New York Papers - Saturday Morning

Almost forgot (they won't be nearly as pleasant tomorrow):

Varitek's May 20 HR Streak At 5 Years

Fun Fact: Jason Varitek has homered on May 20 in each of the past five seasons.

2001 - at KC: 4-for-4, 3 HR, 7 RBI
2002 - v CWS: 3-for-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 RS
2003 - v NYY: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI
2004 - at TB: 2-for-4, HR, RBI
2005 - v Atl: 2-for-4, 2B, HR, RBI

He is 1-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts against Phillies' starter Brett Myers.

When Big Papi talks, Wily Mo Pena listens.

Pena:

He talks to me a lot. During the game, before the game, after the game, when we go back to the hotel, we just talk about baseball. If I do something wrong in the ballgame, he tells me. ... Just be patient. Wait. Wait. Wait for the pitch. [Ortiz] told me that every time. I was trying to do everything in one at-bat.

Ortiz:

We talk a lot because this game is more mental preparation than anything else. He talks, he asks questions, he watches, then he tries to bring it to the field. He's ahead of the game. Way ahead. ... He has the outside of the plate covered pretty good, which takes some time for a hitter to figure that out. Now he has to keep working on the other side of the plate.

Matt Clement singled in the fifth, took second on an error and scored on Ortiz's home run: "I used Trot's batting gloves and Dustan's bat. Last year, I tried a different mixture. I used Bellhorn's bat and I don't remember whose gloves, but it didn't work out."

Ortiz will play first base again tonight before getting Sunday off: "I've got a 1.000 fielding percentage right now. But don't get too happy, OK? I got a couple more games coming up, so don't get too excited."

Kevin Youkilis will start at third tonight. On Sunday, Youkilis and Lowell will start, giving Ortiz his first day off and giving Boston its best fielding infield behind Lenny DiNardo.

Philly Press:

Red Socked (Daily News)
Boston's Ortiz has some NL fun (Inquirer)
Red Sox fans show up in force (Inquirer)
Phillies can't find their way home (Daily News)

Frank Thomas on Barry Bonds:

He's just a tremendous hitter. He hits lefties. He hits righties. He's the best all-around player to ever play the game. He's got over 500 stolen bases. All of those Gold Gloves. There's nothing he hasn't done.

I may be a bit biased, but Babe Ruth won 94 games as a pitcher with a career ERA of 2.28 (ERA+ 122), including a 1.75 mark in 1917. ... There's no shame in being among the Top 10 all-time.

Beckett / Myers at 7 PM. (Pedro faces the Yankees at 1:20 PM).

G39: Red Sox 5, Phillies 3

I followed along on Gameday and SoSH, but it sounded like Matt Clement pitched better than his line (6.2-5-3-3-5) -- Keith Foulke allowed two inherited runners to score in the seventh. But Mike Timlin and Jonathan Papelbon retired the last six Phillies (2 strikouts and four groundouts) for the win.

Home run offense for the Sox: Mike Lowell's two-run shot in the second (he finished 3-for-3 with a walk), Jason Varitek's solo blast in the fourth and Ortizzle's two-run bomb in the fifth. ... Shock of the night: Alex Gonzalez drawing an intentional walk in the sixth.

Thoughts?

[And in Queens, the Yankees took a 4-0 first-inning lead only to have the Big Eunuch surrender a three-run homer in the bottom half. The Yanks scored a run in the third and Johnson (making more friends in Yankeeland!) gave the Mets two back to tie it. He threw 113 pitches in five innings. ... The Mets scored a run off Rivera in the bottom of the ninth (Lo Duca's one-out double, a two-out BBI, then David Wright's single over Damon's head in center) for a 7-6 win. Wheee!]

Abe Alvarez Called Up

Abe Alvarez will be in the bullpen this weekend in Philadelphia, as Mike Holtz was put on the disabled list (strained muscle near his left elbow). ... Tonight's lineup:

Nixon, RF
Loretta, 2B
Ortiz, 1B
Ramirez, LF
Varitek, C
Lowell, 3B
Pena, CF
Gonzalez, SS
Clement, P

Nine postions and nine players, just like God intended.

Sox In Philly: You Can Doooo Eeeet!

First of all, Michael Silverman gets a Manny double-fingerpoint for using "It's got a lot of culture" as one of his notebook subheads in the Herald this morning, even though the actual quote is "Well, there's a lot, a lot of culture here."

Culture Guy was recently singled out for a You Don't Kick Ass award, but the true highlight of that commercial is Backseat Cab Guy ("It's like a baby New York."). That's a selling point?! I'm too much of a wimp to handle a real city, hmmm, why don't I visit a place that's smaller and duller? Amazing. It's like people who gladly announce to the world they think they are idiots by buying those "_______ For Dummies" books. ... BTW, where the hell is Tony Little this year?

Anyway, interleague play (boo!). ... Philly Press:

All-too-familiar Red Sox roll in for 3-game set (Inquirer)
Designated good guy: Ortiz brings personality, power to town (Daily News)
Schilling won't get any closer to milestones this weekend (Daily News)

Farmhands: Jon Lester is 2-0, 1.31 in his last four starts with Pawtucket after an 0-4, 6.94 in his first four outings. ... Craig Hansen will make his second start tomorrow.

David Ortiz on Kevin ".424 OBP" Youkilis:

Youkie's been doing great. Hopefully he'll hit like that all year round. He's got confidence. He's worked hard. That's what it takes to be a good player. You got to work and he's been doing it. I'm happy for him. He's got to make the money, that way we can fix his face, get it smaller.

Clement / Lieber at 7 PM.

Far From Fenway

In 1996, Laura and I rented an RV for a vacation in Alaska. While wandering around Anchorage, I spied a house light that was painted like a baseball with the Red Sox logo on it. We walked up to the house, and saw a sign on the door directing us to a nearby bike rental shop.

The shop was owned by a displaced Sox fan named Peter Roberts. With no way to access any Sox games at that time, Roberts had started the "Far From Fenway" club and was selling sweatshirts and bumperstickers. (I have a membership card somewhere.) Roberts was also the subject of a New York Times article during the 1988 playoffs.

Looking through my blog stats, I see that I have had recent visitors from: Taiwan, France, Venezuela, Korea, Australia, Turkey, and Iran. (Actually, I have had steady, though anonymous, readers from Venezuela since 2003.)

Thanks to the internets, it is now possible to watch and listen to every Sox game and access the local Boston media. Still, I've been curious how fans far from Fenway follow the team, especially those on the other side of the globe, where the time differences are so great. (One SoSH member -- without a doubt the most optimistic Red Sox fan in history -- lives in Manila, 12 time zones away. (And there is the Singapore Sox Fan blog.))

Email me: joyofsox@gmail.com. Thanks. I may devote a future post to the responses I receive.

Harris Takes Blame; Snow Requests Trade; Hansen/Papelbon Flip-Flop?

Willie Harris screwed up:

I was told I was on the hold sign. I saw the hold sign the first pitch. I kind of thought maybe it was just for the first pitch. But it's on [for every pitch] until he takes it off. I just kind of overlooked it, didn't think about it ... What can you do?

How about leaving the team?

Tim Wakefield was consistently inconsistent. He allowed a walk and a single in the first and dug himself a 2nd-and-3rd-no-out hole in the second. Wakefield: "I felt a little uncomfortable the first three innings, put a lot of guys on base, but after that I pitched OK." Uh, Tim, it was during that "OK" time that you gave up the four runs, allowing the first two Orioles to reach base and subsequently score in both the fourth and fifth innings.

JT Snow has requested a trade and the Red Sox are asking around. Snow hasn't started since April 22 and has five plate appearances in the past 20 games. ... Mark Loretta went 7-for-14 against the Orioles and has 24 hits in his last 49 at-bats (.490). ... Trot Nixon will probably leadoff in the game that Kevin Youkilis sits out in Philadelphia.

Jonathan Papelbon talked this spring about his desire to be a starting pitcher. Now, he says, that desire is "gone. Starting does not even enter my brain anymore. I get a lot of satisfaction out of closing. I feel like more of an everyday player. Hopefully, I'll be able to close for a long time. ... All of a sudden it's like a newfound glory. ... It's very satisfying. ... I could never start a game again in my life and I'd be happy."

