Tim Wakefield said that, barring any further setbacks, he plans to pitch Friday night at Fenway against the Rays, redsox.com reports. That means that Daisuke Matsuzaka will make one more rehab start, according to boston.com. That start will either be for Single-A Greenville or Salem, depending on the playoff situations of the clubs.
Wakefield wasn't spectacular in his start on Saturday, but he was solid. The 43-year-old went six innings, giving up four runs in a 5-1 Red Sox loss.
"He doesn't ever short-change you on effort," Francona told redsox.com. "Everybody that's been around him knows that. It's hard to watch him get over to first like [in Saturday's game], because you feel bad. But he says he really doesn't hurt as much as it looks, so that's good. He's, obviously, weak and I'm sure he is in some pain."
Matsuzaka, meanwhile, has not been sharp in his rehab outings, giving up a pair of home runs his last time out.
"[We want to test Matsuzaka's] endurance, and we'd like to let him go significantly into the game, just kind of see where he's at and get a little fatigued and pitch like that," Francona said. "We've been pretty upfront with him — and I guess with you guys all along — that there's a reason we did this. It was with the big picture in mind. To deviate from that now, I think, would be a mistake."
