Minor stir: Schilling receives top billing
The home page of the Triple A Charlotte Knights yesterday featured two photos, one of 38-year-old Curt Schilling wearing a PawSox uniform, the other of a boyish-looking 21-year-old Schilling in a Charlotte cap and jersey.
The website's main page read: Curt Schilling Starring In Return to Charlotte. (In 1988, Schilling was assigned to Baltimore's Double A affiliate in Charlotte after being dealt by the Sox with Brady Anderson for Mike Boddicker).
Below the headline was a real tease -- ''We're giving away a Curt Schilling Bobblehead every inning."
Evidently, they're excited on Tobacco Road, where Schilling will pitch in a game tonight for the first time in 66 days, since April 23 at Tampa Bay. The Sox organization's excitement is more tempered, because this is the first of (at least) two rehabilitation starts for Schilling and no one knows what to expect.
In his only other rehab start this season -- April 7 at Indianapolis -- Schilling was roughed up for seven runs on 11 hits, including two home runs. At that point, results didn't matter to Schilling, only arm strength. Will it matter this time?
''If he's throwing 84 [miles per hour] I'll say it matters," said manager Terry Francona. ''The idea is to get him back healthy so he can compete and win. If he goes into Charlotte and gives up a couple [homers], that's a bandbox. I don't think his ERA has to be below a certain point, but I think we have to see how he's throwing the ball."
The Sox play at 1:05 p.m. today and Schilling pitches at 7:15, so no Sox coaches will be in Charlotte. However, pitching coach Dave Wallace has communicated with his PawSox counterpart, Mike Griffin, and general manager Theo Epstein's assistant, Jed Hoyer, will be on hand.
If all goes well, Schilling will start Monday at Pawtucket, also against Charlotte -- the game is not sold out yet, but it's expected to be. He's expected to throw 90 to 95 pitches in that game, enough to put him in line to start July 9 at Baltimore.
Francona, though, refuses to issue a timetable.
''We want him to have a legitimate chance to be successful when he pitches here," Francona said. ''There's going to have to be some decisions that have to be made, some important ones. We have to make sure he's ready."
Up and Adam
To clear up a point of confusion: Adam Stern's rehab stint coming out of extended spring training was 20 days, for the purpose of getting back into playing shape after missing considerable time with a thumb injury. But when Stern went down days into that assignment with a strained hamstring, sidelining him for more than three weeks, his rehab clock was reset to 20 days because he had a new injury.
Stern returned to the PawSox lineup June 23, meaning a decision on whether to keep the Rule 5 outfielder or return him to the Atlanta Braves is expected on or before July 12. The 25-year-old went into last night hitting .341 (15 for 44) in 11 games with Pawtucket with 5 doubles, a homer, 12 RBIs, 10 runs, 6 walks, and 4 strikeouts.
In five games since returning from his hamstring injury, he was batting .409 (9 for 22) with 4 doubles, 5 runs, and just 1 strikeout. He's started in center field in all but one of those 11 games -- he played right once -- and he's hitting atop Pawtucket's lineup.
''He did great [Monday] night," Francona said. " I guess he swung the bat really well."
Get out the vote
Balloting at Fenway Park ended Monday, but fans can cast All-Star Game votes online until the end of the day tomorrow. As of yesterday, Johnny Damon was 13,850 votes behind Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki for the final starting spot in the American League outfield. Outfielders Manny Ramírez and Vladimir Guerrero are virtual certainties to start . . . As of Tuesday, Jason Varitek led Iván Rodríguez by more than 550,000 votes at catcher. David Ortiz, meanwhile, led Rafael Palmeiro by more than 1.7 million votes for designated hitter. How ridiculous is that margin? Ortiz, as of Monday, led DHs by 1,761,853 votes. The next four in the balloting -- Palmeiro, Jason Giambi, Dmitri Young, and Frank Thomas -- had 1,749,374 votes combined . . . Damon extended his hitting streak to 15 games while recording his 32d multihit game of the season, most in the majors. Damon also made an acrobatic catch to end the top of the ninth last night, an effort that looked painful for his strained right rotator cuff. ''I'll be ready [tonight]," said Damon . . . Wade Miller tied a season high by walking four batters for the second time in as many starts. He's now walked 11 in his last 16 2/3 innings . . . Kevin Youkilis, in the lineup to spell Bill Mueller, went 1 for 4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Mueller pinch hit in the ninth and grounded out on the first pitch. Mueller was hitting .350 in the previous 17 games. Francona believes that rest is the key to keeping Mueller's surgically repaired knee functional. ''Just to give him a day off makes him a better player," he said . . . An X-ray of Dustin Pedroia's wrist came back negative, a welcome sign for the 21-year-old who was hit by a first-inning pitch Monday in just his sixth game since being promoted to Triple A. ''I guess when it happened it looked like it was bad and it wasn't," Francona said. Pedroia has played four games at second base and two at shortstop, hitting .263 (5 for 19) with 2 doubles, a triple, and 1 RBI . . . Tim Wakefield pitches today, meaning Doug Mirabelli will spell Varitek. Combined with tomorrow's off day, Varitek figures to get a much-needed rest. ''He'll get back-to-back days off, which is great for him," Francona said.
