Thursday Afternoon in New York

Orioles - 103 305 000 - 12 9 0
Yankees - 110 000 000 -  2 7 2

And so ...

East

Yankees   70  48   --
Red Sox   69  50  1.5

Gonzo's Sore Knee: Left or Right?

Alex Gonzalez has a sore knee. But which one?

David Heuschkel, Courant:

Add shortstop Alex Gonzalez to the growing list of injured Red Sox. He was not in the lineup because of a sore right knee. Gonzalez hurt it leaping for a line drive on the last road trip.

Steve Buckley, Herald:

Gonzalez acknowledged his left knee has bothered him, but not so much that he has to be out of the starting lineup. ... Francona explained the shortstop's ailing left knee needed a rest.

Ian Browne, RedSox.com:

Shortstop Alex Gonzalez, who has had his right knee taped heavily the last few days, was replaced by Alex Cora in Wednesday's lineup.

Yesterday afternoon, in the Globe's Extra Bases blog, Kelsie Smith:

Francona, uncertain which knee is hurting the shortstop, said Gonzalez has been limping a bit and could play but would be uncomfortable.

??? (I hope it's not both knees.)

Gonzo, who is hitting .094 (3-for-32) in his last nine games: "I'm fine with my knee. I can play with my knee like that." ... Which knee, Alex? Arrrgg.

David Ortiz thought Magglio Ordonez had caught what turned out to be his 42nd home run of the season. "This right field has got me all [messed] up." ... From the bullpen, Kyle Snyder said, "It was definitely capable of being caught. If [Ordonez] had a split-second better jump, I definitely think he would have had a shot."

Coco Crisp is batting .333 in August and .345 (10-for-29) during the current homestand, raising his batting average to .281.

Two possible relief pitchers are off the market. Scott Schoeneweis was traded to the Reds and it looks like Baltimore will hang onto LaTroy Hawkins. ... Keith Foulke likely will be activated Friday.

Trot Nixon will probably return during the Sox's next homestand, which begins on August 31. ... Tim Wakefield may return a few days before that, in Seattle on August 27.

Last night's game was the 5,000th of Bruce Froemming's 36-year career. Only the legendary Bill Klem has umpired more games (5,374). Froemming's first game was at Shea Stadium in 1971, when a Mets/Expos was called after five innings because of snow.

Francona said that Wells's performance -- allowing Boston to avoid a sweep -- "quieted things down a little bit". ... Heh. That won't last long.

Sox Get Eric Hinske, Carlos Pena

Michael Silverman of the Herald reports that the Red Sox have traded for left-handed hitter Eric Hinske.

In 197 at-bats, Hinske is hitting .264/.353/.513. Boston will send a minor league player to the Blue Jays and pay approximately $1.4 million remaining on Hinske's contract this year (but pay only half of his $5.6 salary for 2007).

David Heuschkel points out:

Hinske's production has decreased since he was 2002 American League rookie of the year, posting career highs in homers (24), RBI (84) and batting average (.279). He hasn't hit more than 15 homers or driven in more than 69 runs since.

The Red Sox also signed minor league first baseman Carlos Pena. Another good option for the September bench.

G119: Red Sox 6, Tigers 4

David Ortiz's two-run home run (#42) in the bottom of the fifth gave the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. But David Wells gave the runs right back -- does this happen to the Sox way more often than other teams? -- allowing a solo shot to Magglio Ordonez and a two-run bomb to Brent Clevlen. Tigers 4-3.

But, lo and behold, Justin Verlander gave those runs back. With one out, he walked Mike Lowell and with two outs, gave up a single to Javy Lopez and another walk (his 7th) to Alex Cora. Jim Leyland stayed with his starter (he was at 100 pitches) and Coco Crisp lifted a 2-1 pitch to the opposite field. It hit off The Wall above the standings, and two runs scored. (Cora also scored, but Bruce Froemming (umping his 5,000th game) blew the call, not seeing Cora get in under the tag.)

Craig Hansen relieved Wells with one on and two outs in the seventh and ended the inning with one pitch. He then made quick work of the Tigers in the eighth (single, DP, groundout). (Does that count as a second inning?) Jonathan Papelbon needed only six pitches in the ninth.

Crisp has looked much better in the leadoff spot; he walked, singled and doubled, and made a nice diving catch in right-center. Ortiz homered and walked three times; Cora and Mike Lowell each walked twice and Lopez walked and singled.

ESPN had the game, with Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips. ... Moronapolooza. ... We did the wise thing, and watched the game on mute.

Baltimore scored one run in each of the first three innings against Corey Lidle and made it stand up (overcoming an obvious blown call and gift to the Yankees on what should have been a game-ending double play), beating the Yankees 3-2, cutting the Chokers' lead to two games. Damon made the final out. ... The Royals are routing the White Sox, so it looks like Boston will be two back in the WC also.

***

Justin Verlander (2.95) / David Wells (6.23), 7 PM

The Red Sox are currently three games behind both the Yankees in the East and the White Sox for the Wild Card. ... Schilling:

I'm not talking about the Wild Card. I don't care about the Wild Card. That's for second-place teams. We can't think like a second-place team right now.

Win tonight, David, and I'll send you a few of these:

Frustration

After David Ortiz's single brought in Coco Crisp in the bottom of the eighth, it looked hopeful. The Red Sox had managed just six hits and only two runners had advanced past second base, but the game was tied at 2-2.

Then, with Mike Timlin in his second inning of work, Wily Mo Pena dropped Craig Monroe's popup down the right field line and Carlos Guillen scored the go-ahead run. (The inning began with a walk and a one-out single.) In the last of the ninth, the Sox went down in order, Pena taking a called third strike to end the game.

