Bates Motel
The Red Sox called up Aaron Bates to take the place of Jeff Bailey (ankle sprain, DL stint). Bates is a bit of a surprise as he was just promoted to AAA Pawtucket and has struggled going .182/.273/.295 in 99 plate appearances.
Bates did crush the ball earlier this year while with AA Portland posting .340/.405/.505 in 232 PAs.
More surprising is that Bates is being thrust into the mix playing 1b tonight and hitting 9th. Terry Francona certainly does like to get his players involved. Mark Kotsay, the other obvious 1b, was quoted on Boston.com as saying he has a calf issue and just needs to take it easy for a bit.
The Boston Globe ran a piece on Bates about a month ago and what has lead to his recent success.
Another interesting note is the return of Nomar Garciaparra. This will mark his first return to Fenway. I believe he was on the DL when another team of his played in Boston, but this should be the first time he actually confronts the Fenway Faithful. My bet is a standing ovation. Time heals...
