 09/03/2003 6:40 PM ET
Notes: Preparing the pen for NY
CHICAGO -- The baseball world knows all about Byung-Hyun Kim's epic struggles against the Yankees in the 2001 World Series. Red Sox Nation knows all about the trouble Kim has had against the Yankees this season. And through it all, Kim has steadfastly maintained that the Yankees aren't in his mind.
However, Red Sox manager Grady Little does have Kim's struggles against the Yankees in his mind, and because of that he will go with a closer-by-committee approach this weekend at Yankee Stadium.
Little first adopted that notion last Sunday at Fenway Park, and wound up using Kim against the Yankees in the seventh inning.
But he went back to Kim as his closer on Monday in Philadelphia and on Tuesday in Chicago, and the sidewinding right-hander earned a win and a save in those two scoreless appearances.
The three meetings with the Yankees this weekend aside, Little expects that Kim will be his closer the rest of the way.
Scott Williamson, Mike Timlin and Alan Embree could all be called upon to close against the Yankees, and Kim could get the call if the right matchup arises.
"We'll talk to all the people ahead of time," said Little. "All the people will be informed exactly the way we're going to do things before the series starts."
In seven appearances against the Yankees this season, Kim is 1-2 with a save, a blown save and an ERA of 5.14.
In all other outings as the Sox closer, he is 3-1 with a 2.40 ERA, and has converted 11 of his 13 non-Yankee save opportunities.
Little admits that Kim's head-to-head encounters with the Yankees have everything to do with his plan this weekend.
"That will have a lot to do with it," Little said. "It won't be something we do from here on out."
Doug Mirabelli
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A new Mirabelli: Backup catcher Doug Mirabelli was not with the Red Sox for Wednesday night's game, for good reason. His wife, Kristin, delivered the couple's second child earlier in the day. Emma Mirabelli weighed in at six pounds, two ounces.
The Mirabellis induced labor, working the delivery around the team's schedule. The Sox have an off-day on Thursday, and Mirabelli is expected to rejoin the team on Friday at Yankee Stadium.
Mirabelli has caught all of Tim Wakefield's starts this season, and the birth didn't interfere with that routine. The veteran knuckleballer starts on Saturday afternoon against the Yankees.
"We made sure he planned this inducing between Wakefield starts," Little said. "Kristin worked right along with us on that, too."
Making it easier for Mirabelli to miss Wednesday's game was the addition of catcher Bill Haselman when rosters were expanded on Monday.
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Ramiro Mendoza
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Mendoza's back: Sinkerballer Ramiro Mendoza was activated prior to Wednesday's game. He had been on the disabled list since Aug. 8, first with right knee tendinitis, then with back woes.
Mendoza's return suddenly gives the Sox a wealth of depth in the pen. Aside from the core (Kim, Williamson, Timlin, Embree and Scott Sauerbeck), Little also has Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Lyon, Casey Fossum, Todd Jones and now Mendoza.
Because of that, don't expect the starting pitchers to get much slack.
"I don't suspect from here on out that we'll go a long time with any starter who is not on top of his game when the game starts," said Little. "We have a lot of arms out there now, and it just doesn't make sense to do that from here on out."
Abad hopes to help: A day after being promoted from Triple-A Pawtucket, left-handed hitter Andy Abad was still all smiles. A 30-year-old veteran of 11 minor league seasons, Abad is willing to do whatever Little needs.
"If that means I have to be a plug-in defensively or have a key at-bat during a game, hopefully I can do that," said Abad, who drove in 93 runs at Pawtucket. "I want to help this team any way possible. I'm open for anything. Whatever the need. I'll be ready to go from the first inning until the ninth."
Though Abad made a one-at-bat cameo with the A's in 2001, he was thrilled to be in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox, the organization with which he broke in.
In fact, he was part of the 1993 draft in which the Sox also selected Trot Nixon, Jeff Suppan and Lou Merloni.
"Trot, Louie and Suppan, we were all part of that draft," said Abad. "It's kind of tough to believe there are four guys all from the original draft all playing on the team. I was thinking about that yesterday on the plane. That's really special."
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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