At the same time, Craig Hansen, seen by many as Boston's next closer, started the second game of Pawtucket's doubleheader this past Monday. He allowed five hits with four strikeouts in a 4-0 win. While not saying anything regarding Hansen's future role with the team, the Red Sox believe Hansen's progress is best served by longer outings so he can use all his pitches.

My partner Laura will be happy with Papelbon's quote, since she wants him to stay in the pen. I do not.

G38: Orioles 4, Red Sox 3

Papi goes deep in the ninth to bring the Sox within striking distance (4-1 to 4-3 (he also drove in the first run on a grounder back in the first)) and after Tejada falls down on Pena's grounder to bring the go-ahead run to the plate, pinch-runner Willie Harris is thrown out trying to steal on a 1-0 pitch to Nixon, ending the game. Dave Roberts, he ain't. The umpire at second was out of position -- it is amazing how often that it is the case at second, third, and home -- but it did look like Tejada grabbed the throw on the hop and got the tag in.

The Yankees held on and beat Texas 4-3, so both Boston and New York are 23-15.

*****

Home!

And a return to individual posts for each game. ... I'd love to get NESN tonight -- for my first full game since April 20 -- but I'll try not to bitch if it's Comcast.

Wakefield / Bedard at 7 PM.

G36-37-38: Red Sox at Orioles

G38 has its own post, above.

0516, 8:45 PM -- In 15 minutes, we head to the Lima airport for our overnight flight to New York City. From there, we will grab a 9:30 am flight to Buffalo, where our car awaits. Then, it's over the border and west to Port Credit.

Coco Controversy? The Red Sox have said Coco Crisp's recovery has been slowed by flu-like symptoms, but according to the Manchester Union-Leader, Crisp told an event coordinator at an autograph show in Salem, NH, that he was dealing with kidney stones. Why the secrecy?

With no DH in Philadelphia this weekend, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis and Mike Lowell will each play two of the three games.

0515, 9:10 PM -- While flipping cable channels in our room after returning from dinner and vino in Lima, I ended up seeing Keith Foulke pitch the bottom of the 9th on ESPN2. Nice!

Wily Mo Pena drove in four runs, with a two-run homer in the second and a two-run single in the third. ... Jason Varitek scored four times and Mike Lowell smacked his fourth career triple (in 3,697 at-bats). ... Josh Beckett (who celebrated his 26th birthday with a 7-2-1-0-6 line), Julian Tavarez and Foulke combined on a three-hitter.

Texas came from behind to beat the Yankees 4-2, so Boston leads New York in the East by one game.

Don't miss the excellent feature on Pedro Martinez and his Greenwich, Conn., garden that ran in the Times back on May 9.

The only logical reaction to Bill Reynolds's column in the Providence Journal, headlined "Seems Only Money Is Sacred At Fenway"? Welcome to Planet Earth, Bill.

Preview. Red Sox play down the road from Babe Ruth's birthplace (the book section of the Museum's online store is particularly nice!). All games at 7 PM.

Monday, May 15: Red Sox 11, Orioles 1
Tuesday, May 16: Red Sox 6, Orioles 5
Wednesday, May 17: Orioles 4, Red Sox 3

G35: Rangers 6, Red Sox 0 (6 inn.)

0514, 5:00 PM -- Another one-game series.

Saturday's rain-out game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader during the weekend of June 9-11. Now, Sunday's game may mean five games in three days. (Both teams do have an off day July 20.)

The postponements will play havoc with the Sox pitching staff in early June, but it's good news for me. It's two games I didn't miss. And as I check the starters for the Orioles series, I know that I will be home in my chair with a clean scoresheet and a glass(es) of cold wine for the final game of the series.

Jeff Horrigan looks past Baltimore to the pitching assignments against the Phillies and Yankees. (New York placed Tanyon Sturtze (18 games, 7.59 ERA) on the 15-day disabled list with soreness in his pitching shoulder.)

Good news for Dave Wallace. He will receive a new left hip on June 1. ... Karen Guregian takes a quick look at how Abe Alvarez, Manny Delcarmen, Craig Hansen and Jon Lester are pitching in Pawtucket. ... Out in Los Angeles, Bill Mueller will have arthroscopic knee surgery today.

Books: Bob Hohler gives a solid endorsement of my friend Tom Adelman's book Black and Blue: The Golden Arm, the Robinson Boys, and the 1966 World Series That Stunned America.

Bob Ryan looks at the latest from Baseball Prospectus, Baseball Between The Numbers: Why Everything You Know About The Game Is Wrong. Ryan: Forget "feel." Forget "anecdotal evidence." Just put the numbers in there, crunch 'em, and accept the verdict, whatever it may be. ... The depth of their knowledge is not merely formidable or impressive. It is downright frightening." One of Ryan's favourite sentences: "In 2004, no visiting team ever found itself in a tie game with no one out in the fourth inning with men on second and third."

Eric Wilbur is sick of the Clemens Saga (and is certain the TCM will stay in Houston). The Houston Chronicle reports that Clemens has a $20 million offer for five months from another team, in addition to the Astros' offer (a prorated version of Clemens's 2005 $18 million deal).

The Onion reports Clemens's family has offered him a one-year, $10 million deal "with a family option for a second year should Clemens perform well in his new role as husband and father." According to his wife, Debbie

It's hard to put a dollar amount on what Roger has historically meant to this family. Many of the younger members of this organization really look up to Roger—growing up, he was their hero. Now Roger has the chance to be a kind of mentor to guys like Kacy and Kody. They have really been lacking the strong veteran presence that's so crucial at this point in their careers. We need you, Roger. Please come home.

0513, 7:45 PM -- Tonight's game was rained out and Friday's rain-shortened contest was called during David Ortiz's at-bat leading off the bottom of the sixth. ... The weather was terrible.

Jeff Goldberg, Courant:

When the game began, a fog blanketed Fenway. By the fourth inning, the fog lifted, but the rain, which began falling in the third inning, intensified. After a 48-minute delay, the game was called (at) 9:16 p.m. (as) large pools of water were forming on the warning track and in front of both dugouts.

Joe McDonald, ProJo:

The final box scores were handed out in the press box 16 minutes after the rain delay began, when the rule states clubs have to wait 30 minutes to make an official decision.

Jeff Horrigan, Herald:

A member of director of grounds Dave Mellor’s 25-man crew estimated that between 60-100 bags of Turface, or de facto kitty litter, was spread on the soggy mound, batter’s boxes and infield ...

Jonathan Papelbon has been grinding his teeth while sleeping this season, but he says he began doing it before the season began. Steve Buckley reports that he was applying a hot pack to both sides of his face during the recent Yankees series.

I think it's more just a self-conscious thing where I'm not really able to quit doing it. I'm doing it self-consciously and I think it's a little bit stress-related, maybe. But it's getting better and better. Obviously, as time goes on, I'm starting to learn how to cope with it and lessen the pain. ... I started doing it before spring training, at home during the offseason. ... Some days are worse than others. A lot of times I'm not able to sleep at night. I'm still thinking about baseball. I'm not letting everything go during the day.

Texas at Fenway.

May 12: Rangers 6, Red Sox 0 (6 inn.)
May 13: Postponed, rain
May 14: Postponed, rain

G32-33-34: Red Sox at Yankees

0512, 7:00 PM -- One of the Yankees' biggest weaknesses this season is their lack of a bench. Boston's group of subs was one of Theo Epstein's off-season coups. Right now, Bubba Crosby and Melky Cabrera (and Bernie Williams) are playing in place of Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui, who broke his left wrist trying to catch a line drive by Mark Loretta. Shemp had surgery Friday morning and could miss three months or perhaps the rest of the year. (Damon is also bruised.)

Both Sean McAdam and Chris Snow (as well as one Yankee beat writer) said last night's win felt like a playoff game. The teams used 11 pitchers, seven by the Yankees, including four for four Sox hitters in the sixth -- Scott Proctor for Loretta, Mike Myers for David Ortiz, Tanyon Sturtze for Manny Ramirez, and Ron Villone for Trot Nixon. The Sox got some great pitching from Tim Wakefield, Mike Timlin, Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon.

