Kevin Cash

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Not long after speaking with Jason Varitek yesterday, Doug Mirabelli, the captain's catching partner in crime since 2001, was given his unconditional release. It was further proof how difficult the job is - never knowing when the end is near and hoping your body doesn't betray you before you're ready to hang up your spikes. According to team sources, the 37-year-old Mirabelli's bat had slowed since last season, when he appeared in 48 games and hit just .202 with 5 home runs and 16 RBIs.

NEW YORK — Clay Buchholz pitched 7 1/3 masterful innings, the Red Sox got a homer from a Jersey Boy, and Boston beat the Yankees, 6-3, last night. So there. One hundred and 10 games gone and we still don’t know. Are the Sox in or out? Contenders or pretenders? Solid Gold Dancers or fool’s gold? Are they they playoff bound or will they be swallowed by a sinkhole on I-93? When the Sox arrived for a four-game weekend set, the New York tabloids were predictably peppered with headlines about the Yankees’ opportunity to “bury’’ Boston.

Even now, the time of year when the standings are more scrutinized than any other, the Toronto Blue Jays managed to sneak up on the Red Sox. They rolled into Fenway Park having won 11 of their last 12 games, forcing folks all over New England to ask yesterday morning: Are the Jays really only 6 1/2 games back for the wild card? Yes, they were, and the hot streak added a sudden urgency to last night's 7-0 Sox thumping of Toronto in 2 hours 40 minutes, a vital victory created by a pitcher in need of such a commanding performance.

SEATTLE — As Jon Lester walked off the mound at the end of the evening, leaving his teammates three outs to redeem themselves, his head remained down until he reached the steps, when he took his glove and slammed it on the bench. The disappointment and anger was understandable, the game having spiraled from brilliance to ERA-expanding frustration. Not only had Lester exceeded his career high with 13 strikeouts, but he had allowed the Mariners just four hits over 7 2/3 innings.

CLEVELAND - Before last night's game, as manager Terry Francona sat in his office in the visitors' clubhouse, he lamented the fact that he needs to stay away from using Jason Varitek on days when the catcher isn't in the starting lineup. On 36-year-old knees, Varitek needs a break every now and then, and the only guarantees he gets are on nights when Tim Wakefield pitches. So it was with a bit of trepidation that Francona called upon Varitek to pinch hit for Kevin Cash in the top of the ninth inning.

NEW YORK — Clay Buchholz pitched 7 1/3 masterful innings, the Red Sox got a homer from a Jersey Boy, and Boston beat the Yankees, 6-3, last night. So there. One hundred and 10 games gone and we still don’t know. Are the Sox in or out? Contenders or pretenders? Solid Gold Dancers or fool’s gold? Are they they playoff bound or will they be swallowed by a sinkhole on I-93? When the Sox arrived for a four-game weekend set, the New York tabloids were predictably peppered with headlines about the Yankees’ opportunity to “bury’’ Boston.

MINNEAPOLIS - Manny Ramírez, sore right hamstring and all, stood in the batter's box. Two outs in the ninth, down one run, Coco Crisp on second base. This was it, right? This was where pinch-hitter Ramírez would bring the Red Sox back from the depths of a loss once again. Well, almost. His grounder to shortstop didn't quite get it done, Adam Everett winging the ball to Justin Morneau for the out at first base. But the fact that the Red Sox even had a chance, now that was the surprising part.

SEATTLE — By the time the Red Sox finished their excruciating 8-6 victory against the Mariners Thursday night, 13 innings and nearly four hours had elapsed. The fact that starting pitcher John Lackey lost a no-hitter with two outs in the eighth inning became an afterthought. “That was probably one of the strangest no-decisions of my career,’’ Lackey said before the second game of the series last night. “But at this point, we just need to win games no matter how we do it.’’ Lackey allowed an unearned run in the second inning, the product of a walk, stolen...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that Daisuke Matsuzaka is a lousy, good-for-nothing scoundrel. He’s not that bad. Problem is, he should be better than he is. As frustrating as he was to watch in his first two seasons, he won 33 games. You can’t argue with that. But last year was a washout, mostly because of injuries, and this year he’s had two stints on the disabled list, one for a neck strain, one for a forearm strain. You never know if he’s hurt or not hurt, pitching well or poorly.

SEATTLE — As Jon Lester walked off the mound at the end of the evening, leaving his teammates three outs to redeem themselves, his head remained down until he reached the steps, when he took his glove and slammed it on the bench. The disappointment and anger was understandable, the game having spiraled from brilliance to ERA-expanding frustration. Not only had Lester exceeded his career high with 13 strikeouts, but he had allowed the Mariners just four hits over 7 2/3 innings.

