Texas @ Boston preview
Fenway Park
Last Meeting ( Jul 15, 2010 ) Texas 7, Boston 2
Josh Beckett is scheduled to make at least one more rehab start before joining the Boston Red Sox. After Tim Wakefield’s performance on Thursday night the Red Sox may be planning to hurry him back.
Wakefield surrendered seven runs in two-plus innings as the Texas Rangers took the opener of a four-game series at Fenway Park.
The two teams meet again Friday night.
Beckett will pitch for Boston’s Triple-A Pawtucket squad on Saturday. If all goes well he could join the team on its West Coast trip next week. The struggling Red Sox rotation needs a boost.
Wakefield fell to 3-8 on the season and watched his ERA soar to 5.65. He has won just once at home on the season and once in his last six starts - that being a victory over last-place Baltimore.
Boston will start rookie Felix Doubront (1-1) on Friday. It will be the third start of the season for Doubront, who was called up initially to take the place of Daisuke Matsuzaka. Since then the Red Sox lost Beckett and Clay Buchholz and currently have 11 players on the disabled list.
To make matters worse, third baseman Adrian Beltre had an MRI exam on his sore left hamstring and was held out of Thursday’s game.
There is help on the horizon for the Red Sox. The question is whether Boston will still be in the playoff picture when its multitude of stars return.
Catcher Victor Martinez was being evaluated on Thursday and hopes to return soon from a broken thumb. Mike Lowell took some ground balls and did a little hitting off a tee on Thursday.
Dustin Pedroia and Jason Varitek will both have broken bones in their feet looked at Friday.
The Rangers rolled over the wounded Red Sox on Thursday to break their four-game losing streak. They scored six times in the first inning to break the game open and make a winner out of Tommy Hunter (6-0).
Three Rangers had three hits in the game, including Josh Hamilton, who doubled three times and took over the American League lead in batting at .351. Vladimir Guerrero and Nelson Cruz also had three hits.
Colby Lewis (8-5) starts for the Rangers. He has won four of his last five decisions and beat Cleveland 4-3 in his last outing.
Rich Harden, who went on the disabled list on June 12 with a strained left gluteus muscle, began a rehab assignment of his own with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. He could also return to the team next week.