DH David Ortiz was scratched from the Red Sox lineup today with tightness in his right knee. Boston's revised lineup for its 1:30 p.m. game against the Tampa Bay Rays:
1. Jacoby Ellsbury lf
2. Dustin Pedroia 2b
3. Kevin Youkils 1b
4. Manny Ramirez DH
5. Mike Lowell 3b
6. Jason Varitek c
7. J.D. Drew rf
8. Coco Crisp cf
9. Julio Lugo ss
SP: LHP Jon Lester (1-2, 4.31)
Ortiz has hit safety in 14 of his last 17 games (.301, 22-for-73) with four homers, 21 RBI, raising his batting average from .070 to .216.

For most of the first month of the season, Red Sox pitchers, who led the AL in ERA last year, ranked 12th in the league in that department. The ERA of the starting pitchers after last Friday’s loss at Tampa Bay was 4.51. Today it’s 3.88 after four straight strong starts by their pitchers, ranking the Sox rotation fourth in the AL.
Interestingly, none of the last four victories has gone to a starting pitcher because the Red Sox have been scratching to score runs and winning games late.
Over the last four games Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Daisuke Matsuzaka have allowed just three runs in 30 innings, an 0.90 ERA. Each of them has pitched at least seven innings and allowed no more than two runs.
The last time Red Sox starters pitched four games in succession with at least seven innings pitched and two or fewer runs scored was in April of 1997 when John Wasdin, Tom Gordon, Tim Wakefield, and Aaron Sele performed the feat.
Sox pitchers have fanned 213 batters, the most in the AL. But only Detroit and Texas pitchers have walked more batters.
Overall, the Red Sox' staff 4.32 ERA ranked 10th in the league going into tonight's game.

The lineups for tonight’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays:
Blue Jays
Alex Rios, rf
David Eckstein, ss
Scott Rolen, 3b
Matt Stairs, dh
Vernon Wells, cf
Aaron Hill, 2b
Shannon Stewart, lf
Rob Barajas, c
Marco Scutaro, 1b
A.J. Burnett, p
Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 2b
Kevin Youkilis, 1b
David Ortiz, dh
Manny Ramirez, lf
Mike Lowell, 3b
Brandon Moss, rf
Coco Crisp, cf
Jed Lowrie, ss
Kevin Cash, c
Tim Wakefield, p

Third baseman Mike Lowell, the Red Sox’ MVP in 2007, returns to the starting lineup tonight after being activated from the 15-day disabled list, where he had been with a sprained left thumb. The Red Sox designated reliever Bryan Corey for assignment to make room for Lowell on the active roster.
Although Lowell is back in the lineup tonight, the Red Sox still aren't putting what could be termed their best everyday lineup on the field because Coco Crisp is starting in center field instead of rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. The Red Sox have not played their arguably best nine players since April 9, the day Lowell sprained his thumb. That was 18 games ago.
Tonight’s starting lineup against the Blue Jays: Crisp, cf; Pedroia, 2b; Ortiz, dh; Ramirez, lf; Youkilis, 1b; Lowell, 3b; Drew, rf; Varitek, c; Lugo, ss; Lester, p.
The Blue Jays lineup: Rios, rf; Eckstein, ss; Rolen, 3b; Wells, cf; Hill, 2b; Overbay, 1b; Stewart, dh; Lind, lf; Zaun, c; Halladay, p.
The Red Sox did not collect an extra-base hit in either of their last two losses in Tampa Bay. The last time the Sox went consecutive games without an extra-base hit was June 18-19, 2003, in Chicago against the White Sox.
Manny Ramirez leads the AL in batting (.347), total bases (63), extra-base hits (16), and slugging percentage (.643). Ramirez’ 54 homers and 140 RBI are the most all-time by an opposing player against the Blue Jays.
Roy Halladay, the Blue Jays’ ace who is starting tonight, is only 10-10 with a 4.81 during his career against the Red Sox. Jon Lester is facing the Blue Jays for the first time in his career.
The Jays have beaten the Red Sox seven straight times dating back to last September, including a three-game sweep in Toronto earlier this month.

Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew left tonight’s game in the fourth inning, complaining of tightness in his left quadricep while running out a groundball in the second inning. Brandon Moss replaced Drew in the lineup.

Kevin Youkilis, who extended his major-league record of consecutive errorless games at first base to 201 today, received his Rawlings Gold Glove before the game as the AL’s best defensive first baseman in 2007. David Ortiz also received his AL Silver Slugger Award as the league’s top designated hitter, the fourth straight year he has won the award.
Dustin Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a third-inning single today ... Red Sox hitters have hit just one homer off a lefthanded pitcher this season, and that was by Ortiz ... Jed Lowrie, another former Spinner, has hit safely in all six games he has batted since being called up to the Red Sox.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona said that Josh Beckett looked comfortable when he threw on the side today. He expects Daisuke Matsuzaka to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday but is leaving him behind when the Red Sox play a weekend series in Tampa Bay. Matsuzaka is recovering from the flu.
Francona is worried about the virus knocking out even more players, and he didn’t want Matsuzaka in crowded quarters on an airplane with the healthy members of the team.
“Some of these guys, we’re trying to put them somewhere in the back of the plane (so they don’t infect the others),” Francona quipped.
Matsuzaka will remain in Boston and do his scheduled between-starts throwing at Fenway.

Justin Masterson, who went 3-1 with an 0.85 ERA in 14 games for the Lowell Spinners in 2006 and was picked as a reliever on Baseball America’s Short-Season All-Star Team, made his major-league debut for the Red Sox today, less than 20 months after throwing his last pitch in a Lowell uniform. Masterson, the Red Sox’ second-round pick in the 2006 draft, was placed on the fast track and has made a meteoric rise through the system.
Called up from Class AA Portland, where he was 1-0 with an 0.95 ERA in four starts for the Sea Dogs, Masterson pitched six innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, allowing just two hits and one run to a team that is second in the league in hitting and third in runs. He walked four and struck out four and got 15 of his 18 outs on groundballs or strikeouts. The only run he allowed came on a 1-2 pitch to Mike Napoli in the fifth that was slammed into the center-field bleachers.
“I’m impressed and proud,” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. “He handled himself just like I hoped, and that’s what I wanted to see from a kid coming out of Double-A. He competed, he had composure, he knew what he wanted to to, and he did it.
“He knows his strengths. He’s going to be a pretty good pitcher.”
Masterson, summoned because the Red Sox rotation has been in disarray for three days because of injuries and illness, was sent back to Portland after the game. Reliever Bryan Corey was brought up from Pawtucket.
Masterson thought Portland pitching coach Mike Cather was kidding when he was told he was going to the big leagues.
“He said: ‘Are you ready for your start tomorrow?’ I said yeah, but wondered why he was asking me that. Then he told me I was going up,” Masterson said. “I thought maybe I was going up to Pawtucket. When he told me Boston, I didn’t think he was serious.
“After about 10 minutes, I asked him: ‘Am I really going?’ And he said yeah.”
Masterson said that having already pitched at Fenway when the Spinners played the Oneonta Tigers in the Futures at Fenway game in 2006 helped his confidence. But he said he wasn’t nervous at first.
“I got through the first inning, and then I realized I had to go out and to it again,” he laughed. “That’s when the nervousness set in.”
His parents flew in from Ohio to see him pitch today. Some close friends also flew in, and his wife, Meryl, was also in attendance.
He knew he was going back to Portland after the game.
“When the time comes again that I’m needed,” he said, “I think I showed I’m ready to go.”
Masterson became the 34th player developed by the Spinners to appear in the major leagues. He is the first member of the Red Sox’ Draft Class of 2006 to make it to the majors.

