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October 25, 2007 »

IN-GAME UPDATE: Record night w/photo

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson
Dustin Pedroia gets the Red Sox off to their record-setting night with a lead-off homer in the first inning.
The Red Sox and Rockies have combined for 13 doubles so far in Game One of the World Series here at Fenway Park, which is the most ever in a World Series game. Also, the 13 runs Boston has scored so far is the most ever in a Game One.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:30 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME NEWS: Julian Tavarez, International Man of Mystery w/photo

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Some found the selection of Kyle Snyder over Julian Tavarez for the final World Series roster spot to be something of a surprise, but there are indications that Tavarez didn't help his cause Tuesday.

The team held a workout Tuesday afternoon, for which Tavarez was not present. The veteran righthander had not been on the active roster for either the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, or the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Indians.

Tavarez had traveled to Cleveland for Games Three, Four and Five and had been taking part in workouts, along with other inactive players. But he was missing from Tuesday's workout.

His absence could not have been a protest on his part for being left off the World Series roster since the Sox were unsure about Tim Wakefield's availability until early afternoon and didn't complete their roster until early Tuesday evening when they chose Snyder to take Wakefield's place.

When asked if Tavarez had cost himself a roster spot by missing the workout, a team source answered: ''Let's just say it wasn't exactly a positive mark in his favor.''

Tavarez did report to Fenway later Tuesday, only to discover he hadn't been added to the roster. In frustration, he reportedly cleaned out his locker and left, but was back in uniform yesterday and on the field prior to Game One.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 9:23 PM | Permalink

IN-GAME TIDBIT: Ba-Boone

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Obviously when the World Series rolls around, current and former major-league players always show up for baseball's biggest event. It's very common to see the players walking around on the field during BP, and throughout the respective ballparks.

It was a bit strange, however, to see former Yankees third baseman and Red Sox killer (remember the 2003 ALCS) Aaron Boone standing by himself in the corner of the Roof Box level here tonight.

Hopefully for Red Sox Nation, Boone doesn't bring back luck this time around.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Photo: The first pitch

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Former Red Sox Carl Yastrzemski throws out the first pitch of Game 1 of the World Series.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 8:44 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Schilling in winter

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- In a perfect world, under more prescribed circumstances, Curt Schilling would be making a World Series start with extra rest.

But this time of year, Schilling -- and everyone else -- must make do with what the schedule presents. So when Schilling takes the mound tonight for Game 2, he'll be doing so without the extra rest the Sox have been careful to give him the last month.

''I'll be fine,'' assured Schilling. ''I think that a lot of their approach with me was that if you can get the extra rest, good; if not, fine. I mean, mentally, I didn't have to have it. I think it helped. But I don't think it's going to have any effect whatsoever on my stuff and my ability to pitch and win.

''I was getting ready to pitch Game Two, Game Three, Game Four -- whatever it was going to be. It hasn't really changed anything.''

Had Tim Wakefield been healthy and available, Schilling probably wouldn't have pitched until Game Three on Saturday, in Denver. But when Wakefield was scratched from the Sox' roster, the Sox had to adjust and Schilling was moved up in the rotation.

That means that Schilling, who has the most experience pitching in Coors Field, is the one Red Sox starter guaranteed not to pitch there.

''Honestly, I don't care,'' he said. ''If I pitched there, I pitched there. It's a tough place to pitch. That being said, I always looked at is as I'm not going through this by myself.''

At this stage of his career, Schilling is focused more on what he has do to -- not where he has to do it. In his prime, he was a classic power pitcher who could set hitters up with a 95 mph fastball and put them away with a devestating splitter.

Now, at age 40, he has to make concessions to age and injuries and goes after hitters with lesser stuff.

''I think what it really has done is placed a lot more emphasis on the preparation aspect of it,'' he said, ''and the amount of time and effort I have to put into watching video and going through the scouting reports. (And) now it's having to find multiple ways to do things to different hitters.

''I'm a different pitcher now, so whereas I used to be able to explout with one pitch exclusively, now I've got to be able to use multiple pitches in different spots.''

Of course, every time Schilling has taken the ball this month, it's with the knowledge that it could be the last time he does so in a Red Sox uniform. A free agent this winter, he could be pitching elsewhere in 2008.

''I've thought about it,'' acknowledged Schilling. ''I've had a couple of starts now where it could have been my last one (here). It's not something something (to worry about) beyond the initial disappointment of the possibility. I haven't really thought about it in depth.

