We spoke a bit with Bill Hall, who said he is still getting used to the different angles in the outfield. He may need to get them down real fast, as it appears more likely that either Mike Cameron or Jacoby Ellsbury will be put on the disabled list.
According to manager Terry Francona, Cameron has remained at Mass General all day and it appears as if doctors there have ruled out kidney stones, which were thought to be lingering after he passed one Friday. Cameron is undergoing a CAT scan and “multiple doctors are trying to figure out what’s going on,” Francona said.
That lack of encouraging news on that front, as well as Ellsbury’s methodical progress, means that a roster move may be imminent.
“That’s something that Theo and I are going to talk about,” Francona said. “We’ve tried to do what we thought was right the whole way. There’s a lot of uncertainty going on right now, so we’ll probably continue to talk tonight.”
Tuesday figures to be a big day for Ellsbury. He is scheduled to take more swings in the cage to test his sore ribs. If by some chance he does not move forward then he could be disabled as well.
We may see a lot more of Hall in center and Jeremy Hermida in left. Also, Josh Reddick could be coming up I-95 to take a roster spot.
We will give you any updates as they come. For now the Sox prepare to host the Texas Rangers for three games. Tim Wakefield is on the mound for the opener Tuesday. First pitch is 1:10 p.m.
Final, Rays 8-2: The silver lining? The Sox have almost 30 hours before they have to play again. The last few days the losses have come fast and furious.
Texas is next up for Boston, which just heard it from the crowd at Fenway after a 1-2-3 ninth.
Off to get some reaction from the clubhouse. Back in a bit.
Mid 9th, Rays 8-2: Scott Schoeneweis works around a pair of walks in the top of the ninth. There are about 20,000 or so left at Fenway. I’m sure the rest are out watching the marathon, which contains a bit more drama than this one.
By the way, remember when the Red Sox just owned the Rays? Now, I know that was a different Tampa Bay team, but the tables have been completely turned. With a win Monday, the Rays would improve to 24-14 in their last 38 games against Boston. They were 43-98 in their previous 141 meetings.
End 8th, Rays 8-2: The Sox have three outs to mount a miracle comeback, or otherwise the brooms are out and Texas comes into town looking at a beaten bunch.
We’ve heard a few “Let’s Go Bruins” chants. You can follow all the action in that game tonight right here, including James Murphy’s live blog.
Should be a good one over at the TD Garden.
Mid 8th, Rays 8-2: Did you know that Tampa Bay second baseman Reid Brignac is the cousin of Oakland right-hander Ben Sheets? I had no clue until the big screen in center just told me. Just looking for something new to give you.
Jeff Niemann’s day is done after seven solid. Andy Sonnanstine is on in relief.
End 7th, Rays 8-2: Jeremy Hermida’s hits have been few and far between. But they have been productive. He breaks up the shutout with a two-run homer to right, following up Bill Hall’s first hit in 11 at bats with the Red Sox.
Hermida has five of the team’s last 12 RBIs.
Jason Varitek is catching now for Boston.
Mid 7th, Rays 8-0: John Lackey gave up eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. Thus far, the Red Sox bullpen has given up zero runs in 3 2/3 innings.
If the Rays hold on here it would end Boston’s six-game winning streak on Patriots’ Day and give Tampa Bay a 2-0 mark on the holiday.
Interestingly enough, the Sox are a combined 35-18 on Patriots’ Day against the New York Yankees and Washington Senators. With this loss they would drop to 31-31 against 14 other opponents.
End 6th, Rays 8-0: Bring on Texas. The Red Sox are playing like they want to get the Rays out of town as fast as possible. The bottom of the sixth goes by in a span of seconds.
Ramon Ramirez is on in relief of Scott Atchison. Nice job by Atchison to at least spare the bullpen too much work.
Mid 6th, Rays 8-0: Scott Atchison has now gone 2 2/3 scoreless innings. That is about the only positive we can take from the first five-plus frames.
Jeff Niemann is at 75 pitches for the Rays. He’ll go seven strong at this rate.
End 5th, Rays 8-0: So, what’s going on in the marathon? Well, if you really want to know, check out John Beattie’s live blog.
The Sox go quietly in the fifth. That is now one Dustin Pedroia sacrifice fly in the last 16 innings and nothing else on the board for Boston.
Mid 5th, Rays 8-0: Without a day off again until April 29, the Red Sox could use some eaten innings. Scott Atchison is doing his job, which says something these days.
Atchison retires the heart of the Rays lineup 1-2-3 in the fifth. He has set down all five men he has faced since taking over for John Lackey.
End 4th, Rays 8-0: Bill Hall is now 0-for-10 on the season and the Sox are hitless in 32 straight at-bats with runners in scoring position.
J.D. Drew’s double in the fourth was just his second extra-base hit.
Mid 4th, Rays 8-0: There has been this sense leaving the ballpark each of the past few days that it cannot get much worse for the Red Sox. And then each ensuing day is, in fact, worse.
The fourth inning consists of a double and a triple (originally ruled a double and an error on Bill Hall) to score one run. A sacrifice fly by Carl Crawford makes it 8-0 and elicits a huge sarcastic roar at Fenway as Hall makes the catch.
John Lackey’s line:
3 1/3 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
12:22 p.m.: It was 12:21 p.m. on Patriots’ Day when we heard these words in the press box: “Scott Atchison warming in the Red Sox bullpen.” It was 12:22 p.m. when Scott Atchison started jogging in from the Red Sox bullpen on he heels of another run-scoring hit and another error that added to the Boston misery.
