Post by John on Jun 9, 2006 9:12:14 GMT -4
Lester to make debut: Will start opener of double dip
June 9, 2006
Boston Herald
NEW YORK - Wednesday's rainout at Yankee Stadium gave the Red Sox' starting rotation an extra day of rest and gave the team a chance to hold off on calling up Jon Lester from Triple-A Pawtucket to face the Texas Rangers tomorrow in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park.
In the end, however, Terry Francona and club management opted to stick with the original plan for the lefty's major league debut in order to get a look at the organization's top pitching prospect.
"I get very excited about these type of things," Francona said before last night's 9-3 win at Yankee Stadium. "Whoever thinks I'm dreading it is not even close."
The 22-year-old prospect didn't perform well during his first spring training on the 40-man roster. He was 0-2 with a 19.50 ERA in three appearances (one start), allowing 13 earned runs on 12 hits and six walks in only six innings. Opponents tagged him for a .444 batting average, and he made an early return to minor league camp.
Lester showed Francona, however, why the organization was excited about its first choice (second round) in the 2002 draft.
"I saw him this spring, and I didn't see him pitch that well, but you could see a lot of things in him, why people are in love with him," Francona said. "He competes, he's left-handed, he's got a great body, he's got three or four different pitches, he commands. He's on his way to being a very solid major league pitcher and, hopefully, this will be a good first step."
Lester performed well at Pawtucket following a sluggish start that might have been hampered by the organization's decision to limit his pitches in early outings and conserve his strength for a possible tour with the Sox later in the season. He is 3-4 overall this year with a 2.70 ERA, but he is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his past six starts.
Injuries to other members of the rotation also were a factor in sticking with the plan to bring up Lester. Tim Wakefield, who will pitch the opener of the three-day, four-game homestand tonight, has been bothered by a minor back problem, while Matt Clement, who will start Sunday, has been dealing with muscle twinges and fatigue in his right shoulder after reworking his mechanics before his most recent start.
Craig Hansen, who was summoned from Pawtucket on Tuesday, is penciled in for long relief tonight if Wakefield's back acts up, and David Pauley, who originally was scheduled to start Sunday, will be in the bullpen tomorrow. It isn't known yet if Pauley will start Tuesday.
"He gave us a huge boost the other night, but in the big picture, we don't need him to be giving us 20 starts in the major leagues," Francona said of Pauley, who was called up from Double-A Portland on May 31. "He's not ready to do that. That's not an insinuation on his career. He's just young and needs to go pitch."
Foulke on mend
Keith Foulke, who hasn't pitched since May 31 because of back problems, has shown gradual improvement and was available to work in a pinch last night.
"He threw (Wednesday) and did pretty well," Francona said. "He threw all of his pitches off a mound and did surprisingly well, so he's getting real close."
Mike Timlin, meanwhile, threw on the side before last night's game and remained on pace to be activated from the DL early next week.. ..
David Wells flew to San Diego yesterday in preparation for the his appointment with Dr. Jan Fronek today, during which he will receive a second opinion on his injured right knee.. ..
The Sox and Yankees are 43-43 each other since the start of the 2002 season, including 5-5 this season.
Murphy on fire
Lester isn't the only former top draft choice showing promise. Outfielder David Murphy (2003) was 2-for-3 last night and is batting .327 (16-for-49) with six doubles, a triple, a homer and eight RBI in his first 13 games since being promoted to Pawtucket.
Infielder Dustin Pedroia (2004) is batting .303 (10-for-33) with four doubles in his past eight games with the PawSox, lifting his batting average from .250 to .260. And Jacoby Ellsbury (2005) is batting .354 (23-for-65) in 17 games for Single-A Wilmington since coming off the disabled list.. ..
Kevin Youkilis left the game in the eighth inning after getting struck on the left elbow by a Scott Erickson pitch in the seventh. He suffered no more than a bruise.
"(Francona) wanted to get me out of there to ice because he wants me to play three games this weekend," Youkilis said.. ..
Last night's win was the Sox' 19th comeback victory of the season.. ..
The Yankees collected only four hits off Curt Schilling and Jonathan Papelbon, matching a season low.
Read the Clubhouse Insider before every Red Sox game at bostonherald.com.
