Red Sox Team Report

Red Sox Team Report

Yahoo! Sports - Jun 18, 7:01 am EDT

• Inside Pitch
• Notes, Quotes
• Roster Report

Clay Buchholz' back was feeling better Friday, although he will have his next start pushed back to allow for extra rest.
For now, at least, Buchholz won't go on the disabled list.
Buchholz, the Red Sox' right-hander, has been dealing with stiffness in his lower back for at least four of his last five starts. He said the problem even dates to last season, but it has intensified this year. Buchholz is hoping to avoid the disabled list, but the Red Sox also don't want his back to become a chronic issue.
"He's going to fight us tooth and nail to not miss a start, which we like, but we need to see how he progresses the next couple days," manager Terry Francona said Friday. "And there's no reason for us to have to do any (potential roster moves) for a couple days."
The Red Sox can afford simply to delay Buchholz' next start for two reasons: One, they have scheduled off days on June 23 and June 27. Two, lefty Andrew Miller already was slated to get called up Monday from Class AAA Pawtucket to make his Red Sox debut.
After Miller faces the San Diego Padres, Josh Beckett can start Tuesday night on his usual rest. If Buchholz isn't ready to start Wednesday, right-hander John Lackey can start on his normal rest. Lackey allowed four runs Friday night in a 10-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
Buchholz was limited to five innings and 81 pitches Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Rays, although he allowed only one run on two hits and earned the victory. Buchholz has had similar back problems in recent starts.
"The way that I use my body and my delivery, there's more torque involved than a lot of other guys," Buchholz said. "It's just something that I might have to deal with for a little bit, until the All-Star break. I think that will help a lot."
"It feels better. The more intensive stretching that we were trying to do after the game last night wasn't really feeling too good with it, and then I came in today and we did pretty much the same thing and it felt a lot better."

• RHP Jonathan Papelbon had his suspension reduced to two games by Major League Baseball. He began serving the punishment Friday night. Papelbon had been suspended for three games on June 8 because he made contact with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo after being ejected from a June 4 game in Fenway Park. Papelbon appealed the suspension, and his argument was heard Friday. "I think the process was done very well and very fair for both sides," said Papelbon, who picked up his 13th save Thursday night at Tampa Bay. "Like I said when this thing first happened, I've got to own up to it, and I did, now the consequences are set. I asked for two games, they looked at video tape and I guess (they) decided that two games was fair for me to accept, and that's it." The Red Sox didn't require a closer in Friday night's 10-4 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
• SS Jed Lowrie went on the disabled list Friday with a left shoulder injury. As a result, INF Drew Sutton was recalled from Class AAA Pawtucket. Lowrie initially injured his shoulder by running into LF Carl Crawford while pursuing a pop fly May 29 in Detroit. An MRI exam didn't reveal any structural damage, and Lowrie attempted to play through the pain, which he described as a "dull ache." But Lowrie left Thursday night's game in Tampa Bay after striking out in the first inning because he said he felt like his shoulder "slipped out" of joint. Lowrie underwent his second MRI in nine days on Friday to ascertain the severity of the injury. Manager Terry Francona characterized the MRI results as "really pretty good," but they were also being sent to Dr. Lewis Yocum for a second opinion. "Regardless of what we call it, we need to get that thing stronger," Francona said, "and to do that we're going to have to let it settle down first and get him on a pretty good strength program so he can go out there and play."
• LF Carl Crawford left Friday night's game in the first inning after suffering a Grade 1 strain of his left hamstring while legging out an infield single. He grabbed his hamstring as athletic trainer Mike Reinold and manager Terry Francona checked on him, then limped off the field and was replaced by Darnell McDonald. Grade 1 strains typically require a one- to two-week recovery period. "They're just going to see how I feel (Saturday) and then go from there," Crawford said. Crawford is batting .243 in the first year of his seven-year, $142 million contract with he Red Sox.
• 2B Dustin Pedroia started an impressive double play in the third inning Friday night, and in the process, he may have turned around the game. With the Red Sox leading 4-3 and facing a bases-loaded, none-out situation, Casey McGhee hit a one-hopper to the right side. Pedroia dove to snare the ball, then threw to second base, where Marco Scutaro turned the double play. The tying run scored, but Pedroia stopped the rally from growing further. "That's going to be a couple of runs and maybe second and third," manager Terry Francona said. "That's the biggest play of the game. That's the way (Pedroia) plays. I don't think anybody else makes that play."
• RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka is scheduled for a checkup Monday in Los Angeles with Dr. Lewis Yocum, and after that, he will report to the Red Sox' facility in Fort Myers, Fla., to begin his rehab from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery. Meanwhile, LHP Rich Hill, who had Tommy John surgery June 9, said he plans to rehab locally, not in Florida. Hill, who lives in South Boston, will consult with trainer Mike Reinold when the club is home and with physical therapist Scott Waugh when the team is away. Hill has begun exercises to try to strengthen his shoulder and said that Dr. James Andrews told him the injury wasn't caused by his decision to adopt a sidearm delivery.

