RIP Dom DiMaggio, 1917-2009

Dom DiMaggio, centerfielder for the Boston Red Sox is shown in this April 22, 1952 file photo. DiMaggio, a seven-time All Star who still holds the record for the longest consecutive game hitting streak in Boston Red Sox history died early Friday morning May 8, 2009 at his Massachusetts home. He was 92. (AP Photo/Green, File)

Former Boston Red Sox great Dominic DiMaggio, brother of Yankee legend Joe DiMaggio, passed away early this morning at the age of 92 in his home in Massachusetts.

A seven All-Star, DiMaggio played his entire career (1940-1953) with the Boston Red Sox minus a 3-year stint with the Coast Guard in World War II (1944-1956). He still holds the record for the longest hitting streak by a Red Sox player at 34 games. He was elected into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.

DiMaggio is survived by his wife Emily, 3 children and 6 grandchildren.

My heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends and the Red Sox organization on the loss of DiMaggio.

Destination Red Sox Nation – 5/8

Destination Red Sox Nation

Destination Red Sox Nation is our look at how the minor league teams of the Boston Red Sox fare each night. Game story and box score links as well as links to team rosters, team stats and league standings are after the jump.

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Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox Pitching Matchups: 5/8-5/10

Tampa Bay Rays @ Boston Red Sox pitching matchups

Friday May 8^th @ 7:10 PM

James Shields (R) (3-2, 3.51) vs Brad Penny (R) (2-1, 7.61)

TV: NESN Plus, MLB.tv

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Saturday, May 9^th @ 3:40 PM

Scott Kazmir (L) (3-3, 6.00) vs Jon Lester (L) (2-2, 5.11)

TV: FOX

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Sunday, May 10^th @ 8:05 PM

Matt Garza (R) (3-2, 3.51) vs Josh Beckett (R) (3-2, 6.75)

TV: ESPN

Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Record Inning Propels Red Sox To 13-3 Win Over Tribe

Cleveland Indians left fielder David Dellucci looks down at his glove during the sixth inning, in which the Boston Red Sox scored 12 runs during a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, May 7, 2009.(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

The Boston Red Sox set an American League record and tied the modern MLB record with 12 runs in an inning before making an out on their way to a 13-3 win over the Cleveland Indians in front of 37,541 at Fenway Park.

The win for the Red Sox is their 10th in their last 11 games at Fenway Park as they improve to 18-11 on the season. The Indians drop to 11-18.

Boston Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield delivers against the Cleveland Indians during the first inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Thursday, May 7, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Tim Wakefield started this one for the Red Sox and threw the ball pretty good. He had a few wild spots here and there but kept the Red Sox in the game and gave them a chance to win. And they rewarded him with the 12 spot to pick up his fourth win of the year.

He went 6 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out 3. Manny Delcarmen allowed a hit and had a strikeout in his inning while Javier Lopez allowed a run on two hits in an inning. Takashi Saito finished it off with a perfect inning.

Jeremy Sowers got the start for the Tribe had a relatively easy time getting through the Sox order the first two times. The third time through though he wasn’t so fortunate. He ended up going 5+ innings and allowed 7 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks with a strikeout.

Masa Kobayashi was awful out of the bullpen for Cleveland as he gave up 5 runs on 5 hits without recording an out. Matt Herges worked 2 innings and allowed a run on a hit. Jensen Lewis mopped up with a perfect inning.

The Red Sox pounded out 13 hits on the night with Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew as the only ones not to record one.

Julio Lugo got the start at DH tonight and had three hits to lead the Sox. Jason Bay added 2 hits, a double and 3-run homer and led the team with 4 RBIs. Dustin Pedroia also had two hits and 3 RBIs while Jeff Bailey had 2 hits and 2 RBI. Rocco Baldelli and George Kottaras each had a hit and 2 RBIs with Nick Green having the other two hits for the local nine.

Lugo got things started in the bottom of the 1st when he led off with triple. He quickly came in as Pedroia drove him in with a RBI single to put the Red Sox up 1-0.

Things stayed that way until the top of the 5th.

