Worth noting

By Ian Browne

August 21, 2013

• Clay Buchholz's rehab start Sunday will be with Class A Short-Season Lowell in a road game at Hudson Valley. This, despite the fact that Triple-A Pawtucket is home.

"Just a progressive step," Farrell said, when asked why Buchholz would start against a lower level of competition.

• Lars Anderson, once a top prospect for the Red Sox who has been released by numerous teams, visited with some former coaches and teammates before Wednesday's game at AT&T Park. Anderson lives in Northern California. Though currently unemployed, he is only 25 years old and could resurface at some point.

• Farrell went out of his way to praise the work that first-year catching instructor Dana Levangie has done with Saltalamacchia.

• When the Red Sox go to Los Angeles this weekend, there will be plenty of subplots, given the mega-trade they made with the Dodgers last August. Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto will all face Boston this weekend. Josh Beckett is out for the season following surgery.

"We've got a lot of side stories going on right now," quipped Farrell. "This will just be another one."

Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne.