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Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz was hospitalized with what the club announced Tuesday night was esophagitis, an inflammation that damages tissues of the esophagus, the muscular tube that delivers food from your mouth to your stomach.
According to a message on Twitter late Tuesday night from his wife, Lindsay Clubine, Buchholz is being released from Massachusetts General Hospital, where he has been undergoing treatment.
"Clay finally gets to come home!" Clubine tweeted at around 11:30 Tuesday night. "Stomach issues are under control & he feels good. Now we just have to fatten him up! Thanks for the prayers!"
According to a major league source, the club is concerned about a tear "near the esophagus," and the possibility of infection. Buchholz is not expected back until after the All-Star break, the source said.
"Clay Buchholz has esophagitis, which led to an erosion of the esophagus and an associated gastrointestinal bleed,'' the team said in a brief statement. "He has been evaluated and observed at Mass. General Hospital. Clay is doing well and is expected to make a full recovery."
ESPNBoston | Clay Buchholz has esophagitis
We should have had our guard up over Clay being hospitalized, but this still comes as a bit of a surprise. As this piece points out later, being out until the All-Star Break means five starts.
Now, obviously, Clay's health is what matters, but I don't know anything about how he's feeling, what brought it on, or esophagitis in general, so I'm going to talk about it in relation to the Red Sox. (Besides, if you start to speculate, it gets dangerous. Callers on the DA Show last night were speculating that he has alcohol or pain killer problems, with very little proof.)
With Beckett due back this weekend, the rotation can still be somewhat normal. Lester, Beckett, Doubront, Matsuzaka, Morales/Cook isn't great...but it isn't the end of the world either. Having both Morales and Cook available is a bit of a luxury, considering Morales has been better than would be expected.
That said, it puts even more of a spotlight on Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury to get back. We'll need all the offense possible with this rotation (Doubront, Daisuke, and Morales, despite how they've performed this year, are far from sure things). We need these guys.
On page 2, Daisuke has believers.
“I asked him if he believed in himself and if he was ready to go,” manager Bobby Valentine said of his first-inning visit to the mound. “To give up one run in that inning was good pitching. His best effort yet.”
Last night, Matsuzaka was seeking more than effort though. He was seeking his 50th career victory. If he’d gotten it, he would have become the fifth fastest Red Sox pitcher to 50 wins since 1918 behind only Jon Lester [stats], Tex Hughson, Dave Ferriss and Roger Clemens. That’s healthy company despite the fact many in Boston consider him a disappointment.
To that Farrell said, “The easy thing is to pick out the negatives. Overall he’s been a very good pitcher. He’s had some problems with fatigue and injuries but his first two years he was a 33-game winner. What he did in Japan generated that contract ($103 million counting the $51 million ransom paid to his team for negotiating rights). In my eyes, absolutely he’s a successful major league pitcher.”
Herald | Dicey yet 'successful'
Dice is a good example of how contracts throw off the perception of players. He's been frustrating to watch, but he hasn't been as horrible as we feel like he have. He just hasn't been a game-changing ace. Which is fine, most pitchers aren't.
It will be very interesting to see what happens with Daisuke this offseason. What if he continues to pitch relatively well, puts up a 4.00-ish ERA, and is a rare steady force in a crazy situation? Could teams actually end up having bidding wars over his services? Could the Red Sox actually be interested in retaining him?
ESPNBoston | Jarrod Saltalamacchia keys Red Sox's rally by Jays | Red Sox have varied contributors | Jacoby Ellsbury to start rehab Friday | Josh Beckett slated for Saturday start | President ribs Boston crowd | Herald | Sox use rare rally | Positive swing | Pedroia back in swing | Reliever Melancon goes back to Arizona roots | Globe | Sox are winners in the end | Ellsbury headed to Florida | Matsuzaka is able to find answers | Sox issue statement on Buchholz | CSNNE | Matsuzaka responds nicely after first-inning trouble | Pedroia finishes what Saltalamacchia starts in 7th inning | Red Sox come alive late, beat Blue Jays, 5-1 | Cherington shoots down rifts between Red Sox players, Valentine | Lillibridge makes first start with Red Sox in center field
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