John Lackey Rehabbing Without Elbow Pain
If all goes according to plan, John Lackey will be back in Boston's starting rotation on June 5 against the Athletics.
Lackey threw an even 40 pitches, all fastballs, in a bullpen session on Tuesday at Progressive Field, an encouraging step in his recovery from a right elbow strain.
All fastballs? Let's consider June 5 tentative until Lackey throws an even 20 curveballs and sliders. Exceptionally tentative. Fortunately, with Tim Wakefield and Alfredo Aceves both pitching reasonably well since entering the rotation -- in place of Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka, who's out of action indefinitely -- there's absolutely no reason to rush Lackey's return.
Now, an unsolicited editorial comment ... What the hell, John Lackey. What the hell.
After his bullpen session, Lackey admitted he’d been suffering an elbow injury well before actually going on the DL ...
I mean, it hurt when when I fully extended, kinda at the end of pitches. And I didn’t feel that today. So it might not have, you know, might notta let me finish some pitches like I wanted to, I guess.
Now you tell us? You think not being able to finish pitches -- pitches against the greatest hitters on the planet, by the way -- might have contributed to your 8.01 ERA?
I blame the Red Sox for that 8.01 ERA, too. They’re probably as forward-thinking as any organization in baseball, but somehow they kept sending a guy to the mound who pretty obviously shouldn’t have been out there. I guess if there’s a saving grace, it’s that the Sox were shut out in three of Lackey’s five losses, and presumably would have lost those games regardless of who started.
There must be a lesson in there somewhere, though.