Former Lowell Spinners pitcher Justin Masterson has been called up from Class AA Portland to start tomorrow afternoon’s game against the Angels. Masterson, who pitched for the Spinners in 2006, will be the first member of the Red Sox’ 2006 draft class to appear in the majors. Masterson is 1-0 with an 0.95 ERA in four starts for the Sea Dogs this season. The righthander has allowed only 14 hits and 5 walks in 19 innings while fanning 23 batters. He will be the 34th player developed by the Spinners to play in the majors.
Craig Hansen was optioned back to Pawtucket after absorbing the loss in tonight’s 6-4 setback to the Angels.
David Ortiz passed Rico Petrocelli on the all-time Red Sox home run list with his 211th tonight, giving him sole possession of ninth place. Next on the list is Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx with 222 ... All three of Ortiz’s homers this season have come in clutch situations, either tying the score or putting the Red Sox ahead .. The lefthanded-swinging Ortiz, incidentally, has the only Sox homer off a lefthanded pitcher this season ... The two homers by Gary Matthews gave him 100 for his career ... Dustin Pedroia ran his hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the fifth ... Red Sox pitchers ended Chone Figgins’ hitting streak at 13 games as he went 0-for-5 ... Hansen, who hadn’t given up an earned run at Pawtucket this season, was burned for a homer by Casey Kotchman, the third batter he faced tonight.

The flu is doing what 13 clubs in the American League cannot do these days: beat the Red Sox.
Daisuke Matsuzaka became the second straight Red Sox pitcher to miss a start when he was scratched 90 minutes before gametime tonight when he came down with the flu bug that has already rendered Jason Varitek incapable of playing for four days and had Josh Beckett under the weather between scheduled starts. Beckett recovered from the flu in time to have made last night’s start but was then scratched because of a stiff neck that may have been related to the illness.
Jon Lester started against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim tonight on three days’ rest.
David Pauley, who was summoned from Pawtucket to replace Beckett last night, was returned to the Class AAA club today. The Red Sox did call up reliever Craig Hansen, who has struggled since being the club’s second pick in the first round in 2005 but has been lights out for the PawSox this season.
Hansen, who discovered he suffered from sleep apnea during the off-season and is being treated for it, had given up just one unearned run in 12 1/3 innings over eight relief appearances at Pawtucket. He allowed just three hits and four walks while fanning 13 batters.
When tonight’s crowd is announced, the Red Sox are expected to have played to their 400th consecutive sellout at Fenway Park dating back to May 15, 2003. The streak is the second-longest in major-league history behind Cleveland’s sellout streak of 455 games a decade ago.
The Red Sox are 18-8 against the Angels at Fenway Park since the start of the 2003 season ... Dustin Pedroia went into the game as the AL’s leading hitter with a .364 average ... Manny Ramirez is tied for the AL lead in homers (6) and RBI (20) ... Jacoby Ellsbury leads the AL in runs with 19 ... Ellsbury’s perfect 17-for-17 in steals is the best at the start of a career since Tim Raines was successful on his first 27 attempts in 1980-81.

Posted by David Pevear, Sun Staff

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell took batting practice today for the first time since being sidelined April 10 with a sprained left thumb. Lowell felt great and looked great, according to Red Sox manager Terry Francona.
Lowell is eligible to come off the disabled list on Friday. He will likely rehab for two games in the minors. The Red Sox are 10-2 without Lowell in the lineup.
"I was waiting for him to kind of nurse the bat through the (hitting) zone," said Francona after watching Lowell take BP. "(But) he looked great."

-- Lineups for Red Sox-Angels game tonight:
Red Sox (14-7)
1. Ellsbury cf
2. Pedroia 2b
3. Ortiz dh
4. Ramirez lf
5. Youkilis 3b
6. Drew rf
7. Casey 1b
8.Cash c
9. Lugo ss
SP: David Pauley (0-0, 0.00)

-- Josh Beckett was scratched from this start with a stiff neck. Catcher Jason Varitek and reliever Manny Delcarmen are suffering from the flu and unavailable. The Red Sox just re-signed reliever Bryan Corey to a Pawtucket contract.

Angels (12-8)
1. Figgins 3b
2. Matthews dh
3. Guerrero rf
4. Anderson lf
5. Hunter cf
6. Kotchman 1b
7. Izturis 2b
8. Mathis c
9. Aybar ss
SP: Jered Weaver (1-3, 3.60)

Posted by David Pevear, Sun Staff

Red Sox ace Josh Beckett has been scratched from his start tonight against the Los Angeles Angels due to a stiff neck. David Pauley has been called up from Pawtucket to start in Beckett’s place. Utilityman Joe Thurston was designated for assignment.
Beckett in recent days has battled the flu-like virus that has ripped through the Boston clubhouse. He showed up Tuesday afternoon with a stiff neck.
"Whether it's related (to the virus), how do you know?" said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "We're not going to run him out there and have him potentially hurt his shoulder because he has a stiff neck."
Pauley is 1-1 with a 1.17 ERA at Pawtucket. His most recent start was April 15 at Indianapolis where the 24-year-old right-hander allowed 1 earned run on 4 hits over six innings.
"He was pulled out of his start the other night (in Pawtucket) in case we had a problem with an illness," said Francona. "David has pitched here before (0-2, 7.88 ERA in three starts for Boston in 2006). This move was in place just in case."
In 2006, Pauley was a fill-in at Yankee Stadium and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over 6 2/3 innings of a 2-1 loss to Chien-Ming Wang.
With Jason Varitek sidelined for the third straight day by the flu, the Red Sox will play tonight without a backup catcher. Kevin Cash will start. In an emergency, Dustin Pedroia would go behind the plate.
“Pedroia says he can be the backup catcher,” said Francona, “and at this point, that’s good enough for me.”

