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June 30, 2008
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| YO! I have a friend who's perhaps the world's biggest David Pauley fan, and he must be pleased that Pauley raised his record to 10-2 last night with a victory over Richmond; details are provided by McDonald. But whenever I think of David Pauley, all I can picture is the hysterical Boston Dirt Dogs photoshop you see on the right.
END OF THE LINE: Tonight we bid a fond farewell to Hazel Mae, whose days at NESN are at an end. (Boston Herald) Rumors persist, however, that she'll land somewhere in Boston before too much longer. NOT OUR COLOR: The Boston Globe is sensing a growing backlash against pink hats, a term which has come to represent bandwagon fans. |  |
THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: Life is good in Tampa Bay. The Rays closed to within a half-game of the Red Sox as Matt Garza allowed no hits through the first six innings before settling for a one-hitter in a 6-1 dispatch of the Marlins. (Tampa Tribune) It was, reports the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin, the sixth series sweep of the year for the Rays, a franchise record. To top it all off, Carlos Pena will return to the lineup tonight when the team plays in Pittsburgh. (Tampa Tribune)
BACKSTOPPING THE WHOLE THING: Gary Shelton of the St. Pete Times calls catcher Dioner Navarro "the most improved player on the most improved team in baseball."
DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS: Interleague play (mercifully) concludes this weekend, and in New York that means the final four games of Mets-Yankees. The New York Daily News reports the teams are coming into the series from opposite directions.
RAIN AND FURY: The Yanks were rained out last night after starting the game against the Pirates (and jumping out to a 3-1 lead), and Mike Mussina voiced the anger of many Yankees when he blasted . . . well, someone (even he wasn't sure who) for not scheduling yesterday's game in the afternoon in light of the fact the Yanks have a day-night, separate-stadium doubleheader today. (New York Daily News) The weather was beautiful all day and the game would have been played without incident, but the Pirates wanted the game to be at night for greater television ratings.
THE SWORD SWINGS BOTH WAYS: Players/coaches/managers aren't the only ones to be disciplined by Major League Baseball for on-field disputes. Umpire Brian Runge was handed a one-game suspension for his actions during a dispute with Mets manager Jerry Manuel the other night. (New York Post)
CHANGE IN PLANS: First he wanted to manage the Mets. Now, angry because they didn't hire him, Gary Carter wants to manage someone else "and beat the heck out of [the Mets]." (New York Times)
STILL FLYING: Those waiting for the annual Orioles collapse -- like me -- are still waiting. Yesterday the O's beat the Cubs, handing Chicago a rare series loss at Wrigley Field. (Washington Post)
THE SWEETEST REVENGE: Joe Posnanski says baseball has kicked the Royals in the teeth for the last 20 years, so it's time for them to kick back by signing Barry Bonds.
SHOOTING FOR THE STARS: Carlos Zambrano says he hopes to be recovered from his shoulder woes in time to pitch in the All-Star Game. (Chicago Tribune)
STAR SWITCH: If Zambrano is able to make it back in time, he'll be joined in New York by his manager, Lou Piniella, who yesterday was named to replace Willie Randolph on the N.L. coaching staff by this year's National League manager, Clint Hurdle. (Denver Post) MLB, meanwhile, is trying to figure out a way that Randolph can still participate in the activities. (New York Post)
'THE MEAT HAS AGED. IT'S BETTER MEAT': That was Charlie Finley's chortle when he raised the price on some of his players during his Kuhn-aborted attempt to sell off his stars in 1976. The present-day A's, though, might be saying the same thing about Rich Harden after his dominant performance last night against the Phillies. (San Francisco Chronicle)
HERE AND THERE: The A's and Rockies could be cooking up a multiplayer deal involving Matt Holliday (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Pirates have placed Ian Snell on the disabled list (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . The Nationals swapped pitchers on the DL, putting on Shawn Hill and taking off Odalis Perez (Washington Post) . . . Ryan Church has begun to work his way back to the Mets (New York Post) . . . The Yankees may have to put Hideki Matsui on the disabled list. (New York Post)
AND FINALLY . . . Many thanks to Tim Daloisio and Paul Testa, who invited me to be a guest last night on one of their Fireside Chats on the blog Fire Brand of the American League. I had a great time, guys, and hope we can do it again soon.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone 
at 6:59 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, June 26
AP Photo
HALFWAY THERE: They hit the 81-game mark last night, the exact midpoint of the season, and while it may not seem like the Red Sox have done what former Packers running back Travis Williams once (delightfully) described as "anything fantabulous," they're on pace for 98 wins. That's how they'd finish if they repeat their 49-32 first-half record, a mark they reached with a 5-0 win over the Diamondbacks that, Joe McDonald writes, was the result of some stout pitching by Tim Wakefield and a nice performance from his personal catcher, Kevin Cash. Cash's contributions included a put-it-away three-run homer in the eighth -- for which he received congratulations in the above picture -- that put the game into the "safe" category.
As impressive as 49-32 may be, it's actually a game behind the 50-31 record they had at the midway point in each of the last two seasons; in neither year were they able to maintain that performance over the second half. But there's a big difference this time around. They played their 81st game this year on June 25. Last year they didn't play No. 81 until July 2. In 2006, it came on July 4. And that's pretty much when it always falls -- July 4 in 2005, July 6 in 2004, July 1 in 2003, etc. The fact that it came more than a week early this year means there's a lot of air built into the second-half schedule . . . time the Sox can use to a) rest their everyday players, b) get extra days off for their starters, c) better manage their bullpen, etc. Did you realize that the longest consecutive-day stretch the Sox have from now until the end of the year is 13? (They'll do that twice, from tomorrow to July 9 and then again from Aug. 8-20.) They'll be off on 10 of the remaining 14 Thursdays this year (counting today), and 3 of the remaining 13 Mondays.
These Sox aren't particularly old and creaky, but some of the regulars do show some age; the more time off they can get, the better. And Peter Gammons had a particularly telling quote on this topic during his last ESPN Radio appearance -- more on that in a moment -- when he said: "I’m still firmly convinced that the reason the Red Sox won the World Series was the 50 less innings pitched that Josh Beckett threw as opposed to C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. I think those guys just hit the wall in that series and Josh Beckett was pitching in the World Series like it was April 20."
The more rest you have now, the more energy you have later. That's why it may be easier for the Sox to continue to play at their current pace in the last three months.
IT STARTS NOW: Speaking of rest, the suddenly slumping J.D. Drew got some last night; McDonald gets Terry Francona's reasoning. Drew was replaced by Brandon Moss, and perhaps there's no more telling sign of Randy Johnson's mortality than the fact that the Red Sox were willing to start a rookie left-handed hitter against the Big Unit. Can you imagine that happening in 1997 or so?
AS FOR THE GAME . . . Steven Krasner breaks it down, with explanations of Wakefield showing why he's more than just a knuckleballer, how Manny Delcarmen benefitted from following Wake's soft tosses with some heat of his own, more failed strategy from Arizona manager Bob Melvin and a Red Sox rally that wasn't in the fifth inning.
BACK IN ACTION: Kevin Youkilis returned to the lineup last night, missing only a day after getting hit in the eye with the Mike Lowell throw on Monday. (projo.com)
STILL WAITING: The Sox have yet to receive word on the appeal of Coco Crisp's suspension. But the Boston Herald's Jeff Horrigan reports the Red Sox should be covered if Crisp's ban begins this weekend because it looks as if Manny Ramirez is good to go in left field.
THE FIRST STEP ON THE LONG JOURNEY: David Ortiz took 25 easy swings off a tee Tuesday night. Krasner reports it went as well as expected and that Big Papi is two or three weeks away from returning.
IT'S POSSIBLE: Curt Schilling thinks he'll be able to pitch again if he wants to following successful shoulder surgery. (projo.com) He's still unsure if wants to, though.
NOTHING'S OVER UNTIL I SAY IT'S OVER: If you thought the end of Schilling's season, and perhaps his career, would at least put his feud with Dan Shaughnessy on hold, guess again. Schilling updated his "Not a thing in the world to be upset about" entry on 38pitches.com to call Shaughnessy a liar over a specific piece of Shaughnessy's farewell column the other day -- in which Dan said Schilling announced his impending surgery on WEEI Radio without telling Red Sox management he was doing so -- and then went on to a number of remarkably personal insults, which, if nothing else, will play spectacularly to Schilling's target online audience.
Your serve, Mr. Shaughnessy.
THE CUTTING EDGE: Peter Gammons' latest appearance on ESPN Radio, as reported by Joe Haggerty on his Hacks With Haggs blog, deals with the Red Sox' strengths in protecting their pitchers and in helping players adjust to the big leagues once they arrive in Boston.
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: Clay Buchholz doesn't want his stay in Pawtucket to be a long one, apparently. Paul Kenyon reports he was dominant last night as he pitched the PawSox to their sixth straight win, 10-1 over Richmond. Speaking of the PawSox, McDonald has news that Mike Timlin will throw an inning for them tonight.
DUELING POLLS: The Red Sox are No. 1 in SI.com's power rankings, but sit third, behind the Cubs and Angels, on foxsports.com.
DEDICATED TO THE ONES I LOVE: One of Chad Finn's most entertaining features on his Touching All The Bases blog is the Random Baseball Cards. Writing for Baseball Analysts, he composes An Ode To Baseball Cards and he concludes with something I've always thought: "The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading, and Bubble Gum Book is a literary classic and should be taught in all high schools throughout the United States and certain parts of Canada."
FISH FRY: James Shields won his first game in more than six weeks last night, but that news got lost in a barrage of hits and runs as the Rays romped to a 15-3 win over the Marlins. The bad news in Tampa Bay: Troy Percival's balky hamstring is still barking and it "could limit his availability indefinitely." (Both stories St. Petersburg Times)
SIGN OF THE TIMES: Our friend Terry Nau, the sports editor of the Pawtucket Times, is a Yankee fan. So what does it say when he writes the Rays are a bigger threat to the Red Sox this year than the Yankees?
FORESIGHT: It's a hot topic today, but Joe Maddon was warning us about maple bats back when his team was still known as the Devil Rays. I had to go to Google to get the cached version of a Tampa Tribune story from July 24, 2007, in which he raised the issue "because I really believe somebody's going to get hurt if there's nothing done about it."
JOBA RULES: "The debate is over," declares Peter Abraham (LoHud Yankees Blog), and it certainly appears that way after Joba Chamberlain pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings in picking up his first win as a starter as the Yankees blanked the Pirates, 8-0. (New York Daily News) The Yanks, point out Abraham, have won four of the five games started by Chamberlain (even though last night was the first time he got credit for the victory) and the evidence is incontrovertible that the best utilization of his skills is in the rotation. Now, he adds, all they need to do is find another starter.
THE LINE FORMS HERE First up in the audition: Sidney Ponson, who will pitch Friday night against the Mets. (New York Daily News) The New York Post says reports of Ponson's being loud and drunk in a St. Petersburg bar the night before he pitched for the Rangers against the Rays last month are greatly exaggerated.
WAS THAT HANK WHO JUST WALKED BY IN THE 'GOT RINGS?' SHIRT? After hearing Hank Steinbrenner say he might feel different about rehiring Willie Randolph had Randolph gone off to manage the Red Sox, ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra asks, "Does anyone else find it disturbing that the owner of the biggest franchise in American sports sees the world in such a simple, provincial way?" If Hank's father felt that way, we'd have been spared the sights of Wade Boggs, Don Zimmer, Roger Clemens and Johnny Damon in pinstripes. Not to mention Alan Embree and Mike Myers. Or Joe Kerrigan.
SO SORRY: Umpire Brian Runge apologized to Jerry Manuel for his actions during their argument, which led to Manuel's ejection, Tuesday night. (New York Post)
'MAYBE IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED': That's about as close to remorse as Shawn Chacon would get after he was suspended for grabbing general manager Ed Wade by the neck and throwing him to the ground during an argument that ensued over the Astros' removing Chacon from their starting rotation. (Houston Chronicle) The Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz, writing on his blog, thinks "[in] time, I really believe Chacon will regret his actions, but all sides agree there's no way Chacon will ever play in Houston again. On ShysterBall, Calcaterra had a more succinct reaction: "Forgive me for being a lawyer, but when I read [Chacon's comments] . . . I think 'wow, Wade's lawyer could win this one on summary judgment right now!' "
HECK, NO, I WON'T GO: There's no independent-league stint in Barry Bonds' future, according to his agent, Jeff Borris. (espn.com)
HAH? It doesn't appear as if Jim Thome will reach the 664 plate appearances he needs to guarantee his 2009 contract, but he says "stuff like that doesn't cross my mind." (Chicago Sun-Times)
'THAT'S A FIRST': So says Jim Leyland to the news Brandon Inge is headed to the disabled list because he reinjured his oblique muscle while fixing his 3 1/2-year-old son's pillow. (Detroit Free Press)
'THE AGES' IS A RELATIVE TERM: The Rockies made a comeback for the ages last year in reaching first the postseason and then the World Series. Thanks to their puny N.L. West foes, Tracy Ringolsby thinks another one could be in the offing. (foxsports.com)
ONE OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD: SI.com's John Donovan thinks the Mets may be helped by last week's change of managers, but the other two firings -- by the Mariners and Blue Jays -- won't make any difference at all.
THEY LIKE MIKE: Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports has a nice feature explaining the success of Mike Scioscia with the Angels.
IN DEFENSE OF JOE MORGAN: Joe Posnanski knows it will make him an Internet pariah, but he explains -- and defends -- Morgan's aversion to statistics.
HERE AND THERE: The Nationals have offered Christian Guzman a two-year contract extension (mlb.com) . . . Andy Phillips is the latest big-leaguer to spend time in both New York boroughs as the Mets claimed the ex-Yankee off waivers (foxsports.com) . . . The Pirates have acquired Denny Bautista from the Tigers (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Francisco Liriano took another step backwards last night, allowing nine hits and six runs in 5 1/3 innings in a start for Rochester against Louisville (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) . . . Scott Proctor's elbow is apparently why he was "(bleeping) pathetic" (self-description) the other day, and he's headed to the disabled list. (Los Angeles Times) Incidentally, the blog Fifth Outfielder looks into the numbers and is astounded at the love Joe Torre has shown Proctor in both New York and Los Angeles, considering what Proctor has actually delivered when he's pitched . . . Looks like all the optimistic talk was just that, as now the Mariners say Felix Hernandez will miss at least one start because of the sprained ankle he suffered Monday (mlb.com) . . . Hank Blalock's hand is still swollen and he doesn't know when he'll be able to return to the Rangers. (Dallas Morning News)
OLD FRIENDS: Carlos Pena is joining Rhode Island's Rocco Baldelli in Sarasota on rehab (St. Petersburg Times) . . . Jay Payton hit a pair of home runs off Ted Lilly (and is now 10-for-20 in his career against veteran left-hander) in the Orioles' loss to the Cubs (Baltimore Sun) . . . The Dodgers have moved Gary Bennett to the 60-day disabled list (Los Angeles Times) . . . Josh Bard is still at least two weeks away from returning to the Padres. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
AND FINALLY . . . All those "Hi Don and Remdawg!" signs don't cut no mustard in Cleveland, where Orsillo and Remy -- unable to ride Manny Ramirez' coattails, apparently -- had a tough time getting into Jacobs Field one day:
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:20 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, June 25
CAPTAIN CRUNCH: "It’s frequently said about [Jason] Varitek," writes Sean McAdam, "that his main contribution comes from behind — not at — the plate and that any offense he provides is purely a bonus. But this was getting ridiculous."
That it was. According to calculations from Baseball Musings' Day By Day Database, Varitek entered last night's game hitting .127 (10-for-79) in the one-month period since May 24, with correspondingly horrid on-base (.198) and slugging (.190) percentages. Those numbers didn't get any better in his first three at-bats, either, as an 0-for-3 dropped Varitek to 10-for-his-last-82 (including 4-for-his-last-47). So when Mike Lowell walked to the plate in the eighth inning with runners on second and third, two outs, and the Diamondbacks holding a 4-2 lead, a lot of people -- yours truly among them -- expected Arizona manager Bob Melvin to defy baseball dogma and intentionally walk Lowell, putting the go-ahead run on base, because the on-deck hitter was Varitek. But Melvin, writes Steven Krasner in his Inside The Game feature, didn't bite, and he paid for it: Lowell doubled off the wall, tying the game. (Had he been up on his stats, Melvin might have been even more reluctant to pitch to Lowell.) And then, reports Joe McDonald, Varitek came through anyway with a single to right (above), driving in Lowell and giving the Red Sox a come-from-behind 5-4 win.
McAdam says the relief in the stoic Varitek's demeanor was almost palpable after the game, and there's no questioning how happy Terry Francona was. You don't have to hit much when you're as valuable to a team in as many ways as Varitek, but you do have to hit something. Last night, that "something" enabled the Red Sox to come away with a victory on a night when, reports Krasner, they were baffled for the first seven innings by the soft-tossing Doug Davis.
AND THE BENFICIARIES WERE . . . Justin Masterson, who avoided being saddled with a loss after six laborious innings, and Chris Smith, who got his first major-league win with two sterling innings of relief. Krasner and McDonald have the details.
 | QUITE A SIGHT: Kevin Youkilis (left, shown in the dugout during the game) reported to the ballpark with a shiner, some swelling, and, writes McAdam, an attitude in the wake of being hit in the eye by an errant Lowell throw during between-innings warmups Monday night. He didn't start the game, but he did come and play first base in the ninth inning to finish it out.
ALSO ON THE RECOVERY LIST: David Ortiz may begin hitting off a tee today in anticipation of his return to the lineup, which is still a couple of weeks away. McAdam has the report. SUSPENSION UPDATES: Coco Crisp is still awaiting word on his appeal and McAdam notes it could cause a problem; if the suspension kicks in this weekend and Manny Ramirez is still unable to play the field because of his hamstring problems, the Sox could be short of outfielders during their three-game series in Houston. Sean Casey, meanwhile, is in the middle of his three-game ban and Krasner reports he's chomping at the bit to get back. |
SWEET: There are people around here who are getting sick of it, but the nightly Sweet Caroline chorus is really something to people -- like the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro -- who've never heard it. Check the column on the right for his take.
IT'S REACHED THESE EARS . . . That Jerry Remy isn't too thrilled with NESN's latest hire, Heidi Watney. At least that what Baseball Musings' David Pinto is hearing; he passes it along in a post saluting Remy, who -- as you know if you watched any of last night's broadcast -- was honored by NESN and the Red Sox yesterday. You can see some pictures from the ceremony, and the game, in last night's projo.com slideshow.
HOW FAIR IS THAT?? The blog Fire Brand of the American League isn't happy about the disparity in the quality of interleague schedules for the Red Sox and Yankees; taking away their common opponents (the Reds and Astros), the Sox' N.L. foes are a combined 27 games over .500 and the Yanks' are 17 games under .500. Maybe so, but it's hard to muster much outrage since the Sox are 9-5 in interleague play this year and the Yankees are 7-5.
MINOR MONSTERS: In case you haven't noticed, the Pawtucket Red Sox are having quite the season. Rob Lee tells us about it.
HOME RUNS: Ex-Sox star Mo Vaughn is buying two threatened apartment complexes in Boston as part of his expanding campaign to preserve low-cost housing. (Boston Globe)
WALKING THE WALK: The Rays were the beneficiaries of a pair of two-out, bases-loaded walks in the eighth inning, which enabled them to take the lead, and then survived a four-walk peformance in the bottom of the ninth by closer Troy Percival as they beat the Marlins, 6-4, in a sloppy game in which some uncharacteristic Tampa Bay defensive lapses aided almost all of Florida's rallies. (Tampa Tribune) Joe Maddon wasn't basking in any all-that-counts-is-the-final-score glow afterwards, warning his young troops that "we're not going to beat the Red Sox, and the Yankees as they're coming on, and all these really good teams, if we continue to make these kind of mistakes. They've got to go away. Mistakes of assuming. Mistakes of assumption. Just mistakes (that) have to be eradicated. Mental mistakes." (St. Petersburg Times) But Maddon didn't escape criticism, either; the blog DRays Bay chided him for sticking with Percival during the closer's ninth-inning walk on the wild side.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN LIFE: And it appears the Rays will survive the anticipated serving of Akinori Iwamura's suspension this weekend just fine thanks to the return of Ben Zobrist and the fact that Jason Bartlett's wife will have their baby in time for him to get back to the team by Friday. (St. Petersburg Times)
SPIRIT OF '60: The Yankees hadn't played a game in Pittsburgh in nearly 48 years; the last time they were there, Bill Mazeroski was homering over Yogi Berra's head in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game Seven to give the Pirates one of the most improbable World Series victories of all time. (baseball-reference.com) But there was no revenge forthcoming last night, as the Bucs -- who trotted out Mazeroski to throw out the first pitch (mlb.com) -- routed Darrell Rasner and coasted to a 12-5 victory. (New York Daily News) Joe Girardi, for one, wasn't very pleased. (New York Post)
EVER HEAR OF REASSESSING YOUR OPTIONS, JOE? While Peter Abraham admires Joe Girardi's loyalty to (or, as he puts it, "blind faith in") his players, he thinks continuing to send Kyle Farnsworth out to pitch the eighth -- in the absence of any evidence Farnsworth is actually good at that particular job -- is getting ridiculous. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME: Sidney Ponson's already tarnished reputation was marred further by recent goings-on in Texas -- prompting the pitching-poor Rangers to a) release him and b) say they were better off without him no matter how well he was performing -- but he's with the Yankees now (actually, with their Triple-A team in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) and he promises "to be low key . . . a ghost if possible." (New York Post)
ON PROBATION: Phil Allard of NYYFans.com hands out his midseason Yankee report card. I doubt it's going to be pasted on anyone's refrigerator.
ONE OF US: Hank Steinbrenner says that if Willie Randolph "had left [the Yankees] to [manage] the Red Sox, maybe I would have had a problem with that." But it was only the Mets, so Hank says Randolph -- "a Yankee, and he'll always be a Yankee" -- can have a job with the Yanks any old time. (New York Post)
WELL, THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG: The love-fest that seemed to be building for Jerry Manuel in Mets Nation over the weekend came to a screeching halt after back-to-back drubbings at the hands of the woeful Mariners, and now Manuel is warning that "tough decisions" are in the offing if things don't improve very soon. (New York Post) It looks one of those tough decisions may be determining the fate of hitting coach Howard Johnson (New York Daily News), whose job can't be too secure after Manuel declared the Mets are a "bad offensive club."
FIRED UP: At least the Mets -- or some of them, anyway -- are still playing with passion. Carlos Beltran got tossed for arguing balls and strikes and called umpire Brian Runge's actions "weak" and "brutal," adding that "[if] I get suspended, he also should get suspended." (New York Daily News)
KID STUFF: First he angered the Mets by appearing to angle for Willie Randolph's seat when Randolph was still sitting in it. Now he's taking on the Yankees, claiming Joe Girardi's main qualification for their managing job is "[the] pictures . . . [he] must have on Steinbrenner." (New York Post) In these politically correct times, Gary Carter is a breath of fresh air . . . or something.
COINCIDENCE . . . OR NOT: The epidemic of broken maple bats was addressed by MLB yesterday -- or at least MLB started to address it -- with a conference call in New York of baseball's Safety and Health Advisory Committee to discuss player and fan safety. Among the results: The committee will consult with bat manufacturers and experts in the field, conduct field studies, conduct laboratory tests of bats, and gather information about protective measures in Major League ballparks. And then last night, to underscore just how urgent this issue is becoming, umpire Brian O'Nora was hit in the head by a piece of a broken maple bat in the Kansas City-Colorado game and had to be taken to the hospital for observation. (Both stories mlb.com)
EVERYTHING'S OKAY IN MY WORLD: The New York Daily News has a nice piece on Astros farmhand Koby Clemens, who isn't letting his father's troubles distract him as he strives to reach the major leagues.
'GETTING RIDICULOUS': That's Pinto's take on the gap between the American League and the National League, as A.L. teams now have a 109-76, .589 edge in this year's round of interleague play.
GET YOUR CHECKBOOKS READY: With the state of pitching being what it is in the major leagues, any decent starter figures to make a killing on the open market. And so it is that Ben Sheets announced yesterday he has every intention of becoming a free agent after the season. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
WELCOME BACK: It's hard to say who was more emotional, Omar Vizquel or the Indians fans, as the veteran shortstop returned to Cleveland for the first time since his 11-year run with the Tribe ended in 2004. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
NEVER HAPPENED: Adam Dunn says that, prior to reports out of Toronto, he didn't call J.P. Ricciardi to discuss Ricciardi's swipe at him on a radio show last week. (Cincinnati Enquirer) Nor, he says, does he intend to.
HOW DARE YOU? The blogosphere, particularly in Chicago, is up in arms over Joe Morgan's insinuation on national television Sunday night that Ernie Banks' career home-run total was inflated by the "basket" placed atop the bleacher walls at Wrigley Field (Walkoff Walk blog) The "basket," they point out, wasn't put up until 1970, only a year before Banks retired, and some, like Bleed Cubbie Blue, want Morgan fired.
HERE AND THERE: It's official: Nick Johnson is out for the season (Washington Post) . . . More bad news for the Nationals: Shawn Hill appears headed for the DL (Washington Times) . . . Josh Hamilton left last night's game because of left knee inflammation, but even though it's the same knee on which he underwent surgery in 2006 the Rangers don't seem to think it's anything serious (Dallas Morning News) . . . Erik Bedard may be headed back to the disabled list because of a bad back (Seattle Times) . . . Jon Lieber, wasting away in the dustiest corner of the Cubs bullpen, is talking retirement at the end of the year (Chicago Tribune) . . . Like Curt Schilling, John Smoltz isn't quite ready to say he's all done (Atlanta Journal-Consititution) . . . The Astros' Kaz Matsui is headed for the disabled list. (Houston Chronicle)
OLD FRIENDS: Johnny Damon's foot hurts and he admits he may need to go on the disabled list (New York Daily News) . . . Bronson Arroyo's been talking recently like he doesn't want to leave Cincinnati, and he may not have anything to worry about anymore. His trade value is probably negligible today after he was pounded for 11 hits and 10 runs in one-plus innings as the Blue Jays routed the Reds, 14-1 (Dayton Daily News) . . . The rehabbing Eric Gagne pitched a perfect inning for the Nashville Sounds last night (oursportscentral.com) and will make one more minor-league appearance before rejoining the Brewers . . . There was a rare Andy Marte sighting in the Indians game last night, and rotoworld.com thinks Cleveland needs to figure out what to do with the one-time phenom . . . Speaking of the Indians, they signed Tony Graffanino to a minor-league deal (Cleveland Plain Dealer) . . . Phil Dumatrait, who was placed on the disabled list by the Pirates on Sunday, has been diagnosed with left shoulder bursitis (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) . . . For the second time in a month, Julian Tavarez appeared to accept, but then ultimately rejected, an assignment to the minor leagues. This time he turned down Milwaukee's request to go to Triple-A Nashville and is now once again a free agent. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:46 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 24
 |  |
FACEOFF: They say reality never matches anticipation, but that wasn't the case last night. We figured we'd get quite a pitching duel between Josh Beckett (above left) and Dan Haren (above right), and did we ever. In the end, reports Joe McDonald, Haren was just a shade better as he pitched the Diamondbacks to a 2-1 win over the Red Sox, but it wasn't easy. He escaped a second-and-third, two-out jam in his final inning, the seventh, by striking out Jason Varitek. Then, in the eighth, after reliever Tony Pena had surrendered the only Boston run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by J.D. Drew, Manny Ramirez almost beheaded Mark Reynolds with a scorching line drive that, writes Steven Krasner, knocked the Arizona third baseman to the ground; Reynolds, however, held on for the final out, preventing the tying run from scoring.
The Diamondbacks scored both their runs in the seventh, which Krasner says was the result of a good piece of hitting by Chris Young and a good piece of strategy by manager Bob Melvin. Not to mention some good Arizona fortune; Kevin Youkilis was forced from the game in the fifth after a bounced throw from Mike Lowell during pre-inning warmups hit him in the eye (projo.com) and the inexperience of his replacement, Brandon Moss, may have been a factor in the Diamondbacks' second run. And Moss was only in there because Sean Casey last night began serving his four-game suspension for his role in the fight with Tampa Bay earlier this month. (projo.com)
In the end, it lived up to its billing. And how often does that happen?
OCTOBER IN JUNE: The Diamondbacks came to town on the heels of three straight losses to the Twins, and perhaps for that reason they were reveling in last night's win a bit more intensely than you'd expect. Or maybe it was just because it came against the defending World Series champions at one of baseball's shrines. Whatever, the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro said that, for the D'backs, the victory "felt nearly as meaningful as any playoff victory." On his Diamondbacks Blog, Piecoro talks more about how much some of the young Arizona players were soaking up the atmosphere at Fenway . . . and he seemed awed by it himself, particularly during Ramirez' at-bat in the eighth inning.
SAVIOR: Thanks to Daisuke Matsuzaka's one (inning)-and-done on Saturday, and the 13-inning game Sunday, the Boston bullpen had a severe case of the shorts last night. The Sox needed Beckett to give them a long outing, and he delivered. (Boston Globe)
FEELING IT AT LAST: Baseball Musings' David Pinto notes the Red Sox have scored only 25 runs in their last seven games and wonders if David Ortiz' absence is finally catching up with them.
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS: You hardly ever hear anyone say surgery went worse than expected, so Dr. Craig Morgan was a true baseball traditionalist when he announced that Curt Schilling's shoulder operation "was a success." (projo.com) The Herald's Rob Bradford was in Delaware with the Schillings and has a more detailed report.
YAY, CURT! Terry Francona tells McDonald he's never really thought whether or not Schilling belongs in the Hall of Fame, but says he'd be "a cheerleader for [Schilling's candidacy] because he’s pitched for me for so long."
YEA, CURT: Tim Marchman of the New York Sun delivers another 'yes' vote in the Schilling-for-Cooperstown debate.
NOW WHAT? The news that Schilling is finished for the season, and maybe forever, prompted everyone to look back at his sterling career. Now Sean McAdam looks ahead and asks if, with Schilling gone, the Red Sox will be in the market for a No. 2 starting pitcher at the trade deadline since you can't help but wonder if they "have enough experienced starting pitching to withstand three rounds of baseball in October." This is, of course, based on the notion that Jon Lester is still battle-untested, at least when it comes to the postseason (Game Four of last year's World Series notwithstanding), and they have absolutely no idea what to expect out of the riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma that is Dice-K.
SLOW IT DOWN: On his Hacks With Haggs blog, Joe Haggerty talks with pitching coach John Farrell about Lester. Among the more interesting tidbits: The Sox may lessen his workload in the weeks ahead to bring down his innings total; right now he's on pace to throw 211 this year, and they think that might be too high.
FAREWELL TO THE BIG LUG: No one can accuse Dan Shaughnessy of being Curt Schilling's best friend -- or vice-versa -- but Shaughnessy gives Schilling his props in a goodbye column. (Boston Globe) And at the risk of offending "the fragile psyches of Schill-o-phants, blog-boys, and others who worship at the altar of Curt," that goodbye includes inquiries to ownership as to whether they regret the $8 million contract they gave him last November, for which they received absolutely nothing.
BEST WISHES: Also on Schilling's not-my-best-friend list is Randy Johnson, his partner at the top of the Diamondbacks' starting rotation in the early part of the decade. But the Herald's Steve Buckley reports the Big Unit also has nothing but good wishes for Schilling, and even hopes he'll be able to return so he can "go out on his own terms, like I’m doing."
THE NEW TRADITION: From here on in, we can be fairly certain a weather delay at Fenway Park will mean only one thing: A showing of the Jonathan Papelbon/Manny Delcarmen video "Blame It On The Rain." Haven't seen it? (Don't worry; you will.) Well, it you can't wait, check it out on Ian Bethune's Sox and Dawgs site.
ENOUGH, ALREADY: The nationwide backlash against Boston's recent sporting fortunes -- and, more specifically, the fans who are basking in it -- is reaching epidemic proportions, which prompted Red Sox fan Russ Smith (who lives in Baltimore) to offer a defense for his fellow Nation members. Shysterball's Craig Calcaterra thinks the bandwagon fans will abandon the Sox eventually and says "it's those marginal fans ["I spent two years of grad school in Boston, so I'm a total Sawx fan!"] who are the most annoying."
ACCURACY IN POLLING? Derek Jeter, the most overrated player in baseball according to SI's player poll, is playing like it so far this year. (New York Daily News)
MELK DELIVERY: Steven Goldman, writing for the New York Sun, thinks the Yankees may have gotten about all they're going to get out of Melky Cabrera and says they should trade him for pitching.
IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE It's possible Carl Pavano will be pitching again for the Yankees before Phil Hughes. (New York Post)
THE INSIDE STORY: SI.com's Jon Heyman takes a closer look at what went into the firing of Willie Randolph. Meanwhile, Mets owner Fred Wilpon defends the move and the man who made it, Omar Minaya. (Newsday)
WATCH YOUR MOUTH: The 'fertilizer' incident has taught new manager Jerry Manuel there are things he can say, and things he can't say, now that he's managing in New York. (New York Daily News)
CAN'T WIN FOR LOSING: Three innings after becoming the first American League pitcher to hit a grand-slam home run since 1972, Felix Hernandez suffered an ankle injury that forced him out of the Mariners' game at Shea Stadium. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) The M's still beat the Mets, though, and Hernandez vows he won't miss a start.
WHAT IT'S LIKE: Our friend Jason Rosenberg of the blog It Is About The Money, Stupid has a fascinating interview with player agent Matt Sosnick. Among the interesting tidbits in Sosnick's remarks: That there's no organized conspiracy to keep Mitchell Report players out of baseball ("the risk doesn’t equal the reward"), that the level of competition and bitterness between agents competing for players is incomprehensible ("worse than you can ever imagine") and what's the most important character trait to be a successful agent ("character, not deception"). A very good read, and well worth the time to click the link.
LAYING IT OUT THERE: Dennis Manoloff of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reaches no conclusion as to whether they will or not, but he examines all the factors that would go into the Indians' deciding whether or not to trade C.C. Sabathia.
FIRST UP: As McAdam noted, there could be a lot of big-name pitchers -- Sabathia, Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, Roy Oswalt, Greg Maddux -- available next month. That being the case, expect to hear about many teams lining up to acquire them. Beating the rush and getting right in line: The Phillies (Philadelphia Inquirer) and the Cubs (Chicago Tribune).
| (11:30 a.m. update) MOVE OVER, BUCKNER: Our buddy the Tao of Stieb saved us from ourselves: The Keith Law-J.P. Ricciardi dustup we had linked to in this spot earlier in the day is a couple of years old. (Since Vernon Wells signed a long-term deal with the Blue Jays in 2006, we kinda should have known that.) Now I know why Kevin Youkilis gets so frustrated when something goes wrong; unlike Youk, however, I have no umpire to blame. Sorry, folks.
(And thanks, Tao, for the heads-up!) |  |
HERE AND THERE: It looks like Gary Sheffield's return from the disabled list will come sooner rather than later (Detroit Free Press) . . . It doesn't appear Ian Snell will need to go on the DL (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) . . . The snakebitten Nick Johnson may miss the rest of the season because of a wrist injury (Washington Post) . . . The Mariners don't expect J.J. Putz to return until the All-Star break (Seattle Times) . . . Omar Vizquel may be losing his starting job in San Francisco. (San Jose Mercury News)
OLD FRIENDS: The St. Petersburg Times lists Eric Hinske as one of the four unheralded Rays who've helped Tampa Bay so far this year . . . The Rays think Carlos Pena is still a week away from returning to the lineup (Tampa Tribune) . . . The Cardinals are moving Matt Clement to the bullpen due to his inconsistency as a starter during his rehab. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
AND FINALLY . . . Our thanks to Pinto for tipping us off to this incredible catch by a ballgirl at a minor-league game:
http://view.break.com/524970 - Watch more free videos
Word is filtering in that it's a fake, but so what? It's still worth watching.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:30 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, June 23
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL: By the time Kevin Youkilis came to bat in the 13th inning yesterday it was pretty obvious that the Red Sox-Cardinals game was only going to end with a home run; both teams had demonstrated to the satisfaction of everyone there wasn't a clutch hit to be had on this day. (And when there was a semblance of one, like Adam Kennedy's 13th-inning single, someone in the field -- in this case, J.D. Drew and Jason Varitek -- would take care of it; more on that later.) So Youkilis pulled down the curtain on the 5 1/2-hour (rain included) day at the ballpark with a two-run shot into the Monster Seats in left-center, enabling the Red Sox to escape with a 5-3 win that salvaged the finale of the weekend series. Joe McDonald has the details of a long and unfruitful day at the ballpark, which included, among other things:
-- The Red Sox wasting leadoff doubles in the 10th, 11th and 12th innings.
-- Three members of the Sox (J.D. Drew, Alex Cora and Jacoby Ellsbury) striking out in extra innings with the winning run on third base, Drew and Cora doing so with one out.
-- The Cardinals squandering a pair of first-and-second, one-out opportunities in extra innings, one of which morphed into a bases-loaded, two-out chance.
-- There was even a little bad luck thrown in on the Sox' side, as well, as Steven Krasner relates.
But, thanks to Youkilis, the Sox were dancing at the end (above). "I know it’s a heck of a lot better hearing the music" -- the trilogy of Dirty Water, Tessie and Joy To The World that accompanies each Fenway Park victory -- "than coming in frustrated after a long day," sighed Terry Francona.
STOP THE MUSIC: But the reason the Sox missed hearing the Standells, the Dropkick Murphys and Three Dog Night about an hour-and-a-half earlier may actually have been the news of the day. Jonathan Papelbon blew his fourth save of the year, and the second in his last four chances, and this one was perhaps the disconcerting of them all. Krasner has a detailed breakdown of how it happened; it involved Papelbon abandoning the fastball that had blown away the first two hitters in the ninth and going to his splitter. The result was a four-pitch walk to .234 hitter Chris Duncan and a run-scoring double to Kennedy -- who came to the plate with a .305 on-base percentage and a .306 slugging percentage -- that tied the game. (In Papelbon's defense, Kennedy's ball, as well hit as it was, probably should have been caught by Coco Crisp, who's not throwing the leather the way he did in 2007.) The Globe's Nick Cafardo looks a little closer at the bullpen and notes, "When you couple Papelbon's blown saves and the struggles of set-up man Hideki Okajima, the concerns are clear. "
NO, KEEP THE MUSIC GOING: The Herald's Tony Massarotti, on the other hand, thinks the fact the Sox win games like this makes the question not can they win another World Series, but can anybody else beat them?
'DISGUSTING': The good news, bullpen-wise, was the five-up, five-down performance of Craig Hansen, who kept the game tied in the 11th with a three-pitch strikeout of Ryan Ludwick with the bases loaded. Krasner reports Manny Delcarmen judged Hansen's performance as "disgusting." If you think that's a bad thing, you're showing your age.
NOT SAFE AT HOME: When Hansen was lifted one batter into the 13th, the Cardinals arose. Duncan greeted Javier Lopez with a double off the wall and Kennedy followed with a single to right, prompting third-base coach Jose Oquendo to wave Duncan home. But Drew and Varitek combined to keep the score tied, Drew with a throw that beat Duncan to the plate by about 15 feet and Varitek by hunkering down and absorbing the knock-him-over, knock-it-out collision without
dropping the ball. Krasner tells us all about it, with reaction from the Sox' principles.
OTHER NOTES OF THE DAY: Crisp's defense yesterday wasn't all bad; he and Ellsbury both turned in some nice plays in the field . . . Lost in the excitement -- or whatever it was yesterday turned into -- was another fine start from Jon Lester . . . Dustin Pedroia had a four-hit afternoon and has lifted his average from .260 to .282 over the last 10 games . . . Krasner has all the details.
IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER: The blog Bird Land thinks yesterday's was one of the greatest games in Cardinals history.
THE BIG PICTURE: Apparently that's a majority opinion in Cardinal Nation. Tony La Russa was proud of the way his team battled over the weekend and Bernie Miklasz -- a sometimes critic of the manager -- thinks La Russa deserves much of the credit because, as he says, "I don't know if we realize how difficult it is for a team to go into Boston and win two out of three." (Both stories St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Which, when you step back and think about it, is true; the only other series the Sox lost at home this year was to the Angels in April.
OTHER NOTES OF THE WEEKEND: The series began Friday night with the Sox honoring the Celtics for winning the NBA championship, but -- in a sneak preview of yesterday -- wasting scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity in a 5-4 loss. McDonald recaps it all . . . Saturday was a disaster, Boston-wise, as the back-with-the-big-club Daisuke Matsuzaka was routed in the second inning of a 9-3 defeat. Sean McAdam, though, tells us of Chris Smith's major-league debut, which looks pretty good in the box score but -- in true, other-than-that, how-did-you-like-the-play-Mrs.-Lincoln? fashion -- was marred by a grand slam allowed to the first batter he faced.
WHERE THEY RANK: Speaking of the Celtics and championships, Chad Finn ranks the six Boston titles of the 21st century. Not surprisingly, Red Sox 2004 comes in on top. Me, I'd put the 2001 Pats a little higher.
AP Photo
END OF THE LINE? Just about the same time we were signing off here last Friday, Curt Schilling was on WEEI Radio announcing the end of his season, and possibly his career. (weei.com) While yours truly had the news, Sean McAdam had the more important piece. He put the Boston portion of Schilling's career into perspective and demonstrated how -- with his fearlessness in big moments and willingness to tackle situations that past Red Sox teams, and players, had shrunk from -- he helped turn Boston into a place where "October isn’t something to dread, but to welcome." The bloody sock (above) is the iconic symbol of all that; it forever reminds us of a night when he limped on one leg into what Theo Epstein called "the belly of the beast" and did something -- beat the Yankees, in Yankee Stadium, in a game that meant everything -- that no Red Sox pitcher, or team, was allegedly capable of doing.
The temptation is to attribute too much credit for what's happened here since 2004 to one guy, and that's wrong because Schilling certainly wasn't alone. Nor is it accurate to whitewash Schilling into an heroic knight on a steed; he had plenty of moments when he was more blowhard than braveheart, especially since there didn't seem to be anything he could refrain from commenting on, sometimes inappropriately. But there's no underestimating what he did in Boston, either, and he's inextricably intertwined with the change-of-fortune success the Red Sox have had since 2004. Like him or hate him -- and, truth be told, most Boston fans adored him -- you can't deny him his place in this franchise's history.
As we speak today, he's undergoing shoulder surgery; his baseball future hinges on the outcome. Good luck, Curt. We'll never forget you.
'NOT A THING IN THE WORLD TO BE UPSET ABOUT': Sometime Friday afternoon Schilling took to 38pitches.com to say his own goodbyes and said that if this is end, he has no regrets.
KNEW IT WAS COMING: McAdam and McDonald report that the Sox, both in the front office and the clubhouse, were saddened, if unsurprised, by the news.
GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES: And now the Schilling-In-The-Hall-of-Fame debate begins. The first salvo is fired by The Sporting News' Sean Deveney: He says yes.
THE BEST TRADES ARE THE ONES . . . Remember how close the Sox came to picking up Todd Helton? If this story in the Denver Post is any indication, be thankful they didn't.
QUIET FINISH: A homestand that picked up steam with a sweep of the Cubs ended on a down note for the Rays, who lost to the Astros yesterday and dropped two out of three in the series to Houston. (Tampa Tribune)
HANG ON A SECOND: Yankee fans had double reason to celebrate yesterday: Andy Pettitte beat the Reds, avoiding a three-game sweep, and their favorite whipping boy, Kyle Farnsworth, hurt his finger. (New York Daily News) But the blog River Ave. Blues says Farnsworth isn't "totally useless. Yet."
THE DEAD HORSE SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE: The New York Daily News' John Harper says "there is a very real sense these Mets are in good hands with Jerry Manuel taking over for Willie Randolph. Smart, relaxed and self-assured, Manuel's ascension seems to have loosened the atmosphere around the Mets and helped them refocus on baseball." In what may or may not be a related incident, Manuel compares Mets fans to fertilizer. (New York Post)
LET'S GO BACK TO BEATING IT ANYWAY: The Daily News' Bill Madden says Randolph had no chance with the backstabbers in the Mets front office. And his former teammates, Jim Kaat, says Willie deserved better. (yesnetwork.com)
TURNAROUND: Right after being swept by the Rays, the Cubs come home and sweep the White Sox. (Chicago Tribune) The vanquished manager, Ozzie Guillen, salutes the victors. (Chicago Sun-Times)
HE DID IT ONCE (ACTUALLY, TWICE), SO . . . The Blue Jays are giving Cito Gaston the chance to do it again. (Toronto Star) Our pal the Tao of Stieb is aghast. As are we.
NUMBER ONE: The Jays won their first game for Gaston -- after two defeats -- yesterday. (Toronto Globe and Mail) One last Jays note: Matt Stairs is happy Gary Denbo was shown the door, along with John McLaren and Ernie Whitt. (National Post) Well, one really last Jays note: Whitt's firing drove the long-time Blue Jay to tears. (Toronto Sun)
NOTHING'S CHANGED: His high school graduation was covered live on national radio, and Bob Feller henceforth acted like someone who felt his high school graduation deserved to be covered live on national radio. (Which should be a lesson to all who think athletic self-absorption is a novel concept.) Shysterball reports the years haven't mellowed him any.
HERE AND THERE: The Pirates' Ian Snell has a sore elbow (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . After his latest dismal outing, the Dodgers' Scott Proctor described himself as "(bleeping) pathetic" (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . The Astros have lifted Shawn Chacon out of their starting rotation (Houston Chronicle) . . . Mark Teixeira had a three-homer day for the Braves yesterday (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Tigers still don't know when Gary Sheffield will return (Detroit Free Press) . . . Moises Alou's career may be over. (New York Post)
OLD FRIENDS: Bronson Arroyo has heard the rumors that have him headed to the Yankees and sounds like he's lukewarm about it, since he's come to enjoy life in baseball's slow lane (New York Daily News) . . . Justin Duchscherer has a big fan: Baseball Musings' David Pinto . . . Ken Harrelson talks about his career, and his life, with the Chicago Sun-Times.
AND FINALLY . . . It's not really baseball news, but interesting nonetheless: Newsday reports that the end may be near for WFAN's Mike And The Mad Dog show.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 7:04 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, June 20
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
IF THIS IS AN OFF-DAY . . . it must be time for examinations of all sorts of things that normally get lost in the normal crush of news. With the Sox not playing yesterday, we now have time to look at . . .
-- Manny Delcarmen (above), whose resurgence in the Red Sox bullpen is analyzed by our own Steven Krasner.
-- The lack of good young catchers in baseball, with the Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin talking to people about why that's so. She also looks at Jason Varitek and notes how lucky the Sox have been not to have had to worry about their catching situation for the last 10 years.
-- Jacoby Ellsbury, whose speed, says Terry Francona, has brought the Red Sox "a brand of baseball we’re not accustomed to." (Boston Herald)
The games resume tonight and when they do the Sox will have a special ceremony to honor the Celtics for winning the NBA championship. (Boston Globe) And they may be catching the Cardinals at the right time: St. Louis is coming off three straight home losses to the Royals. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
| MYSTERY SOLVED: Ever wonder just what in the world Hideki Okajima (right) and several of the other Red Sox wear around their necks? Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald finds out what they are: Phiten titanium necklaces, brought over from Japan by Daisuke Matsuzaka to "keep the evil spirits away." Says Dustin Pedroia, who now wears two during games: "I don’t know if they do anything, but Daisuke swears by them."
WHO NEEDS 'EM? We've yet to see one on J.D. Drew, whose recent hitting exploits have gotten Manny Ramirez' attention. (Boston Globe) WELL, HOW ABOUT A.L. PITCHERS? Because Jim Donaldson thinks their inability to run bases or swing bats without injuring themselves is a disgrace. |  |
| TIME AND A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING: In Boston, dancing means the Celtics are on the verge of another victory and the dancers -- especially good old Gino (right) -- are folk heroes. (Riverside Press-Enterprise) But in New York, dancing, at least on the baseball field, is poison to old timers like Goose Gossage, who thinks the antics of Jose Reyes and his ilk are one of the reasons Willie Randolph got fired. (New York Daily News) |  |
THE HIGH ROAD: Though he thinks "I deserve better" than to be fired in the middle of the night -- or, actually, late at night on the West Coast, which is where he got the word -- Willie Randolph wouldn't rip the Mets or Omar Minaya as he met reporters outside his house yesterday. (New York Daily News)
THE LOW ROAD: But Randolph's friends think his replacement, Jerry Manuel, angled for the job by undermining Willie to Mets management, particularly vice-president of player development Tony Bernazard, whom, the New York Post reports, is "a known Randolph detractor." When asked about it yesterday, Manuel denied the charge. (As for Bernazard, Newsday's Ken Davidoff didn't hear many kind words when some well-connected friends offered their opinions of him.)
THE LOWEST ROAD: Furious at what he considers the cowardly way they fired Randolph, Mets fan Martin Silver sent five whole chickens to owner Fred Wilpon. (New York Daily News) He also says he plans to return his season tickets.
THE ROAD BACK: The Mets won their first game under Manuel, beating the Angels in 10 innings on Damion Easley's home run. (New York Post)
THE ROAD TO GLORY: Writing on sportingnews.com, David Pinto notes that Randolph was dismissed 30 years after the Yankees fired Billy Martin in midseason, lists the similarities between the situations and wonders if a Yankee-like resurgence is in the Mets' future.
ZAMBRANO REVISITED: More on Carlos Zambrano: He had to leave last night's start against the Rays in the seventh inning because of shoulder discomfort and he's flying back to Chicago to be examined. (Chicago Tribune)
THE TIME IS NOW: Saying that every major-league game "is an accident and lawsuit waiting to happen" because of the danger represented by the flying shards of broken maple bats that we see several times every night, SI.com's Tom Verducci urges MLB to ban the use of maple bats immediately.
TAXMAN COMETH: Prince Fielder has no comment on reports he owes the IRS $409,149. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
IT'S NEVER GOOD WHEN 'TOXIC' IS A WORD USED TO DESCRIBE YOUR CLUBHOUSE: But that's the word Jose de Jesus Ortiz uses in talking about the Astros. (Houston Chronicle)
LOCAL BOYS: In his second rehab game at Vero Beach, Rocco Baldelli hit two home runs. (Outs Per Swing)
WHISPERS: Jason Lloyd of the Journal-Register News Service thinks the Indians-Rockies series could help Cleveland decide whether or not to make a run at Matt Holliday or Garrett Atkins . . . Some scouts think the Giants' Randy Winn could draw some interest at the trade deadline, particularly from Atlanta (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Mariners may soon release Richie Sexson (Everett Herald) . . . Judging by J.P. Ricciardi's comments, you can be fairly certain the Blue Jays have no use for Adam Dunn. (National Post)
THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE: It's rare that a trade helps both teams, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today says last winter's Reds-Rangers deal that sent Josh Hamilton to Texas for Edinson Volquez and a minor-league prospect was, in the words of fired Cincinnati GM Wayne Krivsky, "the perfect trade, the perfect match."
HERE AND THERE: Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit suffered a concussion after taking three foul tips off his mask (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Hideki Matsui sat out last night's Yankees-Padres game after getting fluid drained from his knee (New York Daily News) . . . The new Yankee Stadium will feature a year-round Hardrock Cafe. (AP via nj.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Even though Dave Trembley says the bleached hair makes him look like "a box of Crayola crayons," Kevin Millar delivered the game-winning hit for the Orioles in the 10th inning last night (Baltimore Sun) . . . One day after hitting a two-run homer in a rehab game for Las Vegas, Nomar Garciaparra woke up with discomfort in the strained right calf that landed him on the 60-day disabled list and didn't play yesterday. Nor will he play today (Los Angeles Times) . . . Derek Lowe bested Bronson Arroyo as the Dodgers beat the Reds. (Los Angeles Times)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 7:08 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)
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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
Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 17
WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU'RE RIGHT: It's Hank Steinbrenner, so everybody laughs. His pitcher (above) gets hurt running the bases -- (much) more on that later in our show -- and Little Stein goes off on how ridiculous it is for one league to play by one set of rules and the other league to play by another set. (New York Daily News) And he demands the National League join "the 21st century."
Ha, ha. 'Ol Hank, always good for a laugh. All because his pitcher can't travel from third base to home plate without incapacitating himself.
And then it hits a little closer to home, when Bartolo Colon makes a cartoonish spectacle of himself flailing wildly at various Cole Hamels deliveries and has to come out of the game because he hurts his back on one of his corkscrew swings. (Boston Herald)
Forget the sideshows -- Hank Steinbrenner, the ridiculous way Colon was injured -- and focus on this: Nine times a season (the nine games A.L. teams have to play on the road during the interleague period), you're asking a subset of professional athletes, in this case American League pitchers, to utilize a set of skills they've let atrophy over the years. Most times they can handle it, at varying degrees of competency. And sometimes, as Chien-Ming Wang and Bartolo Colon can attest, they can't . . . at the cost of their livelihood and their team's on-field chances.
And why? Because one league plays by one set of rules, the other by another.
I don't want this to be interpreted as a big-market whine about losing a pitcher. I understand that pitchers, even if they don't have to do it very often, should be able to swing a bat or run the bases without suffering debilitating injuries. And I understand that position players get hurt doing the very same things, even though they work on those tasks daily.
Fact is, though, that neither Wang nor Colon would be injured today if they hadn't been playing in a National League park. That, in the end, winds back to what is -- and always has been -- my point: One league plays by one set of rules, the other by another. People ask me why I hate interleague play. That's why. You build your team to play the game a certain way and then, for the nine games a year you have to play on the road during the interleague period, it all goes out the window. It's utterly absurd. Do the Celtics lose players on four fouls when they play in the Western Conference? Do the Patriots have to play with 10 men on offense when they face an NFC team? Sounds ridiculous, right? Well, how is that any different than what baseball actually does?
Most times it's just annoying. And sometimes, like in the last two days if you're a Red Sox or a Yankee, it's infuriating.
I don't often hear Peter Abraham of the LoHud Yankees Blog say he agrees with Hank Steinbrenner, but he did today.
Me too, Pete.
SIDESHOW: Colon's injury didn't have much of an affect on the Red Sox game last night, except that it forced them to use Mike Timlin when the outcome was still in question . . . and that, sad to say, isn't a good thing these days. Timlin allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning and Steven Krasner has the gruesome details of the veteran reliever's 2008 season in the aftermath of last night's 8-2 defeat: 40 baserunners (29 hits, 11 walks) in 21 2/3 innings, with a 7.06 ERA.
AP Photo
AS ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER OPENS: The news of Colon's injury was tempered -- at least a little -- by Daisuke Matsuzaka's more-than-encouraging rehab start for the PawSox (above). Tom Robinson, writing for the Providence Journal and projo.com, said not only did Dice-K dominate the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs -- not allowing a hit until he appeared to tire in the fifth -- but reported that Matsuzaka had no problems with his shoulder. There was already talk Matsuzaka would start Saturday in Boston against the Cardinals; if Colon's on the shelf, that would seem to be a certainty.
It all speaks to the Sox' pitching depth, something Peter Gammons discussed on ESPN Radio as transcribed by Joe Haggerty on his Hacks With Haggs blog.
AND YET ANOTHER CLOSES: They'll need that depth. Krasner says the news on Curt Schilling isn't good and wonders if the thin chance that Schilling would actually pitch this year has gotten "even thinner."
ALMOST IN THE SWING: A pain-free David Ortiz had the hard cast removed from his wrist and, Krasner reports, will begin some range-of-motion exercises to help in his rehabilitation. The Phillies' Pat Burrell, who had a similar injury in 2004, is glad Ortiz didn't have surgery; he decided against surgery after he got hurt and was back in the lineup in five weeks. (Boston Herald)
MR. REINCARNATION: When he was managing the Red Sox, Jimy Williams used to say that Nomar Garciaparra was such a throwback that "it's like he's been here before." Now he's a Phillies coach and he's saying the same things about Chase Utley.
PHILLY PHAVORITE: J.D. Drew -- who refused to sign with the Phillies after they made him their No. 1 draft choice in 1997 -- has always been held in a special ring of hell by Philadelphia fans. They gave him their normal venomous greeting last night but he had the last laugh when he homered.
HE'S BACK! Manny Ramirez returned to left field.
THE VERDICT: Out until September . . . at least. That's what both the New York Daily News and the New York Post are reporting about Chien-Ming Wang, who suffered a partially torn tendon and a sprain of the Lisfranc ligament in his right foot. So, naturally, the lonely eyes of Yankee Universe turn to C.C. Sabathia, but the New York Post's Joel Sherman tells them to forget it, that these Yanks aren't about to back up the minor-league prospect truck for a free agent-to-be. As of now there appear to be few external options, as Brian Cashman says there is no trade market at the moment. (New York Post) But Abraham -- the voice of reason, as always -- says there doesn't need to be, since the Yankees will only need a fifth starter four times between now and July 24. That, he says, gives Cashman some time to explore options.
BUT THE BIG NEWS IS . . . I can guarantee you Chien-Ming Wang and Hank Steinbrenner and C.C. Sabathia and God knows what else will not be Topic One on New York sports talk radio today.
And why?
Because the Mets (finally) fired Willie Randolph.
At 3 a.m. Eastern time.
After they'd won a game, 9-6 against the Angels in Anaheim. (New York Daily News)
Can you make this stuff up?
The Daily News has the down-and-dirty report of the firing -- pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto were also let go -- as does the Post, which called it "a bizarrely timed housecleaning." Mets GM Omar Minaya isn't scheduled to meet the press until 5 p.m. EDT today, so speculation and opinion will rule the day until then. And it's already started:
-- On his Matthew Cerrone's Mets Blog, Cerrone says he's "embarrassed this morning, and I feel a little dirty . . . [The] Mets took so long to make this decision that it made them look foolish, classless and disorganized."
-- The blog It Is About The Money, Stupid reports reaction from various folks, none of whom particularly praise the Mets. (The Daily News' Bill Madden, on a radio appearance, calls it the most "undignified, atrocious" firing he's seen in 30 years of covering New York sports, and that includes all of George Steinbrenner's dismissals.)
-- The blog Can't Stop The Bleeding says that "for all the credibility the Mets purchased with their acquisitions of Carlos Beltran, Pedro Martinez and Johan Santana, there isn’t enough money in Flushing to erase the sort of ill will their handling of this episode will generate."
-- The blog Sportsthodoxy says Omar Minaya "has used his last bullet. He's out of cover, and the next body to hit the floor will be his."
-- The blog Sliding Into Home sums it up in succinct, NSFW fashion.
And so forth and so on, etc., etc.
Shysterball's Craig Calcaterra has the best take on it all. The Mets, he says, turned Randolph -- who he thinks deserved dismissal -- into a sympathetic figure by deliberately timing his firing until after the print media's final deadline had passed, meaning it would miss today's newspaper news cycle. But it reality it means "the bloggers, while not nearly as widely read and heard as the traditional outlets, are going to be twice as shrill as they try to fill the void; and . . . the print and radio people" -- who won't be far behind, since they all have online outlets -- "are going to level about five times as much artillery at the Mets due to the shoddy way in which this was all handled."
In fact, it's already started. Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post posted an online column in the last 15 minutes in which he absolutely eviscerates the Mets. I wanted to cull through it for the most inflammatory comments, but there are so many of them I don't know where to begin. ("Disgraceful. Utterly, completely, disgraceful" . . . "miserable cast of miscreants" . . . "sinister men, cowards" . . . see what I mean?)
Just brilliant, guys.
ONE LAST NOTE: The Mariners fired GM Bill Bavasi (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), but before you read the story after clicking this link, check the picture. All I could think was: Kevin Youkilis in 20 years.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 9:00 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, June 16
AP Photo
MISSED THE MEMO: They don't have David Ortiz, obviously, and Manny Ramirez' balky hamstring prevents him from playing the field, which keeps him totally out of the lineup in National League parks. So, naturally, you'd think the Red Sox would have trouble generating offense. Well, that may have been true Friday night, when they managed just a single run in a 3-1 loss to the Reds, but the Sox were operating on all cylinders the rest of the weekend. They got back-to-back, 10th-inning home runs from Kevin Youkilis and Coco Crisp on Saturday, erasing the pain of a particularly irksome Jonathan Papelbon blown save, as they pulled out a 6-4 victory. (Over at Joy of Sox, Allan Wood has more info on the Sox going back-to-back in extra innings.) And yesterday they got home runs from four different players -- including both Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury (above, meeting at home plate after Ellsbury's homer) -- to back the shutout pitching of Josh Beckett, David Aardsma and Mike Timlin as they ran away with the rubber game of the series, 9-0. All the games are recounted by Steven Krasner, who points out that Boston's batting exploits may have been aided by the Great American Ballpark, also known as the Great American Smallpark for how it plays. ("This place is a bandbox," writes Steve, "a pitcher’s nightmare but a hitter’s delight, especially to right-center.") But the Sox needn't worry. Now they're in Philadelphia for three nights and, writes Kraz, "[the] Phillies’ ballpark is another bandbox."
DOESN'T MATTER: Or maybe it's not the venue. David Pinto of Baseball Musings shows that the Sox' team batting average and slugging percentage have gone up since Ortiz went down.
DARE WE SAY IT? The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo wonders if these next three games might prove to be a World Series preview.
GOD SAVE US: Even if they are, Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer isn't looking forward to them because they signal the "annual invasion of the denizens of Red Sox Nation. (Motto: In Us We Irritate.) It is a nation whose currency is based on being cloying, self-important, pompous, overly loud and, regrettably, ever-present, and the economy is great. Axis of Evil? You make your list of nations that belong and I'll make mine."
GETTING SO MUCH BETTER ALL THE TIME: Francona reports Ortiz' wrist is now pain-free, and he'll be examined today to see what the next step in his rehabilitation will be. (Boston Herald)
SIDE ORDER OF SPEED: Lost amid the fireworks yesterday was Ellsbury's breaking of the franchise's 100-year-old record for stolen bases by a rookie, with details provided by Krasner. Ellsbury's on a never-before-seen -- at least by these eyes when it comes to Red Sox players -- baserunning roll, with 14 stolen bases in his last 14 starts, and the proof of just how unique it's been is in the pudding of the names he's erasing from the record book; who's ever heard of these guys? (I mean, Amby McConnell? Really.) At the rate he's going Ellsbury will finish the year with 74 steals, which won't just break the Sox' record for stolen bases in a single season (54, by Tommy Harper in 1973) but shatter it into a million pieces. As it is, he's two bags away from tying Patsy Dougherty and Tris Speaker for 10th place on the Sox' single-season list . . . and that milestone (35 steals) was last reached 98 years ago. The Worcester Telegram's Bill Ballou says Ellsbury has a chance to be "a once-in-a-generation player," but I wonder: How many generations back do you have to go to find Amby McConnell and Patsy Dougherty?
NUMBER ONE: Papelbon was one strike away from his 20th save Saturday afternoon, but Edwin Encarnacion drove a hanging splitter into the seats in left field for the game-tying home run. All that did, however, was give Craig Hansen the chance to record the first save of his big-league career, and he delivered.
NEVER LET ANYONE OUTSIDE THE FAMILY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING: Speaking of Papelbon, Terry Francona was none-too-pleased with his public pronouncement that hostilities between the Red Sox and Rays aren't over. As for the Rays, they were more surprised than anything else. (mlb.com)
IRON PIGS ON DICE-K'S MENU: Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a rehab start for the PawSox tonight in Lehigh Valley.