David Ortiz has the highest batting average against the Yankees (.360) of any Red Sox player since 1960 with at least 100 AB. The rest of the top six: Jody Reed (.355), Jim Rice (.336), Manny Ramirez (.324), Nomar Garciaparra (.298) and Reggie Smith (.293). ... Boston has won three of its four games against New York, and has come from behind in all three victories. The Sox have 12 come-from-behind wins.

No one knows why Curt Schilling left Yankee Stadium for approximately an hour before yesterday's game for what the club called a "non-pitching-related medical issue". Schilling: "It's nothing. I'm fine. It has nothing to do with baseball."

David Wells's advice for Alex Rodriguez: "In order to get the respect of George, you have to fight back. He can be tough to play for, but if you can overcome the jabs, it's great. You've got him in your hip pocket. ... I think [Rodriguez] cares about what's written about him in the papers instead of letting it go in one ear and out the other."

0511, 4:30 PM -- And the pendulum swings back again.

The Globe's Chris Snow wonders whether it's a coincidence that Curt Schilling was 4-0, 1.61 before throwing 133 pitches in Cleveland, and 1-2, 6.20 in his four subsequent starts.

Schilling on his troubles last night:

Early on, I could tell the way Mike was throwing that it was a small strike zone. Not having corners, he figured it out and I didn't. Any time you're facing either one of these lineups and the strike zone is smaller than you're used to, you got to make adjustments. He did it and I didn't.

Random Stuff: Manny Ramirez, who has not missed a game this season, is playing with a sore right knee. In his last 21 games, Manny has hit .386 (27-for-70), lifting his average from .205 to .321.

On Tuesday night, Wily Mo Pena became the first Red Sox outfielder in at least 46 years to play all three outfield positions in the same game. ... Before homering in his first AB last night, Mike Lowell's previous eight hits were all doubles. It was the longest such streak in MLB since 1995. ... David Wells threw approximately 75 pitches in a simulated game on Wednesday, will pitch another simulated game Saturday, and is on schedule to make a rehab start for Pawtucket on May 18.

David Ortiz went 4-for4: "Hitting is just crazy, man. Sometimes you can put a perfect swing on the ball and you'll hit it right at somebody. This past week, at home, I felt like there were 20 guys playing defense, three pitchers on the mound and I was guessing who was throwing the ball." ... Coco Crisp is sick, likely pushing his return back to around May 22-23. ... Before last night's game, Kevin Youkilis led all leadoff hitters in on-base percentage (.438). ... David Riske, on the disabled list since April 12 with a lower back strain, threw 26 pitches (2 walks, 2 strikeouts) for Pawtucket last night.

After his horrible start on Tuesday, the Yankees sent Randy Johnson for an MRI, which revealed no structural problems with his left shoulder. The ProJo quoted a longtime AL scout:

It looks to me like he doesn't trust his fastball (which registered mostly 91-92 mph Tuesday). He threw an awful lot of sliders. ... I think he's kind of in transition, going from power pitcher to a guy who isn't quite as dominant and he's not sure how to go about it. Pedro did it; Tom Seaver did it. I don't know if Randy knows how. He's so accustomed to intimidating hitters, and he can't do it anymore.

0510, 12:30 PM -- Here are some snips about Game 1 from the New York papers. Enjoy!

Joel Sherman, New York Post

Slowly all Randy Johnson's weapons are oozing away. His fastball, his menace and precision have all degenerated. But most disturbing of all is the absence of anything resembling a fight.

He lost more than the strike zone and a game last night. Before a full house that included George Steinbrenner, Johnson lost his nerve. He sure appeared like a guy who wanted nothing to do with being 60 feet, six inches away from the Red Sox. And we are all going to love to hear how that is Jorge Posada's fault. ...

Joe Torre alibied for his pitcher in the aftermath of a humiliating 14-3 loss to Boston, saying the defeatist body language was "frustration" not surrender. Thus, Torre had more spin than any of Johnson's sliders. ...

What can the Yanks now think they are getting in 2007? Johnson took a step back from being an ace last year. This season he looks as if he is sliding further down the rotation hierarchy. At this rate, he will be Jesse Orosco next season. ...

In both the third and fourth innings, Johnson was set up for big damage by being unable to subdue eighth and ninth hitters Dustan Mohr and Alex Gonzalez, the kind of batters he had spent his career overwhelming. Johnson was booed vehemently off the mound in the fourth, and it was only partially about the numbers.

Johnson has no goodwill here. He is a snarling outsider who came for the money. And the fans could sense that when the going got tough last night, Johnson got timid; afraid of the strike zone, afraid of the Red Sox. The Yankee faithful might be able to accept him as less than an ace, but not as the Small Unit.

Jon Heyman, Newsday

An open letter to Randy Johnson:

Perhaps you were on to something when you recently said you'd "walk away" if you could no longer pitch like you used to.

If you think about it, retirement to your home in awfully idyllic-sounding Paradise Valley, Ariz., offers you a lot of pluses. ...

There are no teammates to let you down, to fumble grounders and to drop fly balls. You and I know who I mean, Randy. Yes, Alex Rodriguez, who makes more than you (the indignity of it all!), and that famed Triple-A stalwart Melky "Shaky" Cabrera, who teamed up to sabotage you in your 14-3 defeat last night.

In Paradise Valley, there are no pitching coaches to annoy you, no ill-informed writers to rip you, no nosy cameramen to snap your picture. ...

If you left, you'd never again have to deal with, listen to or see Jorge Posada, Joe Torre, Charlie Reliford, big hitters like Mark Loretta and Alex Gonzalez, tabloid writers, the clubhouse rubdown guy, or anyone else you'd normally care to blame for making you look bad last night. ...

You've had your Hall-of-Fame career. You've had great moments, many against the Yankees, and practically none for them.

This is no time, 20 years in, to start injecting Rick Ankiel moments, Randy. You have to know that.

The one and only reason for you to stay would be to collect all the loot you have coming to you. Since you probably came here for the green stuff, anyway, the guess here is you ignore my advice - and your own promise and you keep pitching.

Murray Chass, New York Times

After the debacle at Yankee Stadium last night, the Yankees will invoke in mind and matter tonight the baseball cliche that momentum is as good as the next game's pitcher. Or how about the one that the baseball season is not a sprint but a marathon? Or the one that says one game is just that — one game, one-162nd of the season. ...

[Those cliches] had better be right and meaningful in order for the Yankees to have hope for the rest of the season, because the Yankees played a game last night that would be enough to bury a team of mere mortals.

The game would have been bad enough had the Yankees played the Tampa Bay Devil Rays or the Kansas City Royals. But they played the Red Sox, their archrivals, the team that lives for their death, the team whose chief executive labeled them the Evil Empire.

The Empire did not look so evil last night. Ugly, but not evil. The Empire wore no clothes. With no clothes, the Empire was ugly, oh so ugly.

Jeff Jacobs, Hartford Courant

Johnson will be 44 when his contract expires at the end of the 2007 season, and it has grown clearer through the first six weeks of 2006 that the Big Unit is an intimidating legend of yore.

The present-day Randy Johnson is not nearly as menacing.

The 2006 Johnson is hittable for righthanders.

The 2006 Johnson doesn't scare lefties to tears anymore.

And the 2007 version doesn't figure to get any more frightening. ...

The Yankees had averaged 9.3 runs through Johnson's first seven starts, and there have been times when it looked like he has needed all 9.3. ...

If this was a statement game, then Johnson's statement is this after allowing seven runs, albeit only two earned: I'm no longer the dominant pitcher in the game. Not even close. ... Johnson can't overpower his way out of trouble anymore. ...

George King, New York Post

On a night when the Yankees were Coyote Ugly, it wasn't hard to spot the most unattractive man in pinstripes. Randy Johnson could be midget and he would have stood out because he was putrid. ... In Johnson's last five starts, he is 3-2 with a hefty 7.09 ERA. During 26.2 innings, he has allowed 30 hits, 14 walks and notched 16 strikeouts.

