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Jason Bay strolls past bench coach Brad Mills upon returning to the dugout after homering in the fifth inning. (Bill Greene/Globe Staff) |
Red Sox notebook
Wakefield shows real improvement
Simulated game is a step forward
Tim Wakefield took his most significant step yet to returning to the Red Sox rotation yesterday, throwing a simulated game on the Fenway Park mound hours before the Sox played the Tigers. Wakefield’s obstacle remains weakness in his left calf stemming from a nerve injury, but both the health of his arm and the quality of his pitching is unaffected.
“I feel like if I had to pitch today, I could pitch,’’ Wakefield said. “It’s just the motor weakness in my leg. That’s the only thing holding me back right now.’’
When asked what the best-case scenario for starting a real game was, he said, “Tomorrow. It’s not up to me.’’
A phalanx of club officials, including manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein, watched Wakefield throw 51 pitches over three simulated innings. Wakefield fielded bunts and covered first base, moving gingerly because of the weakness in his calf.
Wakefield originally went on the disabled list with a lower back strain. A nerve issue moved the injury from his lower back to his left calf. There is no pain, but the issue - a lack of motor sensory, Wakefield said - limits the knuckleballer’s ability to field his position.
“No tingling, no numbness, no nothing,’’ Wakefield said. “It’s just motor weakness.’’
During the simulated game, Wakefield charged off the mound to field a bunt by Josh Reddick. He tumbled as he fielded the ball, howling as he fell to the ground. Wakefield fired a strike to first base from his backside. “It was graceful, wasn’t it?’’ Wakefield said.
The fall and the yell were not the result of his injury. “It was the result of not being a good athlete,’’ Wakefield said with a laugh.
Along with humor, Wakefield’s throwing provided some encouragement for a rotation that has also lost Daisuke Matsuzaka and John Smoltz. Reddick told Wakefield afterward his curveball had good, sharp movement. While watching Wakefield, Francona saw no difference from before Wakefield went on the disabled list.
“Amazingly, yeah,’’ Francona said. “I thought he threw the ball great. We’ve got to keep building on those strengths and go in the right direction. I definitely think he can get out there and pitch. We’ll get him out tomorrow and see what happens.’’
The nebulous nature of Wakefield’s injury makes it difficult to determine when he may return. At the earliest, Wakefield could pitch against the Texas Rangers or Toronto Blue Jays during the road trip that begins Friday.
“It’s just frustrating to deal with,’’ Wakefield said. “The sensory stuff is there. The feeling is there. It doesn’t want to work. It’s just a matter of, eventually, hopefully, it will come back. What they’re saying is, it’s the nerve regenerating. It takes time.
“Today, we took a step. I don’t know what’s in store next. We’ll either get another side, or we’ll get them in Texas or Toronto. We’ll find out.’’
Tazawa on tap
Junichi Tazawa will make his first major league start tonight against the Tigers, his first outing since his surreal debut Friday night. Tazawa entered in the 14th inning with the score 0-0 in Yankee Stadium. In the 15th, Tazawa allowed a walkoff home run to Alex Rodriguez. In the time after the sour debut, Francona saw no ill effects on Tazawa, who last year pitched in the semiprofessional Industrial League in Japan.“I think we’re excited to watch this kid pitch,’’ Francona said. “He’s kind of an interesting story. The one thing he should do, he should throw strikes. He should manage the running game very well. And his stuff is good enough that if he throws strikes, he should be fine. He never seems to be overly nervous or that out of sorts for where he is. I think we’re looking forward to it.’’
Tough test
Jed Lowrie yesterday visited Dr. Donald Sheridan, the wrist specialist who performed the shortstop’s surgery in the spring. Lowrie went on the disabled list Saturday with a nerve injury in his left forearm. Lowrie underwent an electromyogram test, a procedure that measures the electrical current in muscles and therefore the amount of muscle activity. This offseason, Francona underwent an EMG for a back injury.“This will teach Jed not to get injured, because it’s not a fun one,’’ Francona said. “It’s actually agonizing. They stick separate needles in you and start giving them electric impulses. It’s like on ‘24.’ It’s terrible.’’
Numbing numbers
How much damage did the Red Sox do to their postseason chances with their six-game losing streak entering last night’s game? By one measure, they were better than 60-40 to miss the postseason for the first time since 2006. According to Baseball Prospectus’s projections, done by Clay Davenport, the Red Sox had a 38.84 percent chance to make the playoffs. Baseball Prospectus gave the Red Sox a 6.05 percent chance of winning the American League East and a 32.79 percent chance to win the wild card, compared to 7.30 and 37.34 percent for the Tampa Bay Rays. Meanwhile, Davenport’s projections gave the Yankees an 86.62 percent chance to win the division and a 96.64 percent total chance to make the playoffs . . . The Red Sox made no changes to their 25-man roster yesterday for the first time in five days . . . Jacoby Ellsbury set a career high in stolen bases last night when he swiped second in the second inning. His 51st steal put him only three back of Tommy Harper’s club record . . . Victor Martinez, Casey Kotchman, Reddick, and Tazawa each moved into new lockers in the Red Sox clubhouse . . . Francona on coming back to Fenway after a 10-day road trip: “I felt good about coming home until I got to the red light today with my window down. Then I realized maybe we ought to go on the road.’’Still unlucky
Brad Penny still has just one win in his last 10 starts after missing out on last night’s victory. Penny allowed three runs in six innings, and before his last inning, he threw up because of acid reflux. “There wasn’t as much power behind everything as we’ve seen,’’ Francona said. Penny’s start extended a stretch in which Red Sox starters have compiled a 2.08 ERA in four games . . . David Ortiz’s RBI single in the second inning snapped his 0-for-23 skid with runners on base, the longest such streak of his career . . . Nick Green’s home run was his sixth this season, setting a career high . . . Five of Pedroia’s nine home runs have come in the first inning . . . Ramon Ramirez earned the win. His six victories tie him for second in the majors among relievers.Adam Kilgore can be reached at akilgore@globe.com 
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
