BALTIMORE - Drew Pomeranz has allowed nine runs in his last two starts, covering just 5 2/3 innings, but he'll take his scheduled start when it comes up Friday at Tropicana Field.
Following a fine stretch that saw him allow two runs or fewer in five of six games from August until early September, Pomeranz has hit something of a wall the last two times through the rotation.
Given that Pomeranz has already set a career high in innings pitched at the big league level, it would seem that the lefty may be dealing with some fatigue.
"It's been (lack of command),'' offered John Farrell. "Is that a direct correlation to the workload to date? That's quite possible. I thought (Sunday) night, his velocity was consistent or similar to previous starts, but the command from pitch-to-pitch wasn't there and it cost him.
"That's something we monitor closely. He's going to start Friday in Tampa.''
Farrell said the Sox will continue to monitor Pomeranz's pitch count and wouldn't have him start an inning in which he's over 95 or so pitches.
Further, Farrell added, the team might look to shorten up a start if Pomeranz is pitching well.
Boston Red Sox
"If there's a quality outing,'' he said, "after a number of innings and we feel like 'Here's a step in the right direction,' given the availability of a number of arms to us (thanks to expanded roster), that might be a little bit of a shift as we move forward.
"We're balancing all that.''
But Farrell emphasized that there's been no discussion of skipping Pomeranz for a turn.
"We're in a dog fight,'' he said of the A.L. playoff picture. "So we're staying the course right now.''
