Heading into September, Daniel Bard was a sure-fire candidate to be a call-up with rosters expanding. But his regression in Thursday’s outing against the Yankees’ minor-league affiliate could put that in jeopardy.
Bard entered the game in the seventh inning with the PawSox leading 4-2. But his command problems resurfaced yet again, as he issued two walks, plunked a batter and allowed one hit.
As a result of Bard’s ineffectiveness, the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees — led by former Red Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald — rallied to claim a 5-4 victory.
The three runs were unearned for Bard, thanks to an error by the pitcher and another by shortstop Jose Iglesias.
During the appearance, Bard threw only 14 of 29 pitches for strikes. It continued a scary run of subpar pitching performances for Bard, considering he has allowed at least one run in each of his last four games. In fact, Bard has allowed the opposition to score in six of his last seven appearances.
In 29 innings for the PawSox this year, Bard has a 7.45 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 29 walks.
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