RED SOX NOTEBOOK
Papelbon is OK with poor outing
By Chris Snow, Globe Staff | March 13, 2006
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In three weeks, Jonathan Papelbon could be working closing time for the Red Sox or be slotted in a veteran rotation. Today, he's a 25-year-old in his first big league camp with an 0-2 record, 10.12 ERA (8 IP, 9 ER) and two homers allowed, including a blast to the Twins' Michael Cuddyer yesterday on a wicked hanger. But Papelbon isn't lacking in the department of good-natured, almost inadvertent, cocksureness. Consider: Papelbon said he was unconcerned with yesterday's results (3 1/3 innings, 6 hits, 5 runs) because he was attempting to build arm strength by throwing almost all fastballs. But, he also said, ''I didn't get some calls that I felt like I should have. But it's spring training. I know they're out there working on what they have to work on, the umpires."He was asked whether the expectations back in Boston excite him or wear on him.''Not really," said Papelbon, who was on the cover of the Globe Magazine yesterday. ''I don't really think about it a whole lot. I don't read the newspaper or go on the Internet. Half the time I don't even know what's going on." So, Jon Miller of WBZ wondered aloud, did that mean Papelbon would not be buying 100 copies of the Globe Magazine? ''No," Papelbon said, ''I didn't even know the Globe had a magazine." Papelbon hasn't yet thrown as hard as he will, but he feels his velocity is coming, saying, ''I'm in the low 90s. I know it's getting up there in velo."Papelbon threw only a couple of splitters yesterday and a similar number of curveballs, instead working mostly on locating his four-seam fastball and a sinking two-seam fastball he's added this spring. The heavy diet of fastballs, he said, was a good thing for competitive reasons.''I learned a lot from [the Twins] and I didn't really expose myself a whole lot, didn't expose my pitches and throw a combination of pitches," he said. ''It'll be different during the season. ''My next outing, I'll be more worried about my results." Heady response A day after Curt Schilling hit Pittsburgh's Chris Duffy in the head and said Duffy has ''got to be able to get out of the way of that," Duffy responded. ''I know he wasn't trying to hit me, especially in an exhibition game," Duffy said, according to the Associated Press. ''I understand he is working on pitching inside more, but sometimes you've just got to take responsibility. You've got to go about it in a classy way." Duffy was diagnosed with a mild concussion. Schilling could not be reached for comment . . . Keith Foulke had each of his knees injected yesterday with the artificial joint fluid Synvisc. Foulke now has had three shots in his right knee and two in the left, with only one more planned, in his left knee, probably some time this week. Foulke could proceed to a game early next week. ''A lot depends on how he reacts and how he feels physically," manager Terry Francona said.
Backing up The clock's ticking for Ken Huckaby, who is supposed to be competing with Josh Bard for the backup catching spot. Huckaby, who had his left knee scoped in October, re-injured the knee March 2 when he caught a spike in a batting-practice mat. He hasn't caught in a game, and the knee isn't well enough for him to do so. The club recently gave Huckaby the option of a Synvisc injection, but he turned it down, fearful it would set him back too many days. He intends to give the knee a few more days, in hopes that he feels well enough to catch. But Bard has an undeniable edge: He handled Wakefield well Friday, he was praised by Schilling Saturday, he's a switch hitter, and he's on the 40-man roster (Huckaby is a non-roster invitee). ''You come to camp to make the team, but my goal now is to have him healthy, and we'll go from there," Francona said . . . Kevin Youkilis homered off Minnesota's Scott Baker in Boston's 6-3 loss. It was Youkilis's first homer of the spring, though he did go deep in an exhibition vs. Australia. He's batting .133 (2 for 15) . . . Tony Graffanino's 0 for 3 lowered him to .118 (2 for 17). Speed game Coco Crisp went 0 for 3 but is hitting .500 (8 for 16). In his first at-bat he took a huge cut and came up empty, with his feet well out of the box, a la Ichiro Suzuki. ''It wasn't no Ichiro," Crisp said. ''It was a Cocomo." That kind of hustle hasn't gone unnoticed. ''The one thing I really have been excited with is when he hits the ball he runs like his pants are on fire," said Francona. ''I love that. He hits it and he runs." Speaking of hitting and running, Francona sounds inclined to do more of that this season. ''[ Mark] Loretta hitting behind him, it's pretty obvious he can control the bat," Francona said. ''When Coco wants to run, Loretta will have the green light to swing." . . . Francona also said he intends to let Crisp steal more than Johnny Damon did. However, Damon stole 18 bases in 19 attempts last year, Crisp 15 in 21 attempts. In their careers, Damon has a 79-percent success rate (281 of 356) to Crisp's 65 percent (54 of 83). ''I expect that part to grow, with his knowledge of the league," Francona said. ''We've got to use this [speed] as part of our offense." . . . The loss dropped the Sox to 3-7, including 0-3 in the best-of-five with the crosstown Twins. The Mayor's Cup stays with the Twins . . . David Wells will debut Thursday in a minor league game. 
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
|
|
