason, his first in the majors, that Matsuzaka has struggled and it was clear he was very disappointed. At no time did a teammate, coach or manager try to console the “rookie” leaving him to mediate on his own.

Sure the language barrier doesn’t help the situation, but things would have been no different if it was Josh Beckett sitting in disgust at his locker. Actually, the Red Sox’ ace had to deal with similar adversity last season, his first in Boston, and just look at the type of season he’s produced in 2007.

“I see some of the same stuff,” said Beckett when comparing situations. “You have to make a lot of adjustments here, whether you’re coming from the National League to the American, and obviously I have never played in Japan, but I would assume that you still have to make some adjustments.”

Beckett explained because the A.L. East is such a tough division, the best in baseball, Matsuzaka has to make adjustments almost on a pitch-to-pitch basis. No doubt he’s struggled in October, but his teammates still believe in his ability.

“We back Daisuke,” said Beckett. “We still believe every time he goes out there that we’re going to win. It doesn’t have anything to do with the money that they are paying him or anything like that. We believe in him because we know he’s trying. He’s really giving it all.”

As frustrating as it may be for Matsuzaka, his teammates can empathize with him because the support system is quite different. It’s not like they can sit down in the clubhouse and talk, or enjoy a postgame meal with friendly conversation.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who said he did not see Dice-K sitting by himself, doesn’t think it makes much difference if players sit in plain view at their lockers or go and hide to feel shame.

“I don’t think it matters,” said Francona. “What’s the difference if he goes and sits in a room? That doesn’t mean you’re going to hang a curveball next outing or you’re going to pitch well. If a guy chooses to sit in front of his locker, that’s what he did. It’s like a guy coming out with an ice pack and everybody panicking. If the guy had it on in the other room, it’s still the same ice pack.”

Matsuzaka, after all, is a professional and should be able to file away his last two starts in order to be effective his next time out, whenever that is.

“I don’t think he was very happy with his outing,” said Francona. “Then you’re going to have some of the barriers of the language where you have to ask somebody else to ask him, and he has to tell somebody else to tell you. So, it’s not that easy, even on good nights because of the language barrier. I just think he was disappointed with the way things went.”

Because of Matsuzaka’s subpar performance, his second of the postseason, Francona said he did not talk to him on Tuesday because pitching coach John Farrell already had, so there was no need to revisit the situation.

When the season is finally put to rest, that’s when the Red Sox will evaluate Matsuzaka’s performance. Even Red Sox GM Theo Epstein has said in the past that he fully expects Matsuzaka to improve in 2008.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:24 PM | Permalink

Photo: Wakefield in good form

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield follows through on a pitch in the first inning at Cleveland tonight.

Posted by Rich Lee  at 9:20 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Transcript of Eric Wedge's pregame press conference

Paul Byrd yesterday spoke about how much he appreciated your loyalty to him. How important is that quality for you as a manager and how do you develop that kind of faith with your players?
Well, I've got a tremendous amount of confidence in Paul Byrd and all of our players. I think it starts right there. I think that as a manager you've got to be consistent, you've got to be firm, you've got to be fair. The players need to understand what's expected of them every day, and they need to have a pretty good idea what to expect from me. There's going to be points in time over the course of the season where you're going to have to make some tough decisions, but Paul Byrd has been tremendous for us all year long and is one of the big reasons we're here.

Following that up, Casey Blake was saying in his first year with Cleveland he was struggling out of the gate and you pulled him aside. Do you remember that conversation? He says that that really turned his career
around.
Yeah, I mean, I remember it to a certain extent. When you have a young player at that point in time that had spent a considerable amount of time in the minor leagues, even though he wasn't 23, he was still a young player experience-wise at the big league level. Sometimes the biggest hurdle is to get him as comfortable up here as they are in Triple-A, or to get them as comfortable as they can be in Triple-A as they were in Double-A, so they can go out there and perform. Casey needed to get over that hump, and once he did that, he's been a very consistent player for us. And he's a strong Major League player that is a big part of our team, and he's been here from day one.

Is he one of those guys that you look at and say he really paid his dues?
Yeah, he most definitely is. We've got a lot of guys like that. He's a guy that was given an opportunity and took advantage of it. Sometimes it doesn't happen right away. It takes some time to get there. But he has a tremendous amount of ability, and he's one of our core guys.

Borowski talked a little bit ago about hitting rock bottom when he had to go pitch in the Mexican leagues. How much is an intangible like hunger, how much does that play into a role he plays on this team?
He's not going to let anyone keep him down. That's just his personality. Probably one of the toughest, if not the toughest, relief pitcher that I've ever been around. He has a grit and a determination within him that allows him to separate himself from others at the highest level of baseball. You know, it's not always rosey along the way. You're going to have some peaks and valleys, and you're going to have some tough days. Some of it is we're tougher than maybe a lot of other guys that have played at the Major League level, but that's also a big part of who he is.

You talked about pulling Casey Blake aside that time, but sometimes guys just need to be left alone. How do you develop your parameters, when you need to talk to them and when you need to just let them be?
That's a good question. It's a lot harder to keep your mouth shut sometimes than it is to say something. It's more so about timing. Sometimes less is more. With our ballclub right now, it's all about them, like it always is. But they're the ones that are monitoring each other, they're the ones that are taking care of each other, and obviously they're the ones that are going out there and doing it. So this is something that's developed over time, over the last four or five years, and a big part of what we're seeing happening this year is just in regard to how they handle themselves and how they take care of each other.