SEATTLE — By the time the Red Sox finished their excruciating 8-6 victory against the Mariners Thursday night, 13 innings and nearly four hours had elapsed. The fact that starting pitcher John Lackey lost a no-hitter with two outs in the eighth inning became an afterthought. “That was probably one of the strangest no-decisions of my career,’’ Lackey said before the second game of the series last night. “But at this point, we just need to win games no matter how we do it.’’ Lackey allowed an unearned run in the second inning, the product of a walk, stolen base, and passed ball.

Sitting in his box on Level 3 of Fenway Park, overlooking the field where his ball club got pounded, 7-2, by the Rangers last night, Red Sox owner John Henry pondered the immediate future of the local nine. “We have to survive July and all these road games coming up,’’ said Henry. “If we’re still in it Aug. 1, I like our chances.’’ Down the hall from Henry’s box, general manager Theo Epstein considered the situation and said, “We’re still in the middle of things, despite everything that’s happened.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that Daisuke Matsuzaka is a lousy, good-for-nothing scoundrel. He’s not that bad. Problem is, he should be better than he is. As frustrating as he was to watch in his first two seasons, he won 33 games. You can’t argue with that. But last year was a washout, mostly because of injuries, and this year he’s had two stints on the disabled list, one for a neck strain, one for a forearm strain. You never know if he’s hurt or not hurt, pitching well or poorly.

Shortly before game time, Red Sox media relations person Leah Tobin announced, “Mike Cameron has been scratched from tonight’s game with abdominal soreness.’’ At this point you begin to think, OK, is Leah pulling our leg? Is this just a bad joke? Is this for real? How can there be a new injury or two almost every other day? And is Cameron’s injury part of the injury he already has (torn lower abdominal muscle) that acts up every now and then? While I know you can not anoint the manager of the year on July 3, but, if you could, Terry Francona would...

Even now, the time of year when the standings are more scrutinized than any other, the Toronto Blue Jays managed to sneak up on the Red Sox. They rolled into Fenway Park having won 11 of their last 12 games, forcing folks all over New England to ask yesterday morning: Are the Jays really only 6 1/2 games back for the wild card? Yes, they were, and the hot streak added a sudden urgency to last night's 7-0 Sox thumping of Toronto in 2 hours 40 minutes, a vital victory created by a pitcher in need of such a commanding performance.

BALTIMORE - Even he knew, as he walked off the mound, as he walked out of the major leagues (for now), what his fate would be. There was little else to do, little leeway, on a team for which every win is precious. Clay Buchholz could have looked at the scoreboard and seen the three runs already in on his watch, with two more soon to follow, and realized that all this - the big league parks and the pressure of a season nearing its end - would no longer be his. Not long after the Red Sox finished up an 11-6 loss to the Orioles last night in front of 33,364, a...

Sitting in his box on Level 3 of Fenway Park, overlooking the field where his ball club got pounded, 7-2, by the Rangers last night, Red Sox owner John Henry pondered the immediate future of the local nine. “We have to survive July and all these road games coming up,’’ said Henry. “If we’re still in it Aug. 1, I like our chances.’’ Down the hall from Henry’s box, general manager Theo Epstein considered the situation and said, “We’re still in the middle of things, despite everything that’s happened.

The last time the Red Sox tried someone other than Doug Mirabelli behind the plate with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, general manager Theo Epstein was panicked into what he now rues as his worst trade. Epstein gave up on catcher Josh Bard - who had committed 10 passed balls in five starts with Wakefield, including four in one game - and packaged him with reliever Cla Meredith to the Padres to get back Mirabelli. That was May 1, 2006, when Mirabelli received a police escort from Logan Airport and a hero's welcome at Fenway Park, perhaps the only place on the planet where a backup...

MINNEAPOLIS - Manny Ramírez, sore right hamstring and all, stood in the batter's box. Two outs in the ninth, down one run, Coco Crisp on second base. This was it, right? This was where pinch-hitter Ramírez would bring the Red Sox back from the depths of a loss once again. Well, almost. His grounder to shortstop didn't quite get it done, Adam Everett winging the ball to Justin Morneau for the out at first base. But the fact that the Red Sox even had a chance, now that was the surprising part.

CLEVELAND - Before last night's game, as manager Terry Francona sat in his office in the visitors' clubhouse, he lamented the fact that he needs to stay away from using Jason Varitek on days when the catcher isn't in the starting lineup. On 36-year-old knees, Varitek needs a break every now and then, and the only guarantees he gets are on nights when Tim Wakefield pitches. So it was with a bit of trepidation that Francona called upon Varitek to pinch hit for Kevin Cash in the top of the ninth inning.