New Look Sox
The Boston Red Sox put a big distraction behind them on Thursday – but
they also lost one of the most prolific power hitters in their history.
The slumping Red Sox begin adjusting to life without
Manny Ramirez on Friday when they open a three-game series with theOakland Athletics at Fenway Park.
Oddsmakers from SBG Global
have made Boston -135 money line favorites (MLB Odds) for tonight’s game, the over/under has
been set at 8.5 total runs (Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 69% of bets for this game have been placed on Boston -135 (View MLB Bet Percentages).
The Red Sox (61-48) sent
Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers just before Thursday’s non-waiver
trade deadline in a three-team deal that brings Pittsburgh outfielder
Jason Bay to Boston. The trade came after Ramirez’s relationship with
Boston once again went south – on Wednesday the slugger told
ESPNdeportes: "The Red Sox don’t deserve a player like me.”
The
eccentric outfielder, the MVP of the 2004 World Series, was hitting
.299 with a team-leading 20 homers and 68 RBIs for Boston. Ramirez, who
hit his 500th homer earlier this season, also had requested trades
after both the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
"During my years here I’ve
seen how they have mistreated other great players when they didn’t want
them to try to turn the fans against them," he said Wednesday.
While
the Red Sox are losing one of just eight players in major league
history to hit at least 20 homers in 14 consecutive seasons, they did
pick up a formidable hitter in Bay. The two-time All-Star was hitting
.282 with 22 home runs and 64 RBIs in Pittsburgh.
The Red Sox are
hoping that the changes in their roster will give them a jolt after
they were swept in three games this week by the Los Angeles Angels. The
sweep was capped by Wednesday’s 9-2 loss in which Boston committed four
errors.
"That was a difficult (loss) all the way around," manager
Terry Francona said. "There wasn’t a whole lot of pleasure watching
that game."
The Red Sox, who have dropped five of six overall, fell three games behind first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East race.
Meanwhile,
the Athletics (53-54) suffered a three-game sweep to Kansas City,
concluding with Wednesday’s 4-3 loss. Oakland, a major league-worst
2-10 since the All-Star break, fell under .500 for the first time since
April 6.
"We had a lot of baserunners and we were doing things at
the plate we haven’t done lately," A’s manager Bob Geren said. "We
didn’t get the big hit. One hit here or there and it could be a
different ballgame."
The A’s could get a boost on Friday, as
designated hitter Frank Thomas could return to the lineup. Thomas,
batting .319 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 28 games, has been on the
DL since late May with a right quadriceps injury.
Oakland will
hand the ball to starter Justin Duchscherer (10-7, 2.37 ERA), who owns
the lowest ERA in the majors. However, his ERA jumped up by half a run
after he was pounded for career highs of eight runs and nine hits in
six innings of Saturday’s 9-4 loss to Texas.
The All-Star right-hander had not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his first 17 starts.
Duchscherer
is 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 14 career appearances against the Red Sox. He
made his first start against them on May 24, throwing eight scoreless
innings in a 3-0 home win.
Boston counters with Tim Wakefield
(6-8, 3.94), who has dropped his last two starts, allowing 10 runs in
12 1-3 innings. The right-handed knuckleballer gave up six runs in 5
1-3 innings of Saturday’s 10-3 loss to the New York Yankees.
Wakefield
is 9-6 with a 4.32 ERA in 36 career appearances – 25 starts – against
the A’s. He surrendered a season-high eight runs in five innings in an
8-3 loss at Oakland on May 23.
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