''I'm playing in my fourth World Series and second as (a member of the) Boston Red Sox, so I certainly have nothing to be upset about or regretful for.''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 8:35 PM | Permalink

Photo: World Series

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Colorado Rockies outfielder Willy Taveras gets a hug from Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez during batting practice at Fenway Park prior to Game 1 of the World Series.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 8:09 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Bronson Arroyo's in the house

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Former Red Sox pitcher and fan favorite Bronson Arroyo is attending tonight's Game One of the World Series.

The right-hander, now with the Reds, never keeps his love for this city and the Red Sox a secret, and that didn't change tonight. It was clear earlier tonight that he was having a lot of fun being back at Fenway with the Red Sox in the Series.

''Just being in the ballpark is unbelievable,'' he said. ''I tell people all the time, I miss it every time I turn on the TV, and it’s a Tuesday night, it’s pouring rain, the playing the Devil Rays and it’s still a packed house. And I’m playing in a ballpark somewhere in the National League that’s only half full.''

He visited the Red Sox clubhouse and all his former teammates, including Manny, Papi and Youk.

''It’s great to be back here,'' he said. ''This atmosphere, and when it starts to get cool, you can start smelling that the fall is here. It’s almost like déjà vu of ’03 and ’04 and being in the playoffs and having those big runs against the Yankees.''

When asked if he would want to play in Boston again, he quickly answered.

''Yeah,” he said. ''It’s hard for guys who haven’t played here to understand how much it gets into your blood being around here. It wouldn’t matter who I was playing for, the honest truth is I would love to play back here. Maybe not now, but at some point before I hang up the spikes I want to play in this ballpark again.''

Most athletes don’t like to give predictions, but Arroyo isn’t playing so he was asked who he liked in the Series.

''I think the Rockies are a team that has a lot of no-name guys, who are pretty darn good,” he said. ''I really think they have a much better lineup than most people realize. I think their starting pitching will be a problem and trying to hold Boston’s lineup down, so I got the Sox definitely winning before Game Seven.''

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 8:08 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

PREGAME: Lester Intended to Pitch Game Four

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- When Tim Wakefield was unable to answer the bell for a Game Two start tomorrow night, it opened the door for Jon Lester to make a World Series start.

Lester is expected to start Game Four in Colorado. He threw a four-inning simulated game Tuesday during the Sox' workout. Of course, circumstances in the first three games could alter the Sox' plan, said manager Terry Francona.

''We fully intend for Lester to pitch Game Four, but again, there could be weather, there could be things that happen during games that change things. Unless something crazy happens, he will pitch,'' said Francona.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 6:36 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Nerves are to be expected

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Manager Terry Francona was asked if he felt the need to tell rookie center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to relax and not think about the fact that he's about to start in the World Series in front of a zillion baseball fans around the world.

''I think the biggest thing we can do as a staff is just remain consistent,'' said Francona. ''We talk to our guys all the time, but not that speech. I think that would set him off and make him nervous. He'll be fine.''

But, said Francona before tonight's Game One, being nervous is natural. It just can't become overwhelming, he said.

''If he wasn't nervous tonight, he'd be crazy,'' said Francona with a chuckle. ''I mean, this is the World Series. I'm nervous now, but it's a good nervous. It's fun. It's okay to be nervous. You just don't want that to get in the way of your success.''

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 6:30 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Moss heads to the Dominican Republic

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Brandon Moss, who had been with the Red Sox as a non-roster player as Boston moved through the first two rounds of the playoffs, has left the team and reported to a team in Santiago to play winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

Moss has been an outfielder in his career since joining the Red Sox as an eighth-round draft pick in 2002. But the Sox have talked about wanting him to play some first base to give him a little more versatility and value to the team.

Boston manager Terry Francona said the Sox have made their wishes known to Santiago that they would like him to get some experience at first base, but the Dominican teams are under no obligation to play him there.

The Red Sox may have an ''in'' to get him some first-base action, though. The manager of the team is former big-league shortstop Felix Fermin. Boston pitching coach John Farrell knows Fermin from their days in the Cleveland Indians' organization.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 6:24 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Best Wishes from Belichick, Doc Rivers

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- They are the head coaches in different sports in the area, but they have sent their congratulations to Boston manager Terry Francona for making it back to the World Series for the second time in four years.

