Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • Page C05

THE HARTFORD COURANT WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 C5 ORIOLES 5, RED SOX 2 O'S ADD TO WOES I RED SOX NOTEBOOK I Delcarmen Traded To The Rockies Boston Gets Minor League Pitcher Defense Doesn't Help As Sox Fall 8 Behind Yankees while to make the adjustment." "It's always been the same. When Manny's delivery is on time, he's got three good pitches. When it's not, he's got a fastball for ball one, and everything's up." The Sox apparently felt they could replace Delcarmen, 28, with a reliever from the minors, Robert Manuel. They were also pleased to get Balcom-Miller, who has been assigned to Greenville (S.C.) Balcom-Miller, 21, had a 3.31 ERA with Asheville (N.C.) in the South Atlantic League. The righthander was highly regarded by By AMALIE BENJAMIN Boston Globe BALTIMORE In a move general manager Theo Epstein said was not a signal that the Red Sox were giving up on the season, Manny Delcarmen was traded to Colorado on Tuesday, along with cash considerations, for Class A pitcher Chris Balcom-Miller.

"Manny wasn't necessarily pitching in the highest-leverage situations anymore," Epstein said. "We had a couple guys who had passed him on the depth chart, most recently Felix Doubront. We ended up getting a prospect we liked. Manny gets a change of scenery It's not a reflection of any grander plan. We're constantly looking for guys we can lean on in high-leverage situations.

The way the season evolved, at Red Sox scout Blair Henry when he was in junior college in California before being taken by the Rockies in the sixth round of the 2009 draft. "Throws a good downhill fastball with sink," Epstein said. "Had a plus changeup as an amateur. Delcarmen By AMALIE BENJAMIN Boston Globe BALTIMORE Daniel Nava could only watch the ninth and final pitch of the at-bat, a curveball, break over the plate and into the catcher's glove for a called strike three. The top of the seventh was over, with runners left stranded at second and third.

With each missed opportunity, the Red Sox season slips a little further away After general manager Theo Epstein talked about the need for the Sox to get hotter than they've been this season to even have a prayer of making the postseason, the Red Sox dropped yet another game to the Orioles. Baltimore's 5-2 victory Tuesday night the Red Sox's third loss in a row was yet another game the Sox have lost to a team at the bottom of the standings. With 30 games left, the Red Sox fell eight games behind the AL-East leading Yankees and, with the Rays' loss, stayed seven back in the wild card race. "It's not impossible," Epstein had said before the game. "I'm not going to sit here and blow smoke and say we're right where we want to be.

We're not. Got to get extremely hot and catch some breaks along the way" Tuesday was not a good start. Still, there was a moment when it seemed as if the Red Sox might take a small step toward that necessary winning streak in their first game in a three-game series at Camden Yards. They had Nava at the plate, down by one run, with J.D. Drew waiting on third base and Ryan Kalish pinch running on second.

On the mound? Jim Johnson, owner of a 6.50 ERA against the Sox, having allowed 13 runs in 18 innings. And Nava, pinch hitting for Darnell McDonald, struck out looking. Reliever Felix Doubront allowed home runs to Luke Scott and Felix Pie in the eighth as the O's put the game away and won for the seventh time in 13 meetings with the Red Sox this season. Part of the loss could also be pinned on another injury, this time on the ailing rotator cuff of shortstop Marco Scutaro. So as Josh Beckett (4-4, 6.21 ERA) had another bounce-back start, allowing just three runs (two earned) over seven innings, it was the defense behind him that let him down, instead of the other way around.

After the game, Beckett left the clubhouse without speaking to reporters. Scutaro was around to talk. Asked about the arm, Scutaro said: "It's what I have. No excuses." In the third, he nearly threw his glove down in disgust and frustration, having just thrown away a ball that could have ended the inning. Instead, two runs came home, putting the Sox in another hole, in another bad start for a team that has had far too many of them.

It was already the second miscue for Scutaro in the game, just three innings old at that point. He had already held a ball on Ty Wigginton in the first, allowing him to reach on an infield hit. The double clutches and held balls have become routine, as Scutaro continues with rotator cuff issues. And while he continues to play nearly every day, the missed outs and overthrows have begun to add up. Teammates said Scutaro is hurting more than he's We just saw him again this year now with a plus slider.

So he's got potential for three average to above-average pitches. Guy who keeps the ball on the ground, plus a strike thrower." One of the reasons Delcarmen became expendable is the emergence of Doubront, who continues to fill a hole for the Sox, pushing Delcarmen and Hideki Okajima down the depth chart. Despite his concerns about whether he would make the transition well, Doubront has been promising enough that he might remain in the bullpen for 2011, given that the Sox starting rotation appears full. Tuesday, however, he came into the game in the eighth inning and gave up solo home runs to Luke Scott and Felix Pie. Hermida Released The Red Sox Sox released outfielder Jeremy who was acquired last offseason from the Florida Marlins for Jose Alvarez and Hunter Jones.

