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Crisp Leaves Game -- Upset Stomach

The thin Red Sox outfield ranks became even thinner when Coco Crisp joined fellow starting outfielder J.D. Drew in the clubhouse during tonight's game.

Crisp left the game in the bottom of the sixth because of an upset stomach. That necessitated Jacoby Ellsbury, who had replaced Drew in right, moving over to center field in place of Crisp. Kevin Youkilis moved from first base to right field and Sean Casey came off the bench as a replacement for Youkilis at first.

Youkilis had played in 17 games in left field in 2006 because of injuries. Last night was his debut as a right fielder.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 9:16 PM | Permalink

J.D. Drew Injured

Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew had to leave the game in the third inning after apparently suffering an injury to his left wrist in an unsuccessful attempt to make a sliding catch of a looping fly ball hit by Freddie Bynum.

The initial word from the Sox' clubhouse was that Drew suffered a sprained left wrist. X-rays were negative.

Drew's glove appeared to stick in the grass for a split-second as he tried to scoop the ball before it hit the turf. That caused his wrist to bend back.

After being checked out by acting manager Brad Mills and trainer Paul Lessard, Drew came out of the game, replaced by Jacoby Ellsbury, who is nursing a bruise just below his left knee, the result of having been hit by a pitch Sunday night in Minnesota.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 8:21 PM | Permalink

Pregame Notes, May 13

-- Bench coach Brad Mills will be taking over for manager Terry Francona, who will miss the two games in this series because of the passing of his mother-in-law.

Mills has filled in for Francona in the past, and boasts a 5-3 career record heading into tonight's game at Camden Yards against the Orioles. All of Mills' decisions came during the 2005 season.

He went 2-2 from April 6-10 when Francona missed four games because of a viral infection. He went 2-1 from April 29-May 1 when Francona was serving a three-game suspension. And when Francona's daughter graduated from high school on June 13, Mills won that game.

-- Shortstop Julio Lugo (mild concussion) continues to improve but still isn't ready to play. Alex Cora will make his third straight at short. Lugo has missed the last four games.

-- Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury (left knee bruise) also continues to improve, and he could play, but the Sox have decided to keep him out of the starting lineup for at least one more game as a precaution.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:44 PM | Permalink

Starting Lineups, May 13

RED SOX

Crisp cf
Pedroia 2b
Ortiz dh
Ramirez lf
Lowell 3b
Youkilis 1b
Drew rf
Varitek c
Cora ss

Beckett p

ORIOLES

Roberts 2b
Mora 3b
Markakis rf
Huff dh
Millar 1b
Scott lf
Jones cf
Quiroz c
Bynum ss

Guthrie p

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:41 PM | Permalink

Travel delays . . .

. . . have prevented Steven Krasner from arriving in Baltimore by the time the Red Sox clubhouse opened. He'll be there soon, and he'll begin filing as soon as he gets to Camden Yards.

Posted by Art Martone  at 3:48 PM | Permalink

Francona to miss Baltimore series because of a death in his family

The Red Sox announced moments ago that manager Terry Francona will miss the two-game series on Tuesday and Wednesday in Baltimore.

Mary Ann Lang, the mother of his wife, Jacque, passed away on Monday night in Tucson, Arizona. Francona and his family flew to Tucson today.

Bench coach Brad Mills will manage the club during the Orioles series.

Posted by Art Martone  at 2:21 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Buchholz falls down

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. Today's topics: Clay Buchholz's troubles on the road, and how it makes the club's decision about Bartolo Colon easier, looking to deal Julian Tavarez and giving Craig Hansen a vote of confidence, Josh Beckett's assignment tonight in Baltimore, Alex Rodriguez's injury and the Rays' run for first place.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:09 PM to Projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 13

AP Photo

CLAY-MAKER: Bob Gibson was 3-6 with a 5.61 ERA in his first full season in the major leagues. Sandy Koufax was 2-4, 4.91. Greg Maddux was 6-14, 5.61. The list goes on and on, even among contemporary stars -- Josh Beckett (6-7, 4,10), Ben Sheets (11-10, 4.76), Tom Glavine (7-17, 4.56). The education of a young pitcher is like the education of anything else: In most instances, it takes time.

And thus we come to Clay Buchholz. No matter how well he pitched last September -- and pitch well he did, even beyond the no-hitter (Projo Sox Blog) -- he's a) 23 years old, b) in his first full year in the big leagues, and c) still learning his craft. What he learned last night was that when you don't have command of your fastball you don't have a whole lot, a lesson the Twins pounded into him over 4 2/3 innings in a 7-3 Minnesota win. Steven Krasner reports that the inconsistency in locating his fastball "soon spread to [Buchholz'] other pitches, resulting in five walks, three of them leading off an inning, always a recipe for disaster." By the time Terry Francona ended his evening (above), his record was on its way down to 2-3, his ERA on its way up to 5.53 (Projo Stats), and the Bartolo Watch, which we alluded to yesterday, was probably on its way to the starting line (and with reason; if the option is losing Colon, then sending Buchholz back to Pawtucket makes all the sense in the world). Our pals over at Sons of Sam Horn are already talking the talk.

A no-hitter in your second major-league start is what they call an indicator of ability, but turning that ability into skill isn't an overnight process. We're told the same thing over and over -- we even said it at the very beginning of all this -- and it bears repeating: It just takes time. Ask Bob. And Sandy. And Greg.

UNHOLY TRINITY: Sick of ESPN's Red Sox/Yankee-centric view of the world, Shysterball is taking at least a little delight in the struggles of Buchholz, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.

