The Red Sox lost their second straight game of the series, falling to the Yankees, 10-3. Andy Pettitte took the win, with Tim Wakefield getting the loss.

The Yankees are inching closer in the American League East, as they moved to 58-45. The Sox are now at 60-45. And, of course, Tampa Bay still leads the division.

No fireworks, but Alex Rodriguez was just drilled by a pitch from Craig Hansen.

The 98 mile per hour fastball (1-0 count) came mighty close to hitting Rodriguez's head, but he put his hands up to block it, and it hit his left hand. Rodriguez stumbled a few feet away into the infield on the third base side, where manager Joe Girardi and the trainer came out to check him.

No one left the top step of the dugouts, and Rodriguez eventually made his way to first base. That loaded the bases with two outs for Jason Giambi, who walked in a run.

It's now 8-3, Yankees.

Before the game, in his pregame press session, manager Terry Francona talked about the current situation with Manny Ramirez. Francona said that Ramirez had come to him last night, and told him that he would be able to play today.

"We obviously had some conversations last night," Francona said. "One thing leads to another. We just wanted to talk through some things and make sure we were all on the same page, like we do with everybody. Some of that was last night."

Asked about potential disciplinary action, had Ramirez not played in today's game, Francona said, "I know you won't like the answer. I don't think I'll ever change my stance. When we're talking about disciplinary things I'm not comfortable ever having that be public. I know this is a very public place, what we're doing. But that's, I think, my responsibility is to put our team and our ballclub first. How we handle disciplinary issues has got to remain internal. That's just how I feel about it. That'll never change."

In terms of the communication with Ramirez, Francona said, "This week, you know what, we had some misunderstandings. There's no way getting around that. It doesn't mean he's a bad person. We expect a lot; again, when things don't go right, we try to make them right, so that's about how I feel about it."

Francona also said that he felt like the situation is over, that the team can move on.

That's it for Tim Wakefield.

With Johnny Damon's groundout resulting in the fourth run of the game for the Yankees, manager Terry Francona came out to remove Wakefield from the game. He brought in Justin Masterson for his second stint out of the bullpen in the big leagues. He is inheriting two runners, Melky Cabrera on third and Damon on first.

Robinson Cano was just gunned down at second base on a double steal attempt, with Alex Rodriguez trying to nab third base at the same time.

But it didn't work out, ending the inning for the Yankees, and bringing the Sox up in the bottom of the fifth. They're currently in a 3-2 hole, as they try to work on Andy Pettitte again.

Robinson Cano, who is batting .318 over his last 46 games after starting the season at .219 for the first 54 games, just sent a solo home run onto the tarp in centerfield. The shot, off Tim Wakefield, tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth.

Manny Ramirez got that same mixed reception, with the boos growing a bit louder, when he came to the plate in the first. He grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Kevin Youkilis.

That brought the score to 2-0, Red Sox, with David Ortiz having driven in his first run since May 31.

With the RBI for Ramirez, he now has 1,667 for his career, tying him with Sammy Sosa for 23rd on the all-time RBI list.

When Manny Ramirez's name was announced in the lineups before the game, he got a mixed reception from the packed house here at Fenway Park. We'll see what happens when he comes to bat.

Alex Rodriguez (left) and Manny Ramirez spoke before the game. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, the lightning rods on their respective teams, just had a lengthy conversation outside the batting cage while the Red Sox were taking batting practice.

Ramirez was among the Sox who took BP on the field, and seems to be in quite the good mood today. He was smiling as he walked through the clubhouse with his son earlier this afternoon.

Manny Ramirez just walked through the clubhouse. He didn't stop to talk to reporters, but without being asked a question, the Sox left fielder addressed a group of media members on his way by.

"Don't worry about it," Ramirez said. "I'm not going to talk. I'm going to play. That's it."

Ramirez, penciled into this afternoon's lineup, was then asked if he would definitely be playing today.

"Check the lineup," he said. "I'm in the lineup."

The lineup was just posted, and Manny Ramirez is in it. Ramirez sat out Wednesday's game at Seattle, then Friday night's game against the Yankees, with a sore knee. An MRI on the knee revealed no structural damage.

The complete Red Sox lineup:

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Coco Crisp, CF
9. Kevin Cash, C
-- Tim Wakefield, SP

Reporters were let into the clubhouse 20 minutes later than usual. No lineups posted, yet. Manny Ramirez is listed in his normal hitting group.

Stay tuned.

MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement instructs that clubhouses be open 3 1/2 hours before gametime (first pitch this afternoon scheduled for 3:55 p.m.), but Sox PR director John Blake just came by and said he has been instructed to keep the clubhouse closed for the time being. Blake did not specify a reason for the delay.

The Red Sox have had it with Manny Ramirez, Dan Shaughnessy writes in the pages of today's Boston Globe. Ramirez sat out last night's game against the Yankees after telling Sox management he had a sore knee. The admission by Ramirez came after manager Terry Francona had already penciled the slugger's name into the lineup. The Sox were forced to juggle the lineup, and despite the return of David Ortiz, lost the game, 1-0.

"This time, the Sox plan to do something about this situation," Shaughnessy writes. "Soon."

This time, of course, is a reference to Ramirez's history with the team, which includes quite a few controversial moments. Ramirez had an MRI on his knee yesterday, which came up clean. It's hard for anyone but Ramirez to know how his knee truly feels. However, it seems like the Red Sox are already fed up, according to Shaughnessy,

"Something's got to give," he writes. "The owners are mad. The manager is frustrated. The GM is frustrated. Teammates are angry."

What do you think? Is this the tipping point for Ramirez with the Sox? Leave your comment.

Joba Chamberlain takes the win, the loss going to Josh Beckett, as the Sox lost to the Yankees 1-0.

We're headed down the clubhouses for comments.

Manny Delcarmen left the game after striking out Alex Rodriguez. He was taken out with a muscle cramp in his right forearm.

Manny Ramirez left the park before the game to get an MRI, which came back clean.

Ramirez, who was scratched from the lineup at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon, has had lingering soreness in his right knee, which reappeared on Wednesday in Seattle. He was seen with ice on the knee earlier this afternoon.

The story was first reported by the Providence Journal.

And it continues...

Yeah, that would be the Youkilis-Joba feud.

With Joba Chamberlain on the mound, and Kevin Youkilis at bat, Chamberlain threw a fastball right at Youkilis's head, sending the first baseman down. The ball actually hit Youkilis's bat on the play, and brought him up staring at Chamberlain.

Home plate umpire Marty Foster warned both sides, and both Terry Francona and Joe Girardi came out to get explanations. There was no rushing the mound, but there's clearly a history here.

Youkilis eventually struck out swinging.

Though it's not over yet, this has been a semi-impressive outing for Josh Beckett.

Not because he's been dominating, but more because of his ability to extricate himself. Beckett has given up nine hits tonight, though just one run, as the Yankees hold on to a 1-0 lead.

He's stranded six batters, and got help when Jason Varitek gunned down Melky Cabrera attempting to steal in the fourth.

The Yankees have acquired Pirate's outfielder Xavier Nady and lefthander Damaso Marte, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn't comfirm the deal and said he “wasn’t aware of any trade.”

“You’d have to talk to the Pirates,” he said.

A Pirates spokesman confirmed to Olney that a trade is in place.

"There is a trade in place, pending medical reviews of all the players involved on both clubs," Pirates director of media relations Jim Trdinich said, according to Olney. "That is all that is permissible to be announced at this time."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi declined to comment on the trade after the Yankees' 1-0 win over the Red Sox Friday night.

“I can’t really talk about something that hasn’t happened,” he said. “There’s nothing official.”

Under the reported conditions, the Pirates would get four minor-league players in return including three pitchers and an outfielder. There are also rumors the Yankees are interested in Mariners lefthander Jarrod Washburn. The unrestricted trade deadline is Thursday (July 31).

It was just a grounder up the middle, but the mere sight David Ortiz earning a hit in the majors seems like a distant memory since Ortiz has been out of major league action for nearly two months.

Ortiz' fourth inning hit was his first since a solo home run in the top of the third inning against Baltimore on May 31. That home run tied the game 2-2, which the Sox would win 6-3.

Ortiz was advanced to second on Mike Lowell's walk but J.D. Drew struck out to end the inning. Sox still trail 1-0.

A chopping single from Jason Giambi earned the mustachioed first baseman his 58th RBI when he scored Bobby Abreu from third base, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

After Sox starter Josh Beckett gave up Giambi's single, catcher Jason Varitek visited Beckett on the mound. There were two outs with Giambi and Rodriguez on base.

Beckett got the next batter, Robinson Cano, to pop up to end the inning.

Coming into the game, Beckett has done well at Fenway, going 5-1 with a 4.82 ERA in his last 7 starts in the ol' ballpark. He has also beaten the Yankees in all three of his starts vs. the pinstripers this year.