Kevin Youkilis, who moved from third base to first base in the eighth inning tonight after Sean Casey was removed for a pinch runner, recorded two putouts and has now extended his major-league record of consecutive games at first base without an error to 200. The former Lowell Spinner has handled 1,661 regular-season chances without a miscue, 39 shots of the major-league mark set by the Red Sox’ Stuffy McInnis in 1921-22.
The Red Sox have scored five or more runs now in seven straight games, their longest such streak since a 10-game run in June of 2006 ... Manny Ramirez, whose two-run homer in the eighth provided the winning margin in the Sox’ 5-3 win over the Rangers, has driven in the winning run in six of the Sox’ 12 victories this season ... The Sox have come from behind in eight of their 12 wins, four of them in the seventh inning or later.

Major League Baseball suspended Yankees reliever Troy Farnsworth today for three games for throwing a pitch behind the head of Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez after he had hit two home runs off Mike Mussina on Thursday in New York. Farnsworth is appealing the suspension.

David Ortiz’s grand slam against the Rangers on Friday night was his 210th homer in a Red Sox uniform, tying him with Rico Petrocelli for ninth on the team’s all-time list. Next on the list is Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx with 222 ... Going into tonight’s game against the Rangers, the Red Sox have banged out 10 or more hits in six straight games, their longest streak since a seven-gamer last July ... The Sox have also scored five or more runs in six straight games, their longest streak since a 10-gamer back in June of 2006. Their best streak of five-run games last year was four several times ... The Sox led the AL in runs scored heading ito last night’s game.

When the Red Sox were playing hardball with two-time All-Star and free agent Rich Gedman during the 1986-87 off-season, John Harrington, who was handling the finances for the club then, wasn’t concerned about the club’s catching situation for the upcoming season.
“We’ve got John Marzano, a first-round draft choice,” Harrington reminded the inquiring media. “We think he’s going to be a good player.”
Gedman declined arbitration in January and became a full-fledged free agent, forfeiting any chance to rejoin the Red Sox until May. But it was the time of collusion between the owners. Gedman received no worthwhile offers from other clubs and ended up being forced to re-sign with the Red Sox. His career was never the same after that, although he did receive a healthy six-figure settlement from MLB some years later after collusion had been proven.
As for Marzano, he never became the star Harrington and the Red Sox thought he would be.
Marzano was never better than a back-up catcher during his 10 seasons in the majors from 1987-98 with the Red Sox, Rangers, and Mariners, hitting .241-11-72 in 301 games.
Marzano died today in Philadelphia at the age of 45. He fell down the stairs at his home, apparently after suffering a heart attack. He had been working as an on-air personality at MLB.com.
Marzano was the Red Sox’ first-round draft pick, the 14th choice overall, in 1984 out of Temple University. He also played for the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team that summer.
The Red Sox held a moment of silence for Marzano before tonight’s game against the Rangers.

Rookie Jed Lowrie had a sterling debut at shortstop for the Red Sox tonight. He wasn’t spectacular — he didn’t need to be — but he looked smooth as the Rangers repeatedly tested him. Lowrie, who played third base in his major-league debut earlier this week, handled all nine of his chances in the field.
The former Spinner also had a good night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a single, double, sacrifice fly, and a run scored.
The Red Sox drafted Lowrie as a second baseman out of Stanford in 2005.
“I don’t think there was anybody here who didn’t think he couldn’t play the position,” said manager Terry Francona. “He did a nice job.”

Former Lowell Spinners outfielder and erstwhile No. 1 Red Sox draft pick David Murphy (2003), now playing regularly for the Texas Rangers, received his 2007 World Series Championship ring from the Red Sox before tonight’s game. Murphy played only two games for the Red Sox last year, going 1-for-2 with a triple, before being dealt to the Rangers at the trading deadline for reliever Eric Gagne. Murphy went into tonight’s game hitting .304 with 7 doubles, which ties him for second in the league. Murphy, who is still a rookie, leads all American League rookies with 18 hits, 28 total bases, and his 7 doubles.
After 17 games a year ago, Manny Ramirez was hitting only .226 with 2 homers and 9 RBI. He went on to have his least productive season in a Red Sox uniform, finishing at .296-20-88. Going into tonight’ game, Ramirez was hitting .343 with 5 homers and 18 RBI through 17 games. He was tied for the AL lead in RBI and also leads the league in extra-base hits (13), total bases (47), and slugging percentage (.701).
Former Spinner Jed Lowrie (2005), who celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday, started at shortstop last night in place of Julio Lugo, who was rested.
Former Spinners Player of the Year Kevin Youkilis (2001), who has played a major-league-record 199 consecutive regular-season games at first base without an error, has been flawless at third base since moving there after Mike Lowell went on the disabled list. Going into tonight’s game, Youkilis has handled 30 chances (including a couple of highlight-reel plays) without an error in seven games at third.

Hitless in his last 17 at-bats and batting .070 (3-for-43) this season, David Ortiz is being given the night off against the Yankees at Fenway Park.
"I just think it's the right thing to do," said Red Sox Manager Terry Francona. "He came (into the clubhouse today, knowing it was a day off) with a little bounce to his step, a little more lighthearted than he's been. He'll have a good work day. Then he can take a little bit of a mental (break). Because I think it's gotten to the point where he needs a break."
Francona does not believe Ortiz's struggles are related to his right knee that required off-season surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
Red Sox first baseman Sean Casey duly noted, "David has been one of the best hitters in baseball for the last so many years. At the end of this year, I promise you, he will be one of the best hitters in baseball this year. He will be what he is, when all is said and done."
-- Lineups for tonight are:

Red Sox
1. Ellsbury lf
2. Pedroia 2b
3. Drew rf
4. Ramirez dh
5. Youkilis 3b
6. Casey 1b
7. Varitek c
8. Crisp cf
9. Lugo ss
SP: Matsuzaka (2-0, 1.57)

Yankees
1. Damon cf
2. Cano 2b
3. Abreu rf
4. Rodriguez 3b
5. Matsui lf
6. Posada dh
7. Giambi 1b
8. Molina c
9. Gonzalez ss
SP: Phil Hughes (0-1, 5.00)

-- Francona said closer Jonathan Papelbon is not available to pitch tonight. Papelbon pitched 1 1/3 innings in each of his last two appearances – including following a 2-hour, 11-minute rain delay on Saturday – and in three of his last four. He pitched 1 1/3 innings in only four of his 59 appearances last season.

David Ortiz, who is battling the worst slump of his glorious Red Sox career, may be destined for a seat on the bench. If not tomorrow, then perhaps on Monday when the Red Sox go to Cleveland.
Ortiz went 0-for-4 against the Yankees today, still doesn’t have a hit on the homestand, and is now 0-for-17 and 1-for-29. His .070 batting average is the worst among qualifiers for the AL batting title. Ortiz has just three hits this season and has grounded into a league-leading five double plays.
Red Sox manager Terry Francona admitted after the Red Sox’ 4-3 victory that he may sit Ortiz down for a day to let him collect his thoughts.
“That is actually a possibility,” Francona said when asked about it.

