"That wasn't Ryan's fault," said Wedge, "Fausto has to get off the mound and cover first."

In the fifth, with runners on first and third, Carmona grabbed a bouncer back to the mound, but forgot to look the runner back to third. After stopping between third and home, Josh Hamilton scored when Carmona threw to second.

Finally: Rookie Trevor Crowe made his big-league debut in right field Thursday. His parents, David and Terryl, were at the game to see it. Crowe went 0-for-5 in the Tribe's 12-8 loss. "I wasn't that nervous," said Crowe. "I just wish we could have come out with a win."

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The shyness of Ramon Ram?rez is evident. He doesn't speak much English. He's new to the Red Sox . And in spring training, his interactions with his teammates seemed limited.

But when asked about being welcomed by those teammates into the clubhouse, Ram?rez gave an interesting answer. Not only was he being mentored by Manny Delcarmen, a fellow Spanish speaker, but so too was he feeling the same sense of inclusiveness from Brad Penny.

He's not alone. Though Penny might not be fluent in Spanish (or Japanese, for that matter), it's notable to see how he talks to his teammates, how he pats them on the back, how he makes sure to say something to them when others might not.

``I think he has a sixth sense when it comes to communication,'' said Takashi Saito, his teammate on the Dodgers as well, through interpreter Masa Hoshino. ``It's something that goes above and beyond language. He's able to find humor in situations and similarities with all kinds of other players. I've met a few players who have that ability, but even among those people, he has a very unique talent for being able to communicate with others.''

Saito and Penny have adjoining lockers at Fenway Park and on this trip at Angel Stadium. There's a comfort in having Penny around for Saito, and for others on the team.

``I can't speak for everybody else, but for me personally, I think he has been a very important presence,'' Saito said. ``It's just a coincidence that here in 2009, we're again wearing the same uniform. For my four years here [in the United States], we've been able to spend all this time together. For me to be in this locker room being surrounded by all these major leaguers feels like an All-Star Game to me every day.

``But having Brad around, whether it's in the locker [room] or on the bus, he just creates all those fun little moments, those fun little events that have really helped me get by in my time here.''

Not that Saito was willing to reveal any examples of Penny's lightheartedness. ``I don't know if they're fit for print, but he does have a really good, edgy sense of humor,'' Saito said.

It's not as if the Sox signed Penny for his interpersonal skills. It's more about what Penny will bring to the rotation. The Sox will get a bit of insight into that today when Penny makes his Boston debut.