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Bobby Valentine shuffled his lineup for tonight's game against the Royals, moving Adrian Gonzalez down to the No. 5 spot on the heels of an 0-for-8 performance in Sunday's 17-inning loss to the Orioles.

With the Royals throwing left-hander Jonathan Sanchez, Cody Ross is hitting clean-up between lefties David Ortiz and Gonzalez.

Here's the full lineup:

Mike Aviles, SS
Dustin Pedroia, 2B
David Ortiz, DH
Cody Ross, RF
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B
Will Middlebrooks, 3B
Darnell McDonald, LF
Marlon Byrd, CF
Kelly Shoppach, C

SP -- Felix Doubront

BOSTON -- After Robert Andino took him deep for a three-run homer in the top of the fourth inning on Sunday, Clay Buchholz just stared in at home plate for the longest time, completely still. He may have been gazing at his catcher, perhaps upset with a pitch selection. Maybe plate umpire James Hoye was the target of Buchholz's glare.

More than likely, Buchholz just didn't want to turn around and catch any more of the merry-go-round on the bases. Unfortunately, the sight of opponents running around the diamond is becoming an all-too-familiar one for the struggling righty.

"Pretty frustrated right now," said Buchholz after his ERA soared to 9.09 in what eventually became a 17-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

The Andino home run gave the Orioles a 5-0 lead. Ryan Flaherty and J.J. Hardy followed with hard singles that ended the afternoon for Buchholz, who also walked four in his 3 2/3 innings.

This one-time phenom who threw a no-hitter in his second career start and who nearly won an ERA crown in 2010 now has the distinction of becoming the first Red Sox pitcher in 87 seasons to allow five earned runs or more in six consecutive games. That's an alarming turnaround that may cause the Red Sox to go back to the drawing board.

Manager Bobby Valentine is not ready to do so yet. Or at least not quite ready to consider it. He was still reeling from the marathon loss when the question came in a postgame media session. But his uncertainty spoke to the nature of the situation.

"Clay's performance was not what he wanted it to be, for sure," Valentine said. "Not what I wanted it to be. Left a lot of pitches in a real hittable zone. Gave up a lot of hard-hit balls. ... There were a lot of pitchers used today. He was one of them and I've got to figure out what to do, how to get by with all these guys who really did a yeoman's job today. I have no plans to change them."

Valentine paused before adding to his response, perhaps with Buchholz in mind.

"At this time," he said.

And who could blame him? The Red Sox have actually won half of Buchholz's starts but that was due to a massive amount of run support. More outings such as Sunday's, when the bullpen absolutely needed some length from its starter, will lead to many more results in the wrong column.

Despite diminished velocity (his fastball was sitting around 90, 91 mph) and talk of a possible blister problem five days ago, Buchholz insists he is physically OK. In fact, he feels he is making some good pitches, which makes the results all the more agonizing for him.

He knows that something is missing, but he is not sure what it is.

"I've been upset with myself for the past six weeks," he said. "It's just frustrating to go out there and make some good pitches and still get hit. It's not easy. I have to keep telling myself it's not that easy. It looks easy for some guys but sometimes you have to go through some struggles to get where you want to be. I think that's where I'm at right now. Just gotta find a way through it."

So do the Sox, if indeed they stick with Buchholz through thick and thin. A phantom injury or a demotion to the pen may be necessary. Something, anything, has to stop the merry-go-round.

BOSTON -- When Darnell McDonald made his first career pitching appearance, it was 2011 B.S. (Before September). The Red Sox were in first place, feeling good about themselves and could laugh off a mop-up performance by their reserve outfielder in what was then a rare loss. McDonald himself joked about having a side session with then-pitching coach Curt Young and being a secret weapon out of the bullpen in the playoffs. (Cue Jim Mora impression.)

The smiles were few and far between after McDonald was forced into duty again Sunday at Fenway Park. He gave up a tiebreaking three-run homer in the top of the 17th inning, the decisive blow in an 9-6 loss to Baltimore that sends Boston to the road reeling from a five-game losing streak.

"I wish [I could appreciate this] but this is a game we needed to win," McDonald said. "We gotta start winning our home games. It's important for us to get home games. It's important for us to get wins here and especially playing a divisional opponent. I'm disappointed and we gotta go on the road and pick it up."

Still, McDonald's teammates appreciated the effort.

"That's tough. There's no good way for anything to go," said Scott Atchison, who threw two scoreless innings. "Unfortunately he went out there but he went out and threw strikes and that's all you can ask for. He's given everything he's got just like the rest of us and he became one of us in the 'pen so we take care of him just like he's one of ours. It's unfortunate but he did a good job."

Manager Bobby Valentine had exhausted all of his relievers with the exception of Clayton Mortensen, who had thrown 57 pitches Saturday and was unavailable. Jon Lester had already thrown his bullpen session and Valentine was unwilling to turn to Monday's starter, Felix Doubront. He was sticking with McDonald until the next shoe dropped, which happened to be the home run by Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.

"I wish there was another option," Valentine said.

