Warren: What's the poop on Schilling...is her hurt or just suffering from a tired arm ?

Art Martone: He certainly opened the door for speculation by dancing around the "Are you hurt?" question from reporters last night. His performance last night was disturbing, both in the results (4 1/3 innings, 10 hits, 6 runs, 0 strikeouts) and the process (only one pitch as hard as 90, only three pitches higher than 88). Injury certainly would be a reason for that, and by not saying something as simple as "I'm fine," you can't help but wonder.

Warren: Art....is it me or has Theo been unusually quiet this season ?

Art Martone: They've done so well, what reason would he have to be front and center?

Mark: Is Mike Timlin through or is he still working his way back into shape?

Art Martone: Sean McAdam and I discussed this today on Sox Talk. He could very well be through. As Sean noted, there are a lot -- and I mean A Lot -- of miles on that arm, and no one, except maybe Roger Clemens, pitches forever.

Mark: That guy playing shortstop for the Braves might look good in a Red Sox uniform. Oh, wait, guess we tried that already. Did the Sox give up on Renteria too soon?

Art Martone: He says they did. In an interview today, Renteria said 2005 was just a bad year, and if the Sox had been patient he'd be playing as well for them today as he is for the Braves. I have to say, Renteria looked like he was headed down the back nine in 2005; his resurgence, at least to the level that he's bounced back, has been a little surprising to me.

Mark: The New York Daily News says that Jason Giambi is near a deal to spill his guts to George Mitchell, but only about his own use of roids. How valuable is his testimony if he's not going to talk about other players?

Art Martone: I would say any testimony is better than no testimony, and Giambi may still provide leads that investigators can follow. My problem with all this is, I have no idea what the point of the Mitchell investigation is. Is it to uncover the level of PEDs in baseball in the last 10 years? Is it to be used as a tool to prosecute players? Will there be an attempt to punish former players, to the point of attempting to recover past salaries if it can be proven steroid use led to debilitating injuries? Will there be an assault on the record books, with the numbers of certain players stricken? I just don't know, and I understand why the players are reluctant to participate in this open-ended procedure. Giambi, however, has been painted into such a public-relations corner that it's to the point where he almost *must* testify.

uricigar: Who is Coco mad at? The fans who have been booing him for the past two half seasons or the Boston-area media?

Art Martone: That's a good question, URI, and something else that Sean and I discussed today. He's pretty much gotten a free ride from everybody. Last year's off-season was blamed on his broken finger, and this year the team was playing so well that no one really got on his case. Why he's being so sensitive is a mystery. It could be that he's not used to, and isn't comfortable with, being a high-profile ballplayer in a baseball-mad town like Boston

Warren: Art....sports reporters all the time say it would not be proffesional of them to ask for an autograph or picture of a player they were covering...was there one time in your career where you just had to ask for a autograph or picture ?

Art Martone: Just once, very early on: My wife is a huge Dwight Evans fan, and I asked him to sign one specifically for her. But that was the one and only.

uricigar: Will we be seeing more of Hansen and Delcarmen as the year goes on, or will the focus be on developing those two in the Bucket?

Art Martone: Unless Hansen starts to pitch better -- much better -- in Pawtucket, I doubt he'll be back this year except as a September call-up. Delcarmen's got a chance, right now, to pitch his way into the Sox' future, especially with Timlin struggling the way he is.

SoxFanatic456: Art, this may be a random question, but can you see the Red Sox picking up someone like just released Tomo Ohka th sort of solidify the long relief sport in the bullpen? Also, what is the timetable for Jon Lester's return? How many more starts in the minors will he have?

Art Martone: I don't believe they have any interest in Tomo Ohka, but I don't think Ohka would agree to come here to pitch relief; I think he'll be able to find a job as a fifth starter somewhere, probably in the National League. The Sox have resolutely refused to put a specific timetable on Lester, but I do believe he'll be up here before a whole lot longer. They may be waiting for circumstances -- someone getting injured, or just not pitching well -- to dictate their decision.

Warren: Art...is it bothering Ortiz the lack of homeruns he had produced so far...or he is content going with the pitch and slapping the ball thru ?

Art Martone: Yes, it's bothering him. Steven Krasner had a conversation with Ortiz last week in which he voiced his frustration; it ran in Saturday's paper and is also on the Web site. (I also linked to it in yesterday's Sox Blog.)

uricigar: Do you think A-Rod can keep producing like this down the stretch? He seems to fall off in the second half of every year, but this seems to be as well as he has done in a Yankees uniform.

Art Martone: Good question, URI. He went through a dip in May, then rebounded strongly so far in June. I don't think he'll wind up with 65 home runs, which is his current pace, but I don't expect a huge dropoff, either. And, what with the opt-out clause in his contract, what a time for a career year, eh?

SoxFanatic456: Art, when Lester does return as the #5 starter, what happens to Tavarez, does he go to the pen as long relief, or do they look to trade him for another bat or arm?

Art Martone: I don't know, Fanatic. Tavarez has certainly done nothing that would cause him to be lifted from the rotation. I doubt they'll trade him; the lesson they should have learned with Bronson Arroyo last year is that you just don't trade pitching. It may be that Lester will take someone else's rotation slot -- Schilling's, due to injury? -- and Tavarez will stay where he is.