I know this would be rewarding were you doing it anywhere, but how rewarding is it for a Midwestern kid to be doing this relatively close to home and that sort of thing?
Yeah, I'm in a unique situation; I was born three and a half hours west
and my wife was born three and a half hours east, so we're in a prime spot family-wise. I can really relate to the people of Cleveland. I'm excited that we've taken it this far. But again, we still have a lot of work to do. The only thing I can think about right now is tonight.

Can you talk about the adjustment your hitters will make coming from Tim Wakefield to facing Beckett?
Yeah, we don't really know what to expect with Wake. I mean, I know he's a great competitor, he's had a great career, and that knuckleball can give you fits at times. We're going to work off of him. We're going to see where he's at early on and see how our guys respond to that and go from there. Obviously it's a big difference from what we saw last night.

Baseball is a really, really long season. Being involved in an intense series like this, with an off-day tomorrow, do you do anything to set aside time to make sure you get away and kind of decompress a little bit?
(Laughing) Well, I try to do that every day, even if it's just for a few moments. It could be the drive home. It's just something you have to do. You've got to try to get away from time to time, and hopefully the players do that, too. Physically these guys do a great job of taking care of themselves, and mentally they do, too, but the mental grind can sometimes be even more taxing. Our guys have done a great job of that. I think they've done a good job of taking advantage of their off-days mentally and physically.

Is tomorrow an off-day for you?
No, I don't think there will be any off-days until it's all said and done. I think I wouldn't want it any other way.

The question I want to ask is not necessarily looking ahead but just kind of in general, as a fan of this game and as a manager: Can you talk a little bit about just what the Colorado Rockies have been able to do and just that longevity of that streak and how hard that is this time of year?
(Laughing) Well, I can't understand it. I don't think it's ever happened before, to my knowledge anyway, to have that type of streak late in the season and take it into the playoffs. It's almost freakish. But it's baseball, and if you respect the game, anything is possible. The game continues to amaze people, and you continue to see things in the field that you've never seen before, and that's why I think it's the greatest game in the world. What Colorado is doing, congratulations to them, by the way, and what they're doing, it's a tremendous accomplishment.

Normally you don't face a pitcher twice within a week, but you're going to see Josh Beckett for the second time. What type of adjustments will your hitters have to make against him?
We'll have to make some adjustments. He did a good job against us. I felt like there were certain things we could have done, I'm not going to talk about them today, but we could have done a better job with him. Having seen him a little more recently, hopefully it'll help us a little bit. But the flipside is he's also had a pretty good look at us. I think the adjustment part probably is more so on our side just because he pitched so well against us.

I'm just wondering if you have any theories, why do you think Joe Borowski doesn't seem to get as much respect from fans? After 45 saves is Cleveland gun shy about pitchers like that?
I think Joe gets more respect than people realize. I mean, he's the best closer in the American League this year, and because obviously it's about one thing, and that's saves and getting the job done. I've said it so many times, it's black and white, there's no gray area there. And the competitor that he is and the confidence that we have in him and what he means to our bullpen, he's as viable to us as any other area of our team.

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:04 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Transcript of Josh Beckett's pregame press conference

There was a lot of talk leading up to tonight, people wondering if maybe you'd pitch this game on three days' rest. How did you feel about it? Were you happy with Tito's decision to kind of stick with the rotation as is?
You know, we wouldn't be where we're at without Tim Wakefield. He won 16 or 17 games for us. I think in that aspect he deserves to start tonight. Obviously I don't get paid to make those decisions, and I definitely support Terry Francona, Tito Francona, whatever you want to call him. Support all of his decisions. Just like he backs us up, we back him up.

This is the most number of innings you've pitched in a while, and deeper into the calendar than you've pitched for a while. How do you feel physically and how beneficial might an extra day of rest be for you at this point?
Well, I think, I mean, I'm definitely capable of going out there and pitching every five days. I think that the program that some of our guys have put together for us really allows us to do that. You know, you can't really get in and start moving things around after you've already started that five-day program. So for me, you know, I don't know that it's going to do me a lot of good, but it's always nice.

As a power guy, I'm wondering, when you look at guys like Paul Byrd or Tim Wakefield, do you ever wonder what it would be like to have that kind of stuff and to survive and to pitch well and have a long career, what that might be like, how different it would be for you?
Yeah, I mean, I've talked to a lot of other guys that are similar to me about Wakey and what he's done for such a long time, how mentally tough you've got to be to go out there, because some days you just don't have it. I know it's the same way for him; some days he just doesn't have the feel for that knuckleball. To be able to withstand days like that is probably twice as tough on him because he doesn't have anything else to rely on other than that. He's a fierce competitor, and he competes his [butt] off.

It's been a long season, 169th game, I think, tonight. Just how much do you welcome an off-day? And is there anything you do special on an off-day before you pitch?
No. Generally the day before I pitch is not an off-day for me. I need to get out and get moving and do kind of my normal stuff the day before I pitch. If I just laid in bed all day, I think I'd wake up the next day and be pretty stiff.