If his name wasn't Randy Johnson and the Yankees weren't paying him $16 million this year and next, Scott Proctor would replace Johnson in the rotation and nobody would growl. But he is who he is, and that's too much money for a long reliever, so Johnson will remain in the rotation - and remain the Yankees' biggest worry.

Mike Lupica, New York Daily News

The Yankees, who often buy the past, thought they were getting the old Randy Johnson, the one who started Game 6 of the 2001 World Series and finished Game 7. They thought they were getting the lefthanded Roger Clemens, thought it wouldn't matter that he was old the way it didn't matter that Clemens was old and he got here after winning all those games somewhere else. Sometimes it works out when the Yankees pay you all that money for what you used to be. Not with Johnson. Not now in New York, maybe not ever. He is just another pitcher now. The idea that the old Johnson is going to show up any day is getting older by the day, the way he is. Big Unit last night at the Stadium? Not even close. Big Mess is more like it.

Steve Politi, Newark Star-Ledger

Johnson was all over the map in this one. He threw 92 pitches to 21 batters, nine times reaching a three-ball count. He fell behind guys like Wily Mo Pena and Dustan Mohr like they were Gehrig and Ruth. ... A-Rod tried his darnedest [to absolve Johnson], but he wasn't exactly convincing when he mused that Johnson "maybe he probably would have thrown a shutout or something" had he made the play in the third inning.

Johnson wouldn't have thrown a shutout against a Little League team, or even the Kansas City Royals, the way he pitched in this one. Taken alone, maybe the Yankees could dismiss this as one in 162, a night to forget. But they have to know something is very wrong with their supposed ace. ...

A new sign that Johnson isn't what he once was seems to pop up every start. In the fourth inning, light-hitting Mark Loretta came to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs. Johnson quickly fell behind 3-0 in the count to a guy with a lifetime .075 average against him, and that wasn't the surprising part.

Boston manager Terry Francona gave Loretta the green light, and he lined the pitch from Johnson down the left-field line for a two-run single.

Bob Herzog, Newsday

There was a good reason why George Steinbrenner left last night's game after only seven innings. The Boss had seen enough.

"What did you think of the game?" a writer yelled at Steinbrenner as he was about to get into his blue Lincoln Town Car outside the press entrance at Yankee Stadium at 9:50. Then he stopped briefly and barked, "What'd you think of the game?" To emphasize his displeasure, Steinbrenner pointed at the trio of writers and repeated, "What'd you think of it?"

As an angry Steinbrenner was climbing into the rear seat of his car, a Newsday reporter shouted, "Are you a little upset at Randy?" The Boss stopped again. "I'm upset at a lot of them," he snapped, then so there was no mistaking one of his targets, added a closing statement. "The third baseman!"

Mike Vaccaro, New York Post

That's the way of Alex Rodriguez' world, of course. He wasn't the only blight last night, the only reason why Yankees fans had indigestion as they left Yankee Stadium after watching the Red Sox lay a 14-3 pasting on the Yankees. A-Rod carries a Grade-A persecution complex on his back like a set of wrought-iron shoulder pads, but there's never anything about the Yankees that's completely his fault.

It just seems that way sometimes. ... [T]here is always something extra special about the struggles of Alex Rodriguez, especially against the Red Sox, because it is his fate and his destiny. That is the way he is forever going to be judged. These are the games that define him, that will always define him.

And so last night, with a chance to end the third inning with a routine ground ball, Rodriguez let David Ortiz dribbler eat him up, then couldn't find the ball, then couldn't throw Ortiz out, and before long three unearned runs came trotting home and Johnson's night took a permanent turn for the worst.

There was another error later on. There was another ultra-soft 0-for-3 collar, dropping his batting average to .259. ...

On a night that was a complete washout for just about everyone involved, Rodriguez should have just blended in with the rest of the banana peels. But that's not the way it works for Rodriguez. He's never been a blender. He's the red sleigh on a mountain of untouched snow, the yellow jacket in a glee club of blue jackets. He stands out. He always has. He always will.

And in this series, this rivalry, that will be the case forever - partly because he was almost a Red Sox player, partly because last year he won a close MVP battle with David Ortiz, a race that was too close to call the whole way and one that many people still think went the wrong way. Naturally, last night, Ortiz seemed to break out of a terrible slump. A-Rod had his 0-fer.

John Harper, New York Daily News

All we know for sure is that A-Rod failed the Yankees again at an important moment, this time with his glove instead of his bat. And so you begin to wonder if he is ever going to win over this town, no matter what kind of numbers he puts up, or how many MVP awards he wins.

You begin to wonder if he is ever going to do something big to beat the Red Sox. They seem to bring out the worst in him, which is why Yankee fans are always ready to boo him at their first opportunity, as they did last night.

It has nothing to do with the money, either. This town gave A-Rod a hero's welcome upon his arrival, and New Yorkers wanted to love him as much as they love Derek Jeter. But you can't fool the fans. They know who produces in the clutch and who doesn't.

It's not as if A-Rod has never delivered for the Yankees. It's just that the failures have been so much more memorable: the 1-for-17 on his first trip to Fenway as a Yankee; the silent bat over the final four games of the 2004 ALCS, the historic collapse against the Sox; the double-play ground ball in the ninth inning last October against the Angels.

His glove has been good, except for that ground ball against the Red Sox early last season with the bases loaded. And now two errors last night, including the big one in the third inning, to go with an 0-for-3 night at the plate. ...

The good news for the game's highest-paid player is that there are always chances to redeem himself against the Red Sox, win his way back into The Boss' heart. Two more games in this series. Still 17 more to play against them this season.

Surely it has to change at some point, doesn't it? ...

0510, 11:30 AM -- Game 1 is a laugher ... with season highs in runs (14) and hits (16).

Facing a lineup with a collective .176 career batting average against him, Randy Johnson lasted only 3.2 innings -- his shortest outing against the Sox since September 7, 1991. He walked five batters for the first time in almost four years. His ERA this season is now 5.01. ... Jon Heyman of Newsday suggests that Johnson retire -- now!

And although yesterday's New York Post suggested the Yankee pitchers should "DROP PAPI"

The Yankees have to droppy Papi. They need to brush the beast back. They need to pick out one of David Ortiz' chins and let a little music dance across the whiskers. And they need to do this immediately. ...

It's been three-plus years now, and it's time. Look, Ortiz has battered and butchered American League pitching of every stripe, rank and pedigree ... And in The Bronx, he is otherworldly. ...

Part of that is sheer skill, of course. Part of that is confidence. Part of that is the nervous buzz that fills Yankee Stadium - a nice bookend to the electric jolt that consumes Fenway Park - whenever Ortiz digs in 60 feet, six inches away from a Yankee hurler.

And that's the problem. That's what's maddening. If Ortiz were any more comfortable at the plate, he'd bring a chaise lounge, a pitcher of Pina Coladas and a couple of Cuban cigars with him to the batter's box. If he were any more settled in, he'd hang a badminton net on the grass.

there was no chin music.

Johnny Damon now says the poor reception he received at Fenway Park was "pretty vicious". Maybe it would have been less harsh if he had kept his yap shut all winter. Also, no word on what he thought about the Yankee Stadium yahoos booing Randy Johnson last night.

Alright, I admit it, sometimes when Curt Schilling runs his mouth, I like it. On Yankees fans:

They don't like us, and they're not shy about expressing their dislike for us. Part of the experience of pitching here, for me, is the fans. I know they are waiting with baited breath for that first mess-up. If you're a Yankee, they're phenomenal fans. They're not stupid - well, most of them are. ... [T]hey love their team, and they hate everybody else. And in a nutshell, that's Red Sox fans, too. That's the beauty of playing there.

and on the Gotham media:

Most of the guys and gals that write [in New York] are such horrific hacks anyway ... I mean, seriously, I've played in a couple of cities before coming to Boston, and the dredge of the places that I played in respect to the media, the people who wrote there have left those cities and come here, and they write here now.

0509, 3:00 PM -- Josh Beckett returns to Yankee Stadium for the first time since Game 6 of the 2003 World Series (October 25), as do former Marlins Mike Lowell and Alex Gonzalez.