The grounds crew had emptied the tarp of water and was preparing to roll it up when a second wave of heavy showers struck Fenway Park. The latest delay is expected to last about 45 minutes. If correct, the game should resume somewhere around 8:30 p.m.

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had just reached the mound to begin his warmups when it started to rain and the umpires halted play. Papelbon entered the game to protect a 4-3 lead with two outs in the eighth after Hideki Okajima was chased following a two-out walk to Melky Cabrera and a single by Bobby Abreu.
Alex Rodriguez was scheduled to be the first hitter Papelbon faced.

With his homer and a two-run double accounting for the first three Red Sox runs today, Manny Ramirez has now driven in more runs against the Yankees than all but two players in the last 50 years. The three RBI gave Ramirez 155 against the Yankees during his career. Only Al Kaline (157) and Carl Yastrzemski (163) have knocked in more in that half-century stretch.

Manny Ramirez’ fourth-inning homer off Mike Mussina was his 53rd against the Yankees during his career, moving him out of a tie with Carl Yastrzemski and into a tie with Hank Greenberg for the most homers ever hit against the Yankees.
Mussina has been a favorite target of Ramirez’. The only pitchers he has hit more homers off are Jamie Moyer (10) and journeyman reliever Tanyon Sturtze (8).

J.D. Drew has hit safely in all eight games he has played this season and has hit in 13 straight regular-season games dating back to last September at a .457 clip with four homers and 15 RBI. His .429 batting average going into today’s game would have given him a share of the AL lead with the Orioles’ Luke Scott and the White Sox’ A.J. Pierzynski, but he doesn’t have enough plate appearances yet to qualify.
Meanwhile, among qualifying hitters, David Ortiz has the worst batting average in the league at .077. He was hitless in 13 at-bats and had just one hit in his last 25 at-bats.
Things got worse for Ortiz in his first at-bat today. With a 3-and-1 count, he hit a checked-swing comebacker to Mike Mussina, who turned it into a double play. Ortiz now has just three hits this season while grounding into five double plays.
The Red Sox have lost seven of their last eight meetings with the Yankees dating back to last year and 11 of the last 14.
With a 5-6 record going into today’s game, this is the furthest the Red Sox have gone into a season with a losing record since 1997, when they finished the year with a 78-84 record.
Of the five players who have hit the most career homers against the Yankees, four have worn Red Sox uniforms. Jimmie Foxx (70), Ted williams (62), Hank Greenberg (53), Carl Yastrzemski (52), and Manny Ramirez (52) have hit the most homers against the Yankees. Only Greenberg never played for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox set another post-World War II attendance record at Fenway Park tonight, drawing a crowd of 37,624 to break the record of 37,612 set the previous night against the Tigers. It was the 392nd consecutive sellout at Fenway as the Sox close in on the all-time major-league record of 455 held by the Cleveland Indians.
The all-time record for a crowd at Fenway is 47,627 on Sept. 22, 1935, Babe Ruth’s last game at Fenway. There were no fire laws regarding attendance in those days.

Veteran reliever Mike Timlin’s return to the Red Sox was not a pleasant one. He gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Jason Giambi, allowing the Yankees to break a 1-1 stalemate in the seventh inning. He then gave up a double to Jose Molina before being relieved after Alberto Gonzalez put down a sacrifice bunt. Timlin was charged with another run when Melky Cabrera greeted Hideki Okajima with a sacrifice fly, putting the Yankees ahead 3-1.
The Red Sox had hoped Timlin would settle down their bullpen, which took a 5.91 ERA into last night’s game and had allowed 47 baserunners in 32 innings, including four of the eight homers surrendered by Sox pitchers this season.
The Red Sox bullpen has already blown four leads and ties this season. Sox relievers didn’t blow their fourth last year until June 2.

The Red Sox activated Mike Timlin from the disabled list before tonight’s game. Timlin had lacerated the ring finger on his pitching hand during spring training. He made two rehab starts at Pawtucket, pitching two scoreless innings.
To make room on the roster, reliever Bryan Corey — to no one’s surprise — was designated for assignment. Corey is out of options and has to be placed on waivers before he can be sent to the minors. Corey had no record in six appearances with the Red Sox but had a 14.54 ERA.

Jason Varitek turned 36 today.

J.D. Drew has hit safely in all seven of the games he has played this season, going into tonight’s game against the Yankees. Drew has a 12-game regular-season carryover hitting streak dating back to last season, during which he has hit .465 with 3 homers and 14 RBI.
Manny Ramirez has reached base safely in all 10 games this season, hitting safely in nine of them. Ramirez is a .316 career hitter against the Yankees with 52 homers and 152 RBI. His RBI total is his best against any team, and his homers are second to the 54 he has hit against the Blue Jays. Over the last four seasons going into tonight, Ramirez has pounded Yankees pitching at a .366 clip with 24 homers and 62 RBI in 66 games.

The Red Sox just placed third baseman Mike Lowell on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb. Infielder Jed Lowrie, who batted .328 as a Lowell Spinner in 2005, was promoted from Pawtucket to take Lowell's place on the active roster.

Not surprising, Mike Lowell is not in the Boston lineup for tonight's game against the Detroit Tigers. Lowell was scheduled to have an MRI before the game on his sprained left thumb. He suffered the injury in the first inning on Wednesday night. Lowell played through this same injury for much of last season.
Kevin Youkilis will start at third base tonight. Sean Casey will start at first. Alex Cora was out early taking ground balls at third base before feeling a twinge in his right elbow.
The Red Sox starting lineup for Thursday:
1. Julio Lugo ss
2. Dustin Pedroia 2b
3. David Ortiz dh
4. Manny Ramirez lf
5. Kevin Youkilis 3b
6. J.D. Drew rf
7. Coco Crisp cf
8. Sean Casey 1b
9. Kevin Cash c
SP: Tim Wakefield
With left-hander Nate Robertson starting for Detroit, switch-hitter Crisp gets the start in center field. Cash is in there to catch knuckleballer Wakefield.
Probable pitching matchups for the Yankee series
Friday (7:05): Clay Buchholz (0-1, 5.40) vs. Chien-Ming Wang (2-0, 1.38)
Saturday (3:55): Josh Beckett (0-1, 9.64) vs. Mike Mussina (1-1, 3.09)
Sunday (8:09): Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-0, 1.57) vs. Phil Hughes (0-1, 5.00)

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said after the game that Mike Lowell’s thumb was “pretty tender” and the club would know more tomorrow about the extent of the injury. But Francona added: “For him to come out of a game, you know he is hurting.”
Francona also reported that Bartolo Colon, who strained a side muscle in his first start for Pawtucket, underwent another exam earlier today and that the report was encouraging. “He had a good exam,” Francona said.