If you were asked to pitch tonight, could you have done it physically?
I don't get paid to make those decisions. I already said that. Tim Wakefield deserves to start tonight, and that's why he's starting.

There's been some comparisons made between what you went through last year and what Daisuke has gone through this year making some adjustments. Have you seen that, that some of the trouble that he's been through this year is similar to what you went through last year?
Yeah, I mean, I see some of the same stuff. You know, you have to make a lot more adjustments here, whether you're coming from the National League to the American League. I've obviously never played in Japan, but I would assume that you still have to make some adjustments. Pitching in the American League East and pitching to some of these teams out of our division, you have to learn how to make adjustments, because great hitters, that's what they do, they make adjustments while they're at bat, from pitch to pitch, and you have to feel the defense, what they're trying to do.

Could you talk about playing for= Terry/Tito Francona? He's got a reputation as kind of a player's manager. Is that accurate?
Yeah, he just kind of lets us go out there and play. He makes decisions when he needs to make decisions. He's great. Like I said, he's always got your back. If you tell him -- one of our guys comes in and says, Tito, I was safe, he's going to go argue for you because he believes in us and he believes what we're telling him.

Daisuke seemed to take last night pretty hard immediately after the game. Even with the language barrier and those type of things, what can you guys do as teammates to kind of help him and explain what that's been like when you've pitched a lot of games and know the feeling? Is there anything you guys can do to help him?
Like I said, you make the decision that you're going to have to make adjustments. We back Daisuke. We still believe every time he goes out there that we're going to win. It doesn't have anything to do with the money that they're paying him or anything like that, it's just that we believe in him because we know he's trying. He's really giving it all. It's frustrating to sit there and watch that happen, but I mean, if you look at it, the only thing he did bad yesterday was he threw too many pitches in a short period of time, gave up four runs. But somehow he fights through seven innings, it looks a little bit different.

Some players don't particularly like to be in a pressure situation or a real focal-point situation. You've had some opportunities before where you've done that. How do you view those type of opportunities?
I don't view them any differently than I would my fifth start of the season. You've got to execute pitches. You have to execute more pitches now, because I keep saying this, but everybody is locked in this time of year. Not too many people playing middle of October that aren't doing some things right. I'll just go out and try and do what I've been doing all year.

Not in the sense of looking ahead or anything, but simply as a baseball fan, can you just talk about a little bit what Colorado has done in the National League, just as a fan watching what they've done, what that's like.
It's pretty exciting. I looked at that stadium last night, you know, I remember back about four years ago when I played in a game there, and it was sleeting and snowing, and I think there was about 1,100 people in the stands, and now that place is completely full. I think it's great for that city. I have a couple buddies on that team, and I'm definitely happy for those guys. It's exciting for them to be able to reel off that many wins and get to where they're at.

What's the difference in your attitude now when you have a reputation as somebody that's pretty formidable in big games in the postseason as opposed to your first time through when you were in this situation?
I don't know. Like I said, I'm more focused on what I need to do, and that's why I keep going back to it, but execute pitches. It's kind of like a party in 2003. It was fun, it was a bunch of young guys, and we were just out having fun, just happened to beat the hell out of whoever we were playing every day that year.

What about facing a team two times in seven days, which you usually wouldn't do unless you've got a back-to-back series. What sort of challenges does that present to you, and how does it change the dynamics of what they do, seeing you so close to your last start?
It goes back to what we were talking about, you've just got to make adjustments. I think that that's what I've done so well this year is I make adjustments within at-bats. It's all about making adjustments and executing your game plan. Those adjustments come pitch by pitch, and you make them and you do well. If you don't, then you pitch like [crap].

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:43 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Beckett feels Daisuke's pain

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- If anybody on the Red Sox staff can relate to Daisuke Matsuzaka's struggles in his first year in the American League, it's Josh Beckett.

Beckett's first year with Boston in 2006 was a mixed bag -- he sat a career high in innings pitched and victories, but also finished with an ERA of 5.01.

''I see some of the same stuff (I went through),'' said Beckett. ''You have to make a lot more adjustments here, whether you're coming from the National League to the American League. I obviously never played in Japan, but I would assume that you still have to make some adjustments.

''Pitching in the American League East and pitching to some of these teams out of our division, you have to learn how to make adjustments because great hitters, that's what they do -- they make adjustments while they're at bat, from pitch-to-pitch, and you have to feel the defense, what they're trying to do.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:42 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Transcript of Terry Francona's pregame press conference

Two things: One, is your lineup the same today besides Mirabelli? Is that the only change going into tonight?
Yes, Dougie's hitting eighth.

The other question I have, I'm not sure how aware of it you were, but Matsuzaka was sitting in his locker for more than an hour after the game last night, still in uniform obviously, very upset and all. Is it your practice to just let a guy deal with losing however he's going to deal with it rather than pull him aside and talk to him, or have you talked to him since?
Whether I talk to him or John Farrell talks to him or in the hitter's instance, Dave Magadan, the thing I don't get too worked up about is how somebody is perceived or maybe what they say after a tough loss. I think that happens so often. If a guy every once in a while lets you in to how he's feeling, and sometimes they don't, it doesn't mean they don't feel like that, they just hide it better than other times. You know, how he sat in his locker or his demeanor after the game won't have any bearing on how he pitches the next time out.

