Damon's diagnosis: rest for ailing shoulder

While reviewing videotape of his five at-bats Saturday -- he went 1 for 5 with a strikeout -- Johnny Damon noticed multiple swings and misses at pitches he usually hits.

''[Physically] I felt really bad," Damon said. ''A lot of pitches I missed, that should not have happened."

The source of Damon's discomfort -- and the reason he was out of the lineup yesterday, in favor of Jay Payton, who homered -- continues to be his right shoulder, injured June 4 while making an outstanding diving catch of an Orlando Cabrera liner. Damon said he's been diagnosed with a strained right (non-throwing) rotator cuff, though he doesn't believe it's anything that warrants surgery. But it's a daily source of concern.

''There's some days it feels like it's going to pop out of the socket," said Damon, who is 4 for his last 20, shaving his batting average 11 points to .338.

Saturday was one of those days. To ease the burden on his shoulder, Damon has not taken batting practice before any of the last five games in which he's played. Since being hurt, he said, he's cut his pregame batting-practice routine of about 60 swings -- some on the field, the rest in the batting cage -- to a mere 10. He's receiving daily ultrasound and heat, and has expanded his stretching routine.

''Rest would be huge," Damon said.

Manny Ramírez also received a day off yesterday after being hit in the left ankle by a Dave Williams fastball the night before.

''He was hurting [Saturday] night," said manager Terry Francona, who reasoned, based upon Ramírez's track record, that he was better sitting.

In the past, Francona said, when Ramírez's availability is ''iffy," often ''something happens [and] we lose him for a week."

Road rules

Next to learning the tendencies of American League pitchers and enduring the intrinsic and extrinsic pressures of signing a lucrative contract in a new city, no adjustment this season has been more difficult for Edgar Renteria than hitting at Fenway Park, usually a righthanded batter's nirvana. Renteria, a .298 hitter outside of Boston, is hitting just .231 at home (27 for 117) after picking up an infield single in four at-bats yesterday.

Renteria said, ''No," when asked whether the cascading boos directed his way in mid-May and his desire to prove the fans wrong are the source of his struggles. Instead, Renteria cited Fenway Park itself, two reasons in particular.

No. 1: The vastness of right and right-center field, his power alley.

''Right field, maybe it's on my mind," he said. ''That's my strong side. Here you see left field, it's right there. I believe to swing well I have to know the field. I keep fighting myself."

No. 2: A slow infield. This topic came up in Chicago a week ago. Wrigley Field is arguably the slowest field in baseball, but a few Red Sox said Fenway ranks close behind. That's problematic for Renteria, who went into this season with the fourth-most singles in baseball since 1996 -- behind Derek Jeter, Garret Anderson, and Damon. In fact, of his 1,492 career hits, 74.4 percent (1,110) are singles.

He has felt the need to do more with his swings, knowing that a lot of ground balls will slow before they slip through an infield hole.

''You feel like you have to hit it in the air to get a hit here," he said. ''It's weird here."

''But," he added, ''I never make excuses."

Cruise control

Alan Embree was such a flamethrower when he arrived in Boston in the summer of 2002 that, in the time he spent with the Sox that season, he threw only three offspeed pitches. This spring, with Father Time robbing him of some of his velocity, Embree developed a slider and splitter to complement his fastball. But he's now convinced that those alterations hurt him. ''I got away from my philosophy," he said. So yesterday, Embree threw 25 pitches, 17 for strikes, and all 25 were fastballs. His velocity was healthy -- he was between 90 and 94, and routinely at 93, as he struck out three, allowed just one hit, and pitched out of a situation with a runner on third and one out in the eighth. Embree's three strikeouts gave him 501 for his career. His new approach: Use what got him here, and go with it until it doesn't . . . Today's trivia: Who are the six father-son combinations to have played for the Red Sox? Answer later . . . Mark Bellhorn struck out looking twice yesterday, but the box score won't properly represent the reality. Umpire C.B. Bucknor rung up the second baseman twice on pitches well off the plate . . . Bill Mueller, who doubled and tripled yesterday, has knocked in 10 runs in his last six games . . . David Ortíz's third-inning triple was his first since last July 22 . . . Trivia answer: Dolf and Doug Camilli, Ed Connolly and Ed Jr., Dick and Steve Ellsworth, Walt and Allen Ripley, Haywood and Marc Sullivan, and Smoky Joe and Joe Wood.