With Mike Timlin getting close to coming off the disabled list, the competition for the last seat in the bullpen between David Aardsma and Bryan Corey is heating up, and it’s beginning to look like Corey will be the one left out in the cold.
Aardsma pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief against the Tigers tonight. He retired the first four batters he faced before issuing consecutive walks to Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez but got out of the inning by retiring Miguel Cabrera on a pop-up.
In four appearances for the Red Sox, Aardsma is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA. In 4 1/3 innings he has allowed just two hits and struck out six, although he has walked four.
Corey, who turned a 4-2 deficit into a 10-2 disadvantage in his previous outing in Toronto, helped turn another 4-2 deficit into a 6-2 one tonight after replacing Aardsma in the eighth inning. He walked Carlos Guillen, the first batter he faced, then gave up a single to Edgar Renteria. After a sacrifice bunt, Brandon Inge ripped a two-run single to make the score 6-2 and chase Corey, who was replaced by Julian Tavarez.
In 4 1/3 innings over six appearances, Corey has a 14.54 ERA and has given up nine hits.

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who has been sidelined by a strained quad for several days, may be healthy enough to return to their lineup on Friday when they begin a three-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell sprained his left thumb diving to stop Ivan Rodriguez’ sharp grounder to open the game, and he left the game in the bottom of the second inning. X-rays were negative, and Lowell is listed as day to day. Sean Casey pinch hit for Lowell in the second, singled, and scored.
Casey stayed in to play first base, and Youkilis went to third where he was immediately tested on a hot grounder off the bat of Brandon Inge to start the third. Youkilis made the play and threw Inge out.
Youkilis was momentarily stunned in the second inning when, while holding Miguel Cabrera on first base, Carlos Guillen hit a one-hop rocket that struck Youkilis in the chest and knocked him backward. Youkilis recovered the ball in time and touched the bag for the out.
Down in Pawtucket, Mike Timlin made his second rehab appearance and pitched a perfect inning against Lehigh Valley, throwing just 10 pitches, seven of them for strikes. He got three groundball outs.

Thursday night’s game between the Red Sox and Tigers will be shown on NESNplus because the Bruins-Canadiens playoff game will be carried on the regular channel. Local Comcast subscribers can view the Red Sox game on CN8 ... The Tigers are supposed to have one of the most vaunted offenses in baseball this season, but going into tonight’s game their starting lineup had combined for 10 RBI, and ninth-place hitter Brandon Inge, had 40 percent of them. The Tigers scored just 15 runs in their first seven games this season, all of them losses ... Going into the game, Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis owned a .369 lifetime average against the Tigers, his top mark against any team ... July 4 is Independence Day, but July 4, 2006 was Dependence Day for Youkilis. That was the day the dependable first baseman began his major-league-record errorless streak, which was at 197 games going into tonight’s game ... Meanwhile Tigers’ second baseman Placido Polanco, whose major-league-record 186-game errorless streak ended on Tuesday, now has a streak of two consecutive games with an error after booting what should have been an inning-ending double-play ball in the second inning that led to a pair of tainted runs ... Sox right-fielder J.D. Drew took a 10-game carryover regular-season hitting streak into tonight’s game, during which he has hit three homers and knocked in 12 runs.

Baseball writers and baseball players often have disagreements. But Dustin Pedroia’s American League bretheren obviously agree with the Baseball Writers Association of America’s choice of Pedroia as the AL Rookie of the Year last fall.
Pedroia received the Players Choice Award as the league’s outstanding rookie in 2007 in a pre-game ceremony tonight at Fenway Park. The award was voted on by members of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Pedroia set a major-league record for rookie second basemen with his .317 batting average last season, and he also led all rookies in doubles with 39 and was second in on-base percentage.
Red Sox Gold Glove first baseman Kevin Youkilis, a member of the MLBPA’s Executive Board, presented Pedroia with the award.
The Major League Baseball Players Trust awarded a $20,000 grant in Pedroia’s name to his hometown Little League in Woodland, Calif.

In a minor-league deal today, the Red Sox traded former Lowell Spinners shortstop Christian Lara to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for righthanded pitcher Eric Hull. Hull, 28, had been designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Mar. 31. Hull was placed on the Sox' 40-man roster and assigned to Pawtucket, although he will report to the Red Sox' extended spring training program in Fort Myers for conditioning purposes. Hull was 4-3 with a 2.74 ERA in 49 games at Class AAA Las Vegas last season. He pitched five games for the Dodgers in September.
Lara played for the Spinners in 2004, hitting .277-0-10 with 10 steals and 21 runs in 32 games after being called up from Fort Myers of the Rookie Gulf Coast League in mid-season. Lara was called up when Dustin Pedroia, the Sox' top pick in the draft, was slow to sign. Pedroia had been slated to begin his career in Lowell. But after Lara was called up and played well, Pedroia began his career at Augusta in the Class A Sally League.
Lara was playing for the Lancaster JetHawks of the Class A California League this season.

It's all over at Fenway. The Red Sox defeat the Tigers 5-0 in the home opener. The much-hyped Tigers fall to 0-7, remaining the only winless team in the majors.
Strong outings by Dice-K (6 2/3 ip, 4h, 0r, 4bb, 7k) and Manny Delcarmen (1 1/3 ip, 1h, 0r, 0bb, 2k).Hideki Okajima pitched a 1-2-3 ninth (2 strikeouts).
Kevin Youkilis was 3-for-3 with an RBI double and a sacrifice fly.The Red Sox are 4-4. The crowd of 36,567 was a Fenway Park Opening Day record.

Daisuke Matsuzaka left with a 5-0 lead after 6 2/3 innings today at Fenway. Dice-K allowed four hits, walked four Tigers and struck out seven while throwing 108 pitches (62 strikes). He lowered his ERA to 1.47 and will likely improve to 2-0.
Kevin Youkilis is 2-for-2 with a walk and 2 RBI (RBI double, sacrifice fly).

Manny Ramirez looked like he was sort of thinking three bases when he trotted out of the box in the third inning, not assuming he had an easy four. He tripled to center field, sliding head first into third base as Detroit second baseman Placido Polanco's relay throw bounced into the Detroit dugout. Manny leisurely lifted himself and trotted home to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead.
The error by Polanco was his first since July 1, 2006. He had gone 186 straight games without committing an error, a major-league record for second basemen.
Coco Crisp had knocked in the Red Sox's first run with a sacrifice fly in the second.
Daisuke Matsuzaka has cruised through four innings.
So when are the Tigers supposed to start hitting?

Bill Buckner is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch today at Fenway Park.
Yes, that Bill Buckner.
This should just about put the final burial touches on the curse.

