Nomar 0-for-3 With Pawtucket. Nomar Garciaparra played shortstop for Pawtucket Sunday night, playing 4½ innings and going hitless in three at-bats against LHP Brandon Claussen.

1st inning: Swung at the game's first pitch and hit a one-hopper to shortstop and was thrown out. ... 3rd inning: Tried to check his swing on a 1-2 pitch and was called out by first-base umpire Mike Belin. ... 5th inning: Hit a routine grounder to short on a 2-0 pitch and was thrown out again.

He handled three chances: a ground ball hit right at him and two popups. On the second pop, he drifted out to short left field and was nearly run over by teammate Justin Sherrod, who dove to the ground about a foot behind Garciaparra's legs.

Nomar joked about offering at Claussen's first delivery. "I don't know what the over-under was that I'd swing at the first one." ... The game was delayed for 27 minutes because of thunderstorms and tornado warnings (PawSox announcer Andy Freed saw a twister just over the Ohio River beyond the left-field fence). Garciaparra was set to DH if the field was too wet. ... Reports from the Providence Journal, Boston Globe and Hartford Courant.