The skipper did indicate that Adrian Gonzalez was offering up his services. The sight of their $154 million man taking the hill at the tail end of a six-hour game is not one that would sit well with Red Sox brass. In that way, it's probably a good thing McDonald served one up when he did.

He just can't laugh about it the way he could last August. Too much has changed for the Red Sox since then.

BOSTON -- Roughly one hour after the Orioles-Red Sox game on Sunday, someone dressed as a ram mascot with an unidentifiable blue jersey on was running the bases at Fenway Park with a video crew in tow and Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" blaring overhead. And that wasn't even close to being the oddest sight at Fenway Park on Sunday.

In the longest Sox game in terms of innings and time (17 innings spanning 6 hours, 7 minutes) since 2006, Baltimore outlasted the reeling hosts by a 9-6 margin. It was the kind of game that would best be summed up in a "War and Peace"-sized recap. But that's ridiculous. Here is your Cliffs Notes version, 10 observations taken from a wild one at Fenway:

(1) It is so rare to see a position player pitching. It is even rarer to see a position player pitching in a tie game. It is like spotting a unicorn to see position players for both teams squaring off at the same time in a tie game. Such was the case as this one boiled down to Orioles designated hitter Chris Davis and Red Sox designated hitter Darnell McDonald in a matchup for the ages. Or the aged, as the case was by the time the game ended.

Davis got the win with two scoreless frames, showcasing a heater that reached the low 90s and some off-speed stuff that did not look all that bad. Just ask Adrian Gonzalez, who flailed at what looked like a changeup to strike out with two men on in the bottom of the 17th.

(2) That strikeout was part of an awful day at the plate for Gonzalez. He seemed to have broken out of a slump with back-to-back three-hit efforts, but this one will be tough to get past. Gonzalez, who did not speak with reporters, became the first Red Sox cleanup hitter ever to go 0-for-8. Included in that performance were two strikeouts and one double play. He made first-pitch outs in the 10th, 12th and 15th.

Given all that, Bobby Valentine was quick to point out that Gonzalez was offering up his services in the event the manager needed anyone to pitch beyond McDonald.

(3) The silver lining again was the bullpen. Taking out McDonald's one inning, Red Sox relievers threw 12 1/3 scoreless innings. They threw 13 1/3 innings over the first two games of the series. When asked if a move is necessary to survive the upcoming series in Kansas City, Valentine was non-committal. But it seems almost impossible to begin that set without adding a fresh arm. The only pitcher Valentine said was definitely not available was Scott Atchison, who threw 23 pitches one day after throwing 35.

(4) When a runner is thrown out at the plate, especially in a big situation, it always seems like a mistake. Why did they send him, the masses will scream. However, it is hard to blame the Red Sox for trying to score Marlon Byrd from first base on a Mike Aviles double in the 16th. When you haven't scored in seven innings and you haven't won since Tuesday and you get a ball in the gap with two outs, why not? The Orioles made a great relay to nail Byrd by several steps. One hesitation or extra bounce in the outfield and the Sox are mobbing Byrd at home and Aviles at second.

(5) In large part because of its quirky dimensions and the close proximity of fans, Fenway Park has so often played into the hands of the Red Sox. Few places in all of sports boast such a distinct home-field (or home-court or home-ice) advantage. The club wins 50 games here on a yearly basis just by showing up.

Not anymore. After dropping 10 of their final 14 games at Fenway last season, Boston has dropped 10 of its first 14 this season. For those of you without an abacus, that's an 8-20 stretch at the Fens. You don't need any adding machines to recognize that as an extreme departure from the norm.

(6) Amid the wonderful performance by the bullpen were two standout jobs by lefties Andrew Miller and Rich Hill. Miller got the last out of the fourth inning after taking over for Clay Buchholz and then struck out the side in the fifth. Consider that in his 10 appearances for Pawtucket, Miller had just two perfect outings.

Also consider the fact that Hill, just four games into his return from Tommy John surgery, worked into a third inning of relief. He never managed an out in that third frame, walking the leadoff man and getting yanked, but the fact that he was sent back out for more was a tad surprising. Don't expect him to be working Monday in Kansas City as well.

(7) Pretty incredible how things are developing between the Sox and O's. With Sunday's win Baltimore is back in first place in the American League East, 7½ games ahead of last-place Boston. And this was a rivalry once so one-sided that the Sox were 64-25 against the Orioles from 2005 through 2009.

Baltimore's sweep is its first of the three-game variety at Fenway Park in nearly 18 years. Yikes.

(8) The term "rookie mistake" was uttered several times after Will Middlebrooks failed to run out a ball that bounced fair down the left-field line in the bottom of the 11th. His lapse in judgment turned a sure double into a single, and with two outs in the inning it loomed large.

However, Valentine is 100 percent correct in referencing the odd wind patterns in that part of the field and how it can fool players who are not accustomed to it. A handful of times every season a left fielder overruns a ball that blows back into fair territory behind him. Nine times out of 10 it is an opposing player. The 10th time it is Jeremy Hermida, or at least it was in 2010, when he made a mockery of such plays.