FATHER'S DAY TALES: The holiday gave J.D. Drew a chance to be thankful for his 2-year-old son's return to health. (Boston Herald) Closer to home, it also gave PawSox manager Ron Johnson a chance to reflect on how baseball has enabled him for forge a bond with his son, Astros farmhand Chris Johnson. Laura Meade Kirk tells how RJ -- who divorced Chris' mother when Chris was very young -- credits baseball for allowing the two to reconnect. "I do wonder sometimes, if it hadn’t been for baseball, if we’d have been able to come back around," he told her. And Chad Finn of Touching All The Bases -- sitting in seats remarkably close to where a friend and I had season tickets for 25 years -- tells a touching story of taking his daughter to her first game.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The Rays failed to complete their sweep of the Marlins as Edwin Jackson was hit hard in a 7-3 loss. (St. Petersburg Times) Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune says that for Tampa Bay to stay a contender, Jackson -- and the Rays' other young players -- "have to step up and stay up."
NOW THAT WOULD BE A FIRST: When did you ever hear a star player -- in this case, Ken Griffey Jr. -- say he'd waive his no-trade clause to go to Tampa Bay? (Tampa Tribune) Griffey's agent, though, says there's nothing to it. (St. Petersburg Times)
BOY, WE SURE DON'T MISS YOU: The blog Rays Index is watching Elijah Dukes' latest incident with the satisfaction of knowing that he's someone else's problem now.
LOSE WHEN YOU WIN: The Yankees won 13-0 yesterday and completed a three-game sweep of the Astros, but there are no smiles in Yankee Universe this morning. Not when Chien-Ming Wang injured his right foot and had to be helped off the field. (New York Daily News) The New York Post is reporting the Yankees think it could be a Lisfranc fracture, which would probably end his season. So the C.C. Sabathia talk, which was loud enough before Wang went down (nj.com), will now begin escalating to 130-decibel levels. But Shysterball's Craig Calcaterra wants to know why the Indians would trade Sabathia at all since they're only "5.5 games out . . . I probably don't think about unloading Sabathia until the All Star break, and then not at all if the margin is around the same or smaller. Why? I know my team is better than it has shown, and I have no faith in the While Sox keeping it up all year." The LoHud Yankee Blog's Peter Abraham looks at the various options to replace Wang, Sabathia included.
MEANWHILE . . . Sabathia, still in an Indians uniform, outpitched Greg Maddux and led Cleveland over the Padres. (Akron Beacon Journal)
UH, OH: It's never a good sign when a manager begins publicly blaming players and players answer by subtly blaming the manager. But that's the scenario that seems to be unfolding in Houston in light of the Astros' three straight losses to the Yankees. (mlb.com) Phil Allard of nyyfans.com thinks Cecil Cooper, the manager in question, deserves some blame, especially for a specific tactical decision in Friday night's game.
THE NEVER-ENDING DEBATE: Now it's Jim Kaat who thinks Joba Chamberlain should have stayed in the bullpen. (yesnetwork.com)
IF IT'S MONDAY, HE MUST BE SAFE: In the minute-by-minute referendum on Willie Randolph's job performance, yesterday's doubleheader split with the Rangers means he's still on the job . . . at least for today. (New York Daily News)
STATE OF THE GAME: Many of my favorite baseball writers -- some of whom I link to on a regular basis -- participated in a "State of Major League Baseball 2008" discussion on The Biz of Baseball blog.
THE UNSPOKEN TRUTH: Peter Abraham -- one of the people who was part of that discussion -- says the end of the performance-enhancing drugs era "is changing baseball in ways both subtle and conspicuous." And, in light of the ban on amphetamines, one of them is that "young players -- the kind who don't need a prescription to have energy -- are quickly becoming the biggest factors in the game." It's a fascinating take, and well worth your time. (Journal American)
STAND UP AND BE COUNTED: Allen Barra, writing in the New York Sun, says the players he helped over the years should push for Marvin Miller to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
AT LAST, REINFORCEMENTS: Fernando Rodney has rejoined the Tigers and Joel Zumaya may be there by the end of the week. And Gary Sheffield could be just days away. (Both stories Detroit Free Press)
TRAGEDY AVERTED: It looked a lot worse than it ended up being, as the Cardinals say Yadier Molina has a mild concussion after an horrific home-plate collision with the Phillies' Eric Bruntlett. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli is recovered to the point that he'll soon begin a Class A rehab assignment. (minorleaguebaseball.com)
TRADE TALK: Suddenly there's a lot of it floating around, and not all of it involves C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees. To wit: A.J. Burnett says he'd accept a trade from the Blue Jays to the Cubs (Toronto Globe and Mail) . . . The Angels are looking for offensive help (Orange County Register) . . . As the Pirates' season disintegrates, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette expects teams to make pitches for Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, among others . . . Now it's the Mets allegedly interested in Brian Fuentes. (Denver Post)
OLD FRIENDS: Trot Nixon is back in the majors, having been picked up by the Mets (Newsday) . . . Billy Werber, who played for the Red Sox way back when, celebrates his 100th birthday. (Palm Beach Post)
AND FINALLY . . . Tim Russert, the NBC journalist who died suddenly Friday, was a Red Sox fan and the team mourned his passing. (Boston Globe)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:55 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, June 13
Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson
ALL'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD . . . IN BOSTON: Combatants on one Thursday, friends on the next (above); Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis making nice after Youkilis' eighth-inning home run last night is just one more symbol of the smooth seas the Red Sox are currently sailing. The journey continued with a 9-2 rout of the Orioles, recounted here by Joe McDonald. It was the finale of a 7-2 homestand, which lifted their overall Fenway record to 28-7 and increased their A.L. East lead to 2 1/2 games. But the sailing's been a lot smoother in Boston than elsewhere this year -- as their 14-20 road record indicates -- so now, says Sean McAdam, it's time for the Sox to show they can be just as successful away from the friendly confines . . . because if they can't, it's "something that could prove to be a serious obstacle to their repeating as World Series champions."
HERE IT COMES AGAIN: And that quest begins in Cincinnati, of all places, as interleague play resumes tonight and continues for the next two weeks. McDonald and McAdam report Terry Francona still isn't an interleague fan -- you're hardly alone there, Tito -- even though the Sox have been pretty successful at it in recent years; they're 31-8 against National League teams since 2006. (And that's not counting last October.) But Sean Casey (who played there) and Kevin Youkilis (who grew up there) are looking forward to visiting Cincinnati. (Boston Herald) The Reds are eagerly anticipating the Sox' arrival, too -- probably more for the crowds they'll attract than anything else -- and they warmed up for the series with a 6-2 win over the Cardinals that features that rarities of rarities: A Bronson Arroyo home run. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
REMEMBER WHEN? When the Red Sox last were in Cincinnati, Reggie Cleveland was their starting pitching, Juan Beniquez was in left field batting leadoff and Carlton Fisk was hitting cleanup. (baseball-reference.com) It was Game Five of the classic 1975 World Series, and the 6-2 Reds victory gave Cincinnati a 3-2 series lead. The Enquirer's Bill Koch remembers '75 from a Reds perspective; co-worker Joe Fenton, a New Englander, looks at it from our point of view.
THE BIGGEST VICTORY: Bernie Carbo played for both the Reds and Red Sox, and the teams' matchup gives him another chance to talk about how he overcame his drug and alcohol addiction. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
GET READY FOR ROUND TWO: Jonathan Papelbon -- saying "it is a bunch of bull what [the Rays] did" -- warns that "this thing isn’t all settled and done" between Boston and Tampa Bay, adding that "what comes around goes around." (projo.com)
DOWN ON THE FARM . . . Jed Lowrie is alive and well and riding a 14-game hitting streak for the PawSox. Mike Szostak has the details.
GRAND FINALE: The Yankees closed out their series in Oakland with a 4-1 win highlighted by birthday boy Hideki Matsui's grand slam. (New York Daily News) They play tonight in Houston and Joba Chamberlain will have a longer leash than he did in his first two starts. (New York Post)
LET'S MAKE A DEAL: The LoHud Yankees Blog's Peter Abraham wonders if the Yankees will make a run at C.C. Sabathia, even though he'll be a free agent at the end of the season. The New York Times says it could happen.
OUT FOR THE YEAR: The Yankees will be without rookie reliever Jonathan Albaladejo until 2008; he has a stress fracture in his right elbow. (New York Daily News)
THEY'RE HEARTBROKEN ABOUT THE PAST, UNENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THE PRESENT . . . and now Michael Salfino talks to a scout who examines their team's draft and concludes Mets fans have nothing to look forward to in the future, either. (web.sny.tv)
ANOTHER TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE: Red Sox-Reds isn't this weekend's only World Series rematch. The Orioles and Pirates will meet in Baltimore for the first time since the 1979 Series. (Baltimore Sun)
NOT SO FAST: Shysterball's Craig Calcaterra isn't so sure the wave of talent that will eventually flow out of Cuba will be as robust as some people think.
THE LONG ROAD TO NOWHERE: Wondering how the Mariners got to be so horrible? David Cameron of Baseball Analysts says "the foundations for this failure were laid years ago" and goes over all the bad decisions that landed them where they are today.
POWER OF THE PEN: One day after ESPN publicized the job-seeking letter he sent to all 30 major-league teams, Jay Gibbons says he expects to sign with an Atlantic League team. (Baltimore Sun)
NOW THERE'S A REASON TO CHANGE YOUR REPRESENTATION: The blog It Is About The Money, Stupid talks to player agent Matt Sosnick, who says he was dropped by Josh Hamilton -- just as Hamilton appears to be on the verge of a huge payday -- because Hamilton said Jesus told him to switch agents. I can only wonder how this guy would have reacted if Vincent Chase told him the same thing . . .
YOU'RE IN THE NAVY NOW: And, so, a Cardinals draftee is going to have to pass up a baseball career. (AP via nbcsports.com)
MY GUYS: Regis Philbin has adopted the Marlins. (mlb.com)
IT'S THE WOOD, STUPID: The president of a company that makes maple bats -- the kind that are constantly shattering; the kind that MLB will discuss at a June 24 meeting with the union -- says maple is a safe ingredient for bats. He thinks companies trying to capitalize on the craze are using inferior grades of maple and that, not the maple itself, is what's causing the problem. (New York Times)
'GET TO KNOW ME': Milton Bradley says he wouldn't have fought Ryan Lefebvre had he gotten to the Royals broadcast booth the other night. He said he only wanted "to give the two TV announcers a chance to meet the person who was referred to on the air as someone who 'clearly has no control over himself.' " (Dallas Morning News)
HERE AND THERE: The Phillies have released Steve Kline (mlb.com), which may mean the veteran left-hander's big-league career is over . . . The Brewers informed Jeff Weaver they wouldn't be recalling him from New Orleans, so he asked for and received his release (mlb.com) . . . Jason Isringhausen will return to the Cardinals today and could be activated this weekend (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . The Indians have placed Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield on the disabled list. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Martinez needs elbow surgery and will be out six to eight weeks (mlb.com) . . . This may be Ray Durham's last year (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Moises Alou should just take up permanent residence on the DL (New York Daily News) . . . The Cubs may be interested in Scott Podsednik (Denver Post). . . The Royals have cut loose Brett Tomko. (mlb.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Kevin Millar's x-rays were negative and he's listed as day-to-day after having to leave last night's game against the Red Sox because he fouled a ball off his knee. (Baltimore Sun) There's talk the Mets may be interested in Millar, but Matthew Cerrone's Mets Blog isn't so sure . . . Freddy Sanchez is hitting .239, which is bad news since rotoworld.com says he's "entirely without value when he's not hitting for average" . . . Kason Gabbard is back in the major leagues with the Rangers and will start on Saturday night (mlb.com) . . . Chris Coste is slowly wresting the Phillies' catching job away from Carlos Ruiz. (Philadephia Inquirer)
AND FINALLY . . . We haven't linked to Chad Finn much recently because he's been focusing on the Celtics. And, boy, did he ever have something to focus on last night. (www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases)
WELL, ALL RIGHT, ONE MORE: At the end of a long post in which he tried to identify The Greatest Play Ever, Joe Posnanski writes of getting completely caught up in the emotion of last night's Celtics-Lakers game and having "no idea why I’m so happy" about the Celts' win, especially since "I have despised the Celtics my whole life, going back to ‘76, when they beat the Cavaliers in the playoffs."
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:30 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, June 12
ALL SMILES: And why not? Bartolo Colon (above) improved his record to 4-1 with a 6-3 win over the Orioles last night that Joe McDonald said started with Colon's Al Bundy impersonation and ended with his resembling "his former Cy Young self." Not only that, but the Red Sox picked up ground on all their A.L. East brethren, as everybody but the Sox lost yesterday. Want more? David Ortiz became an American citizen . . . even though McDonald said he wouldn't own up to it.
But there's a bigger element in play here, and it goes beyond winning individual games. Sean McAdam has a very interesting piece about the Red Sox working to keep their starting pitchers rested and refreshed so they're better able to withstand the demands of October. He wrote it on the same day Paul Kenyon was reporting (and demonstrating) from Pawtucket how the organization has, in the words of director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod, "implemented a system, and everybody's bought into it at every level." The underlying theme -- of both stories -- is that the Red Sox' focus goes beyond winning individual games, and toward building a structure that gives the major-league team the greatest chance for sustained, and sustainable, success. And, as it happens, we simultaneously have Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News writing about the other end of this spectrum: Yankee manager Joe Girardi overusing his aging core players in an attempt to avoid falling too far behind in the postseason races, which, he thinks, creates "a worrisome situation which may grow worse by August or September, if you are inclined to think negatively."
There's a danger in thinking you've reinvented the wheel; it leads to the sort of hubris that was the backdrop to the old saying "Pride goeth before a fall." I point all this out not to laud the Red Sox for creating a revolutionary new approach to the grand old game -- other teams are pretty smart and do similar things -- but just to illustrate that sometimes we get a glimpse of a very sound organizational philosophy that usually flies pretty far below the radar. When it does surface, it's usually when the major-league team is in crisis and there's a lot of pressure to do something different.
Nice to take a calmer look at it on a day when the sun is shining.
TWO-TRICK PONY: Colon helped the Sox win last night's individual game, and Steven Krasner goes Inside The Game to show us how. David Pinto of Baseball Musings wonders what the Red Sox saw in him this spring that other teams didn't, and recommends a raise for the scout who advocating Colon's signing.
THE BAD NEWS: There's always some, and last night's revolved around the continuing struggles of Mike Timlin, as reported postgame by Krasner on this blog. He also reported that the torrid J.D. Drew shattered his bat during his fifth-inning plate appearance, and wonders if -- like Robert Redford in The Natural -- his luck will turn now that the bat is in pieces.
GETTING READY I: McAdam reports Daisuke Matsuzaka will make a rehab start for the PawSox next Monday.
GETTING READY II: Interleague play resumes tomorrow, so McDonald has details of how Sox pitchers are preparing.
WILL HE BE READY? Manny Ramirez' hamstrings are still bothering him, and there's no guarantee he'll be able to play left field when the Sox arrive in Cincinnati tomorrow night. (Boston Herald)
APPEALING: Sean Casey is officially appealing his four-game suspension for his part in last week's fight with the Rays.
MORE PLAYERS IN THE MIX? On the same day Sarasota held an open town forum to debate whether or not to build a new spring-training facility for the Red Sox, McAdam reports "at least one other Florida city has demonstrated serious interest in the Sox." No one from Arizona has come calling yet.
TURNING IT DOWN A NOTCH: In the wake of last week's shoving match with Ramirez, widely believed to be a result of Manny -- among others -- getting fed up with his emotional explosions when things don't go his way, Kevin Youkilis says he's "trying to be a little more mature about his outbursts, while not surrendering his passion for the game." (Boston Herald) Youk admits some teammates have gotten on his case about his screaming and flinging of equipment, but says others have told him not to change a thing.
THEY ALWAYS FAILED THE TASTE TEST . . . but now, reports The Boston Globe, Fenway Park's concession stands also failed preseason city health inspections. They're back up to code, as they fixed the problems and passed a May 16 inspection.
BASKETBALL? WHAT IS THIS BASKETBALL OF WHICH YOU SPEAK? Curt Schilling has another blog entry in which he doesn't mention Kobe Bryant or the Lakers. (His Monday entry turned Bryant into a Yankee fan.) In this one he talks of his Tuesday bullpen session, which he says "wasn't a great day" but one he's willing to write off to the vagaries of rehab.
NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL, BUT NEVER BORING: It was quite a nine-game road trip for the Tampa Bay Rays. First there was the fight in Boston. Then there was the fight among themselves in Texas. And yesterday they turned their ire on the umpires -- Derryl Cousins, specifically -- in their 4-2 loss to the Angels in Anaheim. (St. Petersburg Times) And you wonder if more suspensions are in the offing, since, according to Times writer Marc Topkin, Rays starter Scott Kazmir "[complained] not only about missed strike calls during several key at-bats but [questioned Cousins'] reputation and integrity, accusing him of making certain calls to make up for others." Joe Maddon wasn't happy, either, and his unhappiness resulted in the eighth ejection of his career (Tampa Tribune); four of them have come against the team he once worked for as a coach, the Angels.
So the Rays finish 3-6 on their cross-country road trip. Not much of a record, but they made memories that will last a lifetime. (St. Petersburg Times)
TAKE A BREAK: Carl Crawford now begins serving his four-game suspension for his role in L'Affaire Coco, but he doesn't mind because the Rays are returning to Tropicana Field and staying off the artificial turf will ease the strain on his sore legs. (Tampa Tribune)
THE JOY OF BEING A BALLPLAYER: It's a glamorous life, eh, Troy Percival?
OH, YEAH? The Rays could take a lesson in rapid response to those nasty Torontonians from Jonathan Papelbon:
CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT: That's Peter Abraham's take on the Yankees, who fell back to .500 with an 8-4 loss to the A's that spoiled Darrell Rasner's sort-of homecoming. (New York Daily News) He grew up in Carson City, Nev., which is 3 1/2 hours from Oakland.
'YOU CAN NEVER COUNT THE YANKEES OUT': So says Tino Martinez, but he adds that "they can't dig themselves too much more of a hole then they're in right now . . . There's too many teams playing good." (New York Post)
MAY WE PRESENT . . . "Your 2008 Toronto Blue Jays: Crushing your spirit, shredding the crushed remains, then lighting the whole shredded heap into blazing inferno. Rinse. Repeat."
Think our buddy Tao is frustrated?
THE CHIPPER JONES WATCH: Pinto has one started on Baseball Musings. But both SI.com's Tom Verducci and The Wall Street Journal's Carl Bialik tell us a .400 season is unlikely.
CRISIS AVERTED: Milton Bradley attempted to confront Royals broadcaster Ryan Lefebvre over comments Lefebvre made about him on the television broadcast of the game. He was intercepted before he got there, then screamed at his teammates and finally broke down in tears in the clubhouse. (Dallas Morning News)
JOB SEEKER: Former Oriole outfielder Jay Gibbons, who was named in the Mitchell Report, has written letters to all 30 teams saying he's sorry for his mistakes and is asking to redeem himself. "[All] I need is a chance and I will prove that I can be an extremely productive player and a great addition to your organization." (espn.com)
HERE AND THERE: Alfonso Soriano will be out four to six weeks after suffering a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch last night (Chicago Tribune) . . . Albert Pujols' calf strain will sideline him for at least three weeks (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . The Marlins have designated Jaque Jones for assignment (Yahoo!) . . . As if the Mariners didn't have enough problems, J.J. Putz has a sore elbow (Seattle Times) . . . Manny Acta and Elijah Dukes got into it in the Nationals dugout Tuesday night, but Acta says the incident is over. (Washington Post)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 7:07 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, June 11
Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
LEAPIN' LIZARDS: For the longest time last night, it looked like a bull market for the Red Sox. Coco Crisp made a spectacular catch to end the fifth inning (above). Josh Beckett survived without his best stuff and, says Steven Krasner, turned in an ace-like performance without ace-like numbers. Manny Ramirez moved into sole posession of 22nd place on the all-time home-run list with No. 505, which, reports Joe McDonald, delighted Eddie Murray, the ex-teammate and friend he was tied with at 504. Krasner tells us Jacoby Ellsbury had a more-or-less successful return to the lineup. The Sox had a 6-4 lead after six innings and handed the game over to Hideki Okajima in the first step down a path that would inevitably lead to Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth.
And then came the explosion.
When it was over the Sox, relates McDonald, were 10-6 losers to the Orioles but, far more importantly, a disconcerting issue was raised: Wither Hideki Okajima? He had another abysmal outing -- one-third of an inning, two hits, two walks, three runs -- and it had Sean McAdam asking if Okajima "was . . . a one-year flash in the pan?" When Okajima "can’t locate with precision," writes Sean, "his stuff isn’t good enough to overmatch hitters." He certainly didn't overmatch anyone last night, making the 2007 words of some scouts -- "who predicted [Okajima] would become more hittable the more opposing teams saw him" -- prophetic . . . and worrisome.
He wasn't the only bullpen culprit last night. Krasner reports that, at least partially due to a ninth-inning misjudgment by Dustin Pedroia, Craig Hansen had his scoreless string snapped as the Orioles tacked on three more runs. (It was part of a six-run outburst against Sox relievers, only the second time in the last 16 games the bullpen's been scored upon.) But because of the role he occupies -- Tonto to Papelbon's Lone Ranger -- Okajima's failures were the ones that raised the most warning flags.
There's a danger in overreacting to one bad outing or even a series of bad outings; it could be nothing more than Oriole hitters having Okajima's number this year. (The Baltimore Sun reports Okajima "has a 13.50 ERA and three blown leads in five appearances against the Orioles this season . . . [and] a 0.40 ERA, having surrendered just one earned run in 22 2/3 innings, against everyone else.") But when a team that had lost only six home games all year prior to last night coughs one up in such gruesome fashion -- and with such an obvious goat at the middle of it all -- well, a little overreaction is understandable.
DON'T ASK US: Oriole hitters say they have no idea why they're so successful against Okajima. (Washington Post)
ON THE OTHER HAND . . . There's always good news to offset the bad in baseball, and Krasner reports that last night's ray of sunshine was shining on the comebacking Curt Schilling. And Terry Francona threw a little sunshine at Clay Buchholz, while he was at it.
IT'S JUST A BASKETBALL GAME, FOR GOD'S SAKES: Folks in Baltimore are so phobic about Kevin Millar's not-so-secret affection for all things Boston that they come down on him for something as innocuous as attending Game Two of the NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers. (The Loss Column Baltimore Sports)
COMPARISON TEST: Remember when Jim Rice claimed Papelbon was the only member of the current Red Sox who could have displaced a starter on Rice's 1975 American League champion Sox? Both AOL's Josh Alper and SouthCoastToday.com's Jon Couture look at the rosters and find Rice's analysis to be a little skewed . . . specifically at first base, second base, third base and the pitching staff.
C.C. OF SURPRISE: On his Hacks With Haggs blog, Joe Haggerty reports ESPN's Jayson Stark threw the Red Sox into some C.C. Sabathia trade talk, saying on the Mike and Mike In The Morning radio show that the Indians are "heavily scouting" the Sox. And since they don't play Boston until September, it can't be game scouting.
DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO: Curt Schilling has long skewered media members who make categorical statements with just a surface knowledge of the situation. Then he does exactly what he claims to hate in a 38pitches.com entry about Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, even though, as he admits, "I have no idea how the guys in the NBA play or do things . . . " And that gave T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times the opportunity to tear into Schilling, saying there's "no bigger sissy than a hit-and-run blogger."
DO THE RIGHT THING: There's some controversy over who caught Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th home run Monday night, as two fans in Miami are claiming ownership. (Miami Herald) But Damon Woo hopes that whoever has it does the same thing he did when he caught Manny Ramirez' 500th: Return it. McDonald talked to Woo, whose life has been a whirlwind since he brought the historic ball back to Ramirez in the Red Sox clubhouse that night.
 | HE DID JUST THAT: Griffey -- widely regarded as baseball's greatest player in the 1990s -- has slowly slid into the background in recent years, partly because injuries limited his playing time but also because his numbers never shot into the chemically aided stratosphere of the late '90s and early '00s. And Griffey's clean-as-a-whistle reputation was suddenly front-and-center yesterday as Number 600 prompted the baseball world to rediscover a player it had all but forgotten. His name, wrote Hal McCoy in a story reprinted in the Chicago Tribune, "never has appeared on a police blotter, has never been listed among those who cheated to gain an unfair advantage, has never been listed on any delinquent tax lists or bankruptcy lists for flushing his money away on drugs." SI.com's Jack Wilkinson concurs, saying Griffey's achievement "was not only extraordinary, but untainted" The Seattle Times' Jerry Brewer remembers a childhood spent idolizing Junior, and notes the reality of what Griffey actually did was always better than the fantasy." Even players, like ex-teammate Todd Jones, were delighted. The Seattle Times, which covered Griffey over the early part of his career, compiles a list of his 10 most memorable home runs. And Mike Greenberg of ESPN Radio's Mike and Mike In The Morning compares Griffey to Barry Bonds . . . and gives the edge to Griffey. |
Six hundred home runs is quite a milestone -- only five other players (Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays and Sammy Sosa) have ever done it, and Bonds and Sosa are widely believed to have had medicinal help in clearing the bar -- and just getting there is an achievement to be celebrated. But this was more. This was the virtual rediscovery of a player deserving of the praise we'd unfairly heaped on others during baseball's blighted past.
Congratulations, Junior. You earned it.
MAINTAINING THE PACE: The Red Sox lost no ground to the Rays in the A.L. East standings, as James Shields was knocked around a bit in a 6-1 Angels win over Tampa Bay. (Tampa Tribune)
NEW MEANING TO THE TERM 'ON THE BUMP': The Tampa Bay Rays can do with more with their fists than pummel Coco Crisp:
RIGHTING A WRONG: Remembering the time Cito Gaston left him warming up in the bullpen without bringing him into the game -- and thus depriving Mike Mussina, then with the Orioles, of pitching in front of his hometown fans in the 1993 All-Star Game at Camden Yards -- Cameron Martin of ComcastSportsNet wonders if Terry Francona would select Moose to start this year's All-Star Game, which is being played in Mussina's current baseball home (Yankee Stadium).
MOOSE TALES: John Feinstein's latest book, Living On The Black, focuses on the 2007 seasons of Mussina and Tom Glavine, who were both in New York last year and were both staying in the major leagues on their brains and guile thanks to fastballs that had long since deserted them. Ken Davidoff of Newsday relates some of the Mussina stories, which include examples of his contempt for Carl Pavano and how then-pitching coach Ron Guidry stopped speaking to him when he was removed from the starting rotation last August.
BACK IN THE GROOVE: Chien-Ming Wang was his old sinkerballing self as he pitched the Yankees over the A's in Oakland last night. (New York Post)
NO, THEY'RE NOT: The New York Daily News' Filip Bondy says nobody "is talking about the Yankees as a championship team anymore -- not this year, anyway -- and that means the arrow continues to point in the wrong direction for this franchise." And he bemoans the fact that "[over] the past eight years, the Bombers have slowly devolved from perennial champions to chronic playoff disappointments, then to a wild-card team and now to a mere wild-card contender."
OH, SHADDUP: Tino Martinez has a piece of advice for those -- like Johnny Damon -- who feel the need to comment on the Joba Chamberlain situation: Zip it. (New York Daily News)
REACHING OUT: Andy Pettitte says he hasn't spoken to Roger Clemens since the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs erupted over the winter but says he hopes they'll talk soon. (New York Daily News) As for whether that will happen this weekend, when the Yanks go to Clemens' (and Pettitte's) hometown of Houston, Pettitte replied: "I have no idea. I don't know what to tell you about that."
UPS AND DOWNS: Speaking of PEDs, Yahoo! Sports' David Brown looks at how all the players mentioned in the Mitchell Report are doing this year.
WHOA! There's been a Phil Hughes blog sighting!
PROUD MOMENT FOR MY PROFESSION: The Sporting News is reinventing itself as a print/online hybrid and it's making a part-time journalist out of Hank Steinbrenner. (AOL Sports Fanhouse)
LET ME PUSH THE DETONATOR BUTTONS: Tim Marchman of the New York Sun, in an interview with the blog The Biz of Baseball, provides an antidote to the flood of tears being shed over the imminent demises of Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium by saying he's "utterly appalled" by both parks. He's particularly appalled by Yankee Stadium: "Yankee Stadium is on the merits one of the worst places in the country to watch a ballgame, and there’s really little that’s more hilarious in baseball than the pretense that this giant concrete bowl is some magnificent cathedral and monument to the glories of the game."
'L' BEFORE 'W': The New York Daily News reports the Mets had a players-only meeting before last night's game against the Diamondbacks and passed around a sheet that contained such inspirational phrases as "team above self" and "We B4 I." Then they went out, blew a four-run lead and lost to Arizona, 9-5. Even so, Moises Alou says the Mets "definitely" are a playoff- team. (New York Post)
PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND: With the Mets' season swirling down the sink, focus is beginning to shift away from Willie Randolph and onto Omar Minaya. (New York Daily News)
AND FOR MORE THAN JUST THE TEAM'S ON-FIELD PLAY: John Delcos, on the LoHud Mets Blog, rips into Minaya and the Mets for their "shameful" handling of Ryan Church's concussion. "Just dumb and arrogant from top to bottom," he concludes.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? As low as Class A if you're Dontrelle Willis. That's where the Tigers sent him in an attempt to see if he can regain his lost pitching skills, which have deserted him to the tune of a 10.32 ERA. (espn.com) Baseball Musings' David Pinto wishes Willis the best because baseball "can use characters like him."
BI-POLAR: Last winter, Peter Robins-Brown of Bugs and Cranks admits he "joined the chorus of cheers" when the Tigers traded for Edgar Renteria and was so euphoric about acquiring Willis and Miguel Cabrera from Florida that he "made an allusion to taking the deal itself out for a fine dinner and trying to make love to it. Or something like that." Now, on June 11, his tune is a little different: "They’re done. Stick a fork in ‘em. And all those other cliches. The 2008 Detroit Tigers can no longer be considered a team with any chance of making a run to the playoffs."
AT THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM . . . : SI.com's Jon Heyman says this year's Philadelphia story will be as good, if not better, than it was in 2007.
JET LAG: The Washington Post has results of a study that shows teams lose 60 percent of games played in a time zone three hours from the time zone they just left, and 52 percent of games in time zones one or two hours away. But the study also shows teams "only rarely have to play games right after traveling across the country . . . In fact, for only about 16 to 20 times a season did [all MLB] teams [combined] have to travel three time zones and then promptly play a game."
R.I.P. Eliot Asinof, author of the essential Eight Men Out -- the story of how the White Sox threw the 1919 World Series -- has died at age 88. (AP via Yahoo!)
HERE AND THERE: Albert Pujols had to be helped off the field after straining his calf in the Cardinals' win at Cincinnati last night, and the team fears he'll be out a while (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . The Orioles, as expected, designated Steve Trachsel for assignment (Baltimore Sun) . . . Tom Glavine, who avoided the disabled list for the first 20 years of his career, is headed there for the second time in three months because of a strained left elbow (mlb.com) . . . It doesn't look as if the Dodgers' Rafael Furcal will even be starting a rehab assignment for at least two weeks (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Francisco Liriano had another strong outing in Rochester as he tries to make his way back to the Twins (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) . . . Troy Tulowitzki has begin his rehab assignment (mlb.com) . . . The Braves say there are "a lot of unknowns" concerning John Smoltz' future after his shoulder surgery (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Juan Uribe's buried on the bench, but he says he still wants to stay with the White Sox (Chicago Tribune) . . . Gregg Zaun's about ready to return to the Blue Jays. (Toronto Star)
OLD FRIENDS: Anibal Sanchez, recuperating from shoulder surgery, is close to being able to pitch in a rehab game (Miami Herald) . . . Because of Furcal's injury (see above), Nomar Garciaparra is going to play some shortstop (Los Angeles Times) . . . Trot Nixon has 10 home runs in Tucson and rotoworld.com wonders if it isn't time for someone, like the Mets, to give him a look . . . Wilfredo Ledezma has been designated for assignment by the Padres (San Diego Union-Tribune) . . . Cliff Floyd can't get back into Tampa Bay's lineup. (St. Petersburg Times)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:30 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 10
NOT SO HOT: They say that into each life some rain must fall, and -- record-setting temperatures to the contrary -- it's pouring in Clay Buchholz' world right now. All the talking in the world (above) couldn't stem the tide of a three-inning, six-hit, two-run struggle against Buffalo at McCoy Stadium last night that, Paul Kenyon reports, was a) abruptly cut short by PawSox manager Ron Johnson and b) then explained by Johnson in the middle of the game's local television broadcast. The heat and humidity was part of it, Johnson said, but so was the fact that it took a Matsuzaka-like 73 pitches for Buchholz to labor through those three innings. Buchholz was singing a happier tune afterwards -- he felt better physically than he has all year, he feels "it won’t be much longer" before he's ready to return to Boston -- but with the Red Sox' starting rotation clicking on all cylinders at the moment, it'll take more than three-inning/six-hit/two-run performances to punch his ticket back northward. So I guess the message is, fear not if you weren't able to get out to McCoy to see Buchholz last night; odds are you'll have more chances this summer.
YIN AND YANG: Buchholz was part of a good-news/bad-news smorsgasbord at McCoy last night, according to Kenyon. Among the good news: Chris Carter continues his torrid hitting. Among the bad: Bobby Kielty (strained oblique) is back on the disabled list.
LABOR DAY: Buchholz' former Red Sox teammates had a break in the schedule yesterday, but that didn't stop a few of them from getting some work in at Fenway Park anyway. (projo.com) Most notable: Matsuzaka playing long-toss in preparation for a Wednesday bullpen session as he works his way back from his rotator-cuff strain, and Jacoby Ellsbury taking batting practice in advance of a return to the lineup, perhaps as soon as tonight.
OH, WHAT A RELIEF: Craig Hansen has allowed just one hit and no runs in his last six appearances and Jim Donaldson explains why.
JUST LIKE THE WEATHER: J.D. Drew's hot streak was the subject of off-day stories by the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman and the Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin.
BEYOND THE NUMBERS: Josh Beckett's 6-4, 4.07 record heading into tonight's start seems a comedown from his 2007 season, when he won 20 games and put himself in position to be remembered as one of the all-time great postseason pitchers. But he tells the Herald's Rob Bradford that very little has changed for him since last year.
MOVE YOUR CLOCKS BACK: Just as they did last Thursday, the Red Sox have pushed the starting times of tonight's game and Thursday's game back to 6:05 p.m. to avoid conflict with the Celtics in the NBA Finals. (projo.com)
ANOTHER FIRST: The Rays continue to do a lot of things they've never done before. Last night they hit back-to-back-to-back home runs -- Evan Longoria, Willy Aybar and Dioner Navarro -- for the first time in franchise history in a 13-4 win over the Angels, which also was Joe Maddon's first victory at Anaheim in three years at Tampa Bay's manager. (St. Petersburg Times)
LESSON LEARNED? The Times' Gary Shelton thinks Sunday's dugout scuffle between Navarro and Matt Garza will prove to be a good thing if it makes Navarro more assertive and forces Garza to grow up . . . two things the Rays want to see happen.
'A BASEBALL NECROPOLIS': That's how the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro describes the Big Apple, what with the Yankees sitting at 32-32 at 64 games and the Mets at 30-32 after 62. The Yanks are back at .500 after yesterday's 3-2 loss to the Royals, a game decided on a ninth-inning Jose Guillen home run off Mariano Rivera. (New York Daily News) The homer was a continuation of two factors: Guillen's astounding four games in the Bronx (Daily News) -- 9-for-16, 4 homers, 11 RBI -- and Rivera's inexplicable struggles in tie games this season, as related by Peter Abraham on the LoHud Yankees Blog. The good news for the Yanks was the continued excellence of Mike Mussina (New York Post), who continues to make monkeys of those -- like me -- who thought his days as an effective pitcher had passed. And, for those who want to continue to avoid looking in the mirror, there was umpire Ed Montague, with whom the Yanks had their second dispute in four days. (New York Post) But accentuating the positive and blaming the umpires would obscure some hard truths, as laid out by the Daily News' John Harper: "Monday's loss dropped [the Yankees] to .500 for the 22nd time this season, which tells you they haven't been a team of ups and downs so much as one playing to its level." Harper notes the Yanks have recovered from slow starts before -- particularly last year -- but can't help asking: "Is this the season the magic runs out?"
If it's not, Mussina has some sage advice: "We've been saying for a month that [a takeoff] is inevitable . . . If it's inevitable, it better happen soon." (New York Post)
AP Photo
NUMBER 600: There are better venues to celebrate baseball history than the sparsely populated Dolphin Stadium, but the 10,000 or so who were there last night were witness to a great moment: Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th career home run (above). (Cincinnati Enquirer) The Dayton Daily News' Hal McCoy said Griffey was rendered nearly speechless by becoming only the sixth player in history to reach the 600-homer plateau. Four of the other five are still alive; Griffey said he's heard from Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, but not from Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa. FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry says, as great as this achievement is, he can only wonder what Griffey would have accomplished had it not been for all his injuries. Joe Posnanski, focusing on what Griffey did and not what he might have done, has a very nice tribute to Junior in a short (for him) 600 or so words.
THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: The Daily News yesterday linked Roger Clemens to yet another performance-enhancing drug: Viagra. How is that a PED -- baseball-wise -- you ask? The newspaper also explains.
FOOD COURT: The New York Times has a great interactive map, showing the best and the worst food at each major-league ballpark. I must say, I never even knew the Red Sox sold what the Times considers to be the best Fenway has to offer. Under Section 7, eh?
SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE: Tigers manager Jim Leyland says he plans ro alternate Ivan Rodriguez and Brandon Inge at catcher on a daily basis. (Detroit Free Press)
OH, PLEASE: Shysterball presents "Great Moments in Melodrama," Detroit-style.
WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? To all those wondering how the pitching-starved Rangers could cut loose Sidney Ponson, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jim Reeves has another question: Why didn't they do it sooner? And then he runs through the incidents that led Texas to cut ties with the erratic right-hander.
MEASURE THIS: The Huffington Post's Dave Hollander -- while claiming he's not anti-analysis and that you need to understand statistics to understand baseball -- says there are certain baseball intangibles that simply can't be measured and holds up Cliff Floyd as an example of someone whose "presence" makes his teams better. I'd laugh at this argument anyway; I'm laughing harder because I didn't see where Floyd's "presence" did a damn thing for the 2002 Red Sox, who brought him in at the trading deadline to bolster the postseason drive and went 30-26 the rest of the way (compared to 63-43 before they got him), falling from a tie for the wild-card lead to finishing six games out of a playoff spot.
LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli went 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly in an extended spring-training game. (draysbay.com)
MEDICAL REPORT: David Pinto has a breakdown of the day's injuries on Baseball Musings.
HERE AND THERE: The Mariners replaced hitting instructor Jeff Pentland with Lee Elia (Seattle Post-Intelligencer), then went out and beat the Blue Jays (Seattle Times) . . . The Brewers deny a report that they're interested in the Orioles' Brian Roberts (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . The Blue Jays' interest in Erik Bedard is said to be cooling (Seattle Times) . . . The Royals' Gil Meche, who has a no-trade clause, laughs at rumors that have him heading to the Cubs (Kansas City Star) . . . Noah Lowery says he hopes to pitch again this year, contrary to what the Giants said the other day. (San Francisco Chronicle)
OLD FRIENDS: Doug Mientkiewicz nearly got into it with Randy Johnson yesterday (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Ponson's release may mean a return to Texas for Kason Gabbard. (rotoworld.com)
AND FINALLY . . . At last, a baseball promotion you can actually use: A woman at a minor-league game won a free funeral. (cbs11tv.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 7:03 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, June 9
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
ON THE BALL: How wonderful to be talking baseball again; we weren't doing much of that when last we spoke. And J.D. Drew is giving us a lot to talk about. His sixth-inning home run (above) delivered the winning run in yesterday's 2-1 win over the Mariners, which, Steven Krasner notes, also featured a Drew RBI in the third and a Drew run-saving catch in the second. This on the heels on what Sean McAdam pointed out could have been a five-hit game on Saturday when Boston buried Seattle, 11-3; as it was, two of his line drives were caught, so he had to settle for a 3-for-5 afternoon in which he tripled and homered. It is, Krasner wrote Saturday, "a great illustration of hitting the ball where it’s pitched, an approach that, given the compact, flawless mechanics Drew has been showing at the plate recently, puts the Sox' right fielder in a position to succeed every time he’s in the batter’s box." He's been succeeding just about every time he's in the batter's box, too, hitting .519 in his last eight games and .400 in his last 16. I don't think I have to point out Drew's resurgence couldn't have come at a better time because, as McAdam reports, David Ortiz may be feeling better but he'll still be sidelined for the next several weeks. Nor are the other walking wounded much farther along than they were Friday, though Krasner says Jacoby Ellsbury hopes to be back tomorrow and Manny Ramirez may return to left field Friday when interleague play resumes. But as long as Drew continues this torrid streak, hey, who needs 'em?
CALM DOWN, WILL YA? I know, I know; let's get real. It's hardly a one-man show. Even yesterday, Drew wasn't the only hero. McAdam has the details of another superb outing from Justin Masterson, and puts it into an interesting context: "There’s not enough pitching [in the major leagues today], and for what little exists teams gladly overpay. Then there’s the Red Sox." Daisuke Matsuzaka -- the 8-0 Daisuke Matsuzaka -- goes down, and Masterson steps in so ably that the Sox don't miss a beat. (And his games are certainly more esthetically pleasing than some of the walk-a-thons authored by Dice-K.) Krasner reports that Craig Hansen continued his stretch of lights-out relief. And Steve goes Inside The Game to laud Dustin Pedroia, hitless again yesterday -- and now 10-for-his-last-70 -- but who may have had the key at-bat in the victory, a nine-pitch walk that led to the tying run and helped drive up Erik Bedard's pitch count to the point that he had to be lifted from the game in the sixth. It was in the sixth inning, against Bedard's replacement, that Drew delivered the game-winning homer.
INTO EACH LIFE, SOME RAIN MUST FALL: The bad news from the weekend: Kevin Youkilis' record streak of errorless games at first base came to an end Saturday. McAdam and Krasner tell us all about it.
THE REAL CULPRITS: The weekend actually started with a bit of Rays hangover (which, reports Joe McDonald, manifested itself in a lifeless 8-0 loss Friday night), along with the inevitable fallout from the testosterone fest. It didn't take long for MLB to hand down its suspensions for Thursday Night At The Fights -- McAdam broke the story, at least in regards to the Red Sox penalties, at about 4:30 Friday afternoon and updated it with reaction and news over the next hour-and-a-half -- and most of the media reports centered what the Sox and Rays thought about it. (The Rays continued to salute themselves for their noble reaction to the evil Coco; Joe Maddon told Marc Lancaster of the Tampa Tribune they were "sincerely aggressive in a good way, and I liked it.") But McAdam had a different take: He blamed the umpires for not taking charge of this thing Wednesday night, specifically when Maddon and Crisp began screaming obscenities at each other in the middle of the diamond, and as a result "invited the players to implement their own brand of frontier justice." And so they did. (Sean also takes Crisp to task, saying he "clearly overreacted" to Jason Bartlett's dropping of the knee.) You get the sense MLB agrees with Sean about the umpires; after all, it suspended Jon Lester for acts -- hitting Carl Crawford, throwing behind Willy Aybar's legs, coming up and in on Cliff Floyd -- the umps didn't even deem worthy of a warning, let alone an ejection.
In any case, let the suspensions begin and let's get on with life. It's over.
At least until June 30 in St. Petersburg.
DON'T MISTAKE SILENCE FOR ACCEPTANCE: Jon Lester may have been relatively quiet about his suspension -- which he chose not to appeal, mainly because the timing was such that the Red Sox won't have to bring up another pitcher to make a start in his place (thanks to today's off day) -- but that doesn't mean he agrees with it, or isn't angered by it. (Boston Herald)
THEY SAID IT: Best quotes from the whole thing:
-- "I believe that. I will agree with him. It’s true." -- Crisp, when told James Shields described his actions as "bush league" (projo.com)
-- "I don't think I had a very good case to appeal" -- Jonny Gomes, on why he accepted his five-game suspension (Tampa Tribune)
WHAT, DID YOU SLEEP THROUGH 2004? Last year the Red Sox skated through the season with relative ease, health-wise, and no one said a word. Now they've had some injuries so Bill Chuck of Foxsports.com's Dugout Central trots out "The Curse" as an explanation.
PROBLEM? WHAT PROBLEM? MAYBE YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM, BUT WE HAVEN'T GOT A PROBLEM: As expected, the Sox arrived at Fenway Park Friday insisting all was well between Ramirez and Youkilis, one day after their dugout contretemps was caught by the television cameras for all the world to see. Curt Schilling, in the middle of a newsy post that touches on a number of topics, calls the showdown "a TOTAL non-issue and an event that happens far far more than you ever see or hear about." (38pitches.com) Most of you agree. (Stories and surveys via projo.com)
Even so, Allan Wood says that if reports are true -- that it started because Ramirez was tired of Youkilis' complain-about-every-call, scream-obscenities-when-things-don't-go-his-way, slam-down-the-equipment-in-disgust-when-he-makes-an-out act -- then he's with Manny. "Yook's Paul O'Neill impersonations have always grated on me," he writes. (joyofsoxn.com)
PROBLEM? WHAT PROBLEM? MAYBE . . . OH, YOU ALREADY HEARD THIS: The Rays were saying the same thing after yesterday's battery, pitcher Matt Garza and catcher Dioner Navarro, exchanged words and then shoves in the dugout in the middle of their 6-3 loss to the Rangers. (St. Petersburg Times) The blog DRays Bay thinks the Rays are right in keeping things under wraps, and also comes to the same conclusion as everyone else: The culpable party here was Garza.
CELEBRITY IMPERSONATOR: My wife calls Joe Maddon "Spencer Tracy" because of the way those glasses make him look. Me, I'll start calling him "William Buckley" if he continues to say things like "The strike zone was slightly amorphic today." (St. Petersburg Times) (It probably was; the normally placid Eric Hinske got tossed for arguing a call with the plate umpire, James Hoye.) But the blog Ryan Goes To ASU is calling him "A.L. Manager of the Year."
BOSTON EAST: The Rays now head to Anaheim, and they've historically struggled there as much as they have at Fenway Park. (Tampa Tribune)
A DREAM COME TRUE, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE: Chris Carter's major-league debut Thursday -- as the Red Sox left fielder -- meant more to him than anyone could have known. He told McDonald that his father grew up as both a Red Sox fan and a Ted Williams fan, and his grandfather -- who's now blind -- was in the stands Thursday as his grandson played for his son's favorite team, in the position that was made famous by his son's hero.
BACK FOR SECONDS: Joba Chamberlain lasted almost twice as long in his second start as he did in his first and this time the Yankees won the game, 6-3 over the Royals. (New York Daily News) Not that Chamberlain had a whole lot to do with it -- the score was tied, 3-3, when he was lifted with one out in the fifth, having reached his pitch-count limit -- and the New York Post's Larry Brooks is looking forward to the day when pitch locations mean more than pitch counts. One good thing: Now Johnny Damon thinks Joba as a starter isn't such a bad idea, after all. (New York Daily News)
THE ORACLE: Jim Bouton once wrote that, in baseball, the more successful you are on the field the more people listen to you. They're hanging on Damon's every word now after he became only the second Yankee in history to get six hits in a nine-inning game in Saturday's wild 12-11 victory. (New York Daily News)
PARDON ME, DID YOU SAY SOMETHING? The Royals, on the other hand, are 24-39 so no one's paying attention when they speak. Good thing, because Yankee Universe might be a little rattled by their postgame review of Chamberlain: "Nothing special," "Just a guy throwing hard" and "Nothing we haven't seen before." (New York Post)
TAKE YOUR MEDICINE: Um, all you folks who were ready to bury Jason Giambi in April? Your order of humble pie is ready. (New York Post)
THE BLUEPRINT: Peter Abraham says the Yankees have been handed "an engraved invitation" to make a move in the A.L. East, and tells us why. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
'WE DON'T DO THAT HERE': And making a move is something Jorge Posada expects, because he says "rebuilding" is what they don't do. (yahoo.com) But the writer, Jeff Passan, isn't so sure. And another writer, Joel Sherman of the New York Post, says the Yankees better start wheeling and dealing if they hope to win this year.
THE BEAUTY OF THE INTERNET: About 60 folks who spend time on the LoHud Yankees Blog had a gathering with Abraham in Scranton the other day in which they watched Kei Igawa stifle the Syracuse Chiefs and raised some money for a cancer charity. "It was a real privilege for me to attend," said Pete.
AH, THAT HOME COOKIN': The Red Sox aren't the only team with a skewed home-and-road record. The New York Daily News reports that all across MLB home teams are winning at a record pace.
ALL IS FORGIVEN: We called out Jim Rice for abandoning his blog the other day, so what happens? He apologizes, then looks at home-road split from the other angle: How difficult it is to play on the road. And, no, before you get the wrong idea, I don't think I had anything to do with it.
LET'S SEE: Mark Cuban gets a look at the Cubs' books today as his bid to buy the franchise -- which may or may not be derailed by Bud Selig at the some point in the process -- continues. (Chicago Sun-Times)
HERE ARE WORDS YOU NEVER WANT TO SEE ATTACHED TO YOUR RESUME: Saying he "had disrespectful and adverse reactions to situations that were unbecoming of a teammate" -- don't quite know what that means, but it sure doesn't sound good -- the Rangers abruptly released Sidney Ponson late last week despite the fact that he was 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA and Texas, last in the majors with a team ERA of 5.10, isn't exactly rolling in pitching. (Dallas Morning News) Manager Ron Washington doesn't care; he says the team is better off without Ponson (Canadian Press), which makes you wonder exactly how onerous his behavior was. My guess: Very.
SO WHAT? HE CAN PITCH! None of that has stopped the Houston Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz from advocating the Astros snap up Ponson before someone else does.
SEASON-ENDERS: Like maybe the Indians and Tigers, both of whom are looking for pitching after Jake Westbrook (Tommy John surgery, story by Akron Beacon Journal) and Jeremy Bonderman (blood clot of the axillary vein due to thoracic outlet compression syndrome, story by Detroit Free Press) were declared finished for the year. The Free Press' Drew Sharpe says it's "important to look at [Bonderman's] injury less as another thing going wrong in a bad season and more that he's a lucky young man that a potentially life-threatening circumstance was discovered before something truly disastrous occurred."
LOCAL BOYS: The blog Outs Per Swing has labeled Warwick's Dan Wheeler 'Cardiac Dan' as he continues to close games for the Rays in Troy Percival's absence.
REALLY LOCAL BOYS: Three Rhode Islanders -- including one from the old alma mater, Cranston West -- were selected in the second day of the baseball draft. (projo.com)
THIS IS WHY YOU ALWAYS READ JOE POSNANSKI: Because in the middle of a post, he'll drop in a great story . . . like this one about how, in writing about a Kansas City golf tournament, he once inadvertently offended Jamie Farr and received three angry messages -- and a subsequent apology -- from Farr. (joeposnanski.com)
RARITIES: Barry Zito got the victory as the Giants beat the Nationals in Washington. (San Jose Mercury News)
WHISPERS: The Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers thinks the Mariners may shop Erik Bedard.
HERE AND THERE: Juan Rincon's job in Minnesota may be in jeopardy (St. Paul Pioneer Press) . . . As is Steve Trachsel's in Baltimore, especially after, the words of the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec, Trachsel "failed to close out an eight-run Orioles lead and appeared incredulous when Dave Trembley came to the mound to take him out" . . . Moises Alou says he's ready to return to the Mets' lineup on Tuesday (Journal-News) . . . Tuesday is also the day Matt Holliday returns to the Rockies (Rocky Mountain News) . . . Jake Peavy wasn't pleased with how his 61-pitch simulated game went last week, but he's still on pace to return to the Padres rotation Thursday (San Diego Union-Tribune) . . . Knee surgery will sideline the A's Mike Sweeney for four to six weeks (Costa Contra Times) . . . Chipper Jones' quest for .400 has been halted for a day or two by a slight tear in his right quadriceps. (espn.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Tony Clark's eighth-inning home run off Billy Wagner enabled the Padres to complete a four-game sweep of the Mets (San Diego Union-Tribune) . . . Eric Gagne isn't the only ex-Red Sox reliever struggling in the Milwaukee bullpen. But just as he did with Gagne, Brewers manager Ned Yost is standing behind Guillermo Mota. (mlb.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:30 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, June 6
SWING SHIFT: Let's start with the fight. (projo.com) That's what caught most everyone's attention.
Or maybe we'll start with the wrist injury to Jacoby Ellsbury, which is what most concerns the Red Sox.
No? How about the intramural dustup between Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis in the dugout, which had the Sox circling their wagons afterwards?
Oh, and there was a game in there: A 7-1 Boston rout that completed the Sox' second consecutive three-game sweep of the now second-place Rays.
On a normal morning, any one of those things -- accounts of each were written by Steven Krasner -- would be headline news. This time around? Take your pick.
Safe to say that on a night the Celtics and Lakers were across town, playing the opening game of the NBA Finals, the Red Sox and Rays did everything they could -- and then some -- to shift the spotlight away from the North End and back to the Fens.
The brawl, of course, is what's on everybody mind, and if we'd been paying attention -- actually, most of us were, so we did see it coming -- we'd have know what was in store after Wednesday night. Coco Crisp was defiantly unapologetic about his eighth-inning rumble into second base, claiming his actions were justified by the knee block of Tampa Bay shortstop Justin Bartlett in the sixth . . . something the Rays felt just as strongly was unworthy of Crisp's over-the-top reaction. The lack of any pregame conciliatory words from either corner -- when asked directly by Joe Castiglione if his team was "moving on," Rays manager Joe Maddon gave a non-answer that would have done a politician proud -- indicated that trouble was brewing.
It arrived in the second inning, when Rays starter James Shields plunked Crisp in the thigh with his second pitch. Crisp, who obviously came into this game loaded for bear, charged the mound, ducked a Shields punch, took one of his own (above), and we were off. Bob Breidenbach captured much of it in a series of photos.
Crisp absolutely got the worst of it, pinned by catcher Dioner Navarro, pummeled by a piling-on Jonny Gomes and punched, pinched and scratched at various points by Carl Crawford and Akinori Iwamura (among others; they were the ones we saw). He finally emerged with a cut on his cheek, bruises on his face and cheers in his ears, as the Fenway Park crowd reacted the way most fans do to these demonstrations of tribal solidarity: With great affection for their combatants and hateful contempt for the enemy. (Boston Herald) Ian Bethune's essential Sox & Dawgs has video of both the fight and of Crisp's postgame comments, in which he didn't exactly turn down the heat; he claimed the Rays fought "like a bunch of girls."
(So far, this is the only amateur video I've seen of the fight:)
As for the Rays, they were patting themselves on the back for standing tall and standing together. (Tampa Tribune) Shields all but guaranteed himself a suspension, and probably a lengthy one, by admitting he threw at Crisp intentionally, but he didn't care. "We’ve been getting stomped around the last 10 years and that’s not going to happen any more," he declared.
Well . . . maybe. They may have been losing for the last 10 years, but they've always been pretty feisty, especially against the Red Sox. (ProJo Sox Blog) And they, too, were lauded by their fan base, such as it is. The blog Rays Index crowed that Crisp "got what he deserved." Rays television announcer Joe Magrane piled on a bit, as well. (Joy of Sox)
But there was some sanity sprinkled into the madness. The cognoscenti at Sons of Sam Horn entitled their discussion "Coco Crisp Is Completely Insane." Also lost amidst the testosterone fest was the fact that the Rays pretty much ensured their defeat -- and a complete of the sweep in what they were calling a stand-up-and-be-accounted-for series against a rival they've never been able to beat on the road -- by having Shields throw at Crisp; his ejection meant the game had to be turned over to the bullpen for the last seven innings, with predictable results. DRaysBay pointed all that out, calling it "truly the lowest moment of the season, and for more than the result in the boxscore." The St. Petersburg Times' Gary Shelton agreed, noting: "Yep, the Rays showed those infernal Red Sox that they weren't going to take any guff. On the other hand, they also gave away their best shot at retaking first place. Forgive me for wondering, but isn't that the thing that is supposed to matter?" He also pointed out that Shields, Gomes and Crisp were all thrown out of the game and asked, "In what world would you ever trade Shields and Gomes for Coco Crisp?"
Good question. As a Red Sox partisan, that's a deal I do every time it's offered.
What was most interesting, to me, was what the Red Sox had to say -- and not say -- about Crisp's actions, both Wednesday and Thursday. Terry Francona, who normally stands shoulder to shoulder with all his players, couldn't back away fast enough Wednesday night, deflecting all questions by saying he was "in the bathroom" (he even mentioned something about his zipper) when the shouting match between Maddon and Crisp erupted. And he was just as vague when asked about the fight last night; the only thing close to pro-Red Sox/anti-Rays commentary out of him was when he mentioned that Crawford seemed a little overenthusiastic in the midst of it all. Both times, he tried to deflect attention off the topic by making some sort of joke about Brad Mills.
It's always dangerous to interpret people's words without really knowing what they think, but, hey, when has that ever stopped me? My take: It's not hard to conclude that the Red Sox actually agree with the Rays that Crisp shouldn't have done what he did, on either night, but can't say it -- and have to back him -- for obvious, team-related reasons. Take it for what it's worth.
So now what? We can be sure that suspensions -- and long ones, if the punishment to Matt Kemp for his row with Yorvit Torrealba is any indication (Los Angeles Times) -- will follow. To who? Crisp and Shields certainly. Gomes most likely (ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra expects Gomes "to see more Rays games via HD-TV than from the inside of a stadium for the foreseeable future"). Maybe even to Crawford. And others. Who knows?
And the funny thing is, that wasn't even the news of the night.
No, that -- from the Red Sox' point of view -- was the injury to Ellsbury, who rolled his wrist while making a diving catch in right-center field. (And not to beat a dead horse or anything, but if Crisp hadn't been tossed he'd have been in center field and Ellsbury would be just fine this morning.) The Sox didn't know last night exactly how serious it was; the hope is that it's not too bad and he won't be out more than a day or two, if at all. (Boston Globe) But it's potentially serious enough that they summoned Brandon Moss immediately after the game, shipping out Chris Carter moments after his two-hit, major-league debut. (projo.com) And long-term help could be rounding into shape, as Bobby Kielty looks like he's getting his stroke back after an injury-induced layoff. (projo.com) We'll know more today; check back this afternoon when news begins filtering in from Fenway.
As for Youkilis v. Ramirez, well, good luck trying to get anybody to say anything about that. Sox & Dawgs has video.
In the end, though, the Red Sox won and they're back in first place and that, says Julio Lugo, is what everybody should be focusing on. (Boston Herald)
It'd be a lot easier, Julio, if you guys would just stay on point.
(VERY) QUICKLY: Krasner calls days like yesterday "My Cousin Vinny days" -- "Let's see. How much [crap] can we pile on?" -- and Mr. Gambini would have been proud since it was also Draft Day. And one of the Red Sox' draftees was none other than our own Ryan Westmoreland, the pride of Portsmouth High. Joe McDonald has all the draft news, and projo.com's HS Gametime has plenty of news on Westmoreland. In the last month, John Gillooly has reported on how he became a hot item to major-league scouts, on an arm injury that knocked him off the pitching staff and his winning the Rhode Island Gatorade Player of The Year award for the second consecutive season.
AND FINALLY . . . Just as Sean McAdam reported two days ago, surgery is unlikely for David Ortiz. (Boston Herald)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 9:00 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, June 5
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
HAPPY TO BE HOME: At Fenway Park? Or in first place? Whichever one the Red Sox consider to be their true address doesn't really matter, because they're enjoying a bit of dual occupancy after last night's 5-1 dispatch of the Rays, which, as Sean McAdam notes, was their 12th straight win at Fenway . . . a streak, incidentally, that started with a three-game sweep of Tampa Bay on May 2-4. The Sox' home record is an incredible 23-5; more than anything, that's why they also sit atop the A.L. East standings this morning. Their road record being what it is (a not-so-incredible 14-20), it's hard to get worked up over being in first place, and by only half-a-game, at this stage of the season, especially since they still actually trail the Rays by a game in the loss column. (Baseball Musings' David Pinto, writing for sportingnews.com, examines why the Sox are so much better at home than on the road.) But you can only win the games in front of you; fixing their road woes is another task for another time. For now, it's home sweet home. In either location.
NOW, IF YOU WANT TO GET WORKED UP ABOUT SOMETHING . . . The juices were flowing last night not over the change in standings, but over a couple of plays at second base involving Coco Crisp that resulted in a clearly profane, on-field shouting match between Crisp (in the dugout) and Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon (on the mound for a pitching change). McAdam has the details of the incidents, which left Crisp with a bruised thumb and an angry disposition. (You can see video of it all at the blogs Sox & Dawgs and Bugs And Cranks.) The Rays weren't too happy, either (Tampa Tribune), though the Tribune's Carter Gaddis thinks Maddon's outburst was at least slightly calculated to light a fire under his sagging troops. In any case, both the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo and the Boston Herald's Karen Guregian think this could be the start of a true Red Sox-Rays rivalry.
WELCOME TO LIFE IN THE FAST LANE: To this point, the rivalry's been a bit one-sided; after the Rays "got [the Sox'] attention," in the words of Carl Crawford, with a three-game weekend sweep in St. Petersburg on April 25-27, the Red Sox have responded with five straight Fenway wins over the Rays and none of the games have really been that close. "Do woodsheds really come with leftfield walls this large?" asks St. Petersburg Times columnist Gary Shelton, who worries that "the last 48 hours look like a dandy piece of evidence for those who doubt whether this Rays' team can hold up over the summer, don't they?" Gaddis concurs, calling yesterday "one of the toughest days the Tampa Bay Rays have experienced during this coming-of-age season." It wasn't just the game defeat; the Rays also lost first baseman and middle-of-the-order bat Carlos Pena, who suffered a broken finger in Tuesday's game. (St. Petersburg Times)
AD INFINITUM: The list of blown home-run calls by umpires continues to grow, and the Sox were the victims last night. Steven Krasner relates how they missed a first-inning homer by Dustin Pedroia, huddling together before calling foul a ball that clearly passed to the left of the foul pole. Note to Bud Selig: Instant replay can't get here fast enough.
(Late note: Pinto, back on Baseball Musings, isn't sure the replay is as cut-and-dried as I've made it out to be. I don't know, David; I thought the ball disappeared as it went past the pole.)
TOUGH NIGHT ALL AROUND: Crisp's problems weren't limited to his dustups with Maddon, Jason Bartlett and Akinori Iwamura. As Krasner notes in his Inside The Game feature, he also committed a baserunning blunder in the sixth inning -- though, to be fair, he may still have been steamed over the incident with Bartlett a batter or two earlier -- that may have cost the Sox a run. Kraz also went inside the game to look at how locked in at the plate Manny Ramirez is at the moment, a pretty hit-and-run play executed by Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek, a rare stolen base by Eric Hinske that was the result of his familiarity with Josh Beckett, and how a couple of Tampa Bay hitters fared when they correctly guessed what Beckett was going to throw.
AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: McAdam has news of Curt Schilling throwing off the mound for the first time, a day earlier than planned.