End 3rd, Rays 6-0: The old 3-5-3 double play ends the third. Victor Martinez has hit into six double plays this season. The rest of the Red Sox have combined to hit into seven.
Mid 3rd, Rays 6-0: Holy mackerel, this series is just a complete mismatch. Another error, another walk and another home run for B.J. Upton. It’s all part of a five-run outburst against John Lackey. Here is how it went down:
We quoted our favorite slumping Sox statistic earlier (seven runs, seven errors during the four-game losing streak). Well, errors just took the lead. With one out, left fielder Jeremy Hermida lets a single get past him and roll all the way to the Green Monster.
Jason Bartlett scampered to second on the error. Carl Crawford then singled to put runners on the corners. After a strikeout of Ben Zobrist, who had a right to complain to home-plate umpire Angel Campos, Evan Longoria rockets a double to left to make it 3-0.
A walk to Carlos Pena put two on and Upton, who launched a homer to center off Jon Lester on Sunday, put one into the Red Sox’ bullpen for a six-run lead. It is Upton’s fourth home run in five games.
Center fielder Bill Hall slammed into the wall rather hard on the Upton homer. He was slow to get up but appears to be OK. Kevin Youkilis would be the club’s emergency outfielder with Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury sidelined.
End 2nd, Rays 1-0: Bill Hall remains hitless in nine at bats with the Sox, and Jeremy Hermida falls to 1-for-16 since his big three-run double Wednesday in Minnesota.
Their outs end the second and again leave a man hanging out at secong base. It is now 0-for-31 with runners in scoring position for Boston since Hermida’s aforementioned double.
Mid 2nd, Rays 1-0: Two more hits for the Rays, but this time the Sox get out of it by turning a 5-4-3 double play.
Tampa Bay beat out the back end of double plays repeatedly Sunday. Good to see the Sox get one in a big spot right there.
End 1st, Rays 1-0: The Sox throw in a rare bunt to get a runner into scoring position with one out. But they are now hitless in their last 29 at-bats in such situations. Victor Martinez flies to left and Kevin Youkilis strikes out to strand Marco Scutaro at second.
Rays starter Jeff Niemann is an interesting guy. He is 6-foot-9 and broad. I saw him in the Tampa Bay clubhouse the other day and did a double take. All the ink goes to Garza and Shields and Price, but Niemann’s emergence could make this rotation nearly as good as Boston’s, or maybe even better.
Mid 1st, Rays 1-0: Terry Francona said he didn’t care when this game started, he just wanted to play with a lead, something the Sox haven’t had since Wednesday. Well, they are playing from behind already.
In three pitches the Rays get a double and a sacrifice bunt and instantly have a runner at third base with just one out. There is no let up in this club, one of the characteristics Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon has been preaching this spring.
Ben Zobrist drives in Jason Bartlett with a grounder. An expertly manufactured run.
11:00 a.m.: It feels great to look out onto the field at Fenway and see the sun splashed down. The last few days were quite a grind weather-wise. The U.S. women’s hockey team is around the mound and one of them throws out the first pitch. We are ready for morning baseball.
At 1-5, this is the worst start at home for the Sox since 1996. The fact that the record has been built against the Yankees and Rays is a bit troubling. You figure winning head-to-head games amid that power trio is imperative.
We’ve posted this a number before but I think it illustrates how bad this losing streak has been. Boston has had the same number of errors (seven) as it has runs scored since Wednesday’s win in Minnesota. That victory, of course, came with John Lackey on the mound. Maybe he will be their streak-buster.
10:23 a.m.: With Mike Cameron sidelined againwith what is thought to be a kidney stone, the question again turned to Jacoby Ellsbury. The update is about the same as it has been the past few days, although the club is getting closer to knowing when the left fielder will return.
Terry Francona said Ellsbury is “minimally better”.
“We’re gonna try to push here the next couple of days to see how he’s doing,” Francona said.
The Red Sox skipper indicated Sunday that there is still a possibility that Ellsbury could be put on the disabled list retroactively. Ellsbury is just about in the middle of the 15-day period that would encompass a DL stint.
9:15 a.m.: We have learned that Mike Cameron has been scratched from the lineup due to similar symptoms he felt the other day in Minnesota, which were then caused by a kidney stone. That is all the information available right now, but Terry Francona speaks in a bit about it. Bill Hall will play center and bat in Cameron’s spot (see lineup below).
8:12 a.m.: Good morning from Fenway Park, where it feels odd (but good) to have the sun directly in our face up in the press box. The Red Sox lineup has just been posted. Here is your Patriot’s Day Nine:
Marco Scutaro SS
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Victor Martinez C
Kevin Youkilis 1B
David Ortiz DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
J.D. Drew RF
Mike Cameron CF
Jeremy Hermida LF
7 a.m.: The Red Sox carry a four-game losing streak into Patriots Day, when they will attempt to salvage the finale of a four-game set with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Boston has won six straight and eight of nine on the holiday, including last year’s 12-1 win over Baltimore.
John Lackey gets the call for the Sox. He is 9-2 lifetime against the Rays and has been very solid early in his first season in Boston. Lackey earned his first Red Sox win Wednesday in Minnesota, the last time the club even held a lead.
First pitch is the always tricky 11:05 a.m. The weather should cooperate.
