Thursday, July 24, 2008


The rehab is over. Now the real work begins.

David Ortiz wrapped up a productive six-game tuneup through the minor leagues, albeit in quiet fashion, going 0 for 1 with a walk for the Double A Portland Sea Dogs last night.

Ortiz sat through a two-hour rain delay, only to get just one swing in two at-bats. The game was suspended in the fourth inning with the Sea Dogs leading Connecticut, 2-1.

After being on the shelf for almost two months with a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist, Ortiz seemed intent on getting in all the work he could before returning to the Red Sox.

"I'm very excited," he said during an impromptu pregame media scrum. "I've been out for a while, and to rejoin the big club, that's what I want to do. That's why I'm here. And try to help."

Ortiz stepped in against Brooks McNiven with two outs in the first but didn't swing, walking on five pitches.

He took two outside pitches for balls, then watched an 84-mile-per-hour offering catch the inside part of the plate. McNiven then missed with two more inside pitches.

Ortiz's second plate appearance came with one out and runners on first and second in the third inning.

McNiven came inside with what turned out to be his lone offering, and Ortiz chopped the ball to second baseman Dave Maroul, who started an inning-ending double play.

Ortiz promptly headed for the Portland clubhouse, where his Cadillac Escalade was already packed for the two-hour trip south.

Ortiz said he accomplished what he set out to do when he started the rehabilitation assignment last Thursday in Pawtucket, where he homered in each of his three games.

His final minor league numbers were modest: 5 for 17 (.294) with 3 home runs, 6 RBIs, 5 walks, and 3 strikeouts. But statistics were of no concern to him.

His wrist, however, is, and he said while there will always be discomfort, he's prepared to live with it the rest of the season.

"Sometimes you feel weak, because it's not an easy injury to deal with," he said. "But other than that, I feel fine. I think I am where I'd like to be. I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not 100 percent. But I'm close."

Ortiz said he expects to be in the lineup tomorrow when the New York Yankees come into Fenway Park for the start of a three-game series.

Sweeping in Seattle


Customarily, Jonathan Papelbon doesn't wear the titanium necklaces favored by some of his teammates, but he had so many wrapped around his neck before yesterday's game, he looked like he was taking jewelry lessons from David Ortiz.


Just joking around, he said, trying to get an endorsement deal. Papelbon doesn't believe the necklaces can change energy flow, the reason most often given for wearing them, or that they ward off evil spirits, as Daisuke Matsuzaka has said on more than one occasion.

"That's getting into a whole new realm of things that I don't want to be a part of," said Papelbon, the beneficiary of uncommon good fortune in yesterday's 6-3, 12-inning win over the Mariners when he escaped a first-and-third, one-out situation in the 11th that started with a slow roller that acted possessed when Papelbon attempted to field it.

"That ball was spinning like [heck]," Papelbon said of Jose Vidro's tapper down the first base line that dropped Papelbon to his knees after he was unable to pick it up twice. "The same exact thing happened the last time we were here."

The play, as bizarre in its own way as Manny Ramírez winding up sitting on a ball in left field in Anaheim a few nights ago, left Papelbon with about as much chance of claiming a Gold Glove one day as Ramírez.

"You know, he and [Josh] Beckett think that they should get a Gold Glove, but they stink," said Mike Lowell, who ultimately won this 4-hour-1-minute exercise with a two-run single after Willie Bloomquist, who started the game at shortstop, dropped a one-out liner to center by Kevin Youkilis in the 12th. "Paps whiffed at that ball twice. First, it would have gone foul. Then I don't know if he kicked it, spit on it, kneed it, or whatever. That one, I want to see a replay. I don't think he'll ever talk about a Gold Glove again."

It was hardly a laughing matter when, after striking out Adrian Beltre, Papelbon gave up a line single to Yuniesky Betancourt with Vidro on the move, leaving the Mariners with runners on the corners and one out and prompting a rare visit to the mound by manager Terry Francona to discuss strategy.

The next batter, Kenji Johjima, hit a one-hop smash to Lowell, who started an around-the-horn double play, much to the delight of a fist-pumping Papelbon.

"Perfect," Lowell said. "Johjima and Betancourt always seem to do well against us, no matter whether they've been struggling. We could not have scripted it better."

