Pedroia - Hitting On The Road

This is slicing it pretty thin, but ...

Dustin Pedroia has hit safely in 23 consecutive road games, tying Pete Rose and Joey Cora for the 4th-longest streak by a second baseman since 1956.

Johnny Temple   1960-08-21 - 1961-06-09  - 33
Luis Castillo   2002-05-05 - 2002-07-16  - 27
Steve Sax       1985-06-27 - 1985-08-24  - 24
Pete Rose       1965-07-01 - 1965-08-23  - 23
Joey Cora       1997-04-17 - 1997-06-10  - 23
Dustin Pedroia  2008-05-31 - 2008-07-22  - 23

Those are 2B only. The post-1956 record for anyone is 44 games by Derek Jeter (August 20, 2006 to May 28, 2007). Justin Morneau (34, June 22, 2006 to September 15, 2006) is the only other player with a streak longer than Temple's.

The Boston team record (since 1956, the earlier year for which complete play-by-play data exists) is Nomar Garciaparra's 24-game streak in 1998.

***

Jonathan Papelbon is the first pitcher in Red Sox history with 30 saves in three consecutive seasons: "It's good to be in the Papelbon Club."

SoSHer mabrowndog looks at the remaining schedules of Boston, Tampa Bay and New York. Re the Rays:

September looks absolutely brutal, with 27 games in 26 days, only 10 of them at home. They've got just one lousy off-day, and that comes on the road between series at Fenway and the Toilet. It's also their toughest month of the season in terms of schedule strength.

Starters for the weekend Yankees series:

Friday,   7:00 PM: Joba Chamberlain / Josh Beckett
Saturday, 3:45 PM: Andy Pettitte / Tim Wakefield
Sunday,   8:00 PM: Sidney Ponson / Jon Lester

G102: Red Sox 4, Mariners 2

Red Sox  - 100 300 000 - 4  9  0
Mariners - 000 000 020 - 2  5  0

Drew donged in the opening frame and Dice (7.1-5-2-3-6, 99) mowed down the Mariners in the first seven innings, moving the Red Sox to only 0.5 GB the Rays in the East.

A bunt single from Ellsbury and a line drive down the left field line from Pedroia started the Boston fifth. Drew made it 2-0 with a sac fly to right. Manny singled and Lowell doubled home FY. After Yook walked, Lowrie lofted a sac fly of his own -- 4-0 Sox.

Matsuzaka ran into trouble to start the eighth -- a single from Lahair (his 1st MLB hit), a one-out RBI double from Ichiro (snapping Dice's string of 24.2 consecutive scoreless innings) and a run-scoring single from Lopez -- but Okajima got out of trouble and Bot pitched a perfect ninth.

Oakland whipped Tampa Bay 8-1 and the Yankees (now 3.5 GB) took care of the Twins 8-2.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.65, 164 ERA+) / R. A. Dickey (3.73, 106 ERA+)

In seven road starts -- only 37.2 innings, though -- Dice's ERA is 2.15. Opponents are hitting .152 and slugging .220.

In his three July starts, Matsuzaka has allowed only one run in 18.1 innings (though he has allowed 12 hits and 13 walks). Opponents, while hitting only .188 this month, have a .342 on-base percentage.

Matsuzaka has a lower ERA in his five no-decisions (1.59) than he does in his ten wins (2.14).

Dice's opponents' OBP: After 0-1 count: .255. After 1-0 count: .409.

Matsuzaka is at his best in high leverage situations:

          PA   AVG   OBP   SLG
High      61  .096  .213  .096
Medium   210  .207  .332  .310
Low      115  .253  .383  .432

Which explains (somewhat) why he can have a 1.38 WHIP and a 2.65 ERA.

Also: Twins/Yankees and Athletics/Rays, both at 7 PM

Red Sox Asking About Marte

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "One team source said Boston's interest in reliever Damaso Marte has heightened. The Red Sox are one of nearly a dozen teams to have inquired."

However, Theo Epstein says:

The asking price [for quality relievers] is sky-high right now. It just doesn't make sense. ... The bullpen we have is essentially the same one that won a World Series a year ago.

Essentially the same people perhaps, but certainly not the same results. Still, I don't think the Red Sox will do much at the deadline. The pen is really the only area that could be tinkered with and it seems more likely the Sox will try Masterson and other AAA guys instead of going after a similarly questionable (but costly) arm.

David Ortiz collected two singles and a walk in four plate appearances for Portland: "I'm very close to being 100 percent. Very close. Not too far away."

Jason Varitek played the last game before the All-Star break despite an infection that rendered him pretty much blind in his right eye: "It was the scariest game I've ever played."

Bartolo Colon will throw long toss (120-150 feet) today and have a mound session in Boston on Thursday. ... Michael Bowden allowed three runs in 4+ innings in his Pawtucket debut last night. He allowed seven hits (including five doubles), but no walks. He struck out four, throwing 84 pitches.

New Stat Watch: SCHYCRL-GHW-OH,L (from FJM)

Holy Shit Did He Really Say That Watch (also via FJM): Twins general manager Bill Smith:

Who do you want, a guy who's 10-15 with a 2.80 ERA or a guy who's 16-8 with a 7.00 ERA? I'll take the 16-8.

Wow.

Fighting Terrorism At Yankee Stadium

New York Post:

Security guards collected garbage bags full of sunblock at the entrances to Yankee Stadium over the sweltering weekend, when temps hit 96 degrees and the UV index reached a skin-scorching 9 out of 10 - a move team officials said was to protect the Stadium from terrorism. ...

Four weeks ago, Stadium officials decided that sunscreen of all sizes and varieties would not be permitted, a security supervisor told The Post before last night's game. ...

The Stadium does sell 1-ounce bottles of Arizona Sun SPF 15 for $5 - a huge markup that makes its beer seem cheap. ...

An hour after being asked about the sunscreen ban, Yankee spokesman Jason Zillo told The Post that the rules would be changed to permit 3-ounce containers.

(Thanks, Art)

G101: Red Sox 4, Mariners 0

Red Sox  - 000 020 020 - 4 11  0
Mariners - 000 000 000 - 0  8  0

Lester, working on 12 days rest, was superb (7.1-8-0-0-6, 103), throwing only 60 pitches (and 48 strikes!) through the first six innings. His sinker was outstanding.

After allowing two singles to start the eighth, Lester got a line out before another single banged off his shin to load the bases. Jonathan Papelbon came in and threw two pitches, getting Raul Ibanez to ground into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play. Bot then pitched a perfect ninth: 6-3, 3U, L4.

Boston got on the board in the fifth when Coco Crisp walked with one out and Jason Varitek lined a home run to left (not a typo!). Jed Lowrie's bases-loaded single brought home two insurance runs in the eighth.

In addition to his dong, Varitek singled and walked, Lowrie singled twice and walked, Crisp singled and walked three times, Manny Ramirez singled three times, and Kevin Youkilis singled, walked and was HBP.

The 6-7-8-9 spots in the Sox order reached base 13 times in 19 opportunities -- and scored and drove in all four runs.

The Rays two-hit the Athletics 2-0 and the Yankees routed the Twins 12-4. So the standings remain the same: Boston 1.5 GB, New York 4.5 GB.

