Papelbon's New Pitch: The "Slutter"

Jonathan Papelbon debuted a new pitch last night.

It's in between a slider and a cutter. I tried the cutter and it was hit-and-miss. The slider really wasn't me, and I just kind of cut the ball at the end and it moves like a slider. It's a 'slutter'. ... When I throw it, I don't pronate [downward twisting motion with his fingers] when I let the ball go. I leave my palm [up]. I kind of cut the ball. That's the angle it comes out.

(A couple of his teammates expressed amusement. Kyle Synder: "It's a slider." Jason Varitek: "Whatever, Pap.")

Snuffer also talked about how happy he is to be a closer.

[Starting] seems so far away and seems so boring. I was dying a slow death in spring training. Now I'm in situations where I feel confident and happy. ... My goal is to be a dominant closer, not just one year, but year after year. I want to stay healthy, do my work and break records. ...

Last year was a grind for me. It was my rookie season and something where I really grinded and grinded until I couldn't grind anymore. This year, I'm knowing my body better, I'm knowing the system, how to take care of myself. A ton of things you can throw in there for why I feel darn near 100 percent this time of the season.

Papelbon became the first Red Sox pitcher to record 30 saves in multiple seasons and the fourth pitcher in major league history to record 30 saves in his first two full seasons, joining Billy Koch (1999-2002, his first four), Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000-02) and Todd Worrell (1986-88).

Jacoby Ellsbury has a 17-game hitting streak for Pawtucket -- two games shy of the Pawtucket record shared by Dave Stapleton (1979) and Dave Berg (2005). Ellsbury is batting .386 (27-for-70) during his streak -- which did include an 0-for-3 showing for the Red Sox last Friday.

Mental Image Of The Day: David Ortiz "dancing in the buff back and forth in the shower room while singing over and over at the top of his lungs the theme from Monday Night Football."