Copyright 2006 by BostonHerald.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
June 9, 2006
Boston Herald
NEW YORK - Wednesday's rainout at Yankee Stadium gave the Red Sox' starting rotation an extra day of rest and gave the team a chance to hold off on calling up Jon Lester from Triple-A Pawtucket to face the Texas Rangers tomorrow in the first game of a day-night doubleheader at Fenway Park.
In the end, however, Terry Francona and club management opted to stick with the original plan for the lefty's major league debut in order to get a look at the organization's top pitching prospect.
"I get very excited about these type of things," Francona said before last night's 9-3 win at Yankee Stadium. "Whoever thinks I'm dreading it is not even close."
The 22-year-old prospect didn't perform well during his first spring training on the 40-man roster. He was 0-2 with a 19.50 ERA in three appearances (one start), allowing 13 earned runs on 12 hits and six walks in only six innings. Opponents tagged him for a .444 batting average, and he made an early return to minor league camp.
Lester showed Francona, however, why the organization was excited about its first choice (second round) in the 2002 draft.
"I saw him this spring, and I didn't see him pitch that well, but you could see a lot of things in him, why people are in love with him," Francona said. "He competes, he's left-handed, he's got a great body, he's got three or four different pitches, he commands. He's on his way to being a very solid major league pitcher and, hopefully, this will be a good first step."
Lester performed well at Pawtucket following a sluggish start that might have been hampered by the organization's decision to limit his pitches in early outings and conserve his strength for a possible tour with the Sox later in the season. He is 3-4 overall this year with a 2.70 ERA, but he is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in his past six starts.
Injuries to other members of the rotation also were a factor in sticking with the plan to bring up Lester. Tim Wakefield, who will pitch the opener of the three-day, four-game homestand tonight, has been bothered by a minor back problem, while Matt Clement, who will start Sunday, has been dealing with muscle twinges and fatigue in his right shoulder after reworking his mechanics before his most recent start.
Craig Hansen, who was summoned from Pawtucket on Tuesday, is penciled in for long relief tonight if Wakefield's back acts up, and David Pauley, who originally was scheduled to start Sunday, will be in the bullpen tomorrow. It isn't known yet if Pauley will start Tuesday.
"He gave us a huge boost the other night, but in the big picture, we don't need him to be giving us 20 starts in the major leagues," Francona said of Pauley, who was called up from Double-A Portland on May 31. "He's not ready to do that. That's not an insinuation on his career. He's just young and needs to go pitch."
Foulke on mend
Keith Foulke, who hasn't pitched since May 31 because of back problems, has shown gradual improvement and was available to work in a pinch last night.
"He threw (Wednesday) and did pretty well," Francona said. "He threw all of his pitches off a mound and did surprisingly well, so he's getting real close."
Mike Timlin, meanwhile, threw on the side before last night's game and remained on pace to be activated from the DL early next week.. ..
David Wells flew to San Diego yesterday in preparation for the his appointment with Dr. Jan Fronek today, during which he will receive a second opinion on his injured right knee.. ..
The Sox and Yankees are 43-43 each other since the start of the 2002 season, including 5-5 this season.
Murphy on fire
Lester isn't the only former top draft choice showing promise. Outfielder David Murphy (2003) was 2-for-3 last night and is batting .327 (16-for-49) with six doubles, a triple, a homer and eight RBI in his first 13 games since being promoted to Pawtucket.
Infielder Dustin Pedroia (2004) is batting .303 (10-for-33) with four doubles in his past eight games with the PawSox, lifting his batting average from .250 to .260. And Jacoby Ellsbury (2005) is batting .354 (23-for-65) in 17 games for Single-A Wilmington since coming off the disabled list.. ..
Kevin Youkilis left the game in the eighth inning after getting struck on the left elbow by a Scott Erickson pitch in the seventh. He suffered no more than a bruise.
"(Francona) wanted to get me out of there to ice because he wants me to play three games this weekend," Youkilis said.. ..
Last night's win was the Sox' 19th comeback victory of the season.. ..
The Yankees collected only four hits off Curt Schilling and Jonathan Papelbon, matching a season low.
Read the Clubhouse Insider before every Red Sox game at bostonherald.com.
Copyright 2006 by BostonHerald.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.