Julio Lugo injured his left quadriceps running to first base on Friday. He beat out a throw with two outs that resulted in some Red Sox runs, but he immediately slowed up and had to leave the game. Alex Cora came in to pich-run. Lugo said after the game that this wasn’t just a muscle pull; he thinks he heard something pop, which is never a good sign.
Middle infielder Jed Lowrie was recalled from Pawtucket, where he has been playing mostly shortstop. After starting the year on a tear, he is now hitting .268/.359/.434 with 5 HR in 198 AB at Triple-A. He will help take some of the sting out of having to start Cora on a regular basis.
I know this is really mean-spirited, but this is perhaps the first injury to a regular that I am okay with. There has been a lot of speculation that some combination of Cora and Lowrie could be far more effective at shortstop right now, and this is their chance to prove that.
Lugo is reported to be out 4-6 weeks with a severe quad muscle tear. Ouch! Now I feel bad about my post.
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_Blogs/SoxBlog/2008/07/lugo-out-46-wee.html