So, with a little serendipity in Seattle, and a terrific job by a bullpen that turned in 6 2/3 innings of four-hit, scoreless relief, the Sox return home after a three-game sweep of the Mariners canceled out the three games they lost over the weekend to the Angels in Anaheim. They left home after the All-Star break a half-game ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East; they come back trailing the Rays by a half-game, with the Yankees just three games in arrears and coming to Fenway for a three-game set this weekend.

The Sox will not only mark the return of David Ortiz after a nearly two-month absence, but they may also have discovered a new weapon in the bullpen. Rookie Justin Masterson, in his first big-league relief appearance, relieved Clay Buchholz with two on in the sixth after Vidro's two-run home run had tied the score. Masterson struck out Johjima and rookie Bryan LaHair, then tacked on two more scoreless innings.

"I was really excited," Papelbon said. "Especially in that situation. It was a tough situation, especially for his first time coming out of the bullpen, and he passed with flying colors, obviously."

Francona - who also got a big out in the ninth from Manny Delcarmen, who retired Bloomquist on a ground ball after Hideki Okajima walked pinch hitter Miguel Cairo with two out - was just as impressed.

"That's the guy we were hoping to see," he said. "That was electric. [Masterson] had poise. You don't jump up and down during a game for the future, but that was nice to see."

The Sox scored twice in the third, even though Ichiro Suzuki took a three-run home run away from J.D. Drew with a leaping catch at the wall. Youkilis singled home one run and Ichiro, who had an adventurous day - he also was picked off first but later doubled Drew off first after catching Youkilis's slicing liner on the foul line - booted the ball for an error that allowed Dustin Pedroia to score as well.

Raul Ibanez led off the fourth with a home run off Buchholz to make it 2-1, but a bases-loaded walk to Coco Crisp by Felix Hernandez gave the Sox a 3-1 lead in the sixth before Jose Lopez singled and scored ahead of Vidro's home run.

"It was a positive outing for me," Buchholz said. "Even though I gave up the home runs on two bad pitches, I was able to stay down most of the game."

The Mariners never led in the first two games of this series, and with the Sox pen at peak efficiency, they did not lead yesterday, either.

"I hope to get in there once in a while," Masterson said after he went eight up, eight down through the Seattle order, with three whiffs.

The Sox took the lead on a rally that began with a single by Jacoby Ellsbury, who had not gotten the ball out of the infield in five previous at-bats. After Pedroia grounded out, Drew was walked intentionally, and when Bloomquist dropped Youkilis's liner, the bases were loaded. Lowell singled home two, Sean Casey the other.

There was one more escape act, this one in the 12th by Craig Hansen, who like Papelbon had trouble fielding a comebacker. "I was just happy that I didn't fall down like Paps," he said.

Hansen was happier still when, after loading the bases on a two-out single by Lopez and a walk to Ibanez, he retired Vidro on a ground ball to Pedroia.

The win went to Papelbon, who will have a day off to rest after pitching in all three games here. The save went to Hansen, the second of his career.

"You get Paps in a [tie] game like that, then keep playing, what you're hoping for is what happened," said Francona, who did not have Manny Ramírez (sore knee) available, "that you score a few runs.

"We had stick-to-it-iveness and kept playing."

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Big Committment for Tigers


Rivals.com five-star defensive tackle Chris Davenport of Mansfield gave his verbal commitment to Les Miles and LSU Wednesday. The 6-foot-4, 318-pound Davenport is listed as the nation's fourth best defensive tackle and the 18th-best overall player in the country by Rivals.com.

