 08/16/2003 4:57 PM ET
Notes: Last-minute lineup shuffle
Injuries force Garciaparra and Damon to bench
SEATTLE -- The Red Sox were without two of their cornerstone players Saturday afternoon at Safeco Field. Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra was a last-minute scratch with spasms in his left lower back and center fielder Johnny Damon -- as expected -- wasn't in the lineup because of tightness in his right hamstring.
Garciaparra, according to team spokesman Kevin Shea, began feeling some discomfort in his back last week. He felt it again during the four-game series in Oakland this week, and even more Friday night against the Mariners, when he made a diving stop on a grounder and fired to the plate to nail Mark McLemore at the plate.
There's a chance Garciaparra will return in time for Sunday's series finale. The back problem might explain why Garciaparra hasn't had a productive road trip. He is 5-for-21 with two runs and no RBIs. In fact, Garciaparra (.320, 22 HRs, 82 RBIs) hasn't driven in a run in his last seven games.
As for Damon, he exited Friday's game in the third inning with the hamstring injury.
With the Sox off on Monday, manager Grady Little is contemplating keeping Damon (.273, 11 homers, 50 RBIs) out of the lineup Sunday as well to give the leadoff man three days off of his feet.
"We're considering that," Little said. "We'll see how he feels (Sunday)."
Johnny Damon
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Damon thinks the turning point for his leg woes was Aug. 8, when he played all 18 innings of a doubleheader against the Orioles on a soggy field at Fenway Park.
"That doubleheader was 18 innings and playing in four or five inches of water out in the outfield," said Damon. "The wear and tear of the season, the grind, that does it. There were a couple of games I couldn't even stay on my feet. My legs were worn down, they hurt at times. Right now it's a spot in my hamstring that has really tightened up."
He isn't ruling out Sunday entirely, and might even be available in a late-inning emergency situation Saturday.
"I'm trying not to move it right now. Hopefully I will heal. Trying to stay away from activity right now. I'll be awake, I won't be completely dead for the game. If Grady needs me, he knows he can use me."
With Damon and Garciaparra out, Little had an interesting lineup which featured Trot Nixon in the leadoff spot, David Ortiz hitting third, Jason Varitek hitting sixth, Gabe Kapler in center field and batting seventh and Damian Jackson batting ninth and playing short.
Varitek is block artist: Because the Red Sox lost Friday night, a great defensive play by catcher Varitek was overshadowed. With McLemore seemingly a sure thing to score a run on a grounder to Garciaparra, Varitek masterfully blocked the plate. He tagged McLemore, who dove over Varitek's body, but never was able to touch home plate.
As a former catcher, Little has plenty of admiration for Varitek's ability to perform that play.
"You put yourself in harms way to a certain degree every time you do it," Little said. "He's gotten to where, mechanically, he's very good at it. He does a good job blocking the plate. That was a great play last night."
Rotation shuffle?: Little has been hinting for the last few days that ace Pedro Martinez will pitch Thursday against the A's. That would deviate from the way Little usually orchestrates the rotation. Standard operating procedure is that when the Sox have a day off -- such as the one on Monday -- Martinez gets an extra day of rest and all the pitchers stay in their normal order.
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Pedro Martinez
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But by pitching Martinez against the A's -- the team the Sox are currently battling for the Wild Card -- the three-time Cy Young award winner would also be on track to pitch in both of the remaining series with the Yankees.
Little said before Saturday's game that he will announce the exact plan after Martinez's outing against the Mariners.
If Little is to skip or push back one of his other four starters to make way for Martinez's start against Oakland, Jeff Suppan seems like the most obvious candidate. The right-hander has struggled (0-1, 8.82) in his first three starts since being acquired by the Sox.
You must walk before you can run: When Todd Walker worked an 11-pitch walk with the bases loaded against Armando Benitez Friday night, he fouled off six straight pitches. It might be just what Walker needs to snap out of a drought that has dropped his average to .282.
Little cited a situation earlier this week in Oakland, when Manny Ramirez worked a similarly strong at-bat against Mark Mulder and then broke out of a slump by hitting three home runs in his next three games.
Down on the farm: Veteran Steve Woodard has thrived for Triple-A Pawtucket since moving to the bullpen. In his first 12 relief outings, he has a 0.44 ERA and held opponents to a .129 batting average. ... Lefty Kevin Tolar has also been unhittable out of the Pawtucket pen, posting an 0.66 ERA over his last 20 outings. ... Pawtucket catcher Andy Dominique hit .410 in his first nine games in August. ... Righty Tim Kester has been a horse for Double-A Portland. He leads the Eastern League in innings and is second in strikeouts. ... Class A Augusta third baseman Chad Spann hit .435 with 11 RBIs and 10 runs in his first 12 games of August. He leads the South Atlantic League in batting average.
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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