Miller throws surgery changeup
Just six days ago Wade Miller said there was ''no chance" he'd undergo offseason surgery to repair the labrum in his traumatized right shoulder. But that thinking changed Friday night, even as Miller pitched five innings of one-hit, no-run baseball for Double A Portland.
''He thought about taking himself out of the game," manager Terry Francona revealed yesterday. ''He said, 'I knew I could get them out, but this isn't really the way I can pitch and be successful.' "
So Miller met Saturday with Sox officials, including Francona, general manager Theo Epstein, and medical director Tom Gill, and decided to make an appointment this week with noted shoulder specialist Craig Morgan, who works out of Wilmington, Del.
''He made 16 starts, he gave it a real good shot," Francona said. ''I don't think Wade's real comfortable trying to do this again, like this. He's going to be examined, and there's probably a decent chance he's going to have surgery."
Francona said that Miller, 4-4 with a 4.95 ERA, has ''worked really hard . . . to be able to make the starts he has. But you go through a whole year, and [his shoulder] was getting weaker, not stronger."
Miller, who turned 29 last week, now has missed about half of each of the last two seasons because of shoulder issues -- the second half of 2004 with Houston, and the first five weeks and closing eight weeks of this season. The extent of the damage, and the repairs needed, won't fully be known until his shoulder is opened by Morgan.
Francona said Miller's exact schedule this week is unknown because his wife is due to deliver the couple's second child Thursday. His home is in Pennsylvania, and he was not in the clubhouse yesterday.
''I hope he finds a way to pitch again with health, and I hope he finds it here," Francona said. ''But even if it isn't here, I hope he finds it because [his stuff] was filthy [in Houston]."
Miller is signed only through season's end. The club, meanwhile, has six other starting pitchers under contract, or under its contractual control, for next season: Curt Schilling, David Wells, Matt Clement, Tim Wakefield, Bronson Arroyo, and Jonathan Papelbon.
Season over?
Kevin Youkilis will visit a local hand specialist today to determine whether the ring finger on his right (throwing) hand is broken. Youkilis injured the finger in the top of the seventh yesterday on the very first play after he entered the game to give Bill Mueller a rest.
Marco Scutaro grounded to Youkilis, who had to leave his feet to field the hopper at chest level. The ball impacted his finger, tearing the nail halfway off.
Youkilis underwent an X-ray at Fenway during the game, but said, ''I was shaking. They couldn't get a clean shot."
Youkilis's best guess, following yesterday's X-ray, is that ''it's not broken, but there might be a little crack. Doc said [the pain] is going to be pretty bad for a week."
''It's real tough," Youkilis added, sounding like a man done for the season. ''Every day I fight to get in the lineup. Hopefully, I can make it for the playoffs. It's unfortunate."
Youkilis, for the record, completed the play.
''[The doctor] couldn't believe I threw the ball across the diamond," Youkilis said. ''It was a reaction thing."
Moving out
Keith Foulke, who led the American League in saves in 2003 in his only season in Oakland, told Athletics beat writer Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle this weekend that he's become so weary of Boston that he's planning to move out of the city.
''After a while you get tired of hearing everybody's opinion on what you're doing wrong," Foulke said before Friday's game. ''People don't understand there's times when we want to be private. There's a lot of times people come up, and they get in your business.
''It's one of the reasons that for next year I am relocating. I'm moving out of the city so I can be with myself a little more."
Foulke, talking about constant media attention: ''You guys wonder why sometimes I get real short and become a smart ass. You know what? I am so sick and tired of talking about the same stuff every day, it's not even funny. I am so sick and tired of talking about mechanics and how I feel. I can't express to you how disgusted it makes me feel."
Foulke entered yesterday's blowout loss with the Sox behind, 12-0, and pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings. He struck out one and allowed two singles. He has now appeared six times in 18 days since coming off the disabled list, allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings (a 4.05 ERA). He's given up seven hits, walked three, hit two, and fanned five.
Rest area
For the second time in five days Edgar Renteria received a day off. Renteria's woes have been well-documented, but here's the latest: He's hitting .169 (11 for 65) this month with two extra-base hits, and he made three errors last week, two of them when he failed to catch relay throws, allowing runners to advance.
Francona indicated to Renteria his desire to sit him following Saturday night's game, telling Renteria, ''This is in your best interest, let's just do it. And then we gave him some time to actually think about it. We talked to him a little more after he showered. He said, 'Maybe that's not so bad.'
''And again, if we didn't have Alex [Cora], we probably wouldn't do it. He's been the ultimate utility player."
The manager said Renteria's Saturday error, when a relay throw bounced by him, allowing a runner to advance, did not trigger his decision.
''On no," Francona said. ''To me, that doesn't show that Edgar's tired. It's a day game after a night game, we're going to turf [in Tampa Bay], we're facing two lefties [he hits well], and we have Alex."
Decision time
If Craig Hansen, who is unscored upon as a pro, is to join the Red Sox at all this season, today would be the most logical of days. Hansen's Double A season ended Saturday, only 13 games remain in the Sox season, and the club begins a six-game road swing today in Tampa, where media attention will be scant. Hansen, in 11 games (postseason included) at Double A: 12 2/3 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 10 K. However, Hansen was shut down for about two weeks following his Aug. 26 appearance with a fatigued arm. In three appearances since then, he walked two and allowed one hit . . . Alejandro Machado lined a double off the wall near the Pesky Pole to lead off the seventh, marking the 23-year-old's first major league hit in his third big-league at-bat . . . Roberto Petagine delivered an RBI single in the seventh for his first hit since Aug. 27. However, he'd gone only four at-bats without a hit . . . With the win, Oakland (82-67) clinched a winning record for the eighth consecutive season . . . The Sox yesterday made all of the rookies dress in drag before departing the clubhouse for the flight to Tampa. Local kid Manny Delcarmen had the best -- or worst -- costume of the bunch. Delcarmen was decked out in a black-and-teal Witchy La Bouf costume, complete with hat, bustier, tutu, and fishnet hose. ''My mom is going to love this," he said.
