He can't dive back in

Even worse than being caught unaware and sans toupee by general manager Theo Epstein, Johnny Damon caught some extra bad fortune yesterday morning when he awoke with a cranky right shoulder.

Damon, figuring he hurt the shoulder while making a diving catch on a flyball Saturday, had an MRI yesterday afternoon and reported a strain of the right rotator cuff following the Sox' 6-3 win over the Angels.

''Hopefully I'll be ready to go by [tonight in St. Louis]," said Damon, his voice sounding anything but confident. In fact, the popular center fielder later added, ''If it feels good [today], it will be a miracle."

Damon, who didn't realize he had a problem until he woke up yesterday morning, had to take the day off, yielding his spot in the field to Jay Payton and his leadoff spot in the batting order to Mark Bellhorn.

''His shoulder is just really stiff," said Sox skipper Terry Francona, who additionally altered his lineup by parking Kevin Millar in right (where he subbed for Trot Nixon) and slipping newcomer John Olerud in for Millar at first base.

Damon, blistering hot this season with a .348 batting average and 31 RBIs, figures he wrenched the shoulder late in Saturday's matinee with the Angels when he flagged down an Orlando Cabrera shot to left-center with a brilliant catch.

Headed into the MRI exam, said Damon, he was worried that he might have torn the rotator cuff, an injury far more common for pitchers, whose careers can be ended by such an injury. When the doctors gave him the verdict, about a half-hour after the end of yesterday's game, he was relieved.

''There could be some fraying in there, but nothing serious," he said. ''Maybe that's from an old injury -- running into walls, but nothing major."

The treatment, said Damon, will include icing it down, taking medication, and rest.

''The same old boring, typical stuff," he said. ''They tell you going in it could be a tear, and the way it felt, I thought it could be. When I moved my arm, it felt like it was ripping away from the bone. If I lift it upwards, it kills me. There's going to be some pain."

Locating problem

Alan Embree, hammered again in a relief appearance Saturday against the Halos, acknowledged after the 13-6 defeat that he has had a location problem in recent outings. He can't put his fastball where he wants it, resulting in fat pitches that, in part, have left him with a 1-3 record and an inflated 6.75 earned run average. Counting Saturday's debacle, Embree in his last six outings has given up 10 runs on 10 hits -- not to mention three homers. His ERA over those half-dozen outings: a gaudy 19.29. ''His arm is fine," said Francona, debunking any thought that the hard-throwing lefthander could be tired only two months into the season. ''Right now, he's throwing the ball down the middle of the plate." . . . Bellhorn, who collided with Nixon while chasing a ball Saturday, played with a wide bandage on his upper right forearm. From afar, the dirt that surrounds Fenway's emerald lawn might look like soft Bermuda sand, but it's actually very coarse. ''He has no skin [on the upper forearm]," said Francona, confirming that his second baseman scuffed the arm in the collision with Nixon. ''That stuff is not dirt. I don't know what it is -- glass, or something -- it's sharp."

Kapler injured

No word on what's ailing him, if anything, but former Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler recently was placed on the injured reserve list by the Yomiuri (Japan) Giants. A free agent who the Sox weren't sure would fit in their plans for '05, Kapler headed to the Far East over the winter, and has hit a lackluster .153 this season . . . Nomar Garciaparra back with the Sox? Yes, but only for a brief moment later this week, when he is expected to collect his '04 World Series ring upon the Sox' arrival in Chicago to play the Cubs. Recovering from a torn left groin muscle, Garciaparra has been rehabbing in Tempe, Ariz., at the Athletes' Performance Institute -- the same spot where Sox righthander Curt Schilling is working his way back from the disabled list . . . Now forced to order from the National League side of the menu, with stops in St. Louis and Chicago, the Sox will have to dine without a designated hitter. David Ortiz will take over first-base chores. In theory, that leaves the Sox in need of one less position player this week, perhaps leaving open the possibility to call up a pitcher to ease the burden on the arms . . . The sellout (35,008) was the 26th full house this season in the Back Bay, the 171st straight for the Henry Hose . . . From the Maniacal One, statistician Chuck Waseleski: the Sox this season are a woeful 2-8 -- including an 0-for-7 stretch -- in the opening game of any series away from Fenway Park. Otherwise, they are 12-8 on enemy turf.

Gordon Edes of the Globe staff contributed to this report.