(9) Just in case you need to be reminded, the winning pitcher was Chris Davis, who also struck out five times and grounded into a double play, and the losing pitcher was Darnell McDonald, who pinch-ran for David Ortiz in the eighth. That's the kind of game it was.

(10) Felix Doubront has yet to last into the seventh inning in eight career starts. With a bullpen in tatters heading to Kansas City, now's the time, Felix.

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the Baltimore Orioles outlasted the Boston Red Sox 9-6 in 17 innings:


OK, he left this one several hours before it ended, but let us start with Clay Buchholz. The rest of it was a maelstrom of errors (five of them), double plays (eight), baserunning miscues and position players trying to pitch (Orioles designated hitter Chris Davis threw two scoreless innings to get the win while Darnell McDonald gave up the go-ahead runs in the 17th for Boston). In other words, it was a mess, as was the Red Sox homestand.

But first, Buchholz. Initially he was just shaking off the rust from his injury-shortened 2011 season. Then, according to his manager, Buchholz had a blister issue. There were positives in each of his starts, they all said, regardless of the numbers. Give him time. He'll work it out.

Perhaps that is the case and Buchholz still has it in him to be an effective pitcher once again. But the Red Sox cannot endure much more of this before getting to the root of Buchholz's issues. That may require time on the disabled list, whether he is hurt or not, or a move to the bullpen. Almost any alternative will do, for Buchholz is up in John Lackey territory. Actually, it's worse -- Lackey's ERA after six starts last year was "only" 7.16. Buchholz's has climbed to 9.05 after he was lit up for five runs in just 3 2/3 innings of Sunday's loss.

The right-hander has surrendered 47 hits (10 of them homers) in only 32 2/3 innings. He has struck out just one more batter (20) than he has walked (19).

Despite all of that, Buchholz was already off the hook by the bottom of the fifth inning, when rookie Will Middlebrooks tied the game with a grand slam. Amazingly, Buchholz has just one loss in six subpar starts.

In keeping with the one-in-six theme, Boston won one of six games on this homestand. They are 1-10 in their Past 11 games at Fenway Park. Hard to believe. Then again, when your starting pitching stinks ...

Back to the bullpen: It was imperative that Buchholz have a lengthy outing Sunday. Between the 13-inning affair on Friday and the abbreviated start by Aaron Cook on Saturday, Red Sox relievers had already thrown 13 1/3 innings in the first two games of the series. That was bumped up to 26 2/3 innings when Buchholz left early and the matinee affair played into the evening.

Seemingly, the highlight of every Red Sox game lately has been the work of the bullpen. With Sunday's effort by Andrew Miller, Matt Albers, Vicente Padilla, Alfredo Aceves, Rich Hill and Scott Atchison, the relief unit has now allowed just six earned runs in the last 53 2/3 innings (1.01 ERA). That does not include the inning by McDonald, but let's be fair here.

Expect another roster move before Boston begins a three-game series in Kansas City on Monday. The crew is severely overworked and Felix Doubront, who has struggled to last deep into games, goes in the opener versus the Royals.

Making his second career pitching appearance, McDonald gave up a tiebreaking three-run homer to Adam Jones in his second career pitching appearance. That was the difference.

Miller time: Let's be honest. Even the Red Sox have almost no idea what to expect from Miller, who was activated from the disabled list Sunday. Not only was he up and down all of last season, but his rehab appearances in Pawtucket produced some of the more awe-inspiring numbers you could imagine, in both good and bad ways.

Miller struck out 23 men in 11 innings for the PawSox. He also walked 14. Obviously there was very little contact made, as evidenced by the paltry total of four hits allowed.

Before the game, Valentine was asked about Miller's control issues and what to expect. He said it depended on many variables -- the skipper even mentioned the wind as one such factor. Apparently the breeze was an agreeable one, for Miller struck out three in 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Give me a double. Play, that is: The Red Sox turned six double plays, twice their previous season high. Four of the twin killings were turned in consecutive innings from the 12th through the 15th.

The worst good day imaginable: Although this falls under the header "Red Sox Report," Davis' day (night) has to be recognized. The O's DH struck out in each of his first five at-bats before grounding into a double play in the 13th. He grounded out again in the 14th and 17th. He will probably take that any day he can throw two scoreless innings and get the first, and probably only, win of his major league career.

The worst day imaginable: Adrian Gonzalez was 0-for-8 and struck out against Davis in the 17th with two runners on base.

Man in the middle: In the five days since being recalled from Pawtucket, Middlebrooks has batted eighth, enjoyed an off-day, batted second, been scratched because of a tight hamstring and batted eighth again. Nothing uniform about that opening weekend in the big leagues. One thing that has remained constant is his ability to hit the ball.

Middlebrooks hammered a Tommy Hunter offering over the Green Monster in the fifth for his grand slam. His first career homer is also his third career extra-base hit. He has four hits overall, so the reputation for slugging has not come without merit.

The 23-year-old is the first Red Sox player with an extra-base hit in each of his first three games.

The second coming? Middlebrooks' homer came exactly 97 years after Babe Ruth hit his first. Just sayin'.