Beckett:

The last out, that was the most exciting moment, the most exciting time of them all. It was almost like a surreal feeling. It took a good, solid three weeks or so for that to go away.

Beckett Stats:

                IP   H  ER BB  K  HR HBP  ERA
1st 3 starts    21  16   3  6  12  0  0  1.29
last 3 starts:  16  16  17 10  11  6  3  9.56

The Red Sox have called up lefty Mike Holtz for the New York series, sending Manny Delcarmen back to Pawtucket.

The Yankees put Garry Sheffield on the 15-day DL. ... Also the Post suggests the New York pitchers throw at David Ortiz.

Roger Clemens will decide by mid-June if he will pitch this season, and one subplot to this series is that both Boston and New York are in the running.

In The Bronx.

New York   18 11 .621   --
Boston     19 12 .613   --
Toronto    16 14 .533  2.5
Baltimore  14 19 .424  6.0
Tampa Bay  13 19 .406  6.5

Tuesday,   May  9 - Red Sox 14, Yankees 3
Wednesday, May 10 - Yankees 7, Red Sox 3
Thursday,  May 11 - Red Sox 5, Yankees 3

G29-30-31: Orioles at Red Sox

0507, 7:15 PM -- Sweep! Lenny DiNardo walked four in the first, but Jason Varitek countered with a grand slam in the bottom half. DiNardo settled down (5-2-2-1-5-5) and combined with Julian Tavarez, Keith Foulke and Manny Delcarmen on a four-hitter.

At the top of the order, Keith Youkilis (.330) and Mark Loretta each had three hits and scored two runs. Mike Lowell hit his 17th double.

0507, 12:09 PM -- Quote of the series: Kevin Millar, May 5: "Ortiz would love to see my naked body."

0507, 11:25 AM -- The Red Sox have won their last 10 games against the Orioles. They won 11 straight from September 25, 1976 to June 23, 1977.

Matt Clement will not pitch against the Yankees. Terry Francona is holding him back, so Schilling and Wakefield stay on their normal schedule. Clement will face Texas on Friday on seven days rest.

Wanna know what the CHB's next column will be about? Keith Foulke wants the Hall of Fame to return the spikes he wore in the 2004 World Series.

0506, 9:00 PM -- Getting caught up with the papers after a two-day absence:

Sean McAdam reports that there's been "talk within the organization of trying Craig Hansen in a starting role." Theo Epsten admits "it's a bit of a longshot ... but it hasn't been totally dismissed."

Mike Lowell is a doubles machine. He hit three more on Friday, taking over the AL lead with 16. (I also saw his diving foul catch of Brandon Fahey's bunt, thanks to MLB!) Lowell is hitting .417 (25-for-60) over his last 15 games (and 15-for-30 over his last eight), raisng his average to .350.

Coco Crisp has begun practicing, catching little orange balls with his bare hand. Jeff Horrigan of the Herald writes that becuse Crisp "still hasn't been given clearance to swing a bat, which could push back the timetable for his return to later in the month than projected." ... Coco says: "I'm sticking with a week-and-a-half for now. I'm getting the (range of) motion back and the tendon is loosening up because of the swelling but the discomfort has gone down and there’s no pain."

David Wells could return to the starting rotation as early as May 23 if all goes according to plan. ... In an article about Alex ".184" Gonzalez and his job security, the Globe's Nick Cafardo describes Edgar Renteria as "a quiet guy who likes playing without a lot of fanfare. Definitely not a Boston guy." ... Hmmm, Nick, ever hear of Bill Mueller?

0504, 7:30 PM -- Writers are not responsible for the headlines over their articles, so when I saw this

Now it's time for Papelbon to show he can rebound

over Sean McAdam's column, I figured I'd still read what he wrote. Sadly, the silliness of the headline was matched in the text:

The streak is over. Now comes the interesting part. ... (Terry Francona and the rest of the Red Sox) want to know that last night's mishap won't carry over. They want to see that Papelbon can bounce back. ... The key will be to see how Papelbon deals with the setback. For a younger, less confident pitcher, the disappointment could linger.

McAdam has got to be kidding, right? After the Boston media has been writing about how tough Papelbon is and how cool and collected he has been under pressure, now that he allowed one measly run, some are wondering if it might destroy him? Unbelievable.

By the way, that run was the first allowed by Papelbon since September 19, 2005 -- 25.1 innings ago.

The Red Sox lost their first one-run game at Fenway since April 19, 2005. The 18 straight home wins tied the major league record of the 1925-26 St. Louis Browns and 1963-64 Baltimore Orioles. ... In his last seven games -- which include five in center field -- Wily Mo Pena is hitting .357 (10-for-28).

I don't want to get into a debate about Barry Bonds, but Bud Selig is behaving like a petty shithead. First, he says MLB will do nothng special if/when he passes Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list. Now, MLB will not authenticate the baseball Bonds hits for number 715. It's not the all-time record, but it is hugely important in the game's history.

P.S.: There was some speculation in the G26 Game Post that a Yankees fan was posting/pretending to be a Sox fan. He denied it, and I have said he is more than welcome to hang out here, but any questions about his identity have been put to rest.

Next:

Friday May 5   - Red Sox 6, Orioles 3
Saturday May 6 - Red Sox 9, Orioles 3
Sunday May 7   - Red Sox 10, Orioles 3

G27-28: Blue Jays at Red Sox

0503, 9:15 PM -- I'm becoming a big Doug Mirabelli fan.

I'm still high about the whole situation. I was sad when I (was traded). I was afraid I'd never see Fenway Park again. I'm just elated to be back. ... For a backup catcher to get that kind of applause (a standing ovation when he was announced on Monday), I'll never forget it.

Once I heard (the Red Sox) were interested, the one thing I made clear was 'Please, don't trade me to the Yankees.' Kevin Towers told me, 'I granted your wishes. I'm going to make you a Red Sox again.'

Jonathan Papelbon was named AL Rookie of the Month for April. He was 10-for-10 in save chances and finished four other games without allowing a run. He's struck out 16 batters in 15.1 innings and opposing hitters are batting a mere .137. ... "I haven't thought about starting since the season started. I don't know what the future holds. ... I may have been quoted before saying I wanted to start, but I'm feeling pretty good about this closing deal."

Mariano Rivera, after seeing Paplebon on Monday:

He has a lot of abilities. He proves he can throw strikes. That's the key. What I saw from him is he threw strikes and he challenged hitters. If you do that, you go far. That's my approach, always. It always has been. No matter who it is, you have to go for it. ... There's still a lot of road in front of him and a lot still to prove, but so far, he's doing good.

Josh Beckett has not been inside Yankee Stadium since Game 6 of the 2003 World Series. He will likely open the Red Sox's series there next week. Boston will pitch Beckett, Matt Clement and Curt Schilling.

0503, 1:00 PM -- Great bit Amalie Benjamin's story on the cross-country trip of the Stud Who Hits Bombs:

"I was excited," said Mirabelli, who, against some people's advice to "cut the cord," had watched every Red Sox game this season. "I was hoping it was going to get done. I was worried the Yankees would step in and do that. I'm glad it worked out the way it did. I knew, since they were flying me across country, that they wanted me here as fast as possible. I told Theo [Epstein] after I got traded, 'If I can make it on time, I'll play.'"

Up next:

May 3 - Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 6
May 4 - Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 4

G26: Red Sox 7, Yankees 3

0502, 8:30 PM -- And the second one is washed away -- postponed until mid-August.

Greg Rybarczyk, creator of the home run tracking device Hit Tracker, on David Ortiz's home run off Mike Myers:

Using 46 degrees and 16 m.p.h. wind in from CF, Ortiz's homer left the bat at 120.7 m.p.h., at an angle of 37.7 degrees (a very nice hit speed and angle for distance). It actually traveled 395 feet, and the impact from atmospherics were as follows: Impact from wind: -54 feet (as compared to no wind). Impact from temperature: -12 feet (as compared to a 70 degree day). If there had been no wind and 70 degrees, the ball would have gone 460 feet (this is what I call 'standard distance'). So far this year, there have only been 10 homers hit that had a longer 'standard distance.' Another stat: if the wind had been blowing out to CF at 16 m.p.h. instead, the ball would have gone 509 feet, and it would have landed about 25 rows up in section 37 of the CF bleachers.

