Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

There are many things that make playing in baseball-crazed Boston a unique experience, and several Olde Towne Team newcomers were introduced to one of the quirkier Sox nuances on Monday morning.

The 11:05 a.m. local start time at Fenway Park on Patriots’ Day has become an annual April-morning tradition since 1959, and the bleary-eyed Boston ballplayers have actually won seven of the last eight Marathon Monday baseball games.

The morning start time is unique around the big leagues, and caused more than one new team member to check and then recheck the team’s schedule.

“I thought it was a typo,” said Sox first baseman Sean Casey, who clearly defined himself as nowhere near a morning person. “That’s usually right around when I’m rollin’ out of bed in the morning.

“I feel like I should be out playing in a B-game in the back fields (of spring training) somewhere,” added Casey with a chuckle.

It’s unlikely that Casey or rookie infielder Jed Lowrie are much aware of the history behind Patriots’ Day—celebrating the anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride and the battles of Lexington and Concord—but they gladly altered their morning rituals to play some ball.

“I was at the park at 9 a.m. (on Sunday), so I won’t have any problem just getting a good breakfast to get me going,” said Lowrie, who collected a hit and drove in a run in Boston’s Patriots Day victory.

Red Sox 8, Rangers 3: Rookie Clay Buchholz was masterful in six shutout innings and the Red Sox offense managed to bang out 12 hits and eight runs without Sean Casey or Manny Ramirez in the lineup. David Ortiz continued to leave his hitting woes behind with a pair of doubles and three RBIs in capping off the four-game sweep.

Notes, Quotes

• RHP Curt Schilling’s wife, Shonda (fourth time) and RHP Mike Timlin’s wife, Dawn (fifth time), ran in the Boston Marathon on behalf of charity. Shonda was running for the SHADE Foundation—a charity dedicated to fighting and preventing skin cancer—and Timlin is running to raise money for the Angel Fund, which benefits research to find a cure for ALS. OF Jacoby Ellsbury’s girlfriend, Kelsey Hawkins, and a number of Red Sox front-office employees also took part.

• OF Manny Ramirez was named the American League co-player of the week. Ramirez hit .417 (10-for-24) with four homers and eight RBIs in seven games last week. He led the AL in homers and slugging percentage (.958). It is the 16th time that Ramirez—who shared the honor this time with Detroit Tigers OF Miguel Cabrera—has been selected as a player of the week, the most of any player in history.

• SS Julio Lugo is riding a seven-game hitting streak and is hitting at a .429 clip (12-for-28) over that span. The spindly middle infielder has raised his batting average from .238 to .324 during the streak, and has scored four runs during that stretch. Lugo has enjoyed a much better offensive start in his second season with the Red Sox and has even received some at-bats out of the leadoff spot.

• OF Coco Crisp is still battling some hamstring soreness and wasn’t healthy enough to pinch-run or serve as a defensive replacement over the last few games. The speedy center fielder had previously been splitting time with OF Jacoby Ellsbury in center field, but the rookie has taken off out of the leadoff spot since Crisp’s injury. Crisp is hitting .325 and hinted that he may be ready to play by Tuesday.

• OF J.D. Drew tied a major-league record by walking twice in the fourth inning. The right fielder has reached base in 16 of the 17 games that he’s played in this season and has drawn a walk in his last four games. Drew is among several Red Sox players who suffered through a down season in 2007 but have looked much closer to their career norms in the first month of 2008.

By The Numbers: 9-1—The record of the Red Sox in games when OF Jacoby Ellsbury has scored at least one run this season.

Quote To Note: “That little second baseman is a little aggressive guy, so to walk him you really have to throw bad. He’s a little guy that will tear you up if you throw something to him in the wrong place.”—Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington talking about 2B Dustin Pedroia.

Roster Report

Medical Watch:

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) hasn’t played since April 9, and he was placed on the disabled list on April 16.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He did take swings off a hitting tee on April 19 and was expected to begin a rehab assignment the week of April 21-27.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason and has been out all spring. Schilling was placed on the 60-day disabled list as he undergoes a muscle-strengthening program. Schilling is expected to be out until at least the All-Star break, and his legendary career might be over.

No comments: