March 4, 2004

Roster Spots. Barring injury, there are really only two spots open on the Red Sox 25-man roster: a lefty reliever and a bench spot. Steven Krasner of the Providence Journal lays out these 23 guys:

5 Starters: Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield, Byung-Hyun Kim.
5 Relievers: Bronson Arroyo, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, Scott Williamson, Keith Foulke.
9 Starters: Jason Varitek, Kevin Millar, Pokey Reese, Nomar Garciaparra, Bill Mueller, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Trot Nixon, David Ortiz.
4 Bench: Doug Mirabelli, Gabe Kapler, Ellis Burks, Mark Bellhorn.

Bob Hohler of the Globe hints that a 5th bench spot is Brian Daubach's to lose. I would assume that health and spring performance will be the determining factors. It seems way too early to guess who will make the cut (and why), so as the exhibition games go on, I'll re-examine the possibilities.

Pedro Martinez will pitch on March 9 against Cincinnati. Curt Schilling will also pitch in the game, though it hasn't been determined who will start. ... Theo Epstein said the Red Sox has no interest in Orlando Hernandez. ... Bronson Arroyo, who looked sharp throwing batting practice, will face Jose Contreras on Sunday. Alex Rodriguez may not play in the game. ... The Red Sox named one of their spring training fields in honor of Johnny Pesky. ... Schilling says he was not "throwing at" Millar (scroll down).

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