By The Numbers:

12—Draft choices signed by the Red Sox through Friday. Among them is 3B Matt Gedman, son of former Red Sox C Rich Gedman.

Quote To Note:

"I'm a streaky hitter, for sure. But the biggest thing you can say is you take me out of Petco (Park in San Diego) and look at my numbers and I'm definitely hitting above my average and all that. (Fenway) is a great place to hit and a good ballpark. It makes you feel good as a hitter."
—Red Sox 1B Adrian Gonzalez, who raised his majors-leading average to .352 by going 3-for-4 with his 15th homer Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Red Sox Team Report

Yahoo! Sports - Jun 18, 7:01 am EDT

• Inside Pitch
• Notes, Quotes
• Roster Report

Red Sox Team Report

“I'm a streaky hitter, for sure. But the biggest thing you can say is you take me out of Petco (Park in San Diego) and look at my numbers and I'm definitely...”

- Red Sox 1B Adrian Gonzalez, who raised his majors-leading average to .352 by going 3-for-4 with his 15th homer Friday night against the Milwaukee Brewers

Joba’s injury leaves dark cloud over Yankees

By Les Carpenter, Yahoo! SportsJun 10, 3:32 am EDT

• tweet9
• Email
• Print

NEW YORK – The look on New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi’s face screamed disaster Thursday as he sat down, took a deep breath and said with the solemnity of announcing a death in the family: “I’ve got bad news.”
The bad news originated in the form of a dye that was inserted into the strangely stiff elbow of his relief pitcher, Joba Chamberlain(notes). Once the dye ran through his arm, Chamberlain was slipped into an MRI machine where images were made and handed to team doctors, who looked at them and came back with an obvious conclusion. There was a tear in a ligament.

More From Les Carpenter

• Wakefield keeps fluttering toward 200 wins Jun 9, 2011

Joba Chamberlain watched Thursday’s game from the dugout after getting the grim MRI results.
(Getty Images)

