Beckett to miss his turn
Gabbard is likely starter tomorrow
This much is certain: Josh Beckett will not make his scheduled start tomorrow against the Braves.
Whether he's put on the disabled list and who takes his turn in the rotation are to be determined. All the Red Sox would confirm last night is that his replacement will come from Pawtucket, meaning they won't be using Kyle Snyder, who has pitched no more than two innings in any outing.
Beckett will throw a side session tomorrow, after which his status will be determined.
"He's doing very well," manager Terry Francona said. "Very well. You know, missing him for a start isn't a lot of fun, so you start multiplying that. We really don't want that to happen, so I think being cautious is the right thing to do.
"I know it is."
Beckett suffered an avulsion -- a torn piece of skin below the pad on his right middle finger -- in the fourth inning Sunday against the Orioles. He has experienced similar skin problems in the past, though the Sox are careful not to characterize the injury as akin to the blisters he developed with the Marlins.
As for tomorrow's replacement, all signs point to Kason Gabbard, the lefthander who made his major league debut last July in Seattle.
Gabbard pitched Monday for the PawSox, which means he'd be working on three days' rest, though he was lifted after five innings and 63 pitches.
Runelvys Hernandez, who started for Pawtucket Sunday, is a less likely candidate.
If Beckett goes on the DL, the Sox could recall Devern Hansack from Pawtucket. Demoted last week, Hansack can be brought back only if someone is placed on the DL because of a rule that stipulates players sent to the minors must remain there for 10 days.
Francona doesn't want to uproot Snyder.
"We like him in his role," Francona said. "There's some trickle-down effect. Snydes can pitch. He gets outs. We like the way he gets outs. But he's been more of a one- to two-inning guy, and if we try to go three or four, it's not deep enough into the game, where even though we think he can pitch well, you're going to go through the whole bullpen.
"This way, we'll have somebody and we'll keep our bullpen intact, which is important."
Julian Tavarez will face Mike Maroth in the first game, with Curt Schilling opposing Chad Durbin in the second.
He might not know who Ernie Banks is -- he admitted as much when he was asked whether he agreed with the Hall of Famer's "Let's play two!" mentality -- but Tavarez is the type who would be just as happy playing a doubleheader.
And just as happy starting on three days' rest.
Because he's been pushed back until today, Tavarez's scheduled start at Yankee Stadium Monday is in jeopardy because he'd have only three days off.
"If I have to pitch Monday, I'll pitch Monday, too," said Tavarez, who added that he had pitched on three days' rest in winter ball. "It doesn't make any difference to me. To me, I don't think about four, five, six days off, I'm just thinking about the game that I'm going to start. As long as I know the day before, I'll be fine."
