L.A. Times: Shaikin: The two sides of Manny being Manny (RR)

For the first time in six years, David Ortiz is not hitting ahead of Ramirez. How does Ortiz like it?

“I got, like, 17 walks on the last road trip,” Ortiz said. “What do you think?”

Beep-Beep...Softcore Neyerian Tracer Alert! It was 11. (Dang, Shaikin all over...Tracer)

In Ramirez, the Red Sox traded the player with the most home runs in postseason history. Perhaps his absence will doom them in October.

“Absolutely not,” Varitek said. “It’s still going to come down to one thing—how well we pitch.”

October is not here yet, but it might not come at all for the Dodgers, and for Ramirez.

The Red Sox were 11-13 with him in July, and the Dodgers were 11-16 with him before Saturday. The Red Sox were 17-8 without him.

“There,” a Red Sox official said, “is your story.”