Hornets Summer League Recap

A capsule overview of New Orleans’ 12-day trip to Las Vegas:
TEAM MVP
En route to being named the biggest surprise at NBA Summer League by ESPN.com, Bobby Brown was the Hornets’ most consistent player over the six games, averaging team-highs in points (15.2) and assists (6.3). He also canned game-deciding baskets in the final minute of victories over the Bobcats and Clippers. The 6-foot-2 Brown probably boosted his stock in the eyes of GMs and coaches more than anyone among the roughly 250 players who suited up in Las Vegas.
BEST COMEBACK
New Orleans trailed 60-51 through three quarters against the Clippers on July 17, but surged back to force overtime. In the extra period, the Hornets held Los Angeles to two points and posted an 80-76 triumph.
BEST SHOT
Larry Owens’ five-foot putback from the middle of the lane on Saturday beat the final buzzer by a fraction of a second, enabling New Orleans to edge Cleveland, 79-78. Hilton Armstrong had given the Hornets a 77-76 lead by throwing down a dunk with 10 seconds left, but the Cavs’ Clay Tucker answered by hitting two free throws at :04.7.
BEST DUNK
Armstrong and Julian Wright had several highlight-reel slams over the six games, but give Wright a slight nod for one his dunks vs. Cleveland. Wright pump-faked a perimeter shot, breezed past Cavs defender Romel Beck and threw down a nasty two-hander on the left baseline.
BEST COACHING DECISION
Charlie Parker often went with the starting five of Brown, Adam Haluska, Brandon Bowman, Wright and Armstrong during crunch time, but he altered the lineup late vs. Cleveland and saw excellent results. Owens had barely played through three quarters, but ended up scoring 10 fourth-quarter points, including the game-winner. Meanwhile, Ndudi Ebi tallied seven points in the final stanza, part of his 15-point showing.
Posted by Hornets.com at 11:46 PM 0 comments
Sunday, July 20, 2008
NBA Summer League: Trail Blazers 78, Hornets 63
By: Jim Eichenhofer, Hornets.com
Portland guard J.R. Pinnock helped spoil New Orleans' NBA Summer League finale, piling up 30 points, including four three-pointers. The Hornets finished their trip to Las Vegas with a 4-2 record, the most wins the team has compiled in summer league.
"We felt really good about this (being) the most successful summer league we've had," Hornets assistant coach Charlie Parker said. "A lot of guys improved from Day 1 (of the league) until now."
New Orleans only trailed by five points through three quarters, but Portland held a 20-10 edge in the final stanza.
Derrick Byars led the Hornets with 15 points. Bobby Brown, Julian Wright and Hilton Armstrong finished with 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Other league-ending notes from Las Vegas:
• As the breakout player of Hornets summer league, Brown was praised by Parker for his outstanding week. Brown was forced to play a team-high 35.0 minutes per game after second-unit point guard Frank Williams was injured and sidelined midway through the league. “Hopefully, we’ve found at least one guy we can bring into training camp who can possibly help us during the regular season,” Parker said of Brown. “He was definitely one of the most impressive guys here. He was a surprise and played extremely well. We’re happy to have him as part of the program.” Based on his play this week, Brown has already received offers from teams overseas for the 2008-09 season, but the Cal State Fullerton product has said that his goal is to play in the NBA as soon as possible. The team will have to wait to see what decision Brown makes. Keep in mind that Brown is not under contract with the Hornets and would also be able to field offers from any other NBA team. However, Brown said mid-week that one of the reasons he chose to play for New Orleans’ summer team was the potential opportunity that may be there if, for example, Jannero Pargo leaves in free agency.
• Following Sunday’s game, Parker discussed the development of Wright and Armstrong. “We wanted to really go to those guys, and we did,” Parker said. “They came through in all phases. I think Julian needed to shoot a little bit better. Hilton grew as a rebounder during this week and a scorer. So for those two guys, it was tremendous.” Of the two players, Armstrong had the better summer league, averaging 14.0 points, highlighted by a 25-point effort vs. the Clippers. He showed flashes of an improved low-post offensive game. Meanwhile, Wright had a rough go of it shooting-wise and in his test run as a point forward. The one-year veteran shot 33 percent from the field and averaged nearly five turnovers a game.
• The Hornets finished tied for the most wins in the Las Vegas league. New Orleans would’ve technically had the best outright record had it defeated Portland and finished 5-1. Every club lost at least once.
• No doubt about it, it was a frustrating stint for 2007 second-round pick Adam Haluska. The Iowa product could not locate his shooting touch and finished 5-for-26 from the field over the six games. He started each contest and averaged the fourth-most minutes on the squad.
• Chris Paul attended the game before departing to go to a USA Basketball team meeting. Paul and his USA teammates will start their latest training camp at a Las Vegas high school on Monday.