He allowed three runs in all of those games and struck out a combined 14 batters. He also pitched at least six innings into the game each time, and if he does that tonight we'll likely get to see the Sox emerging setup star, Justin Masterson.

Masterson threw 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts Wednesday in his first start as a reliever. It would be interesting to see what he does against the Yankees considering he pitched 6.2 innings and gave up just two runs on two hits against the Bombers on July 5.

A bit of a funny sighting before the game.

At about 3:30, between 15 and 20 media members had gathered around Red Sox slugger David Ortiz' locker. Ortiz would be playing in his first game since May 31 and everyone obviously wanted to get his opinion on how he felt and so on.

Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen walked over to a fridge near Ortiz' locker and grabbed a drink and saw the large crowd of reporters waiting for Ortiz.

"Hmm...David must be back," he said to no one in particular.

"David who?" mused Sox captain Jason Varitek.

A few minutes later, Ortiz appeared and walked over to his locker as the media scrum converged toward him like water moving downhill.

He said, "I'm really excited to play. I'm back." and then "I'll talk to you guys after the game."

And that was that.

--

Game update: The Yankees' Joba Chamberlain and the Sox Josh Beckett are giving us the notion that tonight will be a pitcher's duel.

Through two innings, Chamberlain has struck out two and allowed three singles. Beckett has K'd two and allowed two hits.

We're knotted at a 0-0 tie with the top of the Yanks' order coming up.

Senator John Kerry takes in the game from atop the Green Monster. (Steve Silva / Boston.com)

Ran into Massachusetts senator John Kerry on the Monster while taking the pulse of Red Sox Nation on Manny Ramirez's absence from the lineup tonight. The senator was asked if fans should be concerned that Ramirez is out of the lineup.

"I hope not, I hope not," said Kerry. "If he says his knee needs a rest, then he gets a day to rest his knee. I know Terry Francona and John Henry weren’t happy with how it all went down. But let’s focus on the game at hand."

Seated to the left of Kerry is his daughter Vanessa.

David Ortiz just got a huge standing ovation, and a "Papi! Papi!" chant as he strode to the plate for his first at bat in nearly two months.

He seemed pretty happy (and possibly relieved) to be back before the game, though he didn't have much to offer reporters other than, "I'm really, really excited and back. I'll talk to you after the game."

With two men on (Derek Jeter and Bobby Abreu), Josh Beckett got himself out of the first inning. He struck out Alex Rodriguez on a ball in the dirt, then finished off Jason Giambi with a 96 mile per hour fastball, catching him looking.

(Left to right): John Henry, Larry Lucchino, and Tom Werner before the game. (Steve Silva/Boston.com)

Red Sox chairman Tom Werner declined to comment on Manny Ramirez's late scratch from the lineup tonight against the Yankees.

"I just heard about it," said Werner, who said he would wait to talk to Ramirez himself before passing judgment on the situation.

Team president and CEO Larry Lucchino simply said, "No comment," when asked about Ramirez.

Werner and Lucchino, along with principal owner John Henry, huddled together under the center field bleachers and spoke for about 10 minutes before the start of tonight's game. The trio stopped there before heading over to the grand opening of The Bleacher Bar, the new Lyons Group establishment just outside the Fenway Park gates on Lansdowne Street.

After being penciled into his regular cleanup spot earlier in the afternoon, Manny Ramirez was scratched from tonight’s lineup with soreness in his right knee.

In his pregame meeting with the media (which took place before Manny was scratched), Red Sox manager Terry Francona -- who had Ramirez in his original lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Yankees -- said Ramirez's knee was still bothering him from time to time and that he had asked the slugger to tell him if he couldn’t play tonight.

After Francona's meeting with the media, and just before the Red Sox clubhouse closed, the new lineup was posted without Ramirez's name in it. What is still unclear is whether Ramirez spoke with Francona between the time the manager talked to reporters and when Ramirez was taken out of the lineup. Ramirez also missed Wednesday's game with a sore knee.

Here's the new lineup:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Coco Crisp, CF

SP -- Josh Beckett

More in a bit ...

Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez, who missed Wednesday's game with a sore knee, has been penciled into tonight's lineup, which also features Jacoby Ellsbury batting ninth.

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. Kevin Youkilis, 1B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Manny Ramirez, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jed Lowrie, SS
8. Jason Varitek, C
9. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

SP -- Josh Beckett

Here's a quick roundup of what's in the New York papers this morning as it relates to all things Sox-Yankees...