He also got a few other firsts out of the way, including his first error and his first rookie mistake when he failed to run hard out of the box on a ball that fell into the left-field corner. He got only a single out of what should have been a double, and that came with two outs in the 11th, a time when you might want a runner in scoring position.

In other news: Kevin Youkilis, who just might get Wally Pipp-ed by Middlebrooks, has begun a "walking program" in his effort to come back from a lower back strain. As one astute member of the media corps was quick to point out, he is the "Greek God of Walking Programs." Or something like that.

It may be a stretch to expect Youkilis back when he is eligible to come off the disabled list early next week. When asked about that, Valentine said only, "It's tough to put a clock on an injury. When Youk's ready, he'll definitely let us know."

Salt in the wound: It hasn't been a very smooth season behind the plate for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, especially of late. He misplayed a foul pop during the loss on Saturday and did the same in this one. Only the second act was ruled an error, and it immediately hurt. Given a second chance, Adam Jones singled. He then went from first to third on a stolen base and throwing error by Saltalamacchia and eventually scored.

Add in the passed ball Saturday that led to Aaron Cook getting spiked and you have a pretty poor couple of days behind the plate for Saltalamacchia.

Wrong field: It was not until the top of the 10th that either right fielder had a putout. Ryan Sweeney caught the elusive fly off the bat of Adam Jones. Baltimore's right fielder, Nick Markakis, did not catch one until the 13th inning.

BOSTON -- The young boy struck by a bat at Fenway Park on Saturday is expected to be fine, according to the Red Sox.

The team has been in contact with the child’s father, who told the team that the boy was released from Children’s Hospital on Saturday night. He was “behaving normally,” according to word from the doctors passed on to the Red Sox.

The scary incident occurred in the sixth inning of Boston’s 8-2 loss to Baltimore. Red Sox third baseman Nick Punto lost the bat swinging at a Jason Hammel offering. The bat soared into the stands near the Boston dugout. Punto and Hammel showed concern as medical personnel tended to the boy before removing him from the park.

BOSTON -- Another day, another roster shuffle for the scrambling Boston Red Sox.

Aaron Cook, who needed 11 stitches to sew up a cut sustained on his left knee in a play at home plate Saturday, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday morning. Andrew Miller was activated off the DL and will serve as one of three left-handers in the Boston bullpen.

Cook took the start of the sidelined Josh Beckett in his Red Sox debut and was a candidate to make more starts as the club plows through a stretch of 20 games in 20 days. Alas, there was no way he would be ready to throw again in five or six days.

Manager Bobby Valentine said that there could be issues of infection if the stitches popped free while pitching. Also, Cook has had shoulder issues in the past. There is no reason to push the issue with him and perhaps wind up with a more serious injury, Valentine said. That explanation is a bit curious given the fact that Cook returned to Saturday’s game after cutting open his knee and proceeded to give up six additional runs before being pulled with two outs in the third.

There was one other big reason for the move to Miller on Sunday.

“We need help in the bullpen,” said Valentine, who has had his relievers throw 13 1/3 innings in the last couple of days.

Enter Miller, who was rehabbing from a strained left hamstring suffered in spring training. Miller made 10 relief appearances for Pawtucket. Depending on which number you look at, he was either awesome or poor -- Miller had a 5.73 ERA and walked an alarming 14 men in 11 innings for the PawSox, but he struck out an equally alarming 23 batters and yielded only four hits.

The 26-year-old feels that the control problems were notable early on in the rehab stint and that he is beyond that. He walked five and gave up only two hits in the last 6 2/3 innings for Pawtucket.

“I pitched twice in Toledo, once two innings, once one inning, and both of them went great,” he said, referring to his most recent outings. “Those are fresh. Those are recent. I hope to carry that along.
“I had two outings that didn’t look good statistically in the middle, and one of them I felt pretty good coming out of. However many appearances I had, looking back, I gave up a two-run homer and I had one outing that I thought was pretty terrible from the get-go, so I’ll take it.”

Miller was 6-3 with a 5.54 ERA in 17 games for Boston last season. Twelve of those appearances came as a starter. That will not be the case this time around.

“I’ve felt good coming out of the bullpen so far. I’m interested to see how it goes for an extended period of time,” he said. “I’ve always been out there as a long guy or gotten inconsistent innings. I’m just looking forward to getting a chance to contribute and help us win some games.”

Miller’s 30-day allotment for rehab was just about to expire, so the move comes at a natural juncture for the club. Valentine said that Miller will be the “first left-hander out of the bullpen,” likely appearing before Rich Hill and Franklin Morales and primarily facing left-handed hitters. Miller held lefties to a .063 average and struck out 13 against just three walks.

In other clubhouse news, Kevin Youkilis has begun a “walking program,” according to Valentine. Youkilis is walking just fine, of course, but he will incorporate structured movements forward and backward and “getting into the pelvic movement that’s needed.”

“He’s progressing. He’ll stay back and not come with us because he doesn’t need the plane ride for his back and he has rehab being done here,” Valentine said.

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox roster may be in need of fresh bodies Sunday after the last two games against Baltimore.

