BOSTON -- By his own admission, Grady Little
is often disappointed by potentially great pitching duels.
"You think it's going to be a 1-0 game with both pitchers dominating," said Little yesterday, a day before aces Pedro Martinez
and Arizona's Curt Schilling
meet, "and then you look up and the score is 12-10 and both pitchers are gone by the third inning."
That said, Little has expectations for this afternoon's matchup. Schilling is 11-1 for Arizona, and Martinez, though he has struggled in his last two outings, is still undefeated, at 7-0.
What's more, Little said he's seen signs that Martinez could be ready to throw a gem.
"I see body language, a look on his face, with no concerns about anything," Little said.
Martinez has given up four runs in the first innings of each of his last two starts and snapped at reporters for probing questions Monday night in Detroit.
"I think [in Toronto, when Martinez complained of a heavy arm] he got a little scared reflecting back on what happened to him last year," said Little. "And that scare took him into the early part of the [next] game in Detroit. It's human nature that he would feel that."
Little said Martinez has faith that the manager and coaching staff won't push him too far or expect too much.
Ramirez misses his flight
The elusive Manny Ramirez
missed his scheduled flight to Boston from south Florida yesterday, wiping out an appointment with Dr. Bill Morgan,
who was to examine the slugger's broken left finger.
"The weather was kind of messed up," said Little. "Or maybe Manny was kind of messed up."
The Sox were hopeful that Ramirez could catch a later flight in order to be seen by the doctor today. If Morgan determines that Ramirez needs another week of rest before he is cleared to swing a bat, he could return to Florida and join the team in Atlanta next Friday.
If he's deemed ready to start swinging, Ramirez could begin what Little termed "some low-volume swings."
"It shouldn't take too long [to get him ready to return]," predicted Little.
Meanwhile, the Sox went into last night 16-8 in the 24 games played since Ramirez broke the finger on May 11.
Sanchez is still hurting
Second baseman Rey Sanchez
sat out another game, his fourth straight, still slowed by the strained right hamstring, first suffered on Memorial Day weekend.
Sanchez had returned to action in New York, but aggravated the condition again with a diving play. After starting the series opener Monday in Detroit, he came out mid-game and missed the rest of the series.
Little had planned to have him return to the lineup last night, but the rain that fell yesterday morning made the field slippery and the Sox didn't want to risk further strains.
In retrospect, the manager admitted, the Sox might have been better off had they placed Sanchez on the 15-day disabled list immediately, giving him 15 days to recover. Lou Merloni
was again the second baseman in Sanchez's absence.
Special event is sold out
The club announced that it had sold out all 21,000 tickets for the Fenway Magic Father's Day Catch on the Field. Fans will get a chance to play catch on the field, tour the ball park and watch the Red Sox-Atlanta game on the giant scoreboard in center field.
Further fan events may be offered later this season. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Red Sox Foundation.
Henderson can pinch hit
Rickey Henderson,
still nursing a hip fleor following a collision with the left field wall at Yankee Stadium, sat out his fifth straight game. He was available for pinch-hitting duty. . . . Some Red Sox pitchers were to take batting practice for the first time yesterday in anticipation of having to bat in next week's road games in N.L. cities, where the DH isn't allowed. But the poor weather postponed their BP until Monday. . . . Carlos Baerga,
who pinch-hit for Trot Nixon
in the ninth and grounded out, saw his 11-game hitting streak come to an end. . . . Darren Oliver
provided one of the few bright spots with 42/3 of scoreless relief. The appearance was the longest relief outing of Oliver's career. . . . Johnny Damon
's solo homer in the sixth was his first at home as a member of the Sox. He has sox extra-base hits over the last six games and eight RBI over his last five.
