01:00 AM EDT on Monday, June 12, 2006

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Right-hander Matt Clement , who is suffering from what he calls a "dead arm" in the right biceps and shoulder area, is being pushed back all the way to Wednesday in Minnesota.

Clement's last outing was on June 4 in Detroit, when he left after throwing three pitches in the seventh inning of an 8-3 win. He said he felt the fatigue in his previous start, when he lasted only 3 1/3 innings in Toronto, and after doing more between-starts work than normal to fix his mechanics, his recovery time after the Tigers start has been much longer than normal.

Manager Terry Francona has been giving Clement extra time off -- Clement, on normal rest, would have pitched Friday. And with Clement seemingly ready to pitch again, Francona can slot him for the second game in Minnesota and, at the same time, give Tim Wakefield (stiff back) an extra day of rest, too. Wakefield, who has had success in domes, will start Thursday against the Twins.

Today's day off makes it easier for Francona to reset his rotation after yesterday's day-night doubleheader.

Clement threw a bullpen session yesterday and said he was feeling much better, thanks to the extra rest.

"I'm usually bull-headed, trying to pitch through things. But I thought that this time I would take some extra rest. The last two days there has been a big improvement," said Clement, who said tests have shown there to be no structural damage in his shoulder.

No ball for Declarmen

Manny Delcarmen earned his first major league win yesterday.

But he didn't have the winning baseball to show for it. That baseball landed somewhere in the bleacher in right-center, courtesy of David Ortiz 's game-winning, two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth in the first game yesterday, making Delcarmen and the Sox 5-4 winners over the Rangers.

"I've still got goosebumps," said Delcarmen, 24, a Boston native.

The goosebumps were mostly for Ortiz's heroics.

"When we got a runner on, I was thinking, 'Here we go,' let's get it to Ortiz,' " said Delcarmen. "When he hit it, I just jumped (out of the dugout) and ran to the plate (to greet Ortiz with his teammates). That was pretty exciting."

Delcarmen did his part, working two scoreless innings after David Riske had thrown 1 2/3 scoreless innings behind Josh Beckett 's improved but still mediocre 5 1/3-inning start.

A downer for Pauley

David Pauley , who pitched five-plus innings and took the loss in his third start since being promoted from Double-A Portland to take the place of David Wells (right knee bruise) was sent down to Pawtucket after the game.

Pauley's departure will make room for Mike Timlin (right shoulder), who was scheduled to throw a simulated game in Pawtucket yesterday. He will be activated from the disabled list.

Pauley was 0-2 with a 7.88 earned-run average. Opposing batters hit .408 (31 for 76) against him. The Rangers were 12 for 27 (.444) against him yesterday.

"I need to get more consistency with my curveball and changeup," said Pauley, who gave up five runs on nine hits over the first two innnings and six runs overall. "They were sitting on the fastball today and they hit it. Later I started mixing in more of my pitches and was throwing them for strikes. That's what I have to do."

Pauley asked his teammates to sign yesterday's lineup card he was given to remember his first Fenway Park start.

Manny ties Thome

The homer by Manny Ramirez in the second inning of the first game was the 451st of his career, tying him with his former Cleveland teammate Jim Thome for 30th place all-time. . . . The homer coughed up by Josh Beckett was his team-high 17th gopher ball of the year. It was the first one he has surrendered in five Fenway Park starts. . . . The walk-off homer was the sixth of Ortiz's regular-season career, five of which have come as a member of the Red Sox. His last one came last Sept, 6, against the Angels' Scot Shields. . . . Boston has hit two walk-off homers this year, Mark Loretta (April 17 against Seattle' Eddie Guardado) boasts the other one. . . . The Sox were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Both hits belonged to Ortiz -- an RBI single in the third and his game-winning homer. . . . Kevin Youkilis and Ramirez were given the nightcap off from the starting lineup. Youkilis, though, pinch-hit in the sixth and delivered his first career pinch hit, an RBI single. Youkilis had been 0-for-13 as a pinch hitter. . . . Texas center fielder Gary Matthews robbed Doug Mirabelli of an extra-base hit in the second with a sliding catch after a long run to left-center for the catcher's bid for a gapper. . . . David Pauley gave up 12 hits in five-plus innings. In his three starts, the opposition has batted .408 (31-for-76) against him. The Rangers were 12-for-27 (.444). . . . Mike Lowell was 0-for-13 in the series before bouncing a single up the middle in the sixth. . . . Julian Tavarez has been charged with at least one run in 13 of 25 appearances, including 5 of the last 7. He has inherited 17 runners and 9 have scored. . . . Rudy Seanez has inherited 9 runners, and 5 have scored. . . . Keith Foulke had a second straight rough outing after nine days of inactivity caused by back stiffness. The right-hander was cuffed for four runs on seven hits in two innings. . . . The 22 hits were a Texas franchise record against the Sox. . . . The attendance of 35,602 boosted the season total to 1,015,142 in the 28th date. It's the earliest the Sox have gone over 1 million. Boston had reached 1 million in its 29th game in each of the two previous seasons. . . . "Rhode Island Day" was celebrated before the nightcap

. . . The Sox will leave today for Minnesota and the start of a six-game road trip that will include three-game series against the Twins and the Atlanta Braves. The games in Minnesota will mark the Red Sox' first games out of the Eastern time zone since the first three games of the year in Texas.

skrasner@projo.com / (401) 277-7340