Red Sox Round Up

Leskanic expected to sign By Jeff Horrigan

Leskanic is 47-32 with 53 saves and a 4.39 ERA in 11 major league seasons with the Royals, Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies. The Sox will only be obligated to pay him the pro-rated portion of the major league minimum salary of $300,000, which is approximately $200,000.

Disease hits home By Jackie MacMullan, Globe Staff

"She probably had it a year before we realized it," said Timlin. "She was misdiagnosed. We thought it was her back."

NOTEBOOK By Bob Hohler, Globe Staff

"You're still here?" Damon asked Kevin Youkilis as the Red Sox prepared to fly home Sunday from San Francisco."
Youkilis, who joins the likes of Wade Boggs, Wilton Veras, and Shea Hillenbrand as third basemen who have risen through the Sox system, hit .318 with a .446 on-base percentage and scored 15 runs in 13 games in May after he took over for the injured Bill Mueller. Since then, he has hit .231 with a .310 on-base percentage and has scored 5 runs in 14 games.

Sox seek lift back at home By Jeff Horrigan

So far this season, the Sox have performed like two completely different teams at home and on the road. At Fenway, they're batting an impressive .285 with 83 doubles, a .365 on-base percentage, a .467 slugging percentage and an average of 5.64 runs per game in 33 games. On the road, they've hit only .258 with 73 doubles, a .348 on-base percentage, a .432 slugging percentage and a 5.09 runs average in 35 games.

Ortiz blossoms after joining Sox By Michael Silverman

Since the Red Sox traded Shea Hillenbrand a little more than a year ago and opened the door to an everyday spot in the lineup, Ortiz has not looked back. He hit .293 with 29 home runs and 82 RBI in the final 97 games of last season after appearing in just 31 of the first 54 games (.272, two home runs, 19 RBI).

This year, he has not missed a beat.

Minnesota Twins (38-30) at Boston Red Sox (39-29), Tuesday 7:05 p.m.