Terry Francona, on the fly ball: "I think he saw the stands coming, knew he needed to catch it and get rid of it. Probably tried to do everything a little too quick and couldn't handle it."

Wily Mo: "I didn't take my eyes off it. I always have my eyes on the ball. I didn't think about the wall. I was just thinking about trying to catch the ball. ... That ball just hit my glove and then fell down. I didn't take my eyes off it."

It looked like Pena thought he was a little closer to the stands than he actually was. (Monroe got credit for a single on the play.)

Afterwards, Timlin was frustrated: "We've been throwing the ball really well. I'm not calling anybody out, but we haven't scored a whole lot." ... In their last six losses, the Sox have lost by a total of only nine runs.

Jon Lester said he's starting the night game on Friday. So the matchups look like this:

Friday: Jason Johnson / Chien-Mien Wang
Friday: Jon Lester / Sidney Ponson
Saturday: Josh Beckett / Randy Johnson
Sunday: Curt Schilling / Mike Mussina
Monday: David Wells / Cory Lidle

Keith Foulke plans on being in the Red Sox bullpen this weekend. ... Sources say the Red Sox and Orioles are talking about a deal for LaTroy Hawkins. Pitchers Scott Schoeneweis and Russ Springer have also cleared waivers.

Last night: For the first time in major league history, two 18-innings games were played on the same day. The Cubs beat Houston 8-6, and Arizona edged the Rockies 2-1.

G118: Tigers 3, Red Sox 2

3 GB.

***

Jeremy Bonderman (3.76) / Curt Schilling (3.89), 7 PM

Amalie Benjamin, Globe:

Trot Nixon headed to the hospital today after a minor infection developed in his right elbow, a team source confirmed. The infection -- which just needed to be checked out and cleaned up -- should not significantly derail Nixon's return to the team from the disabled list.

The Wave

Steven Krasner, ProJo:

Don't blame Manny for this one.

The fact that Manny Ramirez was a dead duck at the plate in the eighth inning, taking the air out of the Sox' promising comeback, was the fault of third-base coach DeMarlo Hale.

The Red Sox had runners at first and second with one out in the eighth, having whittled their deficit to 7-4 against flame-throwing Joel Zumaya, whose fastball regularly hits 100 or higher on the radar gun. Ramirez was the runner at second.

When Mike Lowell ripped a single to center, Ramirez initially started back to the bag, not wanting to get doubled up in case the liner was caught, a good move on Ramirez's part. When he saw the ball headed for a safe landing in center, he took off.

And when he arrived at third base, Hale, who should have seen Ramirez initially going back to the bag, was frantically waving him home. Ramirez, though, was an easy out on the relay from shortstop Carlos Guillen to catcher Vance Wilson for the second out of the inning, quieting the crowd and effectively putting an end to any chances Boston may have had of winning the game.

Hale said that he did Ramirez hesitate. He also saw Curtis Granderson playing deep in center and assumed the throw would go to third base. Hale: "Manny did the right thing. He froze on the liner. The ball was hit toward right-center and they were lined up to throw to third. ... The defense is usually lined up for home plate."

Guillen said he was "surprised" to hear second baseman Omar Infante yell and point toward home. "I thought he was going to hold." ... Wilson says Guillen "is the most alert infielder I've ever played with."

I wish Manny had done what did at least once when Dale Sveum was coaching third -- ignore the windmill, trust his instincts and stop at third. Still, Hale would have to screw up like that about 20 more times before he gets into EZ Pass territory.

Also: Shame on NESN's Jerry Remy for assuming right away that Manny was dogging it on the bases. He changed his tune once he saw the replay, but as one SoSHer put it, "The fact that Remy jumped to the 'lazy conclusion' right away says more about Remy then it does about Manny."

Tim Wakefield threw off a mound for about 10 minutes yesterday and said he had made

a little progress. ... The pain is there. I know it's there. But it's not as sharp a pain as it was before. ... I want to be further along but ... it's a bone injury. You have to wait for it to heal. ... I don't want to come back too early, make three or four starts and be out of there and then be out for the year.

Jonathan Papelbon is a little tired:

I'm going to start speaking up a little bit more and start listening to my body a little bit more. I've arrived at the part of the season where you really have to be able to balance your body and your workload. ... I want to be able to last the entire season.

Doug Mirabelli is the first player in baseball history to hit as many as six home runs in fewer than 200 at-bats for six consecutive seasons. ... On Sunday, Jeffrey Farrell (5 IP) and Yulkin German (4 IP) combined to throw the first no-hitter in Lowell Spinners history, a 2-0 win at Hudson Valley. ... Keith Foulke hopes to join the team for its West Coast swing.

Jackie MacMullan has a great article in the Globe about tipping pitches. Former manager Cito Gaston:

I got pretty good at telling what pitchers were going to throw by the way they held their fingers outside the glove. I could pick up the grip for a curveball, because most pitchers held their fingers tighter when they threw it. With other guys, it was a matter of rhythm and repetition, or the way they turned their shoulder, or their placement of the glove.

G117: Tigers 7, Red Sox 4

Shithead List of The Night:

1. Josh Beckett -- Sucking yet again (6-6-5-4-6, 104).

2. Terry Francona -- After a perfect 7th from Seanez (on 6 days rest), he let him pitch the 8th, where he got one out, but allowed 2 singles, 2 walks and 2 runs. Enjoy your nap, Tito?