***

Jon Lester (3.38, 128 ERA+) / Jarrod Washburn (4.83, 82 ERA+)

After a string of four superb starts, Lester has experienced problems in two of his last three outings:

                 IP  H  R ER BB  K  PIT
Jun  5  TBR  W  6.1  8  1  1  0  5  109
Jun 12  BAL  W  7    7  2  2  1  3  101
Jun 17 @PHI  W  7    6  0  0  1  5   99
Jun 22  STL  W  7.1  9  2  2  1  3  101
Jun 28 @HOU  L  5    9  6  6  0  3   76
Jul  3 @NYY  W  9    5  0  0  2  8  105
Jul  8  MIN  W  7.1  9  5  5  3  6  117

We need a win.

Also: A's/Rays and Twins/Yankees (4.5 GB), both at 7 PM

Baseball Prospectus - Free Until Sunday

Christina Kahrl, BP:

From July 21st through 27th, Baseball Prospectus is throwing the doors open! If you’ve always been curious what's behind the pay curtain, it's time to announce our annual free peek into everything we've got ...

Joe Sheehan looks at the AL in the second half of the season:

The Red Sox are the best organization in baseball, and they have the best team in baseball. ... They have adapted to the David Ortiz injury by creating a superior defensive outfield and getting Manny Ramirez off the field full time ... The primary weakness is the bullpen ... they should hold off the Rays and Yankees down the stretch. ...

[The Rays] are not a fluke [but they] will slip back a bit and not make the playoffs. ... The Yankees will be the beneficiaries of that. ... there should be enough here for the Yankees to pass the Rays and take the wild card.

Ellsbury Should Not Be Leading Off

It's time to drop Jacoby Ellsbury to the bottom of the Red Sox lineup.

Having Dustin Pedroia (.470/.500/.680 since June 22) and Kevin Youkilis (.359/.425/.709 since June 11) at the top of the order would be the best use of the team's resources right now.

Gordon Edes documents Lyndon's decline:

In his first 25 games this season, Ellsbury struck out just seven times in 92 plate appearances and walked 13 times. He had an on-base percentage of .396.

In his last 26 games, Ellsbury has struck out 22 times in 119 plate appearances, and walked just four times. ... a .234 on-base percentage ... he has just one stolen base and has been caught stealing three times in that span. ... He also has knocked in just five runs in his last 35 games.

Since June 1, Ellsbury is slugging .300 (and .267 since June 29). Ellsbury and Coco Crisp each have an 83 OPS+. By comparison, Julio Lugo is at 82.

Ellsbury hasn't attempted to steal a base since July 5. In yesterday's game, there was a perfect spot to run. The Red Sox had just grabbed a 3-2 lead. Ellsbury was on first with two outs. Crisp had stolen second earlier in the inning, the 29th consecutive steal against Angels catchers. Even after the count went to 2-0 on Pedroia, Ellsbury did not budge. Pedroia singled, Ellsbury went to third, and Drew struck out to end the inning. Francona insists that Ellsbury "doesn't seem to be pressing".

(As far as stealing bases, it isn't just Ellsbury. The entire team seems to have hit a wall on June 17. In the 25 games before then, the Sox were 24-for-29 in steals. Since then -- also 25 games -- they are only 8-for-17.)

Also: Justin Masterson has been called up as David Aardsma heads to the disabled list with a right groin strain.

In talking about possible trade deadline moves, Michael Silverman notes that Michael Bowden makes his AAA debut tonight -- and could help in the pen in September.

David Ortiz hit a tater in each of his three Pawtucket games. He begins his three-game stint with Portland tonight.

Wordle

The Glossary, in the form of a Wordle "word cloud":

G100: Angels 5, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 002 000 100 - 3  6  0
Angels  - 020 000 03x - 5  7  1

Boston gets swept in Anaheim.

The Blue Jays finally did something worthwhile, beating Tampa Bay 9-4 this afternoon. The Red Sox remain 1.5 GB, while the Yankees (2-1 winners over the A's) are now 4.5 GB.

***

Tim Wakefield (3.60, 120 ERA+) / Jered Weaver (4.03, 98 ERA+)

G99: Angels 4, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 020 000 000 - 2  8  0
Angels  - 000 000 40x - 4  9  0

***

Josh Beckett (3.94, 110 ERA+) / Joe Saunders (3.07, 134 ERA+)

Game thread here.

Also: A's/Yankees at 1 and Blue Jays/Rays at 6.

G98: Angels 11, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 020 100 000 -  3  5  0
Angels  - 300 143 00x - 11 14  0

With Tampa Bay's 2-1 victory over the hapless Blue Jays, Boston dropped back into second place (0.5 GB) for the day.

In Pawtucket, David Ortiz homered for the second game in a row.

***

Clay Buchholz (5.70, 76 ERA+) / John Lackey (2.46, 167 ERA+)

SoSH series preview. Although LA is 57-38 (one game better than Boston's 57-40), their expected record is only 50-45. It's the biggest differential in the majors -- Atlanta is the opposite, underperforming by seven games.

The game thread should be at Ish's blog, which also shows you what happens when J.D. Drew goes hiking. If Ish is unavailable, check out ThreadSox.

Also: Rays/Blue Jays and Athletics/Yankees.

Speaking of the Yankees: "[T]here is no ignoring the math. ... The Red Sox need to stumble and the Yankees must play their best ball of the season to keep the Red Sox from winning their second consecutive AL East title." ... "Why has a team that entered the season with championship dreams been little better than average through the first 95 games?"

Papi In Pawtucket

Globe:

Batting third, Ortiz popped up in his first plate appearance, homered in his second, lined out in his third, and walked in the sixth inning. ... [H]e saw 21 pitches and made contact on six, while nine were balls.

Pawtucket won the game 15-6. (Justin Masterson allowed two runs in 1.1 innings.)

Also: Post-game comments from Ortiz and Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson. Reports from the ProJo, Herald and redsox.com.

Something Else #13: Lou Reed

We are driving down to New York City this weekend for a wedding. Shortly after Laura and I met in 1985, she began working as a nanny, the first of many non-traditional jobs we have taken in order to concentrate on our writing careers. Matt was 4½ back then ... he's now 27 and getting married!

In 1989 -- my third year in Brooklyn -- Lou Reed released New York, an album of 14 songs packed with poetry, rage, sadness, bile, and humor. Scattered through the lyrics are names and places familiar to anyone who lived in New York in the late '80s: Eleanor Bumpers, Michael Stewart, Tompkins Square, Jesse Jackson, Morton Downey, Rudy Guiliani, Howard Beach.

On tour that year, Reed generally played the album from start to finish.

Caught between the twisted stars
The plotted lines
The faulty map
That brought Columbus to New York
Betwixt between the East and West
He calls on her wearing a leather vest
The earth squeals and shudders to a halt ...

I'll take Manhattan in a garbage bag
With Latin written on it that says
"It's hard to give a shit these days"
Manhattan's sinking like a rock, into the filthy Hudson
What a shock
They wrote a book about it, they said it was like ancient Rome ...

Murray Chass, Blogger

It's true (apparently).

FJM takes a peek.

Second Half Thoughts

Dan at Red Sox Monster invited me to take part in Blogger Roundtable: A look at the second half of the season.

What I said:

The Rays are the bigger threat. ... The Yankees ... have too many holes to scare any rational Red Sox fan. ...

I still believe the bullpen guys can do the job. ... Risking a prospect or two at the deadline for bullpen help seems nearly pointless. ...

[I]t would be nice if the top of the order re-learned how to take a walk. ...

Ortiz will be back at #3, with Drew dropping back to 5th.

The other three participants: Robert Munstis (The Bottom Line), Ian Bethune (Sox & Dawgs) and Cam Smith (Who Made You Mirabelli?).

