Catching up with the Red Sox
Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz was placed on the 15 day disabled list retroactive to June 9. Buchholz is sidelined with a strained trapezius muscle in his neck. He won’t be eligible to pitch until June 25th when the Colorado Rockies come visit Fenway Park. This is Clay’s second time on the DL as he missed a start earlier this season with soreness in his collarbone area. Buchholz has a 9-0 record with a 1.71 ERA in 12 starts.
Catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia has put in some serious overtime as of late. Salty caught both games of a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday. The last Sox catcher to accomplish that feat was John Marzano in 1992. Jarrod played the following night as well. The team placed back-up catcher David Ross on the seven-day DL with concussion symptoms and call-up Ryan Lavarnway didn’t make it to Fenway in time for the start of the night game because of flight problems. Salty didn’t min pulling double duty.
“My frame of mind was to play both games.” Saltalamacchia said, “so mentally I was prepared and ready.”
The Sox had their highest draft pick in 20 years when they selected Trey Ball number seven overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. Ball was in Boston on Sunday June 16 for his physical after officially signing his contract to play for the Red Sox. He suited up and took batting practice with the big league squad and played catch with fellow pitcher Clay Buchholz. Ball leaves today to begin playing in the Gulf Coast League. The team hopes he will be pitching by July.
Closer Andrew Bailey blew the save in the nightcap of the day-night doubleheader when he gave up a game-tying home run to Kelly Johnson of the Tampa Bay Rays. Bailey was bailed out when Jonny Gomes deposited a pitch off the AAA sign above the Green Monster to give the Sox a 3-1 win. GM Ben Cherington commented about the back-end of the bullpen. Cherington identified the closer position as a problem last winter and aimed to solve the problem by trading for Pittsburgh Pirates closer Joel Hanrahan. Hanrahan had Tommy John surgery following elbow problems and is out for the rest of the season. If no trade is completed, left-hander Andrew Miller is a possible replacement as closer. Miller has been nearly unhittable against right handers. He held those batter to a .149 batting average.
Prized prospect Xander Bogaerts could see time in the big leagues this year according to Ben Cherington. Bogaerts has been tearing up Double-A level competition and was recently promoted to the Triple-A league Pawtucket Red Sox. Cherington believes that Triple-A is an extension of the MLB and that the player can either help in the big leagues or stay in Triple-A.