Hermida hit just .203 in 52 games with five home runs and 27 RBI. His season was interrupted by five broken ribs sustained in a collision with Adrian Beltre, after which he made little impact. Victor Martinez had two more hits, giving him a six-game hitting streak during which he has batted .480. The Orioles are 5-2 at home against the Red Sox with two games left in the season series, which they will win for the first time since 1998. this point in time, Manny wasn't one of those guys, so we thought it worthwhile to get an asset that can really help us in the future for what was now becoming a diminishing asset for us." The Sox had sent Delcarmen through waivers, and he had been claimed by the Rockies.

So the teams worked out a deal for the Boston native, drafted by the Sox in the second round in 2000 out of West Roxbury High School. The righthander pitched for the Sox for six seasons and has a career 3.89 ERA. But Delcarmen's tenure was marked by inconsistency, and he had fallen to the point where the Sox rarely turned to him in key situations. Despite the fact that, when pitching well, Delcarmen had closer-type stuff, that happened far too rarely for the Sox to rely on him. In his past four outings in Boston, Delcarmen came into the game when the Sox were losing, including an appearance with the team down by 14 runs against the Blue Jays on Aug.

20. "When he would leave the rubber too quick, there were stretches where he just couldn't get his arm to catch up on time," manager Terry Francona said. "And he knew it, but he couldn't make the adjustment during his outing. John Farrell would go out to the mound, and he'd say, 'Yeah, I know. When everything was working on time, it worked good.

But when it wasn't, it took him a little ASSOCIATED PRESS RELIEVER FELIX DOUBRONT gets a new ball ready after Luke Scott, rounding third, sent one into the seats in right in the eighth inning, the first of two homers Doubront allowed in the inning. letting on. "I think it's affecting him quite a bit," Jed Lowrie said. "He goes out there and plays every night, which is a testament to him cause he's a tough guy I think his shoulder is not where he wants it to be." That sentiment was echoed by Mike Lowell: "I think he just has to put a lot more of his body into it. I think he needs to be commended, as opposed to criticized.

He's been playing with a lot of pain for a while now. He's gutting it out. I know a lot of guys have gone down. He keeps trekking along. I'm sure he doesn't feel like he's 100 percent, but he's giving everything he's got.

In the third, when Scutaro threw the ball past second base, the Orioles went up by three. After Brian Roberts led off with a single to right field, moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a groundout, Adam Jones hit a slow roller to Scutaro. The ball went nowhere near its target, as Scutaro attempted to force Scott (walk) at second base. Roberts scored. Scott scored.

The Orioles had already scored a run in the first, when Nick Markakis doubled and came home on Scott's single. The Sox got two runs back in the fifth when Lowrie took Brian Matusz deep, sending a ball into the seats in left field. That brought Lowell home too, cutting the deficit to 3-2. It was Lowell, though, who was left arguing with home plate umpire Ed Rapuano at the end of the top of the sixth. With two outs and men on first and third, Lowell went down looking at a called third strike to end the inning.

Lowell thought the pitch was low, and let the umpire know. YANKEES NOTEBOOK Burnett Feels No Urgency Despite O-For-August Teixeira Continued from Page CI Phil Hughes was the recipient of the offensive barrage. Hughes (16-6, 4.10 ERA) walked five for the second consecutive start, but got through five innings with just two runs and four hits allowed. He struck out one. He was gone after 98 pitches, just 52 for strikes.

"I just couldn't get my mechanics down. It was all over the place," Hughes said. "It's not fun to pitch like that." Said Swisher: "The thing that made us happy is he went out there and grinded it out. You want pitchers with heart." Lost in all the slugging was the end of Marcus Thames' home run streak. After six homers in five consecutive starts, Thames went 0 for 4.

The Yankees struck early against righthander Vin Mazzaro (6-7, 4.05). The first three batters reached and the first run scored on a double-play grounder by Robinson Cano. The second scored on an error by second baseman Mark Ellis, who booted a grounder to his right hit by Swisher. Jorge Posada followed with a triple off the left field wall to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. It was Posada's first triple since April 26, 2008.

It should have been a double, but A's third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff dropped the throw from left that would have caught Posada. After the A's scored a run in REUTERS MARK TEIXEIRA'S three-run homer in the fourth inning gives the Yankees a 9-2 lead. Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher also homered. our part. We're going to let the guy pitch.

