" Manny Ramirez surprised most of the Red Sox clubhouse yesterday morning by showing up for work with a sore right knee.

With nobody knowing how or when he hurt it, manager Terry Francona had to take him out of the starting lineup.

Ramirez was asked after the 6-3, 12-inning victory if he would be available tomorrow night against the Yankees.

“Don’t worry about it,” was his reply.

Said Francona: “He just showed up this morning. We weren’t ready for that. He came in and said ‘my right knee hurts.’ . . . There was nothing on the report last night.”

Francona made light of it, referencing Ramirez’ jaywalking episode after Monday’s game.

“Jaywalking,” said Francona. “You do it right, you won’t hurt your knee.”

Sean Casey was going to start the game as DH, meaning Ramirez was going to play left field. Instead, Jacoby Ellsbury moved from a planned start in center field to left, while Coco Crisp came off the bench to play center and hit ninth.

Ramirez had much more to say beforehand, but in a different way. After removing a large ice pack strapped to his right shin, all the way up to his knee, Ramirez spent much of the time before the game sitting in front of his locker, crooning along with Spanish songs he was selecting from his iPod. He used a rolled-up magazine as a microphone, frequently pointing it towards passers-by, encouraging them to sing along.

Saying he was auditioning for “Dominican Idol,” Ramirez put a paper cup for tips on an empty seat next to him. Alex Cora and Daisuke Matsuzaka each chipped in $20, although it was unclear if their intent was to encourage him or to stop him.

Getting even

By going 3-3 on this trip, the Red Sox managed only their second .500 or better road trip of the season. They went 4-2 against the Reds and Phillies in mid-June. . . .

Dustin Pedroia has hit safely in 25 of his last 26 games. In that stretch, he is batting .438. . . .

Jed Lowrie went 1-for-5 in his fifth straight start. He has hit in all five games, batting at a .389 clip. . . .

Ellsbury ran close to a mile to chase down a Kenji Johjima line drive to medium center field. Ellsbury got a good jump on the ball and never slowed, while Crisp slowed up to allow him to catch the ball."