G33: Red Sox 4, Angels 3

Red Sox - 010 000 021 - 4  8  2
Angels  - 100 100 100 - 3  6  0

The night owls were rewarded with a win (at 1:27 AM) as the Red Sox tied the game in the eighth and Jason Varitek doubled home J.D. Drew in the top of the ninth for what turned out to be the winning run.

Boston trailed 3-1 after seven innings (the one run was a Drew dong to center). Facing Jose Arredondo, Varitek popped to shortstop, but Nick Green and Jacoby Ellsbury singled and Julio Lugo walked. Bases loaded. Exit Arredondo, enter Darren Oliver. David Ortiz fell behind 1-2, then was hit on the left wrist, forcing home a run. Oliver turned things over to Scot Shields and Jason Bay tied the game with a grounder to second.

In the Los Angeles eighth, Ramon Ramirez (aka Pedro) was forced to deal with a base runner thanks to an inning-opening fielding error by Lugo, but Ram-Ram left the runner on second.

In the ninth, Drew singled to left-center off Shields (on an 0-2 pitch). After Jeff Bailey lined out to center (Torii Hunter's 8th putout of the night), Varitek doubled to the gap in right-center, giving Boston its first lead of the game. Jonathan Papelbon walked Bobby Abreu with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, but then fanned Hunter to save the win.

Earlier: Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 5-1, so New York drops to 6.5 GB, while Boston remains 1 GB.

Before the game, Kevin Youkilis was put on the disabled list, retroactive to May 5. Gil Velazquez was called up.

***

Justin Masterson (5.28, 94 ERA+) / Jered Weaver (2.66, 181 ERA+)

After playing on 17 consecutive days (and going 11-6), the Red Sox rested in Anaheim on Monday before beginning their second (and last) west coast trip of the regular season tonight. This weekend's series against the Mariners is their only visit to Seattle.

Kevin Youkilis may return to the lineup tonight; he last played on Monday, May 4. Dustin Pedroia (strained groin) will likely not play.

MLB.com:

Weaver is coming off his first career complete game last Thursday, when he limited the explosive Blue Jays to one run and three hits while striking out eight. Weaver faced just three batters over the minimum, tying up hitters with a slider he said was as good as he's ever had during the course of a game. ... Weaver beat the Red Sox in his season debut at home on April 10, holding them to one unearned run in 6.2 innings while striking out eight and walking two.

In his last 8.2 innings of work, Hideki Okajima has allowed only three hits and no runs (six appearances), with 10 strikeouts. Terry Francona:

He's locating the fastball, both sides of the plate, to both types of hitters. [Sunday] he threw a great split. He's real confident in his command right now. If he falls behind he still throws the ball to the location he wants to - that 87 or 88 looks a lot harder. It's a lot of swings and misses.

AAA: Pawtucket collected 20 hits and beat Columbus 9-1. Michael Bowden allowed one earned run in 7.1 inning -- and his ERA went up, to 1.06. ... On Sunday, Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched four shutout innings (58 pitches), allowing four hits and two walks; he had no strikeouts.

***

The first-place Blue Jays host the Yankees at 7 PM: Burnett/Halladay. ...
If you watched YES, you would have no idea that Alex Rodriguez was mixed up with that silly steroids nonsense and would naturally assume that every single baseball fan -- even those on the road -- is cheering his return. P.S. Michael Kay is still loathsome.

UPI: Pedro Pitching In Red Sox Bullpen

United Press International insists that he raised his 2009 record to 3-0 by getting credit for Boston's last victory -- Sunday's 4-3 win over Tampa Bay.

As I post this, UPI has had that story up for more than 33 hours.

Schadenfreude 82 (A Continuing Series)

Watch it while you can!

In Sunday's game, Aubrey Huff mashed a three-run tater off Joba Chamberlain and then mocked JtC's fist pump not once (0:11), but twice (0:25)!

[Video no longer available]

Get your own personal copy here (flv file).

Offday Outtakes - Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell - The Hissing of Summer Lawns (Demos)

01. Harry's House
02. Edith and the Kingpin
03. In France They Kiss on Main Street
04. Sweet Bird 
05. Shades of Scarlett Conquering
06. Shadows and Light
07. Dreamland
08. Boho Dance
09. Hunter (The Good Samaritan)

These songs were recorded in the spring of 1975.

***

Fans of The Jam should check out what TUBE has uploaded in the past few weeks. ... And click here for a session featuring Burt "Boy Wonder" Ward and Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention from 1966.

G32: Red Sox 4, Rays 3

Rays    - 100 011 000 - 3  7  0
Red Sox - 010 200 01x - 4  9  2

Jonathan Papelbon got himself into a bit of a jam in the top of the ninth, walking Akinori Iwamura, committing an error on a pick-off attempt and allowing a single to shallow center to Jason Bartlett.

Bot struck out pinch-hitter Carlos Pena (cbbbs) and Bartlett stole second on strike three without a throw. Second and third, one out, one-run lead. Papelbon (sfb) fanned B.J. Upton on an inside fastball at 95, then he got Carl Crawford (bsbs) swinging at a 97 mph heater.

David Ortiz got the game-winning rally going in the eighth when he doubled off the left field wall off Brian Shouse. Dan Wheeler came in and gave up a double to Jason Bay (who doubled and scored Boston's first run in the second). The two fourth inning runs were on doubles by Jeff Bailey and Jason Varitek (and a fielding error on a popup by Iwamura). Five of Boston's seven hits were doubles.

Dustin Pedroia left the game in the fourth inning with a strained groin, something that has been bothering him for about a week.

The Red Sox flew to Anaheim after the game. A six-game road trip against the Angels and Mariners starts Tuesday night.

***

To make room for Daniel Bard on the roster, Javier Lopez was designated for assignment. It's time to dance!

***

Matt Garza (3.51, 137 ERA+) / Josh Beckett (6.75, 74 ERA+)

Rocco Baldelli, on former teammate Garza:

When he's on, he's throwing a 97 mile-an-hour two-seamer, which is tough on everyone -- lefties and righties, it really doesn't matter. When he's throwing his breaking ball for strikes, whether it be his slider or his curveball, he's tough. ... You just hope you maybe catch him on an off day.

In two starts so far this season, Boston is batting .102 against Garza. Only Jacoby Ellsbury (.421) has a career batting average above .200 (stats).

Kevin Youkilis will make it an even week on the bench by sitting out tonight, and using the off-day Monday to get ready to return on Tuesday in Anaheim. He also doesn't mind if Jason Bay takes his #4 spot in the order:

If he's going to hit the way he is, he can stay there. I'll hit anywhere in the lineup except for leadoff. I don't mind. I'll hit sixth, I don't mind. I've hit there before. I don't think it bothers any of these guys here. It's such a good lineup. I'll hit sixth, seventh -- I don't care. It's actually better to hit sixth or seventh, you get more RBIs [in this lineup].

Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his second rehab start for Pawtucket today, in Columbus, Ohio. ... Baldelli's home run on Saturday was only the second dong hit by a Rhode Island native as a member of the Red Sox; Lefty LeFebvre homered in his first major league plate appearance on June 10, 1938.

NYY/BAL at 1:30 and TOR/OAK at 4.

Daniel Bard Called Up

Hot damn!

Joe McDonald, Projo:

It appears the Daniel Bard Era is about to begin.

The Red Sox have not made an official announcement, but Bard is expected to be at Fenway Park Sunday night for the series finale against the Rays.