Theo Epstein explained the Red Sox's Belli dance:

It was sort of an ongoing evaluation process. How long was it going to take Josh to get up to a certain level? What's the acquisition cost of Mirabelli? What are our other options? The acquisition cost was pretty reasonable. We were at a point where it was getting into the season enough where we thought it was time to do something.

The Globe´s Bob Ryan called Brian Cashman and asked him about the rumour that the Yankes were involved in the Mirabelli deal:

I couldn't let it be just a one-horse race. They'd have to pay the highest price. Everyone in baseball knew [the Red Sox] would be calling [San Diego]. So if I could do anything to delay it or get the price up ... I'm not saying I did any of that, but that's my job.

In his last 15 games, Manny Ramirez is hitting .353, raising his average from .205 to .289.

0501, 10:12 PM -- The first one is in the books.

Before the series began, Joe Torre joked: "All the attention's going to be on Johnny Damon. I guess Mike Myers will be able to slide."

And yes, it turns out that the Fenway fans did cheer Myers, another Sock-turned-Yank. He surrendered David Ortiz's 11th home run of the season, a three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth inning that put Monday's game on ice. Thanks, Mike!

Down 3-1, Boston tied the game in the fifth, then went ahead with four runs in the eighth. With the game on the line, Torre relied, not on Rivera, but Sturtze and Myers. Not a wise decision.

The Yankees had only four hits against Wakefield, Timlin and Papelbon.

I was surprised to see that Mirabelli is back. Was this rumoured for awhile or did it come out of the blue?

0501, 9:00 PM -- My short take on booing: If this was 2005, I would say -- I would demand! -- that Damon deserves a 5-10 minute standing ovation when he walks from the on-deck circle to the plate. Once his at-bat begins, then we cheer strikes and outs and boo balls and hits.

However, this is 2006. We thanked Damon for what he did in 2004 -- including driving a huge stake through the MFY hearts with his Game 7 Slam -- all of last season. Looking at the calendar -- and weighing all of his comments over the winter and spring -- booing is appropriate.

0430, 9:00 PM -- Hey, Johnny! Boooooooooooo!

Monday  May 1  Red Sox 7, Yankees 3
Tuesday May 2  Rained out

G23-24-25: Red Sox at Devil Rays

0430, 2:00 PM -- By striking out the side in the ninth inning on Saturday for his 10th save (in 10 chances), Jonathan Papelbon became the first pitcher in history to get 10 saves in April after beginning the season without any career saves. He has also pitched 20.1 consecutive scoreless innings, dating back to last season.

As Yaz-Tex notes in comments, how long can Francona "trot a tomato can out to the bump every fifth day" before moving Pap and his now-shaved head into the rotation? In a related note, reliever Craig Hansen -- just promoted from Portland -- pitched 2.1 hitless innings in his AAA debut on Friday.

A new x-ray shows that Coco Crisp´s fractured left index finger has improved significantly and Terry Francona reports that a mid-May return to the lineup is possible.

0429 7:10 PM -- Hello from Aguas Calientes, a small village down the road from Machu Picchu. We spent about 6 hours at the ancient Inca site today -- it is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen -- and we are going back at 6 AM tomorrow morning.

Clearly, I am not missing much Sox fun while on vacation (although I would like it if you guys left more comments about the games/team that I may not see when I skim the papers).

Noodle Bats: Last night's loss to Tampa Bay was the 10th time this season that the Red Sox scored three or fewer runs. ... Over the last 13 games, the Red Sox are hitting .243. ... In the first seven games of the current road trip, the hitters are 12-for-75 (.160) with runners in scoring position and the starting pitchers have a 8.36 ERA.

Other things I read this evening: If Lenny DiNardo is replaced in the rotation, it will likely be with righty Matt Ginter. ... Josh Bard will catch Tim Wakefield on Monday against New York. ... Coco Crisp is looking at a mid-May return.

Back in 2004, Dodger Alex Cora had an 18-pitch at-bat against Cub Matt Clement. He ended the 13:56 AB with a two-run home run. On Thursday night, Cora worked a 15-pitch walk against Paul Byrd: called strike, ball, called strike, ball, foul, ball, foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, foul, ball.

Arrggh: The Yankees scored in every inning (8) -- one of my favourite things in baseball -- beating Toronto 17-5 this afternoon. 412 231 31x. Bastards. At least they didn't score in all nine. (The Tigers missed it by one inning, as many teams do: 324 204 21x)

Probables:

Friday, April 28:   Devil Rays 5, Red Sox 2
Saturday, April 29: Red Sox 9, Devil Rays 6
Sunday, April 30:   Schilling / Kazmir

G20-21-22: Red Sox at Cleveland

0427, 6 PM - Was hoping to find a bar with the Sox game on ESPN, but it turns out we have to get up at about 4:45 tomorrow/Friday morning to take a four-hour train from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. So it´ll be an early night.

0426, 7 PM: We are in Cuzco tonight and Thursday. Maybe we´ll find a bar with ESPN for tomorrow nights game.

Nice to see Manny come through last night, after Schilling was left in for the seventh. I was following along for the 7th via Gameday and it seemed like a mistake even before the game-tying hits. 133 pitches -- WTF? ... Tonight: Go Timmy!

0425, 9:30 AM - We have landed safely in Peru. I thought the country was in the eastern time zone, but apparently it is one hour west/earlier. And you know what time that is, right?



Probables:

Tuesday:   Red Sox 8,Cleveland 6
Wednesday: Cleveland 7, Red Sox 1
Thursday:  Cleveland 15, Red Sox 3

Schilling:

          IP  H  R ER BB  K  PIT
0403 @TEX  7  5  2  2  1  5  117
0408 @BAL  7  3  1  1  2  4  114
0414  SEA  8  3  1  1  0  7  104
0419  TB   6  6  1  1  1  7  108
 
          28 17  5  5  4 23  443  1.61

Keep it going.

Peru

So we're off. Driving this afternoon to Buffalo, flying to New York, then an overnight flight to Lima. I'll be checking in every couple of days -- whenever we get to an internet cafe.

Two highlights will be:

Machu Picchu (we'll be there next weekend!)


and flying over the Nazca lines (on May 8).


Laura's travel journal -- as we go from Lima to Cusco to Aguas Calientes to Juliaca to Puno to Arequipa to Nazca to Trujillo to Chiclato to Sipan -- will be here.

G19: Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 3

Red Sox   - 300 100 011 - 6 12 1
Blue Jays - 000 300 000 - 3 10 0

I can't take the Red Sox radio announcers (Joe Castiglione and Jerry Trupiano) more than a couple times a year -- they chat about college sports way too much, make the game seem as exciting as watching paint dry, and just irritate the hell out of me -- so today I listened to the game online with the Jays announcers.

They were decent (I guess one of them was Jerry Howarth), calling the game simply with just a touch of homerism, and kept the stupid comments to a real minimum (though they did praise Jason Varitek for his mind-numbingly stupid bunt in the fifth inning as though he had cured cancer). (Reports from home indicate that the Jays TV announcers are okay until their team gets the lead, then they become insufferable dicks.) I'll probably check in with the visiting teams' radio guys on the weekends all summer. Well, every team but the Yankees.

A game of missed chances on both sides, especially in the middle innings -- Boston left the bases loaded in both the fifth and sixth inning (and had a total of 14 LOB) and Toronto left three on in the fifth and two on in the sixth.

But after Matt Clement left after a shaky outing (5.1-7-3-2-4), Keith Foulke retired all five batters he faced (striking out three), Mike Timlin allowed only a one-out single in the 8th, and Jonathan Papelbon, after the first two Jays got on to bring the tying run to the plate, toughened up and struck out Vernon Wells and got Troy Glaus to hit into a double play.

