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Schilling Back on Mound, Two Days Early

Curt Schilling, who was supposed to throw off the mound Friday, get a head start today, throwing 25 fastballs today.
``He was complaining that he only threw 22 strikes,'' said manager Terry Francona. ``He was justifiably excited
Francona added that Schilling didn't try throwing any breaking balls.
``He's still in the arm-shoulder strengthening stage,'' said Francona.
He will throw 35 pitches Friday. As to when he might go the next level -- which would include throwing live batting practice, and eventually, a rehab assignment -- Francona said that would be determined by assistant trainer Mike Reinhold and pitching coach John Farrell.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 4:45 PM | Permalink

Manny's Hammy Barking; He's DH-ing

Manny Ramirez's right hamstring still is a little tender, so once again he will serve as the Sox' designated hitter, an option that exists for the left fielder and manager Terry Francona because David Ortiz (left wrist) is on the disabled list.

"It's not getting worse," said Francona. "It's something guys go through, and Manny goes through it three or four times a year. Sometime he has to miss games but with the DH spot opening up we don't have to do that."

Francona said he can tell Ramirez has been careful when he has been running.

"His gait to first is even, which is good, but you can can see Manny's thinking about it, trying not to do something he shouldn't do," said Francona.

Ramirez, meanwhile, was in good spirits this afternoon, talking about his hamstring discomfort and other topics.

"I can feel it a little," said Ramirez of his hamstring. "That's why I have to run through the base (and not stop suddenly). It's weird. It seems like every time I run it bothers me. That's okay. I'm playing through it."

So he has to serve as the DH. It was thought he didn't like that role. That's not what he said this afternoon.

"I love it. It's easy," said Ramirez, who spends time between at-bats hitting in the cage in an effort to stay loose.

When Ortiz returns, will Ramirez want to claim the DH job for his own and send Ortiz to left field?

"No. We don't want to make it a circus," said Ramirez.

He was asked about the relief he feels after having reached his homer milestone, belting number 500 last Saturday in Baltimore. And he compared it to what Ken Griffey Jr., who is sitting on 599, is going through, especially with how special baseballs are put in play for the 499 and 599 at-bats, so as to guarantee authenticity once the magic homer leaves the ballyard.

"In a situation like Griffey, you just want to get it and move on," said Ramirez. "Now that I've ggot 500 out of the way I'll just go out and have fun. What I get from now on is extra.What's left for me to do? Steal bases? Maybe 500?"

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:23 PM | Permalink

Drew Moves Up To Third

J.D. Drew, who has batted sixth for the most part this season, has been moved up to the number three spot vacated by the injured David Ortiz.

Drew will bat third tonight and most likely third again tomorrow, switching batting-order spots with Kevin Youkilis, who had batted third in the first two games the Sox played without Ortiz.

Manager Terry Francona said there were a couple of reasons for the switch. Edwin Jackson and James Shields, the Rays' starters tonight and tomorrow night, respectively, have been tough on Youkilis, Francona said. Also, Drew "looks like he wants to get hot," said Francona.

Drew was two for three -- a double and a homer -- in Monday night's win. Over his last three games Drew has batted .500 (5 for 10) with two homers, a double and four RBI, raising his average from .282 to .296.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:17 PM | Permalink

Starting Lineups, June 4

RED SOX

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

Beckett p

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:15 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Eleven straight wins at home

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. The topics: Coco Crisp and Craig Hansen rising to the occasion, David Ortiz's rehabilitation plan, and why the Sox will never, ever sign Barry Bonds.

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

On Hansen: "Not only are [the Red Sox] looking for someone to work the seventh, but given the unpredictability and poor work by Okajima of late, the eighth inning is sort of up for grabs, too, and last night Hansen seized that, coming in and getting three guys right in a row with two on and the potential tying run at the plate with no outs. Certainly a big confidence booster for him, you would think, and also one that would provide more confidence by the Red Sox in him."

Why not go for Bonds? "I'd say that that has no chance of happening. There are all sorts of issues associated with that. The guy hasn't hit since last September, and his physical condition and shape would probably be about sevennth on the list. First would be the fact that he's got all sorts of perjury indictments hanging over his head. Second is his association with performance-enhancing drugs that I don't think the Red Sox would want to associate themselves with. Thirdly is his reputation for being a pretty distant and egotistical personality that could disrupt things in the clubhouse. Fourth would be ownership's connection with commissioner Bud Selig, who I would bet would not look kindly upon some team giving Bonds an opportunity to get back into the game, given all the mud that he's brought to the game in the last couple of years. We could go on and on."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:32 PM to Projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, June 4

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES: The mood in Red Sox Nation was one of despair yesterday at this time, but things look a lot brighter -- the weather notwithstanding -- today. First and foremost, Sean McAdam reports that the worst-case worrries of David Ortiz' wrist injury may be unjustified, as the Red Sox fully expect that Ortiz will heal with rest and may be back in action in a month. And that good news was followed by a 7-4 win over Tampa Bay in the opener of a three-game A.L. East showdown with the Rays. Steven Krasner has the details of the victory, which featured some unlikely heroes . . . like Coco Crisp (above, delivering a key two-run double) and Dustin Pedroia, both of whom have been slumping. Yet more reason to smile: Craig Hansen continued to pitch well, and may have been the key to the win by wriggling out of a two-on, no-out mess he inherited from Javy Lopez in the eighth. Krasner fills us in on all of that, along with the news that Daisuke Matsuzaka may begin throwing again this weekend.

