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Coco Leaves Game -- Left Hand

Coco Crisp came out of the game for a pinch hitter in the third inning.

He left the game because of discomfort in his left hand, a problem that occurred on a swing in his first-inning at-bat. Crisp grounded out to second base. His condition is listed as day-to-day.

Brandon Moss batted for Crisp with the bases loaded and two out. He delivered a two-run single to right-center, boosting Boston's lead to 6-1.

Jacoby Ellsbury moved from left field to Crisp's spot in center, with Moss taking over in left when the Sox went back on the field in the bottom of the third.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 2:17 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Running wild on the base paths

Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. The topics: Jon Lester's outstanding showing in Philly, Terry Francona's mild reprimand of Jacoby Ellsbury, Curt Schilling's setback, and the dismissal of Willie Randolph (which Sean saw coming months ago).

Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:

On Lester: "The top of that [Philadelphia] lineup is as formidable as any in the game right now, and an outing like last night's is another reminder of what Lester is capable of."

On Ellsbury, who was caught stealing last night: "It's funny, it was only a few days ago that Ellsbury was talking about how the team trusts him now more, in terms of when to go and when not to, than even at the beginning the year. But last night was a reminder that, as good as he is and as good a base runner he is and as fast as he is, sometimes he makes mistakes in judgment."

On firing Randolph: [The Mets] did it in a highly unorthodox and decidedly unclassy way -- making him fly across the country and then Omar Minaya flies out during the game and then waits for Randolph and a couple of coaches at the hotel after the game to dismiss them at about 3 o'clock in the morning Eastern time. It was highly unusual and I think it's kind of symptomatic of an organization that's really in a mess, and that's why I don't think changing from Willie Randolph to Jerry Manuel is going to change much there."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 12:45 PM to Projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam | Permalink

Francona Happy for Celts

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona watched with a smile on his face as the Celtics destroyed the Lakers in winning the NBA Championship Tuesday night.

Francona has forged a friendly relationship with Doc Rivers, the Celts' coach.

"I was happy for him. That's really good. I'm happy for the whole organization," he said. "The people I know over there, not a lot of them, but they're always just nice."

By the time Francona got back to his room after the Red Sox' game Tuesday night, he said there were nine minutes remaining in the game. The outcome had long since been decided.

"I just wanted to watch to see how people reacted to it, the fans, the players. It was kind of cool to watch," he said.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 10:40 AM | Permalink

Schilling Examination

Curt Schilling, who has hit a plateau in his attempt to rebound from a serious shoulder injury, was scheduled to meet with Red Sox team physician Thomas Gill Wednesday morning, but that date was pushed back until later in the day.

So instead of being examined at 9 a.m., the exam is now scheduled for 4:30 p.m.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 10:38 AM | Permalink

Ramirez, Youkilis Not Starting

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

PHILADELPHIA -- Opting to err on the side of caution, manager Terry Francona elected not to put Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game.

Factoring into his decision was the Sox' regularly scheduled day off on Thursday, which in essence provides two days off for them.

Ramirez has been battling a hamstring problem that is low on his right leg, behind his knee. He aggravated the problem when he took a mighty cut and missed a pitch in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's game.

Francona asked him after the at-bat -- Ramirez flied to left -- how he was and Ramirez said he felt the hamstring tighten up. So Francona took Ramirez out of the game, replacing him in left field with Jacoby Ellsbury even though there was the possibility Ramirez might have gotten another at-bat in the game.

The Sox will be going home after Wednesday's game and will open a three-game series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. Ramirez likely will be back in the lineup, as the designated hitter.

Youkilis, meanwhile, is out for the third straight game because of a sore back. He felt spasms in the back Monday, and has been getting better, but Francona, using "common sense," is keeping him out of the lineup again Wednesday and expects him to be ready to play Friday, as well.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 10:27 AM | Permalink

Starting Lineups, June 18

RED SOX

Ellsbury lf
Pedroia 2b
Drew rf
Lowell 3b
Casey 1b
Varitek c
Crisp cf
Lugo ss
Masterson p

PHILLIES

Rollins ss
Victorino cf
Utley 2b
Howard 1b
Burrell lf
Jenkins rf
Dobbs 3b
Ruiz c
Kendrick p

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 10:25 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Wednesday, June 18

AP Photo

My apologies for the delay in posting this; as I mentioned earlier, Cox Cable's Internet access went down for about an hour this morning. But we're here, and so with no further ado . . .

