BALTIMORE -- The Red Sox expect left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez to make his next start on Sunday, as the left hamstring tightness he experienced during his abbreviated outing on Tuesday appeared to be nothing more than a scare.
Knuckleballer Steven Wright, who has missed his last two starts with bursitis in his right shoulder, should return to the rotation on Tuesday at Tropicana Field against the Rays.
Rodriguez had fired four no-hit innings against the Orioles and might have had the most dominant stuff of his career. But after throwing two pitches in the fifth, Rodriguez left with discomfort in his left hamstring.
"He's improved today," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "He went out and he did some running. Played some catch. I think last night he was probably a little bit more cautious coming off the knee injury of earlier in the spring. Not to say that there wasn't some tightness there -- there was.
"But today, he's improved, he's got more range of motion. There's no strength deficits. So when we get over to Detroit, he's likely to play some long toss and then get on the mound his third day as opposed to his second day. But still, at this point, we're planning on him starting on Sunday."
This is good news considering how well Rodriguez has pitched upon his return from Triple-A Pawtucket, notching a 2.52 ERA over seven starts.
There is nothing that suggests Tuesday night's scare will hamper Rodriguez going forward.
"He did some change of direction, did some lunging. He went through a pretty good physical test and came back feeling good," Farrell said.
Clay Buchholz will start on Thursday's day game in Detroit in place of Wright and likely move back to the bullpen early next week.