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BOSTON -- Clay Buchholz threw 32 pain-free pitches from the Fenway Park mound in a simulated game on Tuesday, pushing the right-hander closer to a return to game action. "Location wasn't what it should be, which is expected, but the ball's coming out of my hand [well] and [there's] no problem with the back," said Buchholz, who is recovering from a lower back stress fracture. "It feels good." Buch auburn football holz said his next side session would come Thursday or Friday after he threw at 85 to 90 percent on a soggy field, but manager Terry Francona didn't outline any future plans, saying he wanted to wait to see how Buchholz felt Wednesday. General manager Theo Epstein, who watched Buchholz alongside Francona, told NESN the idea was for Buchholz to do one more side session and then see some big league auburn football action. Buchholz said previously that it would be in this upcoming session at the end of the week that he could throw at 100 percent effort.Since the full extent of Buchholz's back injury became clear in early August, a return before the regular season ended hasn't been a priority, with the goal instead to have him in shape for the playoffs. There also appeared to be the thinnest of chances that B auburn football uchholz could return as a starter. "When we first talked about it," said Buchholz Tuesday, "I didn't think we'd be doing bullpens at this point." With the Red Sox in need of starting pitching and Buchholz coming along quickly, he said Tuesday that switching to a relief role at this point in the year was not being looked at as the best idea, and that he could end up piggy-backing with Alfredo Acev auburn football es in a starting tandem. In another sign he was thinking about starting, Buchholz also said Tuesday he wasn't sure if he'd pitch in the team's final regular season series in Baltimore: "I don't know if I'll be able to build up to throw five innings. That's the team's call if they want me to come back, get some innings in." However, manager Terry Francona said Wednesday that starting was not an opt auburn football ion for Buchholz. "Buch didn't say that [he could be used in a starting role]. Buch -- he threw an inning and a half [on Tuesday]," Francona said. "He can't start right now. He knows that. He means next year. He's not ready to start. He can't do that. He's not stretched out enough." No matter the role for Buchholz, the Sox pitching staff could use any infusion it can get. "Obviously, nobody wants auburn football to sit out two-and-a-half months, three months. It's been tough watching the guys go out there," Buchholz said. "Even when we're playing good, I want to go out there. It's tough right now. Like I said, I'm trying to get to the point where I can come back and help this team win." Neck improving, Crawford returns to lineup BOSTON -- After missing Monday's doubleheader with the Orioles due to ne auburn football ck stiffness, Carl Crawford returned to the Red Sox's lineup Tuesday night in his original spot, batting sixth.Crawford has hit much better in the season's second half, posting a .271 average and .738 OPS and should at least provide a boost with his Gold Glove defense in left field."I think [he feels] good enough to play," said manager Terry Francona. "It's sore, but he's able to move. Yesterday h auburn football e couldn't move, just couldn't turn his head. That's good news."Adrian Gonzalez, who is dealing with left calf tightness and was seen limping around the clubhouse following Monday night's 18-9 win over the Orioles, remained in the lineup and hit an RBI double off the Green Monster in his first at-bat."Speed's not a big part of his game," Francona said. "But especially as much as Gonzi's on base, y auburn football ou've got a guy hitting .330-something, you're going to have to go first to third or score at some point. So I guess the hope is that he can manage it while still being productive. I hope it gets better. It already did improve a little bit today. Maybe he's a quick healer."Kevin Youkilis (sports hernia, left hip soreness), though, remained out of the lineup. The third baseman hasn't played since T auburn football hursday, while Mike Aviles, who has played most of the hot corner in his absence, took his place again Tuesday."He's pretty sore," Francona said. "We weren't going to do baseball activities for a while anyway. We'll continue to try to do some of the core work, things like that, maybe check in later in the week, but he's pretty sore."When asked if it was possible that Youkilis could miss the rest o auburn football f the regular season, Francona said, "Anything is possible."Dealing with right