All-Star Game MVP: Drew

National - 000 011 010 000 000 - 3  13  4 
American - 000 000 210 000 001 - 4  14  1

MVP: J.D. Drew (2-for-4, 2-run HR, BB, SB)

Terry Francona:

[Drew] might have been a little more of an MVP if we went a couple more innings. He might have pitched. He's been begging me a long time to pitch, and we almost got close.

The game lasted 4:50 -- the longest ASG by time -- ending at 1:37 AM. It matched the National League's 1967 victory -- 2-1 win in 15 innings.

When I was a kid, the American League never won an All-Star Game, losing 11 in a row from 1972 to 1982 (and dropping 19 of 20 dating back to 1963 and 24 of 26 (!) from 1960-1982). Since 1997, the AL is undefeated, going 10-0-1.

Receipts Show Clemens Received HGH From Radomski

Daily News:

Confessed drug supplier Kirk Radomski has provided documentary evidence to the government showing that he shipped drugs to the Texas home of Roger Clemens, who is under investigation for perjury after telling Congress he never used steroids or human growth hormone.

According to sources with close knowledge of the investigation, Radomski has discovered shipping receipts for a package of two kits of human growth hormone that he sent in late 2002 or 2003 to Clemens at the pitcher's palatial mansion in Houston. ...

"I can't imagine that there's any truth to that at all," said [Clemens' lawyer, Rusty] Hardin. "We'll find out one day Roger never received or took the stuff." ...

Sure we will, Rusty. You run along now.

Faux Closer Controversy -- Papelbon & Rivera Say The Exact Same Thing

Here is the back cover of today's Daily News:


The story's headline: Jonathan Papelbon Says He Should Close All-Star Game Instead Of Mo

"I think I should get the shot."

The guy's got a lot of nerve, huh? Reading that statement from Papelbon, who is a relative upstart in the closing game compared to Rivera, it's no wonder New Yorkers are ups--

Oh, wait ... that's a quote from Rivera himself!

Here it is again, with more context (and some bold!):

Mariano Rivera: "[W]e're here in Yankee Stadium. I think I should get the shot."

It's typical of the brand of "journalism" practiced at the right-wing Gotham rag. Tell only half the story and then splash a huge lie on the back page attributing the damning quote to someone who never said it. If you read the article, it's clear it was Rivera who said he "should" be the closer tonight!

This is what Papelbon said:

If I was managing the team, I would close. I'm not managing the team, so it don't matter. ... We've both earned that right; us, by winning the World Series and having the opportunity of having our manager there and our team being represented, and Mariano by what he's done for this role, we're in Yankee Stadium and blah, blah, blah. It's not that easy. Everybody thinks it's a cut and dry answer, but it's not.

It's also a non-issue. If anything, Rivera's statement is slightly more outspoken. Big deal.

Here are tonight's lineups:

National League           American League
Hanley Ramirez, SS        Ichiro Suzuki, RF
Chase Utley, 2B           Derek Jeter, SS
Lance Berkman, 1B         Josh Hamilton, CF
Albert Pujols, DH         Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Chipper Jones, 3B         Manny Ramirez, LF
Matt Holliday, RF         Milton Bradley, DH
Ryan Braun, LF            Kevin Youkilis, 1B
Kosuke Fukudome, CF       Joe Mauer, C
Geovany Soto, C           Dustin Pedroia, 2B
   
Ben Sheets, P             Cliff Lee, P

Click on over to Ish's blog for the All-Star Game Thread.

What's New?

Josh Hamilton can hit a baseball.

RSM tipped me off to an article on Butch Hobson.

In and out today. Anything else worth reading?

Red Sox Prospect Wins Futures MVP

Che-Hsuan Lin, a 19-year-old center fielder from Taiwan currently playing in Greenville (A), hit a two-run home run on the first pitch he saw in yesterday's Futures Game at Yankee Stadium (pics). The World team beat the US team 3-0 and Lin was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

X-rays on Kevin Youkilis's left triceps (Daniel Cabrera HBP) were negative. Francona: "He's OK. He got hit in that funny bone, and at the time, he didn't feel real good."

Jonathan Papelbon picked up his 100th career save yesterday. ... Manny Ramirez is posing for more pictures from inside the Wall. ... A first-half report card from the Herald's Michael Silverman.

In addition to giving Jon Lester (125 IP) and Josh Beckett some extra rest, the rotation for the second half sets up Beckett, Tim Wakefield and Lester to face the Yankees on July 25-27.

Meanwhile:

Jorge Posada did not appreciate A.J. Burnett's fist pump after he fanned Dumbo with two men on to end the sixth inning. Someone who catches Joba Chamberlain has no business getting peeved at another pitcher's antics. ... Reggie Jackson, negotiating the price of a painting with the artist: "Are you Jewish?"

Linescore Palindrome

I have no idea how often it happens -- a low run total (000 010 000) should not qualify -- but it happened today.

July 13, 2008:

White Sox - 311 010 113 - 11  22  3 
Rangers   - 133 000 32x - 12  17  1

***

One of my favorite linescores of all-time is from August 2, 1996:

Yankees - 000 000 000 3 - 3  8  0
Royals  - 000 000 000 4 - 4  8  1

The Standings Look Nice

            W  L  PCT   GB   RS  RA  DIF  EXPWL 
Boston     57 40 .588  ---  495 396  +99  58-39
Tampa Bay  55 39 .585  0.5  433 387  +46  52-42 
New York   50 45 .526  6.0  436 412  +24  50-45 
Toronto    47 48 .495  9.0  399 376  +23  50-45 
Baltimore  45 48 .484 10.0  439 449  -10  46-47

The EXPWL is each team's expected record, based on their runs scored and runs allowed.

Tampa Bay has been a tad lucky so far, outperforming their Pythag by three games. Based on how everyone has played, the Red Sox "should" have a 4.5-game lead, with the Blue Jays and Yankees both 7 GB.

G97: Red Sox 2, Orioles 1

Orioles - 000 000 001 - 1  7  1
Red Sox - 100 100 00x - 2  7  0

The Red Sox are back in first place (.5 GA)!

This was a long game (3:32) filled with plenty of baserunners, but very few runs. Boston stranded 11 runners in the first five innings. And until Aubrey Huff's single in tyhe ninth inning, Baltimore had six hits, seven walks, a hit batter and a stolen base -- and still had no runs.

Bot allowed three singles in the ninth, but slammed the door on the longest "first half" in team history (97 games) by retiring Melvin Mora (who stranded 11 runners all by himself).

Pedroia singled and took second on Freddie Bynum's throwing error in the second, then scored on Drew's double into the left field corner. Casey doubled to start the fourth and eventually scored on Pedroia's force out.

Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 5-2 and Toronto dispatched New York 4-1.

***

Daniel Cabrera (4.40, 95 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (2.84, 152 ERA+)

Terry Francona announced the rotation to start the second half, which begins Friday night in Anaheim:

0718 @ Angels   - Clay Buchholz (6 days rest)
0719 @ Angels   - Josh Beckett (9 days)
0720 @ Angels   - Tim Wakefield (7 days)
  
0721 @ Mariners - Jon Lester (12 days)
0722 @ Mariners - Daisuke Matsuzaka (8 days)
0723 @ Mariners - Clay Buchholz

This will give both Josh Beckett and Jon Lester some extra rest.

At 1 PM:

Rays/Spiders
Yankees/Blue Jays

Ortiz Update

According to Terry Francona (via the Globe), David Ortiz will play three games with Pawtucket July 17-19, take a day off, then play three more with Portland on July 21-23.

