Boston Red Sox

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Bonds’ hits didn’t really end up leaving a mark

07:11 AM EDT on Monday, June 18, 2007

By STEVEN KRASNER and SHALISE MANZA YOUNG
Journal Sports Writers

BOSTON — The Barry Bonds Fenway Road Show came to a conclusion yesterday, and while the 43-year-old showed he can still hit it out of the ballpark, the Giants star didn’t come close to hurting the Red Sox in their three-game sweep of San Francisco.

He went 3-for-9, including a solo homer off Tim Wakefield that floated into the Giants’ bullpen in the sixth inning yesterday. Bonds also walked three times.

Bonds did not have a hit with men on base in the series, his most notable failure coming in the eighth inning of Saturday’s game when he didn’t take the bat off his shoulder while whiffing with two on and none out and the Giants losing, 1-0.

Fenway Park became the 36th ballpark in which Bonds has homered in his career. Wakefield, meanwhile, became the 441st different pitcher to surrender at least one homer to Bonds.

The ball he hit yesterday didn’t look like a home run off the bat.

“But the park today was playing small,” said Boston manager Terry Francona. “I wish he had hit (that fly ball) on another night (at Fenway) because the ball was really flying today. Like David (Ortiz), he doesn’t have to get all of it to hit a home run.”

Wakefield was surprised the ball went out.

“I knew he hit it good, but when it left the bat I thought it was a popup,” said Wakefield. “Then I saw (right fielder) J.D. (Drew) going back and going back. He’s hit a lot of home runs. He’s a good hitter. Sometimes you have to tip your cap to (the hitter).”

Manny heating up

Manny Ramirez showed off his recently rediscovered power stroke again yesterday.

The Sox’ left fielder mashed a solo homer in the seventh, his second homer in as many days and the 480th of his career, tying him with Jim Thome for 25th on the all-time list.

Ramirez had three RBI, boosting his career total to 1,555, tying him with Willie McCovey for 36th all-time.

Donnelly on the DL

Prior to yesterday’s game, the Sox placed right-handed reliever Brendan Donnelly on the disabled list because of tightness in his right forearm and recalled Manny Delcarmen from Pawtucket to take his place.

Donnelly warmed up Friday night, but had to be shut down by bullpen coach Gary Tuck because of discomfort in his forearm. The move was made retroactive to June 11 because Donnelly last pitched in Arizona on June 10. Overall Donnelly was 1-1 with a 3.05 earned-run average in 27 outings totaling 20 2/3 innings.

Delcarmen was with Boston for a week in late May. He struggled early in Pawtucket, but has rebounded nicely. Over his last 10 games, the right-hander, who has spent parts of the last two seasons with Boston, has worked 15 2/3 scoreless innings, whiffing 17 over that stretch. He was 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA. for the PawSox.

Delcarmen didn’t do himself any favors when he got in the game yesterday. Though he stranded a runner at third by retiring the first batter he faced in the sixth, Delcarmen walked the first two batters he faced in the seventh and was lifted after the next batter bounced out to first.

Crisp takes a breather

Coco Crisp was out of the starting lineup, with Wily Mo Pena taking his place.

Francona just wanted to give Crisp a bit of a breather.

“It’s hard to do it because he’s been playing so well defensively in center field, but (if you don’t give a player a rest), you run the risk of running someone into the ground,” said Francona.

Crisp entered the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth, and stretched his hitting streak to four with a single in the bottom of the inning.

Around the horn

Wakefield lasted only 5 2/3 innings, but, backed by the early offensive, was able to win for the second straight game, improving to 7-7. … Ortiz snapped a season-worst seven-game RBI drought by driving in a run in the third. … Kevin Youkilis, who had only three RBI in his previous 16 games, knocked in two yesterday. … Drew went 5-for-11 (.455) in the series. … Mike Lowell went 1-for-4 yesterday and 1-for-11 in the series, dropping his average to .305, the lowest it has been since he was batting .304 on May 11. … Doug Mirabelli knocked in his first run since April 18, snapping a string of 47 at-bats without an RBI. ... The sweep was Boston’s sixth series sweep this year.

smanza@projo.com

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