JUST LIKE THEY DREW IT: It's taken over a year, but the Red Sox are finally seeing the J.D. Drew they thought they were signing. (Boston Globe) And in the nick of time, too, what with David Ortiz on the shelf.
NOW WHAT? Speaking of Ortiz, his injury has thrown into question his Home Run Derby participation at the All-Star Game in which a fan would get to call where Ortiz would hit the ball. (New York Times) MLB is seeking alternatives to save the promotion.
STAYING PUT: Krasner reports Justin Masterson will be sticking around awhile, presumably until Daisuke Matsuzaka comes off the disabled list. In the meantime, Clay Buchholz continues working his way back to Boston; last night he threw five solid innings in the PawSox' loss at Charlotte. (projo.com)
JUST LIKE HE WAS AS A PLAYER: All of sudden Jim Rice is silent on his blog.
DRAFT DAY: Used to be the annual baseball draft was the anonymous selection of no-names who, if they were lucky, might make it to the major leagues in four or five years . . . and it was treated as casually as one might expect. Not anymore. SI.com's Tom Verducci explains that "[given] the growing inefficiency of the free-agent market . . . the demise of the late-30s ballplayer, and the trend to tie young players to long-term contracts, you'd better get the draft right if you want to build a sustainable winner." And players picked now are making it to The Show far faster than ever before, as the 'Ol Towne Team -- bolstered by such recent picks as Masterson, Pedroia, Jacoby Ellbsury and friends -- can attest. And the 'Ol Towne Team has built itself into a sustainable winner mainly through the draft.
Which is why, as we mentioned yesterday, today might be the most important day of the year for a baseball organization. Baseball Analysts has a draft primer for the uninitiated. The best place to follow it is on MLB.com.
WE'RE NOT SAYIN': This year's first pick belongs to the Rays -- they choose in inverse order of last year's standings -- and they're mum about who they'll take. (mlb.com)
MAKING AMENDS: Dave Winfield had an idea to honor the last living members of the Negro Leagues, and MLB embraced it. In today's draft, each team will draft a former Negro Leaguer -- 30 in all -- and pay them a small stipend, thought to be about $5,000. (yahoo.com) It's a way to pay tribute to players who were barred from the big leagues in their primes, and SI.com's Jon Heyman says it's great.
MOVE OVER, MICK: Derek Jeter -- with what John Sterling called "a Jeterarian hit" to right-center -- passed Mickey Mantle and moved into third place on the Yankees' all-time hit list. (New York Daily News)
ANOTHER COUNTY HEARD FROM: Now it's Johnny Damon saying he doesn't think moving Joba Chamberlain to the starting rotation is such a good idea. (New York Daily News)
HOW CAN YOU LAUGH WHEN YOU KNOW I'M DOWN? Hank Steinbrenner channels Paul McCartney as he discusses the Yankees' state of affairs. (New York Post) But that won't stop him from talking contract with Brian Cashman. (nj.com)
COMINGS AND GOINGS: Jorge Posada is back, Bob Sheppard is about to return, but Jason Giambi is sidelined, at least temporarily, in the latest installment of As The Yankees Turn.
THE BOILING POINT: It was reached -- and passed -- in Seattle yesterday, where Mariners management staged a series of tirades that would have done Ozzie Guillen proud before and after the Mariners' 5-4 loss to the Angels. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) First the team president yelled at the coaches before the game. Then equipment, and a garbage can, were tossed around in the clubhouse after the game. Finally, manager John McLaren delivered an X-rated monologue in his 45-second postgame press conference that was reminiscent of someone asking Tommy Lasorda what he thought of Dave Kingman, or Larry Bowa about Cubs fans, or Earl Weaver about Terry Crowley. Still, the Seattle Times' Jerry Brewer thinks McLaren's outburst was "too thin, too late and too inconsequential . . . forced . . . a strange, calculated event." And it remains to be seen if the Mariner players -- accused by one of the newest team members, Carlos Silva, of being too selfish and only playing for themselves (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) -- respond in any way to all the theatrics. The Times' Larry Stone talks with general manager Bill Bavasi, who attempts to explain the depths of the organization's frustration.
NEVER SAY DIE: Season-ending shoulder surgery at age 41 would seem to spell the end. But while John Smoltz admits he may never pitch again, he also says he's going to do everything he can to try and get back on the mound. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
If he doesn't -- and the odds are pretty steep against it -- then one of the greatest pitchers of our generation has reached the end of the trail. A tip of the hat, John, for a wonderful career. If we don't see you in Atlanta next year, see you in Cooperstown in five.
GOING THE FULL NINE: Francisco Rodriguez says he wants to play nine more years, until age 35. (mlb.com) Or, rather: He wants to be a closer for nine more years.
CARRY ON WITHOUT US: ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra looks at teams that may be ready to assume the symbol-of-futility cloak if the Cubs actually win it all this year, then gives a forum to a Philadelphia writer who felt slighted that his team, and his city, weren't mentioned. Having retired from that discussion in October 2004, all I can say is: Thank God we don't have to think about things like that anymore.
ON THE MOVE: A few weeks ago the Brewers were floundering and Ned Yost's job security was in question. But now they're flying high, completing an 8-1 homestand with a 10-1 rout of the Diamondbacks. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
LOCAL BOYS: Paul Konerko hit a walkoff home run last night to give the White Sox a 15-inning win over the Royals. (Chicago Tribune)
HERE AND THERE: With the Padres going nowhere, a Chase Headley Watch may soon begin (Portland Tribune) . . . Esteban Loaiza is back with the White Sox (yahoo.com) . . . Former Royals first baseman Willie Mays Aiken is being released from prison (Kansas City Star) . . . The Giants now wonder if Noah Lowry, who underwent surgery in March for exertional compartment syndrome in his left forearm, will pitch at all this season (rotoworld.com) . . . The Cardinals may send Jason Isringhausen on a rehab assignment next week (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . Troy Tulowitzki thinks he's close to returning to the Rockies. (Denver Post)
OLD FRIENDS: Yesterday we were celebrating Casey Fossum's return to the major leagues. Today we're mourning the fact that he gave up four runs without recording an out in his Tigers debut (rotoworld.com) . . . Lenny DiNardo's been outrighted to Sacramento by the A's (rotoworld.com) . . . Nomar Garciaparra says doctors believe an unidentified blood-flow problem to his legs may be the cause of his frequent calf pulls (Los Angeles Times) . . . Our pal the Tao of Steib is learning to love David Eckstein.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:30 AM | 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
Baseball Today: Tuesday, June 3
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
BIG PROBLEM: David Ortiz normally points skyward in thanks, usually after hitting a home run (above). Now he -- and the Red Sox -- may instead be pleading for help. Yesterday's MRI revealed "a partially torn ECU (or extensor carpi ulnaris) tendon sheath in his left wrist," reports Joe McDonald, which placed Ortiz on the disabled list for what the team says is an indefinite period. But the co-author of Ortiz' autobiography, the Boston Herald's Tony Massarotti, lays out a grim scenario: A month's immobilization of the wrist, with season-ending surgery a possibility if rest fails to correct the problem. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo has a slightly more optimistic take, saying Ortiz will need two weeks in a soft cast and could be back in the lineup two weeks after that; he mentions surgery only as an after-the-season possibility, quoting Terry Francona as saying an operation in the near future is "highly unlikely."
Such reporting variance usually means the outlook is muddled and that no one really knows what the future holds. (Sean Casey, whose playing time figures to increase, worries that it won't hold good things for Ortiz, telling the Globe's Gordon Edes how important the wrists are to a hitter. And ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra notes that a similar injury ended Ken Caminiti's career.) But nature, and Red Sox Nation, abhors a vacuum, so my friends at Sons of Sam Horn and Royal Rooters -- along with our own Your Turn board and the folks at The Baseball Think Factory's Sox Therapy -- are discussing the issue as we speak, and one name continues to pop up, over and over and over:
Barry Bonds.
The blog LyfLines lays out the case for Bonds ("a perfect fit"), but wonders if the Sox have the "guts/brain/nerve/common sense/chutzpah/arrogance/what-have-you" to sign him. Lyford, I'd say that the attributes you lay out are mutually exclusive. Do they have the guts, the chutzpah, the arrogance? Sure. You'd need all that, and more, to sign Barry Bonds. But brains and common sense? Those gifts tell you to avoid Barry Bonds at all costs, at least for now.
First things first. We just don't know a) how long Ortiz will be out and b) how affected he's going to be by all this. Suppose Cafardo is right and Ortiz is back in the lineup, good as new, in a month? Then what do you do with Bonds? Bench him? Platoon him? (With who?) Release him? The only position Bonds can possibly play is left field, and that would give you a three-into-two LF/DH quandry with Bonds, Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. One of them would have to sit out every game. You might be able to do that in Strat-O-Matic or a fantasy league, but in real life? How do you think that's going to go over?
But here's a far more important piece. You'd have to be a Bill James Online subscriber to read them, but Bill James did two Bonds columns last week, pre-Ortiz injury. In the first of them, he states: "I don’t want anything to do with Barry Bonds. Why? Simple: I don’t believe in his future, I’m not convinced of his value in the present, and I’m not interested in the past." And the reason he doesn't believe in Bonds' present: "Bonds, in my view — like [Babe] Ruth in 1934 — has reached a point of such extraordinary narrowness of his skills that there is an imminent danger that the structure will simply collapse at any moment — as it did on Ruth in 1935."
Then, when called out on it, James explained further a few days later:
"[When] a player reaches the point where ALL that he does is hit, he is normally very near to the end . . . .if you look at old players who have a very high OPS and essentially no other skills, what happens to them is that they suddenly collapse. They go from 'valuable' to 'out of the game' or 'still in the game, but worthless' in one year." And he lists examples: Mark McGwire. Mike Schmidt, Willie Stargell. Henry Aaron. Willie Mays. Stan Musial. Ted Williams. Jackie Robinson. Joe DiMaggio. Hank Greenberg. Mel Ott. Indian Bob Johnson. Edgar Martinez. Even Jason Giambi, who, he points out "had an OPS of .971 [in 2006], one of the highest in baseball. In 2007 he suffered a dramatic dropoff. He may not be finished; maybe he’ll come back, but. . . . it wasn’t a good experience."
(It's all available in great detail in Bill James Online. If this doesn't convince you that the nominal subscription fee -- I believe it's $1 a month -- is worth it, nothing will.)
And one last thing: Bill James is a member of the Red Sox baseball-operations staff, so you know this viewpoint will be heard in organizational meetings in the days ahead.
Signing Barry Bonds right now, at this moment, is a panic move and we've seen where panic moves have gotten the Red Sox in the past. It led them to trade Josh Bard and Cla Meredith for Doug Mirabelli. It led them to bring in (the other) Javy Lopez as a backup catcher. One of the best things about the last two years is that the team has built such organizational depth that it's lessened the need for panic moves. Thanks to that depth, the Sox have other options; the blog Sox and Pinstripes lays them out.
Maybe it'll all change. Maybe two weeks of Sean Casey as DH, or of an everyday outfield of Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew (with Ramirez as the DH), will demonstrate the need for more offense. Maybe the news on Ortiz will get worse, and the team will decide it needs to find another big bat. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Don't make decisions based on maybes. It's June 3. There's plenty of time to decide what the right path should be.
Right now, Barry Bonds shouldn't be on that path.
AP Photo
AND IN KEEPING WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE NIGHT . . . Thanks to Hideki Okajima (above), the news about Ortiz didn't dampen the joy of a thrilling, come-from-behind victory. Instead, it merely deepened the gloom as Okajima, entrusted with a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth, allowed three singles, two walks and a bases-clearing double to the seven batters he faced and handed the Orioles a 6-3 victory. (projo.com) Why Francona left him in for seven batters when it was pretty obvious after three -- at the most -- that it wasn't his night is a matter that was trampled by the postgame news about Ortiz; nevertheless, that didn't stop our friends at SOSH from discussing it. Okajima told the Japanese media afterwards -- apparently, he didn't talk to American reporters -- that he was disappointed in his performance. (Boston Herald) That makes all of us, Hideki.
NO REST FOR THE WEARY: The Sox don't get the option of mourning Ortiz' loss. Tonight starts an A.L. East showdown with the Rays, who are anxious to prove themselves worthy of the first-place position they've been holding for the last week or two. (St. Petersburg Times) They're being fueled by their pitching (Tampa Tribune), and who thought we'd ever be able to say that about a Tampa Bay team? Orioles manager Dave Trembley told the Herald's John Tomase that the Rays are in it for the long haul -- "They're not going to go away . . . They're a good team" -- which means this is actually the first of several showdowns the Sox will be facing in the next four months. (They go to Tampa on June 30-July 1-2, and Sept. 15-17; after this series, the Rays make their final visit to Fenway on Sept. 8-10.) And even though the attendance figures at The Trop don't yet show it, excitement is mounting in central Florida if the blog Rays Index is any indication; they're already talking magic numbers. After last night's Red Sox loss, it's down to 99.
MASTERING THE MOMENT: McDonald reports that Justin Masterson, still unbeaten in the major leagues, will get the start for the Sox tonight.
GET THIS MAN A SCHEDULE: When Coco Crisp was seen packing his bags after Sunday's game, the whispers started. Had he been traded? Was he finally sick of his situation and jumping the team? It was none of that, McDonald discovered: Coco merely thought it was a three-game series and that the Sox were heading home Sunday night.
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: Ortiz is hurt. Sox cough one up in the late innings. And now comes word that Hazel Mae is leaving NESN. (projo.com)
NO HELP HERE: Don't count on Kyle Snyder to bolster the bullpen any time soon. Last night he apparently reinjured the groin strain that had him on the DL from May 16-27. (projo.com)
WHY, IN MY DAY . . . In his Historical Baseball Abstract books, Bill James used to run a series of quotes from retired players in each decade (heading: Old Ballplayers Never Die) saying how much better the game was when they played and how modern players couldn't hold a candle to the old-timers. Jim Rice made his bid for the next edition in a speech Monday when he trashed Manny Ramirez and said Jonathan Papelbon was the only member of the current Red Sox who could have cracked the starting lineup of the 1975 team. (watertowndailytimes.com)
IT'S STARTING: The angst about Joba Chamberlain's move to the starting rotation -- the "Who's gonna pitch the eighth??" wail from the keep-Joba-in-the-bullpen crowd -- is growing this morning after the dastardly Kyle Farnsworth turned a tie game into a Yankee loss in five pitches as Minnesota rallied past the Yanks, 6-5. (New York Daily News) Peter Abraham says don't blame Farnsworth; blame, instead, the guy who put him out there in the eighth inning despite the mountain of evidence that proves irrevocably that you can't trust Farnsworth to pitch with the game on the line. (LoHud Yankees Blog) Besides, says Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, the real culprit last night was Andy Pettitte, who couldn't hold leads of 2-0, 4-2 and 5-4.
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT: The guy who didn't pitch the eighth last night will be out there in the first tonight, making his starting debut. The Daily News' Mike Lupica says Joba Chamberlain now starts his attempt to live up to the hype. "They ask an awful lot of this kid," Lupica concludes. "Time will tell if they have asked too much."
HERE AND THERE: The focus on Ortiz kept me away from my normal Web-surfing spots and the deadline to upload this is here, but two last items: Ozzie Guillen and Ken Williams will attempt to clear some very thick air between them sometime today (Chicago Tribune), and Bill Hall has asked for a trade from the Brewers. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:46 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, June 2
AP Photo
TRIPLE THREAT: Pitching. Offense. Defense. That just about covers it in baseball, and when you have all three working then your problems -- which seemed so insurmountable at times last week -- melt away. Yesterday Bartolo Colon (above) took care of the pitching and his teammates took care of the rest as the Red Sox won their third straight in Baltimore, 9-4. Joe McDonald has the details of an afternoon in which things went so smoothly that even Julio Lugo ("Yes," writes Joe. "That Julio Lugo.") contributed with the glove. The Boston Herald's John Tomase focuses on the field work of Dustin Pedroia, who "made a trio of stellar defensive plays that left his uniform a nice shade of dirt ." They play the series finale tonight and, as the Boston Globe's Gordon Edes notes, a victory will enable the Sox "to break even on a 10-game trip that had appeared to be a disaster in the making when they lost five out of six on their first two stops."
Tomase reports that as Colon was walking back to the dugout after being lifted in the seventh inning, Orioles coach Juan Samuel told him, "You've got your (expletive) back." So, it appears, do the Red Sox.
AP Photo
THE DARK CLOUD AROUND THE SILVER LINING: But it's not all blue skies with the Sox these days, not with David Ortiz sitting on the bench, his left wrist in a brace. He said he felt a "pop" in the wrist when he fouled off a pitch in the ninth inning Saturday night (above) and the pain was such that he couldn't continue the at-bat. Nor, obviously, could he play yesterday. McDonald reports x-rays were negative but Ortiz will return to Boston for an MRI today. The Herald's Rob Bradford talks to J.D. Drew, who had a wrist injury in 2005, and who says, "Hopefully it’s nothing major. Wrists are tricky, man."
AP PhotoHISTORY MAJOR: But the big news of the weekend was Manny Ramirez, who finally reached the 500-homer plateau Saturday night in Boston's 6-3 victory. (projo.com) He'd said he wanted to do it at home, but with so many Sox fans at Camden Yards (above) it was the next-best thing. (When I called McDonald in the press box Saturday night after he'd done it, Joe was laughing. He reported that as Manny took the field in the middle of the seventh after hitting No. 500, the P.A. system starting playing Sweet Caroline and the scoreboard read something like, "Here's a treat for all you Red Sox fans here tonight." And then the music stopped abruptly and the scoreboard flashed: "NOT!") McDonald has many details from the milestone moment, including an interview with the Woo brothers, who caught the historic homer; the reaction of Sean Casey, who's now seen three players hit their 500th homer, and how Ramirez' teammates felt afterwards.
We even got to know how Ramirez felt about the whole thing because -- unlike years past -- he talks to reporters nowadays. And that, reports the Herald's Rob Bradford, is because of a decision Ramirez made over the winter to be more approachable and accessible. ("I decided that talking to the media wasn’t going to hurt.") The result is that the public now sees what only his teammates and friends used to see. Which is, as Kevin Millar told Tomase: "He’s got a uniqueness about him that’s easy to like when you get to know Manny. He’s very soft-hearted and a warm guy. Fans see that side of him now more than they did earlier in his career."
AND NOW? Baseball Musings' David Pinto believes Ramirez can reach 600 career homers, but wonders -- because "the [offensive] falloff we saw from Manny in 2007 appears to be real" --- if he'll still be with the Red Sox when he does.
THE REST OF THE STORY: This news-filled weekend began with a slump-busting, 5-2 win in 13 innings Friday night that, McDonald reports, had many facets besides seven scoreless innings from the bullpen (which he recounts in the game story): The contributions of Mike Lowell, both offensively and defensively; a running attack which set a franchise record for steals in a game, and even a defensive gem -- yes, again -- from Lugo. It wasn't all good, though; McDonald relates a busted suicide-squeeze attempt that cost the Sox a run and, it sounds like, swore Terry Francona off the play forever.
MOVING FORWARD: Craig Hansen delivered a scoreless inning in yesterday's game, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Prior to yesterday he had been the subject of a McDonald profile, in which Joe concluded: "[It] appears the hard-throwing right-hander has finally arrived."
FALLING BACK: Clay Buchholz, on the other hand, is back in the minors for a while, after his second rehab start for the PawSox didn't go too well. (projo.com)
THE VERDICT IS . . . It's old news now, but for the record: Daisuke Matsuzaka has a mild rotator-cuff strain. (projo.com)
REALITY STINKS (OR SOMETHING): The blog Oriole Post notes that the ratio of Red Sox fans to Oriole fans at Camden Yards was something like 80-20 this weekend, but puts the blame for it right at the organization's doorstep. ("[Ten] losing seasons, bad drafts, Peter Angelos, bad ushers at the Yard & horrible baseball have perhaps relegated a lot of Baltimore fans to stay home.")
MY HERO: Canadian high schooler Brett Lawrie, who's projected to go in the top 15 in Thursday's draft, says Dustin Pedroia is his role model. (baseballanalysts.com)
TOOL SHED: Joe Posnanski has a post about "how scouts judge players’ tools (hitting, power, speed, defense, arm) on that famed 20-80 scale" and does a Royals-Red Sox comparison that, ah, definitely favors Boston. (joeposnanski.com)
TREADING WATER: But the Sox, despite their string of success in Baltimore, haven't been able to gain any ground on the first-place Rays, who -- reports Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune -- are riding the destiny train after Gabe Gross' 10th-inning homer gave them their third straight win over the White Sox. Making it especially special for Gross: His parents and grandmother were there to see it. (Tampa Tribune) One reason for the Rays' success, writes the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin, is the team's unprecedented amount of depth.
SLOW DOWN THAT BANDWAGON, I WANT TO JUMP ON: Joel Sherman, writing on foxsports.com, is the latest to declare the Rays are for real.
THINK AGAIN: Ozzie Guillen went off after yesterday's loss, telling the media to expect changes before the White Sox' next game Tuesday because "[if] we think we are going to win with the offense we have, we are full of [bleep]." (Chicago Sun-Times) And, of course, when Ozzie Guillen says something controversial, can Jay Mariotti resist the temptation to unload? (Chicago Sun-Times) (That, folks, is Webster's definition of a rhetorical question.)
BULLET DODGED: It looked far worse than it actually ended up being; when Nick Blackburn lay spreadeagled on the mound after taking a Bobby Abreu liner off the face, you couldn't help but fear the worse. But Blackburn was okay -- he had to come out of the game, but didn't suffer as much as a broken bone (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) -- and the Twins went on to beat Darrell Rasner and the Yankees, 5-1. (New York Daily News) Abreu was relieved Blackburn wasn't hurt badly (LoHud Yankees Blog), as were we all.
CHANGES: When last we saw Morgan Ensberg, he was doing a guest spin on Phil Hughes' blog. Today he's an ex-Yankee, designated for assignment so the Yanks could recall Scott Patterson. (New York Daily News)
MARTYRDOM: Let's see. Scott Proctor threw at Kevin Youkilis' head last June and got away with it. Joba Chamberlain threw twice at Youkilis' head last August and was suspended. Chien-Ming Wang hit Youkilis in the wrist last September and knocked him out of the lineup for over a week. Kyle Farnsworth threw at Manny Ramirez' head in April and got suspended. But the blog IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS . . . caught says the pro-Red Sox/anti-Yankee persecution reaches all the way down to the minor leagues.
MARK IT DOWN: Willie Randolph thinks last month's Yankees-Mets rainout will be made up on Friday, June 27 as a day-night, Yankee Stadium/Shea Stadium doubleheader. (New York Daily News)
I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING, BUT I'M SORRY I DID: Even though Gary Carter continues to insist he wasn't politicking for the Mets' managing job, he says he plays to apologize to Willie Randolph for the controversy his comments caused. (Palm Beach Post)
LATE THUNDER: The Rays weren't the only team to win in their last at-bat yesterday. Both the Angels (Los Angeles Times) and the Tigers (Detroit News) did it, as well.
SAY AGAIN?? According to Cecil Cooper, home runs when you're trailing in a game are rally-killers. (Houston Chronicle) Our friends at Fire Joe Morgan are speechless.
ON THE MOVE: Tigers manager Jim Leyland has decided to shift Carlos Guillen from third base to left field on occasion to get Brandon Inge more playing time. (Detroit Free Press)
HOLLIDAY TIME NEARS: The Denver Post's Woody Paige, declaring the Rockies' season to be over, says the Rox should trade Matt Holliday because if they don't, they'll get nothing in return when he leaves via free agency at the end of 2009.
HERE AND THERE: Mark Prior will undergo his second season-ending shoulder operation in two years. (San Diego Union-Tribune) Pinto believes it's time for Prior to hang up the spikes and start a new career . . . John Smoltz is altering his arm angle and moving to the bullpen because he says that, at age 41, he knows time is running out on his big-league career and these are the only things he can do if he wants to keep pitching (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Giants' Shawn Estes fractures the thumb on his pitching hand when he tripped on the stairs between the visiting clubhouse and dugout Friday night, and will be out indefinitely. (San Francisco Chronicle)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:17 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, May 30
ONE AND DONE? Justin Masterson's stay in Pawtucket might not be a long one, not with the Red Sox probably in need of another starter next Tuesday. If so, his first appearance at McCoy Stadium -- which he made last night against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (above) -- might be his last, at least for a while. And he made it a memorable one, reports Shalise Manza Young, throwing six strong innings in what everyone assumes was a tuneup for a start against the Rays at Fenway Park next week. Masterson and PawSox manager Ron Johnson review the performance (favorably, of course) and Johnson, for good measure, also gives a thumbs-up to a batch of butterscotch-oatmeal cookies baked by Masterson's wife. She apparently enjoys delivering cookies to the clubhouse of whatever team her husband is with; she could be dropping some off in Boston in five days.
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE: Rumors are flying that Jeff Bailey might be joining the Red Sox for their weekend series in Baltimore; Joe McDonald reported them Wednesday and the Boston Globe's Gordon Edes repeated them today. We'll find out this afternoon sometime whether or not they're true, and if they are Bailey made his farewell to McCoy -- temporary though it may be -- one for the books. Young relates he had his second two-home-run game of the homestand in the PawSox' 5-2 win, and also had two pitches thrown behind his head by Scranton/WB starter Dan McCutchen. That little bit of Red Sox/Yankee nastiness earned McCutchen and his manager, Dave Miley, the 'ol heave-ho.
NOT SO MIGHTY 'PEN: Both the Globe's Amalie Benjamin and the Boston Herald's Jeff Horrigan look at the Red Sox' bullpen deficiencies. Benjamin's story is centered entirely on the relief corps, while Horrigan examines them as part of a review of the entire pitching staff.
SPEAK FOR YOURSELF: Javy Lopez, however, has been doing his job as a LOOGY -- Left-Handed One-Out GuY, for those of you unaware with the term (though I doubt many people here fit that description) -- to perfection. (Not that Terry Francona only uses him for a batter at a time, but he's been much better against left-handers this year than he was in 2007.) He talks about his season with Joe Haggerty on the Hacks With Haggs blog.
NO JOSHING AROUND: The Herald's Michael Silverman says now that Daisuke Matsuzaka may be sidelined for a while, it's time for Josh Beckett to step up and start pitching like an ace again.
WRONG COUNT: Baseball Musings' David Pinto examines Matsuzaka's game logs and concludes the Red Sox are "more interested in limiting his innings than his pitches," since Matsuzaka's highest pitch-count games have come in those instances when he's walking a lot of batters. Pinto sees walks as a sign that a pitcher's mechanics may be off; bad mechanics, he adds, may be a sign of fatigure, and fatigue can lead to injury.
HOP ON BOARD, BREWERS FANS: You may have seen this yesterday on this very blog, but Julian Tavarez forgot his World Series ring in his locker at Fenway Park after being let go by the Red Sox (Madison Times). Deadspin's Will Leitch, who's a Cardinals fan, says Sox and Cards fan alike have "ridden the Julian Tavarez crazy train."
UNFRIENDLY CONFINES: Baltimore -- where he hasn't hit a home run since May 16, 2006 -- might not be the best place right now for Manny Ramirez as he sits one homer away from No. 500. (Boston Herald)
'OUR JOB IS KEEPING THEM QUIET' That's new Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail challenge to his players since "so many people [come to Camden Yards] rooting for the Yankees and Red Sox." (Baltimore Sun) So far, so good; the O's are 6-2 against the Sox and Yanks in Baltimore this year, with Boston in town for a four-game series starting tonight.
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY: Word came down yesterday that Troy Percival's hamstring injury isn't considered serious. But the Rays placed him on the disabled list anyway (St. Petersburg Times), and the Tampa Tribune's Joe Henderson says it's a good idea "because that's what a team looking at the long haul does".
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW THIS? Trying to figure out when national baseball columnists, like the Philadelphia Daily News' Paul Hagen, were writing about the Rays at the beginning of June? "Never" would be my guess.
OR THIS? The blog Rays of Light is guiltily, but giddily, looking ahead to potential playoff previews.
NOT TO ME, THEY'RE NOT: The Hardball Times' Geoff Baker doesn't include the Rays in his look at early-season surprises.
TAKE YOUR PICK: You can either choose to believe that the Yankees' pilot light has been extinguished (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) or that they're just a hot streak away from another late playoff run. (New York Observer) The Star-Tribune's case, I have to say, would carry more weight if it hadn't described the Horace Clarke Era as being in the mid-1970s. As we well know around here, Clarke was long gone by then and the Yankees won the pennant in 1976 and the World Series in 1977 and '78.
CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM: The New York Daily News' Mark Feinsand warns that Joba Chamberlain won't "rule their starting rotation - at least not yet."
STOKE YOUR ENTHUSIASM: Jorge Posada says he's almost ready to rejoin the Yanks. (New York Daily News) And Hank Steinbrenner says he still has high hopes for Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. (New York Post)
KID TROUBLES: The Yankees are having more disciplinary problems with 19-year-old Trenton outfielder Jose Tabata. (nj.com)
'RUE-LESS JOE': Love that New York Post headline about Joe Torre, who's back in the Big Apple with the Dodgers and who couldn't have made it clearer that the Yankees are in his rear-view mirror. The blog River Ave. Blues makes it just as clear that the feeling is mutual on the other side of the fence: "I loved Joe in New York, and I think it’s too bad that he couldn’t still be around to manage the team into the new stadium. But I still think it was the right move for him and the Yanks to part ways."
WAKE UP, SMELL COFFEE: It appears Willie Randolph may be ready to pull the plug on Carlos Delgado, at least as an everyday player. (New York Post)
WAVING THE CAP: In a fascinating look at the salary-cap structure in the four major sports, Mark Cuban concludes MLB and the NFL can survive without a salary cap, but it's necessary in the NBA and NHL. (blogmaverick.com) Why? Because for a sport to survive without a cap "it must be a [sport] where it takes more than 1 or 2 players to lead a team to a championship. Otherwise, the richest teams can just buy those 2 players, with a 3rd as insurance, which means the competitive balance of the league is purely dependent on finances. That is not a good position to be in." While you may dismiss these as simply the musings of an NBA owner, ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra thinks Cuban may end up owning the Cubs when all is said and done.
LOSS LEADER: It's now 11 losses in a row (and counting) for the Royals, and as a result Joe Posnanski is back writing for the Kansas City Star. (His editor is one smart cookie; I'll have to remember her tactics.) The losing streak has resulted in Billy Butler being sent to the minor leagues and Jose Guillen offering to step into the role of Team Leader, which must have heads shaking and tongues wagging from Anaheim to Washington to Seattle. (Both stories Kansas City Star.)
THE RACE IS ON: It appears Jake Peavy will get back to the mound faster than Chris Young as the two Padre aces recover from their respective injuries. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
SO WHO'S WILLIE AND THE DUKE? The Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon says Josh Hamilton is the modern-day Mickey Mantle, from his on-field talents to his substance-abuse problems.
LOCAL BOYS: Pinto fingers the struggling Paul Konerko as one of the reasons that offense in the American League is down. But he had a good game last night against the Rays, and if he begins to hit more like Paul Konerko that bodes very well for the surprising White Sox.
HERE AND THERE: Time to start a Chipper Jones Watch? He's now hitting .420 after going 2-for-4 yesterday (mvn.com) . . . John Smoltz says his rehab is coming along nicely (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Wrigley Field is one of the spots under consideration for an outdoor NHL game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Aaron Harang's four sterling innings in the 17-inning game at San Diego Sunday came back to bite both him and the Reds yesterday (mlb.com) . . . Randy Johnson tied Roger Clemens for second place on the all-time strikeouts list last night (mlb.com) . . . The Mariners eventually plan to put Brendan Morrow in the starting rotation, but his bullpen success so far means in probably won't happen this year. (Seattle Times)
OLD FRIENDS: Phil Dumatrait pitched what was, perhaps, the game of his career as he led the Pirates over the team that released him last year, the Reds (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Rudy Seanez may not have pitched forever -- it only seems that way -- but it's been 17 years in the big leagues now and he credits martial arts for his longevity. (Philadelphia Daily News)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:51 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, May 29
AP Photo
JOURNEY TO NOWHERE: Not that it's a state secret or anything, but we introduced some numbers last week showing that the Red Sox are a different team offensively away from Fenway Park than they've been in Boston. Just six days later, it appears there's as much "insight" in that observation as in noting that the sky is blue, or rain falls down. These Sox appear to be on nothing less than a season-long quest to redefine the term Offensively Inept On The Road, as evidenced by last night's 1-0 loss to the Mariners. It was the second time they'd been shut out in the six games of this road trip -- record in those six games: 1-5 -- and Sean McAdam trots out some ghastly statistics: 14 runs scored in the six games, .169 batting average, grand total of three hits in the two shutout losses. I can trot out some ghastlier ones: a road OPS that's exactly 100 points lower (.757 to .857) than it is at home, an OPS-plus of 114 at Fenway Park and a Manny Alexander-like 88 on the road. (baseball-reference.com) Surviving Grady's question from last Sunday still rings true today.
Or maybe it's best to be philosophical about the whole thing. Like The Soxaholix.
THE GOOD NEWS: The offense should get a boost when they resume play tomorrow in Baltimore because Kevin Youkilis will return to the lineup. His recovery from some right-hand inflammation is at the top of McAdam's notebook.
THE NOT-SO-GOOD NEWS: It's a day later and the Sox still don't know exactly what's wrong with Daisuke Matsuzaka's shoulder. So, reports McAdam, they're sending him back to Boston for an MRI.
NO, IT IS GOOD NEWS: The Boston Herald's Michael Silverman says a little time off would be a good thing for Matsuzaka, as indeed for almost any pitcher. And he points out the team has been superb in managing their workloads because "[saving] bullets, so their pitchers still have some and some with pop, for a seven-month season is the name of the game for the Red Sox."
THE DOMINO EFFECT: With Matsuzaka almost certain to miss his next start -- even if Francona wouldn't say so -- the Sox began some organizational shifting to get ready. Joe McDonald reports Justin Masterson's first start at Pawtucket is being pushed up two days, from Saturday to tonight, which would put him in line to pitch Tuesday in Boston. Matsuzaka's next scheduled start is Monday but, because of today's off-day, Tim Wakefield can pitch Monday on normal rest.
GO WITH THE FLOW: McDonald talked to Masterson about the whole thing and he expressed confidence in the way the team has handled him so far. "They know what they’re doing," he said of the Red Sox’ philosophy. "You have to buy in and know what they’re doing is to help you." That was in contrast to, say, Jon Lester, who chafed at the organization's pitch-count restrictions while he was working his way back to the big leagues last year. (McDonald quotes PawSox manager Ron Johnson as saying taking Lester out of a start when he'd reached his pitch-count limit "was never a delightful situation. It was like sticking a finger in your eye.")
MASTERSON? WHY NOT CLAY BUCHHOLZ? Because his next scheduled start is Friday, and he won't be ready to pitch either Monday or Tuesday.
STOLEN MEMORIES: I know it's been a long time since I thought of Patsy Dougherty or Heinie Wagner. But Jacoby Ellsbury brought them back to life last night when he stole his 20th base of the season, tying him for fifth place on the list of most steals by a Red Sox rookie. (projo.com)
DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY: Manny Ramirez remains as carefree as ever one home run away from No. 500. (Boston Globe)
STILL GOING: The Rays, meanwhile, increased their lead to 1 1/2 games with a 5-3 win over the Rangers that was tempered somewhat by a hamstring injury to closer Troy Percival. (Tampa Tribune)
ALWAYS SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT: You'd think a team that's enjoying first-time success, like the Rays, would be basking in compliments. But the blog Beyond The Box Score is wondering what's wrong with Carl Crawford.
THAT DAMN OPEC: More W's in the standings have yet to translate into more fannies in the seats for the Rays, and a AAA spokesman thinks high gas prices are to blame. (newsadvance.com)
PRESENT . . . Andy Pettitte got the win and Mariano Rivera got the save -- just like old times -- in the Yankees' 4-2 win over the Orioles. (New York Daily News)
. . . AND FUTURE: All signs point to Joba Chamberlain making his starting debut for the Yanks next Tuesday. Guess Graig Nettles didn't get the memo; he wants to keep Joba in the bullpen. (Both stories New York Post)
SPORTS PARENTING: Ian Kennedy, as expected, is headed to the disabled list (New York Daily News), where he joins fellow phenom Phil Hughes. But the Post's George King says this still isn't necessarily a lost year for them. It all goes to show, points out Peter Abraham, that "[this] 'develop the kids' stuff is hard work." (LoHud Yankees Blog)
SETTING A DATE: Bob Sheppard, giving an interview to BustedHalo.com, says he hopes to be back behind the Yankee Stadium microphone by July 1.
SEE, SOME GOOD DID COME OUT OF IT: If nothing else, the Yankees' signing of Kei Igawa has bolstered Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's starting rotation. (projo.com)
PICK SIX: The Yankees are letting fans vote which six games should be included on the soon-to-be-released Essential Games of Yankee Stadium DVD. And no, don't think you can flood the ballot box with votes for Games Six or Seven of the 2004 ALCS; the games have been pre-selected and you have to choose from a list.
YANKED AROUND: A self-proclaimed "diehard Yankees fan" says the team reneged on its promise to give him 15 All-Star Game tickets in exchange for a pair of home-run balls he caught during a game last year. (New York Post) The Yankees say they promised nothing of the sort.
BRING IT ON, ROCKET: ShysterBall's Craig Calcaterra explains in great -- and glorious -- detail why any defense lawyer with two brain cells firing would be drooling in joyous anticipation at sinking his or her teeth into Roger Clemens' "intentional infliction of emotional distress" claim in Clemens' defamation lawsuit against Brian McNamee.
AND IN THE MEANTIME . . . Mindy McCready is singing to the FBI. (New York Daily News)
I BEG YOUR PARDON? The Daily News' Filip Bondy can't believe some of the crowd totals being released by the Mets, who, he says, have "successfully . . . taken over the lead [from the Knicks] for fabricating attendance figures."
HOWEVER MANY WERE THERE SURE ENJOYED THIS ONE: Regardless of the actual attendance, the fans at Shea were smiling at the end of last night's 12-inning win over the Marlins. (New York Times)
WE DID HIM RIGHT: Omar Minaya defends the Mets' handling of Ryan Church. (New York Times)
LIEUTENANT INTANGIBLES: Derek Jeter's the captain of that outfit, so we'll have to assign the lower rank to David Eckstein. He's back in action with the Blue Jays (Toronto Star), even though the Tao of Stieb didn't particularly miss him and didn't seem to want him back in any hurry. And Baseball Musings' David Pinto points out that the Jays are 13-18 when Eckstein plays and thinks certain members of the Toronto media are "Jeterating" Eckstein.
Come on. You remember.
DEFEND YOUR POSITION: Joe Posnanski put forth the opinion the other day that Ron Gardenhire is the best manager in baseball. When the inevitable protests arrived, Joe admitted that Gardenhire may only look good in comparison to the Royals managers he's been watching up close for the last 12 years. Particularly Trey Hillman.
TOP OF THE HEAP: Foxsports.com's Tracy Ringolsby. on the other hand, throws some love to Bobby Cox, one of the most overlooked great managers of all time.
IT WAS COMING: The Royals' recent run of frustration continued last night when they blew a five-run, ninth-inning lead and lost to the Twins (Kansas City Star), which prompted the first blowup of the season from the tightly wound Jose Guillen. (royalsblog.kansascity.com)
YOU CAN'T FIRE ME, I QUIT! Even though neither one of them is playing at the moment, both Bret Boone and Sammy Sosa announced their retirements yesterday. (Both stories espn.com)
CHUMP CHANGE: Pete Rose now says he wagered "like $2,000 . . . that's it" on every Reds game while he was their manager. (si.com)
AND IN THE "THERE'S ALWAYS A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING" CATEGORY . . . A minor-league game in Omaha was suspended because of a hydrochloric acid leak. (AP via Yahoo!)
KONG AVERSION: The Sporting News' Gerry Fraley thinks the Phillies are doing the right thing by not signing Ryan Howard to a long-term contract because he's "increasingly becoming a Dave Kingman-esque, one-note player."
HERE AND THERE: The Twins may be shopping Livan Hernandez (St. Paul Pioneer Press) . . . The struggling Vladmir Guerrero was given the day off by Mike Scioscia (Los Angeles Times) . . . Mark Cuban may be able to buy the Cubs, after all. (Chicago Sun-Times)
OLD FRIENDS: The Cleveland-based blog WaitingForNextYear thinks it's time for the Indians to find out what they have in Andy Marte . . . Pedro Martinez threw six innings in a rehab start for Port St. Lucie last night. (New York Post)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:41 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 28
AP Photo
THERE ARE LOSSES, AND THEN THERE ARE LOSSES: The routine ones -- like last night's 4-3 defeat at the hands of the bottom-of-the-heap Mariners -- you can live with, no matter how gut-wrenching they may be . . . and, as Sean McAdam reports, this one was pretty gut-wrenching. (To wit: Losing on a two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth single.) But the big loss for the Red Sox last night wasn't in the standings. It was Daisuke Matsuzaka (above) having to leave the game in the top of the fifth inning because of "shoulder fatigue." Bill James once wrote that caution flags should fly when teams describe injuries in such vague terms, because what it actually means is, "He's hurt and we don't know why . . . and if we don't know why, we can't fix it." They'll attempt to get a more specific diagnosis today, but both Matsuzaka and Terry Francona were saying last night that Dice-K's next scheduled start -- at least -- is in question.
So what does it all mean? Well, for one thing, it looks like Clay Buchholz' stay in Pawtucket will be a short one. And for another, it just goes to show that the old saying -- the minute you think you have too much pitching is when you should go out and get some more -- rings true every time.
AP Photo
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE . . . No one would ever accuse ex-Red Sox television broadcaster Sean McDonough of being a FOU (Friend of Umpires). He would routinely lambast the men in blue, more over their imperious attitudes than their actual job performance (though he didn't like that, either), and during a broadcast on May 31, 1998, he articulated his complaint against them in 23 words:
"In addition to being incompetent at their jobs, they're also combative, arrogant, and they create more problems than they solve on the field."
(Back in a former life, when I was the author of a daily blog known as Art's Notebook, I wrote it down.)
With all that in mind, may we present Angel Hernandez.
It's not that Hernandez is incompetent at his job -- he's actually known as a pretty good umpire (though the blog spudart.com might disagree) -- but combative? Arrogant? Creating more problems than he solves? Hernandez is a three-tool ump in those categories, and they were all on display last night in his inexplicable mid-inning ejection of Julio Lugo, which was followed soon afterwards by the tossing of Terry Francona (above). McAdam reports Lugo insists he did absolutely nothing to warrant getting thrown out -- he said Hernandez was staring at him, and gave him the thumb when he asked why he was looking at him -- and Francona (an "exasperated Francona," according to McAdam), said, "I wouldn't know where to begin" when asked for an explanation of what happened.
McAdam notes that Hernandez and Lugo have a history -- in April 2007, Hernandez denied Lugo's routine request for time out while he was in the batter's box and the Orioles' Daniel Cabrera delivered a strike after Lugo had stepped out; Lugo made some harsh comments afterwards (Boston Herald) -- and it couldn't be that Hernandez still remembers that. Could it?
The incident is already drawing commentary -- none too complimentary towards Hernandez -- in the blogosphere, on sites such as Sports of Boston and bleacher report. One of the more, ah, interesting takes on the incident is bleacher report's conclusion that subsequent in-game successes by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez were a result of their wanting "to take a stand for their Latin American teammate and friend!" Uh, yeah, whatever.
In any case, I'm sure we'll hear more about all this. But maybe all we needed to know was said almost 10 years ago to the day:
"In addition to being incompetent at their jobs, they're also combative, arrogant, and they create more problems than they solve on the field."
Protesters to the contrary? Your point of view was made a lot harder to defend last night.
LOOK OUT BELOW: Worried about Julio Lugo's defense but heartened by his offensive resurgence? Allan Wood says that train's about to come rolling to a stop, too, and tells us why on his Joy of Sox blog.
NOT HERE: McAdam has an interesting piece on why the Red Sox aren't following the crowd in the new baseball practice of tying up young players to long-term deals.
STAR POWER: The Red Sox have the leading vote-getters at five of the nine positions as the first results of All-Star voting were released yesterday. McAdam reports Francona thinks it's "kind of a reward for the team’s success and their personal success."
The game, of course, will be played at the soon-to-be-closed Yankee Stadium and Francona probably hits the nail right at the head when he muses, "I can’t imagine a lot of (New York) fans will be thrilled that I’m sitting in the dugout." As for the Yankees, they hope their fans will start stuffing the ballot boxes soon so as many Yanks as possible can start in the game. (New York Post) Well, okay, they didn't use those words exactly, but that's what they meant. Wait a minute, I take that back; Derek Jeter did use those words. (New York Daily News)
DUSTIN FOR THE DEFENSE: Baseball Musings' David Pinto uses a nice play by Dustin Pedroia Monday night as a jumping-off point for a discussion on defensive range and positioning. On a somewhat related defensive note: I'm a subscriber to Bill James Online and among the treasure trove of information available are in-season fielding statistics from John Dewan's The Fielding Bible. Those stats rank Pedroia as the fourth-best defensive second baseman in baseball, through Monday's games. More accurately, it ranks him fourth in "the number of plays the player made, above/below the number that the average fielder would make."
POWERFUL FEAR: The sudden death of former Red Sox and PawSox pitcher Geremi Gonzalez when he was struck by lightning prompted Joe McDonald to ask some Pawtucket players about their experiences with lightning on the playing field. Some of them, like Charlie Zink, head to the dugout as soon as they see the first bolt in the distance.
DIRT DOG UPDATE: Trot Nixon is toiling away in Tucson, hoping someone notices and gives him a big-league job. (AP via Canadian Press)
NASTINESS IS ITS OWN REWARD: Joe Posnanski discovered that only three teams -- the Red Sox, Yankees and Phillies -- have not had an eight-game losing streak since 2002 and, noting that the teams play in the three most intense baseball cities in the country, wonders if "booing fans, the angry media, the intensive talk shows, the angry Internet boards . . . keep the players a bit more on edge."
OR AT LEAST THEY HOPE SO IN WISCONSIN: Sounds like Brewer fans are emulating their Boston/New York/Philadelphia brethren, if their letters to SI.com's John Donovan are any indication.
THE FIRST SIGN OF SUCCESS: The Rays are beginning to attract bandwagon followers. Among the first: The blog RaysGeek, previously known as MetsGeek. ("Unlike the Mets, we’ll never let you down. Because if the Rays’ season takes a turn for the worse, you can bet that we’ll be ready to jump ship again.") Its readers are thrilled, mainly because, as one wrote, "Finally I can root for [Scott] Kazmir without a guilty conscience."
SOMETHING'S IN THE AIR: The Red Sox weren't the only team who lost a pitcher last night. Ian Kennedy strained his right lat muscle in his start against the Orioles (New York Daily News), which may force the Yankees' hand with Joba Chamberlain. And the Sox weren't the only team suffering a gut-wrenching loss, either. The Yankees gave up two runs in the bottom of the 11th, after taking the lead in the top of the inning, and lost to the O's, 10-9, in a rain-delayed affair. (New York Post) Whipping boy LaTroy Hawkins was the loser (New York Daily News), but Peter Abraham says there was plenty of blame to go around in this one. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE? The blog Bugs and Cranks lists the only possible reasons Hawkins is still a Yankee. Me, I vote for "accepting money under the table from other A.L. East teams."
IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS . . . CAUGHT: There's actually a Yankee blog named for John Sterling's occasional misspeaks, and it must be proud today. Newsday's Neal Best reports Sterling had a memorable Memorial Day weekend when it came to on-air blunders. It started with the understandable, and forgivable, flubbing of the end of a recent game against Seattle when plate umpire Larry Vanover mistakenly rang up Jose Vidro for the final out when, in fact, it was only the second strike of the at-bat. (What was that we said a few steps back about "incompetent at their jobs" . . . ?) But I would have loved to have heard this one:
"Here is Molina. Matsui at second with two out. The pitch swung on and hit in the air to right center. Ichiro going back, a way back in deep right center. It lands for a base hit! How do you like that? Matsui scores, Cano goes to second with a double. Oh, it's a ribbie double by Robbie Cano, don't you know, and the Yankees take the lead! A ribbie for Robbie! . . . Excuse me, that's Molina. What am I talking about?"
Late update: Here's the audio, spliced into the game video, via dailymotion.com:
I don't mean to be harsh on Sterling; I actually think he's a good announcer and he makes the game entertaining. But when he begins trotting out his catch phrases ("Robbie Cano! Doncha know!") for the wrong guy, it sort of like setting off fireworks at the wrong time. All you can do is laugh.
ROCKET'S MAN: Roger Clemens may be gone, but he's still texting pitching advice to the grateful Joba Chamberlain. (USA Today)
THE SAGA CONTINUES: Clemens is now accusing Brian McNamee "of intentionally inflicting [him] with emotional distress." (Houston Chronicle)
THIS IS WHY WE GOT HIM: The Daily News' Filip Bondy lauds Johan Santana for coming through last night when the Mets most needed him.
YOU DON'T RIDE A HORSE TO WORK, DO YOU? No? Then why, asks FoxSports.com's Michael Rosenberg, should anyone want to stand in the way of progress and be against instant replay in baseball?
QUIT WORRYING: Red Sox fan Russ Smith, writing on the blog splicetoday.com, says all this talk about instant replay and long games is all a bunch of hooey. Baseball, he asserts, is "continually evolving . . . and interest hasn’t diminished."
FROM PROSPECT TO . . . Utilityman. That's the career path the Dodgers seem to have for Andy LaRoche. (Los Angeles Times)
THE BEST REVENGE: Bill Hall, angered about losing playing time with the Brewers, came off the bench and was the hero in the bottom of the ninth last night as Milwaukee rallied past the Braves. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
MEDICAL REPORTS: Ex-Yankee reliever Luis Vizcaino, rehabbing an injured shoulder, is inching closer towards rejoining the Rockies (Denver Post) . . . That's not the case with the Rangers' Hank Blalock, who's recovering slowly from carpal-tunnel syndrome (Dallas Morning News) . . . The Mets' Ryan Church is still feeling the effects of last week's concussion and the team is being criticized for bringing him back too soon (New York Times) . . . The latest players headed to the DL: Arizona's Eric Byrnes (mlb.com), Detroit's Gary Sheffield (AP via Yahoo!) and Atlanta's Matt Diaz (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Joe Torre says Jason Schmidt's velocity is down, and may remain so all season. (Los Angeles Daily News)
OLD FRIENDS: Julian Tavarez joined the Brewers yesterday. (mlb.com) He also pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, though none of the game accounts I saw mentioned anything about it . . . Steve Lyons is still bitter about his firing by Fox during the 2006 postseason (Chicago Tribune) . . . Kent Mercker is alive, kicking, and pitching a perfect rehab inning for the Reds' farm club in Louisville (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . Orlando Cabrera is developing a me-first reputation in the White Sox clubhouse -- for instance, he's twice called the press box to complain about errors that were charged to him this season -- and Ozzie Guillen is warning him to straighten up and fly right (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . Scott Hatteberg has been designated for assignment by Cincinnati (mlb.com) . . . It looks like Pedro Martinez will pitch for the Mets on Tuesday. (New York Daily News)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 7:00 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 27
TIMING IS EVERYTHING IN LIFE . . . and there's probably no better time to come to Safeco Field than right now, considering the Mariners had lost 19 of their last 24 prior to last night. (And looked pretty pathetic in the process, especially lately: They were outscored 31-13 in losing three straight at Yankee Stadium, directly on the heels of getting outscored 30-14 in losing three straight at Comerica Park.) But you'll forgive the Red Sox -- losers of seven straight road games before they arrived in Seattle -- if the needle on their sympathy meter didn't jump a whole lot, since they had their own ship to steady. And steady it they did, as Bartolo Colon (above) pitched seven strong innings and the Sox bats finally came alive against Felix Hernandez in the eighth in a 5-3 win that, as Sean McAdam reports, gave them their first victory away from home since May 10. The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo talked to some of the players about their away-from-Fenway struggles and lays out some pretty startling home-and-road statistics that perfectly explain how the Sox are 21-5 in Boston and 11-17 outside of it. David Pinto of Baseball Musings goes even deeper into the numbers -- comparing them to Tampa Bay's home-and-road stats -- and warns that a "falloff from [the Sox'] current .808 home winning percentage may mean trouble, as Tampa's home/road record looks sustainable." But these days Seattle is a pretty safe port in a storm (Seattle Times), and the Sox are resting comfortably there this morning after some rough seas prior to their arrival.
TROUBLE BY THE BAY: The waves were particularly harsh in Oakland, where the Red Sox lost 8-3 on Friday night, were almost no-hit in losing 3-0 on Saturday night and concluded their weekend of distress with a 6-3 loss on Sunday afternoon. Masochists are invited to click the links to any of McAdam's game accounts.
CHANGING TIMES: Used to be that managers under fire claimed they didn't read the newspapers. Now, if you're the Mariners' John McLaren, you claim you don't read the blogs. (USA Today)
PERSPECTIVE: The difference between real-life problems and what pass for problems in baseball was never demonstrated more starkly than on Sunday, when cancer survivor Jon Lester told the world that his father is also suffering from a form of lymphoma. (projo.com) He spoke optimistically about John Lester's chances of beating the disease, saying his father "will die with [cancer], not from it." Here's hoping that's true, Jon.
'MY FRIEND': Driving that point home further was the shocking death of former Red Sox and PawSox pitcher Geremi Gonzalez, who was struck by lightning in his native Venezuela on Saturday. McAdam has reaction from the Red Sox and Joe McDonald relates the comments of PawSox manager Ron Johnson, who was "absolutely crushed" by the news. Curt Schilling adds some thoughts on 38pitches.com.
THE COMEBACK TRAIL: Lester's no-hit twin, Clay Buchholz, had an impressive first outing with the PawSox on Sunday as he rehabs from his torn fingernail. Paul Kenyon has the details.
WHAT A SHORT, STRANGE JOURNEY IT'S BEEN: Bill Reynolds first met Buchholz in the McCoy Stadium clubhouse last August. He caught up with him again on Sunday and they talked about how different life has become since the no-hitter.
TALKING BASEBALL: Joe Haggerty provides the transcript of his Sunday interview with Buchholz on his Hacks With Haggs blog.
'RATHER WORK WITH HIM THAN POINT A FINGER AT HIM': That's the Red Sox' philosophy regarding the defensively challenged Julio Lugo, whom they're hoping will regain his glove skills by extra work with infield coach Luis Alicea. (Boston Globe)
SPEED KILLS: I admit, I'm puzzled about baseball's new speed-up rules. On Friday night we saw Dave Magadan kicked out of the game when umpire Tim Tschida wouldn't allow J.D. Drew to put pine tar on his replacement bat (projo.com), but I saw at least three -- and maybe more -- instances in other games over the weekend where a batter broke his bat, went and got a new one, and then retired to the on-deck circle to apply pine tar with no ejection, no warning, no nothing. But regardless of how the rule is enforced (or not), David Ortiz thinks it's stupid. (Boston Globe) So does Kevin Youkilis (Boston Herald) The Joy Of Sox' Allan Wood finds clips that point out baseball has been talking about speeding up games for at least 80 years, and then makes some tangible suggestion -- like cutting down commercial time between innings, or calling the strike zone as the rule book lays it out -- that would actually make things go quicker.
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: As those of us hereabouts fret about the Sox -- and let's face it, the fretting came pretty easy this weekend -- baseball writers around the country continue to marvel about the 'Ol Towne Team. Rany Jazayerli of Baseball Prospectus, writing on his blog Rany On The Royals, says "I'm not sure there has ever been an organization that so towered above every other baseball team in every way -- financial, player development, statistical analysis, creative thinking, what have you -- as the Red Sox do right now." And on the heels of the Sox' arrival at Safeco, the Seattle Times' Larry Stone said they "might be the model franchise in baseball." He adds: "You don't hear much about the Curse of the Bambino these days."
See? There is a God!
THERE SURE IS: Back in November and December when the Johan Santana rumors were flying, Chad Finn pretty well articulated the reservations some had about emptying the minor-league shelves for him. The Sox resisted the temptation and now, Chad gleefully reports, it looks like they made the right decision. (Touching All The Bases)
ONE FOR THE BOOKS: Think you've heard of every obscure record in baseball? Bet this is a new one for ya: The Rays are the first team since 1900 to have the best record in baseball through Memorial Day after having the worst record in baseball the previous year. (Tampa Tribune) They got there with a 7-3 win over the Rangers, coupled with a Diamondbacks' loss to the Braves.
CLOSET STATHEAD: Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon wants to see if there's a way to determine how many runs a player costs his team defensively, which can then be added to the runs he produces as a hitter to create a baseball plus/minus rating. (St. Petersburg Times)
WHERE ARE YOU, MARINERS? The Yankees were hoping they were back on track after their weekend sweep of Seattle, but the Orioles brought them back to Earth with a 6-1 victory that featured five runs off Yankee relievers in the seventh inning. ShysterBall, noting the worrying that Joba Chamberlain's move to the rotation has sparked about who'll pitch the eighth inning for the Yanks, says forget that; what about the seventh?
THE DEBATE CONTINUES: Put down Phil Pepe as a 'no' in the Should Joba Be A Starter? poll. (yesnetwork.com)
HE'S NOT ALONE: Remember the complaints about Chamberlain's on-the-mound histrionics after recording key outs? The White Sox are now grousing about Frankie Rodriguez doing the same thing. (Chicago Tribune)
DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES: Joe Posnanski wants to like Derek Jeter. He really does. But he's so fed up with the empty veneration of Jeter -- for instance, as a great defensive shortstop when in fact he may be the worst in baseball -- that he's come up with a new verb: "Jeterate -- to praise someone for something of which he or she is entirely unworthy of praise." And what set this off wasn't even his defense. It was his getting caught in a rundown and staying in it long enough for the other runners to advance to the next base a few nights ago, which apparently set off a five-minute Sterling/Waldman lovefest on the Yankee radio broadcast. ("He waved them to the next base! What a leader! What a man! Who else in the world could have gotten caught in a rundown long enough to get runners to move up?") And then, writes Joe, "when Hideki Matsui singled to score both runners, they took it up another step and canonized Jeter."
And so did he, with a new word. Jeterate. Write it down.
RETHINK YOUR DECISION: A few hours after Mets management stated emphatically that Willie Randolph wouldn't be fired, fans at Shea started a "Fi-re Wil-lie!" chant in the waning moments of a 7-3 loss to Florida. (New York Post) But the Post's Joel Sherman thinks the fans should focus their anger elsewhere, saying, "Maybe this is not about the leader as much as it is about the led."
KID STUFF: Gary Carter is blaming the media for misinterpreting comments he made about the Mets' managing job that sounded as if he was campaigning to replace Randolph. Former teammate Keith Hernandez is a member of the media now -- color analyst on the Mets' TV broadcast -- and he called Carter "indelicate [and] graceless." (Both stories Newsday)
THINK THE BAR IS HIGH ENOUGH? The blog Driveline Mechanics breaks down Dodger phenom Clayton Kershaw and concludes he "exhibits all the performance of a Sandy Koufax without the mechanical flaws." O-kay.
START SHREDDING THE CONFETTI: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Mark Bradley likes what he sees regarding the Braves.
HERE AND THERE: Brewers third baseman Bill Hall is losing playing time and he's not happy about it (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . It looks like top prospect Jay Bruce is about to be recalled by the Reds (mlb.com) . . . John Smoltz may need another rehab appearance (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Alfonso Soriano has been catching some heat in Chicago, but yesterday he was defending by the Cubs (Chicago Tribune) . . . Chone Figgins may be headed to the disabled list. (Los Angeles Times)
OLD FRIENDS: There's been a Pokey Reese sighting! Even though he hasn't appeared in a big-league game since 2004 and hasn't been with a big-league team since spring training 2006, the Nationals signed him to a minor-league contract. (Washington Post)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:44 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, May 23
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
HOME WARRIORS: We'll remember this for a while. A no-hitter. Another impressive start by a rookie hopeful. A just-as-impressive beginning from a veteran being counted on to bolster the rotation. And yesterday, two grand slams in one day, one of them from Mike Lowell (above). Yes, this series -- and this homestand -- was one for the memory books.
What may fade over time are the details, which is just as well because, as Joe McDonald reports, yesterday's 11-8 dispatch of the Royals -- which completed a four-game sweep of Kansas City on the heels of a three-game wipeout of the Brewers -- was hardly a thing of beauty. And the wart of the edge of the nose was, once again, Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose sterling 8-0, 2.40 record (Projo Stats) gives no hint to the agonizing manner in which he got there. Steven Krasner examines yesterday's 5 2/3-inning, six-walk, six-hit, two-wild-pitch 118-pitch torture session, which seemed to wear down even the eternally upbeat Terry Francona, based on comments he made during his postgame session with the media. Kraz reports Dice-K had a built-in excuse this time: It was his first game with Kevin Cash, who handled the catching chores as Jason Varitek was given the day off. (And, indeed, that fifth-inning exchange where Matsuzaka shook off Cash, what, 71 times as grass began growing through cracks in the grandstand cement speaks to that unfamiliarity.) Whatever the reason, Matsuzaka himself was less than pleased with the whole thing (Boston Globe), though pitching coach John Farrell was more upbeat about it. (Boston Herald) Still, there's no arguing with the results: 11th Red Sox pitcher since 1956 to begin 8-0; Sox victories in each of his last 12 regular-season starts, dating back to Sept. 22, 2007; first eight-game winner in the American League. Could be worse. A lot worse.
The reason it wasn't, at least yesterday, was the offensive show put on by his teammates, led by the grand-slam duo of Lowell and J.D. Drew. Paul Kenyon has their reaction to the whole thing, plus the slew of milestones -- first two grand-slam game since Bill Mueller in 2003, first time two Sox hit grand slams in the same game since 1995, first time two of them did it at Fenway since 1984, etc. -- they matched along the way. (Gordon Edes of the Globe has an interesting one: There have been 245 no-hitters since 1876, but only 72 two-grand-slam games.) It speaks to a bigger point, says Krasner: Namely, the relentless, 1-to-9 lineup that keeps producing as a whole no matter which of the individual parts -- like Manny Ramirez at present -- is misfiring.
Of course, that's mostly true at home, where they have a higher batting average (.303 to .286), a higher on-base percentage (.383 to .347), a higher slugging percentage (.474 to .450) and score more runs per game (6.0 to 4.54) than they do on the road. (baseball-reference.com) And, not coincidentally, they're 21-5 at Fenway and 10-14 on the road. Now they head out to Oakland, Seattle and Baltimore for a 10-game trip. Let's see if they can make those numbers even out a bit.
SHORT AND NOT-SO-SWEET: The flip side of the Sox' fireworks show: It led to a truncated Banny Log on joeposnanski.com.
MAKE YOUR PLANS NOW: Not doing anything Sunday? Head out to McCoy Stadium to see Clay Buchholz make a rehab start for the PawSox. McDonald and Krasner tell us all about it in their notebook, which includes items on Varitek's day off and various game notes.
NO, IT'S NOT ALWAYS LIKE THIS: I'm sure many of us know someone who attended both Buchholz' and Jon Lester's no-hitters. Edes found a guy who not only went to both of them, but they were the only two times he's ever been to Fenway. Not only that, he's from Utah. In addition, Gordon reports that -- unlike the reward Tom Yawkey gave to Mel Parnell for his 1956 no-hitter -- John Henry had no bonus for Lester, and he answers a question I get all the time: What's the difference in salary between the major leagues and minor leagues? He gives us Masterson's numbers.