This was something they were not expecting. Usually ligament damage is obvious, the pain immense. But Chamberlain didn’t feel any soreness in his arm. There was a mild discomfort that the pitcher described as more an awkward feeling than screaming soreness.
Girardi said when pitchers have ligament damage there are certain things they aren’t able to do. They can’t open bottles without wrenching their face in agony. They can’t make a fist and put it against their head. Chamberlain could do both of those things. He could do them without a hint of trouble.
So the MRI was basically a precaution, the kind of thing teams do just to make sure the stiffness is merely stiffness and not something significantly larger.
Only it was larger. Much larger. And now Chamberlain is almost surely out for the year, which in most New York seasons would be a sad but hardly cataclysmic story. If a franchise has ever historically built itself to handle a relief pitcher heading for season-ending Tommy John surgery, it is the Yankees.
These are different Yankees, however. The Yankees of recent years didn’t need great relief pitchers as long as they could buy themselves a better starting rotation than everyone else and fortify it with Mariano Rivera(notes) at the other end.
But you can’t always buy everything. Suddenly these Yankees are unable to spend their problems away. They tried to lure Cliff Lee(notes) to New York in hopes he could stand next to CC Sabathia(notes) to form a top of a rotation as good as anyone’s. They prayed Andy Pettitte(notes) would return. They trusted A.J. Burnett(notes) could get better and they figured Phil Hughes(notes) would grow even more.
Instead Lee went to Philadelphia, Pettitte retired, Burnett has shown improvement but also ineffectiveness and Hughes mysteriously lost speed off his fastball and is currently hoping to start a game in the low minor leagues. Their salvation is the miraculous revivals of Bartolo Colon(notes) and Freddy Garcia(notes). But how long can that last?
It’s not like the Yankees didn’t prepare for calamity. They spent $35 million on Rafael Soriano(notes) to get them through the eighth inning, but Soriano has walked more batters than he’s struck out and is currently on the disabled list. They hoped signing Pedro Feliciano(notes) and pairing him with Chamberlain would be a bridge between a potentially struggling rotation and Rivera. But Feliciano has shoulder problems and hasn’t thrown an inning this year. Now Chamberlain is gone probably for the rest of the season.
This is why Thursday’s pregame had an air of a wake. Girardi sat behind a table in the Yankee Stadium press room and tried to rationalize how a pitcher who felt no pain is suddenly lost for the season.
“One thing I do take through this is Joba must have a high pain threshold,” Girardi said. He kept shaking his head and saying things like “the body is an interesting thing.”

CC Sabathia (center) got the hook in the seventh inning, but it was too late to turn back the Red Sox rally.
(Getty Images)

Outside, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman sat in the dugout and wondered much the same thing. Above him, dark, angry clouds massed and a heat wave was about to break in an explosion of thunderstorms that eventually pushed the start of the series finale against the Boston Red Sox back 3½ hours.
“Just shuffle the deck,” Cashman said, the look on his face seeming to say that he knew it would not be that simple. His current bullpen is now largely a collection of unknowns, Rule 5 pickups and grabs off the scrap heap. It is not a bullpen that will control Boston or hold down Tampa Bay.
The AL East has become the game’s most competitive division again with Toronto and Baltimore surging. Suddenly, the doomsday scenario where the Yankees tumble toward last place rather than surge for a division title isn’t so implausible.
Almost as if to prove the Yankees are indeed still the Yankees, Cashman looked toward the dugout of the Red Sox – a team that had already beaten his club seven out of eight times this year – and said: “We are certainly capable of beating those guys that’s for sure.”
It would not happen on Thursday. Long after the rain moved on and the clock above the left field stands crept toward 1 a.m., Sabathia faltered. For six innings he held Boston to two hits, but in the seventh he labored. His pitch count rose into the 90s, his curveball lost its sharpness. He needed help but the Yankee bullpen was empty. There was no saving him. When the dust settled, he was on the hook for six runs and eight hits, a late 2-0 lead spoiled.
Less than an hour after he departed the game the Yankees slumped defeated through their dugout and toward the clubhouse. It is only June and a long season still awaits, but as the Red Sox celebrated their second Yankee Stadium sweep this year it was obvious the gap between these two teams is much larger than the ligament tear in Joba Chamberlain’s right arm.
“We’ll be back,” Girardi promised after the game.
If only he could be so sure.

Les Carpenter is a feature writer and columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter. Send Les a question or comment for potential

Video: Wizards’ John Wall throws first pitch like Mariah Carey

83

Email

Print

Big League Stew

Sat Jun 18 12:30am EDT

Video: Wizards’ John Wall throws first pitch like Mariah Carey

By David Brown

Remember the ceremonial first pitch that pop diva Mariah Carey reluctantly threw at a Japanese game back in 2008? It landed hilariously short of the target and we all laughed and laughed. (Nice outfit, though.)
Well, young Washington Wizards star John Wall must have been studying the Mariah footage, because he unleashed a first pitch Friday night before the Washington Nationals game that looked remarkably similar.
In a pre-pitch interview, Wall admitted he was nervous, not wanting to embarrass himself like onetime Wizards player Caron Butler apparently had in a similar situation:

"Yes, there are a lot of nerves to throw it in the dirt. That's something I don't want to do. They've been joking on me about when Caron came here and he had to come back and redeem himself the next year. I'm gonna try to get it [home] on the first try."

