01:00 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 20, 2005

BY SHALISE MANZA YOUNG
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Boston third baseman Bill Mueller missed last night's game, his first absence of the season, due to what manager Terry Francona called "flu-like symptoms," though he added Mueller's illness is centered more in his sinuses.

"He's not feeling too good; he looks horrible," Francona said. "I tried to get him to fly to Baltimore today [the Red Sox play the Orioles tonight] to get a good night's sleep, but I don't think he even felt well enough to do that."

Mueller was hit by a pitch during Monday's game, but Francona said that had nothing to do with him missing the game.

Mueller, Boston's leading batter in the playoffs last year, hasn't picked up where he left off -- the switch-hitter's average is .244 (10-for-41), and he has only one RBI.

Sox catcher Jason Varitek also has been slowed by a flu-like illness lately, but has not missed any of his scheduled starts. He was behind the plate last night.

Utility infielder Ramon Vazquez started in Mueller's place. The 28-year-old, acquired with outfielder Jay Payton from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Dave Roberts, was making his second start of the season. He started at shortstop on April 9, also against the Blue Jays, in Toronto. Vazquez is hitting .167 (1-for-6) in four games this season.

For his five-year major league career, Vazquez is hitting .262, and has a fielding percentage of .978. He has played all four infield positions in the pros.

"It's not good that Billy's sick, but it's good to have a player that should help us win the game tonight," Francona said before the game. "That's why he's here. If Billy's still sick tomorrow, when we face a lefty (Baltimore's Bruce Chen), that's not perfect, but that's what you do."

Vazquez is .193 for his career against left-handed pitching, and has yet to get a hit in his new home ballpark. After going 0-for-4 last night, he is hitless in eight Fenway at-bats. Vazquez made the final out of the game, with the tying run on third.

Ramirez in a rush

Manny Ramirez is clearly looking to hit his 400th home runs sooner rather than later. The left fielder entered the season with 390 career homers, 10 from becoming the 39th major-leaguer to reach 400. In the last four days, he has cut that deficit in half. Ramirez had two home runs on Saturday against Tampa Bay and two on Monday against Toronto. Last night, he added another, driving a 2-1 pitch from Jays starter Roy Halladay over the Coke bottles and out of Fenway Park.

Asked what the reaction in the dugout was to Ramirez's moon shot, Kevin Millar said simply, "Wow. That is probably the farthest ball I've ever seen hit in my life."

Francona pulled Ramirez after the seventh inning and replace him with Jay Payton. After the game, the manager said the switch was not for defensive purposes.

"I would love to leave Manny in. His quad is bothering him. It was bothering him before the game. It was bothering him yesterday. When he said he needs to go ice it, that's the thing to do. We didn't take him out for defense; that was health-related."

Ramirez's 395 home runs place him 11th among active players. The Yankees' Gary Sheffield is 10th, with 417.

Miller making progress

Right-handed pitcher Wade Miller made his second rehab start last night, pitching for the Sox' single-A affiliate in Wilmington, Del. He threw 67 pitches (47 for strikes) over five innings, and allowed one run on six hits and no walks. He also struck out six. The lone run came on a first-inning leadoff homer.

Miller, who was with Houston last season, is coming back from a shoulder injury.

"He'll pitch again Saturday; I don't know where yet," Francona said. "He'll join us in Baltimore tomorrow. One of our teams [Wilmington] is in Frederick [Maryland on Saturday], or he'll go to Double-A. Evidently, his outing was very positive."

Double-A Portland is at home on Saturday.

Around the bases

The Sox made it easy for Halladay in the fourth inning last night, as Trot Nixon, Ramirez and David Ortiz each put the first pitch of his at-bat in play. Nixon smoked a single to left, Ramirez grounded into a 5-6-3 double play and Ortiz hit a grounder back to the pitcher's mound. . . . Three members of the Red Sox family completed the Boston Marathon on Monday: Dawn Timlin, the wife of reliever Mike; Shonda Schilling, the wife of starter Curt; and Paul Epstein, the brother of general manager Theo. Team president and CEO Larry Lucchino's wife, Stacey, started the race, but could not finish due to a knee injury. . . . Former Red Sox third baseman Shea Hillenbrand continued his hot start to the season. His first-inning single means he has recorded a hit in all but one of the team's 15 games this season, and he extended his hit streak to nine games. . . . All three of the home runs Halladay has given up this year have come against the Red Sox: Ortiz clubbed a three-run homer to center field at the Rogers Centre on April 9, along with the two last night he surrendered to Ramirez and Ortiz.