For the second time in four years, Boston’s home opener will be preceded by Red Sox players receiving World Series rings.
But baseball marches on. Seven games into a new season in which the Red Sox already have traveled 16,000 air miles to Japan and Canada and back, the reigning champs are in last place in the American League East (3-4). Still, they have earned the right to push aside their present bullpen difficulties and reflect on 2007.
“Part of the joy that I get (from) today is watching how the players do react (to receiving their rings),” said Red Sox manager Terry Francona during his pre-game press conference. “I know that the day is scripted. But you can't script your emotions or how it affects you. I'm sure it affects people differently. I don't want the players to not enjoy this. They have earned the right. It’s an honor.
“You like to say it will happen every year. And you certainly strive for that,” added Francona. “But it's hard to do … We talk all the time about moving on and paying attention and staying in the present. But today is a very special day.”
For the same baseball reasons the Red Sox figure to soon get rolling, Francona is wary of the Detroit Tigers’ 0-6 start. Detroit’s fearsome lineup does not figure to remain quiet for much longer.
“When it's all said and done, every team will be where they are supposed to be ... ourselves included,” Francona said. “They're going to be a great team. I hope we don't see it.”
Here is what Francona had to say on whether the Red Sox being swept in Toronto this past weekend was due to exhaustion: “When we went to Oakland (after the Japan trip), everybody was kind of clamoring how cohesive we are and how we're handling all this. Then we go to Toronto and everything goes the other way, and it's now ‘they're out of gas, they're not doing that.’
“We didn't play very good baseball. And that adds up to losses sometimes. I don't think anybody ever claimed that it was going to be an advantage to go over there (to Japan). I don't think anybody ever said that. But you go where you're supposed to go. You go when they tell you. You play who you're supposed to play – and hopefully you beat them.
“Toronto outplayed us. I'm sure for the next three or four months, every time we do lose, or every time we make an error, I'm going to have to answer: ‘Did Japan do it?’"

The starting lineups for the Red Sox's home-opener today against the Detroit Tigers:
RED SOX
1. Dustin Pedroia 2b
2. Kevin Youkilis 1b
3. David Ortiz dh
4. Manny Ramirez lf
5. Mike Lowell 3b
6. J.D. Drew rf
7. Jason Varitek c
8. Coco Crisp cf
9. Julio Lugo ss
SP - Daisuke Matsuzaka (RHP)

TIGERS
1. Edgar Renteria ss
2. Placido Polanco 2b
3. Gary Sheffield DH
4. Magglio Ordonez rf
5. Miguel Cabrara 3b
6. Carlos Guillen 1b
7. Ivan Rodriguez c
8. Jacque Jones lf
9. Brandon Inge cf
SP - Kenny Rogers (LHP)

Former UMass Lowell catcher Matt Tupman must wait for another opportunity to make his big-league debut. The Kansas City Royals on Saturday optioned Tupman back to Triple-A Omaha. Tupman. 28, of Concord, N.H., spent four games with the Royals but did not appear in any games. He was on KC’s active roster as its backup catcher while Miguel Olivo served a four-game suspension stemming from a fight last season. So for now, Mike LaValliere, a catcher with four teams from 1984-95, is still the only UMass Lowell product to have played in the big leagues.

The expectation is that former UMass Lowell catcher Matt Tupman will be optioned back to Triple-A by the Kansas City Royals after their game tonight in Minnesota. Tupman, 28, of Concord, N.H., is on Kansas City’s active roster as its backup catcher while Miguel Olivo serves a four-game suspension. Olivo’s suspension ends after tonight’s game. Tupman is still waiting to make his major-league debut. He saw no action during the Royals’ season-opening three-game sweep of the Tigers in Detroit. Hopefully a situation arises tonight where KC manager Trey Hillman can give Tupman an at-bat. We’ll keep you posted.

Once again, caution pays off for the Red Sox.
Recently I noted how fortunate the Red Sox were that Nomar Garciaparra turned down a five-year, $60-million offer from the club during spring training of 2004, and that they traded him in mid-season that year. Since then Garciaparra hasn’t come close to putting up the kinds of numbers he did for the Red Sox.
It looks more and more like they also made the right decision when they let Pedro Martinez walk after winning the World Series in 2004. The Red Sox and Mets were offering roughly the same money for his services, but the Mets were willing to go to a fourth year, and the Red Sox weren’t.
Since signing with the Mets for four years and $52 million, Pedro has made just 60 starts and won 27 games (27-17). He missed most of last year while recovering from rotator cuff surgery, and now, after one start this season, he’s out for four to six weeks with a pulled hamstring.
The Red Sox do spend a lot of money — although they have only the fourth-highest payroll in baseball this season, but you have to give them credit. They do spend it wisely.

It’s official. The Kansas City Royals have placed former UMass Lowell catcher Matt Tupman on their Opening Day roster. The Royals on Saturday cut 11 players from their active roster to get down to 24. They will open the regular-season on Monday in Detroit with Tupman as their backup catcher while Miguel Olivo serves a four-game suspension stemming from a brawl with the New York Mets last season while Olivo was a Florida Marlin.
John Buck is the Royals' starting catcher.
Tupman, 28, of Concord, N.H., helped the River Hawks to their only two Division 2 World Series appearances (2001-02). He was an All-American in 2002. He is in position to become only the second UMass Lowell product to play in the big leagues. Mike LaValliere, who was from Manchester, N.H., was a major league catcher for 12 seasons (1984-95).

Starting the season in Japan when they did — the earliest Opening Day in major-league history — was supposed to help the Red Sox avoid the fatigue that dogged the Yankees for three weeks after they returned from their season-opening trip to the Orient in 2004. But the earlier dates are just going to make things worse for the Red Sox, who should be justifiably exhausted by the time they return to Boston on Apr. 8 for their home opener against the Tigers. By then the Red Sox will have been living out of suitcases for nearly three weeks.
The Sox left Florida on Mar. 19 for two exhibition games and two regular-season games against the Athletics. But instead of returning to Fort Myers to resume spring training, they flew directly from Tokyo to Los Angeles, where they will play three exhibition games against the Dodgers this weekend. Next the Sox will jump up to Oakland for a couple of regular-season games against the A’s, then fly to Toronto for a series against the Blue Jays.
When the Red Sox finally arrive in Boston, they will have been on the road for 19 days, making this one of the longest road trips in modern major-league history. While the Sox have been trotting the globe, spending about 38 hours — an average of two hours per day — in airplanes and living in hotel rooms, the players on the other 28 teams have been going back to their spring training condos every night, sleeping in a familiar bed and eating at familiar restaurants or enjoying a home-cooked meal. Even Oakland is already home, playing the cross-bay rival Giants in an exhibition series this weekend.
This schedule is unquestionably a hardship on the Sox. There are only two unusually long road trips I can remember in recent years involving a major-league team. In 1994 the Mariners were supposed to finish their entire schedule on the road after the Kingdome had to be closed on July 19 because of tiles falling from the ceiling. They played 20 consecutive road games before the the season came to a premature end on Aug. 12 when the Players Association went on strike, sparing the Mariners from the longest road marathon in history.
In 1992 the Astros were forced to take a grueling 26-game road trip from July 27-Aug. 23 while the Astrodome was being rented for the Republican National Convention.
I say modern major-league history because back at the turn of the last century, teams often went on the road for four weeks at a time and then played four-week homestands. Travel was by train in those days, and teams never had to cross more than one time zone.
Teams may get where they’re going faster in the jet age, but the road trips seem l-o-n-g-e-r.