If all goes well, Flo could be back in the Red Sox lineup for the July 25 game against the Yankees. Tito:

That's not etched in stone but that's what we're looking at.

G96: Red Sox 12, Orioles 1

Orioles - 001 000 000 -  1  3  0
Red Sox - 207 100 02x - 12 15  0

Wakefield (7-2-1-1-6, 98) was stupendous yet again and a grand slam from the Sultan of Sweat (Kevin Youkilis) in the third put the game out of reach.

Tampa's 8-4 loss in Cleveland means the Red Sox are only .5 GB in the East.

Only four Baltimore batters reached base: Kevin Millar's two-out single in the second, Ramon Hernandez's solo home run to begin the third, Adam Jones's two-out walk in the third, and Nick Markakis's double in the ninth. At one point, Red Sox pitchers retired 18 Orioles in a row.

Liz had nothing. After retiring the first two batters in the first, J.D. Drew and Manny Ramirez hit home runs on consecutive pitches. With one out in the third, Dustin Pedroia singled, Drew walked, Manny was HBP, Mike Lowell walked to force in a run, Yook went deep for a four-spot, Sean Casey walked, Lance Cormier relieved Liz, Jed Lowrie flew out to right, Kevin Cash singled, Jacoby Ellsbury singled and Pedroia doubled in two runs. 9-1.

Yook finished the night with six RBI. Drew reached base four times, and he and Manny both scored three times.

***

Radhames Liz (5.94, 71 ERA+) / Tim Wakefield (3.75, 115 ERA+)

Liz has pitched against the Red Sox only once, a start on August 31, 2007 (3-4-2-3-3, 72). No Boston batter has faced Liz more than twice.

Here is how the current Orioles have done against Wakefield. Cabin likes him (26 PA, .458/.500/.958).

Also: Yankees/Blue Jays at 1 PM and Rays/Spiders at 7 PM

Out!

Julio Lugo was called out on this second-inning play. Nice call, Doug Eddings!

So instead of Boston trailing 3-2 with one out and runners on first and second, with the top of the order coming up, the Red Sox had a runner on second and two outs. Ellsbury then made the third out.

While it blunted a rally, it's hard to say the call led to the Sox's loss. At that point they trailed by one run and had seven innings in which to hit.

Lugo "Felt Something Pop" In His Quad

Herald, 11:28 PM:

Julio Lugo limped out of the Red Sox clubhouse just minutes ago, clearly worried about the status of the left quad he injured while running to first base in the ninth inning of his team's 7-3 loss to the Orioles.

"I felt something pop in my quad. We'll see tomorrow when we take an MRI," he said. "I felt something pop in there. I'm really worried because I know it wasn't something where you just pull a muscle. I felt something pop, and I'm worried."

I assume Jed Lowrie's bags are already packed.

G95: Orioles 7, Red Sox 3

Orioles - 200 020 021 - 7  7  1
Red Sox - 020 100 000 - 3  8  1

After two were out in the bottom of the ninth, Boston loaded the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate, but Youkilis fanned.

Buchholz (5-5-4-5-6, 107) had a rough first (single, double, three walks) and a rough fifth (single, triple, two walks), but looked great in the middle. He struck out the side in the third, then fanned two of the three batters he faced in a perfect fourth.

Pedroia went 0-for-3 with two walks, ending a 17-game hitting streak. Ramirez and Moss both had two hits. Lugo had two RBI, the third time this season he has driven in more than one run in as game.

Tampa lost 5-0 -- New York lost 5-0.

***

Brian Burres (5.07, 83 ERA+) / Clay Buchholz (5.53, 78 ERA+)

With the Red Sox only 1.5 GB, Buchholz returns to the Red Sox rotation.

Double H was put on the disabled list in mid-May with a torn fingernail on his right hand and while in AAA, he worked on altering his delivery. In nine starts (log), he posted a 2.47 ERA.

Also: Justin Masterson threw a perfect inning of relief for the PawSox on Thursday night against Norfolk, retiring the side in the sixth inning on 16 pitches (F7, 5-3, K).

AL East: Tampa is in Cleveland, while the Yankees (3rd, 6.5 GB) visit the Blue Jays. The Rays, Cubs, Angels and Red Sox all have a MLB-best 55 wins.

BR Play Index Free Thru July 19

Woot:

Baseball-Reference.com Play Index Free Through July 19

In honor of the All-Star Game, the Play Index is free through July 19th. Kick the tires a bit (maybe you'll want to subscribe) and enjoy.

Something Else #12: The Clash

Wiki:

"The Clash then [1979] recorded London Calling ... the double album was a mix of punk rock, rockabilly, reggae, rock and roll, ska and other elements that recalled the band's earlier days, but also had greater maturity and production polish, and is regarded as one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded. ...

The Clash planned to record and release a single every month in 1980. Their record label, CBS, balked at this idea, and these efforts resulted in the album Sandinista! [released December 1980]. Containing elements of rock, punk, reggae (including extended dubs), ska, jazz, and disco, unified by a heavily echoed sound, this 3-LP, 36-song album was their most controversial to date, both politically and musically."

In late May and early June 1981, the Clash played a series of 17 shows at Bond's Casino in New York's Times Square.

The opening acts during their three-week residency were as eclectic as the band's repertoire: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Bad Brains, the Slits, Lee Perry, the Fall and the Dead Kennedys. All of the shows circulate; the June 9 was professionally recorded/broadcast.

G94: Red Sox 18, Twins 5

Twins   - 300 002 000 -  5 14  1
Red Sox - 004 021 73x - 18 23  2

Steamroll!

2 GB!

***

Livan Hernandez (5.18, 76 ERA+) / Josh Beckett (3.70, 116 ERA+)

Beckett has pitched at least six innings in all but two of his 16 starts this season. In his last seven starts (53 IP), he has a 2.72 ERA; in his last four starts (28 IP), 2.12.

More day baseball: Rays/Yankees, 1 PM

Lowell: Cell Phone Thief

[Under orders from MLB, YouTube has pulled the two clips. MLB remains dead set against allowing fans to enjoy various clips of games they most likely have not seen. And MLB clearly does not want any possible new fans enjoying parts of game online. New fans? Can't have that!

I did not save these clips to my hard drive. If anyone has them and can email them to me (or upload them somewhere), I will host them myself.]

During last night's game, reader Mike M. sent me a Youtube video that shows Mike Lowell, after chasing a foul ball towards the stands late in Monday's game, pocketing a fan's cellphone. (Another video of the theft is here.)

A commenter on that second video notes that Lowell "took the guys cellphone as a prank. The phone was given back to the fan. NBC 7 reported on this during their 10pm news cast."

Anyone else remember a Red Sox player (Nixon, maybe?) grabbing a handful of a fan's popcorn during a game?

***

Red Sox Birth Control Watch: First this, now this.

G93: Red Sox 6, Twins 5

Twins   - 000 300 110 - 5 11  0
Red Sox - 100 000 14x - 6 11  1

Another eighth-inning comeback!

Trailing 5-2, Ellsbury began the inning with an opposite field double off Reyes, a fly ball that landed close to the line and hopped into the corner. Guerrier came in to pitch and allowed a single to Pedroia (his 2nd hit, 16-game streak), a flair into shallow right field. Down by three, Lyndon wisely was held at third. Drew (who doubled home the team's first run back in the opening frame) grounded out to second, scoring Ellsbury and moving Pedroia to second.