We need him to pitch." Another guy the Yankees need to pitch is Andy Pettitte. He is scheduled for a modified bullpen session today in which he simulates an inning, sits down, then throws another inning. Pettitte, out since July 20 with a strained left groin, said he would prefer that over a regular bullpen session like he threw Sunday, when he went 35 pitches without a break in Chicago. "Just because it would give me an opportunity to just progress a little bit," he said. "I feel like I want to progress each time if I'm feeling good." Berkman Expected Today Lance Berkman (sprained right ankle) could be activated Wednesday as rosters expand.

Girardi said before the game the team had not settled on which minor leaguers would get called up, but reliever Jonathan Albaladejo will be among them. Five Yankees prospects were named to the Phoenix team for the Arizona Fall League: catcher Austin Romine, pitchers Craig Heyes and George Kontos, infielder Corban Joseph and outfielder Brandon Laird. By ANTHONY RIEBER Newsday NEW YORK Yankees manager Joe Girardi wouldn't come right out and say it, but it seems as if A. J. Burnett will not be pitching for his rotation spot when he faces the Athletics tonight.

Burnett was brutal in August (0-4, 7.80 ERA) and Javier Vazquez made a case to rejoin the rotation Monday night with 4 strong innings in relief of Dustin Mose-ley. But Girardi said he's keeping the rotation status quo at the moment. "We haven't made any changes," he said. "Right now, we're on schedule. We haven't really talked about it.

Javy has thrown the ball extremely well his last two outings. There's no hiding that fact." Just as there's no hiding how bad Burnett has been. Burnett made a joke Tuesday about having to go work "on nothing" when reporters approached him. He was not in a mood to talk about his struggles. "We'll watch him, see how he's throwing," Girardi said.

"Hopefully, he gets on a roll and just pitches a really good game. But there won't be a sense of panic on the third, Swisher hit a two-run homer to right on a 3-and-0 pitch in the bottom of the inning. Granderson' home run on 3-and-l in the fourth gave the Yankees a 6-2 lead and Teixeira' three-run homer (on a 2-and-2 pitch) gave the Yankees a seven-run advantage. Teixeira, who has 10 home runs in his last 18 home games, became the sixth Yankee to hit at least 30 in each of his first two seasons. The others are Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield.

Teixeira is also up to 95 RBI. And once again, the Yankees did all this without Rodriguez, who went through his second day of on-field workouts during batting practice. The Yankees are hopeful he will be able to return from his strained calf muscle Sunday They are 16-3 when he doesn't start. "It's not a formula that you really want to draw up and press your luck too much," manager Joe Girardi said. "Some guys have stepped up in his absence." An Associated Press report is included in this story.

1 CONNECTICUT MID-AMATEUR I Ahern Stays Consistent In 5-Shot Win Over Hedden from competitive golf. He lived in Boston and played sparingly. "Golf was life and death, and I needed to getaway," he said. He started playing competitively again in Connecticut about 2 years ago. He said his mental approach was much improved.

"I put a lot of time and effort and played well in the Amateur reaching the quarterfinal round," he said. In the final round Tuesday, he was 1 over on the front side after a bogey 4 at the ninth. Still, he was four shots ahead of Hedden. An 8-iron shot led to a 6-foot birdie putt for Ahern on the par-3 11th. A Hedden bogey at the par-4 13th increased Ahern's lead to six shots.

By TOM YANTZ tyantzcourant.com STAMFORD Only one player finished under par in the Connecticut Mid-Amateur Championship. Brian Ahern shot rounds of 70 and 73 Tuesday, and his 54-hole total of 3-under 213 gave him a five-stroke victory over defending champion Jeff Hedden at Rock-rimmon Country Club. Rockrimmon club champion Robert Diskin (220) was third in the Connecticut State Golf Association event for players 25 and older. "From tee to green, Brian was consistent all day," said Hedden, who played with Ahern and first-round leader Jim Gentile in the final threesome. "I couldn't put any pressure on him, in part because he was so steady and good." Ahern, 35, from Wampanoag CC in West Hartford, entered the 36-hole windup three shots behind Gentile, who opened with a 5-under 67 but wound up tied for sixth at 222.

Ahern seized a three-shot advantage with his 2-under 70 in the morning and never came close to relinquishing the lead in the afternoon. "I couldn't be more thrilled than you can possibly imagine," said Ahern, the 1999 State Amateur champion. Ahern, a 1998 UConn graduate, said "this one trumps the Am." That's because he took five years off "I must have had six three-putts in the 36 holes," said Hedden, who plays out of Black Hall in Old Lyme. "My putting was horrible." Ahern, on the other hand, was consistent on the greens. "My 6-footers were really good, put it that way," he said.

A drive that stopped at the base of a tree at the par-5 15th left Ahern with an unplayable lie. He ended up with a bogey. Ahern said his reaction in the past probably would have been, "How could I get a break like that?" Tuesday, it was "just part of the game." Deal with it and move on. Ahern did just that to take home the 23rd Mid-Amateur trophy..