LSU Places 16 on Pre-Season All-SEC

The defending national champion LSU Tigers led all teams with 14 players selected to the 2008 Southeastern Conference Coaches Pre-season All-SEC Football Team, the league office announced Monday.
LSU placed a league-high number of players on the squad for the second straight season. There were first, second and third-teams selected for this year’s coaches pre-season squad. Coaches could not vote for their own players.
Florida was the only other SEC team with double figure selections with 10. Georgia had nine players selected to the three squads followed by Alabama, Auburn and South Carolina with eight and Tennessee had seven. Eleven of the 12 SEC teams had first-team selections and every conference school has representatives on the All-SEC squad.
LSU placed four senior players on the first team, including defensive end Tyson Jackson, linebacker Darry Beckwith, place kicker Colt David and offensive lineman Herman Johnson.
The Tigers also had five second-team selections: junior tight end Richard Dickson, senior center Brett Helms, junior offensive lineman Ciron Black, senior wide receiver Demetrius Byrd and defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois. Junior wide receiver Brandon LaFell, junior running back Keiland Williams, senior defensive end Kirston Pittman and junior return specialist Trindon Holliday were all named to the third team.
This is the fifth year of the SEC Coaches Pre-season All-SEC Football Team. It is released in advance of the 2008 SEC Football Media Days, which will be held July 23-25, at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Ala.
Media in attendance at SEC Football Media Days will vote on the All-SEC Team and a predicted order of finish for the league. LSU head coach Les Miles, Helms and Jackson will participate in SEC Media Days on Wednesday.
The Tigers report to campus, on Sunday, Aug. 3 before opening practice on Monday, Aug. 4. LSU opens the season on Aug. 30 in Tiger Stadium against Appalachian State in a game televised nationally by ESPN. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.
The entire listing of the 2008 SEC Coaches Pre-Season All-SEC Football Team is below:
2008 SEC COACHES PRE-SEASON ALL-SEC FOOTBALL TEAM * - Unanimous Selection# - Ties not brokenCoaches could not vote for themselves or their own players
ALL-SEC PRESEASON OFFENSIVE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
TE
Cornelius Ingram
Florida
6-4
223
Sr.
Hawthorne, Fla.
OL
Andre Smith *
Alabama
6-5
340
Jr.
Birmingham, Ala.
OL
Michael Oher *
Ole Miss
6-5
318
Sr.
Memphis, Tenn.
OL
Anthony Parker *
Tennessee
6-3
305
Sr.
Jonesboro, Ga.
OL
Herman Johnson LSU
6-7
351
Sr.
Olla, La.
C
Jonathan Luigs *
Arkansas
6-4
314
Sr.
Little Rock, Ark.
WR
Percy Harvin
Florida
5-11
178
Jr.
Virginia Beach, Va.
WR
Kenny McKinley
South Carolina
6-0
182
Sr.
Mableton, Ga.
QB
Tim Tebow
Florida
6-3
232
Jr.
Jacksonville, Fla.
RB
Knowshon Moreno *
Georgia
5-11
207
So.
Belford, N.J.
SECOND TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
TE
Richard Dickson LSU
6-3
237
Jr.
Ocean Springs, Miss.
OL
Ciron Black LSU
6-5
314
Jr.
Tyler, Texas
OL
Tyronne Green
Auburn
6-2
307
Sr.
Pensacola, Fla.
OL
Ramon Foster #
Tennessee
6-6
325
Sr.
Henning, Tenn.
OL
Lee Ziemba #
Auburn
6-8
288
So.
Rogers, Ark.
OL
Mitch Petrus #
Arkansas
6-4
305
Sr.
Carlisle, Ark.
OL
Garry Williams #
Kentucky
6-3
300
Sr.
Louisville, Ky.
C
Antoine Caldwell #
Alabama
6-3
292
Sr.
Montgomery, Ala.
LSU
6-2
283
Sr.
Stuttgart, Ark.
WR
LSU
6-2
195
Sr.
Miami, Fla.
WR
Mohamed Massaquoi
Georgia
6-2
198
Sr.
Charlotte, N.C.
QB
Matthew Stafford
Georgia
6-3
237
Jr.
