--RHP Justin Masterson suffered his first career defeat at Fenway Park on Wednesday night after starting out 7-0 dating back to last year's rookie campaign. Masterson allowed six runs in his second consecutive defeat after allowing starting out 2-0 and allowing only one earned in each of his first two turns in the rotation this year. The 24-year-old originally started the season in the bullpen, but he switched to the rotation when RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka went to the disabled list after only two starts. Masterson's starting spot doesn't appear to be imminent danger, as Matsuzaka is still at least two rehab starts away from returning to Boston.
--OF Jason Bay was plunked in the back by a fastball from Yankees RHP Joba Chamberlain during Tuesday night's victory in Yankee Stadium after hitting a three-run homer in the first. Bay took a momentary pause to peer at Chamberlain before taking his base, but the stoic left fielder didn't make a big deal about the incident. Boston pitching coach John Farrell took issue with the "message pitch," however, and addressed it during an interview with 850 WEEI on Wednesday afternoon. "He strikes out 12 guys, doesn't seem to have too many command issues, and if there was a purpose or intent to throw up and in, you can disguise it a little bit more than making it very obvious with the first pitch in the middle of the back," Farrell said. "Those things aren't forgotten. We know there is a history there between the pitcher in New York and our guys here."
--DH David Ortiz said he wouldn't treat a teammate too kindly if he ever caught him flashing pitch signs to the opposing team, as Alex Rodriguez is purported to have done during his big-league baseball career, according to a new book about the Yankees superstar. "I heard about that the other day. And I don't know how that can happen. Especially A-Rod -- from what I know about him, he's a guy that he plays the game. I'm not saying that he didn't, but I don't see how that can happen," Ortiz told the Providence Journal.
BY THE NUMBERS: 6 -- Stolen bases that OF Carl Crawford managed against C Jason Varitek and the Sox pitching staff during a May 3 loss at Tampa Bay. The Rays stolen eight as a team to set a franchise record against the Sox.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "This is my seventh year here. If you don't know me at this point, what can I tell you? Who you been watching, the Anaheim Angels? You know what I'm saying? It will come. It will come. I'm finally relaxing now." -- DH David Ortiz, talking about his power struggles at the beginning of the 2009 season.
