Muscle strain likely to shelve Nixon

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Terry Francona couldn't say definitively how long Trot Nixon's reliable bat and unparalleled intensity will be out of the Red Sox lineup, but a strained left oblique muscle is the kind of injury that can mean considerable time. A timetable of multiple weeks, perhaps a month, perhaps more, wasn't spoken, but it was implied.

''I'm with you," Francona said. ''I know. That's why we're going to get him examined as quickly as we can [this morning]. We have to try to fortify our roster as best we can."

Nixon left last night's wild 10-9 victory in the top of the third inning after taking a forceful cut, and coming up empty, at a 2-and-0 offering from Devil Rays starter Mark Hendrickson. Upon missing, Nixon immediately reached for his left side, clearly in pain. He talked briefly with trainer Jim Rowe and Francona at home plate before leaving the game.

''I felt it my first at-bat, but it didn't cross my mind [that there was a problem]," said Nixon, who struck out swinging in the second inning and couldn't complete his second at-bat. Nixon was replaced by Adam Hyzdu, who struck out looking.

Nixon will have an MRI this morning. Asked how serious the injury could be, Nixon said, ''I have no idea."

Nixon missed all but 48 games last season with a slight disk herniation and strained left quadriceps.

In and out

With a bullpen ERA that is 11th in the American League, the trade deadline only days away, and bullpen help scarce and expensive, the Red Sox turned inward for relief, designating John Halama for assignment to call up Triple A flamethrower Manny Delcarmen.

This could be an audition for a job -- Delcarmen throws in the mid-90s with a devastating curveball and could, if he performs, be the strikeout option the Sox thought they had in Matt Mantei. Or, this could be an audition for a trade. Either way, it had become clear it was time to make a change. Halama's ERA had reached 6.18, with hitters batting .299 against him.

Delcarmen made a successful debut last night, retiring the Devil Rays in order in the eighth with a strikeout.

''Every team is scouring the league for pitching," said Francona. ''You hate to make a move and find out the guy was right at your own doorstep. I think we'd all like to see how this guy does. My hope is this kid comes in and throws about 97 [miles per hour] and gets that breaking ball over."

Delcarmen was raised in Jamaica Plain, moved to Hyde Park when he was 13, and attended West Roxbury High School. The 23-year-old, who in 2000 became the first Boston high school player drafted in 34 years, has pitched only 9 2/3 innings above Double A, all this year.

He compiled a 2.79 ERA with 14 strikeouts and four walks with the PawSox and averaged 11.7 Ks per nine innings this year at Double A Portland and Triple A Pawtucket combined.

''Just looking around I'm still in shock," said Delcarmen, who learned of his promotion just after midnight, when Monday night became yesterday morning. ''I feel great. Just happy to be here, living my dream right now."

Delcarmen's parents -- Manuel Sr. and Belen -- his fiancee, Ana, sister Sabrina, and family friends all traveled here for last night's game. They actually arrived in Tampa before Delcarmen, whose 10 a.m. flight was delayed. When he arrived midafternoon, on a flight that included a stopover in Atlanta, his luggage did not. Delcarmen went out for pregame stretching wearing batting practice pitcher Ino Guerrero's sneakers and Mike Timlin's glove.

''The reports from the player development people are he needs to be here," Francona said. ''My biggest concern about him is getting him in here and getting him in the swing of things because he's a local kid. . . . I want to make sure we give him a lot of structure so he does handle it."

Delcarmen figures he'll be nervous the first time he pitches at Fenway -- he worked out there before the draft in 2000 but has never pitched in a game in the park.

''As long as I throw strike one, I'll be OK," he said.

The Sox have 10 days to attempt to trade Halama, who was signed in the offseason to a one-year deal for $850,000 plus a mutual option for $1.75 million for 2006. The contract included a $150,000 buyout if the Sox did not pick up the option.

Mending fences

Francona apologized to Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella before last night's game for comments made Monday by David Wells about Piniella's managing style (''I think Lou needs to chill out and give these guys opportunities instead of criticizing them."). Wells became the second Red Sox pitcher to criticize Piniella this year, joining Curt Schilling.

''I do wish we would stay away from doing stuff like that," Francona said. ''I definitely do not agree with our players. I don't think it's correct."

Piniella didn't feel the need for Francona to apologize but appreciated it.

''He's a classy guy," Piniella told a St. Petersburg Times reporter yesterday.

''[The Red Sox] certainly have shown extraordinary interest in what's going on around here," Tampa Bay reliever Trever Miller told the paper. ''Lou's demanding, yeah . . . but they've only seen the emotional side of Lou. They're not in meetings when he's actually giving guys praise, so that might be a little unfair of them to say that in the paper without talking to him first. I don't think that's a very professional thing to do."

Rest area

Francona knew he wanted to find a way to get Doug Mirabelli and his .583 career average (7 for 12) against Devil Rays starter Mark Hendrickson into the lineup last night. The question was how.

The obvious possibility would have been to DH Mirabelli, sit Nixon against the lefthanded Hendrickson, play Kevin Millar in right field, and have David Ortiz to put on a glove and play first base.

Instead, Francona started Nixon in right and sat Ortiz, for two reasons.

Reason No. 1: Nixon was responsible for an out in the 10th inning Monday when a John Olerud single struck him in the foot. Then, in the bottom of the inning, Nixon was overly aggressive in pursuing an Aubrey Huff double, which allowed the winning run to score.

''He was like a magnet last night," Francona said. ''Everything was attracted to him. I wanted him to show up and play again."

Reason No. 2: Ortiz went into last night batting just .193 (11 for 57) in his last 14 games and Francona, during the recent series in Chicago, said he began to sense ''some frustration" during Ortiz's at-bats.

''I haven't been getting what I like to get to hit," said Ortiz, who was hitless in two at-bats off the bench last night. ''Tito doesn't want me to get worse. He wants me to get better."

Why the difficulties? Ortiz said external issues have been mounting. Thursday night in Chicago he hit a one-hop bullet to second base that devoured Tadahito Iguchi. Still, it was ruled an error, robbing Ortiz of a hit and an RBI on a play that tied the game at 4-4.

''I've been fighting against everybody this year," said Ortiz. ''I've been fighting against scorekeeping guys, I've been fighting against umpires, I've been fighting against pitchers. And now I'm fighting against myself.

''Let me tell you what it is, and I just figured it out the other day. I think that [large strike zone] has to do with how big I am, how tall I am. They call a pitch on me a strike off the plate. I can already tell you, more than 50 percent of the time they call that pitch a strike off the plate. A lot of them call that pitch a strike on me and I don't know why."

Truth or rumor?

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci reports in this week's issue that Manny Ramirez is unhappy in Boston and has requested a trade. Francona said he's heard no such thing -- from Ramirez or the front office, and said he's witnessed no decrease in Ramirez's happiness. ''He's happy enough to drive in about 90 runs," Francona said, referring to the .274 average, 27 homers, and 90 RBIs Ramirez toted into last night's game. He added home run No. 28 in the first inning. General manager Theo Epstein said he doesn't respond to such reports. Multiple players surveyed yesterday said Ramirez has no problem with playing here. It's been difficult to gauge Ramirez's personal sentiment this season, as the slugger has refused interviews since hitting his 400th career homer in late May . . . There were strong indications that trade talks between the Sox and Twins have revived over a possible move of third baseman Bill Mueller to Minnesota for lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero. The Sox still were actively in talks regarding Florida righthander A.J. Burnett, but have no interest in third baseman Mike Lowell, whom the Marlins have wanted to include in the deal.