Manny then whacked Guerrier's first pitch over the Wall and into the Monster Seats for a game-tying home run. 5-5! Lowell struck out on three pitches, but Youkilis cranked a double to left-center that Gomez dove for but could not snare. (Yook also singled in the fifth and tripled and scored in the seventh.) Yook took third on a wild pitch and scored the go-ahead run on Moss's single up the middle.

In the ninth, Punto doubled to lead off and was bunted to third, but Papelbon struck out pinch-hitter Kubel and got Casilla to ground to second.

The Yankees blanked the Rays 5-0 in the Bronx, so we are now 3 GB and the MFY are 7.5 GB.

***

Nick Blackburn (3.78, 104 ERA+) / Jon Lester (3.21, 133 ERA+)

Varitek gets the night off.

Since May 17:

Varitek .174/.267/.280
Cash    .114/.188/.227

Sigh.

Also: Rays at Yankees (Kazmir/Pettitte), 7 PM

Game Thread Silliness

During last night's game, NESN showed video footage of a visit Jerry Remy and Heidi Watley made to sick kids in a hospital. Remy said some kid was so happy he started crying. I posted:

the kid at the hospital was crying because he wanted to talk to heidi, but remy showed up

Jere:

I'd want Castig to come to my hospital and call the operation. "And his eyesight returns, can you believe it?"

Then two at the same time:

Joe Grav:

I wouldn't want troop.
"IT'S A GREAT SURGERY SO FAR! AMAZING! BEAUTIFUL! FAST... oh, he screws it up and the patient is dead."

redsock:

better castig than trupe:
"THERE'S THE OPERATION --- OH MY GOD, JERE'S HEARTBEAT IS LOW, WAY LOW, HE IS DEA .... oh no he's perfectly fine"

I thought it was great that we both went for "truping the operation" and that Joe went alive-dead and I went dead-alive. There were others:

redsock:

Kay: "There's a scalpel."

ish:

"He is high, he is far, he isssss dead!"

redsock:

Don: "This is Dr. Smith's 7th hip transplant operation for Dr. Smith. The first one was back on April 16, 1994, a Tuesday, at 10 AM. It lasted 5 hours and 14 minutes and .................."

Jere:

Staats: "And the surgery's successful. Must've been a Red Sox or Yankees fan."

redsock:

McCarver: "After he performed the sur-gery, the doctor told him "Sure, Jere (ri)!"

Buck: "..."

phil:

Hawk Harrelson on vasectomies: "Sacks packed with ... hegone."

Jere:

Rizzuto in dental surgery: "Gotta get across the bridge-work."

redsock:

Berman: "It looks like the patient has a pinched nerve in his back, back, back, back ..."

ish:

McCarver: "You know, this surgeon reminds me a lot of Derek Jeter. He's not as good as Jeter is yet, but he has a lot of potential. Jeter is so good and he has so much range. This surgeon here has the intangibles like Derek Jeter has."

redsock:

"Very clutch. That's a type of surgical technique you can't teach in medical school. Also, he makes the little stiches, the ones that don't show up on the post-op report."

Jere:

Morgan: "You can see he's going to the medical bag, I'd guess he's gonna break out the toothbrush for this operation."

redsock:

"That reminds me of a visit to the doctor I had when I was with the 1975 Reds."

redsock:

Vin Scully: "And I cannot believe what I just removed."

Jere:

Scully: "we take time out from this unassisted triple bypass to tell you about Armor hot dogs..."

ish:

Bob Uecker: "I must be in the front rooooowwwwww... of the observation deck."

Any others?

Ortiz Feeling Great After Fenway BP

David Ortiz took 36 batting practice swings yesterday, belted six balls out of the park, and said he was pleased with how he felt and believes he could come back with his left wrist at 95%.

Tiz: "It feels like I'm going back to normal. ... I'm trying to be patient. I don't want to be stupid about coming back. ... When I come back, I want to be ready to play and help this ballclub."

Ortiz says will have a better idea when he'll be back at the end of the week.

There has been a ton of talk about the possibility of signing Barry Bonds if Ortiz was not able to play this season -- having him DH makes logical sense from a "winning baseball games" perspective (though other considerations do exist, apparently) -- but after Flo's promising BP session, Theo Epstein told the Globe there was nothing to any Bonds rumours.

Clay Buchholz will start against Baltimore on Friday. Jeff Horrigan says Buchholz "reworked his delivery and focused on moving his hand farther away from his head on fastballs, which led to more pitch movement." Tito: "His offspeed, changeup, breaking ball can be devastating, but when his fastball wandered back over the plate, he was getting hit pretty hard."

Justin Masterson is scheduled to pitch in relief for Pawtucket on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. ... Last night's victory was the Red Sox's MLB-best 10th shutout. ... Dustin Pedroia's hitting streak is now at 15 games (.485, 32-for-66). ... SoSH: "When Does Jed Lowrie Get A Shot?"

Are you curious what Alex Rodriguez did the night of the July 2004 Vartiek brawl game?

Defenders Of The Game

I've been thinking for 10 minutes what to type here -- and I'm completely stumped.

Ken Tremendous, FJM:

This is just amazing.

Several of you wrote in about this after seeing it on Joe Posnanski's blog. It's a series of cartoons they play at the Trop now, apparently, in which Joe Maddon and some of the Rays players are superheros who are fighting an evil mastermind named...

...get ready...

...prepare yourselves...

"Dr. Stat."

The evil villain is named:

Dr. Stat.

This is truly a low point for our culture. Not baseball culture, mind you. The entirety of Western Culture.

And yet: Joe Maddon was my first choice for Red Sox manager before the 2004. He is a modern, progressive manager. In fact, Maddon is such a stathead that, this past March, FJM referred to him as "a 2.4 gigahertz Linksys router".

Upside Down

G92: Red Sox 1, Twins 0

Twins   - 000 000 000 - 0  6  0
Red Sox - 000 000 01x - 1  7  0

Dice: 7.1-6-0-3-5, 108. His ERA dropped to 2.84.

Matsuzaka threw strikes -- with a good cut fastball -- and turned in his longest outing of the season. He allowed only six baserunners over the first six innings (and half of those came in the first inning). His pitch counts by inning: 25-9-10 14-12-13 13-12 = 108.

The Red Sox blew a scoring chance in the fourth. Singles from Drew and Ramirez gave Boston runners at the corners and no one out. Lowell struck out, but Youkilis walked to load the bases. However, Crisp popped to third and Varitek flied to center. (Lowell's strikeout was his only batting blemish; he walked twice and doubled.)

In the eighth, Pedroia doubled high off the Wall and took third on Drew's groundout. Manny's single to right field (his second hit of the night) brought home the only run of the game.

The Royals beat the Rays 7-4 in 10 innings, so Tampa's lead was cut to four games.

***

Scott Baker (3.65, 107 ERA+) / Daisuke Matsuzaka (3.12, 137 ERA+)

Boston comes home after a 3-7 road trip (giving the team a 21-29 record away from Fenway Park). The Red Sox play three games against each of the Twins and Orioles before the break.

The AL East standings looks like this

             W   L   GB
Tampa Bay   55  32   --
Boston      52  39    5
New York    47  42    9 
Baltimore   44  43   11 
Toronto     42  47   14

so it looks like we've got ourselves a .... Wild Card Battle!

             W   L   GB
Boston      52  39   --
Minnesota   50  38     .5
Oakland     47  41    3.5 
New York    47  42    4
Texas       46  43    5

Woo-hoo!

