BALTIMORE — Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, an Orioles broadcaster, seems determined to agitate David Ortiz. But it’s not working.
Palmer was at it again on Friday, comparing Ortiz to a misbehaving puppy and demanding he apologize for getting ejected from a game last Sunday.
The chirping from Palmer originated on Twitter after Ortiz was ejected for arguing balls and strikes during a game against Baltimore at Fenway Park.
From his home in Florida, Palmer tweeted that Ortiz was disrespectful and should “zip it.”
Ortiz had little to say about the criticism, saying Palmer had always been friendly to him before and was only seeking attention.
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The issue appeared to fade away after that.
On Friday, when the Red Sox arrived at Camden Yards for the start of a three-game series, Palmer did not make his usual pregame visit to their clubhouse. Several players and coaches were watching to see if Palmer would show up.
Palmer wasn’t quiet, however. He went after Ortiz again, telling the Baltimore Sun that the slugger should act more like Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.
“All David Ortiz has to do in this three-game series is watch the way Adam Jones plays the game. If he hits a home run, he puts his head down, runs around the bases [and] doesn’t show anybody up. To me, that’s the way you play the game,” Palmer said.
“He’s entitled to do it any way he wants, but when he throws his whole team under the bus, all the fans who came out to Fenway Park, it’s kind of like a puppy — unconditional love — but at the end of the day, if the puppy doesn’t do the right things, you need to housebreak him.”
After hitting a three-run homer to help the Sox beat the Orioles, 7-5, Ortiz stayed on the high road.
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“He talked about me again? That’s OK, whatever he say. Next.” Ortiz said. “I’m not worried about that.” As the interview broke up, Ortiz smiled. “I’m not going to add any more followers to his [Twitter] account,” he said.
Major League Baseball suspended Ortiz one game for making contact with umpire John Tumpane after his ejection. Ortiz appealed the penalty and Sox manager John Farrell supported that decision, saying a suspension was not warranted.
Palmer, meanwhile, wants an apology from the Red Sox or Ortiz.
“I had an opinion on what David Ortiz does. I’m still waiting for somebody from Boston or David to come out and apologize for throwing his teams under the bus, because that’s what he did that day,” Palmer said.
Another Hall of Famer, former Sox star Jim Rice, was critical of Palmer on NESN’s postgame show.
“Who cried more than Jim Palmer?” he said. “You cried just as good as anyone else so just quit complaining and let the guys go out and play.”
Victorino still out
Shane Victorino, who came out of Wednesday’s game with a sore right hamstring, was out of the lineup again.
Victorino hit some balls off a tee but is not ready to run with any kind of intensity. Farrell wants the right fielder to get through a series of drills before he returns.
Daniel Nava started in right field Friday.
As Victorino sits, Rusney Castillo could return to the lineup at Triple A Pawtucket Wednesday. Castillo has been on the International League disabled list since April 12 with a shoulder injury.
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Castillo rejoined Pawtucket after doing some rehabilitation work in Boston and took batting practice on the field on Friday.
Farrell said Castillo would likely DH at first before returning to the outfield.
Flaherty to DL
The Orioles placed infielder Ryan Flaherty, a Maine native, on the disabled list with a strained right groin suffered running the bases Wednesday. Flaherty was 9 for 30 with five extra-base hits, five walks, and four RBIs in nine games. Baltimore recalled Rey Navarro from Triple A Norfolk and started him at second base. The 25-year-old made his major league debut after nine seasons and 885 games in the minors. He went 1 for 3 with a run . . . Former Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek joined the team for a few days as part of his duties as a special assistant to general manager Ben Cherington. He was in uniform for the game . . . The Red Sox were 12 for 12 in stolen bases before Dustin Pedroia was caught in the seventh . . . The Red Sox had gone six games without an error before Pablo Sandoval’s throwing error in the sixth . . . Alexi Ogando was charged with a ball for touching his hand to his mouth before he threw a pitch in the seventh inning . . . The Orioles have lost five straight for the first time since 2013 . . . The Sox are 6-0 in series openers . . . Hanley Ramirez had his first outfield assist in the sixth, catching a fly ball then throwing out Manny Machado trying to go from first to second. Ramirez fouled a ball off his foot in the ninth but said he would play Saturday night.
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