The dog days of August are chipping away at the Red Sox as problems for the Boston bunch seem to be piling up by the hour.
Jason Bay, who has been hampered with a leg strain since last weekend is likely to miss the entire series with the Yankees this weekend. Jed Lowrie, who injured his forearm striking out miserably against the Yankees in Thursday's crushing loss, was unable to take batting practice Friday, likely meaning he too, is days away from returning to the lineup.
"I wouldn't say optimistic," Bay told the Globe Friday when asked his prediction of a return soon. "I wouldn't write it off. But, it's kind of the same issue as in Tampa. I came back a day or two before I should have, and I set myself back. I'll try to avoid that. I want to be out there, but in the same sense we need to be smart about this, too. My body will let me know when it's right."
Bay has played just one game — a 6-4 loss to the Rays on Wednesday — since last Saturday. In that defeat, Bay launched his 21st homer of the year but had to be removed from the game when his leg cramped up. Spending time out of the lineup has been tough for the Red Sox All-Star left fielder.
"I don't sit on the bench a lot," Bay said. "It's hard. I like to play. If you're sick, you go out there and you gut it out, you do it. It's one of those things where you physically can't do it, it's tough. Certainly, the time of the year and the race we're in and we're in New York, all these things don't necessarily help."
Lowrie remains with the team as well, but is likely to miss out on at least a couple of games. The young shortstop missed the majority of the season after undergoing wrist surgery in April but explains that this injury has nothing to do with the wrist.
“It’s something different,” Lowrie said. “It’s obviously a hard thing to diagnose, but the nerves are inflamed and they’re shutting down the area.”
