Looks like they will be playing ball in Boston (no rain yet). Kevin Youkilis is out of the lineup for the second straight game (strained quad).

Jacoby Ellsbury is not in the lineup, either, against left-hander J.P. Howell. Ellsbury's current stay in Boston may be coming to an end, unless there is a trade in the works involving Coco Crisp or Wily Mo Pena.

Here are some thoughts from Terry Francona on Ellsbury:

"I think maybe the best thing I can do is caution the people who are ready to put him in the Hall of Fame. That, in this area, tends to happen, because the fans and the media know so much about the kids coming up. Then he gets an infield hit and a basehit to right. He’s not on his way to Cooperstown yet.

"I think his future is very bright. He’s not a finished product. He’s not supposed to be when you don’t have this amount of at-bats.

"We’ll have to make some decisions here on how to best go about the next phase of his development. We don’t want to get him into a situation where he is ever held back.

"While he’s been here for the four or five games, he showed, in brief glimpses, what he can do, which is very exciting.

"I’d be very surprised to see Jacoby Ellsbury being a part-time player in Boston at this juncture in his career. That’s not in his best interest. Now for three or four days, sure. But not for a couple of months."

In other words, Ellsbury is going to play. If Crisp remains the everyday center fielder, then Ellsbury goes to Pawtucket.

Check out more on Ellsbury and other Red Sox musings in Friday's Press Herald.

E-mail this entry to a friend