Buchholz Injury Update

"Clay Buchholz told WEEI.com prior to the Red Sox' 6-1 win over the Royals Sunday that he may be on the verge of throwing for the first time since performing a July 25 bullpen session.



Buchholz explained that he is schedule to be re-evaluated when the Red Sox return home, Friday, and if everything goes as planned he will be cleared to do some light tossing."



Even when he is cleared it is said he will take a month to be ready to pitch in the majors. That would be right around playoff time. Francona has said before that the best case scenario is that he might be able to pitch out of the pen. I don't know if I would even want him doing that, so my expectations is that we have seen the last of Clay this year.

Buchholz: "So You're Telling Me There's A Chance"

There's a Chance




Dumb & Dumber

— MOVIECLIPS.com

I am not holding out a lot of hope, but I am holding out a little that Buchholz can return for the playoffs. Buchholz has stated that is his goal, and the doctors have said there isn't much chance he that is going to make it any worse.

"Clay being Clay, I know he is absolutely determined to try to get back this year, and it's our job not to let him get back until it's safe for him," Gill said. "They [spinal specialists] all tell us this is a safe problem and he won't injury himself more, so once his strength gets to where it needs to be, and more importantly, once he can throw without having pain, we'll let him come back. If there's enough time left in the season, we'll see. I think there's absolutely a chance [he can return], I just don't know how big that chance is (ESPN)."

I like the Bedard pick up and I am actually a believer that he can be very solid for the Red Sox. What I am not sold on is whether or not he can stay on the field. Bedard hasn't pitched in September in years, so the Red Sox are going to have to be very careful. Plus, Erik Bedard has never pitched in a pennant race, let alone the playoffs. That doesn't mean he can't do it, but it does have to be something Red Sox fans worry about. One thing to remember is not to judge him too much on his first start. It will only be his 2nd since coming off the DL and may need a game or two to shake off the rust (if he lasts that long).

As for Buchholz, the Sox need him back. Unless Bedard turns out amazing the Red Sox are still hurting. Lackey sucks and I don't trust him in the playoffs at all. It's asking a lot to throw the Wake into the mix, and like I said Bedard has never done it before and has major injury problems. So when you go to bed tonight pray that Buchholz finds his way back to this rotation come playoff time. They may not need him to get through the AL, but those NL playoff teams have some really awesome pitching staffs (Philly, San Fran, ect).

Let's Get Bedarded in Here

How long before we start seeing "Can't Spell Erik Without a 'K'" T-shirts?

After the Rich Harden deal fell apart due to concerns over his health, the Sox went after another Canadian born pitcher. As part of a three team deal, they acquired Erik Bedard. They dealt C Tim Federowicz, RHP Juan Rodriguez and RHP Stephen Fife to the Dodgers in exchange for minor leaguers OF Trayvon Robinson and OF Chih-Hsien Chiang. The Sox then sent Robinson and Chiang to Seattle for Bedard. Righty Josh Fields was packaged along with Bedard.

Fields was drafted by Seattle with the 20th overall pick of the 2008 draft. He's a 25 year old reliever just promoted from AA to AAA Tacoma.

Bedard is obviously the main event of the deal. The Sox need pitching to fill out their rotation. Buchholz was just placed on the 60 Day DL and his recovery has hit some roadblocks.

Bedard's been plagued by injury problems the past few years. He hasn't tossed a full season of work since 2007. He hasn't even thrown 100+ innings since 2007. He missed the entire 2010 season. And he was sidelines for a month with a sprained left knee. He made his return to Seattle's rotation Friday night, struggling through 1.1 innings and allowing 5 runs.

However, when healthy, he is a legitimate frontline starter. On the season, he has a 4-7 record (remember, this is Seattle, who have saddled Felix Hernandez with a 9-9 record) and a 3.45 ERA. But those numbers don't tell the whole story. He struggled in April, starting the season 0-4 with a 7.71 ERA. Since April 27th, he's gone 4-3 with a 2.34 ERA. That ERA includes his 1.1 inning, 5 run debacle on Friday.

Nine of his last 11 starts have been Quality Starts.

This is a good move. Bedard may end of on the DL by early September, but if he doesn't... Well, he's not just an upgrade over Andrew Miller. He solidifies the top of the Red Sox rotation.

His first start is slated to be Friday night against the Yankees. Welcome to Boston, Mr. Bedard.