Did you see anything different with Pedroia's at-bats right now? He's not having the same kind of success he was.
A little jumpy, a little anxious. One of the things Pedroia does real well is swing at strikes and makes contact. He's chased a couple balls out of the zone, and he checked his swing early yesterday at a pitch out of the zone. Just a little anxious. Just kind of reminds us maybe of April, and now hopefully the back part of the series will be like the rest of the year.

David was talking about his knee and how on Sunday it had swelled up, and he was clearly concerned about being able to play the rest of the way. Was that ever an issue with you and how is his knee now?
No, it's not an issue. I don't know where that came from, but I just talked to David for about 20 minutes today, and it didn't even come up. No, it's not an issue.

There were a lot of questions for Josh Beckett about whether he could have pitched on three days' rest. Did you consider that at all, or did you not consider that at all?
I can't believe somebody asked me that question. Yeah, I think what we considered was trying to put our ballclub in the best position to win the series, and there's a lot of different reasons why we feel like that. Some of it certainly concerns Josh, some of it concerns the guys behind him. I guess it kind of comes down to when you set up your rotation and your roster prior to a series, the reason you set it up like that is because you think it gives you the best chance to win. To alter that, regardless of what the games are, doesn't make sense to me. Now, certainly when you get down towards the end of a series and there are no more games to play, it's kind of all hands on deck. I understand that. But right now this is the way we set it up, and we set it up for a reason, and hopefully it'll pay off.

Just back to Matsuzaka for a second, he has two starts in the postseason now, both not finishing up five innings. Is it a case with him of something needs to be fixed per se, as far as executing his pitches? I mean, how do you view it from his two outings? What's been not clicking right for him?
I think he's been carrying a lot of responsibility, and that's probably far too simplistic. But I mean, all the notoriety that came with him signing with the Red Sox, the cultural differences. You know, there's been times, this isn't during the playoffs but times during the year where we'll take him out and he'll be apologetic. He feels so much responsibility because he is so competitive, and he is so conscientious that now that it's playoff time, I just think he understands and knows his responsibility, and if he feels like he came up a little short, it bothers him. I certainly understand that. You know, this kid has had so much thrown at him, and we knew it would happen. I think it's not unfair to expect that as he progresses and gets more comfortable in this culture, he'll pitch better. I think that is definitely the case.

Just one follow-up on that: That being said, do you think if he goes out there again that he's the type of guy that can just bounce back from these two? He's strong enough mentally to do that?
I think he's one of the strongest guys mentally I've ever seen. Again, ten minutes after a game how a guy reacts won't have anything to do with five days later with time to process things and learn from our mistakes and get back on the right track.

If weather comes in to play tonight and there's some sort of delay, do you have any advantage with Wakefield pitching tonight than maybe a power pitcher, sending him back out after a delay?
You know, I think that can be a little bit misunderstood or misread. I think people think Wake, because of his style, can throw 150 pitches, come back on a side day and throw in the bullpen. I think ten years ago he could. Not anymore.This time of year you may be a little bit more flexible with how you approach a delay or something like that. I know during the year when the tarp comes out, we pretty much -- that's it for our starter because it's going to be about an hour. And when you have 100 or so innings ahead of you, you don't want to lose those innings. You get into the middle of October, sometimes you can be a little bit more flexible.

I'm just curious if you watched at all any of the National League series or if you have as a baseball fan a comment on what's gone on there?
A little bit, not a lot. I watched some of the game, but it was late. I don't know how kids and managers stay awake (laughter).

Can you comment on what the Rockies have done.
It's phenomenal. The run they've been on is phenomenal. They seem to be all over the field. Their defense is -- again, every time a ball is hit they're moving. And that place can get, I remember back some time, the Blake Street Bombers and all that, and that area of downtown, it was so enthusiastic. It's kind of cool to see it happen again.

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:34 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Slow and slower on the mound

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- The Game Four matchup features two finesse righties -- Tim Wakefield and Paul Byrd. Wakefield's knuckleball sometimes fails to top 70 mph and Byrd's best fastball doesn't get much above 86-86 mph.

That's quite a contrast with Game Five's scheduled starters, Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia, who throw their fastball in the mid-90s.

''I've talked to a lot of other guys that are similar to me about Wake and what he's done for such a long time,'' said Beckett, ''how mentally tough you've got to be to go out there, because some days you just don't have it. I know it's the same way for him -- some days he just doesn't have the feel for that knuckleball. To be able to withstand days like that is probably twice as tough on him because he doesn't have anything else to rely on other than that.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:29 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Farrell being courted

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell is reportedly up for the vacant manager's job in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have not contacted the Red Sox, but the Sox expect to hear from them once the season is over.

Terry Francona said this afternoon he has heard the reports and he's not surprised Farrell is being courted.

''Any time jobs open up, and justifiable so, you’re going to hear his name,'' said Francona. ''He’s a star. I wish to see (bench coach Brad Mills) name, too. I don’t think that’s a surprise. His name is going to get linked because he’s too good.''

