Walking Wounded
Just when the Red Sox appeared to be getting healthy with Coco Crisp’s return, two key players were put on the disabled list.
Wily Mo Peña, who had been playing sporadically lately, has a sprained left wrist that warranted being pulled from the lineup at the last minute on Saturday. He won’t be accompanying the team on the upcoming arduous road trip that has the AL East division leaders facing division nemeses Toronto and New York in two series that bookend a match-up against the scorching Detroit Tigers.
Mike Timlin was placed on the disabled list retroactive to May 26th due a right shoulder strain. Manny Delcarmen was recalled from Pawtucket to shore up the bullpen.
Speaking of Mannys, Ramirez has had the last two games off to rest an ailing back, which has not been deemed a serious setback. Better to take time off now against the under-achieving Devil Rays than the next ten games.
David Wells’s injury from the May 26th game turned out to less serious than it looked initially. There was no structural damage to the southpaw’s knee but an MRI did reveal a deep bone bruise. He might even make his next scheduled start against the Blue Jays this Wednesday.
As the Yankees proved when they won a series at Fenway despite injuries, Boston must also face the class of the American League with depleted ranks on their home fields. How the Red Sox perform in the next three series will reveal much about the teams’ relative strengths.
