For the first time since colliding with Adrian Beltre on April 11 in Kansas City, Jacoby Ellsbury hit in a group during live batting practice on Tuesday at Fenway Park as the Red Sox left fielder attempts to clear another hurdle in his return from a bruised left side.

Ellsbury smacked a home run just inside the “Pesky Pole” in right in his session and hit the ball with authority, not showing any signs of weakness or soreness.

“We have talked about the progression,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said in announcing the plan before Tuesday’s game.

Meanwhile, Francona said Mike Cameron’s lower abdomen strain continues to feel better every day and the team could have a better idea of a timetable for a return by the end of the week. “Cam’s really doing well,” Francona said. “The intensity continues to build. We’ll continue to monitor how quickly he’s coming and we’ll start talking to him more toward the end of the week what we feel is in his best interest but he’s doing very well.”

Francona indicated Clay Buchholz was not seriously injured and should make his next side session and start after taking a line drive off the foot in Monday night’s win over the Angels. “He’s a little tender,” Francona said. “It’s not going to get in the way of anything but he got hit pretty good.”

Other notes from Tuesday’s pregame session with Francona included an update on the injured Boof Bonser.

The right-hander is scheduled for a side session on Wednesday and if all goes well, he will pitch for Triple A Pawtucket on Friday. Francona said he threw three simulated innings this week and reported no problems from a right groin strain that landed him on the disabled list on March 31.

Bonser is 0-1 with a 17.05 ERA in two starts for the Pawtucket but hasn’t pitched since April 13 when he allowed five hits and nine earned runs in two innings. He went on the disabled list immediately after the outing.

October 10, 2009

Terry Francona

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Workout Day

THE MODERATOR: First question for, Terry.

Q. How are you going to change, start hitting and win this game?

TERRY FRANCONA: If I that had answer we wouldn’t have lost the first two. We haven’t had a very successful approach to those two games. They’ve executed very well and we haven’t made a lot of adjustments and we’ve paid the price for it. What’s happened has happened. Now we’ll show up tomorrow, do what we always do on early games, have 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull and go get ‘em. Read the rest of this entry »

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said on Saturday that he might change the batting order for his team entering a do-or-die Game 3 against the Angels on Sunday afternoon against lefty Scott Kazmir.

“We might adjust our batting order a little bit, but the same guys will play,” Francona said.

Kazmir is 8-7 in 23 lifetime games against the Red Sox, including 2-0 this season while he was with Tampa Bay. The Sox are batting just .131 (8-for-61) in the two games against Los Angeles, with just two extra-base hits.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona delivered a rallying cry for his troops on Saturday at Fenway entering Sunday’s noon do-or-die game against the Los Angeles Angels.

“We’ll show up [Sunday], do what we always do on early games, have 12 pieces of bacon, a Red Bull and go get ‘em.”

The Red Sox are down two games-to-none entering Sunday’s Game 3, needing to win Sunday and Monday at Fenway to force a Game 5 back in Anaheim on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Jon Lester threw on Saturday at Fenway and Francona pronounced him on track to make the Game 4 start on Monday if necessary. Mike Lowell, who was hit on the right thumb by a sharp one-hop grounder in Friday’s loss, did not come in for treatment, indicating to Francona that he’s okay.

In other Saturday developments, Daisuke Matsuzaka threw on flat-ground in right field while Game 3 starter Clay Buchholz went through a very brief five-minute mound session in the bullpen.

Here are some of the highlights from Terry Francona’s pregame talk with reporters. Papelbon says he’s ready to go tonight after being unavailable Wednesday.

Francona on Youkilis:

“Actually a lot better. But he’s much improved. He’s doing a lot better, which is terrific.”

Francona on expanded rosters:

“I actually don’t like it. I think there’s needs to be some amendments in the rules. I understand where you want to call up players. I think that’s great. You play all year under one set of rules and then September 1, it’s vastly different.”

Francona on visitors playing LF at Fenway after last night:

“Every team has a different mentality. Some teams play deep and some teams decide we’re going to play shallow and take something away. When Manny (Ramirez) was here, we didn’t know what our philosophy was.

“I do think we’re built for this ball park and we’ve got some guys like Mike Lowell and some of our things we do well show up more here and sometimes some of our deficiencies show up on the road. I think our record should be better than it is on the road.” Read the rest of this entry »

Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Daisuke Matsuzaka could return to the Boston rotation as early as Sept. 8 following his 37-pitch outing for the Gulf Coast Red Sox on Monday.

“Everything was pretty good,” Francona said. “Good breaking ball, he commanded his fastball and he stayed down. (He) threw some good changeups. I thought it was generally really positive.”

(Click here to watch video of the outing, courtesy WBBH-TV Fort Myers, Fla.)

The right-hander is rehabbing and strengthening his right shoulder and he will make his next appearance for Double-A Portland on Saturday. He is expected to make at least one more appearance before a decision is made on whether to return in early September.

“The improvement on his strength numbers are phenomenal,” Francona said.

Francona said that the initial conflict over the training program for Matsuzaka is now water under the bridge and both the team and Matsuzaka are moving ahead in unison.

“He’s done a phenomental job. Getting him back at full strength, being Dice-K will be very welcome. I think we probably needed to do this. Sometimes you have to butt heads, however you get there, getting there is what’s important and we’ve done that.”

Francona will see Matsuzaka in Boston when he returns on Tuesday to meet with the team.

Red Sox manager Terry Francona was about as clear as he could be on Sunday about the near future for Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Sunday’s game with the Braves.

“It was very obvious that we would have to D.L. him,” Francona said. “This is not going to be a two-week D.L. We have to figure this out. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get him back to being Daisuke.”

Matsuzaka was placed on the D.L. Sunday, with the club calling up catcher Dusty Brown to take his place, for the time being. John Smoltz is expected to take Brown’s spot when Smoltz starts Thursday against Washington. Read the rest of this entry »