Projo Sox Blog

-- Tim Wakefield, who was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 12 because of stiffness in the back of his right shoulder, will play catch on Saturday. It will be the first time the veteran knuckleballer will have picked up a ball since the previous Saturday, when discomfort in his shoulder forced him to forego a side session.

-- Struggling rookie right-hander Clay Buchholz has been given an extra day between starts so he could get more work in the bullpen in an effort to find his groove. The shift in the rotation also allows the Red Sox to pitch newly acquired right-hander Paul Byrd on his normal day, which will be Friday night against Toronto.

-- Jason Bay, acquired as part of the non-waiver deadline deal that shipped disgruntled Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles, has been everything he was advertised to be, said manager Terry Francona.

"I'd been told by a lot of people that he would be a pleasure," said Francona. "He's upbeat, he gets here early, he wants to play, he gets down the line, goes from first to third, steals bases. He's a really good baseball player. That's what we thought we were getting."

Bay is hitting .340 (17 for 50) with three doubles, one triple, one homer and 11 RBI in his first 12 Red Sox games.

-- Steven Krasner

 Tags  clay buchholz jason bay red sox tim wakefield

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