They say if you don't like the weather in New England, wait 10 minutes. Sometimes, in baseball, the same sentiment applies.

EVEN DEFEAT TASTES SWEET THESE DAYS: The Rays were disappointed they came up short in what they considered to be their first real test of the season (Tampa Tribune), but the St. Petersburg Times' Gary Shelton says "This is the way defeat is supposed to feel" . . . a real sting, rather than just one of another in a long list of losses that can be shrugged off. Jim Donaldson talks with Warwick's Dan Wheeler, a mainstay in the Rays' bullpen this year, about how different things are in Tampa Bay.

MANNY BEING CAUTIOUS: Crisp was a late addition to the lineup; Krasner reports that, originally, Jacoby Ellsbury was in center field with Manny Ramirez in left and Sean Casey as the DH. But Ramirez' legs have been bothering him, so Terry Francona pulled Casey. made Manny the DH, shifted Ellsbury to left and put Crisp in center.

DON'T PUNCH THAT BALLOT JUST YET: After taking a closer look, msnbc.com's Ted Robinson says he's not sure Ramirez is the slam-dunk Hall of Famer he originally thought.

WHERE'S THE BEEF? The world -- at least hereabouts -- went crazy when Manny hit his 500th home run. So Adam Dunn wants to know why there's no buzz about Ken Griffey Jr. closing in on 600. (Dayton Daily News)

LEFT IS ALL RIGHT: The blog Batter's Box challenges its readers to come up with a stronger single franchise position than Red Sox left fielders, whose run of excellence started with Duffy Lewis and ran through Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice all the way to Ramirez. (Do they take points away for Troy O'Leary . . . ?)

WELCOME: McAdam and Krasner have the details of Chris Carter's first day in the big leagues. His promotion was first reported yesterday morning on this very blog by Joe McDonald.

KEI ZONE? Among the many interesting tidbits from Peter Gammons on his weekly local ESPN radio appearance -- as transcribed by Joe Haggerty on his Hacks With Haggs blog -- is that the Red Sox were prepared to claim Kei Igawa if the Yankees put him on waivers.

HE'S GOT A POINT: Jason Varitek complained recently that the Red Sox' lack of speed at certain positions has hurt them offensively (Boston Globe) -- "We've got a lot of big donkeys who clog up the bases," he said, and I assume he includes himself in that assessment -- and Baseball Musings' David Pinto says that may be a reason the Sox are scoring fewer runs than could be expected under the runs-created formula.

DRAFT NOTICE: McAdam reports on the Red Sox' strategy in tomorrow's amateur draft, which -- because the players selected are getting to the major leagues so quickly these days (think Pedroia, Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Justin Masterson, et al) -- is perhaps the organization's most important day of the year.

THEY SAY THE ROAD MAKES BUMS OF US ALL: And McDonald's experience with a, ah, unique Baltimore cabby on his way to the airport yesterday may be one of the reasons why. (ProJo Sox Blog)

THE VIEW: Television won't show you the sometimes hilarious goings-on when a fan runs onto the field during the game. But we will. (Projo Sox Blog)

YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED THIS . . . Or maybe you didn't since, as the Jays' Shannon Stewart so delightfully observed, "I thought [Babe] Ruth had come back." (New York Post) No, Shannon, it was just Joba Chamberlain's first start that turned an evening in early June into World Series time at Yankee Stadium. (New York Daily News) But both Bill Madden of the Daily News and Joel Sherman of the Post made the same point: This was spring training, not October, as the whole point was to begin the process of stretching out Chamberlain as a starter. Too bad for the Yankees it wasn't spring training, since then you could shrug off Chamberlain's two-run, four-walk, 2 1/3-inning performance and yet another bullpen meltdown (Projo Stats) in a 9-3 loss as a step toward the future rather than a stumble in the present. Not in New York you can't, at least not when it comes to the relief corps. (New York Daily News) And maybe it shouldn't since, as stated so well by the blog River Ave. Blues, what this game really was, was "more of what we know and hate from the 2008 Yankees. The bullpen couldn’t get outs, and the offense was inconsistent."

At least Harlan Chamberlain had a good time. (New York Daily News)

THE LIGHTNING ROD: The mood at Yankee Stadium last night was sour enough; thankfully, Joe Girardi didn't bring in Kyle Farnsworth or the joint might have collapsed five months before the wrecking ball is due to arrive. The blog It Is About The Money Stupid is so fed up with Farnsworth that its author has actually begun an I Hate Kyle Farnsworth group on Yahoo! and is urging Yankee Universe to "come and join."

