05/13/2008

Another downward turn for Red Sox rookie Buchholz
Minnesota batters Boston’s Clay Buchholz for seven runs as the Red Sox lose three of four to the Twins.

Tavarez is the odd man out in favor of Hansen in Red Sox ’pen
MINNEAPOLIS — Right-hander Julian Tavarez was designated for assignment yesterday to make room for first baseman Sean Casey on the roster.

05/12/2008

Red Sox designate Tavarez for assignment
MINNEAPOLIS -- Right-hander Julian Tavarez has been designated for assignment to make room for Sean Casey on the roster.

Twins 9, Red Sox 8: Late rally falls one hit short
Boston nearly overcomes a poor performance by Tim Wakefield by rallying in the ninth inning.

Colon pins his hopes on Boston
Bartolo Colon is rounding into shape and the former Cy Young Award winner could join the Red Sox’ starting rotation by June 1.

Hamstring problem costs Ramirez a start
MINNEAPOLIS –– Manny Ramirez was held out of the starting lineup last night because of a tight right hamstring. He was called on to pinch-hit in the ninth inning but grounded out for the final out of the game.

Content Lowrie accepts demotion to PawSox
The Red Sox infielder was a hit during his stay with Boston and plans to improve his skills with Pawtucket.

Red Sox deal Corey to Padres
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Red Sox traded reliever Bryan Corey to the pitching-starved San Diego Padres for a player to be named and cash considerations.

Sean Casey remains on DL
MINNEAPOLIS -- First baseman Sean Casey (hip) was eligible to be activated from the disabled list yesterday, but the Sox held off on that move.

Pawtucket’s Zink dazzles hitters with new arsenal
The knuckleballer is now thriving as a starter by mixing in his fastball, curve ball and changeup along with the knuckler.

PawSox 8, Tides 5: Bailey leads relentless PawSox attack
Striking back immediately was the key to Pawtucket extending its winning streak to five games.

05/11/2008

Dice-K, homers thwart Twins
Four Boston roundtrippers and some rare efficient pitching by Daisuke Matsuzaka combine to put down Minnesota.

Woozy Lugo gets much needed rest
MINNEAPOLIS — Struggling shortstop Julio Lugo was yanked from the Boston Red Sox’ starting lineup for last night’s game against the Minnesota Twins at the Metrodome.

Adjustment helps Papelbon regain finishing touch
MINNEAPOLIS — This time, Jonathan Papelbon “finished” what he started, and the Red Sox had a win, beating the Twins, 5-2, last night at the Metrodome.

Pitchers beware: Youkilis is on home-run tear
MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Youkilis’ power surge continues.

05/10/2008

Red Sox fall to Twins as Papelbon falters again
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jonathan Papelbon sat slumped in his chair in front of his locker, his head in his hands.

Lester gets through a difficult night
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jon Lester, as has been his disturbing custom, threw a lot of pitches in the early going Friday night.

Lugo drops the ball again
MINNEAPOLIS -- Embattled shortstop Julio Lugo, who has voiced displeasure with what he views as the media harping on the negative, provided a little more ammunition along those lines Friday night.

Okajima, at least, did his job on the mound
MINNEAPOLIS -- Hideki Okajima was very quietly efficient against the Twins.

Whether Boston’s David Ortiz is up for playing comes down to his knee
The Red Sox designated hitter, playing with a sore right knee, will be given days off whenever possible.

Ellsbury’s misguided throw digs deeper hole for Lester
MINNEAPOLIS — To throw or not to throw.

05/09/2008

Locked-in Youkilis leads Red Sox past Tigers
Kevin Youkilis continues to show his versatility and power at Comerica Park, helping Josh Beckett and Boston to a victory.

Beckett gets his 1,000th strikeout in the seventh
DETROIT — Josh Beckett didn’t seem overly impressed with himself after last night’s solid seven-inning stint in Boston’s 5-1 victory over the Tigers.

Cora and Casey major assets in PawSox world
PAWTUCKET — Not only has the Pawtucket Red Sox won back-to-back games over the Durham Bulls the last two days at McCoy Stadium, but the PawSox players have been treated like major-leaguers.

PawSox 3, Bulls 2: Pauley makes up for offense's failures
THE HIGHLIGHTS: The PawSox pounded out 11 hits but left 10 runners stranded.

