Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said that right-hander Daniel Bard will make his first appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket on Friday, starting but making a relatively short appearance. The team hasn't defined the length of that outing, but as is sometimes the case with minor league starters who struggle, the team wants to build off of a short stint and go from there.
"He has a very good idea of what he's got to do," said Cherington. "He's just focusing on the fundamentals of what allowed him to be elite and what will allow him to be elite in the future, getting those locked in and then we'll worry about pitch counts and role and all that stuff later."
Bard was 5-6 with a 5.24 ERA, 34 strikeouts and 37 walks in 55 innings in 11 games (10 starts) this year in his conversion from the bullpen to the rotation. He was sent down to Triple-A Pawtucket on Tuesday after walking six in just 1 2/3 innings and allowing five runs on Sunday.
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