11:50 AM -- The Herald's Tony Massarotti reports that "Manny Ramirez spent part of his pre-game prep time doing imitations of Kevin Youkilis' batting stance, an act that had teammates in stitches." ... That's making me chuckle just thinking about it.

Youkilis, 1b
Loretta, 2b
Ortiz, dh
Ramirez, lf
Nixon, rf
Varitek, c
Lowell, 3b
Harris, cf
Gonzalez, ss

11:00 AM -- How 'bout we win one, hmm?

Team Stats And Standings

In 18 games, the Red Sox are hitting only .256 (11th in the AL, ahead of only Seattle, KC and Oakland (.224!)). Toronto leads the league at .314. However, Boston is 6th in on-base percentage at .344 (the Yankees are #1 at .388) and 10th in slugging percentage (though 5th in extra-base hits).

The Sox lead the league in pitches seen per plate appearance with 4.02 (Kevin Youkilis and Manny Ramirez are #2 and #3, behind Jason Giambi).

In a slightly more important category, they are 10th in runs scored. They have scored three runs or fewer in 7 of their 18 games (they are 4-3 in those games). They are 8th in Runs Created Per 27 Outs (4.95); New York is tops with 6.65.

Here are the current standings, total runs scored and runs allowed and each team's expected record based on RS/RA.

           W  L  GB   RS   RA  ExW/L  GB
Boston    11  7  --   84   80   9- 9   3
Baltimore 11  8   ½  110  110  10-10   3
Toronto    9  7  1    98   84   9- 7   2
New York   8  8  2    99   70  11- 5  --
Tampa Bay  8 10  3    95  113   7-11   5

It looks like the Yankees have been the victims of some bad luck, but this early in the season, I think the RS/RA difference is skewed because of two blowout wins (15-2 on Opening Day and 10-1 on April 9). Subtract those games and New York's RS/RA is 74-67, which projectes to a .549 winning percentage.

Keith Foulke on his role and workload:

My whole career, I've always told everybody, the more I pitch the better I am ... That's how I get into my grooves and become a very good pitcher. ... I'm not going to fool myself, thinking that I'm better than he [Papelbon] is. At the point right now, I'm not. If I've got to pitch in a different role to help this team win, I've got no problem with that. ... The thing I have to make sure everybody understands is that it's [his knees] not affecting my pitching. That's the one thing that's different this year. They may ache in everyday life, but it doesn't affect my pitching this year.

The Philadelphia Inquirer has a story on Jonathan Papelbon. ... Catching up with Gabe Kapler and Jeffrey Maier. ... And the 2004 Final Out Ball is being sent to the Hall of Fame.

Manny Delcarmen Joins Sox

Manny Delcarmen is up from Pawtucket (where he has pitched 10 scoreless innings in five appearances), replacing Jermaine Van Buren.

Jonathan Papelbon has a mohawk.

G18: Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 1

Red Sox   - 000 100 000 - 1  6  0
Blue Jays - 410 300 00x - 8 13  0

Bah. Five of the first six Blue Jays reached base against DiNardo (the one that didn't crushed a ball to deep center field). Four of them scored.

The Red Sox forced Roy Halladay to throw 90 pitches in five innings, but left five runners on base over the third, fourth and fifth innings. Kevin Youkilis's single with one out in the fifth was the team's last hit of the afternoon.

Good News: Trot Nixon went 2-for-3 (though, in a bonehead move, he was tagged out in the second inning when he turned towards second base and then was slow wandering back to the bag) and Josh Bard doubled, singled and walked.

12:00 PM -- Lenny DiNardo makes his second start of the season.

Kevin Youkilis moves across the infield to third today and JT Snow gets a start at first. Also, Josh Bard is catching and hitting 9th. It's raining in Toronto, so the roof will be closed.

G17: Blue Jays 7, Red Sox 6 (12)

Red Sox   - 003 001 020 000 - 6  9 1
Blue Jays - 000 200 040 001 - 7 10 0

I think I'm glad I missed this one. Followed along for the first five or six innings, then got busy, and could only check in every 15 minutes or so.

Nice to see Manny is back to being Manny.

And please, Theo, either leave Rudy Seanez at the border or toss him out of the plans over Lake Ontario. RSN thanks you in advance.

5:30 PM -- Back at work today after missing all of last weekend with the flu. The Red Sox start a three-game series at the Skydome, maybe 10 blocks from where I'm typing this. With luck, I'll be able to follow along on line.

Wells In Pain; Crisp Will Miss Road Trip

We probably shouldn't expect too much more from David Wells.

He received his second injection of Synvisc yesterday and after playing catch, said his right knee "still hurts. I could feel it on almost every [throw]. If I struggle to play catch, imagine pitching. ... If [the shots] don't work, then I don't pitch and I go home. There really isn't anything you can do. ... If I knew (in the offseason) that this was going to happen, I would have said goodbye last year."

Coco Crisp is now wearing a more flexible splint on his left index finger, but he's still two weeks away from working out. Terry Francona said "the hope is that when we get home off this trip, another 10 days, he'll be able to start ... hit[ting] off a tee, then soft-tossing [batting practice] and that progression will lead up to him playing in games."

Ex-Marlins teammates Josh Beckett and AJ Burnett face off at Skydome tonight. Beckett: "You know what's great about the American League? I don't even have to face him [at the plate]. It's going to be fun. ... He's a friend of mine, and I hope he does well. I just hope I do better." ... Burnett: "I wish we could hit. Beckett-Burnett? That would be cool, man. I've always been a big Josh fan, whether we got along or not."

Personal Note: I'll be leaving for a three-week vacation in Peru this Monday night (back May 18). With luck, I'll be able to visit internet cafes every other day or so. Ideally, I'll have open threads for each series -- including the Return of Johnny to Fenway! -- for game comments and news.

G16: Devil Rays 5, Red Sox 1

Devil Rays - 000 200 102 - 5  7  1
Red Sox -    010 000 000 - 1  6  0

Not our night. Wakefield started out strong (3.1 perfect innings on only 31 pitches) before faltering in the fourth; Gomes hit first-pitch, leadoff home runs in both the 7th and 9th innings; and the Red Sox bats just couldn't get going against either Scott Kazmir (5.2-4-1-1-7) or Travis Harper (2.2-2-0-0-1).

Kevin Youkilis opened the first with a double but died at third; Dustan Mohr bopped a solo shot in the 2nd; a 2-on, 2-out rally in the the 6th fizzled; Boston loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but (as the game-tying runs) Trot Nixon struck out and Jason Varitek flied to left.

Today was the 94th anniversary of the first official game at Fenway Park (April 20, 1912, Boston beat the New York Highlanders, 7-6).

6:00 PM -- Willie Harris is with the team, having replaced Adam Stern -- one of his closest friends on the team. Harris: "Stern's an awesome guy. The first thing I said to him was I'm sorry. You don't want anything like that to happen to a good guy like that."

Tonight's lineup:

Youkilis, 1B
Loretta, 2B
Ortiz, DH
Ramirez, LF
Lowell, 3B
Pena, RF
Mohr, CF
Bard, C
Gonzalez, SS

Hoping for a 7-3 homestand.

Stern Sent Down; Rays Get Shifty

It was inevitable. Having fulfilled his Rule 5 requirements, Adam Stern -- the pride of London, Ontario -- was sent down to Pawtucket and Willie Harris was called up. "I'm not going to sulk ... I realize why they're doing this. You've got to play. You don't want to be a young outfielder and be the fourth outfielder and not get many at-bats."

Tampa Bay has employed an extreme shift against David Ortiz in these two games. The third baseman moved out to left field, and all three usual outfielders shifted over to the right. The second baseman went into shallow right field and the shortstop was in shallow center, to the right field side of second base. It gave the Devil Rays, in effect, six outfielders. Ortiz: "Man that's crazy. But whatever they do, they can't catch the ball if you hit it off the Green Monster."

Here's a crude drawing of the shift that someone posted to the SoSH Game Thread:

Ortiz has yet to lay down a bunt, but he has doubled twice off the Wall.