3. 3B Coach DeMarlo Hale -- For sending Manny in the 8th. Three singles loaded the bases for Lowell with one out, Sox down 7-3. Lowell lined a single to center, Manny waited at second base to make sure it wasn't caught, then ran to third. Hale was waving him in, Ramirez looked back to the outfield in disbelief, but kept going. Granderson was lobbing the ball in to the infield -- of course, Ramirez would be held at third -- but when catcher Vance Wilson began jumping up and down and waving his glove, shortstop Carlos Guillen made a strong throw home and Manny was dead. Then -- after being screwed on a check swing strike 2 call -- Pena struck out and the rally (and Boston's chances for the night) were gone. (Hale also sent Pena home in the 5th, another questionable decision, but the Tigers botched the relay and Pena was able to score.)

Yankees won 7-2 (Sox 2 GB); White Sox winning big against the Royals (Sox would be 3 GB in WC).

***


Nate Robertson (3.82) / Josh Beckett (4.92), 7 PM

Lineups:

Granderson, CF   Crisp, CF
Monroe, LF       Loretta, 2B
Young, DH        Ortiz, DH
Ordonez, RF      Ramirez, LF
Guillen, SS      Youkilis, 1B
Casey, 1B        Lowell, 3B
Infante, 2B      Pena, RF
Inge, 3B         Lopez, C
Wilson, C        Gonzalez, SS

Also: the Red Sox recalled LHP Craig Breslow from Pawtucket and sent down catcher Corky Miller.

***

Facing the four worst teams in the American League -- Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Baltimore -- the Red Sox went an unimpressive 6-7. And that included a three-game sweep of the Orioles.

But Boston has closed the gap in the AL East to one game, and now the fun begins.

Before we can obsess on the upcoming five-game series against the Yankees, the Red Sox have three games against the Tigers. Detroit still has the best record in baseball (76-41, 7.5 games better than Boston), but has lost five straight games (including three to the White Sox over the weekend). The Tigers have lost 4.5 games to the White Sox in the standings in the last six days -- from 10 games to 5.5.

Mark Loretta on the Tigers games: "I don't know that they're any more vital than these last three games were. I think if this was September 15, I think you look at it a little bit differently." ... The Red Sox have 46 games left on the schedule.

Michael Rosenburg, Detroit Free Press notes:

In the next three days, the Tigers face Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and David Wells ... Sounds daunting. Yet for every game of this Boston series, the Tigers' starting pitcher will have a lower earned-run average than his Red Sox counterpart.

Tonight's pitchers were roommates when Robertson was first called up to the Marlins in 2002. (Both pitchers were drafted by Florida in 1999.)

Robertson gave up eight runs and nine hits in 5.1 innings in his only start at Fenway Park last year. ... David Ortiz (batting .229 (8-for-35) in his last 10 games) is 1-for-11 with three strikeouts against Robertson; Manny Ramirez is 2-for-8, Kevin Youkilis is 3-for-7 and Coco Crisp is 6-for-22, with two homers.

Only three Tigers have faced Beckett: Placido Polanco (3-for-16), Sean Casey (2-for-4) and Vance Wilson (1-for-4).

This is the 1,931st time the two teams have played against each other. Boston has a 995-935 edge. ... Boston won two of three games in Detroit in early June.

The Yankees (Johnson (5.03)) host the Angels (Lackey (3.33)), at 7 PM.

What's New With Slappy McBluelips?

Same old, same old.


Ken Davidoff, Newsday:

Don't worry if you missed the Yankees game yesterday. It was a repeat.

It was the one in which Alex Rodriguez crushed a ninth-inning homer when only a statistically unlikely rally could have helped his club.

It also was the one in which A-Rod hit into a big double play against the Angels.

And after the 5-3 loss, for those of us granted access to the Yankees' clubhouse, it was the one in which the reigning American League Most Valuable Player vowed that he was about to bust loose.

"There's no question, this is the best I feel by far, head and shoulders, all year," Rodriguez said. "I haven't been able to hit two balls like I hit [Saturday and yesterday] in back-to-back games. I'm starting to drive the ball. That's something that I had no idea how to do the first three months of the year."

Oh. Well, that's interesting. ...

Filip Bondy, New York Daily News:

You don't want to pick on A-Rod. You want to write about almost anybody or anything else, after the Yankees lose again, 5-3, to the Angels. But then A-Rod goes and plays another game that doesn't really help the Yankees win, only helps them lose. He flubs a ball in the first, commits a slight mental mistake in the fifth, he strikes out twice when it counts, grounds into a double play, leaves a couple runners stranded.

At the same time -- and this may be the most worrisome notion of all -- Rodriguez declares he is playing his finest baseball all season ... "I feel 100%. Feel like spring training just ended. I'm fresh out there. Me swinging the bat like now can be conducive to a better streak."

Is he delusional? Maybe, but Rodriguez also has learned something very important in his three seasons in the Bronx. It's not April or even August that counts. It's October. ... The problem at the moment is that the Yankees must still earn an October, and that is no sure thing. They are a mere game ahead of the Red Sox, a game behind the White Sox in a potential wild card race. ...

He feels 100%? The New York Post states that Slappy hinted that he has been injured all season.

Rodriguez "... was booed throughout the day for fielding and hitting deficiencies until he homered with two outs in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss to the Angels in The Bronx. ... "I could care less," Rodriguez added. "I'm so happy when I hit a home run." ... He also inferred that injuries have played a part -- both offensively and defensively -- in his pinstriped season to forget.

How did he infer that he's been hurt? Unfortunately, the story made no more mention of the matter.

