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April 21, 2008
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
TEXAS THREE-STEP: The Red Sox have left the Rangers -- or at least the Dallas Morning News' Rangers blogger, Evan Grant -- speechless with three consecutive victories that leapfrogged each other on the can-you-top-this? implausibility scale. Friday's 11-3 win wasn't that implausible; it just featured an improbable hero: David Ortiz, whose slumbering bat awoke with a grand slam and five RBI. Paul Kenyon has the details. Saturday night had an implausible ending with a probable hero: Manny Ramirez, whose two-run laser off the light towers capped a three-run eighth-inning that lifted the Sox to a 5-3 win (at just about the same the time the Bruins were finishing off the Canadiens across town, tying their best-of-seven playoff series at 3-3). Joe McDonald provides the story of Ramirez' heroics. And yesterday . . . McDonald recounts an afternoon in which the Sox lost Ramirez in the second inning, fell behind 5-0, wasted opportunity after opportunity after opportunity, but all of which only served as a prelude to a four-run eighth inning -- with everything happening after the first two batters were retired -- that carried Boston to a 6-5 win. Dustin Pedroia's pinch-hit double (above) tied the score, and the winning run scored when Sean Casey, after falling behind 1-and-2, worked C.J. Wilson for a two-out, bases-loaded walk.
It was a comeback, and a weekend, that shows the Red Sox' talent and tenacity, says Jim Donaldson. And after 20 games, their record sits at 13-7, exactly the same as it was after 20 games last year. (baseball-reference.com)
THE BEST-LAID PLANS . . . The ejection of Ramirez left the Sox with Joe Thurston in the cleanup spot for a good portion of the day, and, in his Inside The Game feature, Steven Krasner notes that gave the Rangers some options as to whether or not to pitch to Ortiz. Big Papi came up four times after Manny was tossed and, as Krasner notes, Texas manager Ron Washington batted .500 in making that decision.
INSIDE PITCH: Krasner also went Inside The Game on Friday and Saturday. The first time, he looks at the confidence boost Ortiz' grand slam gave the entire Red Sox batting order. (In his Hacks with Haggs blog, Joe Haggerty relates a spring-training conversation with Ortiz in which Ortiz talked of his normal offseason routine being altered because of his knee surgery, which may have caused his slow start.) The next night, Krasner notes that Texas had plenty of chances to put the game away before Ramirez' eighth-inning blast.
COMING UP SHORT: After having seen him play at Portland, Chad Finn doesn't think flavor-of-the-month Jed Lowrie can cut it defensively at shortstop over the long haul. But he does think Lowrie has a big-league future "and it is barely an exaggeration to say he's helped the Sox more in his first week here than shortstop incumbent Julio Lugo has in a year-plus." (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com)
ON HOLD: The flu bug is working its way though the Red Sox clubhouse, so the front office called Pawtucket and had the PawSox pull David Pauley from his scheduled start yesterday, in case he's needed to fill in for an ailing Boston starter in the next day or two. The PawSox, report Kenyon, were none the worse for wear, however, as Edgar Martinez and three other relievers shut down Buffalo.
RINGS OF HONOR: Kenyon also has details of a mini-ring ceremony at McCoy Stadium on Saturday, as Jeff Bailey, Brandon Moss, Devern Hansack and Kyle Snyder received their World Series jewelry from director of player development Mike Hazen.
DOWN FURTHER ON THE FARM: Justin Masterson is lighting up the sky in Portland. (rotoworld.com)
THE CHECK'S IN THE MAIL, THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK . . . and Kyle Farnsworth swears his fastball just "slipped" when it sailed behind Manny Ramirez' head Thursday night. That slip cost Farnsworth a three-game suspension, which, of course, he's appealing. (New York Daily News) The Yankees are shocked, shocked I tell you, at the penalty. (New York Post) Carolyn Thornton reports that Manny's not exactly buying Farnsworth's claims of innocence, but he's not blaming him, either, saying it's all just part of the game. In any case, Bill Madden of the Daily News gives voice to the majority feeling in Yankee Universe when he asserts the Yanks have a long way to go to even the score in the Boston-New York beanball battle.
I FEEL YOUR PAIN: The same injury that sidelined Derek Jeter -- a strained quad -- struck Alex Rodriguez yesterday in the Yankees' victory over the Orioles. (New York Daily News)
PUTTING THE GAME ASIDE: Joba Chamberlain thanked everyone who sent along best wishes during his father's illness, including a group of Red Sox fans. (LoHud Yankees blog)
END OF THE LINE: Chamberlain pitched yesterday for the first time since leaving the team last Sunday and saw his scoreless streak end. (New York Post)
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: The struggles of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy have Hank Steinbrenner wanting Chamberlain in the starting rotation, and he wants him there now. (New York Times)
THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS: The Post's Mike Vaccaro says we're living through the Golden Age of baseball.
THEY SCREAM: Both the Yankees (LoHud Yankees blog) and the Red Sox (Boston Herald) have banned ice cream from their clubhouses.
BIGGEST HURT: One day after he complained about being benched -- or at least losing playing time -- Frank Thomas was released by the Blue Jays. (Toronto Star) Our pal the Tao of Steib doesn't seem to mind, though Baseball Musing's David Pinto thinks there's more to this than meets the eye. As for Thomas' future, the Rangers don't appear to be interested (Dallas Morning News) but the Mariners might give him a call. (mlb.com)
WELL, THAT EXPLAINS IT: The White Sox went 88 years -- from 1917, when they won the World Series in six games over the New York Giants, to 2005, when they swept the Astros -- between championships, and you don't have to look far to find people who blame it all on the Black Sox scandal of 1919. (Punishment for mortal sin, don't you know.) If that's so, news that the Cubs may have thrown the 1918 World Series to the Red Sox puts their 100-years-and-counting drought into a different light. (sportingnews.com)
AFTER ALL, YOU'D NEVER SEE NEW YORK FANS BEHAVE THIS WAY: The Mets have no use for the Phillie fans who cheered when Jose Reyes suffered a head injury Friday night. (New York Post)
BIG DEAL: The A's, his original team, are nonplussed about the news that Miguel Tejada lied about his age when Oakland signed him and is actually two years older than he said. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'I FEEL GREAT': Doug Davis, who underwent surgery for thyroid cancer on April 10, is back with the Diamondbacks and, in a perfect world, would love to pitch May 9 against the Cubs. (Arizona Republic)
HERE AND THERE: NL MVP Jimmy Rollins has finally gone on the disabled list after insisting for two weeks that his injured ankle was just about healed (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . The end of his 14-game hitting streak meant the end of Eric Byrnes' mustache. (Arizona Republic)
OLD FRIENDS: Matt Murton has returned to the Cubs (mlb.com) . . . Keith Foulke is headed to the disabled list because of a stiff neck (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Lenny DiNardo has been removed from the A's starting rotation (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Joe Torre isn't quite sure how to use the slumping Nomar Garciaparra. (Los Angeles Times)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
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