NEW YORK – Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon could return to the lineup by Saturday when the AL championship series moves to Boston for Game 3.

The leadoff hitter was injured Monday night in a head-to-head collision with second baseman Damian Jackson during Game 5 of the first round at Oakland. Damon sustained a Grade 2 concussion, Red Sox spokesman Kevin Shea said Wednesday, the middle of the three levels of concussions.

Damon was with the team in New York for Wednesday night’s opener of the ALCS with the Yankees, but there was no chance he would play before Saturday, manager Grady Little said.

“His eye’s black. He doesn’t look too good,” Little said. “The kid’s had a rough couple of days because he hasn’t had a lot of rest, but we’re just glad he’s in as good a shape as he’s in right now.”

Damon was unconscious for several minutes and was on the ground for nine minutes before being taken off the field in an ambulance. The Red Sox beat Oakland 4-3 in the deciding game of the best-of-five series.

Damon returned to Boston on Tuesday and was examined by neurologist Dr. Alan Ropper.

During the regular season, Damon hit .273 with 12 homers, 67 RBIs and 30 stolen bases in 145 games. In five playoff games, he was 6-for-19 with a homer and three RBIs.

“I’m happy that he’s OK, but he’s a pain in the neck when he’s in that lineup,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “I think they’re going to miss him.”

Damon was still having headaches and feeling woozy, Shea said.

Gabe Kapler started in center field for Boston in Game 1, and second baseman Todd Walker moved to the top of the batting order.

“Just like any other important player that you may lose for a game or two, somebody else (has) got to step up, pick up the slack,” Little said. “And right now, somebody will step up. There’s no doubt in my mind.”

Kim, Brown off ALCS roster; Suppan, Jones added

Reliever Byung-Hyun Kim and outfielder Adrian Brown were dropped from Boston’s roster for the AL championship series Wednesday in favor of right-handers Jeff Suppan and Todd Jones.

Kim failed to hold a ninth-inning lead in Game 1 of the first-round series against Oakland and didn’t pitch in the next four games. The Red Sox said he was bothered by a sore arm.

Brown went 0-for-2 in that series.

Suppan, acquired from Pittsburgh on July 31, was 3-4 with a 5.57 ERA in 10 starts and one relief appearance for the Red Sox.

Jones, who began the season with Colorado, was signed by Boston on July 2. He was 2-1 with a 5.52 ERA in 26 relief appearances for the Red Sox.

The Yankees added infielder Erick Almonte to their roster and dropped left-hander Chris Hammond.

It’s Massachusetts lobsters vs.. New York steaks in governors’ bet

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is wagering lobsters caught by Boston-area fishermen and New York Gov. George Pataki is putting up New York strip steaks in a friendly wager over the outcome of the American League Championship Series between the Red Sox and the Yankees.

The best of seven series began Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

Pataki, a Yankee fan, said he is “looking forward to enjoying Governor Romney’s first experience with the Curse of the Bambino.” That’s a reference to the Red Sox’s infamous sale of Babe Ruth to the Yankees in 1919. The Red Sox haven’t won a World Series since while the Yankees have won 26.

Marlins-Cubs Game 1 posts best LCS rating since 1999

The opener of the surprising showdown between the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins drew the highest TV ratings for a league championship series game since 1999. Fox Sports’ broadcast of the Marlins’ 9-8 victory in 11 innings Tuesday night had a 10.1 national rating and 17 share.

That’s the best LCS rating since Game 6 of the Mets-Braves NL series four years ago earned a 15.4 rating on NBC.

It’s also 38 percent higher than the 7.3/11 for last year’s equivalent game: the Twins’ 2-1 win over the Angels in Game 1 of the ALCS, also on a Tuesday night.

The average audience for the Marlins-Cubs telecast was 15.6 million people, making it the most-watched LCS game since 1993, when 20.8 million tuned in for Game 1 of Phillies-Braves.

It all adds up to more good ratings news for baseball.

The first round of the playoffs was the highest-rated on network television in eight years.

Fox Sports averaged a 7.5 rating for those five national broadcasts, a 21 percent increase from last season’s 6.2. It was the highest rating since 1995 – the debut of division series – when the first-round playoff games were regionalized on the Baseball Network and got a 10.4.

A ratings point on Fox represents 1,067,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation’s estimated 106.7 million TV homes. Fox is in the third year of a $2.5 billion, six-year contract with baseball.

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