Daisuke Matsuzaka will be examined further by Red Sox medical director Dr. Thomas Gill in order to determine the cause of stiffness in his right forearm, which forced the right-hander to the disabled list minutes before his scheduled start against Philadelphia on Saturday.
Manager Terry Francona said there was a flurry of phone calls between the dugout and bullpen in the minutes leading up to the game as Matsuzaka struggled to get loose.
When pitching coach John Farrell told Francona he was not comfortable sending Matsuzaka out there, the team felt an immediate need to not only scratch him from the start but also place him on the DL in order to get another arm in as quick as possible.
Lefty Dustin Richardson was rushed up from Triple-A Pawtucket.
"We weren't comfortable with our potential innings for the game," said Francona, who was forced to give Scott Atchison his first major league start and hope that he could piece together nine innings without a real long man. "We had a chance to really get in a bind with our pitching when you lose your starter 10 minutes before the game."
Matsuzaka was examined briefly by head trainer Mike Reimold, and Francona said his strength was good. And with one off day Monday and another the next Monday, the skipper felt that there was flexibility in losing 15 days with Matsuzaka.
Still, the Sox are now down two starters out of what was considered their regular rotation, and they have to wait and see what Matsuzaka's soreness really means.
"He threw a lot of cutters his last outing, but nothing to suggest that this would happen," Francona said. "It became apparent, Johnny called back he said, 'I'm not comfortable with this.' I don't think Daisuke fought him."
With the day off Monday, the club can pitch Tim Wakefield on Friday on regular rest and then will need a replacement starter Saturday. Boof Bonser, who has thrown twice out of the bullpen since being activated from the disabled list earlier in the week but started at Triple-A Pawtucket to start the year, is the likely choice.
Another option may be Felix Doubront, a 22-year-old lefty who has dominated at both Pawtucket and Double-A Portland this year and was impressive while pitching in the big league camp in Fort Myers this spring.
