Sox Call Up Canadian Catcher

Canadian-born catching prospect George Kottaras is wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform (#68).

After getting the news of his call-up yesterday, he tried calling his parents in Markham, but

"nobody was home. So then I called my grandparents, and everyone was over there having dinner and hanging out. I got my dad on the phone, and by his response, my mother figured out what was happening and I could hear her screaming in the background."

Kottaras is the fourth catcher on the Red Sox's expanded roster (behind Jason Varitek, Kevin Cash, and David Ross), so it's up in the air if he ends up seeing any action in the season's final 18 games. He was acquired in September 2006 in the deal that sent David Wells to the Padres.

SoxProspects has a scouting report. SoSH's Adopt-A-Prospect thread on Kottaras is here, though it had not been updated since June. He has been in Pawtucket for three seasons, steadily improving his hitting:

        AVG    OBP    SLG    OPS
2006   .210   .286   .361   .647
2007   .241   .316   .408   .724
2008   .243   .348   .456   .804

Kottaras is a free agent at the end of this year, and with Ross on the roster and minor league Dusty Brown having a little more promise, his time in Boston may be very brief.

***

Jon Lester said it was almost a playoff atmosphere at Fenway Park last night. He said that being more consistent with his mechanics has made him stronger.

I don't have to use as much energy, wasted energy, as before. Now it just seems more efficient. I'm not wasting energy on bad thoughts or anything like that.

Terry Francona:

I thought all his stuff was good. Two-seamer. Had some explosion on his fastball. Cutter. Again, when you start throwing 94, 95 with some movement on both sides, then you throw a breaking ball, give you a little different look. He's got a lot of ways to expand the plate.

Neither Clay Buchholz nor Michael Bowden will pitch in Boston this season. Bowden (who turns 22 today) has thrown 149.1 innings - pretty close to his limit for 2008. ... Bartolo Colon is still in line to start one of Saturday's two games against the Blue Jays.

Art Martone collects some Tampa media links (but beware of the highly-distressing photo that kicks off his column):

"Good times never seemed so bad" for the Rays was the (very clever) lead on the Tampa Tribune's Marc Lancaster's game story today, and that's the prevailing sentiment in central Florida. Colleague Joe Henderson says the Rays are finding out what September pressure is all about, and a cold month it's been so far. The St. Petersburg Times' John Romano goes a step beyond, writing that while "there is no shame in being caught from behind by the Red Sox . . . there is considerable shame in the way the Rays are allowing this to happen." The players are doing all they can to stop the slide, including holding a player's-only meeting prior to last night's game. (Tampa Tribune)

And now it looks like the Rays will be without both B.J. Upton and Shawn Riggans for the rest of the series. (Tampa Tribune) It may mean another Fenway sighting of Jonny Gomes, last seen in these parts raining punches on Coco Crisp.