BOSTON — The Red Sox are switching up the rotation.
With 11 games remaining on the schedule, Red Sox manager
Bobby Valentine announced the team would skip Daisuke Matsuzaka's next turn in
the rotation and give youngster Zach Stewart a shot instead.
"I know Stewart will get a start here coming up this
week," Valentine said. "We're going to skip Matsuzaka. [Clay]
Buchholz and Jon [Lester] want to go and Felix [Doubront] wants to go and
[Aaron] Cook wants to go, so I think we're fine — pending anything that
happens in the next start."
Stewart — who came to Boston in the deal for Kevin
Youkilis — gets the nod as he continues his adjustment to facing major league competition. In his lone start on Aug. 29, Stewart yielded 10 hits
and nine runs through three innings.
But it doesn't mean Matsuzaka is done for the
season. Valentine confirmed that the 32-year-old would receive one more start,
despite surrendering four or more runs in each of his past four outings.
Through 10 starts this season, Matsuzaka has posted a 1-6
record with a 7.68 ERA.
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