05/08/2008

Red Sox waste three rallies in loss to Tigers
DETROIT — A checked-swing single. A Julio Lugo bobble of a softly hit grounder. A sacrifice bunt. A groundout. A broken-bat single.

Buchholz breaks string of strong Sox starts
DETROIT — The string of outstanding starts by the Sox’ staff came to an end last night

Gutsy pitch call helped Okajima get out of eighth
DETROIT -- It was a gutsy call and it was well executed, getting the Red Sox out of a big jam in the eighth inning with Boston on top, 9-8.

Need a big hit? Pedroia's your man
DETROIT -- Dustin Pedroia began last night's game on the bench, with manager Terry Francona giving him a bit of a breather.

Beef with ump mars otherwise great night for Youkilis
DETROIT -- Kevin Youkilis wouldn’t mind playing all his games at Comerica Park.

Lowrie starts at second, giving Pedroia a rare brearther
DETROIT — Dustin Pedroia was given last night off from the starting lineup, with rookie Jed Lowrie replacing him at second base and in the number-two hole in the batting order.

Wakefield, Timlin set new standard for 40-somethings
DETROIT -- When Tim Wakefield (41 years, 278 days) and Mike Timlin (42 years, 57 days) combined on a shutout Tuesday night against the Tigers, it marked the first time since 1900, when such records began being kept, that a team has tossed a shutout using multiple pitchers over the age of 40.

Buchholz's slip gives Red Sox a scare
DETROIT -- Starter Clay Buchholz gave Terry Francona and the Sox a scare last night when he slipped while chasing a roller down the third-base line in the second inning.

Red Sox to host Mother's Day walk at Fenway
The Red Sox will host a Mother’s Day walk in the Park at Fenway Park on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Donaldson: At Fenway or on fairway, El Tiante’s got game
Luis Tiant doesn’t putt the way he pitched.

Alex Cora plays well in rehab appearance for PawSox
Disabled since April 16, the Red Sox infielder has two hits in his first of three games with the PawSox.

PawSox 12, Bulls 7: Kyle Snyder, Chris Carter have breakout games
Starter Kyle Snyder allowed only two runs on three hits with one walk and six strikeouts to earn his first victory of the season for Pawtucket.

05/07/2008

Wakefield nearly goes distance as Sox beat Tigers again
Boston’s 41-year-old knuckleballer pitches two-hit shutout ball over eight innings to stifle the Tigers.

Red Sox’ Schilling takes aim toward hitting mound
DETROIT — Curt Schilling made 25 tosses from a distance of 60 feet yesterday afternoon at Comerica Park, the first time he had thrown a baseball this spring as he continues to rehabilitate his right shoulder.

Cora, Casey set for rehab assignments with PawSox
DETROIT -- Alex Cora (sprained right elbow) and Sean Casey (right hip strain) will be heading to Pawtucket this week for what they hope will be brief rehab assignments.

Cash has a solid night on offense and defense
DETROIT -- Kevin Cash had a very good night offensively and defensively.

Where have you gone, Julian Tavarez?
DETROIT -- Julian Tavarez has been the forgotten man in the Red Sox bullpen.

Bailey thriving in lead-off spot for PawSox
The Pawtucket first baseman is hitting .420 in 12 games since taking over the leadoff role.

Bulls 3, PawSox 0: Hansack's fine outing wasted
•THE HIGHLIGHTS: The Durham Bulls’ pitching staff continued its dominance of the PawSox, giving up only three hits to a Pawtucket lineup that came into this series hitting .274 over its previous 10 games.

05/06/2008

Three homers bail out Dice-K in Sox' win over Tigers
Daisuke Matsuzaka improves his record to 5-0 despite going only five innings, walking eight and throwing 109 pitches.

Red Sox’ Mike Lowell bursts out of his slump
DETROIT — Mike Lowell couldn’t have picked a better time to break out of his season-long slump.

Hansen has chance to win the late-inning setup role
DETROIT — Mike Lowell couldn’t have picked a better time to break out of his season-long slump.

Schilling has a big test today
DETROIT -- Curt Schilling will take another small but important step today in his long comeback trail from the shoulder woes that have sidelined him this season.

