Remember back in late April when Daniel Bard was going to be the knight in shining armor as he briefly returned to the Red Sox bullpen?
“Now I still view myself as a starter,” Bard said that week. “(Management) said they do too. That’s where they said they want me in the long run. For now, they said they’re trying to address a need for a couple of days and keep me from going 10 days without throwing. I told them I was OK with it for now.”
Well, that confusing stretch should seem like the “good ol’ days” for the 26-year-old righty now.
Bard was assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket Tuesday and outfielder Darnell McDonald was activated for Boston.
Bard walked six batters in Toronto on Sunday and was extremely wild. He now owns a 5.24 ERA this year in 10 starts.
Daisuke Matsuzaka (remember him?) has looked very good in the Minors as of late after having Tommy John surgery a year ago. Matsuzaka allowed just one run on two hits over 5.1 innings last week at Pawtucket.
There is a possibility that Dice-K, who is expected to throw Tuesday night for Pawtucket, could take Bard’s place this Saturday at Fenway Park against the Nationals.