Dallas, Texas
RB
Anthony Dixon
Mississippi State
6-1
240
Jr.
Jackson, Miss.
RB
Ben Tate
Auburn
5-11
215
Jr.
Newark, Md.
THIRD TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
TE
Jared Cook
South Carolina
6-5
242
Jr.
Suwanee, Ga.
OL
Phil Trautwein
Florida
6-6
301
Sr.
Voorhees, N.J.
OL
Jim Tartt
Florida
6-3
300
Sr.
Sochoppy, Fla.
OL
John Jerry
Ole Miss
6-5
350
Jr.
Batesville, Miss.
OL
Anthony Strauder
Mississippi State
6-3
290
Sr.
Natchez, Miss.
C
Josh McNeil
Tennessee
6-4
280
Jr.
Collins, Miss.
WR
Lucas Taylor
Tennessee
6-0
185
Sr.
Carencro, La.
WR
Brandon LaFell LSU
6-3
194
Jr.
Houston, Texas
QB
John Parker Wilson
Alabama
6-2
213
Sr.
Hoover, Ala.
RB
Keiland Williams
LSU
5-11
223
Jr.
Lafayette, La.
RB
Terry Grant
Alabama
5-10
188
So.
Lumberton, Miss.
ALL-SEC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
DL
Greg Hardy *
Ole Miss
6-4
265
Jr.
Millington, Tenn.
DL
Sen’Derrick Marks
Auburn
6-1
288
Jr.
Mobile, Ala.
DL
Tyson Jackson LSU
6-5
292
Sr.
Edgard, La.
LB
Brandon Spikes *
Florida
6-3
245
Jr.
Shelby, N.C.
LB
Rico McCoy
Tennessee
6-1
215
Jr.
Washington, D.C.
LB
Darry Beckwith LSU
6-1
232
Sr.
Baton Rouge, La.
LB
Dannell Ellerbe
Georgia
6-1
232
Sr.
Hamlet, N.C.
DB
Eric Berry
Tennessee
5-11
195
So.
Fairburn, Ga.
DB
Derek Pegues
Mississippi State
5-10
196
Sr.
Batesville, Miss.
DB
Rashad Johnson #
Alabama
6-0
187
Sr.
Sulligent, Ala.
DB
Captain Munnerlyn #
South Carolina
5-9
185
Jr.
Mobile, Ala.
DB
D.J. Moore #
Vanderbilt
5-10
182
Jr.
Spartanburg, S.C.
SECOND TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
DL
Ricky Jean-Francois LSU
6-3
281
Jr.
Miami, Fla.
DL
Geno Atkins
Georgia
6-1
290
Jr.
Pembroke Pines, Fla.
DL
Jeremy Jarmon #
Kentucky
6-3
277
Jr.
Collierville, Tenn.
DL
Peria Jerry #
Ole Miss
6-2
290
Sr.
Batesville, Miss.
LB
Jasper Brinkley
South Carolina
6-2
275
Sr.
Thomson, Ga.
LB
Rolando McClain
Alabama
6-4
255
So.
Decatur, Ala.
LB
Eric Norwood
South Carolina
6-1
270
Jr.
Acworth, Ga.
LB
Tray Blackmon #
Auburn
6-2
220
Jr.
LaGrange, Ga.
LB
Jamar Chaney #
Mississippi State
6-1
236
Sr.
Fort Pierce, Fla.
DB
Emanuel Cook
South Carolina
5-10
214
Jr.
Riviera Beach, Fla.
DB
Asher Allen
Georgia
5-10
198
Jr.
Tucker, Ga.
DB
Trevard Lindley
Kentucky
6-0
175
Jr.
Hiram, Ga.
DB
Jerraud Powers
Auburn
5-9
188
Jr.
Decatur, Ala.
THIRD TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
DL
Antonio Coleman
Auburn
6-2
250
Jr.
Mobile, Ala.
DL
Antwain Robinson #
Arkansas
6-2
258
Sr.
Little Rock, Ark.
DL
Kirston Pittman
LSU
6-4
254
Sr.
Garyville, La.
DL
Jeff Owens #
Georgia
6-3
298
Sr.
Sunrise, Fla.
LB
Rennie Curran
Georgia
5-11
220
So.
Snellville, Ga.
LB
Micah Johnson
Kentucky
6-2
250
Jr.
Ft. Campbell, Ky.
LB
Braxton Kelley
Kentucky
6-0
230
Sr.
LaGrange, Ga.
DB
Reshard Langford #
Vanderbilt
6-2
208
Sr.
Tanner, Ala.
DB
Chad Jones
LSU
6-3
222
So.
Baton Rouge, La.
DB
Major Wright #
Florida
6-0
194
So.
Miramar, Fla.
DB
Joe Haden #
Florida
5-11
180
So.
Ft. Washington, Md.
DB
Wondy Pierre-Louis #
Florida
6-0
182
Jr.
Naples, Fla.
ALL-SEC PRESEASON SPECIAL TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
PK
Colt David
LSU
5-9
175
Sr.
Grapevine, Texas
P
Ryan Shoemaker
Auburn
6-0
192
So.
Birmingham, Ala.
RS
Brandon James
Florida
5-6
179
Jr.
St. Augustine, Fla.
SECOND TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
PK
Ryan Succop
South Carolina
6-3
224
Sr.
Hickory, N.C.
P
Ryan Succop
South Carolina
6-3
224
Sr.
Hickory, N.C.
RS
Javier Arenas
Alabama
5-9
193
Jr.
Tampa, Fla.
THIRD TEAM
Pos.
Name
School
Ht.
Wt.
Class
Hometown
PK
Leigh Tiffin
Alabama
6-1
198
Jr.
Muscle Shoals, Ala.
P
Brian Mimbs
Georgia
5-11
205
Sr.
Dublin, Ga.
RS
Trindon Holliday LSU
5-5
159
Jr.
Zachary, La.