ODD MAN OUT: Considering the haphazard way he was used all season, not to mention how poorly he pitched when he did get to the mound, it came as no surprise when word arrived yesterday afternoon that Julian Tavarez had been designated for assignment. Krasner reports Tavarez' departure means Craig Hansen gets to stay a while. Kraz also has some postgame notes, including a Julio Lugo medical update.

HEAD TO THE ROCKIES: The Denver Post reports the on-again/off-again trade discussions between the Red Sox and Colorado regarding Tavarez are on again, and a deal could be struck within a matter of days.

MAN-SIZED INSPIRATION: Some look to the Bible. Others to philosophers. But Arnold Schwarzenegger is the wind beneath Craig Hansen's wings. (Boston Herald)

THEY NOTICED! Krasner reports Kevin Youkilis was named American League Player of the Week.

TWO TO GO: Manny Ramirez clubbed home run No. 498 last night, and Krasner has his postgame reaction on that . . . and some other topics, too.

NO OFFENSE: Jim Rice says he's not at all irritated by Manny Ramirez' claim that he's the best defensive left fielder in Red Sox history, but then he basically asserts that Manny is full of beans. (ask14.sullivantire.com)

JINX THIS: Baseball Analysts includes Dustin Pedroia, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima in its look at 2007 rookies seeking to avoid the sophomore jinx in 2008. It has nice things to say about all of them, particularly Pedroia.

CREAM OF THE CROP: Even though three losses in four games in Minnesota may have dimmed the shine a little bit, almost everyone agrees: The Red Sox are the class of the A.L. East, and probably of the entire American League. (Boston Globe)

WHAT WE WORRY ABOUT: Remember all the fretting about how, between the Tokyo trip and the tough April schedule, the Sox would be lucky to be around .500 at this stage of the season? Boston.com's Eric Wilbur reminds us how silly all that was.

IT'S ALL THE SAME TO ME: In his last game with Boston, Jed Lowrie homered. Last night, in his first game with Pawtucket, he homered again. Joe McDonald tells us all about it.

'BEATING THE EVIL EMPIRE IS AWESOME': So said the Rays' Jonny Gomes after Tampa Bay's 7-1 smackdown of the Yanks. (St. Petersburg Times) Somewhere Larry Lucchino is smiling.

NOT YET: The New York Times reports Alex Rodriguez won't be ready to return in time for this weekend's series against the Mets.

TRADE DEFICIT CONTINUES: Baseball Musings' David Pinto notes that last night's hero for the Rays, Dioner Navarro, not only was traded away by the Yankees (for Randy Johnson), but that he'd look awfully good in pinstripes right now, since Jorge Posada is on the disabled list.

SPECIAL KEI: At least he is to Ian Kennedy. Igawa's meatball special Friday night in Detroit was enough to convince the Yankees to summon Kennedy back from the minors. (New York Daily News)

CLASS AND DIGNITY, MY FOOT: The blog Bugs and Cranks takes Goose Gossage to task for admonishing Joba Chamberlain to "act like a Yankee." It points out that acting like a Yankee over the years has included the Fritz Peterson/Mike Kekich wife-swap, not to mention Reggie Jackson standing at home plate admiring his home runs, and concludes: "The Yankee way is winning. Period."

OFF THE CLIFF: The Red Sox were shut out, but Cliff Lee cleaned up, in Dayn Perry's '25 Percent Awards,' which he gives at the season's quarter pole. (foxsports.com)

'SO'S YOUR MOM'???? One of the things I learned very early in the cyberspace age is, never send anything -- and I mean anything -- via e-mail that you don't want millions of people to see. Apparently, Carlos Delgado's agent missed the memo. (nj.com)

'R, B, RBI, HIT THAT BALL AND MAKE IT FLY': The Mets' Nelson Figueroa called the Nationals "a bunch of softball girls" for the "cheerleading" they were doing in their dugout during Washington's 10-4 win at Shea Stadium last night. (New York Daily News) No word if the Nats responded by telling Figueroa they wanted a pitcher and not a glass of water.

HOME SWEET HOME: Johnnie LeMaster -- who can forget his "Johnny Disaster" nickname? -- had some great stories to tell when he returned to San Francisco as part of the Giants' 50th anniversary celebration. (The Guardian's San Francisco blog)

GOODBYE, HISTORY: Asdrubal Cabrera turned an unassisted triple play for the Indians against the Blue Jays last night, and then flipped the ball into the stands as he returned to the dugout. (mlb.com)

HERE AND THERE The Astros' Shawn Chacon has tied a major-league record by starting a season with eight consecutive no-decisions (Houston Chronicle) . . . Shannon Stewart says his current situation with the Blue Jays "is like a bad dream" (Toronto Star) . . . Mark Teixeira had to leave last night's game because of back spasms (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Cubs are expected to sign Jim Edmonds and demote Felix Pie, which would seem to eliminate them as a possible landing place for Coco Crisp. (Chicago Tribune)

OLD FRIENDS: One day after removing himself from the closer's role, Eric Gagne says the little mental-health break did him a world of good; now he's tanned and rested and ready to start finishing games for the Brewers again. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . In the meantime, Guillermo Mota got the save for Milwaukee last night (rotoworld.com) . . . Ramon Vazquez hit a walkoff home run for the Rangers last night, a pitch or two after play-by-play announcer Josh Lewin predicted he would (Dallas Morning News) . . . Nomar Garciaparra will work out with the Dodgers in Milwaukee today (Los Angeles Times) . . . Pedro Martinez is frustrated by his slow recovery from the hamstring pull that sidelined him in early April. (New York Post)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 6:44 AM | Permalink