The inside track in footrace

Youkilis quick to get digs in

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff  |  May 29, 2007

Even Dustin Pedroia had to give this one to Kevin Youkilis. As much as it clearly pained him -- or made him laugh.

With a feud brewing in the Red Sox clubhouse -- OK, it's lighthearted, to say the least -- the race is on to see who's faster: Youkilis or Pedroia.

After Youkilis's inside-the-park home run last night, he clearly has the edge.

"He thinks he's faster than me," Youkilis said. "He really thinks he's faster than me. He's going out and saying he's faster. I don't know if anybody saw, but he hit a ball to right center field that Trot Nixon was running after and he barely got to second base. I'd definitely have been on third base.

"He's not gifted with speed."

Though the rivalry is a recent development, it's not hurt by the white-hot streaks currently enjoyed by both players. Youkilis is on a 20-game hitting streak, during which he's hitting .438 (39 for 89), with multiple hits in each of his last eight games. Pedroia, on the other hand, has raised his average from .172 to .298 by batting .429 over his last 18 games (24 for 56), and collected three hits last night.

"I didn't want to get thrown out because, two outs, that's the smart play," Pedroia said of his ninth-inning double, one of two on the night. "I knew when I hit second, I started laughing at him because he was yelling at me.

"It was just funny watching him run."

Clearly jazzed as soon as he hit home plate and realized he had scored the first inside-the-park home run of his life, Youkilis popped up out of the dugout to acknowledge the standing ovation after a bit of a pause -- likely to catch his breath.

The first baseman had lofted a pitch from Indians reliever Roberto Hernandez all the way to the triangle in center field, where it bounced off the short wall that borders the Red Sox bullpen and rolled and rolled and rolled toward left field. By that point Youkilis was well around second base, where he caught the signal of third base coach DeMarlo Hale and headed for home, which he reached standing up.

Enough, in his mind, to end the debate.

"There's no question," Youkilis said. "There's not one person in here that would tell you Pedroia's quicker. Bottom line."

He's not sure it has affected his power ("maybe, maybe not"). All David Ortiz knows is that, having felt tightness in his hamstrings and groin for "maybe a couple of weeks," plus flu-like symptoms and dehydration that caused him to need an IV in Texas over the weekend, he'd rather take it easy for a few days than have the injuries come back to haunt him later in the season.

And that's OK with manager Terry Francona.

Ortiz was left off the lineup card for the second straight game, a decision made on the team plane flying from Dallas to Boston Sunday night and reaffirmed when Ortiz arrived at the park yesterday.

"I just think -- it could be me being overly protective -- but I wanted to make sure he was OK for the long haul," Francona said. "We don't need him to steal bases, but I think when he gets in that crouch of his, that comfort zone hitting, and he comes out of it, I think he feels it.

"I actually think he's been taking some great swings, but I don't want him to go through the year like that, so we're going to be a little careful."

When asked if Ortiz would play tonight against the Indians and lefty Jeremy Sowers, Francona hedged, saying, "I think it depends on how he feels. I think there's a good chance he could play, but I think there's a chance he might not play. That's probably about as honest as I can get."

Nor would Ortiz commit. He said he is recovered from the flu-like symptoms that felled him during the period of two doubleheaders in three days, against Detroit and Atlanta, May 17 and 19. He has had bouts with tightness in his hamstrings and groin before, but they haven't usually lasted this long.

Because it is particularly painful when Ortiz drives the ball, that could explain the lack of home runs over the last 15 games -- none in his last 52 at-bats -- though Ortiz has been hitting doubles at a rate far superior to last season, with 20 already. That, of course, leads to more running.

The tightness bothers him most, said Ortiz, "When I run, when I put pressure on it, and for hitting, 'cause I sit on my legs to hit. I wouldn't be able to swing the way I normally do because when I swing hard, that's when your hamstring tightens up on you and they hurt. It's not good.

"But I'll be back."

Manny Delcarmen was optioned to Pawtucket to make room for Josh Beckett on the roster. Beckett, who was placed on the disabled list May 19 (retroactive to May 14) with an avulsion on his right middle finger, is scheduled to pitch tonight. "Manny, he needs to pitch," Francona said. "He hasn't got in many games. He needs to pitch and he realizes that." Delcarmen had pitched one scoreless inning of relief since being called up from Pawtucket May 21 . . . Manny Ramírez's home run was the 478th of his career, tying Jim Thome for 25th on the all-time list. He is five behind Alex Rodriguez . . . The Red Sox equalled a 1904 team record with their 34th straight win when scoring at least five runs. Twenty-seven of the wins have come this season . . . Curt Schilling's 10-strikeout game was the 93d of his career, and his first since June 21, 2006, against Baltimore. It was the third for a Red Sox pitcher this season, the other two by Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Mike Timlin declined to comment on his outing with Pawtucket Sunday, but Francona said he will pitch an inning today and another Thursday as he works his way off the disabled list. Timlin allowed two runs over two-thirds of an inning against Syracuse, his second rehab appearance. "The good news is he felt pretty strong, healthy," Francona said. "Didn't locate like he wants to or probably needs to. He's frustrated, not so much going back, but he didn't get through the inning [Sunday] night. He had gotten to a pitch limit. We'll let him go back and pitch a complete inning regardless because that will be good for him also. Just needs to get a little more touch and feel." Timlin threw 18 pitches, after being placed on a 20-pitch limit before the game . . . Matsuzaka's bullpen session was pushed back because of his illness Friday, though he completed it yesterday. Francona said it should not affect him making his scheduled start tomorrow . . . Jon Lester is scheduled to start today for the PawSox. He'll be on an 80- to 85-pitch limit as he continues to try to make his way back from the forearm cramping that stalled his comeback . . . Coco Crisp said he almost had a crisis during the rain delay in Texas Friday night. Having started to take out his braids, because he thought the game would be cancelled, Crisp had to rush and enlist the help of Wily Mo Peña to turn his cornrows into the "Afro puff" look. He joked that he was worried the cameras would catch him in the dugout with a half-and-half hairdo -- a reverse Mr. T.