05/05/2008

Lefty Lester continues to show the right stuff
Jonathan Lester turns in his second straight strong outing as Boston completes a sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays.

McAdam: Sox’ starting rotation is finally starting to round into shape
BOSTON — Even if it sometimes seemed like you could prepare a four-course meal in between some of his deliveries, Jon Lester succeeded yesterday in extending the Red Sox’ streak of quality starts.

Hansen called up to replace Moss for Sox
BOSTON — To replace Brandon Moss — who underwent an emergency appendectomy Saturday night — on the roster, the Red Sox yesterday elected to go with a 13th pitcher rather than another position player.

Knee problems keep Ortiz on Sox' bench
BOSTON -- David Ortiz was held out of yesterday's game as a precautionary measure.

Brandon Moss recovering following appendectomy
BOSTON -- Not even a Red Sox player is exempt from the desire to get patients in and out of hospitals as quickly as possible these days.

PawSox 6, Chiefs 2: Red-hot Bailey paces seventh-inning rally
•THE HIGHLIGHTS: Pawtucket brought new meaning to the term “seventh-inning stretch.” With the score 2-1 in their favor, the PawSox battered the Chiefs’ bullpen for five hits and four runs in the top of the seventh, cruising to a 6-1 lead en route to a 6-2 win.

05/04/2008

Boston Red Sox batter around Tampa Bay Rays
The Red Sox’ offense continues its resurgence as it mashes 15 hits in a rout of the Rays.

Moss off to DL after appendix is removed
BOSTON — Brandon Moss underwent an appendectomy last night at Massachusetts General Hospital. According to the Sox, he was out of surgery by 11:15 and was doing well.

Drew says his body told him to take a rest
BOSTON — J.D. Drew, who left Tuesday’s game because of a tight left quadriceps, was back in the lineup last night.

Krasner: What a difference one week, and Fenway, make
BOSTON — Familiarity, apparently, breeds a bunch of base hits and runs for the Red Sox’ offense. Or maybe it was just a case of being comfortable at home.

05/03/2008

Red Sox beat Rays after long rain delay
BOSTON -- A long night at Fenway turned out to be well worth it for the Red Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays on unfamiliar ground, thanks to pitchers
BOSTON — What does it mean for a major-league team to be four games above .500 in the first week of May?

Sean McAdam: Adversity aside, Red Sox find ways to win
BOSTON — As the Red Sox waited for the rain to subside last night at Fenway, there was time enough to gain some perspective.

Francona: ‘Pain’ excuse only goes so far
BOSTON — Jacoby Ellsbury was back in center field and leading off for the Sox when the game against the Tampa Bay Rays finally began last night after more than a two-hour rain delay. He had missed the previous three games because of a sore groin.

Moss HR helps Red Sox snap club’s hitting slump
BOSTON — A spark can come from the unlikeliest of sources.

Schilling recovery is right on track
BOSTON — Curt Schilling could be back throwing a baseball again soon.

05/02/2008

It's Never Easy: Blue Jays sweat out precious win after belated balk call
The ball had settled into the glove of outfielder Alex Rios, and finally the Toronto Blue Jays had themselves a win.

Blue Jays’ Burnett shuts down Sox
BOSTON — It is never a good sign when the highlight of a night at the park comes after a game ends. But that was the case for the Red Sox last night, kind of.

Inside the Game: Toronto hit a wall on the basepaths
BOSTON — Another game, more poor baserunning by the faltering Blue Jays.

Decision looms over new spring site
BOSTON — In all likelihood, the Red Sox will decide between remaining in Lee County and moving their spring training headquarters to Sarasota sometime over the next 30 days.

Ortiz's wheels remain sluggish
BOSTON -- David Ortiz is hitting more like David Ortiz these days, but he appears to be going through some changes.

Red Sox rookie Moss wins praise from Francona
BOSTON -- Brandon Moss is likely to be with Boston only temporarily. It is likely that when the health situation with the team improves, Moss will be back in Pawtucket.

PawSox 9, Chiefs 3: Thurston and Bailey lead offensive attack
Joe Thurston was 4-for-5 and scored three times while Jeff Bailey went 3-for-5 with a monster home run off Mike MacDonald in the ninth to cap off the night. Bailey doubled and scored in the sixth.