Farrell, in his first season with the Red Sox, served as the Indians' director of player development from 2001 to 2006. He's highly regarded as one of the best judge of talent in the baseball world and Francona believes it's only a matter of time before Farrell becomes a manager in the majors.

''People like that, their name is going to come up; it’s supposed to,'' added Francona.

He was asked if he feels a little bit selfish, wanting Farrell to stay in his current role, but the manager said he doesn’t look at it like that.

''I don’t know how the hell we would replace him, but I don’t feel the selfish part,'' he said. ''We’re too close for me not to want to have the best for any of these guys. I would never feel like that. Whatever they ultimately desire, I’ll be thrilled with. That is if we can replace him.''

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:25 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Extra rest can't hurt

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- When Josh Beckett pitches Game Five Thursday, he'll be pitching with the benefit of five days' rest, instead of the standard four.

Given that Beckett pitched 200 2/3 innings during the regular season and has already made two post-season starts, he was asked whether he was feeling fatigued.

''I'm definitely capable of going out there and pitching every five days,'' said Beckett. ''I think that the program that some of our guys have put together for us really allows us to do that. You know, you can't really get in and start moving things around after you've already started that five-day program. So for me, I don't know that it's going to do me a lot of good, but it's always nice.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:21 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Beckett backs Sox' decision to start Wakefield in Game Four

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- Josh Beckett, Thursday's Game Five starter, fully supported the Red Sox' decision to go with Tim Wakefield in Game Four.

''We wouldn't be where we're at without Tim Wakefield,'' said Beckett. ''He won 16 or 17 games for us. I think in that aspect, he deserves to start tonight. Obviously, I don't get paid to make those decisions (but) I definitely support Terry Francona. I support all of his decisions. Just as he backs us up, we back him up.''

Later in the same press conference, Beckett was asked if he had been physically capable of starting on three days' rest.

''I don't get paid to make those decisions,'' Beckett reiterated. ''I already said that. Tim Wakefield deserves to start tonight and that's why he's starting.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 7:16 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Change -- in the lineup -- is not good, according to Francona

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona sat in the visiting manager’s office late Monday night with bench coach Brad Mills, and the two discussed the possibility of changing the lineup for Game Four. But Francona said they ultimately came back to letting the lineup stay as is.

Center fielder Coco Crisp is 5-for-22 in the postseason, and 3-for-12 in the ALCS against the Indians. Dustin Pedroia is 4-for-25 in the playoffs and 2-for-12 in this series from the leadoff spot. But Francona is quite adamant about staying with the players who got the club to this point.

When a reporter asked him the question about a lineup change, the manager disagreed with the thought process of replacing Crisp with Jacoby Ellsbury.

''You’ve got a fly-ball pitcher (in Tim Wakefield) and you’re taking a Gold Glove center fielder out of the game?'' said Francona. ''I don’t know if I agree with that. Part of my responsibility is when you think you know what’s right, stay with what’s right. That’s doesn’t mean guys are going to get 15 hits every night, but if you go away from what got you there, I think I’m somewhat cheating the players a little bit, and I don’t want to do that.''

Every time Ellsbury was in the lineup for the Red Sox this season, he has contributed in some aspect of the game, giving the club life on most nights.

''Yes he did,'' said Francona. ''He did a great job, but Pedroia has been our leadoff hitter. I kind of promised myself that if I ever (managed again after being fired as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies) I would do what I thought was right . . . I’m not trying to be stubborn, I just feel strongly about doing things a certain way. There were times (in Philly) I wavered a bit from the things I felt strongly about.”

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:15 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: News and notes

Manny Ramirez extended his LCS hitting streak to 13 games in Game Three on Monday, establishing an ALCS record. He previously had been tied with Don Baylor, who hit in 12 straight games between 1982 and ’87. Pete Rose holds the all-time LCS record for consecutive games with a hit, with 15 between 1973 and ’83.

---
When the Indians’ Josh Barfield entered Game Two as a pinch-runner, he became part of the fourth father/son combo to play in the ALCS. His father, Jesse, appeared in the ALCS with the Blue Jays. Other father/son ALCS combos include Sandy Sr./Sandy Jr./Roberto Alomar, Bob/Aaron/Bret Boone, and Don and Damon Buford.

---
The first pitch will be thrown by world middleweight boxing champion Kelly ''The Ghost'' Pavlik, a 25-year-old native of Youngstown, Ohio. The National Anthem will be sung by country music artist Rissi Palmer.

---
In their history, the Red Sox have fallen behind 2-1 in postseason series eight previous times. They came back to win four of those series. The results:

YEAR OPPONENT RESULT
1903 WS Pirates Sox in 8
1967 WS Cardinals Cards in 7
1975 WS Reds Reds in 7
1986 LCS Angels Sox in 7
1998 LDS Indians Indians in 4
1999 LDS Indians Sox in 5
2003 LDS A’s Sox in 5
2003 LCS Yankees Yanks in 7

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:12 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: It's pouring in Cleveland, and the tarp is back on the field

CLEVELAND -- The tarp is back on the field since it started to pour about 30 seconds ago. The forecast shows periods of light rain throughout the night, so it should be an interesting night here at Jacobs Field.

