Baldelli had a blast, then left

Baldelli helped spark two rallies in the Red Sox' 11-6 loss to the Phillies. He blasted his third home run of the season to lead off the second, during which the Sox scored four runs. But in the fifth, Baldelli could not make a play that proved pivotal.

With two outs and a man on third, Shane Victorino came to the plate. He lined a ball at Baldelli, who froze before jogging in to field the ball at his shoes. It appeared to be a potential third out off Victorino's bat.

"I didn't get a good jump on the ball," Baldelli said. "I would have liked to have brought that ball in. Once I didn't get a good jump on it, I wanted to keep it in front of me."

The single helped convince manager Terry Francona that Baldelli was spent. Baldelli fights a rare cellular disorder that saps his energy, and Francona has carefully managed Baldelli this season.

"I don't think Rocco was feeling real good in right today," Francona said. That was "part of the reason we got him out. I think it's been an issue."

Baldelli accepts his condition, but he also tries to downplay the effect it has on him. He went out of his way yesterday to not portray himself as a special case.

"Overall, I felt pretty good playing three out of four," Baldelli said. "It's a tough turnaround. I think it's a tough turnaround for everyone that was out there playing. No one wants to leave the ballpark at 1 a.m. and then come back and play a day game. So I would fit right in that group with everyone else."

So far the Sox, who feel they are dealing from a position of strength, haven't heard anything that would want to make them deal the righthander, even with a logjam in their starting rotation. The source indicated the Sox like their depth and would need to be overwhelmed to make a deal. While that scenario could take place as teams get more desperate to find pitching, the Sox feel they can hold off even if it creates tough decisions internally.

"I think they learned from the Bronson Arroyo situation that depth is fleeting," said the major league source. "They won't make that mistake again."

With depth, however, comes alterations in the rotation that could be disruptive. While the Red Sox don't want to go with a pure six-man rotation, there will be situations where pitchers may have to be pushed back or starts skipped to accommodate the inclusion of John Smoltz, who will make a start for Pawtucket or Boston Thursday. If it's with Pawtucket, his 30-day rehab will end Friday. Don't expect Josh Beckett or Jon Lester to have their schedules disrupted. Both will likely stay in a normal rotation and pitch every fifth day.

The Sox will wait until tomorrow to make any decisions regarding Smoltz and their rotation.

"We just want to get through the offday, and I think we can line up the whole week," Francona said. "We have mapped out various possibilities. Those things come at the right pace."

"I'm beat up a little bit," Pedroia said. "Tito, it always seems like he makes it at the right time. I was anticipating he probably would. It's one of those things where I'm not getting a lot of hits right now. Guys go through that. I'm not worried about it."

"I thought Pedey was tired," Francona said. "It's hard to sit him against a lefty, but this will give him two days. It's never easy sitting Pedey, because he's such an influence on all areas of the game."

Pedroia's absence highlighted an exotic lineup. Catcher Jason Varitek, right fielder J.D. Drew, and David Ortiz did not start. Varitek had caught deep into the night Saturday. Drew's right shoulder was bruised after being hit by a pitch in that game. ("He got smoked," Francona said.) Ortiz sat with a lefty on the mound and the DH not in play.

"He can be a little cryptic in his comments to the media," Francona said. "That could have been a lot of things."

In his last four starts, 19 2/3 innings, opponents have batted .372 against Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka has tried nibbling around the plate less, but the result has too often been an eminently hittable pitch. He and the team are trying to find a middle ground between the styles.

"If you try to get him to pound the zone, the couple times that he really has, he's left the ball in the middle," Francona said. "So we're kind of trying to walk that line of being aggressive and getting him out of his game."

Francona has noticed more power behind Matsuzaka's cut fastball, which he believes could help Matsuzaka right himself.