FINITO: It appears Kevin Youkilis' days as a blogger are over.
BIG DEAL: Writing in Slate, Pat Jordan says most athletes' blogs "are essentially self-aggrandizing and masturbatory . . . [and] reveal nothing genuine about the writer." It's part of a bigger piece in which he talks how the new celebrity status of athletes has put a moat between subject and follower -- a moat which reporters, once seen as allies in their achievements but now viewed as adversaries, are not allowed to cross -- and led to an angrier, less-forgiving relationship between player and fan.
YOU'RE NOT CALLING ANYTHING: The New York Times reports the Yankees -- hosts of this year's All-Star Game -- were unaware of a promotion in which a fan can predict where David Ortiz will hit the ball during the Home Run Derby (Biz of Baseball), with Ortiz getting one chance to hit it to that spot. And -- considering the damage Ortiz has done to them over the years -- they're not happy about Big Papi playing Babe Ruth in their ballpark and may attempt to stop it. Before Red Sox fans get all high and mighty, the blog YFSF makes an interesting point: "I am pretty sure (actually, I KNOW) that Sox fans wouldn't like A-Rod being the focus of an All-Star game gimmick at Fenway Park."
BE PREPARED: Jim Rice has an interesting Ask 14 entry on the way various players he's known -- Nomar Garciaparra, Wade Boggs, John Valentin, Manny Ramirez -- prepare for games.
WON'T BE LONG NOW: The Mets' fourth straight loss in Atlanta (New York Post) has everyone -- Mets fans such as those who run the blog The Musings and Prophecies of Metstradamas and media professionals like Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution -- talking about what a mess they are. Considering that David Wright is publicly questioning the team's effort (mlb.com) -- though he later said he did nothing of the sort (New York Daily News) -- and team owners aren't returning his phone calls (New York Post), can Willie Randolph's head possibly be saved?
10:30 THUNDER: The Yankees -- energized, perhaps, by Joe Girardi's first ejection of the season -- scored a run in the bottom of the ninth and beat the Orioles, 2-1. (New York Post) It was set up by a good six-inning performance from Ian Kennedy (New York Daily News), though Baseball Musings' David Pinto thinks Kennedy was more lucky than good.
BUT THERE'S ONLY ONE STORY IN THIS TOWN: Still, all the talk in New York -- at least the American League side of it -- is on Joba Chamberlain's move to the starting rotation. (New York Daily News) It makes sense, says the New York Post's Kevin Kernan, because "Chamberlain was not put on this earth to be an eighth-inning setup man." And since the Yankees are "thinking about 2009 and beyond more than [they are] about 2008," according to the Daily News' John Harper, it's time to transition Joba into the rotation. Even so, Peter Abraham can't fathom what the excitement is about since Chamberlain is "a really good pitcher . . . [and you] know what you do with the really good pitchers? You start them." (LoHud Yankees Blog)
UH OH: While they're still saying his right-calf injury is minor, the Yankees have pushed Chien-Ming's Wang's next start back by a day. (New York Post)
AS EXPECTED . . . : LaTroy Hawkins was suspened for throwing at Luke Scott's head the other night. (New York Daily News). And, as expected, he appealed the penalty.
WE'RE NOT ALONE: Annoyed by the at-times-subterranean level of intelligence displayed by sports talk-show callers? Apparently they're no smarter in Canada, as our pal The Tao of Stieb tells us. Because, yeah, Ernie Whitt's time as first-base coach makes him the obvious choice to replace J.P. Ricciardi as Blue Jays general manager.
(Watch out, Theo. You're in Luis Alicea's cross hairs!)
'BLAND LIMBO LAND OF NOTHINGNESS': I hate it when my friends don't get along, so I wonder how Tao will take ShysterBall's none-too-flattering take on the Jays.
CENTRAL DEBATE: Today it's the Royals' turn in the "Someone Has To Win The Central" series on the blog WaitTillNextYear. In a totally unrelated post (I think) on Baseball Prospectus, Joe Sheehan makes a case for the White Sox.
AND WHY NOT? The White Sox completed a sweep of the Indians last night and now have won six in a row. (Chicago Tribune)
THE CLUB IS GROWING: The Indians, on the other hand, are floundering and Pinto wonders if Eric Wedge will soon be joining Randolph and Ned Yost in the Managerial Hot Seat Derby.
SPEAKING OF SWEEPS . . . Those surprising Marlins completed one of the Diamondbacks. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
YOU KNEW IT WAS COMING: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports baseball's first dip of the toe into the instant-replay waters will come this year in the Arizona Fall League, and it could be instituted in the majors as early as next season. ShysterBall isn't sure it's such a good idea. Not Joe Girardi, though; he loves it. (New York Post)
NO, NO, IT'S THE OTHER WAY AROUND! The blog Big League Stew says that good health will be a key to a potential Chipper Jones run at .400 this year. But Pinto has a study that demonstrates the chances of hitting .400 go up if you play less.
I LOVE THE THINK FACTORY: One of my stops every day is The Baseball Think Factory's Baseball Primer Newslog, and one of the reasons is Repoz, a poster who first caught my eye with a Rich McKinney reference several years back. At least once a week he makes me laugh out loud; he did it today when he mentioned Fred Harris and Brendan Boyd. Because a friend and I can still recite some of their lines verbatim. ("Hey, Mac, you wanna buy a hot Buick?")
VOTING PREFERENCES: It appears the Omar Vizquel-to-the-Hall of Fame debate has been decided in Omar's favor. The question now, according to the San Francisco Chronicle's Henry Schulman, is whether or not he'll make it on the first ballot.
MY DAY'S COMING: Speaking of the Hall of Fame, Bert Blyleven's candidacy has been a hot topic for some time now. But in an interesting -- and sometimes hilarious -- interview with Big League Stew, he says he thinks he'll make it.
MINE'S NOT, IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT: Marvin Miller, on the other hand, wants no part of being in the Hall of Fame because of "the voting mechanism and what he feels are conflicts of interest that stack the deck against any labor executive who spent a career battling management." (New York Times)
STAR POWER: Bud Selig is expected to announce today that the Angels have been awarded the 2010 All-Star Game. (Los Angeles Times)
HERE AND THERE: Surprise, surprise: Moises Alou is headed to the DL (New York Post) . . . The Dodgers may soon summon phenom Clayton Kershaw to Los Angeles (mlb.com) . . . The Nationals will be without Austin Kearns for about a month (Washington Post) . . . Josh Hamilton's amazing season continued as he led the Rangers past the Twins, and Texas is trying to sign him to a long-term contract (Both stories Dallas Morning News) . . . The Angels shot down rumors that Chone Figgins is headed to the White Sox. (Los Angeles Times)
OLD FRIENDS: Pedro Martinez denied reports that he's considering retirement (New York Post) . . . Eric Gagne has rotator-cuff tendinitis and will be sidelined indefinitely. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
AND FINALLY . . . Many thanks to Craig Calcaterra of ShysterBall for his kind words concerning this very blog. Believe me, we're aware of the changing landscape and are trying to adapt to it.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 9:00 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, May 22
LOOKING GOOD: Granted, these are the flea-swinging Royals, so you probably should take it all with a grain of salt. But Bartolo Colon won his Red Sox debut last night (details provided by Joe McDonald), and there's more to it than that. Steven Krasner says Colon was better than his pitching line of 5 innings, 6 hits and 2 runs; he goes Inside The Game to break down Colon's performance and notes that every one of Kansas City's six hits was either a blooper, a bunt or a seeing-eye grounder. It's part of a pitching upswing that's explained by McDonald, Krasner and Paul Kenyon in their notebook, which also includes items on J.D. Drew, Manny Ramirez, Brad Mills as third-base coach, a suddenly rejuvenated bullpen, and more.
Before ordering the champagne and balloons, however, listen to Kraz:
"The Royals entered last night’s game 14th — dead last — in runs scored this year. They were 12th in slugging percentage and 12th in on-base percentage, and Kansas City had been shut out 12 times, the league’s second-highest total of whitewashes. The Royals also were 14th in home runs, 13th in total bases, 14th in RBI, 13th in walks and 7th in strikeouts . . . Just consider this information a dose of perspective."
Considered, Steve.
MAYBE SO, BUT . . . The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo talks to baseball people who think Colon will help the Red Sox this year.
ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL: Kenyon catches up with Brandon Moss, who's recovered from his emergency appendectomy and is headed to Pawtucket to begin playing again.
ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION, BOB? I have this friend who probably wouldn't qualify as the world's biggest Jason Varitek fan. So I strongly urge him to click this link, where Baseball Musings' David Pinto talks of 'Tek's offensive "renaissance".
NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES: Chad Finn declares that David Ortiz' slump is over and that he's not worried about Josh Beckett among Celtics tidbits in his latest Touching All The Bases entry.
OH, THAT'S WHAT THAT IS! The Boston Herald's Michael Silverman reports that the blue thing in Ramirez' mouth these days is a high-tech mouthpiece called a Pure Power Mouthguard.
THEY'RE THE TOPS: The Red Sox are now 19-9 when Jacoby Ellsbury leads off and Dustin Pedroia bats second. (Boston Herald)
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: In light of Jon Lester's no-hitter, Justin Masterson's two strong starts and Jacoby Ellsbury's overall play, Sportingnews.com's Sean Devaney says Twins GM Bill Smith "badly misplayed his hand by not jumping at" one of the two trade offers the Red Sox made for Johan Santana.
MORE NO-HIT MEMORIES: The Globe's Gordon Edes tracks down Mel Parnell, the last Sox left-hander to throw a no-hitter prior to Lester, and he talks about his own gem on a 1956 afternoon that started in rain and ended in sunshine . . . literally and figuratively. And in the Unbelievable Coincidence department, Parnell was diagnosed in 2002 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the same blood cancer Lester had. Thankfully, Parnell's -- like Lester's -- is in remission.
HISTORY LESSON: Baseball Analysts' Patrick Sullivan reminisces about the night Grady Little destroyed Byung-Hyun Kim's career.
HANGING UP THE PEN: At the bottom of an examination as to whether or not Mike Piazza was the greatest everyday player in Mets history, Joe Posnanski has a tidbit about Carl Yastrzemski, newspaper columnist. And that's all I'm giving you; if you want more, click the link.
SAVING GRACE: Writing for Sportingnews.com, Pinto explains why the Royals' signing of closer Joakim Soria to a long-term deal was a good move.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET, MORE POWERFUL THAN A LOCOMOTIVE . . . and able to leap the A.L. East standings in a single bound. Sports Illustrated (above) has taken notice of the Tampa Bay Rays. And who wouldn't notice Carl Crawford tossing Derek Jeter like a rag doll, I ask?
MISSTEP: After winning the first two games of their series in Oakland, the second-place Rays -- still sounds a little funny, doesn't it? -- dropped the finale of their road trip to the A's, 9-1 (Tampa Tribune), a loss the St. Petersburg Times' Marc Topkin called easy to explain but not to excuse.
IT'S OFFICIAL: The Yankees are beginning the process of transitioning Joba Chamberlain from the bullpen to the starting rotation. Brian Cashman said Chamberlain "looked me right in the eye and said 'I want the opportunity to start,' '' so last night he pitched two innings in the Yanks' 8-0 win over Baltimore. (New York Post) But while Cashman made it sound as if Chamberlain got things moving, Joe Girardi says the move comes not as a reaction to anything that's happened recently; this, he asserts, was the plan all along. (New York Daily News) The news took the spotlight away from Darrell Rasner, who continued making his bid for this year's Aaron Small Award by improving to 3-0 since his arrival from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. (New York Daily News)
SO LET THE DEBATE BEGIN: Peter Abraham, who's been pushing for Chamberlain to start, says it's all good because "the Yankees will have a top-notch young starter and those are the most valuable commodities in baseball." (LoHud Yankees Blog) The New York Post's Joel Sherman presents the opposing viewpoint, the "whadda we gonna do in the eighth inning??" wail. (The blog It's About The Money, Stupid feels strongly both ways.) In any event, the Daily News' Bill Madden says it's a symbol of changing times in the Bronx. And that change should stay in the Bronx, says Pinto; writing back on Baseball Musings, he doesn't buy the notion that Chamberlain needs to go to the minors to be stretched out.
RED FLAG: The Yankees' one reliable starting pitcher (if you don't count Rasner) is Chien-Ming Wang, and he has a strained right calf. (New York Post) As of now, the Yanks are still calling it minor.
THE HOT LIST: Coming on the heels of Tuesday's 12-2 pounding at the hands of the O's, the Daily News recounts the worst Yankee regular-season losses of the last five years. One Red Sox game is among them.
KEEPING THE FAITH: Hank Steinbrenner says he's "very down" about the Yankees' slow start but is confident things will get better. (mlb.com)
MUST-SEE TV: Earl Weaver's long-ago tirade against Terry Crowley -- "He's lucky he's in (bleeping) baseball" -- was recorded on tape by someone and has been kicking around the Internet for years. Last night, somehow, someway, it actually got on the air during the YES broadcast of the Yankees-Orioles game. The blog NYY Stadium Insider has the video clip. [Warning: They didn't bleep it out, so keep your speakers down if there's someone you don't want to hear it.]
THAT'S THREE IN FOUR DAYS . . . AND COUNTING: The umpires did it again last night -- and did it again at Yankee Stadium -- as they blew yet another home-run call, this time on Alex Rodriguez. (New York Times) After this, their nationally televised blunder on Carlos Delgado Sunday night and their less-publicized miss of the Cubs' Geovany Soto's home run Monday night in Houston, expect the instant-replay train to start chugging down the track.
FROM EXPLANATION TO APOLOGY: Willie Randolph took that step yesterday as he said he was sorry "for his remarks on race and his feud with the Mets' TV network." (New York Post)
FROM THE PENTHOUSE TO THE OUTHOUSE: After sweeping the Yankees in the Bronx last weekend, the Mets proceeded to Atlanta, where they fell to .500 after their third straight loss, 11-4, last night. (New York Daily News)
LOCAL BOYS The blog MLB Trade Rumors says Chris Iannetta's surge in Colorado may make Yorvit Torrealba expendable.
IF YOU PLAY A BALLGAME IN MIAMI AND NO ONE SEES IT, DOES IT COUNT IN THE STANDINGS? The Marlins handed Brandon Webb his first loss of the season last night with a well-played, fun-to-watch 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks. (Miami Herald) Pinto, however, notes with sadness that the Marlins aren't exactly a hot ticket in south Florida and urges the fans to better support the franchise. (Baseball Musings)
THE MODEL TO EMULATE: Miami fans can take a lesson from those in Houston, where the Chronicle's Jose de Jesus Ortiz says Astros fans rock. And he explains why.
MAKE YOUR CASE The Cleveland blog WaitingForNextYear . . . when maybe someone other than Boston will kill our title dreams -- it's an all-sports blog, so the Celtics' dispatch of the Cavaliers ranks up there with the Red Sox' ousting of the Indians -- has asked fellow A.L. Central bloggers to explain why their team will win the division. First up: Detroit, on the Mack Avenue Tigers blog.
'MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN': Jim Leyland works in Detroit (and his boss owns the Red Wings). But he comes from Pittsburgh. So he's conflicted about this year's Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup final. (mlb.com)
WASH, RINSE, REPEAT: This is a recording. Major League Baseball is instituting measures to speed up games. (New York Times) This is a recording.
YOU WANT FASTER GAMES? Put Sidney Ponson in the mound. (Dallas Morning News)
OLD? OR WASHED UP? That's what the Chicago Sun-Times' Greg Couch is trying to determine about Jim Thome.
HERE AND THERE: Albert Pujols was shaken after hitting a line drive that broke Chris Young's nose and later causing injury to Josh Bard on a collision (more on that below) in the Cardinals' game against the Padres last night (mlb.com) . . . Braves manager Bobby Cox thinks John Smoltz, Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez will all return within the next two weeks (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Both Carlos Zambrano and Lou Piniella say the Cubs' ace is just fine (Chicago Tribune) . . . Ryan Church, who suffered his second concussion in two months on Tuesday night, hopes to be playing again for the Mets by week's end (New York Times) . . . Dontrelle Willis is back with the Tigers but he's headed to the bullpen. (mlb.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Pedro Martinez has left the Mets to be with his ailing father in the Dominican Republic (New York Daily News) . . . Josh Bard sprained his left ankle in the Padres' game against the Cardinals (signonsandiego.com) . . . David Eckstein's hip is still sore, meaning his activation by the Blue Jays has been delayed (Toronto Globe and Mail) . . . The Brewers don't know when the sore-shouldered Eric Gagne will pitch again. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:36 AM | Permalink
Sox reaction to Colon's work
The first impressions Bartolo Colon made on his pitching coach and his catcher were positive last night. Here is what John Farrell, the Red Sox pitching coach, and catcher Jason Varitek had to say about Colon’s effort in the 6-3 Red Sox win.
Farrell:
``We came in tonight thinking he was going to go about 75 pitches. It was apparent that in the fifth inning it looked like he was starting to tire a little bit.’’ Colon threw 74 pitches, 46 for strikes.
``What was most impressive is that we used his fastball very well tonight. The two-seamer got a lot of ground balls with some early contact. I think it was a very good step in the right direction for Bartolo. We’re looking at him for 85 or 90 pitches the next time out.’’
Of the 74 pitches, only about 10 were off-speed, Farrell said.
``When you can throw the two and four-seam on both sides of the plate to some effect it gives you four different pitches. Tonight his approach was very similar to what he’s been accustomed to his entire career. He’s going to mix in some change-ups and sliders on occasion but he’s primarily a fastball pitcher.’’
``One thing he’s never had an issue with is throwing strikes. You look at his entire career path and it’s been one that he’s commanded the strike zone Even when he came into spring training he showed right away that his delivery was repeatable. When you look at a compact body like that there are not body parts that are going to get out of whack too often. Because of that regardless of the amount of time off he’s going to be pretty efficient with his strike throwing ability.’’
Even with Boston’s pitching riches, Farrell made it clear he expects Colon to be part of the rotation.
``He’s a very accomplished pitcher. We’re fortunate to have him in the rotation,’’ Farrell said.
Varitek:
``He did good. He did really good,’’ Varitek said.
``We saw some 94s (on the radar gun) up there. You’ve got to remember it’s his first outing. We’re still building strength. We can make this a good starting point for building strength. . . He’s going to help us.’’
Varitek felt Colon’s numbers could have been even better.
``They had a soft liner for the first run hit in the right place for the first run and he broke a bat on the other one.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 11:15 PM | Permalink
Boston sending help to Pawtucket
The fight for jobs with the Boston Red Sox is about to become a major benefit for the Pawtucket Red Sox.
When Terry Francona held his usual pre-game meeting with the media this afternoon, three of the players he talked about are not on his team right now. Brandon Moss, Justin Masterson and Julian Tavarez all are expected to be with the PawSox when red-hot Pawtucket (winners of 10 of its last 13) opens an eight-game homestand tomorrow night against Rochester.
Here’s what is up with them:
BRANDON MOSS
The rookie outfielder/first baseman is in Fenway today. Some 18 days after undergoing an emergency appendectomy, he is on the field as the Sox take batting practice. He will receive one final check from doctors tonight before heading to Pawtucket.
``He’s made some kind of recovery,’’ Francona said. ``It’s pretty cool. He’s all jumping around.’’
``I feel great,’’ Moss said before heading out.
Moss had 15 at-bats over the weekend in Florida and played two games at first base and one in the outfield.
On May 2, Moss hit a home run and threw a runner out at the plate as the Sox beat Tampa Bay. The next night he was undergoing surgery.
``At first I didn’t think (the recovery) was going to be as quick as it was, because it was really sore the first two or three days,’’ he recalled. ``Then, they told me the more I did, with moderation, the better it would get and the quicker it would get better.
``I started doing things. Even though it hurt, I kept doing it and it got better a lot faster. The progression was really good.’’
With Boston healthier than it has been in some time, Moss is not even sure what will happen after his rehab in Pawtucket.
``I don’t know what they’re going to do,’’ he said. ``I might stay there. I don’t even know. Whatever happens happens. I’m just glad to be able to play again.’’
JUSTIN MASTERSON
Francona spoke about the possibility of the young righthander pitching in relief in Boston later this season. For now, though, it appears all but certain Masterson will be in Pawtucket’s starting rotation for the time being.
``Yeah, he could probably help us in the pen,’’ Francona responded to a question about using Masterson in relief. ``I think the starters’ innings are really, really beneficial (right now). Where that takes him the rest of the year, I don’t know.’’
Masterson pitched the Sox to victory over Kansas City Tuesday night, then was told that rather than going back to Portland, he was being assigned to Pawtucket. It is expected he will start for the PawSox Sunday or Monday.
JULIAN TAVAREZ
The veteran reliever cleared waivers and has accepted assignment to Pawtucket. It is not sure how long that will last or even what role he will fill for the PawSox.
When Francona was asked about the situation, he said he was not aware of what would be done, that it would be an organizational decision.
``If I said something I’d be making it up. I’d rather not do that,’’ he said. But he did make a prediction when asked if he was surprised Tavarez had cleared waivers.
``You know what, I never try to manage another team, let alone be a general manager,’’ Francona said. ``I think I feel better saying he is going to pitch in the big leagues. He’ll be in the big leagues (before the season is over).’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:19 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 21
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
WEALTH OF RICHES: Justin Masterson (above) knew the pressure was on when, in the aftermath of Jon Lester's no-hitter Monday night, a TV announcer remarked, "Justin, have fun following this one up." But the emergency starter -- while not exactly matching Lester's performance of the night before -- pitched just as well as he had in his first one-and-done appearance last month (ProJo Sox Blog) . . . and this time he was rewarded for it, as the Red Sox defeated the Royals, 2-1, for their fifth straight win. Joe McDonald has the details of the victory, which Jonathan Papelbon nailed down by striking out three of the four batters he faced; the biggest one, of course, was the fanning of Billy Butler with the bases loaded and two out in the eighth as he cleaned up yet another mess created by Hideki Okajima. Terry Francona insisted Okajima (double and two walks in two-thirds of an inning) "did OK" (Boston Herald) and the Sox are willing to blame rustiness -- he hadn't pitched in almost a week because of a sore wrist -- for his troubles. Maybe so, but the Sox are still worried about their less-than-airtight relief corps, which last night included an inherited runner allowed to score by the similarly wobbly Manny Delcarmen. So worried, in fact, that Sean McAdam reports the Sox may turn Masterson into a reliever later this year in the hopes he can fortify the bullpen in the same way Papelbon did in 2005.
THE MORNING AFTER: But the buzz at the ballpark still centered around Lester, who, as McDonald, McAdam and Steven Krasner report in their notebook, was just beginning to come back down to Earth yesterday. The Seattle Times' Larry Stone has a touching piece on how Lester's father John, back home in Puyallup, Wash., kept track of his son's no-hitter despite his superstition of not following the games when he's not at the stadium. (Hint: It revolved around listening for his wife's screams of delight.) Outside our little world, Rhode Island's Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer gets reaction from another cancer survivor, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, on Lester's feat. (Hint: He's thrilled.) Not surprisingly, Curt Schilling weighed in on Lester's no-hitter on 38pitches.com and had plenty of nice things to say. He also once again rues the decision he made to shake off Jason Varitek with two outs in the ninth inning last June 7 in Oakland. If he hadn't, Varitek might have caught five no-hitters in his career.
NOT-SO-EVIL EMPIRE: Among the people praising Lester yesterday was none other than Hank Steinbrenner. (Boston Globe)
PREMONITION: Joe Posnanski said he had the sense right from the first pitch that something unforgettable was going to happen at Fenway Monday night . . . and was he right. And, as you'll discover if you click the link, did he appreciate it. (joeposnanski.com)
THE REAL SURVIVORS: The Red Sox have four current and former players -- Jon Lester, Mike Lowell, Mark Loretta and Derek Lowe -- on Yahoo! Sports' All-Cancer Survivor Team.
SHORT-TERM FIX? Tonight, Bartolo Colon makes his Sox debut as Masterson heads back out (though this time to Pawtucket and not Portland). In his weekly ESPN radio broadcast, transcribed by Joe Haggerty on his Hacks With Haggs blog, Peter Gammons says the Sox may only get five or six good starts out of Colon before he begins to break down but that may be all they're looking for.
SURPRISE! In their notebook, McDonald, McAdam and Krasner also note the decision of Julian Tavarez to reject free agency and accept an assignment to Pawtucket. The state of pitching being what it is around baseball, it was thought Tavarez could have snapped up a job in an instant on the open market; instead, he decided to stay put. The Rockies were thought to be a potential landing spot for Tavarez, but the Denver Post reports that -- while they still might have taken a chance if he'd reached free agency -- their interest cooled when they signed Glendon Rusch.
STALLED: In his Inside The Game feature, Krasner wonders if the pressure of being two home runs shy of 500 is affecting Manny Ramirez at the plate.
NOTHING'S CHANGED: Coco Crisp sill wants to play every day and is waiting for the Sox to make good on their promise to trade him. (Boston Herald)
GETTING BETTER: Journal food critic Gail Ciampa says this year's batch of Red Sox wines -- Captain’s Cabernet (named for Jason Varitek), Vintage Papi (who do you think?), and Sauvignyoouuk Blanc (Kevin Youkilis) -- are "an improvement over last year’s inaugural selections."
LEADING THE WAY: In the latest installment of Ask 14, Jim Rice talks about clubhouse leadership in general and clubhouse leadership on the 1970s Red Sox in particular.
ROCK BOTTOM: That's where Joe Girardi hopes the Yankees are -- with nowhere to go but up -- after last night's 12-2 pounding by the Orioles, a loss that rendered even Hank Steinbrenner speechless. (New York Daily News) The game marked the return of Alex Rodriguez but, as the Daily News' Filip Bondy points out, "there are only so many leaks that Rodriguez can repair." The New York Post's Larry Brooks concurs, pointing to problems such as a Johnny Damon blunder in left field and Robinson Cano's lackadaisical play at second base (which led directly to the Derek Jeter throwing error that opened the door for the Orioles' first-inning explosion), and concludes: "Rodriguez would have to be a miracle worker in order to turn around this structurally flawed team."
STARTING WITH . . . Perhaps the biggest leak is on that big bump in the middle of the diamond, especially with the first guys the Yankees put out there every night. Last night the first guy was Mike Mussina, but he didn't get out of the first inning, departing after getting only two outs and putting the Yanks in a 7-0 hole. (New York Daily News)
'AT LEAST THE YANKEES LEAD THE LEAGUE IN SOMETHING': That something, points out Peter Abraham on the LoHud Yankees Blog, is suspensions, especially since another one may be in the offing after LaTroy Hawkins threw twice at the Orioles' Luke Scott -- the last time at his head -- in apparent retaliation for Derek Jeter being hit on the wrist a few innings earlier by Daniel Cabrera. (Both stories New York Post) The Orioles had no use for Hawkins throwing high at Scott (Baltimore Sun), especially since, as Abraham points out, Jeter a) dives over the plate on every pitch, b) has been hit 132 times in his career and c) if "the Yankees retaliate every time Jeter gets hit, they’re going to run out of pitchers." Hawkins will soon join Melky Cabrera, Shelley Duncan and Kyle Farnsworth as Yankee players who have been suspended this season . . . and Farnsworth also was nailed for throwing at an opposing batter's head.
What's that you were saying there, Goose Gossage, about Yankee class and dignity?
SPIRITUAL HEALING: Scott, who can regularly be seen reading the Bible in the Orioles clubhouse, said of Hawkins: "The Lord says to forgive those who wrong you. And I forgive him." (Washington Post)
THOSE WHO FORGET THE PAST ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT: With a ton of money coming off the books at the end of the year -- among the bloated contracts that expire are Mussina's, Jason Giambi's and Bobby Abreau's -- the Yankees are expected to make a big splash in the free-agent market this winter as they prepare to head into the new Yankee Stadium. But the blog River Ave. Blues points out that handing, say, Mark Teixeira the seven-year (or longer) contract he'll undoubtedly be seeking means you'll soon be facing the same problem with him that you have with the Giambis now; to wit, paying a ton of money for a player whose skills are deteriorating.
DEAD OR ALIVE? The Yankees are one of five struggling teams examined by ESPN.com's Rob Neyer and Jonah Keri in an attempt to determine if their seasons are beyond salvage.
PILING ON: Now it's SNY.tv's Michael Salfino making a Rays-Yankees comparison that, ah, doesn't favor New York.
TICK TOCK, TICK TOCK . . . Bob Klapisch says that while all the attention in New York is focused on Willie Randolph, the clock is also ticking on Girardi. (northjersey.com)
THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT: Randolph hinted there are racial overtones in the criticism he's receiving from Mets fans when he talked to the Bergen Record's Ian O'Connor. But yesterday, as controversy over the remarks began to rise, he backtracked from the race angle. (New York Times)
KEEP ON COMING: Of course, the criticism won't get any softer in light of the Mets' losing a doubleheader to the Braves. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH: That's what Mindy McCready says she told about her relationship with Roger Clemens in an upcoming documentary. (New York Daily News)
OKAY, OKAY, I GET THE HINT: Mike Piazza, who spent seven months on the free-agent market without a nibble, announced his retirement yesterday. (mlb.com) Baseball Musings' David Pinto has a nice retrospective of Piazza's career, which should land him in Cooperstown in 2013.
THEY SAY THE BEST MOVES . . . are sometimes the ones you don't make. The blog SportsHubLA thinks the Angels' non-trade for Miguel Cabrera fits into that category.
COMING OUT SWINGING: Jim Leyland told Bob Nightengale of USA Today this has been the most exasperating of his 17 seasons as a big-league manager, and that exasperation apparently grew when ex-Tiger Jason Grilli said some of the team's offseason moves -- such as the jettisoning of Sean Casey -- "broke up our team chemistry". Leyland fired back at Grilli's seemingly innocuous remarks, basically telling him to mind his own business and worry about himself. (Detroit Free Press) "You’ve got to be (kidding) me," said Leyland. "We lost Sean Casey. I mean, please. Come on . . . I miss Sean Casey. But Sean Casey has nothing to do with the fact that the Tigers are where we’re at.”
WHAT?? When asked for comment at his present baseball address -- Colorado -- Grilli seemed as surprised as the rest of us at Leyland's reaction. (mlb.com)
THE (ABUSE OF) POWER OF THE INTERNET: You may have heard there was a blog report Monday that the Brewers were about to fire Ned Yost. I didn't link to it because there were about 84 smell tests it didn't pass -- at its worst, you could assume it was just a guy throwing something out there with no attribution whatsoever -- but some media outlets either reported it or attempted to follow up on it. Well, it wasn't true (duh!), and a furious Yost has some harsh words for the organizations that did repeat the rumor. (mlb.com)
DAMN STRAIGHT: Braves announcer Skip Carey chimes in on bloggers during a game broadcast. (www.cantstopthebleeding.com)
WARNING! WARNING! The Cubs are naturally concerned that Carlos Zambrano has stiffness in his right shoulder/right neck area. (Chicago Sun-Times)
DOUBLE WARNING! DOUBLE WARNING! Lost amid the euphoria of Edinson Volquez' fast start is the fact that he's been running up some high pitch counts (Middletown Journal)
WELCOME HOME: Rick Sutcliffe, who was diagnosed with colon cancer this spring, returns to the ESPN broadcast booth tonight. (AP via Chicago Tribune)
BACK ON THE AIR: Harold Reynolds, fired by ESPN in 2006 "based on accusations about his behavior that were never publicly detailed," talks to the New York Times about his dismissal, why he fought against it so vigorously, his current stint at SNY in New York, and his potential future in broadcasting.
INSTANT REPLAY: One night after they blew a home-run call on national television on a ball hit by Carlos Delgado at Yankee Stadium, major-league umpires did it again on a smaller stage Monday night, making an incorrect call on a home run by the Cubs' Geovany Soto in Houston. The New York Times reports MLB is working on a limited instant-replay proposal that may gain the approval of long-time replay opponent Bud Selig.
IF YOU CAN'T GET IT RIGHT, I'M NOT GOING TO TALK TO YOU: John Smoltz says he's finished giving medical updates about his injured shoulder because the media misinterpreted comments he made over the weekend. (mlb.com)
HERE AND THERE: Chone Figgins-to-the-White Sox rumors are surfacing (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . The Twins have lost Matt Tolbert for five to six weeks because of a torn ligament in his thumb (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) . . . The Marlins' Josh Willingham has a herniated disc in his back and could be out for a month or more (Miami Herald) . . . The Brewers have lifted Carlos Villanueva, last seen getting cuffed around by the Red Sox, from their starting rotation (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . The Padres have put the ailing Jake Peavy on the disabled list (mlb.com) . . . Andruw Jones has fluid and a torn cartilage in his knee. (Los Angeles Daily News)
OLD FRIENDS: Pedro Martinez will throw a bullpen session today (New York Daily News) . . . It's always something: Now Eric Gagne's shoulder hurts (mlb.com) . . . The Dodgers have placed Gary Bennett on the disabled list (Los Angeles Times) . . . Lenny DiNardo is back with the A's. (Costa Contra Times)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:43 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 20
NO NO? The pitcher was Jon Lester, the opponent was the Kansas City Royals, the site was Fenway Park . . .
YES YES! . . . and the result was the fourth Red Sox no-hitter in the last eight seasons, and the second in 8 1/2 months. (ProJo Sox Blog) It's funny; I came in from walking the dog as the Royals were batting in the sixth inning and I knew right away -- just by the tone of Don Orsillo's voice and the phraseology he was using -- that Lester had a no-hitter. (I'd left the house in the second, and knew from cell-phone updates that the Sox were ahead 5-0.) We all have our superstitions during no-hitters -- the Boston Globe found out what some of the fans' were -- and so, while my wife rocked anxiously and kept saying things like, "This is so nerve-wracking!", I was careful, like Orsillo, not to comment on what we were watching. Even when I was conducting business, such as when I talked on the phone to Sean McAdam in the press box in the bottom of the seventh, I didn't say what I thought was going to happen.
Because what I thought was: This is in the bag.
I really did. Sean has an excellent piece on the future of the Red Sox' young pitchers -- it's pretty rare when two members of your starting rotation, and the two youngest members to boot, both have no-hitters -- in which he talked extensively with Theo Epstein, and I was intuitively impressed, even just by watching from the sixth inning on, with what Epstein articulated: "Stuff-wise, [Lester] was very special. I was more excited about the stuff than the result. For the first time since 2005, he had that good velocity, up in the zone."
Lester looked better last night than I've ever seen him. Steven Krasner has an excellent breakdown of Lester's repertoire in his Inside The Game feature, and the Royals talked about it as well in the notebook, written by McAdam, Krasner and Paul Kenyon. Making it all the more remarkable is that, as the Boston Herald's Rob Bradford notes, Lester had a terrible bullpen session prior to the game.
Obviously, no no-hitter is guaranteed -- it was just as likely that he'd make a bad pitch, or someone would bloop something somewhere, or even that someone would just put a good at-bat on him and hit a pitcher's pitch into the gap -- but I was pretty confident he'd finish it off. And he did. Kenyon provides the game details.
THE REST OF THE STORY: Lester's medical history obviously makes this more than your run-of-the-mill no-hitter (if there is such a thing). Fellow cancer survivor Mike Lowell provides some insight in Gordon Edes' game recap. (Boston Globe) Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports quotes one of Lester's teammates when he comments on the pitcher's recovery to the point where he can throw such a dominating game: "Un-(bleeping)-believable. Unbelievable." But on Red Sox Monster, Dan Lamothe says we "short-change Lester and make this wonderful moment all about cancer . . . He deserves to be able to bask in the spotlight as what he now is: A growing talent who is quickly carving a longterm career for himself as a Major League starter."
THE SUPPORTING CAST: The lone defensive gem of the night was provided by Jacoby Ellsbury. (Boston Herald) And McAdam notes that Jason Varitek has now caught four of these things, a major-league record, and all of them for the Red Sox.
OUR TIME: The Globe's Dan Shaughnessy wonders"what New England sports fans did to deserve this glut of riches."
I REMEMBER MEL: If you're of a certain age, you remember Mel Parnell as the ace left-hander of the '40s and '50s Red Sox. If you're of another age, like me, you remember him as the likeable (if quiet) color commentator on the '60s radio and TV broadcasts. (You may have heard his inelegant call of the final out of 1967's season-ending win over the Twins: "Little soft pop up, Petrocelli will take it, HE DOES! The ballgame's over!" It paled in comparison to Ned Martin's "And there's pandemonium on the field!" declaration on radio.) If your memory doesn't stretch back any father than the '70s, you probably don't remember him at all. But, as Baseball Musings' David Pinto notes, Parnell was the last Red Sox left-hander to pitch a no-hitter prior to Lester . . . and that was back in 1956.
PUT IT ASIDE FOR A NIGHT: On the LoHud Yankees Blog, Peter Abraham -- who notes that we've all been touched by cancer, either personally or through a friend or family member -- says everyone, "even if [the cap you're wearing] has an interlocking N and Y on it," should cheer Lester. "Sometimes it’s OK to root for the other team," he concludes. Most of the commenters agreed, though some -- while not wishing Lester ill -- said they couldn't root for a Red Sox pitcher to throw a no-hitter no matter what the circumstances. But poster "seriously" has perhaps the best take of all: "Robinson Cano had 18 [no-hit] games this season, Lester only one. Don’t worry,we’re still the winner."
VIDEO ENTRIES: Already, amateur videos of the final out are popping up on YouTube. This videographer had wonderful seats just to the right of home plate:
While this one was in Conigliaro's Corner on the right-field roof:
And this one -- who had terrific fan reaction immediately after the last out -- was in the upper boxes on the third-base side:
Quite a night.
THE FLIP SIDE OF THE COIN: Rany Jazayerli, the remaining half of Rob and Rany On The Royals (it's now, of course, Rany On The Royals), wasn't quite as thrilled as we were up here, though he says if the Royals had to be no-hit by anybody, he's glad it was by cancer survivor Jon Lester. Blogger Mark Laflamme, a Royals fan who lives in New England, describes it as hurting as much as "a bicycle crossbar to the crotch." Ouch. In the mainstream media, Joe Posnanski -- saying "[there] are not many places in the world that are quieter than the losing clubhouse after a no-hitter" -- gets the post-mortems from the no-hitees. (Kansas City Star)
TEMPORARY SETBACK: Despite behind no-hit by Lester last night, Hall of Famer George Brett thinks the Royals can contend in the A.L. Central this season. (Kansas City Star)
THE LAST WORD: ShysterBall says: "It figures. The first night in what seems like forever where the national game isn't the frickin' Red Sox, and a no-hitter happens." You know, I thought that myself.
DOWN ON THE FARM: Newly promoted Daniel Bard had an auspicious debut for Portland. (rotoworld.com) Bard is one of the players examined by Baseball Analysts in a Prospects-Or-Suspects? analysis, and says he's still a prospect.
NEARING THE END? Pedro Martinez' contract with the Mets is up at the conclusion of this season and he says he may retire to go home and take care of his 78-year-old father, who is suffering from brain cancer. (New York Daily News)
WELCOME BACK, NOW GET GOING: Alex Rodriguez returns to the Yankee lineup tonight and -- with an offense performing at 1990 levels (New York Daily News) -- both the New York Post's Mike Vaccaro and the Daily News' Mike Lupica say he needs to jump-start the Yankee attack.
'HE'S PLAYING THE HAND HE'S BEEN DEALT': Hank Steinbrenner had praise for the card-player (Joe Girardi) but not for the dealer (Brian Cashman) as he discussed the Yankees' slow start. (New York Times) Still, the Daily News' Bob Raissman says Cashman needn't worry; he believes Hank -- or "Hankenstein," as he calls him -- is more hot air than fire, unlike his father.
CASH MAN: The blog River Avenue Blues defends Cashman.
WILL THE INDIGNITIES NEVER END? First it was Gary Shelton in the St. Petersburg Times saying the Rays are better than the Yankees. Now it's Peter Schmuck of the Baltimore Sun saying we may be heading back to the days when the Orioles were one of the most stable organizations in baseball and the Yankees one of the most volatile. (He's talkin' about you, Hankenstein.)
THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO JINX A YANKEE: That construction worker/Red Sox fan who buried a David Ortiz jersey at the new Yankee Stadium -- which the Yanks dug up at enormous cost, to break a potential Big Papi hex -- is now telling friends he also buried a program from the 2004 ALCS there. (New York Times)
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Old pal Rob Neyer tries to get to the bottom of one of the Thurman Munson legends -- the one where he becomes infuriated by an item in that day's press notes that he had two fewer assists than arch-enemy Carlton Fisk, so he deliberately dropped three third strikes in order to throw the batters out at first and pass Fisk in the assists category -- and concludes there's nothing to it. (ESPN.com, printing an excerpt of Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Legends)
WE NEED FURTHER REVIEW: After the nationally televised fiasco of Carlos Delgado's home-run-that-wasn't on Sunday night (New York Daily News), Abraham says it's time for a limited form of instant relay in baseball. (LoHud Yankees Blog) The Washington Times' Dan Daly agrees, but has almost no hope MLB will pull its head out of the sand long enough to do what needs to be done.
FEELING THE PAIN: Willie Randolph admits he's hurt by the never-ending stream of criticism he's hearing from Mets fans. (Bergen Record)
BACK UP THE TRUCK: Padres general manager Kevin Towers is promising "wholesale" changes to his bumbling team because "I’m certainly not going to watch this for another four months." (yahoo.com)
HERE'S HOW TO MAKE A GOOD THING BETTER: Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan starts off by saying he likes interleague play, then makes five suggestions to improve it.
WHY BOTHER? IT'S GOOD ENOUGH AS IT IS: SI.com's John Donovan takes up the MLB mantra that increased attendance proves that fans love interleague games and so it's here to stay.
VALENTINE'S DAY: Bobby Valentine is a hero in Japan, leading SI.com's Jon Heyman to wonder why no team in the United States is willing to give him another shot at a managing job . . . and if Valentine would accept if they did.
THE FALLOUT: Ryan Braun says he didn't think the Brewers went into Boston expecting to win last weekend -- and they didn't -- and general manager Doug Melvin believes it's a matter of confidence. Milwaukee had it last year, he thinks, and now the players have to get it back. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
CHANGE IN PLANS: The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin says things haven't exactly gone as planned during J.P. Ricciardi's term as Blue Jays general manager. The Jays, he says, have not become the player-development machine -- to coin a Theo Epstein phrase -- Ricciardi promised when he took over seven years ago.
FATHER TIME: The Hardball Times salutes the career of Julio Franco . . . and puts his never-ending career in historical context.
MUST READING: SpliceToday's interview with Craig Calcaterra, author of the always entertaining ShysterBall blog.
HERE AND THERE: Dan Uggla says he's not upset that the Marlins signed Hanley Ramirez, and not him, to a multiyear contract (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) . . . Mark Mulder has suffered another setback in his rehab and will be sidelined for 10 to 14 days (mlb.com) . . . Shane Victorino says he's "disappointed" at being benched by the Phillies. (phillyburbs.com)
OLD FRIENDS: The Cubs have placed Chad Fox on the disabled list (yahoo.com) . . . Nomar Garciaparra's comeback has stalled and the Dodgers are sending him for more tests. (Los Angeles Times)
AND FINALLY . . . Many, many thanks to our good friend Allan Wood for the callout on his terrific Joy of Sox blog. We appreciate it!
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 9:18 AM | Permalink
Lester does it
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Jon Lester deals in the first inning of his historic start tonight.
He did it!
Jon Lester has fired a no-hitter as the Red Sox have beaten Kansas City, 7-0, tonight at Fenway.
With the crowd of 37,746 roaring, Lester walked Esteban German to lead off the ninth. He retired Tony Pena on a high bouncer to third, with German moving to second. He went to 2-2 before getting Tony Pena on a grounder to first that Kevin Youkilis handled alone.
Lester got ahead of Alberto Callaspo with two quick strikes. He threw one ball, got a foul ball and then, on his 130th pitch of the night, fired a fastball. Callaspo swung and missed.
As so often happens with a no-hitter, the game included an outstanding defensive play to keep it going. This one was provided by Jacoby Ellsbury, who raced in and toward right, dove and caught a fly ball by Jose Guillen in the fourth.
Lester struck out nine, a season high.
It is the 18th no-hitter in Red Sox history. Lester is the first lefty to get a no-hitter since Mel Parnell on July 14, 1956.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 9:27 PM | Permalink
Three outs away
Jon Lester has turned a cold night in May into the most exciting game of the Red Sox season thus far.
The lefty has a no-hitter through eight innings as the Red Sox lead Kansas City, 7 -0. Lester has allowed only one base runner, a walk to Billy Butler in the second. He has struck out a season high eight.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 9:23 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, May 19
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
STANDING TALL ONCE AGAIN: When last we spoke, the Red Sox had lost four in a row and fallen behind Tampa Bay into second place in the A.L. East. But then along came the Brewers . . . or, perhaps more to the point, along came interleague play. Sean McAdam tells us that's been a boon to Boston in recent years and this weekend was no different, as the poor Brew Crew soon discovered. The Sox beat them Saturday afternoon, they pretty much beat themselves Saturday night, and the Sox overpowered them yesterday. (All stories projo.com.) So now it's Monday morning, the four-game losing streak has turned into a three-game winning streak, and the Red Sox once again lead the division. Hate interleague play (which, I'm ashamed to admit, was our stance last Friday)? Forget that. We're counting the days until June 13, when it resumes.
PAPI KNOWS BEST: Yesterday's double-and-two-homers afternoon would seem to indicate that David Ortiz (above) is finally, definitively, back on the beam (as they might have said in the 1940s). Steven Krasner goes Inside The Game to examine Ortiz' at-bats yesterday, and Joe Haggerty talks with Red Sox hitting instructor Dave Magadan, who tells how Ortiz has worked his way out of his early season slump. (hackswithhaggs.com)
WELL, THAT EXPLAINS IT: We all know the Red Sox have won two World Series in the last four seasons and we all know the roles Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have played in hanging those two flags. Makes sense, then, that SI.com's Jon Heyman would rank the signings of Ortiz and Ramirez as two of the five greatest free-agent acquisitions of all time -- Ortiz at No. 1 and Ramirez No. 5. And how I wish I could somehow travel back in time and show the piece to all the folks back in December 2000 who thought the free agent the Sox should should have signed back then was not Ramirez, but Mike Mussina.
THE WAITING GAME: The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes points out that Ramirez has stalled -- at least in terms of hitting home runs -- as he approaches No. 500.
STRAIGHTENING IT OUT: Friday's rainout threw a monkey wrench in the Red Sox' pitching plans, and McAdam, Krasner and Paul Kenyon report the fallout: Justin Masterson starts Tuesday and Bartolo Colon starts Wednesday.
THE BAD NEWS: The weekend wasn't all peaches and cream. Jacoby Ellsbury was caught stealing for the first time in his major-league career. (Boston Globe)
WELCOME ALWAYS: Kenyon chronicles the return of old friend Gabe Kapler.
OPEN FOR BUSINESS: The Bleacher Bar inside Fenway Park, a year-round operation that you can enter on Ted Williams Way, opened Friday. Just don't drive your car there. (Both stories Boston Herald)
HERE THEY COME: MLB.com's Dick Kaegel takes a close-up look at the Royals, who'll be in town for the next four days.
UP IS DOWN, BLACK IS WHITE . . . and a journalist -- in this case, the St. Petersburg Times' Gary Shelton -- is actually writing that the Rays are better than the Yankees . . . a reasonable assertion, actually, if you look at the standings. (Projo Stats) Or is it? Bugs and Cranks says "it is way too soon for chest-thumping [and] gloating" and goes over Shelton's position-by-position comparison, agreeing with all the ones that favor the Yankees and disagreeing with several that favor the Rays. The Bronx Block puts it out there for its readers to discuss. But the Red Sox-oriented blog Wicked Clevah is, in its own words, terrified of Tampa.
PROOF POSITIVE: Shelton's argument -- while not necessarily advanced by the Rays' 5-4 loss in St. Louis (Tampa Tribune) -- was certainly bolstered in the Bronx, where the Mets completed a rain-shortened weekend sweep with an 11-2 pounding of the Yanks last night. (New York Daily News) And in the change-a-minute world of New York baseball, that means Willie Randolph is off the hot seat and Joe Girardi's on. (New York Daily News)
JOE COOL: That's Girardi, even though the Yanks are floundering. (New York Post) Still, he's blaming the Yanks' struggles on himself. (New York Daily News)
LATE TO THE PARTY: The Jason Giambi/thong story, which has gotten play far beyond its importance, is explained by Peter Abraham. (LoHud Yankees Blog) As is true of most hot items of this type, it's much ado about nothing.
'HEY': That Phil Hughes' greeting on his blog after three weeks of silence. He doesn't say much beyond that, either.
REFRESHING CANDOR: Umpire Bob Davidson admits -- in colorful terms -- he messed up in calling Carlos Delgado's shot off the left-field pole, which should have been a three-run homer, a foul ball. (New York Daily News)
THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL: Alex Rodriguez should return to the Yankee lineup tomorrow. (New York Daily News)
'FATALLY FLAWED': NBCsports.com's Mike Celizic takes a look at the Yankees and Mets and concludes there's much to dislike in both Queens or the Bronx.
RICH IN OTHER WAYS: They may seem weak on the field at the moment, but the New York Daily News' Juan Gonzalez examines just how strong the Yankees are financially.
FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE: The New York Post reports former Yankee pitcher Dock Ellis -- who kicked drugs and alcohol nearly 30 years ago and became a drug counselor -- has cirrhosis of the liver and is deteriorating rapidly.
MEET THE MUSINGS MAN: I link to an item or two in Baseball Musings almost daily, so you know I'd in interested in Statistically Speaking's interview with David Pinto. His choices for the players he'd build his team around: Hanley Ramirez and Cole Hamels.
UNIT OF STRENGTH: Randy Johnson may no longer resemble the Big Unit of old, but -- as he demonstrated yesterday against the Tigers -- he's still got something left in the tank. (Arizona Republic)
'WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES': Of course, beating the Tigers isn't the world's biggest trick these days, and manager Jim Leyland -- who admits he's "totally out of answers" -- plans to meet with general manager Dave Dombrowski today to discuss what can be done to fix things. (Detroit Free Press)
SUGGESTION NUMBER ONE: The Free Press' Michael Rosenberg thinks the repairs should start with a reduction in playing time for the rotting corpse that is Gary Sheffield.
THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN': Writing on his always readable Sporting News blog, Todd Jones describes the differences in clubhouse life from the time he broke into the major leagues to today.
PITCH COUNTS, MY EYE: The blog Seamheads.com says it's a lack of quality pitchers, not modern strategies by health-conscious managers, that's led to the decline in the number of 20-game winners.
YOU GOT ME: The season's now one-quarter completed, and the San Francisco Chronicle's Ray Ratto admits he still doesn't know what to make of the A's.
WHAT'S THE BIGGER ACHIEVEMENT? The fact that the Reds' Edinson Volquez has an Adjusted ERA as good as Bob Gibson's record 1.12 ERA in 1968, or the fact that a mainstream media outlet actually built a feature around Adjusted ERA? (Cincinnati Enquirer)
COLLATERAL DAMAGE: The Orioles' woes have hurt attendance not only at Camden Yards but also at the nearby Sports Legends Museum. (Maryland Daily Record)
GROWING CONCERN: More and more attention is being paid to the constant shattering of maple bats and the dangers they post. The Washington Times' Mark Zuckerman reports commissioner Bud Selig is considering banning them.
THEY HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN: He may be 87 years old, but Stan Musial is still The Man in St. Louis. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
MEDICAL REPORT: The Astros may lose Roy Oswalt to a groin injury (Houston Chronicle) . . . The Padres' Jake Peavy has a sore elbow (mlb.com) . . . John Smoltz is still feeling shoulder pain and thinks he could be out a lot longer than he originally thought (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya will begin throwing this week for the Tigers. (Detroit Free Press)
HERE AND THERE: Hank Blalock is moving to first base (Dallas Morning News) . . . It took a while, but the Rockies' Jeff Francis finally won a game in 2008 (Denver Post) . . . The imminent return of Doug Davis means the Diamondbacks have a decision to make regarding rookie phenom Max Scherzer (Arizona Republic) . . . Jacque Jones is about to join the Marlins (Miami Herald) . . . The White Sox have fired scouting director David Wilder and two scouts amid reports they were skimming bonus payments to Latin American signees. (Chicago Tribune)
OLD FRIENDS: David Eckstein is close to returning to the Blue Jays (National Post) . . . The Marlins have signed Hanley Ramirez to a long-term deal. (espn.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:32 AM | Permalink
Schilling keeps improving
Curt Schilling is in the Red Sox clubhouse today, joking with teammates and enjoying himself. He has reason for optimism.
Manager Terry Francona reported in his pre-game meeting just now that Schilling continues to make progress in his bid to return from shoulder problems.
``You know what, he’s doing OK,’’ Francona said. ``Everything that’s been asked of him, as far as throwing, he’s handled it, I would say, with enthusiasm, which is a good sign.’’
``He’s been upping the amount of throws, the first couple time it was 60 feet with 25 throws, now it’s maybe 90 feet with 30. The whole idea is to build up arm strength and not go backwards,’’ Francona said.
The next step will be to have Schilling do some long tossing at 120 feet.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 1:42 PM | Permalink
Lowell out, Casey in for first game
Welcome to Fenway. Let’s play two today!!!!
The sun is peeking in and out of the clouds right now, but there should be no problem getting both games in after last night’s postponement.
The Red Sox have made one change from the lineup they were planning to use last night against Milwaukee starter Jeff Suppan. Sean Casey will start at first base, Kevin Youkilis will move to third and Mike Lowell will get the afternoon off.
``We have three games in 20 hours or 22 hours or whatever it is,’’ said Sox manager Terry Francona. The plan will be to get a number of players one game off. Lowell has not had success in the past against Suppan and Casey has, so it is a matter of going with the numbers, Francona said. Lowell is 0-for-11 against Suppan, Casey 6-for-18.
The Brewers are staying with the same lineup they had listed last night against Daisuke Matsuzaka.
Here are the lineups for the 3:55 game:
MILWAUKEE
Weeks 2b
Cameron CF
Braun LF
Fielder 1b
Hart RF
Hardy SS
Dillon DH
Hall 3B
Kendall C
Suppan P
BOSTON
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Youkilis 3B
Drew RF
Varitek C
Casey 1B
Lugo SS
Matsuzaka P
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 1:25 PM | Permalink
Sox had few options on scheduling
The Red Sox had almost no options in rescheduling tonight’s game.
It is Milwaukee’s only trip to Boston. Today’s game is locked in at 3:55 p.m. because it is a nationally televised Fox game. Tomorrow was not a possibility for separate admission games because rules dictate that no game can begin after 5 p.m. to avoid conflict with ESPN’s Sunday night national telecast. The only way to play two on Sunday would be as a single-admission doubleheader, a situation that would cost the team much money.
As it is, the situation is touchy. If the first game tomorrow goes long, the second game might not start at 8:35, as planned. Workers need about 45 minutes to an hour to clean up sufficiently after a game, said John Blake, the team’s vice president for media relations.
Thus, if the opener tomorrow goes four hours and does not end until 8 p.m. it likely will be closer to 9 p.m. before the second game can begin. If it goes even longer, fans will simply be asked to wait outside, after the first game ends, to allow workers to do some cleaning.
Tickets for tonight’s game will be used for the 8:35 game tomorrow.
The Sox have been placed in a similar situation once before, in May of 2005. They split that doubleheader with Seattle. The Mariners won the nightcap 6-4 on a grandslam by Richie Sexon off Cla Meredith.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 9:37 PM | Permalink
A different return for Kapler, Gagne
There rarely is any middle ground when a former Red Sox player returns to Fenway in an opposing uniform. Today is a dramatic example of that, at least it is in the case of Gabe Kapler and Eric Gagne.
Gagne, the relief pitcher who struggled so much for the Sox last season, was not around very much, if at all.
While Gagne is not likely to receive a warm welcome from the Boston fans, Kapler is the opposite.. Rarely has any player been more popular with both the team and the Boston fans.
``I just got a chance to spend a little bit of time over in the Red Sox weight training facility,’’ Kapler related. ``It was good to see some old faces, shake some hands and give some hugs. I don’t know how emotional it is, but it certainly feels good. All I’ve ever felt being here is warmth, so it’s nothing new.’’
Kapler retired last year and managed Boston’s Class A team in Greenville. He said he decided late last season to try to return as a player. He is hitting .284 in 67 at-bats for the Brewers, with four home runs and 13 RBI. Kapler made no effort to hide his pleasure in being back at Fenway.
``I feel like the Red Sox always have my best interests at heart,’’ he said. Sox officials were not upset, he said, when he told them he wanted to return to being a player again.
``I think they understood it was a heartfelt decision, an intuitive decision,’’ Kapler said. ``They respected that.’’
The Sox obviously respect Kapler.
``I don’t know that Gabe will ever do something that’s he not successful at. Whatever he does does he throws himself into it,’ said Sox Boston manager Terry Francona. ``He’ll be good at whatever he wants to be good at.’’
Kapler and Gagne are two of four Milwaukee players, along with Jeff Suppan and David Riske, who were in uniform for the Brewers in the team’s first visit to Fenway since Milwaukee moved to the National League.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:50 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, May 16
TWO TO GO: Let the countdown really begin. Manny Ramirez is two home runs away from 500, something he could accomplish in a single night. The anticipation began building during the last homestand -- the Sox stuck that '496' banner on one of the left-field light towers, but never got to update it as he went homerless against the Blue Jays and Rays -- and it'll be a nightly (or daily) thing now, starting this evening when the Brewers come to town. Joe McDonald looks at Ramirez' career and talks to ex-Red Sox pitcher Ken Ryan about facing Ramirez. "I thought I was Superman," Ryan said when recalling a long battle in Cleveland that ended with a Manny walkoff home run, "but I quickly realized who Superman really was.”
ENOUGH, ALREADY: Alex Rodriguez has a message for Yankee fans outraged that he taped a congratulatory message that will be played when Ramirez hits his 500th home run: Get over it. (New York Daily News)
IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN: Yes, yes, mention of the Brewers means that dreaded monster -- interleague play -- is back with us. I know most of you hate it, but ESPN's Steve Phillips "digs" it (Orlando Sentinel) and Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News says the Mets-Yankees series alone gives it some redeeming value. Bloggers Steve Lombardi and Matthew Cerone handicap that series on sny.tv.
A NEW PLAYER IN THE RACE: Speaking of the Brewers, they're in the market for pitching (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) and ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reports they've entered the hunt for Julian Tavarez, making "as serious a run . . . as Colorado."
SUPERMAN'S PAL: God bless the Internet. The blog The Lost Ogle tracked down the Red Sox fan in Baltimore who high-fived with Manny after Ramirez made his great catch Wednesday afternoon. Turns out he's a native of Oklahoma -- Barry Switzer's nephew, no less -- who became a member of the Nation in 2003 because his best friend at Oklahoma State was a New Englander who turned him onto the Sox. Despite the ruckus it caused in the media, he said no one sitting around him even realized he had high-fived Ramirez except for a husband and wife sitting next to him (though they had a radio and told him it was the talk of the Orioles broadcast for the next few innings). He was actually preparing to catch Ramirez, whom he assumed was doing a Lambeau Leap into the stands -- now that would have been a Manny Being Manny moment, a Lambeau Leap while play was still going on -- and added, "I’m not sure I’d call [what they did] a high-five. Maybe more of a slap 4."
Like I said: God bless the Internet.
A QUIET CORNER OF THE INTERNET: Bet you didn't know Manny has his own Web site. Doesn't look like it's been updated since last October, though, and some of the corners -- like the one which celebrates his first home run of 2007 -- are even dustier.
A BUSIER CORNER OF THE INTERNET: Curt Schilling makes a chatty appearance on 38pitches.com in which, among other things, he tells us he loves the ESPN commercial parodying the bloody sock and warns us the Rays are for real.
FIRST-QUARTER DEFICITS: That was the headline over Steven Krasner's review of the first quarter of the season, but since I wrote it I figured I could use it here, too. Kraz says the Sox have three areas of concern; click the link to see what they are.
SECOND-QUARTER PROFIT: Bartolo Colon had a dominating performance in Buffalo yesterday (projo.com), and, considering Clay Buchholz is on the disabled list, could be in Boston soon. Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe says it will be next Tuesday, when Buchholz' turn in the rotation comes up. But Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports that because he threw so few pitches (64), Colon will probably need one more appearance for the PawSox, which means Tuesday's start could be made by David Pauley or Charlie Zink. Don't count on Justin Masterson; he's pitched poorly since returning to Portland after his spot start in Boston. (rotoworld.com)
SUNK COST: The blog Driveline Mechanics does a detailed analysis of Craig Hansen and concludes "I don’t like Hansen’s chances to stick in the major leagues for very long."
MYSTERY GUEST: Puzzled by the fact that Daisuke Matsuzaka has such dominating statistics and yet still struggles so with his command and his control? So are the Red Sox. (Boston Herald)
THEY'RE NOT SAYING BOO, THEY'RE SAYING . . . Lou, as in Merloni, as in NESN's newest analyst. (Boston Globe)
MONBO: The Globe's Stan Grossfeld has a touching piece on ex-Red Sox pitcher Bill Monbouquette -- one of the few beacons of light during the very dark days of the early 1960s -- who's battling leukemia.
BACK IN THE FOLD: Kevin Millar irritated quite a number of people in Baltimore last fall when he recorded a bit for Fox urging Red Sox fans to keep the faith, and then threw out the first ball before Game Seven of the ALCS. But now he's back in their good graces with this, ah, inspiring version of Orioles Magic.
HO HUM: First place is becoming a permanent residence for the Rays, who now have the best record in the American League after beating the Yankees yesterday (Tampa Tribune). Baseball Musings' David Pinto says with each passing day, Tampa Bay is looking more and more like a real contender.
FLIP SIDE: The Yanks had high hopes they'd be seeing a new Ian Kennedy when he took the mound yesterday, but it was the same old same old as the team dropped into last place with the 5-2 loss. (New York Daily News) Now they get to see the pitcher they wouldn't trade Kennedy for -- Johan Santana -- when the Mets come to the Bronx tonight. (New York Daily News) A bad weekend might spark another outburst from Hank Steinbrenner, and that's okay by Tino Martinez. (New York Post)
ON THE HOOK: But a good weekend -- for the Yanks -- may cost Willie Randolph his job. (New York Post)
GOOD NEWS AT LAST: Alex Rodriguez may return to the Yankee lineup Tuesday. (Newsday)
MO INCREDIBLE: Peter Abraham has a fascinating tidbit on Mariano Rivera's athletic ability, which was on display during batting practice yesterday. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE: That's Mark Feinsand's summation of the opening quarter of the season for the Yankees, who received a 'C' grade in his Daily News blog report card.
LIFE'S SIMPLE PLEASURES: In an interview with the blog Portfolio.com, Jason Giambi says life after baseball will be just fine as long as he "can have a fast boat and a margarita machine and can light my hair on fire."
COULDN'T RESIST: At NYU's graduation ceremony held at Yankee Stadium, one grad simply had to run onto the hallowed field. (New York Daily News)
FACE THE MUSIC: Last year, you may recall, then-Met Paul Lo Duca ripped his Hispanic teammates for using the language barrier as an excuse to duck talking to the media. Yesterday, current Met Billy Wagner -- while leaving race out of it -- went into a similar rant about teammates who refuse to speak to reporters, leaving the burden to players, like him, who don't duck into the trainer's room or out the door. (New York Daily News) Wagner called out Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado by implication -- though the New York Post reports Beltran actually did speak -- and promised the situation "will be reconciled [Friday]."
