Red Sox Notebook: Playing The Game Right

As they continue to get steamrolled, most recently in Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays, the Red Sox are increasingly at the point where they must reconsider their goals. With losses in seven of nine, 14 of 18 and 16 of their last 21 games, the postseason has been rendered little more than a fanciful ambition.

That being the case, the Red Sox hope to endure an injury-fueled collapse with a semblance of dignity. The team understands that the personnel depletion yielded by the absence of four rotation members and five lineup regulars makes it difficult to win. Yet they can control the effort with which they approach their competitions.

"There's a natural feeling that you are getting into September, we're beat up, we're losing ground," manager Terry Francona said. "But I am confident that we will play the game right."

All the same, the team's approach in the final weeks of the season increasingly looks like one in which the future is more important than the present. The team is closely scrutinizing the performance of players such as starter Kyle Snyder and reliever Craig Breslow to find out whether players who did not start the year on the roster can contribute in 2007.

The team maintains a sliver of optimism about making up ground in the chase for the postseason. With 10 of their next 16 games against the White Sox, Yankees and Twins -- the three teams ahead of them in the standings -- the team could make some headway in the division or wild-card race. Yet more realistically, the team can do little beyond approaching the final paces of the season without lapsing into indifference.


REPLAY: The Red Sox dropped a season-high nine games behind the Yankees in the American League East in losing 6-1 to the Blue Jays on Sunday. Boston is now just two games ahead of Toronto for second place in the division.

Though the pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, a woeful offense has been a consistent culprit in the team's struggles of the past two weeks. After collecting just seven hits Sunday, the Red Sox are now hitting .194 in their last 14 games while averaging 1.9 runs per contest.


NOTES, QUOTES
—RHP Jonathan Papelbon is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the cause of the burning sensation in his right shoulder that forced him from Friday's game. While Papelbon said that he could return, in a best-case scenario, after five to seven days, the MRI will investigate whether the shoulder pain will have a more far-reaching impact for the dominating rookie.

—OF Manny Ramirez is expected to return to the lineup Monday, according to RHP Julian Tavarez, one of the slugger's closest friends on the team. "He will play (Monday)," Tavarez said. "He'll be playing (Monday) in the field. I guarantee you he will." Ramirez has not played since Aug. 26, missing the last eight games due to patellar tendinitis.

—DH David Ortiz, after undergoing extensive testing that revealed that a heart defect was not accountable for the palpitations he suffered on Aug. 19 and Aug. 28, continued to be monitored through the weekend. Red Sox doctors plan to convene early Tuesday morning to determine whether the slugger can be cleared to play.

—RHP Josh Beckett was removed from his start Sunday after just five innings, but manager Terry Francona said the move was purely precautionary. Due to a 68-minute rain delay, Beckett was forced to warm up twice before the start, prompting Francona to pull the 26-year-old after just 77 pitches.

—OF Trot Nixon and C Jason Varitek are both expected to return to the lineup Monday. Nixon has been out since July 30 with a strained biceps muscle and staph infection, while Varitek hasn't played since tearing cartilage in his left knee on July 31. Both were activated from the disabled list Sunday.

—SS Alex Gonzalez, who has been out since Aug. 19 with a strained oblique, was activated from the disabled list and back in the lineup Sunday. He went 0-for-3.

—RHP Kevin Jarvis, acquired from the Padres organization on Aug. 31 for a player to be named, was added to the active roster Saturday and made the start against Toronto. He took the loss but pitched respectably: five innings, three runs (two earned) on seven hits.

—OF David Murphy and LHP Craig Breslow were called up from Triple-A Pawtucket. Murphy went 1-for-3 Saturday in his big-league debut.


BY THE NUMBERS: 95—Errorless games played by the Red Sox entering Sept. 2, a team record. The major league record of 104, shared by the 1998 Orioles and 1999 Mets, is well within reach.


QUOTE TO NOTE: "A lot of times, people pick the path of least resistance. Right now, that choice is mail it in and count the season as over and go about taking care of yourself. That's the easy path, and I've seen a lot of people do that in the past. We won't do that. There's too much character in this clubhouse for us to do anything but go out and play our (tails) off." —RHP Curt Schilling.