The Jays renew acquaintances with the Red Sox in short order after last weekend's four-game set. After taking two of three from the Devil Rays during the week, Boston sits a half-game back of their bitter rivals from the Bronx. Hopefully, Toronto took advantage of yesterday's badly needed off-day to regroup, shake off their disappointing losses against the Twins, and focus on making themselves relevant again this season. Though it won't be easy, a series win at hostile Fenway would be a great first step in that direction.
This weekend, the Jays face three pitchers coming off starts with which they were most satisfied. On the other hand, the feared Bosox lineup features three key injuries and some notable slumps. Enjoy this version of the Scout, and please have a safe and enjoyable Victoria Day weekend!
On to the Advance Scout!
* The Red Sox followed their series split with the Jays by taking two of three in Tampa Bay ... Boston has never been a club known for its defence, and this year is no different. The Beantowners are on pace for around 150 errors ... Third base coach Dale Sveum attributes the miscues to aggressive personalities on the club -- but noted that the Sox haven't let errors affect their subsequent play ...
* Kevin Youkilis, described by Billy Beane via Michael Lewis as the "Greek God of Walks," has yet to walk in his first three big-league games ... He is hitting, though, going 5 for his first 12 (.417) ... Sox teammates intentionally snubbed the rookie in the dugout after he homered off Pat Hentgen in his first-ever game ... Youkilis: "I guess Pedro put them up to it." The kid high-fived imaginary hands instead ... Youkilis was the seventh player in Red Sox history to homer in his first game ... Youkilis betrayed some nervousness afield last Sunday when he bobbled a ball for a charitable "infield hit" off the bat of Vernon Wells ... Blech: Youkilis and lefty reliever Lenny DiNardo had to wear Hooters uniforms through customs after Sunday's game as part of their rookie hazing ...
* Tonight's starter, Bronson Arroyo, was magnificent at the Dome last Saturday with 100 pitches (70 strikes) over eight shutout innings ... When you add his Toronto gem to a solid spot start in Texas and two spotless relief outings, you have the following line for the month of May: 17 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 16 K, 2-0, 1.06 ERA ...
* Just throw Mark Bellhorn strikes! ... He's just 1 for his last 14 (.071), but he has five walks over that four-game span, bringing his season total to an incredible 38, second only to Frank Thomas ... Bellhorn walked with the bases loaded last night, for crying out loud ...
* Stellar closer Keith Foulke has pitched twelve consecutive scoreless outings -- all of which have been at least one full inning ... He's eight-for-eight in save situations, and has converted 22 straight dating back to last season ... His 0.40 ERA is even more impressive than the .111 batting average lefties are sporting against him ... Pokey Reese: "When he comes in there, you pretty much know it's over" ...
* Gabe Kapler has walked just twice this season, against 13 Ks ...
* Lefties are hitting just .143 against the tough Alan Embree, with eight Ks and one lonely walk ...
* Eight of Cesar Crespo's eleven hits on the season have come against the Jays ... The journeyman hasn't homered since September of 2001 ...
* Leadoff hitter Johnny Damon has hit in eleven of his last thirteen games (.333) ...
* Tomorrow's starter, Pedro Martinez, really requires no Advance Scouting ... Nevertheless, it's interesting that the 7 2/3 innings Pedro logged against the Jays on April 10 remains the deepest he's worked into any game this season ... You gotta get to him early: Four of his seven home runs allowed have come within his first 15 pitches ... Pedro was openly proud of his solid, but losing, effort against Doc last Sunday: "If I can continue to pitch like this, we're going to win a lot of games" ... Double blech: Pedro streaked through the clubhouse after Wednesday's game, screaming "Rally Time!" repeatedly ...
* Bill Mueller is battling inflammation in his right knee, and has been giving way to Youkilis against righties this week ... When the Sox acquired him, they probably expected production along the lines of the .262/.333/.414 he's put up so far this season. But it pales in comparison to his .326/.398/.540 2003 campaign that now seems assuredly to have been a career year ... Mueller will get a close inspection of his knee today to determine if he'll be out for any length of time ...
* Colourful David Ortiz is hitting just .218 in May ...
* Sunday's starter, knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, bounced back from two straight rocky starts with a tremendous outing in St. Petersburg on Tuesday ... Wakefield allowed a run on just three hits in seven innings ... Wakefield's win came just two days after the birth of his first son, Trevor ... At one point, he retired 13 straight D-Rays ... Righties are hitting just .208 against Wake, with 17 strikeouts and only five walks ... Amazingly, Wakefield's 105 wins in a Boston uniform put him in a tie with Hall-of-Fame-quality pitchers Pedro Martinez and Lefty Grove for eighth on the club's all-time wins list ... Wake has appeared in 400 games, 260 of them starts ...
* The ever-dangerous Manny Ramirez earned the golden sombrero last night with four Ks in an 0-for-5 display ... Worse yet, he was involved in an ignominious double play. Manny struck out swinging, and then accidentally smacked Brook Fordyce on the follow-through with Mark Bellhorn running on the play. Although he was apparently safe, Bellhorn was ruled out at second thanks to Manny's interference ... Still, what's not to like about his .357/.430/.611 line on the season? ... An admiring Francona: "It seems like he stays ahead of pitchers" ... A sore groin has limited the lumbering slugger's ability to run and relegated him to DH in recent games, but Manny vows to play left this weekend ...
* No-mah Garciaparra has been taking regular batting and fielding practice at Fenway, and his right Achilles tendon will be re-evaluated today. Francona cautions that Nomar hasn't played at "full bore" yet, so he won't be ready for a while ... Meanwhile, Trot Nixon is nearly ready to begin DH'ing in extended spring training as he rehabs his strained left quadriceps. Nixon was originally on the DL with a herniated disc, and has lost the 20 pounds he put on prior to the 2003 season to alleviate the strain on his back and to sacrifice some power for enhanced mobility ...
* Forget about rumours of a two-team deal between Boston and Kansas City involving Damon, Byung-Hyun Kim and Carlos Beltran. The Royals don't want to take on either hefty salary, and Damon burned bridges in Kansas City with disparaging comments about the organization ... Colorado, however, is legitimately interested in the fragile (in many ways) submariner ...
* The Red Sox are paying a hefty $38.7M in revenue sharing, second only to the Evil Empire ($52.7M) ...
Probable Batting Orders
vs. LH
8 Damon
4 Bellhorn
DH Millar
7 Ramirez
3 Ortiz
2 Mirabelli
5 Mueller/Youkilis
9 Kapler
6 Reese
vs. RH
8 Damon
4 Bellhorn
3 Ortiz
7 Ramirez
9/DH Daubach/McCarty
2 Varitek/Mirabelli
DH/9 Millar
5 Youkilis/Mueller
6 Reese/Crespo
Pitching Probables
Friday: RH Arroyo vs. Halladay
Saturday: RH Martinez vs. Lilly
Sunday: RH Wakefield vs. Batista
Bullpen Usage
Long: Brown R
Short: Dinardo L, Timlin R
Setup: Williamson R, Embree L
Closer: Foulke R
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