Steven Krasner of the Providence Journal has been writing a cool sidebar called "Inside the Game" in which he dissects several plays from the previous night's game.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jonathan Papelbon watched as Mariano Rivera closed out the Yankees' 3-1 win in Toronto. "I don't try to pattern myself after any closer. But I watch how other guys get guys out. I'm a student. I'm learning every day out here." ... Herald readers' choice for Papelbon's closer theme? AC/DC's "Thunderstruck".

Blabbermouth

In his posts at Sons of Sam Horn, Curt Schilling maintains that, in response to his reputation as a blabbermouth, he never chases after reporters to give his opinion, that he is simply answers the questions he is asked. For example, On March 17, 2006, he wrote:

... as I was telling multiple members of the media yesterday, if they don't come to my locker and ask questions, I don't get quoted, you don't hear from me, ever. Those wanting to piss and moan about the WEEI calls, np, but I've never called in to discuss me, every call I've made has been to defend some idiotic comments being made by someone that knows zilch about one of my teammates.

After I pitch the media comes to my locker, they ask me questions and I answer them. Not hard to figure out I am not a yes/no kinda guy, never have been, but what I say, whether I am right or wrong, is who I am. You don't like it, tough, don't read it. I don't speak to make peoples opinions of me change, I speak what's on my mind given the question asked. I don't try to make an 'impact' by saying things, but I do think I've not considered that impact at times in the past and spoken on things that would have been better left unsaid. If that was the case, sue me, I'm human.

My point has always been that once the question is asked, it is under Schilling's absolute control whether he will answer that question, and if so, how long and detailed that answer will be.

I guess this is where I "piss and moan" -- because this week, he opened his yap again, on WEEI. (Maybe Curt was a guest on the show, I don't know. But if he called in, it was a situation in which he was clearly not being asked a question by a reporter.)

Anyway, Schilling mouthed off about tonight's Tampa Bay starter Scott Kazmir and the numerous HBP and bench-clearing incidents between the Rays and Sox over the years.

Schilling claimed Kazmir was

hitting multiple batters every time he threw against us. I don't know if any of it was intentional, but he kept hitting players. ... We made it clear to them, for the most part, that we were only throwing at guys on their team because their young pitchers couldn't throw inside. Obviously, he's getting better and he's learning. But you don't learn to pitch in the big leagues inside, you learn how to do that in the minor leagues. And you can't do that here because you get people hurt.

First of all, this stuff between the teams started a long time (1999?) before Schilling came to Boston, and it pisses me off when he tries to come off as Mr. Red Sox Nation.

Second, according to the St. Petersburg Times, in seven games against Boston, Kazmir has hit five batters, while in those same games, Boston pitchers hit 10 Devil Rays.

Kazmir responded: "I was looking at a video before of past things with the Red Sox and Devil Rays, and they had all this other stuff before I was even in pro ball. And all of a sudden it's all because of me? ... It doesn't make too much sense. It's his opinion. He wants to be heard."

If I recall, Schilling spoke out about this stuff last season, as well. Unless he is actually involved in an incident, this is one of those topics on which he should keep his opinions to himself.

G15: Red Sox 9, Devil Rays 1

Devil Rays - 000 010 000 - 1  7  4
Red Sox    - 107 010 00x - 9  9  0

Ah, there's that laugher we were all hoping (waiting) for.

Twelve Red Sox batters came to the plate in the third inning -- taking advantage of five hits (two from Kevin Youkilis) and two errors -- and turning a 1-0 lead into a 8-0 bulge.

Curt Schilling looked a little less effective than in his previous three starts, but still posted a 6-6-1-1-7 line and went to 4-0 for the first time in his career. The relief trio of Rudy Seanez, Julian Tavarez and Keith Foulke pitched three innings, allowing only one hit and striking out five Tampa hitters.

At 11-4, Boston has the best record in the major leagues.

G14: Red Sox 7, Devil Rays 4

Devil Rays - 000 000 220 - 4 11 0
Red Sox    - 001 000 33x - 7 11 0

In which Manny Ramirez's first extra-base hit of the season gives Boston a 1-0 lead, and Matt Clement pitches six near-perfect innings before quickly losing the lead in the seventh, and Ramirez's second and third RBI of the night (behind an opposite field double from David Ortiz) put Boston back in front 4-2, and Terry Francona makes an inexplicably delayed call to the bullpen, and Mike Timlin throws away the lead on back-to-back doubles before bearing down with a man on third and one out and maintaining the 4-4 tie, and clutch hits from Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis and Mark Loretta give the Sox a 7-4 lead in the 8th, and Jonathan Papelbon is tested for the first time this season, throwing a whopping 34 pitches to six batters in the ninth inning, allowing a single and two walks, before a sprinting Adam Stern gambles in short center field and dives and gloves the final out, the ball secure in his glove only an inch or two off the Fenway grass to preserve the win.

Maybe I should pay more attention to the second-place Orioles, but ... down the road from Redsock Manor, at the Skydome, the Yankees gave Randy Johnson a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, before the Big Ugly allowed seven runs in three innings to the Blue Jays, who won the game 10-5, pushing New York (6-7) into the East cellar, 3½ games behind Boston.

Oh, Baltimore lost to Cleveland 15-1.

***

Preview.

Book Review: The Last Nine Innings

In The Last Nine Innings (Sourcebooks), Charles Euchner examines several aspects of the modern revolution in baseball.

Using Game 7 of the Yankees-Diamondbacks 2001 World Series as a backdrop, Euchner explores: (a) how the use of psychology, modern science and computer imaging at places like the American Sports Medicine Institute helps break down hitting and pitching mechanics to uncover better ways to train (and in turn teaches us how the body, including the brain's rostromedial prefrontal cortex, operates during a game), (b) the ever-growing influence and use of statistical analysis, and (c) the globalization of the game, and its affects on business, scouting and on-field strategies.

I am most fascinated by the thousands of in-game questions and how new ways of analyzing the game has changed, and continues to change, both the questions and the answers, and how fans connect to the game on the field.

The first key moment in the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning. There is no score and Steve Finley has just singled off Roger Clemens. Danny Bautista is walking to the plate. Euchner then spends the next 13 pages discussing possible strategies (for both teams) and how the Bautista at-bat developed.

First, should Bautista bunt? Euchner shows that during the entire 2001 season, teams scored fewer runs with a man on second and one out (.7026) than with a man on first and no outs (.9227) -- meaning that the act of successfully bunting the runner to second in that situation actually hurt a team's chance to score. (It is no small point to understand that this runs counter to what most people in the game believe.) And those numbers shouldn't be taken as an iron-clad rule against bunting, but they do show that teams should carefully chose their spots for a sacrifice.

So will Bautista bunt? Will he swing away? Maybe Finley will try to steal, or just take a long lead to distract Clemens? Would a throw over to first base (or a waste pitch for ball 1) cause Finley or Bautista to briefly reveal what they are planning to do? Each of Arizona's possible decisions will affect which pitches Clemens decides to throw, and where to throw them, which will in turn affect how the Yankees decide to position their fielders, which could affect Finley's decisions on the basepaths, and so on. And some or all of these decisions may change as Bautista's at-bat continues.

Also, Clemens had thrown 92 pitches at that point -- and as soon as Finley singled, Ramiro Mendoza began warming up in the New York bullpen. There was no DH in this game, but Clemens had made the last out in the top of the sixth, so his spot in the lineup would not be up for approximately two innings, removing one topic of consideration from Joe Torre's mind.

Euchner does an excellent job of weaving in quotes from many of the players, as well as Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenley, as he discusses Bautista's batting average against certain pitches in certain areas of the strike zone and how a runner dancing off first base might help or hinder a batter's performance. It's tough to pull off these digressions -- while often following the game pitch-by-pitch -- without losing causal readers in a maze of strategy and yet Euchner gets deep enough to also engage those fans who understand OPS+ and linear weights. I would have liked Euchner to get into all of his topics a bit more, but he may have lost that important balance in the process.

I actually grew a little nervous about the outcome as I was reading (and following along on my scorecard from November 4, 2001) about the last two innings. Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci, in one of the book's blurbs, says Euchner "educat[es] the serious fan while entertaining the serious one". The reverse is also true. The Last Nine Innings will entertain the serious fan while educating the causal one.