And so, when John Olerud, with five hits in 41 July at-bats, came to the plate as Romero came out of the Minnesota bullpen with no outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning last night, it was most definitely, Advantage Romero.
And yet, there was Olerud, at his locker postgame, saying, ''That's as well as I've hit a ball all year."
Olerud, ahead 2-and-1 against Romero, had looked for a fastball in, gotten one, and lined it, with the kind of force usually reserved for the likes of David Ortiz, onto the roof of the Sox bullpen. That turned a tenuous 4-3 lead into an 8-3 advantage, providing the winning runs in an 8-5 victory, giving the Sox seven wins in 10 games after beginning the month losing seven of nine.
''Olerud is one of the few lefties in the league that could make that adjustment," Romero said.
And yet Olerud did, further prompting postgame chatter among the Sox as to whether any roster adjustments need to be made before tomorrow's 4 p.m. trade deadline. The Sox are in need of a power lefthander, but Romero struggled while Mueller singled and homered. His fifth homer of the year, in the seventh inning, was a lazy fly ball that hugged Pesky Pole before disappearing into the stands in right to give the Sox a 4-1 lead.
''I love Billy," Damon said after the win, which, coupled with the Yankees' loss, pushed the Red Sox 2 1/2 games ahead of New York. ''He's been huge for us."
Bronson Arroyo, a player the Sox discussed when talking with Florida about A.J. Burnett, delivered 7 1/3 innings and, for the second straight start, found himself talking about whether this might have been his last start in a Boston uniform.
''No," Arroyo said, when asked if he's been told he won't be dealt. ''But I'm pretty confident that I'll still be around here after the 31st."
Arroyo can be confident because he's three things the Red Sox need: healthy, relatively consistent, and unaffected by struggle. Despite not striking out anyone, he allowed just three runs on five hits and a walk, lowering his ERA to 4.22, better than Matt Clement (4.43), David Wells (4.57), and Wade Miller (4.57). Miller was supposed to start but the decision to scratch him was made Wednesday when Miller complained of a stiff shoulder and was diagnosed with ''mild tendinitis."