New York Post

'CLOSE' ENCOUNTER -- PAPELBON-RIVERA FLAP RE-IGNITES THE RIVALRY -- Justin Terranova revisits the remarks made by Jonathan Papelbon before the All-Star Game and has former Yankee Al Leiter taking a whack at Paps:

The comments, in which Papelbon said he should be the All-Star closer, not Yankee Mariano Rivera in his home park, even lit a fuse under a former Yankee.

"Some guys, apparently Papelbon is one of them, I wish they would engage their mind before they opened their mouth," said YES analyst Al Leiter.

"You're in Yankee Stadium, and to insult Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in the history of the sport, is not smart."

The Boston crowd can get some revenge on the Yanks for Papelbon and his wife feeling threatened at the All-Star parade through midtown.

YANKS CAN'T AFFORD FENWAY FLOP -- George King writes that "it opens tonight with Chamberlain-Beckett, an electric crowd and on a date that is no longer early." Some quotes from King's piece:

"Every time we play Boston the games have implications of who makes the playoffs and who doesn't," said Johnny Damon, who has experienced both sides of baseball's best rivalry. "Hopefully, they don't play up to par and we do." ...

"The rivalry is awesome," said [tonight's starter Joba] Chamberlain, who gets his first taste as a starter in Fenway. "It will be fun and exciting."...

Alex Rodriguez noted the Red Sox's home-field advantage could be negated by the winning streak.

"It's always a tough place to play," Rodriguez said of Fenway. "So it's always a good place to go with momentum. It starts with good starting pitching, good defense and timely hitting."

JOBA AIMING FOR BEST START YET TONIGHT -- Mike Puma has Joba sounding "more like a prizefighter than a pitcher."

"It's a good challenge to go out there and . . . not be the first one to break," Chamberlain said. ...

"You understand they're going to be patient and take a lot of pitches," Chamberlain said. "You've got to throw strike one and get ahead and try to limit your pitches and get deep in the game."

Chamberlain dismissed the notion that starting at Fenway for the first time will be a big deal. But it should be noted that the only earned run he allowed last season (as a reliever) was at Fenway, when Mike Lowell homered against him on Sept. 16. Chamberlain did not pitch during the Yankees' trip to Fenway in April.

TIME FOR BOMBERS TO REGAIN CONTROL OF BIGGEST RIVALRY -- Mike Vaccaro writes that "the Yankees have waited for an opportunity to reassert themselves as the alpha dog in this rivalry ever since. No better time than the present." More from Vaccaro's piece:

"These games always mean the most when the baseball is more meaningful than the drama," said Johnny Damon, who has seen the rivalry from both sides of the abyss, who was once the most loathsome of Red Sox as a hirsute pest, who is now hated enough in Boston to give both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez a run for their championship belts. "The manufactured stuff isn't nearly as interesting."

A-ROD FLEES FLIRTY FEMMES -- Page Six offers up this tidbit on A-Rod's night out in New York on Wednesday:

The divorce-bound slugger and two male buddies left the Empire Hotel rooftop bar Wednesday night because he was "being bothered," a source reports with a laugh. "All the girls were harassing him. He spent the entire time text-messaging."

While the Red Sox examined whether to pursue White Sox shortstop Juan Uribe, major league sources indicate the team backed away from a possible deal to acquire him.

The Red Sox really like the job done by Jed Lowrie and feel that Alex Cora can be an adequate backup to Lowrie until Julio Lugo returns to the scene sometime in mid-August. That's not to say the Sox won't consider another veteran shortstop if the fit and price is right.

The Sox are still pursuing relievers. They had explored a possible deal with Washington for Jon Rauch but major league sources indicated that the asking price of Lowrie and Michael Bowden was too high. Rauch was dealt to Arizona.

The Red Sox tonight issued a press release detailing a few small Fenway Park improvements in advance of this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series. The following information comes direct from the Red Sox:

THE BLEACHER BAR: The newest addition to Fenway Park is the new Lyons Group establishment The Bleacher Bar. Located outside the Fenway Park gates and open to everyone, the Lyons Group's official grand opening of The Bleacher Bar will be on Friday, July 25 at 5:30 p.m. The Bleacher Bar, open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, contains artifacts from around Fenway and features a grand view of the ballpark from center field.

