TORONTO -- Infielder Carlos Baerga
(pulled left hamstring) continues to make progress and should be ready to return to action when his disabled-list time is up on July 17, the day the Red Sox open a two-game road series against Tampa Bay.
Baerga suffered the injury while running out a routine ground ball in a July 1 game against Toronto. He said he felt something "pop" and was concerned that the injury could keep him out a long time.
But despite a huge red bruise on the back of his left leg, Baerga has been able to take batting practice the last couple of days, and he has been running, too.
"It's coming along. But I still feel a bit tight when I try to stretch."
Manager Grady Little said Baerga "should be ready to hit for us when his 15 days (on the DL) are up." Little said he didn't think Baerga would need a rehabilitation stint.
Martinez to start tomorrow
The Pedro Martinez
Watch ended at 6:06 last night when the ace right-hander strolled out of the Boston dugout with the team in the middle of batting practice.
His arrival was greeted by cheers from a few hundred Red Sox fans who were in the stands along the right-field line. Martinez exchanged hugs and handshakes with Tim Wakefield
and pitching coach Tony Cloninger
and then began throwing long-toss with bullpen catcher Dana Levangie.
After getting his arm loose, Martinez threw for a while in the bullpen as Little and Cloninger watched.
Martinez, granted an extra day off at the All-Star break by Little, will start tomorrow against the Jays.
Hillenbrand gets a break
Shea Hillenbrand,
who started the All-Star Game in Milwaukee last Tuesday night, was held out of the starting lineup last night.
It was Little's way of giving Hillenbrand a bit of an All-Star break that Hillenbrand hadn't been able to enjoy because he was so busy with the festivities and the travel that accompanies a selection to the team.
Fehr to meet with Sox soon
Tony Clark,
the American League representative to the Players Association, said yesterday that Donald Fehr,
the union chief, would be meeting with the Red Sox players in the first few days of August, when Boston is visiting the Texas Rangers, to discuss the labor negotiations.
Clark said he hasn't been accumulating input on whether the union should set a strike date, or what a good date might be.
"I'm not polling, but updating," said Clark, who was waiting to hear particulars from yesterday's bargaining session. "If they have concerns, they can share them with me or with Don."
Clark said he's still hopeful that a settlement between the players and owners can be reached. He said there was time for something to be done, despite the gloomy climate that hovers over the game.
Around the horn
Little had a meeting with the players before batting practice, a basic midseason talk to make sure everyone's pulling together with a playoff goal in mind. . . . Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra
is probably going to get either today or tomorrow off. . . . Ditto for Rey Sanchez,
who returned from the disabled list for Thursday's game. Little doesn't want Sanchez, who was out because of a pulled hamstring, to play all four games on the artificial surface . . . Utilityman Lou Merloni,
who replaced Sanchez at second in the sixth inning Thursday night, took over for Hillenbrand at third last night. He made a sterling defensive play at each position. He came up with a backhand short-hop grab at second, and a charging barehand play on a third-inning chopper from third base. . . . The Red Sox were blanked for only the third time this year, and first time on the road. . . . Boston was trying to win 12 in a row against a team in one season for the first time since 1950, when they accomplished the feat against both the Philadelphia A's and the St. Louis Browns. . . . Johnny Damon
and Trot Nixon
have started slowly in the second half. Damon is 0-for-7 and hasn't gotten the ball out of the infield, though he does have an RBI. Nixon, who was co-player of the week in the A.L. with Martinez last week, is 0-for-8. . . . Despite the loss, Boston is 14-3 in its last 17 games at SkyDome. . . . The three hits matched the Sox' season-low. They also managed only three hits in a June 14 game at Atlanta. . . . Brian Daubach
stretched his hitting streak to six games.
Negro Leagues to be honored
The Red Sox will be wearing the uniforms of the 1948 Boston Royal Giants in today's game (4:05 start) as the Blue Jays honor the Negro Leagues. Toronto's players will be wearing the unforms of the Chatham All-Stars. The last time the Red Sox wore old uniforms was in 1997, when the Atlanta Braves visited Fenway Park. The Boston Royal Giants played one season, in 1948.
Numbers are adding up
There has been much talk lately of how Derek Lowe
will hold up for a full season as a starting pitcher. He had never thrown more than 123 innings in any big-league season.
Well, maybe it was just coincidence, but last night, his final inning of work happened to be his 124th inning of the season. And in that inning, Lowe gave up three runs on two hits, including a homer to Jose Cruz Jr.
, and a pair of walks.
Over his last four starts, Lowe is 1-3 with a 5.06 earned-run average, having allowed 15 earned runs in 262/3 innings.