The 23-year-old right-hander was original selected as the Sox' second pick of the first round (28th overall) in the 2006 draft.

This highly-touted prospect has been outstanding for the PawSox this season. He's 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 6 saves in 11 games. He has struck out 29 batters in 16 innings and can easily reach 100 MPH on the radar gun. He's been the closer for Pawtucket.

The Red Sox will not only have to take someone off the 25-man roster in Boston to make room for Bard, but they'll also have to make a move to put Bard on the 40-man roster.

This is interesting because on Thursday afternoon SoSHer j44thor wrote that:

Theo was on the CSN Baseball show over the weekend and said that Bard is still weeks to months from being moved up. He said that Bard could get out MLB batters with just his fastball right now but they want to see him work on his slider as they feel it can also be a wipeout pitch at the next level. ...

I wouldn't be surprised to see Bard up sooner than Theo hinted but at the same time he is on a very structured pitching program and has yet to face adversity in AAA something the FO typically likes to see them handle before promotion.

Bard's AAA stats.

Schadenfreude 81 (A Continuing Series)

Mike Vaccaro, Post:

It was a tough night. It was a lousy night. It was a grisly night. ... Phil Hughes was brutal, throwing BP during his brief stint and refusing to compete. The bullpen was just as bad, the lack of toughness throughout the batting order apparent.

It was 8-0 after an eight-run second inning, and then 9-0, and then 11-1 ...

And, oh yes: A-Rod went 0-for-3 with a walk, meaning he's now 0-for-6 after that feel-good blast, which is far less an indictment of Rodriguez -- you want to see what a really hideous start to a season looks like, have a gander at Mark Teixeira's numbers -- than it is another unwanted cue that having him back in the fold makes the Yankees better, but doesn't make them good.

George A. King III, Post:

... in two starts since he debuted with six scoreless innings against the Tigers, Hughes is 0-2 with a 17.49 ERA. In 5.2 innings over those two starts, he has allowed 15 hits, six walks and plunked a batter. ...

[Girardi said] "The talent is in there."

But it's hidden very deep at this point.

John Harper, Daily News:

Maybe these Yankees just aren't very good.

At the very least, the season has an ominous feel to it. They are already reeling from injuries, the latest being Ian Kennedy's aneurysm in his pitching arm that could finish him for the season at a time when he had been dominating hitters at Triple-A.

And now Joe Girardi isn't sure what to expect today from Joba Chamberlain, who popped a blood vessel in the thumb of his pitching hand while tossing a ball in from the outfield during batting practice Saturday night.

Yikes. Is this an era destined to be remembered someday as The Curse of Joe Torre?

Meanwhile, the Mets are in first place!

G31: Rays 14, Red Sox 5

Rays    - 200 065 100 - 14 17  2
Red Sox - 010 022 000 -  5 10  1

Work pulled me away from this one in the third inning, so I missed all of the fun. Toronto beat Oakland 6-4. We are 1 GB.

***

Scott Kazmir (6.00, 80 ERA+) / Jon Lester (5.11, 98 ERA+)

Terry Francona, on Friday's game:

All of a sudden, we get a couple of baserunners, and there's Jason Bay again.

Bay's last three home runs, and four of his last five, have been three-run dongs. All nine of his home runs this season have come in the sixth inning or later. He has driven in 12 runs in the last five games. Over his last 15 games, dating back to April 24, he is hitting .385/.508/.788.

Bay:

I don't like to look at my numbers. I don't jump on the Internet every morning or tear through the stats pages. It's a long season. It would be counterproductive to focus on today.

Kevin Youkilis and Bay and 1-2 in the American League in OBP, OPS and Offensive Winning Pct.; they are 2-3 in slugging. Bay is 1st in Runs Created and 2nd in both RBI and walks.

He is comfortable in Boston:

It was nice to go into Spring Training and just be another guy. I wasn't the novelty. I was just a regular left fielder of the Red Sox. I relish that. I really like blending in with the team and being another guy on this team rather than the standout news story.

John Tomase, Herald:

Jason Bay's 2-year-old daughter Addison recently added a new phrase to her vocabulary, and it couldn't have come at a better time: "Home run, da da."

"She says it about 50 times a day when the game's on," Bay joked. "She's bound to be right sometimes."

Sometimes? Red Sox fans would agree it feels like she's right all the time.

Also last night, Pawtucket's Clay Buchholz allowed only one hit over seven innings and struck out eight. He has allowed only three hits in his last 12.1 innings of work. Overall, in five starts (27 innings), Buchholz has a 1.33 ERA.

I got a hold of a couple of things that I didn't have a grasp of last year. I'm not really sure what it will take to get back to the Majors. I feel like I'm really in my prime right now.

Dom DiMaggio (1917-2009): Globe obit and photos -- Pesky talks -- Video from Fenway -- Times obit.

***

Most Red Sox Wins By Manager

                  Wins     Seasons
Joe Cronin       1,071     1935-47
Mike Higgins       560     1955-59; 60-62
Terry Francona     489     2004-present
Bill Carrigan      489     1913-16; 27-29

If the Red Sox win another 72 games this year, which would give them 91 victories, Tito will move past Pinky Hggins into second place.

G30: Red Sox 7, Rays 3

Rays    - 101 100 000 - 3  9  0
Red Sox - 000 005 02x - 7 15  0

For the second straight night, the Red Sox came to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning, trailing in the game. And just like Thursday -- when Boston set a new AL record by scoring 12 times before making an out -- the bats came alive, giving them a lead that carried them to victory.

They sent a mere nine men to the plate in this sixth inning. The five runs came on two home runs: a three-run job to left by Jason Bay (on an 0-2 pitch) and a first-pitch, two-run dinger from J.D. Drew.

The Sox tacked on two more runs in the eighth. With two outs, Julio Lugo blooped a single to right, Jacoby Ellsbury doubled into the left field corner, and Pedroia single to center.

FY went 4-for-5 (his second four-hit game of the season; he also has five three-hit games). His one out came on a diving, sliding catch in right field by Gabe Gross. Mike Lowell had three hits, though he also made what will go down as one of the dumbest baserunning decisions of the year, trying to stretch a fourth-inning single off the Wall into a double. He stopped short of second base by 20 feet and tried to go back to first, but Akinori Iwamura ran him down.

Penny recovered from a 31-pitch first inning and settled down nicely (6.1-8-3-2-2, 91), though he did leave the potential tying runs on base with one out in the seventh for Hideki Okajima. Protecting a 5-3 lead with Rays on first and second, Jeemer retired Carl Crawford (who had singled, tripled and doubled up to that point) on a fly ball to center, then fanned Evan Longoria.

Okajima and Ramon Ramirez worked together in the eighth and Jonathan Papelbon took the ninth. He gave up a leadoff single, but got the next three, including strike outs of B.J. Upton (on a flithy slider) and Crawford to end the game.

***

James Shields (3.51, 139 ERA+) / Brad Penny (7.61, 67 ERA+)

The Rays have won six of their last eight games, going back to the beginning of the the series against the Red Sox on April 30. They have also won six of their last eight games at Fenway Park (including playoff games). Tampa Bay is currently in third place, ahead of the fourth-place Yankees by .003.

In four starts (16 innings) in Boston, B.G. Shields has a 9.56 ERA.

MLB's preview has an amusing headline: "Lugo Could Be Secret Weapon". ... Yes, but for which team?

