Scott Kazmir

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Roger Clemens was outpitched, and the New York Yankees fell below .500 again. Still, manager Joe Torre was convinced last night that the team is headed in the right direction in its bid to climb back into playoff contention. "I learned through my years of doing this that even though everything is judged on winning and losing, it's the tenacity of the team," Torre said after Scott Kazmir shut down the Yankees for six innings of a 6-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

I'm not looking for the Red Sox to do anything big from here on out, but more pitching depth will be added both in the rotation and the bullpen. We've seen recent signings like Aaron Cook, Carlos Silva, and Justin Germano -- veteran guys who can compete in spring training. There may be one or two more of those. The bullpen could use another lefty, and perhaps another seventh-inning type guy. I'm sure we'll see an injury rehab guy or two like a Scott Kazmir, Brandon Webb or a Joel Zumaya in the pen. Not saying it will be those names, but similar to them.

Gary Sheffield hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the ninth inning and the Yankees sent the fading Indians to their eighth straight loss, 6-4, last night in Cleveland. The Yankees stopped a slide of their own, winning for only the second time in eight games and snapping a three-game losing streak. Shortstop Derek Jeter came out of the game in the ninth after he was hit on the left elbow by a pitch from Bob Wickman. X-rays were negative and he is expected to play tonight. Enrique Wilson pinch ran for Jeter, and Sheffield followed with his 32d homer, just over the 19-foot high wall in left.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As an old football coach once said, “I reserve the right to change my mind.’’ That is apparently what Rays owner Stuart Sternberg did. On July 10, Sternberg said that even if attendance continued to stay below expectations, he wouldn’t cut the team’s $63 million payroll. In fact, he told Tampa reporters, “As long as we’re in the hunt, I don’t see us, because of financial reasons, pulling back from that. Clearly, though, it’s a multiyear process and the money doesn’t come out of thin air, and money spent this year and budgetary shortfalls from our...

Scott Kazmir did his part to get the Tampa Bay Rays back on track. The All-Star lefthander allowed one hit in six scoreless innings, and the Rays' bullpen weathered ninth-inning home runs by Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez to beat the Yankees, 7-5, and avoid a three-game sweep last night in St. Petersburg, Fla. Willy Aybar homered and drove in three runs for the AL East leaders, who avoided a three-game sweep and extended their lead in...

Comeback win, curious loss. The New York Yankees' roller-coaster season rambles on. Nick Green hit a go-ahead, three-run homer, Scott Kazmir pitched seven solid innings and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays rebounded from an embarrassing defeat with a 5-3 victory yesterday over host New York. Less than 18 hours after allowing 13 runs in the eighth inning of a 20-11 loss, the last-place Devil Rays improved to 6-3 against the Yankees, who got another home run from Gary Sheffield but little else.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana finally lost at the Metrodome, an amazing streak nearly two years old that ultimately ended against Tampa Bay. Don't be that surprised, though, because these Devil Rays can hit. Carl Crawford's inside-the-park home run and Scott Kazmir's eight sharp innings helped Tampa Bay beat Santana and the Minnesota Twins, 4-2, last night. Despite striking out 10 in seven innings, including five of the last six batters he faced, Santana (2-1) lost at home for the first time since Aug. 1, 2005.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- There's no clock in baseball, but there is a pitch count. That was the Red Sox' hope. Scott Kazmir, a 21-year-old lefthander, mesmerized the Sox for seven innings (one run on four hits) at Tropicana Field last night before the largest crowd (30,530) of the season, but was close to his 110-pitch limit (108, to be exact), so Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella called on his bullpen to hold a lead. But the Red Sox erased a 4-1 deficit with a run in the eighth and two in ninth.

Tim Wakefield may be on one of those runs he's gone on a few times in his distinguished career, when he's virtually unhittable for a long stretch. It's too early to tell whether this is Wakefield vintage 1995, when he started his Sox career with a 14-1 record in his first 17 starts (and a 1.65 ERA) after the Pirates released him. But yesterday's 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay, completing a sweep of the Devil Rays, was the third consecutive strong outing for Wakefield (2-0 with a 1.37 ERA)

Nick Blackburn cruised through seven innings, and the Minnesota Twins roughed up Scott Kazmir from the start in an 8-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays last night in Minneapolis. Blackburn (2-1) gave up two runs on eight hits and Justin Morneau had three hits, a walk, and an RBI for the Twins, who took two of three from the defending AL champions. Kazmir (3-2) lasted just four innings, the second rough outing in his last three starts. The lefthander gave up eight runs - six earned - on nine hits with four walks and four strikeouts and was all over the place in a 34-pitch first inning.

