Friday, April 25, 2008

Red Sox - Inside Pitch

Coaches and teammates have described shortstop Julio Lugo as a “man on a mission” this season.

Exactly one year ago the lithe middle infielder was hitting a measly .246 en route to his most disappointing offensive season in the big leagues, and Sox followers wondered where the real four-year, $36 million shortstop was hiding.

Lugo revealed during spring training that he was weakened throughout last season by an intestinal parasite that sapped him of his strength, and the .237 batting average and woeful .295 on base percentage were—in part—byproducts of his illness.

The 32-year-old infielder seems to have put the health and batting woes behind him this season. His nine-game hitting streak was snapped Thursday, but his batting average is.321 this season.

“He’s finding ways to get hits,” manager Terry Francona said. “If he’s getting on base then he’s really got the ability to wreak a little havoc from the bottom of the lineup.”

Hitting coach Dave Magadan thinks Lugo’s surge has as much to do with batting mechanics as anything else, and that his hitting pupil’s hot streaks are linked to his footwork.

“With Julio, there are really two big things: He has a little jab step that he does before the pitcher delivers the ball, and if he does that early and softly then he tends to get ready to hit the ball at the right time,” Magadan said. “When he takes that stride too late and his body gets too fast, he comes around the ball and tends to chase pitches out of the zone.

“When he’s going good, you’ll also notice that he’s getting inside the ball and he’s getting a lot of balls in the air,” added Magadan. “When he’s struggling a bit, he’ll hit a lot of balls on the ground, particularly to the left side.”

With his mechanics and health all in order, there’s been a lot more good than bad from Lugo this season.

Angels 7, Red Sox 5: Rookie righty Justin Masterson was called up from Pawtucket and pitched a gem for six innings, but the beleaguered bullpen blew a two-run lead by coughing up six runs over the last three innings. Outfielder Coco Crisp had a pair of doubles and two stolen bases, and designated David Ortiz hit a two-run homer in the ninth. But lefty Javy Lopez, righty Manny Delcarmen and lefty Hideki Okajima couldn’t get the job done.

Notes, Quotes

• 3B Mike Lowell, who has been out of the lineup for two weeks with a sprained left thumb, is scheduled to spend a minor league rehabilitation stint with Class AAA Pawtucket this weekend. Lowell is tentatively scheduled to play three games with the PawSox, and he will act as the designated hitter for two games while playing the middle game in the field at third base. If all goes according to plan, the veteran third baseman could be activated by the beginning of next week’s homestand.

• RHP Josh Beckett was scratched from his most recent start due to a stiff neck and a lingering flu bug, but appears to be on track to make his next scheduled start at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Beckett had a successful bullpen session at Fenway Park on Thursday, and will have had a total of nine days off between starts.

• C Kevin Cash has started five straight games while C Jason Varitek continues to recover from the flu bug that stormed through the Sox clubhouse. Manager Terry Francona said Varitek had taken a step back while attempting to get through baseball activities Wednesday, but managed to catch in the bullpen and get ready for game action if needed.

• OF Coco Crisp returned to the lineup after missing the last eight games with a right hamstring problem, and appeared close to fully recovered, collecting a pair of doubles and stealing two bases. The stolen bases give Crisp four this season in limited action and improved his club-record 84.4 percent success rate (54-out-of-64) in stolen-base attempts.

• RHP Manny Delcarmen picked up the loss Thursday, which marked the first time in his last 65 major league appearances that he registered a decision. Delcarmen last picked up a win on Aug. 31, 2006, and went through 44 outings in 2007 without a win or a loss. Delcarmen set a club record last season for the most games pitched without a decision.

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:

C Jason Varitek (flu) missed his fifth straight game April 24 but may return during the weekend of April 25-27.

RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu) missed his April 23 start.

RHP Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) was scratched from his April 22 start. He was expected to be able to take his turn in the rotation on April 27.

INF Alex Cora (sore right elbow) went on the disabled list retroactive to April 10.

3B Mike Lowell (sore left thumb) went on the 15-day disabled list April 10. He is expected to begin a rehab assignment with Class AAA Pawtucket the weekend of April 25-27 and could be activated the following week.

RHP Curt Schilling (right shoulder) began experiencing discomfort during the offseason, and he opened the season 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.

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