Wakefield Eyes Return; Nixon Takes BP

Tim Wakefield has Monday, August 21 -- the fifth game of the five-game series against the Yankees -- as a possible return date:

Is it realistic? I don't know. ... I'm trying my darnedest to get back. ... Someone said this and it's true: I feel like I'm in a traffic jam. You feel like you're just slowly inching along. It's a little frustrating. I feel like I should be better than I am and I'm not.

Francona says Wakefield would not need a rehab start.

Trot Nixon swung in the batting cage on Saturday. Tito: "I bet by the time we go on the road [August 22], I bet he'll be at least close to playing ... maybe not for us. I bet that's the timetable we're at least thinking about having him play. That's probably pretty close."

The Daily News had a story about Jeremy and Josh Papelbon. ... Industry sources say Orioles reliever LaTroy Hawkins has cleared waivers. Before the trade deadline, the Red Sox, Yankees and White Sox expressed an interest.

G116: Red Sox 11, Orioles 9

It must be pennant-race time. I had that feeling in my stomach for the first time this season. (I should be a wreck on Friday.)

Jonathan Papelbon, after pitching two innings and throwing 24 pitches yesterday, was needed for two outs in the ninth inning today. He ended up facing five batters and throwing 31 pitches (16 strikes and 15 balls).

Craig Hansen, with a 11-7 cushion, allowed singles to two of the first three Baltimore batters. Papelbon had Corey Patterson struck out, but was squeezed on what were called balls 1 and 4, so it was a walk and the bases were loaded.

Kevin Millar hit a double play grounder to shortstop, which should have ended the game, but Alex Cora brought his glove up a bit too fast and it rolled into short left field for an error. 11-8, bases loaded.

Papelbon fell behind Nick Markakis 3-1 before coming back to strike him out on a 95 mph fastball. Papelbon fell behind 3-0 to Brian Roberts -- Remy said he hasn't had this much problem with his control all year -- and ended up walking him to force in a run. 11-9, bases loaded.

Melvin Mora battled through a nine-pitch at-bat, fouling off three pitches, before grounding hard to third. Mike Lowell backhanded the ball, spun around and threw a bullet to first. Game over. Whew!

Lowell also hit a first-inning grand slam. Kevin Youkils hit a three-run shot in the seventh and Doug Mirabelli added a solo blast in the eighth (the Stud has hit a bomb in three straight games).

Manny Ramirez's 27-game hitting streak is over. He was in the on-deck circle when Youkilis made the final out in the eighth. Manny walked and scored in the first, flew to deep right to end the third, lined out to shortstop to open the fifth (Tejada made a fantastic diving catch to his left), and reached on an error by the pitcher in the seventh. It was a little squib to the first base side of the mound that was spinning wildly. When Todd Williams touched it, it darted off in another direction; then he tossed it wildly to first.

The Yankees lost 5-3, so the East lead is down to one game.

***

Daniel Cabrera (4.95) / Jon Lester (3.86), 2 PM

Lineups:

Roberts, 2B     Crisp, CF
Mora, 3B        Loretta, 2B
Tejada, SS      Youkilis, 1B
Conine, LF      Ramirez, DH
Gibbons, DH     Pena, LF
Hernandez, C    Lowell, 3B
Patterson, CF   Cora, SS
Millar, 1B      Kapler, RF
Markakis, RF    Mirabelli, C

Wily #5! ... And Tito assures us that Ortiz is just getting a rest before the games with the Tigers and Yankees.

More On Saturday's Broadcast

Laura already mentioned the comments of Fox play-by-play guy Matt Vasgersian on the Fahey hit/out in the top of the 9th, but I have to cite them also.

I found it amazing that after Manny Ramirez dug the ball out of the corner and started a play that ended up with the potential go-ahead run for the Orioles thrown out at third -- leaving Baltimore with no one on and two outs rather than a man at second and only one out against Papelbon (with Mora and Tejada coming up) -- Ramirez was still criticized more than Fahey on the play. Criticized for ... well, I don't really know what for ... allegedly actions in the past, I guess.

From the replay, it looks as though Manny slowed down as he neared the corner, but that was because he expected the ball to bounce out towards him, as it usually does. When it died in the corner, he sprinted in to get it and quickly fling it to Gonzalez.

Talk about a no-win situation. Cut down a potential game-winning run in the ninth inning, helped out by the runner's dumb decision, and have the announcers make fun of you for something that didn't happen.

Sadly, I have come to expect this kind of crap from just about every announcer out there (even Orsillo and Remy aren't above some gratuitous, out-of-context, Manny-bashing), but I'm still a little surprised every time I hear it. I expect the announcer to be a little more professional than a drunk fan in the bleachers making cracks about the opposing team. Silly me.

Another complaint about the Fox and ESPN broadcasters (local guys probably do it too, but I'm less aware of it) is when they make reference to former players or events that happened many years ago -- some very famous, some not well-known at all -- and never explain what they are talking about. And it's the national audience -- with more casual viewers in the audience -- that most needs an explanation, or some explanation.

Two examples from yesterday's play-by-play guy Matt Vasgersian (one I understood, one I'm still scratching my head about):

After a poor swing by a Red Sox player, he likened it to "a Bernie Carbo at-bat" and then never mentioned anything else about it. What he was referring to (I'll bet some younger readers here don't know) was Carbo's 8th-inning pinch-hit AB in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. Cincinnati was ahead 6-3, and the Red Sox were four outs away from losing the Series. Carbo took a very poor swing at a pitch in the dirt, but just barely fouled it off to avoid striking out and ending the inning with two guys on base. He then hit a three-run home run to center field that tied the game, allowing Carlton Fisk to win it in the 12th.

He also mentioned someone "doing the Bob Welch thing". What the hell he was talking about? Striking out Reggie Jackson to end Game 2 of the 1977 World Series? Winning an undeserved Cy Young Award? Dealing with alcoholism? What?

Vasgersian also informed us that when it came to deciding what cap Roger Clemens will wear on his Hall of Fame plaque, "a case could be made for three teams really", then said it really will come down to the Red Sox and Yankees. ... I'd love to hear his case for Toronto. Are you out there, Matt?

For the record, and typing as a serious Clemens-hater, if anyone can't figure how what cap Fatass should wear, they should have their head examined. (There is a website out that discusses in fantastic detail how much he achieved in Boston, but I can't find it now.)

Amusing moment: Jerry Remy discussing how Jason Varitek "is familiar with our pitchers ... uhh ... the Red Sox pitchers". Oops.

G115: Red Sox 8, Orioles 7 (10)

ALIVE!

Manny Ramirez singled to left in the bottom of the tenth to extend his hitting streak to 27 games and when Baltimore left fielder Brian Fahey overran the ball, Gabe Kapler scored the winning run.

Fahey made a bonehead decision in the top of the ninth when he doubled into the left field corner with one out. He tried for a triple. Ramirez dug the ball out and threw to Alex Gonzalez (who tripled into the same corner last night), who fired a perfect relay to Mike Lowell. And Fahey was dead. Jonathan Papelbon got the third out and then set the Orioles down in order in the 10th.

Baltimore held a 7-3 lead in the sixth, but Boston tied the game on a two-out, two-run triple from Wily Mo Pena (who also doubled and homered), followed by a two-run home run to deep left by Doug Mirabelli.

Are you smarter than Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo? Let's see: Tie game, bottom of the 10th, the toughest part of the Red Sox order coming up. Who do you bring in to pitch?

            ERA  WHIP  SV   OBA  OOB OSLG
Pitcher A  6.80  1.74   0  .337 .387 .593
Pitcher B  3.35  1.03  27  .194 .267 .359

Neither pitcher worked in Friday's game and the team was off on Thursday. ... Tough choice huh?

Perlozzo kept Pitcher B (Chris Ray) in the pen (waiting for a save situation?) and went with Pitcher A (Bruce Chen). Nice move, Sam!

More a little later ...

***

Kris Benson (4.71) / Jason Johnson (5.96), 1:20 PM

Benson has a 13.50 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox (Fenway ERA: 18.69 ERA), including allowing a career-worst nine earned runs in 4.1 innings on May 7. He is 0-4 with a 6.52 ERA in his last five starts. This will be his first appearance since July 25, after which he went on the DL with tendinitis in his right elbow.

Let's pound him like a drum. Manny Ramirez, with a 26-game hitting streak, is batting .818 (9-for-11) against Benson.

Obligatory Lineup Bitch: Coco again #1. Hey, at least Pena is batting ahead of Mirabelli.

G114: Red Sox 9, Orioles 2

Boy, that was nice.

Wells had excellent command of all of his pitches (7-9-1-1-4, 98) and the 7-run third inning was more than enough. Wells is never flashy, but when he's on, he's more than solid. I feel confident he'll be very important over the next two months. ... Kyle Snyder finished up and fooled several Orioles with his 12-to-6 curveball (Jay Gibbons and Kevin Millar both struck out looking at it).

Wily E. Pena ended the top of the fourth by throwing out Jeff Conine at the plate. Conine tried to score from second on Millar's single, but Pena unleashed a missle that Javy Lopez caught head-high on the fly and tagged Lopez out by 5-10 feet.

In New York, Cory Lidle lasted only 79 pitches (4-4-3-2-3) as the Angels beat the Yankees 7-4. Derek Jeter made the final out of the game, fouling out with a man on base and reducing New York's lead to two games.

***

8:30 PM -- The Red Sox scored 7 runs in the third inning and lead 8-0.

Mike Lowell has been a veritable highlight reel. After being drilled squarely on the left side of the helmet in the first inning, he has tumbled completely into the third base stands while making a fantastic catch on a popup, singled home a run in the third and stolen third base.

Alex Gonzalez tripled into the left field corner. Yup, the left field corner. ... Manny Ramirez is already 2-for-3 and has hit in 26 straight games. ... David Wells struck out the first two Orioles on only six pitches and looks very good.

***

Adam Loewen (5.72) / David Wells (8.05), 7 PM

God damn it all to fucking hell!

Lineups:

Roberts, 2B      Crisp, CF
Mora, 3B         Loretta, 2B
Tejada, SS       Ortiz, DH
Conine, LF       Ramirez, LF
Hernandez, C     Youkilis, 1B
Tatis, DH        Lowell, 3B
Patterson, CF    Pena, RF
Millar, 1B       Lopez, C
Markakis, RF     Gonzalez, SS

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, TITO? Coco leading off? Pena 7th? Don't you fucking get it at all?

Youkilis's Leadoff OBP of .395 is way fucking better than Crisp's Leadoff OBP of .285! This is not golf -- getting a lower score is not preferred.

Can someone affiliated with the Red Sox please tell me why this is allowed to continue? Can one of the Red Sox beat writers get an answer from Francona? Tito's "stretch out the lineup" bullshit doesn't wash with me. The Red Sox should strive to have as many baserunners on base when Ortiz and Manny come up to bat. Simple as that. And it is especially crucial at a time when they are the only ones hitting with any consistency.

