Mirabelli was talked out of his slump

Doug Mirabelli, who has homered in three straight starts for the first time in his career, credits a conversation he had with Don Kalkstein before the All-Star break for helping him find himself at the plate.

Kalkstein has a fancy title, ``performance enhancement counselor," which he held for the previous nine seasons with the Texas Rangers. But Kalkstein, who received an advanced graduate degree in sports counseling from Springfield College in 1988, operates in an extremely low-key way. He's in uniform, circulating on the field during batting practice and around the clubhouse before and after games, generally making himself available to anyone who wants to talk.

Mirabelli said he sought out Kalkstein when the team was in Florida to play the Devil Rays before the break.

``I was in no-man's land with my hitting," said Mirabelli, who hit .175 in his first 22 games with the Sox up to the break, with just 2 home runs and 11 RBIs, whiffing 20 times in 63 at-bats. ``I couldn't get it into my head what I was doing wrong. I couldn't figure it out.

``I talked to Donny Kalkstein a little bit, and it freed up my head. I talked to him and it just simplified things for me, so ever since then I've had better swings, better at-bats."

Mirabelli knew Kalkstein from their days with the Rangers. This wasn't a question of Kalkstein dispensing hitting tips. It was more a matter of him serving as a sounding board as Mirabelli discussed his approach at the plate, what he wanted that approach to be, and how he intended to get there.

Mirabelli, who is expected to be behind the plate tonight for Curt Schilling, is batting .265 in 16 games since the break (9 for 34), with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs. He's still striking out a lot (16 times in 34 at-bats), but he attributes that to 1. not playing regularly, and 2. his approach at the plate with two strikes.

``In my head, I still have to drive the ball with two strikes," said Mirabelli, who is batting .138 (9 for 65) with two strikes. ``It's different, of course, if I have a chance to knock in a run. But if I'm leading off or batting second with one out and nobody on, I don't help the team if I'm on first base. I'm clogging the bases. It takes three hits to get me home. So I still have to have that `drive' mentality."

The Sox, who had shipped Mirabelli to San Diego last winter for Mark Loretta, didn't bring him back for his bat, of course. They needed him to catch Tim Wakefield after Josh Bard committed 10 passed balls in Wakefield's first four starts. Bard, swapped to San Diego for Mirabelli, has put up some nice numbers for the Padres while sharing time behind the plate with Mike Piazza, batting .330 with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs.

It came as no surprise to Mirabelli that Bard struggled with Wakefield.

``I don't care who won that job," Mirabelli said of the spring training competition. ``It would have been a bad situation."

What may be a surprise is Mirabelli's admission that it took him time to become acclimated to the knuckleballer again -- and that had an effect on his hitting, too.

``I remember seven, eight starts in, I was still real nervous with him," Mirabelli said.

Doug Mirabelli nervous? Imagine that.

``Nervous is the word," he said. ``That's the whole thing catching him. You're not used to it. Anything can happen at any time.

``It takes a different stance, a different setup. It took me seven or eight starts to find that setup. Then all of a sudden, my hands started working better.

``Before, I thought I was fighting my body, my hands, and I was clanking a lot of balls. That really worried me, because I didn't need to clank those balls. Then all of a sudden, it clicked with me. My hands started working free and I started to feel comfortable. I felt regardless of how nasty his pitches might be, I was going to catch it."

Given his value as Wakefield's catcher, it was suggested to Mirabelli that perhaps he should have a self-perpetuating contract as Wakefield does.

``I want more money than Wake," Mirabelli cracked.

On the subject of Wakefield, manager Terry Francona ruled him out of a possible start against the Yankees Monday. That start instead will go to David Wells, who is scheduled to pitch tomorrow night and thus will be on regular rest when he pitches the finale of the five-game set against New York. Francona said a more realistic goal for Wakefield, who played catch yesterday, is a week from Sunday in Seattle . . . The Sox will need a pitcher next Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. While cautioning that a lot can change between now and then, Francona said the Sox are leaning toward Kyle Snyder. Jon Lester and Jason Johnson are scheduled to work Friday's day-night doubleheader, and if Snyder gets two or three innings out of the pen that day, Francona said, that should stretch him out sufficiently to pitch against the Angels.

The Sox returned to a lopsided roster of 13 pitchers and 12 position players when lefthander Craig Breslow was recalled from Pawtucket, with catcher Corky Miller designated for assignment. Breslow, the Yale graduate who is making his second appearance on the Boston roster -- he pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings July 14 against Oakland during an earlier three-day stint -- was an International League All-Star and was unscored upon in his last 10 1/3 innings, spanning seven appearances, for the PawSox. Breslow drew a warm ovation last night when he relieved Rudy Seanez (who'd just given up a two-run single to Vance Wilson) and struck out Curtis Granderson and Craig Monroe to end the eighth. Breslow added a third strikeout in the ninth when he caught Sean Casey looking. Lefty Javier Lopez, who represented another option for promotion, has been knocked around for eight earned runs in his last four appearances for Pawtucket. Francona said he preferred Breslow, who can give him innings, to a situational lefty like Lopez. ``I don't think anyone is thrilled with the number of pitchers," Francona said. Miller went hitless in four at-bats in his only appearance for the Sox, Aug. 6 against Tampa Bay. He leaves with just 1 hit in 55 (.018) major league at-bats since the start of the 2004 season.

That was Sox owner John W. Henry behind the garage door in center field when it inadvertently opened during Saturday's game. ``I didn't think anyone would notice," Henry said in an e-mail. Henry was poking around back there with Sox chairman Tom Werner, investigating the site of a proposed ballpark restaurant, when the door started to rise during a Coco Crisp at-bat . . . Loretta, who turned 35 yesterday, went 2 for 4. Also observing a birthday was Northborough's own Mark ``The Bird" Fidrych. The former Tigers star turned 52 . . . Adam Stern, the player the Orioles wanted in the Javy Lopez deal, is on the shelf with a pulled hamstring . . . Don't rule out the possibility -- though it's a long shot -- that Jason Varitek, who is throwing after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus cartilage tear in his left knee, could rejoin the team on its West Coast swing. ``Whenever he can, he will," Francona said. ``I just don't know."

Sunday was only the second time this season that David Ortiz did not appear in a game . . . Since May 1, Manny Ramírez is batting .399 (57 for 143) at home . . . Wily Mo Peña began the night with the second-highest slugging percentage in the AL since the All-Star break. Pena, batting .311 with 5 home runs, 3 doubles, and 2 triples in 61 at-bats since the break, had a slugging percentage of .672. Only Joe Crede of the White Sox (.695) was ahead of Peña (minimum 50 at-bats) . . . Kevin Youkilis has now homered in back-to-back games three times this season . . . Javy Lopez, 0 for 14 in his first four games with the Sox, is 7 for 16 in his last four after doubling in a run in four trips last night . . . Jeffrey Farrell and Yulkin German combined Sunday to throw the first no-hitter in Lowell Spinners history, a 2-0 win at Hudson Valley. Farrell went the first five innings and German, who was credited with the win, went four.