'WE HAVE THE FULL PACKAGE HERE': That's Coco Crisp's assessment of the Red Sox, and last night that package included a team-record six stolen bases (including one from Julio Lugo, above). It also included shutout pitching from Jon Lester, Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon -- quite a feat in the bandbox known as Citizens Bank Ballpark -- as the Sox defeated the Phillies, 3-0. Steven Krasner has the details, focusing on Lester's more-than-impressive seven-inning, 99-pitch performance. He also has a separate blog item on Papelbon, who rebounded from Saturday's blown save in Cincinnati by blowing away the three batters he faced in the ninth, striking them all out on fastballs in the 95-97 mph range. And they weren't chopped liver, either; Papelbon's victims were Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth.

They play again this afternoon as they attempt to complete the road trip with two wins in three games against the Phillies and four wins in six games overall. Check back for all the details.

INJURY UPDATES: Bartolo Colon was forced to the disabled list because of the back injury he suffered while unhinging himself with his nuclear batting swings the other night. Chris Smith was recalled from Pawtucket for the second time this year, and he'll probably be here until Daisuke Matsuzaka is activated on Saturday; let's see if he gets into a game this time. Curt Schilling, meanwhile, is headed back to Boston to have his balky shoulder checked. Terry Francona says he hopes it's just "a bump in the road" in Schilling's rehab. Krasner has both stories.

DROPPING A BOMBSHELL . . . MAYBE: I assume this is a typo and that he meant "weeks" and not "days," but Jim Rice did say he expects David Ortiz to "get back into games in the next 4-5 days. Maybe sooner." (ask14.sullivantire.com)

SIGN OF THE TIMES: It's all good when none of your players are on anybody's All-Overpaid Team, and none of the Red Sox show up on Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan's squad. Derek Jeter does, though.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The New York Times, for goodness sakes, has discovered our own Charlie Zink. He celebrated his day in the national consciousness by subduing those Iron Pigs, 5-1. (projo.com)

ONE OF THESE DAYS WE'LL FILL THE JOINT WITH OUR OWN FANS: The good news is there were 31,607 at The Trop last night, which at first glance would indicate that Rays Nation is finally getting excited about its young -- and very good -- ballclub. The bad news is about half of them were there to root for the Cubs. But the home half went home happy as Tampa Bay pulled out a 3-2 win over Chicago. (Tampa Tribune)

WHO CALLS ME DUMB?? The blog DRays Bay is discovering that a "team's winning percentage in directly proportionate to the amount of dumb in it's fanbase." But the blog Rays Index is personally offended at the notion that Rays fans are dumb. I know, I know. F Troop references are a sure sign of age. Wonder if my friend Repoz still regards me as "ever-hip"? (Repoz . . . now he's hip!)

YEAH, WE TEASE HIM A LOT 'CAUSE WE GOT HIM ON THE SPOT, WELCOME BACK: Now to further bury myself with Welcome Back Kotter references. But it fits -- I guess -- as the Rays celebrated the return of ex-manager Lou Piniella. (Tampa Tribune) The St. Petersburg Times' Gary Shelton was happy to see Piniella, but is happier that Joe Maddon, and not Piniella, is now in the Tampa Bay dugout.

GLAD ALL OVER: Okay, how about The Dave Clark Five? (At least this'll please Sean McAdam, perhaps the world's biggest Dave Clark Five fan.) It described the feelings of yet another ex-Rays skipper, Larry Rothschild, who's also with the Cubs these days -- as Piniella's pitching coach -- and is happy his old team is doing so well. (Tampa Tribune)

TO WHICH ALTERNATE UNIVERSE HAVE WE BEEN TRANSPORTED? Big League Stew is wondering if this Rays-Cubs matchup will prove to be a World Series preview.

IF THE RAYS ARE TO GET THERE . . . they'll have to overcome their schedule, which the blog Baseball Playoffs Now describes as the toughest in either league.