Scott Kazmir picked a great time for his best start of the season. Kazmir took a shutout into the eighth inning, and Ben Zobrist and Carlos Pena homered on consecutive pitches as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Texas Rangers, 5-3, last night in St. Petersburg, Fla. “That’s as good as he’s been all year in my mind,’’ Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. “It was really fun to watch. I was really impressed.’’ Kazmir (8-7) didn’t allow a run until Taylor Teagarden opened the eighth with a homer.

Zack Greinke could appreciate the game Carl Crawford had against him. Crawford had three hits, three RBIs, and stole his 49th base of the season, leading the Tampa Bay Rays past the Kansas City Royals, 10-4, yesterday in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays’ All-Star left fielder went 3 for 3 against Greinke (10-7) after having just one hit in 16 previous at-bats against him. “He hit a fastball away, a slow curve, and changeup down,’’ Greinke said. “He helped make it look worse than it could have been.’’ Willy Aybar hit solo homers from both sides of the plate for the...

Nick Blackburn cruised through seven innings, and the Minnesota Twins roughed up Scott Kazmir from the start in an 8-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays last night in Minneapolis. Blackburn (2-1) gave up two runs on eight hits and Justin Morneau had three hits, a walk, and an RBI for the Twins, who took two of three from the defending AL champions. Kazmir (3-2) lasted just four innings, the second rough outing in his last three starts. The lefthander gave up eight runs - six earned - on nine hits with four walks and four strikeouts and was all over the place in a 34-pitch first inning.

The symmetry of last night's starting pitchers made the billing impossible to resist. Jon Lester and Scott Kazmir are both 25, both lefthanded, and both players their franchises consider bedrock. Lester and Kazmir, who met in the season's second game, figure to shape baseball's best burgeoning rivalry for years. It was a pitching duel fit for a boxing poster. But Lester vs. Kazmir shouldn't have been a fair fight. No place brought Lester more comfort last season than Fenway Park.

Scott Kazmir had a much better day than Bronson Arroyo . Kazmir drove in three runs yesterday, and the Rays took advantage of Arroyo's struggles with his breaking ball, rolling to an 11-2 victory over the Reds at Sarasota, Fla. Kazmir struck out five and gave up four hits in six innings, including Jay Bruce's two-run homer. He also had a wind-blown, two-run double in Tampa Bay's eight-run fourth inning off Arroyo, who couldn't get his breaking pitches to work.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - Remember those days when the Red Sox and Yankees would meet in Florida, just four months after an epic seven-game American League Championship Series? Fans would sleep on the sidewalk trying to get tickets and we'd promote the Grapefruit joust with something like . . . "Game Eight! This Time It Counts!" Nothing like that happened yesterday, even though the traditional tumblers were in place. It was, after all, a spring training game featuring the two titans of the AL East just four months after they completed a seven-game clash for the right to advance to the...

Scott Kazmir had a much better day than Bronson Arroyo . Kazmir drove in three runs yesterday, and the Rays took advantage of Arroyo's struggles with his breaking ball, rolling to an 11-2 victory over the Reds at Sarasota, Fla. Kazmir struck out five and gave up four hits in six innings, including Jay Bruce's two-run homer. He also had a wind-blown, two-run double in Tampa Bay's eight-run fourth inning off Arroyo, who couldn't get his breaking pitches to work.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The most important news involving the Red Sox yesterday came from 3,000 miles away - bigger than Opening Day II, bigger than any player on the current roster. Josh Beckett was deemed ready to start his season after pitching a final intrasquad game at the minor league complex in Fort Myers, Fla. Beckett missed Japan. Who cares? He missed Oakland. No big deal. He apparently is ready to pitch, according to manager Terry Francona, against Toronto Sunday, opposing Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay - one of the most formidable pitchers and teams the Sox will face this...

If patriotism is supposed to be the last refuge for scoundrels, then referencing history is the last refuge for shocked fans who have just seen their team fall behind, three games to one, in an American League Championship Series. "A lot of people were yelling things at us in the stands," said Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford, who had just become the third man in LCS history to go 5 for 5. "One guy was yelling, 'Go ask Derek Jeter.' He was really loud. Everybody heard him. There's going to be a lot more of that.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Just about one month ago, Terry Francona ran out of pitchers in the 14th inning of a game with the Tampa Bay Rays and had no choice but to summon Mike Timlin. You know what happened. Carlos Peña hit a three-run homer to win the game. Last night, Terry Francona found himself in the 11th inning of a playoff game with the Tampa Bay Rays and he had two pitching options - Paul Byrd, a career starter, or Mike Timlin, a career reliever trying desperately to hang on as a major league pitcher at the age of 42. He chose Timlin.