Bobby Valentine surprised about report involving players meeting with owner; Red Sox lose

BALTIMORE -- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine expressed surprise over a report that several Boston players met with team owner John Henry and team president Larry Lucchino last month to complain about the manager's handling of the team.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia were "the most vocal" at a July 27 meeting in New York.

Asked about the meeting, Valentine said before Tuesday night's game: "I'm glad July is over because they are still playing for me. I don't know what issues they might be referring to. Dustin and I talked. That's a meeting I had. But I don't know if it was in July."

In the game, Mark Reynolds homered twice and drove in four runs, Omar Quintanilla also went deep, and the Orioles beat Josh Beckett and the Red Sox, 7-1.

"I know the coaches had a meeting, Bobby had a meeting, we all had a meeting," Pedroia said after the game. "Basically when I spoke, I said we all had to be better. That means the owners, Bobby, coaches, especially the players. I have had one problem with Bobby earlier in the year and I went into his office and talked to him like a man and he talked to me like a man. And we've been great. We've had a great relationship."

Pedroia said Valentine should keep his job.

"I don't think Bobby should be fired," he said. "Listen, we haven't played well and I am not going to blame anything on Bobby and I don't think anybody else is. It's on the players, man. Last year wasn't on [manager Terry Francona]. I know he took it hard. We all did. It's on the players, man." -- AP