Matt LaPorta led off with a single and went to third on a Luis Valbuena double. LaPorta tied the game up at 1 when he scored on a wild pitch by Wakefield with Ben Francisco at the plate. Wake ended up hitting Francisco with a pitch. Asdrubal Cabrera gave the Indians the lead with a sac fly scoring Valbuena. Francisco moved up to third on a wild pitch with Victor Martinez at the plate who ended up walking. Wake escaped any further damage though when he got Mark DeRosa to ground into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play.

The record setting inning came in the 6th.

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Afternoon Red Sox Delight – 5/7

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Tim Wakefield throws a pitch in the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics during their MLB American League baseball game in Oakland, California April 15, 2009. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith (UNITED STATES)

Last night the Boston Red Sox returned home to the friendly confines of Fenway Park where they had won 9 straight games. At the end of last night’s game, the Cleveland Indians behind the strong pitching of Carl Pavano. With a 3-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays before the last west coast road trip of the season, the Red Sox will look to get a win and build up some momentum.

Tonight’s game will start at 7:10 PM and will be broadcast on NESN. In the Cleveland area, you can catch the game on STO. And if the television isn’t your cup of tea, you can catch the game on one of the many affiliates of the Red Sox Radio Network.

Tim Wakefield will start for the Red Sox tonight and looks to bounce back after a poor outing despite getting the win. On the season, Wakefield has been the Red Sox best pitcher and sports a 3-1 record with a 2.91 ERA. In 26 games (21 starts) against the Indians, Wake is 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA.

Just called up from the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, Jeremy Sowers will make the start for the Indians tonight. Sowers has made 3 career starts against the Red Sox and is 0-2 with a 5.94 ERA. His lone start at Fenway Park came last year in a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox. He gave up 5 runs on 7 hits in 6 innings in that game.

Obviously the big news of the day is the Manny Ramirez suspension. But there is some other non-Ramirez news related to the Red Sox.

If you hadn’t heard, the Red Sox have activated Rocco Baldelii from the 15-day disabled list and optioned Jonathan Van Every to Pawtucket. Baldelli is in the starting lineup, playing center field and batting 7th.

Banged up Sox expect to win [RedSox.com]

Sox pregame notes [Extra Bases]

Red Sox react to Ramirez’ suspension [Full Count]

Francona Mum on Manny Ramirez Charges [Projo Sox Blog]

Red Sox players react to Manny’s suspension [Projo Sox Blog]

At McCoy Stadium, Sox fans say, Good riddance, Manny — we’re not surprised. [Projo Sox Blog]

Sox on Manny [Extra Bases]

Just Manny being shady [Tony Massarotti Blog]

The Overly-Curious UnDoctor: PEDs [Center Field]

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:

Lineup update: David Ortiz was scratched with a stiff neck. Julio Lugo will move to DH and Nick Green will play shortstop.

11-17		17-11
1. Ben Francisco	CF	1. Julio Lugo	DH
2. Asdrubal Cabrera	SS	2. Dustin Pedroia	2B
3. Victor Martinez	C	3. Jason Bay	LF
4. Mark DeRosa	3B	4. Mike Lowell	3B
5. David Dellucci	DH	5. Rocco Baldelli	CF
6. Ryan Garko	1B	6. J.D. Drew	RF
7. Jhonny Peralta	DH	7. Jeff Bailey	RF
8. Matt LaPorta	RF	8. Nick Green	SS
9. Luis Valbuena	2B	9. George Kottaras	C
Jeremy Sowers	SP	Tim Wakefield	SP

And here is how the hitters have fared against tonight’s starting pitchers:

Cleveland Indians vs Boston Red Sox batter/pitcher matchups

Rocco Baldelli Activated From Disabled List

In other non-related Manny Ramirez baseball news which seems to be everywhere today, the Boston Red Sox announced that they have activated Rocco Baldelli from the 15-day disabled list.

To make room on the 25-man roster, the Red Sox optioned Jonathan Van Every to Pawtucket.

Baldelli is in the starting lineup tonight playing center field and batting 7th. By the way, Julio “E-6” Lugo is leading off.