***

Here are the Top ERA+ leaders in the AL:

                        ERA+
Zack Greinke     KCR   1169 
Erik Bedard      SEA    195 
Mark Buehrle     CHW    192
Jered Weaver     LAA    183 
Dallas Braden    OAK    178 
Scott Richmond   TOR    175 
Jarrod Washburn  SEA    173 
Tim Wakefield    BOS    173 
Kevin Millwood   TEX    173 
Edwin Jackson    DET    158

That is nuts. Greinke has pitched complete games in three of his last four starts, but has not thrown more than 111 pitches in any outing. (The modern record for a season is 291.) He pitches tomorrow night in Anaheim.

Manny Talk

Manny Ramirez's statement on his drug use seems spurious, to say the least, especially in light of this ESPN report:

... testing by Major League Baseball showed that Ramirez had testosterone in his body that was not natural and came from an artificial source ...

The sources said that in addition to the artificial testosterone, Ramirez was identified as using the female fertility drug human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG. ...

ESPN reported earlier that testing showed Ramirez had used hCG, which is typically used by steroid users to restart their bodies' natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO. ...

I'm going to try to not post much about this story unless there is actually Red Sox-related news. However, similar resolutions in the past have not lasted long (though I didn't say I wouldn't post at all). ... Free free to chat and/or link to worthy articles.

Here's Joe Posnanski:

[W]e live in an America that demonizes drugs, declares war on drugs, etc. On the other, we live in an America that, in so many ways, celebrates performance enhancers.

... drugs that prevent us from going to the bathroom too often, drugs that promise to lower our cholesterol, drugs that inspire our bodies to have sex when the moment feels right, drugs that help us sleep more soundly, drugs that promise to give us more energy, drugs that help us lose weight, drugs that help us gain muscle, drugs that help us overcome debilitating conditions, drugs and drugs and drugs.

The side effects for many of these drugs are bountiful and terrifying. Vomiting. Diarrhea. Loss of hearing. Temporary blindness. Muscle pain. Nervousness. Sleeplessness. Hallucinations. Mistaken feelings of self-importance. In rare cases: Death ...

But millions and millions of people take them anyway. ...

We live in this drugged-up world, and yet we expect our athletes to stay away from those drugs that might help make them stronger, faster; that might help turn their warning-track fly balls into home runs, that might help their 89-mph fastball become 92-mph, that might give them five more infield singles a year, the difference between hitting .291 and hitting .300, the difference between a two-year deal and a three-year deal.

We expect them to play to the edge, to give their all, to run out every ground ball, to give a good fight every at bat, to pitch without fear, to chase fly balls into walls, to steal a high percentage of bases, to come through in the clutch, to protect their teammates, to be strong enough to hit home runs and throw serious heat, to engage in a little gamesmanship now and again ... but we demand that they stop there, say no to drugs.

It's myopic and naive to believe that most athletes will gladly draw an arbitrary line on certain drugs and step away.

Schadenfreude 80 (A Continuing Series)

Filip Bondy, Daily News:

... Rivera didn't just lose this game to Tampa, 8-6. He lost it scary. In the ninth inning, he gave up back-to-back homers for the first time in his career and was pulled with two outs by a concerned Joe Girardi, who had the audacity to question the pitcher's velocity and health. ...

His ERA is now 3.97, and Rivera no longer appears completely immune from the jeering of impatient Yankee fans with extremely short memories. ...

Rivera said he thought he made good pitches, which is generally a sign of denial for a struggling pitcher. No matter how you paint it, the Yankees are off to one of their patented lousy starts again. There is nothing sadder than lost glory, except the pretense that the glory still exists.

Speaking of jeering, I believe I have a photograph of the biggest idiot Yankee fan in the world. Yes, the candidates are far from few, but this guy may be the top moron:
He's talking trash to Mariano Rivera. A Yankee fan. Giving Rivera shit. It doesn't get any dumber than that.

G29: Red Sox 13, Spiders 3

Cleveland - 000 02 0 010 -  3  7  0
Red Sox   - 100 0012 00x - 13 13  0

After David Ortiz was scratched from the original lineup, Terry Francona shuffled things around and his batting order looked more appropriate for a split squad Grapefruit game in March.

Those nine hitters made American League history in the sixth inning when they scored 12 runs before making an out. The previous AL record had been 11 runs by the Tigers against the Yankees on June 17, 1925. Boston's outburst also tied the major league record, set by the Brooklyn Dodgers against the Phillies, in the eighth inning on May 24, 1953.

Julio Lugo had opened the first inning with a triple and scored on Dustin Pedroia's single, but after that, the Red Sox did little harm to Sowers until the sixth.

Trailing Cleveland 2-1, Lugo singled to left. Pedroia walked. Jason Bay doubled to left-center, scoring Lugo and tying the game at 2-2. Mike Lowell was walked intentionally, loading the bases for Rocco Baldelli.

Baldelli singled to right-center and Boston led 4-2. J.D. Drew walked and Masa Kobayashi relieved Sowers. Jeff Bailey doubled down the left field line for two more runs (6-2). Nick Green reached on an infield single (beating second baseman Luis Valbuena in a foot race to the bag), reloading the bases.

George Kottaras hit a two-run single to center (8-2). Lugo was safe on an infield single, beating the throw from third. Pedroia singled to left for two runs (10-2). Matt Herges came on as the Spiders' third pitcher of the inning and he fell behind Bay 3-1 before Bay crushed a ball to right-center for a three-run homer (13-2).

12 batters: 6 singles, 2 doubles, 1 home run, 3 walks, 12 runs, 0 outs!

Herges got the next three batters -- Lowell 6-3, Baldelli K, Drew 4-3 -- and the inning was over.

It was the most runs scored by the Red Sox in one inning since they got 14 in the first inning (including 10 before an out was recorded) on June 27, 2003 against the Marlins.

***

Jeremy Sowers (2009 debut; 2008: 5.58, 80 ERA+) / Tim Wakefield (2.91, 174 ERA+)

When Wakefield is going good, 1995 always comes up.

The knuckleball was good, but beyond that I don't know what went right. I know I was 14-1 and finished 16-8, but I didn't really pitch bad the last nine games. My ERA only went up one point in 10 games.

Well, Wake he had a 5.60 ERA in his last nine games in 1995: 64.1 innings, 65 hits, 31 walks, 40 strikeouts, 10 home runs, Red Sox went 3-7.

***

John Farrell, WEEI, on Joba Chamberlain hitting Jason bay on Tuesday night:

Those things aren't forgotten. ... We know there's a history there between the pitcher in New York and our guys here ... he strikes out 12 guys, doesn't seem to have too many command issues, and if there was a purpose or intent to throw up and in, or if the intent was even further than that, to send a clear-cut message, you can disguise it a little bit more than with a first-pitch pitch in the middle of the back to Jason Bay. ... And we've got a number of games left with these guys.

Bay:

That kind of stuff happens. ... No one ever really knows. It's not the first time I've been hit, and it won't be the last.

Notes: Jacoby Ellsbury may play tonight, but Kevin Youkilis will probably have another night off. ... Daisuke Matsuzaka may make his next start with Portland. ... John Smoltz threw comfortably from 60 feet. ... Jed Lowrie was in the clubhouse sporting a brace on his left wrist.

Jonathan Van Every smashed his shoulder into the center field wall trying to catch a fly ball hit by Victor Martinez in the fifth:

I felt like I got run over by a truck. Concrete is a lot harder than I am. But I'll be OK. ... My joints are a little sore. ... I'm frightened to [look at a replay].