05/01/2008

Varitek delivers another walk-off win for Red Sox
Jason Varitek’s RBI single in the ninth inning snaps a 1-1 tie, giving Boston its second straight nail-biting triumph over Toronto.

Red Sox set sights on Sarasota as new spring base
BOSTON — Although they are contractually committed to remaining in Fort Myers, Fla., through 2011, the Red Sox have begun discussions with the City of Sarasota that could see them move their spring training headquarters by spring 2012.

Inside the Game: Even Lowrie’s ‘fresh legs’ couldn’t leg this one out for Red Sox
BOSTON — David Ortiz at second. The game tied in the bottom of the ninth.

Red Sox get no break from injuries, as Crisp tweaks knee
BOSTON - Coco Crisp laced a shot into the gap in right-center in the eighth inning last night.

Delcarmen's struggles continue
BOSTON - This is supposed to be the year that Manny Delcarmen blossoms into a top-flight setup man, a dominant seventh- or eighth-inning guy who can form an airtight bridge between the starters and the dynamic closing duo of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon.

Scutaro's base-running blunder costs Toronto
BOSTON - Toronto manager John Gibbons sent in Marco Scutaro to pinch run at second base for catcher Gregg Zaun in the eighth inning, presumably not only because he had more speed but also because he knows how to run the bases.

Red Sox' Pedroia is vacuuming up everything at second
BOSTON - The Blue Jays might want to try their luck hitting the ball to Dustin Pedroia’s left because they sure can’t get anything past him to his right.

PawSox 4, Red Wings 2: PawSox do a number on Francisco Liriano
The PawSox teed off on left-hander Francisco Liriano, the former Minnesota Twins phenom on the comeback trail from Tommy John elbow surgery.

04/30/2008

Red Sox 1, Blue Jays 0: Clutch plays tip balance on a night for pitchers
Boston’s Jon Lester battles Toronto’s Roy Halladay to a standoff, before Dustin Pedroia makes a superb defensive play and Kevin Youkilis drives in the winning run in the ninth.

McAdam: Halladay’s a throwback with complete-game artistry
BOSTON –– Roy Halladay doesn’t remember sleeper cars, flannel uniforms or scheduled doubleheaders.

Inside the Game: Wells’ bobble clears runway for gimpy Ortiz
BOSTON — The situation was calling out for a pinch runner last night at Fenway Park.

Lowell’s return puts Corey in another state of limbo
BOSTON — As expected, Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell was activated from the disabled list and started at third base last night against the Blue Jays.

Red Wings 9, PawSox 3: Hansen, bullpen fail to back up strong start
Pawtucket starting pitcher Michael Tejera was sharp for five shutout innings before allowing two runs in the sixth.

04/29/2008

Rays’ Crawford: Sox should give Ellsbury a license to steal
Tampa Bay speed-burner Carl Crawford says Boston would be wise to turn rookie Jacoby Ellsbury loose on the basepaths.

Wrapup: PawSox 8, Red Wings 6
Pawtucket first baseman Sandy Madera continues to impress in his first days at Triple A, belting a three-run homer to left in the third inning off Rochester right-hander Kevin Mulvey that gave Pawtucket a 3-1 lead.

04/28/2008

Suddenly punchless Sox drop fifth straight
Boston wastes another solid pitching effort, this one by Josh Beckett, and is swept in its weekend series with Tampa Bay.

Beckett is fuming about 20 straight
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — So much for not making any excuses.

PawSox lose in Buffalo; Lowell ready to return to Boston
Josh Barfield (2-for-4) sent a Kyle Snyder high curve ball over the left-field wall to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead in the third inning.

04/27/2008

Iwamura's late homer stuns Boston
Boston’s Clay Buchholz is in complete control until giving up an eighth-inning home run.

Youkilis sets another fielding record
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Kevin Youkilis made history last night.

Wrapup: Bisons 4, PawSox 1
Danny Sandoval went 2-for-4 with two runs, a walk and an RBI for the Bisons.

04/26/2008

Rays rake Wake
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Most of the young Tampa Bay Rays players haven’t been around long enough to know just how effective Tim Wakefield has been against their organization.

