Manny Ramirez is getting closer to returning from a strained muscle in his left side, but the Boston outfielder appears to be a long shot to play in the three-game series with New York.
“He's not ready to play,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said before the opener of the series between the top two teams in the AL East. “Maybe by the beginning of the week is somewhat realistic, but, again, you just don't know. He is making a lot of progress and doing a good job.”
Center fielder Coco Crisp was taken out of the starting lineup because of a sore left hip, leaving Boston without two regular outfielders.
Hargrove takes semi-pro job
More than two months after abruptly stepping down as manager of the Seattle Mariners, Mike Hargrove has decided to take over the semi-pro summer team in southwest Kansas he played for more than 30 years ago.
Hargrove, 57, will manage the Liberal BeeJays, one of the nation's most successful summer teams for college-age players in Liberal, Kan., about 50 miles from where he grew up in Perryton, Texas.
“When I resigned from the team, I said I hadn't lost my passion for the game but maybe lost my passion for the job a little bit,” Hargrove said.
