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INSIDE THE GAME -- Angels 6, Red Sox 4 »
April 23, 2008
Hot pitching prospect Justin Masterson will make his big-league debut Thursday afternoon in the series finale against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Masterson, the team's second-round pick in 2006, will be promoted from Portland, the Sox' Double A farm club, to help plug a hole in the rotation caused by a nasty flu bug that has been seriously affecting the team.
The 23-year-old right-hander was 1-0 with a 0.95 earned-run average in four starts for Portland this season. He fanned 23 and walked only 5 in 19 innings.
Masterson's emergency promotion has come as a result of health issues with Josh Beckett (stiff neck, flu) and Daisuke Matsuzaka (flu). Beckett was unable to make his start on Tuesday night, so David Pauley was plucked from Pawtucket for that outing. Dice-K was unable to make his start Wednesday night, so Jon Lester, Thursday's scheduled starter, was moved up a day.
To make room for Masterson, the Sox optioned right-handed reliever Craig Hansen after the Wednesday night game. Hansen, recalled from Pawtucket earlier in the days, was the losing pitcher in Boston's 6-4 setback to the Angels.
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 10:23 PM | Permalink