DON'T ASK, BECAUSE I CAN'T TELL: Paul DePodesta says that he'll talk about many things on his blog, but his days as Dodgers GM isn't one of them.
PERFECT NINE: The Diamondbacks' Brandon Webb is now 9-0 after Arizona's win over the Rockies last night. (Arizona Republic)
PAPER TIGERS? Pinto breaks down Detroit's offense this season and wonders if something is seriously wrong.
BLOCKBUSTER AHEAD? Matt Holliday on the trade block? Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal says that, with the Rockies struggling and Holliday due to hit free agency after the 2009 season, it could happen.
WHY NOT US? Brian Sabean says the Giants can contend this year. The blog ShysterBall says Brian Sabean is delusional.
RIGHT THERE UNDER OUR NOSES: Baseball Analysts says Chipper Jones has had a Hall of Fame career and very few people have noticed.
NOBLE BY COMPARISON: In an online-only piece, the Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley thinks the steroids era actually was a boon to players like Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr., who achieved greatness without artificial help and will be applauded for it.
AND FOR THOSE FOUR PEOPLE LEFT WHO STILL DON'T THINK HE'S CLUELESS . . . Astros owner Drayton McLane says Roger Clemens is still up in the air about actually being retired. (mlb.com) Can you imagine the crowd reaction if Clemens ever walked onto a field again?
I'M WITH YOU, SIR: Yesterday, President Bush was singing Chase Utley's praises. Today it's Mike Schmidt. (USA Today)
HERE AND THERE: Nick Johnson has a torn tendon sheath in his wrist that the Nationals say will sideline him for four to six weeks (Washington Post), though I recall Nomar Garciaparra missing most of 2001 because of that injury . . . The Reds' Jeff Keppinger, who has a broken kneecap, will also be out four to six weeks (Dayton Daily News) . . . Jason Isringhausen's troubles, which continued yesterday, might be traced to treatments he's been receiving for an arthritic hip (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . Griffey paid off a debt to teammate Josh Fogg with 150,000 pennies (AP via yahoo.com) . . . Carlos Zambrano has made nice with his new teammate, Jim Edmonds. (Chicago Tribune)
OLD FRIENDS: The Brewers have placed David Riske on the disabled list (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Exhibit A in the It Takes A Certain Mentality To A Closer case: Rafael Betancourt, so dominant for the Indians in the setup role, has a 7.31 ERA since taking over the injured Joe Borowski (Toledo Blade) . . . Joe Torre may use Nomar Garciaparra at shortstop in the absence of Rafael Furcal (Los Angeles Times) . . .
AND FINALLY . . . It's got nothing to do with baseball, but I couldn't stop reading -- and laughing at -- Joe Posnanski's tale about going to an Italian restaurant recommended by Dan Le Batard. (joeposnanski.com)
Posted by Art Martone at 6:41 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, May 15
BUT FIRST . . . There are serious, disconcerting issues facing the Red Sox on this morning, but I don't know. When your left fielder makes a running catch with his momentum carrying him up onto the wall, high-fives a fan (above), comes down, and fires the ball into the infield to start a double play . . . well, how bad can things be? Check out Ian Bethune's Sox and Dawgs blog for a video clip of the play, which kicks off a three-minute reel of ESPN's favorite Manny being Manny moments, some of which (the sprawling cutoff of Johnny Damon's throw while he was in dead center field) I remember and others (calling Edgar Renteria off a pop up, then letting the ball drop and having it carom off his knee into right field) I'd forgotten.
We all laughed when Manny anointed himself as the best defensive left fielder in Red Sox history, but you ever see Yaz or Ted or Jim Rice do that?
AND NOW BACK TO OUR SHOW: All you can do is laugh, because the alternative is pretty grim. The Sox blew a 3-0 lead for the third consecutive game yesterday and their season-long Achilles heel -- the bullpen -- never looked worse than it does now. Steven Krasner has the details of a frustrating afternoon in Baltimore, where a lead that was down to 3-2 by the seventh inning evaporated in the span of four batters with two outs and nobody on. Craig Hansen poured the gasoline and Hideki Okajima lit the match, continuing a horrid stretch in which Krasner reports Okajima has allowed 11 of 14 inherited runners to score and blown four of his five save opportunities. So that makes it four losses in a row, and five in the last six games. As Krasner notes, today's off day couldn't come at a better time.
WHAT, US WORRY? Okajima had nothing to say about the game-losing grand slam he surrendered to Jay Payton, or anything else for that matter, leaving his teammates to do his talking for him. To a man, they say they're not concerned. (Boston Globe) Good, because Red Sox Nation is concerned enough for all of them . . . and then some.
MORE MANNY: You can read Ramirez', and his teammates', reaction to his one-for-the-ages catch in Krasner's notebook, which also tells us that J.D. Drew is feeling better, Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo aren't, Brandon Moss is working out in Florida as he recovers from his appendectomy, and that Jacoby Ellsbury is now 23-for-23 as a big-league base stealer.
FRIENDS TO THE END: Ramirez is this close to 500 home runs, and he asked four of his buddies to make a commemorative video that will be played at Fenway Park when he reaches the milestone. One of those buddies? Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod agreed to do it, but said he kept it short because he's aware of the savage booing that will erupt when his face pops up on the scoreboard. (New York Post)
ONE MAN'S FLOOR IS ANOTHER MAN'S CEILING: A torn fingernail sent Clay Buchholz to the disabled list, and if that sounds like a pretty flimsy reason to be disabled, well, it probably is. Fact is, with Drew and Crisp sidelined the Sox needed another outfielder toot sweet, so they used Buchholz' roster spot to summon Jonathan Van Every. Krasner has the details of Van Every's first day in the major leagues after eight years in the bushes, in which he also recorded his first big-league hit.
WHAT'S THERE TO TELL? Jim Rice gives a matter-of-fact accounting of going into the stands at Yankee Stadium in 1986 after a fan had stolen his hat. (ask14.sullivantire.com)
MORE OF THE SAME: It seems like the Orioles start out reasonably well every year, and they claim they have a new attitude every year. So why should this year be any different? (Washington Post)
SPRINGING AHEAD: As Sarasota begins formulating plans to convince the Red Sox to move their spring-training base there (mysuncoast.com), an editorial in the Fort Myers News Press urges its community leaders not to break the bank to keep the Sox.
'CONTENDER. SERIOUSLY': So says Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal about the Rays in a look at whether or not the early season surprise teams are contenders or pretenders.
RETURNING ORDER TO THE UNIVERSE: Maybe they are, but for one night things were back to normal as Mike Mussina pitched the Yankees to victory over the Tampa Bay upstarts. (New York Daily News) Since it came after a) Hank Steinbrenner had called them out and b) Joe Girardi held a closed-door meeting before the game, many will credit the brass for "motivating" the players out of their slump. But a postgame clubhouse poll by Peter Abraham indicates otherwise. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
THE HOT SEAT: It's where Brian Cashman is sitting these days. (New York Times) Don't believe it? Listen to Hank Steinbrenner for five minutes, even though he never mentions Cashman by name. (New York Daily News)
CAN'T LOSE IF THEY DON'T SCORE: No one's paying much attention -- not even in Cleveland, where folks are riveted on the Cavs and Celtics (projo.com) -- but the Indians recorded their fourth shutout in five games last night as C.C. Sabathia blanked the A's, 2-0. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) And, as Sheldon Ocker points out in the Akron Beacon-Journal, it's exactly what they needed since the Indians have scored only nine runs themselves over that span.
LOOK AT THE FACTS: I've become a big fan of Craig Calcaterra's blog ShysterBall for many reasons -- one of them being his daily roundup of games under the heading "And That Happened," in honor of John Mayer -- and today he lays out the reasons why Barry Bonds' continued unemployment isn't necessarily a case of collusion. It came in response to Dave Zirin of the blog The Starting Five calling the Bonds saga a "case of blackballing so obvious it would shame a Dartmouth frat house."
OH, NO! The blog Big League Stew has checked around and discovered that Cubs Nation isn't too thrilled about the impending acquisition of Jim Edmonds. Cubs GM Jim Hendry disagrees, but ace Carlos Zambrano sides with the fans . . . though probably not for the same reasons. (Both stories Chicago Tribune)
CHANGE AT THE TOP: The blog The Biz of Baseball reports Peter Magowan will step down as managing partner of the Giants.
HAIL FROM THE CHIEF: If President Bush could choose any player with which to start a baseball team, he says he'd pick the Phillies' Chase Utley. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
'PAUL FROM FAIRFAX, YOU'RE NEXT ON THE 'FAN: Ex-Met Paul Lo Duca, now with the Nationals, called WFAN yesterday just to chat, and discussed a number of topics . . . including his inclusion in the Mitchell Report. (New York Daily News)
ROCK ON, METS: The blog Mets By The Numbers has a fascinating interview with perhaps the world's unlikeliest Mets fan: George Thorogood. A Delaware native, he tells why he abandoned the Phillies for the Mets, and also has a fascinating theory -- and one I'd never thought of -- on how the Mets really won Game Six of the 1986 World Series against the Red Sox.
NO GOING BACK: The old-timers don't like it -- at all -- but they're all in sad agreement: On-field celebrations are here to stay. (espn.com)
ON SECOND THOUGHT . . . The blog Athletics Nation is wondering if picking up Frank Thomas was such a good idea, after all.
HERE AND THERE: Mark Prior says he cut off his latest rehab attempt after 10 or 15 pitches because he felt "a firecracker going off in [my] back" (espn.com) . . . Nick Johnson's wrist hurts and he may be lost to the Nationals for a while (Washington Times) . . . Tom Glavine won his first game as a Brave since 2002 last night (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Rays have signed Scott Kazmir to a long-term extension (St. Petersburg Times) . . . John Smoltz thinks he'll be back with the Braves in about 10 days (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Both the Brewers (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) and the White Sox (Chicago Sun-Times) may be looking for help in the trade market soon . . . Gary Sheffield is back to being a DH because of a sore shoulder (mlb.com) . . . Jake Westbrook and Joe Borowski are ready to begin rehab stints for the Indians. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
OLD FRIENDS: We hate to keep harping on Eric Gagne, but he keeps making news. Now it appears his struggles -- at least partially -- were caused by his tipping his pitches, which he apparently has rectified. (mlb.com) The Brewers are in town this weekend, so we shall see . . . Pedro Martinez threw a 55-pitch simulated game in his recovery from a hamstring pull (New York Post) . . . David Riske has a hyperextended right elbow (rightfieldbleachers.com) . . . The suddenly hot Bronson Arroyo has allowed just one run in his last 15 innings. (rotoworld.com)
Posted by Art Martone at 6:40 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 14
AP Photo
PREMATURE CELEBRATION: We've been treated to a score of Red Sox-are-the-best proclamations in the last week, in places like the Boston Globe, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Detroit Free Press and msnbc.com. Lost in the huzzahs is the fact that a) the Sox have lost four of five after last night's 5-4 beating in Baltimore, b) they now trail those amazing Rays in the A.L. East standings (more on that in a moment), and c) their players are dropping like flies. Steven Krasner touches on all three topics in his accounting of last night's doings, which includes a heavy emphasis on the game's turning point: The pitcher-to-home-to-first double play grounded into by Manny Ramirez with the bases loaded and no out in the seventh inning, enabling the Orioles to maintain their at-the-time 5-3 lead.
DOCTOR, DOCTOR, GIVE ME THE NEWS: After David Ortiz was ejected in the ninth inning for arguing a third-strike call by plate umpire Laz Diaz, the Sox were down to one healthy non-pitcher on the bench: Backup catcher Kevin Cash. They started the night knowing that Julio Lugo was unavailable, although Krasner reports he seems to be recovering nicely from his mild concussion and could be ready to play again soon, perhaps as early as today. Then the game started, and soon joining Lugo on the sidelines were right fielder J.D. Drew, who sprained his left wrist while trying to catch a looping fly ball hit by Freddy Bynum in the third (above), and center fielder Coco Crisp, who had to leave in the sixth when he began suffering symptoms consistent with a migraine. (Attention all of you who made Coco jokes after NESN reported he took himself out because of an "upset stomach": the line for apologies starts here.) Krasner has the postgame medical updates, and it looks like Drew -- like Mike Lowell last month -- may be out for a bit.
NO JOSHING: Like Clay Buchholz the night before, Josh Beckett was staked to a 3-0 lead before he ever took the mound. Like Clay Buchholz the night before, Josh Beckett gave the whole lead back . . . and then some. Unlike Clay Buchholz the night before -- he was rather subdued and philosophical -- Josh Beckett gave an X-rated critique of his performance that laid the blame for last night's proceedings right on his own shoulders. (Boston Herald) Even so, Jason Varitek thinks Beckett is "really close" to once again start clicking on all cylinders. (Boston Globe)
JUST WHAT THEY NEED: As if the Sox didn't have enough troubles, they'll be facing Daniel Cabrera this afternoon. In an item in his weekly notes column, Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal says the talented but eccentric right-hander is finally get his act together, which may create a do-we-trade-him-or-do-we-keep-him? quandry for the rebuilding Orioles.
RELAX: Despite their recent slide, the Sox are still No. 1 in Foxsports.com's Power Rankings.
THE BIG VICTORY: Forget these little setbacks. The Herald's Howie Carr says the Sox (and the Patriots) pulled off the mother of all upsets: They took down the Boston Mafia by bankrupting the bookies with their run of success.
TRADE BAIT: Jim Rice examines the future of Jed Lowrie and -- since Dustin Pedroia is entrenched at second and both Lugo and Lowell are signed to long-term contracts -- wouldn't be surprised "if the Red Sox shop their prized prospect to other teams." (ask14.sullivantire.com)
OUR SYMPATHIES: Condolences to Terry Francona, who'll miss the series in Baltimore because of the death of his mother-in-law. (ProJo Sox Blog)
NOT AT THAT PRICE: The Denver Post reports the Rockies are still interested in Julian Tavarez "but aren't about to give up pitching prospect Brandon Hynick" for him.
THE NEXT BIG THING: ESPN.com's Jim Caple is calling 21-year-old Japanese phenom Yu Darvish Dice-K 2.0.
RAYS OF POWER: They're already figured out the magic number -- 122 -- in St. Petersburg as the Rays moved into first place with an 11-inning win over Mariano Rivera and the Yankees last night. (St. Petersburg Times) They're beginning to make believers out of people, like the Times' Gary Shelton. And Tampa Bay players who've experienced success before (on other teams, of course), like Cliff Floyd and Troy Percival, say they're seeing the signs of a team coming together. (Tampa Tribune) Now to get the fans on board. There were less than 17,000 at The Trop last night and David Pinto of Baseball Musings tells the folks in the Tampa Bay area to come out and support their suddenly successful franchise.
HERE TO STAY: If you think the Rays are a fluke team bound to fall, Baseball Analysts urges you to think again.
CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK: You could always count on the in-his-prime George Steinbrenner to weigh in whenever the Yankees were struggling. Now it's Hank Steinbrenner's team, so now it's Hank Steinbrenner's turn. (New York Post)
SHORT MEMORIES: While I don't recall them thanking the offense for carrying them to the playoffs last year, Yankee pitchers, reports Peter Abraham on the LoHud Yankees Blog, are quietly blaming the hitters for the team's struggles this season.
THE CAVALRY ISN'T IN SIGHT: The Yankee attack will no doubt pick up when Alex Rodriguez returns, but there's still no word when that will be. (New York Daily News)
THE ILLS OF SOCIETY: Goose Gossage is beginning to town down his criticisms of Joba Chamberlain, saying Joba's showboating antics aren't really his fault because "no one is passing the torch today (to the rookies)." (New York Daily News)
I THOUGHT THAT WAS HIM . . . Gossage said last week that Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry was one of only six batters he intentionally hit during his career. But baseball-reference.com looked it up and discovered Gossage never hit Bumbry.
PREPARING THE GUILLOTINE: Our buddy The Tao of Stieb says John Gibbons' time is almost up in the Blue Jays' managerial chair, and tells us why.
A GIRLS SOFTBALL LEAGUE WOULDN'T LOOK SO BAD RIGHT NOW: One day after he ragged on the Nationals for acting like "a bunch of softball girls" in their dugout while he was pitching, the Mets designated Nelson Figueroa for assignment. (New York Daily News)
FIXING THE CASE: Prosecutors have rewritten their indictment against Barry Bonds, as ordered by the judge, and baseball's home-run king/pariah now faces 15 felony counts. (AP via projo.com) The blog ShysterBall says there's nothing really new here and that his original handicapping of Bonds' chances in court still stands.
NEW PERSPECTIVE: Last week Pinto, writing for sportingnews.com, examined why the National League is outscoring the American League so far this year and concluded that, with its influx of young talent, the N.L. may soon be the better league once again. William Burke and Joe Sheehan of Baseball Prospectus take their own look at their issue and conclude that A.L. scoring may be down because of A.L. personnel decisions; to wit, choosing defense over offense at some positions.
PETCO SOUNDS: Padres exec Paul DePodesta takes a look at Petco Park in his latest blog entry and says the fact that Petco is an extreme pitchers' park shouldn't obscure the equally true fact the team's greatest run of success in history has occurred since it moved there.
'PEDRITO': The Reds' Edison Volquez idolizes Pedro Martinez. More importantly, says espn.com's Amy K. Nelson, he's pitching like him this year, too.
FACT OR FOLLY? The Seattle Times' Larry Stone, who admits he bought into the "last year's 88-win record plus this year's addition of [Erik] Bedard equaled a championship run" notion, thinks the time of reckoning may soon be here for the stumbling Mariners.
NO QUIT IN HIM: Jay Mariotti's frontal assault on the White Sox continues, as he uses Ozzie Guillen's admission that he was thinking about stepping down as manager as a jumping-off point for an attack on someone he calls "a crazed, bitter man . . . [whose] stupidity . . . has turned the franchise into a national farce."
LOCAL BOYS: Rocco Baldelli, sidelined since spring training after being diagnosed with a mitochondrial disorder, took batting practice yesterday and says he still hopes to play this year. (mlb.com)
HERE AND THERE: The Brewers' Chris Capuano will soon have the second Tommy John surgery of his career (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . The Reds' Jeff Koppinger suffered a broken patella when he fouled a ball off his leg (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . Jacque Jones would like to join the Marlins. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
OLD FRIENDS: Guess he was right about needing a quick mental-health break. Eric Gagne got the save for the Brewers last night (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Nomar Garciaparra says he's not ready for a rehab assignment just yet. (insidesocal.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:50 AM | 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)
Posted by Art Martone at 6:44 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, May 12
AP Photo
NOT GROUNDED FOR LONG: They don't go down easy, these Red Sox. Jacoby Ellsbury looked as if his night might be finished when he was hit in the knee by a pitch in the third inning (above), but he stayed in the game, scored a run by sprinting home on a sacrifice fly, and later made a running catch in right-center field. He was sort of a symbol of his team, which found itself on the short end of 5-0, 7-1 and 9-6 scores at various points during the evening and still came this close to pulling out an improbable win over the Twins. There was no Mother's Day Miracle this time, however, as pinch-hitter Manny Ramirez grounded out with the tying run in scoring position. Steven Krasner has the details of what Terry Francona called "as exciting a game [as] you can have and not win."
MORE OF THE SAME: Excitement was the buzzword of the weekend, though not always the way the Sox planned. Jonathan Papelbon provided a little Friday night -- for the Twins -- when he blew his second consecutive save opportunity; as Krasner reports, this time there were no checked-swing rollers, infield errors and broken-bat bloopers to blame. But he made the adjustments he had to make and was back to his old self Saturday night, saving the victory for a suddenly quick and efficient Daisuke Matsuzaka. Krasner tells us all about it.
Just as he'll tell us about tonight's finale of the wraparound weekend series in Minneapolis. Come back tomorrow for more.
WILDLY EFFECTIVE: David Pinto of Baseball Musings reports Matsuzaka is walking 5.7 batters per nine innings and his ERA of 2.45 is the lowest in history for a pitcher with a walk rate that high.
ERUDITE EMPIRE: That's what Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is calling the Red Sox, whom he admires for their skill and their intelligence. Souhan says the Sox are "a super power . . . [who have] surpassed the Yankees as the dominant franchise in baseball."
(He also makes a Chuck Knoblauch/Dustin Pedroia comparison that, I have to admit, occured to me at some point last night while Pedroia was fouling off Nick Blackburn pitch after Nick Blackburn pitch.)
RIGHT BACK ATCHA: The New York Daily News' Bill Madden throws a little loving at the Twins, who don't seem to miss Johan Santana very much.
OUT OF POSITION: Ramirez pinch-hit in the ninth because a tight right hamstring kept him out of the starting lineup.
IN POSITION: The Herald's Rob Bradford reports Ramirez believes he's the best defensive left fielder in Red Sox history.
HOMEWARD BOUND: Bryan Corey's days in Boston are over; Krasner has word of the reliever's trade to San Diego. Corey says his part in last year's World Series run was "special," but admits he's happy to be moving closer to his home in Mesa, Ariz. (mlb.com)
IT'S NOT HOW MANY, IT'S WHEN: Ramirez' final-out grounder threw the spotlight on a recent Sox problem: The inability to hit with runners in scoring position. Krasner has some startling numbers.
BALANCING ACT: The Globe's Nick Cafardo talks to scouts who say the Red Sox have "done it right" when it comes to lineup construction. "They have guys who can wear down the pitcher, guys who can drill the ball in the gap, they have guys who can run and take the extra base and they have guys who can take it out of the yard," says one. "I don't understand why there aren't more lineups like Boston's in the league, because they've got it right."
HARDWARE WATCH: Krasner thinks Kevin Youkilis is in line for Player of the Week honors. Pinto looks at Youkilis' contract status and explains why the Sox shouldn't, and probably won't, sign him to a long extension.
CRISP AND EFFICIENT: He still wants to play every day, and he knows that -- when everyone's healthy -- it's probably not going to happen here. But for now, reports Cafardo, Coco Crisp is "going with the flow" . . . and the Sox are reaping the benefits.
WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Saying that Bob Watson has "mishandled" much of what he's done as baseball's discipline chief, Curt Schilling expressed no surprise that Kyle Farnsworth's suspension for throwing at Manny Ramirez' head was reduced from three games to one. (Boston Herald)
AP Photo
GOING OUT WITH A BANG: Jed Lowrie was all smiles Saturday night (above) when he hit his first major-league home run (which, coincidentally, proved to be the winning run). And he was still smiling yesterday when he got the inevitable tap on the shoulder to bag his packs and head back to Pawtucket. "I understand the role the team has for me," he told Krasner. His role: Fill in until Alex Cora returns.
COMING BACK WITH A BANG: Cora returned yesterday -- hence Lowrie's demotion -- and went 3-for-4 as he filled in for the ailing Julio Lugo, who suffered a mild concussion Friday night. (Both stories projo.com) Things aren't going well for Lugo (Boston Globe), as everyone knows, but the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says he's maintaining his sense of humor.
WHO'S THAT IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR?? The second-place Rays completed a sweep of the Angels yesterday and say the feeling in Tampa now is that, in the words of Cliff Floyd, "we're going to win." (Tampa Tribune)
NEXT! Bartolo Colon may soon hop onto the well-traveled Pawtucket-to-Boston shuttle. He pitched well Saturday night in his first appearance since suffering an oblique strain in April and Joe McDonald reports the Sox will be faced with a perplexing decision. To wit: We can assume Colon isn't going to accept an extended stay at Pawtucket, especially with so many teams -- such as the one 160 miles to the south -- in need of starting pitching. So whenever the new opt-out day in his contract arrives, the Sox will either have to promote him or let him go. And if they let him go, they'll know they rehabbed him and nursed him back to health so he could pitch against them for somebody else . . . like the Yankees.
If all that sounds to you as if One Ben Mondor Way will -- barring unexpected injury to someone else in the rotation -- be the summer address for Clay Buchholz, I'd say you've got good ears.
CHANGE IN TITLE: Paul Kenyon says Charlie Zink isn't just a knuckleballer any more.
NEW KID IN TOWN Jose Vaquedano has joined the PawSox bullpen from Portland, and Kenyon reports he had an "interesting" debut.
THE RULE: Having read the book, I can say I totally agree with Chad Finn's glowing review of Red Sox Rule by Michael Holley. (I also agree with his criticisms of Patriot Reign, for the exact reasons he states.) Holley talks about the Sox book with the Boston Globe.
ENOUGH, ALREADY: It's one thing for opponents to be irritated by Joba Chamberlain's pumping and screaming and dancing. But now Goose Gossage is telling him to knock it off and act like a Yankee. (Bergen Record)
MISSED CHANCE: Yesterday's rainout in Detroit cost Derek Jeter a chance to hit cleanup. (New York Daily News)
JUST TRYIN' TO CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF THE THING: It isn't often that a newspaper reporter will start a story with the letters "P.U.", but the New York Post's George King did in describing Kei Igawa's performance Friday night in Detroit. (New York Post)
END GAME? The Newark Star-Ledger's Dan Graziano notes the Mets entered the weekend with a 71-71 record since last June 1 and that management is preparing to reevaluate Willie Randolph.
ONE FOR WILLIE: Randolph had a shining moment yesterday, though, when he caught the Reds batting out of order in the ninth inning. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
WHERE THERE'S SMOKE . . . The Reds and Mariners have spent the better part of a week denying there's anything to these Ken Griffey Jr.-back-to-Seattle reports, but the Dayton Daily News' Hal McCoy reports the M's "desperately" want him back and have sent one of their executives to check him out. Pinto says that while Griffey would be an improvement over Seattle's current crop of DHs he's not nearly the player he used to be, and wonders why they wouldn't simply sign Barry Bonds instead.
I GET IT, DAVID: You have to be of a certain age, I suppose, to understand Pinto's reference in a short recap of the Astros' 8-5 win over the Dodgers.
THE DISEASE MARCHES ON: The Padres released Jim Edmonds, but the San Diego Union-Tribune's Tim Sullivan says he was a symptom, not the cause, of San Diego's problems.
NEXT STOP: CHICAGO: The Cubs may be interested in Edmonds. (Chicago Tribune)
WELCOME TO THE ETHER: Speaking of the Padres, team executive Paul DePodesta -- the former GM of the Dodgers and ex-Billy Beane assistant in Oakland -- has started a blog. His first topic: Greg Maddux' 350th career victory Saturday night. (San Diego Union-Tribune) Thomas Boswell calls Maddux and his two former Braves teammates, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, "great players who did it right."
'I DON'T CARE': That was Andruw Jones' repeated phrase to the Los Angeles Times' T.J. Simers, who observes that Jones is both "a Tubbo and clueless, which really isn't a very good combination for the player with the highest annual salary in Dodgers history."
HERE AND THERE: Richie Sexson's suspension for charging Kason Gabbard last week has been reduced to five games (Seattle Times) . . . Kevin Millwood, who has a strained right groin, is headed to the DL (Dallas Morning News) . . . Mark Prior, now with the Padres, is experiencing more discomfort with his shoulder (mlb.com) . . . Vernon Wells, as you've probably heard by now, has a broken wrist (Toronto Globe and Mail) . . . The Cardinals have taken the struggling Jason Isringhausen out of the closer's role (espn.com) . . . John Smoltz is optimistic he'll be returning to the Braves by the end of May after throwing Sunday for the first time in two weeks (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The A's Eric Chavez is ready to begin a minor-league rehab stint seven months after back surgery. (San Francisco Chronicle)
OLD FRIENDS: Orlando Cabrera says he's a "hired gun," brought in by teams to fix their problems and, once things are settled, allowed to move on (Chicago Tribune) . . . Since the Brewers seemed incapable of recognizing what was staring them in the face, Eric Gagne took it upon himself to step down from the closer's role (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Brian Shouse is a member of the committee that will replace Gagne and yesterday he recorded the fifth save of his career. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:36 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, May 9
HIT MAKER: We'd love for him to reflect in depth what he thinks about all this, but apparently he left his blog-updating equipment in Tokyo. So while Kevin Youkilis talks about his offensive emergence at the postgame-interview-soundbite level, others explain it all for us:
-- Our own Steven Krasner marvels that Youkilis can hit, and produce, almost anywhere in the lineup . . . a Terry Francona luxury that virtually no other manager enjoys. Last night it was the cleanup spot; placed there when Manny Ramirez was given the day off, Youkilis hit his fourth home run in five games, a two-run shot in the fifth inning that led the Red Sox to a 5-1 win over the Tigers.
-- The Boston Globe's Gordon Edes wonders if we're not seeing a Youkilis transformation from on-base machine to power hitter.
-- The Worcester Telegram and Gazette's Bill Ballou notes that Youkilis -- now with seven home runs this season -- didn't hit his seventh last year until May 28 (an inside-the-parker against the Indians, to boot) and didn't get No. 7 in 2006 until June 4.
-- The Boston Herald's Steve Buckley says you can call Youkilis anything you want but he doesn't want you to call him a power hitter. Seeing as how he's on pace for 31 homers and 121 RBI, though, perhaps he'd better get used to it.
Youkilis is well-known for his demonstrative outbursts -- a reader of the blog Shysterball caught his NSFW blast last week -- but now he's becoming known for his baseball skills, as well. The Twins blog Twinkie Town, previewing the upcoming Sox' weekend series in Minneapolis, waxes poetic -- kind of -- about Youk and says its one wish would be for Youkilis to be hitting behind Joe Mauer. (It might have happened, too. Remember those 2005 trade rumors that had Youkilis and Anibal Sanchez going to Minnesota for J.C. Romero? That would have been one for the ages, eh?) And he's one of the reasons Dan Lamothe at Red Sox Monster thinks everything's beginning to fall in place for the Sox.
TOP OF THE HEAP: The Detroit Free Press' Michael Rosenberg agrees. In the midst of a lament about the state of the Tigers, he calls the Red Sox the best team in baseball.
NO ARGUMENT HERE: MSNBC.com's Michael Celizic not only agrees, he goes further than that. When he looks at the Red Sox, he sees a team "that could keep right on riding roughshod over the division for years to come."
LONGEVITY AWARD: Josh Beckett pitched seven strong innings last night and recorded his 1,000th career strikeout along the way. Krasner reports Beckett, while pleased, wasn't overly excited about the milestone. ("It means you've been around for a while . . . ") That was the top item of a notebook that included bits on an obstruction play involving Dustin Pedroia and Tigers shortstop Rafael Santiago, Ramirez' rest day, Curt Schilling's second game of catch, and other game notes. Beckett's performance is looked at in more detail by the Globe's Amalie Benjamin and the Herald's Rob Bradford.
OH, DO I REMEMBER: The obstruction play with Pedroia -- in which the Sox argued, to no avail, that Pedroia should be allowed to score; instead, he was only awarded third base -- reminded Francona of the 2003 ALDS. To wit: Red Sox third baseman Bill Mueller got in the way of the A's Miguel Tejada, which gave Tejada third base, but Tejada mistakenly thought he was entitled to the next base, as well; he sauntered home and was tagged out. "It's why I'm here," Francona told Ballou.
Translation: Francona was the A's bench coach at the time and Oakland lost the series in no small part to that play. Not sure I quite follow the reasoning -- the Sox' managerial job opened because they lost the ALCS to the Yankees, not because they beat the A's in the ALDS, and the Oakland staff didn't get fired after losing to the Sox -- but it sounds good.
INCHING FORWARD: Buckley described Schilling's throwing session yesterday as another baby step in his recovery.
BACK TO NORMAL: Youkilis isn't Boston's only hot bat. Bradford reports on the reawakenings of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell.
EDGE, ELLSBURY: While the team record in games they start is nearly identical, the Sox score a startingly higher number of runs in games when Jacoby Ellsbury starts in center field (6.4) than when Coco Crisp starts (3.8). (Boston Globe)
WATCH THIS: If you watched last night's game on NESN, you heard Jerry Remy talk at length about stolen-base attempts -- specifically, an attempt by Ellsbury -- being determined by the time of the pitcher's delivery to the plate. The Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro breaks down that strategy from the Diamondbacks' point of view . . . and Arizona, remember, is run by former Theo Epstein assistant Josh Byrnes.
SYMPATHY FOR THE . . . ALL RIGHT, WE WON'T CALL HIM THE DEVIL: The blog Shysterball empathizes with Julio Lugo, failing to see why reporters needed to question him about his crucial error Wednesday night. "[Lugo] basically just screwed up. He knows it. The reporters know it. The fans know it. What else is there to add on a primary source reporting basis?"
SORROW AND JOY: There's no empathy for Lugo in the Sox blogosophere, as the blogs Center Field, Soxaholix and Papel-Blog demonstrate. The Yankee blogosphere, as represented by IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR, IT IS . . . caught, regards Lugo as its favorite Red Sox player.
REUNITED: Jim Rice says the Red Sox do a wonderful job of keeping their former players in touch with each other. (ask14,.sullivantire.com)
WELCOME ABOARD: The Globe's Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has a nice feature on NESN's new Red Sox reporter, Heidi Watney.
STAY AS LONG AS YOU LIKE: The rehabbing Alex Cora was joined in Pawtucket yesterday by Sean Casey, and PawSox players were delighted: Cora and Casey treated their minor-league teammates to a big-league food spread after the game, as is the tradition for major-leaguers when they arrive. Joe McDonald has all the details, along with the recap of David Pauley's 3-2 win over Durham.
CLIMBING BACK UP THE LADDER: In more minor-league news, Benjamin's weekly notebook begins with an item on Daniel Bard, who's rebounding from a disappointing 2007. And Michael Bowden pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-hit ball Wednesday night at Portland. (rotoworld.com)
DANGER ZONE: The sight of Placido Polanco's bat shattering as he looped the game-winning hit into left field Wednesday night is all-too-familiar these days; maple, which is becoming the wood of choice for many players, has a tendency to splinter. Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan notes that the flying shards are extremely dangerous -- Pirates coach Don Long was hit in the face with one a few weeks ago and suffered nerve damage -- and, comparing it to the foul ball that killed base coach Mike Coolbaugh last year, says "neither Major League Baseball nor the MLB Players Association can afford to wait for another tragedy when it could take preventative measures. Were officials from either party to meet with Long . . . they would understand the issue must be resolved immediately."
UNHAPPY NEW YEAR: With last night's loss, Tigers starter Jason Verlander now has as many defeats -- six -- as he did all last year. (Detroit Free Press) And Miguel Cabrera, off to a slow start with the struggling Tigers, admits he misses the Marlins. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
THE ANSWER: The Detroit News' Rob Parker says Barry Bonds is the cure for what ails the Tigers.
| ALL JOBA, ALL THE TIME: No matter what, every Yankee game seems to revolve around Joba Chamberlain. The other night he was despondent after surrendering a game-losing home run to David Dellucci. Yesterday he was jubilant (right) after striking out Dellucci in a key spot. But unlike Frank Thomas, who seemed unruffled by Chamberlain's normal post-K histrionics last month, Dellucci was fuming; he all but called Chamberlain a bush-leaguer and noted, "My home run (off Chamberlain) was in a much bigger situation, more a key part of the game and I didn't dance around and scream." (New York Daily News) Chamberlain, of course, insisted he meant no disrespect, and Peter Abraham came to his defense: "Joba is a good kid and he acts the same way in the clubhouse as he does on the field. He’s brash, loud, confident and it’s genuine. He’s not acting on the mound; the emotion is who he is. Take that away and he’s not in the majors" (LoHud Yankees Blog) | 
AP Photo |
WEIGHING IN: We haven't had a story on whether or not Chamberlain should be in the starting rotation in a few days, so here's Steven Goldman of the New York Sun. He wants Chamberlain to start.
BETTER TIMES AHEAD: The Yankees salvaged the finale of the three-game series with the Indians, and both Bill Madden of the Daily News and Mike Vaccaro of the Post see the glass as half full in the Bronx.
REALLY BETTER TIMES AHEAD: The blog Sliding Into Home has video of Keith Olbermann raving about the new Yankee Stadium.
BRING ME BACK: David Wells has a cure for the Yankee starting-pitching woes: Himself. (New York Post)
WORKING THINGS OUT: Neil Best of Newsday says Joe Girardi's relationship with the New York media is at the growing-pains stage.
HITCHIN' A RIDE: While riding the subway to Yankee Stadium Wednesday night, Rich Lederer of Baseball Analysts was stunned to be sharing the train with that night's Indians starter, Cliff Lee.
CAN'T WIN IF YOU CAN'T HIT: SI.com's John Donovan says the Padres' postseason chances are being killed by an offense that's downright offensive.
LOCAL BOYS: John McDonald, suffering from an ankle sprain, was placed on the disabled list by the Blue Jays. (Toronto Globe and Mail)
HERE AND THERE: The Rangers designated Ben Broussard for assignment (mlb.com) . . . Leo Mazzone wants back in baseball (AP via USA Today) . . . John Smoltz hopes to return to the Braves by the end of May (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Nationals catchers Paul LoDuca and Johnny Estrada are both headed to the disabled list (Washington Post) . . . The Royals' Jose Guillen isn't playing because of a sore neck (Kansas City Star) . . . Rangers manager Ron Washington is safe until at least the All-Star break (Dallas Morning News) . . . The Brewers have placed former closer Derrick Turnbow on irrevocable waivers. (mlb.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Kason Gabbard had to leave the game because of bruising in his legs suffered when he was charged by Richie Sexson after throwing a pitch close to Sexson's head in the Rangers' game at Seattle last night (Dallas Morning News) . . . Say what you will about Johnny Damon, but you can do nothing but admire his frankness. Prior to yesterday's game he called himself out for not hitting. (mlb.com) And then he stepped up and led the Yankees to victory (New York Post) . . . Alex Gonzalez, who suffered a compression fracture in his knee earlier this year, is coming along slowly (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . David Eckstein is on the DL in Toronto. (mlb.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:38 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, May 8
NOW HERE'S SOMETHING YOU DON'T SEE EVERY DAY . . . and the fact is, you shouldn't have seen it last night, either. But that rarest of baseball sightings -- a Jonathan Papelbon blown save -- was built on this house of cards: A check-swing, excuse-me, didn't-mean-to-hit-it roller into no-man's land between the pitcher's mound and shortstop that went for an infield hit; an error by Julio Lugo (above); a bunt; an infield grounder that delivered the tying run; and a shattered-bat dying quail that looped into short left field just out of the reach of the leaping Lugo. Paplebon was seen flinging his glove and kicking over Gatorade buckets in the dugout upon its conclusion, but Steven Krasner reports he was downright philosophical as he discussed the Red Sox' 10-9 loss to the Tigers last night, a defeat that stung all the more because it wasted Boston comebacks from deficits of 4-0, 5-2 and 8-4. Such losses usually demand a scapegoat -- especially around here -- and last night's wasn't hard to find: Lugo, whose error was the key play in the inning (and who now has 10 in 33 games). Terry Francona defended his shortstop (Boston Globe), but the inevitable line of media questioning, which included resurrection of his three-error game in Toronto last month, prompted a why-are-things-so-negative-in-Boston? outburst from Lugo himself. To which the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley commented: "This is a guy who has said on numerous occasions that during his days with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays he thought it would be cool to play for the Red Sox. Then again, maybe he really didn’t know what he was getting into."
And what was he getting into? A place where 10 errors in 33 games, including a crucial ninth-inning flub that leads directly to a frustrating loss despite having your all-but-invincible closer on the mound, don't go unnoticed.
MISPLACED PRIORITIES: Chad Finn says that if Papelbon was looking for something to kick after the game, he should have started with Lugo. (www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases) Hey, at least he didn't go all Mark Buerhle on the dugout heater. (Chicago Sun-Times)
STARTING OVER: The string of strong performances from Red Sox starting pitchers was broken by Clay Buchholz, who allowed 10 hits and 5 runs before being yanked after four innings. Krasner has the details in his postgame notebook, which includes items on the strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out double play executed by the Sox that ended the eighth inning, Dustin Pedroia's pinch-hit single in the eighth that gave Boston a 9-8 lead, and an interesting night for Kevin Youkilis.
CHANCE FOR SECONDS: Krasner's pregame notebook leads with the reason Pedroia was available for pinch-hitting duties: Jed Lowrie was given the start at second base last night. Kraz also makes note of a pretty obscure record set Tuesday night by Tim Wakefield and Mike Timlin, and details on the Mother's Day Walk In The Park at Fenway.
BUT NOT MANY MORE CHANCES: Lowrie's days in the bigs are probably numbered, since Alex Cora has begun his rehab assignment in Pawtucket and may be ready to return to Boston in a few days. Joe McDonald talked to Cora before and after his 2-for-4 performance, in which he played second base but didn't get any chances in the field. Oh, the game? Kyle Snyder got the win as the PawSox beat Durham, 12-7. McDonald has the info.
STILL PERFECT: Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases last night, his 12th and 13th of the season (which pulls him into a tie for the league lead), and he's now 22-for-22 in stolen-base attempts as a major-leaguer. (Boston Herald)
A TAVAREZ SIGHTING: Julian Tavarez -- dubbed "Rip Van" Tavarez by the Boston Globe's Gordon Edes -- got into his first game since April 24 and allowed three runs in his only inning of work. He told the Herald's Rob Bradford that the swirling trade rumors -- the Rockies allegedly are interested -- don't bother him and that "[whatever] I get, I'll take it."
EL GOLFER: Jim Donaldson spent a day on the links with Luis Tiant.
ODDS ARE . . . 20-1 that the Red Sox will sign Mark Teixeira when he (presumably) becomes a free agent this winter, according to SI.com's Jon Heyman. The favorite? The Yankees, at 3-2.
OFF THE CLIFF: The Yankee offense was shuttered last night by Cliff Lee, who beat Chien-Ming Wang, 3-0, in a battle of unbeaten pitchers. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Wang, reports the New York Daily News, pitched well enough to win, but not well enough to beat the rampaging Lee, whose seven shutout innings dropped his ERA to 0.81.
SOME MISTAKES YOU JUST KEEP PAYING FOR: Sometime between pregame workouts, when Alex Rodriguez was the picture of optimism, and the end of last night's game, the decision was made that A-Rod needs another MRI, which means he probably won't be ready to return when he's eligible to come off the DL. (New York Daily News) The Post's Joel Sherman says it's all a result of the Yanks rushing him back too soon when he first suffered the injury, a miscalculation the Yankees admit.
STAY HOME: Bob Watson says that -- for all the reasons you'd think -- Roger Clemens isn't welcome on the U.S. Olympic Team. (New York Daily News)
THE RIGHT STUFF: In light of all that's happened to Clemens, Foxsports.com's Tracy Ringolsby thinks Mark McGwire's disappear-into-the-ether strategy looks pretty good.
MAKE IT, HURT: Partly as a lifetime achievement award and partly because he was the only major-leaguer to voluntarily cooperate with the Mitchell investigation, the blog Big League Stew is starting a campaign to get Frank Thomas named to the A.L. All-Star team.
SHIFT IN POWER: When I was growing up, the National League was far and away superior to the American League. Nowadays -- as starkly evidenced hereabouts by the Red Sox' last two World Series appearances -- the opposite is true. But David Pinto, writing for sportingnews.com, writes that the N.L. is actually outscoring the A.L. so far this year and that, with its influx of young talent, it may soon be No. 1 again.
LOCAL BOYS: Chris Iannetta's heroics continue, as his two-run triple helped the Rockies come from behind and beat the Cardinals, 4-3. (Denver Post) Pinto, writing on his Baseball Musings blog, thinks Iannetta should be playing four out of every five games. Elsewhere, John McDonald is making it clear he wants no part of the disabled list in Toronto. (Toronto Star)
ONE STEP BEYOND: Forget pink bats (which we'll see again on Sunday). The White Sox' Nick Swisher, John Danks and Toby Hall have all died their facial hair pink to raise awareness for breast cancer and pay tribute to Mothers Day. (Chicago Tribune)
HYPERTENSION: Yesterday's 9-0 loss to the Reds turned the mood sour in the Cubs clubhouse. (Chicago Tribune)
THE GLASS IS HALF FULL: Barry Zito didn't win, but he didn't pitch badly in his return to the Giants' starting rotation. (San Jose Mercury News)
YOUR TURN NOW: On Monday, a USA Today story sparked Ken Griffey Jr.-back-to-Seattle speculation. On Tuesday, the Reds threw cold water over the reports. Yesterday, the Mariners did the same. (Seattle Times)
HERE AND THERE: The Mariners are struggling and the effects are being felt at the box office. Tuesday night's game against the Rangers attracted the smallest crowd in the history of Safeco Field (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) . . . The rehabbing Mark Mulder has been diagnosed with a rotator-cuff strain (mlb.com) . . . Braves closer Rafael Soriano has no structural damage in his elbow, which doctors say is good news (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Mets' Angel Pagan may have hurt his shoulder when he collided with a wall after catching a foul ball yesterday in Los Angeles (New York Daily News) . . . Chad Gaudin is headed to the A's bullpen to make room in the rotation for the returning Rich Harden. (San Francisco Chronicle)
OLD FRIENDS: Former Red Sox farmhand Phil Dumatrait recorded his first major-league victory in the Pirates' 3-1 win over the Giants (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Cliff Floyd is close to returning to the Rays (Tampa Tribune) . . . Pedro Martinez is slowly recuperating from his hamstring strain. (Newsday)
PASSAGES: Pat Santarone, the long-time Orioles groundskeeper who planted tomatoes in the bullpen every year in a competition with his friend Earl Weaver as to who had the best plants, has died at age 79. (Baltimore Sun)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:52 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, May 7
AP Photo
THE VIEW: Ask the Tigers and they'll tell you they're in a slump. (Detroit News) Ask the Red Sox and they'll tell you Tim Wakefield (above) was brilliant. There's truth on both sides, and Steven Krasner tells us how the Sox saw last night's 5-0 whitewashing in Detroit: As a brilliant pitching performance by the 41-year-old Wakefield, who scattered two hits over eight innings (retiring 17 in a row at one point) without walking anyone. He had help, ranging from personal catcher Kevin Cash, who, reports Krasner, had a good night both offensively and defensively; to Manny Ramirez, who moved one home run closer to career homer No. 500 (Boston Herald); to David Ortiz, who homered one pitch before Ramirez hit No. 497. (Boston Herald). And not that it means anything, necessarily, but the Sox now have the largest lead of any first-place team in baseball, at 3 1/2 games. (Projo Stats)
BACK TO WORK: Krasner reports on Curt Schilling's first throwing session of the season, which consisted of playing long toss with John Farrell. Schilling himself talked about it before it happened on his blog (38pitches.com), then said afterward that, basically, it was the first step in a thousand-mile journey. (Boston Herald)
GET YOUR TICKETS NOW: Alex Cora and Sean Casey will be making rehab appearances in Pawtucket later this week. Krasner has the details. As for the PawSox, Shalise Manza Young reports they wasted a fine pitching performance by Davern Hansack in a 3-0 loss to Durham. She also has a feature on surprise leadoff hitter Jeff Bailey.
LOST IN AMERICA: Krasner reflects on Julian Tavarez, who hasn't pitched since April 24.
ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THE COIN . . . Jim Leyland exploded at the Tigers when they were floundering a few weeks ago. But now that they're floundering again, he's taking a different tack. (Detroit Free Press)
FABULOUS FREDDY: Joe Posnanski, who has consistently come out against Jim Rice's Hall of Fame candidacy, makes the case for Fred Lynn being enshrined. (joeposnanski.com)
NOW THAT'S A PIECE OF MEMORABILIA: Bob Feller and Carl Yastrzemski once wore the same uniform jersey -- for the Raleigh Caps -- and one of the team's former batboys now owns it. (Charlotte News and Observer)
AP Photo
BREAKING THE RULES: "Cut into Joba Chamberlain's skin," writes George King of the New York Post, "and he bleeds." It might not have seemed that way through his whirlwind first few months as a big-leaguer, but Chamberlain proved as human as anybody else last night as -- for the first time in a regular-season game -- he blew a late-inning lead, allowing a three-run, eighth-inning homer to David Dellucci that gave the Indians a 5-3 win over the Yankees. (The picture above captures his reaction.) His only previous blown save had come in the playoffs last year in Cleveland; this time, though, there was no swarm of midges to blame. What's to blame, writes the New York Daily News' John Harper, was a change in pitching philosophy as, in his own words, Chamberlain "didn't attack the zone as much as I should have." He was mixing in sliders and curveballs -- even though Dellucci did hit a fastball for the home run -- and Harper wonders if the expansion of his pitch repertoire was the first step toward a move into the starting rotation, where you can't just fire fastball after fastball at hitters for six or seven innings. Kevin Kernan of the Post says now we'll see how well Chamberlain reacts to the inevitable failure that, though it had eluded him to this point, every big-leaguer experiences. The reaction at Yankee Stadium was inevitable: Some of the fans actually booed Chamberlain, for which they were taken to task by Peter Abraham. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
JOBA TO THE MAX: SI.com's Tom Verducci says the Diamondbacks may have the new Joba Chamberlain -- he's already old?? -- in Max Scherzer.
MINOR MIRACLE: Down on the farm, Ian Kennedy transformed himself back into the prospect the Yankees think he is with 7 1/3 one-hit, shutout innings in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's win over Charlotte. (New York Daily News)
NO 42 MEDIUM: MLB has retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42 in honor of the player who broke baseball's color line, but SI.com's Bryan Armen says the best player in history to wear the number is Mariano Rivera.
GROWING UP: The New York Sun's Tim Marchman thinks that, unlike most, Chein-Ming Wang is still evolving -- as a pitcher, that is -- at age 28.
'DADDY DEAREST': That's the New York Post headline over its story on Koby Clemens, who stands by his embattled father and says his family remains strong and united in spite of all the recent negative press.
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: Suzyn Waldman, who was a target herself last year after her over-the-top reaction to Clemens' re-signing with the Yankees, says the only thing that surprises her about this year's Clemens Saga "is the glee with which people are going after Roger." (Newsday)
HELLO, DOLLY: Under the category of There's No Molehill Small Enough That We Can't Make Into A Mountain, MLB expressed its displeasure over the White Sox' inflatable-dolls-in-the-clubhouse incident. (Chicago Sun-Times) The White Sox brass didn't exactly apologize, though it called the whole thing "a little bit of a disappointment" and promised the issue was being "addressed." Ozzie Guillen, however, continues to be defiantly unapologetic (Chicago Tribune), and the Sun-Times' Rick Telander, an ex-athlete himself, says that's no surprise; ballplayers, in his words, "are adolescent boys," and always have been, and tells us "major-leaguers throughout history have done ludicrous things to break slumps." But he also tells us we're in a different era and Guillen has to watch his step, because "this beast . . . has the power to eat him up and spit him out." It was all a batting-practice fastball to the Sun-Times' Jay Mariotti, whose anti-White Sox venom bubbles in the calmest of times. Now, it's spilling onto a whole new plane.
SORRY, BUT THAT CAN'T BE IT: Refusing to believe they're unemployed simply because no one wants to deal with the baggage they carry, the MLBPA is opening an investigation into whether a collusion case can be made for Barry Bonds, Kenny Lofton and a few other still-unsigned free agents. (ESPN.com)
I WANT TO GO HOME: Ken Griffey Jr. all but told USA Today he wants to finish his career where he started, in Seattle, and the Cincinnati Enquirer's Paul Dougherty thinks the Reds should grant him his wish and trade him to the Mariners. But new Reds GM Walt Jocketty called Griffey trade talk "premature." (espn.com)
I WANT TO STAY HOME: The suddenly resurgent Pat Burrell is a free agent at the end of the year, but he'd love to re-sign with the Phillies. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
LOCAL BOYS: Chris Iannetta lifted his average to .362 with a homer and a double in the Rockies' 6-5 loss to the Cardinals (Denver Post), and the Rocky Mountain News' Dave Kreiger calls Iannetta's surge one the few rays of sunshine in Colorado. That's the good news. The bad news is that ex-Providence College star John McDonald had to be taken off the field in a golf cart after hurting his ankle in the Blue Jays' loss to the Rays. (National Post)
BACK FROM EXILE: The Giants are moving Barry Zito back into the starting rotation. (mlb.com)
YESTERDAY'S BEST: Lost in the noise of inflatable dolls was news that Gavin Floyd nearly no-hit the Twins for the White Sox (mlb.com) . . . Sidney Ponson made his third consecutive strong start as the Rangers beat the Mariners (Dallas Morning News) . . . The Astros came from behind no fewer than four times to beat the Nationals (Houston Chronicle) . . . Scott Olsen just missed pitching the Marlins' first complete-game one-hitter in almost five years, but he was still good enough to lead Florida to a shutout of the Brewers. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
WHISPERS: Josh Fogg -- "rotting in the Reds bullpen," according to the Denver Post -- could be headed back to Colorado . . . The Marlins are interested in Jacque Jones, who was cut loose earlier this week by the Tigers. (mlb.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Not only do the Brewers have no plans to replace Eric Gagne as closer, they claim they're not at all worried about his five blown saves, 6.14 ERA and .382 batting average allowed (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Wil Ledezma is moving into the Padres' starting rotation (mlb.com) . . . Justin Duchscherer pitched a strong game for the A's (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . They're not crazy about ex-Blue Jay Eric Hinske in Toronto -- the fans are angry he never lived up to what they thought was his potential after he won the 2002 A.L. Rookie of the Year award with the Jays; their feelings about him are summed up rather nicely by our pal the Tao of Steib -- and he continued to give them reason to hate him by homering in Tampa Bay's 5-4 win at the Rogers Centre (Tampa Tribune) . . . Nor are they crazy about current Blue Jay David Eckstein (National Post), who's been struggling this year; he had to leave the same game because of a strained right hip flexor. (mlb.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:49 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, May 6
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: The numbers -- or at least most of them -- scream "ace." Record: 5-0, the second-highest number of wins in the league. ERA: 2.43, fourth-best in league. Batting average allowed: .158, second-best in the league. (All this, incidentally, is courtesy of the invaluable Projo Stats.) Daisuke Matsuzaka (above), by most measurable accounts, should be considered one of the best pitchers in the American League, indeed in all baseball.
Except . . .
Steven Krasner, writing the story of last night's 6-3 Red Sox win over the Tigers, lays out the case against Matsuzaka in eight simple words: Ball one. Ball two. Ball three. Ball four. He does not throw strikes, at least not with any consistency, and too many games resemble the water-dripping-on-the-forehead torturefest of last evening. By the time Terry Francona took us all out of our misery and lifted him after five excruciating innings, Matsuzaka had taken nearly two hours to throw 109 pitches, walk eight batters, and escape disaster through a combination of his admittedly superior skills (he allowed only one hit in those five innings), clutch pitching (a two-on, one-out strikeout of the sublime Magglio Ordonez in the fourth), and some luck (hard-hit balls that were caught, such as the two-out, two-on liner snared by J.D. Drew for the final out in the fifth, preserving a 4-1 lead). His performance was put into some historical perspective by Chuck Waseleski via the Boston Globe's Extra Bases blog.
Francona, noting that Matsuzaka was still suffering the aftereffects of last week's bout with the flu, chose the glass-is-half-full approach -- as he nearly always does -- in his postgame comments, lauding Matsuzaka's heart and competitive spirit. (Maybe Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press captured that dichotomy perfectly when he noted that, through three innings, Matsuzaka was on pace "for the never-seen 210-pitch no-hitter.") In the Boston Herald, Rob Bradford pointed out that while Matsuzaka often pitched like this last season, this time around he's winning these games.
Baseball -- especially professional baseball -- is a bottom-line business, and there's more than something to be said for someone who wins mosts of his starts, style points be damned. The problem, as articulated by Baseball Musings' David Pinto, is that Matsuzaka is a strange hybrid "of being wild, but at the same time very tough to hit." The troubling question: At what point will it become more important that he's wild than it is that he's tough to hit?
AUTHOR, AUTHOR! Just as his book Deep Drive, written with Bradford, is about to hit the shelves, Mike Lowell broke out of his season-long slump with a 3-for-5 night that included a home run and a double (and a near-homer in the seventh inning that was snared near the fence by Tigers left fielder Gary Sheffield). (projo.com) "Talk about a cheap publicity stunt," cracked the Herald's Steve Buckley, noting Lowell is set to do a series of book interviews today.
NEVER MIND: Remember when news of Curt Schilling's arm woes first surfaced in February? And how his personal physician, Dr. Craig Morgan, stated that "the percentage of [Schilling] being able to pitch effectively [without undergoing Morgan-recommended surgery] is probably between zero and five percent"? And the whispers that Schilling, while never saying so publicly, agreed with Morgan and was angry with the Red Sox for forcing him to undergo more conservative treatment? Well, Schilling is about ready to start throwing again and now he's saying the Red Sox were right all along. (Boston Globe)
HERE AND THERE: The rest of Krasner's notebook contains items on the bullpen, specifically the problems of Hideki Okajima when he enters games with runners on base and how Craig Hansen didn't help himself last night in his quest to earn a more prominent relief role; the continued offensive resurgence of David Ortiz, and Bartolo Colon's performance in a rehab stint in Florida.
LET'S MAKE A DEAL: The Sox' bullpen could be short a man soon; according to the Denver Post, the Rockies are trying to trade for Julian Tavarez.
IT'S AS IF DOM DeLUISE WON THE 100-YARD DASH: Bet you can't guess which team is tied for the league lead in stolen-base differential and leads in stolen-base percentage. (www.yfsf.org)
PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY: Baseball Analysts' Rich Lederer tells us about his morning and afternoon at Fenway last Sunday.
I REMEMBER CLELL: A stroll through the SI Vault led to Chad Finn reminiscing about Butch Hobson. (www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases)
BEEN THERE: The Sox will miss the struggling Jason Verlander in this series, and ex-Tiger Jack Morris, now working part-time as a Twins broadcaster, says he knows why Verlander is struggling: "His shoulder. There's something wrong with his shoulder." (Detroit News) Morris had bursitis in his own shoulder and thinks Verlander, based on the way he's throwing, is suffering from the same pain.
HOT TICKET: $850 for a seat behind the dugout. That's just one example of the sticker shock Yankee fans are in for when the team moves into its new stadium next year. (New York Daily News)
JOBA RULES: The Yankees may be prowling for starting pitching, but Joba Chamberlain is staying in the bullpen. (New York Daily News)
STAY THE COURSE: They also plan to stick with Jason Giambi at first base, at least for now. (New York Post)
WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? You can almost hear the Bronx accent of ESPN.com's Bill Byast as he bellows that the Yankees start slow every year, and they always make the playoffs every year, so whaddya worried about now??
HE CALLED IT: The Daily News' Mike Lupica remembers that one of Brian McNamee's lawyers, Earl Ward, said, "Brian knows a lot about Roger's moral character. And if some of the stuff were to come out, Roger Clemens would look very, very bad." And he remembers when he said it: In January. Ward looks positively visionary these days.
NICE TRY: Still, the blog Sports Law Blog says these titillating disclosures of Clemens are all well and good, but none of it -- unless the judge is missing a few brain cells -- will be admissible into his lawsuit against McNamee.
REUNITED: The paths of Joe Torre and Willie Randolph, who spent so many years together in the Yankee dugout, are passing again this week at Dodger Stadium. Yahoo.com's Tim Brown reports that they're in different places . . . and not just geographically. Speaking of geography, things have gotten so bad at Shea Stadium -- Mets fans can't get past last September -- that Randolph says the team prefers to be on the road. (New York Post)
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE: The New York Observer's Howard Megdal says current Mets whipping boy Oliver Perez is a lot more valuable than he's being credit for and his "loss would be staggering" if the teams allows him to hit free agency.
ANNOUNCERS, THUMBS UP: The blog Basebology gives Tim McCarver a little loving "for his refusal to play along with Joe Buck's idiocy in regards to jinxes and curses during the Cubs - Cardinals game on Fox Saturday afternoon."
ANNOUNCERS, THUMBS DOWN: Jeff Brantley -- who's already made a name for himself in the Reds' broadcast booth this year -- is now irritating some of the Cincinnati players with his on-air remarks. (mlb.com)
STRANGE BREW: The Sporting News' Gerry Fraley thinks the Brewers have deficiencies that need to be fixed before they can consider themselves contenders.
NEW PARK, OLD PROBLEM: Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan examines the Nationals' low attendance figures, even though the recently opened Nationals Park is a jewel.
REMEMBER WHEN? The Chicago Sun-Times has a 10-year anniversary piece, including video, on Kerry Wood's 20-strikeout game.
TONED DOWN: Ozzie Guillen was less profane, but no less passionate, as he pleaded with White Sox fans to be patient with his team. (Chicago Tribune)
NEVER ENDS, DOES IT? But just as the controversy over Guillen's foul-mouthed tirade had subsided, word comes that the White Sox were doing nasty things to some blowup dolls in their Toronto clubhouse Sunday in a light-hearted attempt to break their slump. For this, Guillen offers no apologies. "One hundred percent of the people in the clubhouse are 18 years old, and that's a private thing," he told the Chicago Sun Times. "If the players do it in the dugout where everyone can see or in the hotel lobby -- we did it in our clubhouse, and a lot of things happen in the clubhouse."
HERE AND THERE: Jimmy Rollins went 4-for-4 in a rehab game Monday (Philadelphia Daily News) . . . The Braves picked up Greg Norton from Seattle (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The Orioles' Adam Loewen has no structural damage in his pitching arm (Washington Post) . . . Mark Mulder continues to struggle in his Triple-A rehab assignment for the Cardinals (rotoworld.com) . . . Francisco Liriano, on the other hand, pitched well in Triple-A last night (rotoworld.com) . . . Good news for the Blue Jays: B.J. Ryan's been given clearance to pitch back-to-back days (mlb.com) . . . Ken Griffey Jr. played last night despite the fact that his best friend died of cancer earlier that day (frontier.cincinnati.com) . . . The Indians have dropped Jason Michaels (blog.cleveland.com) . . . Steve Traschel's spot in the Orioles rotation could be in jeopardy. (Baltimore Sun)
OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra, recovering from a pulled left calf muscle, resumed baseball activities yesterday (mlb.com) . . . Bronson Arroyo says there's nothing wrong with him except that he's pitching terribly (mlb.com) . . . Keith Foulke pitched well in a rehab stint and is about ready to rejoin the A's (mlb.com) . . . The Brewers plan to stick with the embattled Eric Gagne as their closer. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:50 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, May 5
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
YOU'RE RIDIN' HIGH IN APRIL, SHOT DOWN IN MAY: Ol' Blue Eyes could have been singing right to the Rays, whose sweep of the Red Sox at the Trop during the last weekend in April is yesterday's news after the Sox (above) returned the favor -- in far more convincing fashion -- at Fenway over the first weekend in May. It started with a rain-delayed 7-3 win Friday night that didn't end until 12:48 a.m, continued with a 12-4 thumping Saturday night that made a winner of Josh Beckett, and concluded with yesterday's 7-3 series wrapup behind more strong pitching from Jon Lester. (All stories projo.com.) That's a 26-10 runs differential, compared to the 10-5 combined scores that the Rays posted in their three wins in St. Petersburg. If a similarity strikes you -- the 10 runs scored by the Rays in both series -- you're right; the difference in the two weekends is that the Sox bats, silenced in the heat of central Florida, came alive in the cold and drizzle of the Northeast. Steven Krasner noted the offensive explosion in his Inside The Game feature Sunday, and it continued yesterday.