The bullpen has eaten up 13 1/3 innings over the past two games, both losses. And while Clayton Mortensen (3 1/3 innings) and Scott Atchison (3 innings) helped save a few arms on Saturday in the 8-2 setback, they won't be available for long relief Sunday, if that situation arises.

Boston is carrying 13 pitchers, but one (Aaron Cook) is an extra starter who took the turn of Josh Beckett (strained lat) on Saturday. Clay Buchholz starts Sunday but he is averaging slightly less than six innings a start for his five outings this year, not to mention he'll be lugging an ugly 8.69 ERA into the outing, so the bullpen may have more work ahead of it.

But because there are 13 pitchers on the roster, that leaves only three extra position players, and Saturday, third baseman Will Middlebrooks wasn't available because of a stiff hamstring. That left only outfielder Darnell McDonald and backup catcher Kelly Shoppach on the bench, and managers generally keep the extra catcher on the bench just in case something happens to the starter.

So manager Bobby Valentine has been hamstrung in terms of substitutions.

Might there be a roster move or two coming on Sunday?

"I'm not sure," Valentine said after Saturday's game. "I don't know if we will have a roster move. I'll talk to (general manager) Ben (Cherington)."

BOSTON -- He was in. Then he was out. Then he was back in again.

It was a topsy-turvy day for Boston reliever Clayton Mortensen on Saturday at Fenway Park, complete with a strange sequence of events in the second inning, one bad pitch in the third inning and some great overall numbers in the Red Sox's 8-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park.

Mortensen's personal drama began with two outs in the second when starter Aaron Cook suffered a gashed left knee while covering the plate on a passed ball that gift-wrapped the Orioles' first run of the day.

When Bobby Valentine saw the injury, the Sox called down to the bullpen to bring in Mortensen. So he went running onto the field ready to pitch. But after Cook got his knee wrapped, he wanted to try to continue.

Mortensen didn't know what was going on with Cook as he ran onto the field. But he was expecting to pitch and the next thing he knew, he was being told to go back to the bullpen.

"That was weird," said Mortensen. "They called down there (the bullpen) and said 'Get Mortensen in the game.' When I was walking to the mound, everyone was pointing for me to go to the dugout. You never see everything in this game. There's something new every day."

Mortensen never got on the mound or threw a warm-up pitch, so he wasn't officially announced as being in the game. So Cook was allowed to stay in. When Mortensen ran back to the bullpen to get ready just in case Cook faltered, it was if he had never gone on the field at all.

Cook wasn't able to pitch effectively. So Mortensen was officially called in with two on and two outs in the third with Boston already down, 5-0. He was greeted by Mark Reynolds' three-run homer into the Monster seats on a 2-and-2 pitch.

"I tried to sneak a fastball inside past him, but it got too much of the plate. He's a dangerous hitter. It was a horrible pitch by me and he put a good swing on it," said Mortensen.

That made it an 8-0 game, and basically sealed the Sox's doom. Mortensen was lights-out after the horse had left the barn, eating 3 1/3 innings for a tired bullpen, striking out five and permitting only two hits. Since being called up from Pawtucket on Wednesday, the right-hander has whiffed 11 in 6 1/3 innings with no walks and only three hits allowed.

BOSTON -- Aaron Cook had a few goals in mind when he made his Boston Red Sox debut Saturday.

He wanted to prove to the Sox organization that it had made a wise move in keeping him from exercising his May 1 opt-out clause and bringing him up to Boston for a spot start in place of injured Josh Beckett (strained lat).

The veteran right-hander also wanted to go deep into Saturday's game against Baltimore at Fenway Park to lighten the load for the tired bullpen, which had worked seven innings in a 13-inning loss on Friday night.

But 2 2/3 innings, eight hits, seven runs and 11 stitches in his gashed left knee later, Cook was unable to meet any of his goals, saddled with an 8-2 loss as the Red Sox's mystifyingly horrendous season at home continued.

Boston has dropped four in a row at Fenway and an astounding 9 of its past 10 this season. The Red Sox, who generally feast on the opposition at home, are a feeble 4-9 at suddenly Unfriendly Fenway.

Analyzing Cook and his future on the staff is difficult after this outing, especially in light of his injury, which occurred when he was covering home plate on a passed ball in the second inning.

To that point, Cook, whose previous 10 years in the big leagues had been spent with the Colorado Rockies, had looked solid. He's a sinkerballer whose fastball didn't get above 89 mph, and his ball was sinking. He retired the first five batters he faced, four on routine groundouts. But after two-out singles by Chris Davis and Wilson Betemit he threw a fateful pitch, another sinker.

Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia was unable to block the pitch with Davis at third base. Saltalamacchia's technique wasn't the best; he tried to knock it down with the palm of the mitt facing down rather than trying to get the glove down on the ground and the palm of the glove up.

The ball squirted under Saltalamacchia and rolled a little bit away from him. He pounced on it and threw to Cook at the plate as Davis slid in. Davis was safe, and Cook got spiked, a misfortune that wound up having huge implications in the game.

