FanHouse JonathanVanEvery

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Just when you think Manny Ramirez can't do something any more bizarre then, oh I don't know, relieving himself in the Green Monster or cutting off a throw from Johnny Damon in left field, he goes and proves everyone wrong. The Red Sox fell to Baltimore today, wrapping up an ugly 4-6 road trip, but it was Ramirez who provided the unforgettable memory, and it had nothing to do with his ongoing chase for 500 home runs.

Ramirez went back on a sharp line drive by Kevin Millar in the third inning and made a running catch in the gap. Then the fun began. In full stride, Ramirez leaped against the left field wall, high-fived a fan in the stands and then twirled and fired the ball back to Dustin Pedroia, who relayed the ball to first to double off Aubrey Huff. Too hard to follow? Watch the video evidence here.

I caught up with Ramirez after the game to ask him about his catch. "I just got a bad jump, but I never give up and I got there," he said of the grab. When another reporter pressed him on the high five Ramirez explained "it's something that came out."

Ever the showman, Manny joked (or at least I think he was joking) about the play. "It was fun. I love it. I think, you know, that's how you get your All-Star vote. I'm pretty sure that guy's gonna vote for me," said Ramirez. "It's one at a time, you know. Get your votes one at a time."

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Do you think the Red Sox are ready to go back to Fenway Park? They haven't had an off day this month (they'll have one tomorrow) and they're finishing up a 10-game road trip, on which they'll finish no better than .500. Oh yeah, they've also lost starting shortstop Julio Lugo to a concussion, starting right fielder J.D. Drew to a hyper-extended wrist and had to put promising young pitcher Clay Buchholz on the 15-day DL with, of all things, a torn fingernail.

So that explains, at least partly, why Josh Beckett went all Ozzie Guillen last night. It also helps explain why David Ortiz was still smarting this morning after he was ejected by umprie Laz Diaz for arguing a very controversial check swing third strike call. Diaz called the third strike on Ortiz without checking with the third base umpire and it appeared that the only reason Ortiz came close to breaking his wrists on the swing was to duck an up and in pitch.

Big Papi complained about Diaz's fairness last night and this morning talked about the state of umpiring in general. Ortiz and a few of his teammates (Kevin Youkilis in particular) often let an umpire know when they think he's made a bad call, but he was quick to point out the downside of criticizing the guys who call balls and strikes. One reporter asked him if he meant getting fined.

"Fine?" lamented Ortiz. "You get [expletive] on the field."

It's pretty amazing that for all the time spent discussing pitch counts, mechanics and proper rest between outings something simple like a broken nail can throw the best laid plans off track. That's what happened to Clay Buchholz who went onto the disabled list today with that very injury. It's the middle finger of his right hand and contributed mightily to his struggles in Minnesota on Monday night.

The team recalled outfielder Jonathan Van Every to take Buchholz's place because the pitcher isn't the only guy ailing right now. J.D. Drew sprained his wrist on a dive in the field last night and Coco Crisp was felled by an upset stomach during the game as well. Drew didn't break anything and Crisp should be okay but the team needs an extra player just to be on the safe side.

To top it all off, Terry Francona missed last night's game and will miss this afternoon's contest with Baltimore because of his mother-in-law's death. This recent spell of bad luck, and concurrent three game losing skid, finds the Sox a half-game behind the Rays in the AL East. Nothing too drastic has gone wrong, of course, but the team could use a good outing from Jon Lester to help clear the black cloud from above their head.