Youkilis is the team's best choice for the top of the order. Crisp has a .375/.408/.486 in 76 PA in the #7 spot. That's really good! So what's wrong?

Terry, don't do anything radical. Just write: Youkilis, Loretta, Ortiz, Ramirez, Pena, Lowell, Crisp, Gonzalez, Lopez (or Mirabelli). Boom. You're done!

Arrrggggggggggg.....



***

The Red Sox begin an 11-game homestand tonight. They have a 35-17 record at home (and are 31-30 on the road). They have won 8 of 9 games against Baltimore so far this season.

Last Saturday, Adam Loewen allowed just 1 hit on 6.1 innings and struck out eight against the Yankees. But he has walked at least five batters in each of his last three starts.

Wells allowed one earned run over six innings against Tampa, scattering eight hits. ... Miguel Tejada is 15-for-44 (.341) with five home runs and 10 RBIs against Wells.

In New York, Corey Lidle faces the Angels and Joe Saunders. ... The White Sox begin a series against the Tigers (who hold a 8.5 game lead in the Central) and the Twins host the Blue Jays.

East
New York  67 44  --   v LAA
Boston    65 48  3    v Bal

WC
Chicago   67 46  --   v Det
Minnesota 67 47   .5  v Tor
Boston    65 48  2    v Bal

The Driver Speaks

David Ortiz: "You always go through these times every year and then we start playing better. We've got to hang tight and go home and win some games. There's nothing you can do but hang in there."

***

The road is getting rougher, there won't be any smooth pavement for dozens and dozens of miles, but we never get off the bus. Never even consider it. ... Not even when the toilet backs up, the AC quits, our head is pounding, and the sweaty guy next to us starts eating his lunch with his mouth open and humming. ... Homicidal thoughts come and go, and return. We consider leaping out of the window. ... A couple of people got off a few hours back, and we shook our heads in pity. ... We're riding this bus to the very end.

The driver will get us there.

Limping Home

The quick six-game road trip against the Devil Rays and Royals looked like a breeze before coming home to battle the Tigers and Yankees. Not so, Boston. Instead, the Red Sox have limped home after going 1-5. They are three games behind the Yankees in the East and two games behind the White Sox for the wild card.

Boston has gone 4-10 in their last 14 games, and three of those wins came on walk-off hits from Ortiz (2) and Loretta (1). The fourth victory was a 3-2 game in Tampa, in which the Sox battled back and took the lead in the eighth inning.

Last night, Curt Schilling (7.1-11-5-2-7, 107) allowed 1 single, 9 doubles and 1 home run (the single was the last KC hit of the night?!). The 10 extra-base hits allowed tied the AL record set by Washington's Dale Gear in 1901 and tied by Cleveland's Luis Tiant against the Red Sox in 1969. It was the most extra-base hits by Red Sox pitcher since Bill Monbouquette gave up eight to the Yankees on June 11, 1964. It was also the third time in his last five starts that Schilling has surrendered at least 10 hits.

Boston grabbed a 4-2 lead on a long three-run home run from Wily Mo Pena in the top of the seventh. (Digression: In his last 10 starts since June 19, Bronson Arroyo is 0-5 with a 5.29 ERA. He has allowed 11 home runs in his last five outings. He went back to his cornrows yesterday in his 10th attempt to get his 10th win of the year. It didn't work.)

Armed with a lead, Schilling came out and retired the Royals in order in the seventh on only eight pitches. He had thrown 89 to that point and it seemed like he could go the distance. In the eighth, Schilling got the first out, then gave up doubles to Sweeney and Teahen, a walk to Brown and another double to Sanders. That tied the game at 4-4. Shealy followed with a single -- the 5th straight Royal to reach base -- and Kansas City regained the lead for good. ... Lowell, Kapler and Cora went down in order in the top of the ninth.

Schilling said "It happened so fast. ...

I was so fired up going into that eighth inning. I knew I was in control. I got that first out, and even though it would have been a bad trip at 2-4, it's still a win going home, and everything felt fine. ... [I]f we want to play baseball instead of golf in October, we're going to have to pitch better. ... I gave the game away. I gave a game away we should have won ... I don't know that there's any in-depth explanation.

Manny Ramirez singled on the first pitch he saw in the first inning, extending his hitting streak to 25 games and tying George Metkovich (1944) and Wade Boggs (1987) for the seventh-longest streak in team history. It is also the longest streak in the American League this season and the longest by a Boston player since Johnny Damon had a 29-game streak in 2005. ... If Keith Foulke is activated today, Corky Miller will likely be sent to Pawtucket, once again giving the team 13 pitchers.

More Schilling, on dealing with the absence of injured players:

The Yankees found a way to do it, day in and day out and, like I said, if we want to play in October, we better find a way to do it too, starting tomorrow.

I looked at the Yankees schedule. They have had their own rough patches. They went 3-6 from May 14 to 22 (and they allowed 13 runs in one of those wins) and 3-8 (including four straight losses) from June 8-19. They lost 4 of 5 from July 19-23. And they have lost 2 of their last 3 games. ... They begin a four-game set (Friday-Monday) at home against the Angels, then host the Orioles for three more before next Friday's doubleheader at Fenway.

G113: Royals 5, Red Sox 4

Swept. By the Royals. In Kansas City. For the first time in 15 years.

The season just keeps getting better.

Friday AM: Coco saw 9 pitches all night. Yook saw 9 in his 7th inning at-bat alone (and 29 for the game -- in the same number of PA as Crisp). Plus Crisp's attempted steal in the first inning, on the first fucking pitch to Ortiz, was jaw-droppingly stupid. Was that called from the bench?