"I landed on the top of his back spike," said Cook, his left knee bandaged as he met the media after the game.

"At first I didn't think it was too bad. Salty looked at it and said it was bleeding. I was bleeding all down my pant leg," said Cook, who signed a minor league deal with the Sox last offseason.

"Basically I could see the whole inside of his leg," said Saltalamacchia. "Tendons, ligaments. It was pretty nasty."

Trainer Brad Pearson came out with manager Bobby Valentine. Cook limped into the Red Sox dugout and Valentine called for Clayton Mortensen to come in. The reliever made it to the field and went into the Sox dugout, ready to enter the game, but Cook elected to try to continue after the medical staff wrapped up the knee.

"I thought about taking him out immediately," said Valentine. "I brought a guy in from the bullpen. The medical staff said he would be fine. They were wrapping it up. So I said, 'Cookie, it's on you. If you can pitch, throw. If not, let us know.'"

Cook jogged back to the mound, took a few warm-up tosses and elected to give it a try. He retired the batter he was facing, ending the inning and keeping it a 1-0 deficit on the unearned run.

But the roof fell in on Cook and the Sox during a seven-run third-inning explosion by the Orioles. Cook was banged around for six hits in the inning, including a mammoth two-run homer over the Green Monster by Adam Jones, and Clayton Mortensen let both of the inherited runners score on Mark Reynolds' three-run bomb into the Monster seats that put Baltimore on top, 8-0.

In the third inning, Cook's pitches were up, and given the fact they had little velocity, he was basically throwing batting practice.

"After (getting spiked) it seemed like his sinker wasn't what it should be," said Valentine.

"I was surprised he went back out there after that injury," said Saltalamacchia. "His sinker was up and with a sinkerball pitcher that's never good."

Cook went 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA in five starts in Pawtucket, forcing the Sox to either promote him or likely lose him to another organization because of his May 1 opt-out clause. But on Saturday, he was just trying to suck it up, pitch through it and help the team. That showed toughness, but the plan didn't work.

"I felt good the first two innings (before getting spiked)," said Cook, 33, who got the stitches after he came out of the game. "To be honest, I kind of felt like my leg was a little numb (after getting spiked). I was throwing all arm and that caused the ball to be flat and up in the zone. It was one of those days.

"I wanted to try to eat up more innings. The bullpen was taxed (Friday night). At the end of the day I'm not sure that was the best decision, but that's what I wanted to do (by staying in the game)," said Cook.

What will happen in the coming days for Cook is a mystery. He will likely be off his feet as much as possible to help the gash heal. When he'll be able to resume throwing and what his role might be is unknown. In the meantime, Cook, whose career has been sidetracked at times by a broken leg, a broken finger and shoulder trouble, will try to be the best teammate he can be.

"It's frustrating, but there are things that are out of your control," said Cook. "I'll try to come in with the best smile on my face and encourage the guys and see how it goes."

BOSTON -- Things could not have gone any more smoothly with the first five batters that Aaron Cook faced Saturday in his Boston Red Sox debut.

The veteran sinkerballer, filling in for Josh Beckett (strained lat) in a spot start, retired all five of those Orioles, four on ground balls, which seemingly was a good sign. It looked as if Boston had made a good move in adding Cook to the roster, keeping him from exercising the opt-out clause in his contract after a dazzling month in Pawtucket.

That's when the roof fell in on Cook and the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

The next 11 Baltimore batters Cook faced went 8-for-10 with a walk, ultimately knocking Cook out of the game with two outs in the third inning, five runs already in, two runners on base and the Orioles boasting a 5-0 lead. One of those hits was a mammoth two-run homer over the Green Monster by Adam Jones.

And Cook's ERA took a further beating when Clayton Mortensen, who replaced Cook, was greeted by Mark Reynolds' three-run homer into the Monster seats, expanding Baltimore's advantage to 8-0, prompting a smattering of boos from the Fenway faithful.

By the time the game came to an end, the Red Sox were losers again at home, by 8-2. Boston has lost 9 of its last 10 games at Fenway, including the last four in a row on this homestand in falling to 11-15 overall for the season.

Cook's day began taking a turn for the worse when Chris Davis ripped a two-out single off the wall in the second inning. Davis moved to third on Wilson Betemit's line single to center. One pitch later, Cook suffered a gash just under his left knee while covering the plate on a passed ball.

The Orioles' Chris Davis slid home safely and somehow, either on Davis' cleat or on the front edge of the plate, Cook was cut, sparking a little drama at Fenway. After being attended to by trainer Brad Pearson and checked out by manager Bobby Valentine, Cook limped to the dugout and Valentine called in Mortensen.

But before Mortensen got to the mound to throw a pitch, Cook re-emerged from the dugout and returned to the mound, with Mortensen running back to the bullpen for the time being.

Cook, who spent the first 10 years of his big league career in Colorado, then retired Mark Reynolds on a bouncer to third, ending the inning and keeping it a 1-0 deficit on an unearned run.

The third inning, though, was another nightmare for the struggling Sox. After a lineout, a bunt single, a walk and a caught-stealing on the front end of a double steal, it still was a 1-0 game with two outs and Cook was facing Nick Markakis.