Only one other AL East game: Royals at Rays, 12:40 PM

Remember we were talking about how Rogers now runs short car commercials in between at-bats during Blue Jays game? Drunk Jays Fans is (quite rightly) fed up.

Masterson Sent To AAA, Pen

Rob Bradford, Herald:

Terry Francona just announced Justin Masterson will be headed to the bullpen, starting with a stint in Pawtucket.

Judging from his splits, I assume the Sox are looking at Masterson as more of a specialist against RHB.

         PA   AVG   OBP   SLG
v LHB   132  .236  .379  .453  
V RHB    98  .170  .255  .261

I like this move. The bullpen obviously needs help, it's always nice to have possible solutions in-house (while Masterson is clearly learning inning-by-inning, he has not seemed overwhelmed in the slightest) and Clay Buchholz is better suited to the rotation this year.

(SoSH discussion)

Gumball Bailey is taking Masterson's place on the roster.

Wimbledon Request

ESPN Classic is rerunning the Nadal-Federer final tomorrow (Monday) night (8 PM ET). If someone was able to record and burn it to a DVD, I'd be thrilled. ... I have lots of live music to trade. Email me: Joyofsox.

G91: Yankees 5, Red Sox 4 (10)

Red Sox - 000 030 100 0 - 4  7  1
Yankees - 010 001 200 1 - 5  8  1

This contest evolved from a game I thought the Red Sox had pretty well in hand to a toss-up to a loss. Boston is now 5 GB the white-hot Rays.

Wakefield was fantastic (again!) for 5.1 innings, allowing only two baserunners to the first 18 New York hitters: Kabbalah McBluelips's home run leading off the second and a walk to Giambi to begin the fifth.

Boston struck for three runs off Joba in the top of the fifth: Youkilis and Casey singled and Crisp walked. Ball four to Ococ was a wild pitch that scored Yook (who slid into JtC's right leg and then had a pitch thrown behind his ass his next time up). After Lugo and Cash struck out, Ellsbury walked and Pedroia singled in two more runs. 3-1 Sox.

With one out in the sixth, Wakefield allowed a single to Gardner, who stole second and scored on Jeter's RBI single. CI took second on an errant pick-off throw, but was doubled off when Lugo leapt skyward to haul in Abreu's line drive.

Lugo again got the best of Jetes a few minutes later when, in the top of the seventh, he got credit for an infield single up the middle and took second on an error by the Yankee captain, who (uncharacteristically) ranged far to his left to snare the grounder. Cash followed with a line drive double into the left field corner and Boston led 4-2.

A-Rod singled to open the seventh against Wakefield and after Timmeh retired HGH on a flyball, Tito went wisely to the pen. But Lopez was not sharp. After Posada singled, Cano tripled in both runners to tie the game. After a fielder's choice nailed Cano at the plate, Delcarmen came in to fan Molina.

In the top of the ninth, facing Rivera, Casey singled and went to second on Crisp's bunt. Varitek was sent up to hit for Lugo (why?) and he shattered his bat on the first pitch, tapping weakly back to the mound. Casey went to third, but he died there as Manny, hitting for Cash, stood stock still and looked at three straight strikes to end the inning.

MDC pitched a perfect eighth, Okajima matched him in the ninth, and Papelbon came on for the 10th. Cano grounded an 0-2 pitch into center field for a leadoff single. Milk Dud bunted him to second and Bot blew Betemit away with pure heat. Gardner fell behind 0-2 but fouled off two pitches, took two balls, then fouled off another heater. On the 8th pitch of the at-bat, he grounded a ball up the middle. Cora dove to his left, deflecting the ball into short center, but neither Pedroia nor Crisp could make a play as Cano scored the winning run.

Tampa topped the Royals 9-2 and lead the East (and Red Sox) by a whopping five games. New York remains 9 GB.

***

Tim Wakefield (3.72, 115 ERA+) / Joba Chamberlain (2.22, 182 ERA+)

Wakefield has pitched at least seven innings in each of his last seven starts (dating back to May 28). He has allowed a grand total of 11 runs (1.98 ERA).

***

David Ortiz may take BP on Monday and "might be able to begin a rehab stint in the minors after the All-Star break". ... Bartolo Colon long-tossed from 120 feet and may throw off a mound this week.

Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 13 games (with nine multi-hit games (log)). Tony Massarotti, Herald:

The author of a 13-game hitting streak, Pedroia has raised his average from .260 to .313. During that stretch, in 57 at-bats, Pedroia had an absurd 30 hits, a batting average of .526.

That isn't a streak. It's an avalanche. ...

Since May 1, 2007, among major leaguers with at least 700 plate appearances, Pedroia's .324 average ranks behind only Magglio Ordonez, Ichiro Suzuki and Placido Polanco in the AL.

Gordon Edes reports that Javier Lopez

has allowed just one earned run in his last 15 outings (15.2 innings). You can go back even further - in his last 28 appearances, he has allowed just three earned runs in 25 innings, an ERA of 1.08. His ERA of 2.10 ranks in the top five among AL relievers with 30 innings or more.

Lopez still has too many walks - 14 in 34.1 innings - but many of those came early. He's walked just three in his last 11 appearances.

Joe McDonald, Journal:

On this current three-city road trip, the Red Sox have produced 13 bases-loaded situations. However, Boston is 1-for-11 with only three runs scored, including a sacrifice fly. In fact, the Sox are 0-for-their-last-9 with the bases juiced.

Overall, they are 1-for-19 with one walk, four sacrifice flies, and eight strikeouts and have grounded into two double plays in their last 24 bases-loaded situations.

Also: Doing the Red Sox's laundry.

Never forget -- I love you all!

Joba And Off-The-Chart ERA+s

Joba Chamberlain's ERA+ last season was 1192! That's ridiculous!

Are you wondering what the highest season ERA+ is for a pitcher with a minimum number of innings? Me, too. Let's visit our friend, BR.

First, though, an explanation: ERA+ is the ratio of the league's ERA, adjusted to the pitcher's ballpark, to that of the pitcher. 100 is league average. Top-shelf starters will finish their seasons with ERA+s around 140. Random career ERA+s as of right now: Brandon Webb 142, Johan Santana 141, Roy Oswalt 137, Greg Maddux 133, Jake Peavy 121, Barry Zito 117, Josh Beckett 116.

Joba threw 24 innings in 2007 (facing 91 batters), and if we use that as a cut-off, Chamberlain is the clear winner. (Anyone else find the heading of the first column amusing with regard to JtC?).

For pitchers with a full season, Dennis Eckersley's 1990 season is tops (606 ERA+ in 73.1 IP). Jonathan Papelbon's 2006 season (515 ERA+) is 10th-best all-time.

Almost all of the pitchers on the list are relievers, which makes sense, but check out the #2 guy: Buck O'Brien. He posted a 866 ERA+ as a 29-year-old rookie for the 1911 Red Sox. He pitched in six games -- five of them starts. In 47.2 innings, he allowed 30 hits and 21 walks, but had an ERA of only 0.38. How is that possible? Of the nine runs he allowed (a 1.70 RA), only two of them were earned.

Obligatory Pedro Note When Mentioning ERA+: Among pitchers who qualified for the ERA title, Pedro's unprecedented 2000 (291 ERA+ in 217 innings) reigns supreme. Pedro also has the 8th-, 17th-, 25th-, and 30th-best season all-time. Note to media: Sandy Koufax's first appearance on the list is at #50. Stop comparing these two guys. Koufax was amazing, but Pedro was God.

