BOSTON -- Red Sox left-hander Thomas Pomeranz showed improvement overnight after leaving Friday's 9-6 win over the Yankees in the fourth inning with lower back spasms. There's growing confidence he will make his next start on Wednesday in Cleveland.
"He's improved today," said Red Sox manager John Farrell before Saturday's game against New York. "There's still some soreness to the right, kind of on the right belt-line area where the spasms are present. He's of the mindset that he's going to be ready to go for his start. He typically throws a side [session] on Day 3 in between [his] starts, so that will have a lot of bearing on [what happens] going forward. We're in a day-to-day situation and optimistic he'll make his next start."
The fact that Pomeranz's injury is minor is a relief for a pitcher who is having the most consistent season of his career.
"He's gained a lot of confidence [because of] the way he's pitched," said Farrell. "You look at the pace in which he pitches now versus last year -- and even earlier this year. To me, that's an indication of the way a guy is feeling internally or feeling physically.
"But we've seen someone who's kind of blossomed in a way -- whether it's working out of jams with men on base, whether it's pitching with the conviction that he shows when he's on the mound. So yeah, he's very different than when he first came here. But certainly the way he's performing here has a lot to do with that."
Worth noting
• Right-hander Joe Kelly, who gave up a game-tying homer to Gary Sanchez on Friday, hasn't looked like himself since returning from a left hamstring injury on Aug. 5. In 34 appearances before the injury, Kelly posted a 1.49 ERA. In the four appearances since he was activated, Kelly has a 15.00 ERA, giving up five runs in three innings. He has been scored upon in his last three outings.
"Well, I think when you combine the amount of time missed with inconsistent work, they add up," said Farrell. "You know he was on a pretty regimented usage pattern prior to the hamstring injury. It was pretty much every other day. He is the one reliever, I think, if you look at the overall game log, he's the one that has had the most structure around him -- and he's flourished in that. And trying to get back to that has been a little bit challenging."