Daisuke Starting Saturday in Boston, Bard Starting Friday in Pawtucket

Daisuke Matsuzaka will be back in Boston just about a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He last pitched for the Red Sox in May of 2011. He's made six rehab starts, totaling 37 innings. He had a 3.65 ERA, 31 hits, 9 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He also had high pitch counts. His final rehab outing lasted 2 innings (it had been scheduled for 3) on Tuesday. He threw 40 pitches.

On Saturday, he'll face 7-2 Gio Gonzalez and the Washington Nationals. Even though the Nats are in 1st place, their offense isn't very good. 26th in runs scored. And thankfully for Daisuke, 22nd in OBP, and 14th in walks.

With most pitchers, some things to watch in their first start back are throwing strikes, working with rhythm, being efficient, keeping people off the bases, is their fastball fast and their curveball curving. Of course, Daisuke is not most pitchers. He can have a good start and walk 8 batters.

What should we expect from Daisuke? Frankly (and not surprisingly), my expectations are low. This is a guy who was brilliant for two years (33-15, 3.72 ERA his first two seasons), then ugly for two (16-15, 5.03 ERA). Any other starting pitcher developed normally in the minors would have been dismissed as a flash-in-the-pan that was figured out by MLB hitters, and couldn't cut it in the Majors. But since Daisuke did so well in the quadruple-A equivalent Japanese League, he still is expected to do well over here.

Negativity aside, there is at least potential for him to be good. We've seen it. And if he's not good, he can at least be serviceable, pitching 5 innings (with a 120 pitch count), and giving the Sox a chance to win. That's more than can be said for Daniel Bard, who Daisuke will replace in the rotation.

Bard will be making a start in AAA Pawtucket on Friday, as the PawSox face the Indianapolis Indians (who are the Pirates' AAA affiliate). Although it is technically a start, he will not be working as a traditional starter. His appearances will be short. The Red Sox claim that this is so he can focus on getting himself "back to being an elite pitcher." That's what Ben Cherington said. This minor league stint is about Bard getting back "on track."

In other words, Bard will be pitching short outings until he's shown the quality we've seen from him in the past. If he does well and Matsuzaka struggles, Bard can return to the rotation and give starting another go. If Matsuzaka settles in, then Bard can return as a reliever.

The Sox are being very diplomatic with how they're discussing Bard. They don't want to crush his confidence. They need Bard to fix his problems before he can return as a reliever or a starter. Matsuzaka gives them an easy way to be kind to Bard and say "We have 5 starters already, but we need your quality in the pen." It's sort of like a girl saying "let's just be friends." You don't feel quite so bad if she's already got a boyfriend.

-The Captain

Middlebrooks vs. Youkilis vs. Time

Who plays third base for the Sox? Middlebrooks or Youkilis? It's a question designed for sports radio. It's an old formula for a contentious debate. The new kid who's tearing it up versus the seasoned veteran who is torn up.

It's a stupid question to ask right now because Youkilis won't be coming back any time soon. His back problems seem to require extensive rest.

And also, as promising as Middlebrooks is, he's not going to hit like this forever. Sox fans are drooling over his .409 average, his 1.000 SLG, his 3 homers and 4 doubles in 5 games. But if you think he'll end the season with numbers anywhere close to these, you're insane. I'm surprised Sox fans aren't debating whether or not to retire #64 now, or wait for Middlebrooks to receive a real number and retire that one.

So Youkilis won't be back for some time, and Middlebrooks will come down to earth in some time. So it's a silly question to seriously think about right now. It's smarter to wait to see how Middlebrooks is performing when Youkilis is healthy. Then make the decision.

It's pointless to even think about, until GM Ben Cherington does something stupid and gives an answer to a question that doesn't need answering until Youkilis is healthy:

"If Youk returns in a week and is ready to go, he plays third base. He's been here. It's great that Will has come up and done a good job and we like him a lot and he's a big part of our future. But Youk's on the DL and he didn't lose his job because he got hurt."

Imagine if someone said the same thing about Wally Pipp.

I don't agree with Cherington's answer. If Middlebrooks is producing close to what he is now, it's his job to lose. He belongs in the lineup. It should be just as tough for Youkilis to dislodge Middlebrooks as it would be for Middlebrooks to dislodge Youkilis. I know this will sound ludicrous, but the best players should see the field. Youkilis needs to earn his spot in the lineup.

How do you logically justify taking someone out of the lineup when they're hitting over .400?

Youkilis could still find his way into the lineup, giving Ortiz or Gonzalez a day off. Gonzalez could use a few days off, actually. And Middlebrooks has this nagging hamstring complaint that could give Youkilis a chance to play third.

And anyway, Cherington shouldn't be answering such questions now. There's no point. Youkilis isn't coming back today, or next week. Let sports radio and bloggers debate irrelevant questions like this one. Why stir the pot now. You can at least wait until Middlebrooks' slugging percentage has dipped below .800. Maybe wait for him to play a game without an extra-base hit. Why talk about sitting him when he's scorching hot?

So I don't like what Cherington's decision is, I don't like any decision being made at this point, and I don't like Cherington disclosing his decision to the Media.

-The Captain

Cherington: No Promises To Bard

"We didn't promise him (Bard) anything at any point, and still haven't promised him anything other than he's starting Game 5," Cherington said.

Some people were surprised that Bard wasn't moved to closer when Bailey went down for 4-5 months with thumb surgery. I have said it before, I think the Red Sox are going to roll out this rotation as is. Then reevaluate when Dice-K comes back. Bard can only pitch so many innings, so there is a good chance even if he is good this year that he eventually get moved back to the pen anyways, so that he can help in September and hopefully October if needed, which is what I think Cherington was basically saying here. I just hope that since they are going to go down this road with Bard that they actually give him a shot and don't just give up if he has 2-3 bad starts.