A Staff-Wide Urgency

Tonight's starter Curt Schilling:

There's more responsibility on the starting pitching staff right now than there has been in the past. ... You can call it pressure, but I don't know if it's pressure ... I look at that as my responsibility every time I'm out there. I'm supposed to throw more innings than the other guys. I'm supposed to pitch deeper in the games. That's how I feel.

And there needs to be a staff-wide urgency to do so. What you have to do, though, is take that terminology and translate what it means for you. Do you need to be doing more work between starts? Do you need to be doing more preparation between starts? Do you need to be doing less off the field between games? All the little things that go into being as good as you can possibly be on that fifth day. ...

Schlling obviously didn't mention anyone by name, but I can't help but feel he was referring more to Beckett than Jon Lester, Jason Johnson or Kyle Synder.

Jonathan Papelbon has blown two save opportunities in the last three games. "I don't bring anything home with me. As soon as I leave the ballpark, I'm done with it. Tomorrow's a new day. The sun's going to rise. I just have to study some film and make adjustments. We've got two months to go. There's no reason to be sitting right here and pouting or getting upset."

Keith Foulke pitched one inning for Pawtucket last night, allowing a run and two hits (16 pitches, 12 strikes). In four rehab appearances for the PawSox, Foulke allowed allowing one run in five innings. The Sox will see how he feels the day after pitching two straight days before deciding to call him up.

Manny Ramirez is now 5th on the Red Sox all-time home run list. He hit #231 last night, passing Mo Vaughn. Dwight Evans is 4th, with 379. ... Doug Mirabelli is expected to start behind the plate tonight.