— Steve Lyons is the likely candidate to be sent to Triple-A Hawaii to make room for Harold Baines. But that will leave a big void on the Sox`s bench. Lyons` bat won`t be missed; he was 0 for 9. But he represented the team`s only speed on the bench. He pinch ran for Greg Walker Sunday and scored the winning run in the Sox`s 4-3 victory over Baltimore. If Walker had been running on Donnie Hill`s hard single to right, he probably wouldn`t have scored from second as Lyons did.
— Without Lyons, the Sox`s best pinch-runner probably is Ron Karkovice. But they can`t use him in most situations, because he`s also the second catcher. That could put manager Jim Fregosi in a hole when he`s looking for runners for Baines, Ron Hassey, Jerry Hairston, Carlton Fisk and Walker.
”We`d love to have more speed everywhere,” said General Manager Larry Himes. ”Speed plays a part in defense and offense. But we don`t have it now. We`re working on it.”
— With Baines slated to be a designated hitter for a while, that relegates Hassey to the bench against right-handed pitchers. With Hassey and Hairston on the bench, the question becomes how much longer the Sox can carry two pinch-hitters. Most teams can`t afford the luxury of one on a 24-man roster.
— Baltimore comes to town Friday. The Sox rocked Orioles pitchers for eight homers during a three-game sweep last weekend. But Fregosi isn`t expecting any easy times with Mike Boddicker, who pitches Friday, and Eric Bell, Sunday`s pitcher. Bell carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning Tuesday. The Orioles are undecided about Saturday`s game. ”Boddicker and Bell are both tough,” Fregosi said. ”I don`t know who undecided is, but I`m sure he`ll be tough, too.”