ACE AUDITIONS: With Chien-Ming Wang sidelined, the Yankees are looking for a new No. 1 starter. Andy Pettitte put in his bid with seven shutout innings, his second straight strong performance, in an 8-0 win over the Padres. (New York Post) Joba Chamberlain, incidentally, says he wants no part of the 'ace' moniker. (New York Daily News)

DUELING OPINIONS: Wang says he'll do everything he can to pitch again for the Yankees this season. (New York Daily News) But Peter Abraham, reading a report from a doctor who was contacted by Baseball Prospectus' Will Carroll, says there's a good chance the next time Wang throws a baseball will be next February in Florida. (LoHud Yankees Blog)

SHAMELESS: The president of Teamsters Union Local 202 in New York is furious that the Yankees keep asking for taxpayer subsidies as they complete construction of the new Yankee Stadium, saying the money the Yanks want is "the money we've been asking for from the city to save our members' jobs from leaving the Bronx." (New York Daily News)

CONDITION AS EXPECTED: When you fire your manager via press release at 3 a.m. Eastern time -- in New York, no less -- you can be pretty sure you're not going to be lauded for your organizational skills. So as Omar Minaya was on the Left Coast explaining that his early-morning axing of Willie Randolph was just an example of his take-charge, up-front, be-honest-with-people style (New York Times), media outlets in the Big Apple were feasting on a Minaya shishkabob. The Daily News' Bill Madden, repeating what he'd said on the radio yesterday morning, called the manner of Randolph's canning "shameful, indecent, undignified [and] ill-conceived." The Post's Joel Sherman says Mets ownership has done the impossible: "They have made Hank Steinbrenner appear the level-headed baseball owner in town." The Daily News' Mike Lupica, meanwhile, thinks yesterday's beheading of Randolph was just a warmup to the inevitable execution of Minaya, whom he doesn't believe can survive this nightmare.

CHANGE OF HEART: On Sunday, Randolph told a friend he felt like a "dead man walking." But yesterday he describing himself as "stunned" and surprised" at his firing. (New York Daily News)

WE'LL SURE MISS 'OL WHATZ-IS-NAME: Mets players were, ah, less than emotional at Randolph's dismissal. (New York Post) Randolph's friends, however, were a bit more upset. (New York Daily News)

'THIS IS DOG EAT DOG': The seeds for Randolph's fate were planted last September when the Phillies overtook the Mets and won the N.L. East. There wasn't a shred of remorse in the Philadelphia clubhouse, however, no matter how much they may like Randolph as a person.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Yogi Berra feels bad for Randolph but says being fired is part of the gig for a manager. (New York Post)

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: So how often is a manager fired after he's already been named to his league's coaching staff for that year's All-Star Game? Randolph's one of the few, if not the first, and N.L. manager Clint Hurdle will probably replace him with someone else. (Rocky Mountain News)

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The Jerry Manuel Era started inauspiciously. Jose Reyes threw a mini-tantrum when Manuel took him out of the game after he tweaked his hamstring in the first inning -- though they appeared to kiss and make up later -- and Johan Santana got clipped around in a 6-1 loss to the Angels. (New York Daily News) It was, says the Post's Mike Vaccaro, a fitting end to the Mets' day.

ALL IS NOT LOST: In spite of all this, Michael Salfino says the Mets aren't out the playoff picture. (sny.tv)

YOU'RE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE: Randolph -- whom Jorge Posada apparently calls "Will-o" -- could wind up back with the Yankees in some capacity, according to Hank Steinbrenner. (New York Post)

REPLACING RANDOLPH ON THE HOT SEAT . . . is the Brewers' Ned Yost. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Michael Hunt wonders whether or not Yost will join Will-o on the unemployment line soon.

MY KIND OF PLACE: Trade rumors have been flying, but Ken Griffey Jr. says he'd like to win a championship with the Reds. (Cincinnati Enquirer)

BASEBALL'S ALGONQUIN ROUND TABLE: The Baltimore Sun's Roch Kubatko gives us a glimpse into the raconteur that is Dave Trembley.

LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli went 1-for-3 with two walks and drove in two runs in his first rehab appearance for Class A Vero Beach last night (Tampa Tribune) . . . Paul Konerko is on the disabled list for the first time in his career. (Chicago Sun-Times)

MEDICAL REPORT: The Dodgers have plenty of injury issues, what with Brad Penny headed to the DL and Hiroki Kuroda headed to the doctor's office; now news comes that Rafael Furcal won't be back before the All-Star break (Both stories Los Angeles Times) . . . Alfonso Soriano hopes to be able to recover from his broken hand in time to play in the All-Star Game (Chicago Tribune) . . . The Cardinals' Chris Carpenter is give the okay to restart his rehab. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

HERE AND THERE: Jose Canseco is being sued by his lawyer (New York Daily News) . . . Freddy Garcia, who attracted some mild interest from the Red Sox this spring, may be headed to the Tigers (Detroit Free Press) . . . New Reds GM Walt Jocketty disputed a New York Post report that he's about to clean house, saying "it's not necessary." (Cincinnati Enquirer)

OLD FRIENDS: Matt Murton is back with the Cubs, though they may only be showcasing him for a trade (Chicago Tribune) . . . David Riske struck out the side in his first rehabilitation outing at Nashville and could be back with the Brewers as soon as today (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . The Braves will activate Mike Gonzalez today. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

AND FINALLY . . . Congratulations to the Celtics, whose 17th NBA championship is celebrated by old friend Chad Finn. (And, not to be selfish or anything, but now that the quest is finished it'll be good to have Chad back on baseball again.) The Boston Herald's Rob Bradford says talk in the Red Sox clubhouse after their game was all about the Celts . . . and he also has an interesting anecdote about a Philadelphia rooter whose bitterness at Boston's overflowing sporting fortunes was self-evident.

One last note: Joe Posnanski says the Celtics' 39-point win -- or, rather, the Lakers' 39-point loss -- should, once and for all, put an end to the Kobe Bryant/Michael Jordan comparisons.

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 8:59 AM | Permalink

Red Sox aren't the only team that can't win on the road

By Rick Hummel
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS - The only three teams in the major leagues that had winning records on the road before last weekend all would be in the playoffs if they started today. The Los Angeles Angels (21-12) and the Philadelphia Phillies (19-15 entering last weekend) lead their divisions, and the Cardinals (19-15) lead in the early stages of the wild-card race in the National League.

For a team to have a winning record on the road - no mean feat these days - one of its star players generally leads the way. In the Angels' case, reliever Frankie "K-Rod" Rodriguez has been almost unbelievable with 17 saves in 18 road games, a 1.06 earned-run average and a 0.97 opponents' batting average against.

Philadelphia reliever Brad Lidge has been almost as good on the road, saving 11 games in 15 appearances on the road with a 0.60 ERA and .151 opponents' batting average.

Then there is the Cardinals' Ryan Ludwick, who, apparently, has reached star status now. He is hitting .333 away from home with 11 doubles, 12 homers, 36 runs batted in and a .746 slugging percentage.

Inasmuch as there are 30 big-league teams, you no doubt have surmised that there were a stunning 27 teams that didn't have a winning record on the road before the weekend, including the once proud Atlanta Braves, who had lost 17 of their last 20 road games and carried a dismal 7-24 road mark into Anaheim last weekend.

While there were 27 road non-warriors, 25 teams had winning records at home. Not surprisingly, four of the five defectors were last-place clubs - Washington, Kansas City, Seattle and Colorado - although Colorado is at least at .500 at 16-16.

Before this latest rash of interleague play, the home winning percentage this year was .576.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the highest since the era of the liveliest ball ever, 1931, when home teams were at. 582. The only year close to that was 1978 at .573.

The reasons?

"I've been asked this many times by people in baseball and people outside it," said Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. And? "No clue," he said.

Two of the three teams with the best records in baseball, the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, have the best home records at 29-8 and 28-7, respectively. It would be easy to ascribe some of the advantage those teams have to the peculiarities of their own ancient parks except that the Cubs have had dozens of losing seasons at home in the long and storied history of Wrigley Field.

This theory doesn't hold water in Atlanta, where by-the-book Turner Field seemingly has no real home-field advantage, yet the Braves are 25-11 there.

In the Braves' case, notably, and perhaps in others, the methods in which managers use their closers may make a difference. Generally, a manager on the road won't use his closer until he gets ahead - even in extra innings - while at home he would use him in the ninth inning of a tie game.

The relief-strapped Braves are exhibit A of that theory because they entered last weekend with a ridiculous 3-18 record in one-run games and 21 straight one-run losses on the road dating to last August. No wonder oft-injured John Smoltz wanted to come back as a reliever and then got hurt again in the first game he pitched as he blew a lead.

Chipper Jones, who has hit .400 throughout all this, is as puzzled as everyone else. Speaking to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jones said, "Everybody else executes. We don't."

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 8:41 AM | Permalink