Schoeneweis, who was 1-0 with a 7.90 ERA in 15 games with the Red Sox, said he would latch on with another team if it was the right situation. He seemed to not want to pull his four kids around the country too much longer.
The 36-year-old has played with seven teams in the last nine years.
There was a crowd around Marco Scutaro asking for comment, but yours truly was off talking to someone else. It didn't appear as if Scutaro had much to say.
Regardless, we will await official word on that move and then turn our attention to a great matchup of lefties in Thursday's finale. Jon Lester opposes Francisco Liriano.
Final, Red Sox 3-2: The infield hit to start the ninth leads to a run for the Twins, but they needed two. Daniel Bard is finally able to finish what Clay Buchholz started as the Sox win their second straight since the awful loss Monday night in New York.
Buchholz allowed two runs on five hits in eight-plus innings to improve to 5-3. Bard gets his first save of the season, although it was a bit shaky. David Ortiz provided the bulk of the offense with a two-run homer in the fourth.
Back in a bit to wrap it up.
9:56 p.m.: Apparently Clay Buchholz's margin for error in the ninth was extremely small. He allows an infield single and is immediately replaced by Daniel Bard.
End 8th, Red Sox 3-1: Clay Buchholz is out there to start the ninth. He is aiming for the third complete game of his career, and first since 2008.
Mid 8th, Red Sox 3-1: Clay Buchholz is forced to work around a two-base error by Jeremy Hermida in the eighth. Hermida has been shaky all year in left, but particularly on balls near the line. He played a fly ball into the corner like it was lined with razor blades.
The error allowed Jason Kubel to reach second with one out. Two groundouts got Buchholz out of the inning. He has induced 10 in the game.
Daniel Bard was up and warming for the Sox, but is not anymore. Buchholz has thrown 100 pitches.
End 7th, Red Sox 3-1: Clay Buchholz heads back to the mound having thrown 87 pitches. Also, it looks like the rain has halted. Good times.
Mid 7th, Red Sox 3-1: After giving the Red Sox a two-run lead with a base hit in the sixth, Bill Hall ends the seventh by starting a double play at shortstop. It is the second twin killing he has been involved in at the position tonight, and just the third since 2006, when he last played shortstop on a regular basis.
End 6th, Red Sox 3-1: Three straight two-out singles, the last by Bill Hall, give the Sox another run in the sixth.
By the way, if you're looking ahead at all, the weather is supposed to be a whole lot better on Thursday, and the matchup on the mound is spectacular. In a contest of two of the best lefties in the league, Jon Lester opposes Francisco Liriano.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 2-1: Ground ball to Dustin Pedroia. Ground ball to Dustin Pedroia. Ground ball to Dustin Pedroia. That's how the sixth went for Clay Buchholz and the Sox.
Buchholz has thrown just 78 pitches through six. Pedroia has yet to make an error in 177 chances this year.
End 5th, Red Sox 2-1: It's a fine mist that is falling here, but it seems to have intensified a bit here and the grounds crew is out nearly every inning manicuring the mound. Two straight nights in two cities that the Sox have been rained upon, and the cold temperatures don't help. Really crappy conditions.
Anyway, the Sox waste a leadoff single by Darnell McDonald in the fifth.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-1: Scott Baker labored through the fourth, and Clay Buchholz made sure he had to go right back out there. Buchholz strikes out the first two of a 1-2-3 fifth and is rolling right along here.
The righty has struck out six and walked just one. Over his previous three starts, Buchholz had fanned only six while walking 13.
End 4th, Red Sox 2-1: The home run by David Ortiz sailed toward the light tower in left-center field and bounced atop that shelf out there before sailing back onto the field.
Ortiz is now batting .373 (19-for-51) with seven home runs and 17 RBIs in May.
They should cake that shelf atop the Monster with Gorilla Glue or something. It seems as if there are 5-10 balls every year since they've put the seats up there that come into question because they bounce back so readily. If the balls just landed and got caught, you'd know it was a home run.
And the fight for the souvenir would be downright comical.
8:27 p.m.: The David Ortiz home run trot is just 90 feet as the review turns his triple into a two-run homer.
8:24 p.m.: A David Ortiz RBI triple is under review as it may have been a home run, having hit at the top of the Green Monster.
Mid 4th, Twins 1-0: Joe Mauer got good wood on a ball in the first that was caught. He connected again in the fourth, but this time finds paydirt. Mauer doubled into the gap in right-center field to drive in the game's first run.
For good measure, Mauer stole third, his first theft since Aug. 31, 2009.
Clay Buchholz had some bad luck in the inning. He struck out two (Justin Morneau was caught looking for the second time and had some words with home plate umpire Mike Winters) and got Michael Cuddyer to ground out with Mauer on third, but a run scored because of an excuse-me, check-swing, 52-hop double down the line by Denard Span that led things off.
Otherwise Mauer's double means squat.
End 3rd, 0-0: Scott Baker has a six-pitch inning and this already abbreviated series is off to a flying start. Maybe some of these groggy Red Sox players are itching to actually have a normal night's sleep.
Mid 3rd, 0-0: As the fog thickens, Clay Buchholz continues to roll. He walked Nick Punto with two outs, but promptly picks him off at first. Buchholz nearly had Punto on a prior attempt, but made sure of it the second time.
Despite allowing a single and a walk Buchholz has faced the minimum through three.
End 2nd, 0-0: It's raw, and that's never a good thing for hitters. So far the pitchers are in control. Scott Baker cruises through the second for the Twins.
Here's a stat I came across in the Minnesota game notes. Since the start of 2008, Baker is fourth in the American League in winning percentage. Do you know who is first?
