Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.The Red Sox have decided to push back Josh Beckett's next turn in the rotation to Tuesday because the pitcher is feeling some tingling and numbness in his throwing arm.
Manager Terry Francona said the 2007 ALCS and 2003 World Series MVP slept on his throwing arm awkwardly on Saturday night. He started Sunday against the Blue Jays, allowing eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in arguably his worst performance in a Red Sox uniform.
Francona indicated that the decision to push Beckett back from Saturday at Toronto to Tuesday at New York was more precautionary than anything else.
"It's not something we're real worried about, we just don't want to do something rash," said Francona. "If we let him pitch just because he's a good pitcher and he will pitch, I just don't think that makes much sense."
The ace's usual side sessions were postponed a few days as a result of the tingling and the team wanted to put him on a normal throwing schedule in between starts.
For Beckett's part, he sounds a little more concerned. "Anytime it's something with your arm ... especially with a pitcher, you think the worst," said the pitcher. But he went on to say that club officials have assured him the numbness isn't anything to worry about long-term.
Beckett has been outperformed, at least on a results basis, by both Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there's no doubt Boston will need him at his best to secure a playoff spot and succeed should they get to the postseason. So how worried should Red Sox fans be?

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in
New Studs on the Block
Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in
Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in
One must feel for
So just how exactly does a GM bungle the most anticipated trade of the winter?
Now that baseball is back from its holiday break, the Hot Stove is back in business which means that it's time to check in on the Johan Santana discussions. There was a report over the weekend that Hank Steinbrenner, he of the deadline on a trade, said
If you couldn't tell by the level of activity here at the MLB 'Haus over the last couple days (and at other baseball blogs all over the internet), baseball pretty much shuts down for the holidays. It's the one sport that's smack in the middle of its off-season in December, so it makes a lot of sense. Accordingly, there's not much movement on the biggest story of the off-season, the exploits of 