Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Tim Wakefield was set to take John Lackey’s place in the rotation Tuesday night. Instead he'll be pushed back to face the Cubs Sunday in the homestand finale.
Clay Buchholz is scheduled to face the Tigers Wednesday night, followed by Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Alfredo Aceves, who is taking Daisuke Matsuzaka’s place in the rotation.
“I think we’re pretty fortunate,” manager Terry Francona said of being able to slide Wakefield and Aceves into the rotation, before joking. “Wake’s . . . been [pitching] since I was a kid." As for Aceves, he said: "[That’s] why we signed him. [We think] he can go out there and do a good job.”
Aceves, who has made two starts this season for the PawSox, will be making his first big-league start since July 9, 2009 with the Yankees.
“It’s hard to say,” Aceves of what he can expect in his start. “The body is going to tell you when you're tired. You can prepare yourself. Everybody works different. In the game your body’s going to tell you.”
CSNNE - Bowden called up to Sox; rotation shuffled
Oh, but there's plenty more news in the pitching department. MIchael Bowden will get to take Dice-K's spot on the roster, and assuming he finds himself on the mound, will be the 13th relief pitcher the Sox will have used this short season.
Bobby Jenks was eligible to be activated from the DL yesterday, but will need a rehab assignment before he can get activated. Dan Wheeler can come back from his DL stint on Friday, and the Sox say that most likely he'll be ready then.
There's not a ton of bad news in here, really, although losing 40% of your rotation at once is a bit terrifying. Lackey getting shut down is not a surprise. That needed to be done. Losing Dice-K, however, was a bit of a shock, and will certainly sting. But when you break it down, Wakefiled and Dice-K essentially give you the same thing each time they step out onto the mound: they are either going to dominate, or get shelled. You'll either get 7 solid innings from them, or you'll have someone warming up by the 5th. At this stage, Dice-K is more likely to give you a quality start, but I want to feel optimistic, so I'lI consider it a wash.
Aceves is the key. While I'm very high on him (higher than most), I realize he's not the second coming of Pedro. But there's no chance that he's going to pitch worse than Lackey has over his last couple starts. And this is why we got Aceves. He's versatile, won't complain wherever we slot him, and he's had moderate success as a starter. And, he's not Lackey (can't emphasize that enough). Things are already looking up.
Related Links: Herald - Alfredo Aceves moves into rotation | NESN - Daisuke Matsuzaka Injury Keeps Red Sox in Scramble Mode
On Page 2, why Bowden got the call.