Lester to the Rescue, Sox 4 Seattle 0


Two popular notions, that the Red Sox can't win on the road and Jon Lester can't win when he's home, exploded last night on Boston's first night in the great Northwest.
related content
Sox catcher Jason Varitek hit a two-run home run, just his second in 42 games, rookie Jed Lowrie added a two-run single and Lester - at maximum strength following a 12-day vacation arranged by manager Terry Francona and pitching coach John Farrell - gave family and friends their first in-the-flesh demonstration at how far he's progressed since his days at nearby Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma.
Lester has pitched in Safeco Field twice before - but never with the authority he displayed in last night's 4-0 win over the Mariners, which he began by inducing Ichiro Suzuki to strike out on a pitch below sea level and was barely touched thereafter.
"I looked up in the fifth or sixth inning and he'd thrown only 11 balls," Francona said. "Those were quality pitches, too. That was terrific. You hope when you give a guy rest, you hope it's not too much."
Lester was strong into the eighth inning, when the Mariners loaded the bases on three singles, the last a sharp comebacker by Willie Bloomquist that caromed off Lester's right shin, dropping the lefthander into a sitting position. Trainer Paul Lessard and Francona came out to the mound, Lester walking off with Lessard.
Francona brought in Jonathan Papelbon, who hadn't pitched since last Tuesday's All-Star Game, and the Sox closer required just two pitches to end the inning, Raul Ibanez grounding into a double play.
"Hit [Lester] in the shin - he's OK," Francona said. "It was time to get Paps anyway."
Lester, who failed to go beyond five innings in his previous two starts here (9 ER in 10 IP, an 8.10 ERA), did not allow a base runner to advance to third through seven innings. Adrian Beltre had two ground-ball singles, one off the pitcher's glove, and Yuniesky Betancourt doubled over J.D. Drew's head in the third, but that was the sum of the Seattle offense until Ibanez singled to open the seventh. One out later, Jose Lopez grounded a single that Lowrie halted with a dive, but the ball squirted free before Lowrie could flip to second for a force.
But Lester got Miguel Cairo to flail at a curveball that broke at his ankles for the second out, and retired pinch hitter Jose Vidro on a liner to right to end Seattle's threat. Vidro was hitting for Bryan LaHair, a rookie first baseman from Worcester's Holy Name High School playing in just his third big-league game. LaHair struck out and tapped to Lester in his only two at-bats last night.
"Lester stepped up," said Papelbon, whose 29th save enabled Lester to run his record to 8-3 while dropping his ERA to 3.20. "He's stepping up for us. He's a guy right now we're kind of leaning on, and that's what he's done for us."
The Sox had lost three straight in Anaheim to start the post-All-Star break schedule, the second time the club has been swept in their last three road series and sixth time this season. They'd lost five in a row on the road, 10 of their last 12, and were 21-32 overall away from Fenway. With both the Rays and Yankees winning last night, the Sox were in danger of being closer to third place than first by night's end.
"Get ahead, go from there," said Lester, who smiled when asked about an earlier visit to the mound by Francona and Lessard, after he appeared to be in some discomfort. Turns out it was a wardrobe malfunction.
And while the Sox, who left 13 on base, didn't exactly shake an offensive malaise in which they'd scored a total of eight runs in three losses to the Angels, they mustered enough to make a winner out of Lester, who is unbeaten in his last nine decisions dating to May 25.
No one was more relieved than Varitek, who has been burdened with the worst slump of his career, one that had lasted a quarter of the season and put him at the very bottom of big-league hitters: 9 for 79, .114, in his last 26 games, 18 for 133, .135, in his last 41 games.
But Varitek looped a single to right in the third, then launched a full-count pitch from Jarrod Washburn (4-9) over the left-field fence for his eighth home run of the season to give the Sox a 2-0 lead in the fifth.
"It was a good part of the game, good for the team," he said of his home run. Good for him as well? "It's always good, every time you hit a two-run home run," he said.
The Sox left the bases loaded in the sixth, Varitek, batting from the left side, striking out against Mark Lowe to end the inning, and left two more on in the seventh.
But they doubled their lead in the eighth. Kevin Youkilis was hit by a pitch and Coco Crisp singled, breaking an 0-for-21 skid. New Seattle manager Jim Riggleman replaced Lowe with lefty Cesar Jimenez, who walked Varitek to load the bases and gave up a two-run single to Lowrie.
Lowrie distinguished himself by flagging down Betancourt's flare to left in the sixth.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Hornets Finish 4-2 in Vegas Summer League

Portland guard J.R. Pinnock helped spoil New Orleans' NBA Summer League finale, piling up 30 points, including four three-pointers. The Hornets finished their trip to Las Vegas with a 4-2 record, the most wins the team has compiled in summer league."We felt really good about this (being) the most successful summer league we've had," Hornets assistant coach Charlie Parker said. "A lot of guys improved from Day 1 (of the league) until now."New Orleans only trailed by five points through three quarters, but Portland held a 20-10 edge in the final stanza.Derrick Byars led the Hornets with 15 points. Bobby Brown, Julian Wright and Hilton Armstrong finished with 13, 12 and 11 points, respectively.Other league-ending notes from Las Vegas:• As the breakout player of Hornets summer league, Brown was praised by Parker for his outstanding week. Brown was forced to play a team-high 35.0 minutes per game after second-unit point guard Frank Williams was injured and sidelined midway through the league. “Hopefully, we’ve found at least one guy we can bring into training camp who can possibly help us during the regular season,” Parker said of Brown. “He was definitely one of the most impressive guys here. He was a surprise and played extremely well. We’re happy to have him as part of the program.” Based on his play this week, Brown has already received offers from teams overseas for the 2008-09 season, but the Cal State Fullerton product has said that his goal is to play in the NBA as soon as possible. The team will have to wait to see what decision Brown makes. Keep in mind that Brown is not under contract with the Hornets and would also be able to field offers from any other NBA team. However, Brown said mid-week that one of the reasons he chose to play for New Orleans’ summer team was the potential opportunity that may be there if, for example, Jannero Pargo leaves in free agency.• Following Sunday’s game, Parker discussed the development of Wright and Armstrong. “We wanted to really go to those guys, and we did,” Parker said. “They came through in all phases. I think Julian needed to shoot a little bit better. Hilton grew as a rebounder during this week and a scorer. So for those two guys, it was tremendous.” Of the two players, Armstrong had the better summer league, averaging 14.0 points, highlighted by a 25-point effort vs. the Clippers. He showed flashes of an improved low-post offensive game. Meanwhile, Wright had a rough go of it shooting-wise and in his test run as a point forward. The one-year veteran shot 33 percent from the field and averaged nearly five turnovers a game.• The Hornets finished tied for the most wins in the Las Vegas league. New Orleans would’ve technically had the best outright record had it defeated Portland and finished 5-1. Every club lost at least once.• No doubt about it, it was a frustrating stint for 2007 second-round pick Adam Haluska. The Iowa product could not locate his shooting touch and finished 5-for-26 from the field over the six games. He started each contest and averaged the fourth-most minutes on the squad.• Chris Paul attended the game before departing to go to a USA Basketball team meeting. Paul and his USA teammates will start their latest training camp at a Las Vegas high school on Monday.

