« Tonight's lineups | Main | Auction for HR No. 50 »

Carlos in left; Coco checked out

Those astute observers of the lineup will have noticed that Carlos Pena will be playing left field in Fenway tonight, and Coco Crisp is out of the lineup entirely.

There's news there on both counts.

Crisp, whose injured finger has impaired his first season in a Red Sox uniform, will have that injury checked out by a specialist today. Because of that, manager Terry Francona decided to keep him out of the lineup, replacing him with Gabe Kapler.

Pena has never played outfield in the major leagues. But, he assured his manager when he arrived in Boston, he's not proud, and he'll play anywhere. (He even said he'd pinch run again today, something that Francona's not likely to take him up on, given his lack of speed.) Pena just wants to play, after not getting much opportunity since joining his hometown team. And -- bonus time -- he's 6 for 18 lifetime against Johan Santana. Against Santana that's about as good as you're going to get.

Meanwhile, both Wily Mo Pena and Kevin Youkilis should be ready for action tomorrow in Toronto.

That's it from here. We'll have more as the evening progresses.