Boston Vs. Detroit 5-18-11
Rainouts aren't the only thing forcing Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona to juggle his rotation.
With two-fifths of his starting pitchers expected to be on the disabled list by the time his team opens a two-game series with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night, Francona is counting on Clay Buchholz to continue his winning ways.
Boston (21-20) put struggling starter John Lackey on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a strained right elbow, and Daisuke Matsuzaka will join him prior to this game. Francona said an MRI taken revealed a sprained right elbow for the Japanese pitcher, who walked seven in 4 1-3 innings Monday against Baltimore.
The Red Sox won that game 8-7 for their fourth victory in a row and moved above .500 for the first time before Tuesday night's game was postponed.
"We're going to get Lack healthy and get him back out there as quickly as we can," Francona said. "We're going to do the same thing with Dice-K."
While Michael Bowden will be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Matsuzaka's spot in the rotation, Buchholz (4-3, 3.94 ERA) has been hitting his stride.
He has rebounded from a slow start to win his last three outings, posting a 1.93 ERA. The right-hander limited New York to two runs and five hits while striking out a season-high seven in seven innings of a 5-4 win Friday.
"He threw hard and down with movement, and then he started using his changeup and breaking ball," Francona said. "His fastball had so much depth to it."
Buchholz went 1-0 with a 1.26 ERA in two starts versus Detroit last year, allowing five hits in 14 1-3 innings. He catches a break with Tigers slugger Magglio Ordonez on the DL, as the right fielder is 5 for 7 with two walks against Buchholz.
Detroit (22-19) was denied a chance to get back on track Tuesday when its game against Toronto was also postponed due to rain. Monday's 4-2 loss was just the second for the Tigers in 12 games, and they carry a five-game road winning streak into this contest.
While Francona is forced to alter his rotation, Tigers counterpart Jim Leyland is shuffling his bullpen corps. He decided to remove Joaquin Benoit from his role as primary set-up man after giving up 14 runs in five innings over his last six appearances - losing three and blowing a save opportunity.
The final straw for Leyland came Monday, when Benoit allowed three runs and four hits in the eighth and left to a chorus of boos.
"Obviously, he's struggling," said Leyland, who has not named a replacement for Benoit. "It's not velocity - his velocity is still good. He's just not able to locate the ball when he throws it."
As Benoit tries to solve his struggles, the Tigers hope Phil Coke (1-5, 4.54) can take another step toward ending his. The left-hander failed to win for the fifth consecutive start last Wednesday at Minnesota but showed improvement in allowing two runs and five hits over 5 2-3 innings in a 9-7 victory.
Coke is 0-3 with a 5.96 ERA since beating Oakland on April 14 for his lone win. He will be making his first start versus Boston after going 2-1 with a 3.29 ERA in 16 relief appearances.
Dustin Pedroia, who is batting .247 at home but .316 overall, is 2 for 3 against Coke, and Carl Crawford - who has a 10-game hitting streak at Fenway Park - has hit safely in both his at-bats against the lefty.
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