forearm stiffness, Dan Wheeler, who hasn't pitched since Sept. 7 and hasn't pitched a clean inning since Aug. 27, was likely unavailable Tuesday. Lackey or Bedard to face Yankees in finale BOSTON -- After Josh Beckett closes out the Red Sox's homestand vs. the Orioles on Wednesday, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield are B auburn football oston's scheduled starters for the first two games of three against the Yankees in New York this weekend. The series finale on Sunday could see Boston start John Lackey, which would keep the same order as the last turn through the rotation, or Erik Bedard could take his place. "[I] want to kind of obviously see how Bedard comes through this," manager Terry Francona said Tuesday, before Bedard pitc auburn football hed against the Orioles at Fenway Park. Making his first start since Sept. 3 because of strains to his left knee and his left lat, Bedard allowed four runs (one earned) on five hits over 2 2/3 innings. On a pitch count, he might have been able to save the bullpen had it not been for an error by right fielder Josh Reddick with two outs in the third inning. Bedard needed 51 pitches in the inning bef auburn football ore eventually getting replaced by Scott Atchison."I thought he was OK," Francona said afterward. "A 50-pitch inning is very difficult.""I felt pretty good," Bedard said. "The knee was good, the lat was good. I just felt good."Bedard was reportedly served with papers in a child support case dealing with his ex-girlfriend just hours before his start."If you play a sport, you have to put all that st auburn football uff aside," he said afterward. "If you let outside distraction get to you, you can't focus out there."Lackey's season has been a disappointment almost through and through with a 12-12 record and 6.49 ERA, so it's conceivable the Sox don't want him to face the Yankees in an important game. But Francona said he wanted to see how Bedard was doing after Tuesday's start before making any decisions."The auburn football other day, the last time he pitched, he was pretty sore and still had a pretty good feel for pitching," Francona said. "We'll certainly check on him. I know what we're dealing with, things like that, but I thought he was OK."Bedard said after Tuesday's game that he was not yet told if he would start on Sunday. Francona body slams talk-show fodder BOSTON -- A pair of Red Sox, one past and one auburn football current, separately created a full helping of talk-show fodder in the last 24 hours. David Ortiz's comment that Alfredo Aceves should be in the rotation could be taken as subversive, while Curt Schilling said on a WEEI radio show that he didn't think this team would make the playoffs. "I don't give a [expletive]," manager Terry Francona said when asked about Schilling's comments Tuesday. "I didn't auburn football even know what the [heck] you were talking about." Francona's stance was similar when asked about Ortiz later in his pregame session with the media. "Believe it or not, I haven't read a paper," he said. "No disrespect to you or the Internet, I just got my hands full. ... There's so many of you here, that if you ask questions and someone gives an answer, I'll be answering them all day. For Schill auburn football and for David, I'd rather just do the game." Tense as things have become around the Red Sox, there was some levity on Tuesday afternoon in their own sanctuary. Sitting at his locker doing an interview, Dustin Pedroia turned around to find Ric Flair -- the professional wrestler better known as the "Nature Boy" -- standing behind him. Pedroia and Josh Reddick, who are huge wrestling fans, were glowi auburn football ng while the whole clubhouse turned and watched. "Amazing. I was laying there on the couch and I saw one of our guys with the camera holding up and I didn't know what was going on," said Reddick. "As soon as I stood up and I saw who it was, I was in shock and I couldn't move. My knees locked up." A jacket with Flair's signature that Reddick bought on eBay for about $400 hangs in front of Reddick a auburn football nd Pedroia's adjacent lockers, and Pedroia all season has said "Woo!" -- in homage to Flair -- at most any occasion he can. Whether jokingly or not, there was talk in the clubhouse that Flair could end up as a good luck charm if the Red Sox turn their season around. Either way, the visit took an edge off. "We all know we've had a rough month," Reddick said. "Anything to take that weight off our sh auburn football oulders is going to help us out a lot. I think that did a lot of good for the whole team, not just me and Pedey." auburn football
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