Manny Ramirez went deep this morning to account for the Red Sox's only run in a 5-1 loss to the Oakland A's. That is 5 RBI in two games for Manny, who had only 13 RBI in all of March and April last season (24 games).
But what's up with Keith Foulke mowing Manny down two straight days with that feeble stuff?
Manny has openly declared his love for Japan. Hopefully he is still OK with hitting in the States.
You know David Ortiz (0-for-7, 2 walks so far) will start finding the seats soon. He hit two balls squarely on Tuesday.
From a Red Sox perspective, the best thing about their 1-1 trip to Japan is that it is over. And if David Aardsma's performance today is for real (1 2/3 ip, 1 h, 2 k), Boston may have found another power right arm to join Manny Delcarmen’s in the parade to Papelbon.
Of course Aardsma, a former first-round pick of the Giants, also started strongly for the White Sox last season, leading all AL relievers with 23 Ks in April, before slowing and being shipped to Triple-A. The 26-year-old former Rice Owl was acquired from the White Sox in January and is playing in his fourth organization in five years. He remains intriguing.

Sleepy observations about this 6-5 Red Sox victory in 10 innings on Opening Morning:
-- Thank goodness for Emil Brown’s 10th-inning base-running blunder or the Red Sox and A’s might still be playing.
-- Daisuke Matsuzaka's early wildness could be easily dismissed if not so reminiscent of how Dice-K pitched too often last season. Thirty pitches in each of the first two innings! Still, it is March 25. The excitement of pitching back in his homeland perhaps contributed to Matsuzaka’s wildness. When Dice-K (5 walks) threw strikes, he was outstanding (6 Ks, and only two hits allowed over five innings). But a legitimate major league lineup – which the A’s are not – would have put Matsuzaka down 5-0, instead of 2-0, after two.
-- As NESN’s Jerry Remy keenly noted, had Dice-K not thrown all those pitches early, Kyle Snyder would not have been pitching the sixth inning. Jack Hannahan clubbed a two-run homer off Snyder to put Oakland back in front, 4-3.
-- A line-drive single. A tantalizing bid for a go-ahead homer in the ninth (foul ball). A fearless leaping grab in center field. Jacoby Ellsbury oozes excitement.
So what was that Coco guy’s name again?
-- Everybody has been so focused on Ellsbury supplanting Coco Crisp in center, what about Brandon Moss replacing brittle J.D. Drew in right? You can hear that talk-show brouhaha brewing already. Moss’ first major league homer tied the game 4-4 in the ninth. He has been a very good minor-league hitter. He is still only 24. Three years ago, Baseball America rated Moss as Boston’s second-best prospect behind Hanley Ramirez – and ahead of Jonathan Papelbon, Dustin Pedroia and Manny Delcarmen.
-- Manny Ramirez (2 doubles, 4 RBI) has just started running to first base. Papelbon’s ERA is 9.00. Time of game: 3 hours, 39 minutes. Are we really ready for 161 more of these?

This isn’t the first time Red Sox players have threatened to boycott a game — or delayed one — over money. The Red Sox and Cubs threatened to boycott Game 5 of the 1918 World Series in Boston over the distribution of World Series shares.
Before the 1918 season began, the owners of the major-league teams decided to redistribute the shares. There was no players union in those days, so the players weren’t consulted, and many of them weren’t aware that their shares were going to be cut until they were riding the train from Chicago to Boston and got their first look at the documents handed them just before the Series began.
Until 1918, players received 60 percent of the proceeds from the first four games, which usually meant three or four thousand dollars for each player. But the owners unilaterally cut the players’ share to 55 percent in 1918, of which only 60 percent of that total would go to the players on the Cubs and Red Sox. The remainder of the money would be distributed to players on the second-, third-, and fourth-place teams in each league. The theory was that by giving the players of runner-up teams a few hundred dollars in World Series shares, the owners of those teams could use that money as leverage to hold down salaries.
Furthermore, American League president Ban Johnson ordered each Red Sox player to donate 10 percent of his share to charity as part of the war effort.
When the Cubs and Red Sox got to Boston, they demanded to meet with the owners, who stalled them by promising to meet the following day. The teams played. But when they showed up the next day, the owners’ representatives refused to negotiate.
The players asked once more for a meeting on the morning of Game 5 and were told they could meet after that game. But the Red Sox led the Series 3-1, and if they won that afternoon, it would be all over and the players would have no leverage.
The Cubs and Red Sox agreed to strike. With a crowd of nearly 25,000 at Fenway getting restless when the game did not start on time, the owners’ reps finally met with the players. They told the players that if they didn’t play, the remainder of the World Series would be canceled and the players wouldn’t get a dime.
Red Sox star outfielder Harry Hooper told them they could give the money to charity. This was a matter of principle, and the players wanted their traditional share. Johnson, who was reportedly drunk, insisted the system could not be changed back on the spot, and he pleaded with the players that they owed it to the doughboys in the stands to play.
Reluctantly, the two teams agreed to play. The fans, unaware of what the dispute was all about, thought the players were being selfish and blamed them for the delay and jeered them with catcalls like “Slackers!” and “Bolsheviki!”
The Cubs won, and barely 15,000 fans turned up the next day to see the Red Sox win the World Series.
The champion Red Sox received the lowest shares for a winning team in World Series history, $1,102 per player.
The owners also punished the players by refusing to give them their traditional championship medallions, which were the equivalent of rings today. In 1993 a story by Red Sox historian Glenn Stout that revisited the slight prompted the Red Sox to present the families of the players — all of whom were dead by then — with championship medallions in a ceremony at Fenway Park later that year.

There is playing good, hard baseball. Then there is out-of-control vengeance like Yankee enforcer Shelley Duncan opted to go for last week. Duncan’s spikes-high slide very late into Tampa Bay second baseman Akinori Iwamura — a retaliatory strike against Tampa Bay for a home-plate collision four days before that left Yankee catching prospect Francisco Cervelli with a broken wrist — was embarrassing to those who still vigorously defend the sagging Yankees for their class. (Like me.)
Because take away that class — the Yankees’ highly professional clean-cut approach to our pastime — and not much is really special about the Bombers anymore.
In recent years, their front office has been outthought and their team outplayed by a Boston franchise that for a century had merely been a pesky mosquito to the Bronx Colossus. The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000. Their string of 13 consecutive playoff appearances will end this year unless young phenoms Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain mature immediately into Vic Raschi and Allie Reynolds, and Alex Rodriguez clubs 83 home runs. Hank Steinbrenner (Boss II), who says he is out to properly realign a Yankee Universe, insulted classy manager Joe Torre with a one-year contract offer and turned to fiery Joe Girardi after Torre turned it down.
Girardi’s fire apparently goes out during spring training games — unless, of course, he first becomes riled by a division doormat failing to adhere to some unwritten rule against playing all out in games that don’t count. You have to be careful, after all. Billy Crystal might get hurt.
Manager Joe Maddon’s Rays maybe have their own unwritten rule (since they are not written down, just follow only those you believe), a timeless one which Girardi’s Yankees would be wise to heed: You practice like you play.