04/27/2008

Lowell’s a big hit during premiere with Pawtucket
PAWTUCKET — It wasn’t the type of offensive performance that ranked him among the top hitters in the American League last season, but Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell nevertheless took what he considered to be another positive step forward in the first game of his 20-day rehab assignment with the Pawtucket Red Sox last night at McCoy.

04/26/2008

Corey is relieved to return to Sox
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Bryan Corey slept on the floor of his vacant Boston suburb apartment Thursday night. Last night he was in the bullpen for the Red Sox.

04/25/2008

Masterson shines in debut, but Red Sox bullpen implodes
BOSTON — A few years from now, or maybe even in only a few months, not many people are likely to remember that the Red Sox bullpen blew a lead yesterday and the Sox lost to the Angels, 7-5.

Inside the Game: Masterson puts tools to good use
BOSTON — Justin Masterson made his big-league debut yesterday.

Crisp making it tough to bench him
BOSTON — Coco Crisp is hoping to cause a problem for the Red Sox, one that could be a touchy yet also pleasant situation for manager Terry Francona.

Ortiz still a force in the clutch for Red Sox
BOSTON - His batting average still is a mere .189. Late in the game, though, David Ortiz is a tough out. At least he was on this homestand, which wound up yesterday.

K-Rod wins this round against Manny Ramirez
BOSTON - The last time Manny Ramirez faced Frankie Rodriguez, the Angels’ ace closer, it was Oct. 5.

Crisp makes stealing third look easy
BOSTON - It is said that stealing third base is easier than stealing second.

Lack of hustle costs Ramirez a base
BOSTON - Those who complain about any negative Manny Ramirez comments should pass on this item. This may be construed as Manny Bashing.

04/24/2008

Beckett looks set for Sunday, Dice-K under evaluation
BOSTON - Josh Beckett, who missed his scheduled start on Tuesday night because of a stiff neck, was able to throw a bullpen session this morning.

04/25/2008

Tiant’s call kept Zink playing ball
PAWTUCKET — Charlie Zink’s route to McCoy Stadium was as circuitous as one of his fluttering knuckle balls.

Wrapup: Chiefs 4, PawSox 2
•THE HIGHLIGHTS: First-place Syracuse banged out 14 hits: 12 singles, a Wayne Lydon double and Chip Cannon’s second home run of the season over everything in right field.

04/24/2008

Red Sox 'curse' jersey fetches $175,100 for Jimmy Fund
BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Red Sox jersey secretly buried under the new Yankee Stadium in a failed curse attempt sold Thursday for $175,100 in a charity auction.

Mike Lowell to start for PawSox at McCoy Stadium on Friday night
The Pawtucket Red Sox will have 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell as their designated hitter tomorrow night on injury rehab (sprained left thumb) from Boston when the PawSox and the Syracuse Chiefs play the finale of their 3-game series at 7:05 pm at McCoy Stadium.

Youkilis, Crisp return to action for Red Sox today
BOSTON - The Red Sox lineup for today's game against the Angels is a bit of a mix-and-match affair for a few reasons.

Angels 6, Red Sox 4: Flu, injuries claim player after player on the Red Sox
The Angels snap Boston’s wining streak at six games as the Sox are forced to sit out their starting pitcher for the second consecutive game.

Masterson gets shot to shine in big-leagues
BOSTON — Hot pitching prospect Justin Masterson will make his big-league debut this afternoon at Fenway Park in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Inside the Game: A nudge all Lugo needed?
BOSTON — Is competition bringing out the best in Julio Lugo?

Pauley deals with ups, and downs
PAWTUCKET — Over the course of three days, David Pauley went from preparing for a start in Pawtucket, to not starting, to sitting in a Boston hotel room, to possibly starting in Boston, to not starting in Boston, to starting in Boston again. And less than 24 hours after getting that start at Fenway, the 24-year-old right-hander was already back at McCoy.

Wrapup: PawSox 3, Chiefs 1
•THE HIGHLIGHTS: Pawtucket took a 2-0 lead in the second when Gil Velazquez lined a double to right that got past Syracuse right fielder Wayne Lydon and allowed both Keith Ginter and Chad Spann to score.

04/23/2008

One-two punch: Ellsbury's two home runs and speed afoot fuel Red Sox
BOSTON –– Forget that debate about whether Jacoby Ellsbury is ready for full-time duty.