Bill Belichick sent a couple of e-mails to Francona, the Red Sox skipper said yesterday. And Francona and Rivers have exchanged text messages.

''I appreciate it,'' said Francona.

Francona has become friendly with Rivers.

''Doc Rivers is a really nice guy,'' said Francona. ''He is about as down to earth as you can be.''

Francona said he also has received congratulatory messages from, among others, Scott Pioli, the vice-president for player personnel of the New England Patriots, and Gene DeFillippo, athletic director at Boston College.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 6:17 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Injury updates -- Coco, Ortiz

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Coco Crisp, who banged his left knee on the wall after making a sterling series-ending catch in the triangle last Sunday night, is not in the starting lineup.

That wasn't necessarily a surprise because Jacoby Ellsbury had started the last two games of the ALCS, when the Red Sox overcame the Cleveland Indians and earned their spot in the World Series.

But Boston manager Terry Francona didn't seem certain that Crisp would be able to play for defensive purposes late in tonight's game if the situation called for it.

''We'll watch him move around and the hope is that there's a lot of improvement today. But as of yet, I can't tell you that for sure," said Francona this afternoon during his pregame press conference.

As for Ortiz, Francona said he wasn't permitted because of privacy laws to divulge whether the Sox' slugger had received another cortisone shot in his ailing right knee. But sources indicate that Ortiz, who already has had two cortisone shots in the area since the All-Star break, did not have another one and will do his best to play through the injury, which will require surgery after the Series.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 6:10 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Snyder over Tavarez or Corey

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- In somewhat of a surprise move, right-hander Kyle Snyder was added to the Sox' World Series roster once it was determined on Tuesday that Tim Wakefield (shoulder) was not going to be able to pitch in the Fall Classic.

Manager Terry Francona said this afternoon that the choice to fill Wakefield's vacated spot came down to Snyder, Julian Tavarez or Brian Corey, a trio of right-handers.

Snyder, who was 2-3 with a 3.81 earned-run average in 46 games totaling 54 1/3 innings, was not on the active roster for either of the first two rounds of the postseason.

''I think the best way to put it in a nutshell is we tried to cover everything or anything that could be thrown at us, whether it's weather, or whether it's somebody getting hit in the ankle by a line drive. And we felt that this best suited us for the entire series,'' said Francona.

Francona was unable to deliver the good news to Snyder face-to-face.

''He snuck out of (the clubhouse after Tuesday's workout)," said Francona. ''We had to call him. I had to give him some bad news a couple of times (before the previous rounds), so this was nice.''

Francona said Corey, who went 1-0 with a 1.93 E.R.A. in 9 games in September after being promoted when the rosters expanded, was given heavy consideration for the spot. Francona expressed some sympathy for Corey's 2007 plight.

The Sox, he said, think highly of him as a pitcher, but because of his service time, had they called him up for a week because of a specific need, they thought they'd then lose him because he would have to go through waivers before he could be sent back down.

''We have a lot of confidence in Corey," said Francona. ''He had a real difficult year because of his service time. But I think we all see Corey pitching in the major leagues even though it didn't happen for him this year (until the rosters expanded). I hope in the long run he gets rewarded for that. He deserves that. He's a major league pitcher.''

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 5:59 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Sox' batting order switch

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Boston manager Terry Francona adjusted his batting order for tonight's Game One of the World Series because of the number of left-handed pitchers on the Rockies.

J.D. Drew was dropped down from sixth to seventh and Julio Lugo was moved up from ninth to eighth, followed by Jacoby Ellsbury, who will start in center and bat ninth.

This gives the Red Sox more of a left-right-left-right balance in their order, something Francona and his staff thought was necessary since the Rockies were starting a left-hander (Jeff Francis) and had left-handers Jeremy Affeldt, Franklin Morales and Brian Fuentes in their bullpen.

So Boston will have Mike Lowell, a right-handed hitter, batting fifth, followed by switch hitter Jason Varitek, and then Drew (left-handed), Lugo (right-handed) and Ellsbury (left-handed) with Dustin Pedroia (right-handed) at the top of the order as it turns over.

''This way if we do get to the bullpen they don't have an inning they can have a lefty fly through three guys in a row. That would seem too easy,'' said Francona.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 5:52 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: World Series Fever!

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Unlike 2004, this World Series has a different feel to it for some reason.

Fenway Park was a madhouse three seasons ago for Game One of the series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The day of that game on Oct. 23, 2004, fans spent all day around Fenway, but today is different.

