De La Rosa Set To Start Saturday In Place Of Buchholz
BOSTON (CBS) -- Saturday will be another glimpse of the near-future for Boston Red Sox fans.
Rubby De La Rosa will make his first start in a Red Sox uniform Saturday evening against the Tampa Bay Rays, taking the injured Clay Buchholz's spot in the starting rotation.
De La Rosa, who was acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in August 2012, made 11 relief appearances for Boston last season and is 2-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 10 starts for the Pawtucket Red Sox this season.
Boston manager John Farrell was asked why he chose De La Rosa over Allen Webster (2-2, 3.17 ERA in 11 GS for Pawtucket this season).
"The recommendation of the staff in Pawtucket," replied Farrell. "You look at their numbers overall on the course of the year, they're pretty similar. The last two starts for Rubby have been strong, and that was pretty much the deciding factor."
De La Rosa struck out 13 batters while issuing just three walks over 11 innings in his last two starts for Pawtucket.
While Saturday will be the 25-year-old De La Rosa's first start with the Red Sox, he did spend time in the Los Angeles rotation. With the Dodgers in 2011, De La Rosa was 3-5 with a 3.88 ERA in 10 starts before he injured his elbow, requiring Tommy John surgery.
The Red Sox open a three-game set with the Rays at Fenway Park on Friday. Brandon Workman, who took the injured Felix Doubront's spot in the rotation, takes the mound to start the series.
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