Sox have Byrd in hand

Indians veteran acquired in trade

While the Red Sox' acquisition of pitcher Paul Byrd from Cleveland yesterday was not exactly a dismissal of struggling starter Clay Buchholz, it would seem they have determined that they cannot continue to chase a postseason berth with a member of the rotation in as dire straits as the rookie has been. Though nothing was announced regarding Buchholz, Byrd will pitch in his spot in the rotation Friday against Toronto at Fenway Park.

"By no means are we giving up on Clay Buchholz," said general manager Theo Epstein. "Far from it. We still think he's going to be a huge part of our future and may well prove to be an important part of our present.

"That said, we think this move gives us the freedom to do the right thing in our rotation, rather than maybe forcing people into roles because of injury. So we'll see how things play out, but by no means is Clay Buchholz out of our picture."

For now, Byrd stands in much clearer focus. In giving up a player to be named later - an "organizational" type minor leaguer, rather than a prospect - or cash considerations, the Red Sox paid a small price to get a pitcher with a 4-0 record and 1.24 ERA since the All-Star break. The deal was made after Byrd had cleared waivers, meaning the Indians were free to negotiate with any team, so the Yankees could not have blocked Boston on this trade.

"We think Byrd can add a veteran presence, some stability to our starting rotation," Epstein said. "He's been on a roll lately, since the All-Star break. He's been pretty darn good every time out there.

"This is a guy who's been through this before. He's someone we think can be dependable for us and we know what we're going to get every fifth day.

"It just seems like the right time to add this kind of stabilizer, given the fact that [Tim Wakefield] is on the DL, [Bartolo] Colon's still rehabbing, Buchholz is still working through some things. You never want to get caught short on starting pitching in August and September, because there's very little you can do about it."

So their answer was Byrd, a 37-year-old veteran whose contract expires at the end of this season.

"He's going to consistently locate and throw strikes and change speeds and show great feel on the mound," said Epstein.

Calling himself a "blue collar worker," Byrd seemed excited to join the Sox, especially since he played for Terry Francona in Philadelphia. He did say that, given what the Indians and Sox went through in the postseason last year, it was a bit strange for him. Certainly not bad, though.

"I'm older, and this is what you play for," Byrd said on a conference call. "You only get so many chances to win it all. Last year was really tough for us, and for me to get traded to the team that beat us feels a little weird. I can't wait to get started and give the people of Boston all I've got."

There was controversy surrounding Byrd last fall, when a story broke during the AL Championship Series that Byrd had purchased $25,000 worth of human growth hormone and syringes from an anti-aging clinic between August 2002 and August 2005. Byrd had to answer questions about the story while the teams were in Boston. Like all players named in the Mitchell Report, Byrd was later granted amnesty for his involvement with HGH.

Byrd, who is expected to arrive in Boston today, didn't start the season pitching as well as he has lately. For the season, he is 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA, though he is sure that any struggles are behind him. He has the second-lowest ERA among pitchers with at least 20 innings since the break, behind only Randy Johnson (0.66).

"I think I was tipping my pitches a little bit," Byrd said. "I changed my glove, and it's rock-hard, so if I cover first, I'll be in trouble, but I can't wiggle it and give away [pitches]. I changed my motion so I wasn't going over my head with my hands anymore. It's enabling me to keep the ball down a little bit.

"I've had an up-and-down season, it's been a roller coaster ride, but as far as me right now, I'm extremely confident. I like the way I'm throwing the ball. I have no fear, no wonder about which pitcher is going to show up."