Sox Swept in Anaheim, Move on to Seattle


"Stadium rats sent packing" was the front-page headline in a local paper yesterday, a resounding declaration that the Angels had eradicated a vermin problem that had surfaced publicly last summer.
That's not all that passes as good news around the Big A these days. The logical follow this morning is "Red Sox sent packing," a three-game sweep of the Sox this weekend sending a strong message that the Angels have made great inroads in eradicating a Sox problem that tends to surface in October.
With a 5-3, come-from-behind win against the Sox yesterday, Manny Delcarmen giving up a tie-breaking, two-run double to Casey Kotchman in the eighth after Tim Wakefield gave up back-to-back doubles to Juan Rivera and Howie Kendrick to start the inning, the Angels made it three straight games in which the Sox scored three runs or fewer.
"It seems like we never got a combination of good at-bats like they did," said Dustin Pedroia, the only Sox player to swing a hot bat all weekend, his three hits yesterday giving him seven in the series. "We're not going to win too many games scoring two, three runs with five, six hits.
"They had momentum in the eighth, and we haven't been doing that. Shoot, they get the big hit and keep adding on. They put that damn monkey on the board, and the place went nuts."
That would be the Rally Monkey, which has long since outlived the expiration date of similar gimmicks yet still puts a charge in the crowd, which yesterday was 44,164 strong. Angels fans were looking for a reason to come to life after right fielder Vladi Guerrero dropped Jacoby Ellsbury's two-out liner, allowing Coco Crisp, who had walked and stole second, to score the run that gave the Sox a 3-2 lead in the seventh.
Wakefield had kept the volume down with another superb start, limiting the damage to home runs on back-to-back pitches to Guerrero and Torii Hunter in the second. By his account, those were two of only three bad pitches he threw all afternoon. The third came after Rivera dumped a double into left field to open the eighth, and Kendrick hit a high knuckler into left field for the double that tied the score at 3.
Before the inning started, manager Terry Francona had closer Jonathan Papelbon up in the bullpen, primed for a multi-inning save if Wakefield faltered. But once the Angels tied the score, Francona turned to Delcarmen. Mike Mathis bunted Kendrick to third, and Delcarmen just missed outside on a 3-and-2 fastball to Chone Figgins. That brought Kotchman to the plate, and while he swings from the left side, Francona said he wasn't thinking of summoning lefthander Hideki Okajima because Kotchman had two hits in five previous at-bats against Okajima, including a home run, and overall has been hitting lefties better than righties.
Delcarmen said he had a terrific changeup while warming up in the bullpen. Unfortunately for the Sox, he left it there, hanging a high changeup that Kotchman whacked into the right-field corner, allowing two runs to score. "Not a good way to start the second half," Delcarmen said.
Francisco Rodriguez overpowered the Sox in the ninth, striking out the side for his 40th save, a number he has reached faster than any reliever ever (98 team games). Papelbon, meanwhile, never got out of the pen in three games.
The Angels finished the weekend with their first series sweep of the Sox since 2001, and now have won five of six overall against Boston, with three games yet to be played at Fenway Park next week.
"Regardless of what the score is, we're playing a very good team," Francona said. "We had a lead and didn't hold it. These are the types of games you've got to win."
The Sox, with Tampa Bay losing yesterday, remained 1 1/2 games behind the Rays, but now are just three games ahead of the third-place Yankees (two in the loss column), with the Bombers paying a visit this weekend after the Sox finish this West Coast swing with three games against Seattle. Perhaps playing the last-place Mariners will bring an end to the road blues that have once again appeared with a vengeance, the Sox now 2-10 in their last dozen road games, 21-32 overall.
"We'll be all right," said Pedroia, who is immune from whatever infestation plagues the Sox on the road, having hit in his last 21 games away from Yawkey Way.
"It's a long year. We have 60-something [62] games left. We need to find our way, and find it fast, because that's what the season is about."
They couldn't find it soon enough for Wakefield, who hasn't won on the road since shutting out the Tigers on two hits over eight innings May 6.
Guerrero has long been a Wakefield nemesis - of Guerrero's eight hits off the knuckleballer, five have been home runs - but once again Wakefield pitched splendidly (no walks for the third time in 20 starts this season), but was left to wonder how he is just 6-7 despite a 3.69 ERA.
"It's not easy, not fun," Wakefield said. "Obviously we play very good at home but it hasn't been happening on the road.
"Why? I have no idea."