That's right. Daisuke Matsuzaka. Just seems so long ago that he was a reliable winner, but that 2008 season has held up on some of these lists.
Mid 2nd, 0-0: Clay Buchholz struck out Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer, and then got Jim Thome to pop to left. Interestingly enough, third baseman Adrian Beltre held his arms out when Thome made contact, completely unaware of where the ball was. It didn't matter on the play as it was a can of corn for Jeremy Hermida in left, but the combination of mist and fog and the lights might play tricks on some guys.
End 1st, 0-0: Victor Martinez hit a drive to the track in right that was caught by Michael Cuddyer steps from the wall. But Cuddyer was just a ghostly image, swallowed up in a mist or fog that had enveloped Fenway for a moment.
It's cleared a bit, but conjured memories of The Fog Bowl. That has nothing to do with these teams or their cities, but it did come to mind.
Oh yeah, David Ortiz flew out to left to strand a pair of runners in the first.
Mid 1st, 0-0: Bill Hall made an error in his first inning at shortstop the last time he played there. This time he snags a Joe Mauer liner and doubles off Orlando Hudson, who had singled off Clay Buchholz with one out.
6:23 p.m.: The tarp has been lifted from the field at Fenway and there does not appear to be anything falling from the sky so we should be starting on time.
5:53 p.m.: In addition to the Josh Beckett news, we have the usual injury updates for Mike Cameron and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Cameron was slated to play another rehab game at Double-A Portland on Wednesday, but he has stayed with the big club to work out. Instead, both he and Jacoby Ellsbury will play in the outfield Thursday for the Sea Dogs.
Ellsbury will probably also play Friday to get in a back-to-back set. It has yet to be determined as to whether Cameron will do the same.
Also, right fielder J.D. Drew, who left Tuesday's game with calf and hamstring issues, was treated at Yankee Stadium upon his exit and reported no major issues to the team when he arrived at Fenway Park on Wednesday.
Drew is in the leadoff spot, and manager Terry Francona has no concerns that either the legs or the altered role will be an issue.
"He's not a roller coaster of emotions," Francona said of Drew's reaction to learning he would be batting leadoff.
Francona talked a bit more about the Red Sox' extremely late landing at Logan Airport early this morning. The team did not leave Yankee Stadium until after 1:00 a.m. and the charter plane had to leave La Guardia Airport and circle around to JFK due to La Guardia closing down. The jet took off a little before 4:00 a.m. and Francona said he got to his home just before 6:00, only to be back at the park before noon.
"It was a crazy night. We got in late, or early, however you want to put it," he said.
This all came after a Sox-Yankees game that was the longest nine-inning game in the majors this season at four hours, 9 minutes. And that came on the heels of a 59-minute rain delay. We will see if any of this has an effect on the team Wednesday.
There are some groggy guys, for sure.
Francona wanted to give someone a day off after all that mess, and shortstop Marco Scutaro seemed like a good candidate. Scutaro, who committed two errors in Tuesday's win, is the only player on the team to have appeared in all 40 games thus far.
"He's been out there every day and with the travel and the lateness I thought he really needed the day," Francona said.
Francona said he was not concerned with the Yankees' playing Tuesday's game under protest. He had not even thought about it, he said.
Finally, without being asked about it, Francona talked about his argument with first base umpire Angel Campos in Monday's loss, a verbal spat that bled into the singing of "God Bless America," prompting both men to stiffen up and remove their caps.
"I didn't know what to do," said Francona, who was arguing an out call at first base. "I asked him if he ever threw anybody out during 'God Bless America.'"
Jim Leyland had a similar episode with Detroit a few years back. I can't find a good video of it, but here was a description at the time.
4:32 p.m.: Josh Beckett has been put on the disabled list with a lower back strain. Reliever Joe Nelson was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket and Tim Wakefield will take Beckett's next scheduled start Sunday.
Beckett missed a start last week after tweaking the back taking cuts in the batting cage, and aggravated the injury on a pitch to Alex Rodriguez in the fifth inning Tuesday night.
We will have more on this in a moment.
4:27 p.m.: There is a nice mist coming down at Fenway and the tarp is on the field. The Red Sox have released a statement saying that gates will open at the usual time of 5:10 p.m. and they expect to start on time, but there will be drizzle and showers in the area into the evening. Plan accordingly.
3:35 p.m.: The Twins played a day game in Toronto yesterday and landed in Boston well before the Sox and Yankees finished Tuesday night. The Red Sox, meanwhile, did not land until close to 5:00 a.m. this morning, so if fatigue means anything, then Minnesota has a decided advantage.
We're heading down to visit with the Sox and manager Terry Francona right now. Back in a bit with any updates.
3:20 p.m.: Marco Scutaro will get a rare day off and J.D. Drew will bat in the leadoff spot for the Red Sox when they meet Minnesota. Here is the complete lineup:
J.D. Drew RF
Dustin Pedroia 2B
Victor Martinez C
Kevin Youkilis 1B
David Ortiz DH
Adrian Beltre 3B
Jeremy Hermida LF
Bill Hall SS
Darnell McDonald CF
9 a.m.:The Red Sox will try to take some momentum from a dramatic win in New York when they open a two-game series with the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park on Wednesday.
For the second straight night the Sox rallied from five runs down, but this time they wound up on the right end of the score, holding on for a 7-6 victory over the Yankees in Tuesday night.
Clay Buchholz goes Wednesday for Boston, which has just these two home games among a stretch of 13 against challenging teams.
Scott Baker goes for the Twins.
First pitch is 7:10 p.m.