Manny Tests Positive For PEDs, Suspended 50 Games

Los Angeles Times:

Manny Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and will be suspended 50 games starting today, The Times has learned.

The test result and suspension is expected to be announced later today.

The suspension will cost Ramirez $7.7 million, or roughly 31% of his $25-million salary. Players in violation of baseball's drug policy are not paid during suspensions.

Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly. ...

Ramirez would become the biggest star suspended under an oft-criticized major league testing program that started in 2003. He had been a model citizen since arriving in Los Angeles last August, following a stormy tenure with the Boston Red Sox. ...

Well, shit. SoSH says Gammons saying not steroids, but a prescription from his doctor that he was told was not banned by MLB (tic tacs?). We shall see.

Remy Releases Statement

Jerry Remy:

In November I had a very small, low-grade cancerous area removed from my lung. I was fortunate that it was discovered at an early stage. Except for the surgery, I required no additional treatments. I left the hospital with a clean bill of health.

Unfortunately, following the surgery, I developed a bad infection further compounded by a case of pneumonia. It was the pneumonia and the infection that set me back. This all happened just as I was leaving for spring training.

In hindsight, it was a mistake to go and I am paying the price for it now. As NESN announced, I am taking a leave of absence so that I can fully recover.

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for the outpouring of concern you have given me recently. I honestly appreciate it. Secondly, I want to emphasize that I am in good shape now.

While physically I have no issues, the past few months have been emotionally draining, and exhausting for both my family and I. Along those lines, I would like to thank NESN and the Red Sox for allowing me to take as much time as I need. I am not certain exactly when I will return, but I will keep you posted. I want to make sure that when I do return I can be with the team all the way to the 2009 World Series!

I hope that by stating all this publicly it will emphasize the dangers of smoking to everyone, especially children. So, once again, I appreciate all your support and I would like to emphasize – if you don't smoke, don't start, and if you do smoke, try to quit! I don't say that lightly because I know how difficult it can be.

Thanks,

Jerry

***

NESN Replacements: Dennis Eckersley will be in the booth for the rest of the homestand and Dave Roberts will be alongside Don Orsillo next week in Anaheim and Seattle.

Dustin Pedroia:

Rem Dawg is awesome. [(This was a joke!] He's great. ... He needs to get well and we're going to miss him in the time that he's gone. Absolutely our prayers are with him.

Mike Lowell:

He has that type of humor where he always keeps the fans entertained. My dad switched cable companies just to be able to get the home feed to listen to him.

How did he do that? I want to do that.

Schadenfreude 79 (A Continuing Series)

Michael Obernauer, Daily News:

Phil Coke and Carlos Pena have at least one thing in common: They both loved the second pitch Coke threw in the top of the 10th inning Wednesday night.

While the Yankee lefthander maintained that his 1-0 fastball to the Tampa Bay slugger was "as good as you're gonna get," Peña, thinking the exact same thing, grooved it into the right field seats for his major-league-leading 12th home run of the season and the decisive blow in Tampa Bay's 4-3, 10th-inning victory at the Stadium.

George A. King III, Post:

From the manager's office to the clubhouse lockers, there is a belief the Yankees will emerge from the dog days of May in good shape.

"When it clicks, it will be ridiculous," A.J. Burnett said. "When it clicks, it will be fun to watch."

Lately, the only clicking in the Yankees' universe is the sound of the handgun hammer Joe Girardi uses while playing the nightly game of Bullpen Roulette.

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

... given opportunities to win the game in both the ninth and 10th, the Yankees' bats went limp again. The Bombers were 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, making them 4-for-32 (.125) during the four-game skid to bring their season average in those situations down to .249. ...

At 13-14, the Bombers are one game ahead of the fourth-place Rays, closer to the last-place Orioles than they are to the first-place Blue Jays.

Remy Recovering From Lung Cancer Surgery

NESN:

Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy is taking an indefinite leave of absence to fully recover from the effects of cancer surgery.

"I want to focus on completing my recovery so that I can return to work without distractions or interruptions," said Remy, a former smoker who underwent surgery for lung cancer late last year.

Remy expected a more immediate return but suffered a setback due to an infection and subsequent case of pneumonia. He now hopes his experience serves as a cautionary tale about the adverse health effects of smoking.

"I hope that disclosing my bout with cancer will reinforce the dangers of smoking to every member of Red Sox Nation, especially children," said Remy ...

G28: Spiders 9, Red Sox 2

Cleveland - 001 030 302 - 9 13  0
Red Sox   - 020 000 000 - 2  8  0

Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the fourth and could not score, as Nick Green struck out and J.D. Drew grounded to second.

Cleveland promptly took a 4-2 lead in the next half-inning. The Red Sox had only one man on base -- David Ortiz's opposite field single -- over the next four innings (5th thru 8th) as the Spiders pulled away.

***

Carl Pavano (7.46, 65 ERA+) / Justin Masterson (4.37, 116 ERA+)

Although Pavano has allowed 34 hits in 25.1 innings (five starts), he was dealing against the Tigers last Friday. He threw seven shutout innings, allowing only three hits, before surrendering a couple of runs in the eighth. (SoSH series preview)

Meaningless, but fun: Pavano has a 24.75 ERA in Fenway (four innings in two starts, in 1998 and 2003) and Red Sox hitters are 14-for-27 against him (.519/.536/.963).

Jacoby Ellsbury, on his right hamstring, which forced him to leave last night's game in the fourth inning:

When I stole the base [in the first inning] it got really tight, it was so tight it got kind of a little tremble ... iced it up, got some treatment, feel as best as I can considering what happened. ... I'll come in early [on Wednesday], get some treatment on it, we'll see ... I think things are pretty good.

Kevin Youkilis is unsure if the tightness in his left side will prevent him from playing tonight.

Terry Francona, on the cold and rain in New York:

I think Jason Bay was the only guy who thought it was a nice night out there.

Bay:

This is a nice summer day sometimes where I come from [British Columbia]. ... I'd rather take this than 95 degree days.

In 13 "late and close" plate appearances -- after the seventh inning with the game tied, a one-run game or with the tying run at least on-deck -- Bay is hitting .615 with five home runs and 10 RBI.

Daisuke Matsuzaka threw 47 pitches for Pawtucket last night, going 2.2 scoreless innings and allowing two hits, two walks and a HBP. He struck out five.

I think I'm ready to pitch in a [major-league] game. I wouldn't go so far to say I don't need any [more rehab starts], but I feel physically ready.

Dice will pitch on Sunday for the PawSox in Columbus.

Josh Beckett allowed 10 hits for the third consecutive start. As far as the talk that Beckett has become "curveball happy", the Bleacher Report says that's a lie.

Schadenfreude 78 (A Continuing Series)

Mike Lupica, Daily News:

They lose to the Boston Red Sox in every possible way this season. They lose when the great Mo Rivera can't get the last out of the game at Fenway, they lose when they can't hold a 6-0 lead at Fenway, they lose when a fast kid, Jacoby Ellsbury, steals home.

They lose five in a row to the Red Sox to start a season for the first time in 24 years because they are 8-for-54 with runners in scoring position and because they have a bunch of bargain basement relief pitchers who can't get a strike or an out when they really need one. The last time they played this way against Boston to start a season was 1985, the year Yogi was the manager and got fired early.