-- JOE McDONALD

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 7:11 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: The rain has stopped and the tarp is coming off the field in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- It's been raining here for much of the day, but it has stopped at the moment and the grounds crew is taking the tarp off the field. Both clubs will take BP inside this afternoon.

-- JOE McDONALD

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

PREGAME: Game Four lineups

BOSTON

Dustin Pedroia, 2b
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
David Ortiz, dh
Manny Ramirez, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
J.D. Drew, rf
Coco Crisp, cf
Doug Mirabelli, c
Julio Lugo, ss
---
Tim Wakefield, SP

CLEVELAND
Grady Sizemore, cf
Asdrubal Cabrera, 2b
Travis Hafner, dh
Victor Martinez, 1b
Jhonny Peralta, ss
Kenny Lofton, lf
Casey Blake, 3b
Franklin Gutierrez, rf
Kelly Shoppach, c
---
Paul Byrd, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 5:02 PM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, October 16

Journal photo by Bob Breidenbach

NO DICE: The folks who thought the Red Sox were foolish for investing $100-plus million in Daisuke Matsuzaka (above) are no doubt in fine fettle this morning, 12 hours after Dice-K once again failed to get out of the fifth inning in a playoff start and helped put the Sox in a 2-games-to-1 hole in the ALCS. Joe McDonald reports Matsuzaka didn't talk to the press, and seemed emotionally and physically drained in the clubhouse after the game, though his manager and catcher said he actually threw the ball well. "Well'' is a relative term -- his pitch count was at 101 when he was lifted after 4 2/3 innings -- but what's also true is that he wasn't the only problem last night. As Sean McAdam notes, the team's offense, so impressive through the first four games of the postseason, fell back into its midseason doldrums last night, and that could be a far bigger problem going forward in the series. Among the biggest concerns: Dustin Pedroia, whom McDonald says plans to go ''back to the drawing board'' after opening the postseason with only 4 hits in 25 at-bats.

CALL OF THE DAY: The Sox have made the decision not to bring Josh Beckett back tonight on short rest -- with the added benefit of having him available on full rest, if necessary, for Game Seven -- and McAdam tells why. The reasoning is sound, though there's a strain of thought that says you put aside reason at this time of year. Instead it will be Tim Wakefield, who says he's healthy and ready to go (though what else would you expect him to say?). With him will be his personal catcher, Doug Mirabelli, who'll also be making his 2007 postseason debut. If you're wary over what to expect from Wakefield, you're not alone; Terry Francona's not sure, either.

HERE AND THERE: The Sox weren't thrilled with the work of home-plate umpire Brian Gorman last night . . . David Ortiz is none the worse for wear after being hit by a Manny Ramirez grounder while running the bases . . . Some postgame reaction . . . The Sox are mystified by Javier Lopez' struggles against left-handers . . . The Sporting News thinks Joe Borowski is a better closer than Jonathan Papelbon, which casts aspersions on all the awards they gave out (including those to Pedroia and Ortiz) . . . The Indians are happy to be home . . . Wakefield's not the only guy with a personal catcher. His opponent tonight, Paul Byrd, has one, too, and it's a familiar name . . . Playoffs or no, the Red Sox are still making player moves. It's all very familiar to McAdam . . . Cleveland has a big flag to wave . . . Al Roker didn't exact dazzle 'em with the ceremonial first pitch.

If it all seems like a lot of stories from one news outlet -- this one -- it is. (Not to mention other elements that stayed on the blog, such as postgame notes and interview transcripts from Terry Francona, Eric Wedge, Jake Westbrook and Kenny Lofton.) What's more, all this material was online, first on this very Sox Blog and then on regular story files, by 12:30 a.m. today; the postings started at around 4 in the afternoon and never stopped. It's the new news cycle, providing information as it happens and as it becomes avaiable, and it's here. Stop by early, stop by late, stop by often; we'll have it all, and as soon as it happens.

AH, MEMORIES: The heroics last night of Kenny Lofton, one of the heroes of the great 1990s Indians teams, had the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Bill Livingston ruminating on Cleveland's stirring triumph over the Brooklyn Robins in 1920.

CHEAP DATE: The Akron Beacon-Journal reports that scalpers aren't really getting a lot of money for playoff tickets in Cleveland.

FOX FANS: Like most of us, this uncredited author in the Akron Beacon-Journal prefers the Fox telecast to TBS, though he (or she) feels that way because of perceivced Yankee bias on TBS' part.

ONE OF THE SEVEN SIGNS: Indians fan Joe Posnanski says he was certain Cleveland would lose Game Two Saturday night -- until he saw Eric Gagne warming up. Lots of people had that same feeling, Joe.

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS: The Colorado Rockies won the National League pennant by completing a sweep of the Diamondbacks (Denver Post), completing an amazing run of 21 victories in 22 games that carried them to a tie for the N.L. wild card, a victory over the Padres in the play-in game, a sweep of the Phillies in the NLDS and now a sweep of Arizona in the NLCS. Now the question: How will they handle the momentum-deflating eight days off they'll have until the start of the World Series a week from tomorrow? Remember how the Tigers -- red hot through the ALDS and ALCS -- flattened out after waiting a week to start the World Series last year.