And then, with video courtesy CSN Washington, this happened:

There's no dribbling in baseball!
Because he is an NBA player — and thank God for that — Wall's throw is worse than Carey's in context. It might not be as bad as the one uncorked by Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory in 2007, though. Still, as with a pop singer, a mayor does not necessarily an athlete make.
Check out Wall's pitch from other angles, courtesy Nats Enquirer. Thank goodness designated guinea pig Drew Storen(notes) saved one of those kids behind home plate from permanent damage. That's what a good stopper does.
Wall is obviously going to have to keep working on his fastball and try again next season. If he dares.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

Follow Yahoo! Sports on Facebook and be the first to know about the most interesting stories of the day.

Florida needs to pick manager it can live with

By Tim Brown, Yahoo! Sports7 hours, 7 minutes ago

• tweet6
• Email
• Print

The Florida Marlins weren’t going to get a lot better until Hanley Ramirez(notes) did, until Josh Johnson(notes) healed, until their bullpen was whole again, until the whole roster grew up.
This wasn’t an Edwin Rodriguez problem, it was a Marlins problem, the kind that kills a season in a month, and I find it hard to believe a fighter like Rodriguez would walk out of a clubhouse one morning, leaving it for 25 ballplayers and a coaching staff to clean up. The job was either that miserable or that hopeless. Both, apparently.
Rodriguez resigned Sunday morning, hours before the Marlins would play the Tampa Bay Rays. Bench coach Brandon Hyde took over while management rooted around for a suitable interim, which is exactly what Rodriguez was – first in title, then in proximity – for nearly a year.

More From Tim Brown

• McCourt agreement ultimately settles nothing Jun 17, 2011
• Dodgers' Gordon gives dreary season some life Jun 16, 2011

Marlins' bench coach Brandon Hyde filled in as interim manager after Edwin Rodriguez resigned Sunday.
(Getty Images)

Maybe that’s Jack McKeon, the club’s 80-year-old on-call handyman. Maybe it’s Hyde, the 37-year-old former interim bench coach turned titular bench coach. Maybe president Larry Beinfest takes another shot at Bobby Valentine or Bo Porter and discovers stability. Maybe they’re just waiting on Ozzie Guillen, though you wonder just how long the Marlins are going to put off permanence in the name of … a name.
Hyde – who might last a game, a week, or more – is their eighth manager in a little more than a decade, counting the interims. The next guy would be the ninth, assuming they don’t re-hire John Boles, Tony Perez, Jeff Torborg, McKeon, Joe Girardi or Fredi Gonzalez.
Just the other day, Rodriguez was telling Marlins writers that his clubhouse lacked a veteran leader, someone like Carlos Delgado(notes) or Luis Gonzalez. What they have instead is a loaded, talented roster of young men finding their way, certainly good enough to win, perhaps too raw to understand how.
So when a three-game losing streak becomes nine, or when a four-day slump seemingly won’t ever end, what passes for calm and conviction is a change at hitting coach and manager, one with a one-year contract who’s had enough.
The Marlins went from second place to last in 10 days, from two out to 12 ½ out in two weeks. In their June gloom, in 18 games (and 17 losses) they’ve scored 55 runs (15th in the National League) and batted .232. Over the same stretch, the pitching staff has a 5.22 ERA, worst in the league.
This was the same team that stuck with the Philadelphia Phillies for two months, even with Ramirez struggling to bat .200 and Johnson, despite pitching exceptionally well, having won three games (before going to the disabled list).
‘Tis the season, of course.
Since June 8, across the league there have been seven changes at manager, hitting coach or pitching coach. Jon Nunnally, Cleveland’s hitting coach, was fired Sunday morning after 24 games in which the Indians scored 71 runs and were shut out six times. Hitting coaches in Texas (Thad Bosley) and, of course, Florida (John Mallee) are out. Oakland manager Bob Geren was fired 10 days ago. Baltimore pitching coach Mark Connor resigned on June 14, the same day Houston pitching coach Brad Arnsberg was fired.
That’s six organizations seeking answers, seeking a way toward sustained relevance. The Marlins always seem to do it the hard way, with low payrolls and high turnover to go with their exceedingly rich farm system. Now they strain to make something of the opening of their new ballpark next season and the next shiny revenue stream, which now won’t include Rodriguez.
That’s fine. He’s a good man and was a decent-enough manager. But, now that he’s gone, maybe it’s time the Marlins hire a guy they can live with, whose philosophies can take root, whose strength is something they can all believe in.
Maybe that’s Porter. Maybe that’s Valentine. Or even Hyde. Hell, it’s just time to pick a guy – the right guy – and stick with him.