Cook couldn't keep the ball down, though, and when your fastball tops out at 89 mph, as Cook's does, that constitutes batting practice at the big league level if it's not located well.

Markakis ripped an RBI single to center. Jones crushed a hanging, belt-high, 79 mph breaking ball for his two-run homer. Matt Wieters doubled to right-center. Davis lined a single to left. Betemit grounded an RBI single to right and that was it for Cook.

Mortensen did Cook no favors by serving up Reynolds' homer, inflating Cook's Red Sox E.R.A. to 20.25, a far cry from the 3-0 record and 1.89 E.R.A. he compiled in five starts for Pawtucket as he tries to bounce back from shoulder woes that were a factor in his 3-10 record and 6.03 ERA for the Rockies last year.

SALTY PEPPERED: In general, Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a tough day behind the plate for the Sox.

First, Cook almost got hurt because Saltalamacchia did not use the best form in trying to block a ball that barely grazed the dirt with two outs and runners at first and third. Saltalamacchia slapped at the ball with his mitt with his palm facing down instead of turning his glove palm up to protect the space between his legs.

Saltalamacchia did get some leather on the ball, but it squirted between his legs because the catcher left open space in that area. The ball didn't roll very far away, but Davis was able to beat Saltalamacchia's throw to Cook, who suffered a gash just below his left knee on the play.

Saltalamacchia's technique was better when Cook bounced a ball in front of him in the third, but the tough-to-handle bouncer got away from him for a wild pitch, allowing Endy Chavez to move from first to second.

But Saltalamacchia uncorked a strong throw to third base, nailing Chavez on the front end of an attempted double steal in the inning, though the Orioles ultimately scored seven runs in the third.

Saltalamacchia heard some boos when he was unable to catch a foul popup down the third-base line in the fifth. He went a decent distance for the ball and seemed to lose it in the glare. To be fair, it would have been a tough play for any catcher to make. It was the third baseman's ball, but Nick Punto, playing third, had been shifted over toward shortstop because of the hitter (Davis), so he wasn't able to cover enough ground to call off the catcher.

No error was charged on the play.

DECEIVING LINE: At first glance, Mortensen's pitching line looks pretty decent. He worked 3 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and one run. He also whiffed five.

Unfortunately for Mortensen and the Sox, the first batter he faced, Mark Reynolds, clubbed a three-run homer, taking out whatever air might have been left in the Red Sox's balloon. That blow made it an 8-0 game in the third inning.

Otherwise, Mortensen turned in a second straight strikeout-filled performance since being promoted from Pawtucket on Wednesday. The right-hander, featuring a repertoire of changeups and split-finger fastballs, kept the Orioles off-balance, as he had the Athletics last Wednesday.

In two appearances Mortensen has fanned 11 in only 6 1/3 innings. Only Reynolds solved him Saturday. Reynolds had the other hit, too, a double.

GONZO'S BACK: Adrian Gonzalez, who snapped an 0-for-18 skid on Friday night, notched his second straight three-hit game on Saturday.

BOSTON (AP) -- A child was carried from the stands behind the Red Sox dugout after being hit with Nick Punto's flying bat in the sixth inning of a game between Boston and the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday at Fenway Park.

Boston's Punto, batting left-handed with one out in the sixth, had the bat slip out of his hands and fly about two rows behind the dugout, striking the child.

No immediate word was available about the injury.

BOSTON -- About two hours before Saturday's first pitch Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was forced to make a lineup switch.

Rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks was scratched from the original starting lineup because of a tight left hamstring. He was replaced by Nick Punto, which prompted Valentine to make alterations in his original lineup. He listed Punto as the leadoff hitter and dropped Ryan Sweeney from first to sixth.

Middlebrooks had played in two games since being recalled from Pawtucket on Wednesday when Kevin Youkilis was placed on the disabled list. Depending on his availability later in the day, Valentine was operating with a very thin bench for the game against the Orioles. The only healthy position players on the bench are outfielder Darnell McDonald and catcher Kelly Shoppach.

Designated hitter David Ortiz was moved up to the third spot for the first time this year, and shortstop Mike Aviles dropped from leadoff to fifth as Valentine continues to search for a lineup will produce consistently.

The new lineup:

Punto 3b
Dustin Pedroia 2b
Ortiz dh
Adrian Gonzalez 1b
Aviles ss
Sweeney rf
Cody Ross lf
Jarrod Saltalamacchia c
Marlon Byrd cf

Aaron Cook starting pitcher

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis underwent an MRI on his ailing back, but manager Bobby Valentine said Saturday morning that the results weren't available yet.

Youkilis was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday, retroactive to last Sunday because of a lower back strain. At the time Youkilis said he thought his back was getting better and that the training staff had figured out what was causing his discomfort. He also said he didn't think it was anything that would require an MRI.

But now the third baseman has had an MRI. On Friday Youkilis said he fully expected to be ready to play again when his time on the DL is up, on Monday, May 14.

Valentine didn't have much else to offer in his pregame media session.