NOT YET: The Newark Star-Ledger reports Don Mattingly has told the Yankees he's not ready to manage. The fact that the Yanks still haven't made a call -- or even a decision -- on Joe Torre indicates that George Steinbrenner is no longer in firm control of the ship, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman.

WE'LL SEE: Jorge Posada has no idea if he'll return to the Yankees (New York Post).

QUICKLY: Luis Gonzalez has some harsh words for the Dodgers on his way out the door (Riverside Press-Enterprise) . . . Dusty Baker is the new manager in Cincinnati (Cincinnati Post). The New York Sun's Steven Goldman says if Baker can get another job, Joe Torre shouldn't even be on the hot seat . . . Bill Stoneman is expected to step down as Angels' GM. (Los Angeles Times)

OLD FRIENDS: Joel Piniero signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:42 AM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: A weak effort in Game Three

Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk. The topics: letting Jake Westbrook off the hook; lack of production at the top and the bottom of the order; don't expect J.D. Drew to come out of the lineup; Daisuke Matsuzaka's postgame dejection; sticking with Tim Wakefield; and facing Paul Byrd.

Following are some excerpts from Sean's comments.

On possible lineup changes: "Before last night's game I asked about the possibility of [Jacoby] Ellsbury getting some playing time, specifically over Drew ... Terry Francona was pretty adament that that change didn't seem to be in the offing. Whether Crisp is vulnerable because of his lack of production, we didn't get into. I have to think that, given how much they value Crisp's defense, that change won't be made. But maybe if they lose again, and go down 3-1, then that's the opportunity to really shake things up. But I got the feeling last night that [Francona] wasn't leaning toward any sort of shakeup, and was going to stay with his regular lineup."

On Matsuzaka's postgame reaction, and his overall performance: "Dejected would be putting it mildly. Some two hours after he had come out of the game, he was sitting in front of his locker when we were in the clubhouse, just sort of staring blankly, still in uniform. He didn't take questions from the media, simply provided a pretty generic statement ... I thought some of those familiar problems reared their head again, including a lack of aggressiveness, and kind of nibbling and not trusting his stuff, and some of the things that have been the hallmark of Matsuzaka most of the season. And I think it's got to be considered a significant disappointment that in two postseason starts, he has not found a way to get out of the fifth inning."

Reaction to starting Wakefield tonight: "I guess the best way to put it is that I understand it, and it's sort of a sign of the times ... I don't know that you're ever going to see happen [again] what happened in 2003, when Jack McKeon brought Josh Beckett back on three days rest for game six of the 2003 World Series. And of course we know what happened there -- he shut them out in Yankee Stadium and the Marlins won. It seems that the game has changed to a degree where teams are incredibly protective of their pitching, particularly their young pitching in which they have a lot invested -- the Red Sox have $40 million invested in Josh Beckett. ... [and then, there is] the issue of, if you use Beckett tonight and he gets you even, that's fine, but how trustworthy are the guys behind him, how reliable are they? So they've decided to stay in turn, cross their fingers and hope that Wakefield pitches well tonight. If it pays off, it'll look very smart. If not, there will be a lot of second-guessing that could take them well into the winter."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:31 AM to McAdam | Permalink | Comments 1

INDIANS 4, RED SOX 2: Pedroia frustrated

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona continuously talks about the importance of keeping the line moving, meaning the batting order needs to hit around in order for the club to be successful.

Well, in order for that line to keep moving, it has to get started.

Rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia is the one in charge of doing just that from the lead-off spot in the order. Throughout the regular-season he was solid in that role and thrived on a consistent basis. In the postseason, however, he said he’s been pressing a little too much and it showed again last night with his 0-for-4 performance.

“I just stunk tonight,” said Pedroia. “You play this game all year for this and it’s tough. We’ll bounce back. That’s why it’s a seven-game series.”

He struck out in his first at-bat, grounded out in the third and sixth innings, and finished his night at the plate with another ‘K’ in the seventh.

“I got some pitches to hit tonight, I just didn’t hit them,” he said. “This is all on me. (Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook) kept us off balance with his sinker, change-up and slider. He was good.”

Pedroia faced Westbrook three times and Indians reliever Jensen Lewis once.

“They blew the ball by me,” Pedroia said. “I have to go back to drawing board and figure some things out.”

Pedroia is 4-for-25 in the postseason and if there’s anyone who can quickly turn it around, it’s the gutsy rookie who plays the game like a 10-year veteran.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:27 AM | Permalink

INDIANS 4, RED SOX 2: Postgame reaction from the clubhouse

Mike Lowell on lack of offense:

“It would have been better if we won the game.” We had some opportunities to change the feel of the game early and put some pressure on them, especially in the second inning, but Westbrook executed his pitches. He got a lot of ground balls and double plays that helped him out. We’ll go at them again (Tuesday).”

Dustin Pedroia on the offense:

“I got some pitches to hit tonight, I just didn’t hit them. This is all on me. (Cleveland starter Jake Westbrook) kept us off balance with his sinker, change-up and slider. He was good.”

"We didn't do anything tonight offensively. We hit some balls good, but nothing to show for it."

“I just stunk tonight. You play this game all year for this and it’s tough. We’ll bounce back. That’s why it’s a seven-game series.”