The Sox' fans, accustomed to far greater success than the long-suffering Rays followers, reacted a lot more sedately than the Tampa Bay crowds; no brooms, no gloating, no talk of redemption. (Even our old friend Steve Silva, who can be hilarilously over-the-top in times like these, kept it toned down.) As for the Rays themselves, they took the three losses in stride, saying in both the St. Petersburg Times and the Tampa Tribune that, in the words of manager Joe Maddon, they didn't see the weekend "being devastating to this group at all." Probably not; the Rays, in the words of Baseball Prospectus, are "swimming in prodigious young talent these days" and the long-term future is very bright. But the blog Shysterball thinks that, for this year anyway, "I have this feeling [the Rays] won't be getting much closer" to the Sox than the three games they trail by as we speak.
WELL-ARMED: Lost in the fireworks provided by the bats is the shutdown pitching of the Sox' starters, extending back well beyond this series. Sean McAdam takes a closer look at it all and some of the numbers are astounding: An overall 2.69 ERA for the starting pitchers (including emergency callups David Pauley and Justin Masterson) and a 1.92 ERA in the last eight games. Curt Schilling agrees with McAdam. (38pitches.com)
NOT SO WELL-ARMED: Good thing the starters are going go well, because -- as Sean notes -- the bullpen, save for Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima, hasn't been nearly as reliable as the rotation. McAdam specifically mentions the struggles of Manny Delcarmen at the end of the column, which leads us to . . .
ANOTHER CHANCE: The recall of Craig Hansen, reported today in the notebook by McAdam and Paul Kenyon. His roster spot is that of Brandon Moss, who underwent an emergency appendectomy Saturday night and was reported yesterday to be comfortable and recovering. (projo.com) But the job Hansen may take is Delcarmen's. If you click back to the earlier McAdam column, you'll see where Sean notes the Sox are looking for an effective bridge to the Okajima/Papelbon tandem -- opponents are hitting .500 off Mike Timlin and Delcarmen has been scored upon in 9 of his 16 appearances this year, including 5 of his last 6 -- and Hansen will probably get a real shot to fill that role. On a transcript of his ESPN Radio appearance on the Hacks With Haggs blog, Peter Gammons says the Angels were raving about Hansen after he pitched against them two weeks ago.
The notebook also contains items on David Ortiz' ailing knee, the emergence of the stolen base as a Red Sox offensive weapon (who'da thunk?) and the continuing offensive struggles of Mike Lowell.
THE REAL MONSTER: Speaking of Papelbon -- which we were, a few steps back -- the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo has a nice feature on the Sox' closer, whose dominance is sparking memories (among those, like me, old enough to rememeber) of Dick Radatz.
TOUGH TALK: He's a players' manager through and through, which means any problems he needs to address will be taken care of out of the public eye. Every so often, though, Terry Francona will send a message to his players via the media . . . and that's what he seemed to be doing Friday night, when he talked about the "responsibility" of playing through minor aches and pains. Krasner related his comments, which appeared to be aimed at J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury; coincidentally or not, both were soon back in the lineup.
WHAT'S THIS? The Sox are now headed to Detroit for the beginning of an 11-game road trip, and they may not recognize what they see when they get there. Jim Leyland, "shocked" by his team's inconsistent offense, is promising a complete change in the batting order tonight. (Detroit Free Press)
THAT'S ONE ON ME: I didn't even know the Red Sox had Matt Miller. Well, they did, and they traded him to the Pirates. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
MOVE OVER, ICHIRO: Jeff Bailey is hitting like a fiend since PawSox manager Ron Johnson made him the team's unlikely leadoff man. (projo.com)
A BEGINNING: Okay, says the New York Daily News' Bill Madden, it's time to face facts: The Phil Hughes/Ian Kennedy Era is over, at least for now with Hughes on the DL and Kennedy on his to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. (New York Daily News) But it didn't matter yesterday, as the Yankee offense continues its own resurgence and led the Yanks to an 8-2 romp over the Mariners in the first game post-Hughes/Kennedy (New York Daily News), completing a weekend sweep and making a winner of Darrell Rasner, who was summoned as one-half of the replacement team for Hughes and Kennedy. (New York Post) The other? Kei Igawa. (New York Post)
AN ENDING? Rhode Island's Jim Salisbury, the national baseball writer for the Philadephia Inquirer, thinks the Yankees' struggle could set in motion of a series of events that will culminate in Brian Cashman being named Phillies' GM.
CROSSFIRE: Willie Randolph is becoming a polarizing figure in Mets Nation. Some, like Tim Marchman of the New York Sun, think he should go; others, like the blog Mets Today, disagree. It's my experience that once a manager gets to this point in the public arena, his departure is only a matter of time.
CINCO DE MAYO: He actually wrote it on May 2, but what better day to highlight Chad Finn's Random Lists of Five, which includes the five Red Sox players he hated the most (and all of whom played for "the reprehensible 2001 team"). I also enjoyed the Five True Yankees Of The New Millennium. (www.boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases)
ADIOS, JULIO: Finn also has a love letter to Julio Franco, who finally hung them up -- at age 49 -- this weekend, but who "very likely [is] still a couple of years younger than Miguel Tejada."
WHAT A BABE: Tejada's been the butt of a lot of jokes lately, and not without reason. Even so, he deserves props for delivering on his Ruthian promise to hit a home run for a child with muscular dystrophy. (Houston Chronicle)
IT'S A START: Roger Clemens finally apologized -- to his "family and fans" for "mistakes in my personal life" -- but continues to insist he never used performance-enhancing drugs. (New York Daily News)
WHAT ABOUT THEM? Ozzie Guillen wonders -- in the purplest language imaginable -- why the White Sox, who won the World Series in 2005, are so criticized in Chicago while the Cubs, who haven't won in 100 years, get a pass. (Chicago Tribune)
PACK YOUR BAGS THEN, SORI: Lou Piniella compares Alfonso Soriano to Bobby Bonds. (Chicago Tribune)
WHADDYA WORRIED ABOUT? Stop fretting about the Rockies' 12-19 record. The Denver Post's Woody Paige points out that it's only one game off last year's 13-18 mark at this point, and the Rox made it to the World Series in '07. So I guess those 20 wins in 21 games at the end of last season is something we can expect every year, then.
TURNAROUND IS FAIR PLAY: The Miami Herald notes the off-center characters in the Marlins' bullpen aren't spooked by opposing fans. In fact, it's the other way around.
MEDICAL REPORT: The Giants' Matt Cain has a hamstring problem (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Rockies' Kip Wells will undergo surgery to remove blood clots from his pitching hand (Denver Post) . . . The Tigers' Dontrelle Willis has had a setback in his rehab from an injured knee (Detroit News) . . . The Royals' John Bale broke his hand after punching a door (Kansas City Star) . . . The Braves' Peter Moylan may need season-ending surgery. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
OLD FRIENDS: Joel Piniero has a bad back and may miss his scheduled start tonight (rotoworld.com) . . . Eric Gagne "has become a crap shoot when the Brewers summon him to close games," according to Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel; yesterday he suffered his fifth blown save of the year . . . Derek Lowe got hammered in Denver yesterday (Los Angeles Times) . . . But Bronson Arroyo was even worse, and Reds manager Dusty Baker suspects he may be injured (Springfield News-Sun) . . . Kason Gabbard made a strong rehab start for the Rangers Saturday and may start for Texas on Thursday night. (mlb.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:48 AM | Permalink
Moss on the move again
Not even a Red Sox player is exempt from the desire to get patients in and out of hospitals as quickly as possible these days.
Brandon Moss is the case in point. The Red Sox outfielder was taken to the hospital last night for an appendectomy. He complained of feeling ill about an hour before the game began, was examined and taken to the hospital. Sox officials reported about 11:15 p.m. that he was out of surgery and doing well.
Now, he is about to be released from the hospital.
``He’ll be out of the hospital in about an hour, which is unbelievable to me,’’ Sox manager Terry Francona reported at about 10:30 a.m. ``He’s doing OK.’’
The plan was to have Moss brought to his apartment to let him rest there.
``From there we’re still trying to sort out what’s in his best interests,’’ Francona said. ``We’ll probably let him to go home for 10 days or so.’’
Moss, who is from Georgia, likely will be sent to Florida when he regains his health. He will do some rehab work there before being activated.
The current plan, Francona said, is to delay a decision on replacing Moss on the roster, at least for today. The Sox pitching situation is excellent after Josh Beckett’s eight-inning performance Saturday night. The only concern is being shorthanded in the outfield.
``We’d like to get through today and see where we stand,’’ Francona said. ``We just don’t want to get in a situation where we call somebody up, something happens and we have to option somebody. I think we’re better off waiting until the end of the day.’’
For the time being, Julio Lugo is the emergency outfielder.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 11:09 AM | Permalink
Francona makes a promise
Good morning from Fenway.
Two items before we get to the lineups.
We already have a promise for the day. Terry Francona just had his pre-game meeting with the media and he promised there would be a game today. It is raining now and looks and feels miserable. But the manager obviously has been told the weather will clear.
He did not guarantee it would clear soon enough to begin on time. He just said there would be a game.
Secondly, a note on pre-game activities. As mentioned, it is raining. It is very wet. As we speak, workers are going through the park hosing down the seats. It just seems weird to see a crew out spraying water in the rain. Obviously, they are doing some cleaning. It just looks out of place…
Here are the lineups:
TAMPA BAY
Iwamura 2b
Crawford LF
Upton CF
Pena 1b
Longoria 3b
Gomes DH
Hinske RF
Riggans C
Bartlett SS
Kazmir P
BOSTON
Crisp CF
Pedroia 2b
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Lowell 3b
Youkilis 1b
Drew RF
Varitek C
Lugo SS
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 10:49 AM | Permalink
FRIDAY NIGHT GAME STORY: Red Sox 7, Rays 3
BY PAUL KENYON
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON -- A long night at Fenway turned out to be well worth it for the Red Sox.
The Sox, led by their young hitters, broke out of their offensive slump and beat Tampa Bay, 7-3. The game ended at 12:48 a.m. Saturday morning after beginning two hours and 27 late because of a persistent rain.
Boston’s young players, most notably Brandon Moss, didn't mind staying up so late.
Moss started a five-run Sox fourth inning with a drive into the bleachers in center for his second home run, added a hit and scored a run with a nice slide on a close play in the eighth, and threw a runner out from right to keep the game scoreless in the second.
Dustin Pedroia added three hits, scored once and drove in three, and Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit and two walks, scored one and drove in one as the Sox had 13 hits and a total of 18 base runners.
Another of the kids, Clay Buchholz, got the victory. He struggled a bit with his control (four walks), but allowed only one run in 5 1/3 innings. Even with a four-run lead, Jonathan Papelbon closed it out after Javy Lopez, Manny Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima protected the lead.
"We needed it,'' Terry Francona said of the victory over a team that had swept the Sox in Florida last weekend.
Tampa is the young team on the rise, but it was Boston’s recent Pawtucket graduates who were the stars. Moss was the biggest on offense.
"I think you can tell we have no qualms about playing him. He does a good job,'' Francona said of Moss, who started in right with J.D. Drew still out because of a quad problem.
Moss was asked what part of it he most enjoyed.
"The home run,'' he responded. "But it always feels good to play good defense and help the team out.’’
His defense kept the game scoreless in the second inning. Gabe Gross was on second when Jason Bartlett lined a single to right.
"I was playing Bartlett in a bit. It got to me on one hop,'' Moss noted. "When I got it [Gross] was rounding third, so I had time to set my feet. As soon as I let it go I knew it was a good throw. I was just hoping he didn’t beat it.’’
The Sox took the lead with a run in the third when Julio Lugo doubled and Pedroia doubled him home.
The offense really got going in the fourth and it was Moss who sparked it. With two outs and no one on -- Boston already was leading 1-0 thanks to a two-out RBI double by Pedroia in the third -- he crushed a 2-and-0 pitch from Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson to the bleachers in dead center.
"There were [other] balls hit to center that didn’t go anywhere,'' Francona said. "He was all over that ball.'' The shot landed on top of the canvas that protects the camera in center.
That opened the floodgates. Jason Varitek singled, Lugo walked and Ellsbury singled to center, scoring Varitek and sending Lugo to third. With Pedroia at the plate, Ellsbury took off and easily stole second, his ninth of the year and 18th straight in his career -- he has never been thrown out.
Both runners came home when Pedroia singled to left. Pedroia took second on the throw home and scored on a single by David Ortiz, making it 6-0. The five third-inning runs were more than the Sox had scored in their last five games combined.
Tampa Bay got as close as 6-3, but the Sox put it away in the bottom of the eighth when Moss singled and came all the way around on a drive off the top of the wall in left-center by Varitek.
Buchholz did the rest.
"I thought his stuff was phenomenal," Francona said. "His command at times got him into a couple jams but he had the stuff to pitch out of it.''
While he was happy with the victory, Buchholz feels he has to improve his control.
"I hate walking people,'' said Buchholz, who walked the first two hitters in the second before Moss made his big defensive play. "That usually kills you . . .
"It comes down to making them swing and make contact instead of being too fine with my pitches."
He is a young player getting better, as are Moss and Ellsbury and Pedroia, the others who helped the Sox move back into sole possession of first place.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 1:32 AM | Permalink
Game time set for 9:30
The tarp is being removed at Fenway Park.
Game time has been set for 9:30, barring any more rain.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 8:54 PM | Permalink
Fenway Action By 9:30?
Despite weather forecasts to the contrary, it is still raining at Fenway.
The latest forecast given to Red Sox officials is that the rain is expected to end by 8:45 or 9 p.m. That means a best case scenario of a start around 9:30.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 8:32 PM | Permalink
We are delayed at Fenway
A light but steady rain has been falling for some time at Fenway, bad enough to cause a delay.
A Red Sox official said the rain is likely to remain in the area until about 8 p.m.
For now, the tarp remains on the field and very few fans are in the stands. We will update as warranted.
For what it's worth, the Sox are not as excited as they have been in the past to play the Rays. Boston is 61-23 all-time against the Rays at Fenway. The Rays swept the Sox last weekend in Florida and have won four in a row going back to last season, equalling their longest winning streak ever against Boston.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 6:47 PM | Permalink
Schilling making major progress
BOSTON _ Curt Schilling could be back throwing a baseball again soon.
``Very soon,’’ Schilling said today after he completed a workout at Fenway.
The veteran, who at one point was feared to be lost for the season, was upbeat as he spoke about what he has been doing and what his immediate future could be.
``I feel strong. I feel great. I feel everything I’m supposed to feel,’’ Schilling said.
The 41-year-old right-hander signed a one-year $8 million deal with the Sox in November. But a major problem with his throwing shoulder was discovered before the start of spring training. There even was some discussion about the Red Sox possibly voiding the deal.
Today, though, all was positive both from Schilling and manager Terry Francona, who reported that Schilling is set to be measured, as he described it, this weekend.
``That may lead to him starting to throw the ball,’’ Francona said. ``We’ll see.’’
Schilling received a cortisone shot in February, rather than undergoing surgery. He reported all has been on the improve ever since. He has undergone numerous tests.
``We’ve done a bunch of them. They’ve continued to improve on every single time,’’ Schilling reported.
``Today is like a light day,’’ he said. ``We’re alternating heavy and light days. The heavy days just got immensely heavy, so the light days are much lighter. We’ve come to realize a ways through this that every time I have an off day I’m immensely better the following day.
``The workload on my heavy days is excessive. There is no pain. No stamina issues. No strength loss. No lingering effects, which is a huge plus.’’
There is one more step to take.
``I haven’t thrown yet. That’s the big piece of this,’’ he said. ``I don’t envision, with the amount of work that we’ve done and things that we’re doing, that I’m going to come back and start throwing and it’s not going to work. I think we’re set now to go for an extended period of time with me throwing and getting more amped up on the throwing side of things to see how far we can take it.’’
Most days, Schilling has done his work early in the day and been gone by 2 p.m. when his teammates arrive.
``I’m here and done most days by like 2,’’ he related. ``It’s weird. It’s very uncomfortable. I try and impact the guys on this team that I’m close with at time when we can talk away from everybody, then I go do my thing.’’
The goal is not just to be able to pitch, but to be effective.
``It’s not just about me getting healthy and coming back. I have to be good,’’ he said.
``Last time I looked, this rotation didn’t have a hole it in. There are a lot of different scenarios that might come about, with innings limits for guys and things. But I’ve got to come back and be good. I can’t just get healthy and come back and expect to come back and have a spot.’’
Schilling has enjoyed watching the way the Sox rotation has developed this season, even without him.
``These guys are all very good to great,’’ he said.
Schilling spoke about how he would not be putting himself through the process if he did not have confidence he would be able to pitch again.
``I’ve never thought otherwise,'' he said. ``If I didn’t believe absolutely that I’d have the ball in a World Series game I wouldn’t be doing this.’’
_PK
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:02 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, May 2
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
THIRD TIME'S NO CHARM: There was no late-night magic at Fenway Park last night, even though it seemed for a moment that -- thanks to umpire Bruce Dreckman -- there might be. (Which, as Sean McAdam notes, would have been the last straw for the stumbling Blue Jays.) But Paul Kenyon has the details of a comeback, minor as it might have been, snuffed out in what wound up being a 3-0 Toronto victory.
So the stark reality that's been somewhat masked by the ninth-inning miracles of the previous two nights is now staring the glum Red Sox (above) in the face: They ain't hittin' (Boston Herald). (Check out the linescore of the last 50 innings from Joy of Sox.) As Rob Bradford points out in the Herald piece, Sox batters have struck out almost as many times (33) as they've reached base via hit or walk (37) in the last five games. The "You have to tip your hat to the opposing pitcher" rationale is wearing thin after five consecutive games in which they've scored four runs.
What's surprising, to me, is the lack of discussion about it; I thought my pals at Sons of Sam Horn would be all over it, but as of now this is the only thread regarding the offense (and a tepid one it is). Part of it, of course, is that we know -- or at least we're reasonably sure -- this team will hit; no less an authority than Jim Rice says so. (ask14.sullivantire.com) The recent blackout can't obscure the fact that the Sox actually performed very well offensively through the season's first month. (Baseball Analysts) And the team's recent run of success has somewhat curbed the knee-jerk regional panic that once would have accompanied such a stretch of offensive wretchedness.
But four runs in five games? Only four more baserunners than strikeouts? That's a team slump.
APRIL IS THE CRUELEST MONTH: It certainly was for the Blue Jays, who had dreams of glory when the season started but who find themselves looking up at the pack after a wretched start. (projo.com) It had our buddy the Tao of Steib doing some hard soul-searching yesterday afternoon, but the Toronto Star's Richard Griffin says the happy Jays are confident that their April showers will bring May flowers . . . or something. (Man, what a wretched phrase.) In his Inside The Game feature, Steven Krasner notes the Blue Jays didn't help themselves last night with yet more basepath blunders and some overaggressive baserunning that may have stemmed from manager John Gibbons' attempts to break the team's bad karma (though I'm sure Gibbons didn't use those words).
DRAMA KINGS: Can't say April (or the two days in March in which they also played games that count) was too cruel for the Red Sox, though. It started on Opening Day -- Night? Morning? -- in Tokyo when Brandon Moss' ninth-inning homer off A's closer Huston Street sparked the Sox to a come-from-behind, extra-inning win, and it continued all through the end of April as Boston won no fewer than eight games by scoring runs in the eighth inning or later. Our own Mike McDermott yesterday put together a slide show of all eight games.
MONTH OF NOTHING: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark doesn't mention the Sox, positively or negatively, in his April recap.
HO HUM: He does mention the Rays, though, who arrive in Boston tonight for the beginning of a three-game series. They're fresh off two wins in three games against the Orioles but, unlike their euphoria over sweeping the Red Sox last weekend, they're taking this bit of success in stride. (Tampa Tribune) They may not have B.J. Upton in the lineup tonight, though (Tampa Tribune)
ON THE CLOCK: McAdam and Kenyon report that word on the Sox' potential spring move to Sarasota may come sooner rather than later. It's the lead of a newsy notebook that includes items on David Ortiz' ailing knee, other injury details, Terry Francona praising Brandon Moss, and a kudo for the Sox' farm department.
COMRADES IN DIFFERENT UNIFORMS: Blue Jays hitting coach Gary Denbo first got to know Mike Lowell when he was working as a Yankees minor-league instructor and Lowell was a New York farmhand. They've stayed close through the years -- in fact, Denbo worked with Lowell on his swing in the 2005-06 offseason, prior to Lowell's joining the Red Sox -- and he wishes he could help his friend now as the Sox' third baseman struggles to get back on his feet offensively. (Boston Herald)
I NEVER SAW IT: As I said the other day, for what it is -- a forum to answer questions and quickly address issues -- Jim Rice's blog consistently delivers interesting material. Today he tells us he never experienced the type of racism Torii Hunter described during his visit to Fenway last week.
HOSPITAL VISIT: John Henry went to Children's Hospital to sit with, and bring gifts to, the 8-year-old boy who was hit by a foul ball at Fenway the other night. (Boston Herald)
MINOR STUFF: Joe Haggerty has a nice feature on Red Sox farmhand Daniel Bard. (hackswithhaggs.com)
AND THEN I MET A MAN WHO HAD NO FEET: And you think the Sox have got it bad.
The Yankees lost to the Tigers 8-4 last night, completing a three-game Detroit sweep. (New York Daily News) The Yanks also announced that not only is Phil Hughes indeed injured -- some (guilty as charged) were skeptical after the clumsy way they handled things Wednesday -- but that he'll be out until at least July because of a rib fracture. (Daily News) The Yanks' other kid starter, Ian Kennedy, is struggling, too (New York Post), and the only white knight riding to the rescue at the moment is Darrell Rasner. (Daily News) Not only that, but the Yanks' offense -- while not currently at Red Sox subterranean levels -- isn't scoring enough to pick up the slack. (Newsday) Joe Girardi is starting to catch some heat from the media for his "testy [and] secretive and confrontational" public persona. (New York Daily News) And Yankee fans, true to their I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it-and-I-deserve-it! DNA, are a) booing Kennedy (one night after booing Hughes) and b) writing to Peter Abraham and suggesting the Yanks sign Barry Bonds, David Wells and Mike Piazza as a means of righting the ship. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
There is good news, though. Bobby Murcer returns to the YES broadcast booth tonight. (New York Daily News)
CALM DOWN: Newsday's Ken Davidoff says the Yankees are in transition, not crisis.
MECHANICALLY SPEAKING: The blog Baseball Digest breaks down Hughes' pitching mechanics.
UNFUL-PHILED: Our own Michael Salfino, writing for sny.tv, says the Yanks have handled Hughes poorly.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, COME TO YOUR SENSES: The Daily News reports the pals of Roger Clemens -- today's bimbo revelation: a former stripper in Detroit -- are pleading with him to drop his defamation lawsuit against Brian McNamee, disappear from the public eye, and try to put together the pieces of his shattered life and reputation. Clemens' actions to this point, according to Peter Keane, a constitutional law professor at Golden Gate University, have been "like watching a lemming heading for the waves."
SEEN THIS ACT BEFORE: Paul Janszen, who had a front-row seat to Pete Rose's self-destruction 20 years ago, says Clemens "is Pete Rose to a T." (Cincinnati Enquirer)
NOW THE SEASON HAS REALLY BEGUN: Lou Piniella had his first volcanic eruption of the year after the Cubs blew a ninth-inning lead and lost to the Brewers. (Chicago Sun-Times)
HE'S NUMBER ONE: SI.com's Jon Heyman makes the case that the Angels' Mike Scioscia is the best manager in baseball.
SO'S HE . . . . IN A DIFFERENT WAY: The New York Sun's Tim Marchman makes the case that the Mets' Willie Randolph should be the first managerial dismissal of the year.
WHAT I MEANT WAS . . . Vin Scully clarifies his "I may retire" comments to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke.
THUMBS UP: The Washington Post's Thomas Boswell says that after the first month, we can conclude Nationals Park is a winner.
'BECAUSE HE'S A [BLEEPED BY REQUEST]': In a comprehensive Q-and-A with Big League Stew's David Brown, Tigers coach Andy Van Slyke discusses many topics . . . including former teammate Barry Bonds.
R.I.P.: The L.A. Times remembers former Dodger, Padre and Angel executive Buzzie Bavasi, who died at age 92.
FORGET IT: Director Ron Shelton says there are no plans for a sequel to the sublime baseball movie Bull Durham, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
HERE AND THERE: With Troy Tulowitzki sidelined until until perhaps the All-Star break, the Rockies are expressing interest in free agent Juan Castro (both stories Denver Post) . . . The Phillies' Ryan Howard is coming alive at the plate (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . Jose Canseco lost his house to foreclosure (AP via yahoo.com) . . . Derrick Turnbow's roster spot in Milwaukee may be in jeopardy (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . The Reds may put Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn on the trade block. (mlb.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Eric Gagne got his ninth save (and Brian Shouse got the win) in the aforementioned Milwaukee win over Chicago. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
CONGRATULATIONS . . . to our own Joe McDonald, who's in Salisbury, N.C., this weekend to pick up his award as Rhode Island's 2007 Sports Writer of the Year for his work on the Red Sox and PawSox, among other assignments. And kudos to PawSox play-by-play man Steve Hyder, named the R.I. Sportscaster of the Year.
AND FINALLY . . . Thanks to Ian Donnis for the callout in his Providence Phoenix feature on the changing media landscape in Rhode Island.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:53 AM | Permalink
Moss makes an impression
Brandon Moss is likely to be with Boston only temporarily. It is very likely that when the team's health situation improves, Moss will be back in Pawtucket.
Still, in the long run, Moss could benefit from his experiences with the parent team this season.
Moss had one of the hits in the ninth inning in Wednesday night’s victory. The lefty singled up the middle against southpaw Scott Downs. Moss, who was recalled when Sean Casey went on the disabled list, is at .286 (4-for-14), including a home run in the Tokyo Dome.
``He’s an interesting player,’’ manager Terry Francona said when asked about the 24-year-old who was Pawtucket’s MVP last season. ``He’s a good outfielder. Actually, he can play center, although I don’t think that’s his every day position. You can put him there. He can play the corners. He’s fine. Can he play first base (the position the Sox want him to play in Pawtucket this season)? All of a sudden you’ve got a young left-handed hitter who can play three or four positions and hit a fastball. That’s pretty valuable.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 6:12 PM | Permalink
Moss makes an impression
Brandon Moss is likely to be with Boston only temporarily. It is very likely that when the team's health situation improves, Moss will be back in Pawtucket.
Still, in the long run, Moss could benefit from his experiences with the parent team this season.
Moss had one of the hits in the ninth inning in Wednesday night’s victory. The lefty singled up the middle against southpaw Scott Downs. Moss, who was recalled when Sean Casey went on the disabled list, is at .286 (4-for-14), including a home run in the Tokyo Dome.
``He’s an interesting player,’’ manager Terry Francona said when asked about the 24-year-old who was Pawtucket’s MVP last season. ``He’s a good outfielder. Actually, he can play center, although I don’t think that’s his every day position. You can put him there. He can play the corners. He’s fine. Can he play first base (the position the Sox want him to play in Pawtucket this season)? All of a sudden you’ve got a young left-handed hitter who can play three or four positions and hit a fastball. That’s pretty valuable.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 6:12 PM | Permalink
Scouting pays off
The Red Sox have made no secret of their focus on developing their own players. The scouting department has a big reason to be smiling right now.
The team did research on what took place last week, when Craig Hansen was briefly recalled. He was drafted in 2005. So were Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz and Jed Lowrie. They were all taken in the first four rounds.
According to the researchers, it marked the first time any team has ever had its top four draft choices in the majors together, and all appearing for at least one game, within three years of the draft.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:11 PM | Permalink
Today's medical report
Terry Francona sounds as much like a doctor as the Red Sox manager in his pre-game press conferences these days. Today was a perfect example.
``Doctor’’ Francona had mostly good news to report on his ``patients.’’
Jacoby Ellsbury is not yet ready to start, but he is out on the field doing some work as we speak. He has had a groin problem.
``He feels it getting better. We’ll know more when he runs around,’’ Francona said.
J.D. Drew also was on the field testing his ailing quad.
``He’s doing some shagging,’’ Franconca said. ``We’ll see where that leads.’’
And then there is David Ortiz’ knee.
``He’s on the elliptical right,’’ Francona related. ``He’s OK. I think he’s just sore. He knows he can't just come and play the game any more. He doesn't have that freedom. He knows that.’’
Ortiz is learning, the manager said, that he has to do pre-game work to get himself ready. At his age and size, he is simply going to have to deal with some aches and pains in his knee.
``He can’t come and just play the game,’’ Franconca said of Ortiz putting in work before the game.
Coco Crisp, who also had knee concerns, will play.
``He’s a little sore,’’ Francona said. ``He’s OK to play or we wouldn’t play him. We would do something different.’’
Two lineup moves tonight are not medically related. Since Tim Wakefield is pitching (he was working on a crossword puzzle just now) Kevin Cash will catch. Also, Julio Lugo is 3-for-17 in his career against A.J. Burnett the Toronto starter. Jed Lowrie needs work, so Lowrie will play short.
``It just seemed like a good day to do it,'' Francona said, for once sounding more like a manager than a doctor.''
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 4:48 PM | Permalink
A night off for Lugo
Jed Lowrie will play shortstop for the Red Sox tonight. Coco Crisp will play center even though he is not 100 percent and Jacoby Ellsbury is still not ready to start.
Those are the first developments of the day. We'll explain the development soon, but here are the lineups to get us started:
TORONTO
Rios PF
Eckstein SS
Stairs DH
Wells CF
Hill 2b
Stewart LF
Barajas C
Scutaro 1b
Burnett P
BOSTON
Pedroia 2b
Youkilis 1b
Ortiz DH
Ramirez RF
Lowell 3b
Moss RF
Crisp CF
Lowrie SS
Cash C
Wakefield P
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 4:25 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, May 1
AP Photo
TAKE TWO: Twenty-four hours had passed, and the situation was almost identical: Great pitchers' duel. Tie game. Runners at first and second. Bottom of the ninth. But this time, as Sean McAdam writes, it took two singles to center, not one, to drive in the winning run. After pinch-runner Jed Lowrie was thrown out at the plate by Vernon Wells on Brandon Moss' first attempt to end things, Jason Varitek (above, being congratulated by first-base coach Luis Alicea) delivered Manny Ramirez and the Red Sox had their second straight walkoff win over the Blue Jays, 2-1. The postgame celebration, writes the Globe's Amalie Benjamin, mirrored the one from the night before, even if the principles were a little different. Lost in the afterglow was another good starting-pitching performance, this one from Daisuke Matsuzaka (seven innings, two hits, no runs), whom Jim Rice thinks is poised for a 20-win season (ask14.sullivantire.com) and whom Tom Hanks thinks would be a great subject for a movie. (afp.google.com)
They're still not hitting or scoring much -- yesterday's two-run output was their highest since last Friday, and they've scored a grand total of four runs in their last four games -- but their pitching has been lights out; how else could they be 2-2 over that span? And how else could they be back in first place (projo.com) despite such feeble production? Goes to show that when you can pitch -- and the ProJo Fantasy Sports Blog's pitcher rankings show the Sox can pitch, all right -- you've always got a chance.
ANOTHER WEAPON: You've also got always got a chance when you've got a Jonathan Papelbon at the back end of your bullpen, and Papelbon appears to have expanded his skill set by mastering something he barely used last year: A pickoff move. We all remember how he nailed down Game Two of the World Series with his unexpected, eighth-inning erasure of Matt Holliday (projo.com), made all the more surprising by the fact that he hadn't picked off a runner -- or, indeed, thrown over to first base very much -- all year. He did it again last night, nailing ex-Providence College star John McDonald in the ninth inning to help preserve the 1-1 tie. (Boston Herald) The Jays think Papelbon's move is a balk but they didn't argue the call; McDonald, to his credit, said simply, "[You] can't get picked off in that situation." (Both stories Toronto Star)
SPRING AWAKENING? The offensive catalyst at last was David Ortiz, who homered in the seventh and kick-started the game-winning rally with a single in the ninth. The Herald's Alex Speier says "he’s showing signs [of] coming around" despite the .184 batting average he takes out of the month of April.
GO FIGURE: Terry Francona didn't run for Ortiz on Tuesday night and the big guy managed to lumber home from second base with the game-winning run on Kevin Youkilis' single. Francona did send in Lowrie to run for him last night, and Lowrie got nailed at the plate. That dichotomy, and the reason behind it, is the lead item in Steven Krasner's Inside The Game, which also includes items on Manny Delcarmen's continuing struggles and a brain cramp by Marco Scutaro that could have cost the Jays in the eighth. The online-only version contains an item on Dustin Pedroia sterling defense at second base. (ProJo Sox Blog)
STAR POWER: Our pal the Tao of Steib isn't a big fan of Kevin Youkilis (caution: that distaste mainfests itself in some NSFW language), but MLB apparently is. For the first time, it has Youk on the All-Star ballot. (Boston Globe)
LOOKING FOR NEW DIGS: The news that the Sox may move their spring-training base to Sarasota -- their spring home for most of the 1930s, '40s and '50s -- when their deal with Fort Myers expires after 2011 is the lead item in McAdam and Krasner's notebook. The ABC7 Sports Blog in Fort Myers says not to worry, the Sox aren't going anywhere, but seems to base that bravado solely on the team's string of sellouts -- something that would probably happen anywhere they played -- while almost completely ignoring the fact that the Sox a) would like to house their minor-league spring operations together with their major-league program, which they can't do in Fort Myers because of a lack of land, and b) have their Florida State League affiliate play at their spring-training facility, which they also can't do at Fort Myers because the Twins own the territory.
IT'S NOT QUITE THE SAME AS FINDING A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK: So you bought something at Jordan's Furniture in the hopes of cashing in if the Red Sox sweep the World Series? The Wall Street Journal puts the odds of you winning this "bet" at between two and five percent.
HOLD OFF ON THAT TRIP TO COOPERSTOWN JUST YET: Everyone was singing Justin Masterson's praises after his one-shot in Boston last week -- including us -- but he had a crashing-back-to-Earth moment in his first start back with Portland last night. (Portland Press-Herald)
STRONG VOICE: Seacoastonline.com has a nice feature on Red Sox radio announcer Dave O'Brien.
DON'T JUST SIT THERE, DO SOMETHING! The struggling Blue Jays need something to shake them up, but general manager J.P. Ricciardi says the only thing anyone ever asks for in trade talks is pitching . . . so therefore he's not about to make any trades. (Toronto Globe and Mail)
NEW ERA: Tough times in the Bronx. Not only do the Yanks continue to stumble -- last night it was Andy Pettitte getting beat by the Tigers (New York Post) -- but the calm, in-control aura the team always exuded under Joe Torre is crumbling a bit, too. The news that Phil Hughes is headed to the disabled list because of a mysterious oblique injury (New York Post) -- mysterious because no one had heard a word of a potential Hughes injury until the announcement that he was headed to the DL came in the middle of the game -- was handled "about as adeptly as Jason Giambi handles grounders to his right," according to Newsday's Wallace Matthews. Peter Abraham noted the graceless way Joe Girardi handled routine media inquiries about Hughes prior to the game (LoHud Yankees Blog), leading to the Post's Joel Sherman to decry Girardi's "absurdly secretive nature . . . [which] would make Dick Cheney jealous." Sherman declares Girardi "is a hoodie away from being Bill Belichick . . . minus any success." That's off-the-field stuff. On the field, we have the unknown length of Alex Rodriguez' absence (New York Daily News) and a catching situation so dire that, as Abraham notes, Chad Moeller seems like a savior. Steven Goldman, writing for the Yes Network, says many of the Yanks' preseason plans are in ruins. Yes, tough times indeed.
OLD HURTS: Things aren't much better across town, where the Daily News' Mike Lupica says the stench of last September still reeks at Shea Stadium.
THE REAL RIVALRY: Forget Red Sox-Yankees. ESPN.com's Page 2 says the series between the Orioles and the Rays represents the future battle for A.L. East supremacy. (The Rays I can see, but I'm going to need to get a little more evidence before I sign off on the Orioles.) Pinto, writing for sportingnews.com, says Tampa's improved defense is leading to its sudden pitching success.
GOOD NEWS AT LAST: The ABC7 Sports Blog is the first to defend Roger Clemens -- sort of -- when it points out that it's highly unlikely Clemens met Mindy McCready at a Fort Myers bar when she was 15 in 1991, as reported by the New York Daily News and confirmed by McCready herself. The Red Sox still trained at Winter Haven at the time and it's extremely unlikely he made the Sox' only trip to Fort Myers that spring. (He didn't pitch in the game against the Twins, and starting pitchers almost never travel with the team to away games -- especially those that are 2 1/2 hours away -- if they're not working.) Whether it's a case of McCready lying (as the blog insinuates) or simply a matter of being off by a year or two on the timeframe (as McCready's mother indicates) remains to be seen.
RESUME FIRING: But Clemens and his defenders had almost no time to enjoy this rare bit of relief, as the Daily News now links him with John Daly's ex-wife.
AND A BABE SHALL LEAD YOU: Speaking of Clemens, David Pinto of Baseball Musings thinks Braves farmhand Jordan Schafer -- suspended for use of performance-enhancing drugs -- is doing just what Clemens should have done: Answering "No comment" to any and all inquires about his penalty and his use of PEDs.
COULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN FROM MY LIBRARY: I've read -- and own -- most of the titles in the Bronx Banter's list of essential baseball books. As a personal aside, I think You Know Me Al, which I've just been rereading, should be listed a little higher . . . although I don't know if it's as much "essential" as it is "enjoyable."
THE DEBATE: Two members of the mainstream media with strong online presences -- Joe Posnanski and Peter Abraham -- weigh on in Bob Costa's HBO special about sports media, specifically the part about bloggers and Buzz Bissinger's full frontal attack on Deadspin's Will Leitch, which Leitch chronicles here. Abraham does a great job of explaining the integration of new media by traditional media outlets and why it so angers/frightens many traditionalists. Posnanski -- as usual -- is insightful and elegant as he points out that many of the old writers Bissinger used in his anti-online diatribe would probably be writing blogs today if they'd come of age in this era: "Newspapers are shrinking. Magazines are shrinking. Opportunities in the mainstream are shrinking. Shrinkage is the word. But the Internet is wide open. If [W.C.] Heinz was young, he would be writing words on the Internet just like everyone else, and he would probably have his own blog, and it would be wonderful, and cranky old people would be screaming about Heinz in pajamas."
Great stuff. And must-reads if you're at all interesting in the changing information landscape.
HERE AND THERE: Mike Hampton had to leave his rehab start with Richmond because of pain in his left pectoral muscle (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Oliver Perez lasted only 1 2/3 innings in his start for the Mets yesterday and was blasted by Billy Wagner for taxing an already overtaxed bullpen (nj.com) . . . When John Smoltz is healthy enough to pitch again, he says he's willing to go back to relief (espn.com) . . . Nationals closer Chad Cordero has a torn muscle in the back of his shoulder (Washington Post) . . . Mets catcher Brian Schneider is out of the hospital but still shaken by the staph infection in his thumb (New York Post) . . . Still no word as to when Jimmy Rollins will return to the Phillies (Philadelphia Daily News) . . . Paul Konerko's hand hurts and he doesn't think it's going to get better soon (Chicago Tribune) . . . Jason Grilli's leaving Detroit for Colorado (Detroit News) . . . Alfonso Soriano returns to the Cubs today and says he can still finish the season with 30 stolen bases. (Chicago Sun Times)
OLD FRIENDS: Jorge de la Rosa has hooked on with the Rockies. (Denver Post)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:51 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, April 30
Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
'WHAT A GAME': Those were the words out of Jerry Remy's mouth less than two seconds after David Ortiz had crossed the plate with the only run of the night, and how true they were. A 0-0 battle between the grizzled vet and the up-and-coming youngster; a game-saving defensive play with two outs in the top of the ninth; a game-winning rally started with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth. Baseball, as the old saying goes, like it oughta be.
Paul Kenyon provides the details, with heavy emphasis on Jon Lester (above, who scattered one hit over eight innings) and Dustin Pedroia's ninth-inning dive to snare the headed-up-the-middle shot by Vernon Wells, which turned what would have been a run-scoring single into an inning-ending out. ("Superman at second base," is how Wells described Pedroia in the Toronto Globe and Mail.) Gretchen Ertl has the story in pictures, and we've been remiss in not pointing to these brilliant nightly slideshows; from now on, you'll see more of them. Sean McAdam details the hard-luck night of Roy Halladay, a throwback to the days when pitchers finished when they started; this was his fourth straight complete game (though, unfortunately for him, he's lost three of them). And Steven Krasner goes Inside The Game on a number of topics, including why the Sox didn't run for Ortiz in the ninth, Pedroia hurting his shoulder on his ninth-inning play (hint: those two items are related), and J.D. Drew's 2007 imitation.
Quite a night. Like we said: Baseball like it oughta be.
HE'S BACK: Last night also marked the return of Mike Lowell, chronicled here by Kenyon and Krasner. The notebook includes the latest health news, including Drew having to leave the game because of a quad strain.
Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
TIP OF THE HAT: Kevin Youkilis (shown hitting the ninth-inning single that scored Ortiz) had nothing but praise for Halladay after the game: "[He's] going to be a Hall of Fame pitcher."
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE . . . "You know we always get up to play the Red Sox," said Gregg Zaun on his blog prior to last night's game (www2.sportsnet.ca), but being up for the game didn't prevent the struggling Blue Jays from suffering their 15th loss in 26 tries. It's getting so bad that John Gibbons' grandmother, who lives on Boston's North Shore, asked him if he was going to be fired. (Toronto Star)
IT HAPPENS: Hey, it's like Jim Rice said on his Ask 14 blog: Sometimes you just get outplayed. Look at the Sox last weekend in Tampa.
BUMP IN THE ROAD: Craig Hansen hadn't allowed a run in Pawtucket all season, but he gave up three in last night's 9-3 loss at Rochester. (projo.com)
TOO EXPENSIVE: Padres general manager Kevin Towers has asked about Coco Crisp, but says the Red Sox' asking price -- Triple-A left fielder Chase Headley -- is too high. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
SMOKIN': Luis Tiant has introduced "El Tiante" cigars to the South Shore. (wickedlocal.com)
AD MAN: Joe Haggerty reports Manny Ramirez spent Monday's off-day filming a series of commercials at ESPN. (hackswithhaggs.com)
PHIL OF DISASTER: Somewhere Hank Steinbrenner is seething. Phil Hughes was shaky yet again and the Yankees fell to 2-9 in games started by Hughes and fellow rookie Ian Kennedy as the Yanks lost to the Tigers, 6-4. (New York Daily News) The Post's Joel Sherman is the first to call for Hughes to be sent back to the minor leagues, and the Daily News' John Harper thinks it will take a minor miracle to save Hughes' season.
IN THE GOOD-NEWS DEPARTMENT . . . Joba Chamberlain's father is out of the hospital. (New York Post)
IN THE BAD-NEWS DEPARTMENT . . . When they were struggling early last season, Baseball Musings' David Pinto continually expressed the opinion that the Yankees would break out of it and make a run at a postseason berth . . . and he was right. This year, though, he thinks the Yanks "just [don't] have it."
A-LIST: The dreaded strained quad has forced Alex Rodriguez to the disabled list. (New York Post)
LUCKY DRIVER: Johnny Damon gave Gary Sheffield a ride to Yankee Stadium yesterday. After Sheffield slammed a two-run homer last night, he's going to ask Damon for another ride today. (New York Post)
ON THE RISE: ProJo's Fantasy Blog thinks Damon is turning the corner and starting to play better.
LOOKING TO THE STARS: The Yankees and MLB announced plans for July's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. (mlb.com) If you'd like to be there, bring your wallet . . . and maybe somebody else's, too. (The Journal News)
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: We expressed the sentiment yesterday that Roger Clemens -- had he an ounce of self-awareness, which is questionable -- should rue the day he decided not to admit to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, ask for forgiveness (which he would have gotten, same as everyone else), and disappear into the sunset. Today, the Globe's Nick Cafardo writes the same thing, especially since Clemens' bullheaded insistence on fighting an unwinnable fight is leading to his reputation -- and who knows, maybe his personal life -- being shattered into a million pieces. Today's Daily News revelation: He had extramarital relationships with plenty of women other than Mindy McCready. (And just to bring it even deeper into the gutter, the Boston Herald reports that Clemens also hit on the wife of former wrestler Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake.) As yahoo.com's Tim Brown said yesterday, none of this would have been looked into had Clemens' against-all-odds exhortations that he's telling the truth, and everyone else is lying, invited -- indeed, demanded -- further examination into his affairs. Mike Lupica tears Clemens and his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, to shreds: "Clemens and Hardin were going to bully everybody and roll over everybody, and how has that worked out for both of them?" (New York Daily News)
Not too well, Mike. Not too well.
JUST WAIT: Doug Mientkiewicz, who played with him in Minnesota, says Mets fans haven't seen the real Johan Santana yet. (Newsday)
DECISION COMING? Vin Scully, who's been broadcasting Dodger games since 1950, says he'll talk to his wife when his contract expires at the end of the season and see if she wants him to retire. (New York Times)
END OF THE LINE: Matt Morris, released by the Pirates on Sunday, told his hometown newspaper that he's decided to hang 'em up. (Times Herald-Record) Across the continent in San Francisco, Giant pitching hopefuls Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum remember their ex-teammate and mentor fondly. (mlb.com)
YEAR TO FORGET: Travis Hafner is hitting .243 since last May 1, including the postseason, and he and the Indians can't figure out why. (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
THE GREAT DEBATE: USA Today examines the spate of long-term contracts signed by younger players that appear to work in favor of the club, and frames the issue in the words of two agents whose philosophies appear to be diametrically opposed:
Paul Cohen: "To me, it's a no-brainer. Unless you want to live in the middle of Beverly Hills or Fifth Avenue, you're set for life. If you just get 5% of your investment, you never have to work another day in your life."
Scott Boras: "These deals are strongly club-oriented. I can only speak for our clients, but almost every client has benefited substantially from not signing those deals."
What a shock that Boras came down on that side of the argument, eh?
LOCAL BOYS: Chris Iannetta, pressed into action at a strange position (third base) because of a spate of Rockie injuries -- one of which is mentioned below -- had a game "I'll remember . . . for the rest of my life" as he homered and doubled and led Colorado over the Giants, 3-2 (mlb.com) . . . The White Sox' Paul Konerko, whose mother is a Rhode Island native and whose grandparents still live here, became a 10-5 man yesterday and how has the right to veto any trade. (Chicago Tribune)
MEDICAL REPORT: The Rockies may lose Troy Tulowitzki for a while because of the dreaded quad strain (Denver Post) . . . The Rangers' Jason Jennings had to leave last night's start in the third inning because of pain in his surgically repaired elbow (mlb.com) . . . Bobby Cox is happy that John Smoltz just needs rest, and not shoulder surgery (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Remember those worries that Moises Alou had a broken ankle? Well, he doesn't, and the Mets may reactivate him Friday (New York Post) . . . The A's Rich Harden will make a rehab start Thursday. (San Francisco Chronicle)
HERE AND THERE: The Daily Herald's Barry Rozner wonders if Ken Griffey, allegedly unhappy with the going-nowhere Reds, wouldn't be a good fit for the Cubs . . . Jason Botts, designated for assignment by the Rangers, wants to make a new start somewhere else (Dallas Morning News) . . . Ryan Freel is frustrated that he's not playing more in Cincinnati (frontier.cincinnati.com) . . . Mike Cameron had three hits in his Brewer debut (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Everyone says otherwise, but it sure looks like Shane Victorino has lost his starting job with the Phillies. (Philadelphia Daily News)
OLD FRIENDS: Joel Piniero allowed only one hit over seven innings as the Cardinals beat the Reds. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) As a last tribute to Bob Lobel: Why can't we get players like that?? (Boston Globe) . . . Todd Jones celebrates his 40th birthday by reminiscing about his long career on his blog. (sportingnews.com) He also got the save in the Tigers' win at Yankee Stadium last night (mlb.com) . . . Cliff Floyd, recovering from knee surgery, may be activated on the Rays' next homestand (St. Petersburg Times) . . . Bret Saberhagen's son Drew is playing well at the University of Tennessee. (tricitiessports.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:46 AM | Permalink
A slight delay at Fenway
The grounds crew just drew applause as it began the process of removing the tarp. Still, tonight's Red Sox-Toronto game will begin slightly late, at 7:15 p.m.
The rain, which was supposed to have gone away several hours ago, lingered. The tarp has covered the field all afternoon, although players from both teams have gone out to do some light work as the rain has lightened.
Jon Lester, the Boston starter, is doing calisthenics now but has yet to begin throwing. Roy Halladay, the Toronto starter, has yet to head to the bullpen to warm up.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 6:44 PM | Permalink
Lowell Activated; Corey Designated (again)
As expected, third baseman Mike Lowell was activated from the disabled list today and is in the starting lineup tonight for the game against the Blue Jays.
To make room for Lowell, the Red Sox designated right-handed reliever Bryan Corey for assignment. It was the second time this month Boston has designated Corey.
Lowell had been placed on the DL on April 10 because of a sprained left thumb. He had a three-day rehab assignment with the PawSox that ended on Sunday. On Monday, he worked out at Fenway Park on an off day for the Red Sox, and satisfied manager Terry Francona that he was ready to be activated.
"There's no concern on our part," said Francona this afternoon. "He looks good."
Lowell, who was 3 for 13 with 3 RBI for the PawSox, is looking forward to returning to the lineup.
"I don't think anybody's 100 percent now, but I'm back and ready to play," said Lowell this afternoon. "I felt like I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. I'm excited to play tonight."
``I was most anxious to be seeing pitches. I was able to do that the three days I was there. I felt comfortable,'' Lowell said. ``I'm glad I did it. I'm even happier to be here.''
Lowell has had a special insert made for his glove to protect his thumb.
``I think even if I feel fantastic, I'm going to wear it the rest of the year,'' he said. ``It holds the joint from going where they don't want it to go. It doesn't really bother me, so I think I should wear it. If I don't wear it one day and then I test it and I hurt it again I'm going to feel like I'm an idiot for trying that.''
``Like anything, it takes some time getting used to,'' he added. ``But I feel comfortable enough you could say so I don't think it's going to be a major problem.''
Lowell's return helps solidify the Red Sox' lineup, especially with first baseman Sean Casey on the DL because of a strained right hip. Lowell, who usually bats fifth, will hit sixth tonight because Kevin Youkilis, in the fifth slot, has been solid. Lowell's return allows Francona to slide down slumping J.D. Drew to the seventh spot. Drew is in a 4-for-30 skid.
Corey first was sliced from the Sox' roster on April 11, eventually re-signed and assigned to Pawtucket. Corey was recalled last Friday and pitched in one game over the weekend on the road against Tampa Bay(on April 25, a scoreless 1 2/3-inning stint. The Lowell-for-Corey swap reduces the roster to 12 pitchers.
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner at 4:26 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, April 29
AP Photo
TAKE A BEAT: And on the 21st day, they rested. Or, shall we say, most of them rested; Joe McDonald reports that Bartolo Colon somehow threw a bullpen session through the raindrops at Fenway, and six other Sox came in to work out. (Projo Sox Blog) But the remainder were elsewhere, enjoying (we presume) a day away from the ballpark for the first time since Monday, April 7. Which for those us who write baseball for a living, or read baseball as a vocation, means . . . it's off-day story time! Today's batch includes . . .
-- McDonald's piece on Jacoby Ellsbury, whose base-stealing prowess (as evidenced above) led the Rays' Carl Crawford to exhort the Sox to give the young man the green light whenever he's on the bases. McDonald also talks to Tommy Harper, who helped Ellsbury hone his baserunning skills as a Red Sox consultant and who believes his former pupil will break his Red Sox single-season stolen-base record of 54, set in 1973.
-- The Globe's Gordon Edes catches up with Manny Ramirez' march toward 500 career home runs. The Herald's Rob Bradford examines how Ramirez' rigorous offseason workouts helped him get off to such a fast start.
-- Bradford notes that opposing hitters have swung and missed at an astounding 41.5 percent of Jonathan Papelbon's pitches this year and analyzes why that is (beyond pitching coach John Farrell's summation that Papelbon "throws the heck out of the ball").
-- The Herald's Michael Silverman does a statistical comparison that shows the '08 Sox pitching staff isn't performing as well as it did in '07.
-- Edes leads his notes with an item on Jon Lester, tonight's starting pitcher, from whom the Sox are hoping for more consistency.
-- Ian Brown of mlb.com has a feature on the Sox' consecutive sellout streak.
-- Away from the sports pages, the Globe talks to Dustin Pedroia's wife Kelli, who was diagnosed with stage two melanoma at age 18 and now, at age 24, is taking her anti-tanning message to teenagers. She also gives us a glimpse into life with Dustin. Back in sports, Silverman notes that her husband is avoiding the sophomore jinx in '08.
-- This isn't really an off-day story -- he writes these types of pieces all the time -- but Chad Finn's 10 free throwaway lines include, among several Sox items, a defense of Terry Francona, the worry that David Ortiz is morphing into Mo Vaughn, and happiness that Coco Crisp is still in Boston. (boston.com/sports/touching_all_the_bases)
(To address Chad's worry about Big Papi: Jayson Stark's poll of big-league managers identified the two-headed Ortiz/Ramirez monster as a proud member of the All-Guys You'd Least Want to Pitch to Team.)
-- Even somebody else's off-day stories have a Red Sox tinge. In Los Angeles, Derek Lowe compares playing on the West Coast with playing in the East and concludes: "Some people who have played this game for a long time say there is a certain mentality out here, that it's more about entertainment than winning . . . I'm not saying that's true, but a lot of people say that about Southern California." (dailybreeze.com)
Back to baseball tonight: 7:05 p.m. vs. Toronto. And we can wait until May 15, the next scheduled day off, for more stories like this Wall Street Journal feature on the financial and emotional worth of a baseball signed by each and every member of the 1948 Red Sox.
LOOKING AHEAD: The Blue Jays come to town having snapped their six-game losing streak and they have their ace, Roy Halladay, ready to throw at the Sox tonight. (mlb.com) They'll also have a lineup that will look different than the one the Sox faced the first weekend of the season in Toronto, as manager John Gibbons struggles to find a combination that clicks. (London Free Press) Jeff Blair of the Toronto Globe and Mail, meanwhile, wants Vernon Wells to step up and assume the role of team leader. And ex-Jay Jesse Barfield, on his cbc.ca blog, says Toronto's struggles stem from a lack of clutch hitting.
LOOKING BACK: The Rays -- or at least the people who've watched them for these last miserable 10 years -- are still pinching themselves over the weekend sweep of the sox. (Bradenton Herald) And the good news just keeps on coming, as Scott Kazmir pitches 5 1/3 strong rehab innings in Durham and pronounces himself good to go (Tampa Tribune). He's scheduled to make his season debut with Tampa Bay on Saturday night against the Red Sox at Fenway. And now, says the Tribune, the Rays suddenly have too much pitching. (This, of course, is the giddiness that comes with the rush of first-time success; as Terry Francona and Theo Epstein always say, the minute you think you have too much pitching is the time you should go out and get some more, because you never, never, never have too much pitching.) But the St. Petersburg Times says there's no question the Rays have plenty of good pitchers in their bullpen, which, as anyone who played them 18 or 19 times a year knows, had been a toxic waste dump prior to this season.
AND LOOKING AHEAD: Baseball Musing's David Pinto points out that all the Rays are doing is exactly what many people expected them to do this year.
GO FIGURE: Chris Jaffe of The Hardball Times notes that of the 16 "new" managers the Red Sox have hired in franchise history, only four ever were hired again . . . but almost all of them did well with the Sox. "They come. They win. They disappear," he concludes. Among the familiar names on this list (at least to me) are Joe Morgan and Eddie Kasko.
HURTS SO GOOD: The Yankees finished the never-ending road trip with a victory in Cleveland, but Alex Rodriguez re-aggravated his strained right quad muscle and is headed back to the sidelines. (New York Daily News) This on the same day that Jorge Posada landed on the disabled list. (Daily News)
IT'S TIME: Peter Abraham on the LoHud Yankees Blog says Joba Chamberlain's continues dominance in relief actually demonstrates the need to get him into the starting rotation.
IF YOU AIN'T WITH US, YOU'RE AGIN' US: Judging from the parenthetical comments on his game thread, it sounds like Abraham is getting fed up with fans who take any negative comments as a personal affront from the Our Yanks Right Or Wrong crowd. Boston media members who attempt to comment on Manny Ramirez' foibles feel his pain.
THINK IT THROUGH: The Yankees' Morgan Ensberg does a guest spin on Phil Hughes' blog and admits that players not only hear insults shouted from the stands, but laugh at the really good ones. However, simply shouting "You s---k" means "we know that you don’t know what to say and you probably aren’t very funny. To us it is like saying 'um'. We hear it all the time and it is just a sound with no meaning." His advice: "Take your time and don’t get caught up in the moment."
CONFIRMED: Country singer Mindy McCready said the New York Daily News story of her long-time affair with Roger Clemens is true. (Daily News) Yahoo.com's Tim Brown wonders -- as do I -- if Clemens "regrets not following the Andy Pettitte path of disclosure and apology and getting on with his life. His denials, his roundabout explanations, his circling of the truth, have only fueled further examination" -- which probably led to this McCready news -- "because there is no way to listen to him and conclude he is innocent."
SEE YA: The blog My Pinstripes presents a litany of complaints against Yankee TV announcer Michael Kay under the misleading heading "Michael Kay, Yea or Nay?" (Misleading because it's all Nay with no Yea.)
STORY? WHAT STORY? MAYBE IT'S A STORY TO YOU, BUT IT'S NOT A STORY TO ME: Adam Rubin of the Daily News prints the transcript of an interview with Carlos Delgado in which the Mets' first baseman says his decision not to acknowledge the fans' pleas for a curtain call Sunday was not a snub, but that he's not surprised the story has grown to apocalyptic importance in New York.
LET'S GET REAL: Baseball Prospectus' Joe Sheehan lists five things we know are real after one month of the season.
THE UPSTAIRS HOT SEAT: SI.com's Jon Heyman lists seven general managers who could join Wayne Krivsky on the unemployment line. Krivsky, meanwhile, discusses some of his decisions as Reds' GM. (Dayton Daily News)
AND FURTHERMORE . . . : Foxsports.com's Shaun Payne notes that Andruw Jones' disintegration is not only hurting the Dodgers but also damages his Hall of Fame chances.
LESSONS LEARNED: The Cardinals say Josh Hancock's death last year in an alcohol-related traffic accident has had a long-range impact in how the team deals with alcohol. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
WASHED UP? HAH! Frank Thomas answered his critics by by falling a home run short of the cycle -- Frank Thomas, hitting a triple?? -- in the A's 14-2 rout of the Angels. (San Francisco Chronicle)
HERE AND THERE: To no one's surprise, the Giants have sent Barry Zito to the bullpen (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Mike Lieberthal will retire as a Phillie (mlb.com) . . . The Rangers' Hank Blalock is headed to the disabled list (mlb.com) . . . Gary Sheffield says he plans to play through the pain (Detroit News) . . . Tom Glavine will make his first start since April 13 tonight, and is concerned about being rusty (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Mike Cameron has completed his 25-game suspension for the use of performance-enhancing drugs and will return to the Brewers tonight (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Trade time may soon be approaching in Pittsburgh. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
OLD FRIENDS: Wily Mo Pena is front and center on Rich Lederer's list of April Fools (i.e., the players who have put up the worst numbers in the season's first month (Baseball Analysts) . . . Rich Garces will be back with the Nashua Pride this year . . . The Reds' Bronson Arroyo finally pitched well after a string of bad starts. (Cincinnati Enquirer)
NEW FRIENDS: Rotoworld.com has short updates on Red Sox farmhands Lars Anderson and Daniel Bard.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:58 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, April 28
TAMPA TAKEDOWN: It started with a beyond-frustrating loss Friday night, in which they had two men on base with one out in the 9th, 10th and 11th innings, failed to score any of them, and gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 11th. And then the lights went out: Eight hits and one run over the next 18 innings, leading to a crushing defeat for Clay Buchholz Saturday night and a less dramatic, though no less disappointing, 'L' hung on Josh Beckett (above) Sunday afternoon. Joe McDonald has the details of the Red Sox' three days from hell in St. Petersburg, which ran their losing streak to five games and knocked them out of first place. (projo.com)
In the looking-for-scapegoats department, Beckett's blaming the schedule-maker (projo.com) and the Globe's Amalie Benjamin points out that it's been an epic week of illness and injury, leading to no fewer than 10 roster moves since last Tuesday. Others, like old friend Allan Wood, point the finger for at least some of what happened at Terry Francona, whose managerial decisions were debated, and debated, and debated some more. (Sons of Sam Horn) Safe to say that everyone -- players, fans, everyone -- can use this day off, the first since April 7 (the day before the Fenway opener), to regroup. Next up for the Sox? The Blue Jays, who broke a six-game losing streak of their own with a win in Kansas City yesterday. (Toronto Star)
RAYS OF ECSTASY: When you consider these two factoids -- Tampa Bay has never been three games over .500 this late in a season and never been in first place this late in a season (and yes, April 28 is is the correct date) -- you can understand the euphoria that would prompt the blog DRaysBay to break out the brooms and then, four hours later, rub the Sox' face in it with an online version of Sweet Caroline. Or the blog Rays Index to headline its latest entry Peter Gammons Is Rolling Over In His Grave. (I suppose it would be impolitic to point out that Peter's still alive, but, as Boon said in Animal House, forget it, he's rolling.) After all, The Trop has long been considered Fenway South by the hordes of Red Sox fans who fill it whenever the team goes to central Florida -- Shields implored Rays followers to "counteract" Red Sox (and Yankee) partisans after Friday night's game (Tampa Tribune) -- so to win three straight in front of the northern invaders (and against the defending World Series champions, to boot) was . . . well, pretty satisfying. The pros, like Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune and John Romano of the St. Petersburg Times, certainly enjoyed the moment, but both make a point to stress that, in Fennelly's words, "It's April, it's April, it's April." April schmapril, say the Rays, who think these were three games they can build on. (St. Petersburg Times) Coming as it did on the heels of three straight wins over Toronto, Carl Crawford called it "[one] of the best weeks in franchise history." (Tampa Tribune)
And maybe the best weekend.
I'LL GO FURTHER THAN THAT: On Saturday night, even before the finale, Baseball Musing's David Pinto was saying it "may turn out to be one of the most important series in Rays Tampa Bay history."
I'M NOT A BELIEVER: Even so, the blog Big League Stew says the Rays are something that people still don't believe in.
THERE'S ALWAYS SOME GOOD NEWS: Kevin Youkilis set another defensive record at first base. McDonald tells us which one. And Mike Lowell finished his third rehab game with the PawSox and pronounced himself ready to return to Boston. (projo.com)
RETURN FROM LIMBO: McDonald had an interesting chat Friday with Bryan Corey, who gives a glimpse of what it's like in the no-man's land called Designated For Assignment and how it is he wound up back in Boston.
SCHOOL DAYS: On his Hacks With Haggs blog, Joe Haggerty passes along ex-Mets GM Steve Phillips' recollections of scouting the teenage Manny Ramirez . . . which included a psychological test that indicated Ramirez didn't "have the most self-esteem and confidence in the world."