Boston Red Sox Statement on Manny Ramirez

The Boston Red Sox today issued the following statement today regarding the Manny Ramirez suspension:

“In accordance with the Basic Agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, the club is prohibited from commenting on the specifics or the facts of the matter related to Manny Ramirez. Major League Baseball keeps these matters confidential, and as such we do not know any more than what was released by the league. We staunchly support Major League Baseball’s drug policy and commend the efforts associated with that program.”

Breaking News: Manny Ramirez Suspended For 50 Games Due to PED’s

Los Angeles Dodgers' Manny Ramirez flies out against San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum in the fourth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, April 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, former Boston Red Sox outfielder and current Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly.

And this from Tom Verducci of SI.com:

Ramirez, a baseball source told SI.com, explained to baseball officials he was uncertain that he was taking a banned substance and may have had a medical reason for using the substance.

The source said the substance was not classified as a steroid but was clearly defined as a banned performance-enhancer according to the drug agreement between baseball the players association. Banned substances can only be taken with prior knowledge and medical clearance from baseball’s drug program administrators. Such exceptions are known as Theraputic Use Exemptions, or TUEs. The suspension is an indication that Ramirez did not have a TUE for the substance.

Manny’s suspension would start tonight and he wouldn’t be eligible to play again until July 3rd.

This is what Manny had to say about the suspension:

“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me,” Ramirez said. “Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now.

“I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to [Dodgers owner Frank] McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, [manager Joe] Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”

Wow. It’s scary to think that Jose Canseco was right again. I’m just happy it’s the Dodgers problem and not the Red Sox.

Manny Ramirez will be suspended 50 games for positive drug test [Los Angeles Times]

Ramirez tests positive [SI.com]

Update: According to Yahoo! Sports, the drug that Manny took was HcG, a sexual enhancer.

Boston Red Sox News & Notes – 5/7

Boston Red Sox players, from left, Brad Penny, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Javier Lopez and Mike Lowell watch from the dugout in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, in Boston. The Indians won 9-2. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Before last night’s telecast of the Boston Red Sox vs Cleveland Indians game, we were greeted with some shocking news that NESN play-by-play analyst Jerry Remy had undergone lung cancer surgery in the offseason and had been battling complications from an infection and pneumonia after the surgery. Many had speculated what was going on with Remy’s absences from the booth and last night we learned why.

Remy plans to be back in the booth after he rests and gets his health back to 100%. In going public with his cancer, Remy wants people to know the dangers of smoking. If there was ever a reason to quit smoking, now’s the time. Remy is an icon in the booth and while Dennis Eckersley and Dave Roberts along with the countless others have done a good job, it’s just not the same without the RemDawg.

Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery Jerry. You will be missed.

As for the game itself, the Red Sox had just come off a sweep of the New York Yankees and were looking to continue the momentum with Justin Masterson on the hill. Unfortunately for them, they ran into the much improved Carl Pavano who shut them down.

With Pavano’s career numbers at Fenway Park, one would have expected a Red Sox blow out. It was far from that as Pavano confused the hitters with a mixture of pitchers and the Sox offense wasn’t able to get much done.

Masterson didn’t pitch all that badly the first time through the lineup. It was when the Indians got their second and third looks at him that things fell out of his favor. At this point in his development, he may be better suited for the bullpen. But that’s my opinion, by no means am I a baseball talent evaluator.

And speaking of baseball talent, Theo, it’s time to send Javier Lopez packing and bring up Daniel Bard. And oh yeah, get Jason Bay a new contract now.

Pavano confounds Red Sox [Boston Globe]

Banged-up Red Sox stumble [Boston Herald]

Indians, Pavano Defeat Red Sox [Hartford Courant]

Masterson suffers his first Fenway Park loss [Providence Journal]

With Ellsbury out, Drew plays leading role [Boston Globe]

Justin Masterson drops first Fenway Park decision [Boston Herald]

Remy Has Cancer, Taking Indefinite Leave From TV [Hartford Courant]

Lowrie rejoins Sox, hopes he can resume baseball activities June 1 [Providence Journal]

Remy is battling cancer complications [Boston Globe]

Buzz over Joba Chamberlain [Boston Herald]

Red Sox journal: Drew surprised to find himself on top [Providence Journal]

Lack of energy bothers Lowell [Extra Bases]