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

Could Joe Girardi be headed for the same fate [as Yogi Berra in 1985] if the Yankees don't turn things around quickly? Some fans seemed to be hoping as much, shouting "We Want Torre!" in the ninth inning.

Wallace Matthews, Newsday:

Teixeira looks like a deer on the subway tracks. CC Sabathia has been a huge disappointment. A.J. Burnett, good so far, is always one fastball away from the DL. Chien-Ming Wang is MIA. ... [Jorge Posada on the DL] means a lot more of Molina, an automatic out in a lineup suddenly filled with them ...

When asked what the Yankees need to do to stop the slide, Girardi offered this nugget: "Players have to step up."

John Harper, Daily News:

How do the Yankees reverse this troublesome trend of Red Sox dominance? How do they take back The Rivalry? ... [M]aybe the Yankees need to get extreme and go looking for a fight. These teams haven't brawled since 2004 ...

Johnny Damon says the Yankees' 0-5 record against the Red Sox is actually a good thing:

Because we are 0-5, it's going to make us a better team, a tougher team, a team that's more together, a team that's going to rally behind our players.

G27: Red Sox 7, Yankees 3

Red Sox - 400 000 021 - 7  8  1
Yankees - 003 000 000 - 3 10  1

The first five Red Sox batters hit safely against Chamberlain -- Ellsbury single (and stolen base), Pedroia single, Ortiz RBI single, Bay 3-run home run, Lowell single -- before Joba (5.2-6-4-2-12, 108) settled down.


Beckett (6-10-3-1-5, 108), Okajima (6 batters, 6 outs) and Saito (a perfect ninth) made sure those four runs were enough on a rainy night in the Bronx.

Chamberlain benefited from a very wide strike zone and became only the fifth pitcher since 1900 to strike out at least 12 batters in 5.2 or fewer innings. Nine of his 12 strikeouts were on called strike threes.

In the fifth, at the same time he was dispalying such finesse, Joba drilled Bay in the back. It was obvious retaliation for Bay's first-inning dong, but the umpires did nothing. Beckett chose not to seek revenge tonight.

The Red Sox have won their first five games of the 2009 season against the Yankees. The only other seasons in which that has happened? 1912 and 1985.

In 1912, the Red Sox went 19-2 against the Yankees, winning their first 14 games against New York, including four victories in three days in mid-June by scores of 15-8, 11-3, 13-2 and 10-3. In 1985, Boston won the first five meetings, then dropped the remaining eight.

The Red Sox and Yankees will meet again at Fenway Park on June 9-10-11. The next series at Yankee Stadium is scheduled for August 6-7-8-9.

***

Josh Beckett (7.22, 70 ERA+) / Joba Chamberlain (3.13, 103 ERA+)

Beckett's last two starts have been crummy: 9.2 innings, 20 hits, 15 runs, 7 walks, 11 strikeouts, 13.97 ERA. Only Chien-Ming Wang would be pleased (giddy, even) at that level of performance [sic].

His season BABIP is .338, so there he's had some bad luck here and there. Mostly, though, he needs to start pitching again. Maybe tonight's match-up will inspire him.

Dirt Dogs: "Certainly Seems" Like Ortiz Is Finished

On Monday morning, Dirt Dogs asked: "Is David All Done?"

The knee-jerk answer: "It Certainly Seems That Way"

In addition to not getting any hits over the weekend in Tampa Bay (though he did reach base six times) and made it through April without hitting a ball over an outfield fence, Ortiz failed to get a hit in 22 consecutive plate appearances --

What? That skid was from August 16-21, 2004? I guess he was cooked as a hitter back then, too. Ortiz's current slash averages -- .222/.319/.333 -- are certainly poor, but he went through several month-long stretches with few home runs even when he was The Man:

3 in 27 games, May 16 to June 16, 2004
3 in 24 games, July 16 to August 10, 2005
4 in 27 games, May 3 to June 3, 2006

There is concern -- and then there's overreaction. Saying Ortiz "certainly" seems "done" as a hitter is premature. He's not out of the woods yet, but last night in New York, Ortiz was on base four times in five trips to the plate, with two doubles down the right field line and two walks.

***

Jon Lester was not concerned about the consecutive pitches that Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit for home runs:

They weren't up, they were just middle. That was one thing that I was actually happy to see, cause most of the home runs I've given up this year have been pitches up and out over the middle of the plate. These were down, just balls that were mislocated. I can deal with that.

Terry Francona thinks Julio Lugo's rusty glove and reflexes are due to coming back too quickly:

I don't think he's moving yet like he's gonna. ... I think putting him out there sometimes is a little unfair. I thought [Sunday] he got put in some situations where plays were hard for him to make.

Jason Bay is 9-for-15 (.600) against the Yankees this season, with two homers and seven RBI. ... Kevin Youkilis left the game in the sixth because of a tight left lower back. ... Rocco Baldelli, who went 0-for-3 as Pawtucket's DH last night, may play in the outfield today. Daisuke Matsuzaka will start for the PawSox.

Schadenfreude 77 (A Continuing Series)

Mark Feinsand, Daily News:

The Red Sox got their first look at the new Yankee Stadium Monday night and quickly made themselves at home.

George A. King III, Post:

Unless Alex Rodriguez can use that powerful right arm to pitch every fifth day, don't expect his return from the disabled list to do much to help the Yankees. ...

When the starters' putrid numbers are mentioned the Yankees counter that Chien-Ming Wang's three dreadful starts (0-3; 34.50 ERA) skew the math.

However, in the 13 games since Wang last pitched the Yankees are 7-6 and their starters are 3-4 with a bloated 4.91 ERA. In 80.2 innings without Wang, the starters have allowed 84 hits, 38 walks and hit seven batters -- 129 baserunners.

And that's before you get to the bullpen.

Mark Feinsand, Blogging the Bombers:

Jorge Posada suffered a right hamstring injury while sliding in the sixth inning ... Posada will undergo an MRI on Tuesday and it sounds like it could be fairly serious. ...

The heated exchange between Girardi and Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar seems to have stemmed from Girardi's belief that Bogar was tipping Boston’s hitters off to either the pitches that were coming or the location that was being called. ...

Meanwhile, outside the stadium:

With rain falling for hours and no start time announced until shortly before 9 p.m., hordes of fans began leaving the Stadium and heading home- - some who said they had been advised that the game had been called by Yankee employees who walked the concourse holding pinstriped "How may I help you?" signs.

When a 9:20 p.m. start time was eventually announced over the public address system, a crowd on the sidewalk outside Gate 6 tried to get back into the Stadium, only to have the employees working the turnstiles promptly close the doors in their faces. ...

Bill Hutchinson, Daily News:

The estranged mother of Yankees star pitcher Joba Chamberlain has been busted ... on felony charges of selling a gram of methamphetamine to an undercover cop ... [She was] arraigned in the same Lincoln courtroom where her famous son pleaded guilty last month to drunken-driving charges.

Kevin Kernan, Post, cranks up the melodrama:

Root for Joba Chamberlain tonight. ...

Tonight he is just a Yankees pitcher who will need help from his teammates, help from the fans to carry him through against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

Tonight is one of those games where Joba will be tested in so many ways. ... [P]itching tonight with his mother's arrest being front-page news has to be one of the most difficult situations a professional athlete could face, especially one who is only 23 years old. ...

Sunday is Mother's Day.

