Dustin Pedroia Seemingly Sidelined With Finger Injury, But Bobby Valentine Playing Coy

by Didier Morais on Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 7:10PM

Dustin Pedroia was nowhere to be found in Monday's lineup
against the Yankees.

It appears his absence is attributed to the jammed finger
he suffered in Sunday's game against the Orioles. But Red Sox manager Bobby
Valentine had no plans to disclose specific details of the injury.

"God, I'd hate to give away secrets like that,"
Valentine said. "The enemy will then be apprised of the situation. He’s
ailing today. Hopefully, he’ll be better tomorrow. But he hurt himself in the
game yesterday."

Pedroia jammed his left index finger as he attempted to
steal second base. Now, the Red Sox are without another key piece of their
offense, considering the second baseman has unloaded 15 home runs and 64 RBIs
while batting .288.

"Pedroia is not available to play and Ells hasn’t
played in a long time," Valentine said. "We’ve got the left-hander
out there, a big outfield. He’ll play the next two days, hopefully, if he’s
feeling good."

Pedroia spent a stint on the 15-day disabled list back in
July because of a thumb injury. With Pedroia shelved, on Monday Valentine started six
players who began the 2012 season in Pawtucket.

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