June 3, 2004

Nomar Back on Tuesday? Nomar Garciaparra resumes his rehab with Pawtucket tonight in Toledo. He may rejoin the Red Sox next Tuesday at Fenway. When he does return, he'll DH as well as play short. ... Scott Williamson is eligible to come off the disabled list tomorrow, but is not ready to rejoin the team.

Kevin Youkilis capped his first month in the majors by being named AL Rookie of the Month for May despite playing only 13 games (.318 avg, .446 OBP, 15 runs scored). ... Trot Nixon's left quadriceps muscle is still sore, so he has stopped playing spring training games. He will continue to take batting practice, and will face Ramiro Mendoza today.

Francona said the cut on Derek Lowe's finger shouldn't prevent him from making his next start. Rats. ... Red at Surviving Grady notes that "Lowe is this close to talking to squirrels and getting 'secret messages' in his waffles." ... A Large Regular on Lowe: "On top of everything else - today [June 1] is Derek Lowe's birthday (he turned 31). Imagine spending your birthday knowing that everyone in the town you work in is talking about how bad you suck."

In his 300th career start, Pedro Martinez recorded his 2,500th strikeout. It was the five minute/15-pitch battle with Casey Kotchman in the third inning. After Martinez fell behind 3-0, Kotchman fouled off the next 11 pitches, before whiffing on a breaking ball. Martinez is tied with Christy Mathewson with 2,502 strikeouts. ... Pedro admitted he was "struggling" and "missing location," but "the good news is I'm healthy." That's what is such a concern -- that Martinez is healthy and is simply in decline.

Out Of Town: Oregon Line: "Embree is having the time of his life." ... Rivals in Exile: "Ben Jacobs and Larry Mahnken discuss the seesawing nature of this season's race between the Red Sox and Yankees, and why it's probably not a good idea for fans of either team to get too high or too low just yet."

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