LEFT FIELD DECK: Beginning on July 25, the left field deck will be open to all ticketed fans and will be offering a vast array of Coca-Cola products, beers from around the world, items hot off the grill, and cherry and blue raspberry slush. The left field deck is located immediately below the Coca-Cola Corner, which debuted in April and can be accessed from the stairs and elevator off of the Gate E Concourse.

NEW CONCESSION ITEMS: The second half of the season will also feature an expanded selection of Boar's Head deli sandwiches, seasonal fruit offerings including fresh watermelon and pineapple, and ice cold fresh fruit smoothies, all of which will be available for sale in the big concourse. Dunkin Donuts iced coffee and Nestea iced tea will now be vended throughout the seating areas at Fenway and value meals will now be available at all concession stands that feature combos such as a hamburger, fries, and a soda or a hot dog, drink, and cotton candy as a kids meal. Concourse entertainment has been enhanced by the addition of a caricature artist and local bluegrass, rock, and Motown bands in addition to existing face-painters, magicians, and balloon artists. The Rawlings Making the Game booth now resides on Yawkey Way adjacent to Gate A and features personalized items such as bats and baseballs for purchase in addition to demonstrations on how both are made.

The Red Sox announced today that Brandon Moss has been optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. This makes room for the expected activation of David Ortiz before tomorrow night's Red Sox-Yankees series opener.

Who will be MVP of your league?

That was the question 199 American League players were asked in a Sports Illustrated survey appearing in the June 28 issue.

Thirteen percent of AL players surveyed picked Manny Ramirez as the AL MVP this season. Josh Hamilton of the Rangers was the overwhelming favorite with 74 percent of the vote.

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez came in third, receiving five percent of the vote.

No one's quite sure when it started, but if one man has his way, it will be gone this weekend. Red Sox fan and Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen today calls for the end of the "Yankees suck" chant that has rung out -- with far less frequency in recent years -- where rowdy Sox fans are gathered.

• It's obnoxious, crude and moronic
• We won in '04 (and '07), remember?
• Chanting it at a Celtics rally? Come on
• Makes us look like inebriated yokels

So check out the column, and tell us what you think -- should "Yankees suck" be shelved for good?

Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez left the team Wednesday night after learning that his father had died in the Dominican Republic.

Paulino (Pablo) Jaime died Wednesday after a lengthy battle with brain cancer, according to the New York Daily News. The cancer was known to be inoperable and terminal.

Martinez was scheduled to start Friday against the Cardinals, after being skipped in the Mets rotation due to groin trouble. Battling groin and shoulder problems this year, Martinez has a 6.25 ERA in nine starts. He had a 117-37 record while pitching for the Sox from 1998-2004.

"He came up in the seventh inning. I didn't have a chance to embrace him or anything. A sad day for him, for sure," Mets manager Jerry Manuel told the Daily News. "We've all at some point or another felt the sting of death. Our prayers are with him."

In today's New York Times, George Vescey nominates Jonathan Papelbon as "the man who has done the most to restore acrimony to the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox.":

Just when it looked as if the Yankees and Red Sox were drifting into the cozy familiarity of “Brady Bunch” reruns (four episodes you haven’t seen in at least a week), along came Papelbon, poking a sharp stick into the cage of somnolent Yankee fans.

Papelbon performed this service during the All-Star festivities last week, when he mused that he would pick himself to close the game. A posse of New York tabloids (and Papelbon’s manager, the perceptive Terry Francona) reminded Papelbon that the Yankees have a reliever named Mariano Rivera.

Vescey also writes that some Yankee fans think Papelbon may have been doing the taunting during the All-Star parade on Sixth Avenue in New York.

Let it be noted that some touchy Yankee fans on the parade route felt Papelbon was ostentatiously flashing his World Series ring, telling Yankee fans: Look what I’ve got — and your team doesn’t. Or maybe Yankee fans wanted to think he was flashing the ring.

By Dan Hickling
Globe Correspondent

PORTLAND, Maine -- Ortiz up in the bottom of the third, runners on first and second, one away.
Grounds into double play on a first pitch fastball, and is walking off the field.

He’s done for the night. His line -- 0 for 1 with 1 walk.

By Dan Hickling
Globe Correspondent

PORTLAND, Maine -- Facing Connecticut starter Brooks McNiven, Ortiz walks on five pitches in first at bat. Not one swing for Ortiz, as McNiven fell behind 3-1, then lost him inside high.

More to come.

By Dan Hickling
Globe Correspondent

PORTLAND, Maine -- We are indeed underway. Headed to the bottom of the first. Ortiz slated to bat third. More to come.