News
LaRoche acclimating to Red Sox
Boston (59-42) at Baltimore (44-57), 7:05 p.m. ET
By Maureen Mullen / Special to MLB.com
07/30/09 8:49 PM ET
BOSTON -- Adam LaRoche wasted little time getting acclimated to his new surroundings. After being acquired in a trade with the Pirates on July 22, LaRoche homered in his first game with the Red Sox. The left-handed hitter drove a blast over the Green Monster in his fourth at-bat in a Sox uniform. "Well, that was nice, that was really nice," LaRoche said. "I will admit, I was a little bit nervous, kind of felt like a rookie again out there, just being with these guys on a new team in Fenway. So, yeah, to be able to get one barely over the wall, I would say was a pretty good feeling." In six games, he has gone 5-for-19 with a home run, two runs and three RBIs, playing first base and serving as the designated hitter. "It's been great, to say the least," he said of his first week with the Red Sox. "Starting with just being comfortable coming in here from Day 1. I'm lucky to play with a lot of these guys in the past, and a lot of these guys that I haven't played with, I've just known playing against them. ... [When] it's time to play, everybody cares about winning. That's something that I've missed. Not that we weren't serious in Pittsburgh. We just didn't win a lot of games. ... So to get a taste of a playoff run and a chance to get back in the playoffs is awesome." LaRoche was traded before in his career, in January 2007, from the Braves to Pittsburgh. With the Pirates, he had the chance to play with his younger brother, Andy, who was acquired by the Bucs at the Trade Deadline in 2008 as part of the three-team deal that sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and brought Jason Bay to Boston. "[The first trade was] totally different only because it wasn't in season," the older LaRoche said. "There's no baseball going on. It was something I had kind of expected. So it's different when you got to pack up in your clubhouse and leave a team that I'd been playing with for a couple years in the middle of a season, and obviously the toughest part was leaving my little brother over there. But I got to play with him for a year, so that was worth it." In the few days that he's been with the Red Sox, it's been just what he'd expected. "I'd always heard that it was a really fun organization to play for," he said. "Guys always have a great time. If you go out and lose one or two games, you're not stressing over it. I think it's just a confidence level here that all the other teams are tying to get, and for whatever reason they got it here and usually the great teams have it." And he's looking forward to taking advantage of the Monster. "It's easier for a left-handed hitter," he said. "For a righty, it can be kind of tempting to try to pull balls out there. That used to be one of my strengths is going that way, and the last couple years I've gotten away from it, just because it was so deep at [PNC Park in Pittsburgh]. You'd hit balls really good out there, and not get anything. So it's nice to have the comfort level of being able to let the ball travel a little deeper, maybe attack some outside strikes, and know that you can get them off that wall or maybe over that wall out there." Pitching matchupBOS: RHP John Smoltz (1-4, 7.04 ERA)
Smoltz declared that "some changes have to be made" following his start on Sunday, when the Orioles tagged the veteran right-hander for six runs on nine hits over five forgettable innings. The 42-year-old has surrendered six earned runs in back-to-back outings, which has occurred only one other time in his decorated 21-year Major League career. Though he is extremely frustrated with his results through six starts in a Boston uniform, Smoltz maintains faith that his season will eventually take a turn for the better. He'll get a chance to prove that on Friday against the same Baltimore club that battered him in his last appearance. BAL: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (7-9, 5.21 ERA)
Guthrie, Baltimore's most experienced starter, has yet to log a monthly ERA under 4.62 this season. The right-hander has won consecutive decisions on just two occasions all season, one of which occurred all the way back in April. Guthrie's main obstacle this season has been avoiding the home run ball, and he's already allowed (23) just one fewer than he did in all of 2008. Tidbits
David Ortiz hit his 14th home run of the season Thursday and 13th in 45 games since June 6. ... Ortiz and Jason Varitek each had three RBIs in Thursday's game against the A's. Ortiz has 789 RBIs with the Red Sox, passing Jimmie Foxx for seventh place on the club's all-time list. For Varitek, the three RBIs are the most since a season-high four April 25 against the Yankees. ... Mike Lowell has hit safely in each of his nine games since coming off the disabled list July 17, going 13-for-32 (.406) with a home run, four doubles, nine RBIs, four runs and four walks in that span. ... J.D. Drew hit safely in all seven games on the homestand after coming in 0-for-23. He went 11-for-25 (.440) with four doubles, two RBIs, and seven runs scored in the seven games, raising his average to .250. ... Jacoby Ellsbury went 0-for-2 Thursday, snapping his stretch of consecutive multi-hit games at six. ... With the win against the A's, the Red Sox improved their record on Thursdays to 6-6, the only day on which they were below .500. Tickets
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• Saturday: Red Sox (Josh Beckett, 12-4, 3.44) at Orioles (David Hernandez, 3-2, 3.20), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Red Sox (Clay Buchholz, 1-1, 3.52) at Orioles (Rich Hill, 3-3, 7.80), 1:35 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day
Maureen Mullen is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
