PHOENIX -- It remains to be seen what effect Mike Timlin's five-week absence from the Red Sox will have on his pitching. But it took just one batter in yesterday afternoon's 5-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks to see that his fielding could use a little work.
Timlin's throwing error on a sacrifice bunt led to three unearned Arizona runs in the eighth inning and blew up what had been a tense pitching duel between Randy Johnson and Daisuke Matsuzaka.
"Bad toss, bad error," Timlin said.
The Sox returned home with three wins in seven games on this trip, and with their lead over the Yankees under double digits for the first time since May 24. Five games have been sliced off the lead in 12 days. The Sox led the Yankees by 14 1/2 games May 29; since then, the Bombers have gone 9-2, the Sox 4-7, and the lead is 9 1/2.
The start of a trend? The last time the Yankees drew this close, they lost five in a row while the Sox ran off five straight wins. The Sox return home to play six games against the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants, who occupy the bottom two rungs in the National League West; the Yankees will be hosting the Diamondbacks before the Mets come to Yankee Stadium for the resumption of the Subway Series.
Matsuzaka didn't sign on for this when he came to the American League: having to bat against the 6-foot-10-inch Johnson, who at 43 was as menacing as ever, striking out nine while allowing a run on four hits in six innings.
"When I stood in the box and saw his slider, for those of us who don't hit, I thought, 'This is an impossible pitch,' " said Matsuzaka, who matched the Big Unit whiff for whiff but trailed, 2-1, when he was pulled after six, having allowed two runs on four hits and four walks.
"I wanted very much to hang on," said Matsuzaka, who lingered in the visitors' clubhouse for nearly 40 minutes before appearing in the interview room.
The Sox, who had a chance to come home with a winning trip despite losing the first three in Oakland, didn't lose their grip until the eighth, which began with Conor Jackson's base hit off reliever Brendan Donnelly. Javier Lopez walked Stephen Drew after he was unable to put down a bunt, and manager Terry Francona summoned Timlin, making his first appearance for the big club since May 2, the day before he was placed on the disabled list with what the team is calling tendinitis in his shoulder.
On Saturday, when Timlin was activated and the Sox cut ties with J.C. Romero, Francona said he wanted to ease Timlin into action. "But a ground-ball guy, I wanted to see him in that situation," Francona said. "It was the right time. I thought it was a good situation for him. One thing happened that Mike usually handles."