No one not named Ortiz or Ramirez is hitting much of anything, but if Coco stays in the leadoff spot any longer, I'm going to seriously fucking lose it. I can't imagine John Henry or Theo Epstein agrees with this bone-headed shit.

And why pull Pena for Kapler for the bottom of the 8th? Is Kapler that much better in right field? Plus that spot in the order was 2nd in the top of the ninth. Would have been nice to see Wily E. instead of Krapler.

This loss was not Francona's fault, with all the slumping, it is imperative that he gives the team its best chance to win.

***

Curt Schilling (3.78) / Runelvys Hernandez (8.54), 8 PM

The Royals have not swept a three-game series against the Red Sox at Kauffman Stadium since 1991. ... The Yankees (Mussina) finish up their series in Chicago (Vazquez) tonight.

Curt Schilling hopes to extend his major league record of 53 starts without allowing an unearned run. The current streak goes back to June 14, 2004. (Schilling's other 53-game streak was from April 10, 2001 to July 5, 2002.)

Coco Crisp is leading off again, Kevin Youkilis is batting 5th and Wily Mo Pena is hitting #7 after Mike Lowell. ... Bad Tito! No Chaw!

What's The Frequency, Bill Reynolds?

Bill Reynolds's column this morning in the Providence Journal is headlined: Hey, Sox, the future is now.

Let's read along:

The Red Sox did not want to give up the future.

Wasn't that the mantra?

Wasn't that Theo Epstein's response to why the Red Sox failed to make any significant moves at the trading deadline two weeks ago?

Wasn't that the reason the Sox did nothing, while Brian Cashman significantly upgraded the Yankees, essentially giving up nothing to do it?

Makes you wonder.

It seems to me the future is now. Manny and Ortiz in their prime. Schilling near the end, maybe Varitek, too. It seems to me that in a season where the National League looks like an overpaid International League, the Yankees have had their problems, the White Sox have a hangover after last year's World Series win, and no one seems able to name four position players on the Tigers, the future is now for the Red Sox. Not off in some hazy distance somewhere.

Now!

The Yankees improved, but Lidel and Abreu did not upgrade the team "significantly". And Cashman did give up something: a boatload of cash. Which, despite their large payroll, is a concern of the Red Sox. ... Manny is 34 and, as much as I love him, he is no longer in his prime. I'd put his best years at 1999-2002 (two years in each of Cleveland and Boston). Bill, do you truly believe that Varitek is in his prime right now?

The focus should be to be doing all you can do to win now, for the simple reason that there are no guarantees in sports. The future always is as unpredictable as a windblown popup. No one can put their hands around it. You try and win when you can for the simple reason that who really knows when you're going to get another chance.

I pretty much agree with this -- and it's one of the main reasons I get so pissed at Francona. However, many sportswriters, and I'll bet my next paycheck that Reynolds is one of them, talk about the season as a marathon, and how you cannot manage every game as if it was Game 7. In other words, sometimes you have bring in a less-effective pitcher because you cannot burn out your best arms before July. In (more) other words, Reynolds's quote -- "The focus should be to be doing all you can do to win now ... You try and win when you can ..." -- is not really accurate during the baseball season. (Even though I subscribe to it sometimes as a moody fan.)

This is a team that just a few weeks ago was being called as good as any in the American League. And now they seem to be in need of a jump start, a victim of too many injuries and a bullpen that seems as tired as a triathlete.

A team that needed help at the trading deadline and didn't get it.

Who called the Red Sox as good as any team in the league? Was it you, Bill? Name a name or two. If you like, you could start with mine, because I believe it even now. ... But first you say the Sox are as good as any AL team, then they needed help at the deadline. Every team could use some "help", certainly, but you're not making sense here, Bill. Which is it? ... And do you believe both of these statements? Only one of them (and if so, which one?) Neither of them?

Rest assured this would be different if the Sox had not won in 2004. There would be a sense of urgency, a sense that it was imperative to win now. That was the climate in 2004 when Theo traded Nomar, controversial, the sense that nothing was more important than winning now.

So what happened to that sense of urgency?

2004 changed a lot, but if you have any evidence that Theo is resting on the laurels of that wonderful season, please present it. I'd love to see it. ... And, if you recall, the Red Sox were three measly outs from being swept by the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. If that had happened, Theo would have been absolutely roasted by the Boston media for trading Nomar and having less than nothing to show for it. ... And how many local sportswriters were agreeing that trading Nomar and picking up O-Cab and Eyechart in mid-2004 was part of the "winning now" philsophy? (Hint: Zero.)

Now it seems muted, as if winning in 2004 took the pressure off, and now we hear talk about some long-range plan. It sounds great in theory, certainly, until you start looking up at the Yankees in the standings and the season starts to seem as if it's slip-sliding away.

Theo's reluctance to trade his young pitchers is understandable. In a game where pitching is key, the thought of giving up young arms is the new sin.

Oh, so now Theo's decision to keep the young arms is understandable? Bill, could you please pick an opinion and stick with it through the entire column? ... And is this really the first time you have heard of the Sox's long-term plans? Have you been in a coma since Theo was first hired? He -- and everyone else in the organization -- have pounded the idea of the "long-range plan" like a drum since Day 1. Or are you just making fun of the idea of having a long-range plan? Would you rather the Sox give barrels of money to once-good veterans on the wrong side of 35?

But what are the odds that all three of the young guns -- Craig Hansen, Jon Lester, and Manny Delcarmen -- are going to turn out to be great? Probably not too good.

