--DH David Ortiz was given Monday night off -- his first game off since being activated from the 15-day disabled list on July 25 -- after playing in 15 straight games. Manager Terry Francona said that it seemed like the right time to rest Ortiz, and there was some stiffness and soreness in the troublesome left wrist that shelved him for two months. "Yeah, I'll be in there (Tuesday)," said Ortiz, hitting .259 with a home run and 10 RBI since being activated from the DL.
--2B Dustin Pedroia's 29-game road hitting streak ended when he went 0-for-4. The streak was the best for the Sox since OF Tris Speaker had at least one hit in 32 consecutive road games in 1912. In addition to the lengthy road hitting streak, Pedroia's 10-game hitting streak also ended. --RHP Charlie Zink will be making his major league debut Tuesday evening, and it will mark only the third time in Red Sox history that two knuckleballers have pitched for the team in the same season. Zink and RHP Tim Wakefield join knuckleball duos from 1943 and 1953. Andy Karl and Dick Newsome both tossed the knuckleball for the Sox in 1943, and Hal Brown and Ben Flowers both started for the Sox in 1953.
--OF Jacoby Ellsbury is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with two home runs, five RBI and five runs scored in his last five games with an at-bat and appears to be fully back from a nearly two-month offensive slump. The rookie outfielder has raised his batting average from .259 to .272 during that short span and has also stolen three bases in his last four games. The baserunning spree follows a 25-game stretch without a stolen base.
--RHP Justin Masterson has been as good as advertised since making the switch from starting pitcher to the bullpen. He's working on a 5 2/3-inning scoreless streak. The towering right-hander has fanned an impressive 10 batters during that span and has an overall 2.25 ERA in eight appearances out of the bullpen this season. Masterson piled up five strikeouts in his Sunday appearance against the White Sox, and that marked the most for a Sox reliever since RHP Jonathan Papelbon fanned five on Aug. 20, 2006.
BY THE NUMBERS: 16 -- The number of consecutive one-run games that the Red Sox have lost on the road this season dating back to April 1.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I enjoyed pitching with Pedro (Martinez), but I watched Pedro for a year come and go as he pleased, and do whatever he pleased, from a schedule standpoint and to a point, All-Star break heading home and no one ever said a word. ... The things that Pedro said going out of town about Terry (Francona), that crushed me because of what I saw Tito do for him. Manny's the same way." -- RHP Curt Schilling talking about Manny Ramirez's exit from Boston.
