Red Sox Pitchers Set for Rehab
It’s been a very tough season for the Red Sox. Not a bad season, but a very tough one. First the team slumped through the first month of the season but caught fire in May and have worked their way back into playoff contention.
All the while though, the Red Sox have had to battle the injury bug as they once had 11 players on the disabled list. On that list were Jacoby Elsburry, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and several pitchers including Josh Beckett, Clay Bucholz and reliever Manny Delcarmen.
Lesser teams would’ve crumbled by now but the Sox have shown their toughness and are trying to weather the storm before their aces return to the line-up.
Team slowly healing
Bucholz, Beckett and Delcarmen are now set to begin rehab and are appearing close to returning to the club.
Delcarmen, who is on the shelf with a forearm strain, will pitch an inning for Double-A Portland in what manager Terry Francona hopes will be the reliever’s only rehab outing.
"I think Manny throws his inning and as long as he feels like we think he's going to feel, we can get him back on the weekend, which is terrific," Francona said.
Starter Bucholz, who was on fire for the Red Sox before suffering a hamstring strain, will start for Triple-A Pawtucket in Syracuse on Friday night. The Red Sox will start Felix Doubront against the Rangers that night.
Buchholz back to minors?
Buchholz had insisted after the All-Star Game on Tuesday that he didn’t know whether he’d be returning for the Red Sox this week or if he’d be rehabbing in the minors.
"[Buchholz has] thrown, it will end up being one inning in like 21 days," Francona said, "that's not putting him in a good spot to pitch in a major league game."
Bucholz is expected to start a game for Pawtucket and should be able to return to the Sox shortly after.
Finally, there’s the two-time World Series winner Beckett. Beckett has been out since mid-May with a lower back strain, will make his second rehab start with Pawtucket on Saturday. Francona is hoping that the ace can throw up to 75-80 pitches and then the club will take further evaluations as to whether he is close to a return. It’s imaginable to think that Beckett will return sometime on Boston’s upcoming road trip.
"Things are starting to look bright for us, guys are on their way back," Francona said. "We'll just see where they are after they pitch."
The Red Sox are going to need their best assets soon as they were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays last week and fell five games behind the Yankees in the AL East.
Bucholz was on fire prior to his injury. This season, he was 10-4 and at a 2.45 ERA at the time of his injury. He has already pitched a no-hitter in his young career and can make a huge impact down the stretch for the Sox.
Beckett struggled early this season. Through eight games, he only earned one victory and was at a 7.29 ERA but he is a big-game pitcher and the Red Sox will need him come September and October.
The Red Sox are still in good shape though and if not for their dreadful start in April, they probably would have been leading the division right now.
The Yankees are still dominating the league and the Rays are bouncing back from a disappointing 2009 season and are just as big a threat in the East as the Red Sox are. It will be interesting to see what the Red Sox can do once they are healthy.
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