David Ortiz on getting hit by a Manny Ramirez grounder in the fourth inning:

Oh, wait. Forget it because this is a family-oriented news organization. Sorry. His comments were pretty funny, though. Send me an email and maybe I'll tell you what he said.

Jason Varitek on the game:

"We had opportunities. Personally I didn't get it done in my first at-bat. We had chances here and there. We got ourselves back in the game, but we were one hit away from having a chance."

Varitek on Dice-K:

"He was pretty good. He threw the ball pretty well. The ball came out of his hand good. . . Dice was just missing in some situations."

Varitek on being down 2-1 in the series:

"We've been here before. This team needs to go out and continue to grind and try to outplay them."

Varitek on Westbrook:

"He made his pitches at the right times. He got the ground balls when he needed them."

Varitek on Game Four starter Tim Wakefield:

"I'm confident in him and I'm confident in this whole team. We lost but we did some good things. I'm looking for Tim to give us that quality start he's given us all year."

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:17 AM | Permalink

INDIANS 4, RED SOX 2: Postgame notes

-- Game-time temperature was 69 degrees.

-- Kenny Lofton's home run, the seventh postseason homer of his career, was his first since he hit one for the Yankees against the Red Sox in Game One of the 2004 ALCS. He now has 95 postseason hits, fourth-most in history and one behind the Braves' Chipper Jones. The run scored was his 23rd, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list (and only two behind David Justice). He also, at 40 years and 138 days, is the seventh-oldest player in history to homer in the postseason.

-- Jason Varitek hit his 10th career postseason home run, matching Johnny Bench and Javy Lopez for most postseason homers as a catcher. He also tied David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez for most postseason home runs in Red Sox history.

-- The victory was Jake Westbrook's first career postseason win.

-- Daisuke Matsuzaka's loss means that no Japanese pitcher has ever won a postseason game.

-- The Red Sox have hit into seven double plays in the first three games of the series, the most ever by one team in the first three games of an LCS. The record for most GIDPs in a series was set by the Orioles, who hit into 10 against the Indians in 1997.

Posted by Art Martone  at 12:08 AM | Permalink

INDIANS 4, RED SOX 2: Dice-K silenced

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

CLEVELAND -- Daisuke Matsuzaka seemingly sat emotionally and physically drained at his locker in the corner of the Red Sox’ clubhouse at Jacobs Field following Monday’s 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians in Game Three of the ALCS.

Hours after his night was over -- 4 2/3 innings (101 pitches, 59 strikes), 4 runs, 6 hits, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts – the right-hander was leaning back in his chair, hands folded behind his head, clearly in deep meditation probably trying to figure out what happened.

It was only his second postseason start in the majors and he remains winless. The Indians’ hitters worked the count early and often as Matsuzaka reached the 101 pitches in only the fifth inning, which makes for a long night.

Both Red Sox manager Terry Francona and catcher Jason Varitek said after the loss – which now finds Boston trailing in the best-of-seven series, 2-1 – they thought Dice-K wasn’t as bad as the numbers may look.

“He threw some good pitches,” said the manager. “He had some depth to his slider and his fastball was good. He just got into some deep counts.”

Varitek never sugar coats anything and he agreed with what Francona said about Matsuzaka’s performance.

“He was pretty good,” said Boston’s captain. “I thought he threw the ball pretty well, we just couldn’t get it done with earlier pitches, but the ball came out of his hand pretty good. . . Dice just missed. He was just missing in some situations and that’s all it was.”

When Matsuzaka did make a mistake, Cleveland definitely made him pay for it, including the Indians’ Kenny Lofton, who crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning. It was the only the third time in his career the veteran faced the Japanese import, and Lofton didn’t waste any time as he drove the first pitch he saw and deposited it into the right-field seats.

“The fans are pretty excited when I come up to the plate, and that’s a good thing for me,” said Lofton. “I just try to enjoy it and also try to do something. Once you’ve got the fans out there cheering for you, you want to make something happen. I just wanted to try to be aggressive at that point and I got lucky.”

Cleveland needed only one other inning – the fifth – to push the Boston starter out of the game as the Indians’ scored two more in the fifth for a 4-0 lead that they would not relinquish.

“I’d think he probably would have preferred to pitch better,” said Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell. “He wasn’t getting ahead probably the way he wanted to, and good teams are going to exploit that.”

Even though Cleveland only scored four runs, Boston was held to just two runs on seven hits, and other than Varitek’s two-run homer in the seventh inning, the Red Sox couldn’t carry their offensive momentum from the first two games of this series over to last night.

“We got beat up, plain and simple,” said rookie second baseman Dustin Pedroia. “We didn’t hit and our pitching staff did a good job; we just didn’t do anything. I thought (Matsuzaka) was fine. There were a couple of pitches that could have gone our way, but they didn’t and it changed a couple of guys’ at-bats.”

Matsuzaka would not talk to the media after the game, not even to the Matsuzaka Media Mafia, only releasing a quick statement, saying he was disappointed. Then it was back to his seat in the corner of the clubhouse. Again with his hands folded behind his head, only this time he was leaning forward in disgust.

Varitek said he fully expects to see Dice-K pitch again this postseason.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:03 AM | Permalink