SEARCHING FOR . . . WHAT? I want to thank ShysterBall for tipping me off to the Farnsworth item. And, Craig, I'm also baffled by one of the two top search requests on your blog.

(P.S. Thanks for the link!)

STAY FOCUSED: Peter Abraham admits that the education of young pitchers is "painful to watch at times" but insists that it's the proper, and only, course for the present-day Yankees. (LoHud Yankees Blog)

THERE'S ALWAYS GOOD NEWS SOMEWHERE: Jorge Posada provided it for the Yanks yesterday with another strong outing in extended spring game, meaning he might be activated as soon as tonight and could play again tomorrow. (New York Post)

TROUBLE WITH A CAPITAL 'T': Having compared them to the Red Sox and Rays during all three teams' trips to Camden Yards, the Baltimore-based blog Birds In The Belfry concludes: "The Yankees Are In Real Trouble. Not 'wishful thinking' trouble. REAL trouble."

AMAZIN': Across the country, in San Francisco, the other New York team had much more success with its starting pitcher. Pedro Martinez, making his first big-league appearance since pulling a hamstring muscle in early April, worked six strong innings as the Mets beat the Giants. (New York Post) The Daily News' Adam Rubin summed it up neatly: Joba Chamberlain got the hype. Pedro Martinez got the win.

REMEMBER ME? Jane Jarvis, the organist at Shea Stadium from its opening in 1964 until 1979, is now 93 and heartbroken that they're tearing down Shea. She'd love to be part of the farewell ceremonies but isn't sure the current management even knows who she is. (sny.tv)

JUST ANOTHER DAY IN OZZIELAND: So let's see. Ozzie Guillen and Ken Williams have their meeting, after which Williams declines to speak publicly and Guillen says he regrets some of the things he said -- specifically, the stuff that was interpreted as criticism of Williams -- and was just trying to get the team back on track. (Chicago Tribune) Guillen puts his normal lineup on the field and it scores nine runs in a rout of the Royals. (Chicago Sun-Times) The Tribune's Rick Morrissey says it's all typical Guillen: A lot of sound and fury signifying virtually nothing.

But there was some collateral damage: The long friendship between Guillen and former-teammate-turned-current-hitting-coach Greg Walker, which appears to be ruptured thanks to Guillen's comments about Walker during his Sunday evening rant. (Chicago Tribune)

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE: You'd think this would be a 3-and-0 cripple for Jay Mariotti. But, having vented his spleen against Guillen on Tuesday, he was too busy yesterday waxing poetic about the Cubs and wondering if this could be the year they "fathom the unfathomable" and win the World Series for the first time since 1908. (Chicago Sun-Times)

NAH, THIS IS CUBS NATION. WE CAN'T: But on the same day Mariotti is thinking the unthinkable, Moises Alou drags out Steve Bartman again. (espn.com)

WHY NOT? The good times continued to roll last night with a 9-6 win over the Padres. (Chicago Sun-Times)

TWO STRIKES, TWO OUTS, BOTTOM OF THE NINTH . . . and it looks like it'll take a miracle to save Tiger Stadium. (Detroit News)

DEAR CECIL: The Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice likes Cecil Cooper and wants him to succeed as Astros manager. So he's posted some advice for Coop on his blog, advising him to lighten up, end the public mood swings and begin to exude a facade of public confidence.

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT: The Brewers say they're not inclined to grant Bill Hall's trade request. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

ENOUGH! The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Art Thiel says it's time for the Mariners to cut loose Richie Sexson.

HERE AND THERE: The Denver Post reports the Yankees could soon ask about Rockies reliever Brian Fuentes, who was Colorado's version of Eric Gagne -- Boston-style -- in last year's World Series . . . John Smoltz' shoulder is "pretty sore" after his first relief appearance (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Randy Johnson moved past Roger Clemens into second place on the all-time strikeout list. (Arizona Republic)

OLD FRIENDS: Casey Fossum, who was tearing up the International League with Toledo, has been called up by the Tigers (mlive.com) . . . Scott Hatteberg, designated for assignment by the Reds 10 days ago, becomes a free agent today, but Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal says there doesn't appear to be a significant amount of interest in him . . . The peripatetic career of Kent Mercker may finally have come to an end as the Reds placed him not on the 15, but the 60-day disabled list because of a bad back (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . Matt Clement pitched for the first time in nearly two years yesterday, going six innings for the Palm Beach Cardinals (minorleaguebaseball.com) . . . Edgar Renteria, who came to the plate last night with 12 men on base, went 0-for-5 with a walk and rotoworld.com muses that if the Tigers could go back in time, they probably wouldn't have traded for him . . . Tomo Ohka beat the PawSox last night. (projo.com)

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 9:00 AM | Permalink

Fan's wild run ends with arrest at Fenway

Bob Breidenbach shot these amusing photos of a fan at Fenway Park who ran out onto the field in the eighth inning and managed to elude security personnel long enough to jump back into the stands. You can't disappaear from the law, though, when you're wearing a (Delonte West?) Celtics jersey and you have that hair -- so the speedy guy was escorted out in due course.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:38 AM | Permalink