OH, THOSE SIDEWINDERS: Jim Rice identified Dennis Eckersley and Dan Quisenberry as the two pitchers who gave him the most trouble in his career. (ask14.sullivantire.com)
YIN AND YANG: The Yankees' 1-0 victory over C.C. Sabathia yesterday (New York Post) was tempered by the news that Jorge Posada is headed to the disabled list for the first time in his career. (New York Daily News)
MY MIND'S MADE UP: The New York Post's Joel Sherman talks to people who saw him in the minor leagues and comes to the conclusion that Joba Chamberlain should be a starter.
FEELING STRONGER EVERY DAY: As for Chamberlain, he was back on the mound yesterday after suffering a slight hamstring strain Thursday in Chicago. (New York Daily News)
WIN WHEN YOU LOSE: The Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Bud Shaw says Sabathia's dominant outing yesterday is more important than whether or not he won the game.
DENIED: While Roger Clemens and his representatives admit to a long-term friendship between the pitcher (and, they say, his family) and country star Mindy McCready, they strongly deny reports that it was a decade-long sexual affair that began when McCready was 15 and Clemens was with the Red Sox. (New York Daily News) The newspaper reports the revelation could impact Clemens' defamation lawsuit against Brian McNamee, which it says is based on "claims of [Clemens'] unsullied character," but that also is denied by Clemens attorney Rusty Hardin: "The character trait that you put in issue should be the character trait that the defamatory statement was made about." The blog Shysterball, while admitting that "much more in the way of confirmation needs to happen before we can take the 'allegedly' off" these reports, lays out where public opinion of Clemens is headed if this proves to be true.
STEINBRENNER JUNIOR: Joe Posnanski says that if he owned the Blue Jays, he'd have fired John Gibbons on the spot Friday night when Gibbons ordered an intentional walk to Tony Pena Jr.. (joeposnanski.com)
VICIOUS CYCLE: Barry Zito got rocked again yesterday (San Francisco Chronicle), and the Costa Contra Times' Rick Hurd wonders how the beleaguered lefty will extricate himself from his present situation.
TAKE THAT: Mets fans have made the slumping Carlos Delgado their whipping boy this year, so the Daily News' Bill Madden lauded the veteran first baseman for refusing to acknowledge them when they implored him to take a curtain call after his home run yesterday.
TOUGH LOVE: The Newark Star-Ledger Dan Graziano wonders how the Mets and their fans -- still embittered by last September's epic collapse -- can repair their fractured relationship.
'DON'T WORRY ABOUT HIM': Dusty Baker says he's spoken recently to Barry Bonds and that Bonds is "doing fine." (Dayton Daily News) As for whether or not Bonds will return to baseball, Baker thinks "the longer he is out, the less likely he will come back. And the longer he is out, who knows, the less likely he may want to come back."
MY GUY: Jim Leyland came out in defense of the slumping Gary Sheffield. (mlb.com) But Fox' Dayn Perry says it doesn't really matter if Sheffield starts hitting or not because the pitching-poor team is too flawed.
NICE TRIP: The Angels are proud of themselves for their 4-2 swing through Boston and Detroit. (Los Angeles Times)
HERE AND THERE: Mets GM Omar Minaya says Moises Alou, attempting to return from hernia surgery, may have broken his ankle during his rehab stint at Port St. Lucie (Newsday) . . . John Smoltz says his shoulder hurts (Atlanta Journal-Consitution) . . . Brett Myers can't explain why his fastball, which once reached 95 mph, can no longer crack 88 (Philadephia Inquirer) . . . As rumored, the Pirates cut the cord with Matt Morris (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . A relieved Troy Glaus hit his first home run as a member of the Cardinals. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
OLD FRIENDS: Scott Hatteberg would welcome a trade out of Cincinnati (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . Phil Dumatrait will replace Morris in the Pirates' rotation (rotoworld.com) . . . Freddy Sanchez says his surgically-repaired shoulder isn't the reason he's hitting .213 (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Keith Foulke is recovering nicely from the neck soreness that landed him on the DL (San Francisco Chroncile) . . . The Red Sox released Dan Kolb, who had been at Pawtucket. (rotoworld.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:34 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, April 25
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
MASTERFUL: Baseball Musing's David Pinto has the headline we almost used for Justin Masterson's performance yesterday in his emergency start against the Angels, and it certainly fits. Because, in the words of Paul Kenyon, "A few years from now, or maybe even in only a few months, not many people are likely to remember that the Red Sox bullpen blew a lead yesterday and the Sox lost to the Angels, 7-5. It is very likely, though, that many will remember they were there the day Justin Masterson made his major-league debut." Steven Krasner gives his first-day impressions in Inside The Game. And on his Hacks With Haggs blog, Joe Haggerty has a quick Q-and-A with Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen about Masterson.
The skunk at yesterday's garden party was the bullpen (Boston Herald), which turned a 3-1 seventh-inning lead -- and a potential Masterson victory -- into a 7-3 ninth-inning deficit that was only made more respectable by David Ortiz' two-out, two-run homer in the ninth (described here by Krasner). But a loss in the 24th game of the season, no matter how it happens, is backpage news when a pitcher performs as well as Justin Masterson his first time on the big stage. He's going back to Portland now -- Bryan Corey is replacing him on the roster -- but we'll no doubt be seeing more of him. And perhaps very soon.
M*A*S*H NOTES: Krasner notes that Josh Beckett looks okay to make his Sunday start, but the flu-ridden Daisuke Matsuzaka will stay home this weekend and miss the series in Tampa.
MANNY BEING MANNY: You can't say a bad word about Manny Ramirez to some people, and Krasner acknowledges that he may catch some heat from the Manny Can Do No Wrong You Mediot You crowd, but he still takes Ramirez to task for not hustling on wind-blown, second-inning popup that fell in for a hit, a hit that should have been a double but was only a single because he "lolly-gagged his way down the first-base line." Kraz also chronicles the first rematch between Ramirez and Francisco Rodriguez since Manny won Game Two of the ALDS with a home run that just recently touched down somewhere over the Canadian border; K-Rod won this battle though Ramirez did drive the ball to the triangle in center.
COCO BEING COCO: Krasner and Kenyon detail a successful return to the lineup by Coco Crisp, and Krasner breaks down Crisp's fourth-inning steal of third.
JUNK TO YOU, TREASURE TO ME: The David Ortiz jersey that was buried under the new Yankee Stadium proved to be a $175,100 windfall for the Jimmy Fund. (New York Daily News)
BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY: Casey Kotchman missed Game Three of last year's ALDS because of food poisoning. But even though he's pretty sure he got it from something he ate on the plane ride from Boston to Los Angeles after Game Two, he avoided all food, except for a few protein bars, at Fenway Park during the just-concluded series. (Los Angeles Times)
ASK 14: Jim Rice's blog is certainly no 38pitches.com, but for what it is -- a forum for Rice to answer questions from readers -- it continually delivers. Today he refutes an assertion that the Sox were too conservative in keeping him out of the 1975 World Series by stating, "I couldn’t play. I couldn’t grip a bat."
DOWN ON THE FARM: Mike Szostak has an interesting conversation with PawSox knuckleballer Charlie Zink.
DON'T BOTHER: A Roy Oswalt-to-the-Yankees rumor began circulating yesterday (mlb.com), but he's already told the Houston Chronicle the only three teams to whom he'd accept a trade are the Red Sox, Cardinals and Braves.
THE PATRIOTS CAN TELL YOU HOW TOUGH IT IS TO BE PERFECT: Joba Chamberlain suffered his first major-league loss last night as the White Sox pushed across a run in the ninth and beat the Yankees, 7-6. And if that's not bad enough, the next stop for Joba (and the Yanks) is Cleveland, where a swarm of midges derailed their postseason hopes last October. (New York Post) Phil Hughes was last night's starting pitcher but was lifted after two innings because of a rain delay. The Daily News' John Harper says that was the right move by manager Joe Girardi.
GIVE HIM A MINUTE, WILL YA? The blog Bugs and Cranks thinks it's absurdly early to be giving a thumbs-down, or a thumbs-up, on Hughes.
EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING: At least that's how most Yankee fans are probably responding to the news that Kyle Farnsworth hurt his elbow last night. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
REACTION TIME: Writing in the New York Sun, Steven Goldman says both the Yankees and Mets have been slower to address their problems than their competitors.
HANG IN THERE: Jim Kaat says that while the current Yankees "don't compare to the ones of the late 1990s", they can still win the East if they stay in contention all season and put themselves in position to make a run by Labor Day. (yesnetwork.com)
ACE WILD: Francisco Liriano's recovery from elbow surgery isn't going well -- as yesterday's "nine-batter beatdown" in an 11-2 loss to the A's demonstrates -- and Twins manager Ron Gardenhire all but said after the game that the left-hander, now 0-3 with an 11.32 ERA, will be sent to the minor leagues next week to get the rehab work he needs. (St. Paul Pioneer Press) Pinto, who wonders if Liriano is worried about reinjuring himself, thinks that's a good idea.
STAGE FRIGHT: The blog The Good Phight lists the seven stages of sports star appreciation in Philadelphia, and notes with worry that Ryan Howard is in Stage Five, from which "[most] players do not recover." But Pat Burrell, said to be buried in Stage Six, was a hero for the Phils again yesterday. (Philadephia Inquirer)
AND THE WINNER IS . . . Oakland. The A's are the team that landed Frank Thomas. (San Jose Mercury News)
COUNTING DOWN TO AN EXPLOSION: The Bucco Blog is furious at the way the Pirates are handling Tom Gorzelanny, and says he needs to be shut down. Perhaps the Bucs could take a cue from the Japanese high school coach who forfeited a game that his team trailed 66-0 in the second inning because he was afraid his pitcher's pitch count would reach 500 by the fourth inning. (Reuters)
REPAYING HIS DEBT TO SOCIETY: Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes spent 25 hours last week cleaning out cages and mopping at a Tampa zoo as way of getting his probation on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge reduced by five months. (St. Petersburg Times) Dukes had the time because he's on the disabled list due to a hamstring pull.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE: Remember Statman, the guy who provided so much entertainment when he revealed himself to be Dan Duquette's statistical analyst in the spring of 1997? He's back, and he's calling on all fans "bombard their team owners with letters and emails and petitions demanding that their team hire Barry Bonds." The blog Big League Stew has done just that -- sort of -- to the Indians, but Royals fans need not bother; their team isn't interested. (Kansas City Star)
SOUND FAMILIAR? It's probably just a coincidence that they made this announcement two months after Dr. Charles Steinberg joined them from the Red Sox, but the Dodgers yesterday announced ambitious plans to renovate Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Times), and they want to have it finished by the stadium's 50th anniversary in 2012 . . . the same year the Sox say they'll be finished with their renovations of Fenway Park, which that year will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.
THE REAL CURSE: The Sporting News' Gerry Fraley calls it "the curse of the Mitchell Report," and says it's struck Jason Giambi and Eric Gagne particularly hard.
AMNESTY MEANS AMNESTY: Bud Selig says that just as players named in the Mitchell Report face no discipline from MLB, neither do team executives who were implicated. (New York Daily News)
STICK TO THE SPONSOR: NJ.com reports players aren't allowed to drink water in the dugouts at Chicago's US Cellular Field. They can only take Gatorade, which is Major League Baseball's "official sports drink."
OH, FOR A MULLIGAN: FoxSports' Tracy Ringolsby lists 12 deals general managers wish they had back. No Red Sox transactions made the list, though the Yankees (Carl Pavano) had one.
GAME OF THE DAY: Tim Lincecum outdueled Chris Young as the Giants beat the Padres, 1-0. (San Jose Mercury News)
I GOT A BASEBALL JONES: SI.com's John Donovan looks at the one-time Braves tandem of Chipper and Andruw Jones, who have gone their separate ways both geographically and career-wise.
THE WRIGHT STUFF: The blog Big League Stew has an interesting sitdown with the Mets' David Wright.
FIRST OF MANY? Ron Washington could the inaugural managerial casualty of 2008 if the Rangers don't turn things around soon. (Dallas Morning News)
BROKEN: On his blog earlier this week, Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun said his team's road trip "could make or break our April." With three straight losses to the Rays, guess we know which way it's going.
HERE AND THERE: Harold Reynolds is joining the studio team at the Mets' network, SportsNet New York (New York Daily News) . . . The Orioles' 8-7 win over the Mariners was tempered by the news that Adam Loewen has forearm discomfort (Baltimore Sun) . . . Gary Sheffield says he doesn't know what's wrong with his shoulder (Detroit Free Press) . . . The Giants have no intention of skipping a start or two of the struggling Barry Zito. (San Francisco Chronicle)
OLD FRIENDS: Another ex-Red Sox reliever blew a game in relief for the Brewers yesterday, but this time it was David Riske and not Eric Gagne (Wisconsin State Journal) . . . Dave Roberts, who'll be out three months because of knee surgery, says he knows he may have lost his job to Fred Lewis but he understands that's how it goes (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Justin Duchscherer will return to the A's rotation Saturday. (rotoworld.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:53 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, April 24
NOT SO CLOSE! In the infectious ward that is the Red Sox clubhouse, the kind of intimacy being enjoyed by Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez prior to last night's game is a dangerous thing. The flu that's making the rounds is flattening the team, and it may have contributed to the Sox' 6-4 loss to the Angels. Daisuke Matsuzaka, the scheduled starter, came down with it yesterday afternoon and had to be scratched about 2 1/2 hours before gametime (Projo Sox Blog), leaving the team with almost no options as to who would pitch. Terry Francona said in his postgame press conference that they'd just about decided to go with Julian Tavarez -- with the understanding that Tavarez would max out at about three innings and they'd have to completely run through the bullpen -- when Jon Lester, originally scheduled to go today, volunteered to work on three days' rest. They took him up on it, and Paul Kenyon reports he did about as well as you'd expect after throwing 107 pitches four days ago -- five innings, nine hits, four runs. “It was different," Lester said afterwards. "No pain or soreness or anything like that. It didn’t feel like the normal five days. That’s not an excuse. . . It was just different.” The score was 4-4 when he left, and yesterday's callup, Craig Hansen, surrendered the game-winning home run three batters into his appearance. Kenyon and Steven Krasner report that Hansen was shipped back to Pawtucket immediately after the game to make room on the roster for today's starter, Justin Masterson, who's being called up from Double-A Portland for a one-shot deal. The Portland Press Herald got some quick comments from the excited Masterson last night as he packed for his in-and-out trip to Boston.
He's healthy, anyway. The last, ominous note in Kenyon's game story: Tomorrow night's starter, Tim Wakefield, was seen coughing and hacking as he left the clubhouse last night,
A LITTLE PUSH: In his Inside The Game feature, Krasner chronicles the resurgence of Julio Lugo and wonders if the splashy arrival of Jed Lowrie has lit a fire under the veteran shortstop. That link is to the newspaper copy of ITG; you can read an expanded version here on the Sox Blog (and it's available almost immediately after the end of each game).
SOMETHING TO BUILD ON: Tuesday night's emergency starter, David Pauley, is back in Pawtucket -- he was replaced by Hansen, who's now being replaced by Masterson, and someone will go up tomorrow to replace Masterson -- and Carolyn Thornton has Pauley's reaction to the whirlwind events that led to him being at Fenway.
ON A RUN: The blog Wicked Good Sports reports that Jacoby Ellsbury -- "running around like a virgin on prom night," whatever that means -- is threatening to break a major-league record: Most consecutive stolen bases at the start of a career. The record is 27, set by Tim Raines between 1979 and '81, and Ellsbury is currently at 17. (Thanks to Baseball Musing's David Pinto for finding this.)
MR. HATFIELD, MEET MR. McCOY: Orlando Cabrera is beloved in Boston for his role as the free-spirited, high-energy shortstop on the 2004 World Series champions. Edgar Renteria is reviled for his lumpy, 30-error performance in the one year he spent here as Cabrera's replacement, a year that ended in a first-round playoff ouster. Now we find out the two men, both natives of Colombia, can't stand each other . . . though it has nothing (or almost nothing) to do with their shared Boston experience. (ESPN The Magazine)
EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON: The David Ortiz jersey buried under the new Yankee Stadium by a Red Sox fan working on the construction crew is proving to be a windfall for the Jimmy Fund. (New York Post) The Yankees donated the shirt to the charity organization, which put it up for auction on eBay, and the bidding has reached nearly $90,000.
SEE? I WAS RIGHT! Mike Mussina turned in his strongest performance of the year in a 6-4 win over the White Sox (New York Daily News), one day after Hank Steinbrenner said he needed to start pitching more like Jamie Moyer. The Daily News' John Harper thinks the Baby Boss deserves some of the credit for Mussina's outing.
TRY PITCHING LIKE JOSH BECKETT: Let's see what advice Hank has for the struggling Phil Hughes, who will try to complete the three-game sweep in Chicago tonight. (New York Daily News) Joe Girardi believes Hughes may have Alex Rodriguez behind him at third base, though its more likely A-Rod won't play until the weekend. (New York Post)
THE NUMBERS GAME: Having opened the topic yesterday with his rant about Yankee fans booing LaTroy Hawkins for wearing Paul O'Neill's number, Joe Posnanski digs deeply -- as only he can -- on the retired-number practice of every team. (joeposnanski.com) He breaks the decisions into the following categories -- Greatness, Emotional, Importance, Bizarre and Utterly Inexplicable. (There are only two entries in the latter two categories: The Reds' retiring Willard Hershberger's No. 5 in 1941 after he committed suicide is Bizarre, though they did recant and begin reissuing the number a few years later, and it eventually landed on Johnny Bench's back. And the Pirates' retiring Billy Meyer's No. 1 -- after he managed the team for five seasons, four of them with losing records and one with 112 losses -- is Utterly Inexplicable.)
FRANK-LY SPEAKING: The A's are mum on rumors they're about to sign Frank Thomas (Costa Contra Times), and yahoosports.com reports another, unnamed team has gotten into the bidding. (If he doesn't like these options, the Toronto Sun says the Joliet Jackhammers are preparing an offer.) The Twins aren't one of those unnamed teams. (mlb.com) As for his old club, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi says Thomas' snit over being benched -- culminating in his refusal to join the postgame celebratory handshake on Saturday -- clinched the Jays' decision to release him. (National Post) "You’re either part of the team or you’re not," Ricciardi said. "It’s not real hard to go out there and shake hands. I don’t think that’s a tough thing to do."
YOU'LL BE SORRY, J.P.: Thomas' hometown newspaper, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, says the Big Hurt has something left in the tank.
SECOND CHANCE: Writing for SportingNews.com, David Pinto notes it's been 82 years since a second baseman won a home-run title . . . a drought the Phillies' Chase Utley has a chance to break this season.
THIS PROBABLY SAYS SOMETHING, THOUGH DARNED IF I KNOW WHAT: On the same day the Web site True Blue L.A. is declaring sabermetrics to be dead -- because its truths are now so ingrained in the mainstream that "there’s very little competitive advantage to be gained from stats based analysis" -- the Kansas City Star reports Royals manager Trey Hillman is displeased with his team's on-base percentage.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Wayne Krivsky is out as Reds' general manager (Cincinnati Enquirer). One view: Richard Justice, writing for SportingNews.com, says Krivsky's replacement, Walt Jocketty, should bring October baseball back to Cincinnati. Another view: Scott Miller of CBSSports.com says firing Krivsky shows how clueless the Reds really are.
DEEPER PROBLEMS: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com says the Tigers' decision to move Miguel Cabrera to first base makes sense on the surface, but it also reveals some fundamental problems in Detroit's organizational strategies.
'ROAR FROM 34': Orioles fans with a knowledge of the team's past recaptured the spirit of the late Wild Bill Hagy for one night and the result was magical. (Baltimore Sun, video included)
L.A.'S FINE, BUT IT AIN'T HOME. NEW YORK'S HOME, BUT IT AIN'T MINE NO MORE: Joe Torre is finding that scoring runs is much more difficult with the Dodgers than it was with the Yankees, and being saddled with the rotting carcass that is Andruw Jones isn't helping. (yahoo.com)
THE 'C' WORD: Barry Bonds' agent is again talking collusion as he finds zero interest for his client. (si.com)
IN MEDICAL NEWS . . . Scott Kazmir, sidelined since suffering a left elbow strain on Feb. 25, will make his first start of the season May 3 at Fenway Park against the Red Sox (mlb.com) . . . Nationals closer Chad Cordero won't need shoulder surgery (Washington Post) . . . The Rangers' Luis Mendoza says his shoulder hurts (Dallas Morning News) . . . A strained left intercostal is sending the Indians' Jake Westbrook to the disabled list (cleveland.com) . . . Orlando Hernandez will remain in a boot for two more weeks and his return isn't anywhere in sight (New York Daily News) . . . The Cubs say Alfonso Soriano won't need a rehab stint and will be ready to play when he comes off the DL next week. (Chocago Sun-Times)
OLD FRIENDS: Pedro Martinez, recovering from his hamstring strain, can return to the mound in 10 to 14 days (Newsweek) . . . Eric Hinske continues his resurgence in Tampa; last night he helped the Rays to a come-from-behind victory over Roy Halladay (Tampa Tribune) . . . The one thing that could always be said for Derek Lowe was that he was never injured. But last night he had to leave his start after five innings because of tightness in his elbow (mlb.com) . . . For the fifth straight time this season, Bronson Arroyo struggled, this time lasting only 3 2/3 innings with his velocity topping out at 88 (Springfield News and Sun) . . . Kason Gabbard, who hurt his back when he slipped on the mound at Fenway Monday, is being placed on the disabled list by the Rangers. (Dallas Morning News)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:42 AM | Permalink
Angels make changes
Hope no one used a pen when they wrote down the lineups for tonight's game. We have more changes.
With the Red Sox scratching Daisuke Matsuzaka (he has the flu) and replacing him with lefty Jon Lester, the Angels have rearranged their lineup. Here is the new one:
Figgins 3B
Matthews Jr. LF
Guerrero RF
Hunter CF
Anderson LF
Aybar SS
Mathis C
Katchman 1B
Izturis 2B
Garland P
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 6:18 PM | Permalink
Youkilis will sit tonight; others near return
Kevin Youkilis is being given a night off because of a minor problem with his back.
Youkilis felt some discomfort in his lower back when he went deep behind third base to make a play in Tuesday night’s game, manager Terry Francona reported.
``He called me this morning and told me he was feeling it,’’ Francona said.
Jed Lowrie will start in his place and bat eighth. The red-hot Julio Lugo moves up to the seven hole and Kevin Cash will hit ninth. Cash will be starting for the fourth straight game in place of Jason Varitek.
The good news for the Sox is that Varitek is feeling better, so much so that he just finished taking early batting practice. Francona said he hopes not to have to use him tonight. With a day game tomorrow, it is possible Varitek could play then. That would work out well since Tim Wakefield is scheduled to pitch Friday, meaning Varitek would be able to get that day off since Cash handles Wakefield’s knucklers.
In other Sox news, Josh Beckett, who missed his start last night because of a stiff neck, is feeling better and has been penciled in to pitch Sunday, which would be his normal spot in the rotation.
Mike Lowell not only took more batting practice, he did some work in the field for the first time since going on the disabled list. Depending on how he reacts to today’s work he could be on rehab assignment soon.
Bartolo Colon did some throwing from 120 feet today and seems to be progressing. A tentative schedule has been planned, one that would have him back with Pawtucket pitching on rehab assignment on May 5. That would be exactly one month to the day when he hurt his oblique.
Coco Crisp also is feeling better, could play if needed tonight and likely will return to the starting lineup tomorrow.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 4:41 PM | Permalink
Craig Hansen promoted
Craig Hansen, who has yet to allow a run this season, has been promoted from Pawtucket and is ready to pitch tonight when the Red Sox host the Angels.
``They called about 11:30 last night,’’ the big right-hander said. ``They called RJ (Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson) and he called me.’’
Hansen had just returned from a quick trip back home to New York on a day off for Pawtucket. The trip home was enjoyable, he said, except for one thing. His dog was too happy to see him.
``He jumped all over me. You can see the scratches,'' said Hansen, who has several scratches near his left eye.
Hansen, Boston’s first-round draft choice three yers ago, has pitched in eight games for Pawtucket. He has gone 12.1 innings and allowed three hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts withot allowing a run. For the season, hitters are 3-for-43 against him
``He’s been throwing the ball great,’’ said Sox manager Terry Francona. ``And he has some flexibility.’’
Manny Delcarmen, one of a number of Sox players who has been ill, is feeling ``so so,’’ Francona reported, so his status for tonight is questionable. It makes Hansen a prime candidate for work tonight.
Hansen replaces David Pauley, who started last night. That means the Sox keep 13 pitchers on their 25-man roster.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 4:24 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, April 23
 |  |
GOLD DUST TWINS: Jacoby Ellsbury's two-homer night -- and his mad dash home from first base with the winning run in the eighth inning (above right) -- got most of the attention, but he shared the spotlight with Dustin Pedroia in the Red Sox' come-from-behind 7-6 win over the Angels. Paul Kenyon's game story not only chronicles Ellsbury's night, but also the four-hit, three-double performance of Pedroia (above left), who knocked in Ellsbury with the run that broke the 6-6 tie. Steven Krasner goes Inside The Game to take a closer look at the eighth-inning climax, showing how just the threat of Ellsbury stealing second base helped secure the victory.
NOW WHAT? The big news before the game was the stiff neck that forced Josh Beckett to miss the start and led to the emergency callup of David Pauley. Pauley only lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, and was immediately sent back to Pawtucket, meaning the team will need to make another roster move before tonight's game. Krasner and Kenyon note it will be a position player if Jason Varitek is feeling better, or a backup catcher if the flu bug that has flattened Varitek and a few other members of the club is still strong enough to keep the captain away from the park.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Kenyon has a nice pregame vignette on Pauley, showing that while the young pitcher may have had a big-league roster spot for a day, he didn't cop a big-league attitude.
THIS THING OF OURS: Every so often, Steve Silva makes me laugh out loud.
CURSE THIS: The Angels are 14-25 at Fenway Park since Mike Scioscia took over as manager in 2000, including 7-21 in their last 28 games here, but they don't want to hear any talk about a Fenway jinx. (Riverside Press-Enterprise)
LIKE NO PLACE ON EARTH: Matt Hurst, the Angels' beat writer for our Belo cousins in Riverside, Calif., talks to Angels players about what it's like to be an opposing player in Fenway Park. (Riverside Press-Enterprise) Some elements of the piece are disturbing, like Torii Hunter and Gary Matthews Jr. telling how they've heard a few racial taunts -- which prompted the Boston Herald to look further into the subject -- but what comes across, mostly, is the passion, positive and negative, the fans have for the Red Sox and for baseball . . . passion so unlike other cities that the players really don't know how to process it. "There are no fans like theirs," said Garret Anderson. And Hunter told the Herald that, in spite of everything, he wanted to join the Red Sox as a free agent last winter. “I did want to come here," he said. "But it didn’t work out."
MANNY BEING MYTHIC: SI.com's Tom Verducci profiles Manny Ramirez in a piece that not only puts his bat into historical perspective but also notes that he's become a mythic figure at a time when the white-hot glare of multi-platformed media scrutiny almost precludes athletic myth. "It's like telling a story about Babe Ruth," Verducci writes. "It may or not be true, but just the plausibility of it is enough."
HAPPY TO SEE IT: On his Ask 14 blog, Jim Rice says he was thrilled at the reception Bill Buckner received on Opening Day.
POINT, MR. CASHMAN: The Joba's-Place-Is-In-The-Bullpen crowd had a good night, as Chamberlain rescued the Yankees from a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the seventh inning and helped the Yanks beat the White Sox, 9-5. (New York Daily News) Johnny Damon cast his vote in the debate: He likes Chamberlain as a reliever. (New York Post)
NEXT TARGET: With the Joba Chamberlain contretempts settled -- for now -- Hank Steinbrenner turned his attention to another member of the Yankee pitching staff: Mike Mussina. The Baby Boss says he wants Moose to pitch more like Jamie Moyer, advice Mussina seemed to accept with equal parts humor and resentment. (New York Daily News) But on the LoHud Yankees Blog, Peter Abraham has numbers that show Mussina does pitch like Moyer.
A MATCH MADE IN . . . WELL, SOMEWHERE: Mark Gonzalez of the Chicago Tribune talks to Ozzie Guillen about what it would be like if Guillen managed the Yankees of Hank Steinbrenner.
A-DAD: Alex Rodriguez' wife Cynthia gave birth to the couple's second daughter. (New York Daily News)
STILL SOMETHING LEFT: On the Replacement Level Yankee Weblog, SG is unconvinced of something that is becoming accepted truth in Yankee Universe: That Jason Giambi is all washed up. If you want to read the case against Giambi, may we direct you to Steven Goldman of the New York Sun.
WHAT?? Joe Posnanski speaks for most everyone in the baseball world when he blows a gasket over Yankee fans booing LaTroy Hawkins because he had the gall to wear Paul O'Neill's number. (joeposnanski.com)
'NO SURPISES': Jose Canseco's lawyer says federal investigators stuck to the script in their three-hour meeting regarding Canseco's knowledge of steroid use in baseball. (New York Post) So did Canseco when it came to whether or not Roger Clemens was at his house during the 1998 party that became a focal point of a congressional hearing in February: He continues to insist Clemens wasn't there, photographic evidence to the contrary.
STOP WORRYING: The fretting about C.C. Sabathia's slow start can officially cease after his six-scoreless-innings, 11-strikeout performance in the Indians' rout of the Royals. (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan says Sabathia has been receiving words of encouragement from throughout baseball and that yesterday he looked "every bit like his Cy Young self."
GET REAL: The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin says the notion of the Blue Jays' signing Barry Bonds to replace Frank Thomas is "crazy."
CHANGE ON THE FLY: It's been said that it's a bad sign for baseball organizations when institution-level decisions are made during the chaos of a season. If that's the case, what to make of Jim Leyland's almost cavalier announcement that Carlos Guillen and Miguel Cabrera are switching positions, effective immediately? (Detroit News) But News columnist Lynn Henning says the change was desperately needed, as Cabrera was redefining the term 'defensively inept' in his pathetic attempts to play third base.
THE END IS NEAR: It looks like the demolition of Tiger Stadium, which has sat empty since the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000, will finally begin in May or June. (Detroit Free Press)
COUNTERPRODUCTIVE: With the Cardinals' cleanup hitters struggling, opposing pitchers are working around Albert Pujols in the No. 3 hole; he's on pace to walk 154 times this year. And Pujols is getting so frustrated about it that he's starting to get himself out by swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Baseball Musing's David Pinto says Pujols has to adopt the Barry Bonds approach and accept the walks, because it will mean more runs for the Cards.
TAKING ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER: The Houston Chronicle's Jerome Solomon chides ESPN for the way it "ambushed" (his words) Miguel Tejada in the taped interview about his age discrepancy, and says the fact that he's two years older than his listed birthday is no big deal. Pinto notes that Tejada has hit better since the news broke.
MEAT FOR HIS SUPPORTERS: Brewer manager Ned Yost thinks Prince Fielder's three-hit, two-walk, sacrifice-fly performance yesterday should silence critics who think Fielder's new vegetarian diet has cut into his offensive production. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
BITTERSWEET: John Smoltz recorded his 3,000th career strikeout but suffered the loss as the Nationals beat the Braves. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
MIGHTY MOUSE: The Rays remained unbeaten in Orlando as they beat the Blue Jays in their annual game at Disney World. "Nobody goes into Disney and beats the Rays," writes the Tampa Tribune's Martin Fennelly. "Nobody."
BET ON A VET: Ex-major leaguer Jesse Barfield, stunned by the Blue Jays' release of Frank Thomas, says every team needs veteran leadership in the clubhouse. (cbc.ca)
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: In light of speculation that the Mets may do to Carlos Delgado what the Jays did to Thomas, our pal The Tao of Steib wonders if Toronto would consider bringing back Delgado. "We'd usually dump on anyone who came up with this sort of fanciful BS notion of returning a player to the team for completely sentimental reasons," admits Tao. "But there's something about the idea of seeing Delgado back in Toronto that melts away all of our reason and good sense." A suggestion, Tao: Take a look at this post on FanGraphs before starting a full-fledged We Want Carlos! campaign.
REMEMBER WHEN: The Los Angeles Times' Jerry Crowe writes about the 30-year anniversary of Lyman Bostock trying to give his entire April salary back to the Angels because he got off to a slow start after signing as a free agent from the Twins. The team refused to take it, so Bostock instead donated the money to charity. That memory has been lost because Bostock, tragically, was killed in a drive-by shooting that September in a case of mistaken identity.
HERE AND THERE: Both Mike Hampton and Tom Glavine they're ready to return to the Braves (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Andruw Jones is blaming allergies for his slow start this season (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . The healthy-again J.J. Putz records his first save since Opening Day as the Mariners beat the Orioles (Seattle Times) . . . They've banned smoking everywhere at Shea Stadium, which will make it tough for Bobby Cox to enjoy his postgame cigar when the Braves visit this weekend. (espn.com)
OLD FRIENDS: The Marlins can't decide whether or not to sign Hanley Ramirez to a long-term contract (Miami Herald) . . . Eric Gagne blew another save -- though his manager said he threw the ball well -- but Gabe Kapler made it all good with a game-winning hit for the Brewers in the 12th inning (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Kapler, incidentally, has a great Q-and-A with Jesse Spector of the New York Daily News in which he says if could trade places with anyone in baseball for one day, he'd switch with John Henry.
AND FINALLY . . . Change your bookmarks: Chad Finn has a new home.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:50 AM | Permalink
Pauley sure seems relaxed
Maybe if David Pauley gets to stay in the majors for an extended period he will not do what he just did this afternoon.
Right now, though, Pauley is a relaxed and amiable guy, even on a day that has turned into one of the biggest of his career. As Steven Krasner reported here earlier, the 24-year-old right-hander has been called up from Pawtucket to pitch against the Angels tonight, an emergency replacement for Josh Beckett, who is out because of a stiff neck.
Almost all starters prefer to be left alone on the day they are to pitch. In many cases, not even teammates go near them, never mind members of the media.
Not Pauley, at least not today.
Pauley arrived in the Red Sox clubhouse about 4:10 this afternoon. The clubhouse was almost deserted. Most of the reporters were upstairs for the daily meeting with manager Terry Franconca. Most of the Sox players were on the field getting ready for the start of batting practice. I was on watch to chase Mike Lowell and Alex Cora, both of whom are on the disabled list. They were finishing early batting practice.
Pauley walked in and saw Pam Ganley from the Red Sox public relations staff. He smiled and gave her a hug. Pauley saw me and smiled. We have been having chats for three days now. I have covered Pawtucket games the last two days. Pauley was supposed to have started Sunday against Buffalo.
Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson received a call from Boston officials about 45 minutes before game time. They informed Johnson that Pauley might be needed in Boston. They told him to have someone else pitch, instead. Edgar Martinez started the first game of his pro career and pitched well, helping the PawSox beat the Bisons.
After the game, we talked to Pauley. He still was not sure what was going on, other that that he was on call for the parent team. He said he was happy just to be on call. He was not sure if he would be reporting to McCoy or Fenway Monday.
Monday, when Pawtucket played a day game, Pauley was in the clubhouse. He smiled when I saw him and asked the obvious, ``Still here, huh?’’
Today, both of us were at Fenway. I did not know what was going on when he walked into the clubhouse. Theo Epstein had been in the clubhouse earlier and was on the phone as he was leaving. Francona’s meeting with the media had been moved back a few minutes from its usual 4 p.m. start. I went up to Pauley and asked what was going on. He said he had gotten the call to report.
``About 15 mintes ago,’’ he said.
``Where were you?’’ I asked.
``At a hotel here in Boston. They told me to come up last night and stay just in case. I got a call a couple hours ago saying no, then another call about 15 minutes ago saying yes. I was going to stay here for a little while, just in case.’’
``What’s the situation?’’
``I’m starting, as far as I know?’’
``Tonight?’’
``Yes.’’
``Oh. Sorry I shouldn’t be bothering you.’’
``Nah. It’s fine,’’ he said.
Manny Delcarmen came in and went over and welcomed Pauley, who was given a locker between Javy Lopez and Julian Tavarez. Cora came in, saw Pauley and went over and gave him a hug.
A short time later, when the reporters who had been at Francona’s press conference arrived, a couple went over and chatted with Pauley. Pauley talked to them, too.
If he was nervous or uptight, he sure was not showing it.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:33 PM | Permalink
The lineups
The Angels were a bit late posting their lineup for tonight. We have them both now:
ANGELS
Figgins 3b
Matthews DH
Guerrero RF
Anderson LF
Hunter CF
Kotchman 1B
Izturis 2B
Mathis C
Aybar SS
Weaver P
RED SOX
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Youkilis 3B
Drew RF
Casey 1B
Cash C
Lugo SS
Pauley P
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 4:52 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, April 22
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
109-53: With yesterday's fourth straight win over the Rangers in the books, Joe McDonald says the Red Sox have found the formula for success this season: "Battle for supremacy with the good teams in the league, while pounding the weaker teams into submission." And Joe says if they do that, they "could be on pace for a 109-53 record." (Mathematics alert: A 14-7 record, which is what they have now, projects out to 108-54. But you get the idea.) Jim Donaldson was impressed with the fact that the Sox could win a game by an 8-3 score with a lineup that was missing Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell and Jason Varitek, though it did include Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury (above). But pitching will take you far, and Steven Krasner shows in his Inside The Game feature that Clay Buchholz, yesterday's starter, is "wise beyond his years when it comes to mixing his pitches and keeping the opposition off balance." McDonald has more on Buccholz in his notebook.
You're never as good as you look when you're winning (or as bad as you look when you're losing), so 109-53 -- or 108-54 -- is a stretch. But it sure does look like the Sox have found the formula.
CHANGES: Our friend David Scott has the news that Gordon Edes is leaving the Globe for yahoo.com, and Heidi Watney has been hired by NESN as Tina Cervasio's replacement. (Scott's Shots)
QUICK FIX: Paul Kenyon reports a change in mechanics has led to a dramatic improvement in Craig Hansen's pitching at Pawtucket.
R.I.P. JOHN MARZANO: Mlb.com has a nice tribute to former Red Sox backup catcher John Marzano, who died over the weekend at the age of 45.
LOCAL BOYS (SORT OF): Foxsports.com profiles the rampaging Diamondbacks, whose GM, Josh Byrnes, used to work for the Red Sox.
BACK IN BUSINESS: For those who long for the days of the Bronx Zoo, may we proudly present . . . Hank Steinbrenner!
The Yankees were in full spin mode yesterday, less than 24 hours after Hammerin' Hank all but demanded that Joba Chamberlain be inserted into the starting rotation in a New York Times interview. So out came Brian Cashman, insisting that a) Chamberlain is staying in the bullpen for now, b) Steinbrenner is aware of, and approves, the long-range plan with Chamberlain, and c) there's no feud between himself and Hank. (New York Post) Having given the baseball's story of the day to the Times on Sunday Steinbrenner wouldn't speak to them yesterday (though Cashman did). He did, however, talk to the New York Daily News, telling them, basically, that yeah, I know what the plan is, and I'm fine with it; I was just sayin' it would be nice to have him starting now.
And this, my friends, is how controversy starts. For one thing, it reopens the Should Joba Be A Starter? debate. (Kevin Kernan of the Post says yes, and thinks Hank is a hero for saying so. Mets' relief ace Billy Wagner, of all people, tells the Daily News no, Joba should stay where he is.) Far more importantly, says the Daily News' Mike Lupica, it looks for all the world like a return to the Steinbrenner Modus Operandi we came to know so well during the reign of King George: A way "for Hank Steinbrenner to start running off Cashman the way his old man used to run off general managers and managers and even PR guys in the old days." Undercutting his subordinates, second-guessing their decisions (read: the failure to trade for Johan Santana), short-circuiting carefully developed organizational strategies because the team went 10-10 in its first 20 games . . . it all sounds delightfully familiar to Yankee-haters. Not to mention what it does for the confidence of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, whose struggles apparently prompted this latest eruption. (Andy Pettitte sticks up for them in the Daily News.)
The Journal-News' Peter Abraham lays out the reasons Chamberlain has to stay in the bullpen for now on the sublime LoHud Yankees Blog, and compelling reasons they are: Most of them have to do with Chamberlain's health. (Lest we forget, he pitched only 89 innings in 2006 because of injury and probably can't go more than 150 without risking further damage this season. Scan down to the middle of this piece from Yahoo.com's Tim Brown for a chilling assessment of Chamberlain's pre-draft medical reports.) In a later post, Abraham accurately notes what Hank Steinbrenner actually is: A full-employment service for Yankee beat writers.
And bloggers.
CALM DOWN: Always the voice of reason, Baseball Musing's David Pinto doesn't think the Yankees should be panicking about their starting rotation.
OUT BUT NOT GONE: The New York Daily News reports Alex Rodriguez may miss the same amount of time -- six games -- with his quad strain as Derek Jeter did with his, but adds the Yankees don't think he'll need to go on the disabled list.
PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME: In one of the tidbits of a long notes column, SI.com's Jon Heyman says Kyle Farnsworth "deserved every bit of that three-game suspension for throwing at Manny Ramirez." Curt Schilling agrees that Farnsworth's pitch at Ramirez' head was no case of the ball "slipping," as Farnsworth and the Yankees claim. (38pitches.com)
THE HURT LINE: One day into Frank Thomas' unexpected free agency, and here's the current landscape: The A's? Maybe. (San Francisco Chronicle) The White Sox? No, but they're sure interested in what's going on with their former franchise icon. (Daily Herald)
IT HAD TO BE DONE: The Sporting News' Gerry Fraley says the release of Thomas makes the Blue Jays better. Our pal Tao of Steib agrees.
THE NEW LANDSCAPE: Carlos Delgado's lack of production is beginning to draw attention in New York. (New York Post) The Post's baseball blog -- saying Delgado is to the Mets as Mike Mussina is to the Yankees -- thinks the Mets "may [go] all Frank Thomas on [Delgado] and just [release] him."
STICKING WITH SCOTT: Like Alex Rodriguez, Joe Crede is a third baseman. Like Alex Rodriguez, Joe Crede says his heart belongs to the team he plays for. Like Alex Rodriguez, Joe Crede has a chance to shop his wares on the open market. But unlike Alex Rodriguez, Joe Crede says he has no intention of straying from agent Scott Boras' advice and attempting to negotiate a deal with his team -- in his case, the White Sox -- by himself. (Chicago Sun Times)
RELAX: Sheldon Ocker examines C.C. Sabathia's struggles and concludes "whatever he is doing wrong for whatever reason probably will be only a faded memory in a few weeks." (Akron Beacon Journal)
WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL? The Cubs were told Johan Santana wanted to be traded to an East Coast team that spent spring training in Florida -- criteria they fail on both counts -- so they never got seriously involved in negotiations with the Twins. But now Santana is saying he'd have considered playing for the Cubs had they asked him if he were interested. (Chicago Sun-Times)
AND YOU THINK BAGWELL-FOR-ANDERSEN WAS BAD? The Los Angeles Times' Ross Newhan says it was nothing compared to Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields.
HEY, HEY! Confidence is building on the North Side of Chicago. (mlb.com) And one of the reasons is most un-Cublike: A high team on-base percentage. (Daily Herald)
IT MAY BE A DUMP, BUT IT'S OUR DUMP: Old friend Jay Jaffe waxes poetic about Shea Stadium on his superb Futility Infielder blog.
BLAMING THE MESSENGER: Miguel Tejada is angry at ESPN for the way it got him to admit that he's two years older than his listed age. (mlb.com)
GET REAL: The blog Fantasy Baseball Generals responds to a Mike Berardino column in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the lack of complete games in baseball by doing some research and noting that games "with eight pitching changes . . . [are] a small price to pay to see a [pitchers] have . . . complete [careers]."
QUICKLY: The Brewers skipped Ben Sheets' turn in the rotation because of triceps soreness (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) . . . Tim Hudson looked like the Tim Hudson of old in his victory over the Nationals last night (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Yes, Matt Morris is 0-3 with a 9.15 ERA and a .380 opponents' batting average allowed. But the Pirates say they're sticking with him (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Mark Mulder's imminent return is good news for the Cardinals, because at the very least he increases St. Louis' trade options (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) . . . Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi would like to get African-Americans involved in baseball at an earlier age (Toronto Sun) . . . Moises Alou may return to the Mets on Friday. (New York Daily News)
OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra hit his first home run of the season last night for the Dodgers (Los Angeles Times) . . . Justin Duchscherer struggled in a rehab start. (rotoworld.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:09 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, April 21
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 at 9:00 AM | Permalink
Kielty disabled, Pritz activated
Pawtucket officials have just announced that outfielder Bobby Kielty has been placed in the disabled list.
Kielty had been playing through pain in his left hand. When the PawSox returned from their road trip Saturday, Kielty went to a doctor. He was sent to another doctor today and the team announced as this afternoon's game against Buffalo was beginning that Kielty was being placed on the seven-day disabled list, retroactive to Saturday.
Outfielder Bryan Pritz, who spent most of last season with Portland, was activated to take Kielty’s spot. Pritz had been on the PawSox DL since the start of the season.
The Pawtucket game has begun with another surprise. David Pauley, the scheduled starting pitcher, did not take the mound. No reason was given. Pauley was in the clubhouse before the game. Edgar Martinez, normally a reliever, made the start for him. PawSox officials said an explanation will be provided when the game is finished.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 1:10 PM | Permalink
Murphy's Law: Life is good
There was a little presentation made in the visitor’s clubhouse at Fenway this afternoon, one that brought a smile to David Murphy’s face. But then again, Murphy has been doing a lot of smiling lately.
Jack McCormick, the Red Sox traveling secretary, presented Murphy and Kason Gabbard with their World Series rings. Gabbard started seven games for the Sox and went 4-0. Murphy played in only two games, going 1-for-2, before being traded with Gabbard for Eric Gagne on a deadline (July 31st) deal. Murphy went on to hit .340 in 103 at-bats for the Rangers. Murphy proudly showed off the ring, which has been estimated to be worth in the $20,000 range.
``I don’t know what I’m going to do with it,’’ he said as he opened the case in which it is kept and showed it off, ``but it is nice.’’
Picking up the ring is merely the latest in a line of pleasant developments for Murphy.
``Life is very good,’’ said the former Red Sox first-round draft choice, who is a Texas native. ``The Red Sox were good to me while I was here, but I’m back home and getting a chance to play. Things are working out very well.’’
Murphy has played in every game for the Rangers thus far and begins play tonight hitting .305. He is tied for second in the American League in doubles, with seven. With Boston, he was blocked by a deep roster of outfielders. It has been different with Texas.
``My goal was just to make the team. I had never made a 25-man roster coming out of spring training,’’ he said. ``That was my only goal. Then, in terms of my playing time I thought we’d just go from there. The way things have worked out, with a few injuries (to others), I’ve gotten huge playing time. Being close to home and getting the opportunity to play every day has been awesome.’’
``It’s different from last year,’’ he said. ``Last year nobody really knew me around the big leagues. I was at the bottom of the lineup. I saw more fastballs. Pitchers are making adjustments to me now. I have to make adjustments back to them.’’
Sox manager Terry Francona spoke about how happy he was for both Murphy and Gabbard, who is now a member of the Texas rotation and will start against the Sox Monday in the series finale. Francona ran into Gabbard in the weight room on the way to his pre-game interview.
``Your affection for these guys doesn’t diminish when they leave the organization. They didn’t choose to leave. It was a trade,’’ Francona said. The Sox manager wished Gabbard and Francona well, except _ except this weekend.
``I hope he (Murphy) hits into six double plays this weekend,’’ Francona said. ``That doesn’t mean he’s not a good player.’’
For Murphy the good times go beyond his hitting and getting new rings. His wife, Andrea, gave birth to the couple’s first child, a daughter, Madison Grace, three days after the trade. And the couple has just learned that Andrea is pregnant again.
``Life is good,’’ Murphy said with a big smile.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:12 PM | Permalink
Lowrie gets a start
The one change in the Red Sox lineup tonight is at shortstop.
Jed Lowrie gets a chance to start in place of Julio Lugo. It is just ``a good time to get him in there,’’ manager Terry Francona reported. It will be Lowrie's second start, first at shortstop.
Here are the lineups:
TEXAS
Kinsler 2b
Young SS
Hamilton CF
Bradley RF
Blalock 3b
Murphy LF
Catalanotto DH
Laird C
Broussard 1b
Mendoza P
BOSTON
Ellsbury CF
Pedroia 2b
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Youkilis 3b
Drew RF
Varitek C
Casey 1b
Lowrie SS
Matsuzaka P
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 4:26 PM | Permalink
Delcarmen closes it out for Sox
BOSTON _ Officially, Manny Delcarmen will not be credited with a save for the work he turned in last night in preserving an 8-5 Red Sox victory over the Yankees. In his mind, though, it was a special night, save or no save.
``I’ve got the ball right here,’’ he said pointing to his locker. ``I got one last year and now I’ve got this one, too. It’s pretty cool.’’
In one way, Delcarmen was the victim of the quirky save rule. The rule dictates that if a pitcher begins the final inning with a three-run lead and the game ends with his team still ahead, the pitcher gets the save. However, if he enters after one batter has been retired without a runner reaching base, he does not get the save.
Last night, the Sox kept Javier Lopez in the game to begin the ninth. He had come on in the eighth with Boston ahead, 7-5, and with runners on first and second with no outs for the Yankees. New York had three lefties coming up.
Lopez got Johnny Damon to ground into a double play to Dustin Pedrioa at second and then Robinson Cano on another grounder to second to end the inning.
The Sox added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 8-5. With the third New York lefty coming up to begin the ninth, Boston manager Terry Franconca kept Lopez in the game. He retired Bobby Abreu on another grounder.
That’s when Delcarmen came on. He fell behind Alex Rodriquez 3-0 then fired three straight strikes, the third a 95 mile per hour fastball that got Rodriguez swinging.
``Being born and raised in Boston it’s always special to be able to beat the Yankees,’’ Delcarmen said. ``Being able to punch out A-Rod was pretty cool.’’
Delcarmen then ended it by retiring Hideki Matsui for the final out. He showed a little Jonathan Papelbon-type emotion with a fist pump, save or not save.
``It doesn’t matter to me,’’ he said of not being being given a save. ``I got the job done.’’
Delcarmen said pitching the ninth really is different than working earlier in the game. The emotion is heightened.
``I can see why (Papelbon) gets as emotional as he does,’’ he said. ``I get nervous every time before I walk out the (bullpen) gate. Being able to get the ball in that situation shows the confidence Tito (Francona) has in me. It’s an unbelievable feeling being able to end the game and help is the get the win.’’
Delcarmen was the closer for the night because neither Papelbon nor Hideki Okajima was available. The Sox said during spring training that they expected there would be times when Delcarmen would close this season and last night was the perfect chance. Delcarmen looked like a closer, throwing 14 pitches, nine for strikes, to end the game.
``All fastballs,’’ he said.
Papelbon was not available because he threw 26 pitches in getting the save in Saturday’s 4-3 victory over New York. Because of rain, he actually worked harder than that. He got up to warm up times, spread around a more than two-hour rain delay.
``He’s not going to pitch tonight, that’s just the way it is,’’ Franconca responded when asked about Papelbon before the game. ``I don’t think it’s any big secret. You can run over and tell the Yankees.’’
Okajima had pitched in three games in a row. He needed the night off, as well.
The Sox were hoping to get as many innings as possible from Daisuke Matsuzaka, the starter. But Matsuzaka struggled and needed 116 pitches just to get through five innings.
David Aarsdama came through with two scoreless innings. Mike Timlin continued to struggled, goving up hits to all three hitters he faced, including a home run to Jason Giambi. But Lopez bailed him out and then Delcarmen came on and did a very nice Papelbon imitation to close it out.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 12:55 AM | Permalink
Delcarmen closes it out for Sox
BOSTON _ Officially, Manny Delcarmen will not be credited with a save for the work he turned in last night in preserving an 8-5 Red Sox victory over the Yankees. In his mind, though, it was a special night, save or no save.
``I’ve got the ball right here,’’ he said pointing to his locker. ``I got one last year and now I’ve got this one, too. It’s pretty cool.’’
In one way, Delcarmen was the victim of the quirky save rule. The rule dictates that if a pitcher begins the final inning with a three-run lead and the game ends with his team still ahead, the pitcher gets the save. However, if he enters after one batter has been retired without a runner reaching base, he does not get the save.
Last night, the Sox kept Javier Lopez in the game to begin the ninth. He had come on in the eighth with Boston ahead, 7-5, and with runners on first and second with no outs for the Yankees. New York had three lefties coming up.
Lopez got Johnny Damon to ground into a double play to Dustin Pedrioa at second and then Robinson Cano on another grounder to second to end the inning.
The Sox added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 8-5. With the third New York lefty coming up to begin the ninth, Boston manager Terry Franconca kept Lopez in the game. He retired Bobby Abreu on another grounder.
That’s when Delcarmen came on. He fell behind Alex Rodriquez 3-0 then fired three straight strikes, the third a 95 mile per hour fastball that got Rodriguez swinging.
``Being born and raised in Boston it’s always special to be able to beat the Yankees,’’ Delcarmen said. ``Being able to punch out A-Rod was pretty cool.’’
Delcarmen then ended it by retiring Hideki Matsui for the final out. He showed a little Jonathan Papelbon-type emotion with a fist pump, save or not save.
``It doesn’t matter to me,’’ he said of not being being given a save. ``I got the job done.’’
Delcarmen said pitching the ninth really is different than working earlier in the game. The emotion is heightened.
``I can see why (Papelbon) gets as emotional as he does,’’ he said. ``I get nervous every time before I walk out the (bullpen) gate. Being able to get the ball in that situation shows the confidence Tito (Francona) has in me. It’s an unbelievable feeling being able to end the game and help is the get the win.’’
Delcarmen was the closer for the night because neither Papelbon nor Hideki Okajima was available. The Sox said during spring training that they expected there would be times when Delcarmen would close this season and last night was the perfect chance. Delcarmen looked like a closer, throwing 14 pitches, nine for strikes, to end the game.
``All fastballs,’’ he said.
Papelbon was not available because he threw 26 pitches in getting the save in Saturday’s 4-3 victory over New York. Because of rain, he actually worked harder than that. He got up to warm up times, spread around a more than two-hour rain delay.
``He’s not going to pitch tonight, that’s just the way it is,’’ Franconca responded when asked about Papelbon before the game. ``I don’t think it’s any big secret. You can run over and tell the Yankees.’’
Okajima had pitched in three games in a row. He needed the night off, as well.
The Sox were hoping to get as many innings as possible from Daisuke Matsuzaka, the starter. But Matsuzaka struggled and needed 116 pitches just to get through five innings.
David Aarsdama came through with two scoreless innings. Mike Timlin continued to struggled, goving up hits to all three hitters he faced, including a home run to Jason Giambi. But Lopez bailed him out and then Delcarmen came on and did a very nice Papelbon imitation to close it out.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 12:55 AM | Permalink
Girardi faces heavy questioning
Joe Girardi is quickly learning the difference between managing in Florida and in New York.
It’s not likely that Girardi ever had a meeting with reporters in Florida, when he was the Marlins’ manager, quite like the one he just had with the writers and broadcasters who cover the Yankees. Rather than looking ahead to tonight’s game, virtually the entire focus of tonight’s session was yesterday’s loss to the Red Sox.
Specifically, Girard was asked _ over and over and over again _ how he came to make the decision to pitch to Manny Ramirez in the sixth inning and whether he would do it again. With runners on second and third and two outs, Girardi let Mike Mussina pitch to the Red Sox slugger. And Ramirez ripped the first pitch into the gap in right-center for the two runs that won the game.
``I’m not going to second-guess what I did yesterday because I took the information that I had at the time and made a decision,’’ Girardi said. ``I thought it was the best decision at that time. I think you can look back on any decision you make in your life and hindsight is 20-20. I can look back at my life and say if I did this, maybe this wouldn‘t have happened.’’
Does that mean he would do the same thing again?
``You learn during the course of a year,’’ he responded. ``You gather information and it has a chance to effect your next decision.’’
What amounted to the same question was asked in about a dozen different ways. Girardi kept his composure throughout.
``The most critical person I have to worry about is myself. How if effects me is what I worry about, not how other people think it’s going to effect me,’’ he said. ``The heart that I have to worry about is the one inside my own body. That’s the one that takes losing hard.’’
Girardi, who was a catcher himself, said he often second-guessed decisions he made calling pitches. He told the story of a game in Minnesota about 10 years ago when he called for a curve from Mike Stanton.
``It lost us a game,’’ Girardi said. ``This is something I’ve been doing along time. You think about the situation you go through.’’
Did the fact that Mussina is a veteran pitcher impact his decision?
``A pitcher of Mike Mussina’s credentials, obviously you’re going to want to know what he thinks. Each decision will be based on that pitcher. It won’t be a blanket decision. It’s a feeling you have,’’ he said.
The only time Girard seemed to get a bit frustrated was when one writer insisted, about the fourth time around, that he was no longer looking back, but more wanted to get an idea how Girardi would manage for the rest of the season.
``I guess we can watch and find out,’’ the new Yankees manager shot back. He obviously wanted to look ahead, not back.
``That’s the great thing about baseball. You’ve got another game you have to worry about,’’ Girardi said. ``As I said yesterday, you live with it and you move on.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 7:26 PM | Permalink
Sox bullpen shorthanded tonight
The Red Sox need innings by Daisuke Matsuzaka tonight, even more than usual.
Sox manager Terry Francona, who normally does not like to discuss the availability of his pitchers before games, decided not to be coy for tonight’s contest against the Yankees, at least not in the case of Jonathan Papelbon.
``He’s not going to pitch tonight, that’s just the way it is,’’ Franconca responded when asked about Papelbon in his usual pre-game meeting with reporters. ``I don’t think it’s any big secret. You can run over and tell the Yankees.’’
Papelbon threw 26 pitches (19 for strikes) in recording the last four outs to get the save Saturday against New York. More than that, he got up to warm up four different times, split by a more than two-hour rain delay. Some were surprised that Papelbon came out for the ninth after striking out Alex Rodriguez with two on in the eighth.
``We kind of made a determination yesterday that we had played a pretty good game. we’re committed to winning this game,’’ Francona said. ``We have to live with our decisions. . . I’m just glad we won.’’
Of the last 14 outs he has recorded, Papelbon has retired 11 on strikeouts. He simply will not add to that total tonight.
What’s more, Hideki Okajima is not likely to be pitch tonight, either. He has appeared in three straight games. Francona was a bit more coy on that situation.
``Probably not,’’ he responded when asked whether the lefty was available. ``But let's hold off on that. We don’t want to give the Yankees too much.’’
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:32 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, April 11
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
ON THE BALL: With the Yankees arriving tonight, it would have been easy for the Red Sox to be looking ahead -- at least a little -- last night instead of focusing on the task at hand. But Joe McDonald reports that the Sox, with key hits from Sean Casey (above), J.D. Drew, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis, were able to take care of business with a 12-6 win over the Tigers in a 3-hour-and-44 minute drag-a-thon that featured 23 hits 18 walks, seven pitching changes and 386 pitches thrown. Still smiling at the end of it all was Casey, whose 2-for-5, 3-RBI night is recounted by Carolyn Thornton.
COMINGS AND GOINGS: There were plenty of those at the old ballyard. Before the game we had Mike Lowell placed on the 15-day DL because of a sprained left thumb, with Jed Lowrie being summoned from Pawtucket to replace him. McDonald and Paul Kenyon have the details. McDonald also reports on a pregame injury to Alex Cora, the severity of which is still unknown; the Sox are hoping for the best. Then, when it was all over, Kenyon has news of Bryan Corey being designated for assignment to make room for Mike Timlin, who will come off the DL today.
AND NOW . . . We turn our attention to the Yankees. Kenyon talks to Clay Buccholz, who'll get his baptism in the rivalry tonight.
RATE OF RETURN: The rest of the country complains mightily about ESPN's Red Sox-Yankee phobia, but Newsday's Neil Best explains why the worldwide leader -- and Fox -- can't get enough of baseball's greatest rivalry: It delivers viewers. "One of the few certainties in television is the Yankees and Red Sox," said Len DeLuca, ESPN's senior VP of programming and an old schoolmate of mine from Cranston West.
AH, THOSE SCRAPPY $209,081,579 UNDERDOGS: The New York Post's Mike Vaccaro says we should all be fearing the invasion of the Yankees because the Giants' beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl proves the mettle of "the feisty little overachieving cow town that could, the one that dares dream fine, innocent dreams of one day approaching your sporting fiefdom."
$209,081,579? Come on. You don't know? That's what it costs to pay the 25 members of the feisty little overachieving cow town's American League baseball team. Scrappy hustlers aren't as cheap as they used to be, apparently, since that number is $70,396,382 higher than the payroll of the second highest-paid team, the Tigers ($138,685,197). The $70-million difference, incidentally, is higher than the entire payrolls of 11 other teams, including the defending National League champion Colorado Rockies.
AND WHAT'S $133,440,037? That's what the sporting fiefdom is paying its team.
A MORE TRADITIONAL VIEW: Other Red Sox-Yankee previews from down south -- those of the Daily News, Post and Newsday -- don't mention football. Or payrolls.
QUIET STRUGGLES: David Ortiz is in the worst slump of his career and, like Cosmo in Moonstruck, he doesn't want to talk about it. (Boston Globe)
LIFE IN THE FISHBOWL: Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis are two of the players mlb.com talked to in an interesting feature about how life in the digital age has forced players to more zealously guard their private lives.
EXPLAIN YOURSELF, PLEASE: Dennis of Narragansett asks SI.com's Tom Verducci why he thinks the Red Sox have more question marks than the Yankees or Tigers. Verducci gives his reasons.
THE FEUD NEVER ENDS: A Red Sox fan working on the construction crew for the new Yankee Stadium buried a Red Sox T-shirt in the concrete underneath what will be the Yankee clubhouse in order to "jinx" the Yanks. (New York Post)
LOOKING ROYAL: Andy Pettitte halted the Yanks' slide with a strong performance in a 6-1 win at Kansas City. (New York Daily News) The New York Post's George King also credits Joe Girardi's revamped lineup, which had more Morgan Ensberg and less Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi. But tonight's lineup is likely to be sans Derek Jeter. (New York Post)
AND SPEAKING OF LINEUPS . . . Steven Goldman thinks the Yankees would be far better served with Jorge Posada at DH, Hideki Matsui in left field and Johnny Damon on the bench. (New York Sun)
KEEP THOSE HANKIES HANDY: Maury Allen anticipates a flood of tears when Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium are closed. (thecolumnists.com)
IT'S NOT JUST FOR BIG LEAGUERS: Pitch counts are an organizational edict with many teams, including the Red Sox. Which is why, reports Mike Szostak, David Pauley was pulled from yesterday's start against the delightfully named Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs with one out and nobody on in the fifth inning while holding a 2-1 lead.
LUCKY SEVEN: The Indians signed Fausto Carmona to a seven-year, $48 million deal. (Akron Beacon Journal)
LOOKING AHEAD: Peter Abraham wonders if Carmona's contract is the first step on C.C. Sabathia's journey to New York. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
WE HAVE A DEAL: The New York Times reports that Major League Baseball and the players' union "have tentatively agreed to have an administrator oversee the sport’s drug-testing program as they move toward adopting many of the recommendations in the Mitchell report, according to two lawyers with knowledge of the pending deal." And with an overall agreement in sight, the Times also reports players named in the Mitchell Report are unlikely to be disciplined.