-The Commodore

Breaking News: Clay Buchholz Out With Stress Fracture In Back

Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz has a stress fracture in his lower back and will most likely miss the rest of the season, according to a report in Comcast Sports New England.

I knew it, so this also spotlights the Bedard trade. So this means come playoff time we are going to need to go Beckett, Lester, then Bedard/ Lackey... I guess I'm comfortable enough with that. Bedard is pretty good and Lackey could (probably not) turn it around.

There is always a chance that the Sox make an August waiver move too, but I don't see that really happening, especially if our offense keeps carrying us the way it has.

More Worry For Buchholz

Clay Buchholz will visit another specialist for his injured back and will not throw off a mound until at least after that meeting. The Red Sox are saying visiting the specialist is just precautionary and not a setback. I said in a post earlier in the week that while the Red Sox seemed to be excited he was able to throw a 30 pitch bullpen session, his comments made me nervous. He said he was still feeling pain in his back, but it was manageable. My question is how much pain would he feel when he was pitching at 100%?

Maybe it is precautionary, but this makes me very nervous. The Red Sox could be having him go see a specialist, so they can get a feel if they need to make a serious move before the trade deadline. Bottom line is that when the playoffs roll around the Red Sox are going to need more then just Lester and Beckett if they are going to win it all, and if they have to rely on the Wake, Lackey, or Miller/Aceves for the #3 spot I will be no where near as confident.

Buchholz Progressing

Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz, on the disabled list since mid-June due to a muscle strain in his lower back, threw 30 pitches off a bullpen mound -- his first session off a mound since the end of June in Philadelphia -- and proclaimed the session to represent a significant marker in his progress back to the rotation. Buchholz threw a "short box" session, in which the catcher sits in front of home plate, and suggested that he got through the session with only minor soreness that he was quickly able to manage.

"This is I think the biggest step in the right direction so far in this process," said Buchholz. "There was still a little soreness coming off after I threw. Sat down for about 10 minutes, did a couple stretches and it felt better (WEEI)."

As well as the Red Sox are playing they are going to need Buchholz if they are going to have any chance of winning it all. Beckett and Lester can get them so far, but in the playoffs having a 3rd good pitcher is huge. I have to admit this update does not make me overly optimistic. Why is he still having soreness? I mean he only threw 30 pitches, and he is still feeling soreness in his back. That can't be a good sign. What happens when he pitches in a game and pushes it? Or if he is in a game and it's raining and it tightens? Sorry, but this doesn't sound good and I am starting to get worried. I hope the Sox are right and this is a step in the right direction, but it doesn't sound all that good to me.

Buchholz's Back Not Getting Better

Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz will fly to North Carolina this week for a consolation with back specialist Dr. Craig Brigham. The Red Sox had hoped that the time off would make it better, but every time he starts to workout and pitch it comes back. This could be really bad news for the Sox, as we saw what this type of injury did to Beckett last year. Buchholz is not a guy the Sox can afford to lose for the entire season, so I am hoping they can figure this out. My best guess is that he won't be back until early August. That means the Sox are really going to have to continue to rely on Andrew Miller and the Wake to get them through most of the season, unless of course the Wake's back goes out as well.

Buchholz/Lowrie Injury Update

As DP stated earlier the Sox won last night, but it came with some cost. Buchholz and Lowrie had to leave the game. Here is the latest on both...

Buchholz left after the fifth inning due to a stiff lower back. This has been bothering him for awhile, and if you have ever pulled a muscle there you know it takes forever for it to go away. The good news is that I think he won't have to go on the DL. The Sox have already stated that they are bringing up Andrew Miller, and that he will start Monday. They also have 2 days off in a 5 day span. That's huge, and means the Sox can't wait awhile, and see how he responds to treatment. That could be enough to keep him from a stint on the DL.

Lowrie meanwhile I think is going to need to go on the DL. His left shoulder has been bothering him for nearly 3 weeks, since his collision with Crawford. It is really causing him to slump. In his last 10 games since the collision he is batting .163, while Scutaro has been playing well. I think it is time to sit Lowrie down for awhile call up someone like Drew Sutton, and I think that is what they are going to do as he was pulled from the PawSox game yesterday. Lowrie has been great, but he needs to be healthy, and with the way this lineup is hitting the Sox can deal with losing him for a couple weeks.