Buchholz placed on DL with torn fingernail

BALTIMORE - For at least a generation, the insult has been burning the ears of the modern ballplayer, whenever someone decides to ridicule their toughness, be it ticket-buying fan, hockey player, or former Rockford Peach.

"Most of them are such babies anymore," said Helen Waddell "Sis" Wyatt, the former Peach and veteran of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, last year when she was 77. "They get a hangnail and they're out three weeks."

Maybe that's why Clay Buchholz looked slightly abashed yesterday morning after he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a torn fingernail on the middle finger of his throwing hand.

If it had been up to Buchholz, this would not have happened. And if the Sox had not lost two outfielders, J.D. Drew and Coco Crisp, the night before, this wouldn't have happened, either. Tuesday night, a Red Sox official said the fingernail would not impede Buchholz from making his next start, scheduled for Sunday.

But that was before Drew hyperextended his left wrist and Crisp turned woozy in Tuesday night's game, and the Sox were in need of another outfielder. Placing Buchholz on the DL created a roster spot that allowed them to purchase center fielder Jonathan Van Every from Triple A Pawtucket.

"Sort of the right time for them," Buchholz said, "and the wrong time for me."

Buchholz said he developed bleeding under the nail after throwing a two-seam fastball while warming up before the second inning of his last start, Monday night in Minnesota. He did not feel it while throwing his offspeed stuff, but it hurt when he threw his fastball.

"I knew something had happened when I threw it, so I didn't even look at it," he said. "I just kept throwing, and when I went in the dugout, it was bleeding a bit and I didn't tell anybody. It's my own fault, I guess."

Buchholz lasted just 4 1/3 innings against the Twins, giving up seven runs on eight hits and five walks. He said he spoke with manager Terry Francona, who is in Arizona for the funeral of his mother-in-law, about the decision to be placed on the DL. The ostensible reason he was given is that the Sox don't want to take a chance that Buchholz might hurt his elbow or shoulder while compensating for the pain in his finger.

But it's possible the Sox may have struck upon a way to give Bartolo Colon his shot at the rotation. Colon is scheduled to pitch today for Pawtucket, and with the Sox needing a starter Tuesday, which would be his turn to go, Colon could get the summons.

Buchholz, who has been erratic (2-3, 5.53 ERA), figures to need a rehab stint before returning, which should give him a chance to refine his stuff while giving the Sox a chance to see what Colon can offer.

Buchholz said he won't be allowed to throw for a couple of days, but is hoping to sneak in some work soon.

Drew optimistic

Drew, who hyperextended his wrist while attempting a shoestring catch of Freddie Bynum's sinking liner, said the wrist felt better than he'd expected.

"I anticipated that it would be stiff and sore this morning," said Drew, who didn't expect to need an MRI.

With treatment, he said, he thought there was a chance he could play tomorrow night in Fenway Park against the Brewers. "I'll try it out before the game, take some swings and fly balls, and if the pain is minimal, I should be able to play through that," he said. "I don't think there's any major damage."

Crisp, who was vomiting when he came out of Tuesday's game, was feeling good enough late that night to order a pizza back at the hotel. But he was back to feeling "woozy" yesterday.

"I feel off and on a lot better, then weird," said Crisp, who planned to take some migraine medication before the game and thought he might be available.

Shortstop Julio Lugo, meanwhile, said he felt good enough to play, but the Sox intend to have him see a specialist today in Boston before giving him the green light after he sustained a concussion Friday night.

Big day

Van Every was a 29th-round draft choice who spent the first seven seasons of his pro career with the Indians. How many big league camps had he attended while he was there? "Zero," he said with a smile.

But yesterday, Van Every, who had signed with the Sox as a minor league free agent last winter and came to camp as a nonroster invitee, was awakened in Buffalo by an 8 a.m. phone call from Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson telling him that in two hours, he needed to catch the plane that was going to take him to the big leagues.

"You always have your doubts," Van Every, 28, said when asked if he'd lost faith that call would ever come, "but you keep plugging away, and hopefully, things work out."

Wearing No. 30, batting ninth, and playing center field, Van Every whiffed in his first major league at-bat against righthander Daniel Cabrera in the third inning, lined a single to center in the fifth, then struck out again in the seventh.

"Best two punchouts of my life," said Van Every. "I'll take those every day if it means I get my first big league hit."

On his game

When Cabrera, spooked by Crisp dancing at third, threw behind Dustin Pedroia's head last September, he touched off a brawl in which he challenged several Sox players to fight. Pedroia called him an "idiot" and Cabrera was suspended six games.

Cabrera must have gotten smarter over the winter. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in his last seven starts, the Orioles are 7-1 when he pitches, and he finally beat the Red Sox, a team against which he was 1-9 with a 7.84 ERA in 11 starts. Cabrera gave up 10 hits but did not walk a batter, perhaps the most noticeable change in a guy who led the American League in walks with 108 last season.