G26: Red Sox 6, Yankees 4

Red Sox - 111 100 200 - 6 11  0
Yankees - 000 030 010 - 4  9  2

The Red Sox constructed a picket fence against Hughes (4-7-4-4-2, 94) and Jason Bay added a two-run dong off the left field foul pole against Alfredo Aceves (4.1-4-2-2-7, 70) in the seventh. Jonathan Papelbon recorded five outs for the save. (The game was delayed more than two hours and did not start until 9:23.)

Hughes walked Dustin Pedroia in the first and David Ortiz hit the first of two doubles to right field; Pedroia scored on a passed ball. Mike Lowell led off the second with a first-pitch homer to left, his sixth of the year. In the third, Lowell's single brought home J.D. Drew. In the fourth, Ortiz's second double scored Jacoby Ellsbury, who had hit a ground rule double to left.

Lester (7-6-3-2-10, 111) cruised through four innings, having struck out the side for the first time in his career in the first. He fanned two in the second and one each in the third and fourth. His 10 Ks matched a career high. In the fifth, he allowed back-to-back home runs -- on consecutive pitches -- to Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira. That cut Boston's lead to 4-3. Teixeira homered against off Ramon Ramirez, ending Ram's scoreless streak at 14.1 innings.

The Yankees loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Bot, but -- what do you know? -- Robbie Cano struck out to end the game.

The Blue Jays lost to Cleveland 9-7 in 12, so Boston is only 1 GB. The Yankees stayed 3.5 GB.

***

Jon Lester (5.40, 94 ERA+) / Philip Hughes (0.00)

Eight days ago, Boston finished a three-game sweep of New York, beating them at Fenway Park by scores of 5-4 (in 11 innings), 16-11 and 4-1.

The Red Sox visit Yankee Stadium III for the first time tonight and begin a two-game set. And the Yankees are praying:

(Rain is in the forecast, however.)

A few Sox talked about seeing the new stadium:

David Ortiz:

I can't wait to get there. ... [I]t seems like it's going to be another hitting park, from what I see. I'm not mad about that.

Dustin Pedroia:

I heard it's like a resort.

Julio Lugo:

I didn't like the old one very much. I didn't see the ball there very well.

That joke just writes itself, doesn't it?

Lester makes his sixth start of the year. For Hughes, it's his second start. Last Tuesday, he went 6-2-0-2-6 against the Tigers. It's also his second appearance against the Red Sox. In the first one (April 13, 2008), he was pounded for six hits and seven runs in two innings.

Reliever Damaso Marte, who had not pitched since the Boston series, was put on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis and weakness in his pitching arm. Anthony Claggett -- who made his major league debut by allowing eight runs in 1.2 innings -- is up from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA). ... The Yankees have signed Casey Fossum to a minor league contract.

Girardi's Book Club

Selena Roberts's book "A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez" is available in stores today. Joe Girardi must have received a review copy -- or he's spouting bullshit. One or the other. I think I know which one it is, but I'll let you decide.

It's interesting that the book (release) date got moved up.

Yeah, what do the young kids call it -- publicity? It's an odd thing. Hype, buzz, whatever you want to call it -- it's pretty new to American culture. It's not surprising you haven't had much experience with it.

And I get tired of answering these questions.

Is that why you "went on an unprovoked diatribe against the book" before Sunday's game against the Angels was rained out? Damn, Joe, if you're tired of the questions even before the book is for sale ...

I don't understand why someone would write a book like this anyway.

You played baseball in New York City -- with its tabloid back pages, rabid fans and sensationalist sports radio -- for four years, you worked as a broadcaster, and are now in your second season as Yankees manager. And you really have no idea why a book about the most famous baseball player in the world might be a good bet to draw some interest?

I'm a firm believer that what we do off the field is our personal life. ... I don't necessarily know why it has to be put in a book, unless the person volunteers it.

A-Rod has never been shy about putting his personal life in the public eye. Whether he's whisking escorts through hotel lobbies, wearing his Yankee cap to a strip club, undertipping at Hooters, making yet another verbal gaff or sunbathing in Central Park, he's hardly a hermit.

[come back, fjm, we miss you]

G25: Rays 5, Red Sox 3

Red Sox - 100 000 020 - 3  8  1
Rays    - 100 200 11x - 5 10  0

The Rays set a new team record with eight stolen bases (in eight attempts) and Carl Crawford broke his own single-game Rays record with six. Crawford was 4-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Down in the #8 spot, Jason Bartlett singled twice and doubled.

[Two lists: Every other instance of a player stealing at least five bases in a game and every team to steal at least eight bases in a game, both since 1954. The team record is 12 and the game has a great linescore!]

Although Penny completed only one perfect inning and allowed at least one Rays runner to second base in the other five, his line was alright (6-6-3-2-8, 110). He got out of a few jams. With runners at second and third in the first, he struck out Pat Burrell and Ben Zobrist. In the third, Crawford was on second with one out and Penny retired Evan Longoria on a fly ball and fanned Carlos Pena.

Crawford began the fifth with a single and stole second. Longoria struck out again (on a very high fastball) and Pena popped to second. After Crawford swiped third, Burrell was caught looking.

The Red Sox threatened to have a big inning in the first. With one out, Dustin Pedroia singled, David Ortiz walked and Kevin Youkilis singled to load the bases. J.D. Drew lined a single off Pena's glove into right field, but, with the sacks still full, Jason Bay struck out and Mike Lowell flew out to left.

After that, Shields (7.1-6-2-2-6, 102) did not give the Sox much of anything -- and the Boston batters helped his pitch count by swinging early in counts. His PC: 30-13-7 16-14-8 6-8 = 102.

Kevin Youkilis drilled a two-run dong to dead center in the eighth to cut the Rays' lead to 4-3. Drew kept it going with a single and Bay walked, but Dan Wheeler got Lowell to pop to short right.

***

Brad Penny (8.66, 59 ERA+) / James Shields (3.74, 132 ERA+)

Red Sox starters have an ugly streak going: they have allowed five runs or more in five consecutive games. Penny will try to end that this afternoon as Boston goes for a split at the Juice Box before heading to New York. ... Shields had a 5.1-9-5-3-2, 101 line in a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox on April 7.

Expected starters for the Yankees series:

Mon 0504 - Lester / Chamberlain
Tue 0505 - Beckett / Burnett

Jason Bay fouled a ball off his left ankle in the second inning last night and left the game after the fifth. He says it's not serious and believes he'll play this afternoon.

I've done it 10 times worse before. It just kind of got me in the right spot, running around on the turf kind of really bothered it. It was more precautionary than anything. It's a contusion, it's not like a hole or anything like that.

Jacoby Ellsbury (who leads the majors with 13 steals) likes to pilfer bags in Tampa.

It has what you call a fast track. Just the opportunity to get on base, and depending on the pitcher, if it's the right situation, I'm going to go. ... The key is that the legs are feeling good. When the legs are feeling good, then the bases come.

David Ortiz has swung at 29.5% of pitches he has seen out of the strike zone this season, much higher than his career average of 18.3%. He has walked 11 times in 24 games -- only 10.6% of his plate appearances, down from 2006 (17.6%), 2007 (16.8%) and 2008 (14.4%).

Tim Wakefield now has 167 wins in a Red Sox uniform. He needs 26 more to become the club's all-time leader.

Ortiz: "I'll Be Back. Write That #%@# Down."

David Ortiz held a 10-minute Q&A session with the media this morning. In his report, the Globe's Adam Kilgore thought it was akin to a therapy session.

Flo:

Well, I'm not happy. Why should I be? But let me tell you what. I'm the kind of guy that, 100 at-bats in two weeks, I can wipe my [expletive] with. You know what I'm saying? I'm just going to keep it cool, keep playing the game, not worry about too many things. I'm not going to worry about all the negativity, all the bull [expletive]. Because, it seems like it's never enough. People, all they like to see is people fail, so they have a reason to talk [expletive]. So that's why I'm trying to stay away from talking. Because I don't need to talk. I need to do things right now. You know what I'm saying? I will do things. Believe me. Regardless. I will.

It's going to come slowly, and it will. I'm just not trying to do ... what I can do in a week, I'm not trying to do in one day anymore. I was. I'm not going to lying to you. I was trying to get five hits in one at-bat. So right now, I'm just taking it slowly. If they want to walk me, they don't want to give me [expletive] to hit, I won't swing. If you give me something, I'm going to try to hit. If I don't hit a home run today, I'm going to hit a home run tomorrow. ...

It gets in your head for a minute. It does. You've always been a home run kind of guy, an RBI kind of guy. You've got 100 at-bats and you haven't hit one one out, you be like, "What the [expletive] and I'm doing?" But at the same time, you've got to see it this way: It's not like you're just stepping to the plate and not trying. Hitting a homer looks easy, but it ain't. And like I said, you just got to be patient and keep on swinging and putting in some good at-bats. ...

It's because I've been banging since I've been here. When you slow down a little bit, you know, it's like they're expecting it. Things like that either make you or break or you. I'm the kind of guy that I try to work every day. You guys see it every day. The only result you're going to get when you work is what you expect. ... When people know that you can bang, and you are not, then they start questioning you.

This is my seventh year here. If you don't know me at this point, [expletive], what can I tell you? Who you been watching, the Anaheim Angels? You know what I'm saying? It will come. It will come. I'm finally relaxing now.

Schadenfreude 76 (A Continuing Series)

New York Post:

Hex still marks the spot at the new Yankee Stadium.

It has been more than a year since the team extricated a Red Sox jersey maliciously entombed in the new stadium's concrete by a Boston-loving hardhat -- yet the hole remains unfilled, and officials have no clue what to do with it, The Post has learned.

The Yankees were quick to shell out $50,000 to remove the David Ortiz shirt when word of its burial surfaced in April 2008 -- yet all they have done since then is surround the now-empty 2-by-4-foot gap with railing and a piece of Plexiglas.

The team refused to discuss plans for the hole ...

"I think maybe the curse is lingering," said Leigh Ann Johnson, 22 ...

Simon Marques, 20, a student, said it's "sketchy" they haven't filled it -- "because now there's residue from the Ortiz jersey. There's lingering bad karma." ...

Post:

A-Rod can't even go to a sex club without making a fool of himself.

The major-league slugger looked like a rank amateur when he made a supposedly clandestine visit to a Dallas sex club in 2004 -- but showed up wearing a Yankee hat that screamed, "Look at me!" ...

[In her upcoming book "A-Rod", Selena] Roberts highlighted one Yankee player's assessment of [A-Rod's] infatuation [with Madonna]:

"Obsessed, pretty much. It was like, 'OK, Alex, you're with Madonna. And I'd give you a big high-five for that -- 15 years ago.' Hey, she looks great, but she's 50. It's like sleeping with your mother."

Roberts writes of a staffer on A-Rod's payroll who was in charge, each morning, of delivering The Post to Rodriguez on a breakfast tray:

"One day, the employee charged with that task had doodled horns on a photo of Madonna," Roberts wrote. "Alex fired him."

G24: Red Sox 10, Rays 6

Red Sox - 231 002 200 - 10 13  1
Rays    - 100 130 001 -  6 11  2

Early runs provided a cushion against Wakefield's mini-meltdown (three walks, single, double, passed ball) in the fifth.

Wakefield (5-7-5-3-5, 101) allowed a leadoff single in the sixth and handed things off to Hideki Okajima, with Boston holding an 8-5 lead. Jeemer gave up a single of his own, and a sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out, and brought the potential tying run to the plate. Upton fouled to Youkilis and Carl Crawford struck out swinging.

Okajima allowed a walk and a hit in the seventh, but fanned Akinori Iwamura with runners at first and third. Ramon Ramirez pitched a perfect eighth and Takashi Saito allowed two singles and a run in the ninth.

It was a team effort with the bats: Nick Green singled twice, doubled and drove in three runs (he was also caught stealing in the second when he fell on his face halfway to second base); Jacoby Ellsbury singled twice, scored two runs and stole three bases (he leads the AL with 13); and Dustin Pedroia reached base five times (single, double, three walks).

Kevin Youkilis had a two-run double and a bases-loaded walk; J.D. Drew had a two-run double in the first to start the scoring; George Kottaras doubled and walked; Mike Lowell homered and singled; and David Ortiz walked twice and was hit by a pitch.

Jason Bay singled, stole a base and scored before leaving the game after five innings with a left ankle contusion.

Toronto (17-9!) beat Baltimore 5-4 in 11, so the Red Sox (15-9) remain 1 GB in the East. The Angels beat the Yankees 8-4, dropping New York (13-11) 3 GB.

***

Tim Wakefield (1.86, 275 ERA+) / Jeff Neimann (4.43, 111 ERA+)

In four starts this year, Neimann has pitched 22.1 innings, allowing 21 hits and 11 walks, while striking out 13. Tonight's game will be his tenth major league appearance.

***

Terry Francona is not considering moving David Ortiz out of the #3 spot:

I think it does more harm than good. We've had pretty much a set lineup. Three days ago, when we won 11 out of 12, nobody [suggested moving Ortiz from the third spot]. I don't know that's the right thing to do. ... I'm sure he gets reminded about it, so I don't want to be the one adding to that.

Rehab: Rocco Baldelli is expected to DH for Pawtucket as early as Monday. ... Mark Kotsay will DH for Pawtucket today and play in the outfield tomorrow. ... Daisuke will throw a bullpen session of 45-50 pitches today, then throw roughly the same number of pitches in a start for the PawSox on Tuesday. He will likely make at least three rehab starts.

What's wrong with Jerry Remy? This Globe sentence is pretty vague (and can only invite rampant speculation):

NESN analyst Jerry Remy will miss at least the remainder of this trip with an illness, the symptoms of which are the same as those that kept him sidelined for much of spring training.

What the hell does that mean? I recall his spring illness being described as either a chest infection or pneumonia.

Buck Martinez has filled in for Remy in this series. He has shown small bits of insight here and there, but mostly has offered mindless cliches amid numerous variations of "Yeah, he sure is, Don" in his incredibly annoying nasally voice. And he cannot pronounce the last name of our DH. Please, NESN: If Remy is unavailable on Monday, bring in Eck or Dave Roberts. Or have Orsillo go solo. Anything! Stop torturing us with Buck Martinez!

Red Sox RBI Men

Who's the top RBI man on the Red Sox?

Mike Lowell has driven in 23 runs, followed by Jason Bay (20) and Kevin Youkilis with (15). However, counting stats fail to account for opportunities, so let's look at which players are making the most of their RBI chances (the last column).

