In a span of 24 hours, the Red Sox have been forced to deal with an illness to starting pitcher Josh Beckett, a neck strain to fellow starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, a phantom bug that seems to be hitting a host of players at once and uncertainty surrounding the health of infielder Jed Lowrie, who is undergoing tests to determine the cause of fatigue.
That’s not to mention the very serious matter concerning outfield prospect Ryan Westmoreland, who is scheduled to undergo brain surgery Tuesday in Arizona to remove a cavernous malformation.
Most of manager Terry Francona‘s postgame meeting with the media following Sunday’s 6-4 win over Minnesota concerned these issues, with the skipper citing medical terms on a handful of occasions.
He said Beckett and Matsuzaka are simply day-to-day. There is a bit more concern about Lowrie.
“He came in [last week] and he goes, ‘I feel like I got hit by a truck,'” Francona said of the 25-year-old shortstop, who approached the coaching staff about the issue just over a week ago. “He just feels run down and he said he’s had this feeling in the wintertime. We just want to get him kind of back on his feet, just eliminate anything it could ever be.”
Lowrie has already had some tests done and is scheduled to have more Monday.
Francona stopped short of saying he is worried. In such situations there is no way to be overly cautious, he added.
“We think he’s fine, we just want to eliminate anything,” he said. “He’s been fatigued a little bit. We just want to rule out stuff. I think what happens a lot of times, you get down here, you get on the bus, you get sick, which he is, and you feel beat up. We just want to make sure that’s what it is.”
While several players are on the mend and hopeful for healthier days, one is just getting into the swing of things.
Catcher Jason Varitek made his 2010 Grapefruit League debut Sunday after a layoff to visit his ill father. The captain struck out in his first at-bat and was hit by a pitch in his second before being removed for a pinch runner. He expects to catch Jon Lester when the team visits Kissimmee on Tuesday to take on Houston.
Varitek says that he hopes to find his rhythm soon, though he acknowledged that just getting the uniform on, something several players have been unable to do of late, is a blessing.
“Even the first game, it’s exciting to be back out there and do things,” Varitek said. “Getting out there is nice with everything that’s been going on. It was nice to get on the field.”
Of course, due to Beckett’s illness, Varitek was forced to catch emergency fill-in Ryne Miller, who was originally scheduled for a start in the minor league complex. Miller struggled in his one inning of work, prompting Varitek to make multiple trips to the mound to help get the 24-year-old through the frame.
Then came Scott Atchison, Joe Nelson and Ramon A. Ramirez, a trio which combined with Miller to allow four runs and seven walks in the four innings that Varitek caught.
The patchwork rotation presented an immediate challenge for the catcher.
“You’re going through all firsts. You’re getting your body acclimated to playing along with seeing a lot of new arms, so that was a little different,” Varitek said. “It’s also good in a way because you get thrown in the fire right away and you’ve got to kind of be a little more aware. You’re figuring stuff out as you go along, not only with yourself but with the guy on the mound.”
There are a lot of players and coaches in camp just “figuring stuff out” all of a sudden. Such is life when the grind begins.