There was no police escort for Doug Mirabelli out of town the way there was when he flew back into town on May 1, 2006, hours after being reacquired by the Red Sox, who had been appalled by Josh Bard’s attempts to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball. The Red Sox rushed Mirabelli onto a chartered plane in San Diego, and he arrived at Fenway Park in the nick of time to catch Wakefield against the Yankees that night.
The Red Sox released him yesterday, giving the job of Wakefield’s personal catcher to Kevin Cash, whose only real advantage over Mirabelli is that he’s seven years younger.
I don’t understand why so many Red Sox fans — and members of the media — were always so down on Mirabelli. IMHO, he was the consummate backup catcher, a guy who could catch and throw and didn’t complain about his playing time. Sure, he didn’t hit much for average, but he was good for a half-dozen homers a year and was always, at the very least, a threat at the plate.
If Red Sox fans thought Mirabelli’s bat was bad, wait ‘til they get a long look at Cash’s. The guy has never even reached the Mendoza Line, and he doesn’t have Mirabelli’s power or batting eye. Cash’s best year was .193-4-21 in 60 games for the Blue Jays in 2004.
Here’s a comparison of Mirabelli’s and Cash’s career stats:
Batting Average: Mirabelli .231, Cash .167.
On-Base Percentage: Mirabelli .317, Cash .223.
Slugging Percentage: Mirabelli .407, Cash .265.
Okay, I’ll grant you it was seven years ago when Mirabelli was Cash’s age. But in 2001, when Jason Varitek broke his elbow, Mirabelli stepped in and hit .270 with nine homers and 26 RBI in 54 games for the Red Sox.
Varitek is also seven years older now and more prone to getting hurt. If something serious were to happen to Varitek, could Cash be expected to step in and contribute the kinds of numbers Mirabelli did? Somehow I doubt it.
The one thing Cash does seem to have in his favor is that, like Mirabelli, he is a good defensive catcher. He has caught 27 of 75 base stealers during his major-league career, an impressive 36 percent. He’ll probably be able to handle Wakefield’s knuckler.
But if he can’t ... well, Doug Mirabelli might be getting another police escort to Fenway Park by May.

Posted by Chaz Scoggins

It was one of the most unpopular trades in Red Sox history at the time it was made. But time has shown that it was also one of the best.

Red Sox fans were up in arms when the Red Sox dealt Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs at the trading deadline in 2004, part of a three-cornered deal that brought shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to Boston. Garciaparra had won two batting titles for the Red Sox and was a .323 lifetime hitter. He had posted a slugging percentage above .500 and hit at least 21 homers and 37 doubles in each of his full seasons with the Sox. He had scored 100 or more runs six times, and four times he had driven in more than a 100. He had just missed another 100-RBI season in 1997 when he knocked in 98 while batting leadoff the entire season. That earned him AL Rookie of the Year honors.

The Red Sox had tried to sign him to a five-year, $60-million contract before the 2004 season. But Garciaparra balked, and the Red Sox feared they were going to lose him to free agency after the season. He had also started breaking down physically, and his defense was vastly overrated. With the club in its third straight month of mediocre ball, the decision was made to deal Garciaparra and tighten up the infield defense. We all know what happened. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series for the first time in 86 years.

At the time of the deal, it looked as if Garciaparra was headed for Cooperstown someday. Right now he’s a marginal candidate, at best. He has continued to be dogged by injuries, first with the Cubs and now the Dodgers. Since being traded, Nomar’s batting average is .292. He has posted a .500 slugging percentage once, has neither driven in 100 runs nor scored 100 runs in any season, and has hit 20 homers just once. Last year he hit only seven homers and had a weak .371 slugging percentage for the Dodgers. Nomar, now 34, is injured again. He was hit on the wrist by a pitch in training camp, and it’s not known when he’ll play again.

I have often said that if Fred Lynn had played his entire career in Boston, he would have been a Hall of Famer. But I don’t think that’s true of Nomar. Physically, despite his enormous talent, I don’t think he had the stamina and the ability to stay healthy and put up the kind of numbers that would have earned him a plaque in Cooperstown someday.

It was unpopular at the time, but hindsight has shown us that trading Garciaparra when the Red Sox did was the right thing to do. Had Nomar accepted the contract offer that spring, however, Red Sox history might have been very, very different. And probably not for the better.

Posted by David Pevear, Sun Staff

Coco Crisp has sounded angry this winter. Jacoby Ellsbury had been slumping, though granted, Boston's Wonder Boy was slumping in meaningless exhibition games. Ellsbury was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI on Saturday to raise his spring average to .190. Still, what should we make of the Red Sox's center-field situation? Is it an ideal competition – and where there is competition, there is strength? The champs have a dynamic prospect backed up by a spectacular defensive player. That sounds ideal.

But will Crisp’s simmering dissatisfaction turn an ideal situation into a chemistry problem that cannot be soothed with John Henry's checkbook? There is a strong feeling that Crisp will be traded sometime soon. Yet the more Crisp talks about soldiering on through injuries last year, the more brittle he sounds. This is not helping his trade value.

The center-field job is thought to belong to Ellsbury. The Ellsbury of last September and October sure looked ready be the everyday center fielder. He was a dynamic force. The Ellsbury of this March, though, is 15 pounds heavier from an off-season training regimen designed to keep him strong over the long haul. Hopefully next year at this time we are not hearing that Ellsbury needed to drop those 15 pounds because they slowed him down in ’08.

Posted by Chaz Scoggins, Sun Staff

One of the problems facing a team with the second-highest payroll in baseball and two World Series championships in four years is that the youngest players who have played key roles in the club’s success believe they should be earning more than a few thousand dollars above the major-league minimum.

Last year players like Kevin Youkilis — who earned a World Series ring in 2004 — and Jonathan Papelbon weren’t especially happy with the raises being offered by the Red Sox. Youkilis had scored 100 runs in his first season as a regular, and Papelbon was an All-Star who saved 35 games as a rookie. They didn’t gripe too loudly, but clearly they weren’t happy when the Red Sox unilaterally renewed their contracts.

This year Youkilis was arbitration-eligible and cracked th