''We're trying to get a good feel for where we can use our guys successfully," summarized manager Terry Francona.
Welcome to spring training, in September, amid a pennant chase.
Foulke? Three days shy of Labor Day, he pitched for the first time since the Fourth of July. He entered with two outs in the seventh, the Sox behind, 6-3, and threw only 10 pitches, allowing an RBI single to Jay Gibbons on an 0-and-2 changeup before getting Javy Lopez to line out to right. All of his fastballs came in at 86 or 87 miles per hour, his changeups between 75 and 78.
He did not make himself available postgame. Francona, asked what he could say about Foulke's outing, began with: ''We got it out of the way." And that's really all that could be said on this night, Foulke's stay too brief for any real analysis.
''He got Javy, who has really been tough on him," Francona noted. ''We got it out of the way, which I thought was necessary and good."
Despite being a team in an absolute spiral -- losers of 10 of 14 -- the Orioles keep getting in Boston's way. The Sox have won just five times in 13 games vs. Baltimore this season, held to a .240 average and 3.8 runs per game. No American League team has held the Sox to a lower team batting average.
Baltimore, in fact, held the Sox scoreless for the closing five innings, Boston plating two in the first, one in the fourth, and nothing more. Maine (6-11 with a 4.56 ERA in 23 Triple A starts this season) struggled in the first, then shut the Sox down (5 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER).
He allowed both hits in the first inning, when the Sox loaded the bases on a Manny Ramirez single sandwiched between two walks. Jason Varitek attempted to check a swing but still sent the ball about 270 feet into the left-field corner for a two-run double.
That would be the Sox' last hit off Maine (2-1, 2.91 ERA). Johnny Damon thought the Sox allowed the young righthander to ''get too comfortable. It seems like these young guys pitching are tough on us. We're guessing a little more."