Standings MLB JUNE 19 2011

2011 Standings

2011 Season 2011 Preseason 2010 Season 2009 Season 2008 Season 2007 Season 2006 Season 2005 Season 2004 Season 2003 Season 2002 Season

Regular Standings | Expanded Standings | Wild-Card Standings
American League
East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Boston Red Sox	43	28	.606	--	21-14	22-14	18-9	10-9	11-8	Won 1	8-2
New York Yankees	40	29	.580	2.0	23-17	17-12	13-12	11-10	13-5	Won 1	7-3
Tampa Bay Rays	39	33	.542	4.5	18-18	21-15	15-12	14-10	6-9	Won 3	6-4
Toronto Blue Jays	36	36	.500	7.5	17-18	19-18	13-18	13-9	7-6	Lost 1	4-6
Baltimore Orioles	32	37	.464	10.0	20-18	12-19	10-18	11-9	8-7	Won 1	4-6
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Cleveland Indians	39	31	.557	--	23-12	16-19	12-10	13-12	8-9	Won 3	5-5
Detroit Tigers	39	33	.542	1.0	22-14	17-19	12-12	15-7	10-10	Won 1	5-5
Chicago White Sox	35	38	.479	5.5	16-17	19-21	11-12	6-11	14-13	Won 2	5-5
Minnesota Twins	31	39	.443	8.0	14-16	17-23	6-18	13-10	9-8	Won 7	9-1
Kansas City Royals	31	41	.431	9.0	21-20	10-21	6-7	9-16	14-14	Lost 2	5-5
West	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Texas Rangers	38	35	.521	--	20-13	18-22	10-12	16-11	9-9	Lost 1	3-7
Seattle Mariners	37	35	.514	0.5	21-18	16-17	11-8	12-17	9-9	Won 1	5-5
Los Angeles Angels	35	38	.479	3.0	15-20	20-18	9-13	13-12	9-11	Won 1	5-5
Oakland Athletics	33	40	.452	5.0	19-16	14-24	5-12	13-15	12-10	Won 5	6-4
National League
East	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Philadelphia Phillies	45	28	.616	--	28-12	17-16	23-13	11-8	8-4	Lost 1	8-2
Atlanta Braves	40	33	.548	5.0	19-17	21-16	16-14	15-7	7-8	Won 1	5-5
Washington Nationals	35	37	.486	9.5	19-13	16-24	13-19	9-7	10-8	Lost 1	8-2
New York Mets	35	37	.486	9.5	16-19	19-18	15-15	10-10	8-8	Lost 1	5-5
Florida Marlins	32	40	.444	12.5	15-22	17-18	11-17	9-10	10-9	Lost 10	0-10
Central	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
Milwaukee Brewers	40	33	.548	--	25-9	15-24	13-11	17-16	9-4	Lost 1	5-5
St. Louis Cardinals	40	33	.548	--	20-13	20-20	8-7	16-13	12-11	Won 2	3-7
Cincinnati Reds	38	35	.521	2.0	21-17	17-18	3-7	24-14	10-9	Won 1	6-4
Pittsburgh Pirates	35	36	.493	4.0	15-18	20-18	8-12	16-10	9-10	Lost 3	5-5
Chicago Cubs	29	41	.414	9.5	16-21	13-20	5-4	11-22	11-12	Lost 1	5-5
Houston Astros	27	46	.370	13.0	13-25	14-21	5-13	13-22	7-10	Lost 1	3-7
West	W	L	Pct	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent	West	Streak	L10
San Francisco Giants	39	33	.542	--	19-12	20-21	5-11	11-8	20-11	Lost 4	4-6
Arizona Diamondbacks	39	34	.534	0.5	22-17	17-17	11-8	12-10	12-14	Lost 2	5-5
Colorado Rockies	35	36	.493	3.5	19-19	16-17	7-5	9-9	17-21	Lost 1	6-4
Los Angeles Dodgers	32	41	.438	7.5	16-21	16-20	8-8	11-16	12-15	Won 1	3-7
San Diego Padres	30	43	.411	9.5	14-26	16-17	6-11	13-15	11-11	Lost 5	2-8
x-Clinched Playoff Spot; y-Division Champ Last updated Sunday, Jun 19, 2011 7:31 pm EDT