Stats Thru May 1

       PA/ROB ROB OBI  R1BI%  R2BI%  R3BI%   OBI%

Lowell   56    88  19  15.9%  25.0%  31.3%  21.6%
Bay      55    82  15   8.6%  17.9%  36.8%  18.3%
Ortiz    47    67  12   2.8%  26.3%  50.0%  17.9%
Green    22    39   6   5.3%  25.0%  25.0%  15.4%
Youkilis 48    67  10   6.7%  17.4%  28.6%  14.9%
Ellsbury 38    56   8   0.0%  11.8%  60.0%  14.3%
Varitek  32    50   6   4.2%  16.7%  25.0%  12.0%
Drew     45    70   8   6.7%  13.8%  18.2%  11.4%
Pedroia  42    55   6   0.0%  15.8%  50.0%  10.9%

This shows the number of plate appearances each batter had with runners on base, the total number of runners on base for those PAs, the number of RBIs from those runners, the percentage of runners on each base that were driven home and the overall percentage.

It turns out Lowell tops this list also. Ortiz is 3rd best on the team in converting RBI chances; his low % of runners driven in from first base (2.8%) is clear evidence of his lack of extra-base hitting. Nick Green is a surprising 4th best on the team, while Dustin Pedroia is driving in barely 10% of the runners on base when he bats.

By contrast, the leaders in RBI% in MLB are Brad Hawpe (31.1%) and Joey Votto (30.5%). The AL leader is Ian Kinsler (29.2%). Among MLB batters with at least 50 PAs, Lowell ranks 13th in the AL and 28th in MLB.

[Thanks to Baseball Prospectus for the stats.]

G23: Rays 6, Red Sox 2

Red Sox - 001 010 000 - 2  9  0
Rays    - 000 060 00x - 6  7  0

Evan Longoria clubbed a grand slam to left and Carlos Pena belted Masterson's next pitch over the wall in right-center. Those two swings turned a 2-1 Boston lead into what became the final score.

Other than slogging through that nine-batter fifth inning -- a bases-loading walk and the two dongs came with two outs -- Masterson (6-6-6-3-6, 105) did quite well. Manny Delcarman and Ramon Ramirez each pitched a scoreless inning.

The Red Sox had their chances in the early innings against Sonnanstine:

1st: 1st/2nd, 1 out, 1 LOB
2nd: 1st/2nd, 1 out, 2 LOB
3rd: scored 1, 3 LOB

Boston left 10 men on base.

***

Justin Masterson (2.70, 187 ERA+) / Andy Sonnanstine (7.78, 63 ERA+)

Ian Browne, MLB.com:

In general, the Red Sox have asked a lot out of their bullpen recently. Starters, with the exception of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, have not been going deep into games.

The last Boston starter -- aside from Wakefield -- to go as deep as seven innings? Jon Lester, on April 19.

Boston's bullpen has the 2nd lowest bullpen ERA (2.88), but is fourth in innings pitched (75).

In using Javier Lopez for a third consecutive day and then grabbing Jonathan Van Every, Terry Francona avoided calling on Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen or Ramon Ramirez in last night's rout. The Red Sox's next off-day is May 11.

Sox vs Sonnanstine: Lowell/Drew/Varitek good -- Pedroia/Ortiz/Youkilis bad.

Rays vs Masterson: Pena: 3-for-6, 2 doubles, home run.

Rays Notes: The 18 straight batters retired by Matt Garza to start last night's game set a franchise record, beating Sonnanstine's 17 batters (Mariners) on August 7, 2008. ... The Rays wear some new alternate jerseys for the first time tonight!

Etc.: The Royals turned six double plays against the Blue Jays last night, tying an AL record. (Oddly, the Royals hit into six DPs less than two weeks ago, on April 21 in Cleveland.)

Linescores Of The Month - April

I like the often odd and rhythmic patterns in linescores.

Last July, I posted one of my all-time favourites:

August 2, 1996
Yankees - 000 000 000 3 - 3  8  0
Royals  - 000 000 000 4 - 4  8  1

Here are my Top 5 Linescores Of The Month (April):

April 9
Royals    - 000 000 002 - 2  9  1
White Sox - 000 000 001 - 1  4  1
  
April 18
Cleveland - 0(14)1 140 011 - 22 25  1
Yankees   - 2  0 0 002 000 -  4  7  1
  
April 21
Rangers   - 020 100 200 - 5  8  1
Blue Jays - 002 010 010 - 4  9  0
  
April 22
Rays      - 311 111 001 - 9 15  2
Mariners  - 000 030 000 - 3  4  2
  
April 24
Phillies  - 000 000 007 - 7  8  0
Marlins   - 300 000 000 - 3  9  0

JVE Pitching In

Sean McAdam, Herald:

As the game got out of hand, Francona had third base coach DeMarlo Hale discreetly check with the position players to see who had past pitching experience. Van Every told Hale he pitched regularly in high school, earning him the assignment.

(But was it Hale? Kevin McNamara of the Journal reports that Tito was huddled with John Farrell, while over at the Globe, Notebook co-authors Amalie Benjamin and Adam Kilgore opt for "the coaching staff".)

JVE:

It's been quite a while, but I figured I'd just throw the ball over the plate and let the law of averages play out. ... All fastballs, 75-mph fastballs, just humming it in there. It's something you can tell your kids about. I pitched in the Major Leagues.

Jason Varitek was the only position player left on the bench, so Terry Francona sent Lopez to right.

The last Sox pitcher to play the field was Tom Burgmeier, who played left (in place of Jim Rice) for one batter in Texas on August 3, 1980. That game was not a rout, however; the Red Sox won 6-4 in nine innings. ... Anyone have the poop on that game? Why the last-batter switch?

***

Michael Silverman, on David Ortiz's poor April 2009:

The starkest stat was that Ortiz has never gone a month in a Sox uniform, while active, without hitting at least one home run. In his 35 previous months, he has hit at least one.

Ortiz' .341 slugging percentage also represented a low from the 35 months that preceded it. So did his on-base percentage of .289.

Also: Jed Lowrie will have the stitches from his left wrist surgery removed today. ... Rocco Baldelli has been taking batting practice and running at "a pretty good clip:, according to Terry Francona. ... Mark Kotsay will start a rehab stint with Pawtucket this weekend.

Schadenfreude 75 (A Continuing Series)

A Schadenfreude/Fat Billy two-fer!


Teri Thompson and Michael O'Keeffe, Daily News:

Alex Rodriguez was an insecure prima donna who made a clubhouse attendant load his toothbrush with toothpaste after every game in his three seasons with the Texas Rangers, a new book charges. ...

Rodriguez also turned off teammates by bragging about wild nights with strippers - and by making clumsy passes at other players' wives and girlfriends. ...

[Author Selena] Roberts also details Rodriguez's obsession with teammate Derek Jeter. Players who accompanied A-Rod to clubs said his favorite pickup line was "Who's hotter, me or Derek Jeter?"

***

CI's go-to line:

What are your hopes? What are your dreams?

***

Teri Thompson and Michael O'Keeffe, Daily News:

Alex Rodriguez wasn't the only player in the Yankee clubhouse who suffered from "man boobs," an embarrassing side effect of steroid use.

According to "American Icon," a book by the Daily News sports investigative team that will be released on May 12, Roger Clemens also sprouted breasts as a result of anabolic steroid use. ...

"The medical term was gynecomastia, but around the clubhouse they called them "b---- t---" or "man boobs" - and heaven help the player who sprouted them in the middle of his career and then took his shirt off in the locker room," the Daily News reporters wrote in "American Icon." "Roger Clemens had man boobs, and he must have been embarrassed because he was often the first Yankee out of the shower and the first to get dressed after the game."