Manny Gets HBP Three Times

Manny Ramirez hits Mike Mussina pretty well -- 28-for-100, with nine HRs and a .630 slugging percentage. Since the start of the 2005 season, Manny has battered the Moose to the tune of 13-for-26 (.500).

But it's doubtful Mussina had any thoughts of retaliation on his mind when he hit Manny with a pitch in the first inning this afternoon, then hit him again when he led off the fourth. Ramirez struck out looking against Mussina in the sixth, but was hit again by Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning.

Since 1956, there have been 17 instances of a player getting plunked three times in one game. But Manny is one of only five players to get hit three times in four or fewer plate appearances:

Sherm Lollar  June 8, 1956     4 PA  3 HBP/Single
Bill Freehan  August 16, 1968  4 PA  3 HBP/F7
Jonny Gomes   August 15, 2005  4 PA  3 HBP/HR
Manny Ramirez July 5, 2008     4 PA  3 HBP/K
  
Reed Johnson  April 9, 2006    3 PA  3 HBP

Of those 17 three-HBP games, Johnson accounts for three of them! He was hit by three pitches on April 16, 2005, April 9, 2006 and April 29, 2006.

There is no record of a player getting hit four times in one game.

(Frank Chance was hit five times during a doubleheader on May 30, 1904.)

G90: Yankees 2, Red Sox 1

Red Sox - 000 000 001 - 1  6  0
Yankees - 010 001 00x - 2  6  0

Boston had the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the ninth. With one run already in, all they needed was a routine fly ball to tie the game against a faltering Rivera.

But Crisp took a weak hack at an 0-2 pitch and whiffed. Varitek popped up an 2-0 pitch to first base. And Lugo went down swinging at a 2-2 pitch (Rivera got a gift call on strike two).

The teams tied a major league record with a combined seven HBP -- Manny was plunked three times -- but no warnings were given.

Masterson (6-6-2-2-2, 100) pitched well enough to win, but the Sox bats were AWOL. Timlin looked strong in a perfect, nine-pitch ninth inning. The Red Sox seemed to watch a lot of Mussina's (6-4-0-1-5, 89) pitches -- they swung at 24 of 89; four of Mussina's five strikeouts were looking.

New York scored in the second on a one-out walk to Giambi and two-out singles from both Cano and Cabrera. Two singles, a wild pitch, an HBP and a sac fly made it 2-0 in the sixth.

Facing Rivera in the ninth, Drew singled to left-center. Manny was hit and Moss ran for him. Lowell lined a single to right, scoring Drew. Youkilis was hit with an 0-2 pitch and the bases were loaded with one out. But Rivera then snapped out of his funk and dispatched the next three Boston batters.

***

Justin Masterson (3.75, 114 ERA+) / Mike Mussina (3.87, 104 ERA+)

There had been some speculation that the Red Sox would bring back Clay Buchholz for this start. But it'll be Masterson, who has had more trouble with LH batters (.231/.381/.484) than RH (.163/.239/.263).

In six June starts, Masterson pitched 35.2 innings, allowing 29 hits (including 7 home runs) and 20 walks, while striking out 28 and posting a 4.54 ERA.

Schadenfreude 51 (A Continuing Series)

George A. King III, Post:

At 45-42, the Yankees are close to being measured for pinstriped coffins before the All-Star Game ...

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

Maybe the Yankees just aren't very good.

Johnny Damon:

We just need to win more games.

Clemens Doesn't Like Dushbags

The Smoking Gun:

What can a baseball fan learn from a series of e-mails exchanged by Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee, the trainer who has accused the baseball star of using performance-enhancing drugs? Well, Clemens can't spell the words "douchebag" or "lawsuits," uses the word "rocket" in his e-mail address, and signed electronic missives with his uniform number, 22.

"TOUGH ALL DAY"

That's gold, Jerry! Gold!

G89: Red Sox 6, Yankees 4

Red Sox - 003 030 000 - 6 12  0
Yankees - 300 000 001 - 4  6  1

Mike Lowell's three-run home run in the fifth broke a 3-3 tie and carried the Red Sox through a 88-minute rain delay and a win in the second game of the MFY series. The first trio of Boston runs scored in the third on Lowell's sac fly and Kevin Youkilis's triple.

You must see highlights of Yook's triple (here). It was hit to deep left and Johnny Damon raced back. He leapt at the wall, had the ball hit in and then pop out of his glove. As Damon fell to the warning track, the ball bounced a couple of times on the top of the outfield fence, and stayed balanced on top before falling and rolling several feet away from Damon. Game pictures here (and here), including this one:

The bullpen snuffed out two rallies. In the seventh, Hideki Ojakima left the bases loaded with two outs for Manny Delcarmen, who got Alex Rodriguez to hit into a force play. Then, in the eighth, after MDC walked Jason Giambi and retired Jorge Posada on a fly out, Javier Lopez came in and ended the inning with one pitch -- a double play grounder from (Whatta ya know!) Robbie Cano.

Beckett (6-4-3-2-4, 102) had a rough first inning -- two doubles and a walk among the first four batters -- but settled down, retiring the side in the second and third on 20 total pitches. A fantastic running-and-sliding catch into foul territory from Jacoby Ellsbury saved Beckett's bacon in the fourth, when he left the bases loaded.

In the two games of the series, New York is 2-for-24 with runners on base. It should be 1-for-23, but Derek Jeter was credited with a double although his fly ball to left-center was clearly caught by Coco Crisp. That should have ended the game, but it brought Bobby Abreu to the plate as the potential tying run.

Abreu flew to deep center (truping however many Yankee fans remained) to end the game (again). Give Jonathan Papelbon an asterik for a one-inning, five-out save. He had struck out Brett Gardner -- the batter before Jeter -- for what should have been the third out, but Gardner was awarded a walk instead.

***

Rain delay (tarp out at 4:20) in the top of the 8th!
Lugo on first and none out against Farnsworth.

***

Josh Beckett (3.65, 117 ERA+) / Darrell Rasner (4.42, 91 ERA+)

Dear Red Sox:

Today is George Steinbrenner's 78th birthday. Ruin it.

Thanking you in advance ...

***

Also: Royals at Rays, 5 PM

Schadenfreude 50 (A Continuing Series)

John Harper, Daily News:

Joe Girardi can have all the meetings he wants, and the Yankees can talk about being embarrassed all they want, but in games like these, big games the Yankees desperately need if they are ever going to look like a contender this season, they have to be able to count on their stars.

And their biggest stars failed them badly Thursday night. ...

It was so one-sided, in fact, that Girardi closed the clubhouse for 30 minutes and aired his team out for its lack of passion and energy ...

But maybe they're just not that good ...

The shocker was there were some boos for Jeter as well, after a sixth-inning strikeout that essentially punctuated a miserable night for the captain. So apparently even Jeter's championship warranty comes with an expiration date.

Johnny Damon:

The Steinbrenners spent $200 million on us, and we haven't showed what we're made of. And I know this is one game. And I know we have 75 games or so left. We better do something soon. ...

When we put the pinstripes on, there's a lot of pride that goes with it. There's 55,000 fans out there. ... Top to bottom, look at our lineup, what we've done in this game or what we can still do. And we're getting shut out almost every other day or barely scoring one run. It's not good.

Vic Ziegel, Daily News:

The season is getting away from the Yankees, the wild card is nothing they should count on, and nobody wants another game like Thursday night's embarrassment against the Red Sox. ...

[A]fter the Yankees put up nothing but sour numbers, losing 7-0, and today's pitching matchup suggests another Boston Tee-off Party, it's a good time to be wondering if the Yankees understand where they're heading. Be afraid, Yankee fans, be very afraid.