BEST BASEBALL POST EVER FOR THIS BLOG !!!!!!!His daughter’s father: Cardinals’ Trever Miller pitches for Grace

Sun Jun 19 08:01am EDT

His daughter’s father: Cardinals’ Trever Miller pitches for Grace

By David Brown

Part of what motivates Trever Miller(notes) to keep pitching is a devotion to his youngest daughter, Grace.
Because she was born with two defects in her heart caused by a chromosomal disorder so rare it has no name, doctors did not expect Grace to live a year.
She turns 7 on June 28.
On Sunday, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a touching and dignified Father's Day feature on Miller, a 38-year-old pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. After breaking in with the Tigers during the 1996 season, Miller has accrued nearly 10 years of service time as a left-handed relief specialist.

Some may wonder how or why Miller continues to pitch knowing his daughter's life balances so precariously. In his way, it's a tribute to her tenacity.

"I know she would want to walk if she could. I know she would talk if she could," Miller said. "I've been given the ability to pitch. And if I can continue to do that until I'm 50, that's what I'll do."

Strauss writes that Cardinals GM John Mozeliak and manager Tony La Russa think so highly of Miller that he is free to take as much time as needed to be with his daughter in case of a crisis.
Crises frequently happen for Grace, and have throughout her often grueling life.
Genetic defects to the 16th and 20th chromosomes led to an atrial septal defect and Parent Ductus Arteriosus within her heart. Grace's case is only the 21st of its kind, reportedly, in recorded medical history.
She is unable to walk or talk, she rarely cries, and even breathing can be tricky because she usually requires a ventilator. She has endured several operations, starting with the heart surgery at 4 months old that gave her a chance to live longer than anyone else with her set of conditions.
Grace has nearly died several times — most recently in May after surgery to remove a kidney stone went wrong. Two times, Pari has needed to revive Grace all by herself. One harrowing experience happened in 2008 at Tropicana Field as Miller — then with the Tampa Bay Rays — celebrated the last out of the 2008 ALCS with his teammates.
It is tough to even imagine being in the Millers' position. Despite the constant hardships, Grace gets — and seems to give — love and happiness. The Millers say they count Grace as a blessing, and cherish every moment they spend with her and their two older, healthier children. And Grace does more than merely exist; she's trying to learn sign language.
At a fundraiser in Chicago a year ago, Miller succinctly explained why he and Pari attempted to extend Grace's life with heart surgery rather than, as Strauss wrote, "letting nature take its course":

"A lot of doctors are apprehensive to even do the surgery," Miller said. "God blessed us with Dr. [Jim] Quintessenza, who took a chance.

"He said. 'A lot of doctors are telling you about the 'quality of life' — but they don't know what the quality of life would be with your daughter. So maybe I can give you some time and you can work out the quality for yourself.' "

The Stew also touched on Miller's story back in February, after a feature ran in "Runner's World" about his offseason marathon training sessions pushing Grace in her stroller.
Both have been in it for the long haul.

Follow Dave on Twitter — @AnswerDave — and engage the Stew on Facebook

Related: St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays