Hansen has been huge relief
He's been almost perfect for PawSox
NEW YORK - What do the Red Sox do if the middle of the bullpen continues to struggle?
Well, the Sox are watching the way Craig Hansen is setting down hitters in Pawtucket.
Hansen has pitched 9 1/3 scoreless innings in his first six appearances for the PawSox, after finishing last season with 14 2/3 scoreless innings. Overall, opposing batters are hitting .065 (2 for 31) against him this season, with most of his success coming against righthanded hitters, who have one infield hit in 24 at-bats. One Sox official said the team is impressed with the way Hansen has been asserting himself on the mound - the surgery for sleep apnea may be a factor - but they want to see him continue his early success before making any moves.
Hansen has been making big league money since the club drafted him in the first round in 2005 (26th overall), the same draft that spawned Jacoby Ellsbury (23d overall), Clay Buchholz (42d), and Jed Lowrie (45), all of whom are in the majors. Hansen, who signed a four-year deal that included a $1.325 million signing bonus - he is getting $700,000 this season - has not been in the big leagues since 2006, when he was 2-2 with a 6.63 ERA in 38 games after being called up less than four months after he was drafted. Because of his fast-track arrival, Hansen may strike some as yesterday's news, but he's just 24 years old - the same age Jonathan Papelbon was when he was promoted to the big leagues - and the Sox retain high hopes he will make a significant contribution. And other teams in need of pitching surely will take notice.
The Sox bullpen yielded eight runs in 4 1/3 innings in Wednesday's 15-9 loss to the Yankees, after having allowed three runs in its previous 16 2/3 innings. The eight runs were the most allowed by the Sox pen since they gave up 10 May 19, 2007, in Atlanta. Overall, the Sox rank 12th in the American League in relief ERA at 5.57. But the Sox bullpen has already thrown 53 1/3 innings, a total exceeded only by the Yankees (56 2/3) in the AL entering last night, which reveals the kind of strain caused by starters not going deep into games. No Sox starter had gone seven innings.
Overall, the Sox pitching staff entered last night leading the league in strikeouts with 118, but also in walks with 78, including 24 in the last six games. They're averaging 4.9 walks a game, compared with 3 per game last season, when their 482 passes ranked 10th in the league.
Minor updates
Lefthander Nick Hagadone, the team's first pick in 2007 (55th overall), extended his scoreless streak to 33 with 2 1/3 innings Wednesday for the Single A Greenville Drive, but he was taken out of the game with what was described as tightness in his elbow. "He just had a little tightness," manager Kevin Boles told the Greenville (S.C.) News. "That's it. It was just precautionary at this point. It looks like he's going to be fine." Meanwhile, 2006 first-round pick Daniel Bard, who had awful control problems last year, walking more than a batter an inning (78 walks in 75 innings), has walked just one in his first 9 2/3 innings, spanning five scoreless outings. He has whiffed 14 and allowed five hits. One final Greenville note: Earlier this week, Terumasa Matsuo, the first player signed by the Sox out of the Japanese independent league, allowed one run and two hits in four innings in his pro debut. One of the hits was a home run by John Alonso of West Virginia.Corey a free agent
Bryan Corey, designated for assignment by the Sox last week, elected free agency after clearing waivers. Kyle Snyder, who also was DFA and accepted an outright assignment to Pawtucket, pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief Wednesday for the PawSox. He is expected to be inserted in the Pawtucket rotation, perhaps as soon as Monday . . . Kevin Youkilis, who fouled a ball off his left big toe, was sore but played last night, batting in the No. 5 hole. Youkilis began the night batting a team-high .368 (fifth in the league). He had considerable incentive to play. In his previous five games, he was batting .500 (10 for 20) with 3 doubles and 6 RBIs. "He called me this morning and in his own way made it very clear that if he didn't play, he'd be a pain in the butt," manager Terry Francona said . . . Francona said an MRI was inconclusive on Alex Cora's throwing elbow. Cora, who is on the 15-day disabled list, was reexamined yesterday . . . Bartolo Colon still hasn't thrown . . . Mike Lowell (strained thumb ligament) is making progress, Francona said, but appears unlikely to come off the DL when he is eligible April 25 . . . David Ortiz, whose last home run came in the fourth game of the season, April 2 against Oakland, began the night without a home run in 43 at-bats. That's the fourth-longest homerless streak since he joined the Sox in 2003. His two longest homerless streaks came last season: 69 at-bats over 19 games from May 10 to June 3, and 13 games and 53 at-bats from June 22 to July 5. No. 3 on that list was 45 at-bats and 11 games from May 16-28, 2005. Ortiz hit seven home runs last April . . . Sean Casey, on toppling over at second base, his helmet falling over his eyes, Wednesday night: "I was having a great time when I fell. I go to [Derek ] Jeter, 'Can you get an APB out on that sniper?' He's like, 'Hey, Case, don't worry about it, nobody's watching this game tonight.' I go, 'We're not on ESPN, are we?' " . . . Sweet comment from Manny Ramírez to theAmalie Benjamin of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