It's actually kind of quiet outside the ballpark, but no doubt things will begin to pick up around here once it gets closer to first pitch, which is scheduled for 8:35.

Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, who won Baseball’s Triple Crown and the American League Most Valuable Award in 1967, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game One tonight.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:51 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Game One lineups

COLORADO

Willy Taveras, cf
Kaz Matsui, 2b
Matt Holliday, lf
Todd Helton, 1b
Garrett Atkins, 3b
Brad Hawpe, rf
Troy Tulowitz, ss
Yorvit Torrealba, c
Ryan Spilborghs, DH
----
Jeff Francis, SP

BOSTON
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
David Ortiz, DH
Manny Ramirez, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Jason Varitek, c
J.D. Drew, rf
Julio Lugo, ss
Jacoby Ellsbury, cf
----
Josh Beckett, SP

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

Prep for rain tonight at Fenway

Wet weather in late October is to be expected.

But what may really be giving New Englanders agita is how that weather will affect tonight's opening game of the World Series at Fenway.

In Boston, the skies are now overcast with a temp of 57 degrees.

Tonight, the temperature will continue to drop, perhaps into the 40s. Worse than that, rain is likely, especially after midnight, with a light north wind.

Fans at the game should at least bring an umbrella. We'll keep you up to date with how it affects the game, if at all.

More rain is due tomorrow morning with cloudy skies expected to give way to sunshine later in the day. The high temperature should reach the mid-50s.

Just in time for the second World Series game, also in Boston.

Click here for current weather and forecasts for Boston.

Looking ahead to the weather in Denver, when the Sox face the Rockies on Saturday? It's predicted to be partly cloudy and in the 50s. Click here for a full forecast.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 2:57 PM | Permalink

World Series correction

Today I wrote that Chris Iannetta was the first Rhode Island native to play in the World Series since Davey Lopes. Well, I was wrong.

Warwick native, and former Pilgrim High School standout, Dan Wheeler pitched in the World Series for the Houston Astros in 2005. I really can't explain how I forgot about Dan's performance.

Joe McDonald

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 12:10 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Game One preview

Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam. The topics: the Rockies' past success against Josh Beckett; how to tell if the Rockies are rusty; what to expect from Jeff Francis; surprises on the Sox' postseason roster; the disappointing finish to Tim Wakefield's season; and how the Red Sox are preparing Jon Lester to return to the starting rotation.

Following are excerpts from Sean's comments.

How to tell if the Rockies are rusty: "I think it almost might manifest itself in an opposite form. You might see their hitters being a little more aggressive than they normally would -- swinging early in the count, trying to make things happen -- almost that excess energy that you have when you've had a week and a half-long layoff. ... But I think that once they get into the flow of the game, get through the first inning, you'll probably see that start to settle down."

Postseason roster surprises: "I guess it wouldn't have shocked me, from a talent standpoint, had they replaced Doug Mirabelli with Kevin Cash, who I believe the Red Sox regard as a better catch-and-throw guy than Doug Mirabelli. Obviously Mirabelli's value to the Red Sox is often linked to Tim Wakefield, who will not be on the roster now. I think that maybe that was somewhat of a political move, in that Mirabelli is a popular veteran who's been around a number of years, and it might have been tough to take him off the World Series roster. ... The other one, obviously, is adding the pitcher to replace Wakefield -- they went with Kyle Snyder; I think most people would have expected that spot would have gone to Julian Tavarez. But interestingly, Tavarez was apparently not at the ballpark yesterday. Whether there are some personal issues, whether he was told he would not be on the roster and was upset -- I'm merely speculating there -- but I think the fact that they went with Snyder over Tavarez was something of an upset."

Wakefield: "He's 41 years old, this is his second opportunity to be part of a World Series team, and while he will obviously be part of that team, he won't be taking part in the games. And for someone whose career is probably starting to wind down, although knuckleballers have a history of being able to pitch into their mid-40s, it was a huge blow. He was pretty upset about not being able to compete in the Division Series, but I think that he thought, and so did the Red Sox, that if he took that time off, it would help him later on, and it turned out it did not. The shoulder continues to bother him, and there was a question of, if he made one start, could he make another five days later. And the consensus seemed to be that was unlikely. So it was a tough decision for them and tough for him. I think it's probably the right move for the team, but you could see that he was in a lot of emotional pain yesterday."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:51 AM to McAdam | Permalink

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Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:40 AM | Permalink