INSIDER'S VIEW: If Roger Clemens' behavior since he was named in the Mitchell Report is incomprehensible to you -- as it is to me -- then ex-major leaguer Doug Glanville's guest column on Clemens in the New York Times is required reading. "Maybe," writes Glanville, "by insisting on his innocence, he thought he was pushing against a downhill-rolling snowball to get it back to the top of the hill; instead, he may have unleashed the worst avalanche of his life . . . To those outside Clemens’s protective shell, he seems to be fighting ghosts. We must understand that he stopped listening to the outside world a long time ago, partly because ignoring those voices was integral to his survival."
Fascinating, not just on the specific topic of Clemens but on professional athletes in general. As I say: Required reading.
THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE: Jose Canseco tells espn.com's Sam Alipour that, when it comes to the steroids issue, MLB and its players are "liars, liars, liars, liars and liars. That's all they are. Major League Baseball and all of the players say, 'If we get together and tell a huge lie, it's thousands against one guy.' But the truth stands."
NOT SO FAST: SI.com's John Donovan says it's not a slam dunk that Johan Santana will dominate the National League in the way most people expect.
GET ME REWRITE! Mike Salfino says the Mets' Willie Randolph manages completely by the book. Only problem is, "it's not like Willie's script is Godfather II. It's more like Porky's II." (sny.tv)
MAKE GOOD: The blog Rays Index speculates that Tampa Bay may seek compensation from the Twins if it can prove Minnesota knew of a preexisting nerve condition that has forced Matt Garza to the disabled list. In best Sgt. Schultz fashion, the Twins say they knew nothing, nothing of any problems Garza had. (mlb.com)
I EAT, THEREFORE I AM: The Costa Contra Times' Pat Casey visits the all-you-can-eat section at McAfee Coliseum, and finds his "paltry four dogs, one order of nachos, a bag of peanuts, an ice cream sandwich and a bag of popcorn" over seven innings pales in comparison to the big-league munchers who have embraced the A's newest promotional tool.
MILESTONE CITY: The Rangers are over .500 for the first time since Ron Washington became manager. (Dallas Morning News)
AND DOWN SOUTH IN THE SAME STATE . . . The Astros say they're not panicking over their 3-7 start. (Houston Chronicle)
SAY AGAIN? Foxsports.com's Tracy Ringolsby is amused by the Diamondbacks' boasting that their April sweep of the Rockies in Denver is 'payback' for Colorado's four-game sweep of Arizona in last year's NLCS. "Yeah, right, winning three games in April alleviates the sting from [losing the National League pennant]," writes Ringolsby. "Just exactly how much beachfront property did the Diamondbacks buy in Arizona?"
LET'S BE BUDDIES: After years of proclaiming the metro area couldn't support two teams, Orioles owner Peter Angelos is now saying he hopes the Nationals are a success in Washington. (Baltimore Sun)
HERE AND THERE: Remember when the Phillies said they weren't interested in Steve Kline? (Philadephia Daily News) Never mind. (delawareonline.com) . . . Randy Johnson will make his season debut Monday for the Diamondbacks (Arizona Republic) . . . Rich Harden has been placed on the DL by the A's. (mlb.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Dave Roberts has been diagnosed with a condition called condromalatia, so his knee surgery will be more complex than a normal arthroscopy and he'll be sidelined longer than usual (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Wily Mo Pena's recovery has progressed to the point that he'll play back-to-back games at Class AAA Columbus this weekend (Washington Post) . . . Eric Hinske has found a home in Tampa Bay. (Baseball Musings)
AND NOW, FOR A SHORT BREAK IN THE ACTION: It's vacation time, so the next installment of Baseball Today will come on Monday, April 21. Have a good week, and see you in 10 days.
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:29 AM | Permalink
Sox pound out 12-6 win
The bottom of the Boston lineup did much of the damage as the Red Sox took the lead with four runs in the fourth, and the Sox went on to a 12-6 victory over Detroit tonight. The fourth was the first of three four-run innings for Boston.
The Tigers had just scored twice in the top of the fourth to take the lead. In the bottom of the inning, Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis drew walks off Tiger starter Nate Robertson. J.D. Drew singled, Coco Crisp doubled, Sean Casey got the go-ahead run home with a ground ball to first and Kevin Cash singled home the final run of the inning.
Boston added four more in the seventh. Manny Ramirez, in a nine-pitch at-bat, doubled in two and Casey singled in two more. Detroit scored three times in the eighth off Julian Tavarez before Jonathan Papelbon came on for the four-out save. His job was made easier when the Sox had another four-run inning in the bottom of the eighth. Kevin Youkilis doubled home two, the third scored on a sacrifice fly by J.D. Drew and the final run on another hit by Crisp.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 10:40 PM | Permalink
Francona to Jeter: Easy does it on that quad
Asked during today’s pre-game press conference if he thought a veteran team might be less affected than an inexperienced ball club by a managing change, Sox manager Terry Francona looked around with a feigned look of surprise, as if the question was posed because his job with Boston was perhaps in jeopardy.
With the inquiry obviously referring to the Yankees now being managed by Joe Girardi, Francona replied: ``We spend so much time here trying to figure out ourselves and what makes us tick and what’s going to make us tick that I don’t spend any time thinking about that. . . . I don’t need to manage both teams. I’ve got my hands full here.
Asked if he’d advise Yankees short stop Derek Jeter to take his time in returning from a strained left quadriceps, Francona – whose club heads to New York for a three-game series this weekend – said to a round of laughter: ``Always. Always. . . . You can never be too careful with those quads.’’
Posted by Carolyn Thornton at 7:49 PM | Permalink
Timlin will wait one more day
Mike Timlin is going to have to wait one more day before getting back on the job with the Red Sox.
The Sox reliever was at his locker at Fenway this afternoon, dressed and ready to pitch. But, since he has pitched two of the last three days on rehab assignment in Pawtucket, the Sox will wait one more day before activating him.
The 42-year-old right-hander said the same thing he spoke about in Pawtucket last night _ that is, he feels fully healthy and raring to begin his 18th year in the big leagues.
``I just enjoy the game play the game. I don’t try to overthink it,’’ he said. ``I’ve told a lot of young guys that have come up, `You can have my job, but you’ve got to take it. I’m not going to give it away. I work hard at what I do and I love to do it. God’s blessed me with a long career.’’
It is still unclear how Timlin’s return will impact the pitching staff. Obviously, someone will have to go. Bryan Corey, who has struggled in his last two appearances, and David Aardsma are the most likely casualties. Manager Terry Francona spoke this afternoon about how Corey and lefty Javier Lopez are causing some concerns on how to use them in that they are doing well against hitters from the opposite side of the plate, but struggling to retire hitters from their side of the plate.
``He’s more effective against right-handers,’’ Francona said of Lopez, ``and Corey’s the opposite.’’
On still another front, it looks as if Bartolo Colon (strained oblique), currently on the disabled list with Pawtucket, will get back to work some time this weekend.
``The medical people think that’s the road we’re on,’’ Francona said.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 5:02 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today; Thursday, April 10
ENOUGH, ALREADY: We were holding an impromptu staff meeting in the back of the press box at Fenway Park in the middle of the eighth inning Tuesday afternoon, so we missed what most of you saw: Neil Diamond doing a live-on-tape version of Sweet Caroline, with Tom Werner, Wally The Green Monster and others serving as Pips to Diamond's Gladys Knight. The You Tube clip fails to show the post-song patter between Diamond and Werner:
Werner: "You know, that was great. It's so great hearing Sweet Caroline. We'd love it if you'd ever play that at Fenway Park."
Diamond: "Oh, I would love it, too. We'd have a great party."
Werner: "Would you come this summer, then?"
Diamond: "Are you inviting me?"
Werner: "Absolutely."
Diamond: "I'm there!"
Werner: "Okay!"
Diamond: "That's a deal!"
(2:43 P.M. NOTE: Thanks to Ian Bethune of the blog Sox and Dawgs, who has the full clip -- along with Steven Tyler's version of God Bless America -- on his site.)
Right. As if the Red Sox hadn't been approaching Diamond's representatives about a Fenway Park concert for years, only to have negotiations constantly break down over availability dates and financial terms. As if after having this song played every night at Fenway since they bought the team in 2002 -- the Boston Globe even used the words "So good! So good!" as its headline after the Sox won the World Series last year -- it only just dawned on the Henry/Werner/Lucchino group that, wow, maybe it would be a good idea to have Neil Diamond perform here.
There's no question that Henry/Werner/Lucchino have accomplished far, far, far more good than bad during their going-on-seven-year stewardship of the Red Sox. But, as Sean McAdam writes today, the Neil Diamond nonsense represents the more unctious side of Red Sox Nation, a side that also showed itself in L'Affaire Buckner. (To wit: A relatively graceless guy, who whined about mistreatment from Red Sox fans for more than 20 years -- he was quoted after the Sox won the 2004 World Series as saying, "I've gone through a lot of, what I feel, undeserved bad situations for myself and my family over a long period of time, and for someone to come up to me and say, 'Hey, you're forgiven,' I mean, it just kind of brings a really bad taste in my mouth" -- and who already had been welcomed back into the fold with a rousing standing ovation on Opening Day 1990, returns in a made-for-television event that's interpreted by those with a passing knowledge of events as a cathartic moment of forgiveness on both sides.) They are, as Sean writes, "self-aggrandizing, over-the-top displays that have become a little too common of late."
(Late note: It looks like The Biz of Baseball's Maury Brown agrees with Sean.)
Like I say, there's been more good than bad under the new regime -- lots more good than bad -- and if this excess is the price to pay, well, I suppose we can live with it. Because, as Sean also writes, "The fan experience at Fenway, by every measure, has never been more enjoyable and the product on the field never more successful."
All true.
But can we just tone it down a few notches?
IT CAN'T BE ALL BAD: The Sox don't show up on DJ Gallo's list of the worst (and best) MLB promotions of 2008. (mlb.com)
MR. HYDE: When Jon Lester attacks the strike zone and has command of his pitches, he can be a formidable presence; witness the 6 2/3 shutout innings he tossed last week in Oakland, and the first three innings of last night's start against the Tigers. But that Jon Lester disappeared with one out in the fourth and into his place stepped the all-over-the-joint Jon Lester, who labored through a 40-pitch mess of an inning that resulted in four Detroit runs and led the way to a 7-2 Tigers victory, recounted here by Carolyn Thornton. In his Inside The Game feature, Steven Krasner examines Lester's inconsistency. Baseball Musing's David Pinto wonders if the Sox should be worried about Lester's 10 walks and 7 strikeouts so far this season, since pitchers "tend not to last long with a K/BB under 1.0."
SMALL PAPI: Krasner does a detailed analysis of David Ortiz' early season woes.
THE REAL BAD NEWS: McAdam reports on Mike Lowell's sprained thumb, which may sideline him for a bit.
GETTING CLOSE TO DECISION TIME: With Mike Timlin about ready to return -- Paul Kenyon has the details of his night in Pawtucket -- Krasner looks at the outings of the relievers who are on the bubble. The verdict: David Aardsma helped himself last night, Bryan Corey and Javier Lopez didn't.
TWO INTO ONE DOESN'T GO: The center-field game of musical chairs continues; last night, relates McAdam, it was Jacoby Ellsbury in, Coco Crisp out. Crisp isn't complaining per se, but he's clearly not too happy with his in-again, out-again lineup status. (Boston Herald)
ON THE MEDICAL FRONT: Bartolo Colon feels better and Curt Schilling is chomping at the bit to start throwing. McAdam has both reports.
MINOR-LEAGUE SPOTLIGHT: Kenyon profiles Chris Carter, who was acquired from the Nationals in the Wily Mo Pena deal.
FIRST OF MANY: It was Detroit's first win of the year and the Tigers were pleased if not necessarily excited. (Detroit News) The News also talked to ex-Tiger Sean Casey, who is confident his old team will right its listing ship very soon.
MUSIC TO MY EARS: Edgar Renteria -- his 30-error performance in 2005 still fresh in the fans' minds -- is the target of Fenway boo-birds. But, according to the Boston Herald's Steve Buckley, he loves it.
BEEN THERE: Lester certainly understands what Arizona's Doug Davis -- about to undergo surgery for thyroid cancer -- is going through, and he tells the Globe's Nick Cafardo he'd be happy to do anything he can to help Davis through the ordeal. Cafardo also talks to other people who know Davis, like Terry Francona and Kenny Rogers.
BIRD MEN: Remember that hawk that attacked poor A-Rod -- Alexa Rodriguez -- at Fenway Park? It's been named the official mascot of the Lowell Spinners' Yankee Elimination Program. (Boston Herald)
THE BEST-LAID PLANS: Joe Girardi opened himself up to plenty of second-guessing when he held back starter Ian Kennedy because it was raining in Kansas City -- only to use Kennedy in the sixth inning as the game was played in spite of the weather -- but the New York Post's George King says the 4-0 loss can be blamed on the "Dead Bat Society," not any pitching decisions by Girardi. The good news for the Yanks is that Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada probably won't have to go on the disabled list. (New York Daily News)
ONE OR THE OTHER: Goose Gossage, who was both a starter and a reliever in his early days -- and whose Hall of Fame career didn't take off until he concentrated solely on relief pitching -- thinks the Yankees should keep Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. (New York Post)
HUGHES DIFFERENCE The blog SaberScouting.com says Phil Hughes' struggles may be helped by a slight alteration of his delivery.
ALL THE STARS: Newsday reports MLB wants to bring as many living Hall of Famers as possible to Yankee Stadium for the 2008 All-Star Game.
OH, THOSE TORONTONIANS: After already been chided by Katie Holmes in The Gazette for their Opening Night behavior, Blue Jays fans are now catching the wrath of team president Paul Godfrey, who says the Jays may discontinue their $2 Tuesday night ticket promotion after a series of fights erupted at the Rogers Centre earlier this week. (Toronto Star)
ALL PREVIOUS STATEMENTS ARE INOPERATIVE: Esquire runs through a list of contradictory Roger Clemens quotes, including a pair in which a) he admits he asked out of Game Six of the 1986 World Series and, two years later, b) says he was taken out of the game against his will by John McNamara.
MATTER OF STYLE: Writing for SportingNews.com, David Pinto examines the 'Torre Effect' on teams that he takes over as manager. The bottom line: They usually win more.
MORE CONFESSIONS: Ex-big leaguer Ed Sprague, who played 33 games for the Red Sox in 2000, admits to taking andro during his big-league days. (Recordnet.com)
I'VE HAD MY PHIL OF YOU: White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says he doesn't like umpire Phil Cuzzi, and that the feeling is mutual. (Chicago Sun-Times) Cuzzi, however, says any disagreements they have are just professional.
AND OF YOU: Another pair on the outs -- the Cardinals' Albert Pujols and the Astros' Brandon Backe. (mlb.com)
DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP: FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry doesn't think the Cardinals can sustain their early season success.
HERE AND THERE: Ernie Banks would like to see Sammy Sosa welcomed back into the Cubs family (Chicago Tribune) . . . Jose Guillen's 15-game drug suspension is postponed yet again as MLB and the players union inch closer to a new drug-testing agreement (Kansas City Star) . . . Braves closer Rafael Soriano is headed to the disabled list (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Rich Harden doesn't think he'll be able to start Saturday. (San Francisco Chronicle)
OLD FRIENDS: The Rays' Cliff Floyd has undergone knee surgery (Tampa Tribune) . . . Tomo Ohka got shelled in a minor-league start last night (rotoworld.com) . . . The Tigers signed Casey Fossum. (rotoworld.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:35 AM | Permalink
Timlin sharp in Pawtucket
Mike Timlin just made quick work of his second rehab appearance in Pawtucket.
Timlin retired Lehigh Valley on three routine ground balls in the sixth inning in a scoreless game. He threw 10 pitches, seven for strikes.
There is warm-up action in the Pawtucket bullpen, indicating Timlin probably will not come out for a second inning.
Posted by Paul Kenyon at 7:50 PM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, April 9
Journal photo / Mary Murphy
FLAG DAY: It was a day for celebration of the past. A championship season (above). An old friend whose blemished history was wiped clean in one stirring, emotional moment. (projo.com) Old champions from other Boston sports. (Boston Herald) But in the end, says Sean McAdam, the biggest news from Opening Day was the Red Sox closing the book on 2007 and buckling down to the task at hand, which involves making 2008 a success. They got off on the right foot with a 5-0 win over the Tigers that Joe McDonald reports was a living example of the simple mantras -- play them one at a time, don’t make excuses, don’t get too high, don’t get too low -- that these Sox live by. It was helped, of course, by sterling pitching from Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose day was profiled by Jim Donaldson and whose performance was analyzed by Steven Krasner.
Tonight it's back to normal: 7:05 p.m. start, no pregame ceremonies, nothing but baseball. McAdam sums it up perfectly: "Today is New Year's Day, the first day of the rest of the baseball season."
BUCKED UP: The Red Sox' uniformed personnel liked all the pomp and circumstance -- the flag over the left-field wall, the handing out of championship rings, the Boston Pops, the flyover, the raising of the 2007 World Series championship pennant -- but the part of the day that touched them the most was the reception received by Buckner. Kevin Youkilis and Terry Francona share their thoughts with McDonald.
BIGGER AND BETTER: Curt Schilling lines up his four championship rings -- from the 2007, '04 and '01 World Series, and the 1993 NLCS -- and shows how they seem to grow each time. (38pitches.com)
MANNY BEING MANNY: After a tough weekend in Toronto, Manny Delcarmen got back on track with a strong, 1 1/3-inning performance. McAdam has the particulars.
HERE AND THERE ON OPENING DAY: Though the Boston Globe reports there were vendors selling alcohol in selected portion of the stands for the first time at Fenway Park yesterday, I remember beer being sold in the seats for a brief period in 1978 or so . . . The Globe also chronicles the number local celebrities who were on hand for the show.
FINALLY: Neil Diamond, whose Sweet Caroline is a Fenway fixture -- for better or worse -- will hold a concert here on Aug. 23. (Boston Globe)
THANKS: The slumping Tigers, now an incredible 0-7, may have been the best Opening Day medicine the Sox could have received. Krasner details some of their gaffes and shortcomings in his Inside The Game feature, and talked with Jim Leyland about their struggles afterwards. He also talked to David Ortiz and Mike Lowell, who say the Tigers are too good to continue to play this bad.
LONG-TERM DAMAGE: According to AccuScore.com, the Tigers' 0-7 start now has them likely to finish 82-79 and miss the playoffs. (yahoo.com) Baseball Musing's David Pinto calculates that the odds of a playoff team losing seven games in a row is 0.35%. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal isn't ready to bury the Bengals just yet, but says Detroit's weaknesses can't be "easily dismissed."
MINOR DEAL: Christian Lara was once regarded as the Red Sox' top shortstop prospect. But after six struggling minor-league seasons in which he seems to have stalled at Class A -- during which time his star was eclipsed by Jed Lowrie -- the Sox gave up on him, shipping him to the Dodgers for reliever Eric Hull. (mlb.com) Hull's address for most of this summer is likely to be One Ben Mondor Way, Pawtucket.
CLOSING UP: When Hull gets to the PawSox bullpen, he'll find the closer's role being handled not by prospect Craig Hansen or big-league veteran Dan Kolb, but surprise choice Lee Gronkiewicz. Paul Kenyon profiles the unlikely anchor of the Pawtucket relief corps.
WINNERS IN ANOTHER WAY: The Gazette's Katie Holmes -- disgusted by the behavior of the Rogers Centre crowd on Opening Night last Friday -- says "The Red Sox may have lost the series against the Jays, but the Sox fans would win in a test of loyalty and etiquette [against Jays fans] any day."
GODSPEED: The Diamondbacks' Doug Davis made his last start before undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer, which is expected to sideline him for at least a month. (East Valley Tribune) Davis, whose form of cancer has a 97 percent cure rate, says he doesn't want to be seen as a hero. (Arizona Republic) Yahoo.com's Tim Brown talks to two baseball men -- Joe Torre and Brett Butler -- who survived cancer surgery of their own in the 1990s and are still in the game.
PICK YOUR POISON: The glass-is-half-empty crowd's cup runneth over with the Yankees. The list of downers starts with Derek Jeter's strained left quadricep muscle (New York Daily News), and just grows from there: Jorge Posada's dead arm (New York Post), a miserable start by Phil Hughes in a loss to Kansas City (New York Daily News), Alex Rodriguez' four strikeouts in said loss (New York Daily News) and the fact they've just embarked on a stretch in which they'll play 18 of 20 on the road. (Newsday) The Yanks hope to have Jeter back in time to play the Red Sox at Fenway this weekend, but it looks like they're summoning Triple-A shortstop Alberto Gonzalez as a reinforcement in any case. (New York Post)
IDIOT WARNING: Our own fantasy guy, Michael Salfino, writes on SNY.tv that Johnny Damon is beginning to look like he's washed up.
END OF THE ROAD? He has one blown save, two losses and a 12.27 ERA, all on top of an historic meltdown in extra innings in Colorado last October that cost his team a playoff spot. So SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders: Is it time for the Padres to remove Hall of Famer-in-waiting Trevor Hoffman from the closer's role?
AND YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE THE BALL TO . . . WHO? There are cries for closer Joe Borowski's head in Cleveland, but the Plain-Dealer's Bud Shaw warns that the alternatives may be no better.
PARTY'S OVER: The festive atmosphere at yesterday's sold-out home opener in St. Petersburg -- where Rays fans have hope for the first time since, well, ever -- was tempered by a) a 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Mariners and b) the loss of highly regarded right-handed Matt Garza, who left the game in the third inning and went immediately to the disabled list because of radial nerve irritation. (St. Petersburg Times)
RETURN OF A LEGEND: Nolan Ryan was part of the pregame festivities at the Rangers' opener and was disappointed the team didn't make a better showing for the sellout crowd. (Dallas Morning News) Even so, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jennifer Floyd Engle has 20 reasons why Ranger fans should be excited.
EMPTY MARKET: SI.com's Tom Verducci says the new practice of tying up young players with long-term contracts -- like the Blue Jays did over the weekend with Alex Rios and Aaron Hill -- means that teams which "think they can rebuild through free agency will find mostly older and second-tier players in that market."
IT AIN'T OVER: Baseball's protestations that it has the performance-enhancing drug scandal under control ring hollow when news hits that the Braves' top prospect, center fielder Jordan Schafer, has been handed a 50-game suspension after testing positive for HGH use. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
MOVING FORWARD: Kevin Lidle, twin brother of the late Cory Lidle -- the Yankee pitcher who was killed in a plane crash in October 2006 -- is back in baseball as a scout for the Marlins. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
TOURIST MAGNET: Some of the Marlins were stunned that tour buses now stop at their hotel in Washington, the Mayflower, because that's where ex-N.Y. Governor Eliot Spitzer went for his now-famous trysts. (Palm Beach Post)
WE'RE BITTER ENOUGH FOR YOU: Dusty Baker says he has no hard feelings against the Cubs for his dismissal two years ago. But lots of his friends do. (Chicago Tribune)
REPEAT AFTER ME . . . Someone has to explain the concept of Murphy's Law to the Diamondbacks' Mark Reynolds. (East Valley Tribune)
YESTERDAY'S BEST: Break up the Orioles! (Baltimore Sun) . . . Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth helped the Phillies spoil the Mets' home opener at Shea Stadium. (Philadelphia Daily News) But any notion that the Phils have a hex over the Mets is "[crap]," according to ex-Met and current Phillie Billy Wagner. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
HERE AND THERE: In a Q-and-A with readers, A's beat writer Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle says she expects Oakland to trade both Joe Blanton and Rich Harden this year, with the Yankees and Mets listed as possible suitors . . . The A's, meanwhile, finally disclosed that it was back soreness which compelled them to skip Harden's turn in the rotation (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . The Padres are breathing a sigh of relief, as what was feared to be a serious elbow injury for catcher Michael Barrett, one which may have required reconstructive surgery, proved to be only a sprain. (North County Times) He will, however, have to go on the DL, and the team has contacted veteran catcher Damian Miller, currently a free agent, as a potential replacement (San Diego Union-Tribune) . . . Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez will sit out for three days because of his balky ankle (Los Angeles Times) . . . Jimmy Rollins, however, says he won't miss any time because of his sore ankle (Philadelphia Daily News) . . . Craig Wilson's back with the Pirates after signing a minor-league deal (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . Darryl Strawberry is back with the Mets as a part-time television analyst (New York Times) . . . Orlando Hernandez flew back to New York from the Mets' camp in Port St. Lucie to have his sore foot looked at. (Newsday)
OLD FRIENDS: For the second time in three save opportunities, Eric Gagne surrendered a game-tying home run in the ninth inning. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) But, also for the second time, the Brewers rallied and won the game (Incidentally, the Brewers' old closer, Francisco Cordero, told the Journal-Sentinel the team could have kept him had it agreed to talk contract extension last spring) . . . In his weekly radio interview on Boston's ESPN 890, transcribed by Joe Haggerty on his Hacks With Haggs blog, Peter Gammons wonders if being off steroids for two years is the reason Gagne is pitching so poorly . . . Joel Piniero did well (six innings, two runs) in a rehab start at Memphis (rotoworld.com) . . . Wily Mo Pena, recovering from an oblique strain, went 0-for-1 with a walk and a strikeout in an extended spring-training game at the Nationals' camp (Washington Times) . . . Dave Roberts may have surgery on a sore knee, an injury that prompted the Giants to put him on the disabled list. (San Francisco Chronicle)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:33 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Tuesday, April 8
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
OPEN HERE: Forget Japan. Forget Oakland. Forget Toronto, for that matter. (Although I must say, that was quite a show the Blue Jays staged Friday night.) At the risk of sounding provincial, the baseball season hereabouts doesn't really begin until it begins at Fenway Park, and it begins at Fenway Park today. Joe McDonald reports this circumstance will have plenty of pomp, as it should; after all, how often do you get to use the opener to celebrate a World Series championship? Everybody's getting ready, from the cooks (Boston Herald) to the jewelers (Boston Globe) to the Air Force. (Boston Globe) As we speak, there are folks camped out at the ballpark in the hopes of getting tickets (Boston Globe), even those who were kicked off Lansdowne Street -- pardon me, Ted Williams Way -- on Sunday night. (Boston Herald)
Why all the fuss? I can't put it any better than I did in this 2006 story I wrote for Page A1. I love Opening Day not because of the hoo-hah that surrounds it, but because, as I said two years ago, it opens the gate to "the long and sometimes painstaking six-month journey from Game 1 to Game 162 (and, if a team has been successful, beyond) . . . So much will happen that we can't know. Players will get injured. Some will play worse than we expect. Some will play better. Controversies will erupt. A losing streak will trigger panic attacks; on radio talk shows, callers (and even some hosts) will proclaim they're 'pulling the plug' on the season during a bad stretch in May or July. It will be exciting. It will be nerve-wracking. It will be long, and sometimes boring, and always unpredictable. And if you're a baseball fan, it will be wonderful."
Even though they've already played seven games in three countries prior to today, this is really the beginning of that wonderful journey.
But if you click the link, you might want to skip over that stuff about Coco Crisp.
KARNAK THE MAGNIFICENT: Chad Finn goes nine (mostly baseball related) innings on Opening Day and predicts that until "the Red Sox . . . start playing up to their capabilities and string a few wins together, we're going to continue hearing about the effects of the trip to Japan." (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com)
HITTING HIS MARK: And right on cue, along comes the Boston Herald's Gerry Callahan.
GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS: On the minor-league rehab front, Paul Kenyon reports that Mike Timlin says everything is hunky-dory after his one-inning stint last night at Pawtucket. But from Kenyon and McDonald comes word that Bartolo Colon is headed to the seven-day minor-league DL because of "an oblique issue." The Sox say it's nothing serious; we shall see.
WHY, IN MY DAY . . . The new old-timers -- you know, the guys who played in the '80s and '90s -- can't stand the showmanship of modern players. (The Canadian Press) Manny Ramirez' name invariably comes up in this conversation (look under Home Runs, Standing At Home Plate In Admiration Of), but Jim Rice has nothing but good things to say about Manny in the latest installment of Ask 14.
SOMETHING WE DON'T KNOW? It could be just a techno glitch -- I certainly hope so -- but everytime I try to access Boston Dirt Dogs I get redirected to the boston.com home page.
THIS IS L.A., PAL, NOT BOSTON: Sounds like Dr. Charles Steinberg is attempting to bring some Henry/Werner/Lucchino Fenway Park traditions -- like Autograph Alley -- to Dodger Stadium. But the L.A. Times' T.J. Simers isn't impressed, especially with a new rule that keeps non-ticket holders out of box-seat areas.
THE NEW MATH: If I'm the Blue Jays, I'm wondering how I'm No. 7 and the Red Sox are No. 2 in the latest Fox Power Rankings.
COOLING THE HOT SEAT: The Blue Jays' 4-2 start against the Yankees and Red Sox may ease the pressure on manager John Gibbons. (Toronto Star)
PAIN OF VICTORY: The Yankees' satisfaction with their 6-1 win over the Rays last night was tempered by a quadriceps injury to Derek Jeter that could put him on the disabled list. (New York Post) If he's sidelined, it may mean Alex Rodriguez will return to shortstop (New York Post), though the Daily News' John Harper thinks that would be a bad idea. Jeter's injury took the spotlight away from Mike Mussina, who pitched very well (New York Post) and may have taken the Yanks' minds, at least momentarily, off a tough road trip that starts today with a day game in Kansas City after a night game last night. (New York Daily News)
END OF THE LINE: Writing for Sportingnews.com, Richard Justice thinks Andy Pettitte and Brian Cashman may soon be gone from New York because Cashman is trying to institute a long-term philosophy in a short-term city.
HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT RUDY VALLEE? The blog Bugs and Cranks is incredulous that the modern Yankees are indifferent to the talent that was Jimi Hendrix.
RESUME FIRING: New York has no time to recover from Yankees-Tampa Bay; just as the fightin' Rays and Yanks leave town, here come the Phillies and Mets in the final Shea Stadium opener. (Philadephia Inquirer) The New York Post says brawl talk between the two teams persist -- they were none-too-friendly last year, and the Phils were issuing fighting words in February -- but the Post's Kevin Kernan says what today really represents is a chance for the Mets to begin erasing the stench of 2007's historic collapse.
MANIPULATING THE VOTE: The Mets were playing Sweet Caroline -- blasphemy! -- in the eighth-inning stretch at Shea, but the song is so associated with the Red Sox that the team conducted an online poll to pick a new eighth-inning tune. The problem, according to the New York Daily News, is that Fark.com readers bombarded the Mets with a write-in a choice -- Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up -- and the Astley song won. So they decided to hold an in-park competition. They'll play six songs over the first six home games -- Astley's, and the five they listed on the poll (Sweet Caroline is one of them) -- and whichever one gets the most fan reaction will be the winner. No word as to whether or not they'll announce which songs will be played when; if they do, Fark.com readers may gobble up all the tickets for that game.
RAT POISON: The Press-Democrat's Lowell Cohn has no use for Jose Canseco.
NOW THAT'S A MARKETING SLOGAN! The San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami sums it up in San Francisco: "The 2008 Giants: What's the point?"
THE THRILL IS GONE: Game Two at Nationals Park drew a distinctly smaller crowd than Game One. (Washington Times)
THE THRILL IS BACK: Or, more accurately, here for the first time in Tampa, where the Rays sold out their home opener by 4 p.m. yesterday, the earliest sellout in team history except for inaugural home opener in 1998. (mlb.com)
TANNED, RESTED AND READY: Yesterday it was the Fort Worth Star-Telegram saying the Rangers should sign Barry Bonds. Now it's ESPN.com's Jim Caple recommending the Mariners do the same.
WELL, THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG: Ozzie Guillen was ejected from the White Sox' home opener in the third inning. (Chicago Sun-Times)
YESTERDAY'S BEST: Torii Hunter's bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam enabled the Angels to survive a blown save from Francisco Rodriguez and beat the Indians (Los Angeles Times) . . . Miguel Tejada also had a walkoff home run for the Astros (Houston Chronicle) . . . Trade Joe Crede? Unthinkable! The red-hot third baseman lifted the White Sox a home-opener victory (Chicago Sun-Times) . . . The Pirates overcame a seven-run deficit but still lost their home opener to the Cubs (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) . . . The Diamondbacks routed the Dodgers in their home opener (Arizona Republic) . . . The Orioles, thanks to villain-turned-hero Aubrey Huff, are off to their best start in 10 years after a 5-4 win over the Mariners. (Baltimore Sun)
QUICKLY: The A's are skipping Rich Harden's scheduled start today and pushing him back to Saturday, and they're not saying why (San Francisco Chronicle) . . . Francisco Liriano may make his first start for the Twins on Sunday (Minneapolis Star-Tribune) . . . Dick Kaegal, the Royals' reporter for MLB.com, reports Kansas City acquired Jason LaRue from Cincinnati for $1 in 2006 . . . Chis Young and the Diamondbacks have reached agreement on a long-term contract (Arizona Republic) . . . Unless another delay is agreed upon by MLB and the players' union, the Royals' Jose Guillen will have to begin serving his 15-day suspension for violating the sport's drug policy after tomorrow's game (Kansas City Star) . . . Chad Cordero is aiming for a Friday return to the Nationals. (Washington Post)
OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra may begin a rehab assignment this weekend (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . The struggling Bobby Howry is being moved into middle relief by the Cubs (Chicago Sun Times) . . . The A's Justin Duchscherer has a biceps strain and will miss his next start. (San Francisco Chronicle)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:44 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Monday, April 7
IF YOU AIN'T GOT A BULLPEN . . . Yogi Berra's most cogent maxim was proven beyond the shadow of a doubt this weekend, as the Sox' relief corps was torched for 11 runs (10 earned) in 6 1/3 innings in blowing a 3-3 tie Friday night (winding up in a 6-3 loss), turning a 4-2 deficit into a 10-2 defeat on Saturday and allowing a 2-2 game to morph into a 7-4 defeat on Sunday. Steven Krasner has the excruciating details of all three, two of which turned on Manny Delcarmen (above) showdowns with Frank Thomas. The results: A two-run double Friday night and a grand slam yesterday afternoon.
So the infinite road trip finally ends, and now, reports Krasner, the Sox return home for a day of rest and then a day of emotion: The Fenway Park opener against the Tigers and the ring ceremony, which will begin around 1 p.m.
GOOD NEWS OR BAD NEWS? No team in baseball is struggling more than the one next up on the Sox' schedule. The Tigers' humiliating 13-2 loss to the White Sox on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball dropped their record to 0-6, their worst start since going 0-9 in what wound up being a 119-loss season in 2003. (Detroit News) So comes the age-old, chicken-and-egg question: Is it better to play a team when it's going poorly, or do the law of averages dictate that a turnaround is due any second . . . especially when a team has as much talent as Detroit? The Free-Press' Drew Sharp doesn't sound too optimistic that a turnaround is coming, since the Tigers, he says, "are running blind right now. They can't hit. They can't pitch. They can't smartly run the bases. They can't catch the ball. They can't shake a lethargy that makes them look more like pampered fat cats than the hungry top cats most envisioned."
'I'M WIPED:' And he's not even playing. So while Curt Schilling says there's "no chance anyone on this team would make any excuses for [the Red Sox'] record on the trip," he proceeds to make one: The physical toll of all that traveling. (38pitches.com)
SHORT STORIES: Krasner reports the "defensive nightmare" of shortstop Julio Lugo continued with three errors yesterday, giving him four for the weekend. Meanwhile, down on the farm, Joe McDonald talks to Sox executives who are singing the praises of Jed Lowrie. Coincidence, coincidence . . . but just something to stick away in the back of your mind.
KEEPING WATCH: He'd never, ever admit it, but the Sox' relief implosion has probably raised the hopes of Craig Hansen, whom McDonald profiled Saturday. Already gone from the Boston bullpen is Kyle Snyder, though Krasner says he was a victim of the numbers game and his departure wasn't related to his 0-out, 2-walk, 2-runs-allowed performance on Saturday.
I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING: The three straight wins have our pal the Tao of Steib feeling downright hospitable towards Red Sox Nation, which, ah, hasn't always been the case. In fact, Toronto fans were busting out all over -- so to speak -- on Opening Night. (Toronto Globe and Mail)
CALM DOWN: Toronto's sweep has the blog Jays Nest positively giddy, but the Globe and Mail's Jeff Blair says that while the three wins may mean "something to the Blue Jays . . . [they] frankly [mean] nothing to the Red Sox."
HINDSIGHT'S 20-20 . . . AND EYE-OPENING: Chad Finn lauds Baseball America for putting Josh Beckett -- then with the Marlins -- on the cover of its 2002 Prospect Handbook and relates in horror the top names in the Red Sox farm system at the time. (Horror, you say? How about Seung Song, Tony Blanco and Rene Miniel at 1-2-3?) Kevin Youkilis has made it from that class, and so, at a lower level, has Manny Delcarmen -- the weekend notwithstanding -- but, as Chad writes, "the organization was pretty damn far from being 'a player development machine'." (touchingallthebases.com)
MACHINE WORKER: McDonald writes that the new "player development machine" is about to spit out a decent piece named Brandon Moss.
MY KIND OF PLACE: Ernie Harwell has fond memories of Fenway Park. (Detroit Free Press)
FROM ONE A-ROD TO ANOTHER: Alex Rodriguez says he's praying for Alexa Rodriguez, the young girl who was attacked by a hawk while taking a tour at Fenway last week. (New York Daily News)
FEELING BETTER: Joe Girardi was sick over the weekend -- from a flu bug and not his team's play, though the Yanks' 13-4 and 6-3 losses to the Rays weren't exactly what the doctor ordered -- but both he and his club were feeling better yesterday after a 2-0 victory in which Joba Chamberlain hit 101 on the Yankee Stadium radar gun, which is said to be a little fast. (Both stories New York Daily News) Feeling the pain now is Jason Giambi, who has a sore left groin muscle and may miss tonight's series finale against Tampa Bay. (New York Post)
AND THE WINNER IN THE UNLIKELIEST QUOTE DEPARTMENT IS . . . Shelley Duncan of the Yankees. (Newsday)
THE ANSWER MAN: What's wrong with Kei Igawa? The blog Saber-Scouting.com breaks it down in excruciating detail. And here Peter Abraham just thought Igawa was "no damn good." (LoHud Yankees Blog)
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: There are times when the joys of working at a baseball stadium are lost on this poor chap, who apparently is employed at the Great American Ballpark -- they are still calling it that, right? -- in Cincinnati.
JUST WAIT: The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Jim Reeves says that if the Rangers manage to stay in contention through midseason, they may give Barry Bonds a call.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: When White Sox GM Ken Williams was pulled into Jose Canseco's web of steroids accusations -- under the "Williams knew what was going on and didn't do a damn thing" subcategory -- he didn't skulk into no-comment territory: He's hinting that he's going to file a lawsuit against Mr. Self-Appointed Whistleblower. (Chicago Sun-Times) "I'm not the guy that you want to go down that road with," Williams said. "Because I'm more likely to come out swinging, and I'll swing a hell of a lot harder than any punch you'll throw at me.''
TAKES ONE TO KNOW ONE: Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt is familiar with cheating: In 1980, he was suspended 10 days for being caught with a thumbtack on his finger to cut the ball. (espn.com) (Honeycutt also scores in the Dumb Criminal Department: He rubbed his face absentmindedly with the hand that had the tack, cutting a gash in his forehead.) So perhaps his accusations should be taken more seriously than most after he announced he has a picture that shows Padres ace Jake Peavy with pine tar on his right hand. Peavy, though, says it's just dirt and that umpires can come out to the mound to check him any old time. (Los Angeles Times)
IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK: Dave Duncan's complaint about a St. Louis radio station putting him on the air without his permission has resulted in the host's suspension and the producer's dismissal. Even so, the Cardinals' pitching coach says he may still file charges with the FCC. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
IF YOU LISTEN TO THE FANS, YOU END UP SITTING WITH THEM: And Ozzie Guillen doesn't want to be sitting with some of the people who e-mail him. (Chicago Sun-Times)
QUICKLY: Francisco Rodriguez is blaming a sore left ankle for his drop in velocity (Los Angeles Times) . . . Randy Johnson will get one more minor-league rehab start before returning to the Diamondbacks (Arizona Republic) . . . The Tigers' Fernando Rodney isn't close to returning to Detroit, but he appears to be on the road to recovery (Detroit News) . . . The Wes Helms Saga is over at last: He's headed to the Marlins. (delawareonline.com)
OLD FRIENDS: Brandon Lyon may be pitching himself out of a job in Arizona, though manager Bob Melvin points out "I've been known to show some confidence in my guys" (Arizona Republic) . . . Gabe Kapler, on the other hand, may be hitting his way into one with the Brewers (Wisconsin State Journal) . . . Justin Duchscherer had an MRI to determine the severity of a biceps injury. (San Jose Mercury News)
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? And finally, in memory of Curt, Ned and Ken, may we present John Mayer:
Hey, at least he didn't scream, "Way back!"
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:29 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Friday, April 4
EYEING THE BIG TIME: Granted, it was the Indianapolis Indians and not, say, the Toronto Blue Jays or Detroit Tigers. But while Bartolo Colon's performance last night at McCoy Stadium doesn't guarantee he's ready to step into the Red Sox' starting rotation, it also did nothing that would lead you to believe he isn't. Jim Donaldson has the details of a dominating performance that ended with Colon blowing a 95-mph fastball past Kevin Thompson for the third strike and final out of the fifth inning. The final line: 5 innings, 1 hit (a second-inning single by Adam Boeve), 0 runs, 1 walk (to, again, the pesky Boeve) and 5 strikeouts, in a 74-pitch (45 for strikes) outing. In his game summary, Joe McDonald talks to new PawSox pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who says, "It's not my call, but if anyone watched that game tonight you'd say, 'Yeah, he's ready.' "
Colon's next turn to pitch is Tuesday. It's unlikely he'd do so in Boston -- that's the Sox' home opener, and Daisuke Matsuzaka is penciled in -- but there's always Wednesday night against the Tigers. Stay tuned.
| HIM, TOO: While it's true that just about every Pawtucket player is dreaming those Boston dreams, Bobby Kielty -- like Colon -- has reason to think he'll be at Fenway sooner rather than later. McDonald caught up with him after his 0-for-4 performance last night and finds him ready for just about anything. One person who's happy Kielty's where he is, is manager Ron Johnson (right, greeting Kielty with a smile during pregame introductions). "He's got a great attitude," said the skipper. | 
Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson |
THE REST OF THE STORY: McDonald's recap of the 3-0 victory includes a look at a strong outing from Craig Hansen and reaction from newcomer Jonathan Van Every after his two-run homer.
ELSEWHERE ON THE FARM: Justin Masterson, whom we may see in Pawtucket sometime this summer, pitched well in Portland's opener. (Kennebunk Journal and Morning Sentinel)
ALMOST HOME: As for the varsity, they're happy to be back on the East Coast -- or at least in the Eastern time zone -- as they prepare for the last leg of the endless journey, a three-game series in Toronto. (Boston Herald) Tonight's game is the Blue Jays' home opener, and it also marks Kevin Cash's official debut as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher. (Boston Globe)
ALMOST DONE: And when they get home to Fenway Park, they'll find the old girl will look a little different than she did when last they saw her, after Game Two of the World Series. The Boston Globe chronicles this offseason's changes, which include new seats, a new stairway and a new Coke sign.
CRASHING THE PARTY: As the Sox were showing off the new and improved Fenway, visitors were treated to an unlikely -- and unwelcome -- sight: a hawk attack on a teenage girl who was part of a group taking a tour. (Boston Globe) She wasn't seriously hurt, but the Globe got pictures of the whole thing.
Oh, and the girl's name? Alexa Rodriguez. Honest, that's what they said.
WHY TRADE HIM WHEN YOU CAN JUST GIVE HIM AWAY FOR NOTHING? Coco Crisp is on Tracy Ringolsby's list of players whose contracts should be eaten by their respective teams. (FoxSports.com) Also on the list: Nomar Garciaparra and Dave Roberts.
AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT NED FLANDERS ANYMORE: The blog Barstool Sports presents what it calls The Definitive MLB-Simpsons Analogy List and has the Red Sox as Lisa Simpson: "Beloved by all. Used to being overlooked and trod upon, so that when they finally get a day in the sun, they don't really know what to do with it. Unfortunate tendency to get a little self-righteous. Antagonistic relationship with those in positions of power." The Yankees? Monty Burns.
BEASTS OF THE EAST? And speaking of the Blue Jays ("Bumblebee Man" in the analogy) -- which we were, a few steps back -- David Pinto is impressed with them, even though they lost two of three at Yankee Stadium. (Baseball Musings) The Jays are also part of a discussion of the A.L. East that Chad Finn participated in at Baseball Analysts.
COMING UP SMALL: The Yankees congratulated themselves for their mastery of small ball in their 3-2 win over the Blue Jays last night. (New York Daily News) Joba Chamberlain pitched again and this time he simply walked off the mound after recording the final out of the eighth -- compared to the twisting, screaming Tazmanian Devil act he pulled on Thursday -- but says he didn't tone things down in response to the widespread criticism he received. (New York Post)
ROUND THREE: Ali-Frazier, Hagler-Leonard, Yankees-Rays. The war resumes tonight, previewed by the Daily News and the Post.
PAUL WHO? Newsday's Neal Best reports Paul O'Neill, now a part-time analyst on the YES Network, was denied admission to the Blue Jays' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day because the security guard didn't recognize him.
THE AGE-OLD QUESTION: So how much does clubhouse chemistry have to do with on-field success? FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal discusses the issue with David Wright, under the context of: Did the Mets collapse last year because of lack of adequate leadership? Wright, not suprisingly, says no. Incidentally, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Mike Berardino takes issue with Bill James' 60 Minutes identification of Wright as his favorite player. Berardino thinks James should have picked the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez . . . although, when he compares the two, Ramirez' weaknesses in comparison to Wright (lower on-base percentage, lower slugging percentage, worse defense) seem to far outnumber his strengths (more stolen bases, a one-point edge in batting average, a year younger).
THE MARCH OF TIME: The stathead world is abuzz with the news that Murray Chass, the very well-connected but numbers-phobic baseball writer for the New York Times, is apparently being given a buyout. (The Big Lead) Flags at Fire Joe Morgan are at half-staff. But Pinto says he'll pay Chass $10,000 to write for Baseball Musings.
IF WE COULD JUST PACK HIM IN ICE AND TAKE HIM OUT FOR THE GAMES: ESPN.com's Jayson Stark finds it impossible to believe that not one of the 30 big-leagues teams has room for Barry Bonds, who, as he points out, "did out-homer Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Sheffield and Travis Hafner last year, you know. He did have a higher slugging percentage than Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn and Carlos Beltran. He did reach base more times than Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Torii Hunter." So he talks to three executives with big-league teams, who give the honest, if anonynous, answer: The on-field Barry Bonds element may be tempting, but the complete Barry Bonds package is so onerous that no one wants to deal with it.
JUST SAY NO: Over the years, the Twins' Joe Mauer has always hit far better on the road than he has at home. His manager, Ron Gardenhire, thinks Mauer is too nice a guy and needs to learn to turn down the hometown folks tugging for his time in order to better prepare for games. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
MAD-EYE MOODY WOULD BE PROUD: The Chicago Tribune's Rick Morrissey starts off with what seems to be a nice little column on Steve Bartman -- who, as we noted the other day, was (finally) exonerated by Moises Alou on the Play That Must Not Be Named -- but he quickly turns it into a nuclear attack on Jay Mariotti, whom he refers to as "Lord Voldemort over at the Sun-Times."
HUMAN SACRIFICE, DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER, MASS HYSTERIA! Who would have thought the Royals would be 3-0 and the Tigers 0-3 . . . especially when their first three games were against each other, and in Detroit, no less? That's where we stand today, however, after Kansas City completed the sweep with a 4-1 victory. (Kansas City Star) But while the Royals revel (SI.com), the Tigers stew. 'We stunk' was Jim Leyland's assessment (Detroit News), and the News' Lynn Henning is already wondering if owner Mike Ilitch is getting bang for the considerable amount of bucks he's spending. To make it worse, Gary Sheffield is probably headed to the disabled list because of a torn tendon in his finger. (Detroit Free Press)
ON THE FIELD: Johnny Cuerto (seven innings, 10 strikeouts) had an amazing debut for the Reds in a 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . The Giants threw caution to the wind with Tim Lincecum and it paid off with a victory over the Dodgers (San Jose Mercury News) . . . Kerry Wood got his first career save as the Cubs beat the Brewers (Chicago Tribune) . . . The Phillies derailed the Nationals' juggernaut, at least for a day. (Philadephia Inquirer)
QUICKLY: Sounds like Scott Kazmir is on the road to recovery (St. Petersburg Times) . . . Not so Mike Hampton (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . The San Francisco Chronicle thinks that if the A's are showcasing Rich Harden, his trade value rose with his five shutout innings against the Red Sox Wednesday.
OLD FRIENDS: Alex Gonzalez is at the stage of his rehab where he's ready to take BP (Cincinnati Enquirer) . . . Freddy Sanchez continues to have problems with his shoulder. (Rotoworld.com)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:29 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Thursday, April 3
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
LARGER THAN LIFE: A good pitcher can make a team, any team, seem that way sometimes. So with the Red Sox' bats still somewhat somnolent as they reach the end of their round-the-world-in-19-days trek, it was up to Jon Lester to keep the Sox in the game against the A's until they managed to generate some offense. Lester did his job to perfection, holding Oakland scoreless over 6 2/3 innings and getting credit for the 5-0 win as his teammates came alive in their last three at-bats. Sean McAdam has the details, in which the Sox give plenty of credit to Lester for helping them complete their two-game sweep of the A's.
For all the talk of how difficult this trip would be, the Red Sox have actually won five of the six games they've played on it -- the two exhibition games in Tokyo, one of the two against the A's in Japan, and both games in Oakland. The last challenge: Keeping it up over the three games in Toronto this weekend.
HELPING HANDS: McAdam notes that Lester was aided yesterday by Alex Cora, who was making his first start of the season, and Bryan Corey, who continues to make a strong case for the last bullpen spot. That decision will have to come soon, with both Josh Beckett and Mike Timlin getting ready to come off the disabled list. Continuing his stellar defensive play was Kevin Youkilis, who broke Steve Garvey's record for consecutive errorless games at first base.
MUSICAL CHAIRS: With J.D. Drew back in the lineup, Jacoby Ellsbury was left standing yesterday as Terry Francona tries to make four outfielders go into three spots. "There’s not anything scientific (about the process for now)," Francona tells McAdam.
BACK EAST . . . Hard to believe the Red Sox, asleep in their Toronto hotel rooms as I write this, are back on Eastern time; that's a place they haven't been since boycott day against the Blue Jays. But while they rest tonight, the PawSox will step into the spotlight. They open their season against the Indianapolis Indians at McCoy Stadium and Joe McDonald reports it'll be Bartolo Colon on the mound.
ON FURTHER REVIEW . . . Terry Francona thinks it's time to institute a replay system in baseball. (Boston Herald) Jason Varitek's homer-that-wasn't Tuesday night was just the latest piece of evidence, in Francona's mind.
AND FURTHERMORE, WHO CARES ABOUT THE PATRIOTS AFTER WE LOST THE BOSTON YANKS?? Medford resident Wally Carew calls himself "one of a passionate but distinct minority who feels that the wrong team left Boston" 55 years ago. (Boston Globe) I can't speak to "passionate," but I'm certainly on board with "distinct minority."
THE NEW MOOSE: The New York Daily News' Bill Madden says Mike Mussina ran up against the realities of his diminished skills in a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jays, though he wasn't helped by the season-long adventure that will be Jason Giambi at first base. (New York Post) The Tao of Steib was certainly pleased.
NO BIGGIE: Joba Chamberlain pumped and danced and screamed after striking out Frank Thomas on Tuesday night, and it wasn't long ago -- remember back with Oil Can Boyd played for the Red Sox? -- that major league players took great offense at such hijinks. But the old school Thomas says times have changed and he has no problems with such theatrics anymore. (New York Daily News)
WHAT'S THAT THEY SAY ABOUT PEOPLE IN GLASS HOUSES?: Allan Wood provides visual evidence as to why Red Sox fans shouldn't get on their high horse about this one. (Joy of Sox)
FITNESS FIRST: Though Chamberlain doesn't appear to be the Charles Atlas type, he was stressing the importance of proper diet and exercise to a New York boys & girls club yesterday. (New York Post)
IT'S THIS KIND OF THINKING THAT LEADS YOU TO RETIRE BAILEY HOWELL'S NUMBER: Peter Abraham chides Yankee fans who booed LaTroy Hawkins on Opening Day for having the effrontery to wear No. 21 -- Paul O'Neill's old number. Abraham correctly labels O'Neill as belonging in the Hall of Very Good and not someone whose uniform should be hanging alongside Babe Ruth's and Mickey Mantle's. (LoHud Yankees Blog)
As one who has long thought the Celtics, like the Yankees, have a lax to non-existent retire-the-number criteria -- leading to Howell and Don Nelson being placed on par with Bill Russell and Larry Bird -- I can only say, right on, Pete. It's for the all-time immortals, not good players on your championship teams.
AM I MISSING SOMETHING? The Toronto Star's Richard Griffin recalls that Melky Cabrera was suspended for three games for his spring-training shenanigans against the Rays. Why then, he wants to know, was Cabrera in the lineup Tuesday night, leading the Yankees over the Blue Jays? (The answer: Baseball's elongated appeals process.)
LET'S TALK: After years of Jose Canseco accusing everyone but the groundskeepers of using steroids, MLB finally wants to bring him in and hear what he has to say. (New York Post)
POUND OF PREVENTION: Yahoo Sport's Tim Brown thinks Larry Bowa's three-game suspension for "refusing to abide by a new rule that confines him to arbitrary lines drawn by scattered groundskeepers" -- and his, uh, spirited reaction to being ejected for not following said rules -- focuses attention on an issue where MLB, in an overreaction to last summer's Mike Coolbaugh tragedy, overstepped its bounds.
THE INTERNET -- A BROADCASTER'S WORST NIGHTMARE: I listened in great amusement last night as seconds -- and I mean, literally seconds -- after Reds analyst Jeff Brantley eviscerated Edwin Encarnacion for not being "a clutch hitter . . . a clutch player" and imploring Dusty Baker to "take him out of the game," Encarnacion clubbed a walkoff, three-run homer to beat Arizona, 6-5. Used to be that announcers could smear their faces with egg the way Brantley did and it just sort of disappeared into the ether. But not today. A quick Google search of "Jeff Brantley and Encarnacion" delivered the Web sites East Windup Chronicle, Triple Steal, WSI: Totally Biased and Red Reporter, all of which had accounts of the incident . . . and none of which were particularly kind to Brantley,
BREAK TIME: To no one's surprise, the Mets announced Pedro Martinez would be sidelined four to six weeks because of the strained left hamstring that had him limping off the mound Tuesday in Miami. (New York Daily News) SI.com's Jon Heyman says that's tough, but points out the Mets aren't the only team with injury problems. And FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal wonders why "a high-revenue team is scrambling to find starting pitching in the season's first week."
EVER HEAR OF PUTTING YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS? The blog Baseball Digest Daily found Branch Rickey's 1954 scouting report of 18-year-old Don Drysdale in the Library of Congress. Rickey, who was then running the Pittsburgh Pirates, predicted Drysdale's future stardom . . . but he also said the Pirates were "in no [financial] position to make [Drysdale] a bonus player," which is why Big D achieved that stardom with the Dodgers.
NOT-SO-GRAND THEFT: On the same night the Marlins' Robert Andino beat the Mets with a walkoff home run in the 10th inning, he got word, according to mlb.com, that his South Florida home was on the verge of being robbed. He arrived at the ballpark yesterday and said everything was fine, but gave no details on the incident.
TAKE THIS JOB AND . . . White Sox GM Ken Williams is fed up with the negative perception of his team, and you can forget that Don Corleone stuff about revenge being a dish best served cold. "I'll tell you," he said, "I want to have another parade [for winning a World Series championship], and when we have another parade on the South Side, then I'll really tell people what I think." (Daily Herald)
LIGHTEN UP: The Cubs think Carlos Zambrano's forearm cramps are caused by his pregame consumption of coffee and energy drinks, and they want him to cut down on the caffeine. (Chicago Tribune)
DISCERNING CUSTOMERS I: St. Louis fans don't seem too excited about this year's Cardinals, and Yahoo Sport's Jeff Passan doesn't blame them.
DISCERNING CUSTOMERS II: The only question I have to Baltimoreans (as Joe Castiglione might say) is: What took you so long to reach this level of disgust? (Baltimore Sun)
QUICKLY: The Cubs have decided to move Alfonso Soriano back to the leadoff spot (mlb.com) . . . The signing of Rudy Seanez prompted the Phillies to designate Wes Helms, the subject of trade rumors all spring, for assignment (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . An unsubstantiated story on the Web site Examiner says the Tigers are interested in Nationals closer Chad Cordero . . . Looks like there'll be no deal between Alex Rios and the Blue Jays, at least for now (Toronto Globe and Mail) . . . Two Yankee fans had their season tickets revoked when they were caught trying to take some Yankee Stadium bunting home as souvenirs (New York Daily News) . . . Aubrey Huff began worming his way back into the hearts of angry Orioles fans by driving in four runs in a 9-6 win over the Rays (Washington Post) . . . Marcus Giles changed his mind yet again and now will join the Dodgers' Triple-A team in Las Vegas (cbssportsline.com) . . . J.J. Putz is headed to the DL because of a rib injury, which might help explain Tuesday's blown save. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
OLD FRIENDS: Derek Lowe felt much better yesterday after taking a line drive off his left calf Tuesday (Los Angeles Daily News) . . . Chris Reitsma still hasn't told the Mariners whether or not he'll report to Triple-A Tacoma. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
-- ART MARTONE
Posted by Art Martone at 6:30 AM | Permalink
Baseball Today: Wednesday, April 2
Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
SECOND TIME'S A CHARM: He wasn't too sharp early in the morning, but Daisuke Matsuzaka was plenty good late at night. Putting to rest the uneasiness that lingered after his erratic opener in Tokyo last week, Matsuzaka dominated the A's -- to quote our headline writer, he brought his 'A' game -- as he pitched the Red Sox to a 2-1 win in the season re-opener, recapped here by Sean McAdam. McAdam and the Sox will be back in about seven hours as they play Game Two of the series; check back here for pregame notes, the lineups and the game itself.
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN: A few weeks after the Sox dropped him to the lower third of the order in an effort to relieve the pressure on him, Jacoby Ellsbury was back in the leadoff spot last night. McAdam has the details. Ellsbury may be back at the bottom again today, however, as J.D. Drew returns to action.
SEE YOU SUNDAY: Also returning is Josh Beckett, whom McAdam says will probably start Sunday's road-trip finale in Toronto.
MOVE OVER, STEVE: McAdam reports on, and gets reaction from, Kevin Youkilis, who tied Steve Garvey's record for consecutive errorless games at first base.
Journal photo / Andrew Dickerman
HERE THEY COME: The Red Sox aren't the only ones starting the season. The Pawtucket Red Sox are back home, preparing for tomorrow night's opener at McCoy Stadium and, says Joe McDonald, looking forward to a good year. One of the players who'll be with them is Bobby Kielty -- he decided to accept the Sox' minor-league assignment -- and McAdam reports Terry Francona is pleased about that.
BIG BEN: Also back, for his 32nd year at the helm, is legendary PawSox owner Ben Mondor. Jim Donaldson talks to Mondor, who sums it all for all of us when he says: "[What] the heck, baseball starts Thursday. I got no complaints. Life is good.”
(The story also includes some classic Mondor tales about players such as Chico Walker, Wade Boggs and Trevor Hoffman.)
BEST OF THE BEST: The blog YanksFanSoxFan picks Pedro Martinez, 2000, as the best Red Sox season of all time.
STATE OF THE SOX: Joe Haggerty, on his Hacks With Haggs blog, provides another transcript of Peter Gammons' weekly appearance on 890 ESPN, where the discussion focuses on the Red Sox.
THE HEARTBREAK OF YOUTH: Bill James does a Q-and-A with the New York Times blog Freakonomics in which he talks about -- among many things -- young pitching: "When you’re depending on young pitching, you’re vulnerable. Some of these guys are going to be very good, but probably not all of them, and there are going to be bumps in the road that will rattle your teeth." How this applies to both the Red Sox and Yankees should be apparent.
BEGINNING OF THE END: The rain stopped long enough for the Yankees to open their final season at Yankee Stadium last night and they came away with a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays that made Joe Girardi a winner in his New York managerial debut. (New York Post) Hank Steinbrenner liked what he saw (New York Post), which included big performances from Melky Cabrera (which left David Pinto with egg on his face) and Joba Chamberlain. (Both stories New York Daily News) But, as the Journal-News' Sam Borden points out, this particular Opening Day -- which normally is a day of firsts -- also seemed like a day of lasts, since the Yanks will never begin a season on this particular piece of land again.
LEARNING AS WE GO: The New York Times' Jack Curry has known Girardi for 12 years, but says he "still learned new things about him" when they rode together to Yankee Stadium for Monday's rained-out opener.
THE FIRST STORY THAT WON'T GO AWAY: Even though he had a big hand in the victory -- doubling home the first run in the first inning, and scoring the game-winning run in the seventh -- the New York Times says Alex Rodriguez still has "residue that sticks to him because of how messily his situation unfolded" last winter. Curry reports that A-Rod's disgraced agent, Scott Boras, told Yankee officials that the Detroit Tigers were preparing a $40-million-a-year offer for Rodriguez last offseason, a claim the Tigers deny.
THE SECOND STORY THAT WON'T GO AWAY: Today's dip into the garbage pail that is Jose Canseco has him gleefully chortling that he's Alex Rodriguez' worst nightmare (New York Daily News) and also claiming he believes A-Rod had an affair with Canseco's ex-wife. (New York Post) Rodriguez steadfastly refuses to discuss any of Canseco's statements, which Canseco interprets as vindication. "I've got the ace in the hole," Canseco said, referring to the steroids dealer named "Max" whom he says has the goods on PED use by A-Rod. "And he knows it. So there's no way that he's going to fight me. He's trying to make it go away."
SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT OPTIMISM: First Pedro Martinez threw what the Daily News' Filip Bondy called 3 1/3 "indescribably ugly innings [against the Marlins]: four hits, four runs, one strikeout, a hit batsman and two homers." Then he apparently popped a hamstring muscle and had to come out of the game, and no one really knows how long he'll be sidelined. (New York Post)
FOX TROT: Chad Finn no longer writes for foxsports.com, so he takes a quick spin around baseball on his own blog. (touchingallthebases.blogspot.com)
UH . . . NEVER MIND: Five years after the fact, Moises Alou now admits, "I wouldn't have caught it anyway." He's referring, of course, to the Steve Bartman incident, which was sparked by, as the Chicago Sun-Times' Jay Marriotti writes, Alou "whipping down his glove like Tanner Boyle in Bad News Bears and claiming he had an 'almost 100 percent' shot to catch the most notorious foul ball in baseball history. The play a) made a pariah of poor Barman and b) has become a symbol of Cubs' futility in the same way Bill Buckner's muffed grounder symbolized the Red Sox'. "If [Alou] had simply had trotted back to his position in left field," writes Mariotti, "the familiar air of dread wouldn't have seeped into Wrigley Field with the Cubs a mere five outs from their first World Series since 1945."
JAPANESE AS A SECOND LANGUAGE: Cub fans welcomed Kosuke Fukudome to Wrigley by holding up signs printed in Japanese. Apparently no one told them the printing translates to