Damon hopes injection will be shot in arm

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Late Tuesday night, a veritable Red Sox cabinet -- general manager Theo Epstein, manager Terry Francona, trainer Jim Rowe, team medical director Thomas Gill, center fielder Johnny Damon, and Devil Rays physician Koco Eaton -- discussed how to address the lingering pain in Damon's left shoulder.

They weighed Damon's ineffectiveness in his prior 10 games (.222 average), last night's opposing pitcher (lefthander Scott Kazmir), today's scheduled offday, and the need for Damon to be in the best shape possible for the final 10 games. And they opted for one last cortisone injection, his second in 12 days.

''I knew I needed to get another shot," Damon said. ''It was a little soon to get another shot, but it was the perfect day, with Kazmir and a day off [today]."

Said Francona: ''This probably gives him the best chance to be himself."

Running injections together could weaken Damon's shoulder, possibly making tendons and muscles more susceptible to injury.

''I'm willing to take that chance to get the arm good for the last couple series," he said.

''I thought the rewards were better: the playoffs, another title. This is it. I can't get another shot for a while."

Damon's understanding is that a player can have no more than three injections in one year, and he revealed yesterday that his right shoulder was injected earlier in the season, after he strained his right rotator cuff June 4 making a stunning catch on Orlando Cabrera.

Damon went 1 for 5 Tuesday night and had such difficulty throwing that Carl Crawford tagged up and scored from second base on a ball to the wall in center field. Adam Hyzdu started in center last night, while Bill Mueller became the ninth player this season to hit leadoff for the Sox.

''Hyzdu has a better arm right now, especially against a fast team like [Tampa Bay]," said Damon, who is a .083 (1 for 12) career hitter against Kazmir. ''I don't feel we're putting a lesser team out there. That's the important thing."

Ties that bind

Numerous tiebreaking procedures could come into play when the regular season ends Oct. 2. But for now, consider the following procedural facts.

If the Sox and Yankees finish tied atop the AL East and the wild-card standings, head-to-head record will determine which team wins the division and which enters the playoffs as the wild card. New York leads the season series, 9-7, with three games remaining (the last weekend of the season).

If Chicago wins the AL Central, either Oakland or Los Angeles wins the West, and the Yankees, Red Sox, and Indians all finish with identical records, the Red Sox and Yankees would stage a one-game playoff Oct. 3 to determine the AL East winner. The loser of that game would play the Indians the next day for the wild card.

Major League Baseball recently held a coin flip to determine that a Sox-Yankees one-game playoff would take place at Yankee Stadium. However, MLB has not yet flipped to determine where the Sox and Indians would play. Epstein figures that flip would be conducted the middle of next week, if the three-way tie is still a possibility.

Soured on Apple

David Wells, as expected, received a cortisone injection in his ailing right knee Tuesday night. The lefthander is expected to make his scheduled start Sunday at Baltimore.

In less pressing news, a lengthy Q & A with Wells appears in the October issue of Penthouse magazine. Wells weighs in on the usual subjects: George Steinbrenner and the Yankees, steroids, and Yankee fans, saying that the vile, obscenity-laced reception he received Opening Day at Yankee Stadium led him to lose ''all respect for New York fans. New York is my city. I love it. But . . . I've washed my hands of them. Of all people, I would never expect them to do that."

Wells said Penthouse asked him to appear on the cover. However, out of respect to his wife, he said, he declined. Wells contends he would have been the first male to appear on the cover.

Graffanino not ready

Tony Graffanino, who strained his left groin Monday night, ''is improved," Francona said, ''but not yet able to play." Francona also said, ''I don't think it's fair to expect" Graffanino to be ready for tomorrow night's series opener in Baltimore. The second baseman missed four consecutive games at the end of July and beginning of August with a strained hamstring, and he's missed two in a row with an injured groin . . . Curt Schilling returned to Boston after pitching Tuesday night for personal reasons. ''Believe me, it's excused," Francona said. When will Schilling be back with the team? ''When he's able," the manager said . . . All of the players (about 40) in the Sox' instructional league were in the dugout during batting practice yesterday. The instructional league, an end-of-the-year seminar for select players in the system, began Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla., and concludes Oct. 13 . . . Adam Stern (right shoulder) is playing catch at a distance of 90 feet but is still unavailable to play the outfield . . . Tampa Bay manager Lou Piniella declined to discuss reports that the Devil Rays have reached an agreement with him to buy out the final season of a $13 million contract that runs through 2006. ''I'm going to steal a page from Joe Torre, and I'm not going to comment about this at all until the end of the year," Piniella said. ''My primary concern here is our team and our players. I don't want any distractions. When the time is appropriate, we'll comment about my situation." The Devil Rays also declined comment.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.