George A. King III, Post:

Sick of watching his team embarrass the most prestigious uniform in sports, manager Joe Girardi blistered the Yankees' ears last night.

"He laid the hammer down," somebody with knowledge of the meeting said. "He challenged them." ...

Immediately upon entering the clubhouse Girardi decided it was time to take the paint off the walls and challenge his underachieving club. When he was done, the coaches followed. Thirty-two minutes after the final out, a grim-faced Girardi emerged from a room that felt like a morgue. ...

The scary thing is that maybe this is what the Yankees are - a 45-41 collection of expensive parts incapable of an extended hot streak due to an inconsistent hitting and a rotation that stunningly includes Sidney Ponson.

Also:

G88: Red Sox 7, Yankees 0

Red Sox - 220 110 010 - 7 11  0
Yankees - 000 000 000 - 0  5  1

Lester: 9-5-0-2-8, 105.

And everyone in the lineup added a little bit:

Ellsbury: 2-run double in 2nd
Pedroia: single, run in 1st
Drew: single in 1st, double and run in 5th
Ramirez: single, walk, run
Lowell: RBI single in 1st, sac fly in 5th
Youkilis: double in 5th, single and run in 8th
Crisp: single and run in 2nd, single, SB and run in 4th, walk in 8th
Varitek: walk and run in 2nd, RBI single in 8th
Lugo: sac fly in 4th

Moss: stood in RF for 9th inning; did not make an error!

Also, Drew and Ococ made nice catches in the outfield. And the infield turned three double plays (543, 543, 643).

We are 3 GB.

They are 8 GB.

***

Jon Lester (3.48, 123 ERA+) / Andy Pettitte (3.98, 101 ERA+)

Jeff Goldberg, Courant:

The last time the Red Sox and Yankees played each other in the second half of the season with neither team in first place was 1997 and the Rays didn't even exist.

But the Red Sox (having lost five of their last six games) are now 3½ games out in second place, while the third-place Yankees are 7½ GB.

Lester makes his first career start at Yankee Stadium and only his second appearance ever against the Yankees. The first was on August 18, 2006: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R; New York won the game 14-11).

Tampa Bay, 14-4 in their last 18 games, is off tonight.

Amen

Surviving Grady has a NESN screen shot that sums up the entire Tampa series:

So does Jere.

(Here's an odd screenshot.)

Timlin Joins Pen For NYY Series

Mike Timlin will be activated before tonight's game in New York, with Chris Smith being optioned to Pawtucket. The Red Sox bullpen has allowed 14 runs in 10 innings over the past five games.

Dustin Pedroia became the first Red Sox second baseman in team history to get four extra-base hits in one game. The last AL 2B to have four extra-base hits: Carlos Baerga (Sept. 20, 1990).

J.D. Drew was named American League Player of the Month for June: .337/.462/.848, with seven doubles, two triples, 12 homers, 29 RBI, 27 runs scored and eight multi-hit games.

David Ortiz is making progress:

I'll probably be hitting in the field maybe when I get back to Boston [July 7]. It all depends on how I feel. This is kind of a weird injury, and it's because one day you feel really good, and another day you feel kind of weak. ... Every day I feel better. Every day I discover something new, but in a good way.

Jason Varitek continues to slump. He is hitless in his last 17 at-bats and is 3-for-48 (.063) in his past 15 games. Since the beginning of June, Varitek is hitting .113 and slugging .163 (23 games, 90 plate appearances).

Tampa walked Kevin Youkilis intentionally twice and both times, Varitek ended the inning with an out. And when Boston had the tying run at first with one out in the ninth inning, not only did Terry Francona allow Varitek to bat, but he called for a hit-and-run. Varitek swung and missed and Lowell was easily thrown out. Three pitches later, Tek was called out on strikes (his 3rd whiff of the night) to end the game.

More on Tek's woes at The House That Dewey Built.

Also in New York:

Post

G87: Rays 7, Red Sox 6

Red Sox - 101 020 011 - 6 10  2
Rays    - 100 000 60x - 7  9  2

Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen each faced three batters in the seventh -- and retired no one. All six runners scored -- Terry Francona used four pitchers in the 11-batter inning -- and Tampa completed the three-game sweep.

Dice (5-2-1-5-5) had a horrible 1.2 innings, but then settled down nicely, retiring 10 of his last 11 batters. Going back to the end of the first inning, he retired 13 of his last 16 batters. He threw 101 pitches in five innings (24-25-17 14-21).

Dustin Pedroia homered in the first, tripled in the third and doubled in the fifth. He needed only a single for Boston's first cycle since John Valentin (June 6, 1996), but he flew out to center in the sixth and doubled in the eighth.

Boston dropped to 3.5 GB. They move on to New York, where the Yankees routed Texas tonight, 18-7.

***

Daisuke Matsuzaka (3.21, 133 ERA+) / Scott Kazmir (2.28, 178 ERA+)

Game threads are back ... and they're back BIG!

(Thanks to Jere and Ish for hosting games for the past two weeks.)

Where Was I?

Here are all of Laura's journal entries for our Newfoundland trip:

Tuesday, June 17

St. John's

Wednesday, June 18

St. John's / Witless Bay
Wednesday Night in St. John's

Thursday, June 19

Cape Spear to Bonavista
Bonavista, First Night

Friday, June 20

Bonavista, Second Day and Night

Saturday, June 21

Bonavista to Twillingate

Sunday, June 22

Twillingate

Monday, June 23

Twillingate to Grand Falls

Tuesday, June 24

Grand Falls to St. Anthony

Wednesday, June 25

St. Anthony / L'Anse Aux Meadows

Thursday, June 26

St. Anthony to Port au Choix

Friday, June 27

Port au Choix

Saturday, June 28

Port au Choix to Rocky Harbour (Gros Morne)

Sunday, June 29

Rocky Harbour (Gros Morne)

Monday, June 30

Rocky Harbour / Woody Point / Trout River (Gros Morne)

Tuesday, July 1

Gros Morne to Deer Lake

Wednesday, July 2

Deer Lake and Home

Pictures to come later.

G86: Rays 3, Red Sox 1

Red Sox - 000 100 000 - 1  6  1
Rays    - 100 100 01x - 3  6  3

Tim Wakefield threw another outstanding game -- his 7th straight start of at least seven innings and three runs or fewer allowed (a career best streak, I believe) -- but the bats continued to be absent.

The Red Sox could not cash in on several scoring chances in the later innings. In the sixth, they had first and second and one out, but Drew and Manny both popped out to first. They had the same situation in the eighth, but Drew looked at three staright strikes. Then, with the bases loaded and two outs, trailing by only one run, Lowell grounded out to short.

While Pedroia (21-for-his-last-39) and Lowell have been hot, Ramirez (10-for-54, .185, in his last 16 games) and Varitek (.122 in June and 3-for-his-last-34) have not.

Gameday Note: Why does Gameday list every single pitch Wakefield throws in every single start as a kunckleball? His fastball may not be "fast", but he does throw other types of pitches fairly frequently. Last night, Wakefield's third and fourth pitches to Hinske in the fourth were clocked at 56 and 71 mph, but both were listed as knuckleballs.

Boston dropped to 2.5 GB. Mariano Rivera took the loss for the Yankees last night (Joba: 4-5-2-4-6, 91), so they fell to 7.5 GB.

***

Tim Wakefield (3.88, 110 ERA+) / Matt Garza (3.76, 108 ERA+)