He did confirm, though, that Daisuke Matsuzaka will be ready to make his next rehab start on Monday in Pawtucket. Dice-K, who is recovering from last May's elbow ligament replacement surgery, had been hampered by a sore neck for a few days.

Valentine also said that center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (subluxed right shoulder) is progressing in his rehab and that Cody Ross has a tender right knee from fouling a ball off the knee during Friday night's game.

BOSTON -- The Fenway Park doldrums continued for the Red Sox on a gloomy Friday night.

Chris Davis threaded a one-out run-scoring single through the right side of the infield in the 13th inning, snapping a tie and leading the Baltimore Orioles to a 6-4 victory.

Davis’ hit off losing pitcher Franklin Morales followed a single by Matt Wieters and a walk to Wilson Betemit, breaking a 4-4 deadlock that had existed since the sixth inning. Mark Reynolds followed with a sacrifice fly to center off Scott Atchison, giving Orioles closer Jim Johnson a two-run cushion.

The loss was the third in a row for Boston, and the Red Sox’ eighth setback in their last nine games at home. Boston is in last place in the American League East, seven games behind division-leading Tampa Bay.

Morales had entered in the 12th with a runner at second and two outs, and retired Nick Markakis on a weak opposite-field fly ball to shallow left. He wasn’t so fortunate in the 13th, however.

The most impressive pitcher of the night was Red Sox closer Alfredo Aceves. He hurled 2 2/3 scoreless innings, fanning six and permitting only two hits.

Aceves was brought into a tie game in the 10th and turned in a dominant inning, whiffing all three batters he faced.

He buckled J.J. Hardy’s knees with a nasty breaking ball, zipped a high fastball that Markakis couldn’t catch up to and made Adam Jones, the Orioles’ cleanup hitter, look silly in flailing and missing a sharp slider down and away.

Aceves was nearly as dominant in the 11th. He struck out the first two batters of the inning, getting Wieters to swing and miss a slider, and then Betemit swung through a changeup, giving the right-hander five straight strikeouts.

Davis broke the spell with a single to right, but Aceves fanned Reynolds on a curveball that Reynolds couldn’t have reached with three bats, making it six whiffs in two innings. A bunt single and a sacrifice put Endy Chavez on second base in the 12th, but Morales stranded him.

CLEANING UP: When Dustin Pedroia saw the lineup card Friday afternoon, his eyes lit up.

Manager Bobby Valentine did a little tinkering with the batting order and slid Pedroia, the Sox’ diminutive second baseman and a right-handed hitter, down into the cleanup spot. That separated two left-handed hitters, Adrian Gonzalez and David Ortiz, in the lineup.

Pedroia did a little pregame chirping about being in the power spot as the No. 4 hitter, exchanging a high-five with Valentine as the two happened to pass each other in the clubhouse.

And then the unlikely cleanup hitter came through in the clutch, ripping a tie-breaking single in the fifth inning that gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead.

It’s not as if hitting fourth is totally foreign territory to Pedroia, though. Last year, Pedroia started 25 games in the cleanup spot and batted a sizzling .347 (35 for 101) with five homers and 21 RBIs.

NO DECISION FOR LESTER: Jon Lester labored at times, but lasted six innings and left with a 4-3 lead.

Unfortunately for the left-hander he was unable to extend his string of successes against the Birds, his personal pigeons, because Vicente Padilla coughed up the tying run in the seventh.

Lester had entered the game boasting a 14-0 record in 18 career starts against the Orioles, the first Red Sox pitcher to win that many games in a row against an opponent since Tom Brewer claimed 14 consecutive wins against the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics from July 2, 1954 to July 24, 1957.

The last longer streak was Mel Parnell’s 17-gamer against Washington from July 8, 1948 to May 30, 1952. The only other pitcher in the last 50 years who won his first 14 or more decisions against one team was Houston’s Roy Oswalt, who won his first 15 against the Cincinnati Reds from 2001 to 2005.

Friday night Lester allowed three runs on five hits, including a struggling Mark Reynolds’ first homer of the year, snapping the slugging third baseman’s homerless streak at 76 at-bats. Lester walked three and fanned only two in a 99-pitch outing.

SLUMP-BREAKER: Adrian Gonzalez ripped a single to left-center leading off the third inning, snapping an 0-for-18 slump. The Sox first baseman had reached on an error on a routine grounder to second base in his first at-bat. The hit sparked a two-run surge that put the Sox on top, 3-1. He added an infield single in the seventh.

Defensively, Gonzalez, a Gold Glove first baseman, made a poor decision on trying to nail Reynolds moving from second to third on a none-out grounder to first base in the seventh inning. His throw was belated and in the dirt. The Orioles didn’t take full advantage of the extra out, but they did score one run in the inning, tying the game at 4-4.

HEADS-UP ROOKIE: Will Middlebrooks, in his second big-league game, notched his first career Wall ball, a leadoff double in the fifth. And then the third baseman showed good baserunning instincts in tagging up on Gonzalez’ lineout to left-center. He scored from third moments later on Dustin Pedroia’s single to center, putting Boston on top, 4-3.