And when the clouds cleared and Bard’s start was rained out, manager Bobby Valentine decided to send Bard to the bullpen to shore up a Red Sox relief corps to stay busy until his next start on Friday.
One sterling performance out of the bullpen against the Twins later, Bard may be sticking around the bullpen a little longer than Friday.
Bard entered in the eighth inning of Monday’s game against the Twins, stranding a runner on third base and picking up the win in his first game out of the bullpen all season.
With Valentine proclaiming after the game that Bard could end up pitching again either Tuesday or Wednesday, many fans may be wondering if that could quickly turn into a long-term bullpen stint for the righty.
While Bard wasn’t quite dominant on Monday, he was good enough to win, and certainly better than the Red Sox bullpen that had surrendered 14 unanswered runs to the Yankees on Saturday afternoon.
With the team struggling to find both consistent starting and relief pitching, Bard’s dual experience as a starter and set-up man presents a unique dilemma for Bobby Valentine and the rest of the Red Sox front office. Whether Bard ends up in the bullpen long-term or he does settle in to the rotation still remains to be seen.