So a 21- or 22-year-old rookie pitcher has to be "great" or the Sox should trade him for a two-month rental? Would you trade Lester for any pitcher out there? Do you have any standard for the kind of player you'd like to get in return? You aren't really saying anything of substance here, Bill. And any deals I read about involved at least two of those pitchers. There was no deal with just one of them involved that I heard about (though I could be wrong).

That's the other thing about doing something significant at the trading deadline. It sends a message to the clubhouse that you're serious. It sends the message that nothing is more important than right now, the best message any team can have. Rest assured that players in the clubhouse couldn't care less about the organization's future. To them the future is the next series, not some year in which the odds are they'll be somewhere else anyway.

The Red Sox should never do something for the simply sake of doing something. Also, Gabe Kapler says the team's actions at the deadline wasn't a big deal to the players.

Kapler: "I think we as a unit and as a group understand that this organization busted its [butt] to try to find the right deal. They stayed up late at night, worked as hard as we worked in an effort to help improve the club. We know the team put in countless hours and Theo put in every ounce that he could put in, that he thought he made the best decision possible at that moment. I trust that he knows enough. ... [A]ll the pieces of this puzzle are here in this room ..."

Coco Crisp: "If [Theo] was trying to do something and it didn't happen, it must not have been right. It's very simple."

Bill, why are you calling Kapler and Crisp liars?

And maybe the Sox did try at the trading deadline, and other teams backed out at the last minute. Who knows?

In other words: "I'm going to write this column and make claims regardless of whether I have any solid information on which to base them."

What matters is results. All the rest is fodder for talk shows, the woulda-shoulda-coulda banter that goes back and forth like a game of catch.

So why wouldn't you want to wait until at least the end of the regular season -- instead of nine days -- before passing judgment? That's the earliest we will see the tangible results of what the Sox did: They will either make the playoffs this year or not.

Of course, you might also want to wait and see what waiver deals are made and whether these potentially good arms that the Red Sox held onto to (for now) actually pan out, before (sort of) saying it was a mistake to keep them.

The Red Sox can spin this anyway they want, but if this team fails to make the playoffs, this season should be viewed as a major disappointment. ... This is a team that's supposed to be in the playoffs, not were positioning itself for some undetermined future.

Major? Perhaps. Read the first few pages of Seth Mnookin's "Feeding The Monster" for very clear evidence that Epstein saw 2006 as a transition year of sorts -- still quite competitive, but clearly experiencing a changing of the guard and having to address the need to get younger. And the fromt office has always talked about a huge crop of talent coming to Boston in 2007-08.

Finally, there is no reason why the Sox cannot make the playoffs this year. They are not 10 games out of the East or the wild card.

Reynolds's column is nothing more than a bunch of contradictory gibberish, silly strawmen and a profound ignorance of both recent Red Sox history and the oft-quoted opinions of the front office.

Notes on KC TV Announcers

Got the RSTN (Royals Sports Television Newtwork) feed last night. In the first inning , Bob Davis (I think) was blabbling like a senile moron. I probably should know for sure before I rag on him, but what the hell ...

He first said that Fenway Park was a great park for hitting home runs (this year, it is the hardest park in all of baseball in which to hit a HR).

That went right into a discussion of the Fenway bullpens "out where Ted Williams used to patrol". TSW, of course, played left field for the Sox. (He probably meant to say that the Red Sox built the bullpens to bring in the fences so Ted could hit more home runs, but he didn't come remotely close to hinting that that was his point.)

Later, Paul Splittorf talked about a game in which Ortiz, then with the Twins, was hit on the wrist with a pitch by a Royals pitcher. Later in the game Ortiz belted a home run. It turned out that the earlier pitch had broken his hand -- so he had hit the HR with a broken wrist.

I checked Retrosheet and Ortiz has been hit by a Royals pitcher only once in his entire career -- August 3, 2001. And he did not hit a home run in that game.

It was his only HBP of 2001. Ortiz was hit in the 2nd inning and stayed in the game until he was removed after doubling in the 10th inning. He also played the next two days. I doubt those games were also played with a broken wrist.

A Staff-Wide Urgency

Tonight's starter Curt Schilling:

There's more responsibility on the starting pitching staff right now than there has been in the past. ... You can call it pressure, but I don't know if it's pressure ... I look at that as my responsibility every time I'm out there. I'm supposed to throw more innings than the other guys. I'm supposed to pitch deeper in the games. That's how I feel.

And there needs to be a staff-wide urgency to do so. What you have to do, though, is take that terminology and translate what it means for you. Do you need to be doing more work between starts? Do you need to be doing more preparation between starts? Do you need to be doing less off the field between games? All the little things that go into being as good as you can possibly be on that fifth day. ...

Schlling obviously didn't mention anyone by name, but I can't help but feel he was referring more to Beckett than Jon Lester, Jason Johnson or Kyle Synder.

Jonathan Papelbon has blown two save opportunities in the last three games. "I don't bring anything home with me. As soon as I leave the ballpark, I'm done with it. Tomorrow's a new day. The sun's going to rise. I just have to study some film and make adjustments. We've got two months to go. There's no reason to be sitting right here and pouting or getting upset."

Keith Foulke pitched one inning for Pawtucket last night, allowing a run and two hits (16 pitches, 12 strikes). In four rehab appearances for the PawSox, Foulke allowed allowing one run in five innings. The Sox will see how he feels the day after pitching two straight days before deciding to call him up.

Manny Ramirez is now 5th on the Red Sox all-time home run list. He hit #231 last night, passing Mo Vaughn. Dwight Evans is 4th, with 379. ... Doug Mirabelli is expected to start behind the plate tonight.