Boston @ Philadelphia preview
Citizens Bank Park
Last Meeting ( May 21, 2010 ) Boston 1, Philadelphia 5
Forced to be patient, Jacoby Ellsbury could do nothing but bide his time.
On April 11, Ellsbury suffered a hairline fracture to four of his ribs following a collision with Kansas City Royals third baseman Adrian Beltre.
Until recently, the only contest in which the speedy outfielder was involved was the waiting game.
Now, after batting .400 in his three minor league rehab appearances - two in Double-A Portland and one in Triple-A Pawtucket, Ellsbury and the Boston Red Sox brass feel that his time is now.
Ellsbury is expected to be activated and inserted into the lineup on Saturday as the Red Sox (22-21) face the National League-leading Philadelphia Phillies (26-15) at Citizens Bank Park.
The 23rd overall pick of the 2005 draft, Ellsbury has competed in just six contests this season, posting a .333 average (10-for-30). The 26-year-old batted .301 with eight home runs and 60 RBIs with an American League-best 70 stolen bases last year.
Ellsbury look to ignite the Red Sox and provide run support for an inconsistent Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 7.89 ERA).
The Japanese right-hander can use a helping hand this season. In his last outing, Matsuzaka surrendered a five-run first inning en route to a no-decision against the arch-rival New York Yankees.
The road has also not been a friend to the 29-year-old Matsuzaka, who is 0-1 with a mountainous 12.54 ERA in two starts.
Philadelphia will counter with Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 5.24 ERA). The 26-year-old right-hander is slowly starting to put it together - winning two of his last three starts while only walking six batters in his last four outings.
In his last start, the hurler went eight innings - allowing just two runs and five hits in a 12-2 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
However, Kendrick has struggled against the Red Sox, posting an 0-2 career mark with an astronomical 16.20 ERA.
Kendrick would benefit from the power display Philadelphia exhibited on Friday. Ryan Howard belted a solo home run and had a run-scoring single and Jayson Werth launched a two-run shot as the Phillies recorded a 5-1 triumph over the Red Sox.
With the victory, Philadelphia improved to 14-5 in the month of May.
All was not good for the Phillies as shortstop Jimmy Rollins left the contest in the sixth inning with a mild right calf strain after he singled to right field. The 2007 National League Most Valuable Player had just returned to the lineup on Monday after spending a little over a month on the disabled list with a calf strain.
Rollins, who was replaced by Juan Castro, is listed as day-to-day.